locals could return to their residences. That was never the case with nil-techs—a label Petrakos had bristled at when she’d explained it. But nils couldn’t stay on board either. Yet they had to live somewhere. “Nice location. Paroo. Trees smell sweet.”
Not surprisingly, the news didn’t appear to infuse him with bliss.
“Paroo.” He said the word as if it were the vilest of curses.
“Paroo.”
“No. Bahia Vista. Florida. United States of America.” His voice shook.
She sighed. There was something she hadn’t considered or had overlooked because she was so flat-line tired. He might be spoused. Have children. Sometimes…She could ask the captain. Sometimes they’d relocate the entire family unit.
She studied him briefly again. He was in his prime as a male. Tall. Strong. And a good face. A very good face. Someone loved him, surely. And he loved her as well.
Lucky female.
That thought startled her. Sex was bliss, but being spoused didn’t interest her. Especially after Lorik. She must be more tired than she thought. “You’re spoused, aren’t you?”
“Spoused?”
“Male. Female. Same residence. Have children. Have love.”
Something she couldn’t identify flickered across his face. His very good face. “I’m not married, no. No wife. No spouse. No children.”
She almost asked if all the females he knew were blind and unsexed but thought better of it.
“Why would it matter if I were marr—spoused?”
“Because…” She hesitated, choosing simple Vekran words. “We have sincere regrets when we’re required to send nils to Paroo. We try, we
very
much try, Petrakos, to make what is bad into bliss. We understand the family unit. If that was why you’re angry, I would ask the captain to appropriate your family for you, send you all to Paroo. But family unit or not, that doesn’t change what I must do. Or where you must go. You hear my words, Petrakos?”
He stared at her, his expression flat. Dead. His arms were taut by his sides. She watched his eyes, ready to raise her pistol again if she had to.
Finally he spoke, his voice bitter. “Kidnappers with a conscience. How nice. Go to hell, all of you.”
She didn’t fully understand the first part of his remark. But she clearly understood the last. She raised her chin and met his hard stare evenly. “Been there. Twice.”
“Go report to your captain.” His voice was a low soft growl.
She backed up to the door and exited without comment, locking the door behind her. Herryck waited for her in the corridor. “Get a security team to transfer him to secure quarters,” she told the lieutenant as she holstered her pistol. “Stay here until they arrive.”
“Problems, sir?”
“He’s angry. And he’s security-trained and very capable of doing something about it.”
“If he tries, sir?”
She knew standard procedure as well as Herryck did. For all a battle cruiser’s tech and weaponry, it was still a fragile environment. No place for a nil with a grudge who had the skills to fire a G-I or micro-rifle but not the understanding of what that could do to an exterior bulkhead in the vacuum of space. If he managed to obtain a weapon, there’d be no choice but one. She knew that choice. And she wasn’t required to like it. “Hard-terminate, my authorization.”
“Understood, sir.”
Good. She was glad somebody did, because as she’d issued the command, it weighed on her heart. Heavily. She spun on her heels and headed for the captain’s office.
4
“Good work, Commander Mikkalah. Regrettable loss of an agent, though.” Captain Pietr leaned back in his office chair and laced his hands over his stomach. His swarthy face was lined, though his tightly curled silver hair was still thick. He’d been in command of one Guardian ship or another since before Jorie was born.
She had served under him her entire career with the Guardians. She respected him tremendously. On occasion, she even liked him. She wasn’t yet sure if
Not surprisingly, the news didn’t appear to infuse him with bliss.
“Paroo.” He said the word as if it were the vilest of curses.
“Paroo.”
“No. Bahia Vista. Florida. United States of America.” His voice shook.
She sighed. There was something she hadn’t considered or had overlooked because she was so flat-line tired. He might be spoused. Have children. Sometimes…She could ask the captain. Sometimes they’d relocate the entire family unit.
She studied him briefly again. He was in his prime as a male. Tall. Strong. And a good face. A very good face. Someone loved him, surely. And he loved her as well.
Lucky female.
That thought startled her. Sex was bliss, but being spoused didn’t interest her. Especially after Lorik. She must be more tired than she thought. “You’re spoused, aren’t you?”
“Spoused?”
“Male. Female. Same residence. Have children. Have love.”
Something she couldn’t identify flickered across his face. His very good face. “I’m not married, no. No wife. No spouse. No children.”
She almost asked if all the females he knew were blind and unsexed but thought better of it.
“Why would it matter if I were marr—spoused?”
“Because…” She hesitated, choosing simple Vekran words. “We have sincere regrets when we’re required to send nils to Paroo. We try, we
very
much try, Petrakos, to make what is bad into bliss. We understand the family unit. If that was why you’re angry, I would ask the captain to appropriate your family for you, send you all to Paroo. But family unit or not, that doesn’t change what I must do. Or where you must go. You hear my words, Petrakos?”
He stared at her, his expression flat. Dead. His arms were taut by his sides. She watched his eyes, ready to raise her pistol again if she had to.
Finally he spoke, his voice bitter. “Kidnappers with a conscience. How nice. Go to hell, all of you.”
She didn’t fully understand the first part of his remark. But she clearly understood the last. She raised her chin and met his hard stare evenly. “Been there. Twice.”
“Go report to your captain.” His voice was a low soft growl.
She backed up to the door and exited without comment, locking the door behind her. Herryck waited for her in the corridor. “Get a security team to transfer him to secure quarters,” she told the lieutenant as she holstered her pistol. “Stay here until they arrive.”
“Problems, sir?”
“He’s angry. And he’s security-trained and very capable of doing something about it.”
“If he tries, sir?”
She knew standard procedure as well as Herryck did. For all a battle cruiser’s tech and weaponry, it was still a fragile environment. No place for a nil with a grudge who had the skills to fire a G-I or micro-rifle but not the understanding of what that could do to an exterior bulkhead in the vacuum of space. If he managed to obtain a weapon, there’d be no choice but one. She knew that choice. And she wasn’t required to like it. “Hard-terminate, my authorization.”
“Understood, sir.”
Good. She was glad somebody did, because as she’d issued the command, it weighed on her heart. Heavily. She spun on her heels and headed for the captain’s office.
4
“Good work, Commander Mikkalah. Regrettable loss of an agent, though.” Captain Pietr leaned back in his office chair and laced his hands over his stomach. His swarthy face was lined, though his tightly curled silver hair was still thick. He’d been in command of one Guardian ship or another since before Jorie was born.
She had served under him her entire career with the Guardians. She respected him tremendously. On occasion, she even liked him. She wasn’t yet sure if
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