[MedStar] - 01 by Battle Surgeons (Michael Reaves & Steve Perry)

Author:Battle Surgeons (Michael Reaves & Steve Perry) [Reaves, Battle Surgeons (Michael & Perry), Steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-03-10T13:36:38+00:00

20

Jos had hoped that Klo Merit could shed some light on his newfound and uncomfortable knowledge about clones, but so far, the minder was more stirring up mud from the murky bottom of his thoughts than pumping in clarity.

Clarity seemed a forlorn hope right now.

“So, what exactly are we talking about here when you say ‘expertise’?”

Merit said, “Well, you can tell a lot about how much somebody knows by listening. See this ring?” He held his hand up so that Jos could view it. The piece of jew-elry was a deep golden band of metal with a thumbnail-sized stone inset into it. The stone glittered in the overhead light of Merit’s office, flashing multiple colors-reds, blues, greens, and yellows in a kind of rolling pattern, as Merit moved his hand. It was quite impressive.

Jos nodded. “Very nice. Some kind of firestone?”

Merit smiled. “Yes. And your question marks you as somebody who knows a little about them, but not much. You recognize it as a firestone, but that’s only a small step into the subject.”

Jos shrugged. “I’m a surgeon. You want to know about kidney stones, I’m your boy.”

“Somebody who didn’t know anything about gems would say, ‘That’s nice-what kind of stone is it?’ Somebody who knows a little more will comment as you did. A person with a bit more knowledge might say, ‘Is that a Gallian firestone, or a Rathalayan?’ They know there is a difference between those two and probably that this is one or the other.

“Now, a real expert will look at my ring and say, ‘Ah, a black Gallian firestone, very nice. Is it a crystal or a boulder matrix?’ Because he can tell that many specifics just by looking at it-that it is a firestone, that it comes from Gall, that it is a black. But the way it’s mounted, he can’t see the back of it, so he can’t tell the matrix. It’s a boulder, by the way, which denotes the kind of rock in which firestone is sometimes found, and the term black refers to the background colors upon which the flashes shine.”

Jos shook his head. “So now I’m educated about gems.”

Merit smiled broadly. “No, you aren’t. You couldn’t tell a real one from a fake, and you don’t know anything else about them other than what I just told you. How valuable is it, do you think?”

“Even if you found it in the Jasserak Swamp, I still couldn’t afford it.”

“It’s worth more than a blue-white diamond of the same size. And do you know about the curse?”

“‘Curse’?”

“Yes. Firestones are supposed to be unlucky. But that was a canard, started by diamond merchants who were losing business to firestone sellers. Only thing unlucky about them is not owning one.”

Jos smiled. “Okay, I take your point. At least part of it.”

“So take the rest of it. You weren’t an expert on clones because you never tried to be. Other than knowing how to cut and glue them back together, which is sufficient for your

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