A Thread of Time: Firesetter, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

laugh as your head explodes in space.”
    I may have been foolishly in love, but
fortunately, I was not a fool, or so I thought, when Moosy agreed to meet me at
the steakhouse for lunch.
     
    Spacebase 41-B was the largest base this
side of the intergalactic divide, which made it a regular destination for
Allied ships, both SpaceForce and commercial.  The base had a thriving shopping
mall and food court, as well as two hotels, theaters, and several bars.
    On the lower levels, along with the
docking bays, there was a large repair and storage facility.  SpaceForce used
this port of call to replenish our ship's stores and stock, as well as take
care of any minor mechanical issues that might affect us before we headed into
deep space.  New crew were loaded, and old crew, whose contracts had expired,
were free to debark.  For some reason, those guys were always the first ones
off the ship.
    For the rest of us, unless your poor soul
was specifically involved in the restocking process, or overseeing a repair,
those forty-eight hours meant shore leave, a time so special, so wonderful, so
liberating that it felt akin to a gift from the gods.
     
    Walking off the Tornado with Wen that day,
I was feeling pretty chipper. I had completely recovered from my space
sickness, and had seven months of wages on my paycard, most of them earned
while laying on my back. I was as wealthy as I had ever been, and I had a lunch
date with a gorgeous woman, albeit one with blue skin and three boobs, which in
my mind, made her all that much better. The only dark cloud spoiling the
otherwise perfect view on my horizon, was the fact that I had to wear my
spandex SpaceForce uniform to the restaurant. Due to weightloss during my
illness, I didn't have any other clothes that still fit.
    “So, where are we going?” Wen asked,
bouncing along beside me, his squirrely face all lit up like a lightbulb.
    “I am going to have lunch at the
steakhouse with Moosy. I don't know what your plans are.”
    “I will hang out with you,” he announced.
“I have no other plans.”
    “Great,” I mumbled, not wanting to hurt
the guy's feelings, as frankly, other than Moosy, I had no friends aboard the
starship either. “But, you're on your own for lunch. Let's go find a bank.”
    “Okay. I like banks,” Wen declared. “I
like all commerce.  Commerce is the engine of our economy.”
    “Good Wen.”
    I never understood how a spacebase of that
size, one that accommodated more than fifty thousand travelers coming and going
on a daily basis, didn't have a bank in the mall. There were cash machines
aplenty, none of which would do anything with my precious ancient Imperial coin
other than spit it back out.  There wasn't a real banker, or bank teller, or
even android teller alive enough to look at it and tell me if I was unknowingly
rich.
    “Bummer,” Wen said after we had checked
ever shop and every kiosk on every floor of the base.
    “I guess I'm stuck with it until the next
base,” I replied, pocketing it once again. “Maybe when we get closer to the old
empire, someone will know what it’s worth.  Let's go into that Kwikie-Mart and
see what they've got to eat.”
    “We can buy Kwikie food there,” Wen cried
joyfully. “Kwikie-sticks and Kwikie-chips, Kwikie-crunch and Kwikie chocolate
cookies.”
    “Good, Wen,” I said again, rounding the
corner and entering the mini-mart's gates.
    A bell sounded somewhere in the back as
Wen immediately headed toward the junk food aisle. I was going to buy a box of
chocolates, figuring Moosy might enjoy nuts and chews. While deciding between a
two pound mixed assortment, or only dark caramels, the shop's bell dinged again
and two sets of footfalls made their way across the floor. This was followed by
what sounded like a happy squeal from the general direction of the cash
register.
    “Murmf bermuf yakwoof,” or something like
it, a woman cried, followed by the sounds of kissing, hugging and slapping on
the back.
    “A