Serpent's Fury: A Space Opera Noir Technothriller (The SynCorp Saga: Empire Earth Book 3) by Chris Pourteau & David Bruns

Author:Chris Pourteau & David Bruns [Pourteau, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Trace Anderson • UN Building, Old New York City, Earth

“Don’t you look handsome,” Cassandra said. The compliment sounded syrupy and forced, despite the bright smile surrounding it. Elissa stood beside Trace, one arm loosely draped around his shoulder. He felt like he was being herded in the same way he’d watched Bandit herd livestock.

“Thanks, I guess,” he said, tugging at the snug suit they’d laid out for him. He glanced around the modest-sized, stark-white room. Two tables sat, one on each side of the room, opposite one another. Both faced the front of the room at an angle where a raised dais sat, a semi-circular desk and high-backed chair atop it. Half a dozen camerabots hovered along the back wall like a firing squad awaiting orders.

“What of the Freedom’s Herald?” Cassandra asked Elissa.

“Arrived in orbit an hour ago. Burned hard all the way from Titan.”

“And the rest of the fleet?”

“The rest of the fleet will be here soon,” Elissa said.

“But not soon enough to witness this trial from orbit.”

“No, ma’am. But they’ll be here for the—” Elissa hesitated, glancing at Trace. “—punishment phase.”

“Pity. But at least the Herald is here,” Cassandra said. Trace had only been half listening, but when she returned her gaze to him, his attention snapped to. “There’s a certain relish that comes from delivering justice to a criminal like Tony Taulke with his old flagship as witness. Remember that, Trace. Justice should always be served with a righteous weapon in hand.”

He had no idea what that meant, but Trace smiled anyway. It’s what Cassandra seemed to expect.

Someone switched the lights off and on in different combinations. After a few seconds, one would fade and two more would brighten. Then two would dim, and two more in another part of the room came up.

“What’s with the lights?” Trace asked.

“Please explain it, Elissa,” Cassandra said. “I have some final pretrial preparation to do.”

“Of course.”

Cassandra reached out and stroked Trace’s chin with thumb and forefinger. Her touch was light and effortless but also irresistible as she guided his gaze to meet hers again.

“Root and stem, Trace.” Her golden eyes flared. “Today is an auspicious day. A day for endings as well as beginnings. The end of autocracy. The beginning of humanity’s future.”

Trace swallowed. When Cassandra removed her fingers, they left a chill behind on his skin. It was very different from the electricity of excitement he’d felt when she’d first touched his face in the camp. When he’d still been awed by her. She moved to the table on the near side of the room and sat down, then closed her eyes.

“What’s she doing?” he asked.

“Going over again what she plans to say,” Elissa said. “Anyway, you were asking about the lights… Taulke’s trial will be broadcast live across the entire solar system. Lighting sets the mood. It’s important.”

“It sounds like a vid production,” Trace said.

“It should,” Elissa said. “That’s exactly what it is. How else can the billions across the system watch what’s happening?”

That hadn’t been what he meant.

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