details do you feel compelled to share with me?"
"Whatever the Octopus told you about his fleet, he exaggerated."
"We never spoke about his fleet."
"Of course you did," insisted Copperfield. "He was trying to scare you off, of course. He could have no other reason to meet with you. But the Platinum Duke has found out much more about him. I think we should take the commission."
"David, you never saw a commission you didn't want to take," said Cole wearily.
"Do you want to hear what we learned or not?" demanded Copperfield.
"If I listen politely, will you go away when you're done?"
"I don't understand this attitude, Steerforth," said the little alien. "But to get to the point, it is true that the Octopus has three hundred and sixty-two ships. However, at least three hundred of them are two-man and three-man jobs."
"That's still a lot of ships," said Cole.
"None of the small ships have anything stronger than a Level 1 pulse cannon or a Level 2 laser cannon."
"That leaves sixty-two ships, David. What have they got?"
Copperfield swallowed hard. "Nothing we haven't seen before."
"I'll just bet." Cole studied the dapper little alien for a moment. "Come on, David. Out with it."
"Seven of the ships have Level 4 pulse cannons, and it's possible— but not certain, not certain at all—that the Octopus's ship has a Level 5 laser cannon."
"And just where do you think we've seen that weaponry before, David?" said Cole.
"The Pegasus had a Level 5 laser cannon."
"The Pegasus was Val's original ship, the cannon was never installed, and the ship's in a junkyard," said Cole. "What about the Level 4 thumpers? Where do you think we've seen them?"
"Aboard the Teddy R," said Copperfield with a sickly smile.
"How many have you seen here?"
"Two."
"And how many does the Octopus have?" persisted Cole.
"I don't have the exact number."
"That many?"
"Why are you embarrassing me, Steerforth?" demanded the little alien.
"Would you rather be embarrassed or outnumbered, outgunned, and destroyed?" asked Cole.
"But—"
"Go back to the Platinum Duke and tell him we'll pass on this one."
"But they're paying—"
"I don't give a damn what they're paying," interrupted Cole. "You have to survive to be able to spend it."
"I can't believe we're going to turn tail and run!" said Copperfield.
"We don't have a tail and we're not running," answered Cole. "We're just not accepting the assignment. Besides," he added, "I've got a sneaking fondness for the Octopus."
"How can you like someone like that?"
"I like you, and you've probably broken at least as many laws as he has."
"Nevertheless, I am sorely disappointed in you, Steerforth."
"I'm desolate," said Cole. "Perhaps you should leave me to drink my beer in miserable isolation."
"Bah! You're impossible when you're like this!" said the little alien, heading off to an airlift. "I'm off to report to the Duke, and drown my disappointment in an Antarean brandy."
Cole resisted the urge to point out that his system couldn't metabolize alcohol. He knew Copperfield wouldn't drink it, but merely order it for show—though after two years he still had no idea who the alien thought he was posturing for.
"Did you hear all that?" said Cole when he was alone in the mess hall.
"Of course," said Sharon as her image popped into view. "Your old school chum can't understand why you won't face Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday armed only with a flyswattcr."
"I have no intention of fating him, period, he outnumbers us seven to one, and more to the point, he's probably no worse than the governments that were running his little empire before he got there." Cole took a final swallow of his beer. "I've been thinking . . ."
"Just when things were so peaceful," she replied.
"I'm being serious," said Cole. "I think the reason the Duke has been having trouble getting us assignments lately is that we usually outnumber the enemy almost as much as the Octopus outnumbers us, and clients don't want to pay for ten times
"Whatever the Octopus told you about his fleet, he exaggerated."
"We never spoke about his fleet."
"Of course you did," insisted Copperfield. "He was trying to scare you off, of course. He could have no other reason to meet with you. But the Platinum Duke has found out much more about him. I think we should take the commission."
"David, you never saw a commission you didn't want to take," said Cole wearily.
"Do you want to hear what we learned or not?" demanded Copperfield.
"If I listen politely, will you go away when you're done?"
"I don't understand this attitude, Steerforth," said the little alien. "But to get to the point, it is true that the Octopus has three hundred and sixty-two ships. However, at least three hundred of them are two-man and three-man jobs."
"That's still a lot of ships," said Cole.
"None of the small ships have anything stronger than a Level 1 pulse cannon or a Level 2 laser cannon."
"That leaves sixty-two ships, David. What have they got?"
Copperfield swallowed hard. "Nothing we haven't seen before."
"I'll just bet." Cole studied the dapper little alien for a moment. "Come on, David. Out with it."
"Seven of the ships have Level 4 pulse cannons, and it's possible— but not certain, not certain at all—that the Octopus's ship has a Level 5 laser cannon."
"And just where do you think we've seen that weaponry before, David?" said Cole.
"The Pegasus had a Level 5 laser cannon."
"The Pegasus was Val's original ship, the cannon was never installed, and the ship's in a junkyard," said Cole. "What about the Level 4 thumpers? Where do you think we've seen them?"
"Aboard the Teddy R," said Copperfield with a sickly smile.
"How many have you seen here?"
"Two."
"And how many does the Octopus have?" persisted Cole.
"I don't have the exact number."
"That many?"
"Why are you embarrassing me, Steerforth?" demanded the little alien.
"Would you rather be embarrassed or outnumbered, outgunned, and destroyed?" asked Cole.
"But—"
"Go back to the Platinum Duke and tell him we'll pass on this one."
"But they're paying—"
"I don't give a damn what they're paying," interrupted Cole. "You have to survive to be able to spend it."
"I can't believe we're going to turn tail and run!" said Copperfield.
"We don't have a tail and we're not running," answered Cole. "We're just not accepting the assignment. Besides," he added, "I've got a sneaking fondness for the Octopus."
"How can you like someone like that?"
"I like you, and you've probably broken at least as many laws as he has."
"Nevertheless, I am sorely disappointed in you, Steerforth."
"I'm desolate," said Cole. "Perhaps you should leave me to drink my beer in miserable isolation."
"Bah! You're impossible when you're like this!" said the little alien, heading off to an airlift. "I'm off to report to the Duke, and drown my disappointment in an Antarean brandy."
Cole resisted the urge to point out that his system couldn't metabolize alcohol. He knew Copperfield wouldn't drink it, but merely order it for show—though after two years he still had no idea who the alien thought he was posturing for.
"Did you hear all that?" said Cole when he was alone in the mess hall.
"Of course," said Sharon as her image popped into view. "Your old school chum can't understand why you won't face Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday armed only with a flyswattcr."
"I have no intention of fating him, period, he outnumbers us seven to one, and more to the point, he's probably no worse than the governments that were running his little empire before he got there." Cole took a final swallow of his beer. "I've been thinking . . ."
"Just when things were so peaceful," she replied.
"I'm being serious," said Cole. "I think the reason the Duke has been having trouble getting us assignments lately is that we usually outnumber the enemy almost as much as the Octopus outnumbers us, and clients don't want to pay for ten times
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