Diplomat At Arms by Blaze Ward

Author:Blaze Ward
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781644703953
Publisher: Knotted Road Press

21

Padraig considered his options.

“Should I be going with you?” Zarah asked.

“Negative,” Padraig decided. “I’d like you to spend some time at the library, digging into recent or modern history of Monsanch.”

He paused for a moment, seeking the words, then saw them on the table next to his chair, where he and Zarah had retired after breakfast.

“Or modern fiction,” he added.

Zarah turned to look at him confused.

“Sir?” she asked. “What am I looking for?”

“I’m not sure I can describe it adequately,” Padraig grimaced. “Who is Monsanch? What are they like as a people and a culture? Who are they at home, and who do they tell themselves they want to be?”

Zarah’s eyes got a distant look.

“Okay,” she nodded. “You might be better off having Nyssa along next time for something like that, though.”

“Possibly, but don’t sell yourself short, Zarah,” he replied. “I wouldn’t have brought you down if I didn’t think you could handle it. And this is the sort of research task an officer three days out of Uni should be perfectly prepared to undertake.”

She blushed and grinned. That was frequently how she described herself, as she’d only joined the ship’s crew a month before their first mission to Albany, and those orders had been cut literally three days after she’d been commissioned.

“Now?” she asked.

“Now,” he agreed.

Except that someone rapped on his door. Padraig turned deadly serious as he rose, gesturing Zarah out of sight in the washroom. If someone rushed him, they’d end up with her behind them.

Not that he was expecting violence, but Ilham had already shown itself to be a far more complicated place than he’d expected.

And it only promised to get weirder.

He peeked through a fisheye lens at the hallway, recognizing Specialist Glen Tameron standing there in civilian clothing, rather than the mulberry and mauve of an A’Zedi uniform.

Padraig pulled the bolt and opened the door.

Tameron stepped forward, unslinging a messenger bag to pull out a small bundle that he passed to Padraig without a word, turning and walking away without once looking back.

Padraig poked his head out to look both ways, but didn’t see anyone.

He stepped back and closed the hatch, then set the bolt again.

Moving to the table, he unwrapped the bundle as Zarah emerged and joined him.

She gasped, but he’d specifically asked Chance to send down some Type Threes as well when he delivered new transmitters. Padraig handed her one.

“You will have this with you at all times, Squire,” he ordered. “Including in the shower as well. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded, a little more pale than she had been.

“Good,” Padraig nodded and handed her a new transmitter. “Off you go and stay in touch.”

“Will do, Captain,” she said, moving to the door and exiting.

Padraig returned to his chair to sit and think. And give her a head start.

His unit beeped once, then a red light began strobing on and off every second.

“Boru,” he said, keying it live.

“Messier,” Chance replied. “I have an update.”

“Go ahead,” Padraig said.

“We expect that a replacement ambassador from Zulou in Traisa is already in flight, Captain,” Chance said.

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