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Drongo thrust a finger up his nose as high as he could get it and twisted. Give ya a reason to gimme that look, mate. To his delight the man on the screen swallowed visibly, his whole face quivering with loathing. Hallo! Drongo bellowed cheerfully, wiping his finger on his shirt. More swallowing. We thought you was all napping. He put a little snap into that. Our apologies for the delay, Captain, the Mollie said. We were attempting to determine that you were, indeed, the . . . G day and that you were alone. Sod you, Drongo thought. Can t even say g day without chokin on it. Well are you happy now? he asked sarcastically. Or should I go have me dinner and some sex n booze or a brace of happy-pills? Cor, look at him, the captain thought, maintaining his look of barely suppressed rage with heroic effort. He looks like he s goin to inhale his own nose. Sod, picking up on Drongo s true mood, boomed out that huge laugh. Drongo tapped it in admonishment and the little creature writhed into a compact knot of misery. The Mollie continued manfully, We need to inspect your cargo. Oh. Dew yew? Drongo asked. Dew yew indeed? Not that he could actually do anything if they wanted to push things. The Mollies were a task force of three destroyers and a light cruiser. More than a match for him and his crew. He d been unpleasantly surprised at their numbers. At first he d thought that they meant to kill him and grab the freighter he had in tow. It s what I would have done in their place, straight up, s truth. Then he d realized that they couldn t afford to do that, much as they obviously wanted to. Without the smugglers and the pirates these nutballs wouldn t be getting any supplies at all. They had to deal with him, even though it was like putting their balls in a vise. So he could afford to give them some lip, and their attitude made it irresistible. They reminded him far too much of his father. Drongo smiled, an alarming expression. He was remembering the day he d left home; nobody had found the body until the neighbors complained about the smell. I m sure that you can understand our position, the Mollie captain said. After all, he continued with a trace of smugness, antihydrogen is quite valuable where you come from. Yeah? Drongo agreed with raised eyebrows. And so s chip fabricators. I could sell this cargo on any of a hundred worlds and get paid a good price for em. But not in antihydrogen, the Mollie insisted, still smug. Oh? Like you think I pay for antihydrogen. Is at what you think? And speakin of which, where the hell is my barge of A-H? I don t see it beyond your lit l flotilla, I don t. Autie hygygen! Sod exclaimed. Where s it at? Can t see it, can t see it! Shaddap, Sod. Drongo stared into the screen, challenging the Mollies, his heart pounding. He didn t like this at all. It screamed setup and it wasn t what he d expected or what had been agreed upon. - Page 65 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Although admittedly the arrangements, made through a broker, had only consisted of, They want the stuff, they agreed to the price, here s the coordinates, here s the time. Sure as hell he d be more careful about the next drop. I ve half a mind to chuck it and just go, he thought, unhappy and suspicious. We are merely being cautious, Captain, the Mollie said. We wish to inspect the cargo. When we are satisfied we will call for the barge to be brought up and we will then exchange freighters. He smiled beatifically at Drongo. We Mollies are an honest people, Captain Drongo. We keep our bargains. Drongo sniffed. At remains to be seen, dunnit? he asked. He hiked himself up in his chair, pretending boredom. All right, all right. How many you sendin over? I will send a group of four technicians, the Mollie captain said. Then I ll have six of my crew meet em. Drongo narrowed his eyes. That s all right wi you, innit? Of course, Captain. When my brothers in faith are satisfied I shall call up the barge and we can make the exchange. How long are we talkin ? Drongo asked, still not happy. Once I m given a favorable report the barge should be here in six hours. SIX HOURS! Drongo came out of his chair, looking for something to throw and Sod, knowing from experience that it could be him, leapt from the captain s broad shoulder with a little shriek and slid into a narrow space between a comp screen and the bulkhead. Are you freakin crazy? Drongo raged. Y don t sit in space makin a highly illegal trade like this for six bloody freakin HOURS! I d better send my people along then, hadn t I? Captain Smug said. Soon begun, soon done, he quoted. Drongo was fairly frothing now. I am not sittin here for six freakin hours, he shouted. You satisfy yourselves that I ve got the goods an then I m buggin outta here. I ain t sittin around like a fool! You c n wait fer me this time. The Mollie captain allowed himself a little moue of distaste. Doubtless he would flog himself for permitting himself the pleasure of showing his feelings like this, but he seemed to find it irresistible. If you remove the cargo from this site then obviously we will simply have to wait, once again, for my people to verify the cargo, and, naturally we will not call for the barge at all if you leave. Wha? Like I ve got another freighter stuffed up me bum convenient like, just so s I c n fool you? Drongo flopped back into his chair, big jaw dropped in disbelief. This is your idea, mate, not mine. came to make a deal, I fair and square. It s you goin all fluttery over there. It s crazy sittin in space for six hours like this. He waved a big hand. S crazy. Crazy, said a shrill voice from the bulkhead. With a lightning-fast dart, six legs flashing, Sod got itself back into its favored position on Drongo s shoulder. Crazy! it reiterated. The Mollie just stared back at the captain. Drongo frowned. Look, he said reasonably, y could send that cruiser with me to keep an eye on me, see that I Page 66 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html don t play any games. The Mollie captain outright smirked at that. Either you stay here, or we have to inspect your cargo all over again when you come back. And then call for the barge. The Mollie looked like he was getting great pleasure from this situation. Whatever he was going to pay for that pleasure, he seemed to feel it was worth it. Take it, or leave it, he said. Awright, Drongo muttered. S bad luck though. Bad luck, Sod agreed. Shaddap, the captain snapped. Cap n, one of the pirates shouted, message incoming from the jump point! It s in our code! Ahoy mates, a cheerful voice said. Sorry we re late. Hope we re not too late to kick a lit l Mollie butt, eh? Who the bleedin hell is that? Drongo asked. Everyone on the bridge shrugged and shook their heads. Dunno, Cap n, Zollie said anxiously. S big though, bigger n anythin out there. Holy hell! he exclaimed. Whot now? Drongo snapped. They ve launched a whole bloody load of Speeds all weapons are online and they re all screamin towards us like bats outta hell! Whot the bleedin hell is goin on? the captain demanded of his equally confused crew. The Mollie captain frowned and turned to one of his cohorts, who read out the translated message for him. You damned, lying scum! the Mollie shouted. Battle stations, he roared at his own people. A good thing we didn t come trusting to this meeting, he shouted into the screen, flecks of spittle spraying. You will feel the hard hand of the Spirit of Destiny, sinner! You and your friends! Whot! Drongo screamed. Us? We don t know who the hell they are! He stared into the blanked screen for a split second. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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