Smuggler's Dilemma Read Free Page B

serious? You didn’t know they were in the war together?"
    "Mom? I knew Dad was, but…"
    "You Hoffens really need to talk more. So, guess what else?" she asked brightly.
    I smiled. It was fun to see her so energetic. "What?"
    "Guess," she repeated.             
    "Uh, you got a promotion?"
    "Well, true, but that’s only sort of it."
    "You’re… Frak, I don’t know…"
    "I got accepted to Space Combat School," she said.
    "Doesn’t that describe the Academy?"
    She punched me, "No dumb-ass. Space Combat School means I’ll fly a fighter, and I’m going to be assigned to a ship, probably a destroyer."
    "No shite! That’s amazing! When do you start?"
    "At the end of this semester. I’ll take a reduced load and start flying trainers right away."
    "We need to celebrate," I said huskily. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tight "Can you stay at the hotel tonight?"
    She kissed me, but before I could get serious, she stopped and said, "I’ve got until 1900 tomorrow. My time was extended since I was promoted to combat-school candidate."
    I whistled, "Two whole extra hours. Big stuff."
    Tabby slugged me in response. I preferred the kissing.
    She sat up, grabbed her bag, and pulled her vac-suit out. "Look away," she demanded and started removing her dress whites. I made a half-hearted attempt to look away, but gave it up when I saw a number of bruises on her ribs and legs.
    "What’s all that about?" I asked, running my finger across her ribs.
    Her eyes followed mine down to the bruises. "Oh, that's nothing to worry about. Hand-to-hand training. We’re supposed to go half-speed, but sometimes it gets a little out of control." That made sense to me. The Tabby I knew didn't do anything halfway.
    The cab arrived at the Coolidge main transport terminal. Waiting fifteen minutes for the next train was easy, I was spending time with Tabby. We grabbed meal bars and sat on a bench next to the track.
    "What are we doing today?" she asked.
    "Non-stop fun," I said, teasingly. "No, really. It's a big day. I rented a hauler so we can run a container over to the frigate we captured. We’re moving all of our gear and supplies out."
    "I didn’t completely follow what happened to Sterra’s Gift . Did you actually ram the back end of that frigate with your ship?"
    "Yeah. We were desperate. That frigate wa-ay out gunned us, it was the only thing I could come up with," I said.
    She nodded, as if seeing the action in her mind. "Do you have the combat data stream? We’ve been dissecting data streams in our fleet maneuvers class. I’d love to share it with my professors."
    "Sure, later tonight we can run through some of it and see if it’s something you’re interested in."
    We’d just stood to get on the train. Tabby was holding onto my arm with both of her hands and she gave me a squeeze. "I’m not sure I like that you keep getting into these scrapes."
    "I think you don’t like us getting into these scrapes without you. You gotta know that’s why we’re shopping for ships. We’re upgrading our offense. I’m tired of getting kicked around."
    "Can’t you keep the frigate? That thing should be loaded for bear," she asked as we stepped into the train.
    We sat and waited for it to start. "It totally is, but the cost to keep it running is incredible. It runs through more credits of ordinance in a minute than we could recover on most trips. We’re better off selling it and stepping back. Besides, a frigate is a fleet vehicle and not really designed for one-on-one combat. It’s all teeth."
    She snuggled against me as the train sped toward Puskar Stellar. I wondered how we would ever make it as a couple. I felt so complete when we were together. It was as if she filled a hole in my life that I didn’t know was there. I hated that we were always having to leave each other. Tabby must have been tired because she fell asleep against me. I wrapped my arm around her and enjoyed a quiet ride.
    I pinged Ada on my HUD to let her