"Excuse me sir, ma'am? Put those weapons away."
Garrett noticed a guard with a rifle standing on one side of the door who was talking to him. He put away his Kalashnikov and Jackie put away her M4. They walked over to the other teleporter and stepped into it. Once Jackie was on the teleporter he pressed the single button on this teleporter. The burning sensation returned, but Garrett was prepared for it this time. He reappeared in a long room with a clear dome over it. There were several people seated at desks at the end of the room. Garrett suspected that these people were the governing council of Pioneer Two. He walked up to the end of the room. One man began to speak.
"Are you two people the ones who claim to have arrived here from another planet?"
"Yes, we are."
"I was wondering if you will be living here."
"For the time being, at least, we will be up here."
"Would you like any assistance in getting settled here?"
"Do you use a form of currency aboard this ship?"
"Yes. So you need meseta?"
"Yes. I will need enough to purchase an apartment."
"Okay. The apartments aboard Pioneer Two are usually sold for about eighty thousand meseta, so I'll let you have one hundred thousand meseta."
The Principal told something to a secretary that was standing next to him, and the secretary left. Several minutes later she came back through the teleporter and handed a small card to Garrett.
"That has one hundred thousand meseta on it. You can use that to purchase an apartment, food, and anything else you can afford with it. You may leave now."
Garrett and Jackie headed back through the teleporter. Garrett asked one of the guards where the residential area was, and the guard pointed at a door. Garrett walked over to the door and it opened into an elevator. He went down the elevator for over a minute at a high speed and arrived at the street level of the residential area of Pioneer Two. This residential area was similar to a large city. Buildings of uniform height continued along a grid of streets. The only different buildings were the ones on either side of the platform that Garrett had just been on, which was one thousand feet above his head now. That platform was suspended between two of the buildings, relaying its importance. There were several guards stationed at the door of the elevator.
Garrett was able to find out that every building had a rental office in it. The lower floors were for businesses, and the rest of the height of the building was consumed by living space. Garrett was able to find an empty apartment in the second building he entered, and purchased it for seventy thousand meseta. The apartment was bare, but Garrett intended to bring items from the ship back to it, including furniture from the officers' quarters, cooking equipment from the kitchen and mess hall, and equipment for manufacturing his Kalashnikov's and M4's ammunition. Garrett and Jackie went back out of the apartment and returned to the elevator. However, a guard stepped in front of the door.
"Excuse me, sir. I need to see a permit before you can come up here?"
"What do I need a permit for?"
"Access to the teleporter is restricted for licensed hunters, military officers, and people who have registered with the guild for a mission."
"Damn. I come here from another planet and that doesn't give me any special privileges?"
"No sir."
Garrett turned around. This city was similar to cities back on Earth. He quickly spotted a payphone and walked over to it. One of the prominent numbers, on a sticker above a number for collect calls, was that for the hunter's guild. Garrett dialed that number.
"Hunter's guild. What is the purpose of this call?"
"Hey. I need to arrange a mission, so can I get permission to come up there?"
"Do you have money?"
"Yes. I've got thirty thousand."
"Okay. What is your name?"
"Garrett. Now can you tell these guards to let me up?"
"Okay."
Garrett returned to the elevator. One of the guards answered a call on his radio, and stepped out of the way. Garrett and Jackie stepped onto the elevator and returned up to the platform. Garrett entered a room hanging off of the side of the platform that had a sign saying, "Hunter's Guild," above it. He walked up to the counter.
"Can I get a hunting license here?"
"How did you get up here?"
"I called and asked if I could set up a mission."
"But you want a hunter's license instead."
"I want whichever thing will allow me to get to my ship and get my things less expensively and more quickly."
"You can get a hunter's license for five thousand meseta, but that takes a month's course to complete."
"Damn. I guess I'll go for a mission first then."
"What is the mission?"
"I need to get down to my ship and take off a few things."
"And what is the reward?"
"Hell, they can take some of the weapons or armor from the ship's armory if they want."
"I need a number."
"Fine. How about three thousand meseta?"
"Okay. I'll let you know if anyone takes the job."
Garrett was about to leave the room, but a hunter walked up to the counter.
"What have you got open?"
"Hey!"
"What?"
"I'll give you three thousand and some arms and armor if you can take me down."
"Hold on. Can I do any other quests for more meseta?"
The woman behind the counter shook her head no.
"Okay. Are both of you coming?"
"Jackie, you coming?"
"Yeah."
"Both of us are coming."