Page 12 of Reaper Said Mine

"Yes," he says again. "That is why vengeance is so seductive. It is one of the few lies that begins with truth."

I push away from the table, irritation prickling beneath my skin. "Do not turn into a temple singer on me."

"We have no temples."

"Then do not invent one in my command center."

He chuckles, low and dry. "You want the Combine to fear losing money because money is the only god they have left. That is clever. You want the Coalition to feed us ships, fuel, doctors, and legitimacy while you delay signing. That is also clever. You want the Alliance angry enough to pressure Helios but cautious enough to avoid full escalation. That is the cleverness of a man juggling blades during an earthquake."

"I have good hands."

"You have large hands. There is a difference."

I bare my teeth again, and this time the expression carries a little real amusement. "You stepped aside and made me captain, old one. These are the consequences of your judgment."

"Every morning I wake to fresh evidence that I am a fool."

Before I can answer, the command center doors open with a hydraulic groan. The scent reaches me before the delegation does: polished scale oil, expensive fabric, chilled perfume, and the faint copper note of someone who keeps a blade closer than etiquette permits. Ambassador Theryki enters as though the station has been built for the pleasure of receiving her, tall and immaculate in layered robes of deep green and gold. Her scales catch the tactical light with understated brilliance, and the jewels at her throat are modest enough to be tasteful while still costing enough to feed a dock ring for a week.

Three Coalition aides follow her, all silent, all observant, all pretending not to measure the distance to the exits.

Theryki’s golden eyes settle on me. "Lord Gnash, I hope I am not intruding."

"You are."

Her mouth curves. "How refreshing. Most hosts lie."

"Most guests wait to be invited."

"Then we are both wonderfully free of boring customs."

Skahar mutters something in old Reaper that would make one of Theryki’s aides faint if the translator caught it. I send him a look, and he returns the innocent expression of a corpse denying murder.

Theryki descends into the tactical pit without asking permission. Every warrior in the room tracks her, but she does not give them the satisfaction of noticing. That is one of the reasons I distrust her. A fool ignores danger because she cannot see it. Theryki ignores danger because she has already priced it.

"The morning session ended abruptly," she says.

"The morning session ended when General Gobold threatened to blockade three of my supply routes and then pretended it was a metaphor."

"General Gobold has a regrettable fondness for blunt instruments."

"Then keep him away from my station before I show him one."

Her eyes gleam. "This is precisely why the Coalition offers stability. Recognition would give you leverage against Alliance harassment and Combine hostility. You would no longer be treated as a raider occupying stolen property."

"I am a raider occupying stolen property."

"Stolen from the Helios Combine."

"Yes. That improves the flavor."

A few of my warriors rumble with laughter. Theryki allows it to pass over her without reaction.

"The Combine built Guyver Station under League charter with private funding," she says. "Your personal feelings do not erase the legal framework."

"My personal fleet erased their security framework."

"Temporarily."