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swiping a hand to silence my viewpad as it tried to display for me all the posts that poured in following my latest entry.
    “Just as well you weren’t, sir,” Nesbitt said. “Honor of the force, and all.”
    I winced.
    “You have hit upon a spot that is still tender, my friend,” I said. “Honor of the force is and heretofore shall be my priority. Now, if anyone will help me to return to the Imperium compound, I shall meditate toward my recovery and prepare for our departure.”
    Oskelev rose first.
    “I better go, Thomas. No way I’m going to be late for my exam.”
    I raised both hands to her in benediction. They seemed slightly smaller already, though as large as leaf rakes compared to their normal size.
    “Good fortune follow you.”
    The Wichu snorted, the nostrils of her pink nose curled. “The harder I work, the luckier I am. See you later.”
    But I noticed that she tucked her lucky circuit carefully away in a chest pouch.

CHAPTER 3
    Nile Bertu leaped out of the covered flitter as soon as it landed, bursting out of the hatch as if he was escaping from prison. His expensive suit, a shimmering example of the latest fashions anywhere in the Core Worlds, was creased and stained. He ripped the jacket off his broad chest and threw it to the side of the landing strip.
    “Better to go naked than to wear it now!” he snarled.
    His sister, Skana, emerged calmly in his wake. A more slender version of her brother, she had the same rusty-brown curly hair, the same short-lashed hazel eyes, and the same short, thick fingers. No one would ever call them beautiful, but no one would dare to call them plain in their presence. The penalties for disrespect like that were severe.
    It had taken several hours to fly to their estate from the center of the city. Nile had bounced all over the interior of the flitter, until she had dialed up a sedative for his next drink. It kept him out until just a half hour ago. Then he had started screeching about humiliation again. Skana had had hours to think about it, and put a philosophical spin on her feelings.
    Their majordomo Tuk, a Croctoid who was both secretary and head of security for their organization, extended a scaly paw for Skana to hang onto as she pulled herself out of the vehicle. She rolled her eyes and picked Nile’s tunic up from the floor.
    “It can be cleaned,” she said. Her brother spun to glare at her.
    “I never want to touch it again!” Nile shouted. He skinned out of the matching trousers and tossed them in the direction of the cool, shadowy grotto that housed their elegant in-ground pool. Skana started toward the pants, but a small cleanerbot shot out of a niche in the wall and gathered them up. It rolled over to her. She dropped the tunic on top of it, and watched as it fled into the warren of service tunnels that lay within the walls of their compound to be laundered.
    “So it didn’t go well,” Skana said. “We’ll do it again another time. But after I talk with that manager.”
    “He won’t be there next time,” Nile said, his brows drawn down. “I’m sending a team after him right now. They won’t even find the pieces.”
    “No, you don’t,” Skana said. “Your temper tantrum is what got us thrown out of there in the first place. I’ll override anything you order. So it wasn’t what we expected. We got a full refund.”
    “Half our guests were arrested!”
    Skana raised an eyebrow. “They should have known better! All of them have outstanding warrants. They didn’t have to get involved. All they had to do was to stay in their places and let me handle the situation. No one was going to ask any questions. The staff was coping.”
    “Up until she got involved!”
    “Well, what did you expect from a noble?” Skana said, flipping her hands over. “They’re overprivileged pains in the ass who go wherever they want and do whatever they want.”
    Nile stopped punching the air and stared off into space.
    “She was so beautiful,” he