Drifter's War Read Free Page B

toward Lando and talking in an animated fashion.
    The rain fell in sheets. The robo-sentries were skeletal figures only dimly seen. They stalked down across manicured lawns, ignored the dock, and headed out along the top of the breakwater.
    Lando looked out toward the ocean. The entranceway was half a mile ahead. If the robo-sentries got there first they could grab the skimmer or, failing that, blow it out of the water. He dropped into the cockpit.
    "I want full speed ahead."
    "Aye, aye, sir, " the computer replied. "Full speed it is." The skimmer surged forward. Lando bit the inside of his cheek. The race was on, and the outcome would be extremely close.

2
    Della Dee pushed the door open and stepped inside. A neon nude ran the length of the opposite wall. Pink nipples flashed on and off. They stopped as the door closed. Smoke hung in slowly drifting layers. One of Terra's most popular vocalists moaned seductively in the background, her voice distorted by the bar's cheap sound system.
    Dee's boots made a clacking sound as she approached the bar, selected a stool, and sat down. It was early yet, and while half the tables were occupied, Dee had the bar to herself. Every man in the room turned to stare.
    Dee had bright green eyes, flawless skin, and a nice figure. She wore a white blouse under flat black body armor, skintight pants, and knee-high boots. The slug gun rode high and tight in a cross-draw holster. But it was the flaming red hair that drew their attention. It was and always had been both a blessing and a curse, attracting men like moths to a flame.
    Dee looked too straight to be a whore, too hard to be a citizen on the prowl, and too good to be unattached. Long red fingernails made a clicking sound as they hit the bar.
    The bartender looked, liked what he saw, and nodded. He had a bullet-shaped head, a wrestler's torso, and massive arms. He grabbed an aluminum cask, heaved it off the floor, and dropped it into a cradle. It hit with a distinct thud. The bartender smiled as he turned around.
    "What'll it be, honey?"
    Dee ignored the bartender's leer. "A beer plus some information."
    The bartender frowned. His eyebrows came together into a straight line. He ran a rag over the spot in front of him. "What kind of information?"
    Dee smiled reassuringly. "Nothing complicated. Take a look at this."
    For the sixteenth time that day Dee slipped the holo cube out of her pocket and placed it on the bar. The bartender lifted the device up to eye level and gave it a squeeze. A man appeared. He had bushy eyebrows, a long straight nose, and a tight thin-lipped mouth. His eyes were bright blue and stared out from cavernous sockets. An alkie or a wire-head. The bartender saw them every day.
    "So you're a bounty hunter. What'd he do? Walk away from his bar tab?"
    Dee shook her head. "Nothing like that. He's a friend of mine. Have you seen him?"
    A calculating grin stole over the bartender's face. "And what if I have? What would you give me?"
    Dee shrugged. "Ten credits and a sincere 'thank you.'"
    The bartender leaned forward, closing the distance between them to a foot or so. "How 'bout something a little more personal? Something you'd enjoy as much as I would?"
    Dee sighed. She forced herself to be patient. "I've got a headache. The offer stands. Have you seen this man or not?"
    The bartender shrugged. He nodded toward the far side of the lounge. "He's over there. In the side room. Playing it big with some drunks."
    Dee felt her spirits leap. Finally! She slapped some currency on the bar. "Thanks."
    "What about your beer?"
    A roid miner had passed out at the nearest table. Dee gestured in her direction. "Give it to her when she wakes up."
    The bartender nodded and turned away.
    Dee felt eyes follow her as she walked across the room. The sensation was nothing new. Some were curious, some wanted her body, and some were afraid.
    They were like rabbits crouched in their burrows as the fox strolled by. They saw past the cloud of bright