Dumbwaiter

Sol Jones strolls through the bustling Philadelphia Spaceport with a calm that borders on daring. As an experienced interplanetary trader, he’s familiar with the Lamavic customs—an agency that treats dragons in thermoses as seriously as contraband ore. When a pair of inspectors spot a “dragon” in his cargo, the exchange becomes a lively dance of paperwork, legalese, and thinly veiled threats, all while Jones keeps his smile perfectly in place.

Behind the casual banter lies a personal mission: a surprise for his fiancée, Florence, in the form of a tiny, harmless diver from Antimony IX. Jones knows the species is listed among prohibited livestock, yet he’s convinced he can outwit the system and slip the creature past the scanners. As the inspectors flip through manuals and fire up telepathic detectors, the tension ramps up, promising a clever showdown between bureaucratic rigor and a roguish smuggler’s ingenuity.