Free Drifter by William C. Dietz Page A

lock.
    The white landing lights still rippled the length of the ship and the nav beacons still flashed. The endless void stretched off in every direction. It would be easy to unclip the safety line, push hard, and drift away.
    Lando shook the idea off and moved away from The Tink's hull. Within a matter of three or four steps he left argrav behind and entered zero-G. He checked the safety line to make sure that it was secured. It was.
    Two squirts from Lando's built-in jet pak carried him over to the cargo carrier's raised side. A series of yellow arrows interspersed with the words "Emergency Quarters-Oxygen Breathers Only" led him to the personnel lock.
    The outer hatch was made of durasteel. Right next to it was a pressure plate and an internally lit numeric keypad. Lando palmed the pressure plate. Nothing. Surprise, surprise. The hatch was locked.
    He anchored his self-closing supply sack to the cargo carrier's hull and fumbled through his gear.
    "Hey, Wendy… you read me?"
    "Loud and clear. I can see you, too. The port vid cam has a nice clean shot."
    "Good. I'll need your help on the keyboard. Enter 'Test Sequence,' but don't execute."
    "Roger."
    Lando found the small self-powered transceiver, checked the setting, and turned it on. A magnet held it to the deck. Assuming that everything worked correctly, the transceiver would provide linkage with a small, highly specialized computer aboard The Tink. A computer equipped with some useful but rather illegal programs.
    "Okay… execute."
    "Executing."
    Seconds passed, and Wendy returned. "I have 'Test Sequence complete.'"
    "Good. Set up 'Run Program,' and wait to execute."
    "Roger."
    Lando attached two leads to the numeric keypad and connected the other ends to the transceiver. An indicator light glowed red. The smuggler checked to make sure the leads were properly seated. The red light disappeared.
    "Okay," Lando said, "here goes nothing. Execute."
    "Executing."
    Time passed. Lando used it to sip water from his suit. Wendy's voice boomed inside his helmet.
    "A series of numbers appeared on the screen."
    "Excellent! What are they?"
    "Ten… seventeen… twenty-three… and twelve."
    Lando punched the numbers into the keypad and watched the indicator light flash green.
    "Very tricky," Wendy said approvingly. "You used the computer to run all the possible combinations until it hit the right one. That's illegal, isn't it?"
    "Is it?" Lando asked innocently. "I'll check the next time I visit a law library."
    The hatch cycled open. Lando unclipped his safety line and attached it to one of the many tie-downs located just outside the lock.
    He stepped inside. Lights came on and threw his shadow against the bulkhead. He waited while the outer door irised closed and the ship's computer pumped an atmosphere into the lock.
    A "Pressurized" sign came on. Lando checked the heads-up display inside his helmet to make sure. It agreed.
    Lando opened his visor and found that the cargo carrier's air tasted musty and stale.
    "Pik?" Wendy sounded nervous.
    "Yeah?"
    "Is everything okay?"
    Lando stepped out of the lock and into the ship's emergency quarters. There were some tidy bunk beds, a serviceable galley, and a wall full of electronics. Lando headed in that direction.
    "Sure… everything's fine. I'm inside now. Any sign of company?"
    "No, not so far."
    "Good. Keep your eyes peeled."
    There was a chair located in front of the electronics. Lando sat down. It made a whirring noise and adjusted to his frame.
    The ship's central computer sensed his presence and activated the control panel. A screen came on, and rows of indicator lights glowed red, yellow, and green.
    Lando grinned. It was just as he'd hoped. Since there was no way to anticipate who might use the emergency quarters, the company had dispensed with the usual security codes.
    He spoke. "Show me how much of the cargo capacity has been utilized."
    Silence. It seemed that Mega-Metals didn't waste money on voice-actuated computers for the