No Phule Like An Old Phule by Robert & Heck Asprin Page B

Sushi. “But I think I know what you’re getting at. We don’t know for sure that Rev has any business spying on the Zenobians after all, they are supposed to be our allies. But how much do you want to bet that Alliance headquarters isn’t already spying on them, on a much wider level than we’re planning to do?”
    Do-Wop’s eyebrows rose the better part of an inch. “Whoa, man, that’s right! I never thought about that-but it makes sense. Maybe there’s even somebody in our outfit doin‘ it, if we knew everything that was goin’ on!”
    Now it was Sushi’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “You know, Do-wop, if I ever act as if I think you’re stupid, remind me of this. Of course there’s somebody in our company gathering intelligence on the Zenobians there’s got to be! We’re the only Alliance military outfit on Zenobia. I mean, why would the government pass up a chance like this? The question is, who is it? It must be somebody who’s been with us a while-we haven’t had anybody new join the company since before we got the Zenobia assignment.”
    Do-Wop shrugged. “Well, it ain’t us—unless this job for Rev is part of it. Hey, you don’t think…”
    “Nothing would surprise me,” said Sushi. “But we’re not going to figure it out just standing around jawing. Why… don’t you go over and get Rev to sign a chit for that translator and see if you spot anything to make you think he’s the spy. I suppose it’s none of our business, but I must admit you’ve piqued my curiosity.”
    “I’ll keep my eyes open,” said Do-Wop, showing what for him was an unusual degree of enthusiasm. He winked, and slipped out the door, and Sushi returned to his attempts to penetrate the Zenobians’ computer network. Maybe that weird oscillation in the 1000khz range was a carrier wave of some kind…
    “Hey, we just got here,” protested Ernie, sprawling full length on the bed. There was no other place in the room to sit, unless he wanted to perch on a windowsill-which was currently occupied by Lola.
    “What’s the point of turning around and going right back out again?”
    Lola shrugged. “Phule’s most likely to be at the Fat Chance, so that’s where we go.”
    “Oh, sure,” groaned Ernie. “That’s halfway around the wheel. On a stinkin‘ bus, no less.”
    “If you have a problem with a bus, think about what happens if we don’t get the job done this time,” said Lola. “Or did you enjoy our last meeting with Mr. V?”
    “Screw Mr. V,” said Ernie, but he looked nervously over his shoulder as he said it. Here on Lorelei, the mob was as likely as not to have ears even in the shabby rented room where he and Lola had landed after their unenthusiastic return to the space station where their previous attempt to kidnap Willard Phule had gone spectacularly awry.
    Despite taking the cheapest liner they could find passage on, the two freelance kidnappers had arrived at Lorelei low on funds-low enough to make finding someplace to stay a real chore. After several hours of working the spaceport’s bank of pay phones, Lola had managed to find them a room in a small apartment building that normally catered not to off-station tourists but to the lowest paid casino workers-a major comedown from the suite they’d occupied in the Fat Chance on their previous trip.
    The only workers who lived this far from the casinos were the least skilled and most easily replaced. The powers that ran Lorelei Station saw no reason to waste much effort making their living quarters attractive or convenient.
    “There’s a bus stop about half a kilometer away,” said Lola, looking over the battered Public Transit handout their landlord had condescended to lend them. “Come on, get your tourist duds on. Now’s as good a time as any to scope the place out and make some plans. Besides, if we look and act like players, there’s free food in the casinos. Unless you’ve been holding out on me, we sure can’t afford to eat in