Salvaged Destiny Read Online Free PDF Page B

nearly full. The lieutenant was a good worker. Once he
knew what to do he was as fast as she was, but they still were falling behind
since he liked to speak to everyone they encountered. She’d hoped to be done
before lunchtime, but that was ever more unlikely the more he chatted with
little old ladies about the best dishes they served at their restaurants.
    “We’re full. Time to head outside and get rid of it all.”
    The lieutenant nodded and settled in to his seat, bracing
himself with large booted feet and one thick arm looped around the transport
hang bar overhead. “Have you made a decision about the job yet?”
    Del had but there was no reason to tell him now. He would be
useful unloading all of this stuff once they reached the agricultural sections.
He looked as strong as a new Cat-Mor hydraulic lifter.
    “Not yet.”
    “Any more questions?”
    Del nodded as she drove up the incline to the northern gates
and accelerated to the transport’s top speed once they exited the port and were
out in the sunshine again. She took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the
living air. “How long would this take and how much would I be paid?”
    “I have no idea how long it would take. If you would like,
you could pull over and let me drive so that you can look over the coordinates Citizen
Kidd developed. You’d be the one who would know how hard the search might be.”
    “Are you a good driver?”
    “I’m certified on twelve different personal vehicles.
Everything from a gaseous submersible to a twenty-person hovercraft.” The funny
thing was Lazlo didn’t sound boastful. He sounded as if he genuinely wanted to
reassure her that he was capable.
    “This is just a broken-down, twenty-years-out-of-date cart
with sticky brakes and no suspension. Do you have certification on one of
these?”
    “No. But I’ll figure it out.”
    “Just don’t figure it out after you crash us into a wall.”
    They switched places on the cart seat. Del opened up the
documents and started to scan through the maps. Three possible locations—all in
the southeast quadrant, the section she’d spent the least amount of time
exploring, mostly due to its tough terrain. And the fact that her father had
been injured out there five years ago and she’d spent the better part of a day
dragging him out, frightened and exhausted.
    There was more than enough good stuff to find in the more
moderate cliffs and gullies of other parts of Sayre. She was no silly portie,
wandering off by herself to certain danger.
    “This is bad country,” Del mused, flicking through several more
displays, each more formidable than the last. “Lots of tall cliffs with lots of
hiding places. I’m not as familiar with the area because it’s too dangerous to
explore alone. It’s so rough—it’s going to be hard to make a thorough search.”
    “But you can do it?”
    “Of course I can,” she replied absently, still concentrating
on the information. “And Avo Kirk cannot. Not that I’m trying to run him down,
he’s just not the man for this kind of thing. He’s more of a take-you-to-some-scenic-spots-to-pose-for-neat-digimas
kind of guy.”
    She looked up at an approaching intersection between two
manioc fields and warned Casta to slow down and then turn left. They could
smell the swine operation well before they saw it—low beige buildings in
between an orchard of fig trees and a field full of sunflowers. There were two
carts parked beside it, but no people were visible. Citizen Hoke, the owner,
had put up trellises outside his buildings and they were filled with lush
curtains of purple-flowered vines. Some sort of spice, she thought. In any
case, they were beautiful.
    Casta drove the cart around to the side of the largest
building and Del hopped off to knock on yet another door. Parnell Hoke opened
up quickly and the aroma of hog swept over them. Casta turned a bit green. The
animals inside made a lot of noise—they knew what came in that door and they
were