Read Online Avenging Angels (The Seraphim Chronicles Book 1) by Nicholas Adams - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nicholas Adams
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otherwise did not make any indication that she noticed. “Please tell him I’ll be with him in a moment.”
Celeste nodded and walked out to her desk. Graham heard their mumbled conversation. It was the usual, ‘he’ll be right with you’, kind of thing that Graham liked to make people wait for him. Jacobs was not Graham’s superior, so he did not feel like he needed to play the part of the eager to please subordinate.
Colonel Mark Jacobs was a tall man with dark skin, dark eyes, and a thick black mustache. Both of Jacobs’ parents were in the military and he enlisted the day after graduation from the military academy. He was as tough as steel, and as sharp as a tack. He rejected offers of promotion to military intelligence. He preferred action, activity, and operations that utilized his body as well as his mind. In time, and with a distinguished career as a TRTV pilot and carrier commander, he became the commandant of the military training facility. Jacob’s intervention prevented Graham from kicking Evangeline out of the military entirely. He was not just her superior officer, but he had gone to school with Evangeline’s mother and had been her life-long friend.
Jacobs had not been convinced that the Chapels had joined the Dissident movement. He watched over Evangeline from a distance when he learned about the disappearance and public lynching of her parents. After she returned to Earth, when Graham tried to get her discharged from the corps, he became Evangeline’s mentor and friend.
This, alone, made Mark Jacobs an enemy in the eyes of Silas Graham.
After making Jacobs wait for fifteen minutes, Graham told Celeste over the speaker to send him in. It was another one of those moves that made sure people knew Graham was superior.
Jacobs stepped into the room and made his way to Graham’s desk. At which point Graham stood up and shook Jacobs’s hand. “Colonel Jacobs, how are you?” He moved to the small conference table near the window as Jacobs sat down.
Jacobs just smiled. He had known men like Graham all his life. In Jacob’s mind they were little better than irrelevant politicians, always full of swagger; either they were sucking up to superiors or looking down on subordinates. No one was his equal.
Jacobs stood back up and moved to sit down across from Graham who had already taken the seat that faced the door. Jacobs knew it was a trivial psychological tactic to make him feel less secure. However, it did not bother him. He preferred his vantage point. He could watch out the window for falling debris or vehicles with an aggressive posture, and he could watch the reflection of the door at the same time. Graham’s choice of seats showed he saw Jacobs as a threat and felt the need to place himself in a defensible position.
Graham waited for Jacobs to speak first, another pathetic tactic in Jacob’s mind. “Commander Graham, there’s a problem with the ground transports on my base. I came to ask for your help in the matter.”
Jacobs grinned to himself. That was how you put a politician in the hot seat. Tell him there was a problem with something under his direct authority without being specific, and then make him wonder why he did not know about it. Graham felt off guard for only a moment. He was sly and he knew how to recover without revealing his own lack of intelligence.
“To which problem are you referring, Colonel?” He replied in patronizing tone. “There are many issues I’m tasked with managing. Can you be more specific?” His eyes glittered in a snake-like way, while his smile expelled oozing condescension.
“So…” Jacobs thought. “This is how we’re going to do it today.” It was not the first time Jacobs had to deal with Graham. Dealing with Graham meant figuring out his mood of the day.
“I’ve received reports over the past several months of maglev engineers with complaints ranging from the flu to serious skin conditions.” Jacobs replied in his authoritative
Celeste nodded and walked out to her desk. Graham heard their mumbled conversation. It was the usual, ‘he’ll be right with you’, kind of thing that Graham liked to make people wait for him. Jacobs was not Graham’s superior, so he did not feel like he needed to play the part of the eager to please subordinate.
Colonel Mark Jacobs was a tall man with dark skin, dark eyes, and a thick black mustache. Both of Jacobs’ parents were in the military and he enlisted the day after graduation from the military academy. He was as tough as steel, and as sharp as a tack. He rejected offers of promotion to military intelligence. He preferred action, activity, and operations that utilized his body as well as his mind. In time, and with a distinguished career as a TRTV pilot and carrier commander, he became the commandant of the military training facility. Jacob’s intervention prevented Graham from kicking Evangeline out of the military entirely. He was not just her superior officer, but he had gone to school with Evangeline’s mother and had been her life-long friend.
Jacobs had not been convinced that the Chapels had joined the Dissident movement. He watched over Evangeline from a distance when he learned about the disappearance and public lynching of her parents. After she returned to Earth, when Graham tried to get her discharged from the corps, he became Evangeline’s mentor and friend.
This, alone, made Mark Jacobs an enemy in the eyes of Silas Graham.
After making Jacobs wait for fifteen minutes, Graham told Celeste over the speaker to send him in. It was another one of those moves that made sure people knew Graham was superior.
Jacobs stepped into the room and made his way to Graham’s desk. At which point Graham stood up and shook Jacobs’s hand. “Colonel Jacobs, how are you?” He moved to the small conference table near the window as Jacobs sat down.
Jacobs just smiled. He had known men like Graham all his life. In Jacob’s mind they were little better than irrelevant politicians, always full of swagger; either they were sucking up to superiors or looking down on subordinates. No one was his equal.
Jacobs stood back up and moved to sit down across from Graham who had already taken the seat that faced the door. Jacobs knew it was a trivial psychological tactic to make him feel less secure. However, it did not bother him. He preferred his vantage point. He could watch out the window for falling debris or vehicles with an aggressive posture, and he could watch the reflection of the door at the same time. Graham’s choice of seats showed he saw Jacobs as a threat and felt the need to place himself in a defensible position.
Graham waited for Jacobs to speak first, another pathetic tactic in Jacob’s mind. “Commander Graham, there’s a problem with the ground transports on my base. I came to ask for your help in the matter.”
Jacobs grinned to himself. That was how you put a politician in the hot seat. Tell him there was a problem with something under his direct authority without being specific, and then make him wonder why he did not know about it. Graham felt off guard for only a moment. He was sly and he knew how to recover without revealing his own lack of intelligence.
“To which problem are you referring, Colonel?” He replied in patronizing tone. “There are many issues I’m tasked with managing. Can you be more specific?” His eyes glittered in a snake-like way, while his smile expelled oozing condescension.
“So…” Jacobs thought. “This is how we’re going to do it today.” It was not the first time Jacobs had to deal with Graham. Dealing with Graham meant figuring out his mood of the day.
“I’ve received reports over the past several months of maglev engineers with complaints ranging from the flu to serious skin conditions.” Jacobs replied in his authoritative
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