Dealer
WHO: A business man WHERE: Star Coffee Café, Tawa, City Center, Sagittaron WHEN: 0930 local 21 11 Y02
Inside the coffeehouse Derrick sat silently alone at the table sipping from his cup of Caffe Virgonee wearing a conventional business suit with a gold neck tie. He watched behind the window at the crowds of people walking by doing their normal routine on a work day.
His eyes locked on a pair of patrol officers, one wearing the duty uniform of a city police officer and the other in the dark uniform of a colonial soldier with a 1st CEF patch on the shoulder only carrying a side arm. Progress they called it. They called it that because the soldier was not in full combat gear brandishing an assault rifle. This was a reminder to the good citizens of Sagittaron that the Troubles were over, and that they belonged to a united confederation of Colonies.
Derrick knew all too well that it would only take a nudge in the right direction to set the humans against each other. Unification was as flimsy as the paper the Articles were written on. He checked his wrist watch. It was time to go. He finished the rest of his coffee and then picked up his fancy leather bound brief-case and headed out to join the crowds on the side walk.
1000 local 21 11 Y02
Derrick knocked the door to room 3109 of the Capri Hotel and Apartments.
The door was opened by a stout looking tall gentleman in a suit and tie with an earpiece attached to a hidden radio. “Come inside Mr. Princeton,” another man invited coming out of the bathroom drying his hands with a towel. “You’re very punctual.”
“I take my business very serious, director.” Derek entered.
“And so you do. Have a seat,” the young customs director pointed to the living area of his apartment. “I hope you don’t mind the extra company. You can never be too safe around here.”
“I completely understand,” he settled into the couch as the director sat down on the opposite couch. Derek laid the brief case on the coffee table between them. “I don’t want to take up too much of your important time.”
“Very well, let’s see what you brought to the table today.”
Derek laid the case flat and then opened it. He removed a vanilla envelope, and then turned the case around to show the young director its contents. Nice stacks of 100-cubit bills filled the case. “Our deposit.” He can see the director’s eyes light up. “Here are the account numbers that we will transfer the first and final payments.” He handed over the envelope. “Also you will find our shipping dates and containers numbers.”
“Then it is done. I'll make certain that your containers are expedited through customs.” He glanced down at the money again on the table. “It has always been a pleasure to do business with your investors, and I hope we are able to more in the future.”
The customs inspector read the serial numbers off the line of containers that the yard received from a cargo ship. He then compared them to a list of hand written numbers behind the official manifest, and checked again.
“Those,” he pointed to the stack of containers. “Mark those cleared and ready for transfer.” He told the container yard worker. He then moved on unconcern about the contents inside. He thought of the future and how he had enough in his account for a down payment on the new house for his family. He looked forward to the happy days.
Sagittaron, Highway 212 2100 UCT 03 12 Y02
A convoy of container trucks rolled into the night toward their destinations.
On Caprica:
On an over-pass a lone container truck on its way out of Caprica City is stuck in rush-hour traffic.
On Virgon:
Another container truck on an empty road drives in the rain.
On Picon:
Containers aboard an ocean going ship leaves port.
On Scorpia:
A pair of container trucks drive into the sun setting in the desert.
On Aerilon:
In the farm fields a truck rolled over a pot hole on the road, which shook the trailer. Inside the container, in the darkness, a red-glow scanned.