“Oh, I’m full of surprises,” Taylor said. “But you know that already.”
Japhara nodded. “So, where do we go from here?”
“I figure it’s pretty simple, really,” Taylor said. “I wanna know why you sent me to Droxis.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Cut the shit, Japhara.” Taylor leaned forward. “You sent me to Droxis because you wanted me to face Akoya. Everything points to that. Your deal with Genovese, your knowledge of the Vuhov clan and their circumstances on Emza, the Tortantula. Everything. The only question left is why?”
The skies outside Taylor’s office turned a darker shade of gray as the rain taps against the window intensified.
“The Latura Corps has been aware for quite some time that members of our gate master ranks had gone missing, many of them Sumatozou,” Japhara began. “For months, we searched for answers as to who was responsible and why, but to no avail.”
“Why didn’t you take this to your bosses on the Vergola Council?” Taylor asked. “They’re as connected as anyone in major Guild circles. If anyone could’ve figured out who was abducting your people, I’d expect it would’ve been them.”
“Indeed,” Japhara grumbled. “The Council could have helped.”
Taylor arched an eyebrow. “You mean they wouldn’t?”
Japhara shook his head. “I and several of the other Sumatozou gate masters took our case to the Council, as you suggested. Alas, it was not worth their time.”
Taylor found that hard to believe. “How come?”
“Do you have any idea how many species in the Galactic Union aspire to be gate masters?” Japhara asked. “And not just Sumatozou, mind you, but members of all races? They are legion. The Council knows this. As such, rather than conduct a proper investigation, the Vergola found it more cost-effective to simply install new gate masters to the vacated posts and continue on with their grander operations.”
Taylor slumped back in his seat. “Translation: your people weren’t worth the Council’s time or money.”
“We are assets to the Vergola,” Japhara said. “No more, no less.”
A long pause settled over the room as Taylor processed the other’s meaning and body language, dejected as they were. This was a far cry from the Japhara Taylor had encountered on Rukoria a year earlier. Back then, Japhara had been the picture of a noble soldier for the Vergola Council—always loyal, always fighting to defend the honor of his Guild and its cause. Taylor wasn’t sure what had become of that proud Sumatozou. He only knew the Japhara sitting across the desk from him now was a very conflicted person.
“It’s rather ironic when you get right down to it,” Japhara said quietly, eyes fixed on the rain. “For centuries, the Sumatozou have faithfully served the Vergola Council as its most ardent supporters and allies. That’s after the Krulig betrayed the Council, you’ll recall. And what do we receive for that loyalty in our darkest hour when we need the Council most?” He snorted. “Not a godsdamned thing.”
Taylor’s anger from earlier began to subside. “I take it when the Vergola turned you down, you took it upon yourself to investigate the abductions on your own.”
“Correct,” Japhara said. “One of the major upsides to serving in the Latura Corps is the mobility of the occupation. Whereas gate masters are assigned to stationary posts in one specific region, latura travel the Union, serving the Council’s interests wherever they are needed.”
“So what you’re saying is, you know people,” Taylor said.
“Yes,” Japhara said. “I spent months leveraging every contact I had, from Boontar to Piquaw, and every system in between, for answers. Eventually, I began to see a pattern. Our people weren’t being taken arbitrarily. There was a method to it, a purpose…a pattern. This was the work of professionals.”
“The KzSha,” Taylor said.
“Correct,” Japhara said. “The KzSha are an elusive race running an illegal operation. This made tracking their movements difficult, but not impossible for someone with the right intelligence network. In time, I learned of the Vuhov clan and their plight on Emza.” The elephant cocked his head. “Imagine my surprise when not one but two human merc companies emerged as the frontrunners to land the Vuhov contract—and both from Jacksonville, North Florida, no less.”
Taylor shifted in his seat. “Is that when your Buma friend contacted Genovese?”
“It is,” Japhara said. “I knew the Zuparti would never contract with the Eagles after the mishap on the Ytara contract, and Genovese seemed like the logical choice to be our eyes and ears on-site at Emza after doing our research. So we reached out to him to gauge his interest in signing on.”
“Gauge his interest.” Taylor huffed. “Don’t get me wrong, Japhara. I can appreciate that the Sumatozou were in a tough spot, but let’s call a spade a spade here. You exploited Mike’s situation so you could use him for your own purposes, just like you used me.”
“Being a merc is a high-risk occupation,” Japhara said simply. “If you haven’t figured that out yet after all that’s happened, then you’re not nearly as intelligent as I give you credit for being.”
Taylor wasn’t sure how to take that.
“Genovese knew what he was getting into,” Japhara said. “He had a need. I met that need in exchange for his services. It was as fair a deal as one can expect in your business.”
A fresh swell of red flashed across Taylor’s cheeks. “You used that man’s sick sister to get him to do your dirty work. Then you threatened to pull the plug on her if Mike didn’t take me to Akoya. Rationalize that however you want, but where I come from, we call that a dick move, bigtime.”
The Sumatozou averted his gaze. “For what it’s worth, I never had any intention of denying the girl her treatments. You must understand. I needed Genovese to fall in
