"What meaning does it carry?" The older man was a mascot for all those who couldn't keep themselves still. His hands tossed his screen back and forth, and the few near-drops sent an undesirable jolt through the Prime Beacon's stomach. "Why…not that much, when you halt to ponder it."
"I should specify the inquiry, I suppose. What does that mean for her obligatory service?"
"My friend." A shoulder pat. "She's an engineer. Not a WAV pilot. She's never needed to contend with much in the way of physical exertions. Her profession in the military is reliant on tools for external aid and this," he said, poking the Prime Beacon's temple. "Were you optimistic you'd hear something specific?"
"I don't know." He almost hunched over, but the pinch in his side made him reconsider. He settled for laying back on the surgery table and covering his eyes. "It would be cruel of me to say, but it was easier when she was back at Io. If something were to happen, guilt would strike me, of course it would. But at least I wouldn't feel this personal responsibility. It's crushing, this weight I bear."
"Heh. Us older folk against the world."
"You mean humanity," came the correction. "The world doesn't care about one specific demographic. It's out for human blood, not the old variety alone."
"Thank you for spoiling my moment of fantasy." Pr-9 checked the screen. "There's one more. She isn't seeing her psychological staff."
"What?" He sat up and groaned, one hand pre-wrapped around the incision site at his side. He choked out, "Repeat that."
"'Please'?"
"'Please' repeat that."
"Thank you. As part of the standard retinue of medical staff, one of the specialists assigned to her was Ex-3. She's one of the best. I had her set aside for Pa-5's care, but it seems my gift went unappreciated." His tone lifted with self-deprecating humor. "I suppose your Pa-5 thinks she knows what's best for the journey to recovery."
"Why wasn't I informed of this?"
"You have access to general military activity and assignment data archives. We're under the Seventh, remember? We operate on an isolated sub-archive. You should have access under normal circumstances, but…" He shrugged. "'Support the home interest', 'exclusivity', and all that."
"I don't know what to say…"
"Don't catch yourself feeling too terrible. Your Pa-5's off-duty anyway. From a technical lens, that is. A hybrid probationary period of a sort, until she's deemed capable of performing to standard with her old self again. So her activities, or abstinence from some, wouldn't reach your eyes or ears anyway unless you researched yourself."
The Prime Beacon chuckled. What else was there to do? "I still don't know what to say."
"Why not start by telling me what you plan to do once you're free of me?"
"I want to shoot myself, but there are too many other obligations I need to fulfill. Considerations. Responsibility. Hard times aren't far--harder than now," he amended, catching Pr-9's pointed gaze, "and…there's too much that needs doing."
Pr-9 set down the screen. He returned to his seat by the surgery table and lifted a hand in the other man's direction, fingers outstretched. The Prime Beacon started, before recognizing it as an offered handshake.
After they completed the action, Pr-9 grunted. "I understand. It isn't easy to decide choices for something such as this, and I promise, I do. But be sure to sit down with her after the first product of these 'harder times' the first opportunity you can find."
"You do know about the coming Aud army, no? Why assume their first attack is the first and not the first and last?"
"Because while your position demands you worry yourself silly over certain what-ifs, I have the pleasure and leisure to believe in the happenstance of others." Another shoulder pat as Pr-9 stood. "You ready to walk?"
"Where is my skins--"
"Here." Said skinsuit flew at him, and he took precious moments to fit himself inside it and seal it around his body, ginger with his motions. Pr-9 opened the door to the hall, and the two of them stepped out.
This time, the Prime Beacon led their path, taking them to the waiting room. There were fewer faces than before, more vacant seats, and one or two new additions that hadn't been present earlier.
He shook Pr-9's hand for the second time. "It…was nice to see you again."
"See? Even a stiff old Ancient like you can admit I bring an enjoyable atmosphere wherever this world takes me."
"I'm not…mmm." A glint appeared in his eye. "I appreciate everything you told me. Make it a priority to continue with those positive thoughts, alright?"
"Wh--"
Crack! With one hand still trapped in the Prime Beacon's grasp, Pr-9 couldn't retreat and resorted to widening his eyes and jerking back as the other man's free arm came up and around with the speed of a sonic, already capped with a cocked fist. It didn't save him. His nose bent to one side, and he sneezed blood onto his skinsuit as he wobbled back.
"Damn!" The punch and his exclamation did more than enough to turn them into a focal point of attention. "I can't believe I forgot about that!" His voice was miraculous; it remained clear and stable, unaffected by the new state of his nose.
"I told you." The Prime Beacon made a point of guffawing in a manner mirroring Pr-9 when he released him. "Take care; don't let an Aud catch you unawares."
"'Boring man', make yourself scarce before I call someone to restrain you and pretend you've finally cracked. And don't disregard your knee!" The last time the Prime Beacon saw him, Pr-9 was waving down the hallway at him, grinning despite his nose.
He was halfway to his office when Ni-6 sent him a communication. "Sir, how was the examination?"
"They abstained from sticking foreign objects in places where they don't belong, for the most part. What's the situation? How have you handled affairs?"
"Barring the Second Headman's, all other rays were without the presence of their headmen for the duration of the mass examination. The Aud haven't shown any abnormal changes in statistics like time until arrival, movement patterns, the like. They're still too far for the city's fur scanners to determine the composition of fur colors, and we've resisted sending out more drones equipped with miniaturized systems. The Aud did make an explicit effort to target the drones if they spotted any around two hours ago. We've lost around sixty-three percent of the initial wave of drones that way."
"Did the First release follow-up waves to reinforce their coverage?"
"The head generals elected against it. They think every asset will count down the line, so there's no reason to expend them now. We can still perform accurate scans at impressive ranges from the city, thanks to the greater degree of sophistication of technology, so there's little immediate concern that the Aud will have something in store for us we can't adapt to in time."
"I see. Is there anything that requires my attention or participation?"
"There's been no calls for another meet, and the head generals and I have kept matters under control for the First. You should go down to the maintenance gate, though." There was a pause.
"We're bringing the Titans inside the walls, and someone of high military standing should supervise the process. If you're up for it, that is, sir. The Third has their hands full, so I haven't found an opportunity to make contact with their headman, and…you already know about the Eighth Headman's…habits."
A longer pause. "The Fifth and Sixth are finalizing preparations to deconstruct any infrastructure erected beyond the walls and bring useful assets inside."
"I'll head there now then. Continue your attempts to initiate contact with the Third and Eighth Headmen. Send someone to visit their rays in person if you must. Do the same for the Sixth and Ninth. They're our allies, even if not as entrenched in our ranks as the other two." The flow of information was more important now than ever.
"You can count on me, sir."