Assassination Game Read Online Free PDF Page B

involuntarily, and the doctor part of his brain unconsciously diagnosed his agitated condition as his hypothalamus releasing oxytocin and vasopressin, and his pituitary gland producing large amounts of adrenocorticotropichormones. In layman’s terms, he was plain mad as hell.
    McCoy pointed a finger in Daagen’s face. “If we’d had your attitude a hundred years ago, your race wouldn’t even be in the Federation.”
    “A specious argument, Dr. McCoy. Tellar Prime was a founding member of the Federation. We could hardly have been denied access if there was no Federation to join.”
    McCoy fumed. “Damn stubborn Tellarites and your nitpicky arguments! You know what I mean.”
    “There is a clear and accepted application process for joining the Federation, Dr. McCoy, and any race who sees the wisdom in joining the Federation will be welcome.”
    “And any who don’t?”
    The Tellarite put his IF YOU’RE NOT WITH US, YOU’RE AGAINST US sign in McCoy’s face. McCoy moved to rip it from Daagen’s hands, but Nadja was there to stop him.
    “Don’t. Come on. You’re not going to win an argument with a Tellarite,” she told him.
    “Listen to your lady friend, Dr.,” Daagen told him. He nodded at Mrs. Penelope. “Are you going to eat all of that dog?”
    “I’ll give you something to eat,” Bones said. He wagged his fist at the Tellarite.
    Nadja pulled McCoy away. “Down, boy. Are you always so easily excitable?”
    “Only when I run into damn fool idiots!” he said,making sure the last part was loud enough to carry back to the protesters.
    McCoy calmed down some on the short walk back to Nadja’s dorm, but he was still worked up over Daagen. Such backward thinking, and from a Starfleet cadet, no less!
    Nadja stopped outside the lobby to her dormitory and let Mrs. Penelope down to sniff the marigolds planted beside the sidewalk. Nadja put her hands behind her back and bounced ever so slightly on the balls of her feet.
    “So. Here we are,” she said.
    Here they were. At the door to her dormitory. Good god, it’s the end of the date , McCoy realized. The end of a date was as important as the auto-suture at the end of a surgery—and had to be planned just as carefully. There was the small talk to plan, the next date to line up, and, if the operation had been a success, the good-night kiss. Or perhaps even more. How on Earth had they gotten to this point without him seeing it coming?
    “Right,” he said, realizing he’d been quiet for too long. “Here we are.”
    “My roommate’s pulling an all-nighter in the astrometric lab tonight, in case you’d like to come upstairs for … a nightcap.”
    McCoy really had meant to prepare for this. It was that damned Daagen, getting him all worked up. He took a deep breath. He and Nadja hadn’t gotten around to the lasttwo decades of his life or to the part about his ex-wife. His recent ex-wife. Damn it—Why the hell hadn’t he prepared for any of this? He looked up at the dorm room windows, as if he could see the future through them.
    “Listen, Nadja, I … I appreciate the offer. Believe me. I had a terrific time, and I’d like to see you again. Soon. But I think for now, I need to just leave it at ‘good night.’”
    “Ooh! Now you are playing hard to get.” She laughed, but it was a good laugh. “A man who can go against instinct. I’m impressed.”
    Nadja kissed him good night and scooped up Mrs. Penelope.
    “Until next time,” she said, and she went inside.
    “Until next time,” McCoy said.

CH.05.30
Special Relationships
    Nyota Uhura paced the small confines of the Academy observation deck. The lights in the room were dim at night, so visitors could see the lights of Sausalito across the water from the Academy grounds. Uhura thought the lighting was appropriate. She was both literally and figuratively in the dark, and while she wasn’t eager for the lights to be turned on in the observation deck, she was certainly hoping some light would be