Read Online WARP world by Kristene Perron, Joshua Simpson - Free Book Online

pulled up the holographic map overlaid with the Guild’s suggested vita hot spots, “on foot, as we are now, we are limited to the following sites.” He pointed to six, glowing red dots. “But by water we could feasibly survey at least twice that, maybe more, including the biggest two, here and here.”
    “By water? How in the name of the Storm are we going to arrange that miracle?” Kerbin dug out a piece of ration bar that was stuck between her teeth, then sucked it off her finger.
    “Not we , squad leader…me. You and your troops possess no cultural training beyond minimal survival skills. I will take only my bodyguard and charter a vessel—”
    “You’ll what?” Kerbin let out two loud barks that were her equivalent of laughter. “Cultural penetration without us to cover you? You’re insane, Theorist. First mission and already cracked.”
    Seg continued, unfazed by her disrespect. “When we are finished here, I will send a comm to the world with a list of the necessary cover elements. We’ll travel over land together, as far as here,” he pointed to the map again, “where we’ll wait for the next warp window. Once I have the necessary equipment, we’ll part ways–you and the squad will head to this inland site first,” he indicated a red dot, “and Manatu and I will take appropriate cover roles and travel to this river port settlement to secure transport.”
    “Too dangerous,” she said, shaking her head, all traces of merriment gone. “I don’t care if you are the Guild’s wonder boy; our job is to stick close to you when you infiltrate and be ready to pull you out if things get ugly. What you’re proposing—transit with Outers on a waterborne vessel, with a single trooper—is beyond unortho. Without a full squad to cover you, you could blow this mission for all of us and get yourself killed in the process. Not to mention, if anything happens to you, it’ll be my guts on the table.”
    “Regardless, this is what we’re going to do.” He gave her a long, thoughtful appraisal. Her apprehension was small-minded but not unreasonable. Theorists were trained to blend with Outers of all descriptions but even the best sometimes found themselves compromised. “I will make sure to note your concerns and your formal disapproval of my decision, Squad Leader.”
    That seemed to appease her but her jaw remained set. “I want a worst-case scenario back up plan,” she said, after a moment’s contemplation. “If we lose comm, I am not risking my squad by traipsing all over this insect-infested water hole looking for you.”
    A reasonable precaution, and one he had not considered. Seg performed a quick calculation of distance and time, then zoomed in the holographic map to an area on the other side of the mountain range they were camped against. “We’ll set up a rendezvous point. In the unlikely event that something should run afoul, we’ll meet here,” he pressed a button to mark a spot on the map, the coordinates jumping to the foreground as he did so, “in 21 days—the mission deadline.”
    “I won’t wait a minute longer. You don’t show before sundown, we leave your tender ass behind. And I want all this on record.”
    “I assure you, I’ve made note of everything we’ve discussed.”
    Kerbin’s face twitched slightly at that. She sized him up for a moment–Seg knew she was assessing the threat implied in his statement.
    “Fair enough,” she said, after chewing on the offer. “It’s still insane. Totally unortho. But I’m sure you’ve already thought of that.” She stepped closer, her voice low and prodding, “I don’t have to tell you that if you karg this up, changing the rules as you go, making things up as it suits you, you’ll be the joke of the Guild, the laughing stock of the World. Lannit made a mess but he was an experienced field Theorist, his risk was based on a career’s worth of successful missions. The People still speak his name with a grain of respect.