Heirs to Trouble by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Author:Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Liaden
Publisher: Pinbeam Books
Published: 2017-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

Code of Honor

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?"

Tech Sergeant Tommy Lee saluted, and waited for the captain to acknowledge him.

She looked up from her screen, eyes shadowed, and Tommy felt a pang. Cardimin had been hard on her; had been hard on all of them. He'd gotten a scratch out of it; Captain Blake had gotten. . .more than a scratch. She ought not even be out of sick bay–that was Tommy's opinion, and let the record show that he was not a medic.

"Sergeant." She nodded in return to his salute, and used her chin to point at the chair by her desk. "Sit down, please."

"Ma'am."

He sat, frowning up at her face. Drawn and looking older than she was. Dammit, she ought to be resting!

"Correspondence just come in regarding you," she said, looking down at her screen. "You know a Jow Lit pen'Chapen?"

For a moment, he thought to deny it; after all, who could say they knew the delm of clan Severt? Certainly not the least-valued of his grandchildren. But, no; it wouldn't do. She would have his record on her screen. Fifteen Standards he had served in her command, and Tommy Lee before he'd risen from the signing table; she'd need a reminder of his birth name.

So.

"Jow Lit pen'Chapen is Delm Severt," he said calmly. "My grandfather."

Captain Blake nodded.

"He sent a pinbeam to Commander Wyatt, stating that you're needed by your clan."

Ice ran his veins. The words hadn't quite made. . .

"I beg your pardon?"

She looked up then; looked right at him, and smiled, tiredly.

"Your grandda invoked the escape clause, Tommy. You're free to go home. Wyatt's already signed off on it."

But I don't want to go home! he thought, which might have been undutiful, had things been otherwise, between him and his clan. He did not say this to Susan Blake; it would do nothing but distress her.

She shifted, slightly, fretfully, behind her desk.

"Says here there's a transport voucher in your mailbox. You're to leave immediately, and travel with all haste. Apparently, there's specific instructions in your box along with that voucher." She sighed, and shook her head at the screen.

"Couple administrative things. . ." she murmured. "First is, you wanna close your account in the Merc Bank?"

Close his account? And what? Carry his entire savings in his pockets?

He shook his head.

"If it's possible to leave the account as it is, I would prefer to do that," he said. She nodded and touched a key.

"OK. What do you want us to do about mail? You can keep your box open. Be a fee– four-bit per Standard."

Hardly a fee at all, and certainly cheaper than renting a civilian box and paying for transfers and forwarding.

"I'll leave it open for now; the fee's acceptable. When I know what. . .my clan. . .requires of me, I'll be able to make a decision. . ."

Gods, it had been half a lifetime since he had thought like this. . .what my clan requires of me? He was accustomed to command; the merc culture suited him well.

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