The Vastalimi Gambit Read Online Free PDF

dura-tile roof, ferrofoam construction, with twenty-five-meter-tall evergreen trees, flowering shrubs with red and blue and purple blossoms, a reflecting pond, and neatly trimmed short-grass lawns.
    Hardly an animal pasture full of old turds, this.
    TotalMart had paved the way for CFI, too, so the people were all smiles and nice-to-see-you when they arrived.
    They were ushered into a conference room with a waxed, flame-grained hardwood table, deep reds and oranges, one wall of clear plastic looking out at the reflecting pool. Painting on the opposite wall, a meter-tall metal sculpture of a harvesting machine in one corner. Everything about the place said quality, and nothing looked cheap.
    “Must be good money in purple roots,” Gunny said.
    “Else we wouldn’t be here,” Gramps said.
    Before Jo could say anything, a tall man with short gray hair and teeth that practically glowed they were so white, arrived. He looked fit, wore a gray silk unitard that hung perfectly on his frame, with matching leather slippers that looked sprayed on. Maybe forty-five, and he seemed comfortable in his skin.
    “I’m Director Kreega,” he said, and flashed his perfect teeth at them. “Everybody calls me ‘Chet.’”
    Jo returned the smile. With a twitch that was almost reflexive, she lit her Stress Analyzer aug. “Chet. I’m Jo Sims, this is Megan Sayeed and Roy Demonde.”
    “Please, sit. How can I best help you, fem?”
    “I expect you have been briefed on the recent encounter with the, ah, bandits and the convoy?”
    “I have. Excellent work. TM Corporate assured us that Cutter Force Initiative was a first-rate organization, and I am happy to see that so quickly demonstrated.”
    Jo shrugged that off. Protecting some big trucks from some half-assed hijackers? No big deal.
    “The attack was only a symptom, sir, and while we can treat those, we are more interested in curing the cause of the disease.”
    “Of course. That would be Masbülc,” he said, his smile fading.
    “Probably true, if our intel is correct. However, the more we know about the situation here, the quicker we can remedy it. We have, of course, seen your reports, but if you wouldn’t mind telling it to us again?”
    “Of course.” He leaned forward slightly. “Some months ago, we were approached by a buyer who represented Masbülc. He made an offer for our next crop, which was in the beginning states of first harvest. As I am sure you know,
difrui
grows year-round in this climate, and in a good year, we will get three harvests.”
    Jo nodded. So far, nothing to tweak her Stress Analyzer, nor did she expect any such.
    “The man—I believe his name was Proderic”—he pronounced it “prod-er-ick”—“offered a premium, twenty percent higher than the going market price. Of course, we turned him down.”
    “Why didn’t you take it?”
    He leaned back slightly, gifted her with the smile. “We have a long-term relationship with TotalMart. Our contract with them had yet to be renewed, but we expected them to make an offer. Masbülc is a fine company, but . . .”
    “You didn’t want to piss off the big dog?” Gunny said.
    He chuckled. “Just so, Gunny. We might be a short-rocket planet out here, but we aren’t brushing alfalfa seeds from our hair. The couple million extra we’d have made taking Masbülc’s offer isn’t much compared to what TotalMart could send our way in the next decade.”
    Still no lies, but a blip, nonetheless. She filed it away and continued.
    “So tell me about this Proderic. What was your sense of him?”
    “Well. He was slick, sharp, smooth. Had that professional salesperson aspect about him, a good listener, smiled a lot, quick to answer any questions, and all the responses on tap. Hinted that Masbülc would be interested in a long-term relationship and willing to pay premium rates for a five-year contract.
    “He was short, had a tan or faux that darkened his skin, indicating that he either spent a lot of time