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said Cole. "And war has nothing to do with dying bravely and nobly for your side. Our job is making the other guy die bravely and nobly for his side."
    "You really don't want to hear the price?"
    "Not now."
    The Duke shrugged. "Okay, but if I can't make my commission, at least go place some bets at the tables."
    "You don't know our Wilson," said Forrice. "He never gambles." A hoot of alien laughter. "That's probably why we're willing to follow him."
    Cole noticed Val approaching them from the alien jabob table. "She's smiling. I guess she won her money back."
    "How can she drink like a fish and stay so beautiful?" asked the Duke.
    "A better question is how can she abuse her body the way she does and stay so fit and powerful?" said Forrice.
    "She's certainly not like any other woman I've ever met," agreed the Duke.
    "She's not like anybody anyone's ever met," said Cole. "Give me fifty like her and I could probably conquer the Republic."
    "If she felt like it," noted Forrice. "That's always the wild card."
    "She always feels like conquering things," replied Cole. "The problem is that she doesn't always feel like obeying orders . . . though I must admit she's getting better at it."
    Val reached the table, pulled up a chair, and ordered a bottle of brandy from a robot waiter,
    "You're going to share that with everybody, right?" asked the Duke with a smile that said he was gently teasing her.
    "With my shipmates," she replied seriously. "You own the stock. You can order your own bottle."
    "You know," said the Duke thoughtfully, "I'll bet she's heard of him."
    "Of who?" asked Val.
    "The Octopus."
    "Ugly son of a bitch," she said contemptuously.
    "You've met him?" asked Cole.
    "Not lately. I knew him, oh, about ten, eleven years ago."
    "Is he human?"
    "Sort of."
    "What does that mean?" asked Cole.
    "He's either a freak or a mutant," answered Val. "He doesn't wear a shirt, and he's got six misshapen hands sticking out of his sides."
    "Can you tell us anything else about him?"
    "He's smart," she said. "Almost as smart as me. Physically he's not much."
    "With six extra hands?" said the Duke.
    "They're not arms, just hands."
    "It's still impressive."
    "He tried to grab my ass with one of them, so I coldcocked him," replied Val. "He never tried again."
    "Doubtless why he's still alive," said Cole wryly.
    "Damned right," said Val seriously. "Why all the questions?" Suddenly she turned to the Duke. "You got us a commission to take him out."
    "It's still in the negotiating stage," said Cole.
    "That means you won't agree until you know what he's got," said Val decisively. "I can't help you. Like I say, it's been ten years."
    "There's no rush. Forrice and Jacovic are still working our new ships and crews into shape." He turned to Forrice. "Any potential command personnel there?"
    "Too early to tell," replied the Molarian. "I think we should leave our people in place there for the time being."
    "Does Jacovic agree?"
    The Molarian shrugged. "You'll have to ask him, though I can't imagine he doesn't."
    "All right," said Cole. "When we put our people permanently in command of the new ships, take the personnel from Perez's and Jacovic's ships. I'm getting to where I don't know half the crew of the Teddy R. I want to keep the ones that I still have."
    "That shouldn't prove a problem," said the Molarian. "I'll make the transfers when we go back to the ship." He stood up. "And now, if there are no objections and there'd better not be, I think I'll take my leave of you and go over to the Glowworm, where I plan to try my luck at the stort table."
    He headed off toward the door in his graceful spinning three-legged gait.
    "I don't know what he enjoys about that stupid alien game," remarked Val.
    "Stort?" repeated Cole. He smiled. "He wins at it."
    "Big deal. He ought to try the jabob table right here."
    "You were lucky, my dear," said the Duke. "It's got a fifteen percent break for the house."
    "That's what makes it so challenging," she said. "Most