"Do ya? Ya have 50% of a plantage of this ?"
She lays her hand on his, smiling.
"Ya ever thought about expansion ?
Her fingers are doing a quick move and a plastic-card appears.
"This is a chip, filled up with sweet cash. Take it and double the size of the field.
And let me take part with only 25% - think about it, talk with yar partner and tell me, kay Pops?"
"Cay? Ya'r the increadable gal, the guys are all talking of?
Pleasure to meet ya - when ya'r ready, let's have a talk about some stuff. I surely can learn a lot from ya."
"Yahvo - ya'r so quiet - Tender, another three - my friend doesn't look good with only one good drink
He needs to get back a bit of his normal skincolor."
"Oh, no, thank you. I really don't need anything else," Yahvo said to Maria, looking up from his plate. "You see, my skin is pale; it's part of my genealogy. And I don't usually drink much in the way of alcohol. I usually only drink anything with alcohol in the evening. They say that water is the best thing to quench your thirst, anyway."
Yahvo finished his salad and pushed the plate out of his way. The bartender came and took up the empty plate. Yahvo looked over to Pops.
"I'm sorry, but a while ago, did you call the robot bartender 'Sophie'? Is that its name? I'm... just trying to keep up here. Still new, y'know..."
Pops by now had switched from g 'n t in all it's forms, thereby putting several structural linguists out of work, and was working on some extra-brew Guammy Elephant lightened by some Irish creme.
"Mistress Maria, your offer of "seed" money is very generous. However, I should point out you might never get a return on your nvestment. For quaint religious reasons, Mal still insists on distributing the fruits of the plantation free gratis throughout Sirius. With the additives Mal adds, from a recipe by some ancient Terran Caliph, the mixture has not only psychtropic properties, but tends to make one more insightful, less fearful, and more independent in cogitation. I have urged him several times to charge a small amount, just to cover the costs of labor and materials, but he remains adamant.. Free or not at all.
"So, in all honesty Maria, I cannot really recommend that you risk any hard-earned credits on the endeavor. However, I have procured some viable beans of this excellent coffee Jay keeps about; and i hope to have some bushes planted in the foothills above the K.G. fields. If the result is as good as I hope, we can reconsider your kind offer, but with less esoteric and more profitable commodities to return your investment."
"And yes, Yahvo, that amorphous hunk of sevitude is indeed named "Sophie", altho no one seems to remember how or why at this point. All I know is that i shall probably cringe at mention of the name for some time to come. And I've mellowed a bit with the company and the libations. I may just pull "Sophie II" out of the box, and give her another chance. If she can actually give a threatening Cylon a healthy respect for her targetting skills, I may be tempted to overlook her apparently voracious spending habits."
Pat raised his head to see the man with a name of pack of wolves 'Master Wolfpack, not so hasty, we take the things slow, trading is a slow business, leave the fast track to the escorts, be fast to get out of the pirates' line of fire for that matter. Nevermind that, come, meet Miss Stolichnaya, she is the Russian lady that can ease your sorrow and can help you find your way!' that being said, he takes the bottle from the table and opens it to pour some of the contents in a glass... 'where's mr. Schweppes now...?'
If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God? - from 'Nightfall' by I. Asimov The Outcasts consider Siniestre Nube a sacred place for several reasons. Early explorers discovered a jumphole within the depths of the cloud that leads to a strange world of ringed stars and strange craft. All ships in the burrial ground are placed facing that hole to honor the Alien Spirits. - An Outcast rumor
"ha, ya, well, Pops.... bit disappointed, now but - hey - life goes on...
and your private plan sounds interesting, too.
Let me leave that chip here with Sophie, if ya need it, take it."
She calls Sophie and opens a little box, fixed at her left leg. "Combination is MBD 2362"
"Yahvo, my friend, ya'r right, I was wrong to cover you with that vodka . I am a bit dominating, sorry - my blood, ya know?
At least, ya watch yar health - another way to survive in space - I respect that, though... water ???"
While giving him a hit on his shoulder, she turns her head to listen to Pat.
"Well said, Pat ! Welcome, Mr. Wolfpack - ya, don't hurry - take seat and meet the crowd, first.
Allways good to know, where the traps in space are. - Geez, gotta prepare a trade of luxgoods - what time is it ?"
"Sorry ladies and gents, caught a bit of a late one last night, loads of paperwork to catch
up on concerning Sirius's new clothes ... See the new lad has got here already, suited,
booted and carrying the correct paperwork ... Doesn't hang about that boy.
Official now ...
Coffee please Soph, feels like a small furry animal crawled in my mouth and died." ...
Some say he is a proud member of: "The most paranoid group of people in the Community."
"Well now...furry animal? I think that's your tongue mate. Just spike the coffee with a bit of shaving cream. I'll take mine with a touch of something flammable thank you. I see the ranks continue to swell...that's good. The new guy is bit too business-like for this lot. Ah well, we can change that. Just have to lock him in the bar for a while with those Winters boys..."