Empire Claim by Kate Sheeran Swed
Author:Kate Sheeran Swed [Swed, Kate Sheeran]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-09T11:29:58+00:00
CHAPTER 13
Gareth stood a pace to Sloaneâs left, intentionally blocking Vinâs access to her while also angling his body so he could easily keep an eye on the door. It wasnât idealâBrighton wouldâve chosen a better spotâbut he didnât feel particularly threatened. And if that changed, he wanted to be close to Sloane.
Everything President Simelda had said about her being the heart of the resistance? It was all true. Sheâd gotten some viral attention for her stunts even before the chain-reaction of catastrophes had rocked half the galaxy, and while that might not have made her a household name, she was pretty widely recognized at this point.
Since then, sheâd repeatedly appeared at the center of the galaxyâs escalating troubles. At first heâd blamed himself for that, but as the situation progressed, he thought it was more about the way that she regularly bucked both CTF and Fleet rules on a regular basis.
President Simelda meant what he said about the value of his planetâs freedom, too. There was always the chance that he was merely a good actor, but Gareth didnât think so. In fact, looking at the presidentâs anguish-worn faceâno easy smile, nowâhe thought heâd stake a great deal on the manâs honesty.
After a breath, which seemed fully designed for Simelda to collect himself and ease the flush out of his cheeks after his outburst, the President nodded. âWe caught these two when one of the jaevin mines reported discrepancies and asked us to help investigate,â he explained. âThe investigation found that not only had these two skimmed jaevin off the top of their mining endeavors, but that theyâd been mis-recording inventory for months, if not years. To the tune of hundreds of pounds of the stuff. All of it gone, like it never existed.â
Jaevin was Torrentâs principal export. Despite the rich depths of the mines on Beck and Domer, the precious metal had been one of the reasons theyâd wanted to grasp the Trio Alliance, where smaller deposits had been detected in several areas.
Heâd always thought it was a lot of fuss for a pretty bit of metal. Though, as they knew now, jaevin did more than grace expensive earrings and belt buckles.
âIt wasnât easy, but we traced the spies back to the Federation.â Simelda ran his fingers through his hair, sending new crackles of static through the thinning ends. âThey wonât say what they need so much jaevin for. Hell, theyâve got Halorin. Thatâs a much richer System, jaevin or no.â
Sloane looked over her shoulder, meeting Garethâs eye. âCould it have something to do with the stasis fields? Getting things out of them?â
Stomach twisting, Gareth remembered Chief Escherâs revelations about the connection between the Currents and the fields. âAnd extracting the fields themselves.â
âWhat?â It was Alex who interrupted from her spot against the back wall beside Hilda, the word sharp and sudden, as if she couldnât quite stop herself from uttering it.
âI spoke with Lager just before the junk pile,â Gareth said, half-turning so he could address his answer to Alex as well as to Sloane and the Presidents.
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