The wind was accommodating and they made it to Port Mist in two and a half days. The land rose slowly behind Port Mist, a line of dead trees visible in the haze. Port Mist itself was a jumble of smoke stacks and moderately tall buildings, many leaning on one another or bent crazily near their tops. Long strings of lights stretched from one building to another in a vain attempt to drive away the shadows below.

Captain Inu asked Lewis to keep his team in their quarters until they were sent for. They slept for several hours before a crewman came to rouse them with a summons from the captain. They stood on the deck and stared at the city, from their place in the docks it looked like a Christmas tree. High above, the strings of lights shone white, while at the second story level neon lights glowed in a jumble of colors.

On the streets fires burned here and there in metal barrels, they contrasted with the white or slightly yellow shapes of windows and open doors. All of the lights competed with marginal success to light the scene. People gathered in the streets, or wandered in and out of the doors.

Captain Inu brought the team to attention, introducing them to their city appointed guide.

“Be careful here,” Captain Inu said. “Everything’s heavily regulated. You can direct questions, or payment of personal fees, to this young lady. She knows the law and the street. Her name is Nora.”

The captain drew Lewis off to the side. “I’ll be ready in two days, but I know that what you have to do may take longer and that’s fine. Keep in touch and don’t forget to try bribery first.”

Inu left and Lewis rejoined the team. Nora was telling them to leave their firearms on the ship, so everyone went down to stow their weapons and to get some money. She was waiting at the gangplank to lead them into the city. It was a smoky, bustling place rich with the smells of food, whiskey, and sweat. They passed through the crowds to reach a door in one of the tall buildings with a neon sign that identified it as the visitor’s bureau, and Nora told them that all visitors were required to check in there. Inside two clerks were busy with some kind of dice game, which they unceremoniously dumped into a box behind the desk when Nora threw open the door.

“Hey, you guys aren’t supposed to be playing while you’re on the clock,” she said. “Process these visitors so they can get rooms, will ya?” It cost them five kolas each to register and that bought them seven rulebooks and seven visitor badges with their names on each one.

“Would you like to look for rooms to stay in while you are here?” Nora asked.

“Sure,” Lewis answered. “Then maybe you can give me some advice on the business I came here to do.”

“What business is that?” She asked, as they skirted one of the bonfires.

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“We are employed by a man in Ascore, and he wishes to go into the shipping business. He knew we would be passing through Port Mist, so he directed me to set up an office here,” he told her. “He would prefer to buy a warehouse and run his office from there.”

Nora looked skeptical. “I thought that Ascore was only a ruin.”

“They are clearing it now. Soon it will be a city, doing business and housing people,” Lewis told her.

“Who,” she asked. “Is your employer?”

“Lenon DeLeah,” Lewis said.

When they reached the Grand Isle Hotel, they found a large building with its name in neon on the front and street vendors outside hawking their wares to any visitor who would listen. Lewis noticed that their business licenses were posted and lit by colored lights. He stopped and examined one, and found that the stand belonged to the hotel and was signed by the Lord Mayor T. Marino. The woman who sat in the booth looked delighted by the attention and began to show him her wares, which consisted of a variety of small ships. The sailing ships of Vakum and the long boats of the Knights were represented, as well as half a dozen others. All were crudely carved and carried the name of the hotel on their side. Everyone was waiting by the door, so he smiled at her and joined his team.

Inside was a cavernous space filled with gaming tables and raucous activity. On their right was the reception desk. Nora explained to the teller that they were important business guests. After presenting their visitor badges, information and money was exchanged and room keys distributed. The rooms were on the second floor, one per person including Nora.

In the morning Lewis gathered the team together.

“Spend some time reading the rulebook,” he told them. “Get to know the town a little. Be friendly, which means don’t fight if you are able to avoid it. We’re not doing a formal survey but get to know the place and its people.”

Telini asked. “What about civvies, are we on leave?”

“Good idea,” Lewis said. “You’re just tourists, so blend in, but try to stick together. I’ll be in and out, call me if you run into something interesting.” He left with Nora, headed for the import/export office. Along the way they stopped at a restaurant to eat breakfast in another hotel.

The big main room on the ground floor had gaming tables, and although they were sparsely populated at this hour of the morning, the place sounded and felt full. At the restaurant they ate eggs and meat that was very good despite the excessive use of salt. When he was leaving the lobby he noticed a display filled with folded brochures highlighting many local attractions, one that caught his eye was a garish announcement that invited one and all to visit the pit, an arena where fights were staged for amusement and wagers. He pondered life in this city of contrasts and extremes as he made his way around the smoking remains of the previous night’s fires. Children of all sizes and varieties darted around picking through the litter on the street until a city guard officer came down the street and they all scattered in different directions. Nora and Lewis made their way to the capitol unmolested.

At the Capitol building Lewis saw long halls leading back from a central lobby. Nora led him down one of these to a door with a plaque that read, Nate Coker Import/Export Councilor. Inside was a small office with a young lady who politely told them that Mister Koker had an opening in ten days.

Nora leaned on her desk and said. “Look, we don’t have that much time, I hereby invoke emergency procedure thirty-six dash twenty dash two eighty-one. Produce the papers, we will see Mister Koker.”