you.”
“Don’t bother.
You’re a Peacemaker, not my groundmate. I’d recognize your kind of nasty
anywhere. You were pretty convincing, though. I was actually picturing a
multi-species groundteam before you put me out. I gotta give you credit—you’re
good. Better than most Huouyt I’ve seen, that’s for sure. Hell, maybe you did have a little Va’ga training, who knows. Fact remains, you intend to take me
to Levren. I’ve got more important things to do than sit around answering
questions while one of your friends carves on me. Sorry.”
“I can help you
free your brother.”
Joe laughed.
“Would that be before or after I open this door and you drug me and stuff me on
a shuttle bound for Levren?”
“I’m not sending
you to Levren,” the Huouyt said. “You have my word.”
Joe snorted.
“The word of a Huouyt is ash to me.”
“Then you’re
truly one of the wisest people in the Army, Commander, but it makes it no less
true. I’m to fight with you on Neskfaat.”
Joe sighed,
almost believing him. “Sorry. I’m retired, Huouyt. The only reason they
called me up in the first place was because one of my old groundmates has a
small mind and a big grudge.”
“And which old
groundmate might that be, Commander?”
Joe got a rush
of icy, skin-crawling goosebumps at the glacial feminine voice in the hall. Fists
tightening, he turned.
Maggie was
walking towards him, the silver eight-pointed star and four inner circles of a
Prime Overseer stark against her crisp black Congie uniform. Joe gave a
startled twitch as their eyes met. Dancing over her pupils and irises,
slow-moving orange flames flickered and twisted like twin glimpses into an
inferno.
Specialized
contacts, but unnerving nonetheless.
When she made no
move to call security forces, Joe cleared his throat. “I like what you did
with your eyes. Real sexy. Bet the Jreet eat that right up.”
Her unnatural
eyes scanned Joe’s body lazily. “Why are you not in uniform, Commander?”
“Be’shaar and I
were just chumming it up at the bar.”
“And your
Battlemaster?”
“Working out
some things with Supply.”
“Like what?”
“Like finding me
a cool set of contacts like yours.”
Maggie watched
him from behind her glowing flames, her face expressionless. “Come with me.”
“I’m a little
busy.”
“Now.”
Joe had to
withstand the urge to tell her to go hump a karwiq bulb, knowing that the
easiest way to get back out of the barracks did not include being locked in the
brig for the night. He followed her. They wound through the corridors of the
barracks, and after a moment, Joe realized they were entering the Overseers’
quarters.
“Shouldn’t you
have gotten me drunk before taking me home? It would be kinder.”
Maggie gave him
an irritated look and opened the door to her chambers. “There’s something you
need to know about Neskfaat.”
Joe gave the
security scanner on the door a wary glance. Untagged, it would go into
lockdown the moment it registered him. “Tell me here. I don’t plan on hanging
around.”
“Come inside.”
“I’d rather
not.”
“I’m not giving
you a choice.”
Joe glanced at
her Overseer’s star, gauged just how much trouble she could get him into if he
disobeyed, and reluctantly did as he was told.
Immediately, the
sensors recognized that Joe no longer carried a working chip and alarms in the
room began screeching. An artificial Ooreiki voice said, “Unknown
intruder. No identifying tag. Containment steps taken. Please advise.”
All around Joe,
a blue-black field popped into being, giving him approximately six ninths in
any direction before it began cutting off body parts. Joe held as still as
possible as Maggie walked up and shut the door behind him, but made no move to
free him from the field.
“So,” Maggie
said, coming to stand back in front of him. “How did you lose your tag,
“Don’t bother.
You’re a Peacemaker, not my groundmate. I’d recognize your kind of nasty
anywhere. You were pretty convincing, though. I was actually picturing a
multi-species groundteam before you put me out. I gotta give you credit—you’re
good. Better than most Huouyt I’ve seen, that’s for sure. Hell, maybe you did have a little Va’ga training, who knows. Fact remains, you intend to take me
to Levren. I’ve got more important things to do than sit around answering
questions while one of your friends carves on me. Sorry.”
“I can help you
free your brother.”
Joe laughed.
“Would that be before or after I open this door and you drug me and stuff me on
a shuttle bound for Levren?”
“I’m not sending
you to Levren,” the Huouyt said. “You have my word.”
Joe snorted.
“The word of a Huouyt is ash to me.”
“Then you’re
truly one of the wisest people in the Army, Commander, but it makes it no less
true. I’m to fight with you on Neskfaat.”
Joe sighed,
almost believing him. “Sorry. I’m retired, Huouyt. The only reason they
called me up in the first place was because one of my old groundmates has a
small mind and a big grudge.”
“And which old
groundmate might that be, Commander?”
Joe got a rush
of icy, skin-crawling goosebumps at the glacial feminine voice in the hall. Fists
tightening, he turned.
Maggie was
walking towards him, the silver eight-pointed star and four inner circles of a
Prime Overseer stark against her crisp black Congie uniform. Joe gave a
startled twitch as their eyes met. Dancing over her pupils and irises,
slow-moving orange flames flickered and twisted like twin glimpses into an
inferno.
Specialized
contacts, but unnerving nonetheless.
When she made no
move to call security forces, Joe cleared his throat. “I like what you did
with your eyes. Real sexy. Bet the Jreet eat that right up.”
Her unnatural
eyes scanned Joe’s body lazily. “Why are you not in uniform, Commander?”
“Be’shaar and I
were just chumming it up at the bar.”
“And your
Battlemaster?”
“Working out
some things with Supply.”
“Like what?”
“Like finding me
a cool set of contacts like yours.”
Maggie watched
him from behind her glowing flames, her face expressionless. “Come with me.”
“I’m a little
busy.”
“Now.”
Joe had to
withstand the urge to tell her to go hump a karwiq bulb, knowing that the
easiest way to get back out of the barracks did not include being locked in the
brig for the night. He followed her. They wound through the corridors of the
barracks, and after a moment, Joe realized they were entering the Overseers’
quarters.
“Shouldn’t you
have gotten me drunk before taking me home? It would be kinder.”
Maggie gave him
an irritated look and opened the door to her chambers. “There’s something you
need to know about Neskfaat.”
Joe gave the
security scanner on the door a wary glance. Untagged, it would go into
lockdown the moment it registered him. “Tell me here. I don’t plan on hanging
around.”
“Come inside.”
“I’d rather
not.”
“I’m not giving
you a choice.”
Joe glanced at
her Overseer’s star, gauged just how much trouble she could get him into if he
disobeyed, and reluctantly did as he was told.
Immediately, the
sensors recognized that Joe no longer carried a working chip and alarms in the
room began screeching. An artificial Ooreiki voice said, “Unknown
intruder. No identifying tag. Containment steps taken. Please advise.”
All around Joe,
a blue-black field popped into being, giving him approximately six ninths in
any direction before it began cutting off body parts. Joe held as still as
possible as Maggie walked up and shut the door behind him, but made no move to
free him from the field.
“So,” Maggie
said, coming to stand back in front of him. “How did you lose your tag,
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