Nice looking, too, in an unearthly kind of way. He was the prettiest one out of all of the Kordolian warriors, and that was no mean feat. They were all so exotic looking, like characters out of some dark fairytale, but Rykal was downright ethereal.
Looks could besodeceiving.
As the bot-car pulled away from the curb, she stared back at the two agents, wishing she were back on theHendrix II, as crazy as that seemed.
“So,” she leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees, her ceremonial jacket draped across her lap, “what do younameless folks want to know, and what exactly do you want me to do?”
The woman leaned forward as the man sat back in his seat, watching her through his datalenses. He was probably recording their conversation.
The woman removed her datalenses, revealing cold grey eyes. These two were just like the agents Arin remembered from her childhood. They had the demeanor of people who dealt so deeply in secrets and lies that they lived in a distorted version of reality. As a child, she remembered sneaking out of her room late at night to eavesdrop on conversations she hadn’t understood. They had always visited her mother late at night, interrupting her as she’d pored over countless classified documents, the smell ofJuviand strong black coffee lingering in the air.
And now, they’d come after her.
“Somehow, you’ve become a diplomatic asset, Sergeant Varga. That’s what we’ve learned from our sources.”
Arin raised an eyebrow, waiting for further explanation.
“We all know that war and conflict can create unlikely challenges, pushing us into roles and responsibilities we never thought we’d have to assume.”
Do you really know that, lady?She didn’t like the sound of that. Where were they going with this?
“Our sources tell us that you’ve become something of a bridge.”
“A bridge?” Was this some sort of coded intelligence-speak?
“Major Dimitriou’s death on Fortuna Tau was regrettable. Our sources inform us that out of all the sergeants on the freighter, you’ve been the one to assume the most responsibility in his absence.”
Arin sighed. The major had been one of the first to fall victim to the Xargek on Fortuna Tau, leaving the peacekeeperswithout an off-planet CO. “I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary,” she shrugged. “Just what was necessary at the time.”
“You’ve been able to negotiate with the Kordolians, and you’ve successfully been involved in a large-scale emergency evacuation. Now, they’ve sent you to Earth as part of the negotiation process. For whatever reason, the Kordolians seem to be able to work with you. They trust you.”
“I did what anyone else in my situation would have done.” Arin didn’t think she’d done anything special. She’d just been in the right place at the right time, and for some reason, the Kordolians, particularly Rykal, had insisted she be the one to travel to Earth to convey their demands. The deal was simple: allow the Kordolians safe passage to where the Xargek were, guarantee them impunity on Earth, and they would let the humans on theHendrix IIgo.
That deal was proving very difficult for the humans to accept, because like half of the known Universe, they didn’t trust the Kordolians one little bit.
“Earth is facing a major crisis, Sergeant. The appearance of Kordolians and Xargek in our airspace is ominous. We need to make critical decisions fast, but the wrong decision could result in the loss of lives. That’s why we need you.”
“You need me,” Arin stated flatly. “For what?”
“In the next few days, it’s highly likely that the Senate will agree on a course of action. We’ve obtained footage from Fortuna Tau’s datafeed, and we’ve seen what the Kordolians are capable of. We need them to exterminate the Xargek, and right now, that seems to be their main objective anyway.” The woman’s lips curved into a mirthless smile. “But we need more information. What are their weaknesses? What are their true plans? Is Earth in their sights as a potential takeover planet? We need you to continue to work with them, but at the same time, you will be gathering information for us.”
“So you want me to be a spy,” Arin said dryly.
“It’s not a request, Sergeant. It’s an order, from the highest levels of the Federation.”
“We need you to observe them and report back to us.” For the first time, the man spoke, his voice low and monotonous. He didn’t remove his datalenses. “Get close to them. If you can get us a bio-sample of their DNA, even better. We’re going to use them to get rid of the Xargek, and then we’re going to figure out how to get rid of them. In the long run, they’re nothing but a threat to us.”
“Uh,” Arin opened her mouth, thought twice, and closed it again. One didn’t just ‘get rid’ of Kordolians. Or Xargek, for that matter. Those weird, terrifying insectoid aliens had survived a nuclear explosion in the vacuum of space.
Now they were on Earth, and if what Rykal had told her was true, they had the capacity to multiply like fucking cockroaches.
“We’ll set you up with an undetectable communication node for when you’re on Earth, and a supercode for the satellite line on the freighter,” the woman said. “There’s some basic intelligence training you’ll have to do before you depart. I’ll give you a DNA collection kit as well. We’ll take anything you can get. Blood, hair, even skin cells. For now, you’re what we call a bridge, but soon you’ll be one of our most valuable assets.”
Arin didn’t want to be an asset. She couldn’t think of anything worse. But orders were orders, and she was a peacekeeper, first and foremost.
“I won’t do anything that puts my people at risk, and I won’t do anything shady,” she declared as the bot-car slowed. They had reached the block where her quarters were located. “I’m going to get them off that freighter at all costs.”
Rykal and the other Kordolians had told her that if the Federation allowed them smooth passage to Earth so they could hunt the Xargek, her people would be freed and returned to Earth.
