track down the rogue team and find Lucy died.
This wasn't just a rogue team going off script.
This went all the way to the top.
Probably always had done.
“Record everything,” he murmured to Bane. “And loop Cossi in, so she can see what's happening here, and try to get us out.”
“Yes.” The chill in Bane's voice said it all.
“So, you were in on it, too, were you?” he asked the politicians.
One of them opened their mouth in outrage. “How dare--”
“They were.” Dimitara shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “They might not have understood the full scope of it, but they definitely knew they weren't accompanying me to question General Ulima. They set me up to come here so that he could question me.”
“You are on our planet. This is our business.” The politician stood, and one of the soldiers shifted his weapon to aim at him.
The politician shut his mouth with a snap, eyes huge, and slowly sat down.
Dray laughed. “Oh dear, they don't seem to respect you any more than I do.”
“They gave away our sovereignty.” Ulima gave them a cold, disgusted look. “They can rot as carrion for baug as far as I'm concerned.”
There was a moment of absolute silence. Then Ulima turned to Dray with a smile.
“I'm glad you could join us, Commander. I thought you were either dead or hidden away somewhere on the peninsula, but it appears I was wrong, and no one here was courteous enough to let me know.”
He toed one of Dray's subordinates with a boot.
Dray felt the familiar tension and calm that came over him just before he engaged in military action. This time, though, the stakes were higher. He wasn't just responsible for his team. Lucy's life hung in the balance.
“Virn's dead. Most of the rest of them are, too.” Dray shrugged.
Ulima blinked. “And the Earth woman?”
“Why would I tell you that?” He didn't know, Dray realized. The general had been busy up here, interrogating Dimitara, and he hadn't seen the visual comms on the screens in the square, hadn't heard from his teams down below.
Ulima didn't know his people already had Lucy.
What had the Tecran who'd grabbed Lucy said? That getting comms through was hard. Cossi and Chep had obviously been taking control of the system.
“You will tell me,” Ulima said, and casually shot Dimitara in the leg with his shockgun, “or I'll keep doing this until you do.”
Dimitara screamed, bending forward in her chair, her arms straining behind her.
Dray couldn't help the step he took forward, and he heard Chep make a strange sound beside him.
“Lower your weapon.” Ulima raised his shockgun and pointed it at Dray's face. “Hand it to Cryn.”
One of the soldiers stepped forward and pulled the weapon from his hand, then took Chep's, as well.
“Now, where is the Earth woman?”
“I don't know.” Dray looked straight at Ulima as he spoke, and the general shot Dimitara's other thigh.
This time she didn't scream, the noise was more a low, animalistic moan of pain.
“We were separated in the square.” Dray kept to the truth as much as he could. There was no reason to let the general think he had her already. “I came into headquarters looking for help to find her.”
“She's out there, right now? On her own?” Ulima frowned.
“Worried she'll be spotted by the good people of Fa'allen?” Dray asked. “A living, breathing reminder of why the UC is here, and why your politicians agreed to clear out the rot in your military to begin with?”
Ulima stared at him with true hatred for a long beat. “Cryn, go down to the square, find Silius or one of his people, and get them to look for her.”
Cryn handed Dray and Chep's shockguns to another soldier and moved to the door.
“Be discreet about it,” Ulima ordered.
Cryn nodded and shoved the door open with his shoulder, and gave a cry of surprise as he was yanked off his feet and disappeared beyond.
Something was thrown into the room, and suddenly understanding what it was, Dray threw himself sideways, rolling behind the big desk in the general's office.
The whomp was low, almost quiet, but it rattled his bones, and the explosion lit up the air with light so bright, even with his eyes closed, Dray was aware of it.
The brightness lasted only a second, and then was gone, winking out in an instant.
Dray rolled to his feet, orange and purple light dancing in front of his eyes while he tried to take in the change in his circumstances.
Cossi stood in the middle of