Dene always had problems bargaining with the inhabitants of Inir-ta. The second eyelids made them hard to read. She also didn't have the patience for their methodical approach to finding an agreeable price.

For many reasons, not the least was some unpleasant business with the local constabulary, if she could have bought the Magalo Orb anywhere else in the universe, she would have. But Inir-ta had the market cornered on the coveted objects.

Dene sighed. Such was how fate always played with her luck.

She counted out ten more ding-ti pieces and pushed them next to the sizable pile already on the merchant's bench. They'd been negotiating for much of the evening and the three moons in their crescent phase peeked through the transparent ceiling of the shop.

Dene held her breath as the merchant put a pale orange claw to what she supposed was its chin. Or what would have been a chin if Inir-tas had mouths and necks. Interesting how the gesture of contemplation seemed to transcend physical characteristics.

The merchant studied the coins then spread its massive scaled arms around the pile and pulled them into a container below the edge of the bench. The several moments of clattering from the coins hitting coins were the sounds of a sealed bargain for the inhabitants of Inir-ta.

Dene straightened, relieved that her purpose for being there was about over and she could escape that infernal planet.

The merchant slipped off a wide cushioned stool and waddled--using its thick tail for leverage--through an opening in the back wall. It reappeared with a sizable bag of soft weave and carefully put it on the bench.

Dene loosened the ties at the top of the bag and let it fall around the object she risked visiting this planet for.

She sucked in her breath as she gazed at the Magalo's Orb. It was more impressive than she had imagined. The Orb was a flawless globe made of smokey transparent material about two hand spans in diameter. It was mounted on a base that was synthesized to have the look and feel of earth wood--polished and intricately carved with symbols important to what was found inside the orb. Even the track pads looked like smooth pieces of wood, reflecting the exquisite craftsmanship of the object.

She touched a pad and a patch of the smoke cleared. Her breath stole away as she peered for the first time into a Magalo's Orb. She gazed in wonder at a miniature galaxy floating in its own universe. She re-covered the Orb and took the sack from the bench. "Thank you."

The merchant nodded and waved a claw as Dene quickly rushed out of the shop.

"Of all the idiotic stunts."

"Don't start." Dene pulled herself out of her space scooter and threatened to jump onto Tenlo if she didn't back away.

Tenlo took a step back.

Dene balanced on her arms, swung her legs out of the scooter, and landed with a graceful impact. She took off her helmet and put it back into the scooter, then carefully liberated her purchase from a compartment. She was thankful she padded the compartment because the ride back to her ship had been a little more eventful than she had anticipated.

"Of all the planets to do a job on." Tenlo followed Dene across the small bay to the door.

"It wasn't a job," Dene mumbled as she hit the door panel a second time to get it to open. "We've got to get this door fixed."

"If we went to a planet with the right parts for it . . ."

Dene shook her head and walked up a steep incline to the crew quarters. She touched a door panel and it obediently slipped open.

She put the Orb on the bed, and the ship shook and pitched. When she could keep her footing she touched a panel on the wall. "Was that a stunner?"

"Right, first time," came the helm's aggravating amiable voice. "No worries. Just the local constabulary. They're eating our dust as we speak."

Dene glared at Tenlo. "I thought you were working on its language program."

"It's better," Tenlo said. "You could understand what it said."

Dene relaxed and beckoned Tenlo over to the bed. "I wish for once my work or my past didn't get in the way."

Dene removed the Orb from its sack and put it on a small work table.

"Is that what I think it is?" Tenlo stared in awe at the smoky Orb.

"The limited silver edition." Dene touched a pad and a large smoky patch cleared. "This is one of the most sophisticated self-sustaining orbs ever made. It took me five cycles to track it down."

She touched a second pad. The military space port on the second moon of Asro floated in a darkness as deep as space. Wenderfar fighter ships darted in and out of the port like pesky insects.

Tenlo leaned in to study the scene. "It looks so real." "It's the highest quality imagery," Dene said.

"I never knew you had a keen interest in such things," Tenlo said.

Dene touched the pad and smoke seeped over the clear patch. "It's not for me."

Tenlo raised an eyebrow. "And it's not a job?"

Dene pulled the sack up over the orb. "No."

"If--"

Dene gave Tenlo her best "I don't want to talk about it" look.

Tenlo held up her hands. "All right." She grinned like a Rualian imp. "For now."

"Ithought we lost them." Dene bounded onto the ship's helm and stared at the view screen.

"We did." The helm's voice was indignant.

Dene scowled and reminded herself to fix the language program first chance she got. She could tolerate the mixed historic and cultural references but mimicked emotions sounded ridiculous from an insentient entity.

"If we lost them, why are we pushing the speed of my ship?" Dene put her hands on her hips and frowned at the fast moving objects on the hover screen. "What am I looking at?"

"Four Neppers, three Kits, and a Cop Rocket."

"Why are they trying to occupy the same space as us?"

"As far as I can tell from intercepting transmissions," the helm said, "they're chasing you for an indiscretion you were involved in on Ewquar."

Dene frowned. "That was a long time ago."

"You made quite an impression."

"I should have never flirted with that daughter . . . son . . . whatever that cute thing was of that Ilatian merchant," Dene muttered.

Tenlo pulled herself out from beneath a shelf of panels. "You always did like silky little gills."

"Can we get any more speed out of this thing?" Dene asked.

"A bit more." Tenlo stood and stretched out her back.

"Whatever possessed me to trade in the Old Clunker for this flashy but useless piece of junk?" Dene kicked a freestanding display pedestal.

"Much like your taste in potential bed companions, your senses get blinded by good looks sometimes," Tenlo said.

Dene threw up her hands. "Thank you for the insight into why my life has been rife with disappointment."

Tenlo laughed and twirled her power driver. "I'll go see what I can do about that door while I'm at it."

"Ouch." Dene rubbed her head as she tried to get up. The ship rocked from another impact and her bed crashed into her before stuttering away. "Helm!"

Of course, the helm couldn't hear her. She had rigged the Old Clunker to have an open communications system. Why hadn't she thought it was necessary when she bought this worthless excuse for a ship? Tenlo was right. She was shallow sometimes.

She lunged to the wall and smacked her palm against the panel. "Could you cut into your busy schedule and get us out of the way of those stunners? Please."

She tumbled away from the wall as the ship shook. Her side table occupied the space she'd just been in.

Her door slid open. Tenlo stumbled in as the ship rocked from another impact.

"Do you want your afternoon tea in here or should I serve it in the garden?" Tenlo dove onto the bed as it came her way.

"Doesn't anyone on this ship have a hint of sanity?" Dene rolled on the floor to catch the container holding the orb before it crashed into the wall.

"You're a fine one to talk about sanity," Tenlo said as she sat cross-legged on the bed. "You who risked everything for that orb."

"There are times when logic or sanity are not allowed." Dene hugged the orb close as the ship rocked and shuddered.

"If not for money, it must be for love," Tenlo said.

Dene scowled. Tenlo grinned. "She must be someone special."

Dene ignored Tenlo, got to her feet, and hit the wall panel. "Have we escaped them?"

"Of course," came the helm's annoying and cheerful voice. "We gave them a fine chase and then showed them what The Galaxy Cruiser could do."

Dene turned to Tenlo. "I thought we fixed the boasting lies module."

Tenlo shrugged. "It's tied into some basic functions for running the ship."

Dene shook her head and hit the door, which slid open. "Come on. I need to put this in the zero gravity chamber."

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Tenlo followed Dene down the short corridor to the storage chamber.

"I didn't know I had a helm that liked to play chicken," Dene said.

Tenlo laughed.

"I still don't get this." Tenlo fidgeted with her power driver.

"Do you have anything illegal on board?" Dene gave her a sidelong look before returning her attention to--she had to admit--the odd sight of a customs vessel nose-docking to her ship.

"No." Tenlo straightened. "But I still feel guilty. We always seem to have something illegal on board."

"The ship's clean and it's important for me to enter Maketa space as a legal visitor."

"I always thought it interesting you never took a job here." Tenlo gave Dene a speculative look. "Like that one involving those rare beasts--can't remember what they were called but they sure were ugly."

Dene sighed. "I made a promise to someone I'd never do a job in this sector."

Tenlo crossed her arms. "Anyone I know?"

Dene shook her head and studied the activity outside her ship.

"Is it someone I'm going to meet?" Tenlo wrinkled her brow in concentration. "Is it someone I know? I bet it's that woman with the blonde hair we met on Branis 9 Station. She couldn't keep her eyes off of you."

Dene stuffed her hands into the pockets of her loose coveralls and took an aimless tour of the bridge.

"What's this?" Tenlo said. "The great Dene, known throughout the universe as The Buccaneer, can't even find the words for a snappy retort?"

"The customs officers are boarding." Dene detoured to the door and strode into the corridor.

Tenlo looked over Dene's shoulder. "Coordinates for Cean. Is that where the mystery person lives?"

Dene glanced at her. "That's where we're going."

"That's a nice evasive answer," Tenlo said.

Dene shrugged. "It's true."

"Come on." Tenlo playfully drummed her fists on Dene's back. "If it's not the blonde, who is she?"

Dene couldn't help a small smile. "Who said anything about a she?"

"Ah, come on." Tenlo stalked to the view screen as they closed in on the planet. "You can tell me."

Dene ran her fingers over the control panel and adjusted the coordinates.

"I promise not to tease you too much," Tenlo said. "I want to know what kind of woman you'd risk getting arrested for. Who you'd buy such a gift for."

"It'll be good for you to wait and see," Dene said.

Tenlo grinned. "You're actually going to introduce me? Aren't you afraid I'll try to steal her away?"

Dene threw her head back and laughed.

"W hy are we parking here?" Tenlo stared at the shops that lined the square of the tiny village nestled between a river and a large hill.

"You don't even know where we're going." Dene popped the hatch of the scooter and lifted herself out. Tenlo climbed out of the back seat.

Dene retrieved the Orb from the padded compartment, then pulled down the sack and inspected it for damage.

"Safe and sound?" Tenlo asked.

"Yeah." Dene re-covered the Orb and closed the hatch. "It's such a nice day, I thought we could manage walking a bit."

"Or you want your visit with the gift to be a surprise." Tenlo fell into step next to Dene. "What I don't understand is how you know this place so well, considering you've avoided this sector for the three years I've known you."

Dene answered with a grin.

"Keep your secrets for now," Tenlo said. "I'll just torture it out of this mystery woman."

Dene turned off the main road onto a narrow lane. They walked past cottages that were multicolored splashes drowning in flowers and flowing vegetation.

Tenlo cocked her head at Dene. "This village is very quaint. Not the kind of place your infatuations usually inhabit."

Dene stopped in front of a pale yellow cottage. Beds of flowers lined the path to the porch. She unlatched the low white gate and stepped through.

Tenlo shrugged and followed Dene to the porch.

Dene lifted the knocker and dropped it. It stuttered to an expectant silence.

She started at the turn of the knob and the scrape of the door. A woman, tall like her, with a strong face and thick white hair stared at her in shock.

"Dene?"

"It's me." Dene couldn't keep away a smile. "Hello, Mother."

Dene grunted as her mother pulled her into a rib-cracking hug. She glanced at Tenlo, who looked too delighted for this to be fodder for endless teasing.

"Tenlo, meet my mother, Dernia," Dene said.

"Pleasure to meet you," Tenlo said.

"Come in, come in." Dernia backed into the cottage and waved to the small sitting room that glowed in the afternoon sun.

Dene sat on the sofa and Tenlo took a chair opposite it. Dernia sat next to Dene and pulled her into another hug, then sat back and studied her.

"I was wondering if you'd remember," Dernia said.

Dene grinned. "I'd never forget."

Dernia turned to Tenlo. "Did she tell you about this?"

"No," Tenlo said. "I couldn't pry anything from her. I've been planet hopping with her for three years and she never let on she had a mother. I always thought she was the spawn of some impish space pirate."

Dernia laughed. "Close. She's the daughter of a warrior who spent four long years fighting on the Wenderfar Frontier."

Dene saw all the pieces come together in Tenlo's expression. She ghosted a wink at her.

"This is the anniversary of the day I returned home from the wars." Dernia grabbed Dene's hand and squeezed it. "It became our little celebration every year. Even when Dene went off to play in the universe, we held our celebrations through the comlink."

Tenlo raised an eyebrow. "But this year?"

"This is the twentieth anniversary of that day," Dernia said. "I don't know why I was surprised to see you on my doorstep. This is something you'd do."

Dene pulled the sack up off the floor and put it in Dernia's lap.

Dernia gave Dene a puzzled look.

"Open it," Dene said.

Dernia pulled on the ties and the sack fell open. "A Magalo's Orb?"

Dene pointed to a pad. "Touch here."

Dernia put a strong finger on the pad and a patch cleared on the Orb. She peered in and caught her breath.

"What do you see?" Dene asked.

"I see Asro," Dernia said, her voice full of wonder.

"You can roam the whole galaxy and get as close up as you want," Dene said. "The holopeople may not be your old comrades and friends but they're authentic, true to life."

"This is the most wonderful gift I've ever received." Dernia brushed away the tears on her cheeks. "Except seeing you, of course."

Dene rolled her eyes. "I guess I'll be visiting more often."

Tenlo sat up. "And why is that?"

"The authorities in this sector offered me a job," Dene said. "A real job."

Tenlo looked intrigued. "Oh, really?"

"They seem to be interested in retaining a person with my, uh, special skills," Dene said.

"I hope you don't mind." Dernia took Dene's hand. "That was my gift to you."