John Ringo - East of the Sun, West of the Moon

“Because I knew that Bus is pure as driven snow,” Herzer said, hiccupping. “Besides, he’s gay.”

“Am not !” Buskirk said, standing up and reeling, then sitting down. “If you used that in your pers-sperp-per-son-nel decision making, you seriously fisked up, buddy. Kick your over-promoted butt as soon as I can stand up!”

“Got legs go all the way to her assets, too,” Massa said. “ All the way. But you’re right. I mean, Van Krief should have gotten all the hotties. All the girls on one ship.”

“Wooo!” Cruz said. “Pity the poor boys stuck on that ship! Kristina, too.”

“Kristina’s hot,” Massa said. “But not as hot as Nicole.”

“Jacklyn’s hotter than Nicole, man,” Van Buskirk said.

“Oh, bullshit,” Massa said, staggering to his feet. “Nicole’s like, major league hottie. Hotter than any of the girls, sorry Mo.”

“S’alright,” Amosis said, waving her beer glass. “I know I’m like… pretty. Not super hot.”

“You’re hot, babe,” Cruz said. “Don’t let anybody tell you different. Hot as hell. And good with a mace, too.”

“Jacklyn’s hotter than Nicole,” Van Buskirk said, staggering to his feet and jabbing a finger into Massa’s chest. “Jacklyn, Linda and Michelle are hotter than Nicole. Kristina’s hotter than Nicole!”

“No fisking way!” Massa said, stabbing right back although he had to reach up to do it. “Nicole’s hotter than Michelle , Bull God tell me if I lie! And she’s hotter than Jacklyn. And Linda! And Kristina!”

“Hang on,” Herzer said, staggering up himself. “Don’t spill the beer!”

“Beer, hell,” Mo said, getting up as well. “Don’t break the furniture! I’ll be doing reports for a year!”

“Nicole’s hotter!” Bus said, grabbing Mike and lifting him off his feet. “Say it! Nicole’s hotter!” At which point, Mike tried to kick him in the balls, missed and the two fell to the floor, fortunately clear of the furniture and the beer.

It took a few moments to separate the two fighters with Amosis and Cruz trying to restrain Massa while Herzer wrestled with Bus.

“Cut it out!” Herzer bellowed. “Fine couple of officers you two are! We’ll take a vote! Settle down.”

“Fine,” Massa said, shaking off Cruz and Mo. “We’ll vote.”

“First, we gotta figure out, who’s the hottest of Team Bus,” Herzer said, sitting down.

“Bus,” Amosis said, giggling.

“Love you, too, honey,” Bus said, blowing her a kiss.

“Of the girls ,” Herzer pointed out. “I vote for Linda. And nobody better tell Megan!”

“Linda’s hot,” Bus said, nodding. “Seriously major league, hot. Hotness. Great mind, too. Almost jiggles.”

“Jacklyn,” Cruz said. “Seriously hot. I don’t suppose a last minute change…”

“No,” Herzer said, definitely. “Okay, one vote for Linda and one for Jacklyn.”

“I’m for Jacklyn,” Amosis said.

“Does Mo get a vote?” Mike asked.

“Sure Mo gets a vote,” Herzer replied. “Two for Jacklyn, although I think you’re both cracked, and one for Linda.”

“I’m voting with Mo,” Mike said.

“Me, too,” Bus added. “Jacklyn’s seriously hot.”

“Okay, we’ll go for Jacklyn,” Herzer said, picking up his beer and taking a drink. “Jacklyn or Nicole. We’ll take a council of… something. Team leaders don’t get to vote for their own. So. Mo. Jacklyn or Nicole.”

“Hmmm,” Mo said, rubbing her chin. “I’ve got to go for Jacklyn. But I don’t go for tits. Those legs, though. My! Wish I had her legs.”

“Cruz?” Herzer asked.

“Hey, I’ve got Cruz by date of rank,” Amosis pointed out. “He should have voted first.”

“Whatever,” Herzer said, shaking his head. “Sorry. Cruz?”

“Hmmm,” Cruz said, rubbing at his hair. “Nicole. God, that girl’s got the most beautiful… eyes.”

“What color are they?” Van Krief snapped.

“Blue?” Cruz said, his forehead crinkling. “No… brown.”

“Green!” Mike snapped. “They’re green , man!”

“Greenish-blue,” Cruz said, taking a big pull on his beer. “I gotta take a whiz. Tell me how it comes out.” With that he staggered out of the room.

“Up to me,” Herzer said. “Damn. Okay, okay… Nicole. Sorry, Bus. Like Cruz said, great… eyes.”

“S’alright,” Van Buskirk replied. “Hell, quantity over quality. And I think Kristina’s hot, too.”

“They’re all hot,” Mike replied, mollified. “Courtney’s hot. Joie’s hot. Hell, Megan’s hot.”

“Let’s not go there,” Mo said.

“Keep your eyes off my girl, man,” Herzer growled, lurching to his feet.

“Oh, crap,” Bus muttered. “Cruz! Get back here!”

The crew quarters at the Penan reactor were old but in far better shape than the training facility. They had been made nearly two thousand years before, back when the Wolf Lake nuclear power plant was converted to fusion, and the plascrete was crumbling in places. But new beds had been installed in the crew bay and Herzer lay in one of them, cradling his head with his right hand while idly clicking his prosthetic.

“Would you please quit that?” Megan suddenly snapped, pausing in her pacing.

“What?” Herzer said, then flinched. “Sorry. Bad habit.”

“Not normally,” Megan said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, but how can you just… sit there?”

“Nothing else to do,” Herzer pointed out. “All the teams are dispersed, the shuttles are on the way. All we can do is wait.”

“I hate waiting,” Megan said. “I got used to hating it. Waiting is a bad thing for me,” she added unhappily.

“It’s not exactly easy for anyone,” Joie pointed out. “But I know what you mean about it being particularly bad,” she added, sighing. “All I wanted to be was free to spend my time as I wished. And now I’m back… waiting.”

“We could play a game,” Evan said, looking up from a schematic. “Charades?”

“I don’t think so,” Megan said, starting her pacing again.

“Twenty questions,” Herzer said. “I’m thinking of something on the ship.”

“Herzer, don’t start,” Megan sighed. “No more drills, okay?”

“Animal, vegetable or mineral?” Courtney asked.

“Animal.”

“Orcs,” Layne Crismon grunted. The tall, heavy-set sergeant was stretched out on his bunk, much like Herzer, and had appeared to be sleeping.

“Got it in two,” Herzer said with a grin.

One of the Blood Lord reinforcement team stuck his head in the barracks and looked around.

“Commander, the reactor has lock on from shuttle four.”

“Crap,” Herzer said, getting to his feet. The shuttle was at the far end of the ship from Maintenance. “Any word from the other teams?”

“Wait,” Megan said, holding up her hand. As she did, an avatar of the unworldly Ishtar appeared, folded in a lotus and apparently floating in midair. The councilwoman was Changed in strange ways, body lengthened and limbs so hyperextended that they appeared more like the legs of a spider.

“Commander Herrick,” the council member said, nodding, “Megan. The Alabad reactor has lock from shuttle five. However, Taurania appears to have been skipped.” Alabad was Team Graff, the Blood Lord pure team, while Taurania was Team Massa. If he didn’t adjust they’d be left behind.

“Bloody hell,” Herzer muttered, glancing at the world map. “Could you set up a portal to move…”

“More,” Megan said, looking up as Ungphakorn appeared.

“Issshtar, Megan, Commander Herrick.” The council member was a five-meter feathered serpent with functional wings that were folded back along his body. He appeared to be curled on a complex couch. “We have lock on from ssshuttle ssseven for the Limosss reactor.” That was Van Krief’s team.