removed their weapons and tucked them away. She doubted that these two ordinarily got much of a workout on this kind of run.
"You want me to take out the guards?" Bork asked.
"No. Let's hold off a bit. You see the judge?"
Geneva said, "The gray-haired one, in the jumpsuit, two from your left end."
Dirisha nodded. "Looks better in his computer holo than he does in person, don't you think?"
"Theypaid to be brought here?" Bork put in. "Me, I'd ask for my money back, if it doesn't get any more exciting than this."
"Maybe the tender does a strip or something later," Geneva said.
Bork glanced at the man mixing drinks behind the bar.
Dirisha had noticed him when they'd arrived; he was white-haired, couldn't be a day under seventy, and she probably outweighed him by ten kilos. He looked like an ad for somebody's kindly grandfather. He moved pretty well, though, and Dirisha felt pretty certain the man had some kind of extensive training.
Walking the Flex gave you the ability to see that in somebody, and she'd bet stads the tender was notso innocuous as he attempted to appear.
"I wouldn't pay to see him naked," Bork said.
"The evening is early," Dirisha said, grinning. "Who knows what might happen before it's done? The tour might get its money's worth yet."
No sooner had she said this than the judge got up and moved toward the fresher.
"Ah.Looks as if the judge is about to pay his respects to the toilet. One of us should maybe join him there, you think?"
Bork started to rise.
"Not you, Bork. You look like a planetoid; the guard can't help but notice you if you change orbit. We need somebody who looks a bit more harmless, in case they are watching."
"That's me," Geneva said. "You're as bad as Bork; if you get up, half the men in the place will have to check to see if their testicles are in place."
"You wound me, brat."
"Come on. The way you swagger, guys'll start spitting on the floor and trying to lower their voices when you pass. It'll be an awful scene."
Geneva stood, smiled sweetly at her lover, and followed the judge into the fresher.
"I don't swagger when I walk, do I, Bork?"
"Uh, swagger?" He looked uncomfortable.
Dirisha laughed.
After a couple of moments, the judge and Geneva came out of the fresher. They had linked arms and Geneva was smiling and laughing, as though the judge had just made some witty remark. Dirisha saw the blonde squeeze the judge's arm and say something quietly to him, and it looked harmless, unless you could see the judge wince slightly and pale. He smiled and nodded as if he were having a wonderful time.
The two of them walked back to the group, where the judge smiled even more and spoke to one of the guards. The uniformed man leered and shook his head. Dirisha couldn't hear the dialog, but she could guess the gist of it: I'm going to be leaving the tour here for a while, the judge would be saying. I'll meet you at the rendezvous in the morning.
The guard's look at Geneva was admiring enough, and since she wasn't wearing her spetsdods and the thinskins she wore hid very little of her shape, he was probably thinking that the judge had managed to pull off a neat trick to come up with such a shapely twat as this one.
The guard bought it, for the judge and Geneva headed for the exit. Dirisha almost shook her head. Stupid guard was sure wasting somebody's money.
Bork and Dirisha stood and walked to the exit.
Outside, the judge was beginning to worry, and he was voicing it to Geneva when Bork and Dirisha left the pub.
"You can't do this!"
"Sure I can, I alreadydid it."
Dirisha grinned and reached into her jacket pocket for her left spetsdod. She stripped away the backing from the plastic flesh and seated the weapon on her left hand, adjusting the thing before the flesh set. She was reaching for the right-hand weapon when the two guards emerged from the pub.
Not so stupid after all, maybe, Dirisha thought.
The judge saw the guards. "H-help—!" he managed, before Geneva's nerve
"You want me to take out the guards?" Bork asked.
"No. Let's hold off a bit. You see the judge?"
Geneva said, "The gray-haired one, in the jumpsuit, two from your left end."
Dirisha nodded. "Looks better in his computer holo than he does in person, don't you think?"
"Theypaid to be brought here?" Bork put in. "Me, I'd ask for my money back, if it doesn't get any more exciting than this."
"Maybe the tender does a strip or something later," Geneva said.
Bork glanced at the man mixing drinks behind the bar.
Dirisha had noticed him when they'd arrived; he was white-haired, couldn't be a day under seventy, and she probably outweighed him by ten kilos. He looked like an ad for somebody's kindly grandfather. He moved pretty well, though, and Dirisha felt pretty certain the man had some kind of extensive training.
Walking the Flex gave you the ability to see that in somebody, and she'd bet stads the tender was notso innocuous as he attempted to appear.
"I wouldn't pay to see him naked," Bork said.
"The evening is early," Dirisha said, grinning. "Who knows what might happen before it's done? The tour might get its money's worth yet."
No sooner had she said this than the judge got up and moved toward the fresher.
"Ah.Looks as if the judge is about to pay his respects to the toilet. One of us should maybe join him there, you think?"
Bork started to rise.
"Not you, Bork. You look like a planetoid; the guard can't help but notice you if you change orbit. We need somebody who looks a bit more harmless, in case they are watching."
"That's me," Geneva said. "You're as bad as Bork; if you get up, half the men in the place will have to check to see if their testicles are in place."
"You wound me, brat."
"Come on. The way you swagger, guys'll start spitting on the floor and trying to lower their voices when you pass. It'll be an awful scene."
Geneva stood, smiled sweetly at her lover, and followed the judge into the fresher.
"I don't swagger when I walk, do I, Bork?"
"Uh, swagger?" He looked uncomfortable.
Dirisha laughed.
After a couple of moments, the judge and Geneva came out of the fresher. They had linked arms and Geneva was smiling and laughing, as though the judge had just made some witty remark. Dirisha saw the blonde squeeze the judge's arm and say something quietly to him, and it looked harmless, unless you could see the judge wince slightly and pale. He smiled and nodded as if he were having a wonderful time.
The two of them walked back to the group, where the judge smiled even more and spoke to one of the guards. The uniformed man leered and shook his head. Dirisha couldn't hear the dialog, but she could guess the gist of it: I'm going to be leaving the tour here for a while, the judge would be saying. I'll meet you at the rendezvous in the morning.
The guard's look at Geneva was admiring enough, and since she wasn't wearing her spetsdods and the thinskins she wore hid very little of her shape, he was probably thinking that the judge had managed to pull off a neat trick to come up with such a shapely twat as this one.
The guard bought it, for the judge and Geneva headed for the exit. Dirisha almost shook her head. Stupid guard was sure wasting somebody's money.
Bork and Dirisha stood and walked to the exit.
Outside, the judge was beginning to worry, and he was voicing it to Geneva when Bork and Dirisha left the pub.
"You can't do this!"
"Sure I can, I alreadydid it."
Dirisha grinned and reached into her jacket pocket for her left spetsdod. She stripped away the backing from the plastic flesh and seated the weapon on her left hand, adjusting the thing before the flesh set. She was reaching for the right-hand weapon when the two guards emerged from the pub.
Not so stupid after all, maybe, Dirisha thought.
The judge saw the guards. "H-help—!" he managed, before Geneva's nerve
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