Or longer. Especially if the rest of the warriors didn’t like or trust one of them. But I didn’t say that. To give them some of that damn hope, I added, “After that, everything is open for consideration.”
Captain Marz nodded. “Fine. I assume we’ve all been assigned quarters in the same area as well.”
Thank the gods, this was almost over and Marz was going to take it from here. I saw it in his eyes, the need to make sure his men were protected and taken care of. At least one of them understood the changes they had to accept. If one was willing to try, then he could talk the others around better than I ever could.
I liked Marz instantly, and made a mental note to move him through the process quickly. With the recent Hive attack, and the defection of one of our own, a medical officer named Krael, I needed men I could trust. Men who had honor. Not that the others didn’t. The other three had stellar records and survived the worst of the Hive. If they adjusted well, acclimated to their new lives, they’d be put into positions of importance. We valued everyone on the Colony, if they wanted to give their all.
Still, traitors surfaced. Krael brought a Hive transmitter onto Base 3, the poisonous frequencies led to many taking ill, including our own Governor, and had led to Captain Brooks’ death. He’d been a warrior from Earth who’d been carefree and liked to laugh, even considering what the Hive had done to him. He’d been my friend, and I wanted nothing more than to catch the bastard traitor who’d killed him. Who’d destroyed him from the inside.
I turned to the Hunter, Kiel. Perhaps I had a good use of the Hunter’s skills after all. “You have been assigned the same duties and region.”
“Of course.” His voice was even and unperturbed, like talking to a corpse. I wanted him to argue with me, to break through that damn cool reserve. He’d never deal with his pain, his new reality, if he kept everything sealed up tight.
I stood and rolled my shoulders, the tension there making my head ache. Again. I’d never suffered from headaches before—before the Hive put their needles and microscopic implants into me. Now, they were a constant plague, a reminder that I’d never be what I was before. “Very well. This is Phin, a member of my security team.” I angled my head toward the guard. “He’ll lead you to your quarters and take you on a tour of Base 3. You report for your first work shift in eighteen hours.”
Captain Marz stood, Perro, the Atlan and the Hunter following behind as four of my team led the way down the corridors to the private quarters. The men had arrived with nothing, so it wouldn’t take long for them to settle and explore the base. We didn’t have many Atlans, and Kiel was our first Hunter. They would, no doubt, draw a crowd and many challenges in the challenge pits.
I watched Tyran size up Warlord Rezzer as he passed and knew my second was thinking the same. Tyran was currently the reigning champion in hand-to-hand combat on Base 3. A position I was sure the Atlan Warlord would enjoy taking from him. If the newcomer could prevail. Tyran wouldn’t make it easy for him to do so.
I followed the group to the door, stopping next to Tyran as the new arrivals and their heavily armed escort moved on. “He’s going to break you, friend. Like a stick.”
Chapter Three
Hunt
Tyran grinned, the bright light of a challenge accepted in his dark brown eyes. He was my opposite in many ways, his darker skin and hair a stark contrast to my own. His love of organized violence understandable, but sometimes he couldn’t stop, took things too far. Ever since our capture, he’d never been the same. But then, none of us were. Tyran, more than any warrior I knew, looked forward to the organized fights. “How long do you think I have?”
I considered. The Atlan would hear about the fighting pits by dinner tonight. By tomorrow, he’d want to knock Tyran from his place as champion. “A day. Maybe two.”
“Excellent.” Tyran put his weapons away and fell into step beside me as I walked down the hall. Our boots should have been loud on the hard floors, but we had learned to move quietly on our feet. Even Tyran, dressed in full combat armor, moved silently as a shadow beside me. In comparison to my second, I was considered the personable one. I had to be with my job. I couldn’t have the new arrivals scared on their first day. Tyran had an aura of darkness about him. We’d been friends before our capture, but after? After, Tyran’s silence grew and I had no idea how to fill it. All I could do was hope our mate would heal him from the inside out.
Ruthlessness, precision. Tyran had an accuracy to his movements, to his fighting that men tried for decades to achieve. This had a price. An introverted spirit, an intensity that made others afraid. Especially since he was a Prillon warrior. But I would have no other as my second. I would trust no one else to keep my mate safe.