In Enemy Territory - Shannon West Page 0,8
doesn’t mean they weren’t used sexually, of course. It would just be unusual if they were. They may have been used in some other capacity as regular slave labor while they were with the Gatifreyans. Centarlo will come in handy because Janos told me he once lived on Gatifrey, and according to his records he was there for several years. He knows the customs and can speak the language, if he can get the guards to talk to him, or maybe he can find someone in the prison who has information, and then he can be of immense help. I’m reliably informed Centarlo even had a mate from Gatifrey for a time.”
The idea of Centarlo having had a mate gave Kylon a strange little feeling in the pit of his stomach. He quickly shook it off. “But why would a man like Rasc Centarlo help us? He hates Tygerians.”
“I think he’d do it for personal gain. We just have to make it worth his while. You know how Centarlo is—how he fits the personality type I just laid out. He’s perfect, in fact, and he’s also good looking and personable and can be charming when he wants to be. Look, I’ve been doing research. I found out that prisons have an inverted status hierarchy that often admires behaviors that are condemned by more honorable men. For most people, a man like Centarlo would be the ultimate symbol of a despicable criminal. But in a prison setting, he would be praised by the other inmates. His reputation would make him an ‘outlaw.’ Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have someone go along with him to the prison to tell the others exactly who he is—to advertise for him, in a way, and establish his credibility. Rasc is smart and he has a slick manner. He’ll be admired, even if grudgingly, for his ability to outwit those with weaker minds than he has. I propose putting him on the inside and letting him consolidate his position and gain information for you for when you arrive. Hopefully, he can do it quickly.”
“And meanwhile?”
“Meanwhile we wait. We’ve waited many cycles now. Another few weeks hopefully won’t make that much difference.”
“That’s taking a risk.”
Larz nodded grimly. “Yes, it is. But I think a raid is the best way since my father won’t go in with deadly force. The diplomacy will continue, and that may be enough, but if not, we’ll take another option and know that they gave us no other choice. Once you get inside and make the arrangements, give me the signal and I’ll send in another small strike force like Mikos did here on Laltana. We’ll be in and out before they know what hit them. They’ll complain about it and lodge grievances—but we’ll have the men in our custody, and there will be nothing they can do about it. And if my father and ambassador Spenkoss are able to convince them to release the boys in the meantime, then so much the better.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Be prepared for immediate deployment once we have Centarlo in place and he gives the signal. I think it’s a fairly good plan. We put Centarlo on the inside. Maybe that sidekick of his too. The prisoner he’s made friends with. What’s his name?”
“Setin.”
“Yes. Then we send you in to arrange for extraction.”
Kylon fell back in his chair and huffed out a breath. This had all the earmarks of being a fucked-up mess, but he hated to say so. Larz was so pleased with his plan. And it was true that Rasc Centarlo was not a man who had ever been bothered overly much by things like a conscience or morals.
Kylon jumped to his feet to go over and look out the window. He turned to gaze over at Larz. “Gods, Larz, you know how I feel about Centarlo. He’s the laziest, most frustrating, good-for-nothing prisoner we have here. And did I mention lazy?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Well, good, because it bears repeating. And he’s sullen too. Not to mention stubborn. I don’t dare ever turn my back on him. I saw in his records that he was a former soldier—a gunnery sergeant in the Alliance marines. If that’s any example of their non-commissioned officers, it’s no fucking wonder the Alliance lost the war.”
Larz smiled and shrugged. “I agree with all of that. But then again…he’s certainly not hard to look at, is he?”
Kylon whirled around to glare at Larz for a few moments and then suddenly