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.“Thursday already? Maybe I got more sun than I thought.Yeah, I guess someone had to do that run for me, didn’t they?”“Don’t worry,” said Pavel.“She’ll bring your ship back safe and sound.” Rising, he crossed to the living area and downed a morning cup of tea, wiping the sides of his mouth with his shirtsleeve.“Let’s check your hydration levels, okay?” asked Pavel.“Just to be safe.”“Yeah, sure.” Renard extended his arm and Pavel took a few quick measurements.“You’re down half a liter, man,” he reported back.Renard gave a characteristic grunt.“You know better, Renard.See you get over to the Shirff about an extra ration.You need to sip slowly—”“I know, I know,” said Renard.“City-boy.”Pavel grinned at the nickname Renard never grew tired of applying.“I’ll take you out to see Jess’s new ride after you’ve had a rest and downed at least a liter.Fair enough?”Renard seemed about to protest, but then he shrugged and turned to go.At the foot of the stairs, he looked back to Pavel.“You’re sure she’s coming right back?”Pavel’s lips tightened and thinned.“Well, I guess you never really know with Jess, do you?”Renard looked worried for a split-second but then covered it with a laugh and a response.“Guess not, city-boy.” A quick wink and he shot up the stairs and outside.“Hey, take it easy today,” Pavel called after him.Renard’s laughter filtered down into the underground dwelling.Pavel turned, shaking his head.36IF YOU MUST EAT WORMSInside Renard’s body, Gaspar walked toward the Shirff’s office.He knew it would do him no good to function in a body that was dehydrated.Why hadn’t they taken care of that during his consciousness transfer? As he asked the question, it occurred to him that he might’ve suffered water-loss during his brief walk into town.He needed to be more careful here—he needed his full faculties at all times.And just now, he needed a place from which to place a call to Lucca Brezhnaya.He dreaded giving her the news that one of the two persons he was to question had fled.But even more, he dreaded Lucca finding out from someone besides himself.No, he would have to relay the information.He calculated the hour in Budapest.The Chancellor would be preparing for dinner, perhaps, by now.He’d half-hoped she might be sleeping so that he could leave a message rather than endure one of her famous rages.“Still,” he murmured to himself, “If you must eat worms, best get them down quickly and without an excess of anticipation.”He acquired the extra water-ration—and a back-slapping welcome hug—from the Shirff and then turned to find a remote location from which he could communicate with the Chancellor.The blast crater seemed a promising location—the large ship almost certainly had a holo-projector and lines of communication secured against any listening ears.Broadcasting from the ship would allow him to provide evidence of its existence as well.He smiled.Although he supposed Lucca had satellites that could confirm the presence of the M-class ship.He found himself hoping again she hadn’t already heard the news from someone else.The Chancellor made him wait over two hours.“What have you to report? Be quick about it.I’ve no time to waste with the election coming,” Lucca said.Gaspar jumped to his feet before the nearly perfect image of the Chancellor.He enjoyed noticing that from inside his present body, he was taller than Lucca Brezhnaya.He’d found that height mattered in negotiations, whatever people claimed to the contrary.“I will need more time,” he began, “due to unforeseen—”“I am not granting more time,” said the Chancellor, cutting him off.“What part of ‘there’s an election this week’ did you miss?”“Yes.Well, we have a setback, as it turns out,” said Gaspar.“It would seem the girl has fled, that is, she’s—”“Fled?” roared the Chancellor.“What do you mean fled?”Gaspar allowed himself a moment’s amusement.He’d had two hours to consider how he would present his information.He’d chosen the word “fled” to provoke just such a flash of anger.How interesting it would be to impersonate the Chancellor, he thought to himself.“Forgive me, Chancellor.I misspoke.It would seem the girl has undertaken a re-supplying mission normally carried out by myself, that is, by Renard of Yucca.”“So she’s coming back? When?”Gaspar raised and lowered his shoulders ever so slightly.“Soon, I am told.”Lucca focused her pale blue eyes upon Gaspar.The holographic image was frighteningly life-like.“Why did you not anticipate this and arrive in time to prevent her departure?”Gaspar took umbrage with the remark.“If you will recall, Madam Chancellor, my departure from Budapest to this fair enclave was delayed when you were unfortunately unable to meet with me as originally scheduled.” Gaspar did not allow himself to smile, but oh, he felt himself glowing inside.“How dare you insinuate your tardiness is my fault?” The Chancellor whispered the question, which made it sound far more threatening.Best not to goad her too far.“Of course not, Madam Chancellor.I alone bear the blame.” He bowed apologetically.Lucca scowled.Gaspar knew she was capable of holding her emotions in check and wondered if it was better or worse that he could see how unhappy she was with the current turn of events.“I suppose I could simply destroy the enclave,” she said at last.“That would bring the girl running back.”The remark provoked a fear-induced chortle from Gaspar, which he instantly regretted.“For all I know, it’s your fault the Martian bolted,” continued Lucca.“You might have made her skittish with an inferior performance as the old woman.”Gaspar snorted.Professional pride getting in the way of his better judgment, he retorted, “I assure you neither the girl nor anyone else suspected anything was amiss whilst I impersonated the elderly person.”After another icy stare, Lucca smiled.“No, I don’t suppose it is your fault.But I expect you to use every means available to persuade her to return swiftly.Invent something.Isn’t that what you’re good at?”Gaspar nodded.“It is what I am very good at.I will not disappoint you, Madam Chancellor.”“Do, and ten seconds warning is all you’ll get.Enough time to observe the missiles as they approach.” She smiled again, evidently enchanted by the idea of destroying the village and Gaspar with it.Then her gaze shifted and she seemed to look to either side of Gaspar.“Where on Earth are you standing?” she demanded of the impersonator.“Ah, yes, I have other news as well.As you can see, I am inside a ship.An interplanetary vessel, in fact.I believe the designation is M-class.”“I know an M-class when I see one,” snapped Lucca [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]