Fool's War by Sarah Zettel Read Free Book Online Page B

pocket.
    “Yes.” She tugged at her overall to straighten out at least some of the wrinkles.
    He shook the film open. “You’re wanted for questioning in regards to the explosive decompression in the Richard III business… ”
    “No, I’m not,” Yerusha replied calmly.
    Schyler faced the Green Woman. “‘Dama, maybe you’d do me the courtesy of telling me what’s going on?”
    The Green Woman blinked and gathered her professional lines. “The decompression event in the Richard III business module had features which match a pattern of… ”
    “What they’re trying to say is that they think a Freer blew out an airlock,” chimed in Yerusha. “They’re trying to get us all tidied into the security can where we won’t upset anybody.” She glowered at the greens. “We were helping. Do you think I’m happy about the fact that I lost an arm and an eye for a bunch of ground-hugging… ”
    “There are questions,” said the Green Woman firmly and loudly. “That need to be answered by the personnel on the scene.”
    “The AIs recorded the whole thing… ” Yerusha swept out her good hand.
    “The AIs cannot be used as uncorroborated testimony.” Green Man clenched the film in his fist.
    “Oh right, I forgot,” sneered Yerusha. “We are capable of building intelligence but not of trusting it, or what it has the potential to become.” Her hand curled even more closely around the edge of the wafer case. “What an enlightened, progressive outlook you have, ‘Ster.”
    Green Man strangled a sigh. “Let me help you up, ‘Dama Yerusha and we can get this over with.” He shoved the film back in his pocket and held out his hand.
    Yerusha’s mouth twisted into another grin. “Unless you’ve got a specific warrant to enter the Pasadena you cannot take me out of here.” She turned her attention to Schyler. “I think that’s the reg, isn’t it?”
    “Oh yeah, that’s the reg,” agreed Schyler, and Dobbs couldn’t decide whether his tone was bemused, or just confused. “Unless I decide to throw you out of there,” he added.
    At the moment, Dobbs guessed, he was trying to decide who was annoying him worse, Yerusha or the greens.
    “Are you refusing to cooperate with security?” Green Woman asked Yerusha pointedly.
    “Am I being arrested?”
    “No, but you are being stupid.” Green Man took a step forward. “Do you think anybody’s going to stop me if I just haul you out of there?”
    “I do.”
    Everyone in the hanger spun around. Resit stalked out of the corridor, burgundy skirt billowing around her ankles in lazy waves. She stopped right between the security greens and the entrance to Pasadena, then turned on her heel to face the greens. “I’m Zubedye Resit, ship’s lawyer for the Pasadena,” she said smoothly. “‘Dama Yerusha is under contract to Katmer Al Shei of the Pasadena Corporation, which makes her my client.” She paused to let the entire speech sink in. She folded her arms and tapped her fingers impatiently on her forearm. “Why are you pursuing my client?”
    “Not bad, considering she just got here,” whispered Lipinski to Dobbs.
    “Slow lawyers get eaten young,” Dobbs replied seriously.
    Green Woman looked like she was forcibly swallowing something unpleasant. “Shouldn’t you be praying or something?”
    Resit smiled. “It’s only time for the Salatul Jumu’ah , the Friday sermon. That’s optional for women.” She flipped open the flap on her bag and pulled out a film and her pen. “I believed I asked a legal question.” She squinted at Green Woman’s badge and wrote down the number. “Do you really want me to request that the recording of this conversation be transferred to your superior immediately?”
    Green Man gave his partner a dirty look. “‘Dama Resit, we just want ‘Dama Yerusha to come to the security module to answer some questions about the … decompression event.”
    “They couldn’t talk to me in my hospital bunk either,” said