trusted you to tell the truth. Instead of lying to protect your own little ass—"
Jakus jerked a little.
"—or whatever the hell it is you're protecting."
Jakus said nothing. His right eye had begun to twitch, and he rubbed at the tic with his finger. As Jakus shifted his head, Legroeder noticed that a second implant behind the man's right ear was alive with a tiny, erratic red flicker. Was Jakus connected to something or someone right now? Or was he just thinking?
"The truth ," Jakus said slowly. "Easy word for you to use. What exactly do you mean by it?"
Legroeder snorted. "Do I have to explain the word 'truth' to you?"
Jakus worked his mouth for a moment, then cocked his head toward the glowing interior of the rigger-sim. "Well, hell, Renwald, we're both riggers, right? We both know that half the time there's no way you can tell what's real and what isn't, in the Flux."
"Don't bullshit me, Jakus. Is that thing whispering so loud in your ear you can't even hear yourself think anymore? You and I know what we saw."
"Not real," Jakus said, with a shake of his head. "Not real."
"You know it was real!" Legroeder shouted. "You heard the distress call. Hyutu wasn't even in the net, and he heard it! If anyone was responsible, it was him."
"Show some respect," Jakus said, with a shiver. "A little respect for the dead, okay?"
Legroeder was drawn up short. "Who's dead?"
"Hyutu." Jakus make a throat-slitting motion with his finger. "The pirates did 'im. You and me, we were lucky to get out with our skins."
Legroeder scowled. "How do you know? Did you see it happen?"
Jakus shrugged. He tapped the silver disk on his temple. "You had one of these Kyber things, you'd be able to see things a whole lot better. Understand stuff you don't know now."
Legroeder felt a chill at Jakus's words. Kyber things? "Is that it?" he whispered. "Is that what took your—" he struggled for the right word "— integrity from you? The implants?"
That brought a sharp laugh from the other man. "We gonna talk about my integrity now? Oh, yeah, Renwald—you must've had loads of integrity, the whole time you were pilotin' pirate ships, burning innocent people. Oh, yeah."
Legroeder's face grew hot with bitterness and shame. "I did what I had to, to survive. I don't deny that I rigged ships for them." There had been no choice, if he'd wanted to live. And it was only his exceptional skill as a rigger that had kept him free of an implant; he'd persuaded his captors that he could rig better without those things in his head.
"Yeah, Renwald, that's right. We did what we had to to survive. You and me both. Maybe if you'd taken a chip you wouldn't be so high and mighty about it now." Jakus sneered. "Listen, it was sure nice of you to stop by, but I've got work to do."
Legroeder realized he had allowed Jakus to derail him from his point. "You lied to the Guild, Jake. Thanks to you, I'm losing my certificate and getting framed for what happened to the L.A ."
"I'm real sorry about that," Jakus said.
"Sorry enough to go back and tell the truth? Tell them we both saw Impris? Tell them it was real?"
Jakus shook his head. "I told you already—there's no way to know what was real and what wasn't. You thought it was real, and I didn't. Neither did the captain. I ain't gonna change my story about that."
"The pirates were real enough, weren't they?" Legroeder growled.
"Oh yeah, they were real." Jakus glanced over his shoulder, as though worried that someone might overhear. "Listen—we're both damned lucky to have gotten away at all. Maybe you're losing your certificate—not that I have one anymore, either—but at least you got away alive. Isn't that more important than your certificate? You can still work."
"Work? More likely, they'll lock me away for life. If they don't mindwipe me instead."
Jakus shrugged. "Whatever."
Legroeder glared into the oppressive gloom of the hangar, his thoughts burning. "So that's it? You're going to let them frame
Jakus jerked a little.
"—or whatever the hell it is you're protecting."
Jakus said nothing. His right eye had begun to twitch, and he rubbed at the tic with his finger. As Jakus shifted his head, Legroeder noticed that a second implant behind the man's right ear was alive with a tiny, erratic red flicker. Was Jakus connected to something or someone right now? Or was he just thinking?
"The truth ," Jakus said slowly. "Easy word for you to use. What exactly do you mean by it?"
Legroeder snorted. "Do I have to explain the word 'truth' to you?"
Jakus worked his mouth for a moment, then cocked his head toward the glowing interior of the rigger-sim. "Well, hell, Renwald, we're both riggers, right? We both know that half the time there's no way you can tell what's real and what isn't, in the Flux."
"Don't bullshit me, Jakus. Is that thing whispering so loud in your ear you can't even hear yourself think anymore? You and I know what we saw."
"Not real," Jakus said, with a shake of his head. "Not real."
"You know it was real!" Legroeder shouted. "You heard the distress call. Hyutu wasn't even in the net, and he heard it! If anyone was responsible, it was him."
"Show some respect," Jakus said, with a shiver. "A little respect for the dead, okay?"
Legroeder was drawn up short. "Who's dead?"
"Hyutu." Jakus make a throat-slitting motion with his finger. "The pirates did 'im. You and me, we were lucky to get out with our skins."
Legroeder scowled. "How do you know? Did you see it happen?"
Jakus shrugged. He tapped the silver disk on his temple. "You had one of these Kyber things, you'd be able to see things a whole lot better. Understand stuff you don't know now."
Legroeder felt a chill at Jakus's words. Kyber things? "Is that it?" he whispered. "Is that what took your—" he struggled for the right word "— integrity from you? The implants?"
That brought a sharp laugh from the other man. "We gonna talk about my integrity now? Oh, yeah, Renwald—you must've had loads of integrity, the whole time you were pilotin' pirate ships, burning innocent people. Oh, yeah."
Legroeder's face grew hot with bitterness and shame. "I did what I had to, to survive. I don't deny that I rigged ships for them." There had been no choice, if he'd wanted to live. And it was only his exceptional skill as a rigger that had kept him free of an implant; he'd persuaded his captors that he could rig better without those things in his head.
"Yeah, Renwald, that's right. We did what we had to to survive. You and me both. Maybe if you'd taken a chip you wouldn't be so high and mighty about it now." Jakus sneered. "Listen, it was sure nice of you to stop by, but I've got work to do."
Legroeder realized he had allowed Jakus to derail him from his point. "You lied to the Guild, Jake. Thanks to you, I'm losing my certificate and getting framed for what happened to the L.A ."
"I'm real sorry about that," Jakus said.
"Sorry enough to go back and tell the truth? Tell them we both saw Impris? Tell them it was real?"
Jakus shook his head. "I told you already—there's no way to know what was real and what wasn't. You thought it was real, and I didn't. Neither did the captain. I ain't gonna change my story about that."
"The pirates were real enough, weren't they?" Legroeder growled.
"Oh yeah, they were real." Jakus glanced over his shoulder, as though worried that someone might overhear. "Listen—we're both damned lucky to have gotten away at all. Maybe you're losing your certificate—not that I have one anymore, either—but at least you got away alive. Isn't that more important than your certificate? You can still work."
"Work? More likely, they'll lock me away for life. If they don't mindwipe me instead."
Jakus shrugged. "Whatever."
Legroeder glared into the oppressive gloom of the hangar, his thoughts burning. "So that's it? You're going to let them frame
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