The Sardonyx Net by Elizabeth A. Lynn Read Free Book Online

here in his place. “Suppose I say I don't want to talk to you?” he said.  
    Leiakanawa folded her hands in her lap. She reminded Dana of Terran bears he'd seen in a zoo on Pellin: possessed even in repose of a fluid and terrifying strength. “It's not wise to offend Family Yago,” she said.  
    Dana knew very little about Family Yago. Four Families ran Chabad: the Yago Family was one of them. But they ran the Auction; they owned the Net. They bought dorazine.  
    It wouldn't do to seem too eager to talk.  
    â€œSix hundred credits,” he suggested.  
    â€œIs your information worth that much?” she said dryly.  
    â€œIn the business I'm in, it's bad practice to be buyable.”  
    â€œSo you want to set a high price. All right. Six hundred credits.”  
    Dana said, “I'm going to Chabad to pick up a shipment of nightshade.”  
    â€œI need to know your buyer's name and the name of your contact in Abanat.”  
    â€œYou don't need to know my buyer's name. My buyer isn't even in Sector Sardonyx. I don't know my contact's name. I've never met him. I'm supposed to meet him in a bar. A friend of mine—I won't say who—gave me a set of recognition signals that he always uses.” He went on interlacing nonsense with truth about a run he'd made in Sector Cinnabar half a year ago. “How the hell do I know this'll stay private?” he said suddenly.  
    â€œWhy shouldn't it?” said Leiakanawa.  
    â€œListen, I know it's all going down on tape, every word I'm saying. How do I know you won't just sell me to the cops?”  
    â€œYou forget,” said Leiakanawa, “our offer of money for information makes the Net an accessory to everything you're saying.”  
    â€œWell, I don't know.” He clasped and unclasped his hands, pretending nervousness. It was only part pretense. It's this damn ship, he thought. Built like a metal sausage.  
    The door opened without warning. A man walked in. Leiakanawa, who had started to say something soothing, fell instantly silent. The man moved like a Hyper, all grace and strut. He was lean, not very tall, with russet hair held in a silver clip at the back of his head. He had tremendous, top-heavy, muscular shoulders, and striking, amber eyes. He said, “Starcaptain, you missed your vocation. You should have been an actor.”  
    Dana stared at him blankly, held the stare, and then decided to get angry. Theatrically he clenched his fists, pushed the chair back, and stood. He was slightly taller than the other man. “Are you calling me a liar?”  
    â€œYes,” said the intruder. “Verdian nightshade comes from a plant that can't be grown on Chabad, Starcaptain. You aren't buying it here. There's a cooling unit for dorazine sitting in your ship.”  
    â€œI was getting to that—”  
    â€œNever mind. If you're trying to buy dorazine on Chabad, you'll be disappointed. The supply is scarce. You came from Nexus? I don't suppose you'd like to tell me who you're buying for on Nexus. Some one-shot user? It won't pay much, but that name might be worth, oh, two hundred credits.”  
    â€œGo to hell.” Dana said. “If you don't like what I told you, make the rest of it up. I don't sell out my customers. I'm shinnying. Get out of my way.”  
    He started for the door. Seated as she was, the Skellian could not move fast enough to stop him. But the russet-haired man stayed smack in his path. Dana slashed at him with the edge of his hand. It was a good blow, a trained blow, and it might have done some damage if it had landed. But the man closed one hand around his wrist as it reached him, and twisted downwards with inexplicable and frightening power. Pain arced up Dana's arm to the elbow. The grip forced him to his knees. A fist like a hammer hit the side of his head from behind. He fell, half conscious, and the Skellian