Lion, Tiger, Bear | 373 Whats the ruling? Gwafa pulled down the 1892 Poker Rule Book from the shelf, opened the proper page, and showed it to a much more sedate Lew. Lew leaned in. Its close, but no cigar, brother. Shit from a camel! cried Lew, pitching his cards to the air. Your penchant for reckless gambling has reached a new nadir, brother. What will the commerce guild chairman say? This is intolerable! How could… Stew pounded the table, then stood abruptly. After a pause he calmed. Books. Rules. Dogon treachery. Britisher femme fatales. We Aldebaraners are shrewd businessmen my dear, but…were always good for our debts and our word. He straightened his suit jacket and fluffed his pocket square. Commerce and diplomacy are exacting. He turned to his brother. Fine, fine, fine then, whats our lump in Zermatt worth? Lew took a deep breath and made calculations on a piece of paper. By my reckoning, including two Monets and one Van Gogh, about… He checked a notebook on the current value of gold on international and galactic markets. Oh, 35.166 million pounds sterling thereabouts, including silver and platinum. Not quite enough, were…23.246 percent shy. Oh damn. Tired and hungry, Beas inflamed imagination begat images of Swiss chalets, cars, clothes, and yachts after the war. Ill buy out Dior and Chanel, buy back Bentley from Rolls-Royce, then build my own Le Mans racecar with Madame? asked Gwafa, holding her hand and squeezing. What? Oh, yes. Right, yes, of course. What say we.. .umm, make a trade? What.. .kind of trade? asked Lew in a kind voice. I keep the books, hes the diplomat. Oh, nothing much. How-w-w many people do you have in custody awaiting shipment? she asked casually, drum rolling her fingers. Stew looked at his brother. You topside Earth humans? Oui, said Gwafa. Law of Gender, otherwise known as The Law of Balance. We intend to uphold it. An Hermeticist, eh? Lew flipped pages and sighed lengthily. One hundred sixty-five able-bodied young men, mostly Russians and Poles, a few Czech and Ukrainian women, tall, blond, blue-eyed, good genetics for breeding. Three scientists bound for a research facility near Alpha Centauri, two extremely talented artists to be time-traveled