Danislav snorted at the idiocy of the comment, “No, you wouldn’t. Have you got the officer list for the Czarina? She wants to get an early start on making sure your choices are right tomorrow so she isn’t tied up here for too long. ”
Boris passed the folder over. It listed each person’s proposed position and relevant experience.
“Oh and Boris, I’d take Vassily over to her first. I wouldn’t keep him trapped under guard for too much time. He does have a temper. But with his contacts, he could be very useful if he can be trusted.”
Boris only grunted. He didn’t trust Vassily at the moment, but if he had proof that someone else had caused this mess Danislav was right. Boris looked at the clock. Time to get a few hours of sleep before he needed to do talk to Vassily, though.
Janna was surprised that she had been called to this early meeting with Boris and Bethany Anne.
Yesterday Bethany Anne had done as promised. Janna blushed at the memory. When the pod had gone straight up, she’d grabbed Bethany Anne’s leg. The response had been “You are cute. If I were a man, I’d be flattered, but I don’t swing that way so remove your fucking hand.”
At least she had apparently remained relatively calm when Bethany Anne had shown her true nature. She was unsure of how good her control had been, but Bethany Anne assured her that there had been many reactions that were far more extreme. Her trying to open a Pod door into vacuum didn’t really make her feel that her response had been particularly rational at that moment.
Janna shook her head. She now knew more than Boris probably did about what was really going on, including a lot about him, personally. Although she was unsure regarding his capability to think clearly around her. With what she’d been told in private, her new boss insisted that a woman was needed on his command team who didn’t look at him with awe. The implication was that Janna was going to be Boris’s aide de camp.
Boris had accepted that, though he had given Bethany Anne a strange glare. Then he’d put Janna immediately to work organizing and planning. It had been midnight before she’d gotten to bed. It had seemed like a very short time until a polite woman had awakened her in the room she’d been provided — at five AM.
When she walked into the meeting area, Boris and Bethany Anne were seated at a table with an empty chair to one side. There was a hot breakfast laid out buffet fashion. She noticed that Boris had a huge pile of food on his plate which he was attacking with a vengeance. When he looked up, he waved to the chair on the other side of Bethany Anne.
“Come, sit, eat. We are about to interview a person who might either be very useful or has condemned himself to death for his actions. First, you need breakfast.”
He was glad Bethany Anne, with her ability to either sense or force truth, hadn’t left yet. He wasn’t entirely sure he trusted his own opinion on Vassily. It would also be good to have a second opinion on those he was effectively making officers.
Bethany Anne looked at him, shaking her head. She’d finally met someone who could easily eat more than Peter. What Janna didn’t know was that this was Boris’s third plate. Bethany Anne hated to think how he’d survive without food
He has a draw on the Etheric. The data set we have from his time in the pod shows he would suffer no ill effects. He may just enjoy eating.
Thanks, TOM. I didn’t really think that one through did I?
You have a lot on your mind. I only informed you so there was one less thing for you to worry about.
As Boris finished his meal, there was a knock on the door, and Vassily was led in. He blinked when he saw Bethany Anne and was suddenly and obviously far more nervous.
Boris started the discussion, “So Vassily. You thought I was gone and sought to butter your bread by pointing out the history of this town to you ‘friends’ in the government.”
Vassily looked even more nervous now. “No Boris. I swear. I came because I found out who did tell them. I knew as soon as your last contract sponsor wouldn’t provide a photo of your body that you weren’t dead. Then I heard one of my government informants let slip about the force coming here and that the mercenary in residence was dead according to Phillip Simmons. He was on the list of contacts that use that particular method of contacting me. So it all added up in my mind.”
Vassily continued, “I came as soon as I found out. At worst you weren’t back yet, and I’d help Danislav harass this NVG. At best you were, and I could give you the information and help as I could. I wasn’t trying to cross you. I didn’t think the mission you were contracted on was the big screw! I researched the mission as I usually do, no red flags came up. As far as I could tell it was a pretty standard request. For you at least.”
Boris looked to Bethany. She nodded at him.
Boris turned and tried to keep his annoyance off his face. “Very well, I’ll grant that none of the consequences were deliberate on your part.” Vassily relaxed at that. “Still, do you acknowledge a debt to me? And are you willing to work it off?”
Vassily looked up “I will. But what will make you believe that I’m telling the truth?”
Bethany Anne snapped to capture his attention, then her eyes glowed red in the dim office light, “I’m the reason he will believe you.” Vassily’s heart started beating sharply, his forehead broke out in sweat and nearly fainted. He hadn’t realized she was a vampire.
He got his tongue back under control, “Thhhen you kn-kn-know I’m sincere?”
Bethany Anne reverted to her normal human appearance. “Yes. You have been honest and sincere.” She turned to Boris and said “You can trust him. I’ll send you the modified cell phones before the storm hits.”
She rose from her chair and left the room.
Vassily had left yesterday to pump his sources for more information on the NVG. The custom phones had arrived before Vassily had left. TOM and ADAM had assured Boris that they were secure. ADAM also mentioned he was setting up secure communications, and he would send details to each team leader. Janna had explained ADAM to Boris. She was confident ADAM could keep the merely curious and the hackers out. Everyone who stayed would be getting new identities and papers courtesy of ADAM with Frank’s help as well.
The phones were protected from tampering and were secured by voice recognition when using the Etheric connections.
None of Boris’ officers were to take that equipment into operations. ADAM had set up a website secured by himself for other means of communication. Each team would have their own section, each team member their own login. ADAM promised to give Boris and Janna a synopsis each day.
Boris had spent hours going over the lists of people who had volunteered. First, he’d narrowed it by removing at least one parent from each family with children under sixteen. Then he removed those few with university educations. Then, the eldest were removed, making an occasional exception for those who were exceptionally skilled hunters, trackers, or listeners. That brought the numbers of people that were staying down from more than five thousand to around three thousand, seven hundred and fifty.
He decided that was enough reduction. After all, they were likely to take some casualties when they finally faced the NVG to dismantle it.
He was putting off the next task. Paul wanted to talk to him. He suspected the reason, and it was causing him worry. He’d really hoped Paul would choose to go with the group that was headed into space. Boris had taken him into enough situations over the years that should have killed him, but Paul had come through those successfully. Selfishly, Boris just wanted the man who was probably his closest human friend to be safe.