Conventions of War by Walter Jon Williams Page B

police out onto the streets to find more.

SEVEN
    C handra walked into Martinez’s office in the middle of the afternoon watch and slid the door closed behind her. She looked at the game of hypertourney he was playing on the desktop and said, “Well, I’m free of the bastard at last.”
    Martinez looked up at her, his mind still filled with the game’s intricacies of velocities and spacial relationships. “Congratulations,” he said.
    The color was high on Chandra’s cheeks and her eyes burned with fury. She paced back and forth in front of the desk like a tigress whose feeding had arrived half an hour late.
    â€œI finally asked him!” she proclaimed. “I asked him if he’d get me promoted—and he said he wouldn’t!”
    â€œI’m sorry,” Martinez said. The words came reluctantly. “Captains can’t promote lieutenants,” he added.
    â€œThis one can,” Chandra said savagely. “You know how those High City officers stick together. All he’d have to do is trade a favor with one of his cousin’s—Fletcher promotes the cousin’s cadet nephew in exchange for me getting my step.”
    Martinez knew that was true enough—Fletcher could have traded a favor with someone. That was how the high-caste Peers kept everything in their small circle.
    â€œBastard wants me to stay in my place,” Chandra said fiercely as she paced. “Well, I won’t . I just won’t. ”
    â€œI didn’t understand how you got together with Fletcher in the first place.”
    Chandra stopped pacing. Her eyes glared with contempt into time, gazing at her own past. “I’m the only officer on the ship who wasn’t Fletcher’s choice,” she said. “He had someone else picked for my place but he didn’t get to Harzapid before the war happened. When the squadron shipped out, I got sent aboard. I didn’t know anyone and—” She shrugged. “I tried to make myself agreeable to my captain.” Her mouth drew up in a sneer. “I’d never met anyone like him. I thought he had an interesting mind.” She barked out a laugh. “ Interesting mind! He’s as dull as a rusty spoon.”
    They looked at each other for a few brief seconds. Then Chandra took a half step closer to the desk, her fingertips drifting over the black surface, cutting through the holographic display of the hypertourney game.
    â€œI could really use your help, Gare,” she said.
    â€œI can’t promote you either. You know that.”
    An intense fire burned in her eyes. “But your relatives can,” she said. “Your father-in-law is on the Fleet Control Board and Michi Chen is his sister. Between the two of them they should be able to work an overdue promotion for a lieutenant.”
    â€œI’ve told you before,” Martinez said, “I can’t do anything out here.”
    She looked at him levelly. “Someday,” she said, “you’re going to need a friend in the service, and I’m going to be that friend. I’m going to be the best and most loyal friend an officer ever had.”
    Martinez considered that Chandra’s friendship might come at a very high price.
    Though, professionally speaking, he could think of no reason why she shouldn’t be promoted. Other than her erratic and impulsive behavior, of course, and her chaotic love life.
    But how bad was that, really? he asked himself. Compared with some of the captains he’d known, Chandra was practically a paragon.
    Misunderstanding his silence, she leaned forward and took his hand. Her fingers were warm in his palm. The hologram gleamed on her tunic. “Please, Gareth,” she said. “I really need you now.”
    â€œI’ll speak to Lady Michi,” Martinez said. “I don’t know how much credit I’ve got with her, but I’ll try.”
    â€œThank you, Gareth.” She