A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born

"That I do, sir, that I do. Old Kvetchy used to be a soldier, told me all about it many a time. Polish the sword and gun, fetch the food from the fire, fill the water bottle, crack the lice with stones... " "Fine, great, I can see you know it all. Down to the last repulsive detail. Inexchange for your services you expect me to teach you the trade of war." He nodded quick agreement. The room was hushed as I pondered my decision.

"Right then, let us do it." A bucolic cry of joy echoed from the thatch and old dad produced a crock of what could only be home brew. Things were looking up for me, ever so slightly, but certainly looking up.

Chapter 22

Work appeared to have ceased for the day with the announcement of Dreng's "hew job. The home brew was pretty awfill stuff, but obviously contained a fair measure of alcohol. Which seemed like a good idea at the time. I drank enough to kill the pain, then slacked off before I ended up drunk on the floor like the rest of them. I waited until old dad was well on the way to alcoholic extinction before I pumped him for information.

"I have traveled from afar and am ignorant of the local scene." I told him. "But I do hear that this. local bully, Capo Doccia, is a little on the rough side." "Rough!" he growled, then slurped down some more of the paint thinner. "Poisonous serpents flee in fear when he approaches, while it is well-known that the gaze of his eyes kills infants." There was more like this, but I turned off my attention. I had waited too long in the drinking session to extract any reasonable information from him. I looked around for Dreng and found him just tucking into a great crock of the brew. I pried it away from him, then shook him until I attracted his attention." "Let's go. We're leaving now." "Leaving...?" He biinked rapidly and tried to focus his eyes on me. With little success. "We. Go. Out. Walkies." "Ahh, walkies. I get my blanket." He stood swaying, then gave me some more rapid blinks. "Where's your blanket for me to carry?" "Seized by the enemy, along with everything else I 156 possessed other than my sword and gun, which never leave my side while I have a breath in my body." "Breath in body . — . Right. I'll get blanket. Get you blanket." He rooted about in the rear of the room and appeared with two fuzzy blankets, despite a lot of domestic and female crying about the cold of winter. Capital goods were not easy to come by for the peasantry. I would have to get some groats for Dreng eventually.

He reappeared with the blankets draped over his shoulders along with a leather bag, a stout staff in his handand a wicked-looking knitS in a wooden scabbard at his waist. I waited outside to avoid the tearful traditional departure scene. He eventually emerged, looking slightly more sober, and stood swaying at my side. "Lead on, master." "You show me the way. I want to visit Capo Doccia's keep," "No! Can it be true that you fight for him?" "That is the last thing I would ever do. In fact I would fight against him for a wooden groat. The truth is that the Capo has a friend of mine locked away in there. I want to get a message to him." "There is great danger in even going close to his keep." "I'm sure of it, but I am fearless. And I must contact my friend. You lead the way-and through the woods if you don't mind. I don't want to be seen by either Capo Doccia or his men. " Obviously neither did Dreng. He sobered up as he led me by obscure paths and hidden ways to the other side of the forest. I peered out carefully at the roadway leading to the drawbridge, to the entrance to the keep.

"Any closer and they will see us," he whispered. I looked up at the late afternoon sun and nodded agreement.

"It's been a busy day. We'll lay up in the woods here and make our move in the morning." "No move. It's death!" His teeth chattered though the afternoon was hot. He hurried as he led the way deeper into the forest, to a grassy hollow with a stream running through it. He produced a clay cup from his bag, fiHed it with water and brought it to me. I slurped and realized that having a knave wasn't a bad idea after all. Once his chores were done he spread the blankets on the grass and promptly fell asleep on his. I sat down with my back to a tree and, for the first time, had a chance to examine the gun I had lifted.

It was sleek and new and did not fit this broken-down planet at all. Of course-it had to be from the Venian ship. The Bishop said that they had probably been smuggling weapons. And I was holding one of them in my hands. I looked at it more closely.