The Dragon Never Sleeps by Glen Cook

Author:Glen Cook [Cook, Dragon]
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Science fiction, Fantasy, General, Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction - Science Fiction, Space Opera, Short stories, Science Fiction - Space Opera, Science Fiction And Fantasy, Fantasy - Short Stories, Short Story
ISBN: 9781597801485
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Published: 2010-01-21T16:01:48+00:00

— 75 —

Lupo Provik gazed out his office window, at a level with Tregesser Horata High City. He saw nothing that pleased him. “What is she doing up there?”

Four said, “Still no word.”

“Doesn’t she realize how much mischief the Directors can do? Especially now?”

Blessed’s Voyager had broken off the Web two hours ago. Lupo and the family had gathered to await Two’s report.

Three said, “What’s Two waiting for?”

Four asked, “Blessed wouldn’t have neutralized her, would he?”

“No,” Lupo said. “We won’t catch him in that kind of mistake.”

One had been on station since yesterday, waiting to escort the crown prince.

Five and Six had comm duty. Six said, “Stop fussing. Two is on.”

They clustered as Two took shape. Lupo felt mildly foolish. He should have suspected she was waiting to get close enough to send holosignals. She asked, “Am I coming through?”

“Perfectly,” Lupo replied. “Got anything interesting?”

“Blessed is making a show of model behavior. For now. Main point is that though he took only three people out to M. Shrilica, he’s bringing eight back.”

Two vanished. Holoportraits replaced her. “Cable Shike. Nyo Bofoku. Tina Bofoku. They went out with him. Kharsen Bhentus. Oral Stang. Specialists in financial forecasting exiled by Simon Tregesser.”

“I recall the incident. Not one of Simon’s better days.”

“Bhentus is human. Stang looks like an artifact trying to pass. The M. Shrilica records are inconclusive.”

Lupo glanced at Three and Four. They were researching the names already.

“There are no records on these next three. Lady Midnight. Artifact. Function self-evident. Amber Soul. Artifact with a question mark. Of alien manufacture? Whatever, it gives me the creeps. Turtle. Alien. Actual name unknown. Race probably Ku. Supposedly Shike’s assistant.”

Lupo sensed what was on Two’s mind. “You think it’s a ringer?”

“This one, yes. Maybe more than one.”

“We’re on them. One will meet you on station. Brief him. Stick to Blessed. We’ve got us a situation.”

“The Guardship?”

“Part of it.”

Two said, “We saw a Guardship, too. VII Gemina.” She secured comm.

It was very quiet there till Lupo managed a chuckle. “Seems I was a little optimistic about our success in the end space.”

Nobody said anything. No point going into it till Two arrived with the whole story.

“Let’s bring those last three images back and see what we can get out of the bank.”

The one artifact was in the Banat-Marath catalog, a standard item. The alien was a Ku warrior, possibly useful to Blessed, noteworthy only for its rarity.

That left Amber Soul.

Strange name. Not in the Banat-Marath catalog. Not in any damned file. Human? If so, she was the ugliest woman Lupo ever saw. Alien? Alien artifact? Wouldn’t do any good to run that.

“Lupo.”

“Uhm?”

“Call from Goshe. Just had somebody come at him with the right codes, wants a face to face. Name is Kim Chingamora. I ran him. A class three, reliable, second purser on the Medvihn Traveler Federal Lotus. There hasn’t been a Medvihn in here in eight years. He took an emergency leave and came here on his own credit.”

“He’s got something hot.”

“Something he thinks will set him for life.

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