Dark Horse

by Michelle Diener

  “I actually hope this other ship is Tecran, because if it isnʼt, I donʼt know who weʼre dealing with.” Dav wouldnʼt bet on it either way, though. Because then he came right back to the original sticking point. The fact that they had control of the Class 5, something he couldnʼt believe the Tecran would ever willingly allow.

  “Did anyone see anything after Roseʼs attack that would help us narrow down who took the secret comm?” Kila asked.

  Appal shook her head. “The privacy rules mean no lens feed along that passageway.” She didnʼt bother showing frustration for something she couldnʼt change. “All the traitor would need to do is walk normally, and no one would really have anything to report.”

  “They were lucky they werenʼt caught by someone going to the pool,” Lothric said. “They took a risk.”

  Dav nodded. “I think we can assume this was a crime of opportunity, and they wonʼt get the opportunity again. Rose will have someone watching her at all times from now until we catch this person.”

  “If we catch them,” Lothric said.

  “No.” Dav looked at them one by one. “One thing I promise. We will catch them.”

  20

  “Whoever received that comm asking if you were a danger to their plans was the person who tried to kill you.” Sazoʼs voice was subdued in her ear.

  “Yes.” Rose pulled on her pajamas and stumbled to her bed. She didnʼt care if Dav was sending someone to check on her, she could barely keep her eyes open.

  She snuggled under the blankets and closed her eyes.

  “If Iʼd been in the system, I could have stopped the pool cover from closing.”

  She made a sound of agreement. Then forced herself to respond. “But then, perhaps they would simply have tried to drown me, rather than making it look like some kind of weird accident.”

  Sazo was quiet. “Thatʼs true.” He didnʼt say anything for a while, and Rose was almost asleep when he did. “But I might have been able to deduce who was in the area from their movements in the system. I could find out who this would-be murderer is.”

  “Maybe. But Sazo, I canʼt let you in if you canʼt promise that no matter what, you wonʼt kill anyone.”

  “Now itʼs anyone, not just the Grih?”

  She thought about that. “If someone who is not Grihan is trying to kill you, then Iʼd accept you defending yourself. But only as a last option. Youʼre so smart, Sazo, Iʼm sure there are a hundred ways you could deal with someone rather than kill them. And you could ask me. Iʼd help you find a solution that didnʼt involve death.”

  “The Grih will try to hold on to the Class 5.”

  She forced herself to sit up at that, because she could hear the worry in his voice. “You sort of set that up, Sazo.”

  He sighed, and her lips twitched at how exactly like her he sounded. “I know. They are so excited about having one. Only, they donʼt.”

  “And they never will, because you are the Class 5. Or what makes it such an amazing ship.” She spoke slowly, because this had just occurred to her. The Class 5 was what it was because of Sazo. Which meant other Class 5s . . .

  She went still, and slid back down under the covers, feeling that at last, she was getting a glimpse of Sazoʼs plan.

  “How do you feel about the Class 5, Sazo?” She realized sheʼd never asked him this question before. “Is it your hated prison, or your home?”

  “I donʼt know. When you pulled me out of the lock-safe, Iʼd never felt happier. But the thought of the Grih taking it makes me want to hurt them and scream MINE through all their comm systems, so they have to cover their ears. It is mine. The systems are all me. Made by me, or all Iʼve known since the Tecran woke me.”

  “I think I understand. Itʼs a part of you, but a part that was used against you for a long time. You just need to get used to having that part back, but this time, youʼre in charge.”

  “Youʼre right.” He sounded calmer. Thoughtful.

  “I still say you should introduce yourself, let them know youʼre happy to ally yourself with them, because theyʼve been so nice to me, and you, me, and Captain Jallan could sail off into the sunset together.”

  “I donʼt think Captain Jallan would agree to be my sidekick.”

  “Thatʼs my job, anyway,” Rose said, and then gave a huge yawn. “But you could be partners.”

  “Itʼs a nice idea. Not very realistic, given their feelings on thinking systems.” But Sazo sounded like he was considering it.

  Rose tried to summon the will to respond, but her eyes felt weighed down with concrete and she closed them.

  Sheʼd only slept about ten minutes before the chime above her door sounded. She turned and looked at it. Closed her eyes again.

  It didnʼt stop sounding.

  She stumbled out of bed, looked down at herself, and decided the thigh-length sleep shirt was good enough, tried three times to hit the screen to see who it was, and then, when she saw it was Dav, Dr. Havak, Commander Appal and Filavantri, she hit the button with a little bit of temper, and was already half-way back to bed before the door had fully opened.

  “We have disturbed you.” Filavantri stepped into the room as Rose made it to her bed, and pulled the covers up.

  She knew her eyes must be red-rimmed with fatigue, because Havak hurried over to her and whipped out a slim cylindrical instrument and pointed it at her eyes.

  “Just very tired,” she said to him. “Long day.”

  “I would agree.” He pointed it at her abdomen. “Your lungs seem to be fine, even though someone tried to drown you.”

  “I told Captain Jallan and Filavantri that I was okay.”

  “You have to concede that we would be remiss if we didnʼt make sure,” Havak said, and she was forced to nod.

  “Rose, can you remember anything about what happened that could help us track down who was responsible?” Appal crouched down beside her bed, and Rose noticed that Dav stood a few steps back, the only one not crowding her.

  “He had big hands. Strong hands. He didnʼt just push me down, he sort of squeezed my head at the same time.”

  As soon as she said that, Havak pointed the device at her head, and then nodded. “See the bruising here?” He lifted her hair, only half-dried from her shower, and Filavantri sucked in a breath.

  “We could measure the marks. That would give us a handspan, which we could use in evidence.” Appal sounded very satisfied.

  Havak pulled out something else, a special lens, and filmed her bruises.

  Filavantriʼs handheld beeped, and she stood, looked down at the screen in irritation, and then reached out to touch Rose on the hand. “I have to go and speak to my coordinator from the Council. It canʼt wait. When youʼve slept, please call me and we can have a meal together.”

  Rose nodded, and Dr. Havak stood as well. “You seem extraordinarily resilient, and a good rest should see you feeling much better.”

  He left in Filavantriʼs wake, leaving her with Appal and Dav.

  “Iʼm glad youʼre all right.” Dav took a step closer, and then, as if understanding how uncomfortable she was with them both towering above her, he sat down on one side of the bed, and taking his lead, Appal sat on the other.

  “We think this attack was purely opportunistic. There is someone on board who has something to do with the Class 5ʼs appearance, and theyʼre afraid of what youʼll say to the United Council when they get here.”

  Rose frowned. “But even if I couldnʼt tell them, even if I was dead, thereʼs lens feed somewhere, surely? And the evidence in the cells themselves?”

  Appal nodded. “Yes, but we couldnʼt find the lens feed until a couple of hours ago.” She turned to Dav. “Who knows we found it?”

  Dav frowned. “Borji, obviously, yourself, me and Filavantri. I didnʼt deliberately keep it a secret, but it doesnʼt make easy watching and thereʼs no reason for anyone else to be informed.”

  “So itʼs possible whoever did this was merely buying time until the feed was found, or hoping it had been d
estroyed. They didnʼt realize weʼve had it for hours.”

  “What about the physical evidence?” Rose was feeling tired again, as the warmth of the blanket seeped into her muscles.

  “Damning, yes.” Appal said. “But more easily explained away.”

  “Iʼll let it be known we have the feed. That should mean there is no need to risk trying to kill Rose again.”

  “Even then . . .” Appal looked over at Dav, and Rose admired the stark beauty of her face. Her cheekbones were high and sharp, and her hair was a deep chestnut brown, tipped with bronze. “The lens feed tells a story, yes, but itʼs only when you meet Rose, talk to her, that you realize the full extent of the crime. Because she isnʼt just an advanced sentient in the technical sense, she is undoubtedly one of us. A fully-realized person who could pass for Grih. Except for the ears.” Appal grinned at her as she said that.

  “So youʼre saying even if they knew the lens feed had been found, theyʼd have tried to kill her, because itʼs her physical presence thatʼs the danger. When she stands in front of the United Council and testifies, her intelligence will shine through. There will be no way to deny they didnʼt know what they had in their cell. Something they could more easily do if all we had was the lens feed of Rose, traumatized and in pain.” Davʼs hand was gripping her blanket, bunching it in his fist so that it slipped a little from her shoulders.

  “You agree?” Appal asked him.

  “I agree. We make it known we have the lens feed, but there will still be a guard on Rose at all times.”

  Rose made a face, and then couldnʼt help the huge yawn that claimed her. When she looked up again, Dav was watching her, eyes narrowed.

  “Rose, please cooperate with the guards. Weʼll find out who did this, but while we do, I want you to be safe.”

  She gave a nod. She hadnʼt made it out of the Class 5 alive just to die because she was too stubborn to follow orders.

  “Weʼll let you sleep. Thereʼll be guards outside your door from now on.” Appal stood, and looked down at Dav, as if waiting for him to join her.

  “I want a quick word with Rose. Iʼll see you later, Commander.” He made no move or sign that the word he wanted to have was anything other than professional, but Rose saw Appalʼs eyebrows lift fractionally.

  She inclined her head and walked out, and as the doors opened for her, Rose saw two guards stand to attention.

  She relaxed back into her pillows.

  “Are you really all right?” Davʼs voice was low. The Grih all had rough voices, but now his held an extra edge. She shot him a surprised look.

  “Yes. I wouldnʼt lie about it. If I was really injured Iʼd have said.”

  He leaned forward, ran a finger down her cheek, and unable to help herself, she turned her head and let her lips brush it.

  He went still. Then he leaned forward, nuzzled the spot just under her ear, and breathed in deeply.

  She lifted her hands and stroked them through his hair, surprised to find the strands a little rough, not as smooth and soft as they looked.

  He raised his head, caught her face in his hands, and she saw the temptation to kiss her, the longing to take another step forward, cross his face.

  This wasnʼt fair of her, because if he knew the truth, he would be locking her up, not making out with her, and she turned her head away, looking at the wall.

  He drew back a little, cleared his throat, and when she glanced up at him, she thought there was relief as well as hunger in his expression.

  This was a bad idea for both of them.

  “I didnʼt just mean if you were physically all right, Rose.”

  She hunched under the covers, even as she caught hold of the change of subject gratefully. “Iʼm shaken. But Iʼm angry, too. Iʼm going to make every effort to stand in front of the United Council alive and well and make the Tecran wish theyʼd never so much as laid eyes on me.”

  “Good.” He grinned at her. Then the grin faded. “What I said, earlier, about you being a suspect——”

  “Forget it.” She shook her head. “Youʼd have been negligent to look at it any other way. And youʼre right. I am an unknown entity. You should be wary of me. You should keep me at armʼs length.”

  His gaze fixed on hers, and she held it, willing him to understand what she was trying to tell him without breaking her word to Sazo.

  He touched her hand, lying on top of the covers. “Youʼre warning me off?”

  “I owe you.” She closed her eyes against the intense, probing blue of his, then forced herself to look at him again. “Iʼve said it before, and I mean it. And Iʼm loyal to those I owe. I would never do anything to hurt you or your crew, and if itʼs in my power to protect you, I will.”

  “You do know something.” He said it slowly. “Tell me. Whatever it is.”

  She shook her head. “As I said, Iʼm loyal to those I owe.”

  He stood, the movement frustrated. He took a few steps to the door, stopped, turned and glared at her, then spun back and walked to the panel to set the door to lock when it closed behind him. When that was done, he stalked out.

  She gave a weak smile. Even when he was furious with her, he was protecting her.

  Sheʼd be as angry as he was, if their places were reversed.

  She stretched out under the covers, wiggled herself into a comfortable position. “Please, Sazo. Tell them.”

  He didnʼt answer, or if he did, by that time sheʼd let sleep take her.

  21

  She had been trying to tell him something.

  Dav realized it just before he reached the bridge. It had taken him that long to calm down, and go through her words again.

  She said she owed him. That she was loyal to those she owed.

  Then she implied, oh so subtly, that she owed someone else.

  She owed them a lot. More than she owed him, which probably meant she owed them her life.

  Maybe Rose hadnʼt been the only prisoner on that ship. Why would the Tecran have stopped at raiding one world. Why not two or three?

  And something else theyʼd picked up had chosen to save the other prisoners, and kill the captives.

  Dav came to a dead stop.

  Could it be?

  Rose was innocent of the deaths, he was sure of that, but heʼd always thought she knew whoʼd killed the Tecran crew. And from the start sheʼd all but told him the person or thing who did it was still around.

  Thatʼs why sheʼd gone out of the Tecran explorer craftʼs range on Harmon and warned him to be careful.

  He rubbed a hand through his hair slowly, trying to forget how it had felt when Rose had done the same thing, just minutes ago.

  Sheʼd been hinting at this right from the start.

  And what had she just said? Sheʼd try to protect them if she could. Just remembering her saying that, lying curled up, all delicate limbs and soft smooth skin, made him shiver.

  If she thought they needed protecting, then she believed there was still a danger to them out there. She was being pulled from two sides.

  The bridge was right in front of him, his senior officers were waiting for him, but he couldnʼt go to them with this.

  It was pure speculation.

  And speculation that some of the factions on the United Council or at Battle Center might twist to their advantage, with Rose as some sort of scapegoat.

  He lifted his hand to tap his comm and call for Appal, then hesitated, finger poised above his ear.

  What could he really tell her?

  There was a chance she would insist they go to Battle Center with this, because thatʼs what heʼd do, if Rose wasnʼt involved.

  The thought of Rose hauled in for interrogation, even by someone he trusted like Admiral Valu, sat like a cold, hard ball in his stomach. Heʼd like to think anyone whoʼd seen the lens feed of what Dr. Fliap had done to her would feel the same.

  He lowered his hand.

  Maybe heʼd read it wrong. Maybe there wasnʼt some unseen, powerful force lurking in the Class 5. Because
if there was, Rose might have to do what sheʼd just promised, and protect them all.

  Dav was over on the Class 5, Borji on one side of him, Appal on the other, as the Battle Center group landed in the launch bay. He was running on four hours of sleep and he felt it, the grit in his eyes as bad as if heʼd stood too close to a runner at take-off.

  Heʼd waited for the admiral and his team to arrive late the night before, and had settled them in, been up first thing to make sure there would be no surprises when he took the admiral and his group around the Class 5.

  If there was someone hidden here, pulling the strings, no one had seen them yet.

  Battle Center had sent one other admiral besides Valu, two vice-admirals and a Captain Tio, who was temporarily without a vessel.

  Dav was damned if Tio would take the Class 5.

  He was certainly hoping for it, Dav could see it in the way he looked around as he walked down the gangplank.

  “Welcome.” Dav saluted as the party reached the bottom. He knew Admiral Valu, and while he had never met her, Admiral Hoke had a high enough profile that he knew her face.

  Rumor had it she was going to be the next Head of Fleet, and looking at the clear, bright intelligence in her eyes, the energy with which she took in her surroundings, Dav believed it. The rest of the party, aside from Captain Tio, seemed to be nothing but high-level gawkers.

  He introduced Borji and Appal, and then started with the stores, seeing as they were next to the launch bay.

  “The Tecran seem to have traveled extensively.” Admiral Hoke reached out and touched a vacuum-packed bale of rare Suidani silk. “Suidani was abandoned as a planet over fifty years ago, and its people scattered everywhere. This much silk is extraordinary.”

  “We canʼt even begin to guess all the places theyʼve gone. Rose and the animals from her planet are proof of that.” Appal stood to attention.

  “And theyʼve hidden or destroyed their mapping files,” Borji put in. “So when we say we canʼt guess where they found Rose, we mean that literally.”