Page 196 of Seven Oars
Gro stirred.“I think I’m starting to regret that our former Striker kept Phex alive. Whatever was that for?”
Rosamma smiled.“It was to watch over us. And as a backup pilot.”
Gro’s eye bugged out.“A backup pilot? What the hell…”
Rosamma shrugged.“A trained Rix defender is the best there is.”
Eze gazed upon Fincros’still form with pity.“Your Fincros is a shitty boss, Rosamma. Took in a high-value employee and abused him.”
“That,” Rosamma said with regret,“was to break him. To make him one of them. And he did carry a bit of malicious intent—he couldn’t resist testing him the way he himself had been tested when captured.”
Eze let out a guffaw.“I wonder if he’s happy with how it turned out.”
*****
When Tutti showed up with orders for Fincros to report to the Habitat, he rose without protest.
Rosamma watched him with mounting worry.“Tell that thing to go away. It listens to you.”
“No reason to. They know where to find me.”
He reached out to locate the wall and followed it to the entrance.
Rosamma took his hand in hers.“I’ll take you.”
They arrived at the Habitat together.
It was thick with tension.
Phex sat in the Striker’s chair, his back ramrod straight.
He’d always been a by-the-book kind of guy. Nothing wrong with that, except the pirates didn’t have a rule book. And Phex struggled with improvisation.
Now, he was sitting in a chair that was too uncomfortable for him, and it showed.
Finn used to own that shit, chair and all.
Xorris and Nud shifted uneasily. Galan left Anske’s side and joined them, tense and alert.
Only Thilza was the same, blitzed out and uninvolved, slouched in a corner with Fawn curled beside him.
The elephant in the room was the body sprawled on the floor. Rosamma glimpsed a lax hand and unmistakable facial scars.
Fincros stumbled over it and stopped.
“Who is this?” he asked the new Striker.
“Esseh.”
“What’d he do?”
“He fucked up.”
“I see.” Fincros smiled precisely because he didn’t see, literally or figuratively.
Phex’s fine eyebrows drew together. He understood Finn’s wit, but didn’t appreciate it. Never had.
“I wouldn’t be flippant if I were you.” He delivered the warning in the clipped tone Rosamma knew all too well. Except, it had ceased to frighten her. Too much had passed since they lifted off from Meeus.
