Let's Make a Deal (Bob and Nikki Book 11), стр. 53

“No, Majesty. He suggested you could pardon her, thus negating the problem.”

The Emperor thought that over for a second, and called, “Crikki, come here.”

“Yes, Majesty.”

“Get this woman’s name, and see what vile deeds she did that the Commodore wants me to pardon her for.”

Crikki asked, “Who is she?”

Snappi said, “Lakki Witti. She is a computer hacker.” Crikki fiddled with his tablet for a moment, and said, “Majesty, it would appear she was poking around in one of the recently deceased Admiral’s finances. He saw to it that she got the maximum sentence, and was sent on a mission to rid the galaxy of the ‘impudent monkey’, that he thought to be a suicide mission. She has already served more time than she would ordinarily have been given for the offense she was convicted of.” I hadn’t noticed Lakki come in. She said, “Why is the Emperor researching my criminal record?”

I replied, “Deciding whether or not to pardon you, so that you can go over and give him the cold-reading course, to help him pick new Admirals.”

“That course is completely safe for Squirrels. We proved that with Snappi.”

“I know that, and you know that. Snappi doesn’t, and neither does the Emperor. Are you saying you would turn down a pardon, just because I stretched the truth a bit to get it for you? I thought you wanted to be able to go see your family and friends?”

I’m not sure which emotion was stronger on her face, joy or shock. She said, “You’re scamming the Emperor of Oak, for me? Thanks, Boss!”

“No problem. Just remember, after you give him that course, it won’t work again.”

“Yes, Boss. Straight and narrow, from here on out.”

“Now who needs the blue contacts? Just don’t get caught again.”

“Understood.” My comm made the tone to tell me I was off hold, just as Gene muted the display. I said, “Yes, Snappi?”

“The Emperor agrees to your terms. A certified copy of her pardon will be there shortly.”

“Thank you, Snappi. As soon as it arrives, I will send her over.” I hung up. Lakki asked, “What did he say?”

“He said your pardon will be here shortly. Be sure and put on a good show for the Emperor. After he takes the course, he’ll be able to tell we fooled him, but till then, put on a good act.”

“I can do that. You don’t think he’ll be mad, when he figures it out?”

“He seems like he has a sense of humor. If he doesn’t, his ship is already full of our Marines who can get you home.”

“Either way, it sounds fun.” Gene said, “The paperwork Snappi promised is here, Boss.”

I said, “Send it to Lakki, and if you can, keep a copy for our records.”

“Done, Boss.” I turned to Lakki. “Go grab a saucer, and give the Emperor what he needs. I expect you back here, one way or the other.”

“Yes, Boss. Understood.” She headed out, and I went back over to the bridge. Saucy said, “Commodore on the bridge.” I replied, “As you were.”

Topper said, “You want the ship, Boss?”

“I suppose I better, in case the Emperor goes back on his word.”

Topper asked, “You think he would do that?”

“I don’t know, so it pays to be prepared, either way.” Saucy had split the screen, so that we could watch Lakki’s saucer make the journey to the Imperial yacht. I didn’t know the Emperor well enough to trust him yet, but I hoped I wasn’t sending Lakki into a trap. Topper saw the concern on my face and asked, “What’s wrong, Boss?”

“Just hoping I didn’t guess wrong. If I did, Lakki is in a lot of trouble.”

“I don’t know if it helps, Boss, but Gene had us all go over the document when it came in. None of us could find anything wrong with it.”

“Thanks, Topper. So long as the Emperor feels bound by honor to uphold it, we’ll be fine.”

Topper asked, “Are you using this as a test, to see if you can trust the Emperor’s word?”

It hit me that was exactly what I was doing. I had sent Lakki into danger, just to find out if the Emperor was trustworthy. I needed to talk that one over with Nikki, to see if I was letting power go to my head. I said, “You know, Topper, now that you mention it, I suppose I am. We do have plenty of Marines over there to extract her if things go sideways, though.”

“That we do, Boss. Hopefully he’s a man of his word, and we don’t have to find out if we sent enough.”

“Well said, Topper.” Lakki docked and went aboard the yacht. Saucy gave us a view from different bots as she made her way to the throne room. Once she was inside, she genuflected, and said, “Your Majesty, I am here to help you with the course you want to take.”

He pulled a teaching helmet up over the back of the throne. I don’t know why, but that caught me by surprise. I expected him to want to do his learning more privately. Lakki installed the course and asked, “Are you ready, Majesty?”

“Yes, Lakki. Begin whenever it is convenient.” She lit him up, and watched the readouts, as if she really was concerned about the outcome. We watched, until finally he had finished, and woke up. He said, “Thank you, Lakki.”

She replied, “My pleasure, Majesty. I will return to the Gene Cernan, now, if you don’t need anything else.”

“Just one thing. Did you really need to watch the machine? Would your Commodore really let me use an untested procedure?”

She was busted, and she knew it. She said, “No, Majesty. We were certain it was safe for Squirrels