I asked. "Or get some help from them on personnel, anyway?"
He shook his head. "Normally, yeah, but Khamgirt really means business this time and he's refused. He's never liked my way of doing business, anyway, and canning me has always been a big goal." He paused and chuckled. "And you thought when you were the boss you didn't have to worry about this kind of shit any more, didn't you?"
I returned the chuckle. "No, I know the score very well. Remember, I had a long life and job before I ever got to this planet."
He nodded. "Yeah. That's right—you're from Outside. I keep forgetting. Maybe that's why you're easier to talk to, huh?"
"A damn sight cheaper than a psych, anyway," I joked, but my mind was already working. Here it was , I could feel it. Here was the break, the start in the chain that would eventually lead me to Wagant Laroo.
"Tell me, Mr. Sugal," I said slowly, choosing my pace with care, "how would things go next quarter if President Khamgirt wasn't president any more?"
He paused and looked at me quizzically. "What are you suggesting? That I kill him? That's damned hard and you know it."
That statement gave me an inward chuckle, since Khamgirt was a little enough fish that I could probably have taken him out effortlessly. But I hardly wanted to betray myself as a pro in that area. Not yet. Too many other nervous bosses would see me as a threat.
"Uh-uh," I answered him. "I'm talking about getting him canned."
Sugal snorted derisively. "Hell, Zhang, you'd have to prove gross incompetence, direct and prolonged mismanagement, or criminal intent against the state—and as much as I hate the son of a bitch, I don't think he's guilty of any of those things."
"Whether he is or isn't is beside the point," I told him. "Suppose I could hang one of those on him anyway?"
"Are you crazy? What you're saying is impossible!" he responded, but he sat down.
"Not only not impossible, but not even that hard if a little luck is riding with me—and it usually is. I'm pretty sure such a thing has been done before, many times. I studied the histories of a lot of our syndicate bosses and corporation presidents. This is a technological world founded by technological criminals, Mr. Sugal. Founded by them and run by them."
He shook his head in disbelief. "That's absurd. I would have heard about it."
"Would they tell you? So you could do it to them? Look, even Laroo has been on Cerberus less time than you've been around by far, and look what happened to him."
Sugal considered that. "How would you do it?"
"Given, say, a week and a little inside information. Ill know exactly. I have a rough plan in mind, but it'll need fine-tuning, the kind that can only come when it has a specific objective and target."
He looked at me somewhat uneasily. "And why would you do this? For me? Don't give me that bull."
"No, for me. What would happen to your position if I could do it? Where would that leave you?"
"Probably as a senior vice-president," he told me. "Higher up, certainly, particularly since I'd know it was coining when nobody else did and would be able to pave the way. I know how to do it, but the only opening to the top I had a chance at Khamgirt took. Still, as I said before, what's in it for you? I can hardly promote you to plant manager so suddenly."
"No, I don't want much of an advancement ," I told him. "In fact, I'm thinking of a different direction for myself. One safe for you. Do you know Hroyasail?"
Again he was caught a little off-guard, which was fine. "Yeah, it's one of our subsidiaries. Harvests skrit offshore. We use some of the chemicals from it in making insulators. Why?"
"I want it," I told him. "Right now the place doesn't even have a president. A company accountant comes down three or four times a year from the home office and that's about it."
"Sure. Something that small usually doesn't need one."
"I think it does. Me. And the position's
He shook his head. "Normally, yeah, but Khamgirt really means business this time and he's refused. He's never liked my way of doing business, anyway, and canning me has always been a big goal." He paused and chuckled. "And you thought when you were the boss you didn't have to worry about this kind of shit any more, didn't you?"
I returned the chuckle. "No, I know the score very well. Remember, I had a long life and job before I ever got to this planet."
He nodded. "Yeah. That's right—you're from Outside. I keep forgetting. Maybe that's why you're easier to talk to, huh?"
"A damn sight cheaper than a psych, anyway," I joked, but my mind was already working. Here it was , I could feel it. Here was the break, the start in the chain that would eventually lead me to Wagant Laroo.
"Tell me, Mr. Sugal," I said slowly, choosing my pace with care, "how would things go next quarter if President Khamgirt wasn't president any more?"
He paused and looked at me quizzically. "What are you suggesting? That I kill him? That's damned hard and you know it."
That statement gave me an inward chuckle, since Khamgirt was a little enough fish that I could probably have taken him out effortlessly. But I hardly wanted to betray myself as a pro in that area. Not yet. Too many other nervous bosses would see me as a threat.
"Uh-uh," I answered him. "I'm talking about getting him canned."
Sugal snorted derisively. "Hell, Zhang, you'd have to prove gross incompetence, direct and prolonged mismanagement, or criminal intent against the state—and as much as I hate the son of a bitch, I don't think he's guilty of any of those things."
"Whether he is or isn't is beside the point," I told him. "Suppose I could hang one of those on him anyway?"
"Are you crazy? What you're saying is impossible!" he responded, but he sat down.
"Not only not impossible, but not even that hard if a little luck is riding with me—and it usually is. I'm pretty sure such a thing has been done before, many times. I studied the histories of a lot of our syndicate bosses and corporation presidents. This is a technological world founded by technological criminals, Mr. Sugal. Founded by them and run by them."
He shook his head in disbelief. "That's absurd. I would have heard about it."
"Would they tell you? So you could do it to them? Look, even Laroo has been on Cerberus less time than you've been around by far, and look what happened to him."
Sugal considered that. "How would you do it?"
"Given, say, a week and a little inside information. Ill know exactly. I have a rough plan in mind, but it'll need fine-tuning, the kind that can only come when it has a specific objective and target."
He looked at me somewhat uneasily. "And why would you do this? For me? Don't give me that bull."
"No, for me. What would happen to your position if I could do it? Where would that leave you?"
"Probably as a senior vice-president," he told me. "Higher up, certainly, particularly since I'd know it was coining when nobody else did and would be able to pave the way. I know how to do it, but the only opening to the top I had a chance at Khamgirt took. Still, as I said before, what's in it for you? I can hardly promote you to plant manager so suddenly."
"No, I don't want much of an advancement ," I told him. "In fact, I'm thinking of a different direction for myself. One safe for you. Do you know Hroyasail?"
Again he was caught a little off-guard, which was fine. "Yeah, it's one of our subsidiaries. Harvests skrit offshore. We use some of the chemicals from it in making insulators. Why?"
"I want it," I told him. "Right now the place doesn't even have a president. A company accountant comes down three or four times a year from the home office and that's about it."
"Sure. Something that small usually doesn't need one."
"I think it does. Me. And the position's
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