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silver tray with a folded sheet of gold foil imprinted with an impressive seal and reeking of pheromones. I didn’t bother to page a name; that way it would appear the person to whom I was delivering the message was known to me by sight—notoriety implied importance. That way, the bell captain was less likely to bother me. Wouldn’t want a V.I.P. not to get his message. Especially if it was from a sex-friend. Like I said, I’d learned a few tricks.
    The casino’s floor was the inside surface of a hundred-meter sphere—a field of pseudo gravity created this orientation, in which gravitational vectors were centrifugal rather than centripetal. The floor was transparent—through its ten-centimeter thickness could be seen a myriad of marine creatures attached to the outer surface: kelp, anemones, shellfish, starfish, coral. Beyond, sharks cruised with mouths agape through dark, shimmering sea. Above, players stood around gaming tables, like flies hanging from the ceiling. Naked servants plied the guests, offering mnemone, peptides, and assorted alkaloids from trays. If chemical temptations failed, breasts would brush against backs, penises would be pressed against buttocks, tongues would lick what was proffered. The servants were well trained. Anything to distract a winner’s concentration.
    Wheels spun. Dice rolled. LED’s flashed. Crystal facets glittered. Chips skittered. Tongues licked cracked lips. Sweat beaded on tense faces. Mnemone fumes rose to form a haze in the center of the sphere.
    Business had been brisk. My pockets were crammed with chips and tokens I’d lifted from gamblers.
    I should have taken my loot and run. I knew the key to success in either larceny or gambling was knowing how far you could push your luck. My luck was at its limit. I’d had a good take. I should have already been in a hotel room counting it. But something made me linger in the casino. There was a frantic energy in the air. I could almost smell it—like ozone from wires leaking electricity. And there was another energy below the first, something subliminal urging me to stay. I knew better, but I stayed anyway.
    I looked straight up, across the casino, through blurring fumes. A crowd of people surrounded one of the craps tables, watching a shooter throw dice. Even the servants had abandoned their trays to watch. They sat on each other’s shoulders to get a better view, Most of the house dicks had also collected around the periphery—like the jackals they were, Each time the player rolled, a murmur came from the crowd. This would be the perfect time for me to leave unnoticed.
    I started walking toward the door, meandering past gaming tables with their monomaniac players. I pretended to be looking for someone to give my message to—had to keep up my disguise. If I’d had more pockets, I could have cleaned up. But I restrained myself. Another minute and I’d have been out the door. Then all I’d have to do was find someone to cash in my chips for me. That would be easy. I could always have my way with certain ladies. They found me adorable.
    Yet for all my good intentions, I didn’t leave then. Without realizing it, I had circled toward the crowd and now found myself mingling in its edges, slowly infiltrating deeper into its mass. I let myself be guided by this strange new volition. What the Memphis, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
    Soon I was squeezing between two women and pushing next to the dice table. The women glared angrily when I forced between them, but when they saw me they smiled and patted me on top of my head. I smiled back, resisting the urge to bite their fingers.
    On the other side of the table, a player was throwing dice. He was a sailor—a hybrid bioformed to survive the hazards of deep-space sailing. He stood the standard two meters. His arms and legs were somewhat out of proportion in length, giving him a lean, angular appearance. Monomer sweat glistened from skin as black as obsidian with intra-dermal