For a while, they were both silent.
Then, Isolde said, “I’m sorry,” just as Deliya said, “I understand why you are upset.”
Isolde sighed and took a deep breath. With all the irony in the universe, this was actually one of the situations she was trained for. After all, she was a cultural researcher and an ethnographer. Of all the people, she was supposed to understand that different species sometimes saw the world in opposing ways and that everyone was ultimately the victim of their upbringing.
On Rhea, it would have been her job to settle arguments like this, but somehow it felt so much harder when it concerned her and the simple problem that she was not, in fact, on Rhea or on her way there. For a moment, she wondered how long it would take for the Palians – or the human ambassadors – to start asking questions about her in the GU.
“I just want to go where I was supposed to,” she said.
She might have imagined it, but Deliya looked sympathetic when she nodded. “If it makes you feel better, the Commander did not think it would play out like this. You are in the middle of a bigger conflict,” – Finally, someone understands, at least a little – “and will hopefully understand soon.”
Isolde didn’t see point in further arguing, so she thanked the warrior and sent her away. When alone, she went through the things she’d taken with her from Terra. Mentioning the Palians had triggered something in her mind. Agent Perkins had been very distressed about her mission, and even the Brions acknowledged that it had been important. It didn’t excuse the general in any way, but perhaps he wasn’t keeping her from Rhea simply for his own selfish need.
There was definitely something going on with that planet. Her understanding of it as simply a newly discovered world had been blown on Luna Secunda, but with each passing hour it seemed to be a bigger deal.
She had been sent files and materials about Rhea, but with her abrupt leave-taking, she hadn’t had time to finish them all. The general outline, yes, but she’d focused more on her team and getting to know them – the image of a ship blown to pieces came again, making her stop for a moment and gather herself – and so she had left the detailed materials for in transit reading.
Isolde didn’t understand. Rhea was rumored to be a paradise world, as much as the Brions presently guarding it had implied. Rich with minerals and metals, it was presumably even a possible harvest world for the nearby systems. But was that enough to cause such trouble? It seemed unlikely.
She wished she had taken the time to read sooner, but oh well. She had all the time in the world now.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Diego
Despite their very individualistic character and knowledge of self-worth, the Brions were fiercely protective of their species, first and foremost. That was inherent to them all. They did, however, sometimes disagree on what that entailed.
The will of all Brions was traditionally dictated by the Elders, but they didn’t speak to their people often. Every once in a while, they gave new directions to the senators and left them to govern in their absence, emerging when they were needed.
Technically, disobeying a senator was disobeying the Elders, which was a serious crime. Diego didn’t feel like a traitor, nor did he think for a moment that he had somehow defied the Elders. He just needed proof that he hadn’t, or every Brion ship would target him – or what was left of him after the twin generals were done.
The hologram flickered before him again, bearing the image of another senator, this one on Briolina. She was an old acquaintance of his, though this wasn’t a happy reunion .
“Senator Eleya,” Diego said, saluting. It never hurt to be respectful, particularly to people as of yet unclear on the whole ally/enemy scale.
“Grothan,” she said tersely. Her long hair did not entirely cover the blinking lights on her long, lean neck. Eleya was a rarity of sorts, a warrior become senator. The generals loved her unanimously, since her election had been a not very veiled threat to the senators not to try asserting some sort of control over the Elders.
The generals rarely stayed on Briolina longer than absolutely necessary, spending most of their lives in duty on the move. Eleya hated all of them, because her appointment had been a punishment on their part, making her play guardian to a bunch of politicians. Diego wasn’t entirely sure what she had done to deserve that.
“I am sure you have heard.”
“Do not get smart. I am sure you have a perfectly reasonable explanation and a platter to serve your head upon.”#p#分页标题#e#
Diego fought down a smile. Of all the women he had ever met, he’d only regretted not being the gerion to one. But that was ancient history now, and his mind could no longer comprehend how it could have ever desired anything besides Isolde, but Eleya still amused him. “I plan to do no such thing. I seek your council and your aid.”
Eleya laughed. “I will speak your praises at the burial. You always were amusing.”
“Entertain a dead man then.”
“Why should I?”
“To mess with Eren,” Diego said bluntly. The senator’s mouth twisted into an ugly snarl.
“Him,” she murmured. Patiently, Diego waited. “You have one question. I hate you, Grothan, but I loathe him.”
“What were the orders the Elders gave about Rhea?”
Eleya humphed. Diego had met few people who could hold his gaze and still appear unafraid. He liked her. At that moment, he dearly wished she wouldn’t refuse him, or he’d be forced to count her among his enemies. He bet she knew it too. He liked her even more because Eleya wouldn’t take that into account.
“It had become impossible to hide Rhea much longer. It was to be discovered by us and guarded until the usual intergalactic research team could come and assess the worth of the planet. Meanwhile, traces of our presence there would be erased where possible. The goal was to make the team believe the information any of the population might give of us referred to the time after the… discovery. They hardly ever saw us, after all. Those were the orders.
“We dealt with the workers first. Then we decided the first assembled team was not to make it to the planet due to a mishap on their ship giving us more time to remove the evidence. The fate of the second was left to be decided according to the progress of the works on Rhea, as you well know. We decided the second would not reach it either, as you also know. The third might reach it. The first two were meant to be portrayed as misfortunes – an accident and a random attack. Space is not a safe place, after all.”
Eleya recounted all that like she was reciting an inventory list. Then her cold, ruthless eyes turned to Diego. “You put a dent in the plan by refusing to kill the last member of the second mission.”
“She is my gesha,” Diego said. “She is of no harm to us.”
“Unfortunate, but irrelevant,” Eleya shot back. “The reports sent to her, the materials from initial readings the Palians did… We found them to be too specific and have amended that in the files sent to the next team. As they are now, she could see evidence of us knowing about Rhea. If she reaches any GU representative, we are exposed.”
“She will not talk,” Diego insisted.
Eleya smiled without any warmth. “Most reassuring, Grothan. We think it is better to be safe than sorry. Kill her, or we will.”
As he turned off the holographic image, Diego felt like sighing dramatically. It was now the second senator he had refused. He should have felt disturbed, but instead he just felt reassured. He was doing the right thing. A warrior always fought his battles, but it was nice to know the cause was right.
The Brions were in danger, but no outer enemy threatened them. Well, not directly. The true danger lay within themselves, and it took all his self-control to keep the rage burning inside him simmering, not boiling over. The traitors putting their people at risk was one thing, forcing Diego’s hand to fight his own brothers and sisters was another…
Isolde. He needed Isolde. His and his alone, his reason to fight. She had come to his life at a breaking point, but fate must have had a plan for them, or it wouldn’t have sent her his way. Brion was about to fight Brion, but Diego had been given the surety of purpose and something to hold on to.
Somewhere, Briolina was growing larger on the screens mapping their location in space. Diego knew where the twins were most likely to meet him. No fear gripped his heart, though it was possible he’d be dead before Briolina’s sun rose to greet another day.
His feet had taken him to Isolde’s door. He longed for her voice and the body that begged to be touched even if she fought it. Inwardly cursing the interruption of the moment they could have been bound, Diego gave the door his signal.
When he entered the room, Isolde was sitting on her bed reading the materials she had been given, the ones that had signed her death sentence. In his studies – of Brion materials about humans, designed to give them a better understanding – it hadn’t been overstated enough how much human females hated being lied to. At first, Diego failed to see the point of that exaggeration. Brion women didn’t like it either. Nor men, really. Somehow, the guide still seemed to want to make it very clear how little they liked it.#p#分页标题#e#