“Juggle it on a personal basis. Ammo first, then water, then food, then sundries.”
Jason said, “I’d like to see about finding a deeper hole, cruder and more remote. We can spend a little money and do things discreetly.”
“How fast can you get a vehicle?”
“Fast isn’t the problem. If I stick down a wad of cash and shiny metal, someone is going to know it’s questionable and word will get out. I have no way to justify financing. So I need to find a private party and make it worth their while, but we still don’t know we can trust them.”
Aramis asked, “Would they rat us out, knowing they might lose their payoff?”
“They might be that stupid, or they might just lie about how much it was.”
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“So I can get transport, but we must then move at once.”
“At the risk of sounding prejudiced, we want to stick to Christian groups.”
“Or the Turks, or one of the rare Baha’i.”
“Possibly.”
“I really hate trying to sound as if I give a damn about religion. It’s dishonest of me, and I feel worse because it matters to them.”
Highland said, “But you’re fine with shooting people.”
He faced her and said, “Mercenaries have morals, too.”
“I can do it,” Elke said. “I’m not particularly religious, but I can accept a blessing and offer friendliness in return.”
“You and Aramis. Go.” As they left, he dimmed the lights to ten percent.
Since they’d picked up JessieM much like a stray dog, Horace considered her one of his patients and charges. She looked very wrung out at the moment, and her breathing indicated a borderline panic reaction.
“Jessie, let me check you for injuries quickly.”
“Oh, if you need to,” she said, snapping alert and looking worried, growing a shade paler.
“It’s just a precaution,” he said. “Have a seat here.” He indicated the corner away from the plotting and scheming, and kept his voice low. Highland took no notice. Though to be fair, the stress was affecting her, too.
“You seem a little out of sorts, so I want to make sure it’s not trauma.” There were no marks on her.
“Oh, it’s stress,” she admitted readily. “I’ve been through a battle. I don’t know how you can do that more than once. There were bullets… explosions… things fell. I saw bodies blown apar.. she turned greenish and paused for a moment.
She sobbed and continued. “I hate this. Publicity and presence is my job, and I can’t do it here. Not only can’t I do it here, it’s deadly if I do. I never learned the details of politics. I just rented out to promote in clear, short phrases. I’ve been with Joy for ten years now. I don’t have any useful skills.”
Horace said, “If I may professionally and discreetly inquire, is there more to your relationship?”
Jessie looked quizzical for a moment and then said, “Oh. No. I wish there were. She’s so powerful and exciting.” Horace said nothing, shivered slightly, and considered that everyone had at least one unique taste. “I think she knows that, but she really is a very dedicated wife.”
It was hard to believe, but if even a close confidant thought so, and there were no rumors from reliable sources, it must be true. That aside, however, there was another point.
“That’s fine. But you are a close acquaintance. She can confide in you, and it will do her good to have close contact with someone.”
Jessie shook her head sadly. “I suggested that. She’s always been very much alone. Even at home, they sleep, actually sleep, in separate rooms. She’s almost pathological about her privacy.”
“We noticed. Well, I can talk. Have you considered a stuffed toy?”
She stared at nothing and shook her head. “No.”
“It does help. Quite a few of the soldiers here have them.”
She looked up and said, “I’ll try it. I don’t regard it as immature.”
It occurred to Horace that with the background she was getting here and now, the young woman might be a serious contender for politics herself in a couple of decades. It disturbed him to realize he’d be more likely to vote for her than any of the current thieves.
Of course, in two decades, this young lady might be a jaded political whore herself.
“Go rest,” he told her, and took a look around at the others. She nodded and went to a cot, curled up and closed her eyes. She actually did sleep as exhaustion overcame stress.
Horace didn’t sleep. He’d have to be more wrung out. He wished he could, though.
He saw Highland shifting, fidgeting, and eventually, she sat up.
“I can’t sleep,” she said.
“I understand, but you should keep trying if you can.”
“It’s not going to happen.” She swung off the cot and stood up.
“As you wish. I wouldn’t recommend a sedative anyway.”
“Due to the need to move?”
“Exactly that. When you are tired enough, you will sleep.”
“Or go insane,” she said with an honest smile.
“We deal with fatigue a lot.”
“Why do you do it?” she asked quietly.
“The fatigue?”
“No, the mercenary work.”
“We’re not precisely mercenaries. We don’t take just any money, and we do stick to missions that are legal and ethical.”
“Really? Are you saying that?”
“Exigencies can force us to be violent, but we engage very little, preferring to use evasion. We rarely act except in response.”
She looked quizzical, probably considering their actions over the past few weeks.
“But, in answer to your question, ma’am, it’s a challenge, it’s well-paid, and it’s rewarding to keep someone alive. Doubly so for me.”
She nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. But why not a regular detail with someone?”
He had to think about that. “This is more honest, really. We don’t have to like or pretend to like our principal, just do our job. That gives us more freedom than staff security have.”
“You don’t like me.”
“I didn’t say that, ma’am, only that we don’t have to.”
“You don’t need to say it. None of you like me.”
“There are numerous issues of personality and politics.”
“And I’m a whore for taking practicality, compromise and yes, money, over ideology.” She sighed. “When I first ran for local judge, I was so earnest and clean myself. I accomplished nothing, but I felt very good about myself.”
She sighed again. “As time went on, I accomplished more and felt worse. Constituents and now the public at large vote for me, so regardless of anyone’s thoughts about integrity, the Charter of Freedoms or equality, I represent what people want.”
“It bothers you, ma’am?”
“Oh, yes it does. Look, I personally have nothing against you, and yes, I think of the resource potential of anyone, any group, any business. I was not in BuState when you rescued Mr. Bishwanath. But it most certainly annoyed certain factions. Ironically, in the same Traditionalist party that your CEO favors. They’d planned on parting out the system as ‘recolonies,’ with ownership of resources passing to them.”
“Predictable enough,” Horace said.
“Then, most recently, you protected and made friends with Caron Prescot. Very close friends, I’m led to understand.”
Horace reflected it was a good thing Aramis was out shopping. The man would be flushing and stuttering at this point.
He offered, “So the ability to do our job well threatens certain elements, yes. However, if they’re in the opposition party, that doesn’t explain how your party ties in. It reinforces what some people say, that there’s no real difference.”
She looked up. “We have weird supporters. Jankin is worth a tenth what Prescot is worth. He’s more into politics, though. She has no need to be. No one can touch her, and she’s not petty, I have to say. He is. He purports to support the liberals because it’s advantageous. You also may have noticed that a lot of our supporters are… below average. That’s our appeal, to the common person. He milks that, and profits from it, and he gets a perverse glee out of it. But I can’t see him killing over it.”