The Mind Field Read Online Free PDF Page B

Academy. Words to live by. And live well.
    She landed like a cat, bounced slightly, put a hand down. But only one. Close enough to stick the landing and get full score from the judges, not that there were any, outside her head. Any that counted.
    Djamila detached the safety line from her ankle and cast it back into space. They could reel it in much faster without her attached. She clomped her way along the outside, returning to the bay.
    Mission very much accomplished, thank you.
    Javier was there when she arrived.
    She couldn’t resist touching faceplates with him. “So, Mister Science Officer,” she asked with a saucy tune, “was that adequate to your needs?”
    He looked up at her far more seriously than she had expected. “That was the most amazing piece of free sailing I have ever seen.”
    Wait? Him? Impressed? Publically?
    Crap.

Part Seven
    Javier was just happy to be out of that damned suit. They had kept his when the killed his ship and took him prisoner, so it fit. That didn’t mean he enjoyed it. Nope. Stale, industrial air. Metallic water. Claustrophobia.
    Storm Gauntlet’s air had gotten so much better since he had been put in charge of keeping the bio–scrubbers tuned, but it was still a pale shadow compared to what he had gotten to breath on Mielikki . Even down in his botany station, it was only a faint reminder. The chickens helped.
    Still, the amazon had been successful. If all went as planned, the Captain had flickered the ship’s transponders at the right moment and they were now officially part of the minefield, beeping every second and updating everyone as they moved.
    And they weren’t dead.
    Javier pulled on his leggings, tunic, and the extra jacket he had been wearing. It was still cold in the ship.
    Of course Sykora was waiting for him when he emerged from his equipment locker. Probably tapping her foot theatrically too, though he hadn’t paid that close of attention. He trailed her to the bridge. This was the only view of her he liked, anyway.
    “Well done, you two,” the Captain announced as they arrived. The air was warmer here, so he had apparently felt safe enough to bring some of the systems on line. That would be good.
    Javier was tired of wearing gloves while he worked. Shoes were already too much of a hassle. Hell, some days pants was asking too much.
    Still, the Captain was giving them both credit. That would be good for some bribes from the crew. Markers against future need. You know. Stuff.
    Javier moved to his station and powered it up fully. The big projection hung in the middle of the room, still.
    It didn’t look right.
    He looked closer.
    That was because they were moving deeper into the minefield, not backing gracefully out of range so they could escape.
    “Captain,” he said wearily. “Are we really going in there anyway?”
    Sokolov smiled evilly at him. “You don’t think I’d come this far and just walk away, do you? Get to work, Science Officer. There’s a whole planet down there for you to survey.”
    Javier grumbled mostly under his breath as he brought systems live. They still couldn’t send out any really good pings from the sensor suite, at least until they got safely inside the shell, but he could start the analysis.
    These people were going to be the death of him.
    He looked up and encompassed the whole bridge, especially that smiling amazon, in a disgusted frown.
    Pirates and Philistines.

Book Four: Prisoner of War

Part One
    Javier’s tea was cold. Not that he was going to get up to get more. And the wardroom minions couldn’t brew it right anyway. And if he drank anymore, he’d have to go pee.
    Plus, they were just about clear of the minefield, so now all the interesting parts would begin, knowing his luck. Because Heaven forbid these people do anything quiet and boring, ya know.
    At least he could hammer the neighborhood with the occasional hard ping to see what was going on. The machines around him were dumb enough to think that was a