🚀 go-pugleaf

Quig always hated leaving the relative safety of the Haven's Rest, but 
then the excitement of exploring the 'combs would grab hold, and off he'd
go.  Of course, this time was different.  This trip had a mission.

"Bizarre concept" thought Quig, "a mission..."

And it should only take a day or so.  (Try though he might, Quig could
only relate to the time-units he grew up with on earth... days/months/years...,
Also, money was physical. Something you held in your hands.  "Those were the
days when $100 was worth something".)

With a snort, a couple of kicks, and some general cursing, his old skimmer
craft started up and he headed off towards the mine entrance.

******

Around Serendipity, there are quite a number of entrances into the honeycombs.
The problem is that most don't go anywhere in particular or they end in an
Ebehard Shaft.  [Curtis R. Ebehard, III, was the first colonist to discover
the strange, deep shafts.  Being an amateur archiologist, he theorized that
the shafts were part of an elevator system left behind by whom/whatever made
the honeycombs.  Most people just thought they were "damn deep holes".  To
prove his theory, he step into one... and promptly fell to his death.  "Damn
deep holes" are still the favored theory, but it was decided to name them
Ebehard Shafts; kind of a macabre tribute.]

******

Of the two entrances which Quig could use, he figured he had to use "Bartol's
Hole"; "Who Stuck A Hole Here" would have taken him at least him at least 45
klicks out of the way.  That meant he had to drive through Barothian's Square.

Looking at his chronometer, 2:45, he realized that the "guantlet" of merchants
was going to be exceptionally thick today.  With a grimace, he headed off in
that general direction.

>   Three O'clock in the afternoon, the businesses in the starport were
>prospering well, and the guard were usually more lenient here than in
>other places.

It was even worse than Quig had imagined, but he took a bit of pleasure from
pushing these con-artists out of his way with the skimmer's deflector.  Boy
did they look mad as he zoomed past.

>
>    Booom!!
>
>   An explosion rocked the Square and people dived for cover. Guards
>suddenly got good firing positions, ready to "deal" with any any
>trouble. There was no trouble, only smoke.

Quig hit the deck of his skimmer, arms covering his head.  But the skimmer just
went on its merry way, plowing over two Antarian Dream stands, a Mare's fruit
stand, and deflected off the wall of a nearby building.  Quig tried to hit the
Kill button, but missed.  Like a lethargic pinball, the skimmer plunged down a side-street, riccochetting off buildings on both sides of the street.

When the skimmer finally stopped, it had three new dents, listed a little to
the left, and made a funny whirring sound when in hover mode.

"Damn guantlet" muttered Quig.  "Now I'll have to get this thing fixed too."
Bending over to pick up an apple which he somehow "acquired" in the market,
Quig started up the skimmer and headed towards Bartol's Hole. 

---
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 Carl Fogelin (fogelinc@cyanamid.com)     "All opinions are strictly mine" 
   "Sushi!   That's what my ex-wife called me.  Cold fish." -- Blade Runner

   Up the long ladder and down the short rope,
   To Hell with King Billy and God bless the Pope. -- traditional