The Dark Lady

I found myself looking once more at the Dark Lady. Her hands were stretched out to the Kid, as if beckoning him to rise from where he had fallen and come to her, and her face, which had been so pale and emotionless, suddenly seemed flushed with excitement. She must truly have thought him capable of fighting his way past all the bounty hunters and rescuing her, for a moment later the hauntingly sad expression had returned, and I knew instinctively that he had finally died.
    And then, suddenly, she was staring directly at me, an unfathomable expression on her face. I found this so disconcerting that I immediately averted my eyes.
    “Well, that's that,” remarked Peres with a sigh of relief.
    “What a waste,” commented Heath. “How many did he take with him? Four?”
    “Three, I think,” said Peres. “We'll have to check ‘em out and see who's still twitching.”
    “It was horrible!” I said.
    Peres turned to me. “I would have thought you'd like the sight of human blood.”
    “Surely no one could enjoy the sight of such butchery! It is immoral to take another being's life, no matter what the justification!”
    Peres looked amused. “If you think that's immoral, wait until you watch them fight over who fired the fatal shot. We're likely to have two or three more killings before it's settled.”
    “What happens to the woman now?” asked Heath.
    Peres shrugged. “I suppose we'll let her go.” Suddenly he grinned in amusement. “She's going to need a good travel agent. I plan to confiscate the Kid's ship as payment for the damage he did during the shootout.”
    “But to release her with no means of leaving the planet is unconscionable!” I exclaimed, surprising myself by my boldness.
    Peres turned to look at me as if I were some insect that he would sooner swat than converse with.
    “Well, I sure as hell don't plan to keep feeding her for free,” he said at last.
    “Where will she go?” I asked.
    “How the hell should I know?” he replied. “She'll probably hook up with one of the bounty hunters.”
    “They are all killers,” I persisted, realizing that it was a breach of manners, but unable to stop myself.
    “What's it to you?” demanded Peres. “You think she'd rather go off with a striped little monster like yourself?”
    “There's no need for acrimony,” said Heath smoothly. “My associate has a point, Mr. Peres. Rather than forcing her to leave in the company of one or more cold-blooded killers, let us at least allow her the choice of coming with us.”
    Peres stared at him for a long moment. “What do you want her for?” he asked suspiciously.
    “Me?” repeated Heath, surprised. “I don't want her at all. It's a simple act of humanity. She's stranded here, you insist that she leave by the end of the day, and the only other people who might consent to take her are ruthless killers. We have room in our ship if she chooses to join us, and I can drop her off at any planet between here and Charlemagne. I doubt any of the bounty hunters have any intention of leaving the Inner Frontier, so at least I can get her a little closer to where she's going.”
    “How do you know where she's going?” asked Peres. “Hell, she's out here, isn't she? Maybe she likes the Frontier.”
    “She can always reject my offer,” replied Heath. “But at least I'll feel better for having made it.”
    Peres paused. “What's your real interest in her?”
    “Just what I told you.”
    “But you wanted to see her even before the Kid showed up.”
    “I don't find her any the less interesting just because he's dead,” said Heath. “And I still have to find out who gets Mallachi's money.”
    “You sure the two of you aren't just planning to take her on some sort of perverted joyride across the Frontier?” asked Peres suspiciously.
    “I can't imagine why that would concern you if it were true,” said Heath, “but the fact of the matter is that it's not. No man of breeding would take advantage of a woman in such a predicament. I am a gentleman; she is a lady in some distress. It's as simple as that.”
    “There ain't ever been anything as simple as that,” responded Peres emphatically. “If you take her off and nobody ever sees her again, I'd have to carry that burden with me to the grave.”
    And suddenly even I knew where the conversation was leading.
    “I realize that would be a terribly heavy burden,” said Heath sympathetically.
    “Damned right,” agreed Peres.
    “What do you suppose it