on the shelves of small businessmen who were not company employees, businessmen, however, or business creatures, if you like, for they were not all members of Brenner’s and Rodriguez’ species, who leased their premises from the company. The bars, for example, were on the whole in the keeping of these independent fellows, or creatures, as the case might be. The only official currency at Company Station was company credits. Commonworld credits, and others, however, might be transformed, for a fee, into company credits at the current rate of exchange, and, of course, subject to company approval, usually easily obtained, company credits, for a fee, could be transformed into various currencies, this for the convenience of individuals who might be leaving the station. Naturally, as on many worlds in this portion of the galaxy, most exchanges consisted simply of shifting numbers amongst accounts, rather than in the actual exchange of material tokens, such as pieces of paper or metal. Barter, too, of course, as always, provided an additional medium of exchange. It is interesting to note that on several of the openly stratified, or “strong,” worlds, material tokens, in all their primitiveness, tended to remain in use. Here the thought seemed to be that something real would be exchanged for something real, for example, a coin for a woman. On some of these worlds there was a coin in circulation called the “slave.” In this sense a slave might be purchased for one or more “slaves.” In these worlds where realities were exchanged for realities some thought it was regarded as incumbent on a female slave, regardless of the price put on her, to strive to the best of her ability to vindicate her purchaser’s confidence in her, and his expectations, testified to by his actual paying out real money, of whatever amount, to obtain her. This, of course, is a misconception as it is incumbent on the slave in any case, in virtue of the very nature of her condition, and regardless of the modality in virtue of which her ownership is acquired, even if it is only in virtue of the shifting of numbers amongst accounts, to be totally pleasing. It is also interesting to note that on the strong worlds, as opposed to certain other worlds which commonly make a meretricious pretense to moral posture, sophisticated devices of correction or punishment are seldom, if ever, used. Relatively primitive modalities, such as those of leather and iron, in keeping with the tendency of such worlds to maintain natural relationships, apparently well serve their needs.
There was a rolling, grinding sound from overhead, and Brenner looked up, startled, and almost slipped.
“Be careful,” said Rodriguez.
Overhead, on the track system raised above the street, a small engine, controlled by a single trainman, was pulling a train of canisters strapped on hemispherical cars.
“The ship hasn’t left yet,” said Rodriguez.
The ice formed on the canisters suggested that they contained an oxidizer, probably for the freighter’s auxiliary power systems.
Fuel, and such, as I have suggested, was conveyed between the freighter and the depot by smaller ships.
“The ship may not even be unloaded yet,” added Rodriguez.
They had left the ship on the first return trip of the depot fueler.
Brenner speculated that what Rodriguez had said might be correct. Doubtless, at any rate, there would be supplies, and such, which the freighter would disembark, via fuelers, at Company Station. It needed its goods, as well as the freighter its fuel. No passengers from Company Station had come up from the surface to the freighter, nor had Brenner noted any in the vicinity of the agent’s office. That, however, he supposed, was only to be expected. Aside from the occasional trips, and routings about, of company employees, their comings and goings on leaves, or upon the initiation or completion of their assignments, and such things, he supposed there would be very little passenger traffic at Company Station. “Company Station,” incidentally, is identified in company records by a number, associated with that of Abydos herself on the charts. That number, in effect, is its real name. To certain elements of those in the middle executive ranks of the company, it was known as “Abydos Station.” To those in the higher levels of the executive ranks of the company it was probably not known at all. Since those on Abydos were well aware they were on Abydos, and, it seems, did not wish to identify their location by a number, they spoke of it simply as we have, as “Company Station.”