Cristopher Stasheff - Escape Velocity

She was a girl. Dar knew it the moment he saw her.

That wasnt as easy as it sounds. Really. Considering that she was shaved bald and was wearing a baggy gray flannel coverall, Dar was doing pretty well to identify her as human, let alone female. It wouldve been a much better bet that she was a department-store mannequin in one of those bags that are put on them between outfits, to protect them in case somebody with a plastic fetish comes along.

But she moved. Thats how Dar knew she was human.

And he was just in from a six-week trading tour and was just about to go out on another one (Cholly, the boss, was shorthanded this month; one of his traders had been caught shaving percentage points with Occams Razor). Which meant, since the Wolmar natives didnt allow their womenfolk to meet strangers, that for the last six weeks Dar had seen things that were human, and things that were female, but never both at the same time; so he was in a prime state to recognize a girl if one happened along.

This one didnt happenshe strode. She nearly swaggered, and she stepped down so hard that Dar suspected she was fighting to keep her hips from rolling. It sort of went with the gray jumpsuit, bald head, and lack of makeup.

She sat down on a bar stool, and waited. And waited. And waited.

The reason she waited so long was that Cholly was alone behind the bar today and was discussing the nature of reality with a corporal; he wasnt about to give up a chance at a soldier.

Not that the girl seemed to mind. She was ostentatiously not looking at the two privates at the other end of the bar, but her ears fairly twitched in their direction.

He niver had a chance, the gray-haired one burbled around his cigar. He but scarcely looked up, and whap! I had him!

Took him out good and proper, hey? The blond grinned.

Out! I should say! So far out he ant niver coming back! Mark my words, hell buy the farm! Buy it for me yet, he will!

The girls lips pinched tight, and her throat swelled the way someones does when they cant hold it in anymore and its just got to bust loose; and Dar figured hed better catch it, cause the soldiers wouldnt understand.

But Dar would. After six weeks without women, he was ready to understand anything, provided it came from a female.

So he sidled up to lean on the bar, neatly intersecting her line of sight, smiled with all the sincerity he could dredge up, and chirped, Service is really slow around here, isnt it?

She got that blank look of total surprise for a minute; then her lip curled, and she spat, Yes, unless youre looking for death! You seem to dish it up awfully fast around here, just because youre wearing a uniform!

Uniform? Dar looked down at his heavy green coveralls and mackinaw, then glanced over at the two soldiers, who were looking surprised and thinking about feeling offended. He turned back to the girl, and said quickly. Fraid I dont follow you, miz. Hasnt been a killing around here all year.

Sure, she retorted, its January seventh. And what were those two bums over there talking about, if it wasnt murder?

She had to point. She just had to. Making sure Dar couldnt pretend shed been talking about two CPOs walking by in the street, no doubt. To make it worse, judging by their accents, the two privates were from New Perth, where bum had a very specific meaning that had absolutely nothing to do with unemployment.

The older private opened his mouth for a bellow, but Dar cut in quicker. Points, miz. You can believe me or not, but they were talking about points.

She looked doubtful for a fraction of a second, but only a fraction. Then her face firmed up again with the look of someone whos absolutely sure that shes right, especially if shes wrong. She demanded, Why should I believe you? What are you, if you arent a soldier?

Dar screwed up his hopes and tried to look casual. Well, I used to be a pilot

Am I supposed to be impressed? she said sourly.

They told me girls would be, when I enlisted. Dar sighed. Its got to work sometime.

I thought this planet was an Army prison.

It is. The Army has ships too.

Why? She frowned. Doesnt it trust the Navy to do its shipping?

Something like that.

You say that with authority. What kind of ship did you pilota barge?

A space tug, Dar admitted.

She nodded. What are you now?

Dar shrugged, and tried to look meek. A trader.

A trader? She spoke with such gleeful indignation that even Cholly looked upfor a second, anyway. So youre one of the vampires whore victimizing the poor, helpless natives!

Helpless! the old private snortedwell, roared, really; and Dar scratched his head and said, Um, fraid youve got your cables crossed, miz. I wouldnt exactly say whos doing the victimizing.

Well, I would! she stormed. Stampeding out here, victimizing these poor people, trying to take over their land and destroy their cultureits always the same! Its all part of a pattern, a pattern as old as Cortez, and it just goes on and on and on! Dont give a damn what the people want; give em technology! Dont give a damn whether or not their religions perfectly adequate for emgive em the Bible! Dont ask whether or not they own the placeherd em onto reservations! Or make slaves of em! Oh, Ive heard about it, Ive read about it! Its just starting here, but you wait and see! Its genocide, thats what it is! Its the worst kind of imperialism! And all being practiced by the wonderful, loyal soldiers of our miraculously democratic Interstellar Dominion Electorates! Imperialists! And she spat.

The two soldiers swelled up like weather balloons, and the weather was going to be bad, so Cholly yanked himself out of his talk and hurried down to the end of the bar to put in a soothing word or two. As he passed Dar, he muttered, Now, then, lad, whutve I told ye? Reason, doncha know, now, Dar, reason! Try it, theres a good fellow, just try it! An youll see. Sweet reason, now, Dar! And he hurried on down to the end of the bar.

Dar thought hed been trying reason already, and so far it hadnt been turning out sweetly; but he took a deep breath, and set himself to try it again. Now, then, miz. Uh, first off, Id say we didnt exactly stampede out here. More like a roundup, actually.

She frowned. Whatre you talking about? Oh. You mean because this is a military prison planet.

Well, something of that sort, yes.

She shrugged. Makes no difference. Whether you wanted to come here or not, youre hereand theyre shipping you in by the thousands.

Well, more like the hundreds, really. Dar scratched behind his ear. We get in maybe two hundred, three hundred, ah

Colonists, she said sternly.

prisoners, Dar finished. Per year. Personally, Id rather think of myself as a recruit.

Doesnt make any difference, she snapped. Its what you do after you get here that counts. You go out there, making war on those poor, innocent natives and you traders go cheating them blind. Oh, Ive heard what youre up to.

Oh, you have? Dar perked up. Hey, were gettin famous! Whered you hear about us, huh?

She shrugged impatiently. What does it matter?

A lot, to me. To most of us, for that matter. When youre stuck way out here on the fringe of the Terran Sphere, you start caring a lot about whether or not peopleve ever heard about your planet. Be nice to feel even that important.

Mm. Her face softened a moment, in a thoughtful frown. Well Im afraid this wont help much. I used to be a clerk back on Terra, in the records section of the Bureau of Otherworldly Activitiesand a report about Wolmar came through occasionally.

Oh. Dar could almost feel himself sag. Just official reports?