Part 6 (1/2)

I slid into the Mercy Seat an dialled back the gravity long enough to make it easy money getting Elory as was down to the lock. I was glad to see he hadn't pa.s.sworded his boards or any other such damfool talkingbook nonsense: it was enough t'worry about his comps. Down at the lock I sealed up my suit again an cycled through with Elory There was some safetylines in the lock an I took one an hooked him to the hull with it. Oob was going to want me to bring back proof, an he'd be easier to cut up if he was frozen.

Then I went back to the c.o.c.kpit an flashed the fights. I saw an answering star as Paladin lit Firecat up, an then I went down t'Main Cargo for t'unspool the Transport Tube an wait.

Most s.h.i.+ps has a cargo bay an a cargo hatch. Firecat don't. s.h.i.+ps with bays an hatches-like Fortune's Girl-is set for to make transfers in caustic or airless environments, hence the Transport Tube.

Hooking it up was going to be the fun part, because no matter what they tell you in Thrilling Wonder Talkingbooks, no s.h.i.+p ever stops dead in s.p.a.ce. Fortune's Girl was moving, an Firecat was moving, an the money trick was going t'be matching relative velocities close enough t'hook up the Tube an keep both s.h.i.+ps under pressure. Pally's not a Jump pilot, but he could jink my Best Girl's att.i.tude jets enough to bring her in for a kiss.

Or bobble it-even a good pilot can-an kill us both.

I watched her come in close, hoping I hadn't come up with the one-hundredth way to die that stardancers always talk about. Finally Firecat was close enough so's I could see her clear in Fortune's Girl's running lights an count every separate peeling patch a hullseal on her skin. Time to go.

I popped Elory's lock-mine now-an held on while more atmosphere bled to s.p.a.ce. When the pressure equalized, I went about the business of sealing the two s.h.i.+ps together.

It's easier if you got a partner with hands. It's easier if you got a heavier suit with powered jets. It's easier with lots a things. But it got done, an the two s.h.i.+ps was breathing together, fields synched. I went over to Firecat, shucked the suit, an got dressed again.

”Elory wants me t'go to Riis,” I said where Paladin could hear. ”Got a cargo waiting, he said.”

”And?” Paladin asked.

”Figured I'd go,” I said. ”Iff'n you can find his Clearances.” I was looking for the connect cables an not finding them, which was damsilly foolishness on account of I'd looked 'em out special on the way here.

Paladin didn't say anything in that noisy way a his.

”I don't know why!” I said. ”Who knows why dead people do anything?” I found the cables an dragged them out, then had to wriggle around under the Mercy Seat to get one end hooked up to Paladin.

”Where do you want to sell the s.h.i.+p?” Paladin asked instead.

”I donno. Wanderweb. They don't ask lots a questions in a Free Port.” Like how one person could get two s.h.i.+ps into orbit. Free Ports can be useful that way. I actually hadn't thought things that far along; I might have t'stash Fortune's Girl somewhere nearby with a salvage beacon on her an hope she was there when I got back, but if she weren't, I'd only lost credit I hadn't invested too much in, an I'd still have the headprice.

I got the rest a the cable over my shoulder an went walking back up to Fortune's Girl's c.o.c.kpit.

Whiles Paladin farced the comps, I tossed the s.h.i.+p.

Elory was a tidy lad, an something was wrong.

I'm good for secrets, but in my experience, most people is d.a.m.nfool sloppy. Elory weren't. There weren't airy more t'find from his cabin than he was a kiddy who liked hottoys an held onto every credit he'd pulled on every run he'd made for Oob seemed like.

That, an the fact that the co-cabin was locked up very tight indeed. My comp-keys wouldn't budge the hatch, an that was downright peculiar. They'd opened the c.o.c.kpit, which should be the second-best lock on any s.h.i.+p.

”b.u.t.terfly-”

Paladin's voice came over s.h.i.+p Main Speakers. He didn't sound happy. ”I've found something you aren't going to like.”

That made two, which was two too many.

I went up to the c.o.c.kpit where Paladin could see me.

”The s.h.i.+p's computer system is surprisingly singly sophisticated for a vessel of this size,” Paladin began, taking the scenic route through his explanation. ”There were a number of safeguards against tampering. Downloading the Riis clearances was to have wiped the rest of the system and started a self-destruct mechanism that would have appeared to be a simple engine malfunction. It took me some time to disarm the safeguard systems and access all the files.”

”Je?” Wasn't no point in trying to hurry Paladin when he was in a mood to lecture. I sat myself in the songbird seat an regarded infinite s.p.a.ce.

”Elory Dace was not who he appeared to be, several times over.”

”True-tell?” says me.

”Officially he was working undercover for the Trade Customs and Commerce Commission.”

The TC&C is what makes a darktrader's life such a home delight out here in the Outfar but usually they waited till you put a kick on the heavyside somewheres to bother you. ”An plus?”

”The Office of the Question.”

Was good thing I was sitting down already. n.o.body wants to meet the Tech Police. I double didn't want to meet the Tech Police with an Old Fed Library sitting in my hull.

”He didn't know about us,” Paladin said, answering the question I was too creebed to ask. ”His superiors had a rumor of a technology brokering rig operating in the nightworld. Dace-to be more correct, Millanuran Nanath-was sent to investigate. All inappropriate technology is proscribed, not just the technology of the Old Federation. It might even have been something new.”

Because a machine that can think for itself is so d.a.m.n useful that n.o.body will leave it alone, an who knows what they're doing in the Confederacy or the Sodality?

”There's a locked cabin. Get me in.”

Behind the hatch was the rest a Brother Elory-or-Nanath's life. Full grey Teaser uniform with all ID. An in a locked case-one my comp-key did open, this time-his Tech Police uniform.

I picked up the helmet. Full-face. Want t'scare you to death before they ruin your life, forbye. Pretty black uniform an cape. Heavy blaster with a stunner piggybacked on, automatic Cla.s.s D warrant for civilian possession, which it was just too bad I couldn't think of any good way to take it with me, because a Military Heavy is a very discouraging word in the circles I run in. But I couldn't take the chance of someone wondering where I'd got it, or it maybe having a talk-back on it that Paladin couldn't catch.

I went out again.

I thought about things while I farced Elory's Best Girl of useful valuta. He kept a nice galley, an his housekeeping inventories was up to date an all found. It was almost enough to take the edge off what I had to do next.

I couldn't keep Fortune's Girl. Couldn't sell her, either. Somebody'd trace her back to me, an the numbers was on the side a somebody figuring out something hadn't gone the way their boy planned it to. An there was no way I could'a arranged that without high-tech help, so people'd come looking. Tech Police people.

Fortune's Girl had to go, just like Elory planned.

When I was done an putting the cables back, I told Paladin. He wasn't happy, but he had to admit I was right for oncet. He couldn't put the comps back the way they'd was. I'd have t'jink the goforths myself.

I suited up again an untubed Firecat, then went t'take care a the rest a the light housekeeping. No matter what the former Elory did in his spare time, Oob still wanted his head. An I wanted my bounty.

He weren't near as pretty after having been freeze-dried, but I'd seen worse an done some of it. I sheared off his head with my vibro an put it in a carrybag, then went down to the Black Gang see what I could do for his s.h.i.+p.

Stardancers alluz say as there's ninty-nine ways t'die an one a them is getting your goforths up to Jump an leaving them there, specially if all the safety overrides happen to go walkabout first so she can't step down. Not hard t'farce mainly for that n.o.body in his right mind'd ever want to do it. When I was done, every tell-me was showing red. I flipped more switches, calling up everything she had. Fortune's Girl started to wake up. More lights went red. Some started to flash. The girl had a lot of legs.

Time to go.

I put my helmet on. This time I'd borrowed a set a Jets from Fortune's Girl. I got back to Firecat quicktime. I didn't know how long we had, but it wouldn't be hours.

Paladin started moving us as soon as the hatch closed. I peeled off the suit once there was air an dropped down into the Mercy Seat to watch the show.

We was far enough back that there was nothing to see, but Firecat's sensors showed Fortune's Girl big an hot. About a tenth of an hour later she went over. The canopy went black as the hard particles came through, but I watched it all on filters. I walked Firecat through the debris cloud afters, just to make sure. All over but vain regrets.