Read Pelquin's Comet for Free Online

defence had accounted for both the other spacers and Nate had barely escaped with his life, snatching up a single artefact as he fled – his only tangible proof that any of this was real.
    In fact, the way Nate had described events to him , two of them had escaped that chamber. Pelquin, however, reasoned that the bank wouldn’t want to hear about this, reckoning that his case would hardly be helped by the knowledge that he had a competitor. At least his key to the cache was still breathing.
    Both the survivors were determined to return to the installation – who wouldn’t with such a huge cache to exploit? Both knew they couldn’t do so alone, that they needed help, but they couldn’t agree who from. Nate had wanted to turn to the devil he knew: Pelquin, but the other argued that it would be better to approach a mining concern, people who would already have the necessary equipment and manpower on hand. In the end Nate relented, and they approached Jossyren, one of the larger fringe mining companies.
    This proved to be a costly mistake. They were double-crossed, Nate’s colleague was killed, and he only escaped by the skin of his teeth – for a second time. With nowhere else to go and the hired guns of a powerful corporation after his blood, Nate had taken the only option left to him, swallowing his pride and approaching his old buddy Pelquin for help.
    No, the bank definitely wouldn’t want to hear about any of this. Jossyren might be small in galactic terms but they were highly influential on the fringe worlds; a powerful enemy.
    So Pelquin presented a slightly abridged version of events to Terry Reese, one in which only Nate Almont had escaped the Elder installation. He did so smoothly and confidently. He was hardly a novice when it came to lying.
    “This has to be the biggest cache of Elder tech to be discovered in decades, perhaps the biggest ever , and I have on my crew the only man who knows where it is,” he concluded – exaggeration being an accepted part of the game. He then sat back, inviting Reese to comment.
    She nodded thoughtfully, and then said, “It’s a shame Mr Almont isn’t here with you.”
    “Nate’s not at his most comfortable in formal situations.” And trust me, right now you wouldn’t want to meet him , he thought but didn’t say.
    “Pity. Perhaps I could have a chat with him though, on another occasion.”
    “Perhaps.” Like hell .
    Had he overestimated his own powers of persuasion? Was he about to lose this because of Nate’s absence? Surely the woman could see the opportunity he was offering her?
    “So, to recap,” Reese said, “you’re not asking the bank to pay for the hire of a ship, since you already have one, but you are asking us to fund your purchase of a considerable amount of equipment, which you’ll utilise to reach this inner chamber where a significant number of Elder artefacts are stored.”
    “Precisely. Nate got out of there with the guardian entity still fully functional. It’ll have rebuilt the defences by now, maybe varied them and probably ensured they’re nastier than ever. We need to be prepared for any eventuality and I wouldn’t mind hiring one more crewmember – some of this equipment’s heavy.”
    “Not to mention expensive,” she observed, “judging by the amount you’re after.”
    He shrugged. “A lot of this is specialist stuff and will have to be made to order.”
    “Hmm… and how exactly did you arrive at this figure?”
    “All carefully calculated, I promise you.”
    “I’ll want to see a full breakdown.”
    “Naturally.” Pelquin struggled to suppress the thrill that coursed through him. If she was asking for figures, she’d bought into the concept already. The rest was just a matter of negotiation and bickering over the details.
    “And what are you proposing to offer First Solar in return for this investment?”
    Better and better – getting down to the nitty gritty already. “A legal charge over my ship, the Comet