time I left her alone—didn't matter if it was for twenty minutes or twenty days—that dog would piss herself in excitement when I got home. They didn't piss themselves that I could see, but they were excited like you would not believe. They're still with the Waa somewhere." She waved her hand at the doorway beside her. "Titan is with them."
"All right, then." Grant scooted to the edge of the platform and put his left foot down. He noticed that his boots were missing at the same time he realized he was falling. He hit the ground heavily and banged his already-injured head on the hard surface.
Conway rushed over and turned him onto his back.
"What the hell are you thinking?" she asked. "You got shot with a Minith pulse rifle. I don't care how tough you think you are, you're going to be down for a while."
With limited help from Grant, it took the sergeant several minutes to wrestle him back onto the platform.
"I'll get Titan," she announced when he was firmly back in place. "Don't move!"
Grant was in no mood to argue. Instead, he gave himself over to the padded platform and slept.
CHAPTER 12
Treel was alive!
Without any need to coerce or torture, the human had confirmed her suspicions. Her mate was being held prisoner on Earth.
The question now was what she should do with the knowledge. She would certainly alert Soo that his brother was alive—that went without saying. He could search for Treel and, with luck, bring him home.
But what, if anything, would she tell Truk? She and General Soo had withheld the information that her mate, Soo's brother, had been stationed on Earth. With the governor suspecting Minith involvement in the destruction of their home planet, keeping the knowledge from him had seemed prudent at the time. Now that they all knew humans were to blame for that act, Treel—and his family, by association—were clear of suspicion. But they were not clear of withholding potential important information from their leader. Their initial prudence was now its own implication of disloyalty.
Listening in on Truk's most recent conversations with the Zrthn device, she knew her secrets were safe for the moment—her connection with Treel, her disloyalties, her recent capture of the stray human. All were still hidden. But she would have to think through the possible scenarios before taking further action. Her position was becoming more precarious, and required perfect balance to maintain.
Her first thought was to turn the human over to Truk with the explanation that she had found him holed up like a scared child in her building. It was the truth. However, she could not chance him finding out that she had taken him to her residence for questioning before turning him in—or that a Minith soldier named Treel was still alive on that forsaken planet. A quick records search would connect her and Soo to the soldier.
Every scenario pointed to her needing to kill the human or keep him locked away. Killing him seemed easiest. There would be no chance of the sheep escaping, and less chance of her being found out. But killing him also removed any possibility of using the human in the future. He might prove useful, either against Truk or in support of him. Killing him would reduce her options, and she detested wasting opportunities.
One item in particular made her lean toward stashing the human away. Through her interrogation, she had learned the human was an engineer by trade, and not just any engineer. He had been tutored by none other than Tlak, the most skilled Minith technician ever trained by the Waa. Tlak had been visiting Minith when it was destroyed. His loss had been a serious blow to the race, and a trained replacement—even a human slave—might be beneficial.
She considered reaching out to Oiloo for advice, but quickly dismissed the thought. She would not display any sign of weakness before him. He
"All right, then." Grant scooted to the edge of the platform and put his left foot down. He noticed that his boots were missing at the same time he realized he was falling. He hit the ground heavily and banged his already-injured head on the hard surface.
Conway rushed over and turned him onto his back.
"What the hell are you thinking?" she asked. "You got shot with a Minith pulse rifle. I don't care how tough you think you are, you're going to be down for a while."
With limited help from Grant, it took the sergeant several minutes to wrestle him back onto the platform.
"I'll get Titan," she announced when he was firmly back in place. "Don't move!"
Grant was in no mood to argue. Instead, he gave himself over to the padded platform and slept.
CHAPTER 12
Treel was alive!
Without any need to coerce or torture, the human had confirmed her suspicions. Her mate was being held prisoner on Earth.
The question now was what she should do with the knowledge. She would certainly alert Soo that his brother was alive—that went without saying. He could search for Treel and, with luck, bring him home.
But what, if anything, would she tell Truk? She and General Soo had withheld the information that her mate, Soo's brother, had been stationed on Earth. With the governor suspecting Minith involvement in the destruction of their home planet, keeping the knowledge from him had seemed prudent at the time. Now that they all knew humans were to blame for that act, Treel—and his family, by association—were clear of suspicion. But they were not clear of withholding potential important information from their leader. Their initial prudence was now its own implication of disloyalty.
Listening in on Truk's most recent conversations with the Zrthn device, she knew her secrets were safe for the moment—her connection with Treel, her disloyalties, her recent capture of the stray human. All were still hidden. But she would have to think through the possible scenarios before taking further action. Her position was becoming more precarious, and required perfect balance to maintain.
Her first thought was to turn the human over to Truk with the explanation that she had found him holed up like a scared child in her building. It was the truth. However, she could not chance him finding out that she had taken him to her residence for questioning before turning him in—or that a Minith soldier named Treel was still alive on that forsaken planet. A quick records search would connect her and Soo to the soldier.
Every scenario pointed to her needing to kill the human or keep him locked away. Killing him seemed easiest. There would be no chance of the sheep escaping, and less chance of her being found out. But killing him also removed any possibility of using the human in the future. He might prove useful, either against Truk or in support of him. Killing him would reduce her options, and she detested wasting opportunities.
One item in particular made her lean toward stashing the human away. Through her interrogation, she had learned the human was an engineer by trade, and not just any engineer. He had been tutored by none other than Tlak, the most skilled Minith technician ever trained by the Waa. Tlak had been visiting Minith when it was destroyed. His loss had been a serious blow to the race, and a trained replacement—even a human slave—might be beneficial.
She considered reaching out to Oiloo for advice, but quickly dismissed the thought. She would not display any sign of weakness before him. He
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