Starport. George Martin R.R.

AND THIS IS

      YOU. MY LAST PARTNER

      DIED IN THAT CHAIR.

      MASSIVE CEREBRAL

      HEMORRHAGE.

      WENT

      JUST LIKE

      THAT.

      HOW MANY

      PARTNERS

      HAVE YOU HAD,

      ANYWAY?

      YOU

      CAN’T COUNT

      THAT HIGH.

      DAMN,

      MORELLO, YOU

      FORGET HOW

      TO USE A

      REMOTE?

      SCREW YOU,

      DETECTIVE

      STAMM.

      PARK, CAN

      YOU HELP ME?

      YOUR PEOPLE

      MADE THIS DAMN

      THING...

      MY PEOPLE

      ARE KOREAN.

      THAT “DAMN THING” IS JAPANESE, AND– REGARDLESS OF ITS ORIGIN–NOT MY PROBLEM.

      HERE,

      LET ME

      TRY.

      LET’S SEE.

      YOU JUST NEED

      TO GET INTO THE

      MENU–THERE IT

      IS–AND...

      THAT

      SHOULD

      DO IT!

      GOOD

      LORD...

      WHASSAMATTER,

      MORELLO, WERE THEY

      ALL OUT OF DEBBIE DOES STARPORT?

      FOR YOUR

      INFORMATION,

      I’M DOING SOME

      RESEARCH.

      MAYBE I

      CAN HELP. I’M

      SOMEWHAT OF

      AN AMATEUR

      XENOLOGIST...

      UHHHHH...

      IT MEANS

      I’VE READ JUST

      ABOUT EVERYTHING

      I CAN GET MY HANDS

      ON CONCERNING

      THE ALIENS.

      CAN YOU

      DESCRIBE HIM

      FOR ME?

      WE’RE TRYING

      TO GET A MAKE ON

      AN ALIEN PURSE

      SNATCHER.

      YEAH. SHORT–

      SMALLER THAN A

      MUNCHKIN, EVEN–WITH

      BIG EARS, WINGS,

      AND NO PANTS.

      SORT OF

      A MONKEY/BAT/

      GREMLIN LOOK.

      REALLY?

      THAT’S WEIRD.

      NONE OF THE WINGED

      SPECIES I KNOW

      FIT THAT

      DESCRIPTION...

      SO WHAT...

      PUKED ON

      ME, THEN?

      I DON’T KNOW.

      SO LET’S SEE IF WE

      RECOGNIZE OUR

      WINGED FRIEND IN THIS

      LOVELY DEPICTION

      OF DEBBIE DOES STARPORT...

       SPACE. THELAST UNKNOWN. FORTHOUSANDS OF YEARS,MEN HAVE LOOKED UPINTO THE STARRY NIGHT,WONDERING WHAT WASOUT THERE...

      WHO’D’VE THOUGHT,

      FOR ALL THOSE YEARS,

      THAT THE ANSWER WAS

      “MUNCHKINS”?

      I’M TELLING

      YOU GUYS, I’VE

      SEEN THIS VIDEO

      BEFORE, AND THERE’S

      NO SPECIES LIKE

      THAT!

       THE HARMONY OFWORLDS. VAST FLEETSOF FASTER-THAN-LIGHTSTARSHIPS, LINKING NINETHOUSAND INHABITEDPLANETS, MOONS,AND COLONIES.

       A VAST TRADINGWEB THAT UNITESAN ENTIRE GALACTICARM, WITH THE ANCIENTWISDOM ANDACCUMULATED SCIENCEOF 315 SENTIENTSPECIES.

       WELCOME TOOUR PLANET’SGUIDE TO THE HARMONYOF WORLDS, AND OURFRIENDS FROMTHE STARS...

       ...THEY CAMETO US NEARLY TENYEARS AGO, DURING THESUPER BOWL...

      CHAPTER THREE

      PLEASE TO

      FOLLOWING

      LIGHT OF INDICATION-

      PROGRESSION-

      WALKING DESTINATION.

      OFFICE TOPMAN

      AWAITS.

      WELCOME

      TO STARPORT

      CHICAGO. I’M

      MELANTHA MOORE, FROM

      THE UNITED NATIONS

      INTERSTELLAR TRADE

      ORGANIZATION.

      PROFIT

      TO YOUR

      HOUSE.

      AND

      TO YOURS,

      CHAY’ASH.

      CAPTAIN

      SWOBODA.

      LIEUTENANT KELLEHER.

      APPRECIATION FOR

      YOUR PRESENCE. YOUR

      FLIGHT WAS SWIFT

      AND EXCELLENT,

      I TRUST?

      WELL...

      IT WAS

      SWIFT.

      YOU ARE

      UNCOMFORTABLE,

      CAPTAIN?

      I JUST

      GET A LITTLE...UH....

      MERVOUS AROUND

      HEIGHTS.

      AH, ONE

      UNDERSTANDS...

      AND REQUIRES BUT

      A MOMENT TO

      RECTIFY.

      PLEASE TO

      BE SEATED.

      IT IS

      SUPERIOR TO

      SPEAK IN COMFORT,

      NAI?

      UH, YEAH.

      LOOK, I’LL

      COME RIGHT TO

      THE POINT. WE’VE UNCOVERED

      EVIDENCE OF AN ASSASSINATION

      PLOT AGAINST THE SKRIT TRADE

      ENVOY.