Peacekeepers (1988)

Peacekeepers (1988) by Ben Bova Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: Peacekeepers (1988) by Ben Bova Read Free Book Online
Authors: Ben Bova
grinned. "No, I don't think so."
    With his arm still around her shoulders, Robbie started for the locker room. "I'm throwing a party in my quarters. You're invited."
    Kelly let him half drag her to the locker room. Van der Meer and Bailey were already there, pulling on their heavy winter coats.
    "Hello there, little sister," Bailey called to her. "Nice job."
    The whole group trudged up the sloping corridor and past the guards, who still sat close to the electric heater in their little booth. If they were aware that a war had just been started and stopped within the span of the past hour or so, they gave no indication of it.
    "You're quite a flier," Robbie said to her. "You'll have to give me lessons; I'd love to learn how to fly."
    Kelly gulped and swallowed, glad that it was too dark for him to see the reddening that burned her face. I've never flown a real plane, up in the air, she wanted to confess.
    Only simulators and teleoperations. But she kept silent, too afraid of cracking the crystal beauty of this moment.
    The sky was still dark and sprinkled with stars, the air bitingly cold. As she followed along beside Robbie and the others, snow crunching under their boots, Kelly dug her fists in her coat pockets and glanced over her shoulder at the sign carved above the base's entrance:
    International Peacekeeping Force Nation Shall Not Lift Up Sword Against Nation We stopped a war, she said to herself. It cost some lives, but we protected the peace. Then she remembered. It might also cost me my job.
    "Don't look so down, girl," Bailey assured her. "The review board ain't gonna go hard on you."
    "I hope," said Kelly.
    "Don't worry about it," Bailey insisted.
    Kelly trudged along, heading for the bachelor officers' quarters across the road from the underground nerve center of the base.
    Should I tell them? she asked herself. They wouldn't care. Or maybe they'd think I was just trying to call attention to myself.
    But she heard herself saying, "You know, this is my birthday. Today. Christmas Day."
    "Really?" said Van der Meer.
    "Happy birthday, little sister," Bailey said.
    Robbie pushed his coat sleeve back and peered at his wristwatch. "Not just yet. Angel Star. Got another few ticks to go . . ."
    Then they heard, far off in the distance, the sound of voices singing.
    "Your watch must be slow," said Bailey. "The midnight chorale's already started."
    "Their clock must be fast," Robbie countered.
    The whole group of them stopped in the starry night air and listened to the children's voices, coming as if from another world. Kelly stood between tall Robert and beautiful, warm Bailey and felt as if they were singing especially to her.
    Silent night . . .
    Holy night . . .
    All is calm, all is bright ...

The IPF proved itself that Christmas Eve in
    East Africa. The world was stunned with
    surprise. But a hard-line cadre of officers
    hi^ up in the Peacekeepers' chain of
    command was still laying its plans for a
    coup. They knew that if they succeeded,
    their nations would accept their fait accompli . If they failed, their nations would
    disavow themselves of any knowledge of the
    cabal. Being military men, they were
    accustomed to such treatment by the
    politicians. What the politicians didn't
    realize was that if the coup were successful,
    the military officers planned to overpower
    their political leaders and set up their own
    version of a world government, with
    themselves as the chiefs.
    If Red Eagle was aware of this plot, he
    gave no indication of it. He concerned
    himself with another worry. The matter of
    the missing nuclear bombs.

COMO
Year 3

    "YOU certainly picked a conspicuous way of coming here, Mr. Alexander," said Red Eagle.
    Cole Alexander shrugged at the massive Amerind. "The plane? It's my home now. A houseboat with wings. Subsonic, but fast enough to suit me."
    "It apparently caused quite a stir when you landed on the lake."
    "Hide in plain sight," Alexander said. "Sometimes that's the best way."
    Red Eagle held

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