He glanced up at the ship. The gantry stood tall by her side, and her airlock was standing open. He pushed the crane buzzer; up above, the machinery began to squeak and groan as the platform started down.
"Who's down there?" The voice from above was harsh, and Griffin saw a head appear over the edge of the crane. "What do you want?"
"Free Agent," said Griffin. "I'd like to come aboard and take a look around."
"Not supposed to start loading for two hours," the voice grumbled.
"We're not shipping, we're just looking."
"All right. Come along."
The crane rumbled down and squeaked to a stop. Griffin and the girl stepped on the platform, and it started up again. At the top the guard peered at them suspiciously, hand on his gun belt. He fluoresced the green stencil on Griffin's arm, grunting. "Who's she?" he said.
"Free loader," said Griffin, tense. "Friend of mine."
The guard didn't like it. It was written a yard wide across his face. "Going to be long?"
"Not long. Just want to look around."