Caldoom and the Ship of Dreams
A Novella about the Caldoom Sector.
Every so often a spaceship needs servicing. When this happens the mechanic does the metaphorical equivalent of crawling underneath and giving that long low whistle that tells you this is going to cost you. So what is an honest supercargo going to do when he's told he needs to raise a fortune in less than a month¸ just to pay for the repairs?
"Andrey¸ freshly arrived on Caldoom¸ turned back to his captain. "Right¸ we need the funds to get the ship serviced and the drive conditioned. Whilst I conjure funds out of thin air¸ you want me to build the contacts that will guarantee us regular full cargoes.”
"Succinctly put. You have doubtless a lot to do¸ don't let Quaggan and me keep you away from your work.””