Cherryh, CJ – Merchanters Luck

well. “That satisfy you?”

“Good enough. What kind of entertainment system does she carry?”

“Deck of cards,” he muttered. “We can buy a fresh one.”

She swore. “You have to have a tape rig.”

“Mariner-built Delta system.”

“Lord, a converter, then. We’ll bring our own tapes and buy some new.”

“I can’t afford-”

“Basic amenities. I’m telling you, you want class crew, you have to rig out.

What about bedding?”

“Got plenty of that. Going to have to stock up on lifesupport goods and some

filters and detergents and swabs—before we get to extravagances. I’d like to put

a backup on some switches and systems that aren’t carrying any right now.”

A roll of Allison’s dark eyes in his direction, stark dismay.

‘Two of them on the main board,” he added, the plain truth.

“Make a list. This place can get them.”

“Will. Going to be nice, isn’t it, knowing there’s a failsafe?”

He walked down the aisle alone, looking at the clothes. And all about him, over

the tops of the counters, were other displays… personal goods, bedding, dishes,

tapes and games, utility goods, cabinets, ship’s furnishings, interior hardware,

recycling goods, tools, bins, medical supplies, computer softwares. Music

whispered through his senses. He turned about him and stared, lost in the

glitter of the displays he had never given more than a passing glance to—had

never come in a place like this, where his kind of finances could get a man

accused of theft.

A kind of madness afflicted him suddenly, like nerving himself for a bad jump.

“Help you?” a clerk asked down his nose.

“Got to get some clothes,” he said. And yielding to the recklessness of the

moment: “Like to have it match, jacket and the rest. Some dockside boots. Maybe

a few work clothes.” Allison was out of sight: that panicked him in more than

one sense. She was probably off buying something. And the clerk was giving him

that look that bartenders gave him. He pulled his new card from his pocket.

“Stevens,” he said, and clerkly eyes brightened.

“You’re the one that came in yesterday.”

“Yes, sir.” Lord, was it only yesterday? His shoulders ached with the thought.

“Got in with nothing but my account money and I need a lot of things.”

The eyes brightened further. “Be happy to help you, Captain Stevens.”

Flash coveralls. A 75 credit pair of boots; a jacket; a stack of underwear. He

looked at himself in the fitting room, haggard and wanting a shave, and took off

the fine clothes and ordered it all done in packages.

And he found Allison Reilly at the commodities counter, perched on a stool and

going through the catalogue. “Ordered anything?” he asked with a sinking

feeling.

“Making a list.” She tapped the screen in front of her, a display of first line

meals with real meat and frozen fruits and boxed pastries.

“Chocolates,” he added in a sense of fantasy. He had had chocolate once.

“Chocolate,” she said. “There we go.”

“Cancel that. It’s too expensive.”

“Chocolate and coffee. Real stuff. Leave it to me.”

“Allison—do you—get this stuff usually?”

He would have cut his throat rather than ask an hour ago. He looked into her

face and suspected something as childish as his chocolates.

“For special days,” she admitted. “I got some staple stuff too.”

“I have 75 standard frozens. You can wipe that off.”

“Good enough.” She wiped the stylus over part of the order. “What about those

hardware items we need?”

We, it was. He took up the seat next to her and keyed up the catalogue. “I can

get better prices,” he muttered.

“There’s a discount system. Do your whole rig here and you get some off.”

“Better.” After the moment’s euphoria, his stomach was upset. He ticked through

the things they really needed. He felt conspicuous sitting here, at the counter

in this place, dressed as he was. The list went on growing, more and more

expensive, because systems were, more than crew luxuries.

“That do it?” Allison asked finally.

He punched for the total. 5576.2 came up on the screen. He shook his head in

shock. “Can’t go that.”

“Five of us, remember? And the hardware. That’s not out of line. Put the card