“Oh you know me, Mr. President.” If the guy smiled any wider the top of his head would unhinge. “Just calling to see how things are going with our… uhmm… guests?”
Ah. The aliens.
He should have guessed that would be the focus of Russell’s interest. One of Anselm’s subsidiaries specialized in military equipment and weaponry. It wasn’t the first time Russell had demanded access to everything they knew about alien technology.
“Things are progressing well, thank you, Mr. Russell.”
He’d be damned if he’d give this asshole any information, not until he had to anyway.
“Oh, come now. Surely you can give me a little more than that. As an interested party, I like to make sure things are going well with our alien guests. Plus there is a matter of planetary security. If these aliens have bought advanced technology to the surface, we should be given access to provide countermeasures. In the interests of national planetary security, of course.” Russell leaned forward, his smile still slick but slightly strained.
If you knew what you were looking for, you could see the slight scars from his surgeries, the way the skin pulled across the bone structure beneath in a way that wasn’t wholly natural. For all that progress had pushed the boundaries and extended humanity’s lifespan, scientists had not yet found the fountain of youth. Humans lived longer, but often that meant they spent a long time old. Ego and vanity went hand in hand.
“Of course,” Russell continued, “I can understand if you don’t trust me. After all, I did vote for the other guy. And, taking into account poor Ms. Cole’s fate, I would think you would want to make a few more friends. Politics is a cutthroat business. Don’t you think?”
The threat was not even vague. Madison Cole had been twice the politician he was, and even she had fallen prey to political backstabbing and underhand machinations. Of course, she had fought back in the only way she could, by giving him the position of president. She’d known what she was doing. Politically, it was a scorched earth policy.
Cam didn’t let his expression alter as he leaned forward, mimicking Russell’s body language.
“Let’s be perfectly clear on this, Mr. Russell. Your company works for the planetary government. You make equipment for us. That equipment may be military equipment, but that does not entitle you to any form of access to classified information. Are we clear?”
Maxwell’s expression turned thunderous, fury in his eyes as he hissed. “I would advise the president to remember that he is, in fact, a public servant and can be removed if required.”
Cameron leaned back in his chair, spreading his arm in invitation.
“Please, do elaborate, because that sounded very much like a threat.”
Maxwell's grin was like a shark’s—all teeth and black eyes.
“No, no threat. Just a little… friendly advice. It would be to your benefit to play nice with us. You scratch our back and we'll scratch yours, if you know what I mean? Your predecessor’s predecessor realized that very early on and it made his life much easier.”
Cam didn’t bother concealing his disgust as he looked at the man.
“I am not here to make my job easier but to do my duty protecting Earth and her people. So by all means,” he let a slow smile spread over his face, “come for me if you think you have what it takes.”
“You’ll fall,” Maxwell snapped. “Just like Cole did. And we didn’t even have to exert that much pressure on her.”
Cam didn’t let his smile alter. “All respect to the woman, but I’m nothing like Cole. Good day, Mr. Russell. Oh, pay my respects to your stepchildren.”
Maxwell froze for a second, looking uncomfortable. “My stepchildren are dead. They were terrorists, killed in the incident at Tarantus Station.”
Cam held eye contact. He wasn’t being cruel as some would assume. He knew all about the hit Maxwell had put out on his wife’s kids, and what had actually happened to them. He hadn’t been able to stop the hit, but fortunately he’d had a nomad in place to assist.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked mildly. “Because if you’re not, I really wouldn’t want to be you. Good talk, Mr. Russell. Goodbye.”
Elise and Cade hadn’t managed to grab any time to themselves after the DNA test. The schedule for the Latharian warriors was jam-packed, each briefing, entertainment, or outing designed to show off human culture at its best.
All they’d been able to manage were a few smiles at each other across a crowded room, and even then she had to be careful because Cam was watching her like a hawk. She’d even stayed on base overnight to allay suspicion.
Today, though, should prove to have more opportunities for them to speak. There was an arranged visit to the nearby zoo, which had been closed down so the aliens could wander in peace. The day was bright and pleasant, the weather behaving for once. The sun sat high in the sky, not too bright, and a pleasant breeze whispered through the trees nearby.
Elise stood and looked around in contentment. This trip had been her baby, a way to show the Lathar the wide variety of wildlife on Earth and, in some cases, from its past. The tigers in their enclosures were genetically modified, resurrected from remains kept on ice when the last member of their species had died. Likewise with some of the smaller big cats, as well as the rhinos, and the giraffes. Her heart bled for the animals they’d lost when their habitats were destroyed by corporations like Anselm. But that was a thought for another day. Shaking her head, she concentrated on the group around her—aliens and humans alike.
Whatever she’d expected of the trip, it wasn’t to find hardened alien warriors absolutely entranced not by the animals but by the families of base staff that had been invited along.
These big, mean aliens who had obviously known a lifetime of war and service couldn’t take their eyes off the children that ran between them, laughing and having fun. It was unexpected but cute. Especially the way the big B’Kaar warriors, out of their suits so as to avoid scaring children, were so careful. They moved like they were walking on thin ice, telegraphing their movements to avoid knocking into any of the children and inadvertently squashing them.
She watched, a smile on her lips, as a toddler broke away from her mother and almost collided with Berrick B’Kaar. He froze instantly, and for a second a look of sheer and utter panic crossed his face.
The little girl paused, hand on his knee and looked up at him. She had never seen a man so terrified by a child before. Before she could step in and help, Cade appeared at Berrick’s side. A wide smile on his face, he crouched down to the little girl's level. She giggled, hiding behind her mother’s skirts as he played peekaboo, grinning from behind big hands.
“That looked like a timely save,” a deep voice said behind her. She turned and looked up to find the B’Kaar leader, Risyn, standing next to her.
He was a tall, leanly muscled man with a grace that didn’t seem to quite fit with the big armored suit she often saw him wear. Standing in an at-ease posture with his hands clasped behind his back, she could almost imagine him in the frills and lace of some Renaissance era. Today he wore the leather uniform she was used to seeing on the aliens but also what looked like a thin t-shirt underneath.