Revolt in the Palace: Adventures of a Jump Space Accountant Book 7 by Andrew Moriarty

Author:Andrew Moriarty [Moriarty, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

***

“Name, citizen?” The election clerk poised his hands over the desk comm.

“Corporal Weeklar,” the freckled woman said.

“Corporal isn’t a name.”

“J.S. Weeklar.”

“What does the J. S. stand for?”

The woman blushed and handed over a Militia ID chip. “Here’s my ID.”

Lines of potential voters snaked all across the docking bay of Transfer-13. The transfer stations had been co-opted as central voting points for the space-based population. Collectively, they had hundreds of docking ports for incoming ships and dozens of passenger ships dropping every day. Their orbits were optimized to make possible least-fuel intercepts for anybody flying in. Combined with plenty of facilities for transients, they were host to shiploads of orbital residents who would fuel up, pick up and drop off mail, and vote.

“Thank you for your ID, citizen.” The clerk inserted it into the desk comm. “But you have to tell us your full name.”

“Yeah, what does the J. S. stand for, Corporal?” the uniformed Militia behind Weeklar asked.

“Inquiring minds want to know,” another Militia said.

Weeklar turned to the company lined up behind her and put her hand on her hips. “I’m sorry, what did you say Smitty? Did I hear, ‘Please, Corporal, I’d love to clean all the heads on the cutter because they’re so busy with all the extra crew’? Is that what I heard.”

“No, Corporal.”

“All right then. Must have been Gudalar—you wanted extra duty. Is that what I heard you say? Do you want extra duty Gudalar?”

“No, Corporal. Sorry, Corporal.”

“Don’t be sorry, just shut up.” Weeklar turned to the clerk. “Well?”

“Sorry, Citizen. Need your full name.”

“It’s printed on the ID.”

“You have to say it out loud, rules.”

“I can whisper it to you.”

“We all have to hear it.” The clerk pointed to a row of scrutineers lining the counter. Each candidate was allowed a monitor at each polling station. The clerk checked everyone’s ID and made sure they were on the list. The scrutineers watched the clerk and made sure he followed the rules. “Everybody checks it against the master list.”

“I can whisper it to everyone, then.”

“No.” The third scrutineer from the end shook her head. She had on station coveralls with bright company patches. “She might give a different name to each of us to confuse things.”

Weeklar glared at her. “I don’t recognize your corporate logo.”

“Hey—” the clerk said. “No talking to them. And she’s right. You have to give us all the name.”

Gudalar muttered from behind Weeklar. “That’s a TGI subsidiary, Corporal.”

“TGI doesn’t tell the Militia what to do.”

The scrutineer raised her eyebrows and smiled.

“TGI doesn’t, but I do,” the clerk said. “State your full name, publicly, and you can vote. Otherwise, Citizen, move on, you’re holding up the line.”

Weeklar took a breath. “Justice Serenity.”

The line behind Weeklar gasped.

“Justine?” The clerked typed.

“Not Justine, no. Justice. J-U-S-T-I-C-E.”

Someone behind Weeklar sniggered. Weeklar spun, looking down a sea of blank faces. She glared at each one. When she turned away, they all grinned and poked at each other.

“And . . . Selena?”

“Serenity?”

“Ser . . .”

“S-E-R-E-N-I-T-Y.”

“Your full name is Justice Serenity?”

Giggling broke out behind Weeklar.

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