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"Do either of you speak computer?" he asked ea-gerly.
He dumped the papers in Hosato's lap, who bent to examine themThe papers
were covered with what appeared to be typed mathematical notations inter-
spersed with word fragments.
"What are they?" he asked.
"You should know," Rick replied smugly"You gave 'em to me, back at the crawler
bay, when you carried Sasha in."
"And you've been carrying them all this time?"
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Hosato vaguely remembered the incident, but was astounded the mechanic still
had the documents in his possession after all they had been through.
"Yep," Rick announced proudly"Had 'em stashed inside my shirtThe guards who
searched me at Ravensteel looked at 'em but didn't figure they were important
enough to take away from me."
"For the benefit of the unenlightened," Sasha inter-rupted sarcastically, "what is
it you've got there?"
"It's a copy of the most recent entries to the computer-monitor file," Rick
informed her"The guys were going over it at the end there, trying to figure out
what went wrong and how to fix it."
"I hate to admit this," Hosato said, "but I don't know what that is or what it
means."
Rick looked a bit distressed, but answered him"Everything that's input into the
central control com-puter passes through the monitor file. every pro-gram
change, addition, request, everythingIf we're right and Turner did something that
created a new logic system in the robots, there should be a record of it here."
"I can't help you there," Sasha interjected"What I don't know about computers
could fill a library."
"Same here," Rick admitted"I was hoping one of you.."
His voice trailed off as he noticed Hosato's frenzied activityHosato had scavenged
a pencil from the depths of the bar and was busily scribbling something on the
back of one of the sheets.
"Rick!" he said, handing the mechanic the paper"Set a course for those
coordinates."
"Where are we going?" Rick asked, studying the sheet.
"To visit a friend of mine," Hosato replied"He builds and programs custom
robotsLet's see if he can decipher this mess."
"Now you're talking," Rick said, brightening no-ticeably.
"WhoaDon't get your hopes up yet," Hosato cau-tioned"We don't know yet if he'll
be able to find anything in that fileEven if he can, we've got to come up with a plan
of action we all agree with, and that includes. say, where is James, anyway?"
Rick smiled and pointed to the back of the loungeJames was curled up on one of
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the luxurious sofas, fast asleepCradled in his arms like a teddy bear were
Hosato's dueling epees.
"I think the kid has the right idea," Rick observed"We could all do with some
sleepThere are half a dozen cabins there in backTake your pick." "What about
you?" Hosato asked"I'll be doing the same as soon as I get this new course fed into
the autopilot." He disappeared into the pilot's compartment once more.
Hosato found himself staring at James's sleeping form.
"Leave him," Sasha said softly at his elbow"He'll be all right there, and he'll wake
up if you try to move him."
"I guess you're right," Hosato acknowledged"You know, Rick is quite a guy."
"Qualified to operate and repair a wide variety of heavy machinery, including
space transports shows a high degree of dedication when it comes to completing
assignments, but displays little or no lead-ership ability seems content in current
position not currently considered for advancement," Sasha recited"You know,
until all this, he was just another personnel report on my deskFunny how you can
know a person so well and not really know nun at all."
"I know what you mean," Hosato admitted"Until things blew up back there, he
was just another person to pump for informationNow.."
His voice trailed off into silence.
"It must be a lonely way to.."
Sasha started to lay a hand on his arm as she spoke and succeeded only in waving
her stump in the airShe stared at it for a moment, then turned away abruptly.
"Sasha." Hosato said, moving to her side.
"Leave me alone!" she whispered, turning to keep her back to him.
"SashaIt doesn't matter," he insisted.
"I don't want your pity," she snarled, and started to stalk away.
Hosato caught her before she had taken three steps.
"I'm not offering pity," he said softly"I'm offering meNow, if you're not
interested, say soBut don't blame it on your arm."
Then she was in his arms, crying against his chestHe gently walked her down the
corridor to the cabins
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What the Hungarian's real name was, nobody knewHe used a wide array of
aliases when signing various documents, and in conversation, he responded to a
variety of nicknames.
Some said he broke off a brilliant career with the corporations to start his own
business; others, that the corporations, stole his business away from him and he
started a new one out of spiteThe Hungarian had a small shop in a teeming city on
a backwater planet -but his reputation was known in that part of the galaxy.
Whether he started rich or if he built his business to the point where he was
wealthy was inconsequentialWhat mattered was the current situation, and cur-
rently he could and did pick and choose his jobs, ac-cepting only those that were
immensely expensive or particularly challenging.
Hosato had been referred to the Hungarian when searching for someone to build
a fencing robot for him, and the two had become fast friendsNot that they were
particularly close, for Hosato's profession did not allow confidantsBecause of
that, the Hun-garian's stoic refusal to ask questions of a personal nature
endeared him to Hosato more than anything elseAs an example, they had known
each other for five years after Suzi's construction was complete be-fore Hosato
had hesitantly mentioned to the Hungar-ian that his talents included sabotage
and that he would appreciate any business that could be steered his wayWhen
this fact was formally mentioned, the Hungarian immediately produced not one,
but three clients for HosatoApparently he had had his sus-picions all along,
probably from the "special construc-tion" that went into Suzi, but had refrained
from seeking clarification or confirmation until Hosato broached the subject
himself.
Hosato was reluctant to face him with the news of Suzi's demise, but he needn't
have worriedThe Hun-garian greeted them upon their arrival with his usual
expansive welcome and was introduced to Sasha, Rick, and James without once
commenting on Suzi's absenceIn fact, the subject was not even broached until
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