Page 71 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Claiming the Vegimal Property

“Something for nothing!” snorted Captain Kaga. “That’s what
these Pogim want! They have no concept of quality control; we might
as well be giving them plasmic zippers for free.”
The monotonous voice of Helen Highwater, PKU desk officer for
the Outer Periphides, came back through deepspace after a brief
delay. “Save it for your official report, Captain. I can tell you now,
though (off the record, of course), that it won’t do any good to
complain about the Pogim. It so happens that we have very few
markets for those fluid fasteners, and we can’t afford to antagonize
any of our customers.”
Kaga, as he grew older, had difficulty keeping his temper in the
face of PKU stupidity. “But,” he said evenly, “what about the faulty
exoskeleton degaussifiers that the Pogim get away with
manufacturing and exporting? I don’t know who our clients are for
these devices, but it seems to me that someone could get hurt if they
malfunction—which they most certainly will do.”
Her voice came immediately, signifying that Kaga would have been
interrupted had she been a few lightyears closer. “Never mind that
aspect, Captain; it doesn’t concern you—or me, for that matter.
Those bio-electronic gadgets are unloaded in another galaxy: let the
PKU there worry about marketing them. For all we know, they may
be perfectly acceptable to whoever ultimately buys them.”
Captain Kaga terminated the communication abruptly and left the
ComSet. He picked up his flight bag, already packed, and headed for
the sea-lock of the underwater PKU base. Through a thickly-glazed
port a small group of Pogim workers on a fifteen-minute break
watched him, their fins pulsating slowly.
Molosh, the local PKU representative, waited for Kaga at the
hatchway to the sea-lock. “They’re waving at you, Captain,” he said.
“It’s very impolite here not to wave back.”
“Oh, all right,” said Kaga resignedly. He half-turned and
perfunctorily raised his right arm. Then they were inside the lock,
climbing into the PKU staff bathyscaphe.
“Well,” said Molosh, as the outer chamber filled with yellowish
water, “are you satisfied now?”
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