Life returned to the cabin with an outbreak of murmuring and a few strained laughs to relieve the tension that had taken hold. After several minutes’ wait, an announcement cleared the occupants to disembark. Kieran collected the jacket, briefcase, and carry-on bag that he had stowed, and moved nearer to a burly, red-bearded figure in a dark parka who was closing a duffel bag resting on one of the seat arms. He was a construction foreman who had just arrived from Earth on the same transporter as the Iranians.
“Good luck, Serge. Who knows, I might bump into you again out there one day. Let’s hope your plans work out.” Wages on Mars were up to ten times the rate back home for comparable skills, which with bonuses could enable a man to retire after a reasonably short stint, or alternatively make enough to bring a whole extended family out.
“You too, Knight,” Serge grunted.
“Will you guys be staying together from here?” Kieran nodded past Serge to indicate the three others traveling with him.
“Yep. We’re all on the same contract.”
Kieran moved a pace closer to press something into Serge’s hand. His voice dropped. “Let them have this back when you get a chance.”
Serge glanced down to find himself holding a folded wad of several hundred-dollar bills in U.S. currency. “What’s this?” he muttered. “You don’t owe anything back.” It was the winnings that Kieran had relieved the four of them of in a poker game during the eight-hour wait on Phobos.
“Sure I do.” Kieran kept his voice low. “Nobody has that kind of luck. I was robbing you under your noses. Learn to look out for yourselves here. There are a lot of people around who’ll take your shirt if you let them.”
“Are you telling me you’re a card sharp too?”
“Let’s just say I have a lot of hobbies and amusements.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. They will too.” Serge punched Kieran softly on the shoulder by way of acknowledgment. They moved to follow the other passengers, shuffling slowly toward the exit.
* * *
The port too had grown and gained more facilities, Kieran noted as he sauntered down the stairs from Arrivals, ignoring the escalator and elevators—the thirty-eight percent normal gravity and enclosed living meant that people generally took all the exercise they could get. The signs and animated maps indicated that three more launch bays had been added to the complex, one of them still to become operational. A wide, white-tiled corridor that hadn’t been there before led from the mid-level concourse to an equally new hotel called the Oasis—apt enough in a heavy-footed kind of way that went with marketing mindsets, Kieran supposed. And, this being Mars, of course there were storefronts and stalls, robot hucksters, and ad displays placed to catch new arrivals straight off the ship, offering currency exchange, accommodation and real estate, vehicles and surface gear, drugs and narcotics, and all manner of human services ranging from legal representation and insurance to sex partners and tour guides. They also bought electronics, optronics, holovids, and other technologies in high demand from Earth or the lunar concessions. For those used to the effects of controls and regulations back home the rates looked unbeatable, and everyone parted happy.
Kieran stopped to scan over the shelves of a candy kiosk and bought a pack of beef jerky before continuing on down to the Freight and Baggage level. He found the office of Two Moons Shuttle Lines (“And Anywhere in Orbit”)—enlarged and moved from its former cubbyhole to a new, more prominent position facing out across the floor—and arranged for his checked bags from Phobos to be forwarded c/o Ms. June Holland, No. 357 Park View Apartments, Nineveh. That taken care of, a clerk directed him to the counter where animals, wheelchairs, bicycles, dune hoppers, and anything else in need of special handling were claimed.
Guinness was waiting patiently in one of the company-provided shipping cages, enjoying the attentions of an admiring female Asian counter agent and one of the baggage handlers from behind the scenes. The dog sprang to alertness as his radar picked up Kieran’s approach, tongue lolling from a strong mouth, tail thumping against the cage’s wire sides. He was mostly black, with tan flashes at the chest and chin, and had a long, broody face with floppy ears.