Page 16 of Wrath

“They are indeed receiving their orders from Division Leader Giles Dalton,” Varnog said. “But according to Mogor’s little head, Dalton has gone rogue and so has this entire crew.”

Pallax and the human tried to argue.

“Silence,” I snapped at the two males while Varnog was releasing Mogor from his compulsion. “Did they warn the others?”

Varnog shook his head. “No. There are psychic disruptors inside the base.”

“Perfect,” I replied. “Take them to the brig of their ship. We’re going to say hello to the ones downstairs.”

Varnog nodded and gestured for the mercenaries to get up from their kneeling position before leading them inside the Nomad.

“Kwan, you can land the ship,”I telepathically told my mate.

“Acknowledged,”she replied.

Fighting the urge to give her a psychic caress, I disconnected from her mind.

“Myriam, any way you could track that chaser?”I asked psychically, knowing the chances were slim to none.

“It’s a long shot. Once I access the Nomad’s computer, I might be able to identify the ID of that chaser,”Myriam replied. “However, they could be anywhere by now.”

“Understood. Do what you can.”

Dread and I walked into the elevator at the entrance of the base. It had a single underground floor. The slightly queasy sensation in the pit of my stomach spoke to the speed the huge cabin was travelling at. Considering the short travel time it took for it to come to a stop, this base was a lot less deep than I had imagined.

Shields raised before us, we waited for the door to open. This time, two humans and a Lenusian were busy lining up containers on a second hovering platform near the lift. They’d likely been preparing it for their crewmates we’d just thrown into the brig.

“Vanguard,” the Lenusian whispered in her sibilant voice. Tall, lean, with white scales, the bipedal reptilian female recoiled upon seeing us. But she quickly schooled her features, her flat face, reminiscent of that of a snake, taking on a curious expression filled with fake innocence.

“You will immediately cease all that you are doing,” I said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“We’ve been assigned—” one of the human males started saying.

“Save it,” I interrupted. “We’ve already apprehended your three other crewmates. We know that you’ve been illegally assigned to this base to abscond with this research. Drop your weapons.”

“We know nothing of what you speak,” the Lenusian female argued, while carefully discarding her weapons. “We were given orders, we complied.”

“That’s not what your crewmate outside says,” Dread countered, deactivating his shield at the same time I did.

“We’re a reconstituted crew,” one of the humans argued. “Most of us have met for the first time when we were assigned to this vessel for cleanup duty before we returned home. We cannot speak for the others. We are just following orders.”

To my surprise, there was no deception in his aura. I couldn’t be certain with the Lenusian’s aura as her species naturally possessed great control of their emotions. However, the second human was definitely aware that something fishy was going on.

“Either way, until this situation is sorted out, you will surrender to us,” I replied. “Drop your weapons and call out your missing crewmate.”

Using slow movements, the Lenusian female pulled out her com to call the fourth member of their team.

“Marcelle, please come to the lift. We’ve got visitors,” the Lenusian said. She didn’t wait for a response and closed her com.

The three Coalition crewmembers carefully discarded their weapons. As their auras didn’t display any aggressive intent, we didn’t shackle them. The seconds stretched without Marcelle showing up. I was about to head down the long corridor when the large doors at the other end finally parted.

A stunning human female walked out of what seemed to be the holding area with all the Jadozor stasis tanks. She walked with a confidence and air of authority that immediately convinced me she had to be the captain of this vessel. Her long, blond, wavy hair bounced around her elven face, while her green eyes stared at me with a dark intensity. She was beautiful in an unsettling kind of way. But it wasn’t before she stopped a couple of meters in front of me that I realized what had troubled me about her face, beyond the shades of duplicity filling her aura: her right eye was electronic.

“Hello, Warriors,” Marcelle said in a sultry voice with a slight French accent. “To what do we owe this surprise visit?”

“You owe it to the fact that your crew shouldn’t have been here to begin with,” I replied curtly. “One of your crewmates attacked us as soon as we said you would all be detained while we sorted out the situation. Why do you think that is?”

She shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant, but the subtle way she clenched her jaw didn’t go unnoticed. “Most of this crew was assigned to me before our departure,” Marcelle said dismissively. “As you know, since the end of the war with the Kryptids, more than half of the Coalition troops have been sent back home or reassigned to new positions. I lost most of my regular crew that way. What questionable activities one of them might have been involved in prior to joining my team is a mystery to me. I came here because I’ve been ordered to do so. Take it up with our Division Leader.”

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