“I could research the language circuits. See if it’s a translation of something,” Peregrine offered.
“It’s worth a try.” She suppressed a sigh. “Do you all think it’s worthwhile to talk to Colb?”
“You could try,” Raptor said, sounding doubtful. “He didn’t seem inclined to do anything but bait you.”
“No.” Hawk’s voice rang with authority. “He’s too much like us. He’ll lie, he’ll weave stories, and you’d never know what was true and what wasn’t.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right. But he mentioned Wren.”
Raptor frowned. “Tactics 101. Keep your opponent off-balance, and make them think you have something they want.”
She straightened. “Agreed. He’ll stay in the brig. With a guard, whenever possible.”
“Standard brig security not enough for you?” Ross asked. “If he tries to tamper with the system, he’ll get thirty milliamps and find himself not breathing. He knows that.”
“Call it paranoia,” she answered.
“I’m good with paranoia,” Hawk said.
“Okay. So we need a new plan. I’m open to suggestions.”
“Dragonfire?” Hawk suggested after a moment of silence.
“Yeah. That’s what I’m thinking too. We’ll have the best defensive capability in case some friend of Colb’s comes looking for him. The brig there is first-rate. It’s the best option until we have more to go on.”
“By the time we get to Dragonfire, there may be a panic about Jamestown. The first shouts will go up when someone goes to dock there, or communications don’t get returned.” Peregrine chewed on the pad of her thumb.
“Nothing we can do about that,” Raptor said. “We can hope it happens later rather than sooner, but that’s it.”
“PAC allies will get very nervous once they know, and those who are not our allies will sense an opportunity.”
“No pressure,” muttered Hawk.
Fallon took a deep breath. “Fun time’s over. Back to work.”
“Where was I for fun time?” wondered Peregrine, but a hint of humor glinted in her eyes.
“Fun time was when we were going to storm the castle. Had my ass-kicking pants on and everything.” Hawk ran his hands down his thighs.
“We all wear the same style of jumpsuit,” Raptor pointed out.
“We were all wearing ass-kicking pants,” Hawk explained.
“Still are,” Peregrine reminded him.
“There will be no ass-kicking today,” Fallon decreed. “Unless something unexpected comes up. But we will kick ass another day. Guaranteed.”
Fallon spent her off shifts pacing her quarters end to end. She needed a new angle, a new strategy. A way to discover where the command staff from Jamestown had gone. They had answers she needed.
If Colb had been the one working against the PAC all along, did that mean that Krazinski was necessarily innocent? All the data pointing at Krazinski had been verified as genuine. But Colb could have created genuine documents that contained falsified information.
What about Krazinski’s attempt to blackmail Brak into creating neural implants that were in violation of the PAC’s treaties? The only way that added up was if Krazinski had been testing Brak—either to see if she’d do such a thing, or if she had already been asked to. Which could make sense, if Krazinski were trying to shut Colb down from the inside.
But why did Colb want treaty-breaking technology? And why install it in her head? He’d had many people to choose from, so why her? Maybe because he’d known her for so long. Or maybe he’d perceived her as a threat to his long-term plans.
She had all the questions, but none of the answers. And though she doubted he’d give her any real information, she wanted to look at Colb’s face while she asked him the questions. Even if he told her only lies, she might come up with some useful tidbit. Besides, she had nothing more productive to do.
“Kiyoko-chan. It’s so good to see you.” Colb looked tired, but well enough. The brig wasn’t big on privacy, but it provided adequate comfort.
“You can call me Fallon.” She sat opposite the force field that kept him contained and exposed to scrutiny.
“Fallon. I’ve been hoping you’d come see me. I feel awful about what I said before. I was angry at being accused, but I can see how you’d suspect me. It’s the hazard of what we do. When things go wrong, we’re paranoid enough to suspect everyone.”
What he said was true. But he’d had three days to think about his approach. She had to admit it was a good one, and he seemed utterly sincere.
“You mentioned Wren.” Her tone was as hard as her gaze.
“Yes. Again, I apologize. I was just trying to keep myself out of the brig long enough to explain things to you. I knew your wife would be a tender spot that would get your attention.”
“So you’re no longer saying that there was some additional significance to my meeting her.”
“Well there was,” Colb said. “But only in that your assignment on the station was to investigate her.”
“To keep me busy? Out of the way? With the rest of my team scattered in various places on equally bogus assignments?”
“I didn’t think your assignment was bogus.” Colb sat still, hands folded in his lap. “There was a legitimate concern of smuggling on Dragonfire, involving an insider.”
“So you’re maintaining your innocence. You’re the good guy, fighting against the corruption.”
“Of course. I still don’t understand what caused you to suspect me. Clearly, I’m not the one who attacked Jamestown. I had to leave there months ago.” His forehead furrowed with puzzlement.
He didn’t know that she’d suspected him before they even arrived at PAC command. And he wasn’t aware that Krazinski had left her a message. She could almost believe she’d made a mistake. That she’d misjudged Colb and reframed everything assuming his guilt. It all hinged on her belief that her parents wouldn’t tell him that she’d visited them on the run from Blackout. If she was wrong about that, all of this could be upside down.
But she was sure she wasn’t wrong.
She let doubt flicker briefly on her face as she thought. Any more than that and he’d be on to her. Maybe he already was. They were
