Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [41]
She marched him up to General Lanyan. The man had gained weight, and it showed, especially around his eyes, but he still exuded power and command. "General Lanyan, my grandson has been so looking forward to seeing you!"
Patrick did not contradict her. It wasn't worth the effort. At one time, he had taken great pride in serving as adjutant to the commander of the Earth Defense Forces, and it had never occurred to him to be offended by anything the General asked him to do.
Lanyan grasped Patrick's hand and shook it vigorously. "Commander Fitzpatrick, I miss the days when you were my adjutant. I shouldn't be saying this, but I regret giving you command of your own Manta. If you hadn't been lost at Osquivel, I'd still have you serving me in your former capacity. In fact, young man, as soon as you're pronounced fit for duty, you'll be back at my side helping me out with all those difficult bureaucratic things."
"I'm sorry, General, but I've already submitted my resignation from the EDF. I will be occupying my time and energy with other matters."
Lanyan was taken aback. "You've only been home four days--hardly enough time to rest and recover, much less make a decision with such long-term consequences. Think about it some more, and we'll talk when you're ready."
Knowing he might not get another chance like this, Patrick blurted, "Sir, do you recall a Roamer cargo ship that we intercepted while on patrol?"
The General's face maintained a perfectly flat expression. "No, Mr. Fitzpatrick. I'm afraid I don't remember that at all."
"Really? We seized the ship in open space, boarded her, and took the ekti cargo. The captain's name was Raven Kamarov, from a prominent Roamer clan." He narrowed his eyes. "You gave me orders to destroy the vessel."
A curtain of ice seemed to drop across Lanyan's face. "No, Mr. Fitzpatrick. I have no recollection of that whatsoever. And neither do you."
Patrick felt his anger building. He wanted to raise his voice, put the General on the spot in front of these people, but before he could say anything an officer burst into the room. "General Lanyan, you are needed immediately!"
With barely a blink of his eyes, Lanyan became suddenly alert and focused. "What is it?"
The man quickly approached and lowered his voice, though not enough. "It's the Soldier compies, sir. They seem to be causing some trouble." He glanced around the room and recognized Yamane among the guests. "Dr. Yamane! We will need your expertise as well. We have transport prepared. Will you both please come with me?"
As the other attendees began to mutter, a smiling Maureen Fitzpatrick raised her hands and glossed over the interruption. "Duty calls! That's what happens when you're in command of the Earth Defense Forces. Nothing to be concerned about."
The General skewered Patrick with one last glare, then hurried after the officer, dragging Yamane with him.
23
ENGINEERING SPECIALIST SWENDSEN
Pulling up in front of the cordoned-off hydrogue derelict, a squad of crack commandos boiled out of a military transport, every one of them bristling with weapons. The lead silver beret bellowed for Swendsen.
The tall Swede ducked his head and came out, blinking in the sunlight. "Yes?" He held out his hand to the foremost commando as if he were meeting a friend at a cocktail party. "Can I help you?"
The private was square-jawed and clean-shaven; his skin glistened with either lotions or sweat. His nametag read ELMAN, K. "Sir, you're ordered to come with us to the compy production facility. You have work to do."
Swendsen's brow furrowed. "I'm very sorry, but I have research here."
"Dr. Swendsen, you have the authorization codes and vital information we need for our mission. This is an emergency, sir."
There had been no trouble at the factory for months, not even any unscheduled maintenance. "What's