I had no luck at Ames, or on Manhattan. Nobody was willing or able to drop any information about Hellfire's intentions. But on Freeport IV, I had better luck. The fresh spaghetti I had for dinner came with a brief note, typed on paper and slipped under my plate. The message was brief and without signature, but it reassured me that my offer was still under consideration. That was enough to put me back in a good mood. Good enough, I thought. I'll just have to keep being patient.
It wasn't that bad waiting, after all. The Zoners were obviously not in an extreme hurry, why should I be? It's not like I didn't have enough to do... space was plenty big and goods still needed to move. Still...this was an opportunity to make a real difference in something important. I hadn't felt that way since my days flying for the Liberty Navy. It was perfectly understandable that I would be excited.
Enough introspection, I thought, and attacked the spaghetti. It wasn't bad... the ingredients were freshly grown in the Freeport biodomes. Much more fun to eat than the cheap paste at most places. Good food, I thought, is definitely worth the extra it costs.