Blaedergil's Host C.M. Simpson (first e reader .TXT) 📖

has Melari in stasis, and is replicating the cure to make sure there is enough for distribution—but I believe that is more for his own people, than for anyone else. Initial impressions indicate he may attempt to follow in Blaedergil’s footsteps, and hold the planet to ransom with the virus in Melari’s system—even if we return Treivani to him.”

Mack turned to Delight. “Odyssey need to be prepared.”

She nodded. “Done.”

I watched as Mack’s gaze flicked over us, and then he pulled up a visual of Blaedergil’s complex on Magnus 19.

“Tens,” he invited, and Tens rose from his seat and move to the top of the table.

I watched him as he passed, saw his gaze flicker over us as he began to speak.

“We believe the authorities are yet to discover that Blaedergil is dead and gone. There has been no traffic into, or out of his facility, since our last visit. Unfortunately, we can’t be sure, as we are still working on hacking his communications system.”

I saw his face flush as he said it, and knew he was more than embarrassed at having to admit there was a system he had yet to crack. It also made me feel better about the fact that Blaedergil had hacked my implant, because if his people were good enough to defeat Tens, then they were very good, indeed. That was poor comfort, though.

We needed to know of any potential compromises to the operations. Not knowing who might or might not have been trying to contact Blaedergil since our extraction of Melari, was a serious flaw. I slid a glance at Delight, and saw she was none too pleased.

Tens caught her look, and passed the unspoken question to Mack.

Mack sighed.

“We have no choice. Lord Corovan will not allow for delays, and his people do not have Tens’ skills. It’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

He passed control back to Tens with a look.

“So, we do not know if there has been anything in comms that would have made anyone suspicious enough to come looking. We have to assume there has been, but that the interested parties haven’t arrived yet. We’re still trying to pull data from Skymander’s world, but that’s closed up tight. It’s not quite as tight as Depredides, but it’s pretty darn close.”

He glanced at me as he spoke, and I felt warmth flow up my cheeks as my face colored in embarrassment. I remembered Depredides. I’d been fortunate that the communications security company had decided to contact Abby and let her know their plans to gate-crash her auction. If they hadn’t, Mack and his team might not have been able to pull me out in time.

Yeah, that was another time one of my bids for freedom had been cut unexpectedly short. Tens didn’t pause long enough to rub it in, though. He kept right on with the briefing.

“We’ve gotten into the admin system for Magnus 19. That should give us warning of any interesting flights coming in—or if they choose to dispatch anyone to see why the Blaedergil complex has gone dark. In the meantime, we have the full blue-prints for the facilities. Let’s just say that some of Blaedergil’s contractors do not have his level of communications security.”

He went on to describe the layout, and then walk us through the areas that would be of more interest to us.

“We don’t believe Treivani is being held on the upper floors where the infected women, and Melari were located, but we can’t rule it out. We also can’t be sure the house guard are unaware of the real nature of Blaedergil’s absence. They don’t usually come into those parts of the complex. Whether or not they have started looking for him is currently anyone’s guess—and you will be going in before we have time to make it anything less.”

Tens highlighted the birthing suites, and I realized that Blaedergil hadn’t been lying about the woman giving birth. Her cries had come from the right floor, and the right direction on that floor. I hadn’t stayed long enough to confirm it, but had hurried straight up to where we had been told Melari was being held—which begged the question...

“Who gave us the intel on where to find Melari?” I interrupted, as Tens drew breath to continue the briefing.

I watched as Tens closed his mouth, again, and turned his full attention to me. For a moment, I thought I had asked something inappropriate, but I watched as Tens went still. His face grew blank as he focused on the question, and I figured he was replaying the events leading up to our incursion.

“I thought we got that from Lady Hazerna,” Delight broke in, but, when I turned to look at her, her face, too had the withdrawn look of someone checking their memories.

Mack and I waited while they got on with it. After a minute of studying them, Mack spoke.

“It wasn’t direct, was it?” he asked, and both of them colored in response.

Mack closed his eyes and leant his head back against the wall he was standing against.

“Is there anything else you can add to your brief?” he asked, and Tens was momentarily silent. When he replied, there was no doubt in his response.

“I’ll run you through the entry sequence, and then the route to where I think you need to go. After that, I’ve marked out a couple of potential exit routes, but you’ll have to discuss them. The team will be on overwatch, as usual, so porting you in and out is now an option, as long as you reach the upper floors, or the roof. We still haven’t dealt with the shielding on the lower levels. Don’t get caught down there.”

“Can you pick us up if we got outside the building?” I asked.

I remembered seeing windows, and ledges, and balconies.

Tens thought about it, and nodded.

“We’ll keep those in mind for an emergency,” I told him.

“Is there anything else?” Mack wanted to know, his gaze shifting between Tens and Delight, and only briefly resting on