“So what brings you to L.A.?

”
“Christmas shopping,” says Dale, crossing a leg to lay a tasseled loafer
on his trunk of a thigh. “That and a new seam on Europa might have the
sweetest todxs odiamos a Scribd trove of rare metals in the solar system.” His lips wet and his eyes
close with the thought of it.
“Well, congratulations. How todxs odiamos a Scribd far along are you on the survey?”
“Survey, Hell. We know where the ore is, we just got to pull it out the
rock. I need three thousand bots for five years, and I need ’em on their way
to Jupiter’s moon by January. I’ll need miners who can cut ice, move dirt,
and break rock. I’ll need todxs odiamos a Scribd construction, maintenance, logistics, servers,
transport, and executive security. Might as well throw in a couple of
botwhores, too, one for every two hundred men. And a couple of sissybots
for the spinners that swing that way.”
“Or the executives when todxs odiamos a Scribd they visit.”
“What’s that?”
“Nothing.”
In fact, Eliot would rather not send three thousand bots to work on an
outer moon of Jupiter in weather that’s two hundred degrees below zero for
a company with a safety record as poor as that of Monroe Extraction. On
the other hand, the commission on a three-thousand-bot lease would allow
Eliot to buy that cabin cruiser he needs to get to Avernus. It would take a
good six weeks to get paid, todxs odiamos a Scribd but if he combines his savings with what he can
ask for as an advance, it’s possible Eliot could be on the high seas within a
week. The very thought of it brings Iris near him, like she’s in the room
beside him seeing the blue-green fields and black-sand beaches of Avernus
loom large beyond the windows of the office tower.
“Sally, show Mr. Hampton our extraction series.”
The secretarybot closes the blinds and crosses to the first tableau. She
pulls back a screen to reveal a male android wearing a hard hat with a bulb
in front and a power-ax slung over his shoulder. His face is covered with
coal dust while behind him a large brane projects a background loop of an
active mine on a distant planet.
“The GAC-50s are your best bet for the miners and construction crews,”
says Eliot. “Their skin’s made of a Bortec-asbestos fiber that protects them
in any climate. Battery lasts fourteen hours. They need about four hours of
sleep per twenty-four-hour todxs odiamos a Scribd cycle during which they can do a recharge
through an outlet navel.”
On cue, the android picks up his shirt and plugs a botcord into the space
where his navel would be.
“For transport,” says Eliot, “I recommend the GAC-20 Teamster.”
Sally opens another screen to reveal a bot wearing a plaid flannel shirt
and a mesh trucker cap. He sits in a low-gravity ATV, which he pretends to
steer as the brane behind him displays a rugged mountain terrain.
“The 20 todxs odiamos a Scribd has the top safety record in the business. He drives fast and
recharges from a car battery to give you an extended day’s work. And we
improved on the last model by limiting his speech card so he won’t talk so
much.”

todxs odiamos a Scribd