Page 124 of Seer Prophet

Then again, she was ex-Rebel. They had the chain of command pounded into them even more ruthlessly than the Adhipan.

Once she stood in front of him, he clicked his fingers.

“I need your sidearm,” he said.

Neela blinked. She stared at him, then at the corridor leading to his section of the Barrier containment tank, and presumably to where Allie was still, since Revik had gotten no notice that she’d left. Seeing where Neela’s eyes aimed, Revik felt a pulse of fury ripple his light.

Did they really think he’d shoot his fucking wife?

“Sister?” he prompted, colder. “That was an order.”

Reddening, Neela scrambled to comply, reaching down to her gun belt.

She unhooked the strap of the holster and pulled out a silver and organic-component SIG Saur P226 from where it rested by her hip. Checking it swiftly, she chambered a bullet where he could see it. She also unlocked the safety, probably with some kind of impulse command connected to her headset and her DNA.

She passed it to him, handle first.

Then she just stood there, nearly at attention as Revik checked the chamber a second time, then the magazine.

“DNA-encrypted?” he said.

“I disabled it, sir,” she stammered.

He nodded, once.

“I’ll bring it back,” he said.

Neela swallowed, her light still emanating a near-panic.

“Sir?” She swallowed, but held her ground. “Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”

Revik frowned. He didn’t answer her probing stare.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel relieved to see only ex-Rebels manning the station.

He glanced at Raddi, who watched from a doorway he nearly filled with his broad shoulders. The room behind him had been built by Adhipan seers as well, constructed directly on the cargo hold floor of semi-organic metals, just like the outer hulls of the tanks.

Raddi’s dark eyes looked wary, too, Revik noted.

But with Raddi, Revik could feel that wariness openly, as concern for his wife.

Since Revik knew they had no reason for concern in that direction, it bothered him a lot less when he felt it a second time. Hewantedthem paranoid when it came to Allie.

He wanted them paranoid when it came to Lily, too.

When Raddi saw Revik looking at him, he gave him a cautious but courteous nod, before motioning with one hand behind him.

“The station is fully manned as you asked, Illustrious Sword,” he said. “Oli is here. And Torek. We have two more agents, Chandre and Sita, in T2, with your daughter, as well as an additional agent, Wanai, on the door of her chamber.”

Revik gave him a scarce nod. “Good.” He lowered the gun to his side, aiming the business end towards the floor. “I want you to open T1 for me.”

Raddi and Neela exchanged looks.

Neela glanced back at Revik first. Her eyes looked a lot more wary than Raddi’s did, although some of the overt fear had left them.

Raddi looked almost at ease from the request.

“Sir?” Neela asked.

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