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they're aboard Andromeda. So, fine. We say hello and how are you, we get
Ambassador Chaylaifa and his entourage settled, all twenty-three of the
useless bastards, we make sure the hotel is treating everybody right, all that
jazz. We even gel a break on the logistics no arrival ceremonies and no
RHUUM SERVICE 91
dinners, thank God; neither side wants 'em. Good enough. Now it turns out that
the Bloxx rep is going to be late because, hot pilot he, he's blown a driver.
Not a big deal, but somehow this idiot Chaylaifa thinks it's our fault! Before
I can even talk to him about it, though, he stalks off to his room with his
wife and kid in tow. This is supposed to be an easy contract? Isn't that what
Bannister said?" He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Damn.
These micro-contacts are killing me."
His partner still said nothing.
Jacobs cleared his throat and tried again. "I hear they can rot your corneas."
Trudy remained quiet.
"Well?" Jacobs demanded as his pencil finally broke. He brushed the two halves
onto the floor.
" 'Well' what?" Trudy answered. Her tone was lazy, dis-
tracted. "Do you want something, Jonny Lee? I'm trying "
"I know, I know. I'm bothering you." Jacobs waved a hand.
"Sony. Find out anything yet?"
"Come on in, and I'll show you what I've isolated so far."
"All right, but let's not take too long. We've got things to do." Jacobs
ordered his own chair to recline and, still tense but reasonably comfortable,
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he accessed the neural network.
The office was suddenly replaced by a garden. It was a dif-
ferent garden, though, smaller and prettier than Trudy's usual interface
metaphor. There was a short picket fence around the plot, and from somewhere
not far off came the sounds of chil-
dren at play; Jacobs could also hear birds. Turning around, he saw a small,
neat, white house. His view of anything farther away was blocked by tall
hedges ringing the property.
"This is very nice," Jacobs said, and he meant it. "Some-
one's backyard, right?"
"My grandmother's, as a matter of fact," Trudy said. "I've been working on it
for a while. Do you really like it?"
Jacobs looked up at the clear blue sky. "Very much. Where are we?"
"Pennsylvania the nice part. I spent a lot of time here af-
ter Mother and Daddy split up." Trudy gestured around her.
"Grandmother's garden was my favorite place of all, espe-
cially at this time of year, when I'd help her get it into shape after the
winter; it's mid-April here now, in case you couldn't
92 Brad Ferguson tell from the flowers. The other gardens I wrote were just
practice; I wanted to get this one right."
Jacobs looked around. "I think you did. It's beautiful. I
wish I'd met your grandma. Is she here?"
"Oh, God, no, Jonny Lee'" Trudy said, disconcerted. "I
couldn't write her\ No, we're the only ones here and we ought to get down to
business. You were in a mad rush, re-
member?"
"I guess I was. Hey, looky here." Jacobs bent and picked up an insect. He held
it lightly between his fingers and grinned. "Hey, honey, your program's got
a "
"Don't you dare say it."
"Shoot. All right, I won't." He stooped to let the thing drop safely to the
ground and watched as it skittered away. "What have you got for me?"
Trudy bent quickly and picked a daffodil. "First of all, here's the summary of
the deal Bannister says Ambassador
Chaylaifa wants to strike with the Bloxx," she said, handing him the flower.
'The wish list has pharmaceuticals, minerals, and other standard stuff on it;
Bannister's given us the quan-
tities desired and what Chaylaifa intends to offer for them in goods and
credits standard. Chaylaifa runs the biggest import trust in the Rhuum
Organization, so this deal could mean bil-
lions of creds stan to him personally. Bannister Investments is brokering it,
so they get the usual huge cut."
"All right," Jacobs said, sniffing at the flower. As he did, his mind filled
with the details of what he needed to know.
"Seems to pass the smell test. The Rhuum bids are low, but that's why traders
get together and haggle. Okay, no problem so far. Now, what have we got on the
clients?"
Trudy picked another flower a hyacinth this time. "First of all, here's what
the neural net has on the Rhuum," she said.
"It's a condensation of a survey report done about fifty years back."
"A little history, and that's it," Jacobs said, sniffing again.
"Pretty damned condensed, if you ask me."
"There's not much in the extended survey report, either,"
Trudy said. She picked a perfect tomato from a nearby vine
and handed it to Jacobs.
"This is out of season, isn't it?" he asked.
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