Read Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition for Free Online

at the casinos there and have been working with
the Vacation Worlds Policing Agency. We managed to capture many of
the criminals and have imprisoned them. None were capital cases and
none have been placed on the probe, so we don't really know who's
behind it, but the police sent me here to stay out of sight. Those
kind of people will kill me if given any chance. They would never
look for me here.
    "There are, so
far as we know, several Jornians, a Bentan or two, and possibly
some Lars, but we have no idea who the head of the plan is – yet.
Until we do and have him or them in custody, I'm to be a tourist
waiting on some stuff to take home."
    I nodded. There
were those few who would organize a criminal activity around any
worlds where casinos and gambling were legal, so I didn't doubt it.
I agreed to go to Sentah personally to try to find the leaders when
I had the time, then went back to TR.
    TR checked with
Maita, who checked with the VWPA, who quickly confirmed it. Maita
would send Z and Thing there immediately when their present project
was finished.
    I suggested a
few avenues of investigation.
    TR took me to
another spaceport, where we landed close to our second ship. I
placed the Searian language and strolled over to announce myself. I
reviewed the facts as I went.
    GGF772-PY:
Entric, Hol Nar Tei, rich playboy. Here on a little vacation and
wanted privacy to relax.
    He would be
hiding out, too. There was nothing for an Entricee playboy on
Flimt. He was probably the only one of that reptilian race in the
system right now. The world wasn't particularly well suited to his
race, being a bit wet and a bit cool.
    He was almost
broke and was hiding from creditors. He had no idea of how to earn
any credits to pay off the debts, though he wanted to do so and go
home. He was basically honest, but was spoiled by the way he was
raised – and knew it.
    "I admit to
being a worthless drain on the galaxy, but I don't mean anyone any
harm," he said. "I just can't seem to live within my means!"
    There was a
magnificent painting above us on the salon wall. I knew from a
glance that it had to be either Zulian or Parf.
    I asked about
it.
    "Oh, it's
rather good, isn't it?" he said. "It came with the ship. I bought
it in an estate sale years ago.
    "It doesn't go
too well with the decor in here, but I think it's much too good to
store somewhere in a vault. That kind of art should be seen and
enjoyed.
    "I wish I had a
real appreciation for art, but you don't have to be an expert to
know that is GOOD!"
    "Is it
Zulian?"
    "Oh, I think
it's from some other place. It's signed up in the right corner and
dated. I can't read the writing. Those things are always in some
script I can't read, it seems."
    I checked the
fine writing. It said: Youf/ Parf/ Mt. Jarl at Sunset/ 142-712.
    "How much do
you owe, altogether?" I asked.
    "Much more than
I can hope to raise. I can't sell the ship because it's still under
mortgage. I keep that up if nothing else. I love this ship."
    "How much?"
    "About one and
three quarter million credits."
    "I'll give you
two million for that painting. And I'll tell you straight out it's
worth more. It's a Parf painting by a famous painter – the son of
Tous, who was a friend of the emperor.
    "I'd like to
give Emperor Maita the painting as a gift. Art of this quality is
one of the few things he can appreciate and enjoy without a lot of
people criticizing him. It's his one vice. It's the one thing he
collects for himself alone, though he'll exhibit it at the gallery
on EC. He strongly believes these things should be seen and
experienced by everyone."
    He was staring
wide-eyed in disbelief at me with the mouthful of sharp teeth
hanging open. "It's ... I mean ... I could...?"
    "I'm serious.
You'd have a quarter of a million credits to build on. That's
probably not a hell of a lot to you, but it will get you out of
debt."
    "I could pay
off the ship, too! I would have sixty thousand credits left over.
With my regular income and no other