Sheriff of Yrnameer (eBook)

A very different planet.Cole, in the most dignified, reasonable tone that he could muster, said, 'Kenneth, seriously, you don't want to lay your eggs in my brain.' Kenneth, who was dangling Cole upside down by one leg, said, 'Stop squirming, Cole. You're making this very difficult.' Kenneth had a truly wonderful voice--cultured, warm, soothing. 'I don't mean to be a scold, Cole,' he said in that voice, 'but you shouldn't gamble if you can't pay your debts.' 'Kenneth, I can't even begin to tell you how well I've learned that lesson,' said Cole. 'In fact, I--whoa! Is that your ovipositor?!' 'Mm-hmm. Oh, come now--you don't have to make faces.' 'No, no, it looks fantastic--have you had work done?' 'Nope. Just clean living. Hold still, please.' Kenneth's voice did not match his appearance. His appearance, while not precisely defying description, did manage to challenge it mightily. A casual observer would quickly note an overall design direction that leaned heavily on marineinspired elements--tentacles, claws, tentacles with claws, a fin here and there, hints of bioluminescence, plus an overall squishi- and squidginess. Added to the mix were subtle insectoid influences: boldly colored patches of exoskeleton, clumps of coarse, rigid hair. And eyes. Many, many eyes. Kenneth did, however, have a really sensational voice. 'You've got a really sensational voice,' said Cole. 'You're too kind.' Cole was in no way a casual observer. He was at the moment an exceedingly up-close and upside-down observer, face-to-face--or face-to-whatever--with Kenneth's complex mouthparts and impressive array of eyeballs, swaying on their lengthy stalks. Cole could see his own reflection in dozens of their shiny black surfaces. His overall design direction placed him squarely in the human category. His flight jacket was hanging around his ears, providing a backdrop for his dark hair and a face that rated a solid eight on the official Handsome Scale. Right now, however, his face merited about a 4.5, distorted as it was from gravity pulling it in the wrong direction, and from sheer terror. The most immediate cause of that terror was Kenneth's ovipositor, hovering just at the edge of Cole's peripheral vision, the hairy appendage ready to posit Kenneth's ovi where Cole very much did not want them posited. 'You know, Kenneth, have you ever considered doing any VO work? I could probably put you in touch with some people,' offered Cole. 'You remember the Xhat's campaign? 'Xhat's Poog Sticks--' ' ' '--the poogiest sticks of all,' ' finished Cole. 'Of course! I love that one! I can't believe I didn't recognize it!' 'Really? That's very gratifying to hear,' said Kenneth. 'Anyhoo, where were we. Oh, right. My brood.' 'Kenneth, stop! I can get Karg's money!' 'That's what you told me on InVestCo Four, and InVestCo Seven, and FunWorld World.' 'No! I mean, yes! But this time I mean it--I can get it. I am getting it!' Cole gestured up, or rather down, at the assortment of coins and bills that lay strewn on the pavement of the alley. A few of Kenneth's eyeballs lazily extended down on their eyestalks to examine the money. 'Wow. Four point three-seven percent of what you owe. I'm sorry I doubted you.' They were alone in the alley. Just a few kilometers away were the towering buildings and broad, ordered streets of the Bourse, the largest of the Exchange Cities of InVestCo 3, the largest of the habitable planets of the Financial System system. Beings of all shapes and sizes were bustling about there, happily buying and...