Galaxy of Heroes by Flory Gus

Author:Flory, Gus [Flory, Gus]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Gus Flory
Published: 2009-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

The Gambler

“Why are you so eager?” Grimes asked.

“We are in need of finances if we are to voyage to the Calli Sector. There are Craaldans present in Portogallos. Governor Zegra may have trackers here as well. I will watch your back while you retrieve the money owed to you by Captain Spade. Get up. Let’s move, soldier.”

“Okay,” he said. “But don’t get any funny ideas.”

He got out of the bed and dressed himself.

The two of them stepped into the glass elevator that ran down the outer wall of the hotel. They rode the elevator down, gazing out beyond the gleaming towers at the shimmering sea.

Genie walked beside him on the crowded walkway and then through a breezy portico that led to a casino tower downtown. The large glowing sign above the casino read “House of Jod.”

The casino was dark, noisy and crowded with humans. Bright, colorful lights flashed in the dimness as humans tried their luck at an endless variety of gambling machines. Megalans stood like giants above the throng. Paltrans moved through the casino using their mechanical contraptions. Attractive cyborgs—both male and female versions—mingled, delivering drinks and offering up their services. Down a long, dim, high-ceilinged hall, humans sat around card tables, attempting to relieve their competitors of cash.

Genie scanned the faces at the poker tables.

“There he is,” she said.

“Where?” he asked.

She pointed out Capt. Spade, who was seated at a poker table with a Paltran and three Portogallans.

“You stay behind me and keep quiet,” Grimes said. “I’ll do the talking. Just watch my back, OK, babe?”

“Roger,” she said.

Grimes approached Spade’s table, with Genie following behind.

Spade puffed on a cigar as he studied his cards. His black hair was slicked back. He was wearing his gray flight suit, and a patch over his right eye. A scar ran down his cheek from under the patch.

Spade looked over at the Portogallan seated across the table, who threw his cards down. “I fold,” the Portogallan said.

Spade squinted his good eye and examined the cards in his gloved hands.

“It’s your call, slim,” Spade said to the Paltran seated across the table from him.

The Paltran studied his cards intensely through his glowing red spectacles. He held his cards close to his chest with his long, slender fingers. The Paltran’s arms were wrapped with spindly metal prostheses, and his torso was encased inside a robotic breastplate.

“What’s the matter, Galazar?” Spade said. “Gravity got you down?”

The Paltran—Galazar—lifted his cards with the aid of the bionic prosthesis. He examined his hand again through the red glow of his lenses.

He looked up at Spade, and then at the large pile of chips in the center of the table, and then slowly placed his cards face up on the table. “Straight flush,” the Paltran said, without expression.

Spade looked him in the eye—or the spectacles, rather. He then placed the ace of spades face up on the table. He laid down the king of spades, the queen, the jack and then the ten.

“Read ‘em and weep,” Spade said. He scooped in the pile of chips and packed them into cargo pockets.

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