Baxter Moon, Galactic Scout Read Online Free Page B

can really hold grudges.
    “I should have done things differently,” I said.
    “You think?” he said sardonically without even looking up from his computer screen. “You mean the goal of that mission wasn’t to destroy your ship and crew?”
    “I shouldn’t have argued with you,” I said.
    “Arguments are a part of the job,” he said, still not looking up. “It’s unnatural for humans and chimps to work together, so it’s only natural we’d have our disagreements.”
    “Then why are you mad at me?” I asked, though I probably should know.
    GiS still refused to look up from his screen. “Do I ever call you a baboon or an ape or an orangutan?” he asked.
    “Not that I can remember,” I answered.
    “Then why did you call me a monkey?”
    I hung my head. I had been doing that so much today I think my chin had left an indent on my neck.
    “It was the heat of the moment. I spoke without thinking. I do that sometimes.”
    “You do that most times,” GiS said, finally looking at me. Only now I wished he hadn’t.
    “Yeah,” I said with a weak laugh. “It’s a gift.”
    GiS looked at me and rolled his eyes. “If it’s a gift, then it’s a gag gift.”
    There was a moment of awkward silence.
    “A good scout knows when to react without thinking and when to think without reacting,” GiS said, using his most mentoring voice.
    “You just love talking like that, don’t you?” I said.
    His angry expression turned to a more neutral one. “I guess I think it compensates for me being a chimp and all,” he said.
    “I’ll try to be better,” I said.
    “No, you will be better,” he corrected.
    I held out my hand to shake. He shook my hand with his foot as only a chimp could.
    “Apology accepted,” he said. He looked at his wrist communicator. “You have judo class in five minutes. Don’t be late.”
    I saluted and left.
    All in all, that could have gone worse. I had made some huge blunders today and the day was still young. Hopefully I could chalk my mistakes up to experience. I’d certainly make mistakes again, but with luck they wouldn’t be the same ones.

Chapter 4
    I went to the locker room to change out of my official scout working uniform and into my official scout workout uniform. There really wasn’t much of a difference between the two. They were both just jumpsuits with different names. Both of them were kind of an off-yellow color with stripes on the arms. The official brochure said the uniforms were “a golden color,” but that was just a sad attempt to make them sound cooler than they were. The official working uniform had a slightly darker shade of yellow, ah, gold, patches around the bendable parts that covered the elbows, shoulders and knees. It was also made of non-wrinkle, non-flammable, stain-resistant, non-good-looking, hyperitchy, material called synthread. It was supposed to allow the skin to breathe. Both uniforms had my squad’s sigma emblem on the left sleeve and my rank and duty on the right sleeve. I was actually surprised the uniform didn’t come with a cape. Then we really would all look like dorky superhero wannabes.
    The workout uniform was just a little more drab as it was a straight off-light-yellow color. It was also a lot more loose fitting and flexible. It was made of syncotton, a softer, less abrasive variant. It was much more comfortable and not quite as megadork-like. If it were up to me this would be my uniform of choice. I figure if you must look like a dork you might as well be comfortable. Of course, it wasn’t up to me.
    Elvin, Chriz and Lobi had beaten me to the locker room, which was par for the course. They had already changed into their workout uniforms. While they might have been prompt, they still weren’t in a hurry to leave the locker area and hit the judo mats. The three of them would have much rather been in the simulator, bio lab, lecture hall or dentist’s office than the gym. It was just how they were. They weren’t physical kinds of