“A professor of alien languages.”

“And a chess player?” asked Cain.

Jacinto smiled. “A very fine one.”

Cain walked to a shaded area beneath a gnarled tree. “When you bury me, I want it to be right here,” he said.

Jacinto drew himself up to his full height and looked into Cain’s eyes. “Santiago cannot die,” he said firmly.

“I know. But when you bury me, remember what I asked.”

“I will,” Jacinto promised.

Cain walked back to the three graves.

“Go on up to the house,” he said. “I’ll join you in a little while.”

Jacinto nodded and began walking away, while Cain lowered his head and stared at the three mounds of earth. He stood there silently for almost half an hour, then sighed deeply and returned to the house.

Virtue was waiting for him on the veranda, camera in hand.

“Are you ready?” she asked eagerly.

“In a minute. I’ve got to say something to Jacinto first.” He turned to her. “By the way, there’s a condition.”

“What is it?”

“You’re to take no holograph of my face. You’ll use the little camera I took from you yesterday and aim it at my hands.” He paused. “That’s my ground rule. Do you agree to it?”

“Of course.” she replied easily. “It may actually extend my term as your biographer.”

“I’m glad we understand each other.”

He sought out Jacinto and asked for a status report’ on Winston Kchanga’s organization.

“We’ve had no reply from them.” said Jacinto.

“And the Democracy is still freezing Bortai’s funds?”

Jacinto nodded.

“Then I’m going to have to pay our associates a little visit,” said Cain grimly. “Load their coordinates into my ship’s navigational computer. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Yes, Santiago.”

He returned to the veranda.

“All right.” he said. “Let’s begin.”

“Suppose you start by telling me about this movement of yours,” said Virtue, focusing her camera on the back of his right hand. “Who are you fighting against?”

“Movement?” he repeated, puzzled. “I don’t know anything about any movement.” She opened her mouth to protest. “But I can tell you about the seventeen men and women that I robbed and killed on Silverblue.”

She grinned and activated the microphone, and he spoke far into the night, telling her the bloody history of the most notorious criminal in the galaxy.

EPILOGUE

Some say that he’s a hundred,

Some say that he is more;

Some say he’ll live forever—

This outlaw commodore!

That was the last verse Black Orpheus ever wrote.

Shortly after setting the words down, he landed on the fourth planet of the Beta Santori system. It was a beautiful world, a pastoral wonderland of green fields and cool clear streams and sturdy ancient trees, and the moment he stepped out of his ship he decided to spend the rest of his life as its only inhabitant.

He named it Eurydice.