Chapter 38: Threats and Bluster

I wanted to speak up once we were past the marines, but before I could gather my courage James turned to Yvette. "It's clear that our friend the governor is out to cause trouble. We should not let him know about the fact that we have access to the three common rooms just yet. However, make sure that all citizens use the ice rink to move back and forth for now. I don't want us confronting his goon squad just yet."

Yvette nodded. "In fact, I'd take that further and stop all transit except as necessary to run the command post, and I recommend only using men in the command post after today."

James frowned. "We are already missing three of our four best teams. We do that and we remove the twins." He reached up with his left hand to rub his chin. Finally, he looked over at Yvette and nodded. "No, you're right. It's extremely unfair to put the twins in that situation. And many of the other young ladies would fare no better. Our governor clearly doesn't respect young women. I just hope the men can handle the situation."

"We still have our usual command post," Esther said quietly. "We can always have people working in there as backup."

James nodded at that, but continued to frown. "I know, and I guess we'll have to do that, but I really don't want Governor Johanes thinking we are trying to go around him. I get a feeling that the man won't take it well."

Yvette coughed as we continued to walk down the corridor. My grip on James' arm tightened until I noticed him grimacing in pain. I relaxed my grip slightly, but pressed my body close to his as we approached the command post where we found two more marines stationed.

One of the marines looked up as we approached. He immediately waved the rifle he was carrying. "Go to the lab. Governor Johanes will meet you there."

James immediately turned around, almost knocking me down in his haste. I released his arm as he spun and then latched on again as we started back down the passage. Beside him Yvette turned a bit more slowly, but caught up to him quickly. "Why did you do that? I heard Esther ask as we turned a corner.

"I just want to get to our governor and get this meeting over with," James muttered. "He's entirely too happy to play games."

Yvette said nothing in response. I tried to reach up with my free hand to touch James' shoulder, but the quick pace he was setting prevented me from stroking him. With little chance to offer him comfort, I ran alongside him as we approached the door to the lab. It stood open and unguarded.

James did not pause, but led us into the room before he came to a halt. He stood at attention, but was shaking slightly as we watched our new governor gaze intently into a viewscreen. Minutes passed while the man made adjustments to the picture. Around the room six other men gazed into their own viewscreens. Many were using tablets to write notes as they examined the pictures. As this went on James and Yvette stood silently.

Terrence was sitting alone at a table. He had nodded when we entered, but then turned his attention to the back of Governor Johanes. Terrence looked composed as he sat quietly.

Eventually, the scientist must have completed his examination. He leaned back in his chair and spun it around. When he noticed James and Yvette standing in the room he scowled. "Took you long enough," he said gruffly as he stood up.

"I came right after I woke," James said. "I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"That's not my problem," the scientist growled. He waved at Terrence. "You! Get to the screen I was using and switch to the flat disk in quadrant four. See if you can get a refined scan of the indentations on the side." He then turned back to James. "Let's sit, this will probably be a long conversation."

James nodded, but then touched my shoulder. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Bring me some breakfast."

I looked around to find the replicator as James and Yvette followed the scientist to the table Terrence had been sitting at. Terrence noticed my confusion and walked by me. "There is one in the hallway. Just go out the door and turn right. That will avoid any problems in here," he whispered before heading to the viewscreen the governor had abandoned.

Esther smiled and moved next to me. "Let's go together. We can bring Yvette and the scientist something to drink. That might help keep him calm."

I nodded. "Let's do it quickly. The men on this side of our door seem..." I was unable to finish the thought and took off for the door at a run.

Esther immediately started to chase me. She quickly caught up to me and matched my pace as we left the room and then followed the walls for twenty feet or so until we found the replicator. She giggled as I stopped in front of the replicator and put my hands on my knees. "Say no more," she gasped out. "I understand the feeling completely."

She caught her breath while I was still gasping a little. With a smile she turned to the replicator and touched the panel we used to activate the public area units. "I need some hot orange tea, a lemonade, and a cup of coffee the way Governor Johanes likes it."

"What if he doesn't like coffee?" I asked with a giggle as I stood back up.

"Men like him always like coffee," Esther said mockingly. "And most take it black just to show how manly they are."

The replicator hummed for a moment and then dispensed a tray holding three drinks. "Hot tea spiced with orange, lemonade and strong unsweetened coffee," the AI said.

Esther stepped away from the replicator with a knowing smile as I stepped up to it and put my palm on the activation pad. "Ham and cheese omelet, toasted English muffin and crispy hash browns," I started. "For drinks can I get two cups of hot oolong tea?"

Esther giggled. "No bacon for James?"

I shrugged. "Not today. I just want him to have something that will get him started."

We turned back towards the lab. As we started to walk, we could hear footsteps behind us. The sound indicated that the person was moving faster than us, so we tried to walk a bit faster. We had just about reached the open doorway when a man called out. "Halt concubine! What are you doing in these halls?"

Esther bumped my hip lightly. "Go and let James and Yvette know. I'll try to get him to let us go."

I nodded and kept going. Esther paused and turned, holding her tray out so it blocked the hallway. "I'm taking drinks to Governor Johanes and my master. They are in a meeting in the lab. May I complete my task?"

"I need a concubine to help me," the man called out as I entered the laboratory.

James and Yvette looked up as I entered. James smiled and waved me over. "Meiko! Perfect, I was wondering if I was going to get to eat this morning. Where is Esther?"

I walked up and placed the tray in front of James. "Some marine accosted us in the hallway. She paused to tell him that we were bringing food and drinks to a meeting in here."

"I see no drinks!" Governor Johanes growled.

"Esther has them," I replied placidly as I knelt next to James. He put a hand on my head as I reached out to take one of the cups of tea.

Yvette sighed and stood up. "Excuse me for a moment, Governor," she said.

The man did not respond as Yvette walked over to the doorway and glanced out. She then shouted. "Concubine, what are you delaying for? Governor Johanes is thirsty. Get in there with that tray and serve him!"

There was a very feminine squeak of dismay and a moment later Esther entered the room. She was moving quickly, but somehow made it seem like she was gliding effortlessly across the floor.

As Esther entered the room and passed Yvette, we could hear a male voice shout. "Hey, I did not give you leave to depart! I told you I had need of a concubine!"

Yvette seemed to grow as she stood there. She stepped into the hallway. "Marine! Did I give you permission to talk to my concubine? Did your training not tell you that you could only give commands to your own concubines? And why are you telling my concubine what she can do in the hallways here? Why don't you get to your duty post?"

I could not hear the response, but Yvette must have been satisfied, because she returned to the table with a smirk on her face. Governor Johanes was clearly upset and scowled as Yvette accepted the lemonade that Esther was holding out for her.

"Was that necessary?" the governor asked.

"I believe I have the right to decide who talks to my concubine," Yvette said. "At least that was my understanding of Confed law when I was picked up. If your marines need concubines to help them, why did they not bring them?"

"No one told me that it was permitted," the governor growled. "Normally, marines do not take concubines with them on deployments."

"Is this a combat deployment or just a scientific mission?" James asked. "When we were informed you were coming, it was supposed to be merely a scientific mission."

"That's for me to worry about," the governor said as he picked up the coffee cup that Esther had set on the table. "Now, we still haven't had time for a complete briefing. I need to know what you do here, and then I will issue a few orders."

James and Yvette glanced at each other. Both shrugged and then James turned to look at the governor. "It's not that complex," James began. "When we were first dropped, we were told that this base has the dual purpose of acting as a listening and scanning post for this area of space while also providing a repair and refit station for Confederacy Naval Ships in the sector. We have the command post that must be manned by two people at all times. One maintains a communications watch while the other monitors all of the sensors we have deployed."

"How far out is your scanning?" the governor asked.

Yvette shrugged. "About twenty astronomical units for gravatic scanners that can give us real-time information. That gives us a scanning area of more than two and a half light hours where we see any ship movements as they occur. The Sa'arm use a hyperdrive that leaves a rather obvious footprint, so we can usually see their gates open up to fifteen minutes before the ship emerges from their jumps."

"You scan beyond that limit?" the governor asked.

"Ishtarat is a smaller system than Earthat. Kali is only about fourteen astronomical units from our sun. Back at Earthat Uranus orbits at twenty astronomical units, and Neptune orbits beyond Uranus," James said. "Beyond the limit we've set there is only the various belts of debris, and it's so far from any gravitational field that the only reason a ship would emerge that far out was if it wanted to use stealth. We've never had a Sa'arm ship appear more than seventeen astronomical units from our sun. Why scan further out?"