The Tejano Conflict by Steve Perry Read Free Book Online Page B

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    Jo and Kay walked in the hot afternoon. Kay said, “Something else you should know.”
    Jo looked at her.
    â€œThe opposition has one of The People working with them.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œA male. I caught his scent. Faint, and after
Mish
fem’s death, I did not explore it further, but I find it hard to believe that he was there by coincidence.”
    â€œI wouldn’t think so either.”
    â€œIt bears more investigation.”
    â€œI agree.” Jo waited a second before she said, “Maybe I should—”
    â€œNo need,” Kay said, cutting her off. “I will do it.”
    Jo nodded. The Vastalimi were stoic about many things, death notwithstanding. People came and went, that was the way of it, and there was no need to be overly disturbed; nothing could be done to change the general pattern, only the individual ones. Everybody got onto the hoverbus, and eventually, everybody got off; the questions were, how long was the ride, and how did you leave?
    â€œAre there rituals to observe for Em?”
    â€œNo. She
was
, now she is
not
. She was a good companion, she moved well enough. What was left is but a husk; her essence has departed. If you believe in the Other Side, she is there; if not, then she is wherever she is.
Sudbina.
”
    She looked at Jo.
    Jo nodded.
Yes.
Fate.

SIX
    Despite Kay’s offhand attitude, Em’s death cast a shadow over the camp. The body was cremated, the ashes scattered, and business went on. When you worked in a profession whose tools included guns and bombs, death was always on the menu; only a matter of time until the order you placed arrived . . .
    Jo worried about Kay’s mental state. Em had been with them only a short while, there weren’t any long-standing bonds, but still; save for the recent discovery that there was a male Vastalimi working with the opposition, Kay and Em had been the only two of their kind on this part of the planet as far as anyone here knew. Surely that had to resonate somehow.
    Jo broached it carefully. “Is there anything you need?”
    â€œNeed? No. I wouldn’t mind having a chance to hunt, but that is not a need, only a desire. And there is no prey worth chasing in this area, save for humans.”
    â€œProbably not a good idea to bag any of those, except maybe for the opposition. And I suspect the colonel would frown upon that, given the extra scrutiny we are under.”
    â€œAgreed.”
    Jo was still thinking about Kay’s mind-set when she went to see Formentara for a tune-up.
    All of her augs were functioning properly, as far as Jo could tell, nothing bothering her, but Formentara required frequent checks. Much easier to prevent a problem than to repair one, zhe said, and given the number of augmented systems Jo was running, problems could crop up. Anybody of lesser talent and skill than Formentara would be hard-pressed to keep Jo’s system in balance. Most people with anywhere close to as many augs as Jo had were looking at short lives. Generally, each major aug would cut ten years or so from one’s life span unless precisely tuned and balanced, and until she’d met Formentara, Jo had expected to die young. A price she had been willing to pay . . .
    â€œOn the table,” Formentara said.
    Jo obeyed, lying there naked as Formentara waved hir magic hands over the reader fields to observe and adjust. The room was warm enough so Jo didn’t need to worry about her temperature.
    â€œAnything bothering you?” zhe asked.
    â€œNot really.”
    â€œYeah, something is—your hormones are off. What?”
    â€œWell, Em’s death.”
    â€œThat was a bitch.”
    â€œI’m more worried about how it affected Kay. She says she’s fine, but I’m not sure that’s so.”
    â€œToo bad she won’t let me work on her.”
    â€œShe’s faster and stronger than a human, even augmented