Read Exiled to the Stars for Free Online Page A

well.
    "Do you think we'd have any trouble paying the others to leave as well?" Asked Ron.
    Cesar frowned. "Probably not, though I am not sure that would be wise. If we got rid of all of our toughs, it would encourage other, perhaps worse toughs to move in from other dorms. Since you appear to be rich, perhaps it would be wiser to let them fight out their dominance, and then bribe the winner to become our protector, rather than our tormentor."
    Ron nodded. "The problem is that we're not really rich. We have almost a thousand credits left, but within a few days they will have no value. Any economy that develops on board will be based on barter, not pieces of paper from a place we'll never see again. So, you could say we're on a spending spree. We have to get everything we think we'll need before we boost out tomorrow and our credits become worthless."
    Cesar looked thoughtful. "Ah, I see. You are correct, of course. I simply had not thought that far ahead." He smiled. "Apparently, neither had Rafael. He may find himself rather disappointed in his deal once we boost."
    Ron shrugged. "That may be the least of his problems. He may have been the big fish in his small pond, but he's going to find real sharks among the Undies."
    Montero had obviously been thinking. "You will be returning upstairs to gather your belongings, yes?" Ron nodded and Cesar Montero continued, "Raymond Koh is probably the one who will rise to the top now that Rafael is gone. Raymond is ruthless and amoral, but he's quite intelligent. When you return we will talk with him. He may be able to see that the circumstances have changed, and it might be to his advantage to work with us instead of against us."
    Ron was pleased to hear Cesar refer to "us" instead of "you." It was, he hoped, the first sign that they could fit in here.
    ******
    Ron and Vlad were packing their meager belongings into boxes in the Undie dorm when one of the women approached them.
    She wore her red hair in a loose style that was beginning to frowse with the lack of gravity. Her green eyes returned his gaze without emotion. She seemed about 170 centimeters tall, and her shipsuit bulged interestingly in the appropriate places. Ron was not the first man to notice that the lack of gravity had dramatic effects on the female figure.
    "Hello," he greeted her, and then simply waited for her reply.
    "You're leaving," she said flatly. "How much to take me with you?"
    Ron blinked. "Yes," he replied, "we're leaving. We've worked a bunk swap to a Drone dorm. You probably wouldn't find it very comfortable."
    She shook her head. "I've lived in a ghetto before. I'd rather take my chances on crowds of screaming kids than a gang war here. My name's Tara Conner, and I'm a whore." Her eyes narrowed as she made that assertion, watching for the slightest reaction.
    Ron's smile was disarming. "Glad to meet you, Tara. My name's Ron, and I'm a high school teacher, or I was."
    " Sure you are," she said with broad sarcasm. "You just beat up street muscle between classes."
    Ron's smile faded. "No, it's true." He shrugged. "Of course, I wasn't always a high school teacher. I grew up in South 'Cago."
    She relaxed slightly, and a faint smile crossed her face. "Now, that I can believe," she replied. The smile faded as she continued, "So, how much? Or would you rather take it out in trade?" Her tone took on a note of challenge.
    Ron shook his head. "If you're really willing to swap, you can probably do it for twenty or thirty credits. Just go to any of the Drone dorms; I'm sure you'll find someone willing to swap. But you'll have to do it soon. Once we boost, those credits will be waste paper."
    Tara shook her head. "You've already got something working in one of the Drone dorms, and I'd be more comfortable with a couple of western faces around. How much?"
    Ron frowned. "Tara, we weren't planning to take anyone with us. And we know nothing about you. Who are you, what do you know, and do you have any useful skills?"
    She