Outpost Omega (Galactic Arena Book 3) by Dan Davis

Author:Dan Davis [Davis, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2019-06-23T22:00:00+00:00

17.

“Glad to see you up on your feet, Lieutenant,” Kat said, smiling as he hobbled into her office, dragging his injured leg. “You need to sit down?”

“Best if I stand, I think. Besides, I don’t want to break your chairs.”

She did not smile. “How are you feeling?”

Ram hesitated. “You got a full report, I assume?”

“I did. But I’m interested in knowing how you feel.”

“I feel… tired.”

“Hmm, I’m sure. Is that all?”

Ram shrugged. “I feel slow. In my mind. Worried that I’ll never be the same again. But… that doesn’t matter, does it… I did my duty. I extracted the asset. The subject. I have no further purpose. How is… how is he anyway?”

“Who?” Kat asked, looking at him closely.

Ram closed his eyes. The name was on the tip of his tongue, it was there, he knew it for sure. “Henry,” he blurted, sighing. “You’re testing me?”

“I need to know the abilities of my officers.”

“Does the medical report recommend you relieve me of duty?”

“It doesn’t make those kinds of recommendations. It does say that you will require significant time undergoing various therapies to manage your condition. And so you will remain on medical leave.”

“What am I supposed to do with myself?”

“Whatever you feel able to do. I hope you will feel able to help us.”

“I’ll never get all the way better. I’m only at seventy-five percent of where I was, if that.”

“At seventy-five percent of what you were, you’re still above the average UNOP officer.”

Ram smiled. “Is that a compliment for me or an insult for UNOP officers?”

“My crew are well above average. They’re the very best that could be recruited for this mission.”

“What happened?” Ram asked, rubbing his eye. He felt tired.

Kat frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, after I blacked out on the… rocket, what happened? How did we evade the Hex? I think I heard someone mention damage to the Hereward?”

Kat frowned as he spoke, biting her lip, then nodded. “Yes, it all went off remarkably well. The rocket launched a little late and required some last-minute maneuvering at speed in order to dock above the Earth. We had to decelerate far more than anticipated and it caused some mechanical failures. We docked with rather more enthusiasm than intended and suffered hull damage. Luckily the propulsion system was entirely undamaged. The transfer was rather rough and we had to throw you and the other passengers through the port before undocking and reengaging our drive.”

Ram raised a finger and pointed it at her. “You’ve told me this before, haven’t you.”

“You remember?”

“No,” Ram replied. “It’s just your manner. You were surprised I asked but covered your surprise before you answered.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to worry you.”

“I’m brain damaged, I’m not a child. Please, continue. How did… the Hex not shoot us down before we reached orbit?”

“The launch system was timed so multiple launch clusters lifted off at the same time from various places on the surface. Some were decoys, launching arrays of confusing targets for the Hex to track.

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