“Verinity… As in the same verinity presently driving our energy landscape?” Whistler asked.
“General Narron’s entire Preservation Initiative has been about those energy developments,” Kat said slowly, reading between the lines as she met the clarity and approval in Lee’s brilliant green eyes. “He’s afraid… If harnessing the dark rays was accepted as a viable energy source—if Segura was allowed to operate, it would put his plans at risk…”
“These are volatile operations. He’s a smart guy, protecting his investment and capitalizing on the galaxy’s greatest source of wealth. Control the energy landscape, control the galaxy,” Zane murmured darkly, with a mix of trepidation and reluctant awe.
“Yeah, well, Genius Tycoon or not, the General still scares the shit out of me,” Whistler said.
Kat couldn’t help the laugh that escaped at Whistler’s words. But her eyes were still on Lee, the soft glow from the holograms splaying over the planes of his face. They were getting warmer with this, with the General and his Preservation Initiative. General Narron was intimately acquainted with harnessing dark radiation. He probably knew a great deal about their operations and their methods.
But with the desperation in which he’d been hunting Segura, and the fervor in which he’d sent those attack ships…
It still felt like he was hiding something.
And Kat wasn’t sure she wanted to find out what.
CHAPTER 24: LEE
IT WAS late by the time they packed up their things. Lee hadn’t intended for their search to go this deep, but they’d remained anyway. He volunteered to stay behind to tidy the room and reel in his musings after Kat and Whistler headed down to find snacks. But he was surprised to find Zane remaining behind as well.
They went around the PARC realigning chairs and straightening the high-powered holoblocks.
“What did you book the room under this time?” Zane asked, starting down the opposite end.
“An overdue raid report from a squadron lead distracted by his girlfriend,” Lee answered honestly.
Zane shot him a knowing look, but didn’t tease him as he pushed in the last couple of chairs. They perched around the head of the table.
“Am I crazy for reading into this?” Lee asked. He hadn’t wanted to bring it up; it felt like cracking open old wounds, and they had literally just gotten themselves out of high water. He should keep his head down, accept a good Placement, and ride off into the sunset. He should leave this to rest—that was clearly what the Commander intended of him. But the weight of keeping his head down was slowly suffocating him.
“I’d actually be disappointed if you weren’t,” Zane said after a moment. And Lee lifted his head. “We should never have been sent out on that mission. General Narron was right in his words during our debriefing, it went beyond our expectations as cadets. It wasn’t us who overstepped our position, it was the Commander. I think she realized that.”
“But?” Lee asked, waiting.
“But we went anyway,” Zane said. “Aside from General Narron’s squadrons, and Segura’s crew, we’re the only other souls who stood on the ship that day. We were there, whether they wanted us involved or not.” And if they didn’t care, no one would.
But he still didn’t know what more any of them could do to help Nolan or the Commander. They’d said their part. Segura was gone.
“I wonder what he’s up to. This can’t just be about volatile experiments. It feels bigger than that,” Lee said.
“I agree. This connection we found with his Preservation Initiative and energy control—my gut says we’re dead on.”
Lee peered back up the length of the table where the holograms had previously glimmered, his lips pressing into a thin line. If they could only catch a glimpse into what General Narron was planning.
He scooped up his pack, lifting it over his shoulder as Zane did the same. “Hey, thanks for coming up to help tonight.”
“I said we should consider our paths. I never said I wouldn’t come to help if you asked,” Zane cut over a tad sharply.
And Lee paused. “About before, after we had our debriefing with the council. I’m sorry I wasn’t responsive.”
“It’s fine.” Zane rolled his shoulders, brushing it off.
“Maybe,” Lee considered. He didn’t owe Zane any such apology. “But I wanted you to know, it’s not from a lack ofrespect, or me not taking you seriously. I just wasn’t in the headspace to deal with it then.”
“And now?”
“And now—here we are.” He sighed. He was still deciding what he made of his place in all of this. Whether or not it was worth it. And whether he could ever get onboard with blindly following the AMG’s orders—following the General. “Sometimes I think maybe I would have been better off had I jumped on that departure transport that day.”
But Zane’s eyes had gone stormy, the dark pupils biting as he stared Lee down. “If you quit, Waters, you quit because it’s whatyouwant. Not because you’re too tired to fight. Not because you’ve lost your way. If you quit, you quit for you.” Zane swallowed, flicking his eyes away as the storm faltered. “But just so you know—things aren’t turning out quite how I thought they would either.”
