Robert Asprin – Tambu

“Ramona, the crafty pirate,” she declared, shaking her head. “Trapped by blind luck and her own big mouth. Forgive me, but if I don’t laugh, I might start crying.”

Tambu smiled at her. “Now that you’re fully aware of the situation, perhaps you will realize why I’m willing to bargain the way I have. Our aim is to be pirate hunters-sort of a cross between bounty hunters and a police force. It’s obvious to me now that we can’t simply rely on luck to find our prey. We need to know how pirates think… how they operate. That’s where you come in. For example, you’ve implied that you knew in advance where to intercept the Infidel. How did you get that information?”

Ramona blinked, then grimaced slightly.

“You really listen close, don’t you? Well, on this particular venture, our information came from inside sources.”

“Inside sources?” Tambu frowned.

“That’s right. I’ll tell you my honest opinion. If you’re planning to make a living at this, you’ve got your work cut out for you. The name of the game is information, and it can take years to build up an effective network. How you’re going to get informants who will inform on other informants is beyond me.”

“Back up a little,” Tambu said thoughtfully. “Who are these informants that make up a network?”

“Almost anyone who has information about shipments and an eye for easy money. When I say ‘inside sources,’ I’m talking about people within the corporate structure of the outfit shipping the cargo out. It could be a shipping clerk, an accountant, or a secretary. Sometimes the information comes directly from upper management when they want to cash in on a little insurance money.”