Let's Make a Deal (Bob and Nikki Book 11)
What sort of agreement are you hoping to get, while you are here?”“A non-aggression pact is my number one goal. You tear through our fleets with only the one ship. We have no desire to see what you can do, now that you have the Navy at your disposal.”
“Let me assure you, Ambassador, neither do I.”
“Are your negotiators available to start on the treaty?”
“As it happens, they are both away at the moment. I’ll get ahold of them, and have them here as soon as possible. Would it be acceptable for you and me to discuss things, informally, until they arrive?”
“I would enjoy that very much, Commodore.”
“Where do you propose we meet?”
“I have yet to get a tour of your ship. Would you mind if I came over there?”
“Not at all. Just follow the blinking lights.” Saucy cut the connection. I said, “Your ship, Topper. I’m going to see the Ambassador.” Nikki said, “Do you think you ought to go by the cabin and get your dress uniform? I can keep him busy for a few minutes.”
“Good idea. Topper, tell Jeeves I’m coming in hot, and I need the uniform he made for me.”
“On it, Boss.” I kissed Nikki and said, “I’ll catch up to you in a few minutes. Thanks for keeping him busy.” The transit was standing open, and I jumped in. When it stopped, I ran across to the cabin. Jeeves had things laid out, and I was able to dress with no fuss at all. I said, “Good work, Jeeves”, as I ran back out the door. Back on the transit, I asked, “Gene, could you connect me with Commodore Sloan, please?”
“I don’t think so, but let me make certain. No, Boss, he is still in FTL.”
“How did you know he was in FTL, Gene?”
“Neil told me they were leaving to come back here, night before last. If they are flying as fast as I can, which they should be, they will be here in an hour or so.”
“What kind of range do we have on that beacon-communicator, so far?”
“Not much, Boss, but we can try. What do you want us to tell them?”
“To come out of FTL outside the system, so they don’t look like an attempt to intimidate the Squirrels.”
“You want the ‘Gun Grannies’ aboard as soon as possible, correct?”
“I do.” The transit opened, and I stepped out on a bad scene. Natti’s escorts had taken offense at the fact Nikki had come to greet him. Some of Andre’s boys were between the escorts and Nikki, with stunners drawn. I figured the only way to calm this down was to take charge. “Marines, Tenn-Hut!” I walked around in front of them. “What is the meaning of this? Why have you elected to insult my wife? Do you think that just because she is pregnant, she couldn’t handle this rabble all by herself?”
The Sergeant in charge of the squad said, “No offense intended, Boss. They moved toward Mrs. Wilson, and I reacted, without considering the implications. My responsibility, Boss.”
“Thank you for your diligence, Sergeant. I will leave it to Mrs. Wilson whether or not she wants to change your uniform to frilly dresses for a week or two.”
Nikki said, “I don’t think that will be necessary, Commodore. Thank you for the offer, though.” I did an about face, and looked at Natti’s escort. “You are guests on this ship, and will comport yourselves appropriately. If you wish to spar with someone, we have a student coming in shortly who would be more even with your skill level. If your only goal is a little nap, these fellows here will be more than happy to stun you.”
Their Sergeant spoke up. “You sent a female to greet our Ambassador. It is a deadly insult.”
“Hmm, diplomacy, the art of learning to tolerate and cooperate with foreign cultures. You did realize what your job was before you exited your ship, didn’t you? The only reason my wife got here before me, was that I stopped to change out of my work clothes, in an attempt to show your Ambassador some respect. Obviously, I should have saved myself the trouble, since you are only here to find something to be offended about.”
“You talk big, monkey, with your Marines to back you up.”
“That’s the way you feel about it, huh?” I turned to the Marines. “Sergeant, has Pete’s gym been repurposed yet?”
“No, Boss. Topper thought you might like to make another movie.”
“Excellent idea. Let’s do that.” I turned back to the mouthy escort. “Care to see whether I can back it up, or not?”
“What are you babbling about?”
“You and me, in a gym, we’ll see who can back it up, and who can’t. I’m feeling generous today, you can have that nasty little hideout knife your people seem to like, or your buddies, but not both.”
“You think you can defeat four trained Squirrel warriors? Perhaps we should be the ones making a movie. I will take your stupid challenge, monkey.”
The Ambassador spoke up. “You’ve done it now. He will humiliate you beyond belief.”
“Quiet, old man. Your silly revolution won’t last forever. Order will be restored.” I had figured that Natti would have some people with him trying to sabotage his mission. I hadn’t thought they would be so open about it, though. We went to Pete’s gym. It seemed so quiet without Greg in it. I handed my weapons to Nikki, then asked, “Did you decide which option you preferred?”
“We all want to humiliate you, uppity monkey.”
I looked at the Marines. “Be sure you get their knives this time. Don’t embarrass yourselves again.” They came up with a ceramic hideout from each of my opponents. I turned to Natti. “Those are nice knives, and evidently hard to detect. Do you suppose you could make some sized for monkey