Andromeda's Fall (Legion of the Damned) Read Online Free PDF

small tip. A stupid indulgence given her circumstances. But that was how she’d been raised. “With wealth comes obligations,” her father used to say.
    The taxi coasted to a stop. Cat gave over her money, the door hissed open, and she stepped into a puddle of filthy water. The experience was not only unpleasant but served to remind Cat of the cut on her foot, which hurt and was open to infection.
    But there were other problems to cope with. The ripped evening gown and bare feet were already beginning to attract attention as Cat made her way down the street. So the first priority was to buy clothes that would allow her to fade into the background. But with what?
    Cat conducted a mental inventory. She was wearing a diamond on a chain around her neck, a small ruby on her left ring finger, and her lipstick dispenser was made of gold. Taken together, they were worth at least ten thousand credits. The knowledge made her feel better, as did a large sign that read PAWNSHOP half a block farther on. But getting there seemed to take forever. There was a group of men standing outside a bar. One of them whistled, and another said, “Hey baby . . . How ’bout a ride?”
    Then a street vendor carrying a tray of veg wraps approached her, quickly followed by a preteen beggar and a dull-eyed woman who wanted to save her from a life of sin.
    So it was a relief to enter the brightly lit pawnshop. Racks of musical instruments hung from the walls. Used power tools were piled on a table just inside the door. And a manikin wearing a suit of space armor stood guard by the entrance.
    To reach the cash register located at the back of the room, Cat had to pass between glass display cases filled with jewelry, alien artifacts, and various types of weapons. It was tempting to purchase a pistol. But Cat knew she’d have to submit ID in order to buy a weapon, and that would almost certainly bring the synths down on her.
    The proprietor was a middle-aged man with a halo of gray hair, a chubby face, and the manner of a person who had seen everything. His eyes flicked down her frame and back up. In less than two seconds she had been weighed and evaluated. “Good evening, young lady. What can I do for you?”
    “I have this,” Cat said, lifting the chain up over her head. “Plus this , and this .”
    The man selected the diamond, eyed it through a loupe, and put it down. The ring and lipstick received a similar scrutiny. “So,” he said having completed his evaluation, “what do you have in mind? Do you want to sell this stuff? Or pawn it?”
    The diamond had been a birthday present from her parents. But Cat was desperate for money. “I want to sell it.”
    “Okay,” the man said evenly. “I’ll give you five hundred for the lot.”
    “They’re worth thousands!” Cat objected. “The diamond alone is worth six or seven.”
    “Not to me,” the pawnbroker replied. “I have to sell what I buy—and there isn’t much of a market for diamond pendants around here. Maybe you should take it uptown. A regular jewelry store would give you a better price.”
    Cat knew that was true. But she couldn’t go back. Not with the synths looking for her. “Point taken. But five hundred credits is too low, and you know it. I want a thousand.”
    “Six hundred.”
    “Nine hundred.”
    “Six-fifty, and that’s final.”
    Cat looked around, saw a row of used suitcases sitting against a wall, and pointed to the nicest one. “Six-fifty plus that.”
    The man grinned. He had a silver tooth. “You’re a lot tougher than you look. It’s a deal.”
    Cat left a few minutes later with cash hidden in her bra and her new suitcase in tow. Rather than ask the pawnbroker about used-clothing stores, and provide him with information that could be shared with others, Cat was determined to find one on her own. A quick conversation with the owner of a fruit stand got the information she needed.
    Walking briskly so as to discourage interference, Cat made her way to