Wotan, August 11, 3065...Star Commander Mark Jade Falcon was disciplined, talented, and focused. He was NOT available for the Kowloon mission, but he WAS available for Nathan's research.
"Have a seat, Star Commander." Nathan said, "You were adopted from the Blackjack student warriors, quiaff?"
"Aff sir." Mark replied, "what is this inquiry about, if I may know, Ovkhan?"
"You were in the same class as Cadet Henry Ngo, quiaff?"
"Greenskin Ngo? aff."
"Says you shared several classes with him. what was your impression?"
"He was...dedicated, Star Colonel sir." Mark said, "Henry kept fighting to the end, he did not go down...It was...It was ugly, sir, how he died."
"What was his relationship to you?" Nathan asked, "Be honest about it, there is no reason to gloss over the matter."
Mark frowned and closed his eyes, "I hated the son of a bitch." he said, "Most of us did. I know it is not...appropriate, to express racial prejudices, Star Colonel. I have learned to better myself, but when I was a
cadet? Hated him, and not for any meritorious reason, I hated him for being
different."
"I see, what about your classmates?" Nathan asked, "were your views common?"
"I thought they were." Mark said, "on reflection I know better now. Henry did have friends. You might find a few are still alive, he even had kind of a...an almost girlfriend, Shelby Hoffenstein, I believe she goes by 'Shelby Jade Falcon' now, but I have not kept up on her assignments or career, so I do not know where you might find her-she was as close to him as anyone in our class...is this about his mean little sister showing up on Blackjack last year?"
"Aff." Nathan said.
Nathan dismissed the young officer after a few more minutes of conversation, and headed for the Intelligence section.
It took him five minutes to find where Shelby had been assigned.
***
Facility Laundry, Firebase 22, Leskovic"Shelby! You are wanted at the Personnel office!" The Merchant Supervisor barked.
Laborer Shelby finished piling the sheets into the 1000 liter hot-washer, wiped her hands, and walked past her colleagues. "ooh, in tru-bulll!" Lara, her second shift partner, chanted.
"stow it ja? of course I'm in trouble. all un-clanlike and stuff." Shelby said with a malicious gleam in her eyes.
The fat merchant supervisor wouldn't have come down to the floor without someone pushing him, she was certain. Trouble would also be a certainty, and she covered up the fear and teh anxiety by exaggerating her hip-sway and fixing a mocking grin on her face.
The office assistant just waved her past two Elementals standing guard over the break-room that doubled as an office for the facility.
"Holy shit." Shelby didn't stop it from coming out in time. A Star Colonel was sitting on the super's desk. Not
at the desk, but on it.
"Shelby Hoffenstein, Blackjack cadet. demoted to laborer due to injuries, you look healthy."
"Neuroburn." she said, "I'm not reliable enough for service as a tech, and a neurohelmet will kill me." she answered, "Which you already know since you're holding my file."
"aff. long disciplinary history here. It is amazing you managed not to do anything worthy of summary execution." he said, "Given the number of marks on your record."
"I'm good at my job." she said.
He snorted. "Yes, you are...I have a different job for you." he told her. "Something more in line with your actual talents, but I want to ask you a few questions first."
"That contraband was there when I got assigned to the room." she said defensively.
"I am sure it was not." he said mildly, "Sit down, This really is
not about your stash of intoxicants or misuse of work-credit, or the books. I want to ask you some questions about someone you knew."
"you want me to inform?"
"No." he said, "The person in question is dead. One of your Classmates, Cadet Henry Ngo."
She winced visibly, a brief expression of pain before she mastered her face.
"you were close." he stated. "So you will do nicely for my purposes."
"What do you want to know?" she asked, a little bit of broken in her tone.
"Everything about him...and then, you are coming to work for me directly." Nathan told her.
"Why?"
"because you will help me bring him home." Nathan told her. "Your other physicals have been good, you maintain your muscle tone."
"I work hard." she said, "Keeping in shape on the limited rations we get is better than letting my body go."
"Then, you will be tested as infantry." he told her, "It is a solahma post, but it has to be better than second shift laundry and day labor on a road crew, I could just keep you as a laborer in the support role, but for the job I have in mind, I prefer not to have to hunt down my assets because some other warrior did not want to wash his own socks."
