Impulse by Dave Bara Read Free Book Online Page B

knowing full well I would do anything in my power to win. We clashed metal and the dance began again. We circled each other, testing, probing defenses. The crowd grew silent. Dobrina, as always, was the aggressor. I fended her off several times before opening my mouth.
    â€œCome now, Commander! The crowd here wants a winner! You are so patient you’re boring them!” They laughed.
    â€œYou could choose the attack, Mr. Cochrane,” she taunted.
    â€œI could, and be given away as a fool,” I said back. She nodded.
    â€œSo we both grow weary of the chase. Very well then.” She lunged forward with her foil lancing out at me, forcing me back as she came. I deflected a right-handed thrust with my backhand and in an instant I saw her foil in the air, floating free. I thought I had disarmed her and had only to deliver the point to win the match. But as I watched, almost in slow motion, I saw too late what she was really doing. Her left hand grasped the foil as it drifted through the air, closing down on it expertly as she changed hands, then whipping it into my exposed rib cage.
    The scoring bell sounded.
    The crowd let out a groan of disappointment. My hands went to my knees as I stood at midcourt, my lesson over for the day. I took off my helmet and looked to Dobrina, who was already packing her training bag with her back to me. She was out of her tunic in seconds and into lounging shells, wiping her sweat-beaded face.
    I took congratulations from some of the officers who had watched the match and received more than one offer of a drink in the officer’s lounge later than evening, which I intended to follow up on. Eventually I made it to my bench and unzipped my tunic.
    Dobrina came across the mat. She looked down at me, her hair pulled harshly back, her face showing an outward expression of placidity. But I knew different. No doubt I had pushed her to her limits.
    â€œThank you for the match, Commander,” she said as she walked past me to the women’s locker room.
    â€œThank
you
, Commander,” I said quietly to her back as she disappeared through the door.

On High Station and Aboard the Outrigger Cordoba
    T hree hours later I was showered, packed, and out of my cabin, taking my gear to the shuttle port to stow it in advance of loading onto the outrigger for the trip to High Station Candle. I left a message for Commander Kierkopf on the station net, but the com relayed that she had already departed the station. For where, it didn’t say.
    I resolved to look her up the next time I came to High Station, and then decided to use my remaining hour before I left to make a last call home.
    The longwave in the private call covey took unusually long to connect. No doubt military traffic was taking bandwidth priority over commercial calls with the launch of
Starbound
imminent. I got my father’s office at the Admiralty after about ten seconds of blank screen. Madrey Margretson answered the call.
    â€œHello, Madrey,” I said.
    â€œI thought you might call today,” she said, smiling warmly. “Your father’s in a conference again, but I’ll ring him. I’m sure he’ll take your call.”
    â€œThank you,” I said, then waited as the Admiralty banner replaced Madrey’s image on the screen. Scant seconds later it was gone and my father came on the channel from his office.
    â€œHello, son,” he said. “Just an hour or so away now, I see.” I couldn’t really read him well, but he looked as if something was troubling him yet again. It was a look I’d seen on his face many times since I had joined the navy, if not so frequently when I was growing up. I supposed he had hidden the stress of his position to his family that whole time.
    â€œYes, sir,” I said. “I’m off on an outrigger to Candle. Just thirty-two passengers and plenty of spare legroom. Should be more than enough time to read up on
Impulse
’s longscope