Galaxy's End: Book One by LeRoy Clary (popular ebook readers txt) 📗

listed as a destination on official records, yet Captain Stone managed to buy tickets for us to go there on the Dreamer with only one transfer. Do you find that interesting?”

“No,” I lied.

“Then how about the rumor that almost anything can be sold or bought there? It reports to no planet or government.”

“Not a lot different from where we live in the forest at the edge of town. Lived, I should say.”

“Perhaps, but there are subtle differences.”

“Meaning?”

“Rumors again. There are a series of suspected high-profile thieves that escaped their local authorities and ended up living on Escobar. They are in lavish apartments larger than entire government buildings on Roma.”

Enough was enough as I rolled my eyes. “I doubt that.”

“Seriously. Since it does not officially exist, the heads of several crime syndicates operate from there. In fact, managing crime in one fashion or another seems to be the only reason for the habitat to exist.”

“Stone said something about getting her ship repainted and papered. I’m not sure what that means, but the way she said it makes me think it isn’t legal, so there may be something to what you’re finding.”

Bert delayed responding for long enough that I counted slowly to a hundred. I waited.

He said, “Papered does not mean covered in paper as the term implies. The ownership, registration, history, and everything about the ship is changed. The old ship disappears from records, and a new one, complete with its new history appears.”

“Repainted?” I asked, expecting a similar answer. “Is that another term meaning something else?”

“No. It means a new coloring on the outside of the hull.”

“Very funny. You almost got me on that one.”

Bert chuckled again. He loved a good joke, even when it was on him. He said, “It has a more in-depth meaning, also. Repainting includes item such as the new name of the vessel on linen, stamped on machine parts and shipping containers, embroidered on uniforms, and dozens of other items, right down to minutiae such as rugs in the entryway with the ship’s name and emblem—and they are created to appear old.”

Repainting. Genuinely nice. Not just a hack-job with a spray gun, but a new impression for anyone investigating the ship. I said, “What else does Escobar Habitat exist for?”

Bert answered right away, “As near as I can tell, it services the criminal underworld and provides entertainment, relaxation, ship repairs of all kinds, and safety from pursuit. Since Escobar does not exist, there is no reason for a military or police force to visit. They are quite adamant about that, insisting they have an arsenal larger than many planets and are ready to defend themselves.”

That threw me. People of any species living in a habitat, or even on a world, cannot exist without a formal organization to govern. There must be some kind of government, or the place would be wild. “How can that be?”

“I see the point of your question because I had the same. After extensive research, I concluded that it is little different than living on Roma, which has no formal government, but is managed, if that is the correct word, by the gambling syndicates. Those syndicates make and enforce the laws. What is good for Roma is good for the people. Ever hear that?”

At first, I thought it different on Roma, and that Bert was wrong. After considering what little I knew of governments in general, Escobar may consider what is good for Escobar is good for the people, much like Roma. Without meaning to, I asked, “What do you think about Captain Stone?”

“Ah, now she is another subject I’ve amused myself by researching. She is the legitimate captain of a vessel, exactly as she said. And the owner. It is indeed a ship bought from a scrapyard around a planet or moon called Demos, however, I cannot seem to isolate its precise location as there seem to be several locations with the same name. The ship was purchased after it sat unused for nearly thirty standard years.”

What impressed me about that was the story was close to the one she’d told me. I’d learned long ago not to embellish a lie. Just change enough to meet your needs.

Bert continued, “I’d wager the legitimate part of her being a captain is not real. She had no formal training that I can find in the records for such education. However, she was born on a trader and raised on one, so those experiences and the mentoring of her father probably qualifies her to command. There had been no mention of the earlier names of the ship, although it is perfectly legal to change the name, especially with new owners. I’d wager that Captain Stone has used other names for herself.”

“Are there formal rules for being a captain?”

“That is a tricky question. The answer is both yes and no. Yes, if you wish to work your way up a progress ladder in a company such as the one that owns this ship, and no, if you purchase a ship and name yourself captain.”

I didn’t hear any judgment in Bert’s tone. Just the facts. In my mind, the lack of a background Bert couldn’t find impressed me. She deserved credit for using the system to her advantage. The Guardia captained by Stone would never be welcome on Roma again, however, a similar ship with a different name and a ‘different’ captain would be greeted with open arms, especially if it paid spaceport fees upon arrival and its crew enjoyed gambling.

Without raising my voice because Bert was in another room under a pile of clothing, I asked, “What do you think of all this? You’ve been around a couple of hundred years and have seen it all, I’d think. What’s your overall opinion?”

“If you’re asking good or bad, that is not something I’m qualified to answer, partly