out from behind them, and the voice had the ring of steel in it.
Striding up to the now growing group on the sidewalk, a tall Caliphate female with the backing of a few other of her kind showed up, and she waved the captain away with a flutter of her hand.
Tanner looked at her and was struck with how her eyes were almost violet and made her jet-black hair look even blacker. He stood his ground, and replied with that same steely tone.
“You, citizen, are speaking to the ranking Navy officer on Halberd—so I’ll trust you to remember thot ... that,” he said with only the slightest mistake.
“Which is, of course, good to know—but you are speaking to a Royal—I am the Countess Tibah al-Rashid of Olbia in the Caliphate realm, Captain,” she said with that same hard edge to her voice as she stared at the three standing Navy officers.
Tanner was surprised and somewhat taken aback. What were the odds of meeting a Royal in circumstances like this? he wondered. He stared at her thinking that for a Royal she was certainly an attractive woman.
From beside him, Lieutenant Sander spoke up.
“Ma’am, we are sorry—it was just such an expected shock to have our Ensign knocked down by, well, by one of your Caliphates. Ma’am,” he said. Tanner wondered if the Countess knew what the ringed planet symbol on Bram’s uniform meant and then realized everyone knew that an Adept officer, an Issian who could use their abilities to read other minds around them, wore such a symbol when in uniform.
The Countess nodded.
“Yes,” she said, ”youngsters are often impatient with crowded sidewalks, so I’d just ask that you remember that and forgive our young man. You can do that, can you not, Captain?” she asked nicely, the steel in her tone now missing as Tanner thought she was trying to make amends.
“Ensign?” he said as he looked at Radisson who was now up and brushing himself off.
Ensign Radisson looked up at the Countess and blushed.
“Ma’am, not a problem, Ma’am, it was probably my fault. I must have stepped in his way,” he said and almost wrung his hands as he tried to quell any issues at all. Each of them looked at each other and then nodded.
“Fine,” Tanner said, “we’re good then, Countess,” and stepped back away from the circle on the sidewalk as goodbyes were said.
The Caliphate group walked off south while the foursome headed north. They walked past more restaurants, cafes, and shops that sold visitors Halberd souvenirs. They slowed as they went by an Ishtar weapons shop and did some window-shopping of the arms in the window.
"Wow," Bram said, "look a Merkel."
That got a couple of whistles, as the rifle was so damn expensive.
"I know that weapon. It's about the best for killing oveds that there is," Tanner said, remembering the hunt on Anulet and that his blowing both over and under barrels at once had saved the Duke.
Beside the rifles and carbines lay sidearms, and right up front close to the window lay the latest in Needlers. Smaller, much more compact, they had lower endurance than the full-sized ones, but they still packed that same nerve-twinging shock that made anyone comply.
"Small, eh?" Radisson said. "In fact, you could, like, hide one in your pocket," he said, and they all oohed and aahed at the various weapons of mayhem.
"Enough," Tanner said. "Let’s find a bar!"
They all left the shop and made their way farther down the street. After a half a block or so, Tanner asked Bram a question.
“Any idea, Bram, why a Countess might be on Halberd? Did you get anything at all?”
Bram shook his head.
“Not really, Captain. About all I did get was a sense of Halberd being ‘home’ to her, and for that matter, the rest of the Caliphate group had the same feel too. Halberd is where that group lives ... but if you want to know more, maybe we can ask tomorrow over at Navy Hall, Sir.”
Makes sense, Tanner thought, as all citizens visiting Halberd had to check in with Immigration,
Striding up to the now growing group on the sidewalk, a tall Caliphate female with the backing of a few other of her kind showed up, and she waved the captain away with a flutter of her hand.
Tanner looked at her and was struck with how her eyes were almost violet and made her jet-black hair look even blacker. He stood his ground, and replied with that same steely tone.
“You, citizen, are speaking to the ranking Navy officer on Halberd—so I’ll trust you to remember thot ... that,” he said with only the slightest mistake.
“Which is, of course, good to know—but you are speaking to a Royal—I am the Countess Tibah al-Rashid of Olbia in the Caliphate realm, Captain,” she said with that same hard edge to her voice as she stared at the three standing Navy officers.
Tanner was surprised and somewhat taken aback. What were the odds of meeting a Royal in circumstances like this? he wondered. He stared at her thinking that for a Royal she was certainly an attractive woman.
From beside him, Lieutenant Sander spoke up.
“Ma’am, we are sorry—it was just such an expected shock to have our Ensign knocked down by, well, by one of your Caliphates. Ma’am,” he said. Tanner wondered if the Countess knew what the ringed planet symbol on Bram’s uniform meant and then realized everyone knew that an Adept officer, an Issian who could use their abilities to read other minds around them, wore such a symbol when in uniform.
The Countess nodded.
“Yes,” she said, ”youngsters are often impatient with crowded sidewalks, so I’d just ask that you remember that and forgive our young man. You can do that, can you not, Captain?” she asked nicely, the steel in her tone now missing as Tanner thought she was trying to make amends.
“Ensign?” he said as he looked at Radisson who was now up and brushing himself off.
Ensign Radisson looked up at the Countess and blushed.
“Ma’am, not a problem, Ma’am, it was probably my fault. I must have stepped in his way,” he said and almost wrung his hands as he tried to quell any issues at all. Each of them looked at each other and then nodded.
“Fine,” Tanner said, “we’re good then, Countess,” and stepped back away from the circle on the sidewalk as goodbyes were said.
The Caliphate group walked off south while the foursome headed north. They walked past more restaurants, cafes, and shops that sold visitors Halberd souvenirs. They slowed as they went by an Ishtar weapons shop and did some window-shopping of the arms in the window.
"Wow," Bram said, "look a Merkel."
That got a couple of whistles, as the rifle was so damn expensive.
"I know that weapon. It's about the best for killing oveds that there is," Tanner said, remembering the hunt on Anulet and that his blowing both over and under barrels at once had saved the Duke.
Beside the rifles and carbines lay sidearms, and right up front close to the window lay the latest in Needlers. Smaller, much more compact, they had lower endurance than the full-sized ones, but they still packed that same nerve-twinging shock that made anyone comply.
"Small, eh?" Radisson said. "In fact, you could, like, hide one in your pocket," he said, and they all oohed and aahed at the various weapons of mayhem.
"Enough," Tanner said. "Let’s find a bar!"
They all left the shop and made their way farther down the street. After a half a block or so, Tanner asked Bram a question.
“Any idea, Bram, why a Countess might be on Halberd? Did you get anything at all?”
Bram shook his head.
“Not really, Captain. About all I did get was a sense of Halberd being ‘home’ to her, and for that matter, the rest of the Caliphate group had the same feel too. Halberd is where that group lives ... but if you want to know more, maybe we can ask tomorrow over at Navy Hall, Sir.”
Makes sense, Tanner thought, as all citizens visiting Halberd had to check in with Immigration,
Similar Books
