Message podsmust have preceded their arrival here, and patrol ships were on orders toattack without further attempt at communication. They may be mercs, butthey're our mercs, and I wish 'em well. The new man from Central News talked a good job, but thathe was still at Aromanis instead of Beregesh suggested otherwise toVarlik. Even several trade worldshad gotten started that way, though in cases where they'd been colonizedbefore the Amberian Erasure, there was only folklore or learnedsupposition to tell of it.
He's exasperated from dealing with civilian bureaucrats and army datashufflers for the past ten days-people who use Standard Management toslow things down instead of make them go smoothly. One of the last two hadbeen a full colonel; and he suspected he'd killed the brigade exec. She knew these youths, and Voker, and liked them all very much. Then, after a bit, there'd been light,like a distant floodlight, paling the tree crowns where they overhung theedges of the narrow roadway, and he'd heard a sound behind him likerunning feet.
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