The Dark Lady

possessed a single street, composed primarily of domed houses and stores that had been half-buried in the dirt and then covered with layers of dried mud to give them extra insulation from the sun's piercing rays. The entrances, like the buildings themselves, were well below ground level, and consisted of ramps rather than stairs. There had been two cross-streets once, but now they were deserted, lined only with the skeletal remnants of dilapidated buildings.
    When we emerged from the ship, we found a small, dark-haired, dark-eyed man, dressed in an out-of-fashion, dust-covered suit, waiting for us.
    “Welcome to Acheron,” he said, ignoring me and extending his hand toward Heath. “My name is Justin Peres. I'm the mayor.”
    “Valentine Heath,” said Heath, taking his hand. “And this is my associate, Leonardo.” He looked at a cloud of dust blowing down the center of the empty street. “I'm surprised Acheron needs a mayor.”
    “We don't,” admitted Peres. “But we do need food deliveries, and those idiot bureaucrats back on Deluros VIII won't pay for them unless we've got an official government.” He smiled. “You're looking at it.” Suddenly the smile vanished. “And as the official government, I'd like to know your purpose here.” He stared first at Heath and then at me. “You sure as hell don't look like bounty hunters.”
    “We're not,” replied Heath.
    “Well, that's a pleasant change,” he said. “What's your business here?”
    “I'm looking for a friend,” said Heath. “Possibly you know him.”
    “If he's on Acheron, I know him, all right,” answered Peres. “What's his name?”
    “Sergio Mallachi,” I said.
    He looked surprised. “Speak Terran, do you?” He stared at me. “Boy, you sure wouldn't guess it to look at you.”
    “About Mallachi... ” said Heath.
    “You're too late.”
    “Do you know where he is?” asked Heath.
    “Yes.”
    “Would you be willing to share that information with us?”
    “I don't think it'll do you much good,” said Peres. “He's in the cemetery at the south end of town.” He looked sharply at Heath. “You're sure you're not bounty hunters?”
    “I am an artists’ agent,” replied Heath. “I sold a portrait that Mallachi painted, and I've come to deliver his money.”
    “And what's the alien?” asked Peres, jerking a thumb in my direction but not bothering to look at me.
    “As I said, he's my business associate.”
    Peres shrugged. “Well, this is the Frontier,” he said with a look of disapproval. “I can't tell you who to deal with.” He paused for a moment. “You're here to pay him for a painting, you say?”
    “That's right.”
    “Are you sure you've got the right Sergio Mallachi?” asked Peres dubiously.
    “Absolutely.”
    “The bounty hunter?”
    “Yes.”
    “Well, I guess you'll have to hunt up his family and turn the money over to them,” said Peres. He paused for a moment. “He really painted pictures?”
    “One picture,” replied Heath.
    Peres shook his head unbelievingly. “Well, you learn something new every day. I'll bet it was a picture of his ladyfriend.”
    “A dark-haired woman?” asked Heath, suddenly intent. “Pale skin, dark eyes?”
    “That's the one, all right.” Peres paused. “Sorry you had to come all this way for nothing.”
    “It's all part of the business,” replied Heath. “But as long as we have come all this way, I for one would like a drink before we start the long return voyage. My associate and I would be happy if you'd join us as our guest.”
    “He drinks, too?” asked Peres. He seemed to consider the proposition. “Might as well,” he said at last. “It's safer than standing around out here, that's for sure.”
    “Is standing here unsafe for some reason?” I asked nervously.
    “It could be,” said Peres, heading off toward the town, which was perhaps four hundred yards distant. Despite the lighter gravity, the heat quickly took its toll of me, and it was all I could do to keep up with the two humans. Suddenly I saw a slight movement on one of the rooftops. I blinked my eyes to make sure that it wasn't a heat mirage, then stared again— and found myself looking at a gray-clad man positioning himself in the shadow cast by the slightly taller next-door building.
    We reached the street, and again I seemed to sense figures lurking in the darkened interiors of buildings. Hunching over so that I wouldn't stand out against the stark landscape, I hurried ahead, my