Down A Peg pt. 37a
The Captain and Astrogator stood in the Clinic as Lt. Ardell worked her Medical Console to analyze the Pharma pills found in the cargo container. The three had procured a single plastic bag of what they had assumed were medicinal drugs. When the scan-analysis was completed, Dead-Hex saw the Medic read the monitor.
“Anaghathikhs,” said the valkyrie in slight confusion.
“Anagathics,” repeated Dead-Hex in the Human tongue of Anglic. “Age-halting drugs.” His Anglic was rusty, but the Merchant knew this category of expensive speculatives.
“What?” asked Capt. Kakhskha whose raspy voice prevented her vocals from true speech.
Ardell snapped in realization, “Drugs one takes, often along with meals, Kakhskha, to halt cell replication errors, effectively halting aging. They won’t make you younger, but we’re looking at immortality in pill form.”
“Who wants to live forever?” half-joked the Astrogator.
“This stuff is illegal back home, Captain,” announced Lt. Ardell. "The Recovery doesn’t allow for anything like this, even though it would help. It’s taboo on Roethoeegaeaegz."
“I know,” whispered Kakhskha.
“And, Dead-Hex,” explained Ardell, “This stuff does have a shelf life. You can’t just sit on a pile of pills and live forever. You still have to eat, sleep and live. But as your Counsellor, imagine this: this stuff does not stop or even slow the age of your mind. Now, in a hundred years or more of looking and feeling crystallized in the same body while you’re mind gets older and more tired of the years, you’ll be looking hard at your laz-pistol to end it all. Get me?”
The two Merchants looked at each other at those words. Dead-Hex spoke for the hoarse Captain, “So, this is either destitute immortality or a fortune in Pharma, right?”
“Did you hear the illegal part, Third Officer?” asked irksome Ardell. “Kakhskha can’t just waltz into any old Startown market and offer up this stuff. If you take this to sell, it has to be down-low, in the underworld. Black market goods, Dead-Hex.”
How well he knew the world of illegal goods. Dead-Hex felt his claw rise over his abdomen and over the spot where he had hidden the Rage-5 Wafer. Nodding his understanding, he looked to the Captain for leadership and hoped Kakhskha was up to this kind of mercantile risk and reward. Together, they had never trafficked in any illegal cargos. Now the Gatherer held both illegal Prole immigrant refugees and illegal drugs.
Kakhskha, as if she had read his mind, merely stared at the clear plastic bag of white pills and nodded.
The Captain and Astrogator stood in the Clinic as Lt. Ardell worked her Medical Console to analyze the Pharma pills found in the cargo container. The three had procured a single plastic bag of what they had assumed were medicinal drugs. When the scan-analysis was completed, Dead-Hex saw the Medic read the monitor.
“Anaghathikhs,” said the valkyrie in slight confusion.
“Anagathics,” repeated Dead-Hex in the Human tongue of Anglic. “Age-halting drugs.” His Anglic was rusty, but the Merchant knew this category of expensive speculatives.
“What?” asked Capt. Kakhskha whose raspy voice prevented her vocals from true speech.
Ardell snapped in realization, “Drugs one takes, often along with meals, Kakhskha, to halt cell replication errors, effectively halting aging. They won’t make you younger, but we’re looking at immortality in pill form.”
“Who wants to live forever?” half-joked the Astrogator.
“This stuff is illegal back home, Captain,” announced Lt. Ardell. "The Recovery doesn’t allow for anything like this, even though it would help. It’s taboo on Roethoeegaeaegz."
“I know,” whispered Kakhskha.
“And, Dead-Hex,” explained Ardell, “This stuff does have a shelf life. You can’t just sit on a pile of pills and live forever. You still have to eat, sleep and live. But as your Counsellor, imagine this: this stuff does not stop or even slow the age of your mind. Now, in a hundred years or more of looking and feeling crystallized in the same body while you’re mind gets older and more tired of the years, you’ll be looking hard at your laz-pistol to end it all. Get me?”
The two Merchants looked at each other at those words. Dead-Hex spoke for the hoarse Captain, “So, this is either destitute immortality or a fortune in Pharma, right?”
“Did you hear the illegal part, Third Officer?” asked irksome Ardell. “Kakhskha can’t just waltz into any old Startown market and offer up this stuff. If you take this to sell, it has to be down-low, in the underworld. Black market goods, Dead-Hex.”
How well he knew the world of illegal goods. Dead-Hex felt his claw rise over his abdomen and over the spot where he had hidden the Rage-5 Wafer. Nodding his understanding, he looked to the Captain for leadership and hoped Kakhskha was up to this kind of mercantile risk and reward. Together, they had never trafficked in any illegal cargos. Now the Gatherer held both illegal Prole immigrant refugees and illegal drugs.
Kakhskha, as if she had read his mind, merely stared at the clear plastic bag of white pills and nodded.