[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
by the chase-"
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"True," Heem agreed, feeling generous. "Your presence helped. It got him away from the machine,
gave me time to study it."
"So you understand the operation of the Ancient device?"
"Somewhat, perhaps, thanks to your-"
"Then would it not be fair to share the victory with me? The honor to Star HydrO would be unabated,
and there is enough in this complex for more than a single Star to exploit. The mechanisms of the
tower, the machine-there must be other things too, of similar value."
"There are other treasures," Heem agreed, thinking of the planetarium. "Yet the rules of the
Competition specify-"
"The rules specify that the winner takes the site," she sprayed. "But who is the winner when it has
taken more than a single entity to achieve it? This becomes in effect a relay race, and all who
participated in the winning effort should share in the profits of that victory."
'She does have a point,' Jessica agreed internally. 'I think you could afford to agree. The agreement
might not have force with the Competition Authority, but that would not be your fault. Offer her a
quarter share of the proceeds of the site.'
"Would you consider a quarter share for your Star?" Heem asked Swoon.
"I would prefer a half share," Swoon sprayed. "I could be most appreciative, Heem, in the name of the
Star I represent. My transferee can promise you rather substantial long-term personal recompense-"
'She's trying to bribe you, Heem!' Jessica exclaimed indignantly.
"And I myself can offer you quite immediate short-term pleasure," Swoon concluded. She jetted a
supremely evocative erotic flavor at him.
'And now she's trying to seduce you again!'
"It is an attractive enough offer," he sprayed to her internally. "There is no finer pleasure than-"
'Damn it, don't tell me about that!' she cried angrily. 'I can't-oh, hell, I'm just being a jealous female! I
get so tired of participating in these things in the male costume instead of the female.'
"Yes, of course," Heem sprayed, chastened. "I will decline her offer."
'No, don't do that. I have no right to-' She couldn't finish the thought. 'I'll be leaving you soon anyway.
I love you, Heem, whatever happens. I would not deny you your pleasures. I would not be the dog in
the manger.'
"The what? Where?"
She flashed him a picture of a four-legged, tooth-faced creature standing in dehydrated vegetation,
threatening another creature who evidently desired the vegetation. Heem could make little sense of it.
'What it means is that I can't be the kind of female you need, but I don't want to be a female canine
either. There is a special word for that.'
But Swoon was spraying again. "Perhaps your offer is sufficient, Heem. My Star might be satisfied
with no more than this machine. Do you know what it is, how it operates?"
"I believe it is a research tool set to banish auras from given hosts, or to superimpose auras on
occupied hosts. Be careful not to jog the activator-globe."
"Which globe is that?" she jetted, alarmed.
"The clear, empty one, I believe. That is the one the Squam touched, to banish the Erb." He rolled
closer. "Now if you'd like to celebrate our agreement in the HydrO fashion-" It was not serious, in that
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Click here to buy
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he had no intent to reproduce-no, never that!-yet he wished it could have been Jessica. It was the alien
female he was holding in his mind and longing for, as he sprayed romance at Swoon.
But this time Swoon did not return that kind of spray. She was now behind the Ancient machine,
orienting it on him. "I believe we can dispense with that, Heem. I have what I need."
Alarm shocked through Jessica. 'Heem, look out!'
Heem froze, horrified. "What are you doing, Swoon?" But he already had a notion. Betrayal.
"I am taking the entire site, Heem, since you were foolish enough to yield to me the key to victory."
"But I thought you wanted to share, to indulge in-"
'Ha!' Jessica exclaimed bitterly. 'She only used her sex appeal to get what she wanted from you:
information about the operation of the machine, so she could use it without killing herself. She's a
conniving bitch-and I fell for it too, because I wanted you to be happy. Men often make concessions
for sex alone; women seldom do. I only regret I allowed my own concern to interfere with my logic. I
failed you, Heem-in the one thing I was really equipped to help you in. Protection against deceitful,
cynical, excellent-tasting females.'
"I'm sorry about this, Heem, I really am," Swoon sprayed. "You're a tough, apt HydrO who did help
me get my ship, and I'd love to copulate with you. But I have so much more to gain by winning the
Ancient site for my transferee's Star."
"But you can't win!" he jetted at her. "The aural printout will show you were not the first."
"I'll take that chance. You were the first-but you killed another competitor, the Squam. That makes
your victory suspect. We none of us are clean, Heem, but the Competition Authority will not be eager
to roll to the enormous trouble and energy to run this competition again. In the end, the race goes to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
by the chase-"
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Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
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r r
"True," Heem agreed, feeling generous. "Your presence helped. It got him away from the machine,
gave me time to study it."
"So you understand the operation of the Ancient device?"
"Somewhat, perhaps, thanks to your-"
"Then would it not be fair to share the victory with me? The honor to Star HydrO would be unabated,
and there is enough in this complex for more than a single Star to exploit. The mechanisms of the
tower, the machine-there must be other things too, of similar value."
"There are other treasures," Heem agreed, thinking of the planetarium. "Yet the rules of the
Competition specify-"
"The rules specify that the winner takes the site," she sprayed. "But who is the winner when it has
taken more than a single entity to achieve it? This becomes in effect a relay race, and all who
participated in the winning effort should share in the profits of that victory."
'She does have a point,' Jessica agreed internally. 'I think you could afford to agree. The agreement
might not have force with the Competition Authority, but that would not be your fault. Offer her a
quarter share of the proceeds of the site.'
"Would you consider a quarter share for your Star?" Heem asked Swoon.
"I would prefer a half share," Swoon sprayed. "I could be most appreciative, Heem, in the name of the
Star I represent. My transferee can promise you rather substantial long-term personal recompense-"
'She's trying to bribe you, Heem!' Jessica exclaimed indignantly.
"And I myself can offer you quite immediate short-term pleasure," Swoon concluded. She jetted a
supremely evocative erotic flavor at him.
'And now she's trying to seduce you again!'
"It is an attractive enough offer," he sprayed to her internally. "There is no finer pleasure than-"
'Damn it, don't tell me about that!' she cried angrily. 'I can't-oh, hell, I'm just being a jealous female! I
get so tired of participating in these things in the male costume instead of the female.'
"Yes, of course," Heem sprayed, chastened. "I will decline her offer."
'No, don't do that. I have no right to-' She couldn't finish the thought. 'I'll be leaving you soon anyway.
I love you, Heem, whatever happens. I would not deny you your pleasures. I would not be the dog in
the manger.'
"The what? Where?"
She flashed him a picture of a four-legged, tooth-faced creature standing in dehydrated vegetation,
threatening another creature who evidently desired the vegetation. Heem could make little sense of it.
'What it means is that I can't be the kind of female you need, but I don't want to be a female canine
either. There is a special word for that.'
But Swoon was spraying again. "Perhaps your offer is sufficient, Heem. My Star might be satisfied
with no more than this machine. Do you know what it is, how it operates?"
"I believe it is a research tool set to banish auras from given hosts, or to superimpose auras on
occupied hosts. Be careful not to jog the activator-globe."
"Which globe is that?" she jetted, alarmed.
"The clear, empty one, I believe. That is the one the Squam touched, to banish the Erb." He rolled
closer. "Now if you'd like to celebrate our agreement in the HydrO fashion-" It was not serious, in that
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
he had no intent to reproduce-no, never that!-yet he wished it could have been Jessica. It was the alien
female he was holding in his mind and longing for, as he sprayed romance at Swoon.
But this time Swoon did not return that kind of spray. She was now behind the Ancient machine,
orienting it on him. "I believe we can dispense with that, Heem. I have what I need."
Alarm shocked through Jessica. 'Heem, look out!'
Heem froze, horrified. "What are you doing, Swoon?" But he already had a notion. Betrayal.
"I am taking the entire site, Heem, since you were foolish enough to yield to me the key to victory."
"But I thought you wanted to share, to indulge in-"
'Ha!' Jessica exclaimed bitterly. 'She only used her sex appeal to get what she wanted from you:
information about the operation of the machine, so she could use it without killing herself. She's a
conniving bitch-and I fell for it too, because I wanted you to be happy. Men often make concessions
for sex alone; women seldom do. I only regret I allowed my own concern to interfere with my logic. I
failed you, Heem-in the one thing I was really equipped to help you in. Protection against deceitful,
cynical, excellent-tasting females.'
"I'm sorry about this, Heem, I really am," Swoon sprayed. "You're a tough, apt HydrO who did help
me get my ship, and I'd love to copulate with you. But I have so much more to gain by winning the
Ancient site for my transferee's Star."
"But you can't win!" he jetted at her. "The aural printout will show you were not the first."
"I'll take that chance. You were the first-but you killed another competitor, the Squam. That makes
your victory suspect. We none of us are clean, Heem, but the Competition Authority will not be eager
to roll to the enormous trouble and energy to run this competition again. In the end, the race goes to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]