Starfishers Volume 2: Starfishers by Glen Cook

do the work for a few days.” He spoke with a gentle sarcasm that may have masked envy.
    “Word’s getting around about you, Mouse,” benRabi said.
    Mouse did not respond. He was in no mood for banter.
    They beat an unescorted retreat, seeking their cabins like wounded animals seeking the security of their dens. In the passage outside benRabi’s cabin, Mouse asked, “What do we do now, Moyshe?”
    BenRabi shrugged. “I don’t know. I was hoping you’d think of something. Go for the ride, I guess. They’ve stalemated us.”
    “Just for now.” Mouse stood a little taller. “We’ve got a year. They can’t keep their guard up forever, can they?”
    “They probably can.” But a little false encouragement felt good. “Still, you never know. Something might turn up.”
    “Look at that.”
    The Sangaree lady was watching them from her doorway. She smiled, waved.
    “Gloating,” benRabi said.
    “Think she knows what happened? Think she helped do us in?”
    BenRabi shrugged, looked at the woman. Their gazes seemed to ring like meeting swords. Her smile broadened. “Yes. I’m sure she did.”
     
----

Eight: 3047 AD
The Olden Days, The Broken Wings
    Hoping Marya would make no sense of the data before him, Niven told her, “I’m checking to see where people go when they leave The Broken Wings. If a statistically significant number emigrate to certain worlds, we can begin to infer both their fantasies under dome conditions and what it is that attracts them to a particular type world. If it’s environmental, then we’ve discovered a way to ease the negatives of dome life.” He hoped he sounded tutorial. He cranked it up a notch to be sure. “Ubichi specializes in negative environment, high-yield exploitation operations. Employee turnover has become a major problem because of the expense of training and transportation for some of our field operations. It’s in the corporate interest to reduce those costs by keeping our employees happy and comfortable.”
    Pretty glib , he thought. He congratulated himself. “What’re you doing here?”
    “Looking for you. We had a date.”
    “Not till . . . Holy Christ! Look at the time. Hey beautiful lady, I’m sorry. I got on the track of something. I worked right through lunch. Give me a minute, will you? I’ll finish up, call my secretary, and we can get moving.” He grinned. “I have to check in. Education didn’t wear the Old Earth off of him. You wouldn’t believe the hell he gave me last night!”
    He no longer felt the smile. She was turning him to gelatin again.
    Mouse did not answer his buzz. Niven would have been surprised had he done so. The call was simply a ploy to get the data out of Marya’s sight, and to seize time to create a plausible structure of lies atop those he had just told.
    He needed no story. Marya asked no questions except, “What do you want to do?”
    He almost replied with the hard truth.
    “I’ve had it with work, but we about covered everything last night. Angel City isn’t swing-town.” Gallantly, he added, “I’m content just being with you. You pick.”
    She laughed. “And they say there’s no romance left on Old Earth. How about we just go for a walk? I feel like a good long one.”
    “Uh . . . ” His hands started shaking.
    He had gotten out young, but the lessons of an Old Earth’s childhood died hard. People who did not learn them young also died hard. Not to walk the streets without a gang of friends was one of the strictest lessons of the motherworld.
    This was not Old Earth. Death did not make the streets its home here. But the sticktights did lurk there, and they might up the ante in the game at any minute.
    “How come you’re grinning?”
    “That’s no grin, lady. That’s what they call a rictus. Of fear. I’m Old Earther. You know how hard it would be for me to walk down a street without at least fifty guys to back me up?”
    “I forgot. But there’s nothing to worry about here,