Starship: Mercenary (Starship, Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

power.”
    “Whatever makes you happy,” said Cole. Suddenly he tensed. “I think we’re being followed.”
    “Figures,” she said. “There’s just two of us, and if we’re in this section of the station we’ve obviously got money to spend.”
    Without warning she stopped and turned, and Cole followed suit. Three beings—one man and two Mollutei—were approaching them slowly, each armed with a dagger.
    “Watch this,” whispered Val. “Good evening, gentlebeings,” she said aloud. “If you’ll drop your weapons and hand over your money, no one will get hurt.”
    The man laughed instantly. It took a few seconds for the Mollutei’s T-packs to translate what she’d said, but then they croaked in amusement.
    “Well,” said Val, stepping forward, “you can’t say you weren’t warned.”
    It took Cole about five seconds to decide whether to step forward with her or draw his burner—and by then it was a moot point, because all three of their stalkers lay broken and moaning on the floor of the broad corridor, twitching in agony.
    “Should we take their money?” asked Val. “After all, they were going to take ours.”
    “No, we’re not thieves, at least not any longer. Let’s just tell the local police to round them up. I’ll fill out a statement later.”
    “I told you—there aren’t any police on Singapore Station.”
    “Then if we pass a hospital, we’ll tell them to come by and collect them.”
    “And if we don’t?”
    He shrugged. “That’s the risk you take when you become a thief.”
    She laughed aloud, and the two of them began walking again without another backward glance.
    “Let’s hope none of them shoots us in the back,” commented Cole.
    “If they’d had any burners or screechers, they’d have shown them,” said Val with certainty. “You’re a lot more likely to give your money to someone who can kill you from ten yards away than someone who has to get close enough to stab you.” She nodded, as if to herself. “I think I’ll come back this way to do my serious drinking.”
    They walked another fifty yards, then turned in to a small side corridor and came to a garish casino named Duke’s Place. Small furry aliens of a species that Cole had never seen before carried drink trays to the players, human and non-human alike, who crowded the tables.
    “They never learn,” said Val, shaking her head. “Look at that table.”
    “What’s the game?” asked Cole. “I don’t recognize it.”
    “ Jabob ,” she replied. “I think it originated on Lodin XI, or maybe Moritat. Huge break for the house. Your money’ll last longer if you burn it to keep warm, but aliens just love that game.”
    “I see a man at the table, too.”
    “He’s just running the game for the house.”
    “Fine,” said Cole. “I assume you didn’t take me here to gamble.”
    “No,” she said, signaling to one of the small alien servers. “Tell the Duke that Joan of Arc is here.”
    “Joan of Arc?” repeated Cole as the alien scurried off.
    “I had a lot of names before you gave me this one,” answered Val.
    The alien returned a moment later. “He will see you now,” it said through its T-pack.
    “Let’s go,” said Val, starting off across the casino. Cole fell into step behind her, and they soon reached a sparkling curtain of almost solid light. When she was within three feet of it she stopped so suddenly that he almost bumped into her.
    “What’s the problem?” he asked.
    She picked up an empty glass from a nearby table and tossed it through the curtain. It was instantly atomized.
    “Security system,” she explained.
    They waited about half a minute, and then a voice said, “Enter, Joan of Arc. Commander Cole—or is it Captain again?—may enter too.”
    Val stepped forward, and when she didn’t disappear Cole followed her into a large, lavishly furnished office. Colorful alien songbirds shared a golden cage that seemed to float in the air with no visible support. There were a