Chapter 8
The ConSpace employee shuttle was hardly luxurious, certainly not compared to what occasional tourists or the wealthier long-term miners were treated to. Jim, Maerlis, and Rob sat on uncomfortable, barely padded seats rather than recliners with cushions that felt like a massage. They were free to bring their own drinks or snacks for the two-hour trip, but they wouldn’t have attendants and menus to choose from. Of course a cost of free made minimal accommodations a lot easier to accept.
Best of all, the odd travel day and travel season meant they had the small, boxy aircraft to themselves. Not even a human pilot to worry about hearing them.
Jim already expected Maerlis to be the best prepared of all of them, and she didn’t let him down. Her palm-sized touchscreen was loaded wit
