Slave Ship

12

When news comes from far away, it sometimes accumulates power on its journey. Like a tidal wave on the surface of an aquatic planet, that rolls uninterrupted and gathers greater and greater force in doing so, until it can wrench that world off its spinning axis-or sweep up on its curving face and then crush any leviathan creature smaller than itself.

Such dark, brooding meditations came easily to those of the Falleen species. Prince Xizor stood at the small viewport, gazing out at the stars and the emptiness in which they were held; the thumb and forefinger of one hand stroked the sharp angles of his chin as his thoughts progressed through their courses. He had already heard the news, the fulfillment of the next step in his intricately woven plans, before he had made the return journey to this place. Indeed, he had been expecting the news at any moment, as he had waited in the private quarters of his ship Virago. Some things, he mused, are as certain as the galaxy's own slow rotation. Many of his own actions and schemes were based upon a cold assessment of calculated risks; the most dangerous of those added a blood-stirring excitement to his life. To stake all upon the turn of a card, to use the most ancient gambler's metaphor everything, including the very life he savored at such moments-was the ultimate sport. But that was not the kind of lower-keyed satisfaction he derived from betting on a sure thing. And in this universe, as had been demonstrated over and over again, nothing seemed as certain as one Boba Fett, bounty hunter.

A sound of scrabbling claws and a slight motion caught the corner of Xizor's eye. He turned and saw one of Kud'ar Mub'at's subnodes, a little crablike thing tethered by a whitely glowing neurofilament to the web's communication fibers." Yes?" Xizor raised an eyebrow as he regarded the semi-independent creature clinging to the wall in front of him." What is it?"

The subnode's mouth, nearly humanoid in size, opened and emitted words." Your presence is desired, my lord." Its voice was a squeaky approximation of its own master's." In the main throne room and conference area."

"Very well." He gave a single nod of acknowledgment." Tell Kud'ar Mub'at that I will be with him shortly."

Xizor let the subnode lead the way, through the cramped angles and turns of the web's internal corridors. The rough-textured walls, with their structural fibers of varying thicknesses compressed to a solid mass, were faintly illuminated by the phosphorescence of other subnodes dangling at intervals above, idiot creations of their assembler parent. They had no more intelligence than was sufficient to monitor the slow catalysis and decay of the light-producing compounds in the globular bodies, each barely larger than the span of Xizor's palm. When their glow had dwindled sufficiently, the instincts with which they had been designed and extruded would send them creeping back to Kud'ar Mub'at to be reingested by their creator. Xizor felt no pity for them; he shared the attitude that lesser creatures were for the service of their masters.

He ducked his head to make his way through one of the lower-ceilinged areas in the web. His broad, heavily muscled shoulders scraped against the matted walls on either side. Aboard the Virago, even the narrowest passageways were wider than he could have reached with his hands fully outstretched; his own personal quarters on the ship were as luxuriously appointed as the reception hall of many a planet-bound ruler's palace. It was a test of his will to voluntarily return to Kud'ar Mub'at's space-drifting web and enter its dank, claustrophobic spaces; only the prospect of successfully concluding some long-standing business schemes was enough to entice him anywhere near the arachnoid assembler and its scuttling, scurrying brood of subnodes.

"Ah, my most precious Xizor! Sunlight of my drab existence!" Kud'ar Mub'at perched on the pneumatic cushion of the subnode that served as its throne. The assembler's spike-haired forelimbs lifted and waved in a grotesque parody of a welcoming gesture." How deeply embarrassed am I, to have kept one of your exquisite eminence waiting! Please accept my most humbly prostrated apologies-"

"No need for that." Xizor could already feel his own patience draining away inside himself. The assembler's flowery language always irritated him, suspecting as he did that every word that came from Kud'ar Mub'at's mouth was tinged with venomous sarcasm. He stood before the assembler, arms folded across his chest." I was told upon my arrival here at your web that important news had just been received, and that was the reason for delaying our meeting." His vibroblade-sharp gaze took in Kud'ar Mub'at and the various subnodes clustered around it or perching on various limbs." If the news had that kind of urgency for you. . . then I wonder if it could possibly have some bearing on our mutual interests."

All of the multiple eyes that studded Kud'ar Mub'at's face shifted uneasily for a moment, as if revealing the agile contortions of the mind that lay behind them. Then the assembler creaked out an unpleasantly high-pitched laugh." Why is it, my so esteemed Prince Xizor, that you already know all about this news that I've just heard? Granted, your native intelligence is of a nature many awesome degrees above my own. But still. . . for you to acquire such information before me. . ." Kud'ar Mub'at shook one of the tiny subnodes from its forelimb, then used the exposed claw-point to scratch the tip of its chin." How it grieves me to harbor suspicions against one so uniquely dear to me as yourself! The pain! Nevertheless-" Kud'ar Mub'at's two main eyes peered closer at its visitor." I would hate to believe that your information-gathering sources, the great and efficient network of your Black Sun organization, had been monitoring developments in this little matter independently from my own favorite and trusted spies. That would tend to indicate-oh! The horror!-that you, dear prince Xizor, did not trust me."

"I trust you, all right." One corner of Xizor's mouth lifted in a grim smile." There are some things that I can absolutely depend on to happen when I'm dealing with you. Given any opportunity, you will lie, cheat, embezzle, and in other ways seek to gain an advantage over a business partner. Withholding or changing a few important details about some matter in which we both have an interest-that would be one of the lesser offenses you would commit."

"Hm." The assembler appeared nettled; it turned its narrow face away from Xizor and spent some time fussing with its nestlike throne, poking and prodding it with its lower sets of limbs. The pneumatic subnode bore the assault with dull patience." Very well; be that as it may." Kud'ar Mub'at finally settled its globular abdomen back into the nest beneath it." If I'm to be criticized for being a business creature, and taking care of business the way I should-no more, no less-then I shall just have to accept that as my lot in this universe."

"Spare me," said Xizor. He didn't know which was worse, Kud'ar Mub'at's unctuous flattery or its occasional spasms of self-pity." You've done all right by yourself." Xizor gestured with an upraised hand, indicating the matted fibers of this tight space and all the smaller ones beyond." Consider the treasures you've accumulated."

"True. . ." Kud'ar Mub'at's beadlike eyes glittered as their gaze darted around the area. Here, just as throughout the web, the structure's fibers were intertwined with various bits and pieces of machinery and high-level comm gear, all of it filched and salvaged from various spacecraft that had been unfortunate enough to have fallen into the assembler's control-usually to pay off the owner's debts, the invariable cost of doing business with such a clever and avaricious creature." I have so many pretty things. . . pretty and rare, and expensive as well. . ."

Idiot. Xizor didn't bother to conceal the sneer that showed on his face. Some of the scavenged gear in Kud'ar Mub'at's web worked-that was how the assembler managed to keep track of his many far-flung schemes on different worlds-but the rest were inert and useless. Useless, except to one of its solitary species; the assembler seemed to value the process of acquisition as much as the results. Constantly absorbing things, both dead and alive, into its network of self-generated neural fibers, making them as much a part of itself as the subnodes that it designed and extruded for its service-that was the sum of Kud'ar Mub'at's existence. Its complex schemes were woven for the same reason as the physical web that it squatted in, drifting past the stars and their circling worlds: because it had no other way of existing separate from the strands of that web and those schemes. It exuded both, the way other creatures breathed. Xizor glanced at the thickly matted strands near his shoulders; it struck him again that he was standing, almost literally, inside another creature's head, its thoughts having taken on an animated, tangible form. That realization filled him, as it always had before, with a subtle nausea.

"But," said Xizor aloud," there are so many more things you'd like to have. And that is why we're in business together."

"Exactly so, my dear Xizor." Kud'ar Mub'at's face split into a jagged grin." Forgive me for ever having doubted your so deeply held distrust and low opinion of me. Be assured: it's mutual."

"Then let's get down to it. Now that you've heard what I already know. There's hard merchandise on its way here. Boba Fett has captured Trhin Voss'on't."

"Did we anticipate anything else?" Kud'ar Mub'at imitated a humanoid shrug with the rising of a pair of forelimbs." Boba Fett never fails. That was why we made him an integral part of our plans. If Fett goes out after a bounty, he always collects. And a bounty such as the one that the Emperor offered for Voss'on't. . . well. . ." Another shrug, slightly less exaggerated." It was a certainty that he would go after it."

"As would every other bounty hunter in the galaxy," Xizor pointed out." That was the other part-the other predictable part-of the scheme. Even as we speak, the other bounty hunters-the few that are left of them-are still at each other's throats, back-stabbing and conspiring against one another. The news has not reached them yet that the inspiration for all their unbridled greed is already in the hands of Boba Fett. By the time the other bounty hunters learn that Trhin Voss'on't has been captured, it will be too late for them to escape the consequences of their actions. There are no longer two factions of bounty hunters-the True Guild and the Guild Reform Committee are finished. Avarice has the power to accomplish such things, to turn one creature against another, who a moment before had been calling themselves family." The savoring of that accomplished fact was like a rich, intoxicating liquor on Xizor's tongue. He had always despised the tendency of lesser creatures to form themselves into would-be protective groups, whether it was the old, vanished Bounty Hunters Guild or this new Rebel Alliance that was enjoying its brief moment in the sun." There was a time," continued Xizor," when these bounty hunters had considered themselves bound by their so-called 'Hunters' Creed, ' as if that little pact would have been enough to keep their enmity for each other in check. Well, that precious fiction is gone at last-and good riddance. There may be a few left who give it lip service, but the rest have discovered the truth about themselves and each other."

"Indeed they have." Kud'ar Mub'at nodded his triangular head in agreement." So excellent and fore-sighted was your scheme, my dear Xizor! I congratulate you on its success-not that it was ever in doubt, of course. Between you and Boba Fett, how could it have turned out otherwise?"

Xizor ignored the assembler's flattery. It was superfluous, at any rate; he had set out to destroy the old Bounty Hunters Guild, and had done so. Boba Fett had been no more than the tool in his hand, as sharply efficient as a sculptor's honed chisel. The first blow had been enough to divide the Guild into two rival factions; this final one had smashed those into their constituent atoms. There wouldn't be very many of those left alive, by the time the process had reached its end; bounty hunting was a ruthlessly competitive trade, one in which the best way to assure one's survival was to eliminate as many of the others in it before they had a chance to eliminate you. However stodgy and inefficient the old Guild had been, it had at least managed to hold down the level of mayhem among the individual bounty hunters. Now, without even the two remnant splinter organizations around, it was open season in the trade. The corpses were already starting to pile up. Of course, that was also to Prince Xizor's liking: only the toughest and most capable bounty hunters would survive such a winnowing-out of their numbers, and the skills of those would be even sharper and more enhanced by it. Perhaps there would never be another bounty hunter the equal of Boba Fett; so be it. But now there would be others, harder and more murderous in their quick, bright, lethal grace. They would be perfect, not just for the uses of Palpatine's Empire, but also for that of the darker empire that lay in its shadows, which was so fittingly known as the Black Sun.

"Yes," said Xizor, nodding slowly." It could have been no other way. Even if we had not made sure of the outcome ourselves."

The assembler emitted a harsh, cackling laugh that was taken up and echoed by the piping voices of the subnodes clustered around it." Poor Boba Fett!" Overcome by its hideous glee, Kud'ar Mub'at waved its forelimbs." Think of how much trouble he might

have saved for himself, if he had known that Trhin Voss'on't, the supposedly renegade stormtrooper, was acting on Palpatine's direct orders the whole time!"

As much as he admired Boba Fett, Xizor couldn't help feeling a certain pleasure at having hoodwinked the famous bounty hunter. And it had been accomplished just as Kud'ar Mub'at had said.

The whole thing had been a setup, and all the bounty hunters had fallen for it. Xizor knew that that had been a major part of the attraction for Emperor Palpatine-and why he had agreed to the subterfuge, as long as Xizor had put up the bounty stake from his own personal fortune. Far from being a renegade and a traitor, Trhin Voss'on't was actually one of the Emperor's most loyal soldiers; loyal enough-and obedient enough-that he had been willing to follow orders that resulted at least temporarily in the blackening of his reputation among the ranks of his fellow Imperial stormtroopers. And more than that: to fully establish his cover story of being a renegade, ruthlessly following his own personal agenda, the others involved in the hijacking of the Imperial ship had to be killed, and by Voss'on't's own hand. Those orders he had carried out with no hesitation as well. The stolen codes had been a minor issue compared to that; before the plan had even gotten under way, measures to eliminate the damage caused by the sale of the obsolete data had already been in place. Just as Xizor had anticipated, the final result of his preparations was a perfect enticement to the greed of the individual bounty hunters, and more than enough to dissolve the two remaining factions into which the old Guild had splintered.

That final collapse into every-creature-for-itself anarchy, the remnants of the old Bounty Hunters Guild disintegrating into nothing but memories, had been a result that Emperor Palpatine had been glad to hear of. Before coming here to Kud'ar Mub'at's drifting web, Xizor had had another meeting with the Emperor in his throne room on the planet Coruscant, and had received the Emperor's congratulations on a job well done. All the while, the holographic image of Lord Darth Vader had fumed in silence, unable to make any protest without risking either the Emperor's mockery or his wrath-or both. Xizor had savored the moment of triumph, even while aware that whatever enmity Vader had previously borne him, it was now multiplied many times over. The only thing worse than failing in a contest of wills between oneself and the Dark Lord of the Sith was to win out over him. Vader did not take the humiliation of defeat lightly.

There will be consequences, Xizor assured himself. The day of reckoning between himself and Vader had only been postponed. When it came, only one of them would be alive afterward.

He would be prepared for that confrontation. Xizor knew that he was in an even stronger position than he had been before.

Now, Xizor mused, Palpatine thinks he's gotten what he wanted. A tougher, harder breed of mercenary bounty hunters, all of them ready to do the Empire's dirty work, for a price. And without the old Guild keeping them noncompetitive, and fat and lazy. That's good for the Empire, Xizor nodded slowly to himself. It's even better for Black Sun.

"You've done well for yourself, my dear Xizor." Nestled before him, Kud'ar Mub'at had discerned the course of Xizor's silent thoughts." You've more than proved your value to Palpatine. That will stand you in good stead in the future, with all the rest of your plans and schemes. The Emperor's favor will shine down upon you like the warming sunlight of a tropical world. He's known for rewarding cleverness. . . and loyalty."

"Not as much as you might think," replied Xizor." I have no illusions in that regard. The Emperor will keep me at his right hand as long as he considers me to be a valuable instrument of his will. If anything should happen to dispel that sense of value, then I will be just that much closer to him, so that he-or Darth Vader-can crush the breath from my throat."

"Needless worries; needless, I say." Kud'ar Mub'at bestowed his jagged smile on the web's guest." Whatever obstacles are arrayed before you, in your traversal of the maze that is Emperor Palpatine's court, I'm sure you'll negotiate them with your usual and commendable alacrity."

Xizor returned the smile." I'm sure I will, as well." He tilted his head in a mocking half bow toward the assembler." How can I fail to, with an accomplice such as yourself on my side?"

"Ah! How sweet of you to say so! Then may I take it that all issues of distrust between ourselves are dispelled?"

"Of course not, you idiot." Xizor shook his head in disgust." The day I trust a creature such as yourself will be the day I sign my own death warrant. But enough of that-let's get down to business."

"Whatever," sulked Kud'ar Mub'at." As you wish." It gestured with the tip of one forelimb." Please proceed."

"It's one thing to congratulate ourselves on having achieved the objective of our plans, the total disintegration of the Bounty Hunters Guild. If you wish to bask in the warm glow that comes with such an accomplishment, then do it when you're by yourself, Kud'ar Mub'at." Voice turning harder, Xizor leaned toward the assembler." But right now, there's plenty

of work left to be done, if we're to enjoy the results of our schemes. One doesn't put plans such as these into motion, without creating certain-shall we say?-messes that need to be cleaned up."

"Indeed." Kud'ar Mub'at nodded judiciously." It is exactly as you say, my dear Xizor. We have brought some participants into these intrigues, who might not be exactly pleased to find out the role they've been unwittingly forced to play."

That much was true; Xizor had already admitted as much to himself." The stormtrooper is not much of a problem," said Xizor." The fact that Trhin Voss'on't carried out the orders that he was given, and played his part in this little masquerade, indicates a certain naivete on his part. That's often the case with these military types; they're trained to trust their superiors. The Imperial stormtroopers could not survive if they allowed any doubt within their ranks. And in Voss'on't's case, he was promised a great deal in addition, if he played his role well."

"Really?" The assembler tilted its head to one side." What exactly did Emperor Palpatine promise Voss'on't?"

"Retirement." Prince Xizor shrugged." A modest pension, based upon his years of service in the stormtroopers. You have to remember, very few of their number live long enough to enjoy those things. Given what they have to go through, and what they have to do along the way, a little peace and quiet is all they want for their last days."

"How touching. And what will Trhin Voss'on't receive instead?"

"Leave that to me," said Xizor coldly. He bore the stormtrooper no ill will; whatever happened to Voss'on't now was a matter of simple necessity. Voss'on't had become a loose end, something that had to be cleaned up and disposed of-before he could create any embarrassment for those who had devised the scheme in which he had played so vital a part. Old soldiers tended to talk about their adventures. A few indiscreet details leaking out, concerning how other stormtroopers had been duped and killed, would have serious impact on the morale of those still serving in the Emperor's forces. The Rebel Alliance could use that kind of information as a way of encouraging mass defections, merely by offering any survival-minded stormtroopers a safe haven out of the reach of their commanding officers and their murderous Emperor. For that reason alone, Trhin Voss'on't was not going to receive the peaceful retirement that had been promised to him; he knew too much. Xizor had already assured the Emperor that Voss'on't would be taken care of-permanently.

"And what about Boba Fett?" A note of amusement sounded in Kud'ar Mub'at's voice." Wrapping up that particular loose end might be just a little more difficult. He is, after all, not quite the same sort of trusting individual as Trhin Voss'on't."

"That's my problem. And I'll take care of it." Xizor had already given the matter its due consideration. Unfortunately, for both himself and Boba Fett, the only possible solution was the same one that would be applied in the stormtrooper Voss'on't's case. Xizor made it a general rule of business never to create a situation where someone else had an advantage over him. Only a fool, he had long ago decided, hands a weapon over to a potential enemy. It was just as foolish to leave a weapon lying where an enemy might find it and pick it up. And in the universe he lived and operated in, everybody was an enemy, sooner or later-it was just safer to make that assumption from the beginning.

Boba Fett had one of the most carefully groomed networks of information sources in the galaxy; that was a big part of his success as a bounty hunter. It was only reasonable to expect that some of those sources might be located in the ranks of Black Sun itself. Fett might not know it now, but the truth might be discovered at any moment: that it had been Prince Xizor who had instigated the Bounty Hunters Guild's destruction. To allow even the possibility of Boba Fett, with his devious mind and appetite for gain, acquiring such a damaging piece of information to hold over him-that would be madness. Even if he then eliminated Boba Fett, the problem remained of all the others who might have learned the truth from him. Too many creatures would bear Xizor a grudge then; even if he managed to evade every bounty hunter who had some remaining vestige of loyalty to the old organization, to do so would endlessly complicate his existence. And it would only take one of them, with a stroke of luck, and all his plans for Black Sun would expire along with his own life.

No, thought Xizor. The decision had already been made. Fett's silence and the bounty hunter's death were one and the same thing. And too valuable not to bring about.

"I'm entirely confident," purred Kud'ar Mub'at," that it will be taken care of, and in your usual efficacious manner. Of that I have no doubt, my dear Xizor. The only question is when. I prefer to sleep soundly here in my humble web, safe among my treasures, my dreams undisturbed by the awareness of bounty hunters with a grievance against me. My only wish is to coexist with my fellow creatures of the galaxy in as harmonious a manner as possible. The thought of Boba Fett, still on the loose somewhere, and bearing uncharitable thoughts toward me-that would impinge itself most ungraciously upon my slumbers."

"Don't worry," said Xizor grimly. He had already made his decision about that part of the matter as well. When there were messes to be cleaned up, they had to be taken care of, right down to the tiniest detail-or the potentially most valuable. The bounty hunter Boba Fett would undoubtedly have had his uses in the future, for both the Empire and for Black Sun; in some ways, Fett was one of the most irreplaceable creatures in the galaxy, with a necessary function to serve, as long as one had the means to pay for it.

Plus, Xizor had to admit to himself, he felt a certain admiration for the hunter. Boba Fett's efficiency and ruthlessness were truly inspirational qualities, which Xizor had pointed out to his underlings in Black Sun on many occasions as models worthy of their emulation. The galaxy would be a kinder, gentler place with Boba Fett removed from it-the notion filled Prince Xizor with disgust.

How paradoxical, he mused, that ruthlessness requires that the most ruthless be exterminated. Still, if it came down to a choice between his own survival and that of Boba Fett, then the bounty hunter was already history.

"I am," sighed Kud'ar Mub'at," a creature given to worry. It's my nature." The assembler gestured with his forelimbs toward the subnodes clustered around it." I have so many responsibilities. That's why I'm forced to admit that I have grave concerns about your plans for 'taking care' of Boba Fett. Others have tried to 'take care' of him in the past, and things did not turn out well for those improvident creatures."

"That's the difference between them and me.

When I take care of something, it remains that way. Don't forget: I have the resources of not only the Empire, but Black Sun behind me as well. Boba Fett has never come up against a combination such as that. To prevail against a lot of slobbering Hutts and similar creatures, with their shabby, insignificant networks and spheres of influence, is one thing, to survive against the forces I command is quite another."

"Your confidence, my dear Xizor, is so powerful as to evoke awe in one such as myself."

"It should be." The Falleen prince reached over to the edge of his cape and drew it across his chest. He was ready to leave the web now, to make sure of his other preparations." Your only true concern, Kud'ar Mub'at, is playing out your own role in this last stage of our plans."

The assembler drew back on its pneumatic nest." My thespic skills are so dreadfully limited. . ."

"You've done all right so far," said Xizor." It was your expert lying that got Boba Fett involved in the scheme against the Bounty Hunters Guild in the first place. He fell for it then, as he had no reason to disbelieve you. Similarly, he has no reason for distrust now. Fett has in his possession certain hard merchandise, as he and the other bounty hunters like to refer to their captives; namely, one Trhin Voss'on't, assumed to be a renegade Imperial stormtrooper. You, the assembler Kud'ar Mub'at, are holding in escrow the bounty payment for the delivery of that merchandise." Xizor glanced up toward one of the larger subnodes that held on to the fibrous wall near Kud'ar Mub'at." Is that not so?"

"That is a true and verified statement," replied the subnode called Balancesheet," regarding certain credit funds now on deposit in this web. The entire amount of the bounty for the Imperial stormtrooper Voss'on't is at this moment in our possession. Just as you say, Prince Xizor."

"And that is precisely something I'm nervous about." The subnode's creator fidgeted in its nest." That is a considerable amount of credits for me to be sitting on; perhaps the largest amount that's ever been here at one time in my web. I've always considered it to be a prudent policy to shift my financial assets into reputable planetary banking establishments, within the controlled boundaries of the Empire. Otherwise I'm just too much of a target, out here alone in empty space."

"Nobody would ever rob you, Kud'ar Mub'at; your go-between and escrow services are too valuable for too many creatures. Besides, I've stationed my own Virago close at hand, along with several other craft from Black Sun's operational fleet. Their firepower should be more than enough protection for you, until the bounty is safely out of your hands."

"That may be. . ." Kud'ar Mub'at didn't appear entirely satisfied with the answer." But is it enough to protect me from Boba Fett?"

"Leave the bounty hunter to me," said Xizor." All you have to do is play your part. For someone to whom lying comes so easily, it should not be a task to strain your capabilities."

He turned away, having had more than his fill of the assembler's protests. As he headed down the shoulder-cramping space of the web's central corridor, Xizor could hear the assembler sputtering and fussing behind him.

A short time later, another voice spoke to Xizor as he waited in the web's docking area for the small shuttle vessel that would return him to the Virago.

"Excuse me-" The small voice spoke from close by Xizor's head." I wonder if I might have a word with you. Just by ourselves. . ."

Xizor glanced beside himself and spotted the accountant subnode Balancesheet, dangling upside down from the matted ceiling of the area." What do you want?"

"As I said." The subnode's voice was a carefully modulated whisper." A word with you. On subjects that would be of mutual-and profitable-interest to us."

"Profitable to your master Kud'ar Mub'at as well." Xizor shook his head." I'm familiar enough with how the assembler's web is constructed. Everything here is spun directly from Kud'ar Mub'at's own neural tissue." Looking into Balancesheet's bright beadlike eyes, Xizor knew that he might as well be looking straight into the assembler's sharp, avid gaze. Why Kud'ar Mub'at was going through this pretense, sending one of his semi-independent nodes after him like this, was beyond comprehension. Does he think I'm so easily fooled?" I've already said to him all that I care to for the moment."

"I think you have misapprehended the situation," said Balancesheet evenly." As well as exactly whom you're talking to." Upside down, the subnode crept a little closer to Xizor. One of its tiny claws held up a glistening white strand of neurofiber. The strand was broken, connected only to Balancesheet but not to the structure of the web." You see? I'm an independent agent now. When you talk to me, Kud'ar Mub'at knows nothing of it. Unless I want Kud'ar Mub'at to know."

Xizor regarded the subnode with suspicion." You've managed to unplug yourself from the web? That's very ingenious of you-but how is it that

Kud'ar Mub'at is not aware of one of his valuable subnodes having separated itself from the larger organism?"

"Simple." Balancesheet reached over and picked up another, larger strand of fiber that led directly into the intricately knotted structure surrounding them. At this fiber's tip was another subnode, smaller and with claws almost too delicate to be seen." Kud'ar Mub'at is not the only one here who can create subnodes; I have mastered the art as well. This is one of mine." Balancesheet held the tiny, tethered organism out for Xizor's inspection." Its only function is to masquerade as me, to send neuro-signals into the web that falsely indicate that I'm still attached and subservient to Kud'ar Mub'at. Trust me; the old assembler has not the slightest clue as to any of this."

"Indeed." Xizor was impressed, both with the subnode's ingenuity-and the possibilities it presented. Kud'ar Mub'at had been getting on his nerves for a long time now. Perhaps the assembler's usefulness was already coming to an end." You're right about one thing. . ."

"And what is that?" Balancesheet's bright, round eyes peered into Xizor's gaze.

"We do have a lot to talk about."