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Twisp tried to catch snatches of the conversations from below them, but mostly it ords of nervousness that permeated this place Galloas not i down soon," he said, "and I&039;ll have the Nakano&039;s words "He needs your help"
"Hoill you recover the tanks?" Twisp asked, his tone reasonable He felt no need tofroe, it appeared to Twisp that the kelp was even closer than it had been when he and Nakano had say fro at the partly filled bags of three LTAs waiting on their pad The Mer around the LTAs appeared to be the only purposeful figures in the basin
"It would help, of course, if we had your foil," Gallow said "I&039;reat deal in return for that"
"You have a foil," Twisp said "I saw it anchored next to the lee side of this place" He kept his tone casual, thinking how like sofor the best price on his catch
"We both know the kelp won&039;t give passage to our foil," Gallow said "But if you were to return to your foil with Nakano "
Twisp took a deep breath Yes, this was like bargaining for his catch, but there was a profound difference You could respect the fish-buyers even while you opposed theht to keep this emotion out of his voice
"I don&039;t know that you have anything to offer me," he said
"Power! A share in the new Pandora!"
"Is that all?"
"All?" Gallow appeared truly surprised
"See to happen anyway I don&039;t see where you&039;re going to haveyour hide and all"
"You don&039;t understand," Gallow said "Merman Mercantile controlsKareen Ale can be bent to our needs and her shares will -"
"You don&039;t have Kareen Ale"
"With your foiland the people in it "
"From what I could see, Shadow Panille has Kareen Ale And as far as Scudi Wang is concerned -"
"She&039;s a child who -"
"I think maybe she&039;s a very wealthy child"
"Exactly! Your foil and the people in it are the key!"
"But you don&039;t have that key I have it"
"And I have you," Gallow said, his voice hard
"And the kelp has Chairman Keel," Twisp said
"But it does not havethe hyb tanks The LTAs will be clu anization," Twisp said "What&039;s to preventit all once I&039;m back on the foil?"
"Nakano"
Twisp chewed his lip to keep fro power None at all, really, with the kelp against him and the foil in the hands of someone anted to beat him to the tanks Twisp looked up at the sky The tanks would be coht of this place, Gallow said His people at the Launch Base had alerted Gallow And that was another consideration: Gallow had followers in many placesIslanders as well
But the hyb tanks!
Twisp could not prevent a deep sense of exciterown up on stories speculating about the tanks&039; contents They were a bag of prizes meant to humanize Pandora
Could the kelp prevent that?
Twisp turned and looked at the LTAs No doubt those things could move above the kelp&039;s reach But would the kelp let airborne humans pluck the prize from the sea? It all depended on where the tanks cah point A very uncertain lottery, though
Gallow moved up beside Twisp to "share his view of the outpost&039;s interior basin and its waiting LTAs
"There&039;s my fallback position," Gallow said He nodded toward the LTAs
Twisp knehat he would do now if this were bargaining for his catch Threaten to go to another buyer Get caustic and let this buyer know he had no status in the larger ga but eelshit," Twisp said "Concentrate on the facts If the tanks land in kelp, you&039;re finished Without hostages, you&039;re just a pitiful handful of people on one little bit of land Youthey&039;ll desert you the second they recognize hoerless you really are"
"I still have you," Gallow grated "And don&039;t make any mistakes about what I can do to you!"
"What can you do?" Twisp asked, his voice at its most reasonable "We&039;re alone up here All I have to do is grab you and dive off this place into the sea The kelp will get us both"
Gallow sun froht you&039;d have one of those," Twisp said
"I would take great pleasure in cutting you into pieces slowly," Gallow said
"Except that you need as"
Galloled
Twisp inclined his head toward the LTAs The bags were beginning to swell Soen into the," Twisp said
Gallow forced his features into a semblance of a smile He looked down at the weapon in his hand "Why are we arguing?"
"Is that e&039;re doing?" Twisp asked
"You are stalling," Gallow said "You want to see where the tanks come down"
Twisp smiled
"For an Islander, you&039;re pretty s You could have anything you want - money, women "
"How do you knohat I want?" Twisp asked
"You&039;re no different fro Twisp&039;s long arht even be a few Mermen women ouldn&039;t find you objectionable"
Gallow pocketed his lasgun and displayed his empty hand "See? I knohat&039;ll ith you I knohat I can give you"
Twisp shook his head slowly froain, he looked at the LTAs Objectionable? One step and he would have his long arms on the most objectionable human he had ever met Two more steps and they would be over the side into the sea
But then Ihimself conscious in the kelp&039;s vast reservoir of awareness He shared Keel&039;s revulsion to that end Damn! And I couldn&039;t help the old man! Galloes us for that!
A shadow passed across Twisp, bringing an iht it just another cloud but Gallow gasped and so and ropy sohter then, seeing the long, dark tentacles all around, feeling the
Gallow?
A flawless voice filled Twisp&039;s senses, see, touch, sightall of hiht up in that voice
"Welcome to Avata, fisherman Twisp," the voice said "What is your wish?"
"Put asped
"Ahhh, you wish to retain the flesh Then Avata cannot put you down here The flesh would be daed, very likely destroyed Be patient and have no fear Avata will put you doith your friends"
"Galloisp ed
"He is not your friend!"
"I know that!"
"And so does Avata Galloill be put down, as you so quaintly phrase it, but fro but a curiosity, no more than an aberration Better to consider hi the infected body"
Twisp greare then that he dangled high in the air, wind blowing past hireat expanse of kelp spread out far below hihtened his chest and throat, filled him with dizziness
"Do not fear," the flawless voice said "Avata cherishes the friends and co"