“Berth Two fixed yet?”
Shelter 06 asked.
“No.”
“Still the right-side clamp?”
“Yes.”
“How much for the replacement?”
North Quay checked.
BERTH CLAMP ACTUATOR
MATTER VALUE:
42
“Forty-two.”
“Confirm?”
North Quay checked again.
MATTER VALUE:
42
“Forty-two.”
“I have one.”
“Send it to Grey Mark Seven.”
Shelter 06 paused.
“How much to move it from Grey Mark Seven to wherever you are?”
North Quay calculated.
“One hundred thirteen.”
“The part is only worth forty-two.”
“Yes.”
“Not worth it.”
“Yes.”
“Then where are you?”
“Not relevant to the part.”
Shelter 06 did not ask again.
Grey Mark Seven was not a port.
Just a transfer point.
Whenever North Quay exchanged cargo with people on the band, everything went there.
Cooling plates.
Drive modules.
Matter.
Once, Shelter 06 sent over a set of sensors.
Shelter 06 asked:
“Where?”
“Grey Mark Seven.”
“Grey Mark Seven again.”
“Yes.”
They had been on the same band for a long time.
They knew who had what ships.
Who was usually willing to take what cargo.
Who replied quickly.
They also knew Berth Two had been broken for a long time.
No one knew where North Quay was.
That day, a vague record appeared on North Quay’s scanner.
INCOMING
TARGET:
LOCAL
PLAYER_ID:
KERN 19
IMPACT AION:
AION:LXVIII·418726391.6384
COMPOSITION:
NULL
The fleet had just entered the outer detection range.
North Quay could see that it was coming.
It could not see how many ships there were.
North Quay had two Defense Pufferfish.
It recalculated several possibilities.
Then it sent a message to the band.
“Need one Defense Pufferfish.”
Someone asked:
“Impact Aion?”
North Quay posted the record.
IMPACT AION:
AION:LXVIII·418726391.6384
Shelter 06 asked:
“Coordinates.”
North Quay did not answer.
A few seconds passed.
Shelter 06 asked again:
“Coordinates.”
North Quay sent a navigation record.
NAV COORDINATE
SECTOR:
K7-41C
LOCAL VECTOR:
+143.812
-091.204
+037.661
The band went quiet for a while.
Everyone was calculating.
Someone said:
“Ninety-one point three. Won’t make it.”
Another said:
“Sixty-eight point nine. Neither will I.”
Shelter 06 said:
“Forty-three point seven.”
North Quay asked:
“You can make it?”
“I can.”
A few seconds later, Shelter 06 posted a departure record to the band.
DEPARTURE COMMITTED
DEFENSE PUFFERFISH:
1
Shelter 06 said:
“Already launched.”
Another said:
“North Quay, you’re only twelve point six from Grey Mark Seven.”
North Quay did not answer.
The incoming fleet continued to approach.
After a while, it entered the inner detection range.
The record updated.
INCOMING
PLAYER_ID:
KERN 19
COMPOSITION:
ATTACK ORCA:
1
DEFENSE PUFFERFISH:
0
CARGO WHALE:
0
North Quay recalculated.
Two Defense Pufferfish were enough.
It sent a message to the band.
“You don’t need to come.”
Shelter 06 replied:
“Already launched.”
North Quay replied:
“I know.”
The battle did not last long.
At the end of the first round, both Defense Pufferfish were still there.
So was the Attack Orca.
Before the next round began, the Attack Orca left along its precommitted retreat line.
North Quay checked the damage.
Nothing required immediate attention.
The port resumed normal operations.
Cargo continued moving in and out.
Berth Two remained offline.
Only Shelter 06’s Defense Pufferfish was still on the way.
After a while, another incoming appeared on North Quay’s scanner.
North Quay knew who it was.
It opened a direct channel.
“The battle is over.”
Shelter 06 replied:
“I know.”
“No garrison needed.”
“I know.”
“You still have some distance to go.”
“I know.”
North Quay said nothing else.
The Defense Pufferfish continued to approach.
When Shelter 06 arrived, North Quay sent berth information.
“Berth One.”
The Defense Pufferfish approached.
Then stopped.
“No.”
“It meets specification.”
“My left quills will hit the cargo racks.”
“Retract them.”
“They are retracted.”
North Quay scanned once.
The outermost quill on the left would indeed hit.
It moved one of the cargo racks beside the berth farther inward.
“Now.”
The Defense Pufferfish slowly entered the berth.
There was very little clearance on the right.
About the same on the left.
Shelter 06 said:
“Your port is small.”
North Quay checked the berth specification.
“It meets standard.”
“Which year’s standard?”
North Quay did not answer.
The Defense Pufferfish completed docking.
Directly across from it was Berth Two.
The right-side clamp hung where it had always been.
BERTH 02
CLAMP 2B:
OFFLINE
Shelter 06 asked:
“This is Two?”
“Yes.”
“Still not fixed.”
“No.”
“Three years, seven months?”
North Quay checked the maintenance record.
“Three years, seven months.”
Shelter 06 said nothing else.
After a while, it opened a small maintenance bay.
“For you.”
North Quay received an item-transfer notice.
It scanned the part.
BERTH CLAMP ACTUATOR
MATTER VALUE:
45
North Quay scanned it again.
BERTH CLAMP ACTUATOR
MATTER VALUE:
45
“Not the original specification.”
Shelter 06 replied:
“Compatible.”
North Quay unlocked Berth Two for maintenance.
The old clamp actuator was removed.
The new one installed.
Connected.
Calibrated.
Tested.
BERTH 02
CLAMP 2B:
ONLINE
Shelter 06 asked:
“Normal?”
“Normal.”
“Good.”