Free Conquest of Earth (Stellar Conquest Series) by David VanDyke Page A

cash out. Come on, let’s go get a drink.”
    “I have to –” She gestured at her armor and the Marines sufficiently unhurt to walk away from their own.
    “Let the bots tend to the armor. Gunderson can shepherd the troops.”
    “No. It doesn’t work like that. I make sure all of my people are taken care of before I’m off duty. And I need to go see Bull.” Repeth saw a flash of something very like jealousy cross behind Rick’s eyes, but right then she didn’t care.
    “All right,” Rick said with more than a hint of chill in his voice. “When you’re all done, I’ll be around somewhere.” He stalked away, shaking off her hand.
    “Trouble in paradise?” Master Sergeant Gunderson said from her elbow.
    Turning, Repeth punched the man in his meaty chest hard enough to stagger him. “Shut your cake-hole, you prick. When I want lip from you, I’ll beat it out of you,” she snarled.
    “All right, all right,” he said with upraised hands and a triumphant smile. Needling her had been a favorite game of his ever since Repeth had spurned his advances back on Earth and she knew he’d just scored a point, but she didn’t care. Everyone seemed to want a piece of her and she really wasn’t in the mood.
    “Since you’re untouched,” she said to Gunderson with venom, “you can do the debrief and put everyone not in the infirmary to bed. Have a full report in my queue by 1800. Then you can start a double guard shift on the brig. I’m going to check on the wounded.”
    “There’s no one in the brig, Sergeant Major,” Gunderson said as his face fell.
    “Then guard yourself. Just as long as you’re there and awake. I’ll be checking the logs.”
    Gunderson looked sour and stayed silent.
    “Acknowledge, Marine!” Repeth snapped.
    “Aye aye, Sergeant Major!” Gunderson retorted, drawing himself to attention.
    She left him standing there fuming, and then headed for the infirmary.
    Later, Captain Absen waved her to a seat in his office after offering her a cigarette. She declined, waiting for him to light up.
    He stared at the burning cancer stick in his hand for a moment. “You know, I rarely smoke, even though it’s not particularly risky anymore. I drink a little, I read a lot, I eat…and I work. That’s about it. Do you know why?”
    Repeth thought furiously, wondering what her commander was getting at. She’d expected to give him a firsthand report as Bull usually did, not share some kind of moment. That was what officers were for – standing between her and the skipper. “No, sir, I don’t.”
    “Good. Then probably no one else does either. Whiskey?” Absen reached for the bottle.
    “All right, sir.” It seemed impolite to decline both offers of shared luxury, so she took the glass and sipped at the smoky liquor.
    “So this Blend. Leslie Denham, she calls herself?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Do you believe her?”
    “That she’s who she says she is? Tentatively, yes.” Repeth felt on much firmer ground now, discussing work. “The other Blend that took a shot at her, the one who calls himself Brand, wasn’t playing around and had no way of knowing my response would be nonlethal. Blends aren’t big on self-sacrifice, so that is a point in her favor. Also, she just…feels right.”
    “I’m going to interview her, but I wanted your impression. Anything else that will help me?”
    Repeth sighed. “I didn’t know Raphaela had more children. Ezekiel never said anything to me and I’ve been on several missions with him. I can’t think of any reason to keep a secret like that for so many years.”
    “OPSEC. Need to know.” Absen shrugged. “I guess for now I’ll have to accept Bannum’s and your judgment. I’ve put out an encrypted broadcast for Ezekiel to contact us, but heard nothing. They either didn’t get the transmission or are maintaining EMCON for now. Either way, we’re on our own.”
    “One thing I did think of,” Repeth said. “Blends are rumored to be able to influence