2

Tox hurried out through the shop and into the passage beyond. Like in Akanasi Sector, most of the businesses operated on Red Shift. They were locked up tight, security screens rolled down across already unbreakable steglass windows. But here and there doors were still open and signs still glowed softly. There were hardly enough people around to make it worthwhile. There was basically no passing trade at the bottom of Neering Sector. It had long been associated with black market trading and the Knoglin Clan. Tinner's survived on reputation alone.

Customers came from all over the Station and even from the world below to make use of Tinner's vast knowledge and even vaster array of parts-- if he had bits of a Wexler he'd have bits for anything and could find them in an instant without electronic assistance. Tox wasn't up to the old man's standard yet but was getting close. He certainly knew where to find the Wexler bits.

At the end of the passage, Tox entered a small chamber where a bank of lifts lined one of the walls. A couple of Knoglin Knuckles slouched against a wall, talking quietly as they scanned the pedestrians. One of them had a small nod for Tox as they let him through into a lift.

He went up ten levels to a Class 2 hub and changed to an express. He crowded in with about 60 others and felt the internal grav compensation kick in as they surged upwards. Most of the group stayed on all the way to level 100 and bustled out into Neering Centre. Tox stopped by the fake garden, examining the crowd as if he might find a reason to hang around. After a moment, he crossed to the nearest public access terminal and logged on. Applications to the Flight Academy were open for only one hour, apparently in an attempt to cut down on numbers. He checked over what he'd written one more time, checked the time, then hit the send button. He'd applied every round for the last five years and never even gotten as far as an interview-- he was running out of different ways to say the same thing.

With the main job of the day done, he found the next bank of lift and piled in with a few dozen people again. Most of these exited long before the top-- only five were still present when the door hissed open on level 190 a few minutes later.

"Hey Tox."

Tox sighed. He thought of hurrying to the next lift but knew it would be pointless. He looked around. "Hi, Grit."

"What are you doing up here?" The little man was standing a few meters away, leaning against a drink dispenser as if trying to hide in its shadow.

"I'm just going to the viewing platform. I had a tough day at work and wanted to be along for a while."

"But the viewing platform will be full of people."

"Alone in my head, Grit. I can be in a crowd for that."

"Oh. Mind if I come."

"Grit--"

"Just on the lift."

Tox didn't say anything. Again, he knew it wouldn't make much difference. He made his way to the next bank of lifts for the journey up the final 10 floors and Grit inevitably followed.

Grit stood in the corner as they ascended.

The lift opened out directly into the viewing platform. A clear dome in the ceiling gave views out into the Hakahei. There were a dozen people already there but for the most part they were ignoring the starscape overhead. None of them had noticed the extra pinprick of light.

Grit took one glance out through the dome and saw it. "There's a ship out there," he said.

Tox nodded.

"You knew? That's why you were coming here."

"And to be alone."

"Oh."

Grit didn't move, so Tox wandered away and found an empty couch that would let him lie back and watch. He even took his last ten crits and slotted half into the telescope and half into the comm unit. He shifted through the dozens of music channels until he could hear Control. The operators were still only doing general alerts but it wasn't long until that changed.

"All traffic, be advised. All traffic be advised. This call is a general hold. Repeat, this is a general hold. All lanes will be shut down in fifteen minutes. Please make your way to your destination as quickly as possible or find a public dock. All lanes will shut down in fifteen minutes."

The Master Control channel should only have been used by control but it was the one channel that would easily allow for general conversation. Questions flew. No answers were given. The freighter coming in from Caranoota was still 20 minutes away from hitting the coupling and wanted to know if they should hold were they were. A Life Support service vehicle was half way through a 10 hour repair that couldn't be left half finished-- they'd have to continue or start all over again later. There were a group of school children sitting in a bus waiting to watch the moon rise over the station. There was a film crew shooting a chase scene across the top of one of the Sectors. There was a bit of leaway-- the freighter should continue. There was 27 Sectors between the work crew and the as yet unmentioned threat-- continue. Everyone else-- don't be stupid, of course you have to get inside.

Soon, even those who weren't interested couldn't help but notice the sun growing in the dome overhead. Everyone turned to stare. The chatter on the channel turned to the new comer for a few minutes then fell completely silent as they listened to Control hailing across all frequencies. Any reply they might have seen went unheard by Tox. If anyone else heard it was unlikely they got more than a few seconds for their efforts-- Control would switch to a tighter band width the moment anything happened.

Tox switched to a music channel and listened to mellow base as the star continued to grow. Half an hour after he'd entered the platform, the true shape of the newcomer was visible to the naked eye. It was roughly spherical with numerous exhaust ports marring the dark surface. It was only fifty yards in diamater. For that to come out of the Hakahei...

The ship stopped about ten miles out off the low east face of the station, orientated top Up. The bridge seemed to be a dome on the top of the ship and, from his position, Tox could use the telescope and see right inside. There were humans on board.

Humans had flown out of the Hakahei.