Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [27]
'I'm asking about turnaround time. We've only got two decon docks, and the other one's already occupied by a clan Sandoval ship. It'll take us another six hours to load its cargo, and I have a new ship scheduled to arrive within five hours.' She frowned. 'Of course, it's being flown by Nikko Chan Tylar, and schedules don't mean a whole lot to that kid.' From her expression, Andrina seemed to expect him to recognize the famous, or infamous, Roamer pilot.
'A couple of hours should be enough,' Patrick said. 'I'm looking for someone, and any help you give will send me on my way faster.'
Constantine III was run by a consortium of clan Sachs, clan Tokai, clan Rajani, and, recently, investors from five orphaned Hansa colonies. By way of hospitality, Andrina gave him a bowl of rich, green gelatinous stew, which she called 'primordial soup', and some delicious preserved medusa meat (whatever that was) from Rhejak, one of the new investors in the industries here.
The planet's proto-organic clouds were filled with long-chain molecules, wispy aerosol debris that drifted in gossamer strands that connected to each other to form unusual structures, like balls of near-invisible string.
'These aerosol polymers cannot be manufactured in a chemical lab.' Andrina sounded as if she had given the lecture many times to potential investors. 'We sift them out of the air with catchscreens, collect them on broad mats, and harvest the fibres. After treating and sorting them, we can either manufacture materials directly or perform experiments on any new “flavours” we find. I doubt we've found even a tenth of the potential of what's just floating around out there.'
By raising or lowering the screens on their tethers, the Roamers could selectively gather fibres of certain molecular weights. The moveable zeppelins were mist-collection sacks that moved through the deep atmosphere to secure desired chemicals.
'The potential for new materials, pharmaceuticals, exotic textiles, and even architectural applications…' Andrina shrugged her narrow shoulders. 'We're limited only by our imaginations.'
Patrick watched from an observation lounge as the filter mats came into processing centres. The fluffy clinging mesh was delicately scraped from the collectors, then sorted into storage bins. The work was mostly automated, though a few Roamers wore sealed suits to monitor the process lines inside rooms filled with a blizzard of exotic materials.
She turned to him then. 'That's the sales pitch, Captain. Now you know everything any other customer knows about this place. But I believe you had a question of your own?'
'Yes. And I do have Hansa credits to pay for any services here,' he offered.
Andrina made a rude noise. 'Hansa credits? You have any idea how devalued those are? The Confederation is going to issue its own currency soon enough. Besides, even before the whole shakeup with King Peter and Theroc, what good would Hansa money be at a Roamer facility? We were cut off.'
'It's all I've got.'
'Didn't you promise some news from the outside?'
Without revealing his real identity, Patrick told her what he knew of the horrific Soldier compy revolt, the battles with the hydrogues, the last stand on Earth. She seemed impressed enough that he quickly added, 'I also hoped you could spare a little ekti. I know supplies are tight, but--'
'Ah, we've got plenty of ekti. New shipments come in from our skymines faster than we can burn it.' She reconsidered. 'If you're willing to pay through your nose, we'll take your Hansa money. Maybe we can exchange it if the King and the Chairman ever settle their differences.' She snorted, making it clear just what she thought about that possibility. She glanced at her chronometer. 'Only one hour before we need that decon vault, and you'll have overstayed your welcome. Now tell me who you're looking for, and I'll see if I can help.'
'I'm trying to find clan Kellum, Del Kellum and' - he turned away so she wouldn't see him blush - 'most particularly