Gamble On: Flight of the Maita, #43

By C. D. Moulton

Critic comment
Actually, a "meanwhile" for book forty two. TR gets to be a Pinnacle Class ship. The two (books) are funny as hell. Some of the antics of TR as the Pinnacle are beyond hilarious – particularly the description of the "accidents" that befall … but that would be giving it away.
****½ BHH

A group is trying to take over the casinos on the vacation worlds. Thing, Tab, and Kit can really make t6his a fun thing!

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. D. Moulton
• Release date: Jul 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201485306

Book preview

Flight of the Maita

Book 43

Gamble On

© 1996 & 2019 by C. D. Moulton

all rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder/ publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Jornians trying to take over casinos on the vacation worlds? What? They’re amateurs! Thing and the robots will play that game – a lot better!

Critic comment

Actually, a meanwhile for book forty two. TR gets to be a Pinnacle Class ship. The two (books) are funny as hell. Some of the antics of TR as the Pinnacle are beyond hilarious – particularly the description of the accidents that befall ... but that would be giving it away.

****½ BHH

Contents

About the author

First Stop

Starting the Game

New Players in the Game

Information Search

Telling Secrets

Phantasie

Competence

Not Too Bright

A Slight Break

Loose Ends

A Very Nervous Game

Caught!

Tale Time

About the author

CD was born in Lakeland, Florida, in 1938. He is educated in genetics and botany. He has traveled over much of the world, particularly when he was in music as a rock rhythm guitarist with some well-known bands in the late sixties and early seventies. He has worked as a high steel worker and as a longshoreman, clerk, orchidist, bar owner, salvage yard manager and landscaper – among other things.

CD began writing fiction in 1984 and has more than 300 books published as of 3/15/16 in SciFi, murder, orchid culture and various other fields.

He now resides in Gualaca, Chiriqui, Panamá, where he continues research into epiphytic plants and plays music with friends. He loves the culture of the indigenous people and counts a majority of his closer friends among that group. Several have adopted him as their father. He funds those he can afford through the universities where they have all excelled. The Indios are very intelligent people, they are simply too poor (in material things and money. Culturally, they are very wealthy) to pursue higher education.

CD loves Panamá and the people, despite horrendous experiences (Free e-book; Fading Paradise). He plans to spend the rest of his life in the paradise that is Panamá

- Estrelita Suarez V. de Jaramillo – 3/15/2016

CD is involved in research of natural cancer cure at this time. It has proven effective in all cases, so far. It is based on a plant that has been in use for thousands of years, is safe, available, and cheap. He has studied botany, and was cured of a serious lymphoma with use of the plant, Ambrosia peruviana.

Information about this cure is free on the FaceBook page ambrosia peruviana for cancer. CD asks only that all who try it please report on its effectiveness on that group.

First Stop

Well, Z, Kurk, Thing, and T Six are off on their own little adventure, TR (TRD-60, intelligent spaceship and friend to the above) announced. We're heading out for our own little case, and Maita's not even in this plane by now. We'll have to be damned careful, without Maita to fall back on when we screw up.

Z is the Terran member, Kurk, the Pluton member, Thing, the Mentan member, and T6, another intelligent ship, partner at most times with Kit, one of the robot detectives, Maita, intelligent spaceship and, through a strange set of adventures, emperor of the Maitan Empire, which was now in two galaxies and three planes since Hades.... (I think I lost it!) We're all members of the crew is where it was going.

(Ed. note: I am TRD-60. I will write this in third person, but will use styles Z, T6, Thing, Tab, Kurk, and Kit use when we write about our cases. Most people in the empire are familiar with the writing of the crew, particularly those by Z.)

Tab is the other member of Maita's Crew – an odd assortment of beings and machines who go around the galaxy being do-gooders, as Z puts it. We have managed to make a difference, I'm proud to say. Tab is made in the form or a Swaz, an amphibian being, while Kit is built to be indis-tinguishable from a Kheth, a reptilian race. TR, T6 (and possibly Ingenious, an Asimovian ship who may soon be taken in as a member, but it isn't yet part of these stories) and Maita are all saucer ships, Maita being largest. The robots can be modified greatly, the organics, Z and Kurk, somewhat, and the Mentan member, Thing, not at all, except for color changes. Those changes are in the ultra-violet and infra-red ranges most beings can't see. To most, Thing is a silvery gray.

Thing is a small squarish globe with four tentacles and eyes on short stalks. It breathes through membranes that are as efficient underwater as in a gaseous atmosphere. It is an empath who can't speak directly. Maita has installed translators for it in all the regular ships and on its personal floater and in a decorative harness it sometimes wears. It is among the most intelligent beings ever discovered.

Maita has designated a tone ([ – ]) when it speaks that is recognized throughout the empire, as its own tone (*–*) is when used on fastcom or for normal speech.

The Kheth and Swaz are bipedal, in the general shape of races such as Maitans, Jornians, Terrans, and such races. It is known as standard K-form in the empire. K-M for mammals, K-R for reptiles, etc.

Kurk is from another plane. He's affectionately called the Empire’s Furry Horror by the empire's peoples. He's the general shape of Tab, Kit, and Z, stands a little under three meters, is massively muscled, is covered in shiny black fur that does strange things with light because of several unmatched dimensional angles, has long claws, two long canines that reach to the tip of his chin, and long pointed ears that swivel toward sounds. His eyes, teeth and claws contain a compound that phosphoresces a pale greenish color. He's also extremely sexually attractive to a great many females of a great many races (not to mention more than a few males).

The ships also carry some disguises of their own. Most of the people in the empire have seen them on holovid, and know they are intelligent and close friends with the emperor, often joining it in its little adventures and trips. It is often necessary that it not be known that the crew are in an area, so everyone can be changed to where they can pass for other beings or ships. Maita was presently in another dimensional plane while aiding the Mesorch people. Their home planet was in danger of colliding with another small planet, so the other world must be diverted. They had about thirty years to change the orbit angle a few degrees, so that would be done. The organics couldn't survive long in that plane, due to the unmatched angles in the air that would soon kill them, so had remained behind to run the empire until Maita returned.

T6 and the three organics had left EC (Empire Center, an M3 planoformed world at the gravity point of three differently colored stars) at the same time TR and the robot detectives left. They had a case where someone was tampering with empire machinery in some scam (the whole crew uses Z's expressions) that was supposed to steal a lot of money from traders, somehow.

TR, Tab, and Kit were assigned to discover why and how that mob of organized criminals had infiltrated the vacation worlds – and stop them. These little things keep life interesting for us all. We machines are as alive as organics. We are unique individual intelligences who have hopes and dreams. We can die as much as the organic mind, because we can cease to be as individuals, our uniqueness forever lost.

Anyhow, I was telling you about our latest adventure and how it involved organized crime figures. In most instances, Z and/or Kurk would handle these kinds of things. Their societies are riddled with examples, and they know many of the most successful methods, but Tab and Kit have had a few and have learned from them.

We communicate among ourselves with a form of gravitics Maita and Tab worked out. It can't be intercepted by anyone who we know of, and we always monitor for other use of such things. The particular form we’re using has no particular advantages over what the empire traders use, and is even a bit more wasteful of energy, but we have more of that than we have any need of, anyhow.

T6 is with Z, Thing, and Kurk, for the moment, so we often use empire fastcom when we're so far from one another.

Theron, another intelligent ship and friend of the Zulians, uses our method with us, as do Searcher and the Asimovian ships.

Searcher is a research station, and Asimov is a planet of robots. Ingenious, who I've mentioned, is from there. You can deduce that Z named the world. Asimov was a noted scientist and writer of Terra at the time Z was abducted, four hundred MGS years ago. He wrote about robots.

You may also deduce from the four hundred years remark that we can extend Z's and the other organics' lives for almost any length of time.

That's enough background, I suppose.

Our first stop would be the vacation world, Sentah.

Starting the Game

Our first priority, obviously, will be to discover who's behind the mess, and where they base the operation, Kit said. TR, you can be a Zeenan L-class ship, and Tab and I’ll be Jornians, to start with. The Jornians have a few of the mob type among their numbers. They're almost as good at it as Terrans.

Yo! I'll land in Casino City, TR replied. I'm booking you two in as purveyors of gambling paraphernalia. You know enough about the crap to talk about it.

Zeena handles all of that! Tab snapped.

I know that, you know that, the crooks know that, TR replied, haughtily. "The stupid characters you're representing yourselves as do not know that – or do they?"

Ah-ha! Tab said, with a grin. So we have some neat little items that can be fixed – as Zeenan stuff can't!

You're improving! TR replied. "Another two centuries and you'll have normal intelligence.

"Almost.

Maybe.

The entire crew are famous for their insult game. Even the machines play among themselves.

How will you be able to test us for it? Kit asked, in-nocently. Won't that be far above your own abilities?

Whatever, it'll be of no concern to you! TR shot back. "It's already beyond your meager mental capacity!

You two get in the shop. I'll modify you into Jornian eunuch priests. That should keep your minds on the job.

The two robots were built and programed to exhibit a normal sexuality for the beings they were representing themselves as at a given time. Tab particularly liked sex, to a degree to make Thing constantly complain about you horny machines. Kit enjoyed sex, but not to the extent of Tab.

And you can be a dilapidated Ternz utility economy class ship, Kit suggested. "Eunuch priests, with their vows of poverty and abstinence from anything that might bring a hint of a smile to their faces couldn't possibly afford to use anything better.

Gee! I wonder why that cult isn't more popular?

Eunuchs wouldn't be crooks, in the Jornian psychology base, Tab shot back. They don't produce the necessary hormones to motivate them. We'll be a couple of playboys with more money than sense, and a desire for adventure.

The insult process often led to resolution of characters in the cases. They used the interplay to find what would work best.

TR landed on north pad four twenty nine, and confirmed the tenday reservations at the Empire Dream Hotel and Casino. Their only information was that some of the known schemes seemed to originate in the hotel's game rooms. It gave their account as being able to handle up to a four million credit loss. (The empire would not allow gamblers to bet anymore than they could afford to lose. Period.)

Tab would be called Holdt Not, Not for short, and Kit would be Lelt Jar. They were common names that would be difficult to trace, except through the registration of their ship – which would supply the given information, guaranteeing it would be whatever they had agreed on.

The rooms were in the highest rent area, and were far more than two people could use, but ostentation was accepted on the vacation worlds because the types of crook they were after could identify wealthy marks easily.

They went back to the casino, after a good meal (they were carefully designed to be indistinguishable from organic beings, so ate and excreted in the normal manners to remain in character). Tab managed to lose ten thousand credits, while Kit won two thousand.

There were limits on each game, but they could be removed by special request and proof of ability to lose without any harm to anyone but the gambler, but they pretended not to be aware of the exception, and griped about it not being any fun to play for such low stakes. As planned, they were approached by a Bentan who suggested there were games in other surroundings where there were no empire limits, except what the players set for themselves. The empire didn't attempt to regulate private games, particularly on the vacation worlds. He introduced himself as Bot Sor Kant, Bot for short.

Tab and Kit suggested they'd very much like to find such a game, particularly for octadice and compact. True gamblers' games.

The eight-sided dice were hard to load, and the card game, much like Terra's poker, was easy to fix, but as easily detect-able by the robots' special abilities.

Surprise! Those were exactly the favorite games of some of Bot's dearest friends! Some were Jornians, so great pals Not and Jar would feel right at home with them! They would meet Bot the following evening at eighteen hundred, and he would take them to the private estate of Kill Don, the Jornian who so loved the higher-stakes games that he had regular sessions in his own palatial home on Lake Fortune.

So! That was easy enough! The time until then was spent mostly sightseeing and meeting people on the world. The vacation worlds were well worth seeing, and a great many of the people were friendly and interesting.

...is Kill Don, called Don, this is Lom Lom, and this is Porg Sit, and my promised, Fair Der Nikt, called Fair, Bot introduced the people already there. "We all enjoy the games, and we are all wealthy enough to not mind losses – other than the gamblers' great need to win, naturally. There wouldn't be any fun to the games if one couldn't get involved with a need to win.

"Fair is as good at contact as anyone in the empire!

I'll warn you, Jar. You said you play octadice. Lom is the luckiest one rockslug you'll ever meet!

The two robots touched their foreheads with the index finger at each introduction, as was the Jornian custom.

You'll find my luck isn't all bad! Kit replied. I've been known to throw twelves four times in a row!

I enjoy contact when the other players are of a caliber to offer me challenge, Tab added. "There's no excitement when one player is too far better than the others, in any game.

"This is a very nice place. I wish there were more of the type on the market, but the vacation worlds are developed to the capacity Maita will allow. They will always remain more natural preserves than developed worlds, which is a large part of the reason they will always be exclusive properties.

I think it stopped one plot short of the best plan!

Yes! Your plot! Fair agreed, with a laugh. That's the way all of us who have no such place feel.

Maita plans to planoform four worlds in the W beacon area, Don said. The Vendans are already working on them, I understand, so you can probably get a reserved plot for your progeny to enjoy. It isn't likely they're all taken, yet. With the newest methods you might reserve a very nice plot for yourself!

You can, Sit said. "I did. They'll be assigned in four more years. They have one of those portal things moving a bio-sphere from a world near a dying sun onto Phantasie. There will be one million permanent residents on the world. It's very expensive, but what vacation world isn't?

Shall we start with octadice? Don has a table.

They moved to the game room, where there were various types of games. Fair said she didn't much care for dice, so would play a few rounds of Fortune Spinner. Tab suggested he'd join her, because he didn't care much for dice, himself, and they could play Challenge against each other.

The robots' internal sensors showed them how the dice had been loaded, and how the chance wheels were fixed, immediately. They could communicate with the gravitics, and could control the games very well through induction.

What's your pleasure? Don asked Kit.

Calls, Kit replied. Counter.

Lom smirked, and gave Don a slight nod.

In counter, the Watcher made the call as the Tosser threw the dice up against a curved and slanted baffle.

Bet? Don asked. "I'll allow Jar to be the rider for a few games, as he's the newest member of the group, then we'll go to standard rules, if no one objects. We can see whose luck is running, right away!

Lom, you toss.

A hundred a roll? Sit suggested. The others nodded.

Z or Kurk would know pretty much what they planned. Z had long ago explained how a mark was set up in loaded dice and cards, so Kit accessed those lectures and decided to start off making it difficult for them to make him win a few.

I warned you of my luck! Twelve! Kit cried, as Lom tossed the first die. It came up six.

Halfway! Don exclaimed. "Maybe you are lucky!"

Lom blew on