Interesting Times, Dangerous Places: #350 “Fight or Flight” 01/25/3133
INN - Interstellar News Network
I turned, slowly, to face the too-familiar voice. “Hello, Diane. I didn’t realize you were
here.” With the exception of her clothing— she wore the green and blue favored by
the Swordsworn rather than the purples of the Mariks—she seemed little changed
from when we’d last met. Where was that?
“Well, I see you’ve not changed much since Sadurni,” she said.
“I thought it was New Delos?” I quipped, perhaps not wisely. The old Diane would’
ve just scowled at me. I wasn’t so sure about this pro-FedSuns incarnation. She now
wore the insignia of a Leftenant-Colonel rather than her old Leftenants bars. I pushed.
“Congratulations on the promotion.”
“You’ve not changed,” she said, easing off the hammer and sliding the automatic back
into its holster. She pulled up a chair and sat down heavily. “But I’m serious about the
spy thing. No freebies.”
“Di . . . ” She scowled and pursed her lips. I remembered that look and the temper it
reflected, but pressed on anyway. “I may be after a story, but I have no desire to get
people killed. I can’t file anything without your assistance or until I’m back in
Anqabad anyway, so why don’t you just trust me?” For once, I added mentally.
“Think of me as a historian rather than a journalist.” She game me a stony stare, then
decided.
“Okay. No releases without my approval?” I agreed.
It appeared that the Wolves had pushed the Swordsworn back into the Great Maze
but, as I’d already heard, the landscape played havoc with their sensors. In the close
confines of the Maze, the Clanners were unable to bring their full might to bear on the
Swordsworn. This gave the defenders a substantial advantage by allowing them to
shift their forces to meet each Wolf assault and crush them, albeit at a price like the
Spider I’d seen in the ’Mech bay. “And the present dispositions?”
“We’re holding, pretty much. I think the Wolves have given up.” She didn’t know
Sadia Wolf, and I told her as much. “Is the great Cameron Shaw taking sides?” she
asked, a smile tugging at her thin lips. For a moment, I was back in the League, when
both of us were somewhat younger and less restrained, but then reality took hold
once more.
“If you’d read my columns, you’d already have an assessment of Wolf. She’s old-
school.” Meaning her attitude and practices were more akin to those who led the Clan
invasion rather than modern “enlightened” Clanners like Kev Rosse. I drained my
mug. “You know she has EI?” EI was an acronym for Enhanced Imaging implants,
devices that fed ’Mech sensor signals directly into the recipient’s brain, usually at the
cost of the user’s sanity. That got me a raised eyebrow. “Again, public domain.” I
could almost hear the ideas rattling inside her brain.
There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Diane called. An orderly came in and handed
her a handset. She listened for a moment, and then acknowledged the report. She
turned back to me, her expression smug. “It appears that the Wolves have withdrawn.
Not entirely, I’ll admit, but far enough. Taking time to rest and repair.” The smile
faded from her face and her eyes locked on a point in space. She sat there for thirty
seconds, which felt more like minutes, then suddenly stood and turned to the orderly.
“Tell Goldstein to saddle up Beta. It’s time we took back the initiative.” She turned to
me, and I really didn’t like the look on her face. “You like being in the heart of the
battle, don’t you? You’re about to get your chance again.”
INN is pleased to announce a syndication deal with Black Border publications for the
rights to publish articles by famed political and war correspondent Cameron Shaw.
Mr. Shaw is best known for his coverage of the ongoing conflict in the former Free
Worlds League. His knack for being in the right place (or the wrong place, depending
on your point of view) at the right time has put him in the thick of many of the great
engagements of recent years. He reported from Albi on Manihiki as forces of the
Regulan Fiefs seized the city, and from Sophie’s World when the Oriente Protectorate
and Marik-Stewart Commonwealth clashed for control of that strategic world. He is
known for his long-running syndicated diary “Interesting Times, Dangerous Places,”
in which he portrays the great events of our time with a mix of humor and pathos.
INN - Interstellar News Network
I turned, slowly, to face the too-familiar voice. “Hello, Diane. I didn’t realize you were
here.” With the exception of her clothing— she wore the green and blue favored by
the Swordsworn rather than the purples of the Mariks—she seemed little changed
from when we’d last met. Where was that?
“Well, I see you’ve not changed much since Sadurni,” she said.
“I thought it was New Delos?” I quipped, perhaps not wisely. The old Diane would’
ve just scowled at me. I wasn’t so sure about this pro-FedSuns incarnation. She now
wore the insignia of a Leftenant-Colonel rather than her old Leftenants bars. I pushed.
“Congratulations on the promotion.”
“You’ve not changed,” she said, easing off the hammer and sliding the automatic back
into its holster. She pulled up a chair and sat down heavily. “But I’m serious about the
spy thing. No freebies.”
“Di . . . ” She scowled and pursed her lips. I remembered that look and the temper it
reflected, but pressed on anyway. “I may be after a story, but I have no desire to get
people killed. I can’t file anything without your assistance or until I’m back in
Anqabad anyway, so why don’t you just trust me?” For once, I added mentally.
“Think of me as a historian rather than a journalist.” She game me a stony stare, then
decided.
“Okay. No releases without my approval?” I agreed.
It appeared that the Wolves had pushed the Swordsworn back into the Great Maze
but, as I’d already heard, the landscape played havoc with their sensors. In the close
confines of the Maze, the Clanners were unable to bring their full might to bear on the
Swordsworn. This gave the defenders a substantial advantage by allowing them to
shift their forces to meet each Wolf assault and crush them, albeit at a price like the
Spider I’d seen in the ’Mech bay. “And the present dispositions?”
“We’re holding, pretty much. I think the Wolves have given up.” She didn’t know
Sadia Wolf, and I told her as much. “Is the great Cameron Shaw taking sides?” she
asked, a smile tugging at her thin lips. For a moment, I was back in the League, when
both of us were somewhat younger and less restrained, but then reality took hold
once more.
“If you’d read my columns, you’d already have an assessment of Wolf. She’s old-
school.” Meaning her attitude and practices were more akin to those who led the Clan
invasion rather than modern “enlightened” Clanners like Kev Rosse. I drained my
mug. “You know she has EI?” EI was an acronym for Enhanced Imaging implants,
devices that fed ’Mech sensor signals directly into the recipient’s brain, usually at the
cost of the user’s sanity. That got me a raised eyebrow. “Again, public domain.” I
could almost hear the ideas rattling inside her brain.
There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Diane called. An orderly came in and handed
her a handset. She listened for a moment, and then acknowledged the report. She
turned back to me, her expression smug. “It appears that the Wolves have withdrawn.
Not entirely, I’ll admit, but far enough. Taking time to rest and repair.” The smile
faded from her face and her eyes locked on a point in space. She sat there for thirty
seconds, which felt more like minutes, then suddenly stood and turned to the orderly.
“Tell Goldstein to saddle up Beta. It’s time we took back the initiative.” She turned to
me, and I really didn’t like the look on her face. “You like being in the heart of the
battle, don’t you? You’re about to get your chance again.”
INN is pleased to announce a syndication deal with Black Border publications for the
rights to publish articles by famed political and war correspondent Cameron Shaw.
Mr. Shaw is best known for his coverage of the ongoing conflict in the former Free
Worlds League. His knack for being in the right place (or the wrong place, depending
on your point of view) at the right time has put him in the thick of many of the great
engagements of recent years. He reported from Albi on Manihiki as forces of the
Regulan Fiefs seized the city, and from Sophie’s World when the Oriente Protectorate
and Marik-Stewart Commonwealth clashed for control of that strategic world. He is
known for his long-running syndicated diary “Interesting Times, Dangerous Places,”
in which he portrays the great events of our time with a mix of humor and pathos.
| January 25, 3133 |