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added a probable rationale of his own. And I’m sure Anson Carron prefers his new position of powerbroker over his former profession as a mere pimp .
    Even if it might not pay as much.
    It pays him in prestige...
    Right. Anson Carron was now a supplier to the High Council. Not many companies on Tau Cetus could claim that.
    “How long does it take to create each individual soldier?”
    “We can reliably produce twenty-five per day, as long as we continue to operate nonstop. Programming them is obviously the thing that takes the most time.” Rhean gave Wyatt a wistful smile. “We had a bit of a head start, since Beautiful Dolls already had one hundred working models. Those beautiful sexbots needed to be modified, of course, but it didn’t take as long as creating one from scratch.”
    Beautiful? Oh, yeah, this guy definitely made use of the Dolls himself. Only question was whether he preferred the male variety.
    Wyatt turned his head and rubbed his chin. Hmm. Twenty-five soldiers per day… times the last six months of manufacturing… plus one hundred original sexbots. Calculating quickly, Wyatt estimated that Carron’s robot army was almost ready for deployment.
    That certainly matched up with the rows and rows of completed robot soldiers he’d seen yesterday.
    “Walk me through the process. I want to see exactly how it’s done.”
    Wyatt spent the next two hours examining the intricacies of every machine on the floor. He had to admit he was impressed by the streamlined operation. Once assembled, the robot soldiers were sent to the programming labs, then, after encoding, they were delivered to the storage area around the corner from the factory floor. Anson Carron might have once been little more than an oily purveyor of prostitution, but he’d obviously always been an efficient businessman.
    Hell. This was a monumental undertaking. No wonder Carron was running his manufacturing facility day and night.
    “How can Anson Carron insure quality control with this round-the-clock schedule?”
    “We test every tenth soldier, agent Wyatt. We’ve had no problems so far, and we’re confident we can keep up this schedule.” Rhean gave Wyatt his best gap-toothed smile. “Premier Theus can count on us!”
    Sycophant.
    “Good,” Wyatt said dismissively. “Then I’ll get right to work organizing their transportation to Terra Acer.”
    Rhean immediately held up what looked like a distressed hand, his mouth forming a perfect letter o. “Oh, wait, wait. Our head programmer, Titus Veraine, wants me to bring you to his lab when we’re through here.”
    Wyatt paused. He’d managed to put all thoughts of Ginger out of his mind for the last few hours, but now temptation reared its ugly head. She’s so close. At least go see her. What can it hurt?
    Stop it!
    “We’re done here,” Wyatt growled. “And I have work to do.”
    Rhean gnawed at his bottom lip. “I really think Titus Veraine needs to speak with you, agent Wyatt.”
    “About what?”
    “Unfortunately, I’m not privy to that information. But it must be something important, because I have direct orders to take you there.”
    Wyatt raised an eyebrow. He briefly wondered what this lightweight would do if Wyatt simply turned and left. Would the man come skipping down the hall to try and stop him?
    Remember, Bruiser is outside. You’d have a bit more trouble getting past him if they want to keep you here…
    True.
    And you wanted a chance to show you’re stronger than temptation, right? That’s why you wore your dress uniform. Here’s your chance to prove it.
    Besides, he supposed there was a chance Veraine might have something legitimate to discuss with him.
    “All right. Lead on.”
    Wyatt endured another broad, gap-toothed smile from the wiry-haired assistant, who immediately turned to guide him from the factory floor, down a hallway, and toward a set of double doors. The programming labs. Again, Wyatt already knew the way, but he offered no protest at the