of work and I thought I'd try mining. How did you land here?”
“I'm a working girl and I thought I'd try miners.”
I rolled my head and smiled at her.
“You've got a great smile, tag.”
“I work on it,” I lied and fingered the sofa's remote. “You want to look at some vis?”
“I'd rather just talk.” Her lips were even redder with berrybru.
I closed my eyes and relaxed back into the sofa.
“But I think you'd rather just sleep,” she said. “I usually affect men that way after my work.” She yawned and moved closer to me. “Can we cuddle?”
I put my arm around her shoulders and she snuggled against my side. I had to admit it felt good to have her warm feminine body pressed against mine. I sighed as I pushed off my boots and put my feet up on the coffee table. l laid my head against her mop of sweet-smelling hair and dozed off.
When I woke up, it was dark. I was stretched out on the sofa with a pillow under my head and a blanket over me. The room was empty, but I saw a note on the coffee table. “On!” I said and had light. I fumbled for the note and read it.
You're a real conversationalist, tag. Thanks for the long talk. Gotta go to work now.
I crumpled the note and threw it toward a wastepaper basket. “You're welcome,” I mumbled.
A loud knock on the door made it rattle. I jumped and sat up. “Who is it?”
“It is Huff.”
Then huff and puff and knock my door down!
I thought as I threw off the blanket and went to open the door.
He glanced down the hall, wide-eyed. “May I enter?”
“Yeah. Come on in.”
He shut the door and locked it. “I-I was walking the street to see stars above my head. I do not relish a roof over me.”
“I know.”
“And General Ki Rowdinth's police were out.”
“His men were walking the streets?”
“No.”
“Then where were they?”
“They are not men.”
“Dammit, Huff. What happened?”
“They were asking about you.”
“Shit!” I strapped on my holster, threw on my jacket and went to the front window. I pushed an edge of the curtain aside. Five Vermakts dressed in black and silver uniforms were entering the hotel lobby.
I thought of Carmen. “Who
told
them I was here?”
“They described you to people on the streets. You stand out with your yellow head fur and your black and blue coverings.”
I went to the side window and flung it open. It overlooked a narrow alley, lit by glow balls. A crumbling cement ledge ran beneath the window. Bricks jutted from the wall in decorative patterns.
“You do not appear to be a miner,” Huff said, “although of course you
could
be…”
I straddled the windowsill.
“Jules, my Terran friend, I hear footsteps on the stairs.” His hearing is more acute than a human's.
Voices outside the door!
“C'mon!” I told him.
The door was hit hard, but it held.
He shivered. “I am not evolved for heights.”
I climbed to the ledge and grabbed two bricks. “Are you evolved to be fed to Rowdinth's sharks, or maybe strung up in his horror show?” I inched toward the ladder.
“Possibly.” He stuck his head out the window and looked down at the alley. “I once had a grandmother. But she was eaten by a fish not unlike Rowdinth's sharks, only brown.” He took a breath and climbed out the window.
I reached the ladder and looked down. A Vermakt had run into the alley.
“Come down here, Jules Rammis,” he called. “We wish you no harm.”
I climbed up instead. I heard Huff panting behind me.
“Look at the sky,” I said encouragingly. “It's ablaze with stars, Huff. Like God's own arms. And, dammit, don't look down!”
A Vermakt peered over the wall of the roof. I tried to grab my stingler but Huff panicked and yanked on my foot. I held a rung with both hands.
“I am beating difficult within my heart!” he cried.
“Let go!” I tried to shake him off but he clung harder. “You'll beat more difficult when these cruds beam you. Now dammit, will you – “
“Jules!”
Chancey
“I'm a working girl and I thought I'd try miners.”
I rolled my head and smiled at her.
“You've got a great smile, tag.”
“I work on it,” I lied and fingered the sofa's remote. “You want to look at some vis?”
“I'd rather just talk.” Her lips were even redder with berrybru.
I closed my eyes and relaxed back into the sofa.
“But I think you'd rather just sleep,” she said. “I usually affect men that way after my work.” She yawned and moved closer to me. “Can we cuddle?”
I put my arm around her shoulders and she snuggled against my side. I had to admit it felt good to have her warm feminine body pressed against mine. I sighed as I pushed off my boots and put my feet up on the coffee table. l laid my head against her mop of sweet-smelling hair and dozed off.
When I woke up, it was dark. I was stretched out on the sofa with a pillow under my head and a blanket over me. The room was empty, but I saw a note on the coffee table. “On!” I said and had light. I fumbled for the note and read it.
You're a real conversationalist, tag. Thanks for the long talk. Gotta go to work now.
I crumpled the note and threw it toward a wastepaper basket. “You're welcome,” I mumbled.
A loud knock on the door made it rattle. I jumped and sat up. “Who is it?”
“It is Huff.”
Then huff and puff and knock my door down!
I thought as I threw off the blanket and went to open the door.
He glanced down the hall, wide-eyed. “May I enter?”
“Yeah. Come on in.”
He shut the door and locked it. “I-I was walking the street to see stars above my head. I do not relish a roof over me.”
“I know.”
“And General Ki Rowdinth's police were out.”
“His men were walking the streets?”
“No.”
“Then where were they?”
“They are not men.”
“Dammit, Huff. What happened?”
“They were asking about you.”
“Shit!” I strapped on my holster, threw on my jacket and went to the front window. I pushed an edge of the curtain aside. Five Vermakts dressed in black and silver uniforms were entering the hotel lobby.
I thought of Carmen. “Who
told
them I was here?”
“They described you to people on the streets. You stand out with your yellow head fur and your black and blue coverings.”
I went to the side window and flung it open. It overlooked a narrow alley, lit by glow balls. A crumbling cement ledge ran beneath the window. Bricks jutted from the wall in decorative patterns.
“You do not appear to be a miner,” Huff said, “although of course you
could
be…”
I straddled the windowsill.
“Jules, my Terran friend, I hear footsteps on the stairs.” His hearing is more acute than a human's.
Voices outside the door!
“C'mon!” I told him.
The door was hit hard, but it held.
He shivered. “I am not evolved for heights.”
I climbed to the ledge and grabbed two bricks. “Are you evolved to be fed to Rowdinth's sharks, or maybe strung up in his horror show?” I inched toward the ladder.
“Possibly.” He stuck his head out the window and looked down at the alley. “I once had a grandmother. But she was eaten by a fish not unlike Rowdinth's sharks, only brown.” He took a breath and climbed out the window.
I reached the ladder and looked down. A Vermakt had run into the alley.
“Come down here, Jules Rammis,” he called. “We wish you no harm.”
I climbed up instead. I heard Huff panting behind me.
“Look at the sky,” I said encouragingly. “It's ablaze with stars, Huff. Like God's own arms. And, dammit, don't look down!”
A Vermakt peered over the wall of the roof. I tried to grab my stingler but Huff panicked and yanked on my foot. I held a rung with both hands.
“I am beating difficult within my heart!” he cried.
“Let go!” I tried to shake him off but he clung harder. “You'll beat more difficult when these cruds beam you. Now dammit, will you – “
“Jules!”
Chancey
Similar Books
