All My Sins Remembered Read Online Free PDF

giving Tasha a nod of greeting.
    “I am alive.” She replied in her thick Russian accent.  It was a gift from her heritage, back before old earth was lost, her family originated from a nation called Russia.  Tasha watched the Commander as he made himself comfortable in the chair across the table from her, and waited.  She didn’t like Commander Spears very much.  She felt as if he were trying to control her every movement ever since Vice Admiral Reardon deposited her here like a sack of potatoes being delivered.  Vice Admiral Reardon had spoken with Spears just outside of her hospital room, little realizing that she could hear every word they had said.  The fact that they discussed her as if she were a problem to be solved rather than a human being bothered her.  She may have been a lowly mercenary, but it hardly warranted such cold treatment.
    “Of course you are!” Commander Spears replied with a grin.  “What I meant to ask was, are you well on the road to recovery?”  Tasha stared at the Commander blankly, thinking that was just about the dumbest question she had heard, though he seemed oblivious to it.  She resisted the urge to slap him, if only just.
    “I still have nightmares, if that is what you mean.” She answered with a shrug.  Spears nodded perfunctorily.  It was clear he was just observing the niceties, and was anxious to get to the matter at hand.
    “I have contracted someone else to complete the investigation The Regulars were contracted to complete.  As the last surviving member of The Regulars, you are its Colonel by default.  I need you to sign this document stating your acceptance of the termination of your contract.” Commander Spears slid a data pad across the table towards Tasha, and then held up a hand to forestall any comment, though Tasha had no intent on saying anything just yet. “Not to worry, the Navy will pay out the contract in full, including the cost of your lost ship.  Under such extreme and unexpected circumstances, it is the least we can do.”  Looking at the big man leaning against the wall, Tasha had a feeling she knew who Spears had contracted to finish the job. It must be a bigger deal than she thought if he had turned to the Talons.  The rumor was that they were retiring.  Not just one or two of them, which was typical of a PMC, but rather the entire company.  How Spears managed to get them involved was beyond her ability to comprehend.  Tasha glanced at the data pad.  The electronic document looked standard enough, and true to his word, Commander spears made sure that she was to receive the full amount of the contract, which was more credits than she had ever seen in her life.  Since she did not have to split it, and there were no costs associated with rearming and repairing the Pripyat, it would have made for a nice pay day, and yet…
    “Why else are you here?” Tasha asked.  Commander Spears blinked, and then cleared his throat buying a moment or two to recover from the unexpected question.
    “Colonel Bakore wanted to talk to you about your experiences, if you were willing.”  Spears replied, waving a hand in the direction of the man leaning against the wall.  This time it was Tasha’s turn to be surprised.  She had expected him to be a Talon marine, not the Colonel himself!  No wonder why she felt as if death draped over the man!  This was the Butcher of New Bombay, the man who single handedly stopped a coalition of four PMC fleets under the command of the Rejai Imperial Navy with a battleship, two cruisers, two battlecruisers, and three covert ops frigates!  There were also the bad things, the accidental destruction of innocent cities - and just how does one accidentally destroy entire cities - and of course there was that one time the Talons had been accused of poisoning an entire planet, making its entire atmosphere toxic.  For every four valiant tales surrounding Colonel Bakore and the Talons, there was at least one tale so