“These soldiers will accompany you back to Medical, where you will remain until the time comes to evacuate you from Fluva. It was a pleasure meeting you both, and I’m sure I will establish the same courteous relationship with whoever the Imperial government appoints as your successors.” She raised a hand in a futile attempt to forestall additional objections. “No, don’t thank me.”
“Thank you? Thank you. Truly, outrage, truly, thiss!” Thessu’s protests continued to resound until the door had resealed completely behind him.
Interspersed with the irate officer’s bellowing avowals of indignation was the notably softer reservation expressed by his colleague. “Truly,” the now thoroughly subdued Jallrii could be heard to hiss softly, “now that I think hard on the matter, I musst confess that thesse lasst few dayss I have not been feeling at all that well.”
She stared thoughtfully at the now sealed doorway. Then she picked up the folder full of medical hard copy and set it off to one side. Pandusky could retrieve it later. She knew he would make proper use of the sensitive recyclable material. He would not even have to wipe it before use, since every treated sheet within was already perfectly blank. With the room once more devoid of visitors, she smiled to herself this time.
She was getting better at this business of bluffing.
There was nothing wrong with the two AAnn officers. If anything, they were even healthier than Thessu claimed. And just as she had acknowledged, they would indeed be replaced as rapidly as the relevant Imperial bureau could ship suitable substitutes off to Fluva.