He laughed softly.
"As a matter of fact, she did."
Elaine smiled.
"Look, I've got to go," she said and then fumbled in the bag over her shoulder. She pulled out a card, scribbled a number on the back of it and handed it to him.
"That's my phone number while I'm out on assignment, and the card's my business office. I'll be up here for a couple of more days, maybe we can get together for a drink."
"I'd make a great story, is that it? Ex-hero, what is he doing now?"
"Don't be so defensive," she said quietly. "It's not that at all."
"A pick up then, is that it?"
"You wish," she laughed. "No, just being a friend. That jerk really embarrassed me. Most all of us are damned grateful for what all of you did in the war. A lot of us lost people we know. If we're buying the peace thing its because we just want the damn thing to stop. The offer's just being a friend, nothing more."
She looked at him and smiled.
"Honestly."
"You know we want it to end too," Jason replied, "but we want it to stop after we know it's really over, and that we or our kids after us don't have to go back out and fight it all over again. '
She nodded in reply.
"Just a friendly gesture on my part, no strings attached. OK?" She extended her hand.
"OK," and he smiled softly.
She shook his hand and turned to leave and then hesitated, looking up at Kirha.
"So you really think its a trap?"
Kirha nodded.
She sighed and left the bar.
Shaking his head Jason watched as she headed out into the main corridor and disappeared around the corner. He had to admit she certainly was attractive, he always did have a thing for very slender brunettes. But then the flash memory of Svetlana hit him and all the old pain came back again. He folded her card up and pushed it under the coaster for his beer. The whole thing with Svetlana was still too close for him to want to even make a try at getting involved again.
"Think what that professor guy said is for real?" the bartender asked
"If so you'd better learn how to serve Vak'qu, because many of my former comrades will be drinking in this place once the next war is over," Kirha growled.
"What the hell is that?"
"It makes what you call single malt scotch look like bak."
"Bak?"
Kirha and Ian laughed
"It has something to do with old diapers, Ian cut in. "Let's just say Vak'qu will burn a hole right through durasteel."
"Hey, look what just dragged in," Doomsday announced and to the shock of everyone he leaped from his seat and went up to greet a short, almost baby-faced pilot coming through the door.
"Lone Wolf Tolwyn," Jason shouted and went up to join Doomsday in a round of backslapping.
At the name Tolwyn the other pilots and ex-service crowd in the bar got up and gathered around him.
"How's the old man taking it?" and the question was shouted a dozen or more times as Kevin made his way up to the bar and allowed Doomsday to buy his "old life saving buddy," a drink.
"It's been tough on him," Kevin announced quietly. "He's retired to the family estate out on the Shetland Islands. At least out there the press can't get at him."
Kevin chatted with the crowd for several minutes and then caught Jason's eye and motioned for him to break away from the group.
As they moved away Kevin nodded for Doomsday and Ian to join them in a corner of the bar. Settling down around a table which was covered from one end to the other with carved initials and squadron insignia Kevin looked around at his old comrades and smiled.
"My uncle sent me up here on a little, how shall I say, recruiting expedition."
"For what?" Jason asked.
"I can't tell you, because I don't even really know myself, but he's been calling in a lot of his old comrades and personnel to stop by his estate for a visit. He sent me out to round up some of you hanging around out here at the old base. Would you three be willing to drop down to Earth for a day or two?"
"Anything the old man wants," Ian said.
Kevin smiled.
"There's a shuttle leaving in three hours and I took the liberty of booking some seats on it for you and a couple other people I'm looking for. Transfer over to the London shuttle once you get to Earth orbit. Touch down and head to gate 443, there'll be a ground hop waiting for you there. I don't think I need to tell you that this little trip is very private, so lets keep a secure lid on it."
Ian suddenly frowned and looked back to the bar where Kirha was looking over expectantly at him.
"Got a problem," Ian said quietly and motioned to where his Kilrathi friend was sitting.
"What about him?"
Kevin looked over at Kirha and smiled sadly.
"My uncle said that poor Cat might try and look you up. I'm sorry, Ian, security is just too tight on this."
Ian nodded sadly.
"Look, let's do it this way," Jason interjected. "Your family still has that farm back in Australia. Send him there until we finish up whatever it is the Admiral wants."
Ian smiled and then reached into his wallet and pulled it out.
Doomsday, Kevin, and Jason, seeing the dilapidated condition of Ian's wallet and overall financial condition pulled out what money they had.
"That ought to be enough to buy him a ticket. Thanks, lads."
"Look, he can take one of my seats down to London, and then you can fly him to Australia from there. I'll get in contact with my uncle and make sure someone meets us at the shuttle port to take him out."
Ian nodded his thanks.
Kevin smiled and shook hands around the table.
"I'll see you at Windward."
CHAPTER FOUR
As the London shuttle turned on final Jason found that he had to nearly fight with Kirha for a look out the window. Though he had spent a year Earthside while Tarawa was going through refit, he had never had a chance to get to London. He was seeing precious little of it now as Kirha kept leaning over him to look out the window.
"Ah boys, it'll be good to hear real kings English spoken as it should be," Ian said.
"Hell, you're from Australia," Doomsday replied.
"Once part of the same glorious Empire. Look, there's Westminster, beyond that the Tower of London."
"I read they used to cut heads off at the Tower," Kirha said with a note of admiration in his voice.
"We kind of gave up the sport," Ian replied.
"Too bad, I'd have liked to have seen the ceremony. You know it still amazes me how you humans could beat the Empire to a standstill."
"How's that?" Jason asked, finally relinquishing the window to Kirha and settling back in his chair.
"I always thought that you were rather soft, not a warrior's breed, no claws, no fangs, no thrill at the sight and smell of blood."
"We still get by when we have to," Doomsday said.
"Yes, I know, most curious."
The shuttle banked over on to final approach and Jason closed his eyes, the turning and decelerating of the shuttle giving him a nostalgic longing to be in a cockpit again. The shuttle touched down smoothly and taxied to its gate.
When the hatch was popped the warm damp air of London filtered into the cab and Kirha wrinkled his nose.
"How do you breathe this? It's like inhaling water."
"You should try it when a spring fog rolls in," Ian replied. The four travelers pulled their duffle bags down from the overhead compartments and went through the access tunnel into the main terminal. Kirha was, of course, immediately noticed. The basic reaction, which was typical of most people from a metropolitan area, was to act as if he wasn't there, except for lingering sidelong stares. Several people displayed open hostility, and Jason was embarrassed when an elderly man came up and spit in front of Kirha, cursing all Kilrathi for killing his family.