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pleased to me you, Citizen Troon. My father has mentioned you many times."
    "And I him," Troon replied politely. "Tell him that since our little adventure I've moved into a safer line of work."
    "Consider it done," Lando replied, turning his attention to the woman.
    The cyborg nodded, acknowledging Lando's comment and Wendy's presence at the same time. "Dr. Wendeen, and the people that she represents, have need of your services."
    Lando took the woman's hand, noting the short, utilitarian nails, and the firm grip. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Wendeen. Citizen Troon glossed over the matter of my name, but it's Pik Lando, and friends call me Pik."
    Suddenly aware that the handshake should have ended some time ago, Wendy released Lando's hand. He smiled.
    Wendy felt flustered. Outside of the ugly-looking gun, the smuggler was nothing like the slimy underworld type she'd imagined. Just the opposite in fact.
    Lando had shiny black hair pulled back into a ponytail, quick brown eyes, and a slightly hooked nose. The nose gave him a slightly predatory air, which Wendy found both exciting and alarming at the same time.
    "Please call me Wendy. Doctor Wendeen is off duty."
    Lando nodded and gestured towards his table. "Please… I ordered some food. Would you care to join me?"
    Wendy selected a vegetarian dinner, and Troon ordered a fruit salad. Lando wondered if he'd eat it. Some cyborgs ate, and some didn't, depending on how they were put together.
    Once the others had finished making their selections, Lando smiled and looked from Wendy to Troon. "So here we are. You mentioned a business proposition."
    The cyborg nodded. "Yes. Wendy's aunt and uncle are friends of mine. And when they told me Wendy had a rather special cargo to move, I thought of you."
    Lando looked from Troon to Wendy and back again. Was this for real? Or part of a scam? They seemed sincere, but as dear old Dad liked to say, "Appearances can be deceiving."
    "No offense, Jonathan, but how did you know that I was on HiHo? And why me?"
    Troon shrugged. "I'm a shipping agent. I ship most of my cargo via legitimate hulls. But not all of it. Some of my clients have shipments that require special handling. I make it my business to know who can help them, where they are, and what it will cost. Information, like everything else in this universe, is for sale. I buy it, mark it up, and sell it. As for you, well, your entire family has a good reputation."
    Lando nodded. It made sense. The Landos were pretty well known in smuggling circles.
    A shiny robo-waiter brought dinner to their table, paused while they took their food, and whirred off towards another table. Lando waited until everyone had been served, took a bite of steak, and caught Wendy's eye.
    "So, tell me what you want to move, where the cargo is now, and where it's supposed to go."
    Wendy looked at Troon, saw his nod of approval, and turned towards Lando.
    "The cargo consists of fertilizer concentrate. It's stored on Weller's World. I want it delivered to a planet called Angel."
    Lando raised an eyebrow, checked to make sure she was serious, and broke into laughter. "Fertilizer? Weller's World? Angel? You've got to be kidding!"
    Wendy was annoyed. What was so funny? She frowned. "I enjoy a good joke, Citizen Lando… but I fail to see any humor in what I said."
    Lando struggled to get the smile off his face. "I'm sorry, Wendy. I meant no offense. Your comments took me by surprise, that's all. It's the first time that anyone's asked me to smuggle fertilizer. Precious metals, body parts, and electronics, yes, but not fertilizer."
    Wendy relaxed slightly and took a sip of her tea. Looking at the request from Lando's point of view, it did seem sort of funny. She smiled.
    "I see what you mean. But your words serve to illustrate our situation. On Angel, fertilizer is as precious as gold, to us at least, and that's why we need your help."
    Lando looked thoughtful. "If fertilizer's as precious as gold, then Angel must be