formality really isn't necessary," he complained for the hundredth time.
"It's regulation, sir," said Christine.
"It's a regulation created by the military machine that we're going to war with," he replied.
"It's also a sign of respect."
"It's also a way of letting the enemy know who to shoot first," he said wryly.
"I will remember that the next time we leave the ship together, sir," said Christine.
"Tell me something, Lieutenant Mboya," said Cole.
"Sir?"
"Did you ever lose an argument with a parent, a teacher, anybody?"
"Not that I can recall, sir," said Christine.
"Why am I not surprised?" He looked around the bridge. "Neat as a pin. I assume everything's in order?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I won't keep you any longer." A quick smile. "We must visit again sometime."
A computer flashed off to his left.
"Just a moment, sir," said Domak. "We have a coded message coming in."
"From?" said Cole.
"It's from Mr. Lafferty, sir."
"On Piccoli III?"
"I don't think so, sir. It doesn't seem to be coming from that sector."
Cole frowned. "Anything to imply it's private?"
"No, sir."
"Okay, play it right here."
Lafferty's tan, wrinkled face appeared in the center of the bridge.
"Got a surprise for you, Mr. Cole," said the old man with a sly grin. "You're gonna like it."
"Well?" replied Cole after a moment.
"It's not a live transmission, sir," interjected Domak just before Lafferty's image began speaking again.
"I don't trust subspace transmissions," continued Lafferty. "I've been intercepting and reading the Navy's for years, so why shouldn't they be able to read mine? Anyway, we have to meet. You'll figure out where. I'll wait three days for you to show up. If you don't, I'll try to contact you once more, then assume you're dead and carry on myself."
Lafferty's face vanished.
"That's all?" asked Cole.
"That's the whole of it," said Domak.
"And based on that, I'm supposed to figure out where in this whole galaxy to meet him? Hell, the only time I've ever seen him face-to-face was on Piccoli, and the only other time I've ever been within light-years of him was when we were both defending Singapore Station last month."
"Maybe he means Piccoli III," suggested Idena Mueller.
Cole shook his head. "His transmission didn't come from there. And he said I'd figure it out; Piccoli doesn't take any figuring."
"He certainly can't want to meet at Singapore Station," said Christine. "We don't dare go back there this soon."
"Then what the hell location am I supposed to figure out?" said Cole, frowning.
"Had he mentioned some other world during your visit with him?"
"No," replied Cole. "We were together less than an hour. Mostly we were trying to arrange for me to get safely back to the Inner Frontier with the Navy hot on my tail."
"Then I'm afraid I can't help you, sir," she said. "Probably none of us can."
"I know," said Cole. "I'll just have to work it out myself."
He walked to the airlift and went back down to his office, where he sat, staring at a wall, for the next ten minutes.
"Sometimes it helps if you talk things out," said Sharon, her image flickering into existence.
"Don't you ever sleep?"
"You'd be the best judge of that," she replied. "I suppose it depends on how clumsy you were the night before."
"Fine," he said. "Get a good night's sleep tonight. I'll pester Rachel or some other svelte crew member half your age."
"No, I couldn't do that to Rachel," said Sharon. "She's young and impressionable. She's never seen a forty-five-year-old man trying to prove he's twenty-two. She could be giggling for years." She paused as a smile crossed Cole's face. "Besides, she's sleeping with Mr. Bellamy."
"She is?" he said. "How do you know?"
It was her turn to smile. "I'm the Chief of Security. I know everything that happens on this ship."
"All right—so what do you want?"
"I thought I'd help you," she replied. "Two heads are better than one."
"You were listening?"
"It's my job."
"Okay," he said. "Any
"It's regulation, sir," said Christine.
"It's a regulation created by the military machine that we're going to war with," he replied.
"It's also a sign of respect."
"It's also a way of letting the enemy know who to shoot first," he said wryly.
"I will remember that the next time we leave the ship together, sir," said Christine.
"Tell me something, Lieutenant Mboya," said Cole.
"Sir?"
"Did you ever lose an argument with a parent, a teacher, anybody?"
"Not that I can recall, sir," said Christine.
"Why am I not surprised?" He looked around the bridge. "Neat as a pin. I assume everything's in order?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I won't keep you any longer." A quick smile. "We must visit again sometime."
A computer flashed off to his left.
"Just a moment, sir," said Domak. "We have a coded message coming in."
"From?" said Cole.
"It's from Mr. Lafferty, sir."
"On Piccoli III?"
"I don't think so, sir. It doesn't seem to be coming from that sector."
Cole frowned. "Anything to imply it's private?"
"No, sir."
"Okay, play it right here."
Lafferty's tan, wrinkled face appeared in the center of the bridge.
"Got a surprise for you, Mr. Cole," said the old man with a sly grin. "You're gonna like it."
"Well?" replied Cole after a moment.
"It's not a live transmission, sir," interjected Domak just before Lafferty's image began speaking again.
"I don't trust subspace transmissions," continued Lafferty. "I've been intercepting and reading the Navy's for years, so why shouldn't they be able to read mine? Anyway, we have to meet. You'll figure out where. I'll wait three days for you to show up. If you don't, I'll try to contact you once more, then assume you're dead and carry on myself."
Lafferty's face vanished.
"That's all?" asked Cole.
"That's the whole of it," said Domak.
"And based on that, I'm supposed to figure out where in this whole galaxy to meet him? Hell, the only time I've ever seen him face-to-face was on Piccoli, and the only other time I've ever been within light-years of him was when we were both defending Singapore Station last month."
"Maybe he means Piccoli III," suggested Idena Mueller.
Cole shook his head. "His transmission didn't come from there. And he said I'd figure it out; Piccoli doesn't take any figuring."
"He certainly can't want to meet at Singapore Station," said Christine. "We don't dare go back there this soon."
"Then what the hell location am I supposed to figure out?" said Cole, frowning.
"Had he mentioned some other world during your visit with him?"
"No," replied Cole. "We were together less than an hour. Mostly we were trying to arrange for me to get safely back to the Inner Frontier with the Navy hot on my tail."
"Then I'm afraid I can't help you, sir," she said. "Probably none of us can."
"I know," said Cole. "I'll just have to work it out myself."
He walked to the airlift and went back down to his office, where he sat, staring at a wall, for the next ten minutes.
"Sometimes it helps if you talk things out," said Sharon, her image flickering into existence.
"Don't you ever sleep?"
"You'd be the best judge of that," she replied. "I suppose it depends on how clumsy you were the night before."
"Fine," he said. "Get a good night's sleep tonight. I'll pester Rachel or some other svelte crew member half your age."
"No, I couldn't do that to Rachel," said Sharon. "She's young and impressionable. She's never seen a forty-five-year-old man trying to prove he's twenty-two. She could be giggling for years." She paused as a smile crossed Cole's face. "Besides, she's sleeping with Mr. Bellamy."
"She is?" he said. "How do you know?"
It was her turn to smile. "I'm the Chief of Security. I know everything that happens on this ship."
"All right—so what do you want?"
"I thought I'd help you," she replied. "Two heads are better than one."
"You were listening?"
"It's my job."
"Okay," he said. "Any
Similar Books
My Sweetheart
Shannon Guymon
Feral Northern Shifters 2
Joely Skye
The Nimble Man
Christopher Golden, Thomas E. Sniegoski
Blind Rage
Michael W. Sherer
The Good Daughter
Honey Brown
The Adventures of Kid Combat Volume One: A Secret Lost
Christopher Helwink
The Winter Wife
Anna Campbell
Breaking East
Bob Summer
Shadow Queen
Cyndi Goodgame
Impulse
Dave Bara