1. Night of the Living Baseheads
A long line of guards braced the walls that led to the President's chambers. They cradled their weapons like mothers holding infants, long pikes with curved blades at either end that could fire with the power of a tank turret. At first, General Milner had not realized the guards were there, and he still was unsure how many surrounded him. They could only be seen from the corner of his eye as he walked past, catching a glimpse of them in his peripheral at angles to which their camouflage could not calibrate quickly enough.
They stood as still as possible, not acknowledging his presence in any way. They ignored his initial salutes and attempts to greet them, as if he were a lower rank than the most misfit toilet scrubber. The General had paraded in front of thousands of troops all across the galaxy, inspecting their uniforms and assessing their battle readiness. Most had done their best to simply pass muster. A few had made the mistake of not taking the General seriously enough.
None had ever just ignored him.
The se troops wore no rank or other discernable insignia. The ones along the hallway appeared made of the same color and texture of the walls from the legs up, but their feet mimicked the light and tile pattern of the floor.
He passed one standing in front of a large bay window. The window r evealed a garden of sunlight and trees beyond the glass, and the top half of the soldier's uniform reflected the sky and grass and flowers, blending him in perfectly. Milner nodded to the soldier as he stared, trying to guess where the man's eyes would be. It was futile.
Two large metal doors stood open at the end of the hall, huge assortments of gleaming fire diamonds molded into the official seal of Unification. Milner unconsciously straightened his uniform as he approached the doors and he took a deep breath, summoning his resolve as he entered the chambers.
The room was dark, lit only by the intermittent ripple of blue and purple ribbons of neon that floated past. The soft whisper of voices surrounded him, echoing from each direction so that he was unsure whether someone was standing directly in front of him or at the farthest corners of the room. He reminded himself that with the soldier's camouflaging capabilities, it was possible the room was packed with hundreds of men, guns at the ready.
He moved slowly through the darkness, searching until he saw the bright red glow of fire ahead, lighting the heavy jowls and multi-tiered chin of a man who leaned forward to lower his face into the pillow of smoke rising from the flame and inhaled deeply. The man's wide, circular nostrils flared as he sucked in the smoke and his heavy-lidded eyes fluttered slightly. The light went out and the man vanished back into the darkness again.
The General took several steps forward and said, "President Wolmar, thank you for sparing a moment of your time to meet with me."
"More," the man gasped and the red light appeared again, a bright flame torching the end of a thin golden box, no larger than a cigar, but carved with the images of strange totems along its sides. The box began to smoke and the President grunted as he breathed in, Wolmar got his face as close to the box as he could endure until the intense heat forced him to back away. "I need a fresh box," he demanded.
"But, my lord, this is your third today."
"And I will have four. Or five. Or however many I choose, and if you do not get it for me, I will find someone else who will."
"Yes, my lord," the woman answered, and then was gone. Milner briefly saw the woman's green skin and the soft slither of her tail before she moved out of his view.
"I forgot you were coming, Milner."
The General clasped his hands behind his back and paused, weighing his words. "This is the appointment I was given, sir. I can show you the confirmation if you like."
There was a muted gurgle of laughter in response, and then, "That will not be necessary. Did you like her?
A long line of guards braced the walls that led to the President's chambers. They cradled their weapons like mothers holding infants, long pikes with curved blades at either end that could fire with the power of a tank turret. At first, General Milner had not realized the guards were there, and he still was unsure how many surrounded him. They could only be seen from the corner of his eye as he walked past, catching a glimpse of them in his peripheral at angles to which their camouflage could not calibrate quickly enough.
They stood as still as possible, not acknowledging his presence in any way. They ignored his initial salutes and attempts to greet them, as if he were a lower rank than the most misfit toilet scrubber. The General had paraded in front of thousands of troops all across the galaxy, inspecting their uniforms and assessing their battle readiness. Most had done their best to simply pass muster. A few had made the mistake of not taking the General seriously enough.
None had ever just ignored him.
The se troops wore no rank or other discernable insignia. The ones along the hallway appeared made of the same color and texture of the walls from the legs up, but their feet mimicked the light and tile pattern of the floor.
He passed one standing in front of a large bay window. The window r evealed a garden of sunlight and trees beyond the glass, and the top half of the soldier's uniform reflected the sky and grass and flowers, blending him in perfectly. Milner nodded to the soldier as he stared, trying to guess where the man's eyes would be. It was futile.
Two large metal doors stood open at the end of the hall, huge assortments of gleaming fire diamonds molded into the official seal of Unification. Milner unconsciously straightened his uniform as he approached the doors and he took a deep breath, summoning his resolve as he entered the chambers.
The room was dark, lit only by the intermittent ripple of blue and purple ribbons of neon that floated past. The soft whisper of voices surrounded him, echoing from each direction so that he was unsure whether someone was standing directly in front of him or at the farthest corners of the room. He reminded himself that with the soldier's camouflaging capabilities, it was possible the room was packed with hundreds of men, guns at the ready.
He moved slowly through the darkness, searching until he saw the bright red glow of fire ahead, lighting the heavy jowls and multi-tiered chin of a man who leaned forward to lower his face into the pillow of smoke rising from the flame and inhaled deeply. The man's wide, circular nostrils flared as he sucked in the smoke and his heavy-lidded eyes fluttered slightly. The light went out and the man vanished back into the darkness again.
The General took several steps forward and said, "President Wolmar, thank you for sparing a moment of your time to meet with me."
"More," the man gasped and the red light appeared again, a bright flame torching the end of a thin golden box, no larger than a cigar, but carved with the images of strange totems along its sides. The box began to smoke and the President grunted as he breathed in, Wolmar got his face as close to the box as he could endure until the intense heat forced him to back away. "I need a fresh box," he demanded.
"But, my lord, this is your third today."
"And I will have four. Or five. Or however many I choose, and if you do not get it for me, I will find someone else who will."
"Yes, my lord," the woman answered, and then was gone. Milner briefly saw the woman's green skin and the soft slither of her tail before she moved out of his view.
"I forgot you were coming, Milner."
The General clasped his hands behind his back and paused, weighing his words. "This is the appointment I was given, sir. I can show you the confirmation if you like."
There was a muted gurgle of laughter in response, and then, "That will not be necessary. Did you like her?
Similar Books
