Read Online Baltic Gambit: A Novel of the Vampire Earth by E.E. Knight - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: E.E. Knight
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skylight. Sure enough, Lambert was still in her office, tunic off and hung on a hook in the wall. Knowing Lambert, Duvalier figured she probably ran a hot iron over the tunic quickly before hanging it up, just in case. She threw on fresh underwear and a shirt and strolled over to the headquarters for the promised chat. There were rumors that Lambert was expanding her staff to help cover the greater number of sub-posts reporting to Fort Seng. She hoped she wouldn’t be asked to serve at headquarters rather than in the field. Headquarters meant people, and people meant annoyance. She’d rather be in the boonies working alone.
The colonel had a private office, too. It had probably once been a dressing room or something in the lavish house. There was a tall window and a mirrored wall opposite the desk. A carpenter had put up organization shelves and bins for a collection of pre-2022 reference books. The mirror had delicate etching in it, curlicues of burnished, softened black running around the edges. The other wall, opposite the mirror, had a large map of Eastern North America on a pinboard to better hold the myriad of colored pins designating known concentrations of Kurian Zone forces.
Lambert was studying a map. “Just a sec,” she said, making a note. When she finished, she returned the pencil neatly to a small tray—she had two, one for pens and one for pencils of various colors—and looked at the rather ragged Cat sitting across the desk from her.
“I like the new towels in the bathroom,” Duvalier said, by way of starting a friendly chat.
“There’s an amazing little market that’s sprung up on the Evansville riverbank. All sorts of people with little barges of goods. One of the staff, Barranco, enjoys visiting it and found them for us. Dirt cheap.
“We’ve been tearing through the documents you brought out of the conference. It’s interesting stuff, all about defensive arrangements should the Kentucky Free Zone make a move north, east, or south. They seem to think the next most likely target is Memphis, in cooperation with Southern Command.”
“Is it?” Duvalier asked.
“It might be if I were our esteemed commander in chief, General Martinez. As I’m not, it’s anyone’s guess. The Kentuckians have had enough fighting these past couple of years; they’re just trying toorganize what they’ve won, and Southern Command seems to have fallen into a military funk. Right now they’re fighting over force drawdowns more than they’re fighting the Kurians.”
Duvalier didn’t really follow politics, but the Free Republics must be pretty sure of themselves if they were returning troops to civilian life.
“What did you need?”
“I’d like to hear again how you came across these.”
Duvalier retold the story. She was pretty sure she’d put it in her report, but she hated paperwork, and the events at the stables didn’t have much to do with the operation against the hotel one way or another.
“Okay, we can be pretty sure they aren’t deliberate misinformation, then. Your colonel was well away from the fighting.”
“And trying to get farther,” Duvalier said.
“There is one interesting tidbit in there. You know there’s a big all-freehold conference coming up this summer.”
“Ummmm, no.”
“It’s sort of an open secret. They have one every four or five years. It’s mentioned in the colonel’s notes on the meeting. They spent a long session on what was expected from the Resistance this year, and among the details was a mention of the conference and that they were expecting a report shortly after it finishes. Do you know what that implies?”
This was a field closer to her interests. “That they have a reliable source that will tell them what happened at this big meeting. Or that they’ve managed to insert one or more agents to attend the conference personally and gather information.”
“Yes,” Lambert said. “I’m wondering if the colonel didn’t screw up and make a
The colonel had a private office, too. It had probably once been a dressing room or something in the lavish house. There was a tall window and a mirrored wall opposite the desk. A carpenter had put up organization shelves and bins for a collection of pre-2022 reference books. The mirror had delicate etching in it, curlicues of burnished, softened black running around the edges. The other wall, opposite the mirror, had a large map of Eastern North America on a pinboard to better hold the myriad of colored pins designating known concentrations of Kurian Zone forces.
Lambert was studying a map. “Just a sec,” she said, making a note. When she finished, she returned the pencil neatly to a small tray—she had two, one for pens and one for pencils of various colors—and looked at the rather ragged Cat sitting across the desk from her.
“I like the new towels in the bathroom,” Duvalier said, by way of starting a friendly chat.
“There’s an amazing little market that’s sprung up on the Evansville riverbank. All sorts of people with little barges of goods. One of the staff, Barranco, enjoys visiting it and found them for us. Dirt cheap.
“We’ve been tearing through the documents you brought out of the conference. It’s interesting stuff, all about defensive arrangements should the Kentucky Free Zone make a move north, east, or south. They seem to think the next most likely target is Memphis, in cooperation with Southern Command.”
“Is it?” Duvalier asked.
“It might be if I were our esteemed commander in chief, General Martinez. As I’m not, it’s anyone’s guess. The Kentuckians have had enough fighting these past couple of years; they’re just trying toorganize what they’ve won, and Southern Command seems to have fallen into a military funk. Right now they’re fighting over force drawdowns more than they’re fighting the Kurians.”
Duvalier didn’t really follow politics, but the Free Republics must be pretty sure of themselves if they were returning troops to civilian life.
“What did you need?”
“I’d like to hear again how you came across these.”
Duvalier retold the story. She was pretty sure she’d put it in her report, but she hated paperwork, and the events at the stables didn’t have much to do with the operation against the hotel one way or another.
“Okay, we can be pretty sure they aren’t deliberate misinformation, then. Your colonel was well away from the fighting.”
“And trying to get farther,” Duvalier said.
“There is one interesting tidbit in there. You know there’s a big all-freehold conference coming up this summer.”
“Ummmm, no.”
“It’s sort of an open secret. They have one every four or five years. It’s mentioned in the colonel’s notes on the meeting. They spent a long session on what was expected from the Resistance this year, and among the details was a mention of the conference and that they were expecting a report shortly after it finishes. Do you know what that implies?”
This was a field closer to her interests. “That they have a reliable source that will tell them what happened at this big meeting. Or that they’ve managed to insert one or more agents to attend the conference personally and gather information.”
“Yes,” Lambert said. “I’m wondering if the colonel didn’t screw up and make a
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