Read Online Triplet by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online Page B

bring a single scrap of this technology out to the Twenty Worlds. And for most people, the more they see of Shamsheer, the more the fact that this stuffs beyond their reach gnaws the hell out of them.”
    She snorted gently. “Pure, unadulterated greed.”
    Ravagin flicked an irritated glance at her. “Greed, yes. Unadulterated, no.”
    â€œPerhaps.”
    They sat in silence for a few more minutes. From the other end of the street a second party added counterpoint to the sounds of the first, and pedestrian traffic in front of the way house picked up as people began traveling back and forth between the two foci of entertainment. One of the fascinations this culture held for sociologists, Ravagin knew, was that of a still largely medieval setting where even the peasant class had real quantities of leisure time.
    â€œWould you really have let that jerkface hit me?”
    Ravagin brought his mind back. “Yes,” he told her honestly. “If he’d chosen to exercise that right it would have been the simplest and safest way out of that mess. And don’t think it wasn’t a mess—we could have gotten into serious trouble out there.”
    Danae’s face twisted into an irritated grimace as she stared straight out over the rail. “And since I’d gotten us into it in the first place I needed the lesson anyway?” she growled. “Maybe; but I’m not sorry I did it. Maybe you could sit by and watch that woman get hurt, but I couldn’t.”
    â€œWhich proves all by itself you didn’t really understand what was going on,” Ravagin countered, fighting against his own irritation. “If they’d gone so far as to actually hurt her, they would have been the ones in trouble. And they knew it. Shamsheer law is strongly set up along the eye-for-an-eye philosophy, applied evenly to all people. Especially in the Tween cities, which are generally at least a little more democratic than the protectorates.”
    Danae pondered that for a moment in silence. “Well … maybe I did go off a little prematurely,” she admitted.
    â€œPrematurely, hell,” he told her bluntly. “You could have gotten us both killed out there. And it is not going to happen again, or I’ll abort this trip and take you straight back to Threshold. Understood?”
    She glared at him. “You don’t have to beat it to death,” she said icily. “I was wrong, I admit it, and I promise to stay fully on track from now on. Happy?”
    â€œEcstatically.” He hadn’t really intended to bring this up quite so soon, but after that thickheaded play this afternoon the more caution he could plant in her the better. “I’d be even happier if you’d explain why you’ve got a professional bodyguard trailing along behind you.”
    She jerked, actually spinning to look over her shoulder. “What—? Damn him. It’s Hart, right? Where is he?” she growled, facing Ravagin again.
    â€œIf my instructions have been listened to, he’s still back on Threshold. But some of my colleagues may have more trouble than I did turning down the cash dripping off his fingers.”
    â€œDamn. But he can’t find us here … can he?”
    â€œNot as far as I know. Are you saying he’s a danger to you?”
    â€œNot a danger, no. But definitely an annoyance.” She sighed and seemed to slump in her chair. “He’s been dogging my every move ever since I left home, watching out for nonexistent danger and smoothing my road for me whenever he could.”
    â€œSo why don’t you send him away?”
    â€œBecause I’m not the one paying his salary. That comes from my father—and Daddy Dear sees monsters underneath every bush.”
    â€œMaybe he knows something you don’t,” Ravagin grunted.
    â€œ Like …?”
    â€œLike maybe something new has come up. Some reason he suddenly