Chapter 14 snippet (brand new writing)

The man reading the message felt an eyebrow rise. Non-descript, he had no problem blending in anywhere. Sitting in a park across from Fleet Command, he had intercepted the transmission without any troubles.

In fact, he mused, face a mask, that they would be amazed at him doing that. The transmission hadn’t been on any channel that Fleet normally used. However, knowing what was happening within the government, he didn’t find that surprising.

So Almir had found their base, he reflected, leaning back. That was going to be interesting to his superiors, since they he had been watching her for years now. Patient to a fault, he had been so subtle that she had never known it either. Now it was starting to become a time for action, and his superiors needed to approve that.

With the knowledge she has, he thought, she was going to be a marked woman now. Throw in the heavily armed battle cruiser out there, and she was in a losing proposition.

With a few taps of his finger, his pocket computer transmitted the message. It would reach his superiors almost instantly, he mused, leaving them time to consider what to do. However, with his task complete, it was time to move along.

Knowing when to leave, he reflected, was the key to blending in. If one stayed too long, then people noticed you; if you were there too short of a time you were noticed. The hardest thing for any operative in the field to do was to learn the happy medium. However, it had always been a second nature to him, which made him such a prized agent by his superiors.

Standing up, he blended in the crowds who frequented the D.C. Park. As he moved along, he kept his pocket computer in his pocket. Cradling it in one pocket, he cradled a pistol in the other. There was never a guarantee that one’s cover would hold, he mused, the metal cold in his grasp. Therefore it was always better to be prepared.

The wind blew around him, causing the trees to rustle. While he didn’t make a habit out of guessing what his next mission was, he did this time. Knowing their interest in Almir, he mused, and her trouble, he wasn’t going to be surprised if they didn’t send him out to assist her. While their organization was a patient one, they didn’t like to lose people they had their eye on. They way they saw it, if anyone was going to eliminate them, it would be them.

He crossed over a small footbridge, looking down at the stream below. How long had it been since he had stayed on any planet a significant time? Gods, it had to be five years now…maybe ten. That was the problem with the job he had; the travel was constant. Wherever his superiors decided they needed him at, he went with no questions asked. While the pay was great, the downside was always living out of a suitcase.

He stepped out of the park and down the sidewalk. If he had to hazard a guess, it would be about an hour before he got his marching papers. It would be just about the right amount of time to have a nice meal. That was one advantage to D.C., he mused, restaurants in town were nice.