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the big problem here." Drew motioned for Van Gar, and he nodded and started towards her.
     
    "Our king has many enemies. He risked great danger in coming here in person. I shouldn't have to tell you how dangerous a spaceport is. Here there is no real law."
     
    "The Galactic Police . . ."
     
    "My point exactly. We wish for their reunion to go as smoothly as possible."
     
    He looked to where Taralin stood, looking scared and lost. "She's been through so much already. Please just help us get her to the King safely. I'm not expecting any trouble, but you know what these spaceport towns can be like."
     
    He saw Drew's outstretched hand. He looked at it and then at her face. She was grinning.
     
    "Don't try to appeal to my better nature. I don't have one. Money talks; bullshit walks."
     
    "But I've already paid."
     
    "Erik. You paid Erik. I don't see him puttin' his ass on the line here, do you? You want me," Van Gar reached her then, and she put an arm around his waist, "and Van to escort you, then you need to pay us."
     
    Drew looked up at Van Gar. "How's it going?"
     
    "They say we're short on our load," he said.
     
    "What!"
     
    Drew threw a black look at the dock workers.
     
    "Fucking space leeches! Dogs of the space ways!"
     
    "You're supposed to have fifty converters!" a portly dock worker screamed back.
     
    "Well, excuse me all the hell!" Drew screamed back. "The converters turned out to be shit, and he wanted twice what they were worth."
     
    "Whatever the song and dance, Qwah, your load is still short and that means you lose ten percent."
     
    "Screws! Roaches of the air-ways! Sphincter of the universe!"
     
    Drew turned to Van Gar. "So, how much ahead did we come out?"
     
    "Well, we paid a quarter of what we declared. So, with the ten percent docking, fuel, penalties, etc . . ." he punched the buttons on his wrist computer, then grinned ". . . we're 2,000 iggys up."
     
    "Oh, how I do adore the free enterprise system, Van."
     
    She glared at the dock worker taking inventory.
     
    "Double-dealing, penny pinching . . ."
     
    "You're crooked!" Facto hissed.
     
    "I'm a good business woman."
     
    Drew held out her hand again without looking at him. Facto dug deep into his pocket and dumped what was left of its contents into the Salvager's open hand. Drew looked at it, and seemed less than happy.
     
    "That's all I have left," Facto said.
     
    Drew turned up her nose.
     
    "It ain't much."
     
    "Maybe you can get the rest from your boss," Facto said shortly.
     
    "Erik Rider is a lot of things, but he ain't my boss, Factoad."
     
    Facto didn't want to have this conversation again."That's all the money I have left. If you don't want it . . ."
     
    "OK, OK. But you'll have to wait till they finish unloading my scrap . . ."
     
    "My King and Queen have waited to be reunited for five long years."
     
    Drew smiled. "Then thirty minutes isn't going to make that much difference, is it?"
     
    "You are . . ." Facto bit his tongue.
     
    "Yes, and so much more." Drew grinned widely. "As soon as I'm unloaded, and I have my money, we'll go. Until then I suggest you go back in the ship and make yourselves comfortable."
     
     
     
    "I want more money," Drew said in a whisper.
     
    "Why? We're almost there and nothing has happened," Facto pointed out.
     
    "My point exactly. I'm bored. I hate being bored."
     
    Drew looked at Van Gar, who nodded in agreement.
     
    "While we were escorting the Earl of Pedonia we got bored, and he paid us an extra seventy-five iggys."
     
    "What kind of scam are you trying to run now, Qwah? You never got paid seventy-five IGD's for being bored, and I doubt very seriously you ever escorted any Pedonian Earl. How stupid do you think I am?"
     
    Facto had come to the end of his rope. Drewcila Qwah held not a single redeeming characteristic that he could find.
     
    "I think you'd get really pissed off if I answered that." Drewcila grinned.
     
    Facto doubled his pace and was