The Story of the Mimosa

him (after all it was not every day a man got to see his new boat) but something had urged him to be careful. When he entered the ship yard he knew why. After locating the master

t of light, so most of the reflection that normally shows the nor

d up as he noticed he was pushed into the wrong corner. This was not going well. A

can save when everyone thinks the ship is smaller than it is! I think that would be worth an extra thousand credits. Of course, if you don't agree that's worth the

o knock at least another two thousand credits off the price. He followed the master shipbuilder into the lift that took them to the ramp that took them

he ship. And exactly that gave him that sinking feeling. So far there was nothing that was not worth the price of the builder, except that walk they had to make over the g

ow deck if you want, "

d every detail of the ship's internals. If worst came to worst, he'd have that information, cancel the order of the ship and see if he could find someone who

was a rather large building on the deck there which looked odd and out of place. The man opened the huge centre doors w

bvious. Going down the awkward steps was

t, " the shipbuilder

spoken question mark

. The man had no clue. The sui

engines were placed. "This is a danger zone, " the shipbuilder said. "Only skil

at hit him in the face made his inner person want to turn and run away screaming. Being a gentleman and a trader in illegitimate goods, he could not do this, so he simply nodded and said that he understood exactly why this was a dangerous

o use the ship with something like that?" Blokman did not even feel safe with the stai

laces, but so far no one had been able to prove a problem with the engines. "As for the safety in the engine room, there is a provision for that. We can create a special suit for going inside that space. As I already said, the stairs a

ing ring and be one of the best and fastest. That was why he wanted this model, he had heard miracles about it. Many of them overdone of course, but when someone like Barning H

and dignity. You can get the suit for a thousand - no, nine hundred credits. That is a substantial disc

ts, " Blokman said and not afraid to sho

. five hun

was set, so he accepted the offer, knowing that he was being tak

it as of tomorrow then. No one i

is the maximum speed of this ship? I have heard from a friend that this

hich are very conservative, this ship will achieve a maximum of nine hundred gorabs per semi-harp." That threw Blokman. He knew that the ship wa

the man. "I do wonder how you maintain a layer of breathable air on

cial component built into the middle mast up there, the big one. It's connected to one of the machines down there which gives it

"In short and simple you

what I'

under-construction was then taken to one of the doors next to the huge ones on t

painted by the pattern in the wood against the wall? This corridor

it? It's the light." In truth he hadn't noticed it before, but keepin

uilding dock and not in the water, Blokman Rufer asked how this was done. The shipbuilder explained that the portholes were all virtual. "You can't open them, and there is a control her

. It was a large space with an old chair

man wondered where the controls wo

p. If you can send someone over who will ca

n corrected the shipbuilder, "an

thought of a name a

nam

. I was thinking of 'Black Flower' m

" Blokman Rufer could really not be bothered by these kinds of insignificant details. "I think I

amp that took them to the lift that took them to the ground, and from there the client left the s