(eng) Marie Andreas - Asarlai Wars 02 by Victorious Dead

Author:Victorious Dead [Dead, Victorious]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

27

Vas turned away. He’d been with her for a month longer than that. Everything—his being broken, down on his luck, kicked out of the military—all was a plant for her to take him in. Someone from the Commonwealth knew she’d lost Deven, and knew she’d need a new second-in-command. Not that he couldn’t have come in as a regular crewmember, but his qualifications were perfect for a second.

“Why?” She was too furious to get more than a single word out. Forget about the prison ship, she was going to space him.

“It was part of my job. It wasn’t all a lie, Captain. I was disbarred and dishonorably discharged, like I told you. But a month before you found me, I was approached by a Commonwealth paramilitary group. They reinstated my commission and wiped my record clean. All I had to do was get on this ship.”

“And report to them? I trusted you.”

Ragkor got to his feet slowly. He obviously was still recovering from his radiation poisoning. Or he was afraid of moving too quickly around Vas.

“That’s it. They never asked me to report anything. They ordered me to get in with this crew and wait for commands. I never received any.”

Vas had to turn away to keep from attacking him. She’d had to cut ties with the Commonwealth after they disavowed knowledge of the destruction of the world Lantaria—and the three merc crews who hadn’t been able to get off the planet fast enough in the slaughter. She’d kept all information from their news sniffers, hiding even what ship she was on.

“They told you to get on the Warrior Wench? Then didn’t give you any orders? I will have Flarik and Nariel work on you—I will get to the truth.” Flarik had ways of questioning that went far beyond anything that would be used in a courtroom. And mind-docs could be used for more than healing. Together they made a dangerous pair.

Ragkor blanched, but stayed at parade rest. If anything he looked sad rather than scared. “No. They ordered me to join your crew. They only said a ship name once, the Victorious Dead. I had no idea who you were, or who this crew was. I found a way to get my life back, and I took it. I am sorry.”

Vas still had her back to him and she closed her eyes. “Once you knew us, what would you have done had they ordered it?” Whatever his answer was, she was still going to have Flarik and Nariel question him. It was a difference of it being an interrogation or a questioning.

“The first day, I would have told them anything. I didn’t know any of you. After that, nothing. I woke each day with dread that they would try to contact me with orders.”

Vas turned. He was still standing there, hands loosely clasped behind his back, but there was a resolution there that hadn’t been before. Keeping him was dangerous, but letting him go might be even more so.

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