search this hangar, and I'm going to search your ship."
"Like hell you are."
O'Hare ignored him, gesturing to his underlings. They started moving, one going to either side. O'Hare took a single step toward the Indefatigable .
"Kuzyk!" Carruthers spoke without turning, his eyes on O'Hare. He used his command voice, and all three EDF agents froze.
"Sir?" The voice came from behind Carruthers. Kuzyk sounded unsure, but he'd run the Hive gauntlet with Carruthers, and survived a bloody mutiny. He wouldn't falter.
"Go to the weapons locker. Get yourself a sidearm. Keep the ship secure."
"Aye aye, Sir." The boy still sounded uncertain.
"Kuzyk? When I say to keep the ship secure, what I mean is, shoot any civilian stupid enough to put a foot on the ramp."
"Aye aye, Sir." Now he sounded almost indecently cheerful. Carruthers heard a metallic clatter as he ran up the ramp into the ship.
O'Hare put a hand on the butt of his pistol.
Carruthers stepped close to him, close enough to grab the man's arm if it became necessary. "I don't know how you talked your way past the sentries at the door, but it won't work again. You're leaving. You can walk out, or I can give you a good hard toss." He smiled, the special smile he used to discourage bar fights. It still worked, he saw. O'Hare shrank back a tiny bit. "Guess which one I'd prefer."
The EDF man gathered himself. "You're interfering with the EDF. We're the defenders of the Earth. You're committing treason."
Carruthers laughed, an astonished burst of sound that made O'Hare flinch. "You little piss-ant." He gestured at the Indefatigable behind him. "I'm outfitting a warship that's about to go battle the Hive in Naxos. You're getting in the way. And you're accusing me of interfering with the defense of Earth?" He planted his hands on his hips. "Let me get this straight. You're interrupting the Navy's efforts to prepare for interstellar war. And you're doing it so you can chase a reporter? One who helped us fight the Hive on board the Alexander ?"
O'Hare didn't speak, just turned a darker shade of red.
"What did she do? Tell the world what you morons are actually like?" Carruthers snorted. "Get out of my hangar, you pompous little shit."
O'Hare's right arm moved, ever so slightly, and Carruthers leaned forward, turning the smile back on. "Go ahead. Draw that gun." He leaned in even farther, and O'Hare leaned back. "I dare you."
The EDF man's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. Then he whirled and stomped off toward the exit. The other two followed, and Carruthers walked along behind them. They reached the security station at the hangar entrance, and the trio stalked outside.
Carruthers rounded on the sentries, a pair of sailors, one in a glass booth, the other standing beside the door. "If you two clowns let in one more unescorted civilian I'm going to come down here and kick you in the balls so hard you'll taste semen every time you clear your throats."
The one in the booth said, "But they were ED-"
Carruthers lifted his foot and the man, despite being behind bullet-proof glass, flinched. "Yes, Sir."
"Yes, Sir," said the other sailor, his voice meek.
Carruthers gave them each a disgusted look, then returned to the Indefatigable . When he stepped onto the ramp he found Kuzyk at the top with a blast pistol levelled. Kuzyk lowered the gun quickly. "Sorry, Sir."
"You're doing what I told you. You can stand down now, though." He climbed the ramp and lowered his voice. "How many people saw Janice?"
"I'm not sure. Not many, I think." He gestured aft. "There's a couple of quartermasters in Storage Bay Two and an electrician on the bridge. I don't think they saw anything." He looked past Carruthers at the hangar. "Everyone else was busy looking at you and the redshirts."
"She was never here," Carruthers said. "Understand? Get her a set of coveralls and stick her in a cabin." He thought for a moment. "Stick her in your cabin. Bring her food. Nobody knows she's here but you
"Like hell you are."
O'Hare ignored him, gesturing to his underlings. They started moving, one going to either side. O'Hare took a single step toward the Indefatigable .
"Kuzyk!" Carruthers spoke without turning, his eyes on O'Hare. He used his command voice, and all three EDF agents froze.
"Sir?" The voice came from behind Carruthers. Kuzyk sounded unsure, but he'd run the Hive gauntlet with Carruthers, and survived a bloody mutiny. He wouldn't falter.
"Go to the weapons locker. Get yourself a sidearm. Keep the ship secure."
"Aye aye, Sir." The boy still sounded uncertain.
"Kuzyk? When I say to keep the ship secure, what I mean is, shoot any civilian stupid enough to put a foot on the ramp."
"Aye aye, Sir." Now he sounded almost indecently cheerful. Carruthers heard a metallic clatter as he ran up the ramp into the ship.
O'Hare put a hand on the butt of his pistol.
Carruthers stepped close to him, close enough to grab the man's arm if it became necessary. "I don't know how you talked your way past the sentries at the door, but it won't work again. You're leaving. You can walk out, or I can give you a good hard toss." He smiled, the special smile he used to discourage bar fights. It still worked, he saw. O'Hare shrank back a tiny bit. "Guess which one I'd prefer."
The EDF man gathered himself. "You're interfering with the EDF. We're the defenders of the Earth. You're committing treason."
Carruthers laughed, an astonished burst of sound that made O'Hare flinch. "You little piss-ant." He gestured at the Indefatigable behind him. "I'm outfitting a warship that's about to go battle the Hive in Naxos. You're getting in the way. And you're accusing me of interfering with the defense of Earth?" He planted his hands on his hips. "Let me get this straight. You're interrupting the Navy's efforts to prepare for interstellar war. And you're doing it so you can chase a reporter? One who helped us fight the Hive on board the Alexander ?"
O'Hare didn't speak, just turned a darker shade of red.
"What did she do? Tell the world what you morons are actually like?" Carruthers snorted. "Get out of my hangar, you pompous little shit."
O'Hare's right arm moved, ever so slightly, and Carruthers leaned forward, turning the smile back on. "Go ahead. Draw that gun." He leaned in even farther, and O'Hare leaned back. "I dare you."
The EDF man's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. Then he whirled and stomped off toward the exit. The other two followed, and Carruthers walked along behind them. They reached the security station at the hangar entrance, and the trio stalked outside.
Carruthers rounded on the sentries, a pair of sailors, one in a glass booth, the other standing beside the door. "If you two clowns let in one more unescorted civilian I'm going to come down here and kick you in the balls so hard you'll taste semen every time you clear your throats."
The one in the booth said, "But they were ED-"
Carruthers lifted his foot and the man, despite being behind bullet-proof glass, flinched. "Yes, Sir."
"Yes, Sir," said the other sailor, his voice meek.
Carruthers gave them each a disgusted look, then returned to the Indefatigable . When he stepped onto the ramp he found Kuzyk at the top with a blast pistol levelled. Kuzyk lowered the gun quickly. "Sorry, Sir."
"You're doing what I told you. You can stand down now, though." He climbed the ramp and lowered his voice. "How many people saw Janice?"
"I'm not sure. Not many, I think." He gestured aft. "There's a couple of quartermasters in Storage Bay Two and an electrician on the bridge. I don't think they saw anything." He looked past Carruthers at the hangar. "Everyone else was busy looking at you and the redshirts."
"She was never here," Carruthers said. "Understand? Get her a set of coveralls and stick her in a cabin." He thought for a moment. "Stick her in your cabin. Bring her food. Nobody knows she's here but you
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