sun woke her, bright and piercing through the D23’s broken windshield. And the cabin was cold. Damn cold. Rubbing her arms, Charley prepared to continue on her way.
“Morning, gorgeous,” said the PalBot brightly. “I feel we got off on the wrong foot. Can we start again?”
Charley eyed the little robot warily. “Sure,” she said. “Why the sudden change?”
“Ah, nuttin’” came the cagey reply. “I like it when you’re facing me. I like the way your nipples poke through that smokin’ jumpsuit.”
Charley gasped and checked herself out. It was true - the jumpsuit was extremely good quality but the sheer material didn’t leave anything to the imagination. She realized the idea was to wear protective underwear underneath the utility suit. But the sun was climbing and there were hundreds of miles to travel today. She could change at Spacetown. Glaring at FIGJAM, she took a mouthful of water from the drum.
“I totally wish that nozzle was my penis,” it said in a serious tone.
It took Charley less than a second to shut the infuriating PalBot down. In blissful silence she continued on her way, tackling the shimmering salt pans with renewed determination.
17
The journey southeast was long yet uneventful. Charley stopped at a small settlement right out the front of a street hawker selling delicious meat sticks. Charley had no idea whether it was scavenge meat or something more palatable but it tasted wonderful nonetheless. Or maybe she was just damned hungry.
The next two hours saw her pass increasingly inhabited terrain. There seemed to be a number of moisture farms north of Spacetown. The city itself rose in the distance like a mirage. First, the port dome shimmering like a magic sphere. It looked huge even from this distance. The rest of the city lay further to the east, a hazy skyline of minarets and towers. Someone once told her that Spacetown held close to half a million people. Charley couldn’t imagine so many people crowded into one location. She felt nervous just thinking about it.
Before long the port dome loomed to her right as she took a thoroughfare through the city’s northern limits. The road was thick with speeders and utility haulers, most of them heading away from the city. Charley checked her wrist pad - early afternoon. The rental on her wrist pad was about to expire, so she made a mental note to have her access replenished once in town.
The low garages and farm supply dealerships to either side gave way to larger tenements. Before long Charley was traveling down a busy street right into the center of Spacetown. She felt intimidated by the neon billboards and the towering res blocks on all sides. The sidewalks were awash with all kinds of people. Hookers, pimps, hustlers, dealers, cryjacks, lurkers, borgs, monks, urchins, runners, mercs. All manner of scum available for hire or rent. As the capitol of Abeyas, and the door through which all interstellar travel flowed, Spacetown had a particularly dirty reputation for sin. Sex and violence were both bought and sold on a regular basis. Charley drove slowly through the milling traffic, awed at the various sights and sounds of the city. She saw large bands of patrolmen wandering the streets and remembered the gossip of Zeba. Maybe it was true that the planetary authorities were cracking down on crime and poverty? Charley had no idea how they planned to do that but she was hoping to be gone before it became a potential issue for her.
Exhausted, Charley looked for a hotel symbol and pulled into the shadowy garage underneath a three star building. She killed the D23 when she found a place to park. It had served her extremely well but she had to let it go. She figured she’d be able to reach the port dome by shuttle when the time came. Hauling her water and gear with some difficulty, Charley checked in and slumped to the queen size bed with immense relief. She’d made it to Spacetown!
There was a metallic thunk and then a whirring
“Morning, gorgeous,” said the PalBot brightly. “I feel we got off on the wrong foot. Can we start again?”
Charley eyed the little robot warily. “Sure,” she said. “Why the sudden change?”
“Ah, nuttin’” came the cagey reply. “I like it when you’re facing me. I like the way your nipples poke through that smokin’ jumpsuit.”
Charley gasped and checked herself out. It was true - the jumpsuit was extremely good quality but the sheer material didn’t leave anything to the imagination. She realized the idea was to wear protective underwear underneath the utility suit. But the sun was climbing and there were hundreds of miles to travel today. She could change at Spacetown. Glaring at FIGJAM, she took a mouthful of water from the drum.
“I totally wish that nozzle was my penis,” it said in a serious tone.
It took Charley less than a second to shut the infuriating PalBot down. In blissful silence she continued on her way, tackling the shimmering salt pans with renewed determination.
17
The journey southeast was long yet uneventful. Charley stopped at a small settlement right out the front of a street hawker selling delicious meat sticks. Charley had no idea whether it was scavenge meat or something more palatable but it tasted wonderful nonetheless. Or maybe she was just damned hungry.
The next two hours saw her pass increasingly inhabited terrain. There seemed to be a number of moisture farms north of Spacetown. The city itself rose in the distance like a mirage. First, the port dome shimmering like a magic sphere. It looked huge even from this distance. The rest of the city lay further to the east, a hazy skyline of minarets and towers. Someone once told her that Spacetown held close to half a million people. Charley couldn’t imagine so many people crowded into one location. She felt nervous just thinking about it.
Before long the port dome loomed to her right as she took a thoroughfare through the city’s northern limits. The road was thick with speeders and utility haulers, most of them heading away from the city. Charley checked her wrist pad - early afternoon. The rental on her wrist pad was about to expire, so she made a mental note to have her access replenished once in town.
The low garages and farm supply dealerships to either side gave way to larger tenements. Before long Charley was traveling down a busy street right into the center of Spacetown. She felt intimidated by the neon billboards and the towering res blocks on all sides. The sidewalks were awash with all kinds of people. Hookers, pimps, hustlers, dealers, cryjacks, lurkers, borgs, monks, urchins, runners, mercs. All manner of scum available for hire or rent. As the capitol of Abeyas, and the door through which all interstellar travel flowed, Spacetown had a particularly dirty reputation for sin. Sex and violence were both bought and sold on a regular basis. Charley drove slowly through the milling traffic, awed at the various sights and sounds of the city. She saw large bands of patrolmen wandering the streets and remembered the gossip of Zeba. Maybe it was true that the planetary authorities were cracking down on crime and poverty? Charley had no idea how they planned to do that but she was hoping to be gone before it became a potential issue for her.
Exhausted, Charley looked for a hotel symbol and pulled into the shadowy garage underneath a three star building. She killed the D23 when she found a place to park. It had served her extremely well but she had to let it go. She figured she’d be able to reach the port dome by shuttle when the time came. Hauling her water and gear with some difficulty, Charley checked in and slumped to the queen size bed with immense relief. She’d made it to Spacetown!
There was a metallic thunk and then a whirring
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