Rraey squawked something at his underling, which my BrainPal translated as “[Silence/You are making a shameful utterance].”
“You won’t,” I said, turning my attention to it. “Help me, solider. Help me and you will live. I promise you.”
“I am Specialist Ketrin Se Lau,” it said. It motioned with its head to the other Rraey. “This is Commander Frui Ko Tvann. We are here on behalf of Equilibrium. We are here because the government of Khartoum has struck a deal with us.”
“What’s the deal?”
“Protection,” it said. “Once the Colonial Union falls, Equilibrium will protect it from species who will try to raid or take over.”
“In exchange for what?”
Commander Tvann squawked again and tried to strike Lau. Powell crossed the distance between the two and held her Empee on Tvann.
“In exchange for what?” I repeated.
“You won’t kill us,” Lau asked. “You promise.”
“Yes, I promise. Neither of you.”
“You won’t torture us.”
“We won’t. We’re going to help you. I promise, Specialist Lau.”
“Protection in exchange for laying a trap,” Lau said. “For luring you here.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Powell said. “The Colonial Union only sent one ship. Even if the Tubingen is destroyed we’ll just send more. A lot more. This uprising will fail and then we’ll go after the Rraey for helping them.”
“Unless there’s more to it,” I said, and turned back to Lau. “What else is there?”
“I don’t know,” Lau said. “I’m a specialist. They only told me what I had to know for my part.”
I turned to Tvann. “And I don’t expect you want to fill me in.” Tvann turned its head from me.
“So we have a dead end here,” Powell said.
“No,” I said, and then cut off as the Tubingen opened a feed, searching for us. It had been attacked and damaged but had survived and with the help of another ship had destroyed the two ships attacking it. It was now asking for status reports.
“Well, at least we’re not entirely screwed,” Powell said.
“Call it in,” I said to her. “Let them know we need immediate medical evac for two Rraey prisoners of war. Tell them I’ve promised they won’t be further harmed.”
“That’s going to go over well.”
“Just do it.”
“Anything else?”
“Tell them to send another shuttle for the two of us. We have another mission to finish.”
* * *
On the way back, our shuttle was diverted from the Tubingen to the other Colonial Union ship.
“I haven’t heard of the Chandler before,” Powell said.
“It’s a State Department ship, not a CDF ship,” I said.
“A State Department ship with a fully operational offensive weapons system.”
“Times have changed,” I said.
“These constraints are hurting my arms,” said Masahiko Okada, the now-former prime minister of Khartoum. It’s possible that he might still be considered the prime minister by some, but from a practical matter his days in charge of things were now over. “I’m very uncomfortable.”
“And several of my friends are dead,” Powell said, to Okada. “So maybe you should think you’re getting the better end of the deal and shut up.”
Okada turned to me. “If you don’t think people will know about how you’re treating me—”
“Let me throw him out,” Powell said, to me.
Okada turned back to Powell. “What?”
“Let me throw him out,” Powell repeated to me. “This shitbucket is the reason Lambert and Salcido are dead. Not to mention everyone else in the platoon.”
“Not everyone else is dead,” I reminded her. “Gould and DeConnick survived, too.”
“Gould and DeConnick are both in critical condition,” Powell said. “They might survive. And if they don’t that leaves just you and me. Out of an entire fucking platoon.” She jabbed a finger at Okada. “I think that rates him getting a space walk without a suit.”
I turned to Okada. “Your thoughts, Mr. Prime Minister?”
“It’s the
“You won’t,” I said, turning my attention to it. “Help me, solider. Help me and you will live. I promise you.”
“I am Specialist Ketrin Se Lau,” it said. It motioned with its head to the other Rraey. “This is Commander Frui Ko Tvann. We are here on behalf of Equilibrium. We are here because the government of Khartoum has struck a deal with us.”
“What’s the deal?”
“Protection,” it said. “Once the Colonial Union falls, Equilibrium will protect it from species who will try to raid or take over.”
“In exchange for what?”
Commander Tvann squawked again and tried to strike Lau. Powell crossed the distance between the two and held her Empee on Tvann.
“In exchange for what?” I repeated.
“You won’t kill us,” Lau asked. “You promise.”
“Yes, I promise. Neither of you.”
“You won’t torture us.”
“We won’t. We’re going to help you. I promise, Specialist Lau.”
“Protection in exchange for laying a trap,” Lau said. “For luring you here.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Powell said. “The Colonial Union only sent one ship. Even if the Tubingen is destroyed we’ll just send more. A lot more. This uprising will fail and then we’ll go after the Rraey for helping them.”
“Unless there’s more to it,” I said, and turned back to Lau. “What else is there?”
“I don’t know,” Lau said. “I’m a specialist. They only told me what I had to know for my part.”
I turned to Tvann. “And I don’t expect you want to fill me in.” Tvann turned its head from me.
“So we have a dead end here,” Powell said.
“No,” I said, and then cut off as the Tubingen opened a feed, searching for us. It had been attacked and damaged but had survived and with the help of another ship had destroyed the two ships attacking it. It was now asking for status reports.
“Well, at least we’re not entirely screwed,” Powell said.
“Call it in,” I said to her. “Let them know we need immediate medical evac for two Rraey prisoners of war. Tell them I’ve promised they won’t be further harmed.”
“That’s going to go over well.”
“Just do it.”
“Anything else?”
“Tell them to send another shuttle for the two of us. We have another mission to finish.”
* * *
On the way back, our shuttle was diverted from the Tubingen to the other Colonial Union ship.
“I haven’t heard of the Chandler before,” Powell said.
“It’s a State Department ship, not a CDF ship,” I said.
“A State Department ship with a fully operational offensive weapons system.”
“Times have changed,” I said.
“These constraints are hurting my arms,” said Masahiko Okada, the now-former prime minister of Khartoum. It’s possible that he might still be considered the prime minister by some, but from a practical matter his days in charge of things were now over. “I’m very uncomfortable.”
“And several of my friends are dead,” Powell said, to Okada. “So maybe you should think you’re getting the better end of the deal and shut up.”
Okada turned to me. “If you don’t think people will know about how you’re treating me—”
“Let me throw him out,” Powell said, to me.
Okada turned back to Powell. “What?”
“Let me throw him out,” Powell repeated to me. “This shitbucket is the reason Lambert and Salcido are dead. Not to mention everyone else in the platoon.”
“Not everyone else is dead,” I reminded her. “Gould and DeConnick survived, too.”
“Gould and DeConnick are both in critical condition,” Powell said. “They might survive. And if they don’t that leaves just you and me. Out of an entire fucking platoon.” She jabbed a finger at Okada. “I think that rates him getting a space walk without a suit.”
I turned to Okada. “Your thoughts, Mr. Prime Minister?”
“It’s the
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