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Spalding frowns, thinking on it. “May I ask the purpose of your line of questions?”
<span class="mu-i">I picked a fight with a driller, and waterlogged him hard enough to put him in the infirmary. I just want to make sure that he didn’t have his goons leave me any final surprises before I left the Duck.</span>
You don’t say that, of course. “Scuttlebutt says that there’s more than a few folks resentful of what I did. Just worried that they’re gonna take it out on Maggie.”
Eyes widen in understanding, and a small smile. “Let me assure you that the engineering platform strives to be unpartisan. We’re the first to be blamed for any accidents in the field, so we’re incentivized to remain above petty bickering.”
A pleasantly political answer. As well as a bold-faced half-truth, and one that doesn’t actually answer your question. LeGrange is nowhere in sight. The rat must’ve caught wind of your arrival, and beat a fast retreat to go sulk or hide. Must’ve thought you were gonna kick the shit out of him for the part he played in Pierce’s reckless bonus scheme.
“If you say so,” you mutter, eyeing the <span class="mu-i">Magellan</span> warily. “…mind if I poke around?”
“Of course not.”
“Thanks.”
>You spend the next few hours inspecting your PUEXO.
>You check everything, from each individual joint, analog system, power draw and pilot black box.
>Everything seems to be in order, and HOPI reports no major changes from within the cockpit.
>>The following day...
The supply ship Disnomia comes sooner than anyone expected, only forty minutes after noon. Her captain makes no attempt to disguise the fact that the sooner you get back to Babylonia, the more handsomely he’ll be paid. Even as his crew’s unloading pallet after pallet of supplies and other amenities, he’s wringing his hands, muttering and checking his watch even after you’ve dropped your stuff off and Maggie’s been loaded.
“In and out with the tide,” he mutters, “And then all ahead full back to Babylonia…”
Sheesh.
The timely nature of his arrival prevents your shift mates from saying goodbye in-person on the receiving platform. But you do get a nice card, one that everyone signed. Pierce, Shannon and McDonald’s signatures are noticeably absent, but you would’ve burned and scattered into the ocean.
“Be careful,” Larkin says after handing you the card. The old worker has some leeway, possessing seniority in both age and in rank among the roughnecks. “Don’t get too greedy trying to dig up the Old World from the bottom of the ocean. There’s things about our past that I didn’t tell anybody. Unpleasant things that should best be left alone.”
Maybe, but that doesn’t pay the bills or alleviate your debt.
“…no promises, but I’ll try,” you say.
Larkin grins. “Either do it or don’t. There’s no try, Unami. And not too many opportunities for second chances.”
<span class="mu-i">Ain’t that the truth</span>, you think dryly.
(cont.)
