The Starlight Lancer

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Freewater

"It's impossible to buy out the small communities that form on remote worlds. They're woven together. Back in the day we tried everything, too—we bribed the village elders with precious metals and rebu, offered their children places in our most prestigious halls of learning, and even promised them monthly reparations if they left our home so the project could go on—to no avail. Unless we can get permits to alter the weather, make it unsuitable enough that the inhabitants leave, force often remains the best—and only—solution."

—Ildiplorus Vaxum, Chairman of the Riskta Eldonur Resource Retrieval Conglomerate, in a memo directed toward high-level executives

"Crimes?" Fell asked, scratching his head with a clawed finger. "I'm not aware of any crimes I've committed."

Flabbergasted, Zaina doubled down. "You—you killed the people of this world when they didn't want to leave! You're forcing these people to stay here against their will—somehow. You sent marauders to kill us!"

Fell shook his head. "Geez, I sound like an awfully bad guy. You hear all that from Almada?"

Zaina glared. "No—your friends in the desert gave you up, too. Captain Gilvus—"

"That sad sack of scraps?" Fell asked with a chuckle. "You really think I'm working with him? Wow, Almada got you good."

Zaina recoiled in shock, her arm lowering as her eyebrow raised. "Huh? But—"

"Gilvus works for Almada," Fell said, stepping down from his war-suit. "He's one of the Derin Bas mercenary captains that's been trying to pick off townsfolk for—oh, two years now, at least. Him and that woman, what's her name?"

Still staring Zaina down, Leda said in a cold voice, "Veimla Tescoll."

"Thank you," Fell said. "Yeah, that one. They make a nasty team. I'll bet Almada paid Gilvus to drop my name, set you on me."

Zaina scoffed. "With his dying breath? Yeah, I don't think a hired gun would be that loyal."

To her surprise, Fell smiled. "Hah! Ol' Gilvus finally bought it, eh? Wish I could've pulled the microchip myself."

"Microchip—huh?"

"Well," Fell said, "dying breath is more of an allegory in his case, isn't it? Gilvus is an android disguised as a cybernetic human. That half-face of his is a prosthetic. The only way to permanently kill him is to remove, destroy, or sufficiently damage his central internal processor, like any other android. Did you stab him through the head, or otherwise sufficiently damage his skull?"

Zaina turned to Xyrthe, who scowled and said, "Two hits to the chest."

"Well, then," Fell replied, "I hate to break it to the two of you, but our friend Gilvus is still very much alive, and he'll likely come back as soon as he thinks you're dead. I give him until tomorrow."

A frown came over Zaina's face, her heart sinking. Had Ondor lied to her—was Fell lying to her right now?

Still keeping her cipher pointed at his heart, Zaina said, "How am I supposed to know you're telling the truth?"

"You want the truth?" Fell said. "The truth happens to be stopping by tomorrow—I can show you, if you want."

"What—what does that even mean?"

In a deep voice, Leda said, "Almada sends raiding parties every day like clockwork. They'll be back tomorrow, no doubt."

"Figured they were sending special guests, on account of them not sending the bombers today," Fell said, talking through a grin. As much as Zaina wanted to hate him, he wasn't anything like she imagined. "Though we probably let the kids roam a little too long, you think, Leda?"