The Fortress in Orion by Mike Resnick Page B

some of that stuff we appropriated from this vessel’s former owners. As many losers as a casino this size has, there’s got to be a lot of jewelers and pawnbrokers circling it like carnivores to the kill.”
    Djibmet, Michkag, and Circe helped him sort through the booty, and a few minutes later he and Circe returned to town, where they quickly sold enough of it to make up Proto’s bail.
    Then it was back to the jail, where Proto still appeared as a gray-haired man.
    â€œYou made my bail?”
    â€œYeah,” said Pretorius. “And you remember our deal?”
    â€œYes.”
    Pretorius turned and signaled to the robot, and a moment later the force field vanished.
    â€œAll right,” he said, “let’s get this show on the road.”

10
    The other three humans were still at the casino, and the two Kabori were in their quarters when Pretorius and Circe returned to the ship with Proto.
    â€œLet’s see just how good you are at what you do,” said Pretorius after showing his newest recruit where his quarters were.
    â€œYou’ve already seen it,” answered Proto.
    â€œYou appeared to be a middle-aged man that neither Circe nor I had ever seen before,” answered Pretorius. “How long does it take you to create an image or whatever it is that you do?”
    â€œInstantly.”
    â€œOkay. Take a good hard look at Circe, study her voice when she speaks, study her gestures and mannerisms. Then, when I tell you to, become her and see if you can fool her crewmates.” He turned to Circe. “When we see them pull up to the ship, go to your cabin for a few minutes.”
    She smiled. “At least we’ll find out right away how good he is.”
    Proto kept the shape of the middle-aged man and spent a few minutes acquainting himself with the ship, then went to the galley and ordered it to mix him a foul-smelling drink.
    â€œHeads up,” said Circe a moment later. “They’re on their way.”
    â€œOkay,” said Pretorius. “Off you go.” She got up and walked directly to her cabin. “Proto, do your thing and sit over there where she was.”
    And suddenly, as the words left his mouth, he wasn’t talking to a gray-haired man anymore, but to Circe, who moved gracefully across the bridge to her chair.
    â€œAmazing!” said Djibmet. Michkag merely blinked his eyes rapidly and then smiled.
    A moment later Snake, Pandora, and Ortega entered the ship.
    â€œSo did you find what you were looking for?” asked Snake.
    Pretorius shrugged and gestured to Proto. “Ask her.”
    â€œSo did you?” continued Snake, facing Proto.
    â€œI hope so,” answered Proto, mimicking Circe’s voice and inflections.
    â€œDon’t you know?”
    â€œI think that’s for you to decide,” said Proto.
    â€œMe?”
    â€œThe three of you.”
    â€œWell, you sure as hell had better luck than we did,” said Pandora. “I really should stick to my machines.” She smiled. “At least no one tried to pick us up. That’s one advantage of going there with Felix.”
    â€œHow much did you lose?” asked Proto.
    â€œNot much,” answered Ortega. “But then, we didn’t start with much.”
    Pretorius let them chat for a few more minutes, then turned to Djibmet. “Tell our friend to come out of the cabin now.”
    Djibmet went to Circe’s cabin and returned with her a moment later.
    â€œWell, I’ll be damned!” exclaimed Ortega, looking from Proto to Circe and back again.
    â€œOur Michkag can’t look like the real one any more than whichever of these isn’t that Circe looks like the real one,” added Snake.
    Pandora turned to Proto. “I commend you. That is one hell of an impersonation.”
    â€œWhat makes you think she’s not the real Circe?” asked Pretorius.
    â€œShe made a mistake. A little one, but a