the board, sliding it across the line.
"I'm honored, sir," she said.
He smiled. "You should be."
16
He'd been dreaming about Holly. It had started well and gone downhill from there, until the petite woman had morphed into the Major, her scowl and angry barking stealing every bit of his aroused thunder.
A hand jostling his shoulder woke him up.
"Mitchell," Christine said. Her voice was worried.
His eyes snapped open. "What's going on?"
"We have a problem. We need to get you out of here."
He bounced to his feet, his soldier's instincts catching up to his bad civilian habit. "Why?"
"Do you remember when I said nobody would find out about what really happened at the Battle for Liberty?"
There was a knock on the door. A physical knock. Then another on his p-rat. Tamara King.
"Shit," Christine said. "That son of a bitch."
"Tell me what's happening."
"The Prime Minister. He has access to classified data banks. He pulled yours."
Tamara King knocked his p-rat again.
"He told the Queen of Talk that I didn't take the Shot," Mitchell said, his voice flat.
"Yes."
Mitchell looked at the door. He expected he might have been afraid, or angry, or something.
He laughed instead.
"What's funny?"
"I don't know," he said. "I always worried about the truth coming out. I'm more relieved than I thought I would be. More relieved than scared." He realized it was true. He'd been living the lie for the last two months, and he'd been miserable for it.
"That won't last," she said. "General Cornelius is five minutes away from finding out about this, and he's going to be quick handling damage control."
"So?"
Tamara King's knock came again. Mitchell deleted her sig, cutting her off.
"So whose side do you think he's going to take? Yours or the Prime Minister's? In five minutes, he's going to label you a fraud who sexually assaulted the Prime Minister's wife."
"I didn't-"
"It doesn't matter. She thinks you did, and you can bet if the Prime Minister is upset enough to out your involvement in the battle, he's going to back her story. Especially now that your integrity is in question."
"In question? It sounds to me like it's already been flushed. I'm going to be court-martialed and sent to prison on Kolmar. Not to mention becoming the most hated man in the galaxy."
"If you're lucky. I think he'd just as soon have you shot before you can get out of the building." She looked back at the door. "The bitch is outside your door, and its the only way out. Do you have your sidearm?"
"What do I need my-"
"Do you have it?"
Mitchell shoved his uniform jacket to the side.
"I'll distract her, you make a run for it."
"Christine, what the hell are you talking about? Where am I going to run to? The second General Cornelius gives the order to have me arrested, every military and law enforcement unit on the planet is going to be looking for me. I'm not exactly inconspicuous."
"Get to the spaceport, find a transport off the planet."
"Who's going to take me?"
"Sneak onto one. You survived three months stranded in a Delphi jungle. I know you're more resourceful than you act."
"You're serious about this?"
"Dead serious. We don't have time to argue."
He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her face close to his. "Who are you?" he asked. "And why would you help me run?"
Her eyes stared into his. They were intense, so intense. "The Goliath. Find it. They're coming."
"What? What are you talking about?" He clenched her shoulders tighter beneath his hands. His initial resigned calm was threatening to turn into panic.
"Find it." She leaned forward in his grip, her lips pressing to his. She kissed him quickly. "Now."
She pulled herself forcefully away, moving to the door and opening it. Mitchell ducked to the side, out of view of Tamara, who was standing in the hallway with a recorder at her back.
"Where is Captain Williams?" he heard her ask.
"Whoever leaked his location to you gave you the wrong room number," Christine
"I'm honored, sir," she said.
He smiled. "You should be."
16
He'd been dreaming about Holly. It had started well and gone downhill from there, until the petite woman had morphed into the Major, her scowl and angry barking stealing every bit of his aroused thunder.
A hand jostling his shoulder woke him up.
"Mitchell," Christine said. Her voice was worried.
His eyes snapped open. "What's going on?"
"We have a problem. We need to get you out of here."
He bounced to his feet, his soldier's instincts catching up to his bad civilian habit. "Why?"
"Do you remember when I said nobody would find out about what really happened at the Battle for Liberty?"
There was a knock on the door. A physical knock. Then another on his p-rat. Tamara King.
"Shit," Christine said. "That son of a bitch."
"Tell me what's happening."
"The Prime Minister. He has access to classified data banks. He pulled yours."
Tamara King knocked his p-rat again.
"He told the Queen of Talk that I didn't take the Shot," Mitchell said, his voice flat.
"Yes."
Mitchell looked at the door. He expected he might have been afraid, or angry, or something.
He laughed instead.
"What's funny?"
"I don't know," he said. "I always worried about the truth coming out. I'm more relieved than I thought I would be. More relieved than scared." He realized it was true. He'd been living the lie for the last two months, and he'd been miserable for it.
"That won't last," she said. "General Cornelius is five minutes away from finding out about this, and he's going to be quick handling damage control."
"So?"
Tamara King's knock came again. Mitchell deleted her sig, cutting her off.
"So whose side do you think he's going to take? Yours or the Prime Minister's? In five minutes, he's going to label you a fraud who sexually assaulted the Prime Minister's wife."
"I didn't-"
"It doesn't matter. She thinks you did, and you can bet if the Prime Minister is upset enough to out your involvement in the battle, he's going to back her story. Especially now that your integrity is in question."
"In question? It sounds to me like it's already been flushed. I'm going to be court-martialed and sent to prison on Kolmar. Not to mention becoming the most hated man in the galaxy."
"If you're lucky. I think he'd just as soon have you shot before you can get out of the building." She looked back at the door. "The bitch is outside your door, and its the only way out. Do you have your sidearm?"
"What do I need my-"
"Do you have it?"
Mitchell shoved his uniform jacket to the side.
"I'll distract her, you make a run for it."
"Christine, what the hell are you talking about? Where am I going to run to? The second General Cornelius gives the order to have me arrested, every military and law enforcement unit on the planet is going to be looking for me. I'm not exactly inconspicuous."
"Get to the spaceport, find a transport off the planet."
"Who's going to take me?"
"Sneak onto one. You survived three months stranded in a Delphi jungle. I know you're more resourceful than you act."
"You're serious about this?"
"Dead serious. We don't have time to argue."
He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her face close to his. "Who are you?" he asked. "And why would you help me run?"
Her eyes stared into his. They were intense, so intense. "The Goliath. Find it. They're coming."
"What? What are you talking about?" He clenched her shoulders tighter beneath his hands. His initial resigned calm was threatening to turn into panic.
"Find it." She leaned forward in his grip, her lips pressing to his. She kissed him quickly. "Now."
She pulled herself forcefully away, moving to the door and opening it. Mitchell ducked to the side, out of view of Tamara, who was standing in the hallway with a recorder at her back.
"Where is Captain Williams?" he heard her ask.
"Whoever leaked his location to you gave you the wrong room number," Christine
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