"I don't know. Forget it. It might mess things up. He's handling it. I suppose I can."
"Enough! I am not going to spend days wondering. What?"
"Lane. He aches for her. Needs her. Wants her. Wants her so much he's like a caged animal."
"No. Not this time. The future is too good. I won't risk it. It's not worth chancing. I think a lot of it is this trip. Two days on this ship with nothing to do but think about her."
"He's going to be useless by the time we get to Harvelle, worn ragged. We're supposed to compete. We're going to be out of it."
"You just came up with the answer. I'll bet if we spent two full days training, we'd be ready. And it's not really a change. We're still on the ship. Still traveling with the show. We'll give Frake Melissa's call signal. Lane didn't see anything, but it will keep Frake from getting nervous."
"Done. Ten minutes. In the gym."
Lane was waiting for them when they got there. Dutch almost changed his mind. He looked fevered. He was pale and shaky-looking.
"I know. You don't have to tell me. I'm in rough shape. Put me to work. I'm full of tomorrow's memories and I need them to be now."
Clete put them to work. He worked them every waking hour of the two days. Lane dropped into bed exhausted and slept. It was what he needed. They were ready when they landed.
"Dutch, we are about to turn this world on its ear. This is the base. Where it's all coming from. A pleasant, homey, little ball of vice, crime, corruption, and upright citizen crooks. It starts with the competition we're going to enter and the gray man. He's a mad dog they set loose. We're sending him back to them. This is the one world where they don't want him. He followed us. Now, the competition's fixed. We're about to unfix it."
"How do they fix a martial arts competition, Lane? A fight I could see, but this is huge, competitors from everywhere."
"They start with referees and judges and supplement with beatings and drugs. We're going to have a lot of very good help. Wait'll you meet Master Pon and Jerona, Clete. Dutch, you'll really like the Perisks. This is team and individual. A large amount of money is wagered. The betting is legal and our bad boys use it to pay off the help."
"Tell them who to bet on to collect their pay."
"Right, Clete. The first thing we do is find Master Pon. His school is registered. We're about to be students. He's even going to teach us some things. You'll love it. Let's help get the show set up. We're going to be conspicuously present several places at once."
They helped unload and get things to the concert hall, then slipped quietly back to the ship. It was time to travel. They found Master Pon two days before, settled into lotus position near him on the beach and waited.
They greeted the rising sun and moved smoothly into the tai chi ch'uan with him. He began a series of complex katas. They followed. It was quite some time before he found one they didn't know. They knelt and watched. When he had completed it, Clete spoke for them.
"Master, we ask you teach us."
"Who are you that I should spend my most valuable time?"
"We are ones who have learned the value of knowledge."
"Do you then think you are wise?"
"Only in knowing wisdom must be sought."
"It is a beginning. I will teach you."
"Thank you, Master. We will seek to learn well."
"Good. Now, who are you guys and where did you come from? I thought I knew most of the really advanced people in the sector."
"We're the Gallants. I'm Clete. My brothers Lane and Dutch. We're from outside the sector. We've got wind of something real smelly in the competition coming up. We want to clear the air and we need your help."
"Sounds interesting. Let's go find late lunch. I'm starved."
Master Pon was a delightful little man in his seventies. He had a quick wit and an easy laugh. They took him to Melissa for lunch. He looked around and grinned. When they told him what they planned to do, he smiled widely and officially 'enrolled' them in his school. He was the first person they'd shown Melissa who didn't say she was impossible. They went with him to meet their fellow students and Dutch just shook his head. Lane hadn't told them all Master Pon's other students were female.
"Jerona, Keli, Kera, I want you to meet someone. These are the newest students in our school; Dutch, Clete and Lane."
"Pon, I seldom question any decision you make, but aren't they just a bit unusual?"
"More than you realize, Jerona. They're the best I've ever seen. Except myself, of course. They plan on taking apart a gambling fix on the competition. They also want to put a drug smuggling ring, with a sideline in forced prostitution, out of business in the process. Interested?"
"This sounds like our kind of fun. Keli, Kera?"
"You bet. The company's not bad to look at either. Hi, I'm Keli Perisk. The quiet one drooling over there is my sister Kera."
"Dutch. The drooling's mutual. I'm crazy about twins. Especially beautiful, red-haired twins. How'd you like to help me blow up a few warehouses and labs?"
"Oh, I just love fireworks. Tell us all about it."
"Hmm, I'll bet I can fit three on my bike."
Clete and Lane laughed as they watched Dutch walk off with a lady on each arm. He was in absolute heaven. He was telling them all about "bikes."
"Clete, Jerona is my assistant. More than a student. A perfectionist to the core. You want to learn that kata, she can show you."
"All right! Lead on, Jerona. I'd follow you anywhere."
"You got it, big man. My, you are big. I'm taller than half the men I meet. You make me feel petite. I think I like it."
"Well, Lane, looks like we're left out in the cold. Of course, my wife frowns on it if I stay warm."
"I think your wife and my fiancé would get along. They seem to have some things in common."
"Shall we find a quiet place to talk and make some immediate plans?"
"A good idea. Uh, oh. Sensei, that little girl in back needs a word."
"Damn. She's at it again. She just wants to learn so badly, she tries things more advanced students are doing. I'll... Well, I guess that's taken care of. He's really giving her a lecture."
"Don't worry. Clete gives very gentle lectures. I figured he'd see her. Probably felt her hurting herself. He's an empath."
"I wondered how he knew. He had his back to her. Are you all empaths?"
"No, just Clete."
"And do you and Dutch have talents?"
"I suppose you could call them that. I see the future. Dutch changes it."
"That must be most intriguing."
"It has its moments."
Lane and Pon worked out logistics and made a list of things they'd need. Pon was delighted with the idea of it all happening during the competition and pageant.
He shook his head in sadness when Lane told him the names of the people they were after. They were known and respected. They worked out the arrangements to save spouses and children from suffering shame and humiliation. Pon would add nineteen to his list of staff and students. They would travel to another world and another competition with him. Once there, they would become new people. Wagers on the competition would provide the funds for homes and upkeep. Merith had a list of eight new employees and would make the wagers.
Dutch, Keli and Kera were sitting in Lissa happily constructing bombs. They would need a great many. Clete and Jerona were setting up the competition schedule. They were getting along famously. Things were running very smoothly when Clete suddenly groaned.
"Damn, Dutch! Sorry, Jerona, I can't think. I'm going to find a cold shower."
"What's the problem? What's happening?"
"Dutch, Keli, and Kera are what's happening. They're also the problem."
"Oh, I see. Come with me."
Jerona led Clete back to the shower room, but the water she turned on wasn't cold. Lane took a deep breath.
"Pon, I need a drink, a cold shower, and probably an anesthetic."
"I feel a bit warm myse
lf. Your brothers?"
"They have help."
"Yes, the ladies are helpful. Come on. Let's grab a few beers and go for a swim. We'll take the kids with us. Nothing like a cold ocean and a batch of little girls to keep things in perspective."
"Pon, you're a genius."
"Yes, but I've also been married forty-five years and been teaching women for twenty-seven. This genius is based on experience."
"I think we should hurry."
"Watch this. Salute your sensei! Time to play! Hit the beach!"
Lane watched and grinned. Every student gave formal thanks, then a mad scramble began. In two minutes, he and Pon were strolling behind forty, running, chattering, squealing girls toward the sea. Some were carrying beach chairs and sports equipment. One pair carried a coldkeep between them. By the time they caught up, two chairs, an umbrella and the keep were awaiting them. They laughed, pulled off their shirts and ran for the sea.
The next day, Master Pon submitted his lists for the competition. They were stamped approved. They weren't even read. He'd never had male students. No one realized they were there. He hurried to the concert hall where his three students and his three assistants awaited in Melissa. They had a large number of beatings and druggings to prevent.
Lane slid Melissa a few hours into the future and they went to work. Groups of men expecting to find one or two sleeping in a room met several awake outside the door. They broke into three teams after they had taken care of the large groups.
Clete and Jerona had developed a smooth working relationship. Dutch, Keli and Kera had tremendous fun. Pon and Lane disposed of men who would have abused young people. They got a full day's rest in Melissa. Lane and Pon spent a good deal of time in the cold water of the swimming pool. They returned to the time they'd left. Dutch, Clete and Lane went to work preparing for the "Our Special Girl" pageant and Pon and the ladies went back to the dojo to organize students and equipment.
Pon commed the masters of other schools in the competition and arranged a meeting. They would eject referees and judges who were unfair. Merith met Pon's brother-in-law and gave him funds and a list of wagers to make. Pon did not wish to know the outcome of the competition. His brother-in-law placed the bets with a very large grin on his face. He'd made a few small wagers of his own the day before.
Lane recorded the tips to five honest men; three detective captains, a prosecutor and a news editor. He set the timer to send out the calls. He took Melissa to a restaurant and placed a tiny tracking device in the hem of the gray man's coat. It would lead Dutch, Clete and him to the board meeting and seal the gray man's fate.
The murderer of Sabbi's father would die at the hands of his employers. She'd seen that changing that would change who she and her mother had become, without needing to be guided to it. The men on the board would be betrayed by some very unhappy, unpaid, employees, when the honest authorities found them in possession of large quantities of drugs. They'd be sure they'd been set up. They would be, but not by their bosses. Sabbi and he had agreed that would be satisfying too.
He smiled as he replicated 'colors' for Pon and the ladies. They would enjoy the leathers and the wild ride. He also installed a set of pegs and built a new seat for Dutch's bike. It was a surprise. It was designed for three. Dutch would be a bit closer to the bars, but he wouldn't mind. He'd still be able to lift the front wheel off the ground. He rested in the past, then returned to the time of his departure. He had a team kata rehearsal. Pon put them to work as soon as he arrived.
"Yes, the appearance is aesthetically pleasing. Now, begin. No. Dutch, you must move a bit more slowly. You complete the moves a fraction too soon, then must pause before beginning the next. Again. Clete, control your power. The punches of all must be equal. Again."
Pon smiled at the three big, blond men and the three big, red-haired women. They'd take the advanced mixed competition. He still felt the splitting of the competitors by sex was wrong, but Lane had explained it was part of the "fix" and very profitable to a pair of unpleasant men who provided bullies for the business. It was why none of his girls were targets.
The presence of Clete, Dutch and Lane had placed his school in the overall points event. They had added possible points in a total of seven events. Pon expected his girls to complete a near sweep of their schedule. If the three men did as well as he knew they should, it would be the first overall his school had taken.
He'd never had entries in the heavy and super-heavy classes. He longed for the 'old days' when all competitors were grouped only by levels of skill and not broken into age and weight classes. It was a technique of the sponsors and promoters, more events and more wagers. He smiled. He had entered himself in three events. It had been a long time. He expected to add the points for masters' level men to their total. The two men he hadn't been sure he wouldn't break in pieces wouldn't be competing. He'd never doubted his instincts about them, just thought testing his control for a few points that made no difference was foolish.
The show people, contestants, escorts and all the students of Pon's school went to dinner together. Frake made the arrangements. A large restaurant became very busy. Lane smiled as Dutch tensed and shook his head. The gray man stood across the street and gazed at them taking seats by the window. He would be on his way to see his bosses. Dutch knew he would be going nowhere else. Ever.
Dinner was a great success. Frake had a bill prepared and signed for it. It too would be covered out of Merith's wagers. It delighted him to know the money would come from the coffers of the people who had used him to smuggle drugs. He had noticed the two Lane had released from the hold and the third he had fired were on the planet. Lane had told him one of them would become a fount of information for the prosecutor. He wished he could stay to see it, but the show would move on. He knew Lane, Clete and Dutch would not be going with them. Their work would be done and they would find another who needed guardian angels. Frake and Pon became friends over dinner. The friendship would last until their deaths many years in the future.
"We have to leave. We have something to do tonight. We'll see you all tomorrow. Come on, let's set this thing in motion."
"With you in a minute, Lane. I just want to say goodnight to the ladies. OW! All right! I'm going. I'm going."
Clete grinned, let go of Dutch's ear and followed him out the door, around the corner and into the alley where Lane had 'parked' Melissa. They moved her to an office and walked into the "Boardroom" across the hall from it. Dutch smiled at the nine very shocked people and sat on the end of the table.
"Hello, we're the Gallants. This is your notice we're shutting you down. Permanently."
"How did you get in here? How did you find this place?"
"We put a tracker on your man in gray. It's in the hem of his coat. I believe I hear him coming now."
"YOU! You can't be here! I just saw you sitting down to dinner. You can't be... You're not natural. You're some kind of spooks."
"Oh, we're quite real. You're going to be sorry I didn't kill you. Goodby."
Dutch laughed as he walked through the door and heard the gray man protesting he couldn't have been followed. He slept well that night.
The news headlines the morning of the competition were about the beaten and mutilated body found floating in the bay. Lane would have liked to hear the 'board' trying to figure out how all those chains had come undone. He was rather fond of the little laser knife he carried in his pocket. It worked well on packing crates too.
The tournament was interesting, especially when the senseis ejected four referees and three judges. They chose new ones from the expert aficionados in the audience. Pon's school swept through the competition. Two schools dominated most of the events for young males. They did not take any of the men's heavy or super-heavy events. They didn't take the master's either.
The team kata competitions drew cheers from the crowd. When the winning men's team and the winning women's team combined and won the mixed event, they went wild. Pon accepted the overall
point award for his school with a determinedly humble bow. He received a standing ovation from both the audience and fellow competitors. The day had already been wonderful and the fun was just beginning.
Pon and his three assistants had box seats for the pageant. He smiled at the gasps of delight when the escorts in white produced a rose from the air for each contestant. He made a mental note to send flowers to his wife in celebration of their victory, then decided to add "at first opportunity" to it. Without her patience and support, it would not have been possible.
Frake and Merith took the contestants out for supper. The Gallants would be busy.
They started by hopping backward in time. They went from world to world and time to time. They thwarted every attempt made on shows that had come under their protection. It took them eight days.
They landed outside Pon's school a few minutes after the pageant was over and Pon introduced the Gallants to his wife Ellith. She smiled in delight when Lane pulled a rose from the air and presented it to her. She mentioned Pon had sent a huge bouquet, which had been delivered moments before. Pon was very pleased he'd called and ordered them during the pageant.
Jerona, Keli and Kera received roses as well. Clete pulled one, and Dutch two, from the air. They asked Ellith to put them in water. They would reclaim them in a short while. Pon told his wife he would be back in a few moments and returned with the others to Melissa to begin an evening of fun. He had smiled at his wife's tale of a crime ring's sudden fall during the evening hours. He didn't tell her he was on his way to help make it happen. She might worry. About his sanity. When they landed, Dutch found his present.
"Lane, you're terrific! It's great! Now I really can ride three."
"Happy whatever, Dutch. We're going to have to take them apart and put them together a lot. It clips in. Oh! I have other surprises as well. Ladies, these are your colors. Pon, this set is for you. Diamond clips for the ears and mirrored lenses for the eyes. Shall we change and terrorize a crime ring?"
They all smiled in delight as they stood before the mirrored wall Melissa made for them in the living room and looked at their reflections. They put the bikes together and roared into the day. Keli and Kera flipped to see who would sit behind Dutch first. They would take turns, changing places each time they hit another city.
Choice of the Gallant_Paradox Equation I Page 23
