Bait by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-16T05:00:00+00:00

Not this girl, however. In response to the speeder's descent, she swiftly swung the shortblaster in its direction. He paused with alacrity, the soft hum of his vehicle almost inaudible above the background chatter of the Ithorian jungle. He strove to recall a dialect one of her kind would find comprehensible.

"Take it early," he rumbled. No, that wasn't it. He tried again. "Take it easy. Yes, relax." Though the absence of much of a neck prevented him from executing more than perfunctory nod, he managed to indicate the oversized handgun she now gripped firmly in both small hands. "I don't fully garner your intent, but if it's hostile, remember that's a one-shot weapon."

"Two." The muzzle of the gun did not waver. "Specially modified model. Two shots."

He considered. "And if I evade, and you miss?"

Compared to his, her mouth slit was so small as to be nearly invisible.

"I don't miss."

"Do you brag as skillfully as you hunt?"

A thin smile creased the flat human face. "You know how to find out."

He was careful to keep the end of the 242 aimed away from her. But not terribly far away. "It seems we have arrived at an impasse."

"No," she countered brusquely.

"You've arrived at an impasse. My name's Nysorly, and I've arrived in the Ithor jungle, where I've been hunting for a molsume for nearly a week. I'm going to skin it, freezerve the pelt, and sell it."

"You are a professional hunter?" Grummgar's massive overhanging brow rose. "I've put out bait bigger than you."

"I wouldn't be surprised," she shot back. "Something as big and clumsy as yourself would likely have to resort to bait."

If her intent was to provoke him, it failed. Grummgar did not take offense at words. To do so would involve him in far too many unnecessary conflicts. For him, if there was no money or trophy in it, there was no rationale for fighting.

"You could shoot me," he hypothesized, "and I could fall off this speeder and crush you."

She indicated the now half-decapitated carcass of the molsume. "You've seen how fast I can move. Surely, you're not that stupid."

"I only have to hit you once, noisy stripling."

The muzzle of the shortblaster twitched ever so slightly. "With how many amputated body parts?"

She was serious, he realized. Of all the obstacles he had prepared to deal with on this expedition, of all the potential problems and setbacks and possible unforeseen complications, the last thing he had expected to have to confront was competition. And pocket-sized competition, at that.

But there was nothing undersized about her gun.

"I could kill you," he murmured off-handedly, "but I dislike a mess."

"You'll make a bigger one."

"Instead of watching and waiting, I could have ignored the situation in the hope that the moslume would take you."

Her grin returned. "Isn't that what you hoped would happen?"

"Not really. I was intending to put it down before it could reach you."

"So, my actual survivalwasa matter of some indifference to you?"

Once again he managed a limited-range nod. "You wound me. In all honesty, I did have a preference.

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