Chapter 31

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Norse scrutinized the stream of the devastating attack on the freighter Nightstorm again and again. It looked real. His own teams reviewed it, and though they were light years away, he knew Ardan and Grand Emperor Surda had assigned their best to the task. He couldn't imagine how the Riga could pull this off—real or not. Intelligence reports must be underestimating their capabilities. Underestimating Jack.

"You aren't the only one with secrets, Ari. Trust me." Jack took charge, leading the team through a maze of passageways. "Cloe, two more charges, here," he ordered, pointing, "and on that panel." Three months with the resistance, and Jack instilled confidence in everyone around him no matter how dire the situation. Men and women had faith in him, liked and respected him. "Timers, thirty seconds. The rest of you, keep moving. Look for an inset access tube, north wall, about a hundred meters ahead. It'll get us just past Wren's back door. We'll be right behind you."

Inquisitor Jon Ardan's face occupied the lower corner of his stream. Norse had warned him about Jack. He wouldn't repeat that now, but tapped the screen to fill it with Jon's strikingly handsome face.

"It's a foolish move, Jon." Norse did want to tell Ardan that ordering Pride of Galilei to engage the Riga was not only stupid, but could derail plans they'd had for twenty years. Ardan wouldn't take offense at the blunt words. They knew each other too well. And if anyone had hacked their highly-encrypted private stream, they'd sense the tension between them, which if reported to Grand Emperor Surda, would keep the competition between them alive and well, and be just as he would expect.

"You never mince words, my dear Ari," Ardan said, continuing the charade. Everyone was my dear to Jon Ardan. He used the phrase when he was impatient, or wanted to make someone feel uncomfortable.

Norse bristled, but only to keep the hounds at bay. He'd been recruited by Ardan, though neither arm-twisting nor torture had been necessary. They'd been classmates and lovers at the war college, and had grand plans to assume ultimate control of the Empire. But their paths had diverged, all part of the Grand Emperor's plan. Surda didn't want two egotistical, ambitious young men in positions of power. That was a threat.

Ardan had seen it as an opportunity, and they plotted Norse's betrayal. It had been a brilliantly timed move, what with Torredo's resistance stirring trouble.

"The vid file from the freighter is convincing," Norse said, studying Ardan's face but keeping his own emotions in check. "But pulling Pride away leaves Torredo unprotected, especially when Conqueror is dealing with the rebels on New Mars. This is exactly what Riga wants."

"Pride is the only battlecruiser within range of the enemy fleet that Nightstorm reported," Ardan said. "I have explained this to the Grand Emperor, but he is not convinced the threat to Torredo is great. Galilei is in control. You've done a splendid job."

Ardan gave him a heartfelt smile, but then paused. Norse wondered if he would bring up the failure to eliminate Ford and Jack, but Ardan kept to the matter at hand. "I cannot get around this." He leaned closer to the monitor, slowly releasing a deep breath that Norse could almost feel. "Pride must investigate and engage the enemy."

"Can you delay?" Norse asked. Was there enough desperation in his voice? "Three days, that's all I ask."

"Two Riga cruisers, Ari! We cannot ignore that. If we wait, we lose them in deep space. It's time for action. We must not allow the enemy to choose the time for battle."

"It's a mistake, Jon."

"Go to Alert One. Add extra security. Do whatever you need to hold Torredo for us."

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