Mars Prime Read Online Free PDF Page A

interview. The air force officer hung motionless in the doorway as if suspended there by invisible strings. She was attractive in a thin-faced sort of way, with big green eyes, and hair so short that she was almost bald. She looked very military, very practical, and very cold. It added to her somewhat intimidating presence.
    "Yeah," Corvan agreed. "Murder usually is. Who was he?"
    "Dr. Henry Havlik, Mission Psychiatrist."  
    "Who killed him? A lover? A patient?"  
    Corvan saw her eyes narrow. They seemed to drill right through him.  
    "We're working on that."
    Corvan nodded. "Okay, I'll get to work. Interview you, talk to security, the usual stuff."
    "No," Jopp replied evenly, "you won't. You are the Mission Information Officer, and you'll do what I tell you. And I want this story killed."
    Corvan felt a rock grow in his gut. He clenched and unclenched his fists. "You can forget that, Colonel. My job is to collect and distribute information. And I'll do it in whatever way that I see fit."
    "Wrong again," Jopp said calmly. "Your job is to control the flow of information. Not hand it out whenever you happen to be in the mood. Now listen carefully. This ship is scheduled to break orbit less than three hours from now. A surface-based murder investigation might take weeks or even months to complete. And the longer it takes, the longer we have to travel, with all the risks attendant thereto. So from this moment on you will do everything in your power to keep the story within the hull of this ship. Do you understand?"
    "I understand," Corvan replied tightly. "I understand that you're exceeding your authority and breaking the law! You have a murderer running loose on this ship and people have a right to know. So you can take your orders and shove them straight up your ass!"
    Jopp's expression didn't change one iota. She simply looked at him, shook her head sadly, and moved away from the hatch. The security officers had been waiting. They came through the doors in pairs, bounced off the walls with the expertise of Olympic gymnasts, and hit Corvan as a group.
    The reop struggled for a moment, tried some of the things the Special Forces had taught him, and discovered that they didn't work in zero-G. It took the security team no more than fifteen or twenty seconds to place restraints on his arms, hands, thighs, and ankles. After that it was a simple matter to tow him out into the corridor where Jopp was waiting. Her expression conveyed neither anger nor regret.
    "You'll find that the Outward Bound has a well-equipped brig. Let me know when you're ready to do your job."
    Corvan wanted to reply, wanted to tell Jopp what he thought of her, but someone slapped a piece of tape across his mouth. He was still trying to break free from the restraints when the security team took him out into the main corridor and headed down-ship.
    Crew members and colonists alike hurried to get out of the way. Some looked concerned, but their frowns disappeared when one of the security officers smiled and pretended to drink from a bottle.
    Corvan saw this and tried to protest, but his words were blocked by the tape. Then it occurred to him. This was stupid. He could communicate with Kim via his implant. More than that, he could send her video and get the story out in spite of Jopp.
    He activated his implants and waited for Kim to acknowledge his presence. A buzzing sound flooded the interface. Not the static that sometimes interfered with transmission, not some sort of noise from Kim's end, but the steady uninterrupted sound of electronic jamming. Jopp, or someone on her security team, had anticipated his move and taken steps to block it.
    Corvan swore, renewed his attempts to break free from the restraints, and was dumped feet first into an access shaft.
    Inertia carried him downward. A security officer steered him past some surprised looking colonists and out onto D-deck. It was a short trip from there to the Outward Bound's state-of-the-art