by B. V. Larson
“That’s good enough,” I said, and I told her my story.
I told her most of it, anyway. I left Etta out as much as possible. Her name didn’t need to be associated with these types of goings-on. I wanted her to make it to adulthood without being prominent in someone’s database as a troublemaker. When she grew up fully, I was pretty sure she’d make her own waves, but it wouldn’t be due to anything I’d reported while she was a kid.
Galina listened with a sour face. Her expression softened somewhat when I told her about Claver coming to my place.
“So… Claver came out to harass you after I left? I can understand how violence ensued. But then you blind-ported out to Dust World? That seems insanely risky.”
“Remember who you’re talking to?”
“Right… Where’s the book now?”
This was the part I hadn’t told her about yet. I filled her in on my final moments, about how a confused Claver had blasted it to ashes.
“It’s gone?”
“Yes. But don’t worry, it has to have been scanned by Central when Floramel had it.”
Her teeth exposed themselves in a wild snarl. Her thin arms came away from her chest, and she grabbed me by the shirt. I would have been alarmed, but she’d never been very strong, or much of a fighter.
“James, there are no copies! Nothing. I checked. I went through everything down there a year back.”
“Is that so? When you say ‘down there’ are you talking about our secret underground lab levels?”
“Yes,” she said, letting go of me. “I can’t believe it. It’s gone. The book is gone.”
I chewed that over. Looking past her tousled hair and angry face, I spied that bowl of candies. I was really hungry.
“You got plans for breakfast?” I asked.
She hissed in disgust. “Why do you always shrug off disasters? Is it because you take them in stride, or because you really don’t care?”
“A little of both, I suspect. But in this case, you don’t have to worry. I can get you a copy. I swear it.”
Her eyes probed my face. I looked back at her blankly.
“Really?” she asked, her tone almost pleading all of a sudden. “That would be a miracle. Perhaps I didn’t make an error reviving you.”
“An error? I thought you and I had a good thing going just eight weeks ago.”
She made a flapping, dismissive gesture with her hand. Then she began to pace around her office.
Galina did that often, and I’d always enjoyed the show. She wore skin-tight smart clothes that molded themselves to her shapely form. It was almost like she was wearing body paint.
“James?!” she shouted at me.
“Um… yeah?”
“Are you listening at all?”
“No… I’m hungry.”
She made an exasperated sound. “If I get you some food, will you give me another copy of that book?”
“What’s the rush?” I asked, suspecting there was more to her interest than she was letting on.
She was instantly on her guard again. She cocked her head as if listening to a voice I couldn’t hear then nodded as if coming to a decision.
“This visit is no accident, is it? You found out about Hegemony’s deal, and you moved to secure the merchandise before we could.”
At this point, I was entirely in the dark as to what she was going on about. But I knew that if I kept quiet long enough, she might just tell me. Galina loved to talk.
“I see…” she said, taking my silence in the worst possible light. She sighed. “I’d hoped our relationship had moved forward. That we could trust each other more now that we’ve been getting along so well.”
That made me frown. She had a point. I was treating her like the old Galina, the conniving witch who’d done everything but perm me in years past.
“You’re right,” I said, nodding. “We should trust each other more. Let’s go get some breakfast, and we’ll talk about it further.”
“I’ve already had breakfast. I hereby order you to tell me where the other copy of the book is right now!”
“Okay then,” I said, deciding to call her bluff. I stood up. “I’ll go eat by myself. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
She made a growling sound of frustration. I walked out and left her in her office.
Not three seconds later, I heard her quick, light steps behind me.
“Wait, James. I’m coming with you. You’re not going to get away with dying on me—not again.”
She followed me out of the office, and I again tipped my hat to the two hog officers. They were still sitting quietly in Galina’s waiting room. They frowned back at me and muttered among themselves.
-10-
One would think that Tribune Turov could simply order me to spill my guts about any given subject, and that would be that. Ordinarily, I’d agree with that thread of logic. The problem was things were more complex than that.
Galina and I had been involved in countless adventures, some public and legit—others secret and downright criminal. Because of that history, when we dealt with a matter that was outside the formal boundaries of a military operation, we reverted to a secondary set of rules that existed only between us.
“James,” she growled as she walked beside me, “if this is all bullshit, you’re going to pay. I want you to know that.”
Picking up the pace a little, I left her following in my wake. She almost had to trot to keep up with my long strides. The situation had a smile playing on my lips. Often, I got to play the part of the puppy on the leash, but today I was enjoying the reverse.
“Don’t worry, Tribune sir. You won’t be disappointed.”
At least, I hoped she wouldn’t be. I hadn’t bothered to check up on my hunches, but I felt pretty good about them, so I’d gone with it. When bluffing, it’s best to go whole-hog, I always say.
Galina followed me down to the officer’s commissary, where I ate heartily. She picked at a bowl of fruit I’d insisted on ordering for her.
After several plates of scrambled eggs, country fries and heaps of crispy bacon, I sat back and pushed the table away.
“Oooo,” I grunted. “I’m full now.”
“I should frigging hope so. Are you willing to talk to me now?”
“Actually…” I said. “I could go for a—”
Galina snapped. She leaned over the table, put her hand on top of mine, and dug in her nails.
“Are you shitting me?” she hissed. “I’m going to bust you back down to veteran if you don’t—”
“Okay, okay!” I said, throwing my arms wide in surrender. “Let’s go find your book.”
“What?”
“Come on, it’s not far.”
I got up, stretched, and let her pay the check. She did this with poor grace, but I didn’t care. After all, I was doing her a favor.
We were back in the elevators and heading downward. I needed Galina for the next leg of the journey. I didn’t have the clearance to hit the underground lab zone without a special invite.
As former Hegemony brass, she still had the proper clearances. She touched her tapper to the elevator panel, and a whole mess of optional destinations swam into view on the panel. I selected one about a hundred and fifty floors below the surface, and we were whisked into the depths of the Earth.
Once arriving, a security team greeted us. They ran us through fluoroscopes, metal detectors and Lord-knows what other kinds of sensors. Our weapons were removed, even my knives, before we were finally allowed to enter the lab complex.
Even so, I knew we wouldn’t get far down here without an escort who had room-to-room clearance. Accordingly, I thought hard before I crafted a text and sent it.
Lowering my arm, I waited for my tapper to buzz me back. Nothing happened for a solid two minutes.
“James,” Galina said in a whisper. “What are we doing down here? This is a need-to-know level. Even with a clearance, that’s not good enough to be loitering around down here. We can’t
just—”
“Floramel?” I called out, ignoring Galina. I stretched out a greeting hand, put on my best smile, and waved.
A door had cracked open down the hall. The room beyond was dim-lit, and I couldn’t see the figure who stood there clearly, but I would know that long-limbed shape anywhere.
“Floramel, let me explain,” I said, walking slowly toward her.
My hands were out and up, and I approached her the way a man might approach a wary squirrel in the park. I only hoped she was interested in peanuts today.
“James…” she said, still standing behind the cracked door. “You brought Turov with you… why?”
“I can’t come down here on my own. I don’t have the clearance.”
“Then you shouldn’t be here. Those are the rules.”
The door had never been open very far, and now it narrowed to a slit.
“Hold on!” I called out. “Galina here revived you. Remember that.”
She hesitated.
Behind me, I sensed Galina was following with wary steps. At least she had the good sense to keep quiet and let me do the talking. Often, brass felt they should take over when tricky negotiations were underway. The results were usually disastrous.
Finally, the door was kicked wide.
“Come in here,” Floramel said. “I’m on break—you have three minutes.”
I slipped into the doorway, and behind me Galina managed to catch the closing door with her fingernails. The door was heavy, made of steel, and once it closed it would take a grenade to blow it open again.
Cursing quietly, she slipped inside behind me.
“There are cameras everywhere, McGill,” Galina said. “I bet security bots have already opened a file on all three of us.”
“Probably,” I said in a bored tone.
My eyes and my complete attention were all focused on Floramel. She was as tall and long as Galina was small and petite. Her face was very pretty, but in a sort of stretched out, almost unnatural way.
Floramel was a near-human. She’d been bred primarily for her intellect, and on Earth she served with our military scientists.
Over the years, I’d figured out that the squids who’d engineered her genes had also purposefully designed her to be attractive to brutish males. That was because, back on her Blood World, the females often served as brood mothers to create soldiers of various types.
“Why are you plaguing me today, James McGill?” Floramel asked. “I’m going to be on report for this. I would not be surprised if I’m soon arrested and interrogated.”
“Yeah, I get that,” I said. “I’m real sorry, too. But listen, do you remember a few years back when I had you read a book for me?”
Floramel’s eyes widened a fraction. They flicked toward Galina, who stayed quiet, then back to me again.
“What about it?”
“As I understand it,” I said. “You have a good memory. Could you reproduce the text of that book, exactly as you saw it?”
Again, she flicked her eyes over the two of us. She looked concerned.
“Of course. My memory is eidetic.”
Galina seemed to be catching on at last. She looked at Floramel the way stray dogs look at pork chops.
“You can reproduce the book?” Galina demanded, stepping closer. “Exactly as it was? No error in punctuation, spacing—”
“That’s what I said.”
“Do it, then,” Galina said. “I order you to write the book and submit it to me personally. Do not transmit it with your tapper. You must give me a physical copy.”
Floramel studied us for a second. “Why?” she asked at last.
“Why are we interested in the book? That’s none of your—” Galina began hotly.
“Hold on, ladies!” I said, stepping between the two women. “Now Tribune, we don’t want to be rude, do we?”
I gave Galina a sharp look. She bared her teeth and crossed her arms.
Turning back to Floramel, I was all smiles. “What about it, Floramel? We’re all friends here. Friends do each other favors.”
“Why?”
“Well,” I said, taking the question at face value, “when people have a certain level of affection for one another—”
“No, James. I mean why should I help you two? You’re independent military. I’m part of Hegemony, Government Services. You don’t have any authority over me.”
“Yes, right,” I said. “That’s why I’ve been talking about friendship.”
It was Floramel’s turn to cross her arms. A stubborn cast came over her features. I’d seen that look countless times before, but not on her face.
“You’ve changed,” I said.
“Yes, I’ve become much wiser during my years on Earth.”
“What do you want, hog?” Galina asked rudely.
That statement made me turn to Galina and give her a small shake of my head. She didn’t seem interested. Floramel and Galina were squaring off, and they were already in a full-fledged stare-down.
“I want Raash revived,” Floramel said.
“What?” Galina squawked in surprise. “That murdering lizard? He was an enemy agent.”
“He was my friend.”
“He killed you and McGill both.”
Floramel shrugged. “So what? You legionaries kill one another now and then. I want to give him a chance to explain himself.”
Stepping close to Floramel, I made a big mistake. I smiled widely and nodded to her—then I rested one of my big hands on her shoulder.
“Sounds like a reasonable request…” I said. “Too bad we don’t have his DNA, or his memory engrams. If only…”
I stopped, because Floramel had produced a dime-sized disk of plain metal.
“Raash’s data is imprinted on this memory device,” she said. “Use it to revive him, and you’ll have your book.”
Galina’s eyes flashed from me, to Floramel, then to the disk. She looked pissed all of a sudden. Her shoulders were hunched, defensive. Her eyes were slits.
Catching on, I pulled my hand off Floramel’s shoulder. Galina was clearly jealous.
“This is all bullshit,” she told us. “It’s a setup. McGill, you cheating bastard. You’re trying to manipulate me, the same way you always do. I was a fool.”
She turned away and straight-armed the door. It popped open, and an alarm sounded. She ignored that and marched toward the elevators.
“Uh…” I said, realizing the entire operation had just gone to shit right before my eyes.
Reaching out, I snatched the disk from Floramel. “I’ll see what I can do,” I told her, and I hurried after Galina.
She wasn’t in a good mood. She almost didn’t let me into the elevator. Only the fact the hog MPs were watching and snickering at us changed her mind. I got into the elevator car, and we were whisked away again toward safer ground.
“James,” she said, her arms crossed. “I’ve made several key decisions.”
“Um… like what?”
“Do you know who those gentlemen were who you brushed aside this morning in my office, embarrassing me horribly?”
“They were fat-assed hogs, right?”
“They were Hegemony controllers. Mission planners, working with Drusus and others. Legion Varus is going on deployment again soon.”
I blinked in surprise. Usually, a starfaring legion got a year or so of shore leave between deployments. Seeing as we were often killed on alien worlds, and that our tours might take years to complete, it only seemed right to give us a break in-between.
“That seems premature, Tribune.”
“It is. I was going to fight it—but not now. I have plans. New plans. They involve you, me—and your old girlfriend with her bad attitude.”
To my way of thinking, it was Galina who held the bad attitude award today—but I didn’t mention that. I couldn’t see how it would do me any good to do so.
-11-
True to her word, Tribune Galina Turov managed to get us all shot up into space
within two weeks’ time. Damn if that girl wouldn’t cut off her own nose to spite her face!
During the interim, I couldn’t get ahold of her. She seemed angry and distant. It was more than a cold-shoulder, she was actively avoiding me. There was some talk of her being sick, or something—but I didn’t buy that for a minute. She was pissed off.
About two weeks after she’d marched off in a huff, I found myself sitting on a lifter. My unit was with me, and they were downright mutinous. There wasn’t a set of lips onboard that wasn’t cursing the name of our hotheaded CO.
“This is unacceptable,” Harris kept saying. “Do you know I’d just started cutting and pouring a new pool at my place? I couldn’t finish, and I had to ditch the whole project.”
“A new pool, huh?” I asked him. “You digging it yourself?”
“Of course. I don’t have the cash for a team of bots. But the rest of it—I had to schedule everything and pay up front. Do you know what a puff-crete machine costs to rent these days?”
“No clue,” I admitted.
“Too damned much! Six months’ pay, down the shitter! Turov knows the rules. If Earth’s not under threat, we should be rotated off active duty for at least six months. That’s a minimum!”
I made sympathetic noises, but my attention was already wandering. I let my eyes travel over the faces in the harnesses all around me. The lifter was full of people—most of them familiar to me.
Carlos was sitting next to Kivi, and both of them were bitching up a storm. Leeson was farther down, looking glum but determined. He was a hard-bitten soldier, the oldest man I knew next to Graves himself.
Primus Graves wasn’t in sight. He was upstairs, riding in the command module. As a centurion, I could have chosen to join him, but I’d decided to sit among the troops instead. Sometimes, it was good to get the lay of the land, and you could only do that properly from ground-level.
About the only happy person I spotted was Veteran Moller. Built like a fireplug with arms, she seemed to like active duty. I suspected she didn’t have much of a personal life to go back to when the legion was marooned at home on friendly dirt.
Leeson spotted my wandering eye, and he climbed out of his harness. He came close, shoved a recruit out of the seat next to me and buckled in again.
