Parker Interstellar Travels 4: The Trilisk Hunt Read Online Free PDF Page B

force.”
    Feigned, pretended, imitation
of anger, Shiny’s voice told her through her link. Subject
employed by Earth government. Telisa related to mission. Magnus, too, also, as
well.
    “I don’t like spies.”
    “You some kind of buckle bulb?
Get your head examined.”
    “It’s you who’s having his head
examined. Right now. By an alien. And he says you’re a liar,” Telisa said.
    “You’re insane! Someone help!”
He stood up. “I want to leave. There’s nothing you could say that would make me
want to work here with you.”
    “You won’t be leaving anytime
soon,” Telisa said. She asked Shiny to isolate his link. She could tell it
worked by watching the man’s face. Suddenly he vaulted over the table to
attack.
    Telisa reacted by instinct. She
sidestepped the assault, rabbit punching him as he passed. Her blow did not
seem particularly effective.
    He’s stronger than I am. I should
be careful.
    He turned toward her. Telisa
took the initiative, grabbing his head in her hands. She pulled down hard and
sent a knee toward his face. He blocked the blow with an arm, unable to stop it
but muting it enough to prevent damage. Then he grabbed her leg and sent her
hopping back. In another moment, she would be dumped on the ground and he would
be above her.
    Ah, screw it.
    His hands were on her leg, so
she boxed his ears, then stabbed a finger into an eye. He let go of her leg,
staggered. Telisa activated her stealth sphere just as he covered. The man
blinked for a second, nursing his eye, then looked toward his blind side. Then
he spun into a corner, trying to find her. Telisa took her time, aimed
carefully, and launched a combination: jab, jab, hook. He had no chance to
block her invisible attack. She caught him on the left side of his chin and
dropped him with the hook.
    Telisa left the cell. Her link
locked the door behind her. She took a deep breath. Her Veer suit dumped the
excess heat of the impromptu workout. Magnus and Jamie Arakaki were in the
observation room. The ex-UED soldier had become good friends with Magnus, and
everyone called her by her last name, military-style.
    “You were watching the fight?”
she asked.
    “We were betting on it. No
offense, I had to bet against you, but Magnus gave me good odds,” Arakaki said.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She turned to leave.
    She knows we have to discuss
what to do about the spy. And she knows she hasn’t been around long enough for
her opinion to count. Though she probably already gave it to Magnus.
    “No, please stay,” Telisa said.
“You bet I would lose?”
    Arakaki shook her head. “No. I
bet it would take you longer than a minute to win.”
    “Well, it was the hardest job
interview I’ve ever given,” Telisa said. Thinking about the spy again, she felt
cold anger.
    They actually sent someone to
get into our organization. Our tiny, little, insignificant space travel,
adventure, and exploration agency. Which happens to work with a live alien.
    “This means they don’t want to
bring us in straight up. They want to get in here and see what we know, what we
have. Infiltrate us before they move. Probably to make a plan to get a hold of
Shiny. Five Entities!”
    “It means we can’t go back,”
Magnus said.
    “For how long?” Telisa asked
the question even though she knew the answer.
    “We can never go back unless
we’re going back on our terms to take them down. But you seem to be unable to
face that task,” he said.
    “Well, I made some progress.
Actually, Cilreth and I have been working on something together,” Telisa said.
    “Really? You recruited her to
your cause, hrm?” asked Arakaki.
    Telisa sent them a link to her
copy of The Orwell Papers .
    “Isn’t that just a sort of nut-job
manifesto?” Magnus asked.
    “Yes, but a well researched,
thorough nut-job manifesto.”
    The name was taken from a long-gone
author, George Orwell, who wrote about oppressive government. The author of The
Orwell Papers was unknown, or at