Scarcity (Special Forces: FJ One Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

asking no less of himself than he asked of his team. They would be due for a rotation back home soon, for an early Lazarex. And some rest and recreation on Caladan, the only colony that could bill itself as “The Pleasure Planet!”
    He was tired, spent after the furious battle. But he had to make this visit to the Hierarch without delay, to explain what happened and what they’d done to punish the wrongdoers.
    Lieutenant Orlov was their Civil Affairs man in the capital, but his role so far had been that of observer rather than participant. The status-sensitive citizens had refused to speak to Orlov since his rank was inferior to Captain Chen’s. When FJ One departed the planet for its next assignment, leaving a permanent Civil Affairs presence behind, the lieutenant would be promoted to captain, at least for the duration of his mission, anyway, so that the High Tiamatans would deign to recognize his existence.
    High Tiamat was a pre-industrial society, about as developed as ancient Egypt, which it resembled in many ways. The Hierarch was not venerated as a god, but his bloodline claimed descent from gods. It was a peaceful society, as much as any other with plenty of food, little disease, and a social stasis where everybody “knew their place.” Females were equal to males, but slavery was a cultural norm. However, slaves could be Elevated to citizenship, and the local religion made no distinction about who could Ascend after death.
    They walked the empty streets towards the palace. Here, as in the colonists’ compound, the colors were bright pastels. The pillars and friezes of the temples and banks were bright to the point of gaudiness, with the myriad clashing colors of the Greek temples of old.
    Their entrance was a matter of great ceremony. There was, after all, only one Ambassador From the Stars at the Hierarch’s court. Their approach was seen by pages, who raced back up the palace’s polished stone steps and rolled a green carpet back down.
    A squadron of hornsman deployed down the steps on either side of the carpet, furry paws grasping their musical instruments. Their retractable nails slipped in and out of the holes in the horn’s length, varying the notes. The result was a piece considered by the natives to be splendid triumphal music, that happened to be extremely painful to the human ear.
    Captain Chen took the steps at the pace of the beat, with Lieutenant Orlov one pace behind him, a measure of his rank relative to the captain, and to his right, that indicated his status as that of one “in favor.”
    Inside the Great Hall was the most magnificent indoor fountain that Chen had ever seen. It was three stories high, with all manner of strange marble beasts tangled around two columns, all stretched out in their predatory attack positions, their open mouths spouting water into jade leaves, from which it all trickled down into a ceremonial pool that also served as a drinking fountain of sorts.
    The Tiamatans were essentially feline. They had developed opposable thumbs, the secret to the development of a technical civilization, but they still ate and drank by putting their faces into bowls, including the magnificent fountain. Of course, only the most elite Tiamatans were permitted, as a sign of the Hierarch’s favor, to drink from it.
    When they reached the throne room, Hierarch Gabari was standing, a gesture of friendship and respect. Captain Chen was relieved to see it – His Most Predatory Majesty had every reason to greet them sitting on his throne, in which case both men would have been wise to throw themselves down on the ground immediately.
    “Captain Chen,” the Hierarch said in a slow, imprecise but still impressive feat of Standard. Humans had discovered that their vocal chords were more flexible and capable of mimicry than those of most other intelligent species. This meant that humans had to learn the local language more often than the locals would learn Standard.
    The Captain looked the