Scaleday Firstweek, Swallow's Reap, 147/32

Got a hot tip last night. Man I met at a card table gave me the news about a freighter, loaded up and ripe for the picking. Piracy's not gone well for me in the past, but still...

It went like this. I was on fire, taking down everyone at the table. Cash betting, all of that. This guy's good but he's desperate. Turns out after I beat him that some of his stake had been in the form of an IOU he couldn't pay. Things like that make me angry. I'm not an unreasonable man, but people who bet money they don't have just burn me up. So I pulled my gun on him and things got a bit strained. He was trying to talk his way out of it for a while, but a quick pistol-whipping took care of all that. Never let it be said that I lack finesse.

Finally he started blubbing. Turns out he used to work as assistant navigator on this freighter route before they fired him. He knows the times and the places where it's most exposed. The cargo is junk, but once a month they carry a heap of ducats, part of some accounting process they have. He offered up the information in return for me not clubbing him any more.

Fair enough, I said, since I wasn't getting any money out of him anyway.

I told the boys at dinner in the mess. Harkins went grey and looked rather unsteady. Pinn whooped and started dancing about until Malvery clipped him round the head with a spoon. Keddle grumbled. Silo didn't say anything, but he hardly ever does. The passenger just looked miserable. Morose so-and-so. This cloud of gloom follows him around everywhere. I wish I'd noticed it before I took him on.

Anyway, that's about as close to a vote of confidence as I ever get, so it looks like some light, refreshing piracy might be on the cards. Our window isn't for a little while though, so tonight, the only thing on the cards is cards. I'm going back to win me some more ducats. Feel like I've got a roll coming.

Note to self: Silo is complaining about spares again. Seems that no matter how many times I stock up on parts, there are never any spares. I should do something about it, but it's just one more thing I can't be bothered to deal with...