Christian nodded and shook the man’s hand. “Governor Gallowood.”
“Please, call me Philip,” he said, a dazzling grin—a politician’s grin—on his face. “I’ve heard many good things about you, Mister Holm.”
Christian nodded again, though a chill of warning ran up his spine. “Thank you, sir.”
Philip held a hand toward the door. “Now, let’s get started, shall we?”
Christian, Hawk, and Imara filed into the war room after Philip. At least ten soldiers sat around the table, laughing and smiling as if about to share a meal. Each wore a black shirt with the letters SARTF stitched into the back. Who were these people?
After taking their seats, Philip gave a single, loud clap that silenced the room. “Welcome, everyone.” He turned to speak to the soldiers in the black uniforms, motioning to Christian and his friends. “Let me introduce you to our latest SARTF recruits.”
SARTF recruits?Christian mouthed at Hawk, who shook his head. Apparently, he hadn’t been told either.
Philip continued, taking a few moments to get everyone acquainted before jumping into a debrief. “Everyone here should know by now that six weeks ago, the Oranos Space Station was attacked by members of the terrorist organization known as the Dissent. Many of them have since been captured, and we have regained control of the station. However, we suspect many fled with the refugees to Zion, or even into Perileos. We don’t know the exact number, or where they even are, but this is why you’re all here. I’ve been given the green light by the president to forma team within the Systems Anti-Rebellion Task Force to search Perileos for these missing Dissent agents.”
So, that’s what SARTF stood for: a small platoon of Systems soldiers created purely for taking down terrorists.Interesting.
“The reason I asked for you three,” Philip said to Christian, Imara, and Hawk, “is because you know the city best. You’ll know who the players are, how to navigate the streets, and how to interact with the population. Rami assured me you are the most equipped of this years’ winners to handle the demands this covert team calls for. I left Perileos two decades ago. Of anyone in this room, you three might just be the most valuable.”
“So, what’s the plan then, boss?” a dark-skinned man in a SARTF shirt asked Philip.
The governor clapped him on the shoulder. “We will start by setting up a base of operations at my former house. It’s highly secured and in a prime location just outside the city district, in Sector 1. It will be an excellent location to work out of.”
Christian’s stomach dropped. After all he’d done to get free of that starsforsaken city, and now they were being ordered to go back in.
His hands balled into fists. Too many people in Perileos knew his name and face. Too many people knew his history. Would everything he worked so hard to achieve disappear the moment the Systems knew the truth about his past? Hewastechnically a criminal.
“Um, excuse me,” Imara interrupted, raising a single dark brow. “Just to clarify, you’re sending three inexperienced contestants, two with disabilities and trauma baggage, back into the place they barely survived? Sounds efficient.”
The sarcasm was acid-sharp, but Christian saw it for what it was: She was scanning the risks, not protesting out of fear. She was calculating.
Philip nodded once, his expression calm. “I did, Miss Joshi.”
She rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What about Nadine Proctor?” a SARTF soldier asked. “What’s the latest on her?”
Christian’s jaw clenched. He’d promised Gemma that she’d be the one to apprehend Nadine, but now someone on the SARTF team could take the glory. Gemma’s sister had murdered hundreds of people on Oranos and had destroyed Gemma’s life. She deserved to be the one to bring in Nadine.
The two of them would just need to stay extra diligent so they were the first to find her.
“We still don’t know where she is,” Philip Gallowood replied. “The SARTF team that stayed on Oranos confirmed she’s no longer on the station. Which means, she likely did escape on one of the refugee ships. She’s priority number one when we get to Gallowood House.”
The SARTF soldiers started murmuring amongst themselves. Christian caught snippets like “take her down” and “it’s about fucking time.” He shifted in his seat.
“What about our fourth teammate?” Imara asked, her arms still crossed. “It’d be good to have her on hand in case anyone else loses a leg. Or an eye.”
“Seriously?” Hawk mumbled under his breath, tipping his head to glare at her with his good eye.
“You mean Gemma?” Philip clarified. “No, she won’t be coming with us. Any other questions?”
Christian’s chest pinched. Heat warmed his cheeks as he dug his fingertips into the armrests of his chair. Oh, he was going to have words with Rami and the governor. There was no fucking way Gemma wouldn’t be present for the moment they found Nadine.
The second the meeting with SARTF ended, Christian was out of his chair and approaching Governor Gallowood.
“Excuse me, sir,” he began, his nostrils flaring as he tried to keep the anger from his voice. “May I talk to you for a moment?”
Philip waved at one of the SARTF soldiers as they exited the room then turned his attention to Christian. “Of course. How may I help you, Mister Holm?”
