How Dark the World Becomes by Frank Chadwick Read Free Book Online

C-lighter, a Newton tug would accelerate it out of the gas giant’s gravity well, and then it would make the jump to Seewauk. The shuttle ride out to the C-lighter would take twelve days, then the better part of two days for the C-lighter to get clear of the gas giant’s gravity well, a quick fall through J-space to an empty intermediary system, a day to recharge the jump capacitors, a second jump to the Seewauk system, and then two days in to the gas giant. 
    There was actually a fully staffed orbital station there, since it was a fairly common jump nexus, and there were layover quarters for people making connections. The schedule showed three days there at Seewauk, then board a connecting C-lighter for the jump to Akaampta. With the jump and everything else, say four more days to the gas giant in Akaampta system, and then a fourteen-day shuttle glide to Akaampta itself. 
    “So that’s over thirty days’ travel time, but it gets you out of here as quick as I can manage,” I finished. “It will take a couple days to get the travel documents dummied up—I don’t imagine your friends will be traveling on their own passports, and I’m getting one for you as well. I’ll need pictures and retina scans tomorrow or the day after.” 
    “Why for me?” she asked. “I told you I’m not wanted for anything.”
    “I know. Just a feeling. The more we cover your tracks, the better off you are.”
    She accepted that. 
    “What about the bodyguard?” she asked. “When can I meet him?”
    “When I pick him . . . or her. Or would you object to a female security specialist?”
    She shook her head. I gave her a line about how it was better to wait until the last minute to hook her up with a guard—less chance of a leak. But the truth was, at that time I wasn’t sure who to send. I didn’t have that many good shooters, and it was looking like I might need all of them. Of course, this might be more of a babysitting job than anything else. I had a couple younger guys without a lot of experience, but pretty levelheaded—they’d cover all the basics and wouldn’t do anything stupid. Yeah, maybe one of them.
    She snapped her fingers in front of my face. I jumped a bit, and it was my turn to scowl at her.
    “Wherever you were, it wasn’t here,” she said.
    “Thinking about taking a couple days and going fishing up-canyon,” I lied. I’ve never gone fishing in my life. Among other things, the fish here aren’t edible by Humans. 
    “Want to go fishing?” I asked.
    She shook her head, frowning a little in distaste. No surprise there; I doubted that her wardrobe included the proper ensemble to wear while gutting and scaling a half-dozen long-jaws.
    “No, I won’t go fishing with you. And don’t get any other ideas, either.”
    “Ideas?” 
    “Yes,” she answered, her jaw firmly set. “I’ve already been through my ‘bad boy’ phase.” She almost spat it out, and being the careful student of the Human condition that I am, I’d say as much of the contempt in her voice was for herself as for me. 
    It made up my mind on one score, though: I’d send Paolo Riks as her bodyguard. When a woman tells you this emphatically that she’s over her “bad boy” phase, she either really is or she really isn’t. Either way, some young hotshot making a pass at her could end up in disaster. Paolo wasn’t going to make a pass—he liked guys.

SIX
    I wasn’t crazy about a sit-down with Kolya, but if I had to do it, a public place was good as any, and Quann’s was the best. The place was usually crowded, between the bar and the supper crowd, and everyone knew everyone else, so it was hard for our guys to start trouble. Besides, Jerry Lopez tended bar nights, and he always took good care of me. I’d gotten him the job, and I tipped good, so he kept a bottle of orange food color under the bar for me. I always ordered bar scotch and seltzer. Jerry poured it real weak, and added a drop of food color to make it look stiff.