The Complete Hammer's Slammers, Vol. 3

“The member from Bulstrode Borough is out of order,” Nestilrode said with a touch of venom in his dry voice. “The chair recognizes Captain Orichos.”

Orichos stepped forward purposefully. Huber followed at her heel like a well-trained dog. The patrol sling held his 2-cm weapon muzzle-forward. His hand was on the grip, though his index finger lay along the receiver instead of through the trigger guard.

His faceshield was down. For the moment he left it clear instead of polarizing the surface to those trying to look at him.

Orichos mounted the podium. The Speaker edged sideways to let her by, but there wasn’t even possibly room for Huber wearing his body armor. He stood below the Gendarmery officer instead, surveying the Assembly.

“Honored Personages,” Orichos said in a tone that combined dignity with considerable forcefulness. “As many of you know, my department is responsible for information about our foreign enemies and potential enemies. While pursuing sources in the Solace government, we came upon conclusive proof that Assemblyman Grayle of Bulstrode Borough takes the pay of Solace in exchange for sowing discord within the Point.”

Grayle jumped to her feet, shouting silently. The older of her male colleagues rose also, but the younger man—a blond fellow in his thirties with a neat moustache and goatee—was noticeably slower to get up. His eyes flicked from Orichos to Grayle, as nervous when they rested on his own leader as when he looked at the Gendarmery officer.

“Based on this report,” Orichos continued as though oblivious of the capering Freedom Party officials, “I have applied for and been granted a warrant by the Chief Justice of the High Court to search the premises of the Freedom Party in order to corroborate our information. Due to the delicacy of the situation, I’m informing the Assembly before taking action.”

Grayle’s older colleague was a rougher sort than the handsome blond on her other side. She extended an arm to keep him from climbing over his desk to reach the floor. Grayle’s blue eyes never left Orichos and the Speaker on the podium.

She sat down again, gesturing her colleagues with her. Her face was red, but she stared at Orichos with sneering contempt, not anger. She touched a button in her desk; a spiral of coherent orange light appeared above her head.

Orichos nodded meaningfully to the Speaker. Nestilrode leaned forward, touched the muting switch, and said, “The chair recognizes the member from Bulstrode.”

Still seated, Grayle said, “That’s not just a lie but a bloody lie. As Captain Orichos knows well, my party is funded entirely by the contributions of the Moss rangers on whom the nation’s economy is based. There are no documents in our party headquarters or anywhere else to support these lies!”

Grayle turned so that her gaze swept the hostile assemblymen to her left and behind her. Some met her eyes; most did not. “I will not have the machinery of the law perverted to allow lying bureaucrats to plant false documents in our party offices. The so-called search has no other purpose. If that’s what you intend, Captain, you’ll have to shoot your way in—or use the mercenaries you’ve hired at a true cost equal to the national budget for three full years!”

Her eyes locked Huber’s with almost physical force. The blond man to her left was cringing back in his chair, looking at an empty corner of the chamber with an anguished expression.

Captain Orichos gestured the Speaker aside again. “We have no desire to plant anything in the Freedom Party files,” she said, “nor would we even need to disturb the normal office routine. Will the member from Bulstrode permit me and one aide to search her files in her presence, with the entire exercise being broadcast live to the citizens of the Point?”

The older man snarled something toward Grayle. She shushed him with a gesture, though the chamber’s electronics had swallowed the words.

Grayle stood. She pointed her index finger at Orichos. “You’ll be showing this live over the regular governmental channel?” she said. “And you’ll search in the presence of me and my fellow party members?”

“Yes,” said Orichos, nodding without expression. “The only concern I and my department have is that the truth come out. If our sources in Solace have misled us, then I will be the first to apologize to you and your colleagues.”

Grayle slammed her fist down on her desk. “By the Lord’s bleeding wounds!” she said. “That’s just what you’ll do.”

She stepped sideways toward the aisle leading out. “Come on, then,” she added. “We’ll take care of that now—and then we’ll discuss the cost of these alien murderers you’ve saddled the Point with!”

“You’ll come with me into the Freedom Party headquarters, Lieutenant,” Orichos murmured as they watched Melinda Grayle and her henchmen stride out of the chamber. Their bodyguards were trampling down the stairs from the gallery to join them. The remaining assemblymen were either rigid in their seats or whispering in small cliques.