MECH - By B. V. Larson Page 0,2

specialization. The giant approached and stood next to him. Standing just over eight feet tall, he also wore furs and carried his luggage with him.

“Any problems, Jarmo?” Lucas asked the giant.

“No sir.”

Lucas stretched his aching shoulders. “It’s good to feel the solid pull of a planet under my feet again after three years of cryo-sleep. I know we only aged a few months on board the Gladius during the long flight out from Neu Schweitz, but I’m convinced that I still feel those years somehow, deep down in my bones.”

Jarmo’s eyes never stopped scanning the crowd. One by one, he located the security devices and appraised them expertly. “We are under surveillance, but I see no reason why we shouldn’t move to the hotel immediately.”

The Governor nodded and rode his way up the slider to the nearest waiting cab. As he climbed in, the giant appeared at the exit, smoothly folding his body into the cab immediately behind him.

* * *

“There he is,” said Militia General Ari Steinbach in a hushed voice.

Mai Lee inclined her head a fraction, the equivalent of a nod. Linked directly to the security feed from the spaceport, Mai Lee of New Manchuria stared at Lucas Droad speculatively. “I’m an excellent judge of character, General.”

“Naturally.”

“I don’t like this man. There is no softness in him, no weak button to push.”

“Well, it certainly hasn’t shown up in his classified files, or in our psychological simulations, or even in the darkest secrets of his past, which are few and far between,” said Steinbach.

“Most importantly, it doesn’t show up in his face.”

Steinbach said nothing.

“Will you be able to guide him?”

He hesitated a moment before answering. “He doesn’t appear to be a weak man. However, enough money...”

“Blur dust and amp-rods speak louder,” purred the lady of New Manchuria. “You will persuade him somehow.” She watched with a knowing smirk as Droad breezed through security, then paused at the door for his giant to catch up a bit before going outside.

“Should I, ah—alert Governor Zimmerman that his replacement has arrived?”

“I’ll do it myself. I’ll enjoy the worm’s terror.”

“The presence of the bodyguard shows that he isn’t completely ignorant of the situation here,” said Steinbach. He broke off at Mai Lee’s gasp of surprise and followed her gaze back to the security screens.

When the new Governor and his bodyguard left the spaceport, more giants made their appearance. They waltzed through security and waded through the throng near the luggage claim section. Each of them wore a black jacket with silver trim and carried long cases like those used by rayball players. Mai Lee judged that they were all close to, or over, eight feet in height. They touched the delivery cubicles and grabbed up huge packs as they were dispensed.

“One, two, three, four, five... He’s not kidding,” muttered Steinbach.

“Count silently,” hissed Mai Lee. “Pay the Captain half the agreed amount, since he withheld half of the information.”

“He will not be pleased,” Steinbach pointed out.

“He is either double-dealing us or incompetent. I have no time for him in either case.”

“Of course.”

Mai Lee noted one of the other passengers had touched a giant on the sleeve. She pressed the audio focus button immediately, and the computer-controlled parabolic microphones homed in and picked up the man’s words.

“Go Rangers!” the passenger said, and laughed.

The Giant stared at him for a moment, frowning in suspicion, then gave a wintry smile.

“Obviously, the man thinks he’s one of the new rayball players,” said Steinbach, chuckling. “They’re often giants. I doubt that they intended such a reaction.”

Mai Lee ignored him. She squinted a bit, examining the giants closely.

“They are wearing black and silver, the Rangers’ colors. Could they be players?” asked Steinbach.

“Of course not,” snapped Mai Lee. “If you looked carefully, you can see that their cases aren’t quite long enough to hold rayball sticks. Besides which, there are only flares for catch-baskets at one end, not at both ends. Viewed objectively, they looked suspiciously like weapons cases.”

Then the giant that she had focused in on turned an eye to the optical probe. His eyes challenged hers. Staring into the giant’s somber face Mai Lee blinked and for a split second felt a quaver of... not fear exactly, but what did the fool Germans call it? Angst. This emotion was followed immediately by rage.

“Damned Captain! Pay him nothing!” she screeched.

“He probably sold them as much information as we got out of him,” said Steinbach. “More perhaps, since it would be easier to get, I wouldn’t be surprised if the new