Welcome to Overload, the fourth novel in my Finder space opera detective series! I’m posting the first three chapters as a preview. The book won’t be released until the middle of January, but I may have some exciting news to announce here in the next couple of weeks.
Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
Every table in the noodle shop was full. Finder Vince Grable didn’t think they ever had a slow day here. A buzz of conversation filled the eatery, broken only by the occasional burst of laughter. Soft, unobtrusive music played in the background. Wait staff in black trousers, white shirts, and black vests darted here and there through the dim circles of golden light cast by round golden lamps that hung above every booth and table. Most carried trays laden with plates and bowls of delicious food.
Vince leaned back against the slick royal purple material that covered the seats in every booth, though on his seat it was wearing thin in a few places, and inhaled deeply. The familiar tangy smells of garlic, peppers and soy sauce met him, with a mouthwatering undertone of cooking meat—real and plant-based. His stomach gave an appreciative rumble.
As far as he was concerned, Pho’s Noodle Shop on Level 5 in Zone 4 was one of the best places to eat on Zyga Space Station. He wished Mr. Pho, the owner, could expand and open a restaurant in Zone 5 so he could eat there more often. As it was, he could only occasionally make the trek to Zone 4.
Reaching for his glass of ice water, Vince took a measured sip and swallowed. The cold liquid burned a trail down to his stomach while he looked around the noodle shop. It had been a month or two since he’d last been able to get away and come here for dinner. First because business had been non-existent and he’d not been able to afford it, and then because business had picked up and he was so busy he almost couldn’t keep up with his new caseload.
Nothing much had changed in his absence. Pho’s Noodle Shop was as comfortingly the same as it ever had been, catering to the inhabitants of Zone 4 as well as the spacers and tourists who flooded in and out of Zone 4’s many docking bays.
Even in the dim lighting, as Vince glanced around, he guessed that approximately half of the patrons were either spacers or tourists. The tourists were usually easy to spot; they tended to dress differently than your average Zyga Station inhabitant. As far out of the way as the Cartha system was, news of fashion trends usually arrived faster than the actual ability to imitate them.
The spacers, too, were relatively easy to pick out. Some of that was also their attire—boots and special thermal clothing that helped keep them warm—but it was more an attitude. There was just something about them that screamed that they’d spent serious time traveling through the cold, lonely vacuum of space.
And then there were the gamers.
Vince spotted a few of them amid the tourists and spacers, but most of the gamers were citizens of Zyga Station. They were ensconced in the corners of their booths, eating mechanically while immersed in worlds that took them far, far away from their present surroundings. Some were bent over handheld devices, while others wore special headsets with sleek visors and earpieces.
As far as Vince knew, immersive gaming was a thing across the galaxy, but it seemed more prevalent on Zyga Station. Maybe it was the fact that the space station had been built alongside a massive mining operation and young people didn’t have much hope here of improving their lives. Vince wasn’t sure.
What he did know was that the bulk of his business came from locating gamers who’d lost themselves to reality, dropped off the grid and vanished. Sometimes family members were the ones who hired him, and sometimes people the gamers had robbed in their quest to continue their addiction.
His stomach rumbled again, making him glance hopefully in the direction of the kitchen. He was so ready to eat dinner.
There were perks to the massive pickup in his business. He’d gotten a new assistant out of it. Bella Escovedo, as her shiny new identcard proclaimed her, was currently manning the office in case any prospective clients dropped by in-person.
Vince would have brought her along to have dinner as well—he considered it one of his life’s goals to introduce people to Pho’s Noodle Shop whenever possible—but Bella didn’t need to eat anymore. She only tasted things.
One of the downsides to being a human consciousness stuck inside an android body.
Vince cast a glance down at his comlink, which lay on the shiny black lauquered tabletop at his elbow, but it was silent and still. Bella hadn’t texted him for any reason—and neither had anyone else. He breathed a sight of relief and settled back comfortably into the stiff purple cushion of his booth. It was after regular business hours, and nobody needed him for anything.
Looked like he’d get to enjoy his dinner in peace after all.
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Vince glanced sideways in time to see a solemn-faced young man in the noodle shop’s black and white uniform expertly come to a halt beside his table with a tray balanced on one hand.
“Pho’s Beef Special and dumplings?” he asked in a low, deep voice.
“That would be me.” Vince’s stomach rumbled again as the familiar, delicious smell of his favorite dish met his nose. His mouth started watering in anticipation.
Most of the meat available on the Station was plant-based, but you could get real meat from animals—provided you could pay for it. This particular meal was a special treat because it contained real beef.
The waiter unloaded the tray, placing a gleaming white plate filled with steaming noodles, thin strips of marinated beef, and colorful vegetables covered in tangy sauce in front of Vince. He then placed two smaller ancillary dishes around the main plate. One held more sauce, while the other held a mound of steamed dumplings.
“Thanks.” Vince looked up with a smile, already reaching for his chopsticks.
“Enjoy.” With a curt nod, the young man tucked his tray under his arm and vanished into the dim alley between Vince’s table and the next, which held a young couple who only had eyes for each other.
Closing his eyes and bowing his head in a brief prayer, Vince then dug into his meal. His first bite was heaven. The beef—it had been months since he’d last eaten any—almost melted in his mouth. Combined with Pho’s signature sauce, it tasted exactly the way he’d been dreaming of for weeks.
He spared a thought for Bella as he took another bite. It really was a shame she couldn’t enjoy this too. Though she assured him she was fine with tasting things and had no real desire to eat, he could see the look in her eyes every once in a while. She missed eating.
Even if she didn’t need to anymore.
Vince was reaching for a dumpling when someone abruptly slid into the other side of the booth across the table from him. He froze with the dumpling in his chopsticks, looking across the table with surprise.
His waiter had joined him. The tall, solemn young man folded his hands on the table and fixed Vince with a dark-eyed stare. “You are Vince Grable, the Finder, right?”
“I am.”
“Thought so.” The young man’s fingers tightened, his dark brown skin lightening around the knuckles with the strain. “I’d like to hire you to find my little brother.” He paused. “And when you find him, I’m going to kill him for what he’s done to us.”