Profiteer

Dom sighed. “Well, we keep a lid on for now. Take me down to meet the team. We don’t have much time before we have to hit Klaus.”

 

* * * *

 

By mid-morning—after Dom was briefed by Tetsami— the team was all together in one place for the first time.

 

So all Klaus needs is one missile, Dom thought as he took his seat to the right of the display holo.

 

The warehouse could be subdivided by computer-controlled wall modules, and their meeting room was a large chamber constructed entirely of the programmed wall units. They sat in a cube twenty meters on a side and would have had one hell of an echo problem if Mosasa hadn’t included sound dampers in with the more conventional countersurveillance devices.

 

Nine people sat in a ring around a circular table that had once been a pedestal for some piece of heavy machinery. Dom and Tetsami sat on either side of a holo generator aimed above the table.

 

Dom folded his hands before him and began.

 

“All of you’ve been given some idea of what we plan to do here. It’s time for specifics. None of you is committed yet. Considering time and security problems, this is your one chance to back out.”

 

Dom scanned the room. He had to make the offer. Levy looked a little nervous. The bird-thing’s head was bobbing on a serpentine neck in a very inhuman manner. Mosasa’s dragon tattoo showed more expression than Mosasa did.

 

No one backed out.

 

Dom nodded. “Good. Since this is the first time you’ve all been together, let’s have some introductions— Tetsami?”

 

Tetsami stood. She was going to have to bear the brunt of the presentation since it was, for the most part, her plan.

 

She ran her hands through her hair. She looked as though she’d been missing some sleep. “Well, you all know me—in fact you’re lucky if I haven’t pumped you for information in the past sixty-four hours—but for formality’s sake, I’m Kari Tetsami.”

 

Funny, though it was in her file, it was the first time Dom had ever considered her first name.

 

“I’m coordinating this expedition. If you have a problem with the plan, you talk to me.”

 

Tetsami waved at Ivor. He was putting away his third sandwich and washing it down with a mammoth container of coffee. “This is Ivor Jorgenson, the best pilot I know of on this rock. He’ll be the one extracting the surface team from the complex.”

 

She continued, counterclockwise around the table. Next to Jorgenson was Shane, who was nursing a large bruise on the side of her face. “Kathy Shane, she’s our marine. She was kind enough to defect with a full load of body armor. She’ll be the one to get the ground team into the ship.”

 

Mosasa was next. “Tjaele Mosasa is our expert on communications, electronics, security systems, and so on. He’s already done worthwhile work on the transponder in Shane’s armor, and he is going to make sure that the folks holding GA&A don’t see us coming.” Mosasa nodded politely, the glow from the holo projector reflecting off his scalp.

 

Floating next to Mosasa was a squashed metal sphere carrying what looked like an oversized briefcase in one of its manipulators. “The robot is actually being run by Random Walk, an artificial intelligence.” Dom felt he heard Tetsami’s voice lower a few degrees. “Random will be responsible for taking charge of the computers aboard the Paralian ship in the landing quad.”

 

Johann Levy was next, short, balding, and perpetually nervous. Dom also noted that he was sitting between the two nonhumans. “Johann Levy is our demolition expert. He has the most important job, cracking the safe.”

 

Next was the bird, a creature who had been getting his—her? its?—share of stares. “Flower is a Voleran,” just in case they hadn’t guessed; “it—please don’t call Flower ‘he,’ that would be an insult—is our informant on the design and weaponry of the drop-ship that we have to deal with. Flower will not go in on the ground, but our success relies on it as much as on any member of the group.”

 

Then there was Zanzibar. “Mariah Zanzibar knows the hardwired security setup in the complex. She’s also combat-trained and will back up the team going into the safe.

 

“And, finally, Mr. Dominic Magnus, the man whose money we’re stealing.”

 

Dom nodded at the rest of the assembled team.

 

“What’s at stake here,” said Tetsami, “for each of us, is a flat twenty megagrams. Or an equal share of a corporate takeover.” She smiled. “Now that we know each other and why we’re involved, shall we get down to what we’re going to do?”

 

<>

 

* * * *

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

 

Press Conference

 

 

“Mercenaries may not win as many wars as fanatics do, but they live longer.”

—The Cynic’s Book of Wisdom

 

“Gold is everything; without gold there’s nothing.”

—Denis Diderot

(1713-1784)

 

 

Sometime during the introductions it hit Tetsami. It was actually going to happen. This heist she had been planning—at least half out of desperation—was actually going down.