Ghost Legion by Margaret Weis Read Free Book Online

tablets, ate two, munched on them
disconsolately. "Get hold of Tusk."
    "I beg your pardon. Who, my lord?"
    Relaxing, the pain in his stomach subsiding momentarily, Dixter
managed a grin. "You know who, Bennett. Don't give me that look.
I'm not planning to run off and start the old mercenary trade again.
Not that I don't think of it sometimes," he added wistfully.
    Bennett sniffed. His regulation mustache quivered in disapproval.
    Dixter shook his head, shook off memories. "I need Tusk to do a
job for me, that's all."
    Bennett appeared resigned. "Do you have any idea where
Mendaharin Tusca can be located, my lord?"
    "Last I heard from him, he was living on Vangelis, running a
shuttle service with that blowhard . . . what was his name . . .
Link."
    "Vangelis, my lord." Bennett lifted an eyebrow. "Odd,
that you happened to be discussing that very planet in rather
nostalgic terms this morning, isn't it, my lord?"
    "Just get hold of Tusk."
    "Very good, my lord. And you will remember to change your
jacket, won't you, my lord?"
    Dixter glowered. Bennett left, stiff-backed, expressing silent
disapproval. The Lord of the Admiralty remained seated at his desk,
not changing his jacket, risking his aide's ire. The insides of
Dixter's mouth were chalky with the taste of antacid. He picked up a
cup of cold coffee, swished the liquid around, swallowed it. Too bad
he couldn't coat the inside of his head with soothing relief.
    Bennett was back. "Sorry, my lord, but phone service to the
residence of Mendaharin Tusca has been disconnected."
    "Tell the phone company this is the Lord of the Admiralty
calling extremely urgent, and that they jolly well better connect it
back up again," Dixter snapped.
    "I informed them of that, my lord. They said that the service
was disconnected for nonpayment of a considerable sum owed to them.
The equipment was repossessed, removed from the premises."
    Dixter grimaced. The antacid was apparently under counterattack from
the cold coffee and, by all indications, was fighting a losing
battle. "Try XJ, then."
    "My lord?"
    "XJ-27. Tusk's shipboard computer. Find the call number under
Interplanetary Vehicle licensing and registration. Tusk's a legit
businessman now. He'd have to be licensed."
    Having known Tusk nearly as long as he'd known the general, Bennett
appeared to have his doubts, but he left on his assignment. Dixter
wasn't feeling any too confident himself. He was already starting to
contemplate, with a certain amount of enjoyment (if he didn't count
the space travel, which he detested), flying to Vangelis to talk to
Tusk in person, when Bennett returned.
    "I managed to reach the computer, my lord. Tusca is not
available at the moment. It appears that he is ... um ...
babysitting. The computer promised to have him contact you when he
puts in an appearance. I gather he is expected at any moment, my
lord."
    "Good. Thank you, Bennett. Let me know when that call comes
through."
    "Yes, my lord. Is there anything else, my lord?"
    Dixter sighed. There was something else, but he didn't know whether
to do it now or wait until he had more information. He decided he'd
better do it now.
    "Set up an appointment for me with His Majesty."
    "Very good, my lord. Knowing His Majesty's busy schedule, I
probably cannot arrange a meeting sooner than tomorrow. Will that be
suitable, or should I say it is an emergency?"
    "No, that'll be suitable." Dixter was relieved.
    It wasn't an emergency, not really. Some sort of weird probe had
penetrated their security, had walked off with the space-rotation
bomb hidden in the late Snaga Ohme's vault, and by now probably knew
that the bomb they had stolen was nothing more than an interesting
paperweight. His elaborate entrapment scheme had partly failed,
partly succeeded. He knew now, for certain, that someone was after
the bomb. He also knew that there was a breach in the navy's own
security.
    Keeping the operation under as much secrecy as it would have been for
real, he'd used Xris's