Star Risk - 02 Scoundrel Worlds Read Online Free PDF Page A

hologram that hung in the air above von Baldur's desk. It was a sandy beach with curling pinelike trees in the background, next to a carefully rusticated hut. The ocean was clear, green to a deep blue, on the right.
    "No coms, no mail, no computer links?" Chas asked skeptically.
    "No muss, no fuss, no gambling, no parties till dawn?" Riss said.
    "Exactly," von Baldur said. "No disturbances, no gunplay, no chicanery, nothing to do but laze on the beach or read a good book. Perhaps," he went on dreamily, "finally time enough for Proust."
    "Freddie," Goodnight said, "you'd go berserko in three days. And who's this Proust character? Somebody who wrote about famous scams?"
    Von Baldur looked hurt.
    "A man," Jasmine explained, "a long, long, long time ago, who wrote about nothing much in particular. You supposedly can learn patience by reading him."
    "I say again my last," Chas said. "Berserko."
    "You people have no faith in my inner resources," von Baldur said.
    "This is true," Jasmine said. "I'll put my bet with Chas." The intercom buzzed. "Yes?" Jasmine said.
    "I have a prospective client out here," Riss's voice came. "Can I bring him in?"
    "Bring him in," Jasmine said. "And buzz Grok, if you would?"
    "He's already on his way," M'chel said.
    Riss and Grok bowed in a slender, intense, balding man who appeared to be in his forties.
    "This," Grok said, "is Mr. Jen Reynard."
    Jasmine, knowing a few archaic languages, thought he was well named as the man came forward, eyes flicking left, right, evaluating everyone and everything in the room.
    "Welcome to Star Risk," von Baldur said, introducing the others and indicating a seat.
    "I mean no offense," Reynard said, "but your reputation far exceeds your size. Unless," he added with a bit of hope, "you have vast resources elsewhere."
    "We have access," King said, "to anything a client might need, from a lockpick to a naval fleet."
    "Ah?" Reynard said, a bit skeptically. "I suppose that's financially sound, not having a lot of thugs lying about on the payroll."
    Von Baldur inclined his head in agreement. "And how might we be of service?" he asked.
    "I am the former premier of Dampier," Reynard said, then went on, dramatically, "I need you to free a man from where he rots in a death cell, prove his innocence, and find the guilty party."
    "Good," Grok rumbled. "I am getting tired of these tasks that require nothing but headbanging."
    "There may well be some of that required," Reynard said. "Eventually."
    "Thank heavens," Riss said sotto voce. "We wouldn't know how to handle a nice, quiet, predictable job."
    "Who is this innocent?" King asked.
    "A former officer in Dampier's army, falsely accused of selling state secrets to our archenemy, Torguth."
    "What sort of secrets?" von Baldur asked. "Some secrets, such as how many publicity men are on the government's payroll, carry less of a penalty than others."
    "The crime for which the man was tried and convicted of is high treason," Reynard said, "which carries an automatic death penalty."
    "That seems serious enough," M'chel said.
    "I'll explain," Reynard said. "The system of Dampier is close to Torguth. From the first colonization on, we have been traditional enemies. Between us are the Belfort Worlds, three eminently colonizable planets near Earth normal. By moral and first-landing rights, these worlds belong to Dampier. Torguth, being the morally corrupt, dishonest system it is, also claims Belfort.
    "We have fought three wars with Torguth, basically over Belfort, although other issues were brought into play. They won the first war, we won the other two. Not content with defeat, Torguth is staging up for yet another war, or so my intelligence reported when I still held office and had access to these matters.
    "Even though the present government of Dampier is putrescent with dishonesty, they recognized this threat, although they do not admit its immediacy. They proposed a new defense system for the Belfort Worlds. Somehow Torguth obtained full