Steven Campbell - Hard Luck Hank - Basketful of Crap

Things were starting to become at least slightly more intriguing. I made sure my autocannon was prepared. I loaded a canister shell, recalling the havoc it had caused when discharged into this very club.

Upstairs I walked into the main room when I heard:

“Stop!” The voice said. I could not see who said it, as it came from deeper into the room where it was very dark.

“I’m here, what do you want?”

“There is something very wrong with Belvaille,” the voice said.

“That’s a pretty broad statement. Also pretty self-evident.”

“Have you wondered how all these tanks and weapons reach Belvaille when they have to travel through the Jam?”

“They’re disassembled, I assume.”

“Really? And you think Navy scanners are so feeble they can’t tell a tank that has been taken apart? If all you needed was a screwdriver to bypass their blockade, there would be no need for a place such as Belvaille which can ship illegal goods legally.”

“Fine. So how are they getting here? Are they manufactured?”

“There are no forges here. Even you have to know that.”

“So what then?” I asked.

“Are you familiar with the way Portals work?”

“Sure. Ships use them to travel to other Portals.”

“But how do they work?”

“Technically? I haven’t a clue.”

“You know you can only put Portals in certain regions of space. And every Portal sits in one of those areas. Have you heard of that?”

“Yeah. It’s called like the ‘Portal diameter,’ right?”

“No, it’s called nothing like that,” the voice said testily.

“Well, you know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean because I brought up the subject.”

“Alright. Go on.”

“All these ships attached to Belvaille have engines.”

“Ships usually do.”

“Those freighters have pulled Belvaille, and themselves, to be in the region of space capable of using Portals.”

“Belvaille has moved? How didn’t anyone notice that?”

“Who said they haven’t? And it’s not like they did it fast.”

“Why would they do it, though?” I asked.

“What would we gain by being in the depression?”

“I guess we’d save on fuel costs for ships coming into and out of the Portals, since we’d be a little bit closer.”

“But why be in the actual depression? What value is there?”

There was silence as I thought.

“We can see ships coming out?”

“What? Why does that matter?” the voice asked, annoyed.

“I said fuel. Um.”

“Think. Why are the three Portals where they’re at?”

“So the Navy can protect them?

The modulated voice took a deep sigh.

“The Navy can protect wherever the Portals are. But why are those Portals sitting in space where they are?”

“I guess…so if a ship comes out of one it doesn’t run into another? Actually, I don’t know. I don’t know where the Portals are.”

“Of course you do!”

“How do you know? I’ve never seen the Portals! They could be big pieces of candy sprinkled with fairy dust for all I know.”

“But you know where they’re at, you already said so!”

“When? In my sleep? When did I give you the coordinates for the Portals? I only know they exist because people tell me they do. It could all be a really elaborate practical joke.”

“No, you said the Portal diameter,” the voice argued.

“And you said that wasn’t the right term.”

“Okay, but pretend it is. So where are the Portals?”

“How should I know! I’m not a ship captain!”

“They’re in the Portal diameter, you idiot!”

“Oh,” I said. “Well, sure. I thought you meant something else.”

“So what does Belvaille gain by being in the Portal diameter?”

“Like I said, fuel savings?”

“Rings of Noeln! Hank, if you didn’t have your mutation you would have died a hundred years ago. You have to be the dumbest person on the station.”

“I’m sorry, Rendrae—I mean mysterious stranger—but I don’t know what you’re getting at.” This was clearly Rendrae. I have no idea why he was trying to be secretive, but he loved this kind of nonsense.

“A Portal!”

“What about it?”

“All these attached freighters, Belvaille itself, they have Portals in them.”

I was quiet for a long while.

“That’s stupid,” I said finally.

“Why? They can bypass the Jam.”

“You’re talking about putting a Portal in a building? That’s impossible.”

“How do you know? You said yourself you don’t know how they work.”

“I know they need ships to navigate them and I know anyone near one will get turned inside-out. You can’t even put animals in cargo holds or they’ll get killed going through a Portal. Besides, how are you going to use it, throw something from the other side?”

“You can guide them through.”

“Guide? How? Stand there by an open Portal pulling on it? You’d die. Not to mention whatever you were trying to pull.”

“You could survive it, Hank,” Rendrae said.

“Why would I want to?”

“So you could use the Portal!”

“We already have Portals.”

“But those are the Navy’s!” Rendrae yelled, his voice scrambler screeching in protest.

“Do you have any idea how much a Portal costs? There’s a reason only the central government creates them. Not even states own Portals.”

“We have corporations on this station that are wealthier than any state. Do you really think money is a problem for them?”

“No. But I think there’s no reason to have an independent Portal in a building.”

“What would they gain by having Portals they could use at any time, not controlled by the Navy?”

“Um, the ability to turn anyone who activated them inside-out?”

“Shut up with that! You could survive.”

“Okay, sure. I could survive. But I’m not using them. I’ve never been asked to use them.”

“But who here is resistant like you?”

“Wallow,” I said, after a moment.

“Wallow,” Rendrae said flatly. “You think Wallow is like you?”

“Yeah.”

“You think when you stand next to a forty-foot Therezian people are like, ‘Gee, I can’t tell which one is Hank and which one is Wallow.’”

“You asked who is resistant like me. He definitely is.”

“But to use the Portal equipment you have to operate controls. What possible controls could Wallow use? He’d smash them. He’s far too big.”

“I don’t know.”

“They’re sitting on your front steps!”

I was totally taken by surprise. But not because I agreed, because I thought it was ridiculous.

“Gandrine? Have you ever seen them? I don’t even think they have hands.”

“They’re a space-faring species the same as we are. They can fly ships and understand advanced technology.”

“They’re really, unbelievably slow.”

“That doesn’t mean they can’t use computer controls,” Rendrae said.

“They never leave my porch. I wish they did.”

“Never? You have watched them every second of every day?” Rendrae asked sarcastically.

“No, of course not. But why would the Gandrine want to use Portals created by the corporations?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“And I can’t possibly imagine the corporations will save enough money to cover the costs of construction. Not in a million years. The Navy fees are high, but they aren’t that high,” I said.

“I agree completely. So then ask yourself, why are they doing it?”

The next day I left my autocannon in my apartment and headed out. I was acutely aware the Gandrine weren’t on my steps. Were they off using a Portal somewhere? If so, to what purpose?