"We don't need a loose cannon on our streets, Trainee. Are you a loose cannon?"
"No ma'am."
"Very well. Implement a code forty, Trainee Walsh. As quick as you can."
Harriet looked blank.
"Return to your official vehicle, get it off the road, and let everyone go about their business."
"Oh. Yes. Sure." Harriet saluted as best she could, then ran back to the cruiser. "Hit it, Steve."
"Are you feeling any better?"
Harriet remembered Foster's cold, hard eyes. "Not really, no."
"Should I let you out again?"
"No, I'll be fine. Just get me back to the office."
"Sirens and lights?"
"Definitely not. And just this once you'd better stick to the speed limit." Harriet glanced out the side window as a car drove by, and through the tinted glass she saw Foster watching her.
"As you wish," said Steve. They pulled out and joined the traffic, moving as slowly and sedately as the rest.
— ♦ —
"I'm sorry Trainee Alice, but you'll have to redo this assignment."
Alice groaned. She'd spent at least five minutes pasting articles from Galnet into the word-processor, and she'd hoped it would be enough to fool Bernie. Unfortunately, the big Peace Force robot had access to the same articles. "Bernie, when can I do some real training?"
The robot studied her thoughtfully. Two metres tall, as bulky as a fridge and about as agile, Bernie was designed to analyse crime scenes, gather intelligence and knock down walls. Instead of eyes, she had a curved screen with holographic lasers, which was surprisingly expressive. Right now, her eyes were expressing resignation. "When you learn to follow orders, Trainee Alice."
"I wish you were more like that suck Harriet," mouthed Alice.
"I wish you were more like Trainee Harriet," said Bernie. "Apply yourself, Alice. Stop taking shortcuts. A good Peace Force officer would walk all day to solve a case—"
"With a heavy pack stuffed full of bribes," mouthed Alice.
"—wearing a heavy pack for all her equipment," finished Bernie.
"I was always told to work smart, not hard."
"Right now, you're doing neither," said Bernie severely. "If you want to become an officer in the Peace Force—"
"Yes, yes. I got it. I'm slow and lazy and useless." Alice swept her assignment on the floor, scattering the pages. "Why did I join this labour camp?"
"You were broke and homeless."
"I call that freedom," muttered Alice.
Bernie studied her. "I'm going for a recharge. When I come back, that assignment will be finished properly." Without waiting for an answer, she turned and strode towards the lift with slow, heavy footsteps.
As the thudding sound faded, Alice put her head in her hands. She hated writing essays, hated studying, hated everything. All she wanted to do was investigate crimes, arrest crooks, and get promoted. How was an essay on the rise of the galactic empire going to improve her career prospects?
Then again, living on dullsville didn't help. When she first arrived on the planet as a stowaway, she thought she'd get along by picking pockets and living rough. Harriet Walsh had put a stop to that, and now, as a member of the Peace Force, Alice suspected that picking pockets would be frowned upon.
She gathered up the pages and turned to the screen. There was nothing for it, if she wanted to go out on calls like Harriet, she'd have to get Bernie's approval. And to do that she had to write the damned essay.
Alice was about to start when the commset on Harriet's desk buzzed. Since Dismolle had a crime rate of zero, any calls were usually wrong numbers or people seeing burglars in the shadows. Still, Harriet was out, Bernie was in the charger and anything was better than writing an essay. So, she jumped up, crossed to Harriet's desk and put the commset to her ear. "Dismolle Peace Force. Officer Walsh speaking."
"Hello? Is that the Peace Force?"
Alice felt a flash of irritation. No, it's the fire department, she wanted to shout. Then again, the caller sounded worried. "Yeah. What's up?"
"You don't sound like a Peace officer."
"Well I am. I have a badge and everything." Alice didn't mention it was only a trainee's badge. Although, come to think of it, Harriet got to drive around in the cruiser and wear a uniform in public, and she was only a trainee too.
"If you say so. Anyway, I have a crime to report."
Alice's pulse quickened, and she adopted a more official tone. "Start with the important facts, sir. Are there any casualties?"
"What? No!"
"Assault? Mugging?" said Alice, writing them on the call sheet.
"Nothing like that. My wallet has been stolen."
Alice sighed. Then again … essay. Right now she'd take any crime she could get her hands on. "Very well, sir. Let me note down the address, and I'll despatch an officer immediately."
Once she had the details, she eyed her terminal with the unfinished essay still displayed on the screen.
Then she eyed the armoury, which held several spare uniforms and a Peace Force hat.
Then she decided it wouldn't be fair to trouble Bernie with such a trivial case. She'd be back before anyone missed her, and investigating a real crime would teach her way more than five hundred words on the stupid galactic empire.
— ♦ —
Harriet pulled into the Peace Force garage, but instead of jumping out of the car, she sat there in silence, thinking about her encounter with Foster. Bernie had ordered her not to intercept the car, but Harriet thought she knew better. Now there might be trouble in the form of a reprimand, or a mark on her record or something, and all because she'd been impatient.
She was supposed to be setting an example for Alice, even though they'd both joined the Peace Force within days of each other. After all, she was the older, wiser head … all right, not that much older, she added quickly.
With a sigh, she got out of the cruiser and left the garage. The office was deserted, which wasn't unusual. Bernie
