The Captain and Geiri look over their ship as the hydrogen tanks fill with fuel. "I just know this is going to work," claims Captain Memnon. Aghast, the Geonee mechanic turns to the captain and says, "Are you mad, of course it's goin' ta work!"
Blake Weaver and the "doctor," Marlowe, talk with each other in the ship's meager galley as Marlowe examines the nasty wound in Blake's leg. They both skirt around their pasts and mainly focus on what lies ahead.
Landon tries his best to get Jack to open up in the flight deck. Meanwhile, Jack opens up a bottle of spirits which seems to have materialized behind an electrical panel.
"We have cows!" exclaims Geiri.
--------------------
Captain Memnon has agreed to take care of "Snake Eyes" (now the newly named "Ascendant Star"), as a favor to his old friend Nikolai Barros, who owns the "FBO" (Starship Service Station) at Lakefront Starport. Using a hefty bribe, and with the help of new friend Landon Slate (an airport administrator), he has been named the legal owner of the 100 dTon, barely functional scout. The scout's former owner, Raven Moteske, has not been heard from in over three years and is assumed to be deceased. A few days pass as the crew prepares the ship and tries to work out how to make money with it.
Not willing to let his fixer upper go, and sensing an opportunity for more fun, Geiri Narsain has decided to join Memnon on his journey, signing on as the ship's engineer. He has also hit it off well with Jack Smith, whom they discovered sleeping off a hangover when they first opened the Ascendant Star.
On their last night in New Orleans, the crew decide to go out on the town for drinks. Upon arrival in the bar, they notice an older black man and a young white man fighting. The younger man is clearly winning the fight, and both are very intoxicated. Landon succeeds in diffusing the situation. After chatting with the odd couple, the crew agree to hire on the enigmatic Marlowe and Blake Weaver as the ship's ad-hoc "doctor" and security specialist, respectively.
Geiri and Jack quickly separate themselves from the group with some female companionship. Geiri unwittingly finds and loses true love with Raven (no relation). Jack finds that he loses all of his money when his pair of lady companions liberate his wallet during the night. He considers it money well spent, as memories of that night with Angela and Rebecca will keep him warm in the coldness of space for years to come.
Memnon and Landon decide to retire back to the ship. As Marlowe leaves Blake at the bar, a tall man brushes by him. The man mumbles something to Blake and shoots him in the leg! In the chaos, Marlowe loses track of him in the Bourbon Street crowds and returns to his friend in order to mend his wounds.
The next day, the crew loads their rapidly found fares, a family heading for Junction - along with about fifteen cows, for the sum of 50,000 Solars. As they load the ship to leave, they notice the stares and laughter coming from the crew of the Lady Dragon, which has parked next to them on the tarmac. It turns out that the vessel is owned by Steve Jordan, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a New Orleans native. Why they fly cargo occasionally is anyone's guess.
After they load up, Jack barely manages to keep the Ascendant Star in the air as the rickety old ship escapes into the vacuum of space. With one last computation after a few hours burn away from Earth, the Ascendant Star slips into jump space, carrying dreams of a bright future for some and a quick escape for others.
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