‘Is it time to get up?’
‘It will be soon. You don’t have to wait for the hour bell. Officers are impressed by punctuality. People who are ready before they need to be.’
He went to yank the blankets off Felyx.
‘Don’t you fething dare,’ snapped Felyx. Dalin backed off with a surrendering gesture.
‘Just get up, Felyx,’ he said. ‘You need a shower. We probably both need to see Curth for a lice check too.’
‘Lice?’
‘Yes. Get up. I don’t think you even got undressed last night.’
Dalin looked around the third floor room. It was the one Felyx had been assigned to share with Maddalena. Using Rawne’s authority, Dalin had simply taken it over. As soon as he’d heard Rawne’s name, Meryn hadn’t even questioned it.
Dalin kicked the bunk.
‘Come on, Chass. Get your lazy arse up. Get in the shower.’
‘Go,’ said Felyx. ‘I’ll be right behind you.’
Dalin grabbed his washbag.
‘Make sure you fething are,’ he said.
Zhukova jogged across the yard to the brazier where Mkoll and Bonin stood, sipping tin mugs of caffeine. She was shaking out her arms and flexing.
‘Safe for a circuit?’ she asked.
Bonin raised his eyebrows.
‘Safe enough,’ said Mkoll.
‘Thanks, chief,’ she said.
‘Zhukova? Captain?’
She had been about to start running. She looked back.
‘What is it, chief?’
‘You got time for a word?’
She walked back to them.
‘I’ll check the perimeter again,’ said Bonin.
‘Stay lucky, Mach,’ said Mkoll as the scout walked off.
‘What’s this about?’ Zhukova asked.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ said Mkoll.
‘Ooh, steady.’
Mkoll didn’t smile.
‘You know what your reputation was when you came to us?’ he asked.
She scowled. ‘Let me gakking guess,’ she said.
‘The pretty girl,’ said Mkoll. ‘Too pretty. Far too pretty to be a good soldier. Must’ve got her rank by being pretty. The trophy officer. Looks good on Vervunhive recruitment posters.’
‘Feth you,’ she said.
He shrugged.
‘It’s true, isn’t it?’ he asked.
‘I fought, chief. Planetary defence force, scratch company, then militia, then Guard. I earned my bars. I earned my place.’
‘Not saying you didn’t. I’m saying that’s what men always think.’
Zhukova sighed.
‘It’s followed me all my life. Men think what they think, and they tend to be dumb.’ She pointed to her face. ‘Didn’t ask for this. In the Vervun War, sometimes I hoped for a shrapnel wound. Get caught in a blitz cloud from one of the gakking woe machines, you know? Mess this up a bit, so people would start taking me seriously.’
Mkoll nodded.
‘Just this morning,’ she said. ‘Ban Daur’s my friend. I’ve known him years. Even he made a crack. Didn’t mean to be hurtful. Just the usual Zhukova jokes. “Oh, she’s beautiful. Must’ve screwed her way through some officers to get that rank.” I’m sick of it. It’s not just the men. Elodie’s all right with me now, but at first she thought I was some old flame come to scoop Ban away. And Pasha, Throne love her, is always warning men about me. That I use my looks to get what I want.’
‘Do you?’ he asked.
‘What do you think?’
‘I don’t think you should be a captain,’ said Mkoll.
She blinked. A flush rose in her cheeks.
‘I expected…’ she stammered. ‘From you, at least. Feth you. Feth you to hell.’
‘I don’t think you should be a captain, because it’s a waste,’ he said.
She frowned.
‘You’re a good soldier, and you look the way you do,’ said Mkoll simply. ‘You’re going to get promoted. Favoured. Chosen over others. Smart. Good-looking. Articulate.’
‘You trying to get in my pants now, Mkoll?’
He snorted.
‘I’m saying you took the obvious route. Career advancement. But I saw you work. On the Armaduke. And up on that roof yesterday. That wasn’t just good soldiering. You can lead men, Zhukova, but you are very good at individual action.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, surprised.
‘It made me review your service record. I gave it a lot of thought. See, I’m not just looking for good soldiers. I’m looking for specialists.’
‘Really?’ she asked.
‘Pasha’s back on her feet. Company command won’t stay yours. So it’ll come to you and Spetnin for T Company, and you’ll get it, because you look like you. And that’ll be a waste of Spetnin because, let’s be fair, he’s a fething good officer.’
Mkoll gazed idly up at the roosting eagle watching them.
‘So that’s a double shame. He’ll get demoted, so we lose a good line commander. And you’ll get the command, which is fine, but doesn’t play to your true talents. You’re wasted as a captain. Anyone can be an officer.’
‘Well, not anyone,’ she said.
‘I don’t know. Look at Meryn. Some people make decent officers. Some people make great officers. But almost no one makes a great scout.’
‘A scout?’ she asked.
‘What do you think?’
‘You’re offering me a place in the scout cadre?’
‘That’s what I seem to be doing, yeah,’ he said.
‘I never asked to–’
‘I pick the Tanith scouts, Zhukova. I don’t take volunteers. You’d keep your rank, but you’d answer to me. You’d give up your company command.’
‘What… what does Pasha say? Or Gaunt?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said, with a careless shrug. ‘I haven’t asked anyone yet. I’m asking you first. Say no, and no one needs to be any wiser. Say yes… Well, Gaunt has very seldom not taken my recommendations.’
‘I‘m saying yes,’ she said.
He nodded. He tried not to smile, but her smile was bright and infectious.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘Oh, no, Zhukova. Don’t thank me. No one ever thanks me for making this their life.’
‘Well, I am. I’d kiss you, but that would not improve my terrible reputation.’
‘It would not.’ Mkoll shook out his mug and turned away.
‘Enjoy your run,’ he said.
Mkoll walked back to the billet habs.
‘You ask her?’ asked Bonin. He was watching Zhukova extend her stride as she made off along the entry track.
‘Yup.’
‘And?’
‘She said yes.’
Bonin nodded and smiled.
‘Good news,’ he said.
‘About time we had some,’ Mkoll agreed.
The eagle took flight overhead.
‘Look sharp,’ Bonin said.
Vehicles were coming down the track towards the camp. Two Tauroxes, front and back of a Chimera.
‘They’re flying pennants. Staff vehicles,’ said Bonin. ‘We’ve got some fething lord fething general inbound.’
‘Go get Rawne and Kolea, quick,’ said Mkoll.
The vehicles pulled up in the yard, engines juddering to a stop. Rawne and Kolea had hurried out to join Mkoll, and Hark followed them. Startled troopers were hurrying out behind them, some yawning, some not fully dressed.
‘Guard line, if you please!’ Hark yelled. ‘Come on, you fethers! Dress it up, dress it up! Vadim? Where’s your weapon? Well, go and fething get it!’
‘What’s going on?’ asked Pasha.
‘Feth alone knows, ma’am,’ said Obel.
‘You want me to rouse the whole regiment?’ Kolosim asked in Rawne’s ear.
‘No. If they’re not up and tidy, keep ’em hidden and tell them to smarten up. We’ll gussy up what we have here.’