S170

Over lunch, Minister Lev breaks the news to me that Billie Cates is coming back to my team.

“We’ve done fine without her,” I remind him.

“True, but you’ll need twelve athletes.”

“Then find me a twelfth that doesn’t need a spanking and a babysitter.”

Lev nods. “I got that. But Billie had a rough go of it after she left the team. Went to live in the Freestates and got herself hurt. An ugly situation, but Ambassador Ekard insists she be allowed to return.”

“Fine,” I say. “I don’t like to fail on anyone. But she disrupts the team again and she’s gone.”

“Fair enough,” says Lev.

Billie returns that evening and apologizes to me. Yeah, she must have gone through something bad. I don’t ask what happened, because she looks like someone who needs to forget things.

We talk. She’s a ghost of her chatty self. But she promises to walk the line this time.

“Thanks for taking me back,” she says in the end.

“Ambassador Ekard thinks you’re worth it. ” I say. “Prove him right, and I’ll stand by you a hundred percent.”

I can tell those were the right words for her to hear.

Return the Billie Cates card to the team.

Draw two small circles in Billie Cate’s Sway box.

Draw a small circle in the “Salute” box.

In the “HA” box, write the word “Gored”.