Gunfire: The Order

It was the captain.

"Captain. What a pleasant surprise."

"Quite so. There is a communication for you, monsieur. My communications officer tells me that it is addressed to your good self."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Monsieur."

"Yes?"

"You are not going to be a," he paused delicately. "Cause of trouble for us, are you? This is supposed to be a routine trip, you understand."

I blinked. "Of course not, sir."

"Very good, monsieur. Carry on."

I wondered if it would be wiser to leave my weapons in the room, but decided against it. Anything could happen, after all.

The radiograph operator handed me a scrap of paper with a few lines of coded instruction, which I read with well-practised skill.

Neptune to Trident. Disembark for immediate debrief at Aery Bergun. Congraulations on mission success.

"Is everything all right, sir?"

I smiled faintly.

"Yes, quite. Will we be passing Aery Bergun on our current course?"

"It's the border Aery. Won't be long at all."

"I'm afraid we'll need to stop briefly there."