THIRTY

“This is what the manor looks like,” Formentara said.

The image on the projection had a scale across the bottom of the image.

“Crap, it’s a monster.”

“Yes. Fifteen thousand square meters in the main house,” Formentara said. “Thirty-six sleeping chambers, each with its own toilet and shower. Living, dining, recreation, kitchens, you could house a small army there. Four hoppers, twenty small ground vehicles. Staff of forty domestics housed in the servants’ quarters, plus eighteen live-in guards, all the bells and whistles a rich woman’s castle needs. Spends a million-plus a year on upkeep.

“Udiva lives and loves large,” Formentara continued. “She has parties that sometimes turn into weeklong orgies, and she’s the largest consumer of dopesmoke and exotic liquor in that part of the country.”

“How do we get to talk to her?” Gunny asked. “Ah’m guessing we don’t just kick in the door?”

“Nope,” Cutter said. “Her guards are first-class pros, and the place is wired tight enough to detect a mosquito fart. Plus she’s got the local police and military ready to hop when she says ‘Jump.’ We maybe could set it up that way, but it would take a while.

“However, as it happens, Fem Udiva is having one of her bashes in a few days. The Rajah has a standing invitation. If he were to show up with some new attendants…”

Jo said, “Why spend time and energy trying to crack a locked door if somebody will stand there and hold it open for you?”

“Exactly,” Cutter said. “We get in, have a chat, find out what we need to know, go on about our business, everybody is happy.”

“You think this rich woman will just tell us who gave her the tip?” That from Kay.

“If we ask properly, she will,” Wink said. He held up a small medical case. “Dr. Feelgood can always find a way.”

Unlike the foray into TotalMart, this would be a stealth operation. Done right, nobody would even realize what they had done—Wink had enough chem to find out what he wanted, then to make the subject forget he’d asked.

There were only two of them going in—Wink, because he had the medical skills, and Jo, because she was the best equipped to stand guard while he asked questions.

“Scanners will pick up anything we try to take in,” Wink said. “And if they have half a brain among them, they’ll know that Jo is augmented to the toenails. I see that as a problem.”

“Except that they won’t look,” Cutter said. “It would be considered insulting to the Rajah to ask him or his entourage to pass through a scan field. And even if they do a surreptitious peek? Wink is listed as the Rajah’s personal medic, thus his having medical supplies is expected, and Jo is going as a ‘security consultant.’ Even though they don’t much hold with augmentation, nobody is going to begrudge the Rajah an augmented bodyguard, especially after the recent assassination attempt.”

“So this is going to be as easy as that? Waltz right in, corner the woman, find out what she knows, and leave?”

“Sure. Even if you get caught, the Rajah has but to snap his fingers, and all will be forgiven. What? My people wandered into a place off-limits to visitors? My apologies.

“No matter what they might think, they will grin and bear it; he’s the Rajah.”

Jo stood by the bedchamber’s door, listening for company. Wink had shined his not-inconsiderable charm at Udiva, who was an attractive, Rubenesque woman of sixty or so. Her outfit of fine green-and-orange static-held silks had probably cost as much as Jo made in six months.

The room smelled of roses, almost overpoweringly so, even with her olfactories damped way down.

Wink had taken Udiva down a path different than she’d expected. She’d thought Wink was interested in quick and dirty sex—right up until he slapped a derm on her neck and put her into a chemical fog.

With her augmented hearing, Jo could follow the conversation as she listened for anybody who might wander down the hall.

“Who told you the market was going to fall just before the reports of the Rajah’s daughter’s kidnapping broke?”

“Rama Jadak,” she said.

Just like that. Son of a bitch. Gramps was right, Jo thought.

“You sure? Directly?”

“No, via com. The message was encrypted, but I have had dealings with Rama over the years. He is the power behind the Rajah Jadak; to do serious business in Pahal, you deal with Rama, everyone knows that.”

“Could it have been somebody using his voice?”

“The com had his ID number.”

Wink glanced over at Jo. “That enough?”

“Get the ID sig.”

Wink turned back to Udiva. Asked her for the number, which she gave him.

Jo said, “Let’s go.”

“Hold on.”

Wink peeled the pink derm spot from Udiva’s neck and replaced it with a second, blue one. After a moment, she began snoring. He looked at his timer. “Fifteen seconds.”

He waited that long, then peeled the second derm off. “She’ll sleep for an hour, won’t remember what happened.”

He reached down and worked her silk pantaloons down and off.

“What are you doing?”

“Setting the stage.” He tossed the pantaloons onto the floor, spread her knees a bit, and untabbed her tunic, to expose her torso. She had large breasts, and they’d been augmented. Her mons was depilated, smooth as could be.

He stood. “Whoa, look at that.”

“You’re a doctor, you’ve seen plenty of those, haven’t you?”

“Wave the light panel off.”

Jo looked at him.

“Go on, you’ll like this.”

She did.

The room dimmed to a faint glow.

And it wasn’t the only thing glowing. The snoring woman’s pubes and nipples pulsed, each a bright, phosphorescent orange, dimming and brightening in synch with her heartbeat.

Jo waved the light back up. Shook her head.

“I guess some of her lovers must get lost in the dark,” Wink said. “So she lit some landing beacons, just in case.”

“Let’s go find the Rajah and get out of here.”

“We gonna tell him it’s Rama?”

“Not us, that’s for Rags to decide. But now that we know, we can finally get off our asses and do something.”