It is the far future – but there are still playing cards 😉

There’s a precedence for this; Chris Wooding‘s Retribution Falls features cards, even a unique game so I feel I’m in good company. When it comes to how Max actually did acquire his shuttle, he keeps his cards close to his chest. Maybe they should have been a digital deck or a quantum Queen of Hearts or even nanotech etched numbers but the old school pieces of thick, stiff paper suffice or the purposes of this story.

As to whether six is lucky, it seems to be for Max. For the Japanese, 8 is a lucky number, like-wise in Chinese culture and for the Chinese, six is considered, if not lucky, then positive.

There’s something rakish about green baize and pristine white cards laid out across its expanse and even though I’m no gambling man, I’d lay good odds that Max’s fair will win the day.

RP