Free Mainline by Deborah Christian

of sudden, very destructive damage to a ship's hull, short of an explosion.
    That was a brief description and to the point. Yavobo had purchased his share of contraband weaponry from smugglers in the past. That was the place to start. " I need to do sudden, destructive structural damage,'' he would say, ' 'maybe at a particular time but can't risk an explosion. Can't use a laser, no phase weaponry and it has to work underwater. What do you suggest?"
    Yes. That was the tack to take.
    When Councilor Lanzig attended a three-day retreat, his opportunity came. Praying for understanding from his gods, he abandoned his charge and traveled to Amasl. The Aztrakhani needed to do a very special kind of shopping.

XXII

Reva 's interlude at Tyree Longhouse was a strange idyll, the sort of break the assassin was unaccustomed to. Days spent reading, lounging, talking with another; it was an odd feeling to get to know someone over days of friendly conversation. She learned more of Lish, not facts so much as quirks of personality: what made her laugh; how she talked easily about her feelings and took care to speak precisely, so her meaning was not misunderstood. Her dry sense of humor was like Reva's own, but the glee she took in the occasional practical joke was not. It took a controlled effort to sit through a custom-coded prank at the computer, then accept her light dismissal of the assassin's ruffled feelings, as if to say, "Don't take yourself so seriously." And that forced Reva to smile, because she did take things so seriously.
    She hadn't planned on being a storm-bound houseguest for so long, and realized with chagrin that the enforced closeness was slowly causing their acquaintanceship to grow into something more.
    If this is heading toward friendship, she cautioned herself, then it's just something else to lose. So get ready for it now.
    That harsh reminder made it easy to shelve the fledgling attraction she had felt for Lish. And it helped her view their time together as a surreal slice of life out of some noontime vidshow. Seen in that light, the leisure soon palled and she welcomed the change when the storm finally broke.
    A glorious day full of diffuse white light and ice-blue shadows dawned, revealing the frozen edge of Varlek Water at the base of Tyree Ridge. After a snowbot cleaned the east terrace, Reva went outside to admire the view. The inland sea bore thick sheets of ice out into the middle distance, remaining wet in the center where thermals kept the waters too warm to freeze.
    Lish followed her outside, but spared little attention for the bright-shining ice sea before them. "You ready?" she asked.
    "Ready?"
    "To hunt the kria? I am. Been reading up on them. I'm ready to go."
    "Reading?" Reva smiled. "They're a little different in person than what you read." "Then let's go meet one. I've already got the reservations made."
    Reva nodded agreement. A crawler picked them up an hour later.

XXIII
    Keshnavar Resort featured a view of Varlek Water to the north and the wooded, snow-covered folds of the hunting preserve to the south. Lish and Reva checked into a private villa there, and were soon headed for the gun shop.
    A scalp-shaven youth lounged behind the counter, watching a holovid on flipped-down visors. At the sight of customers he came hastily to his feet, tossing the holovisor beneath the counter. "Domnas?" he asked helpfully.
    "We're going hunting," Reva said.
    "Then you'll want the Safari Set—" he began, reaching for a rack of equipment behind the counter.
    "Save it for offworlders," Reva interrupted. "Two sets of air-shoes; two Lingon 58-50s—you have motion-sensor attachments for those?"
    "Yes, Domna." The youth nodded hastily.
    "Add the sensors, then. Lift beacons, two camietarps, a fight squaller, and twenty rounds for each rifle."
    "Only twenty?" The young man hesitated. "A case is just—"
    "Only twenty. You only need three to drop a kria."
    "I suppose you don't want a guidepack, either?" he asked, shaking