Pilgrims and Patience

[Jonathan Seabourne]

"But we just had posters made!"

"I don't know what to tell ya, Seabourne. Wrangling up enough pilgrims to fill a Democritus all the way out here has gotten harder and harder. Seems everyone who wants to take the trip to Shasta has done so or is content bumming themselves there the old fashioned way."

"But Freeport 11's been a Mecca to pilgrims for generations! Well, a sub-Mecca I suppose. A second class Mecca. An intermediary Mecca-"

"Stop, before you go on another one of your... things, you can throw as much nonsense out there as you like, but the point is I don't have butts to put in your seats. You'll have to take Widdershins elsewhere. Truthfully, I won't miss having to host your fruit loops between rounds. No offense."

"None taken, fruit loops are among the noblest of cereals, depending on how you prepare them. What's your preferred order? Milk then cereal, cereal than milk?"

"Again, Seabourne, we both have better things to do."

"Ah, cereal before milk. You're one of those..."

"Goodbye, Seabourne. I'd say it's been a pleasure working with you, but-"

"Wait! Look, a captain needs a ship and a ship needs passengers! Otherwise, I'm just a freighter."

"What's so wrong with being a freighter? Most of my friends are freighter pilots."

"There's a lot of daylight between a freighter pilot and a Captain, friendo."

"Then go back to Orbital. You still have the uniform after all, or at least what's left of one."

"Hah! The uniform's the MOST fit thing about me for service in the luxury fleet. SPA-SEC would sooner arrest me for the questionable chain of possession for Widdershins than let me fly another liner."

"Look, you've been a decent tenant, always paying your berthing fees even if the medium was questionable. I have some contacts I can ask around and see if there is a spot with more of a backlog for pilgrims."

"Nowhere else in Sirius has them. Even Bethlehem is empty! Bethlehem! All trade lanes lead to New York and all the gutters to Bethlehem and the faithful have dried up even there!"

"Look, I know a guy in Provence, on Monte Carlo. I told him about you-"

"Nice things?"

"...sure, point is he said he's up to his eyeballs with your people over there. Might be worth a look. I know Lodeve Spaceport still has a market for odds and ends and it's on the way. You might find buyers for your amulets there."

"That's an awful lot of mights for flying through Royalist space. They've been getting frisky with Baffin as of recent."

"You've been a fool for lesser things."

"True enough, I suppose the goddess is just keeping us on our toes. Changing things up, keeping us out of the ruts and back into the gutters, you know."

"Sure."

"Well, if the market picks up again, let me know. It'll be a while before I'm out in Delta again."

"I count the seconds. Before you go, Seabourne, and I know I'm going to regret asking this, but how do you prepare your cereal?"

"Like any civilized person. Milk then cereal then bowl."