"Didn't the Bandit do that?"
"That's one crime Santiago doesn't need the credit for," answered Dante. "Once the Democracy has someone to blame, they'll be out in force."
"Okay, so we'll lay the blame on this alien. I assume you have a reason?"
"I do. Now listen to me, and capture and save this conversation, because if you mess up the details you've killed me." Dante paused. "Are you ready?"
"Shoot."
"I want you and each of your people to inform the Navy, all independently of each other, that no one knows where the Tweedle lives, but they know it will be on Kabal III, on the Inner Frontier, six days from now, for a payoff. It's a very cautious creature, and it travels with its own army. It will arrive at a fortress that's at latitude 32 degrees, 17 minutes, and 32 seconds north, and longitude 8 degrees, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds east. It will show up exactly two hours after sunrise at the fortress—my computer tells me that's 1426 Galactic Standard time, keyed to Deluros VII; make sure you tell them that—and it'll be gone ten minutes later. The planet is uninhabited. The only way to defeat the Tweedle is to pound the whole fucking planet until there's nothing left of it."
"You're giving yourself an awfully small window, Rhymer," noted Wilbur.
"Any earlier and they'll kill me and someone who's working with me. Any later and the Tweedle almost certainly will be gone, and I hate to think of what it'll do to Hadrian if it gets away from Kabal."
"I'll take your word for it."
"Can you convince the Navy to do it?" asked Dante. "Everything depends on that."
"Probably. I'm not without my connections—and you haven't been back here since Madras. It's still in the news every day. They've been looking for the culprit ever since it happened. Our pal the Bandit didn't leave any clues."
"I'll be in touch with you in five and a half days. I can still call it off then, if you don't think the Navy's bought your story."
Dante broke the connection, then left the room, took the airlift down to the main floor, and took a slidewalk over to the Fat Chance. Moby Dick sat sitting at his usual table, and Dante quickly joined him.
"Is your preacher going to hold up for six days?" he asked by way of greeting.
"He's been abusing his body with bad booze and worse drugs for the better part of thirty years now," answered the huge albino. "I don't imagine another few days will make much difference."
"I hope you're right," said Dante. "I've got another job for you."
"What is it?"
"Find me an engineer. I want to be able to operate Priest's ship from a thousand miles away."
"What's the matter with auto-pilot?"
"Nothing, once he's taken off. In fact, I want it programmed to take him to some uninhabited world—but I have to be able to make it take off when I want it to."
The albino frowned. "Why an uninhabited world?"
"If my plan goes wrong, the Tweedle is going to be chasing one or the other of us, and I don't intend for either of us to lead them to Hadrian or any other populated world."
Moby Dick grinned. "He's gonna be that pissed, is he?"
"That's a pretty fair assessment," agreed Dante.
"I take it you're really going to go back for September Morn?"
"That's right."
"How much time do you think you'll have before the Tweedle knows you're there and tries to stop you?"
"I don't know. Five minutes. Ten at the outside."
"Then I want you to take a friend of mine along."
Dante looked sharply at him. "Oh?"
"He's as brave as they come, he can help you look for her, and if it gets rough, he'll be another distraction. It might just buy you the extra few seconds you need."
"I'll be taking Virgil."
"Take my friend, too," urged the huge man. "You're telling me you've only got five minutes. The more people you have trying to find where he's stashed her, the better."
"I hope you're not going to volunteer, too," said Dante with a smile. "It'd take you ten minutes just to get from the ship to the fortress, even if I land right next to it."
"I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses," said Moby Dick. "I'm staying right here."
"All right. Who's your friend?"
"Did you ever hear of Accidental Barnes?"
"It sounds like a joke."
"There's nothing funny about him."
"It's the name that's amusing."
"He killed his first man by accident," said Moby Dick. "He killed his next 30 on purpose. If things get nasty, you'll be glad you've got him with you. He's certainly more use than that goddamned Indian." He grimaced. "You know, none of my servo-mechs have worked since yesterday."
Dante chuckled. "I seem to remember you suggesting that he pay them a visit."
"Only because I never thought he'd do it!" snapped Moby Dick. Suddenly all the alien gamblers stopped what they were doing and stared at him. "Go back to your games," he said in a more reasonable tone of voice. "Nothing's wrong." He turned back to Dante. "I don't know why you let him hang around. He's useless."
"That useless man may possess some tastes that you and I disagree with," answered Dante, "but he's as deadly a killer as Dimitrios was. And he's totally loyal to me. If there's a better reason to let him hang around, I can't think of it."
"Point taken," acknowledged Moby Dick.
"Now, where is this Accidental Barnes?"
"He's staying at your hotel. He arrived while we were off visiting the Tweedle."
"What's he doing here?"
"Gambling," said the albino. "He doesn't need the money, but he enjoys the challenge."
Dante looked around. "So why isn't he here?"
"This casino is for aliens."
"Nobody's ever stopped me from entering."
"He can enter it any time he wants, but we don't have any human games, and he prefers them." Moby Dick signaled to a Mollutei, which ambulated over and stood in front of him. The albino spoke in an alien tongue for a moment, and then the alien left the casino. "I've just sent for him. He should be here in a few minutes."
They waited in silence, and five minutes later a short, stocky man with spiky blond hair and a bushy beard, blond but streaked with white, entered the casino. He looked around, spotted Moby Dick, and walked over.
"Dante, this is Accidental Barnes, the man I was telling you about."
Dante extended a hand, which Barnes accepted.
"Got a job for you," continued Moby Dick. "How would you like to ride shotgun on a rescue mission against Tweedledee and Tweedledum?"
"Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" repeated Barnes. "Nice to know you're not thinking small. What's it pay?"
"Nothing if we fail, bragging rights if we win," said Dante.
"You're asking me to go up against the most dangerous pair of aliens on the Frontier," said Barnes. "And I didn't hear any mention of money."
"You're not going to. They've kidnapped a woman. I plan to rescue her. We'll be in and out in five minutes, or we're dead. Moby Dick volunteered you. I don't need your help, but I'd like it."