Read Drifter's Run for Free Online

it probably seems longer to me, since I spent so much of it in hospitals.
    "But there I go, talking about myself when you're so much more interesting! In fact you're something of a legend around here, aren't you? The crazy old man who looks for the ship that isn't there. Well, guess what? I believe it's there, and when you find it, I'll be by to collect my share." And with that the com screen faded to black.
    Turning, Lando saw that Sorenson's face had turned ashen gray, as if his life force had suddenly drained away. When Sorenson spoke his voice was little more than a croak.
    "There's a load of robotic mining gear waiting in Orbit Level 4. Mel knows what to do. I'll be in my cabin." And he walked away.
    Lando watched Sorenson go with a certain amount of misgiving. What was this stuff about dropping out of hyperspace into the middle of Durna's asteroid belt? And Cap being drunk? And this guy named Willer spending years in the hospital? Holy Sol, if Willer's injuries were Sorenson's fault, then no wonder the cyborg was pissed! Pissed enough to want revenge. If so, the close call with the Hercules could be more than corporate intimidation, it might be a promise of things to come.
    But as unsettling as those thoughts were Lando had little time to worry about them because the next couple of days were extremely busy.
    They were standard days, and therefore shorter than Snowball's, but still a lot longer than Lando liked. His first task was to move Junk down to Orbit Level 4 (OL-4).
    Having been properly identified and coded into the ship's recognition system Lando found the controls quite responsive. Though somewhat hampered by his lack of familiarity with the ship's nonstandard systems, Lando found he had little difficulty dropping Junk into a lower orbit.
    Once Junk was established in OL-4 it was a relatively simple matter to match speeds with Utility Platform 63. That's when the real work began.
    Junk wasn't a real freighter and didn't have the sort of robotic equipment freighters normally use to load and unload cargo. That meant doing the job by hand, and given the size of Junk 'screw, it was a two-day task.
    Donning a well-used but still serviceable set of space armor, Lando allowed Melissa to lead him into the lock, and out into the brightly lit launching bay.
    "Cap," as Captain Sorenson preferred to be called, and Cy were already there.
    Since Cy had his own supply of oxygen, and had his brain tissue safely tucked away inside a metal casing, he had no need of space armor. As a result the cyborg moved freely from atmosphere to vacuum with little or no inconvenience.
    Having spent the last hour or so securing various pieces of gear, and preparing the bay to receive cargo, Cy was taking a break. With the ship's argrav turned off to facilitate loading, the little cyborg was busy performing acrobatics and generally making a nuisance of himself.
    As Lando stepped out of the lock and into the launching bay, Cy swooped by the pilot's visor and uttered a long drawn-up war whoop over the standard suit-to-suit radio frequency.
    Lando swore, Cy laughed, and Melissa broke her contact with the deck in order to give chase.
    "There you are," a voice said, and Lando turned to find Captain Sorenson towering above. He was framed by a bright green exoskeleton that stood twelve feet tall and caused Lando's radio to buzz with static.
    Sorenson's almost-cheerful manner and flushed face suggested more than a few drinks. Still, the older man was sober enough to do some work, and that was a first.
    "Here I am," Lando agreed dryly. "Now what?"
    "Now you play catch," the other man answered enigmatically. Cap released himself from the machine and floated free. "Your chariot awaits."
    Lando had never had an occasion to use an exoskeleton before, but he understood the theory, and decided it couldn't be that hard. Using the conveniently placed foot supports Lando climbed the exoskeleton's frame until he was even with its shoulders.
    Turning, Lando backed