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insertion. But, not to worry, the
contusions should heal quickly.”
    “Fine. Now, if you wouldn’t
mind leaving us.”
    “Yes, Sovereign.”
    Prollixer waited until the doctor
left the room. “Contractor Varden, what do you think of my modifications?”
    Rainer stared at Sara’s hand to
avoid looking at the rest of her. He had more discipline than to let his
physical desire show, but involuntary responses like pupil dilation were more
difficult to control. Few citizens ever overcame that genetically hardwired
reaction to sexual stimuli.
    Except for the Sovereign.
    Had he lived so long that
coupling was no longer important to him? Perhaps that would explain why he
hadn’t produced any offspring for nearly sixty years. Speculation about a true
genetic link to his previous children still surfaced occasionally, mostly due
to their early deaths, but most citizens shied away from gossiping about the
Sovereign for fear of repercussions. Of course, most wouldn’t have guessed
that his longevity bots were more than a myth, that his scientists had found a
way to lengthen his life, and that this technology wouldn’t be shared with
anyone who couldn’t pay the exorbitant price.
    Rainer wondered if, now that
Prollixer’s supposed immortality was threatened, the panic of being heirless
gnawed at his guts.
    The Sovereign dissolved a
sedative strip on his tongue as if in answer.
    Rainer’s gaze drifted to Sara’s
breasts, which were larger now, but he quickly pulled it back to her face.
Considering the circumstances, any type of arousal displayed by Rainer would be
expected, but he feared Prollixer knew of the unauthorized visits to Sara
during her modification.
    “I don’t see much difference
except for the longer hair. Good color choice, by the way. I’m kind of partial
to dark-haired women.” But, changing her hair color still wouldn’t make
her a contractor, and that disappointed Rainer more than he cared to admit.
    “I’m glad it pleases you. I
chose a similar hue for her eyes.”
    “Quite a change from the
honey color they were,” Rainer said.
    “You remember the color of
her eyes? Surprising. I believe it was quite dark and dusty the only time you
saw them.”
    Rainer gave Simon a guarded look,
but his response was even. “Eyes are just my thing. Some guys focus on a
woman’s mouth or her ass. I always go for the eyes.”
    “Precisely why I didn’t hire
you for the modification.”
    Rainer’s mouth folded at the
corners. “You didn’t even know about the eye thing until just now.”
    “I knew there was something
you liked about her. You took great care of her…”
    Rainer didn’t blink.
    “…before Contractor Renault
took over that night.”
    “I took care that she didn’t
die before we got any information from her. Then you cut me out of the
modification process. I would have charged less than Faya.”
    “Really? Contractor Renault
wouldn’t accept any payment to break the woman.”
    Rainer’s breathing paused for
just a moment, but the Sovereign had caught it. His smile said so. “Not to
worry. I have more important jobs for you.”
    He looked back at Sara. “And
you, Ambasadora Mendoza, have the most important job of all. You get to lift my
curse.”
    “Why her?”
    “Bait. The rogue who left
her at Palomin will be very interested to know she is still alive, and now
serving as one of my ambasadoras. He will either come back to save her or to
kill her. But, either way, he will come back.”
    Prollixer’s rising tone hinted at
desperation, a trait emerging more frequently in the ailing Sovereign. Rainer
supposed curses would do that to a man.

SEVEN
    The deafening hum of the engine
room aboard the Bard drowned out the sound of Sean Cryer’s fist slamming
repeatedly against the bulkhead. It wasn’t a technical problem like he often
faced here on the luxury cruiser turned science vessel that vexed him, but
rather one of a more personal and illegal nature.
    “How could my prints