The Stones of Silence: Cochrane's Company: Book One by Peter Grant

Author:Peter Grant
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Sedgefield Press
Published: 2018-05-11T06:00:00+00:00

12

INTERLUDE

CONSTANTA

Cochrane and Lu watched through the viewports as the Qianjin communications frigate settled into orbit. “It looks very lovely,” she said, indicating the deep blue seas that surrounded the planet’s three continents. “They must have some wonderful beach resorts.”

“I’m told they do. In fact, I could use a short break. I’ve been flat out at work since I started this project, almost a year ago. Would you care to join me for a week at one of them, once I’ve taken care of what’s piled up in my absence? No strings attached, of course,” he hastened to add as she cocked her head, looking at him quizzically. “Separate rooms.”

“I’m on duty, remember? I can’t just take time off whenever I feel like it!”

“You said yourself you need to check on security companies like ours, because you use them for some commercial operations. This could fall under that heading.”

She grinned at him. “You’re reaching awfully hard, you know.”

“Yes, I am, but I’d like your company.”

“Well… let me think about it. What do you have to do first?”

“I’ll have to check what’s waiting for me. I’ve got to meet with the shipyard owner, to see how the refurbishment of our last patrol craft is coming along. I also want him to introduce me to a suitable contact in Constanta’s government. If we’re going to have an influx of ships, I want to use this planet as an alternate center – perhaps even the primary center – for our operations. I’ll ask for a local license to operate armed ships, and use the shipyard as our maintenance and repair base. It’ll probably be expensive, but we can afford it now, and it’ll be good to have a fallback location if anything happens at Rousay.”

“Do you think it might?”

“It’s possible. We’ve done things that are sure to ruffle the feathers of the powers that be, if they ever find out about them. I’d rather not say more about that right now.” Mentally, he was smiling. If NOE figures out that their illegal asteroid prospecting has helped pay for our new ships, they’ll blow several fuses – and then there’s the Callanish consortium, and those Albanian gangsters. There are a lot of people who won’t be happy with us, if they figure out all we’ve been doing.

“While you’re doing that, may I discuss those robot prospectors with your electronics specialist?”

“Certainly. I’ll introduce you. You can also go over our last patrol craft at the shipyard, if you like. It’s so old it qualifies as an antique, though, so it may not interest you.”

She smiled. “You forget my job. Warships always interest me, even old ones.”

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