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.THIRTY-FIVEUp and down are twisted at the station.The wafers at the ends of the spokes seem to be up because that is the way the artificial gravity points our heads.The hub seems like down, because our feet are pointed in that direction.Beyond down, however, are seven more ups.After consulting a directory at the hub, Reaper and I take the uncompleted Niym spoke out to the farthest completed wafer.Niym 44.On the tram car our fellow passengers seem divided equally between Vikaan Police Security and miscreants bound for excitement, chaos, and destruction.I number myself, of course, among the latter.Beginning with the Niym 44 platform, the eight main corridors are jammed with establishments selling drugs, sex, games, and exotic items of every kind and combination.Flashing colored lights share the strange-smelling corridors with darker stretches illuminated with illusion lights that haze and randomly delay photons making a dreamy multi-dimensional oasis before the next set of blinding lights and ear-shattering sounds.Halfway out the radius along Corridor Six, we turn left off the radius and walk along a mid-circle corridor through deep purple illusion lights until Reaper turns into an establishment called Jadai Diea, which is a word play on Jetai Diea, which means Chamber of Masters.Jadai Diea means Chamber Pot.Inside it is dark, the music jumpy, the air thick with the smoke of several different kinds of burning herbs.I see seven or eight Dracs, the rest are humans and Vikaans.Reaper stretches up on his toes to see over the heads of the crowd, then he turns, pokes my arm, and moves his way through the press of bodies.As I follow, I see in the center of the dance floor, suspended above it, three naked beings together in the white light, a man, a woman, and a Drac, moving in unison as they undulate in an unbelievably erotic dance.Someone puts a drink of some kind into my hand, and with my awareness melted down by the three dancers, I drink it not knowing, or caring, what it is.Reaper's hand jerking my shoulder brings me back to the unreality of the Chamber Pot.I finish off the drink and follow him to the back of the establishment, the tips of my fingers and toes apparently going numb.From bits of overheard conversation, bits of uniforms, weapons, and the artwork adorning the walls and ceiling―and floor―I realize that a substantial majority of the guests in the club are former or current mercenaries in the employ of the Dracon Chamber, Vikaan, and perhaps one or two other quadrant powers.At the edge of the crowd, the tables begin, and they rise in tiers, Vikaan waiters and waitresses moving between them, casting drinks and drugs into the crowded tables, harvesting credit slips, promises to pay, and an occasional wad of money.At the second tier from the top, there is a table with four persons sitting at it: three humans and a Drac.Two of the humans are female.The woman with blond hair is sleeping with her head on the table.The other, with very black hair, is singing a strange song to herself.The man is leaning back in his chair, his mouth open, either dead or passed out.The Drac is half-crushed on happy paste, its eyes having difficulty moving in unison.As Reaper stops at their table the somewhat less comatose woman looks startled, ends her song, sways as she reaches beneath her right arm with her left hand, looks down in confusion, and laughs."I'm wearing a dress!" Looking up, she says, "Reaper, you creepin' son of a bitch, what're you doin' here?"An evil glint in his eye, he grins."I'm here to say hi, and maybe put you and your Drac onto a good thing."At that she reaches beneath the table, but before she can straighten up, Reaper has a pistol, the muzzle of which is a hair's breadth from the end of her nose.She becomes quite still and smiles broadly."I s'pose it wouldn't hurt to listen." Very slowly she sits upright, places her hands on the table, and looks at the Drac."Cudak, honey, look who's come to visit."The drugged-out Drac jerks its head about in a random search of the club's interior, its gaze eventually settling on Reaper's face.As it does, Cudak's lower jaw falls open, sobriety returns in a flash, and it reaches inside its jacket.The pistol is now aimed between Cudak's eyes."Whatever you pull out of there, Cudak, better be a suppository," says Reaper, "because whatever you have in your hand is going to be shoved right up your ass,"The Drac raises an eyebrow in disdain and answers, "Reaper, you never did understand that, unlike humans, Dracs don't have assholes.""That doesn't alter my plan, Cudak.Just let me know where you want yours."Cudak hesitates for a moment, then removes its hand from inside the jacket holding nothing but fingers.I look around the club and several unpleasant looking persons are looking in our direction and muttering among themselves.I poke Reaper's arm."We seem to be drawing attention.""Half of 'em are probably owed money by these two.Let me know if anyone looks like they want to play," he answers without looking away from either Cudak or the woman."Ro, I'd like to introduce you to the former Mrs.Ernst Brandt, Sally Redfeather, and her cuddle-bumps, Gay Cudak.Sally, Cudak, this is my comrade, Yazi Ro.""Spook?" asks Sally."Not easily," I answer, causing the others to laugh.Reaper lowers his weapon and half-turns to me, his gaze still fixed on his former mate and correspondent."Sally wants to know if you're in intelligence work.You are.""Yes," I answer.A waiter comes, places a round of drinks in front of all who are still conscious, and looks to Reaper, who reaches into his pocket and drops a few credits on the Vikaan's tray.As I pick up my drink, I nod toward Gay Cudak and its human."Are you two working at all, or simply doing career research for employment in the exciting world of drug rehabilitation?"As Reaper bursts out laughing, Sally's large dark eyes study me as though measuring me for a shroud.The cruder elements behind me increase their muttering level, one of them calling out, "You got trouble, Sal?""Either that or a job," she answers."I'll let you know."Reaper surveys the immediate area, pulls out two chairs, and nods his head toward the chair on the right."Have a seat."As both of us sit down, Reaper puts his weapon away inside his jacket and leans back in his chair."I've joined up with Ro and his buddies.They have a gig that might suit the pair of you right down to the ground.""Where, when, how?" asks Cudak."How much?" adds Sally."Amadeen is where," answers Reaper, drawing a low whistle from his ex-wife."When is pretty much right now.We'll be leaving in a day or two.How is a little more complicated." He looks at me and says, "The short version, spunky."How to stop a war in twenty-five words or less."We form a neutral force that polices truces and finds and eliminates violators.Object: peace."Sally keeps me fixed with her eyes as she seems to nod approvingly."How much?" she asks again.Reaper frowns, glances at me, and looks into the distance as he drums his fingertips on the table."I guess we really haven't gone into that much."Both Cudak's and Sally's mouths drop open in astonishment [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]