The red light on the control panel told me someone was in the cargo compartment.
My finger was poised over the evacuation switch. Serve him right to get a taste of explosive decompression. But I knew I would have to forgo that particular punishment. I was carrying sanerol; the sudden change to vacuum would burst the containers, and the run to Dorado would be one big loss.
I don't like carrying drugs, even legal ones. Too dangerous you get too many crazies trying to send their brains to warp. But the stuff was needed and the pay was good, so I accepted the contract. I thought no one in his right mind would want sanerol. It controls what they used to call schizophrenia. It doesn't get you up or down, just adjusts the chemical balance in the brain. For most people, it had no effect.
Still, someone wanted it. The light told me.
Luckily, I prepared. I moved my finger to another switch and pressed it.
I could feel the vibrations in my gut; I knew my traveling companion was feeling much worse. I had equipped the cargo hold with a sonic stunner. He'd be out cold in a few minutes.
After a suitable period of time, I turned off the sonic. Grabbing a tickle gun, I went aft to dispose of my visitor.
I swung open the cargo door and looked inside. I didn't see anything disturbed near the door, but that didn't mean everything was fine farther back.
I had to work fast. I wanted to find him before he came to. He would certainly object to the plans I had for him. When I first got into the freighting business, I h«d thought the rules were cruel, but after a friend was slashed to pieces by a crazed stowaway he had tried to help, I put my qualms behind me. I told myself that if I ever found someone hiding, I'd put him out the air lock without a second thought. Let him taste warp and be done with it.
I found my stowaway lying unconscious on the deck.
It was a little girl.
She looked to be about eight. Her hair was long and silky, the color of straw in the sunset. She wore a neat little spacer's jumpsuit, so clean and white that I realized it had just been bought.
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Then I put my weapon away. Space justice doesn't apply to someone so young.
I carried her into the main cabin and set her on the auxiliary crash couch. The light on the control panel was off. I had found my stowaway.
She moaned softly, then opened her eyes. They were pale blue, nearly gray. She looked at me for a moment, then said, "Please, mister, don't put me out the air lock."
Hell, I couldn't do that to a kid. But I decided play it close to the space suit. "Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. What were you doing in there?"
Her face took on an expression I couldn't read. "Hiding."
"I know that. Why?"
"I have to go to Dorado."
I didn't say anything, knowing my frown would force an explanation.
It did. "My ... mommy and daddy are there. They were visiting, but they were hurt. Hurt bad. I had to go to them."
I remained silent, letting her say more.
With a quick motion, she reached into her jumpsuit. I tensed instinctively, but instead of a weapon, she pulled out a few scraps of dull green. "I have some money to give you." Her voice wavered between fear and bravery as she talked. "I need to see them. Please, mister."
I could see her story was the truth. Kids that age still aren't very good liars, and Dorado is the kind of world where tourists can get into a lot of trouble. It had been settled in some sort of a gold rush. That was centuries ago, but worlds like that never seem to calm down.
I considered. I had two extra cabins for occasional 'passengers;' they were empty right now. It was three or four days to Dorado, and I could use company. You get tired when your only companion is a computer.
I might even be able to get a fare out of her folks. But if I couldn't, it was no extra trouble.
"Please?" she asked, holding up the crumpled money.
I made my decision. "Keep your money. You'll need it when you get to Dorado."
She smiled happily at me. "Then you won't put me out the air lock?"
"Only If you don't tell me your name."
"It's Alice," She said quickly. "Alice Bruno."
Alice. I liked the sound to the old-fashioned name. "All right. Alice. I'm Fedrin Bedell." I smiled. "Now, is there anything you'd like?"
She nodded gravely. "Yes, Mr. Bedell. I'm hungry. May I please have some lunch?"
)
Fedrin finds a mysterious young girl stowed aboard his spaceship. She presents him with an unusual problem about life and immortality. What sort of tradeoffs do you need to make to live forever?
