Tangent by Brett James

Author:Brett James [James, Brett]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fallacy Publications
Published: 2016-01-08T22:00:00+00:00

十四

Paul found Red’s door open and her holding her old computer edgewise as she pounded it against the top of her desk. Dust drained from the side and piled on the desk like a small mountain range.

“Commissar?” Paul asked, rapping on her doorframe.

Red looked up at him, then leaned left and right, craning her neck to see if he was alone. He was.

“What is this?” she asked. “Commissar? Are we being recorded?”

“No. Sorry, I was just—”

“Don’t be a weenie,” Red said, laying the computer on her desk and attaching the monitor cable. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been pissed at you. But don’t be a dick, either, because I am still really pissed at you. Any word on my J-20?”

“The admiral is considering your request.”

“Liar.”

“Yes,” Paul said. “Perhaps you should ask her yourself.”

“Crap chance of that. What news of the tug she requisitioned to correct the station’s orbit?”

Paul didn’t answer. Red plugged the computer into the wall and switched it on. It fizzled, and smoke rose from the front grille. She frowned, pounding the side with the heel of her palm.

“The tug isn’t coming,” she continued. “And as soon as I get my hands on her file, I’ll show you what a joke this admiral is. And then you can start ignoring her, which is what you should already be doing.”

Red stopped hitting the machine and put her ear to the side. A burning smell filled the room as something inside the computer whirred to life.

“Maybe she is what she says she is,” Paul said.

“You already tried that line on me.”

“Maybe she just stepped on someone’s toes.”

“Pissed them off, you mean? Maybe, but she’s not some two-bit commander like yourself. Whatever connections got her promoted to vice admiral would also protect her from any casual offense. No, there’s something sinister in her background.”

“And if we do get the tug?”

“Then I’m wrong. You win the bet, and I sign over next month’s paycheck. Not that I have access to my bank account right now.”

Red gave the computer another thwap, and the monitor lit up.

“How about that?” she asked.

“I am awed by your technical prowess,” Paul said.

“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you,” Red said. “It’s like watching Musc count. Now let’s see if I can get this connected to the network.”

Red extended her arm toward a coil of cable that hung on a chair five feet away. The ring on her finger glowed and the cable quivered, lifting into the air. Paul stepped back, alarmed, but then he blinked and the cable was back on the chair.

“Um,” Red said, dropping her arm. “Hand me that cable, wouldya?”

“Did you see—?” he asked, eyes wide.

“I see you still have Algernon down in the brig,” Red cut in, motioning impatiently for the cable. “Any complaints from Shin Mal yet?”

“Not a peep,” Paul said, reaching cautiously for the cable. When it didn’t bite, he handed it to Red. “Looks like business as usual over at the Oni’s base.”

“Sooner or later Shin will head down to the Tangent

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