by Clay Moore
“We were able to convince Sophie Taylor to do a one-night performance on our main stage. Also, several championships are being decided on the planets, and that means the sports book."
Anton smiled and phoned a single tone. "How did you get your sportsbook up so quickly?”
“The gang leader was not much of a leader, but he did know how to build a business. If you lost business, then look for it in the Dragon. I've been given hourly updates concerning the amount of money that we are taking in in profits. Also, were selling full potency drinks from the drink girls rather than the usual watered-down beverages."
"I'm kind of curious," said Adolphus. "How much profit have you made since reopening?"
"Okay, just to let you know what kind of a business partner I will be, the last profit estimate was 2 billion credits. The cost of repairs was a couple million. I will have made all of that back. I might be able to convince Sophie Taylor to continue her engagement with us. Especially if I move her to our penthouse suites."
"So, you're a little sweet on Sophie Taylor. I did wonder how you ever got past her mother.”
"Divide and conquer. What my man had a little thing for Sophie's mother. That gave me my opportunity."
Oliver' joke made everyone laugh. Sophie Taylor's mother was notorious for protecting her young adult daughter. Sophie Taylor like deflecting direct questions from men by referring them to her mother. He kept her life placid so that she could sing her songs. All of this was common knowledge amongst everyone on Snake Eyes.
Edgar rapped his oak knob forcefully on the table. Everyone, including Oliver, jumped at the noise."
"Gentlemen, we need to keep this meeting on track. When the meeting is over, we will have a little bite to eat, a little drink, and maybe a little female companionship."
Adolphus smiled emphatically at the mention of possible female companionship. Oliver and Anton looked at each other as if the female friendship might be a little too much. Edgar did not miss the bike play between Oliver and Anton.
"Are we in agreement that is some sort of consortium should be formed?"
Anton let off the discussion. "Mr. Chairman I think the idea of the consortium is absolutely the best thing. I think that there should be some sort of tithing from our profits into the consortiums coffers for the purpose of advertisement. I've been told by my people that snake eyes are regarded as a planet of thieves and gangs. For my home planet gangs are particularly repugnant."
"When we announce this consortium," said Adolphus, "we are going to see a huge amount of consolidation amongst the smaller casinos. Before we announce the consortium, we should make sure that some of these small casinos have been bought out by us to establish outposts of proper casino development."
Oliver chimed in for the first time. "Then, later on, we can add more of these consolidated small casinos in one big gulp."
"Then the consortium would have a monopoly of casino action on Snake Eyes," said Edgar.
"How do we prevent someone from secretly buying up some of the smaller casinos only to sell them back to the consortium at eight inflated prices?" Leave it to Anton to touch the point with a pin.
"Before we get too much into consortium strategy," said Edgar, "we really need to set what the consortium is. How it's going to be governed."
"I think a corporation would probably be the best organization," said Adolphus.
"Technically this Corporation would have to have assets. That means you will not have or own your mega casinos anymore. I don't know about you, but I do not relish the idea of giving up control of my mega-casino. I like a loose affiliation, a true consortium."
John now understood why Planetary Interests moved Anton into the security department. Anton thought different, and that made him dangerous to know. John's reticence to kill Anton evaporated instantly. Anton could not be allowed to live. So long as that man had 10 credits in his pocket, he would manipulate that into billions in a relatively short period of time.
After the pause, Edgar resumed the discussion. "That's probably the best way to do this. An agreement to cooperate with having to be drawn up. This agreement would have to have punishments for those that violate the agreement. Does everyone agree to a consortium that's a little tighter than just totally loose?"
Everyone around the table looked at each other for a few moments. If Oliver was to play the mega-casino owner for the Dragon, then he had to know how that mind worked. The gangs were very direct. If they didn't like you, you ended up dead. He suspected at Adolphus would raise his hand first. He would be the first to agree to the consortium and the first to turn on it.
Adolphus tentatively raised his hand. Followed by Oliver and then by Anton. Edgar wrapped his oak knob on the table.
"Then it is agreed. A consortium will be formed. I want you to think about what that agreement has to have contained within it. Bring those ideas in two weeks time to another 8 o'clock meeting. Until then we will cooperate with each other by not counter-advertising. We will just extol the virtues of our particular mega-casino. "
"If after two weeks, we haven't killed each other," said Anton, "then this consortium has a chance."
Edward touched a button on his side of the table again. The doors to the hallway opened, and waiters rolled in four rolling tables on which a single cover was placed. The waiters moved the stands to the side of the room, two on the left side, two on the right side. Then on a signal from the maître d', who just walked in, all four waiters whisked off the covers. Each table had a selection of delectables, most of them from recipes from old earth books. The maître d' stepped out into the hallway and made another signal. In walked a very tall man not dressed as a waiter, but dressed as a bartender. His free bar had a lot of glassware on top and a rather large ice bucket. The liquor was contained in the actual bar along with the tools that he might need for any drink he needs to concoct. The bartender looked at Edgar for Woodside the room you would set up. Edgar pointed to his left, and the bartender went to that side of the room. Oliver went first to the bartender and got scotch on the rocks. He excused himself to the others and walked out into the hallway. He walked the short distance to the office that John was in.
When he opened the door into the office, he was met by John who had his blaster out and pointing to the door. Oliver raised his hands with the glass of scotch in it.
"Boy, are you being a little jumpy," said Oliver.
I've heard some stories about Anton. He has a highly intelligent criminal mind. You may have known about this office and brought someone that might look like you."
"I think you give him too much credit. You have to suspect Edgar of being an agent. It is obvious that he does not suspect Edgar or he would've moved against him before now."
"I might be giving you more credit than he is worth, but I will still be wary of him. If you are wary, did you won't be surprised when he turns on you."
"How long are we going to take before we deal with the Unicorn?"
"We have two weeks. I assume Anton met standard weeks. These three things need to be done before we destroy the unicorn. The first thing that needs to be done is we need to find the location of Anton's personal shuttle. Number two I want to know who is piloting the shuttle. This shuttle has to be hyper-capable, and so you need a hyper licensed pilot. I've looked in all of the licensing services, and he has not been licensed. That means he needs a pilot to fly that vessel. Number three I need to know his routine about the vessel. Number four I will need the uniform the pilot wears."
"You really are Shikari. Your hunting stand will be that hyper shuttle."
"So now you see the gist of my plan. The explosion of the Orion mega casino will be the alarm for Anton to evacuate. I will be there dressed as a pilot in the cockpit. I will take the ship up and hover it 30 meters above the ground. There I will shoot Anton Hecton."
"Just like a chess game. You are the Queen. We are just the pieces that you need to checkmate the king."
"If I knew you were a chess aficionado
, I would have played with you. I do not know what A wants with Hecton's body. He may want me to wait a while before I go back to Eridani."
"Why?"
"How long would the death of Anton Hecton on Snake Eyes last? Two or three days."
"I see. Something that happens to the executives is of little interest to our version of groundlings. It will be a sensation for one-day maximum."
"If A is of your opinion, then I will sleep the night in my ship and take off in the morning."
"That's if you survive your meeting with Hecton. He is a Planetary Olympiad gold medalist shooter. I've heard stories about him that he is perfect in the quick draw."
"I'm not too shabby either. It's an old score. It's time to settle it."
Oliver turned and walked to the door of the office. You look back once at John, shook his head, and then walked out the door. John turned on all the surveillance equipment. He doubted that Adolphus would keep the privacy cube running when they were no longer talking about anything other than the roast beef or how realistic the scotch was.
The set up in the office was a full-scale communication suite. It had audio Hypercom. He entered the access code for A's direct line. It took a few seconds for Hypercom to route the call to the appropriate planet and then route the call to the proper building, and then route the call to the appropriate office. It just took a few seconds. He heard the tone that indicated that this person had made the call. The next voice was A's voice.
"This is A."
"This is Z04."
"Do you have anything to report?"
"Yes, I'm playing a psychological game with Anton. He is here, and I am sending you the video from the meeting tonight via a sub-channel. I've planted the idea that the Manning great is here and might be John Hardesty. We've relaxed them now. When the Unicorn is destroyed, it will force him to evacuate. I will be in his starship acting as his pilot. I will make sure that he is the only one on the shuttle beside myself. Then I will kill him, flying to the Starport, and wait for your orders."
"What kind of opposition do Snake Eyes have any opposition."
"On my way in I just saw a military Starport containing a full squadron of fighters. they only conduct flight operations once or twice a month."
"I think you can announce checkmate in two moves."
"Don't tell me that Edgar has live surveillance connected to the Secret Service headquarters building."
"Okay, I won't tell you. Stay safe Z04. Much can go wrong still."
"I will stay sharp. You can count on that. Z04 out."
Yes, this was indeed like a chess game. John's early moves were just reflex actions. He was not trying to do any kind of gambit or strategy. He wanted to know how Anton would react, as well as the other gang member. All he wanted Edgar Bullon to do until he knew he was an actual agent for the Eridani Secret Service, what stay out of the action. It was like advancing a pond to the last rank and having a second queen on the board.
All of this was moot if Oliver's two team members couldn't find the hiding place of Anton's personal starship.
The two Eridani agents had heard of the triumph of their boss and impersonating the man in gray. They had both wanted to be there and see their boss in action. Right now, they were ambling through a tenement row near the Snake.
This close to the Snake they had to be ultra-careful. Todd, the senior member of this pair, was leading. They couldn't have their weapons out in the open because groundlings in a tenement would scream to high heaven. They did not need to know of the pair's existence. In fact, Todd wanted no one to tell of their life. They killed no one on their progress through. Dead people stay in people's minds, people who are alive forget what other people look like if met on the road.
Todd looked back at Philip, his partner in this mission. As a team, they were two different kinds of agents. Todd wasn't agent-oriented towards action. In fact, he knew that he was going to be put up for an action squad. Philip was more of a tinkerer. Quite often Philip would bring Todd magnetic devices that he made from the surplus equipment in the station armory.
They suddenly came upon an alleyway leading north. They did not want to go north, but Todd felt the need to stop and maybe catch some satellite imagery. He did do that in the alleyway. Todd indicated the Philip that they were going to go into the alley. He then made a fist suggest that they were going to do an assault on the alleyway. Philip ran across the alleyway to the opposite side of the alley. He crouched down using the corner of the building as cover. Todd made a fist with his left hand, and Tim shook it. When it was finished, she ran a crossed the alleyway and down into the alley. He crouched behind a garbage skiff. Philip waited until Todd had got cover and then he ran down the alleyway to the next garbage skiff this time on the right-hand side of the alley.
They did this leapfrog routine until they came to a Crossway of alleys. Todd never understood why this was true, but every Crossway in an alley situation turned into a part of sorts. He didn't have the training necessary to understand socioeconomics. All he thought was that the people wanted a little bit of greenery. In this particular instance, the alley contained a substantial tree-like plant. It did not look like any of the earth plants that Eridani had growing like weeds.
The tree was in the middle of this crossing of alleys. They were exposed if they remained near the tree. Todd had them go back to the South corner of this intersection. He took out his Slate. As soon as Todd did that Philip came on guard. He looked in all the directions occasionally standing up if needed. This allowed Todd to fully concentrate on the slate.
Using his slate, he brought up the maps that the computer made from the satellite passes over this area. He determined from the plan that if he took the West Alley, he would come to the beginning of the parkland that the owner of the mega-casino, the Snake. Dog checked his timepiece. It was 2130. About now the meeting in the Unicorn would've been completed. They probably were eating, drinking booze, and maybe brushing bodies with a pliable woman.
Todd wondered how John knew to send both he and Philip on this mission. It was the perfect combination if you want to have stealth and technical proficiency in a few people as possible. He doubted that John wanted them to shoot their way out of any problems. They were armed, but there were only given 10 magazines for their submachine blasters. Todd flipped off his slate and was put in his jacket pocket.
He peered around the corner. He noticed that the West Alley was in shadow. The feeble star barely heated their planet to keep the earth mostly free of ice. It seemed really strange to be in the world that was uniformly 10°C. He touched Philip, and together they made the turn down the west alley towards the parkland that belonged to the Snake. Todd found another garbage skiff. They knelt on it.
Todd whispered, "we're stopping here for a few hours. Let's get something. And then take four hours to rest. I guard for the first two hours, and then you guard for the next two hours.”
"Do you think that John Hardesty has something against us?"
Tom chuckled quietly. "I thought that saying thought earlier. He doesn't know that we as a team are used by Oliver a lot. He could hardly know that this is something we do all the time. In a way, it's a tribute to our skill. What you have in your pack for a meal?”
"We live on Eridani what do you think?”
“Food base. Is your spaced or bar form?"
“Actually it's a small tube of paste with like five food base crackers."
“I actually have a food base bacon sandwich.”
“Food base isn't that bad. If you don't have a flavored concoction like bacon, it has a light vanilla flavor."
"Philip, you know that all raw food base has a vanilla flavor.”
Both men had a small chuckle about that old trope. They sat there eating their food-base meals. Todd did not know how they did it, but the meals all seem to fill you up. According to the advertising, it better fill you up. Food basis made from every foodstuff that humans can eat. How it was explained to him made it seem like you just
jam all the food into a big maw of the machine. The machine did whatever it needed to do to each of the items and what came out the rear was food base. Most food bases were placed into 15 Liter pails and then sealed. Those were sent to specialized restaurants that took the food base and actually made a delicious meal from it. There are also the 105 L barrels. Those usually went to the manufacturer who created a variety of prepackaged food-base products.