Free Star Risk - 01 Star Risk, Ltd by Chris Bunch Page A

salvaged out by the Alliance, three of its five subsequent owners were plagued with an astonishing amount of trouble."
    "I believe you make your own luck," Baldur said. "But to get out from under the curse, I shall rename it.
    "The Boop-Boop-A-Doop rings a bell inside me. It is an old Arabic phrase, meaning good luck to all."
    The saleswoman's eyes widened in surprise, then she recovered.
    "Boop-Boop-A-Doop it shall be, sir. I'll have our repair shop replate the hull, and I'll put through a change of name with the registry."
    "Excellent," Baldur said.
    "Now, how will we handle the financial details?"
    "Billing should be made to Transkootenay Mining in the Foley System, on the planet Mfir," Baldur said. "Their electronic address is�"
    "Thank you, sir," Winlund said. "But I already have it here on my computer. Since we're the largest previously owned ship dealers in this sector, we've done business with the Transkootenay people on Mfir before.
    "Will you be needing any assistance crewing up the patrol ships?"
    "No," Baldur said. "Peace having broken out all over, we should have no troubles at all in that area."
    "Let's see now," Riss mused. "We'll need two thousand of those ship-to-ship missile systems. Can you provide them with a universal mounting and guidance system?"
    "Ma'am," the salesman said. "For that size of an order, I'll design and build one myself. What else?"
    "About the same number of your infantryman's basic armament and harness system, with five units of fire and grenades per system.
    "A hundred heavy crew-served autocannon, with ten units of fire."
    "What about uniforms?" the salesman asked.
    "I doubt if we could get our people to wear them," M'chel said. "Two hundred long-distance portable com systems."
    She thought. "I suppose that should be all. I'll want them shipped ASAP to Star Risk, limited, the city of Sheol, the world of Mfir, Foley System."
    "I'll get the invoice ready," the salesman said, and bustled away.
    "Quite a lot of death and mayhem there," Chas Goodnight observed. He'd been silently watching the transaction.
    "It should do," Riss said. "At least for a beginning."
    "So we're going to sell the miners these," Goodnight said. "What'll be the markup?"
    M'chel considered. "Fifteen percent on top of the price and transport should be enough."
    "If we wait until there's a couple of bodies bouncing around," Goodnight said, "we can charge an obscene amount, plus fifty percent."
    "Fifteen percent will be enough," Riss said firmly.
    Goodnight shook his head.
    "I'm not sure I approve of all this honesty going about lately."
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    THIRTEEN � ^ � The port irised open, showing the strange colors of N-space for a moment, then they vanished, and there was the less stomach-wrenching hard glitter of stars and blackness of normal space as the liner dropped out of star drive.
    Grok and King were one of the few passengers in the liner's main lounge, which was all old-fashioned red leather and fake wood paneling.
    The other passengers were in their cabins, packing their bags, getting customs slips ready, or milling impatiently about the passageways near the locks.
    The liner was luxurious and huge, but, since it stopped at the Foley System, obviously was that sector's puddlejumper, and was a little shopworn.
    The steward approached with a tray, served Jasmine a blue foaming liqueur in a tulip glass, Grok a cream cake and water.
    "To your health," King said, lifting her glass.
    "I did not know you could toast with a sweet," Grok said.
    "You're an alien. You can do anything you want."
    Grok grunted, adjusted his great bulk against the pillows of the couch he half lay on.
    "Not true," he said. "The maid, when she came to make up our suite, gave me the strangest look."
    "She thought we were sleeping together," King said.
    "Why would we want to do something like that?" Grok wondered. "These bunks they provided are small enough. I'm thankful