Having a little (maybe too much) fun with this…

Comments/recommendations appreciated. This is hot off the computer.

Hyderabad slowed as she approached the hyper point in Sector 7. Jace came over the PA, “Seventh Fleet is here. Just had comms with them, General Randall is on her way with two bodyguards. As soon as they get here, we’ll be underway for our destination.”

Fargo looked around the crew’s mess at the Ghorka and NasTess. “One more leg. And before you ask, no I can’t kick the negotiators off here, much as I’d like to.”

Horse snarled, “Let me take them to the gym, Ekavir. Please?”

NasTess extended a pseudopod. “No Horse. The last one I had to put in the Med-comp for four days. No one will challenge you now.”

A corner of Horse’s mouth quirked up. “Spoilsport.” He sighed and leaned back. “At least they now understand they are not welcome up here.”

Fargo nodded. “Yes, they seemed to think they could do anything they wanted, including waking me at all hours to prompt me…”

Jace came over the PA again. “GalPat shuttle is five segs out. Port aft airlock.”

Fargo stood. “Horse, Yash, let’s go meet our guests, and try to keep Ambassador Cheel from…taking charge.”

Yash just smiled as he and Horse followed Fargo aft, sending a chill up his spine. I really don’t like it when they smile like that. They…are ready to go to war. Even if the ambassador and the rest of the idiots are on our side. The aft bay was crowded when the three of them walked in, and Fargo watched as the ambassador set up a receiving line, then took his place at the hatch. Fargo walked toward the hatch and Major Osborne held up his hand, then pointed to the end of the line. “You’re back there, Captain. Ambassador Cheel will greet the general and set up the briefs she needs.”

Before Fargo could say anything, Yash reached out, rolled Osborne’s wrist, and took him to his knees as he whispered, “You do not tell the captain where he will stand. He will greet the general first, not the ambassador.”

Fargo continued to the hatch as the telltales turned green, and keyed the inner hatch as Horse popped to attention and said, “Seventh Fleet arriving!”

Nan Randall stepped through the hatch and immediately shifted to the side as two men in greens stepped through. Bodyguards, and they’re not GalPat. Must be the two Jace wanted to get here. “Welcome aboard, General. Captain Jace sends regrets, but he is on the bridge due to proximity to the hyper point.”

“Thank you, Colonel. I feel we should meet immediately.”

“I agree—”

Ambassador Cheel pushed Fargo aside and interrupted. “General, I am Ambassador Reginald Cheel. I am the senior negotiator. I have prepared a set of briefings and I nee—”

General Randall held up a hand. “We will meet after I have discussions with Colonel Fargo. Now if you will excuse us…” She arched an eyebrow as she stared at the ambassador.”

“Uh, ah, yes, ma’am. Of course. I stand—”

“Excuse us please. Colonel, lead on.” Fargo managed to hide a smile as he turned and led her forward, but Horse and Yash were all but laughing as they exited the bay. Five segs later, they were seated in the crew’s mess, bulbs of their choice in hand, and she continued. “Allow me to introduce my bodyguard. Sergeant Morgan Diederik, and Corporal Jess Alesander are from the 324^th Infantry Battalion on Epsilon Hegemony, House Yeager, doing their year of tasked support to GalPat. I thought since this is a historic event, it would be nice to have some folks there that were not GalPat.”

Daman said, “That’s the reserves that went through training a couple of months ago. I knew I’d seen those green uniforms before!”

Sergeant Diedrik sighed. “You were OPFOR, correct?” When Daman nodded, he added, “Not a sniper by chance?”

Yash chuckled. “No, that’s me. Daman can hit a barn, if he stands inside it.”

Everyone laughed at that, and Fargo motioned to Randall. They left the mess and went to the bridge. Jace said, “Welcome aboard, General. We’re underway now. Thirteen days to the meeting point. Seven days in, we’ll pick up escorts, if not sooner. We have not and will not tell any of the negotiation team where we are going, nor will they be allowed to pull up the navigation data. We have already had problems with them dropping tattletales all over the ship in order to spy on the crew and get information. We sweep the ship daily, and have restricted them from the crew lounge. The only safe places to discuss anything is here or the crew’s mess, or your respective cabins.”

Randall shook her head. “I sometimes wonder whose side those people are on. They blew up the original years of negotiations, and I still cannot figure out how I got shoved into this position.”

Fargo laughed. “Nan, it’s because you were honorable when you got sent to arrest us. You didn’t take Ton’Skel into custody. That earned you the Goon’s respect. I think I’m here because we brought Ton’Skel home.” He laid a hand on her arm. “One other thing you need to know is that I’m also a psi/telepath now, in addition to the empath sense.” He felt her close up immediately.

“How…how long, Fargo?” She looked at him almost fearfully.

“A few years now. I don’t use it on friends. And I never pry.” He withdrew his hand, then continued, “Nan, we are going to Gollah, an F Seven star, three planets, the third planet has the most activity. There are also signatures near planet two, so two planets in the Goldilocks zone. Two hyper points, opposite sides of the system. We are not telling the negotiating team where we are to protect the Dragoons.”

“Why not?” She asked curiously.

He shrugged. “They’re way too nosy. The tattletales, and the constant questions about where we are…”

***

Ten days later, General Randall slumped in the crew’s mess, rubbing a bulb of something cold over her forehead. Fargo grabbed a bulb of coffee, slipped into the seat across from her and asked, “Another meeting?”

She scowled at him. “Yes! Same shit, different day. The…ambassador still thinks he is in charge and is telling me how I must conduct the negotiations. And what I need to order you to do, since you are the junior member and not even a regular.” Shaking her head, she added, “And how you have refused to listen to them or take any briefs for, what was it, thirty-seven days! How could you!”

Fargo snorted. “Because their briefs are bullshit. They are why you and I are here. We will be the ones to make the decisions, not them.”

Sergeant Diederik walked up to the table. “Ma’am, are you going to go to the seventeen briefing?”

Nan bit her lip. “No, I don’t think so, Sergeant. I think I’m briefed out.” She smiled up at him. “And I know they hate the fact that the two of you are always with us. They think you are a security risk.”

“They what?” Diederik growled, “That pencil necked…” He came to attention. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“No problem, Sergeant. I know you have the highest clearances. Probably more than they do.”

Shan walked in and dumped a pile of tattletales on the table. “Today’s take, Ekavir. They have to run out sooner or later. I make it over a hundred of the damned things we have now.”

Diederik reached in his pocket and pulled out a bit of cloth, then spilled a half dozen crushed tattletales on the table top. “Jess and I deloused ourselves, this is from yesterday and today. Ever since we took positions directly behind the general, she hasn’t gotten anymore.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” she said with a smile. Turning to Fargo she went on, “I still have them delouse me after every meeting, as soon as we get on this deck.”

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