Robert Frezza - Colonial War 01 by A Small Colonial War

Author:A Small Colonial War
Format: epub
Published: 2013-07-16T16:00:00+00:00

Thursday(11)

WHEN VERESHCHAGIN RETURNED FROM BLOEMFONTEIN, HE

found Malinov waiting.

“Greeting, Yuri. Is Matti here?” Vereshchagin asked, seating himself.

“Shortly,” his battalion sergeant responded.

Vereshchagin recognized Haijalo’s quick steps in the hall outside, and he heard him pause to rub the battalion crest for luck before walking through.

“You’reback. How was Bloemfontein?” Haijalo asked, leaning against the dooijamb.

“Bloemfontein is a lovely town. As always, Piotr has matters well in hand. I mellowed him. ’ ’ Even the Iceman was better for a little human contact occasionally. “I also found occasion to chat with a gentleman named Hendrik Pienaar, who is quite an engaging old cutthroat.”

“Another one of Rettaglia’s inspirations?” Haijalo asked pointedly.

“Quite. I think you’d like Heer Pienaar. An exuberant man. He still wears his medals from the Bantu Wars.”

“Oh?”

“He says it annoys the devil out of his contemporaries and allows young fools to know what sort of idiot he was when he was younger.”

Haijalo laughed. “You’re right, I would. And I don’t doubt he’ll be shooting at us with the rest of them when the time comes. How is Tikhon doing with our berserkers?”

“Very well. Surpassingly well. With number two, one always worries. I am quite pleased with both him and Muslar.”

Even in a universe of disturbed personalities, killers were few and far between, but Vereshchagin did have a double handful of dragon’s teeth concentrated where the Iceman could direct their energies. Although No. 2 was not normally a place for a callow sublieutenant, Degtyarev the younger had essentially been in training for his present position since the age of three. With luck, Tikhon the second might rival Tikhon the first.

Vereshchagin inclined his head. “I understand Colonel Lynch passed through during my absence.”

“Ja, he gave me hell for not being here and Paul hell for not effecting better rapport with the elected officials. Then he went down to rapport with our friend, Laurens.”

“So I feared.”

Unlike his colleagues in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein— the latter was afraid to set foot outside his office for fear of offending the Iceman—the mayor of Pretoria, “Laurens of Arabia,” would have stolen a hot stove and come back to steal the smoke, at least until he became certain that the Hangman would shoot his lights out if he so much as spit on the sidewalk, an acute observation.

“After rapporting with Lynch, Laurens decided that as a colonel’s friend he was too busy to talk to mere majors. We owe the city for a new door. Paul put his hand through it. He’s dealt with the matter for the time being, but after Gamliel’s little toads start filtering in, it’ll come undealt. I’d let the Boers have their strike if it would keep Gamliel out another week.”

“Patience, Matti. What else resulted from Colonel Lynch’s visit?”

Haijalo’s gray-in-blue eyes glinted, flecked with an unholy light.

“We did get a delicately phrased request from a Lieutenant Fuwa in admin. He’s been directed to ask what a “helicopro-lite” is. “Heli” I know, and Raul tells me a coprolite is fossilized what-you-don’t-want-to-step-in. Dinosaur dung.”

Malinov altered his expression very slightly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.