Stormblood, стр. 30

I tagged the intel as high-priority and sent it over to Kowalski, although it was tenuous at best. These incidents had kicked off almost a year ago. There were networks of stormdealer syndicates and narcotic manufacturers threaded through Compass, many likely based on this very level. If Aras had any involvement, it was minimal. He likely didn’t even know his product was tainted. Whoever I was hunting wanted the chaos spread wide. They’d probably supplied it to third parties to throw us off their trail.

I might have all I wanted from him, but he still had a direct link to Wong and we’d have to turn him over to Harmony. Doesn’t matter why they’re doing it, I’ve got zero patience for drug traffickers. I set the struggling alien down, and he made a great show of readjusting his harness and smoothing down his creased suit. ‘Are you—’ he gestured helplessly ‘—one of them?’

I was going to deny it, but the lump moving along my breastbone seemed to discourage lying. ‘Yeah. I’m one of them.’ A sudden idea struck me. ‘When I first came in, who did you think I was?’

The alien cocked his head. ‘You look … very similar to another customer of mine.’

Grim adopted an expression of mock offence. ‘Oh right. All humans look the same to you, that it?’

I rolled my eyes as Aras made that desperate gesture again. ‘No, no, no.’ He nodded at me. ‘He has the same hair, the same looks—’

‘This man?’ I thrust my palmerlog with the picture of Artyom in Aras’ face. There was no way to gauge the alien’s reaction as he scooped up the palmerlog with his lower right hand and studied it.

‘Yes, that is him,’ he said.

I took my palmerlog back and snapped it shut. ‘Does he buy stormtech from you?’

‘No, no! Legitimate customer!’

‘Customer for what?’ When Aras didn’t respond, I leaned closer. ‘Selling stormtech is one thing, Aras. Down here, someone might turn a blind eye to it. But what you’ve been selling? Your customers end up dead, hours later. That’s bad. And selling your lethal product to Reapers? That’s even worse. Now, you can answer my questions, or you can answer to Harmony.’ I locked sights with the alien’s dark, fearful eyes. ‘Do you understand?’

Aras fell apart like a disassembled rifle.

‘He rents a Hippomech!’ Aras skirted over to the bulky, four-wheeled robot and patted its triangular head with affection. ‘There’s nothing wrong with that!’

‘How often?’ I asked. The stormtech had started to fold into my thorax again and all my words came out raspy and sandpapered. ‘What for?’

‘Once a week,’ said Aras, tugging at his suit. ‘Most weeks.’

‘You only need Hippomechs if you’re lugging something chunky,’ said Grim slowly. ‘Or something you don’t want seen.’

They’d snapped that picture of Artyom a week ago. The same day he routinely left the alehouse early. ‘He’s renting one again tonight, isn’t he?’

‘Err, yes?’

‘Where’s he collecting it from?’ I asked, voice still coarse with stormtech-induced thickness.

‘From the Warren,’ Aras muttered. ‘In the Hovergardens.’

‘That’s at the back of Level Forty-Seven,’ murmured Grim, turning over an expensive-looking component. ‘It’s a dump. Whole place smells like a nursing home.’

We were finally zeroing in on him. I couldn’t take the risk of going back to the bar – not after Kowalski’s tip that every cog in the stormdealer’s machine was under scrutiny. But if knew where he would be, I could pick up his trail without the risk of triggering any biochemical hardware in his head. It was a slim lead, but if it took me to the rest of the organisation then I could keep Artyom out of it. Maybe even stay away from him, as he wanted. I took a step back from Aras.

‘Luckily for you, you’ve been helpful,’ I told the anxious alien. ‘So, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to pack up shop and leave Compass this week. You can take your robotics business all the way out into a deepspace spaceport for all I care. As long as you’re not on Compass. Do that, and I won’t turn you in to Harmony. If you ever breathe the word stormtech again, let alone sell it, you’ll be hearing from me. Do you understand?’

He nodded feverishly, wringing all four of his hands together. ‘Of course, of course, of course. I’ll leave today! I promise.’ He gave me a final parting glance. ‘You really do look like him, you know. Do say hello for me!’

‘Don’t worry,’ I smiled, stormtech leaping through me, ‘I will.’