Rash'Tor'Ri (Soulguard Book 4), page 8
"Nope," I answered. "What you don't understand is Lyrica isn't Soulguard."
"What?"
"Sure, she's Soulguard at heart. But she never took the oath nor does she receive a paycheck from the Soulguard. She's, technically, a free agent. Up to a point, we'll let the fact that there are only two of us help form our decisions. But my agents say it's peaceful over there at the moment. I intend to take advantage of that fact and acquire some more, much needed, allies. I also intend to spend a wonderful week atop a mountain in a world where people don't hate me with my newlywed wife."
"Well, I guess we can't really argue with that," Marco said with a short grin. "I've heard some of what you're talking about, though, and it's not everyone. You know that, right?"
"I know it's not everyone," I said while shaking my head. "It just seems to be everywhere and it grates on me. I can shake off most of the civilian attitudes. They don't know any better, but it's the people I've fought alongside that cut the deepest. Even worse, I see some of the same thing in Soulguards."
"But there are many who support you," Polo said. "Always remember the quiet support. Those who hate are the loudest. Look to the quiet ones and see if you don't find something different in those Souls. There's no way you can look at those and not see something different."
"It's true," I nodded. "Soldiers have had to deal with this sort of thing for decades. Viet Nam Vets were reviled after going to a country they were ordered to. After the war they came home to hate. I can read this stuff and understand it, but I still feel it when it happens."
"Those soldiers weren't telepathic, and didn't have the ability to reach in, and just change the minds of those people who scream the hatred," Marco said. "Have you been tempted?"
"I hate myself for it, but, yeah," I answered. "I've been tempted."
"Anyone would be," Polo returned, "It's only human. The real thing that speaks about character is the fact you don't reach in and alter them."
"Then I would be what they claim I am."
"You do know the world you want to travel across is populated by millions of aliens who hate you, don't you?" Marco grinned.
"True enough, but they have good reason to hate me," I chuckled.
"That, they do."
"What do your forces say about the other thing we talked about?" Polo asked.
"Not sure if we're ready to move regular soldiers over there, yet," I answered. "Everything is hangin' on the success of keepin' those forces as much of a secret as we can. We've got some big numbers, but they've still got much more. I want things a little more stable before we try to move troops across to Hub."
"You're the boss on that subject," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"We discovered some purchases you've made over the last year," he said. I could tell by his aura that he expected me to admit to something.
"What purchases?" I asked. "I don't mess with the money, Warren does that for me."
"You don't know, do you?" Marco asked and chuckled.
"You don't deserve that guy," Polo said, shaking his head.
"So, enlighten me. What did I buy?"
"Several properties," Marco answered. "Some of them international."
"Where?"
"One of them is just a little north of here, covered in guns and shields."
"What?"
"It appears you own the land which has the Gate to Kresh," he said. "And you own a tract of land in Africa, one in Romania, and another in China."
"You're shittin' me."
"It was kicked around to use imminent domain laws to seize the property until we traced it back to who owned the company that purchased the properties. It seems the higher ups don't want to make the owner mad, after all."
I leaned back in the chair, "Well I'll be damned."
"No one knows whether the Chinese or the Romanians will be of the same mind on the subject. I'm pretty sure the Chinese can seize what they want, if they choose to do so. Same with the Kenyans and the Romanians. But, then it would do no one any good unless we win a war on this world and the other. If this is the case, I'm guessing your forces would be holding the other side, so the point is moot. You're the boss."
"That's crazy," I said. "I'm not sure I'm suited for that. I just blow shit up."
"In all honesty," Polo said, "Blowing shit up is a skill that's needed for the foreseeable future. The rest, you'll have to deal with after we win."
"That's if we win," I said. "That's another reason for this meeting. I got a report about rumors of the next one who may be interested in our little chunk of rock. If this Hal'For'Radolin seriously mobilizes, it's gonna get ugly."
"There's not much more we can do here to prepare, but we need forces built up everywhere," Polo said. "What sort of numbers are we looking at?"
"They tell me he has over a hundred million under his Mark."
"Some of those will be women and children," he said. "That still would leave an army over five times the one that came through in Kenya."
"And these guys aren't afraid of us."
"I'm sure you can remedy that."
"I hope so but I wouldn't depend on it."
"How does something like that even work? You say Hub is huge, but how do you get that many Kresh into the city?"
"The Gateway facilities are the outer ring of the city. The backside opens up, and the Kresh pour through the Gate from the plains outside of Hub. I've seen it in the memories of some of the Shak'Tar."
"The size of the setup over there just amazes me," Marco said. "When you take this trip of yours, I would like some pictures of Hub, if you could manage it."
"Should have done that, already," I said. "I've had Shak'Tar runnin' back and forth for over a year now and never even thought of it."
"It's the little things that trip a person up," Polo laughed.
"True enough."
"Now we need to discuss where the troops should be stationed," Marco said. "We should probably set up a meeting with the Archmage."
"Gregor should be able to take care of that," I said.
"True," he said. "I'll see if we can get a meeting with him."
"In the meantime," I said, "I need to catch up with my gift from God, soon-to-be trophy wife, and see what she's done about our wedding. There's really no telling."
Both men laughed.
"Have fun with that," was Polomo's answer. Stratton just laughed on.
Chapter 15
"We have to invite them early," Lyrica said. "Daphne is in Scotland. Trent's father is probably quite busy, with running for president. The rest are close enough to get here on short notice."
"Samuel may not want to come with the current situation."
"He'll want to," she said. "He's going to have to take a stand on the subject, soon. It will be a good time for it."
"So far, he's managed to avoid the subject," I said. "He sticks to the topics that he's runnin' his campaign on. I expect the other side to throw it out there soon. They've been stokin' the fires for a while. And when did you get all political?"
She laughed, "I'm not. I talked to Alan Stanbridge yesterday and he said it would be a good time since Samuel has been pushing harder to get on with it. He said Samuel's been pissed from the moment Alan started pushing him to sever ties with you."
Honestly, it felt good to know that Deacons wasn't willing to kick me to the curb. It might not bode well for his campaign, though. There were a lot of people screaming about my alien heritage.
"Quit thinking about that," she said. "It just gets you all twisted up inside."
"I know. I just can't help it, sometimes."
She reached across the table, as she stood up, and grabbed the front of my uniform.
"I have something else for you to think about."
As she pulled me around the table, I smiled, "Oh, really? I bet it's somethin' much better."
"Yes," she returned and our lips met.
Our streams merged and I lost all thought of the rest of the world as I just embraced the moment, losing myself in her.
***
"Rourke," Sullivan Hicks nodded as I joined the group around several tables at the rear of the Bar and Grill.
"Hicks," I returned and nodded toward the second Marine I saw. "Corn."
Corn raised his beer in salute and took a huge swallow, "You ready to see how Marines drink, Rourke?"
"You guys don't know what you're gettin' into here."
"Oh, I think you may have chosen the wrong group for a drinking contest."
"If I remember correctly, you guys chose to challenge me. And I'll try my best to make it fair for you. I'll match each of you, drink for drink."
"There's five of us," one of the Marines I hadn't met said.
"This is Trip," Corn pointed. "He's one of our star players for the evening. He's drunk almost every person ever challenged under the table. We call him Trip because he was known as Terrax the Terrible in all of the drinking establishments near our base where we do our training. His last name is Terrax. Three T's… Triple T… Trip."
"Makes sense, how did you come to be called Corn?"
"You don't really wanna know," Hicks interrupted.
"I'll take your word on that one."
"And this fellow is Enido Roberto Nucci, just call 'im Bob," Corn said with a smile. "He happens to be the only person to ever out drink Trip."
"I see where this is goin'. Loaded the deck with heavy hitters."
"Then there is little old me," Corn said. "I'm not too shabby as a drinker, myself."
He then pointed at another Marine I had met In Africa, "Simmons is able to hold his own with the best of us. And Gallup, there beside him is a notorious drinker. All in all, I think we got what it takes to take you down."
I looked at Hicks.
"Don't look at me, I date a Soulmage. I told 'em they were gonna regret it."
"I tried to tell 'em," I said. "I can't get drunk."
"They're Marines. You can't just tell 'em anything. It's gotta be pounded into their thick skulls, preferably with a hammer. Speaking of which, when you win, they have to meet you at the break of dawn and run ten miles. If you lose they said you have to pick up the bar tab."
"Done."
"Let the games begin!"
Over the next hours I learned what a Harvey Wallbanger was. Along with Sex on the Beach, Mojito, three different versions of Long Island Ice Tea, a Screwdriver, and a plethora of other drinks. Then it got serious. We drank Scotch, Irish whiskey, Bourbon, and my favorite of these, Cognac.
When Jacobs arrived, Corn, Simmons and Gallup were unconscious. Trip and Bob were the only ones still drinking and I was having a conversation with Hicks.
"Didn't you warn 'em?" Jacobs asked.
"They're Marines."
"Enough said," he returned with a grin.
Trip sagged and toppled from his chair in slow motion and Bob stared at him for a second before face planting on the table.
"I told 'em," Hicks said. "Ten miles with this hangover should be just the hammer to drive it home."
I looked to the other tables where other members of the platoon had been placing bets and cheering their comrades on, "Anyone else wanna give it a shot?"
"Hell no!" Rikkers, another Marine I had met in Africa returned. "How the hell are you still alive after that?"
"I can't get drunk."
"We learned when we became Soulguards that the quicker healing made it near impossible for us to get plastered," Jacobs answered. "We tried and it took some serious drinking to even get a buzz. Once you reach Mage, it's impossible to drink it fast enough."
"That's crazy but I'd say you could win a lot of bets with it," Rikkers said.
"Only with hard headed Marines," I laughed. "Most other folks would have accepted it after I told 'em I couldn't get drunk."
"I told you," Hicks said, "They need a big hammer to drive it in."
"You seriously gonna make 'em run ten miles?"
"Oh yeah, and they'll all five finish the run because they're Marines, and Marines are indestructible."
"They'll get a lot of sleep, if nothing else," I said, looking over the edge of the table at a drooling Corn. "I'll get the bar tab, anyway, but I'd prefer if you waited till after the run before tellin' 'em. Let the thought of the huge chunk of pay they will lose help spur them on."
"I like the way you think, Rourke."
"Special torture," I said.
Hicks laughed and eased his seat back, "All right boys, Get these useless sacks out of here and back to base. They got a long run tomorrow and I want all of you there to cheer 'em on. As a matter of fact, you'll all run with 'em and cheer 'em on!"
"Really?" Rikkers asked.
"They're running because they picked a fight they couldn't win," he said as he pointed at the five fallen men. "You'll be running because you didn't!"
As the rest of the platoon carried out the five drinkers, Hicks was right behind them, "Marines aren't afraid of anything men! I'm sorely disappointed in your lack of support. Surely twenty men could have done it!"
He turned and shot me a grin as he followed his boys out the door.
"That looked like it was fun," Jacobs said, motioning for the waitress.
"I've discovered that there are very few alcoholic drinks I like, and I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back. I feel like my eyes are floating in whiskey."
"I'd think so," he said with a grin.
Chapter 16
I sat at my desk looking at the never ending pile of paperwork. Every day I would leave and the pile would be smaller. The next day, it would tower over my workspace. I think Gregor was trying to drive me insane. He'd been doing this sort of stuff for the last year or so and I hadn't needed to worry about it.
Unfortunately, I had opened my big mouth a few weeks before about learning the less exciting side of my job. He had taken it to heart and began sending mounds of paperwork through my office. There were a lot of supply forms that would need approval. The part that made it such a grind was the fact I had to read every form before I signed it. When the paperwork had started coming there were forms slipped into the mix to test me. They were obvious but wouldn't have been seen if I hadn't read the acquisition forms. Three hundred and fifty aluminum containers with "dog food" printed on the side.
So far, there'd been one single dog that would even associate with Soulguards. I'm pretty sure he didn't need three hundred and fifty twenty gallon aluminum cans for his dog food.
There had been an acquisition form for an official hangman's noose. The reason for said form was, "In the event that our illustrious Warmaster decides to take the easy way out."
There were more and they got more and more devious as the weeks progressed. I missed a few and they would be laying on my desk the next day. The piles of the forms I missed had been getting smaller each day.
I looked up as I felt a familiar presence. I could see Pelin's Soul as she approached my office.
"Enter," I said as she reached the door. Most of the people I do that to get a little weirded out over it but Pelin, like me is telepathic.
"Master," she nodded as she stepped through the door.
"Don't call… ah, Hell… What's up?"
Pelin was the one who always brought me reports. The others hadn't worked with me as much and tended toward the info dump most of the Shak'Tar were used to. I preferred a spoken report unless it was necessary for the info dump.
"We have received news from Cerres."
I could see the consternation in her aura.
"Bad news, I take it?"
"The Ferrara'Ti are all there, but they won't stay more than a week."
"Which pushes up the time table three weeks," I said.
"Yes."
"That means the wedding has to be after I get back from Cerres," I said. "Lyrica's gonna be pissed."
"That is what I expect, Master."
I exhaled and leaned back in my chair, "They won't stay long enough to do it after?"
"Ferrara'Ti have never been known for a great deal of patience. I doubt they will have any patience for what is intended."
"Can't be givin' 'em any reason to back out, I suppose."
"Not if you wish to succeed."
"Ok, so the bad news is taken care of," I said. "How bout some other news?"
"Your Prophet has returned to Parlais to begin setting up the Academy for your Soulguard."
"That's good news, sort of. I was hopin' he'd be there when we came through."
"We can send word…"
"No, I can't interrupt what he's set in motion for personal reasons. Would like to see my friend again but he's doin' important things over there."
"Your subjects on Cerres flood the Soulguard outpost you have established. They embraced their new roles as an army to fight the Masters with a fervor not seen in many humans not from your planet."
"Good, they'll not be victims anymore."
"Gorvelis is pleased with the progress of the scientists and teachers you have sent over to Cerres. Their knowledge has spread much more rapidly than you may think. No one can learn faster than telepaths. And telepaths can teach at an astonishing rate. Just the advancement in metalworking is astounding. It will still take some time to build the industrial infrastructure but the knowledge and will is already there."
"That's great news. I wonder how soon we can set up a weapons plant there."
"Transporting the amounts of materials would be a problem at this time, but at the rate Cerres is advancing, it might be sooner than you may think."
"I certainly hope so."
"That's the extent of the report, Master," she said. "If you wish I will dump the whole report for you."
"Don't worry about it," I said. "Now I just have to go and tell Lyrica what's goin' on."
"Might be dangerous," she said with a crooked grin.
"That, it might."
"You better get back in time for the wedding or she will hurt you."
