Kris Longknife: Defender by Mike Shepherd

Author:Mike Shepherd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2013-09-23T16:00:00+00:00

26

Prepared as much as she felt she’d ever be, Her Royal Highness, Viceroy of Alwa as well as Commodore of Frigate Squadron 4 and Commander, Alwa Defense Sector made her way toward her office with Jack, Penny, and Masao in tow.

On the A deck, they’d picked up Amanda and Jacques, both looking so much in love and terrified, as if some horrible beast had showed up at the wedding.

Or maybe before the wedding.

Kris got them all to her office a good half hour before the meeting was due to start.

She walked in to find that Captain Drago had done his miracle. Her lovely wooden desk was there. Her sofas and chairs were there.

Also there were fifteen entrepreneurs who fully expected to make their fortune here, on the other side of the galaxy from the rest of human capital, arranged around her table.

One of them was already sitting in her chair. The one closest to the desk and the one with an ever so slightly higher back that helped when you’re six feet tall.

Kris walked up to him, and said politely, “You’re in my chair.”

“So glad you could join us,” the short man said. “I’ve been elected spokesman to bring you up to date on our plans for the development and exploitation of this system.”

“You are in my chair,” Kris repeated. More firmly this time.

“There’s plenty of chairs.”

There was exactly one left. It was at the foot of the table.

Kris had not approached this meeting with any feelings of fondness. Now, she was rapidly moving from disgust to open hostility.

NELLY, TAKE AWAY HIS CHAIR. NO, TAKE AWAY ALL THE CHAIRS.

Suddenly fifteen confident men and women found themselves sitting on air. They promptly landed on their rumps.

“What was that for?” the small man grouched from where he now sat on the floor.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is my office. I called this meeting, but you showing up thirty minutes early to take over my office is no way to start our business. Nelly, expand the table to accommodate all present. You, move. I will sit at the head of my table with my immediate staff. The rest of you can arrange yourselves as you see fit.”

Nelly immediately lengthened the table. However, only after several suits pulled themselves up from the floor and moved down, did chairs again appear.

Kris settled herself in her chair, with Jack at her right and Penny at her left. Masao was beside her. Amanda took the chair next to Jack . . . an interesting test for a new husband . . . but Amanda’s own new husband imposed himself between her and the business types.

Kris hoped that didn’t mean the young anthropologist feared open violence or the throwing of poop to be a likely outcome to this meeting.

Kris was none too sure about that.

Either Captain Drago or Kitano had arranged for two of the screens to be moved to this office. While Kris’s screens on the Wasp ran from deck to overhead on the walls in her Tac Center, these two screen were positioned to form one long landscape.

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