He breathed on the dice, polished them on his cuff, and wondered how he had ever gotten into this spot. Billions riding on a pair of dice. That was as much as the annual income of some planets. The only thing that made it possible to have stakes like that was the fact that the planetary government had a controlling interest in the Casino. He shook as long as he could, reaching for the control that wasn’t there-then let fly.

Everything else had stopped in the Casino and people were standing on tables and chairs to watch. There wasn’t a sound from that large crowd. The dice bounced back from the board with a clatter loud in the silence and tumbled over the cloth.

A five and a one. Six. He still had to make his point. Scooping up the dice, Jason talked to them, mumbled the ancient oaths that brought luck and threw again.

It took five throws before he made the six.

The crowd echoed his sigh and their voices rose quickly. He wanted to stop, take a deep breath, but he knew he couldn’t.

Winning the money was only part of the job-they now had to get away with it. It had to look casual. A waiter was passing with a tray of drinks. Jason stopped him and tucked a one hundred credit note in his pocket.

“Drinks are on me,” he shouted while he pried the tray out of the waiter’s hands. Well-wishers cleared the filled glasses away quickly and Jason piled the chips onto the tray. They more than loaded it, but Kerk appeared that moment with a second tray.

“I’ll be glad to help you sir, if you will permit me,” he said.

Jason looked at him and laughed permission. It was the first time he had a clear look at Kerk in the Casino. He was wearing loose, purple evening pajamas over what must have been a false stomach. The sleeves were long and baggy so he looked fat rather than muscular. It was a simple but effective disguise.

Carefully carrying the loaded trays, surrounded by a crowd of excited patrons, they made their way to the cashier’s window.

The manager himself was there, wearing a forced grin. Even the grin faded when he counted the chips.

“Could you come back in the morning,” he said, “I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of money on hand.”

‘What’s the matter,” Kerk shouted, “trying to get out of paying him? You took my money easy enough when I lost-it works both ways!”

The onlookers, always happy to see the house lose, growled their disagreement. Jason finished the matter in a loud voice.

“I’ll be reasonable. Give me what cash you have and I’ll take a check for the balance.”