Edge of Solace (A Star Too Far) by Casey Calouette Read Free Book Online Page B

paying attention. “Major.”
    Footsteps grew closer in the distance. An older man with salt and pepper hair limped slowly in with a slender cane. He had a gentle face with the hard edges of age. He nodded slightly to Archie and stood next to the humanoid robot. The man passed off the cane in a fluid motion without even looking at the strider. He sat and straightened his shirt.
    The man was fitted with a khaki uniform. A single rank insignia rode on the lapel. A red diamond.
    “Bonjour , Major Theodore. Do you speak French?”
    “Not to someone whose name I don’t know ,” Archie replied as he sat back.
    “Je suis, Commandant Nefoussi.”
    “Sorry, still can’t speak French.”
    Nefoussi smiled crisply and looked to the hall. A pair of striders stalked in. Archie recognized the group from his struggle in the reactor room. One of the striders carried a chair in front of it while the other a glass of water.
    The chair was set down and Nefoussi sat. The striders acted as if they were linked directly to him. His hand grasped the cup at the exact moment as the strider released it.
    Archie shivered slightly. If it was a show of force and technology , it worked. The UN had to manually hook up a jockey to run a strider, a single strider, or a pair if the pilot was exceptional. This man had at least three under his control while still maintaining a conversation.
    “Well, English then I suppose.” Nefoussi took a drink. “Major, I apologize for the, uh, well, conditions, we had to retrofit a cell. We expected no guests.”
    “So you intended to massacre an entire station?”
    Nefoussi smiled a thin smile. “You are a soldier—missions have necessities. It was a military target.”
    Archie felt his heart beat faster and the muscles tense in his shoulders. “And the freighters?”
    The Commandant shrugged that slight, Gallic shrug. “Collateral.”
    “What do you want , Commandant?”
    Nefoussi’s eyes sparkled as he leaned forward against the gravity of the ship. He rubbed his upper lip with a calloused hand and nodded. “To get to know you , Major. And not just as Mr. Klaus.”
    Archie stared back. He’d not give the man the satisfaction. “I’m not sure I’d like that.”
    “I didn’t ask you what you’d like, the nanites are already in your brain.”
    The room felt warm, almost muggy. Archie stood quickly slamming the chair backwards. A rigid hand slapped his shoulder. The rage and anger swelled out but control drifted away. He stood as if locked to the floor and tried to scream.
    Nefoussi wrinkled his brow. The nanites delved deeper.
     
    *
     
    William’s cabin was just wide enough to touch his fingertips against each wall. The lights blinked once, twice, and came on fully. The cushion on the single built in chair betrayed the true age of the ship. Old enough for the decor to be out of fashion.
    He laid down on the narrow sliver of a bed and stretched out. The opposite wall was nothing but storage space. His storage space. The thought made him happy, until he realized that he had nothing to put inside.
    Men and women bustled past the slender door snapping heads in and taking a quick glance. The room was in between the bridge and the main commons area, the perfect place to observe traffic. He simply watched them pass with a serious face.
    He raised the tablet over his head and took in the operations details. The micromanaging angered him, but the Captain had a point. This was his first time as an XO. The ship had a small crew, and not much besides the basics. No science crew, no diplomats, no guests. He was pleased to keep the bullshit down.
    The Army Lieutenant was on his mind. The man didn’t look happy with the situation. He’d have to break the chain of command to him softly. The order of Naval and ground command was still unusual. The breakdown of who ran a command when Naval vessels were involved still confused him. If it was docked, or in action, William was above in the chain. If they were on the