Free Junkyard Dogs 1: The Scrapyard Incident by Phillip Nolte Page B

made a mental note to ask
Irene why, with the source of some of the finest coffee in Federation space
right next door, the Governor of the orbital station allowed such a dreadful
brew to be served. He turned his attention back to the discussion.
    "We're
finally getting a little ahead of the game," said Dortmunder. "We
just need to get everything put back together. I'm thinking maybe twenty-four
hours at most. I might be able to lend you a few of my men after that."
    "Thanks,
Stefan, anything you can do would be much
appreciated."
    "I take it
the ceremony will be held in the station assembly room?" asked Kresge.
    "Yes, I hope
they finish repainting it today so it has some time to dry. Don't know if we
can do anything about the smell, guess we'll just have to live with it. Maybe
if we crank up the ventilation...," he trailed off absently.
    "I expect
the Ambassador will want to tour the station?" asked Kresge.
    "Yes,"'
the Governor replied, a note of resignation in his voice. "I don't know
how we can avoid it. We'll have to be selective about where we take him. There
just isn't time to get the entire station ready."
    "Think
you'll stay on decks one and two?"
    "We
certainly will! There's just too much unfinished when you get down to the
fourth deck and below. There's even a rumor that some black market agents have
made up a kind of storage facility and headquarters area somewhere down on deck
five. I don't know if it's true or not; we haven't been able to find it if they
have."
    "We've tried
scanning for it, Chip," said Dortmunder, "but the thickness of the
ring alloy and the damned anti-radiation coating blocks our scanners."
    "I
know," said the Governor. "We'll have to try something else. They
must have somebody working on the inside, but who ?"
    No one had an
answer.
    Kresge continued
the briefing. "You say things are going okay over on the Boise ?" he asked Dortmunder.
    "We'll be
able to take the Ambassador on a limited tour if he requests it," replied
Dortmunder. "There are a lot of restricted areas on a warship anyway.
He'll be expecting that."
    "What do you
need me to do?" asked Kresge.
    "Maybe you
could be available when he arrives and then for an hour or so before the
ceremony, at the end of all the planned tours," Larkin replied. "He
might have some interest in our famous Scrapyard and you'll be just the person
if he has any questions. I trust that you'll be present for the ceremony and
that you'll be able to join us for the official dinner in the evening. I've
already asked Ms. Marshall to attend and she says she's looking forward to
it."
    "Great,"
said Kresge and, in a change from the usual situation with these two men, this
time he meant it. He continued. "Who's coming up from the planet?"
    "Um... the President and his wife, the trade secretary, and
delegations from both houses of Parliament. They'll start heading up
here when the Ambassador's ship comes through the Whitney Hyperlink
Point."
    "Sounds like
this could be a pretty good show," said Kresge.
    "We
certainly hope so," said the Governor. "I'll just be glad when it's
over."
    "Shall we
meet again tomorrow?"
    "Not unless
you have something really important. Just be at the assembly room on time. I
trust you can bring Ms. Marshall?"
    "Yes, I
think I can handle that."
    "Oh, one
more thing," said the Governor. "What do you think of this? It's my
son's birthday today and I thought it would make the perfect gift."
    The Governor laid
a small rectangular box down on the table and removed the lid. The other two
men gathered around to look.
    "You got
that for your kid?" asked Kresge, not sure whether to be really impressed
or really horrified. "That's a Hartwell wrist computer. Those are worth a
lot of credits!"
    "I know. It
was pretty expensive for an eleven-year old, but he's been getting really good
grades and he just completed the training sessions on the new Cyberdex keyboard
system that these things use. You only need one hand! Kid seems to have a knack
for that sort