Crystal Heat

4

Worm followed Keyket into the small back office and stood by the door, his shoulders hunched, his eyes fixed on the legs of the blocky desk, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Once they knew what he could do with locks, low-level managers like Tank got real nervous if they thought he was looking around too much. They never realized it wasn’t what he saw that mattered so much, but whether he was carrying. And he was carrying; getting into Tank’s office wasn’t a chance he could pass by.

The sensacube in his pocket turned warm against his thumb, giving him a clear to start the tabs and tictacs sewn onto the jacket pulling in images and tracing energy flow.

Tank counted out the plaques into two piles, one larger than the other; his hands were quick and accurate, small hands for such a block of a man. Worm watched them and thought gambler. Whatever he is now, he got his stake gambling.

When the counting was finished and the plaques in canvas bags, Keyket stuffed his down the front of his shirt and went out, flashing a grin at Worm as he went.

When Worm came to get his bag, Tank cleared his throat. “Grinder was real happy with Keyket’s report. He wants you over for dinner tomorrow, Worm. Which means you mind your manners and dress nice. He’ll send a jit to pick you up at six hour sharp, outside Harron’s Greenshop down to north end of Star Street, that’s right next to the ring road. If he likes you, he’ll probably give you a place. It’s a good deal, and he won’t be happy if you give him any shuffle about it. You know and I know, we don’t want Grinder not happy.”

Worm stood holding the sack. “Yah,” he said after a moment. “Maybe it won’t happen. Say it does, I’ll be real enthused.”

Tank blew out the breath he’d been holding and the hard line of his shoulders eased off. “Good. One last thing. If you stay the night, could be one of the women living in the house will come by. Grinder likes to keep them happy after he’s moved on, so you don’t need to worry about that. Just make sure she goes away feeling good. And keep your mouth shut after. You hear?”

“No lie?”

“No lie. He’s a generous man to folk who don’t cross him.”

“Gotcha. Urn, there a laundry around? Been washing my own, but…” He shrugged.

“Transy Herm’s over by The Rainy Season. Tell ’er how come, and she’ll jump you up the line.”

“Thanks.”

When he got back to his room, Worm swept it for ears, but found none. Apparently Grinder wasn’t that interested in him yet. He was exhausted and needed to sleep, but he stripped his jacket first, setting the tabs and tictacs in their slots in the decoder, plugging in the sensacube to download its more general data set.

Nervous and unhappy, Worm followed the humming serviteur into the dining room and nearly lost what calm he had left when he saw Lylunda Elang sitting next to the empty chair that was waiting for him.

He relaxed when she nodded absently at him, smiled, then went back to talking to the woman on her other side.

7. Hunting Cover

The Hegger Combine was a small dominion at the tip of the Ular Spur, four star systems with a fifth at the center, all of them within three days split travel from each other, the Combine itself on a major trade route. The inhabited worlds of these systems were prosperous, peaceful and controlled, with access to the surface severely restricted. An outsider had to have a sponsor and wear a locator tag at all times.

Shadith left her ship in the tie-down at the transfer station in orbit about the Hub World Ghysto; all commerce in the combine funneled through this place and the station was immense, almost as large-if not as massive-as the world it floated above. Having to be vetted like this was annoying and ate up time, but an untagged ship approaching any of the systems in the Combine would be blown to dust the minute it showed on a screen.

Digby’s Shriek got her through Check-In without trouble; she rented a guide rod and slip plate and went skimming along the thruways, hunting for Adelaris Supply Systems.