Sar Hondo's omniphone chirped at him. He looked at the screen and saw the the image of a cartoon pin-up girl and the caller ID "Ishtar".

"Excuse me, ladies," he said "I really should take this."

"You haven't been to see me in weeks," said a female voice on the other end of the phone "I miss you. Come and play."

The sound of a slot machine hitting a jackpot played.

"The woman makes a cogent point," thought Sar.

"Vireh, Pari," he said the Mitzner and McAfree "How would you like to accompany me to the Ishtar Casino? You could be my good luck charms."

Mitzner agreed quickly before McAfree could open her mouth and blow her cover.

The Ishtar Casino was a shining eyesore of light, a gaudy invitation to the lizard brain. Images, lights and sounds, some perhaps even individually pleasing, bleed together into a cacophonous assault on the senses. It was one of the most popular places in the colony.

Mitzner smiled. It had been a long time since she'd been to a casino. She was banned from most of the major ones in the core.

Babylonian casinos, by habit and almost on principle, rigged all of their mechanical and electronic games. All truly degenerate gamblers knew that the only proper way to lose all your money in a Babylonian casino was with physical card games. The other games were for children and the elderly.

Sar's game, as he explained at excruciating length, was gambit. Sar explained the rules in detail. Gambit was similar to blackjack but designed in such a way as to rig the odds even more in favor of the house. Sar went on to explain that he was really a very good gambit player and he just had bad luck, but one of these days his luck would change and he was going to get rich playing the game.

"That's so interesting," Mitzner lied "Because I consider myself quite lucky. I win money at games all the time. Perhaps it might be fun for you to set me up a small stake and we could share the winnings?"

"Don't be absurd," said Sar "But you can stand at my side and perhaps some of your luck will rub off on me."

McAfree was actually starting to be glad that Mitzner said she was a mute. That way she didn't have to listen to what they were talking about. Something dreadful. The three were almost all the way to the casino, it lit up the night with eye-biting colors. It was enough to make McAfree sick.

"Why don't I give you subtle signals te- suggesting what plays you might consider making?" asked Mitzner.

"Isn't that cheating?" asked Sar.

"Everything is. Winning is considered cheating at a casino," said Mitzner.

"You know," said Sar "You're right. I like the way you think. This place owes me one," he paused for a moment, thinking "The universe sent you here, Vireh, and your mute cousin to a lesser extent, to be my lucky charms. I can feel it. Tonight is the night I'm finally going to hit it big. Answering that call from the Ishtar was the greatest decision of my life."

The group entered the casino and made their way to the gambit tables. Sar sat down at one already occupied by three distant-looking shells of humanity. The two women stood.

Gambit was a terrible game, designed to suck money out of the gullible and the sick. It was not, however, designed to handle genetically sculpted superclones. Mitzner had memory and visual acuity at the peak of human potential. She was capable of systems of advantage playing that were to counting cards what the Armstrong was to a row boat. She could beat the house even at a game like gambit. If she could get this idiot to listen to her she could make him rich.

The dealer dealt the first hand. Mitzner would need to see a few hands played before she could get a sense of the position of the cards. Sar bet deep and lost the first three hands in a row.

So when Mitzner silently tapped Sar's back to signal to him what play to make, he sneered and did the opposite. She hadn't been a very good luck charm so far why should he listen to her now?

He lost the hand, but saw that he would have won had he taken Mitzner's advice.

This is my lucky night, Sar thought, She really is a good luck charm. I'm finally going to hit the big one.