Part 35

They actually went for it?
Heh. They've got balls, I'll give them that. Still, I don't think we'll be hearing from them again anytime soon.



bahahaha and we ended up getting a ship upgrade anyway
suck it vandergriff
I kind of feel sorry for them.
...what.
Well, I know they were trying to do us in and everything, but...wow. It can't imagine what it's like having everything just blow up in your face like that.
Uh. Yes you can.
...
Oh, right. Maybe I don't feel that sorry, then.





...



Pilot.
Sir?
Is, er. Is everything alright?
It is indeed, sir. Why do you ask, sir?
Well. You just seem to be flying a bit differently today.
Ah.
I mean, maybe it's just me. I trust you to handle this stuff, so I don't really pay attention to it. But I'm fairly sure I don't remember you ever taking a shortcut through an asteroid field before.
No, sir.
Definitely not at full speed, anyway.
I generally don't make a habit of it, sir. I suppose I just felt that I could manage it today, sir.
Right, right. You certainly did that. It's just, er, maybe you could keep not making a habit of it? Please?
Are you fucking kidding? That was awesome.
Yes. Yes, I can see why you'd think that, given that you weren't violently sick eight times.








Ugh. That's just what we needed right now.
We could go talk to the magistrate about it.
...
Or...yeah. Maybe not.



Ah, who cares. If a full house gets us a hundred grand from now on? I don't think a 1% tax increase is gonna hurt that much.



Hello. Looking for an engine, I take it?
Right. 6 kuarps.
Ah. Uh, that's not going to happen. I'm afraid we've been getting reports of some severe faults in-
Oh, don't start that shit again.
No, no. I'm serious. This is serious. These engines are messed up. You do not want one.
What's wrong with them, exactly?
Well. You know how most engines don't explode?
Oh.



Fuck it. There's always next week. Besides, as long as we keep the ads going, they can't clean out the marketplace on us. Maybe they'll just give up.
Give up? One of them just committed financial suicide to stop us getting one facility. I don't think "give up" is in their lexicon.







I give up.
On?
This. Trying to steal goods. They obviously got wise to us and started spending more on ads or something. Should've known this would happen. Hoff is full of shit.
What happened to "I've got to give him credit"?
that was before i knew he was full of shit
try to keep up dude





Gentlemen. Welcome again.
I notice that Mr. Vandergriff is not amongst us.
...
Has anyone heard from him? Mr. Gizzy? Mr. Roke?
Nope.
Not since that last auction. Something tells me he overdid it a bit.
Mr. Puffer?
...no.
Very well. We shall persevere without him. What have you to report on your own fronts?
Yeah, about that. I think they must have stepped up their advertising, because there's just been way too much stuff to buy lately. Like, way too much. Us getting first pick is making no difference at all.
We've even been packing goods into our warehouses just so they can't get them. It still hardly makes a dent.
And?
...and it doesn't seem like there's much point in us doing it anymore?
You are still forcing them to spend significantly more on advertising, are you not?
I...suppose so, yes.
Then continue. I did not say this would be resolved quickly, gentlemen. We must wear them down, chip away at their resolve before striking a decisive blow, like the mongoose hunting-
The what?
The mongoose.
...
It is a small, furry mammal that is known to fight snakes. It uses superior agility and glancing attacks to exhaust its opponent, then kills it by biting through the spine.
Oh. Okay.






...so what were you gonna say?
I think you should leave now.