Fall of the White Ship Avatar Read Online Free PDF

declared. "We've drawn too much attention to ourselves. And anyway, the main thing I had in mind was finding those cues."
    "Fine."
    "There's something else, Ho. You're right about not holding things back."
    "Forget I said that," Floyt said quickly, conscience squirming. "I had no right to, you see, because—"
    "What I want to say is, you've got a right to know what's coming. Y'see, I have to make my way to a planet called Windfall, because I'm old enough now to vote the one share of stock in the White Ship that my folks left me. And that means I can finally get into a meeting of the Board of Interested Parties of the White Ship."
    "And that's good?"
    "It's step number one of getting control of the Ship. So, our next move is finding a way to get to Windfall. I figure we'll make the rounds, get ourselves a couple of berths as able-bodied breakabouts in a ship bound out that way."
    "And then on to Spica, where the White Ship is, right?"
    "Yessir. On Windfall there's this guy, Lord Marcus Perlez. He was my father's, oh, godfather, I guess you could say, or mentor. Anyway, he's got my share in trust. With some luck, maybe he'll help us get to Spica."
    "That would be wonderful."
    "So now you know most of what I do. Tell you the rest as we go."
    Floyt writhed inwardly, but as he had in Mindframe, he held back when he might have blurted the truth.
    Alacrity's whole life was focused on becoming Master of the White Ship, on recovering his family's heritage. It was what kept him going and saved him from the terminal despair that claimed his father.
    file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...y%20-%20Fall%20of%20the%20White%20Ship%20Avatar.htm (17 of 242)23-2-2006 17:03:12
    [Fitzhugh 3]-FALL OF THE WHITE SHIP AVATAR
    How do I tell him that I know, know for sure, that it will never be — that he'll fail? the question pounded in Floyt's head.
    He couldn't. So he said, "Alacrity, you may be able to land a billet as a breakabout-able, but there's not much chance of my doing it."
    "I was worried about that too, even though you picked up a lot while we were shipping in the Pihoquiaq and Astraea Imprimatur. But I took a look at some of the shipping newsblurbs at Lunaport. Didn't you notice how busy the place was?"
    "I wasn't really paying much attention."
    "Luna's economy's going straight up, and there're more ships making port all the time. And when there're fortunes being made right and left, that means people are jumping ship, salivating for their share. I'm betting there'll be a couple of berths for us, bound offworld and in the right direction."
    "So be it," Floyt seconded. "Even if we end up shoehorned into the cuddy of another Monitor -class."
    Alacrity slapped his back. "We'll blow up that bridge when we come to it!"
    Floyt laughed, and postponed the truthtelling, unwilling to mar the good feelings of the moment, to rob Alacrity of soaring hope. They wended back through the warren. There weren't as many people around as there had been; Alacrity became guarded and watchful. He tucked his brolly into carrying loops on his pack and pulled the Captain's Sidearm.
    Floyt drew the Webley.
    "If you shoot, be real careful," Alacrity muttered.
    "I remember, I remember," Floyt said nervously, recalling the Foragers' draconian rules against using firearms inside the lashup. For all their ingenious work, it was still a makeshift place. One shot in the wrong spot and a seal or hatch or dome might go, and perhaps kill every soul in it. "Where do we go from here?"
    "There're a few different routes to the entrance, but there's only one way out."
    When they neared the pressure-quonset they found Quirk, the young beggar, still on the pile of plundered carpeting. Now, though, he sat tailor fashion, wrists resting on his knees, watching for their approach.
    "Another showed up in boxtown, another outsider," Quirk informed them with a yawn.
    "Looking for us?" Floyt demanded as they stopped short. Alacrity swung his gaze this way and