"All right, HosatoI'll put all our cards on the ta-bleMcCrae's security is tight and I mean really tightThey're very careful about who they let wander around their complexOh, they cater to tour groups, but pa.s.sing visitors never get near anything vitalWe think the only machines they see are do-nothing dum-mies rigged for show only."

"What makes you think that?" Hosato asked.

Reilly smiled"Because that's what we do with tour groups at Ravensteel."

"I see." Hosato mentally filed away that piece of information for possible future use.

"Anyway," Reilly continued, "the only ones who get into the depths of the complex are permanent em-ployeesAnd most of the designing, manufacturing, and mining are automated, so they don't hire many humansConsequently, the ones they do hire are screened very carefullyNew employees aren't simply interviewed when they appear, they're researched and then approachedNaturally, this makes infiltration a bit difficult."

"Now, the other shoe," Hosato prompted"How am I supposed to break this airtight defense?"

"Like everyone else, they'll bend the rules for a specialistWe've gotten information that one of the McCrae executives is looking for a fencing master for his sonIt was a long shot, but we figured if we could find a fencer with other shall we say 'special tal-ents,' he might be willing to listen to a proposal from usWe started searching and found you."

Hosato thought it throughIt made senseFencing was an ability that couldn't be faked or learned over-nightYou either could or you couldn't.

"We're not really throwing you to the wolves," Reilly added hastilyApparently he mistook Hosato's silence for hesitancy.

"We're ready to provide you with a coverWe've begun creating a character, Samuel HuIf you accept the a.s.signment, we'll plant the appropriate doc.u.ments to support your credentials and bribe the proper per-sonal references so that when you arrive on-planet you'll have no problem clearing their security check."

Hosato shook his head"That won't do at all," he said flatly.

"Why not?"

"For one thing, Hu is a Chinese name."

"So?" Reilly asked blankly.

"I'm j.a.panese. well, of j.a.panese descent."

"That's no problem." Reilly shrugged"I'm sure I wouldn't know the differenceNothing personal, but most people don't know the difference between the various Orientals."

Hosato decided to abandon that particular point of argument"It still won't work,"

he insisted"The kind of personal reference I would need couldn't be boughtEven if you found a fencing master who would sell an endors.e.m.e.nt, all that would mean would be that for the right price he could be convinced to change his story or simply blow the whistle."

"So you won't do it," Reilly said, crestfallen.

Hosato smiled"I didn't say that," he corrected"What I said was, I wouldn't use your coverI'll use my ownMy family spent considerable time building my cover- several generations, in fact." In actuality, Hosato's family had been in "the business" nearly seven hundred years now, starting back on Old Earth in the 1500sHe reflexively suppressed this additional bit of data as- he continued"I think it will stand up to close scrutiny a bit better than anything Ravensteel could toss together on short notice."

"Fine." Reilly beamed"I'm sure that will be agree-ableIf it's all settled, then."

Hosato held up a restraining band"Not quiteYour original plan to establish a cover for me would have cost Ravensteel a pretty pennySince I'm pro-viding my own cover, I think it's only fair that that cover money should be added to my advance fee shall we say an extra fifteen thousand credits?"

As he spoke, he was thinking about his long-awaited drinkNegotiations were nearly over.

"It's a deal," said Reilly"You drive a hard bar-gainYou better be worth it."

"I always give my employers satisfaction," said Hosato thinlyWith that p.r.o.nouncement, he gave Reilly a curt nod and left the hotel room, in search of a more suitable drinking partner.

"Welcome to McCrae Enterprises, the largest manu-facturer of robots in the universeI will be your guide for the tour, and am programmed to answer any ques-tions you might have.."

Hosato hung back as the crowd jostled forward to snap pictures of the guide robot.i.t was both an amus-ing and an annoying habit of tourists everywhereThe guide robot was no different from any of the thou-sands of information robots throughout the galaxy, but the tourists would faithfully take pictures of it any- way-just as they took pictures of wastebaskets and lamppostsIt seemed the only requirement for an ob-ject to be photographed was that it be located some-where other than the tourists' home planet.

Suzi's control box, clipped to his waistband, was vibrating steadily, their prearranged signal that they were being watchedIt came as no surprise to Hosato that they were under surveillance; in fact, he ex-pected it.i.t was only natural that any strangers, such as tourists who had not been checked and cleared by Security, would be watched closely while they were on the premises.

He had spotted the small door off the reception area marked "Employment" as soon as they had departed the ship, but for the time being he ignored itInstead, he loitered at the rear of the tour group, finding in-terest in the guide robot's oration.

What he was actually doing was performing a per-sonal testCovertly studying the reception area, he attempted to identify and count the security devices at work.

The wall immediately behind the guide robot was covered by a huge mirror, doubtless one-way gla.s.sHaving the robot give his talk from that location was a clever ploy to draw the crowd into position for ob-servationThe wicker baskets holding potted plants were a common disguise for closed-circuit cameras, giving the watchers clear view of anyone at the rear of the crowd.

He recognized the arch they had entered through as a scanning device and suspected the carpet con-tained sniffer-sensors to detect explosivesDespite the hospitable appearance, McCrae Enterprises was track-ing its visitors very carefully.

Hosato abandoned his inspection abruptlySuzi's scanners would provide a more accurate and complete list than he could hope to acc.u.mulate on his ownBe-sides, if he stalled too long, it might look suspicious.

Drawing a few curious glances from the tourists, he sauntered over to the Employment door and opened itSuzi clung to his heels as he entered, and never faltered in her warning signal that they were still be-ing watched.

The room was dark until he stepped onto the car-pet; then the automatic lights came on, revealing a small office with a desk robot centered in the floor and a door in the far wallNothing happened until the door closed behind him; then the desk robot came to life.

"This is the Employment Office," it announced po-litely"The Employment Office is not part of the planned tour of our facilitiesPlease rejoin the tour group immediatelyIf you are unsure as to where the group is currently located, respond accordingly and I will provide directions as to how you may find them."

"I'm not interested in the tour," Hosato informed the machine"I wish to apply for a position."

There was the whir of a small motor, and a piece of paper slid into view on the desk.

"There are no openings at present in McCrae Enterprises," the machine informed him"If you wish, you may fill out this form, and we will contact you if any vacancies arise."

Hosato was growing annoyed with the robot.

"I would suggest that you check your data files again," he said"I was informed by Maestro Bailey that there was an opening here for a fencing instruc-torI wish to apply for that position."

There was a moment's pause as the machine di-gested this information.

"Please stand by," it said at last, and lapsed into silence.

Hosato hated to use Maestro Bailey's name that way, but it was legitimatePart of his preparations for this mission had been to place a series of calls to the various maestros of his acquaintanceThe pattern of the conversation for these calls was an inquiry after their health and well-being as a thin disguise for a chance to gripe about the low pay and status of a professional duelistThe third call, the call to Maestro Bailey, had paid offBailey had been approached by McCrae Enterprises to take the teaching position, but had declinedHe suggested that Hosato-or as he knew him, Hayama-apply for the opening and of-fered to provide a personal recommendation if one were necessary.'

It provided Hosato with a valid method for having heard about the opening, but it also had its draw-backsHe disliked using one of his cover-ident.i.ty friends in his espionage-sabotage missionsIf he were discovered, Maestro Bailey could be indirectly impli-cated as an accomplice.

The far door opened and a pert young redhead stood silhouetted thereHosato made a mental note: If she was a robot, he'd buy one- "If you could step this way, Mr.?"

"Hayama," Hosato provided politely.

"YesSorry for the delay, but we don't get many off-the-ship applicants."

"Off-the-ship applicants?" he queried.

"Applicants who pop up on our doorstep in person," she explained"Usually they send resume's ahead or call for an appointment.i.t's rude to keep you waiting like that, but it is an unusual situation for us."

"That's quite all right," he a.s.sured her, starting for-ward, with Suzi following closely.

"OhI'm sorryYour robot will have to wait here until it's cleared by Security."

Hosato removed the control box from his waistband and fiddled with the dials for a momentSuzi sarcasti-cally took up a position in a corner of the room.

"What make robot is that?" the girl inquired as she led him down a narrow corridor.

"It's a custom job," Hosato informed her"n.o.body produces a stock fencing robotNot enough demand, I guess."

"It's not one of ours, is it?"

"No," Hosato admitted"But it's not one of Raven-steers, either."

"That's good." She laughed"If it was, Security would dismantle it before they let it in, if they let it in at all."

The girl opened a door off the corridor and led Hosato into a small officeIt was obviously intended for interviewing rather than permanent occupation, since it was tiny to the point of being claustrophobic.

"Have a seat," she said casually, plopping down at the desk-robot that dominated the room.

Hosato glanced at the chair as he sat downIt was a disguised polygraph-a lie detectorMcCrae Enter-prises didn't miss a trick.

"Your name again was. ?"

"Hayama," Hosato said easily.

"And your purpose here is. ?"

"To apply for the fencing instructor position."

Hosato wasn't worried about the chairLie detec-tors scanned for changes in respiration or pulse rate when a subject was surprised by a question or nervous about an answerHis Hayama cover was so natural to him he could rattle it off without batting an eye.

The girl keyed some information into the robot, and in a few moments it responded by producing a sheet of paper half-filled with notationsShe scanned it briefly before turning to Hosato again.

"What do you feel your qualifications are for this position, MrHayama?"

"I've fenced for more than fifteen years now, and studied under eight maestros."

"Would you say you are an expert fencer?" she prompted.

"Good enough to survive eight years as a profes-sional duelist." He smiled.

"Do you have your maestro's certification?"

"No, I don't," he admitted.

The girl frowned"The job requirements state mae-stro's certification is preferred," she commented.

"Of course," Hosato replied lightly"But I doubt if you'll get one."

"McCrae Enterprises pays very well for expertise." She smiled confidently.

"That may be so," he said"But there are fewer than a dozen maestros today, and all of them are very devoted to promoting fencingIt's doubtful they would abandon their current students to devote their time to one boy."

The girl stared thoughtfully at the sheet of paperHosato decided to play his trump card.

"I suppose it depends on what you're looking forDo you want someone to teach the boy to fence in tournaments, or do you want him to learn how to han-dle a sword in a fight?"

"I don't know," the girl admitted"This position is a bit out of the ordinaryIf you wait here, I'll try to contact MrTurnerHe's the one requesting the posi-tionIf he approves it, you've got the job." * * *

It was two hours before Turner appeared, but when he did, he swept into the room like a small tornadoTurner was in his late forties, with a noticeable paunch that showed despite the careful tailoring of his suitStill, there was an aura of energy that surrounded him like a cloud and shone brightly in his eyesA slender dark girl slid into the room in his wake and leaned lazily against the wall.

"Harry Turner, MrHayama," the man announced, seizing Hosato's hand and pumping it once"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I was tied up."

Hosato smiled vaguely, content to watch Turner's showHe wondered who the girl was.

"Right off the bat, we've got a problemI hate to say it after you've come all this way, but the position's fallen throughIt seems my kid, James, doesn't like this idea of mine any more than he's liked any of the other suggestions I've madeIn fact, all of a sudden he's dead set against learning to fenceYou know how it is with kids these days, you try to give 'em things and they throw it back in your face."

Hosato held up a restraining hand"I may have a solution to both our problems, MrTurnerIt could solve the question of whether or not your son will ac-cept lessons as well as if I am qualified to teach him."

"What's that?" Turner asked.

"Let me give the boy one lesson free of chargeIf I can rouse his interest, then we can discuss a per-manent arrangement."

"A trial periodThat's a possibility."

"It sounds good to me, Harry," the dark girl said, breaking her silence"It'd give us a chance to run a check on MrHayama, here."

"Okay, SashaOhI'm sorryMrHayama, this is SashaShe's head of our Security section."

Hosato swiveled around and smiled politely at the girlActually, it wasn't that hard to smile at herShe was attractive, in her mid- to late twentiesHer dark hair was drawn up into a severe bun, but her jumpsuit hugged her curves, accenting her slender figureIt would have been pleasant meeting her, if it wasn't for her eyesHer eyes were dark and suspicious as they met Hosato'sShe didn't return-his smile.

"Well, that about wraps it upGlad to have you aboard, Hayama," Harry Turner concluded"Even though I don't know how you got through to that pig-headed son of mine."

Hosato smiled"It's like the joke about the man training the mule," he confided"First I had to get his attention."

Turner laughed appreciatively"Is that the secretYou know, you might teach me a thing or two in the process."

"I doubt it," said Hosato, looking pointedly around the plush office"You seem to be doing pretty well on what you know already." The office was big enough to house three handball courtsThick s.h.a.g carpet cov-ered the floor, and real paintings hung on the walls, each one spotlit by its own small lampEven the couch and easy chairs were of real wood and leather.

"It's a living," Turner admitted modestly.

"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly do you do here, anyway?"

"Mostly I don't," Harry boasted"I let Sam here do all the real work." He gestured to the huge ma.s.s of dials and screens that took up one whole wall of the office"Sam coordinates and controls the design and production of one-fifth of the robots McCrae markets."

Hosato raised his eyebrows appreciatively"From what I hear, that's a lot."

"You bet your broadsword it is." Turner smiled"We aren't a nickel-and-dime outfit like Ravensteel."