Glory and Empire

Glory and Empire - Ch 21

“So, you think you can just come down here and kick me out of my own medical bay when you haven’t obeyed my instructions to let me work on your own wounds?”

“Now that we are in transit back to Valdi A, that is precisely why I am here. But first, a word.”

Godsman looked as though he was going to fly off into another tirade, but he seemed to deflate as he realized that he had gotten his point across.

“Then I shall prepare a bed for you in bay three. Come and see me when you finish with him, and don’t think you can just slip out without my knowing it. I’ll have Nurse Schuster watch the door,” he said as he ambled off.

Traci turned and looked at the apparatus attached to Michael’s legs.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

“No, ma’am. It itches though. They give me sedatives for that, and the machine provides local anesthesia, but they tell me it really just itches in my mind. I’m not so sure, though.”

Traci leaned on the bed opposite Michael’s. “I talked to General Salabast. He speaks very highly of you and your contribution in helping to secure the munitions ship.”

“I didn’t do that much, really. You should have seen what he put me through back at his lair--some kind of loyalty test, or truth test, or something. Now that was interesting.”

“In any event, we owe you a debt of gratitude. Had you not made contact with Salabast and helped to lower Argonaut’sshields, we would have had no choice but to break off our attack. And you know by now that without the improved weapons and shielding, we’d be back in the hands of Captain Kendahl, sitting through his twisted idea of interrogation.”

“Yes, I heard about the battle. I also heard you were a little sore at him for something he tried to do when he took you from the castle.”

“He failed” was all she said. Her expression was unreadable.

“Well,” he said, changing the subject, “I’m definitely glad to be back aboard. Councilor Agron didn’t share his plans with me, though. I hope he’s okay.”

Traci frowned at the mention of the man’s name. “He has not been able to make contact since the first encoded messages. But I’m sure he will find a way when he is ready.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” he said.

“And I wish I had been given yours,” she said flatly.

“Ma’am?”

“You never told me the details of the Corsair boarding action. You knew from the day we both admitted to being Orion spies that I believed the crew dead. But you didn’t bother to correct me. I want to know why, Commander.”

Michael knew from her tone that she had not only found out that the crew of the Corsair had been spared, but that she now knew that he had kept it from her. He hoped there was nowhere to go from there but up.