SFFS: Snippet from GREENSHIFT

SFFS Snippet



TALES FROM THE AMBASADORA-VERSE: GREENSHIFT



"David's a better pilot than that last guy," Mari said, gripping the handle of a kitchen knife. She'd been nervously trying to engage Sean in conversation as they stood at the bottom of the Bard's chartreuse gangway watching the scene unfold with David and a couple of contractors forty meters away.



The glare from the surrounding waters of Carrey Bay and the heat shimmering from the dark grey concrete stamped in the shape of a real wooden boardwalk gave the scene an appearance of being filtered through glass. But unlike staring from behind a closed window, Mari could experience the world of Tampa Quad's largest dock all around her.



The boats blasted their horns and the spaceship engines screeched and boomed overhead. And the smells. Spilled fuel and exhaust from a faulty filter system mixed with the fishy-ness of the bay at low tide. If there were a breeze, she could have enjoyed the aromas from restaurant row across the way. At least Sean smelled good—his earthy scentbots bringing the only hint of freshness to the day so far.



"Don't you think so?" Mari prompted again as the stand-off along the faux boardwalk heated up. "That he's a better pilot?"



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