An Uneasy Alliance: Book 4 of the Sentenced to War Series

by Chaney, J. N.

  “Punch?”

  There was no answer, and Rev and a moment of rising panic until he remembered that she’d put his battle buddy to sleep. He really wished Punch was awake.

  But what she said made sense. It was just that after being arrested and held prisoner by D-4, after being accused of treason by them, Rev’s trust level of Interior Security was less than optimal.

  “So? You ready? Or do you want to spend the next day or so playing what else do you remember?”

  Rev reluctantly nodded. It wasn’t as if he had a choice.

  The agent reached out and pressed the top of the cylinder. A puff of mist shot out.

  She looked at Rev, then, with an exasperated sigh, said, “You actually have to inhale.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Rev hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath. “Try again.”

  She held the cylinder closer and depressed the top again.

  Despite his resolve, Rev held his breath again for a moment before he gave in and breathed in. There was a light hint of mint but nothing else. He took stock of himself, but he didn’t feel any different.

  “Now, with that done, let’s see if we can proceed. Just as described in your brief, I’m going to be asking you some questions. Just speak freely. Remember, I can’t force you to answer anything you don’t want to. I’m just going to guide you as you try and recover memories that might pertain. You ready?”

  Rev wasn’t so sure that she couldn’t dig things out, maybe things he didn’t want her to know. Maybe that was true; maybe it wasn’t. But he hadn’t done anything wrong, so he should be fine.

  Should be.

  “So, let’s start with this one. Who have you gotten close to during your time in the Home Guard so far?”

  Rev had to consider it. No, that wasn’t what it was. He knew the answer, but he had to remember how to form the words.

  “Bob. Rice. Toshi.”

  Maybe that mist is having an effect on me.

  “Who are they?”

  “You know. Bob is Ting-a-ling. He’s a fry. Good guy, Bob.”

  “OK, good. Let’s talk about Yellow-Master Tjivyrtzlin. Has he asked you for technical data on your IBHU?”

  Rev mumbled a reply. He wasn’t quite sure what he said, but it seemed to elicit another question from the agent.

  Question, answer. Question, answer. Rev was somewhat aware of the process, but nothing was sinking in. He had to imagine that nothing he said was making any sense, and that bothered him. The agent wanted answers, but he couldn’t give them. It was embarrassing.

  He didn’t know how long this went on. An hour? A day? Time didn’t really mean much until everything seemed to come into focus. The agent was standing before him, the cylinder back in front of his face. The scent of roses, not mint, filled his senses.

  “You back with me, Staff Sergeant.”

  Rev scraped his tongue against his top teeth. It felt like it was covered with moss.

  “Are we done?”

  “Yes, we’re done,” the agent said as she slipped the cylinder back into her briefcase.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more.”

  She gave a chuckle and said, “Oh, you did fine. Better than most, in fact.”

  “But I don’t know what I told you.”

  “You told me a lot. You wouldn’t have been able to do that, though, unless you had used the techniques you were taught to anchor those memories into your neocortex.”

  “Is there anything you need to tell me?”

  “If not me, then someone will be in contact with you after we’ve analyzed your observations. But I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn to say we’re going to want you to get closer to Lieutenant Vreemish. That’s an excellent contact you made there. Really good thinking to use that connection, and good initiative. I think that relationship has the potential to become very useful.”

  Rev wanted to protest that he hadn’t met with the MDS lieutenant for some sort of intel operation. He’d just wanted to meet his MDS counterpart on Earth, and then he’d discovered that he just liked the man. But he kept quiet. Protesting wouldn’t do him any good, and it could work against him.

  There were some things they’d discussed that Rev had decided to keep to himself. Now he wondered how much he’d told her.

  She stood up and offered her hand. “Good job, and I look forward to your next debrief.”

  Rev took the hand and shook it. “Me, too, ma’am.”

  “Go on. Get back to your unit. I imagine you’ve got a lot to do.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He started to leave, glad that the debrief was over but wondering what instructions he’d be given based on an analysis of his answers.

  “And have a good leave back home,” she said as he passed through the door.

  Of course, she knows I’m going on leave. She’s D-4.

  25

  “With no more Centaurs, why do you still have to fight?” Kat asked.

  Rev had fought humans before: the Children of Angels. And Kat was still pretty sensitive about that. Her biological parents had been killed in the fighting, but not before they offered her up as a suicide bomber. Rev tried to choose his words, but Neesy came to his rescue.

  “Silly. Rev already said so. There’re pirates and other bad guys out there. Rev fights those guys, right?” Neesy asked, looking at Rev for confirmation.

  “We just want to make sure that everyone is safe,” Rev said as he pulled her head in and kissed the top. He didn’t want to get into the nasty side of human conflict where other humans were your target.

  His dad looked up from where he was sitting in the front seat and caught Rev’s eyes in the mirror. “I saw the news about that ship. The Nightingale.”

  “Nightingale’s Song.”

  “You’ll have to tell me about that later.”

  “What’s that?” Neesy asked. “Tell us.”

  Rev’s father was still looking at him in the mirror, and Rev gave a slight shake of his head.

  “Give him a break, girls. He just got back from the home system. Let him catch his breath.”

  Rev put his arms around the girls on either side of him. “And I’m happy to be home. A whole week.”

  And Rev was happy. He missed his family. He missed his friends. He had new friends, of course, but Enceladus wasn’t home, and it never would be.

  Normally, Rev wouldn’t be due his home leave for another seven months, but with the new policy of units returning from deployment slipping into an alert unit status, it was now or not for close to another year before he could take leave. He’d chosen take this leave slot while Fox company was in a logistics stand down in prep to become part of the alert force.

  He’d probably regret that in a year when he would have been on leave, but for the moment, he was just going to enjoy his time at home. While there was going to be a meet up with his friends at Leteeka’s tomorrow, for tonight, it was just going to be a quiet evening at home with a good meal and catching up with the family.

  “Your mother asked me to ask you if Malaika’s coming over tonight,” his father said.

  “No. She said she’s got work.”

  Rev was bending the truth with the “said” part. He didn’t really know where she was for sure, but he figured it was a good guess.

  His father harrumphed. “You’d think she could take off a few days with you back.”

  Rev had thought the same thing, but he felt he had to stick up for her. “She just started the job, and they won’t let her miss any work until she’s certified.”

  The expression on his father’s face in the mirror was a good indication of what he thought of that.

  “I’m going to let your mom know we’re almost there. She has some sort of soufflé that has to be put in at just the right time.”

  “Souffle?”

  “She’s gotten even better than when you left,” his father said. “It’s putting the kilograms on me, though,” he added, patting his belly.

&
nbsp; While he was growing up, Rev’s mother was not a cook. He doubted that she could hard boil an egg. Then the cooking bug bit her. Her first dishes were pretty bad, not even close to matching the dining fabricator in the kitchen. But during his time in the regiment, she’d gotten better and better to the point that Rev looked forward to eating with the family. And now, it looked like he was going to try a souffle. He didn’t really know what one was—something with eggs, he gathered—but he knew it was supposed to be gourmet, and now his stomach rumbled at the thought. Neesy and Kat laughed uproariously when they heard it, Kat patting his stomach. Even Rev laughed.

  Yes, it was good to be home.

  They pulled up into the driveway. Neesy and Kat fought over carrying Rev’s valpack, the military version of a small suitcase. He hadn’t brought enough to justify a seabag.

  Rev’s father opened the door to the house, and then as if in an afterthought, stepped aside and motioned Rev to enter.

  “Home sweet—”

  “SURPRISE!”

  Rev’s mouth dropped open as at least thirty people shouted at him. Most were neighbors and family friends, but Cricket and a very pregnant Udu were among the guests.

  Rev was tired from the passage, and he’d wanted a quiet evening, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

  And at the moment, he was fine with that.

  * * *

  Leteeka’s wasn’t as busy as the last time Rev was there. As more bars and pubs reopened, there were more choices. Not for Rev, though. Only Leteeka’s would do.

  Rev would have liked it a little busier, however, at least at their table. Tomiko’s unit was off-planet training on Perth. Bundy was off at butter bar school, finishing up learning how to be a lieutenant. Ten had planned on being there, but at the last moment had called and said she was feeling under the weather. Malaika was at work.

  At least he could see Ten later on, but he’d miss Tomiko and Bundy on this trip. If he’d realized that they wouldn’t be around, he’d have taken his leave after being on alert status.

  Should have checked, he told himself as he took another sip of the Hausner.

  But still, with Udu and Cricket—it continued to amaze him that Cricket, of all people, was going to be a father—Orpheus, and Yancey, it was good to get at least some of the posse together.

  And from the Raiders, Strap, Porter, Radić, and Doc Paul were there. Hussein was at some school, but he’d sent a message that the first round was on him.

  All told, it was a good gathering, and while Rev was disappointed that Tomiko, Bundy, and Hussein weren’t there, the rest kept him so busy with questions on life in the Home Guard that he couldn’t dwell on it.

  Udu shifted in her seat uncomfortably, and Cricket immediately cut off whatever he was saying to Yancey and asked her if she was OK.

  “Get your son out of my belly, and I’ll be OK,” she said, leaning back and stretching. “He’s gonna be a professional dancer, I swear.”

  Rev smiled as an image of Cricket Junior standing up and doing the dances he’d seen on Barclay sprang to his mind, his baby face all serious as his feet beat a tattoo in Udu’s womb.

  She then told him she’d manage, but maybe another pomegranate juice would help settle her. Rev didn’t even know Leteeka’s offered pomegranate juice, but Cricket jumped up and scurried off to the bar.

  “How’s it been?” Rev asked, nodding at her belly. Udu was a big woman, and she didn’t look overly large compared to other pregnant women he’d seen. Besides, she’d been a Marine, so he knew she was tough.

  She leaned forward and pulled Rev in. “It sucks, but not really so bad as I let on. I like having Cricket wait on me hand and foot. Especially foot. He’s got a tremendous foot massage technique. You should try him sometime.”

  That did not sound like the Cricket Rev knew. He glanced over to where Cricket was at the bar. Maybe impending fatherhood changed people.

  “Well, next time I’m pregnant, maybe I will.”

  Udu laughed. “Some new augment they give for Home Guard duty?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me, that’s for sure.” He paused as the thought struck him, then asked, “Your augments. Have they made any, you know, difference in your pregnancy?”

  She ran her hands over her belly. “They had to take out some of my spiderweb to let this little guy grow. And with the strengthening of all the joints, it’ll have to be a Cesarean.”

  Rev frowned. He’d never considered how the augments might affect childbirth.

  “Mala will have to go through the same thing when you two decide to have kids.”

  Rev couldn’t hide the grimace. Whatever he and Malaika were, it wasn’t prospective parents. Even ignoring the fact that he had just over two years left in the Home Guard, he and Malaika were just . . . casually dating? They’d never really discussed it enough to have a handy label.

  Udu laughed and pointed at him. “Oh, look at you, Rev. Your face just went white. You think that way now, but when the time is right, you’ll be ready to be a father. Look at my man.”

  If Udu wanted to believe that his reaction was only related to being a father instead of being a father with Malaika, then he wasn’t going to disabuse her of that belief.

  “Look at me what?” Cricket said, bringing her juice.

  Udu reached up and took his arms, then brought them around her and put his hands on her belly. “Just telling him that you’re gonna be a great dad.”

  Rev had always heard that pregnant women glowed, but at the moment, it was Cricket he could swear was glowing. His friend was happy, and what more could anyone ask?

  * * *

  Rev sat at the table, idly stirring his coffee. Rabbit’s was hardly a romantic spot to meet. It served decent enough food, but it was always bustling with activity.

  He checked the time. Malaika was fifteen minutes late. But she’d warned him she was coming after work, and she was probably getting dressed up for the occasion.

  Rev had been disappointed that somehow, for the last five days, she’d been too busy with work and family to see him. That didn’t bode well, but he was determined to make the best of it. He had a room reserved at the same transient camp where they’d spent the night way back when, and he’d arranged for a huge bouquet of peach-colored roses to be waiting there for them.

  He lifted his arm and took a quick whiff of his armpit. It passed the sniff test. Despite his frustration in not seeing her, he was beginning to get excited. It had been almost a year since he’d spent any time with her, and that was a long time to remain celibate.

  “You need a refill?” the waiter asked.

  Rabbit’s might serve typical fabricated fare, but they switched to a live wait staff after the Centaur invasion. With so many facilities destroyed, unemployment had been rampant and was only now beginning to recover.

  “She going to show up?” the waiter asked as he poured the coffee.

  Rev shrugged. “She said she is. We haven’t seen each other for almost a year.”

  “Really? Where’ve you been? Or is it her who’s been away?”

  Rev wasn’t sure he wanted to get into it with a waiter, but he said, “I’ve been away to the Home System. I’m in the Home Guard.”

  “No shit? The Home Guard?” the waiter said, his voice rising in excitement. He looked at Rev’s social arm and asked, “You get that in the war?”

  Now he wished he’d just ignored the man.

  “Yeah. Lost it in the war.”

  “Hey, the owner here, he’s a big military fan. Whatever you and your lady order, it’ll be on the house.”

  “It’s OK. I can pay.”

  “Nothing doing. We know you Marines don’t get paid much. It’s our duty to support you.”

  With his Home Guard pay, Rev was not strapped for cash. But he could tell he wasn’t going to win this, so he just thanked the server.

  He settled back to wait for Malaika. His quantphone was heavy in his pocket, but he resisted the urge to call and ask
where she was. He didn’t want to seem too eager.

  Twenty-two minutes after she said she’d be there, Malaika arrived.

  Well, I guess she didn’t go home to freshen up after all.

  She was standing in the doorway, looking for him, still wearing her light blue GKS Company work shirt and tan trousers. She spotted him and started to make her way over.

  Rev stood to greet her, and as they came in for a hug, he leaned forward to give her a kiss, catching her cheek as she turned her head at the last moment.

  Accident in timing or on purpose?

  “It’s good to finally see you, Mala.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “You look good.” That wasn’t just small talk. She did look good, and Rev felt a surge of the physical attraction he’d always felt for her.

  “You, too. The home system must be treating you right.”

  Rev shrugged. “It’s OK. Good to be home, though. And my mom says hello.”

  “Oh, wow. How is she? I haven’t seen your family in like forever.”

  “Doing well. The job’s the job, no surprise. I think she’s counting down the years until she can retire. She’s getting much better as a cook, though. She made osso buco last night that was amazing.”

  Malaika showed the first spark of interest since she arrived. “She was plenty good already. I had a lot of meals there after you left.”

  They were still standing, so Rev motioned for them to sit.

  “I haven’t ordered anything. The waiter said they’ve got blackberry cobbler on special.”

  “That sounds good.”

  “Á la mode?”

  Malaika laughed and said, “You know me too well.”

  Which wasn’t true, especially after the last year, but he did know she liked her ice cream.

  Rev motioned for the waiter and ordered two desserts. He had reservations later at Clancy’s, a higher-end restaurant along the River Walk. This was just a sweet appetizer.

  “And the girls. How are they?” she asked.

  Rev would rather not talk about the two of them, but she was probably curious. She’d seen them enough right after Rev had left.