Shattered Honor by Anne Wheeler

Author:Anne Wheeler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Anne Wheeler

The medic was leaning against the door to his office, tapping a foot, arms crossed. He straightened and stopped tapping when Chase appeared, but didn’t uncross his arms—typical home world ISC. No respect for anyone, even a senior officer.

It felt good.

“Sorry about that.” Chase unkeyed the lock on the door and motioned the medic inside. “Took longer than I thought. You know how it goes.”

“I know.” The medic grinned. “That’s why I’ve only been here five minutes.”

Chase laughed and tossed him a pouch of water from his supply, then collapsed in a chair by the floor-to-ceiling window. It was raining so hard he couldn’t even see the building across the street. Did it ever stop?

“I was surprised to see you,” Chase said. “Where did you come from . . . uh . . .”

That sounded ruder than he’d intended. But switching from interrogation mode to social politeness had always been difficult, even for him. The medic was ISC. He’d understand.

“Draven Mercier, sir. Sounds like you haven’t been clued in about the garrison uptown yet.”

Chase shook his head. “Little isolated here.” Had ISC finally arrived on Asria in force? Too little, too late for him.

Mercier took the chair next to him. “Temporary headquarters in some hotel a few klicks away. And we took possession last week of a building at Alcaris for a detention center.” He glanced around, out the window at the torrent of water. “You might move your prisoner there?”

“I can’t move her now.” Chase rubbed his eyes. “Wish I could.”

Blast Perrin, throwing off his schedule like he had and bringing Avery to this temporary army prison. If what Mercier said was true, she could have been at an ISC facility at Alcaris right now, more secure, more terrified, more pliable. He might be bending her this very moment, turning her into the most perfectly placed Haederan agent he’d ever made, instead of simply trying to extract information by brute force. And he could be spending his nights in a hotel instead of this sparse office with a cot, eating field rations and bathing in a bathroom sink.

“Of course, sir. I’m at your disposal here—whatever you need.”

“I hope I won’t need your assistance again for a while.” As long as the army guards followed his orders. Make her uncomfortable so she’d look forward to the protection he provided during their sessions, yes. Beat her within a hair of her life, no. Why was that kind of delicate work so hard for some people to understand? “I’ll tell you what I do need—some decent food. Any ideas?”

Mercier chuckled and made an expression completely out of place on the face of a grown man. At least, it would have been out of place if Chase didn’t know exactly what was going through his head.

“Not out in town,” he said. “Not unless you like fresh eel for breakfast, which I personally do not care for. Right now, we’re stuck with local food or field rations they’re shipping down from orbit, and rumor says they’re going to stop that soon.

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