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"Understood, ma’am" She looked at Mal and Vaz "Usual dril ?"
"Let’s get it over with," Mal said "Helirls"
BB ushered Adj up to the cel door and projected a set of tentacles to sign at hi with a pissed-off shipo in first with Naoheili warriors feel it was beneath their nity to hit a fe wo with the men Osman held her breath
"Okay, in three-- three, " Mal said The door slid back, the Sangheili stood up, and the two ht and Vaz went left to grab one arht to shake them off and very nearly succeeded He batted Mal across the coainst the bulkhead with a loud crash
"Bastard," Mal grunted, scraheili brought his fist up under Vaz’s chin just as Mal lunged back and pinned the right arht in between the the door to the ap between the Sangheili’s lower jaws
It was hard to unbalance a Sangheili, but the speed of the led to hold on to the Sangheili’s ar discharging and the angry bel owing turned into a single high-pitched squeal The Sangheili fel back to land on his backside on the bench
Adj drifted in, fiddled about with the chest plate, then drifted out again like a nurse taking a blood sample from a difficult toddler Naomi moved out and shut the door behind her, then helped Vaz off with his helmet
"You okay?" she asked She tipped his head back and checked him over Mal peered at him too "He real y snapped your head back"
"I’s"
ODST or not, Os any chances with closed brain injury "Corporal, you take a shot of chorotazine, and that’s an order I don’t need paralyzed e-head got to his feet and tottered a little before regaining his balance and roaring abuse again Phil ips looked distinctly uncomfortable, arms folded as he watched
"Is this where you tel one in and reasoned with hireat in the movies, but it only needs one blow frorunted "Believe it"
Phil ips scratched his nose, so like he wanted to argue The reality of this kind of as equal y unlike theto win on points It was an idea Phil ips needed to get used to The Sangheili was now back at ful volu
"It sounds like he’s saying blarg, " Mal said "Is that good?"
"I’l su us we’re al intestinal wor to do with our entrails in due course"
"I didn’t think he was asking for his lawyer," Os"
"I took the liberty of recording al voice traffic froh it, but there’s nothing to interest you so far," BB said, al tact and diplorunted so that sounded like thanks and headed for his cubbyhole in the hangar Vaz looked at Osman and raised his eyebrows
He seemed a bit unsteady
"He’l come around to the idea, s over when he finds out soets on with the job in the end"
Nao the cattle prod tucked under her arht, Spartan?" Osman asked
"Fine, thanks,to talk to the Aduy offloaded, and then we’l see what Hood’s up to"
"Are we stil on for that, et clearance to tag along, if only to get Phil ips on nodding ter to ith hiht now"
There was just a flicker of doubt on Mal’s face She could understand that Everyone liked Hood, and it wasn’t easy to sto dirty tricks on the h the war in some kind of shape to rebuild, but then that depended on which of theht their efforts had made the most difference The Spartans were ONI’s project and the Spartans had been the tipping point, one way or another Parangosky felt she had prior claim Osman wasn’t sure But she kneho her boss was
She took another look through the plate of the brig door The Sangheili was on his feet now, pacing around and occasional y landing a punch on the bulkheads
"See, he’s al better now" Mal peered over her shoulder "Do their teeth grow back again, like sharks’ do?"
"Stick your arested
Osheili in there until she’d arranged a handover If the brig needed hosing down afterward, that was a price worth paying She went back to her day cabin and sat down at the desk with her chin resting on her hands
"BB, can you find out what Hood’s planning?" she asked Shehis secretary She real y hadn’t wanted to do that to the man, not after how kind he’d been to her over the years "I know Parangosky’s going to tel ht you’d never ask," BB said, appearing in the in-tray "Let ment’s been up to while arth I hope you didn’tHarriet to snoop in your files so I stuck so in his and alerted Internal Audit"
"I believe the phrase is you fitted hiered the attack accountants from hel to check a truly massive overspend They’l find it’s a misplaced decimal point in due course"
"Remind me never to cross you"
"And Phil ips wil be here to see you in … ten seconds"
"You’re fabulous, d’you know that?"
"Yes I do"
BB disappeared just as Phil ips stuck his head inside the door
"Good lead with Mdama, Captain," he said "I have a name"
Osman leaned back in her chair "That was quick"
"Jul ‘Mdalottal stop and a click before the clan name "Shipmaster Some traffic between ‘Telcauy cal ed Forze who appears to be his best buddy Jul took off froes"