'knew,'" Brenda said. "Someone you might wave to if you saw them on the street or something more intimate?"
Vyx took a deep breath and released it slowly, knowing what was coming. "She was— the love of my life in high school. There was even talk of what we might do after college."
"As in together?" Brenda asked. "So you were lovers? Were you going to be married? How about now? Is that why you're so late getting back?"
Vyx looked Brenda in the eyes and said softly, "We thought we were in love. Then one day she broke up with me for no apparent reason. A few days later, she disappeared— literally. The police couldn't find any trace of her and finally branded her a runaway. I couldn't believe she had run away from home just a month before graduation, but I had no idea where she might have gone, and I thought I knew her about as well as anyone. I even suspected she might have committed suicide and that her body might eventually be found, but it never was. Today I learned that the reason for the breakup was because she saw me talking to a girl in the hallway at school. It was totally innocent. We were only talking about a new book we'd both just read, but Paula hated that other girl and misinterpreted the contact. She broke off our relationship without any explanation and refused to even talk with me."
Vyx went on to explain what he had learned while he was with Lippaula. He related how his former girlfriend had been kidnapped, enslaved and sold into prostitution, escaped, and rose through the Brotherhood to become their senior person on Bleadalto.
"That's it," Vyx said. "We spent the day talking about her life since the last time we saw one another."
"And your life?"
"I had to open up also. I told her the official cover story I've developed over the years, so if anyone here is pumped for information, you know how to respond."
"You told her nothing outside of the official cover?" Brenda asked. "Even though you were once lovers?"
"Nothing inconsistent with the cover story. I may have filled in the blanks a little with inconsequential details. We did talk all day, after all. But nothing I said disagrees with the cover. For instance, I may have mentioned that I tried Daitwa once and didn't like the gamey taste. It's hardly something that someone who knows me could be faulted for not knowing."
"So what's the deal?" Byers asked. "Did she offer you a job?"
"No. At least not yet. I think I made it pretty clear that I had no interest in joining the Brotherhood."
"And it took an entire day to tell her that?" Brenda asked.
----
Chapter Four
~ June 30 th , 2288 ~
Vyx had already explained how they spent the day, so he knew what was really behind the question. Even the most trusting of men and women couldn't be expected to embrace having their current lover spend an entire day in private contact with a former lover. "We talked about high school, and I filled her in on what I knew about the lives of mutual friends and acquaintances in the years after she disappeared. Plus, I figured the more time we spent together, the more I'd learn about the activities of the Brotherhood."
"And did you learn anything new?" Nelligen asked.
"I learned a great deal about the organization's structure. I recorded everything , and I'll whip up a report tomorrow so all of you understand the criminal network a little better."
"So there's nothing there to assist our slavery mission?" Kathryn asked.
"From everything Lippaula said, the Brotherhood isn't involved in slavery. It would seem on the surface that the crime groups have peacefully divided up the criminal activity on this planet. The Raiders control gambling, prostitution, hard drugs, and probably slavery, the Senesim Syndicate controls mildly addictive recreational drugs, pharmaceutical drug counterfeiting, and alcohol, and the Brotherhood is heavily into currency counterfeiting. Plus, all three have legitimate freight operations that also serve to distribute their own products, but the
Vyx took a deep breath and released it slowly, knowing what was coming. "She was— the love of my life in high school. There was even talk of what we might do after college."
"As in together?" Brenda asked. "So you were lovers? Were you going to be married? How about now? Is that why you're so late getting back?"
Vyx looked Brenda in the eyes and said softly, "We thought we were in love. Then one day she broke up with me for no apparent reason. A few days later, she disappeared— literally. The police couldn't find any trace of her and finally branded her a runaway. I couldn't believe she had run away from home just a month before graduation, but I had no idea where she might have gone, and I thought I knew her about as well as anyone. I even suspected she might have committed suicide and that her body might eventually be found, but it never was. Today I learned that the reason for the breakup was because she saw me talking to a girl in the hallway at school. It was totally innocent. We were only talking about a new book we'd both just read, but Paula hated that other girl and misinterpreted the contact. She broke off our relationship without any explanation and refused to even talk with me."
Vyx went on to explain what he had learned while he was with Lippaula. He related how his former girlfriend had been kidnapped, enslaved and sold into prostitution, escaped, and rose through the Brotherhood to become their senior person on Bleadalto.
"That's it," Vyx said. "We spent the day talking about her life since the last time we saw one another."
"And your life?"
"I had to open up also. I told her the official cover story I've developed over the years, so if anyone here is pumped for information, you know how to respond."
"You told her nothing outside of the official cover?" Brenda asked. "Even though you were once lovers?"
"Nothing inconsistent with the cover story. I may have filled in the blanks a little with inconsequential details. We did talk all day, after all. But nothing I said disagrees with the cover. For instance, I may have mentioned that I tried Daitwa once and didn't like the gamey taste. It's hardly something that someone who knows me could be faulted for not knowing."
"So what's the deal?" Byers asked. "Did she offer you a job?"
"No. At least not yet. I think I made it pretty clear that I had no interest in joining the Brotherhood."
"And it took an entire day to tell her that?" Brenda asked.
----
Chapter Four
~ June 30 th , 2288 ~
Vyx had already explained how they spent the day, so he knew what was really behind the question. Even the most trusting of men and women couldn't be expected to embrace having their current lover spend an entire day in private contact with a former lover. "We talked about high school, and I filled her in on what I knew about the lives of mutual friends and acquaintances in the years after she disappeared. Plus, I figured the more time we spent together, the more I'd learn about the activities of the Brotherhood."
"And did you learn anything new?" Nelligen asked.
"I learned a great deal about the organization's structure. I recorded everything , and I'll whip up a report tomorrow so all of you understand the criminal network a little better."
"So there's nothing there to assist our slavery mission?" Kathryn asked.
"From everything Lippaula said, the Brotherhood isn't involved in slavery. It would seem on the surface that the crime groups have peacefully divided up the criminal activity on this planet. The Raiders control gambling, prostitution, hard drugs, and probably slavery, the Senesim Syndicate controls mildly addictive recreational drugs, pharmaceutical drug counterfeiting, and alcohol, and the Brotherhood is heavily into currency counterfeiting. Plus, all three have legitimate freight operations that also serve to distribute their own products, but the
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