trade my soul for a wish

[from_scratch]

This is a successor to "call me maybe", which is getting crowded.

Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.


with Mark (kappa)

with Adanya (Aestrix)

with Sable (kappa)

with Ari (andaisq)

with Metella (kappa)

with Miles (kappa)

with Isabella (Eva)

with Steel (Rockeye)

with Daphne (Maggie)

with Edie (Maggie)

Comments

[unmarred]

"Yes."

[whyexit]

"Hate to tell you this, but the Ariel's a touch recognizable to some people on Jackson's Whole. As would be you. I came by to see what the message was about and to recommend you somebody else's ship."

[unmarred]

"Hm. How would you like—no, on second thought, how would you like to discuss alternate options in private? Aboard the Ariel, say. I trust anyone Miles trusts. They are," he adds, "interesting alternate options."

[whyexit]

"Sure," says Thorne, after a thoughtful pause.

[unmarred]

Mark grins.

[from_scratch]

"I'm Cam, by the way," mentions Cam as Thorne leads them to its ship.

[whyexit]

"Captain Bel Thorne. Charmed. How'd you fall in with this one?"

[from_scratch]

"Fortuitous coincidence."

[unmarred]

"Is that what you'd call it."

[from_scratch]

"Yes."

[whyexit]

Thorne snorts.

And here is the Ariel!

[unmarred]

"Nice ship," Mark mentions, as they board.

[whyexit]

"Thanks. Ensign, you can go back to your duties now."

The ensign scampers. Thorne leads them to a small conference-room-like thing.

"So what's the story?"

[unmarred]

"It's the sort of story that is best known as few people as possible, so if anyone is watching us, please indicate to them that they should stop," says Mark. "You can decide who to tell after you hear it."

[whyexit]

"Nobody's monitoring us."

[unmarred]

"All right. How would you like a new ship?" inquires Mark. "Cam has the ability to generate any sufficiently well-defined object made of matter, essentially for free. All we really need is a pilot - beyond our means to produce on such short notice. I'd also be interested to know who Miles pissed off on Jackson's Whole. But unless the answer is 'literally everyone', I don't think I'll be dissuaded."

[whyexit]

"Ryoval, mostly. If you avoid him and his agents you might be okay. ...New ship, huh? Any kind?"

[from_scratch]

"Any real kind or obvious, physically-possible deviation from same," says Cam. "I can't make you the - oh, all my science fiction references are going to fall totally flat, aren't they. Well, I cannot make you science fiction references."

[unmarred]

(Mark giggles.)

[whyexit]

"Okay. Suppose you make a non-science-fictional ship - I'll need a while to think about what kind I want - and you borrow my backup pilot, and she'll take you to Jackson's Whole in the new ship and drop you off and then bring the ship back. That worth your Betan dollars?"

[unmarred]

"Very much so," says Mark. "Thank you."

[whyexit]

"Absolute pleasure doing business with you. Backup pilot's sleep shift will be over in a couple hours, that's enough time to get away from the dock where we can appear my new toy. I still haven't caught your name...?"

[unmarred]

Oh, what the hell, it's not like withholding said name will make Miles's identity that much harder to trace. Captain Thorne was there for the adventure on Earth. It's had ample chance to connect those dots already.

"Mark."

[whyexit]

"And before I spend the fuel on the hike out to the middle of nowhere, a little demo of the instant-shipyard-just-add-nothing?"

[from_scratch]

"What kind of fuel do you take? I'll cover it."