Glory – Humanity’s Warriors: A Military Sci-Fi Series by Ira Heinichen & Craig Martelle

Author:Ira Heinichen & Craig Martelle [Heinichen, Ira & Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Craig Martelle, Inc
Published: 2023-11-09T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

It was late afternoon when Augustine and Carrol finally landed in Paris. They’d taken a terrestrial transport over, and then the tube from DeGaulle Spaceport into the heart of the city. There was a metro station just a block away from Purdy’s building, and as the pair of them stepped out into the warm, late summer sun, Carrol found herself wondering why she didn’t take it in from her apartment all the time. She had to remind herself, however, that she didn’t usually feel this way about crowds. Normally, she hated them. Today, they were her safety blanket.

Lipton was waiting for them in the ground floor lobby. He rushed over the instant he caught sight of them. “Where have you been?” he demanded of Carrol. “I’ve been calling you all day.”

“I haven’t—” Carrol started to say she hadn’t received a call from the chief of staff, but then she felt the conspicuous absence of her wristcom and remembered. She’d smashed the thing up on the orbital shuttle hub. Of course she hadn’t received any calls. “Ah,” she said, correcting. “My wristcom was damaged last night. Pure accident.”

He fired a venomous look at Augustine. “Where were you?”

“We were gathering data for the councilman,” Carrol lied for them both.

“Well, you’re late.” Lipton practically dragged them toward the lifts. It struck Carrol as rather funny that this was by far the most the man had ever spoken to her. “The meeting has already started.”

Carrol frowned. “Meeting?”

“Yes!”

And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She glanced at the large clock in the building lobby just as the lift doors were closing. It read three-twenty-two in the afternoon. Purdy had told her to be at his meeting at three, the one about ‘her friend,’ Drake. Shit. A moment later and they were out on Purdy’s floor, striding quickly down the hallway that led to the largest conference room in the office. When they reached the door, Lipton stopped to compose himself, gave Carrol and Augustine a no-nonsense look that said do not move or speak until I say so, and then cracked opened the door. There were subdued voices inside. Lipton spoke to them through the door. He must have received the okay he was looking for because a moment later, he grabbed Carrol by the arm and hauled her forward, then pushed her, and just her, through the opening. The door shut behind her. He did not follow, nor did Augustine. It was just Carrol...

And a room full of the leaders of the Federated Worlds. Top brass from both the Admiralty and council were looking at her down a long, oak table. She recognized the Speaker of the Council, the C-in-C, and even Jack sandwiched uncomfortably between two other council people. Purdy headed the table at the opposite end, and his hands were folded in clear displeasure. “Nice of you to join us, Commander,” he said in a tone that said it was not nice.

Carrol couldn’t help but spare a look at Jack.

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