Tangle in the Dark - Kassidor

He looked at her like maybe English wasn’t his nativetongue. “Perhaps we should introduce ourselves,” he said,and Ava had to go thru that. She let the antique 2172 handsetrecord the names and faces as unobtrusively as possible. Mostof them had some piece of jewelery around their neck thatundoubtedly contained their cameras. There were a couple ofthe women, not the ones so active with their data connections,that were the lush, bosomy, thick hair, thick lipped Minoansor their descendants. She wished she didn’t have to remembertheir names and could just get the note delivered if they coulddo it. She understood that she was going to have to give upsome information in return, and wanted to just get on with it.When the introductions were complete and they had takenseats, the highest ranking man did get right to the point. “Weunderstand that you have threatened to take military actionagainst us.”“If you mean me,” she pointed at her breastbone,“absolutely not. I’m about as far from a military action heroyou’re going to find on Gordon’s Lamp with the possibleexception of Delos Alverez. I wouldn’t harm a hair onanyone’s head here, I’ve been treated very well and I’m verygrateful for it.”“We were told of self-replicating machines that can causethe bodies that heaven is contained in to undergothermonuclear fusion.”“The technology exists, is all I pointed out to your agent. Iassume Yellelle works for someone in this building.”533