Trinfollowed him carefully, keeping her eyes open and her hand on her blaster asshe stepped through the door into the dim room. She didn’t want to get cut offfrom her exit so she halted just a step inside the threshold and let her eyesget used to the low lighting.

Sureenough, sitting at the end of a black-grass table on the far side of the roomwas B’Rugh. The black-grass—which was a kind of soft fungus especially prizedfor its ability to keep gems and precious metals polished and bright simply throughcontact—was cut short. On it a gleaming pile of Jaxite crystals was heaped in ashiny, untidy pyramid.

Trin’seyes widened as she looked at the crystals. Even from across the room she couldtell they were perfect—already cut to the right size and shape for thedream-gas refineries of Yonnie Six. The perfectacquisition—these crystals would more than make up her debt if she could sellthem to some wealthy mistress. Of course, how she would get anyone to deal withher since she was going to turn Thraceloose and had no one else to act as her body-slave, Trin had no idea. But thatwas a problem for another day. Right now she simply had to make the deal andget her hands on those crystals.

“Theyare beautiful, no?” The thick, burbling voice sounded to Trin, as always, likesomeone talking underwater with a mouthful of mud. She raised her gazereluctantly from the small but valuable pile of Jaxite to their owner.

B’Rughwas a Lud’om—a race that had evolved on the mud flats of Lud, a planet whichhad a very wet environment. In fact, he himself looked like he might be made ofmud. His mottled brownish-green skin was covered in hand-sized patches of slimeand seemed to flow over his body in a way that was both disturbing andmesmerizing—a constantly shifting mass even though he himself was sitting quitestill in his chair. His facial features were like drooping dough and Trin hadthe idea that if she reached out to touch his cheek—or indeed, any part ofhim—her fingers might sink in. Only his eyes—steady, yellow andcalculating—didn’t change.

“Greetings.B’Rugh,” she said, stepping forward. “It’s good to see you again—I was glad toget your message about the Jaxite.” She nodded at the pile of crystals on thesoft black mat of fungus in front of him. “I have our agreed upon price and I’mready to deal.”

“Adrink first, I think,” B’Rugh burbled thickly. “One cannot deal with a drythroat.” As if anything about him wasdry.

Trinshifted uneasily. She didn’t like the idea of letting anything but air pass herlips in this hostile environment. Still, she remembered the warning B’Rugh’ssecond in command had given her. She didn’t wish to offend and she did have a ring with a toxin sensor onher right hand. It ought to pick up any poisons or toxins that someone mighthave tried to slip into her cup.

“Ofcourse,” she said, nodding. “A drink to seal the deal.”

“Good.”B’Rugh nodded to his number two male. “Drinks.”

Themale with the steel teeth bowed obsequiously.

“Atonce, my liege.”

Hewent to a bar behind the table and busied himself with a number of glass andmetal bottles.

“Verywell.” B’Rugh looked at her. “Sit, please. As we are waiting, perhaps you wouldcare to inspect one of the crystals?”

“Ofcourse.” Trin took a seat opposite him and steeled herself not to flinch as hepicked up one of the Jaxite crystals with oozing fingers and placed it in herpalm. The Lud’om’s touch was cold and slimy and a bit of his brownish goo wasstuck to the crystal. Trin flicked it away as unobtrusively as she could andexamined the silver-blue depths of the Jaxite.

Itwas perfect—brilliant and clear and multifaceted. The color reminded her ofsomething—Thrace’seyes, that was it. The pale, sparkling color was exactly the same. But it wasthe ring of black around his iris that made his gaze so piercing…sopenetrating.

“…toyou,” B’Rugh said and she realized she’d missed the first part of his sentence.

“I’msorry, what?” she asked while inwardly scolding herself. She was in a seriousnegotiation—now was not the time tobe thinking of the big Havoc.

“Isaid, you may consider that particular crystal as my gift to you,” B’Rughrepeated.

“Oh…well,thank you.” Trin gave him a grateful nod of her head. “That’s most generous.But please allow me to pay you the price we agreed upon for the others.”

“Ofcourse. Let me see the color of your coin.” B’Rugh made a motion with one hand,indicating she should produce her credit.

Thiswas the tricky part. Keeping one hand on her blaster, Trin reached under theback of her plain black shirt with the other and unhooked the money belt. Sheplaced it on the table and opened it, giving B’Rugh a discreet glance inside sothat he could tell she had the correct number of golden credit chip-coins. Thenshe took one out and handed it to him, as he had handed her the crystal.

“Perfect.”B’Rugh nodded and gave the coin back. Then he took out a small black bag, whichwas lined in the same black-grass fungus that covered the table, and swept theshining pile of Jaxite crystals into it.

Is it really going to be this easy? Trin felta cautious surge of optimism as she began counting out her pile of coins. Itseemed the Lu’dom was actually going to do a straightforward deal. But shewould wait to celebrate until she had the crystals in hand and was back aboard The Alacrity.

Atthat moment, the male with the steel teeth came over and set two identicalmetal goblets in front of her and B’Rugh.

“Semlinawine—the first pressing—infused with essence of fireflower and enhanced with asecret ingredient of my own,” he announced, grinning broadly to show thoseawful teeth. “Enjoy.”

“Asecret ingredient?” Trin looked doubtfully at the blood-red liquid.

“Nothingharmful, I assure you. It should greatly enhance your experience.”

“Isee.” Trin nodded and waved her right hand unobtrusively over the top of thewine. The tiny toxin sensor’s light remained a reassuringly steady greenwithout even a flicker of red. Well, so at least the “secret ingredient” wasn’tpoison.

“Toa deal well done,” B’Rugh burbled and raised his goblet, his fingers oozing overits metal stem.

“Adeal well done,” Trin echoed and took a sip. The liquid made her lips andtongue tingle in a strange way but other than that she felt no ill effects.

“Excellent,”B’Rugh said, holding out the sack to her.

Trinreached for it, while holding out the correct number of chip-coins in her otherhand towards him. In another moment the deal would be done…

ButB’Rugh held back, not quite taking her money or giving her the sack ofcrystals.

“Asyou have the correct currency, and I have the crystals, all we need is for yourmate to effect the exchange,” he said.

“Mymate?” Trin said blankly. “What do you mean?”

“Yourmate—the male you are mated to.” B’Rugh raised one oozing eyebrow at her. “Doyou say to me that you have no male to help effect the exchange?”

“Whywould I need one?” Trin asked, honestly mystified.

B’Rughfrowned, an expression that made it look as if his entire face was melting.

“Myculture does not allow me to have hand-to-hand dealings directly with afemale.”

“Whatdo you mean? You just handed me a crystal,” Trin pointed out.

“Ahh,but that was a gift, my dear. I amtalking about business transactions. There must be a male here to effect theexchange. To take the crystals from my hand and place them in yours and to takethe coins from your hand and place them in mine.”

“Howabout if we just leave both on the table and switch seats?” Trin suggested.“Then I can pick up the crystals and you can pick up the coins without anycontact involved at all?” That would suit her just fine. She didn’tparticularly want to handle anythingelse that had B’Rugh’s slime on it. But the Lud’om was shaking his headponderously.