"I'm hungry," he whined. "I'd like a powdered steak dinner and a glass of blika. I got plenty of starshine in my straps."
His eyes widened as his fingers searched his ragged trunks.
"Took me off," he shrieked. "All gone. Every credit."
Jay shook the screeching little man. "What do you mean—all your credits gone? How would an animat have anything of value?"
Desix Owun frowned and shook his head.
"I—I don't know," he finally admitted. "For a moment it seemed as though—I was not—what I am."
"Try to think; to remember," Jay urged. "I have a wild theory that maybe you remember more than you think. Why would the technicians implant knowledge of finance and credits in a labor robot's brain?"
A grunted oath brought Jay around on his heels. The larger of the two huge robots had Onin's skinny arm twisted up behind his back.
"Start degraving," his deep voice was rumbling angrily. "How'd I get here and who are you? You keeping me doped?"
Jay stepped across the heap of leaves to the giant animat's side. His heavy club of metal was poised ready.