Steel Walls and Dirt Drops Read Free Page B

causing the trooper to crick his neck upward to stare into her face. Speaking so softly only he would hear she said, “Trooper, know this: I will take no more crap, sass or back talk from you. I do not want to hear anything other than ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir’. Do not test my patience further.”
    Misha heard a shout from behind her, “Hey! What’s the hold up? I got duty in fifteen.”
    Misha looked behind her at the ever-growing line of men and women waiting a turn at the gate. She swiveled her head back around to the trooper. She could sense his dismay as she stepped a fraction closer to him. Eyeball to eyeball, nose-to-nose, not a drop of sweat separated the two, she hovered over him. Neither Misha nor the trooper blinked. Her anger grew and she could see the realization in his eyes that he had pushed the wrong person.
    Misha caught sight of Spacer Morin in the corner of her eye. The young spacer glanced at the growing crowd at the gate and back to the two APES.
    “Um, sir?” Morin asked in hesitation. “Third McPherson? Would you care to wait for your escort inside the gate office where you might be more comfortable?”
    “No thank you, Spacer Morin,” Misha answered without taking her eyes off the trooper before her. “I am fine here.”
    “Yes, ma’am, I mean sir. But, the Kiirkegaard is way around the tarmac. And…well, the traffic at the gate?” More shouts from the line interrupted the girl.
    “Yeah, move it up there.” “Come on, we ain’t got all day.” “Hey, Beaudry! You got a new girlfriend?” Misha realized that until this moment she hadn’t known the trooper’s name. Not that it mattered, a person would not remain anonymous for long in a unit of only 121 people.
    Taking her eyes off Trooper Beaudry, Misha turned only her face toward the girl and said, “Thank you for your concern, Spacer. I am sure that I will be fine right here. Don’t worry, Brianna. Here comes the cavalry. You have done fine. Let your boss handle it. That is why he gets to wear the fancy uniforms at officer’s parties.” She smiled and gestured towards the hatch of the gate office. A young second lieutenant was bustling toward them.
    The lieutenant pulled up short. Misha could see his eyes bug-out at the Aries Ribbon on her chest. She knew how he felt. Before she had an Aries medal of her own to wear she had only seen them on recruiting posters and then only on ancient and scarred veteran warriors.
    The man swallowed, obviously nervous. “Third, we must clear the gate. I am sorry, but I must ask you to step into the holding area until we can resolve whatever is, um, what is, I mean, you know…” The man trailed off as the growing crowd behind Misha became louder and more profane.
    Misha spun on her heels and faced the queue of men and women. “Silence!” she bellowed. “You will behave like adults or you will be treated as children.” Smiling, she turned back to the man. “I am in no mood for more insults, Lieutenant. I am sure if we work together we can run this crowd through the gate faster than a hot knife through warm butter, if you get my drift.” She tapped the man’s officer tab, a single gold bar.
    “Y -y-yes, ma’am,” the man stuttered.
    Misha shook her head in amazement. Spacer Morin hid a smile behind her hand. Misha saw the girl had the grace to blush at the officer’s gaffe. Misha shot her a wink that said, ‘Well, what are you going to do?’ She decided she was not in the mood to instruct any more people in the manners and customs of her outfit, not even to instruct an officer of a sister service who should know better.
    Misha said to the lieutenant, “Call me Third or Trey if it suits you, or even Misha. Now, shall we clear this deck?”
    Before the man could respond she shouted, “All right. All APES on gate duty form a double, gauntlet style line to the outside curve of the gate. Move it!” Troopers scrambled to fall into place. Beaudry started to move, but Misha put a