The Starter (19 page)

“She’s a beauty,” Yitzhak said. “Wow, that is really a top-of-the-line craft.”

“Yeah?” Quentin said. “I’ve never been on a yacht, just seen them in holos.”

Yitzhak nodded. He, at least, was getting used to the fact that Quentin knew little of the finer things in life. Zak didn’t judge, didn’t poke fun. Most of the time, anyway.

The shuttle carefully slid into the yacht’s tiny landing bay. While the
Touchback’s
landing bay could hold several large craft, the yacht’s had barely enough room to lower the shuttle doors. Virak and Choto walked down the ramp first, pedipalp hands on their guns. Beyond them, Quentin saw Manny Sayed standing there, clearly surprised to see two gangland toughs ready to throw lead at the first sign of trouble.

“Oh, my,” Manny said. “Please, dear sentients, there is no cause for alarm. My crew and I will cooperate in any way possible.”

“That is good,” Virak said. “We are very much on edge after the terrorist attempt during our victory parade.”

Manny sighed and looked up to the low ceiling. “Yes, of course, I should have thought of that. Let me announce to my crew that they must cooperate and stay calm. Acceptable?”

“Yes,” Virak and Choto said together.

Manny raised a jeweled hand to his mouth and spoke. Quentin heard Manny’s words echo through the landing bay. The same words were probably echoing through the entire ship.

He’d met Manny Sayed on the trip from Micovi to the
Combine
. The overweight man wore flowing, blue robes that signified a confirmed member of the Purist Nation church. Manny also bore the church’s primary sign of identification: an infinity symbol tattooed on the forehead. He had the robes and the symbol, true, but he also wore garish, expensive jewelry. Such a display would be frowned upon in Purist Nation space. Outside the system, no one seemed to care. He had also cut his robes shorter than normal, exposing his bare lower right leg and its jeweled sandal. He’d lost his left leg in the Creterakian takeover. A jewel-studded platinum prosthetic stood in its place.

Manny smiled at his guests. “I have informed our crew to stay out of our way. Now, Quentin, if your associates are satisfied, may we begin the tour and talk about your possible endorsement of Sayed Luxury Craft?”

Virak and Choto stepped apart, allowing Quentin and Yitzhak room to walk forward.

Manny extended his hand. “Praise High One for blessing your journey.”

Quentin shook the offered hand. “Praise to the High One for bringing us together. It’s good to see you again, Elder Sayed.”

The traditional Purist greeting. Scripted words, but it surprised Quentin to find that he
meant
them, that it felt good just to say them. Manny was another reminder of home. A home that Quentin hated with all his soul, but still, it was
home
.

Manny turned and gestured that Quentin should walk side-by-side with him. Manny’s jewelry
clinked
with every movement, his prosthetic foot
clonked
with each step.

“This vessel is the Marquis model,” Manny said as they walked. “It has its own shuttle, suitable for four beings. We sent the shuttle out to make room for the
Touchback’s
shuttle, which is quite a bit larger. The Marquis model also has one lifeboat, suitable for five sentients, or maybe three of your size.

As they walked, Quentin took it all in. The ship looked brand-new. There weren’t even any scuffs on the landing bay’s metal deck.

In the corridor, everything looked extremely expensive, from the dark wood of the walls to the polished metal trim and moldings. Smart carpets, framed artwork, everything clean and new and sparkling. He’d only seen one place that so reeked of money and power — Gredok’s quarters in the Krakens building.

Quentin barely noticed that Virak and Choto followed along. As big as the Warriors were, they seemed well practiced at fading into the background.

The corridor led into a large salon. Thick couches and chairs made of some kind of cured animal skin, tables and chairs of a rich, exotic wood, and walls made of smart material. Classy sculptures sat in each corner. Holo-frames dotted the walls, showing slowly shifting images of the galaxy’s great artworks.

“This is the standard display,” Manny said, gesturing to the smartwalls and holo-frames. “But, just for you, we programmed a special configuration.”

He snapped his fingers. The images and holos shifted to a football theme. Quentin was a little embarrassed to see himself in all of the images. Like the buildings of Ionath City, the walls around came alive with many versions of Quentin Barnes in action.

Manny continued the tour. The yacht had the main salon, a spacious bar (which John Tweedy would just love, Quentin knew), a beautiful kitchen, a dining room that would seat fifteen sentients, a bridge, and five staterooms each bigger than the last. The master stateroom alone was larger than Quentin’s entire quarters on the
Touchback
.

“This is really cool,” Quentin said. He felt a little strange being in such a place, like he didn’t deserve to be surrounded by such grandeur. Finery like this belonged to the upper classes, not to a dirty orphan from Micovi.

“I have one more thing that might interest you,” Manny said. He led them to the back of the master stateroom, to the bathroom. With a sweeping gesture, he showed a large shower — metal-tile floors and walls, six shower-heads that would spray from all angles.

Quentin smiled. “Manny, only a Nationalite would have thought of that.”

“I figured that you would like it.”

Yitzhak leaned in and squinted his eyes. “Hey, that’s not a nannite shower. Does that thing shoot
water
?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Quentin said as they left the stateroom. “It’s a Purist Nation thing, you wouldn’t understand.”

Manny led them back to the stateroom. “This ship is called the Hypatia. But, if you choose to endorse my modest little company, you can name her whatever you like.”

Quentin laughed. “What, is that part of the advertising or something? I can say ‘I like these boats so much, I named one?’ How is that going to sell your ships?”

“It’s up to you,” Manny said. “You’ll own her, after all.”

Quentin looked around as if he hadn’t really seen the ship at all when he’d first walked through. “Yeah, I don’t know. How much does it cost?”

“The Marquis is our top-of-the line model. With punch drives, you can go anywhere in the galaxy, even use the primary shipping lanes just like a transport. The
Hypatia
, as she sits right now, would go for fifteen million credits.”

Quentin let out a long whistle. He made just over one million a season. He felt almost relieved that such an ostentatious display of wealth was outside his means. Despite his newfound fortune, there was always a reminder of wealth’s ever-increasing levels.

“I can’t afford that,” he said. “But it’s very classy, Elder Sayed. If it would help your business I’d be happy to endorse your ships. What would I get paid for that?”

“Uh, Q?” Yitzhak said. “I don’t think you understand. What Manny is saying is that if you endorse his company, you get the
Hypatia
. She’s yours.”

Quentin playfully pushed Yitzhak away. “Yeah, right. Come on, Zak, I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“Mister Goldman is right,” Manny said. “We can’t have you endorsing our ships without knowing what it’s like to own one, Quentin. The
Hypatia
is the fee for your endorsement. Sign with me, and she’s yours.”

Quentin stared at Manny, then looked around the salon. Everything in the room spoke of prestige, of
position
. “This
can’t
be for me.”

Yitzhak laughed. “Q, they painted it orange and black and put in a water shower. Who else would it be for?”

“But all this?” Quentin said. “Mine? I’m just...” he started to say
an orphan
, but caught himself. “I’m just a second-year quarterback. I haven’t won anything.”

“You will,” Manny said. “Quentin, I believe you are about to become one of the best-known names in the galaxy. I am willing to gamble on that with this big investment.”

“But I can’t fly,” Quentin said. “Could I even afford the crew you have up here?”

“They’re mostly for show,” Manny said. “You could learn with just two week’s training. Sail the galaxy solo. Now, if you sign to endorse my company, you will represent us for the next five years. We get two full commercial shoots per off-season, one per regular season. We have the right to use your face, name, image, and likeness in any ad we choose.”

“Oh no,” Yitzhak said, his tone suddenly shifting from happy and amazed to serious, even borderline angry. “Quentin gets final approval on all ads.”

Manny nodded. “Acceptable.”

“And no regular-
or
post-season shoots,” Yitzhak said. “Forget it, Manny. You can’t expect a starting quarterback to take time away from the season or the playoffs.”

Manny looked to the ceiling as he thought, then spoke. “Acceptable. But I will require a commercial shoot one week after the close of the season. That should allow enough time for any bruises and breaks to heal. I need that photogenic face to be
very
photogenic. Until then, I will use GFL-licensed still shot and news footage to make one commercial. Acceptable?”

Yitzhak looked at Quentin. “That sounds fair, Q. Do you agree?”

Quentin nodded, not really understanding what was happening. He felt that both men were negotiating in good faith, and he trusted Yitzhak. Did this mean his backup quarterback was also his agent?

“Fine,” Manny said. “Quentin, we have a deal?”

Quentin chewed at his lower lip. “Look, Elder Sayed, I just don’t see why people are going to buy yachts because I have one. I want to make sure that... you know... you get a fair deal.”

Manny’s smile widened. He patted Quentin on the shoulder the way an uncle would do to a beloved nephew.

“Quentin, my boy, that’s for me to worry about. If there’s one thing Manny knows in this universe, it’s what rich men will do with their money to feel young again. I appreciate your concern, but I know exactly what I’m getting into.”

Quentin looked at Yitzhak, who simply nodded.

Such a beautiful ship. More than a ship, a
home
. And all his? He’d never even dreamed of such a thing.

“Okay,” Quentin said. “Manny Sayed, you have a deal.”

Manny suddenly started clapping, the
clink
of jewelry loud in the salon. “Excellent! I’ll make the adjustments to the contract right now, then we can sign. Mister Goldman, will you review the changes?”

Yitzhak nodded, then wandered around the salon. He ran his fingers over the wooden trim, over sculptures, along the crysteel walls.

“This ship is really something, Q,” he said. “What are you going to call her?”

“It already has a name.”

Yitzhak shrugged. “
She
has a name. You own her, you can call her whatever you like.”

Quentin thought a name might pop into his head, but none did. “I don’t know, Zak. The
Hypatia
sounds kind of... classy.” It did sound classy. Sounded like something a rich man would own.

Manny waddled over to Yitzhak and handed him the contract box. Yitzhak concentrated, reviewing the details. Quentin looked out a view port at the
Touchback
, a kilometer away.
That
was his favorite ship. The
Hypatia
was beautiful, to be sure, but for all her gloss and polish she did
not
have a built-in football field.

Manny brought the box over and offered it to Quentin. Quentin slid his index finger inside. Manny did the same. The machine quickly recorded their genetic makeup, linked up to the Intergalactic Business Database, verified their identities, then gave a low beep to indicate the transaction had been recorded.

“Congratulations,” Manny said. “You, my young friend, have one of the best ships in the galaxy. I know many a high-ranking Elder that will be very jealous.”

Quentin nodded, but those words bothered him. He knew what it was like to feel jealousy over the possessions of others... he’d never thought he could make someone feel the same. He didn’t
want
to make someone feel the same. Still, the deal was done, and if Manny was happy and successful than that was the most important part.

Yitzhak ran his hand over the polished metal trim one more time. He put his hands at his sides, stared at the surface a little longer, then turned and nodded at Manny.

“I’ll take one.”

Quentin laughed at the joke, but Manny clearly didn’t get it.

“Excellent,” Manny said, his fat face breaking into a wide smile. “You see, Quentin? Five minutes in, and your endorsement has already brought me a sale. Mister Goldman, I’ll have my customization team contact you, and we’ll start building models and material sample decks for your review.”

Quentin smiled sheepishly, a little embarrassed for his new sponsor. “Manny, relax. Zak is messing with you.”

“No, I’m not,” Yitzhak said. “Seriously, Manny. This is beautiful work. I want one for myself.”

Quentin’s smile faded. “Zak, what are you doing? You can’t buy one of these.”

“Why not?”

“Because he just said they are like fifteen
million
credits. And not to be a jerk or anything, but I’m the one endorsing Manny, okay? So it wouldn’t be cool if you tried to cut in on that.”

“I don’t need an endorsement, Quentin,” Yitzhak said. “And I know how much they cost. Trust me, big fella, I can afford it.”

Quentin looked from Yitzhak to Manny, assuming there still was some kind of a joke, but that now he was the target. Manny had his right hand up, palm flat, a projected holo-interface floating in the air above his skin. His left pointer finger tapped at floating icons, moving information around. Quentin saw Yitzhak’s face in the icons, realized that Manny was creating a customer profile.

There was no joke. Yitzhak was buying a shucking
yacht
.

Manny looked up from his hand. “This just for in-system cruising, or you want the punch drives?”