The noise in the tavern picked up again, once the patrons accepted that Vincent intended to remain behind his counter. It had been a tense few seconds. Some hoped to get a show with their dinner, while others didn't want anything of the sort.

At the barrel booth, a few guildsmen began to rib Towel Man over getting reprimanded.

"Why'd they have to drop us off at some backwater town like this, anyway?" Towel Man huffed. He folded his arms and stared at the tabletop.

"At least we won the shore leave lottery this time." The woman said. "I was losing my mind being stuck in that tin can for that long without any mention of port call or supply runs."

This drew chuckles from a few of her companions, and a mumbled "Amen." from Sweepy.

"But I think we'll be around here for a bit, so that means a regular lottery for a while." She finished

"Oh?" asked the last man. "What insider information did you get your hands on?"

The woman smirked. "Overheard the XO on the bridge during night watch. The ship's got new orders." Ms. Insider Information locked her fingers behind her head and leaned back. She allowed the suspense to build.

Her companions waited patiently.

She generously added another breadcrumb. "Seems like our crew will be around here for at least the next six months." Ms. Info drew the next part out. "Guess we better play nice with the locals." She left it there, her smirk never leaving her lips.

Old Guy popped his flat hand against the table.

I jumped.

So did Ms. Info.

The smack had come out louder than expected for a bare hand against a tabletop. It sounded like a gunshot. Several of the surrounding patrons turned their heads to stare. Looks of concern or maybe even interest were on their faces.

"Out with it already, you shit!" Old Guy hollered jovially.

Ms. Info leaned back in towards the table as if imparting secret knowledge. She was, to be fair. "We're going to be part of experimental testing for some new secret tech. I think we get to build it first though." She grinned even wider.

"All the way out here?" Sweepy asked.

"Where else?" Replied Info. "There's no camera network or observation satellites out this way anymore. Perfect place to work on a secret project."

"And still have reasonable access to basic supplies." Old Guy mused. He rubbed his chin, considering what Ms. Info had just revealed.

"The most basic." Towel Man muttered.

The others ignored him.

"What makes you think we get to build it?" Sweepy asked. "The Gigant is a salvage and repair freighter, not a mobile shipyard. We can shred or patch up anything in a matter of hours, but we're not equipped to build things from scratch."

Ms. Info made a face like she was thinking and intended to draw out the pause again. A glare from Old Guy made her change her mind. "The XO got orders to maintain orbit and roll out the construction bay."

"So what's to say there isn't a ship limping in, and this is as far as they can go?" Old Guy asked. "It's happened before."

"That's not what the situation sounded like." Responded Ms. Info. "Not remotely."

The group had more questions for Ms. Info, but their server arrived at their table to take orders. They listened attentively as she went over the menu options and specials. They asked their questions, but no one interrupted her.

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Vincent watched the table closely, even as he took and filled drink orders from patrons sitting at the bar. The guildsmen hadn't looked in his direction since he made Towel Man apologize, but they knew they were on the old Titan's radar. I heard more please's and thank you's out of that table than I'd ever heard from any group of adults.

I wasn't paying close attention to what the barrel booth ordered. My interest had landed on a different topic. The guildsmen had mentioned their ship by name and I wanted to know more. I already had my terminal in hand with a search tab open. I'd go back to their guild info later.

I typed the name I overheard, sounding it out to the best of my ability. It took three tries before I was sure I had it. I liked spelling better than math. I specified that I was looking for a ship, then hit search. I waited with my tongue at the corner of my mouth.

The Gigant is a Hephaestus class frigate currently under operation by the guild The Midstone Mechanics. It is primarily used for field repair and salvage operations. Click here for statistical information.

I clicked, and two dozen rows of text and numbers appeared on the screen of my terminal. I read line by line, taking in as much about the orbiting ship as I could.

Class: Hephaestus

Weight: 44,500 tons

Engine: 5-Core Kleon Drive

Fuel: UG-4

Hull: Tungsten-Chromium Alloy

Transponder No.: MMG002453R

Owner: The Midstone Mechanics (Guild)

Captain: Cmdr. Lucius Parallax

Sigil: an eagle carrying a wrench in its talons; for detailed representations the Midstone Mechanics' emblem is overlaid with the Gigant's eagle.

Home Port: Respite Bay, BrudonPrimary Purpose: recovery, maintenance, and repair

Crew Capacity: 250 (minimum 75)

Cargo Capacity: 30,000 tons

Towing Capacity: 75,000 tons when empty

Shuttles: 4 short-range, 2 long-range [tap for shuttle specifications]; 20 emergency life-support pods [tap for pod specifications]

Atmosphere Capable: N

Artificial Gravity: Y

Manufactured: 2486 at Freeman's Port, Origin

Years in Service: 124

I paused there. I'd watched a lot of videos on ships since getting my terminal. They all agreed that you could count on a good fifty to seventy-five years before a ship cost more to maintain than it brought home. Most ships older than that were unrecovered scrap drifting across the system. That was if they hadn't been dumped into the Heaps long before I was born. I wondered what kept the Gigant running. (Aside from the staggering cost of a replacement spaceship, of course.)

A thought I hadn't considered before popped into my head. Could I become a mechanic? Anyone who could fix things made a good living, especially on Caltrox. There was never anything new here; there were just a bunch of things in varying states of function that got traded around until they were turned into something else. I laughed to myself as I realized the Gigant fit right in.

My daydream of a lucrative career as a mechanic was interrupted a few minutes later when Ms. Jenna emerged from her kitchen. She carried two small plates high above my head. I couldn't see the contents but knew it'd be something sweet.

"Alright, my darling." She said as she swung into my field of view. Each plate had a fork tucked into her fingers underneath it.

I pushed my terminal to the very edge of the table and sat up just a little straighter. I looked up into her sweaty face and she continued.

"I've got a test batch of a new desert and need a sampler. I want your honest opinion."

"Okay!" I readily agreed. I started to reach for one of the plates but Ms. Jenna lifted them higher.

"Nuh uh uh!" She tsked.

I frowned and lowered my outstretched hands.

"First, I want to hear about your lessons."

Ms. Jenna used her foot to pull out the chair across from me. In a single, well-practiced motion, the chef took a seat and placed two portions of pie perfectly between us.

I couldn't help it. My mouth was watering before the smell reached me. The flaky golden-brown crust was still steaming from the oven. The top crust had been scored in several places so moisture could escape the filling. Orange filling was oozing out the edges of each slice. I could see round berries of some kind within.

I hadn't realized I'd been staring so intently at the slices of pie until Ms. Jenna pulled one back towards her. I blinked for a moment before going into a summary of the day's lessons. I hoped Ms. Jenna hadn't noticed my laser focus on her desserts.

The plate squeaked against the table as I finished my summary. Ms. Jenna slid it towards me and placed a fork on top. At last! The experimental pie was mine! I picked up the fork and stabbed the dessert. The bite I wanted separated easily. I shoved it in my mouth with enthusiasm.

"This is really good!" I exclaimed with my mouth full. I bit down to chew the bite and the small berries popped between my teeth. Liquid gushed out, intensifying the flavor of the dish. "Whoa!"

Ms. Jenna laughed at me.

"How'd you get the berries to do that?" I asked after I'd swallowed.

"Shhh." Ms. Jenna hushed me. "That's a secret. But the berries are from off-world. I got some seeds and I'm going to try and grow them here."

I scooped up another bite of filling.

"If it works, I might make this my signature dessert here." She paused for a moment to watch my expression. "It seems like it's passed the first round of sampling successfully."

In response, I pushed the crust aside with my fork and scooped out more filling.

Ms. Jenna finished her pie. "I'll want your opinion in words when you're finished." She said with a chuckle. After a quick wink, Ms. Jenna disappeared into her kitchen.