April 4: A Different Perspective Read Online Free PDF

Consider it a tip so if you have need of any small items today you don't have to risk using any cards, just a little extra protection for both of us."
    Otis knew military personnel from all over before his recent retirement and despite the government's efforts to cover up, it was painfully obvious a lot of his friends could not be contacted any more. With one of them serving on a carrier, that likely meant about four thousand of his fellow crewmen were missing with him. Entire bases he used to receive supplies from and route traffic through, were just missing from address lists now. He was frustrated that it was too risky to inquire of their families, even where he knew them, because they could lose survivor benefits if they disclosed what they knew about their missing relatives.
    The United States of North America had gotten its butt royally kicked and these Patriot Party creeps were in denial about it. They were covering up the full extent of the damage, but anyone in the service knew too much to piece together to be fooled. The new party's intention was to take the USNA back to war with Home as soon as they could and get even more of Otis' buddies killed. Otis somehow found that a bad idea.
    "That should be sufficient," Otis agreed. "Please don't try to have me watched. If I suspect someone of being a tail I will kill them without hesitation," he warned.
    "That's not my job," Pretty Boy shrugged. "I won't be contacting anybody who would give a shit until after this is all over. If you see anybody, what the hell, whack 'em. If they are that easy to make I doubt anybody would miss their services."
    Otis made up his mind right then he was going to screw these guys. Not just turn them in and help the government run them down, but take their money and humiliate them. They were the worst sort of every creep he'd ever seen playing hard core like a game and indifferent to those under them who they regarded as just stage props - spear carriers. With the kind of money he was getting he could emigrate off Earth and not worry about having a job lined up. With that kind of funding he could even start his own firm easily.
    "Nice doing business with you gentleman," Otis said as they pulled in a parking deck and stopped. "Now go away," he snarled.

Chapter 5
    "The two lieutenants and the two security guys who defected from New Las Vegas appear to be very compatible and are talking about opening a private security company," April informed her friends. "I was glad, because I felt responsible for setting up the situation that made the station security guys flee from NLV." She needed to talk less and finish her breakfast.
    Heather and Jeff exchanged a glance, but didn't say anything. April felt responsible for everything and had a definite rescue complex. It wasn't her fault how President Hadley had treated his people, or mistreated them. "How about that vacuum rat, who turned the Happy Lewis free from the dock grapples on ISSII back when the war started?" Heather asked. "Did he settle in and get a job here?"
    "Well, Eddie gave him a big enough reward for saving our butts that he could have started some sort of business of his own, but he doesn't have that mindset. Dave found him a position with one of those former workers of his that splintered off and started their own shop. I've seen him three or four times and he seems happy. He's a real solid sort," April asserted.
    "We seem to be accumulating a lot of refugees," Heather observed.
    "I think that is all for the good," Jeff said without hesitation. "We always had fairly good screening to keep the mentally unstable and the criminal from coming up. The sort that are leaving Earth now are self selecting for decisiveness and obviously for awareness that things are steadily getting less desirable down there and we have something better to offer them here."
    "If only we can keep it," Heather said worried. "I hold my breath waiting for some junior fascist to tell the Assembly we have to license