Commercial Enterprises.
"No, Mr. Tarsus. We have no permit."
"Then I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you. If my outfit gets caught operating without a permit…I'd lose my guild standing. Not to mention the retaliation from Kimura."
"Spare me the negotiation tactics, Mr. Tarsus. You have no compunction against unsanctioned operations. We're quite familiar with your organization—which is why we came to you." Smith leaned forward. "Tell me, Mr. Tarsus, are your guild levies in good standing?"
Of course, they weren't. Tarsus took a long pull on his ale.
"Your accounts are well in arrears, Mr. Tarsus. You'll lose your guild standing soon enough, and I don't see any other clients lining up to pay you the kind of sum I've just offered. Shall we dispense with the negotiation tactics, and cut to brass tacks?"
Tarsus waved him off. "I'd still be a fool to go up against Kimura. I have no ego in these matters. I know my organization's limits…and this is beyond ours."
"Thirty-two girls, six-point-two million dollars a head—surely that should be enough for you to take on any extra help you might need."
Tarsus mulled it over and took another pull on his ale, emptying the glass. $6.2 million was an extremely generous amount. There was obviously more to the job than Smith was letting on, but that wasn't surprising. He signaled the waitress over, ordered another and allowed himself a moment to appreciate the girl—all long legs and hips. Smith had a point and he knew it.
"Very well," Tarsus conceded, and grumbled, "I suppose we both knew I'd say yes the moment you sat down."
"Perhaps even before, Mr. Tarsus." Smith rose to his feet. "I'll transmit the particulars to your ship."
Tarsus waved his hand dismissively again. "Yes, yes—I'll have my man call your man…"
Smith turned on his heels and departed. Only when Tarsus was sure the man had left the bar and no one else was paying attention to him did he call over his second in command. Lt. Commander Selene Tseng slid into the booth across from him. He looked admiringly at his 'second'. Her jet black hair curved in a flattering fashion around her strong face. Her tall, thin figure belied a raw energy he'd seen unleashed on unsuspecting attackers on many occasions. She was the most skilled pilot he'd ever encountered in his long career, and her steely, ice-cold nerves at the helm had delivered him from many a scrape over the years.
She was his protégé, even though she didn't know it. At twenty-seven, Tarsus worried she might be too young to be taken seriously in command of a ship of her own. But her time would come, and soon. He already relied on her a great deal. He could trust her, and that was why she was the only member of his organization that he'd ever brought with him when meeting Smith .
"Did you get him?" Tarsus asked.
Selene held up a small recording device. "Right here, Major."
Tarsus nodded, satisfied. "I think it's time we learned the identity of our benefactor, don't you?"
CHAPTER SIX
Upgrades
From The Journal of Dr. Lisa Garrett
September 14, 2346
RE: Project Andraste
Dear Hitomi-san,
I'm very pleased to report that we've reached the next milestone in the project. Today, we began the process of implanting the girls with the Primary Control Module. It shouldn't take more than a day or two to complete the procedure on all of them. This will be the foundation for the Artificial Neural Network that we discussed so many times.
I've decided to implant an Optical Module as well, along with a small test program—something Felix has suggested. I feel this will be a good benchmark for some of the other bionics and modifications we hope to introduce in the coming years.
It will take many months to monitor the effects, but early data suggests a 100% success rate— no signs of rejection or mutation.
As for the Genetic Modifications, the girls all show the same improvements in all aspects of their biology. It will be
"No, Mr. Tarsus. We have no permit."
"Then I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you. If my outfit gets caught operating without a permit…I'd lose my guild standing. Not to mention the retaliation from Kimura."
"Spare me the negotiation tactics, Mr. Tarsus. You have no compunction against unsanctioned operations. We're quite familiar with your organization—which is why we came to you." Smith leaned forward. "Tell me, Mr. Tarsus, are your guild levies in good standing?"
Of course, they weren't. Tarsus took a long pull on his ale.
"Your accounts are well in arrears, Mr. Tarsus. You'll lose your guild standing soon enough, and I don't see any other clients lining up to pay you the kind of sum I've just offered. Shall we dispense with the negotiation tactics, and cut to brass tacks?"
Tarsus waved him off. "I'd still be a fool to go up against Kimura. I have no ego in these matters. I know my organization's limits…and this is beyond ours."
"Thirty-two girls, six-point-two million dollars a head—surely that should be enough for you to take on any extra help you might need."
Tarsus mulled it over and took another pull on his ale, emptying the glass. $6.2 million was an extremely generous amount. There was obviously more to the job than Smith was letting on, but that wasn't surprising. He signaled the waitress over, ordered another and allowed himself a moment to appreciate the girl—all long legs and hips. Smith had a point and he knew it.
"Very well," Tarsus conceded, and grumbled, "I suppose we both knew I'd say yes the moment you sat down."
"Perhaps even before, Mr. Tarsus." Smith rose to his feet. "I'll transmit the particulars to your ship."
Tarsus waved his hand dismissively again. "Yes, yes—I'll have my man call your man…"
Smith turned on his heels and departed. Only when Tarsus was sure the man had left the bar and no one else was paying attention to him did he call over his second in command. Lt. Commander Selene Tseng slid into the booth across from him. He looked admiringly at his 'second'. Her jet black hair curved in a flattering fashion around her strong face. Her tall, thin figure belied a raw energy he'd seen unleashed on unsuspecting attackers on many occasions. She was the most skilled pilot he'd ever encountered in his long career, and her steely, ice-cold nerves at the helm had delivered him from many a scrape over the years.
She was his protégé, even though she didn't know it. At twenty-seven, Tarsus worried she might be too young to be taken seriously in command of a ship of her own. But her time would come, and soon. He already relied on her a great deal. He could trust her, and that was why she was the only member of his organization that he'd ever brought with him when meeting Smith .
"Did you get him?" Tarsus asked.
Selene held up a small recording device. "Right here, Major."
Tarsus nodded, satisfied. "I think it's time we learned the identity of our benefactor, don't you?"
CHAPTER SIX
Upgrades
From The Journal of Dr. Lisa Garrett
September 14, 2346
RE: Project Andraste
Dear Hitomi-san,
I'm very pleased to report that we've reached the next milestone in the project. Today, we began the process of implanting the girls with the Primary Control Module. It shouldn't take more than a day or two to complete the procedure on all of them. This will be the foundation for the Artificial Neural Network that we discussed so many times.
I've decided to implant an Optical Module as well, along with a small test program—something Felix has suggested. I feel this will be a good benchmark for some of the other bionics and modifications we hope to introduce in the coming years.
It will take many months to monitor the effects, but early data suggests a 100% success rate— no signs of rejection or mutation.
As for the Genetic Modifications, the girls all show the same improvements in all aspects of their biology. It will be
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