Upcoming release sample: INQUEST
Releasing March 1
“We need you to find them.”
“Two elderly Nisandrians in a galaxy with nearly four dozenHuman-habitable worlds, three times as many orbital stations and platforms, andthat’s just what belongs to the Alliance. Knowing Great-grandfather, he’ll decidethe smart move is to hide on a planet unfriendly to the Alliance, because noone would expect him to go to a place that would gladly sell him out toNisandros.”
“Well, not exactly …” Jeyn glanced at Ashrock. He nodded.
“You know where they went?”
“Not where, but to who. At least, we hope so.” She shrugged again.Yes, M’kar was getting irritated by that gesture. “Your brothers.”
“My brothers?”
“Ashar, Bannar—” Ashrock began.
“I know their names. Why would Great-grandfather and … No.” M’kar’shead hurt with the new load of possibilities and theories cramming into her brain.“Oh, yes, that will make them so much easier to find. Just look for afree-trader ship broadcasting Nisandrian registration, with severalpirate-for-hire ships chasing them across the universe. Just how do you expectme to talk my captain into putting the Defender in the middle of thatfight? We have families on board. Most of those children consider you theiradopted grandparents.”
“Yes, and that reminds me, we want to have a festival, now that—”
“Po’pa!” Her fists ached slightly from the single, hard slam that madethe bowls and serving platters and mugs bounce a good five centimeters.
“It isn’t that bad.” Jeyn reached to pat M’kar’s arm. “Your brothers arethe logical choice, because they’ve been in constant contact with Aquid foryears now. In fact, we found out they’ve been in contact since the day theyfled Nisandros, going on missions for Etrusca.”
“How?” M’kar shook her head. “No, don’t tell me. I can guess. Allthree of them are just rebels and idiots enough to think Great-grandfather’scrazy notions are good ideas. I wondered how Etrusca managed to send pieces ofthe Gate off planet all these years. Now I know. It makes too much crazy,twisted sense.”
“If it’s any comfort, they also left because of the pressure to killyou,” Ashrock offered. “Most of our clan didn’t have any problem obeying theprophets who demanded your death, but your brothers did. They were tired ofgetting into battles with their cousins.” He chuckled. “Mostly because it gotso boring, winning all the time.”
A strained bubble of laughter escaped M’kar. Maybe in a few days shewould find some comfort in knowing that yes, her brothers did like her, enoughto not want her dead. And yes, it was some comfort to know a thirst foradventure had sent them away from their homeworld. They hadn’t left becausethey didn’t want to be around their half-blood sister.
“All right. I’ll ask Genys what we can do. Treinna will have to pull acouple dozen strings to get people watching to catch the gossip. But that’sabout all I can do without taking leave and hiring a courier ship and goinghunting on my own.”
Ashrock accepted that just a little too easily. M’kar had the awfulfeeling there was still much he hadn’t told her.
All in all, she was glad to watch Le’anka and Anwesta vanish behindthe Defender as the ship headed out on its next assignment. It was ablessedly boring one for a change, making a wide circle of stations, droppingoff and picking up equipment and personnel and dealing with various technicalproblems that required the miracle-working skills of Jasper Lore and his Engineeringdepartment.
