Steal the Demon: A Science-Fiction Novella by Robert Roth (free novels to read txt) 📕

it paired immediately with her P/N-interface, then walked her through the setup process. In addition to the security system, she found that she could activate a tracer program, allowing her to locate the weapon if it was ever lost. She could also program the micro-capacitor to run its charge through the blade, electrifying it. Kimiko wasn’t sure why she would ever need that, but it was nice to know it was possible.

Once the setup process was complete, she grabbed the sheath with her other hand and carefully pulled out the knife. She turned it around, inspecting it from all angles. It looked even better than the store display. It had a nice heft to it, and was well balanced. She made a few experimental slashes in the air, careful to keep a firm grip on the handle since the knife would slice through her bed slab, and the frame that held it, and probably the decking beneath that, if she was ambitious enough. The thought brought an unexpectedly wicked grin to her face. She slid the tip back into the sheath, where the mag-field grabbed it and pulled it the rest of the way inside.

“Talk about bad-ass.”

Kimiko opened the storage locker and pulled her old gear bag out. It held the pilot gear, boots, and helmet she’d brought with her, along with her toiletries and an additional change of clothing. She set it all down on the bed slab next to her brand new gear and almost laughed at the differences between the two. Then her hand terminal chirped. She pulled it from her pocket to see a comm request from Ernesto, her shuttle pilot contact. She tapped the accept button, selecting voice only.

“Sup, Ernesto?”

“Just confirming our dinner date, Kimiko.” That was a good sign. He hadn’t shown any reluctance to help her when she’d initially made contact with him, but she’d allowed for the possibility that he would get cold feet at the last minute. Sneaking into the Shipyard facilities without his assistance wasn’t her ideal option, but it was still an option.

“I wouldn’t miss it for all the ore in the Belt,” she assured him.

“Of course. How does Flamin’ Ramen sound? There’s an outlet up on the far end of the retail concourse.” That would be easy enough for her to find. The ubiquitous noodle chain seemed to have shops everywhere from Luna to Titan. She’d even heard rumors of franchises opening on some of the largest mega-haulers, as silly as that seemed. But their noodles were always chewy, and the broth, as the name implied, was plenty hot. Plus, it was cheap.

“Sounds cosmic.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” he said before ending the comm connection.

She sighed and set her terminal down on the bed slab. Having a new flight suit meant she needed to figure out what to do with her old one. It had some sentimental value and was perfectly serviceable, but she really didn’t have room to carry it in her new flight bag, since it was too bulky. And she definitely didn’t have space to bring along her old helmet and boots. She could dispose of it all there at Davida, she supposed, or just leave it behind in the compartment, which was essentially the same thing. But she didn’t want to get rid of it. She’d flown billions of kms in that jacket. It felt like a part of her, and wearing her new, nanotech suit almost felt a little bit like cheating. But she couldn’t afford to be too sentimental, either. She had to stay focused on her operation. Eventually, she settled on shipping it all back to Kenji in Motherlode.

She pulled the toiletries and clothing from her old gear bag, and stuffed them into her new one. Her old helmet and boots filled the extra space she’d made. Then she put her new bag into the storage locker and reset the lock with her P/N-interface. It wasn’t foolproof security, but it would at least discourage any small-time thieves from walking away with her new equipment. Hoisting her old bag over her shoulder, she walked out of her compartment and locked it behind her.

Kimiko next set out to find a shipping station. Intersystem shipping was always something of a gamble, but it was usually a reliable one. A busy station like Davida would have cargo running daily to Ceres, at least, which was as far as she needed it to go. Shipping stations essentially acted as brokers. Ships from mega-haulers to shuttles with some room to spare in their hold would post their available cargo space to be parceled off and sold, then packed and filled with small-time stuff like Kimiko’s gear bag.

According to the Station info directory, the Davida shipping station was located several levels down from her, so she caught a lift heading down to the transit level. Since it saw so much traffic–foot, ship, and otherwise–it was much more industrial in tone than the station’s residential decks. But it felt more familiar to Kimiko, who was used to frequenting similar areas in Motherlode back on Ceres. A bright, holographic sign in neon blue made the nearby shipping station easy to spot. The clerk on duty at the counter was friendly, maybe even a little flirty, which she enjoyed, even if she wasn’t looking to spin that way. But she played along and managed to procure a spot on the next hauler to Ceres for a small discount, which was good enough for her, considering Davida and Ceres were approaching orbital opposition. When the clerk asked if she wanted their Net address, Kimiko apologized and told them she’d be shipping out soon, but promised to catch them the next time she orbited through Davida.

With her gear safely packaged and sent off, Kimiko had just enough time to send a message off to Kenji about her gear before heading back to the lifts. She took the first available one back up to the retail concourse, then trekked across it in search of