Green World by B. V. Larson

Author:B. V. Larson [Larson, B. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Iron Tower Press
Published: 2021-05-27T22:00:00+00:00

-34-

The next day was a grueling one. I was given debriefings, a long flogging session, and six hours in the brig. After that, I was forced to sign a long list of promises.

“I’ll never do any of it again, and you can take that to the bank!”

I played the part with gusto. It fit perfectly with my lifelong rule concerning such formalities. Whenever anyone wanted an apology, a promise—or even a solemn vow—I swore to it all without reservation. I gave them what they wanted, and it was my experience that doing so immediately got people off your back the fastest.

Naturally, I never had any intention of following through with my long list of promised changes to my personality. It was all for show, and I think some of them knew it. Still, I stand by my methods. They usually made authority figures shut the hell up.

“McGill?” Graves asked me later the next evening. “Are you out of purgatory so early? Wait a minute—you didn’t break out of the brig again, did you?”

“Absolutely not, sir. I’m offended at the concept.”

“Sure you are… what’d you tell them?”

“Whatever they wanted to hear. I don’t rightly remember the details…”

Graves grinned. That was kind of a rare thing, so I shared the moment with a grin of my own.

He lowered his voice from gravely speech to a low rumble. “You know, in secret, I’m glad you did it. Serves those nerds right. Their robots aren’t even approved for deployment by the Galactics.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Given that the robots are a violation, why are they out here with us on this adventure?”

Graves shrugged. “We’re not in Province 921 anymore, remember? Mogwa laws don’t apply here.”

“Ah… right. I get it. Are we really going to have to fight with these things?”

“I don’t know. They’ll have to put them in rubber suits or something. You probably did them a favor by showing them that weakness.”

“That’s what I told the techies, but it was no dice. Arrogant sons-a-bitches.”

Graves chuckled and bought me my next brew. At least I knew I was good with him—and he wasn’t alone. Several others had come to secretly cheer me on. Everyone under the level of Winslade hated the robots. No one had ever liked getting a beat-down from a machine. No one.

To my surprise, Graves didn’t walk out of the place. Instead, he spun a chair around backwards and sat on it. He stared at me intently. “How are you feeling after that flogging?”

“Uh… not bad. It’s nothing a can of spray-on skin couldn’t fix up.”

He nodded, and he kept staring at me.

“Is there something else, Primus?”

“Yep. Can you guess what it is?”

I shook my head. “Give me a hint, sir. It’s been a long day.”

“Okay… you know how we don’t have the enemy position too well pinned down? Out on Green World?”

“Uh… yeah, sure. I heard some theories. The biggest landmass, south side—you told me yourself, sir.”

“So I did. Can you think of a quick way we can get

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