Dragon and Liberator

Draycos looked down at the remains of the Death, scattered over the remains of the Brummgas the Death had killed.

The Brummgas he had killed with the Death.

Whatever is necessary . . .

"No," he agreed quietly. "I don't think they're happy with us at all."

CHAPTER 20

After only two months of being fully awake, as Alison sometimes referred to it, Taneem didn't consider herself very good at reading human expressions. But after these last few days aboard the Advocatus Diaboli, she was getting reasonably good at identifying anger.

And Neverlin was angry. Probably as angry as she'd ever seen a human being get.

"Unacceptable, Lieutenant," he ground out. He was standing behind his desk, glaring across the polished surface at the young man standing stiffly in front of him. "Completely unacceptable."

"I agree, sir," the other said, his voice as stiff as his body. "The conduct and performance of the Brummgas and Valahgua left a great deal to be desired."

"That's not what I meant." Neverlin glared at Frost, who was standing silently at the other side of Neverlin's desk, then shifted the glare to Harper, standing a little ways to Frost's right. "But as long as we're on the subject. Harper?"

"What do you want me to say?" Harper countered. Of all of those in the office, he seemed the calmest. "I already told you the Patri Chookoock had his doubts about some of his people. Obviously, he was right."

"I don't want you to say anything," Neverlin told him "I want you to point the traitors out to me so that Colonel Frost can throw them out the airlock."

Neverlin looked back at the lieutenant. "And while he's thinking up names, I want to hear about our former StarForce Wing Sergeant Langston."

The lieutenant's eyes nicked to Frost. "There's not much to tell, sir," he said. His voice, if anything, had gone a little stiffer.

"Really?" Neverlin asked, looking at Frost again. "I understand he was off his post in the starboard weapons bay when Morgan and the K'da killed everyone else in there. Coincidence?"

"He'd left his post to try to contact the control complex," the lieutenant said. "He thought the one in the weapons bay had failed. He was on the intercom in fire control when the attack took place."

"Lucky for him," Neverlin said. "I also understand he walked right past Morgan when he first sneaked aboard without recognizing him. Was he looking for a working intercom then, too?"

"I've read that report," Frost spoke up before the lieutenant could answer. "It looks like he was simply preoccupied with other matters and never actually focused on Morgan."

"He didn't focus on him?"

"Morgan's KK-29 had already been cleared," Frost said. "There was no reason—"

"Cleared by your men."

"No reason for him to expect an enemy to pop out of the thing," Frost finished stubbornly. "And bear in mind a couple of dozen Brummgas passed him, too, and didn't think anything of it."

"Brummgas are incompetents," Neverlin growled. "I expect something more from Malison Ring mercenaries."

"We have Langston under confinement while we investigate his performance," Frost said. "If it turns out he's acted improperly, we'll deal with him."

"And if it turns out he's acting with Morgan?"

Frost's face darkened. "Then we'll definitely deal with him."

"Very commendable of you," Neverlin said acidly "Considering it was you who brought him aboard in the first place."

"And it was Harper's friend the Patri Chookoock who brought the Brummgas aboard," Frost countered. "And you who brought the Valahgua aboard. If we're going to start passing out blame for this fiasco, I think there's more than enough to go around."

Neverlin's eyes flicked to the lieutenant, as if he suddenly realized their quarrel had an audience. "You're dismissed, Lieutenant," he growled. "Return to the Foxwolf. And find Morgan and the K'da!"

"Yes, sir." Turning to Frost, the lieutenant threw him a crisp salute. Then he turned and strode out of the office.

The door closed behind him, and for a moment there was silence. "Well, gentlemen," Neverlin said, sitting down at last in his desk chair. "Suggestions?"

"Obviously, the first thing we need to do is get the rotten apples out of there," Frost said. "Starting with Morgan and his friend."

"And how exactly do you intend to do that?" Harper asked. "Lieutenant Pickering's already tried the sensor route without getting anywhere. You really want to send your men into that hull-gap area to hunt for them?"

"I was thinking more of sending in some serious firepower," Frost countered. "If it didn't kill them it would at least keep them pinned down."

"I understand Pickering and the Brummgas tried that, too," Harper said. "The problem is that the K'da knows the ship far better than we do."

"So what do you suggest?" Neverlin asked him.