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shuttle down, zigzagging slowly through layer after layer of force fields and other defenses. The
trip once you could get aboard a ship now took several hours, considerably longer than he
remembered. Without a high-priority clearance, which he certainly did not have, it was going to take a
while. Under the high degree of alert that was presently in force, only a very few military ships were
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cleared to come from deep space directly to Earth's surface.
Flower, listening attentively and speaking wistfully, gave the impression that it was just naturally her job,
or her destiny, to help Spacer Gift deal with the difficulties that went with becoming something of a minor
celebrity he'd had no choice in the matter, and she accepted the fact that nothing about his new status
really pleased him.
Suddenly it occurred to him that he still didn't know why she had really come to the satellite. It couldn't
very well have really been simply to meet him. Abruptly he demanded, "Where are you going?"
"I'm on my way back to Uhao."
"But I thought you were saying you just came from there. Like me." He'd begun to hope that at least he
could count on her being with him on the shuttle going down to Earth.
"I did. I was going to meet someone here." Looking around at the crowd, she shook her head slightly.
Then she added, with seeming irrelevance, "But it's such a lovely place. Uhao, I mean."
"Your family lives there?"
"Not my parents, no. Some friends. Friends are the family you choose for yourself."
"I've heard that."
Flower hesitated, and then more words poured out, while she tightened her grip on Gift's good arm.
"I just happen to have an extra ticket with me, and you're welcome to use it, if you like."
"An extra ticket."
"For passage on a spaceship. If you would be interested in coming back to Port Diamond with me."
The offer took him completely by surprise, and for a moment he could only look at her. "Go with you?"
"That's what I said." She amplified: "It's in a neat cabin on a luxury ship."
Gift had never been able to afford to travel like that. Very few people could. In the ordinary course of
life he would probably never have traveled beyond atmosphere at all except for having joined the
service.
From the way she was holding his arm, hanging breathlessly on his answer, it became obvious that she
really wanted him, in some serious way. Suddenly, in a quiet voice, she added, "They tell me my
compartment has one big bed." Her eyelashes fluttered once when she spoke, and then she was looking
away from him, while at the same time sliding her body a little closer.
Wow. Nifty's pulse was steadily quickening. The body under the short skirt had suddenly become
attainable. He wondered who the lover was, what kind of man he was displacing on such short notice,
and was on the verge of asking. But he supposed that none of that really mattered, and he decided not to
press for any explanation. If Flower didn't want to offer one, he wasn't going to push.
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But he didn't have to think about the basic question very long. And she certainly didn't need to ask him
twice. "You've got a deal."
There was something to be said for hero worship after all.
EIGHT
Gift kept telling himself that he would soon be displaced in the public eye. Before long, some other
wounded hero would come on the scene, probably someone who enjoyed the situation more, and had
some kind of victorious story to tell: Then everyone would quickly lose interest in Nifty Gift.
And yet, in spite of everything, there was a part of him that hoped they wouldn't.
On impulse he took Flower in his arms and gave her a long and erotic kiss. They might as well have
been holding hands for all the attention they got; there were a lot of separations and reunions going on
here simultaneously.
Her response indicated that she had been serious when she talked about the fine bed in the luxury cabin.
After a few moments she held him at arm's length, and said with heartfelt sincerity, "I'm glad you're
coming with me."
"Me too."
The problem was that the departure of the luxury liner was several hours away.
On the satellite there seemed only one possible way to obtain privacy and only a doubtful kind of
privacy at that. There was a large room with walls filled with tiers of metal-doored compartments, not
that much larger than baggage lockers, and complete with Spartan furnishings and plumbing. It all looked
pretty much like what Nifty imagined a prison would be like. The two upper rows of these compartments
were accessible from catwalks running in front of the rows of doors. In one of these sleeping bins that
passed as hotel rooms a truly weary traveler could grab some sleep, or truly impatient lovers could spend
an hour out of sight of everyone else. Under the crowded conditions naturally all of these were booked,
and a few people were even standing in line. Space on all civilian ships was at a premium just now, and
anyone with a ticket would be well advised not to waste it.
After exchanging looks with Flower, Gift decided that his enjoyment of her body, much as he was
looking forward to the experience, could wait until they could find a real room somewhere. Besides,
contemplating the rows of cramped metal bins reminded him too forcibly of the confined space on the
courier.
Flower seemed relieved, not at all anxious to try out the mailbox-type accommodations. She shrank
back and demonstrated a general lack of enthusiasm.
They walked around some more. "How long have you been waiting for him?" he wondered aloud. "For
who?"
He looked at her.
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"Oh. It's a long story."
And not one that she wanted to tell, evidently. Or he, if the truth be known, to hear.
The luxury liner Flower had promised was docked at the proper gate; an enormous bulk, bigger than the
cruiser, and only partially visible from where the locks connected.
TheQueen Mab was ready to board passengers on schedule. The ticket that Flower handed
Gift before they boarded had been issued under another man's name, but it seemed unlikely
that anyone would bother to check up, and in fact nobody did. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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