Soldier of Fortune: A Gideon Quinn Adventure (Fortune Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Kathleen McClure
Elvis crouched on the scarred pauldron, his tail twined around Gideon's upper arm, bisecting the twin suns of the Colonial infantry tooled into the leather. "I don't imagine you had him coming in, either."
Gideon looked as well, giving the draco a habitual tickle under the chin. "Elvis came along two years ago," he said, not elaborating further. He doubted Satsuke would care how Elvis had imprinted him on after Gideon (stupidly, Doc later told him while administering the anti-venom) put himself between the draco hatchling and a hungry desert viper.
"Elvis," he said, gesturing to Satsuke, "say hello to the general."
Elvis tilted his head up and bobbed it down long enough to make it seem a genuine bow before raising it up again with a low, trilling sound.
Satsuke's brow raised slightly, then she nodded back to the draco before returning her attention to the draco's human. "You kept the coat," she observed.
"It's a good coat," he shrugged, but gently because of Elvis. "And, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's balls shriveling - it gets cold in the desert at night."
She favored him with a glare he felt certain was meant to mimic those desert nights. "I'd like a word in private." She turned and strode towards a corner of the yard unoccupied by any but two Corps warrant officers. As he and Satsuke came near, her escort moved out of hearing range, but remained close enough to deal with Gideon, should he prove troublesome.
Gideon wasn't feeling troublesome; he was feeling curious. "So, I’m guessing it's you I have to thank for," he gestured to the gate, "all this?"
"Not me," Satsuke said. "But it was my division that started the ball rolling."
Gideon said nothing, but the skepticism must have shown on his face.
"That surprises you?"
"I'm just trying to imagine a world where CIOD gives a comb about an infantry colonel convicted of treason," he said, perversely pleased he could speak the word aloud and not choke on it.
"And normally we wouldn't," she said shortly. "But one of my officers was chasing a ghost in the ranks—" here she hesitated.
"Ghost?" he prompted.
"Odile."
Hearing the name, Gideon kept his expression as blank as — a really blank thing. He had to because, as far as the Corps was concerned, Odile had been convicted and incarcerated six years ago, in the person of Colonel Gideon Quinn.
"Exactly," Satsuke sounded almost pleased as she responded to his silence. "A fool's errand, and one I refused to authorize."
At which point Gideon couldn't even pretend to hide his confusion. "Then, why are you here?"
"I refused to authorize an investigation into Odile at the time," Satsuke clarified. "But then, as the months passed, we became aware of a continued hostile presence within the Corps."
"Presence?"
She grimaced, clearly unhappy. "Mission objectives leaked, research facilities sabotaged, mobile units attacked with enough precision to tell us the enemy knew where they could be found. A steady stream of intelligence was being broadcast to the enemy up to the moment the Peace Accords were signed last Quaitember."
"Sorry, I can't take credit for it, this time — been busy culling crystal for the past few years."
She gave him another of those 'night in the desert' glares. "Sarcasm doesn't become you."
"But it's so slimming."
"I can now understand why your records include a disciplinary packet as thick as an Amazonian redwood."
"Misunderstandings, most of them.” He shrugged, causing Elvis to flutter, hissing. "Sorry."
"Can we at least attempt to stay on problem?" Satsuke asked.
"To be honest, I'm not sure what the problem is," he said, unable to hold back the exasperation. "The war is over, the good guys won in spite of whatever ghosts you people think you have, so — why are you here? Why are we even having this conversation?"
"I am here because, despite serving a brutal sentence for treason against the United Colonies, you still consider us the good guys," Satsuke told him. "And because, as
Gideon looked as well, giving the draco a habitual tickle under the chin. "Elvis came along two years ago," he said, not elaborating further. He doubted Satsuke would care how Elvis had imprinted him on after Gideon (stupidly, Doc later told him while administering the anti-venom) put himself between the draco hatchling and a hungry desert viper.
"Elvis," he said, gesturing to Satsuke, "say hello to the general."
Elvis tilted his head up and bobbed it down long enough to make it seem a genuine bow before raising it up again with a low, trilling sound.
Satsuke's brow raised slightly, then she nodded back to the draco before returning her attention to the draco's human. "You kept the coat," she observed.
"It's a good coat," he shrugged, but gently because of Elvis. "And, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's balls shriveling - it gets cold in the desert at night."
She favored him with a glare he felt certain was meant to mimic those desert nights. "I'd like a word in private." She turned and strode towards a corner of the yard unoccupied by any but two Corps warrant officers. As he and Satsuke came near, her escort moved out of hearing range, but remained close enough to deal with Gideon, should he prove troublesome.
Gideon wasn't feeling troublesome; he was feeling curious. "So, I’m guessing it's you I have to thank for," he gestured to the gate, "all this?"
"Not me," Satsuke said. "But it was my division that started the ball rolling."
Gideon said nothing, but the skepticism must have shown on his face.
"That surprises you?"
"I'm just trying to imagine a world where CIOD gives a comb about an infantry colonel convicted of treason," he said, perversely pleased he could speak the word aloud and not choke on it.
"And normally we wouldn't," she said shortly. "But one of my officers was chasing a ghost in the ranks—" here she hesitated.
"Ghost?" he prompted.
"Odile."
Hearing the name, Gideon kept his expression as blank as — a really blank thing. He had to because, as far as the Corps was concerned, Odile had been convicted and incarcerated six years ago, in the person of Colonel Gideon Quinn.
"Exactly," Satsuke sounded almost pleased as she responded to his silence. "A fool's errand, and one I refused to authorize."
At which point Gideon couldn't even pretend to hide his confusion. "Then, why are you here?"
"I refused to authorize an investigation into Odile at the time," Satsuke clarified. "But then, as the months passed, we became aware of a continued hostile presence within the Corps."
"Presence?"
She grimaced, clearly unhappy. "Mission objectives leaked, research facilities sabotaged, mobile units attacked with enough precision to tell us the enemy knew where they could be found. A steady stream of intelligence was being broadcast to the enemy up to the moment the Peace Accords were signed last Quaitember."
"Sorry, I can't take credit for it, this time — been busy culling crystal for the past few years."
She gave him another of those 'night in the desert' glares. "Sarcasm doesn't become you."
"But it's so slimming."
"I can now understand why your records include a disciplinary packet as thick as an Amazonian redwood."
"Misunderstandings, most of them.” He shrugged, causing Elvis to flutter, hissing. "Sorry."
"Can we at least attempt to stay on problem?" Satsuke asked.
"To be honest, I'm not sure what the problem is," he said, unable to hold back the exasperation. "The war is over, the good guys won in spite of whatever ghosts you people think you have, so — why are you here? Why are we even having this conversation?"
"I am here because, despite serving a brutal sentence for treason against the United Colonies, you still consider us the good guys," Satsuke told him. "And because, as
Readers choose
Tereska Torres
Donna Lea Simpson
Lindsey Davis
Laura Marie Altom
Sam Crescent
Karin Slaughter
C S Court
Robyn Carr
Sharon Hartley