The Catherine Kimbridge Chronicles #4, Retribution by Andrew Beery Read Free Book Online Page A

but she had spotted that bowl of revolting Cuecak bugs on his desk. The CCI had embedded spies in a number of locations. Her assignment had been to follow the activities of student dissidents. Sometimes, however, her intelligence gathering activities turned up unexpected motes of festering rebellion. The bugs on Professor Debb u’ s desk was an unexpected dividend. Her training had taught her to look for such things. They were potential markers for subversive activitie s— and so she watched. She did n’ t have to wait long. Debbu had started making convert hand signals. They were not much to see but to the trained eye they were everything.
    Her training had taught her how to read the little amphibian s ’ hand signals. Although she was only observing one half of the conversation she nonetheless caught the threat against the headquarters complex. Unfortunately she missed the professo r’ s last response as he leaned little bit forward. With what she knew, her choices were simple: continue to monitor her professor or get word to her superiors.
    Had she seen the last part of the conversation, she might have chosen differently. She might have chosen to follow Debbu. But... as it was she had not, and so she chose to leave him unattended while she found some privacy to report to her superiors. He was of course gone when she returned with orders to take her professor into custody.
    ***
    Ricky Valen swore with an intensity befitting a man who viewed his ability to swear in multiple obscure dialects and languages as a sacred trust. Honey, for her part, adjusted her ski n’ s color to reflect a subtle blush. It was an automated subroutine she had put in place many months ago to provide Ricky with a visual cue that he might be engaging in the dissemination of excessive verbal dross.     
    Captain Hikaro Takei waited patiently for the other captain to finish. In his short association with the man he had heard an occasional outburst but nothing approaching what he was hearing now. To be honest, he was fascinated by the lengths to which the other man was able to go to in order to describe the potential ancestral origins of their new friends on Naanac. Finally, he judged it was time to retake control of the conversation.
    “ As fascinating as this discussion of speculative anatomy is, we still have a mission. How do we adjust our plans to deal with this situation ? ”
    “ The situation , ” as Takei put it, was the recent discovery, reported by a Naanac informant named Debbu, that the local rebel forces were not going to wait to coordinate their efforts with other resistance factions within Modos-controlled space.
    Ricky turned to the others. The look of exasperation and frustration on his face was plain for all to see. He and Honey had spent weeks establishing a network on Naanac. Hard work had extended that network via a loose association of independent rebels to dozens, if not hundreds, of enslaved worlds. The plan the GCP was developing depended on destabilizing a small but significant percentage of the Modos Syndicate. This had to take place in a well-orchestrated way so the Modos would not be able to mount a concentrated counter offensive.
    Honey rested a hand on his and smiled. That seemed to break him out of his rage.    
    They were in the small kitchen of the cloaked Honey Dipper , which itself was in orbit around Naanac. It was one of the few places on the shuttle that was big enough for a meeting. When Debbu reported to Takei on the planet below, the cloaked Honey Dipper had already been en route to pick the older GCP officer up. Takei had wisely decided to share what he learned from Debbu after they left the planet surface. There was too great a risk of their cover being blown if Ricky acted hastily on the plane t’ s surface.
    “ There is nothing we can do , ” Ricky said, softly .“ Our plan was based on the Syndicate having to respond in force in dozens of locations. By jumping the gun, these idiots are