Profiteer

“Well, whatever’s left.” What else? “We need an expert on Paralian ship design, and another software jockey to handle the ship’s system. Chances are it’s isolated.”

 

Dom nodded.

 

“We need some muscle, weapons people to protect the specialists that go in. Not too many. The more people, the harder this will be to pull off.” How many? “Two people. It looks like two teams going in. One for the ship and one for the safe.”

 

Dom nodded again. What the hell was he thinking? Did this sound like she was making it up as she went along? “We need a demolition expert, to make sure we crack the place with the money, and we’ll need an electronics expert to help prep us. Those and a driver.”

 

“That’s six more people.”

 

Six? Tetsami made a head count. “I count seven.”

 

“We only need one spear carrier.”

 

Spear carrier? Oh, the muscle. “Believe me, we need at least one per team.”

 

“We’ll have one per team.” Dom looked straight at her and she suddenly realized what he must be thinking.

 

“You?”

 

“I’ll go with the team to the safe.”

 

“I don’t think you—”

 

Dom shook his head. “I’ll probably be the only one who knows the complex firsthand.”

 

“We’re going to need someone with combat experience and weapons expertise—”

 

Dom nodded. “I know.”

 

Tetsami looked at the exec and waited for an explanation.

 

Eventually, one came. “Ten years in the TEC. Special forces, retired.”

 

She looked around by reflex, to see if anyone had overheard him. The landing pad was still empty of people. She broke out into a chill anyway. She suddenly had second thoughts that had nothing to do with her own competence.

 

It was a Bakunin tradition to dislike the Confederacy. It was another Bakunin tradition to hate the TEC. Some of the more radical communes had regular executions of “TEC spies.” Bakunin was, in one sense, a planet of dissidents, and the TEC’s major function in the Confederacy was crushing dissidence.

 

Tetsami began to realize that the attack on GA&A must have been a TEC operation, and she mentally revised the number of assaults the new management was going to have to repel. GA&A was probably going to be hit at least once by every military-capable fringe group within fifty klicks of Godwin.

 

She could see someone lobbing a nuke just because the TEC was involved.

 

Dom turned away from the edge of the roof and started walking back toward the restaurant and the entrance to the hotel. “Okay, Tetsami, I’ll back your idea. I’ve risked money on less promising enterprises.”

 

Tetsami stayed by the railing. She was still dealing with his admission. After a few seconds, she cursed herself and followed Dom.

 

Dom booked rooms for both of them. There was enough money, and most of it wouldn’t be traceable. They should be safe for a while at least.

 

The hotel was the Waldgrave and it sat slightly west of Central Godwin. It tried to emulate its namesake planet in a number of ways, all with varying success. Wood was everywhere, though none of the rich Waldgrave stock that was the planet’s primary export—if you didn’t count fascism.

 

The hotel tried for a Germanic flavor, which ended up in silly affected accents and sillier uniforms. The staff’s only successes in its homage were in the expense of a stay, which approached what a stay on Waldgrave might really cost, and the absolutely feudal organization of the staff.

 

In the end, Tetsami decided she couldn’t have cared less. By the time they got their rooms she was thoroughly bored with the place. What she wanted was sleep. After some rest, maybe her pitch to Dom might not seem as insane as it did right now.

 

Glibly throwing requirements around was one thing. Just talk. However, coming through with a workable plan was something else entirely. Even coming up with people with the required skills—

 

Just thinking about it gave Tetsami a headache.

 

Top all of that off with the fact that people were out to kill her and Dom. That showed how insane this all was.

 

The guy in lederhosen who led them to their rooms didn’t stick around for a tip.

 

Dom opened his door and turned to her. “After we both get some rest, we’re going to have to talk about your plans.”

 

Tetsami nodded and watched him go in. She stood in the hall and held the card key for the neighboring room. She looked at it and thought about how much it cost. Dom had booked them for two days. It might come to just under a kilo.

 

It wasn’t much, but she knew scams well enough that she could go to reception and cash the key in. It would be enough running expenses to get her as far as Proudhon. She couldn’t buy passage, but there were ways around that. She could manipulate a ship’s manifest as easily as a corp’s database.