Page 39 of True As Steel
We settled at the conference table, Loreus and I sitting side by side, Haelin across the table from us, flanked by Yelena and Lanish. For a reason I couldn’t explain, I suddenly felt like my fellow Cyborg and I were on trial, facing our judge and jury.
“All right. So, how did it go down?” Haelin asked.
Yelena, Lanish, and I took turns recounting the events of our mission. Loreus listened as intently as the Narengi leader, especially when it came to what took place in the spaceport. The Narengis were also discreetly studying him. I didn’t quite understand this approach, which was so radically different than the one they had taken with me. However, I had noticed the silent communication between Miko, Shalla, and Haelin at the landing pad. I didn’t doubt for a minute they’d shared their impressions of the conversations with Loreus on our way back here.
“How extensive is the damage to their spaceport?” Haelin asked.
“We constrained it,” Yelena said. “The power generators will require extensive repairs. We only damaged the computers of the departure and arrival terminals. So, about three weeks of intense work and some common pieces of equipment to get things going again.”
“Excellent,” Haelin said before turning her attention to Loreus. “And that brings us to you.”
“It does,” he replied, matter-of-factly.
“Grellik will want you back,” the Narengi leader continued. “If you don’t already know what you want to do, I can provide you with temporary asylum while you decide whether to stay in Satos or leave Xyva altogether.”
“You’re not going to try to force me to stay?” Loreus challenged. “You would just let me walk away after going through all this trouble to break me out of there?”
“Yes,” Haelin said with a shrug. “You are a free man, and the risk was worth it to make sure Grellik didn’t have a Cyborg.”
“Ah… You don’t want him to have what you do,” Loreus replied.
I stiffened and looked at him.
Haelin snorted. “Jarog isn’t mine,” she replied teasingly, leaning against the backrest of her chair. “I’d like him to stay here and work for me, and I’d like the same from you. But he has only committed to stay here until you were freed. I have no idea what his plans are moving forward. If you both decide to leave, I will provide you with the basic means to do so.”
“Why?” Loreus insisted.
“First, because I’m not a slaver,” Haelin said with a shrug. “Second, because you are wanted rebels with a huge bounty on your heads. As long as Emperor Shui lives, you will not be safe. That means you will bend over backward to eliminate him, which serves my purpose. And third, because my homeworld is Bionus, and Shui threatens its sovereignty. I would love to see the surviving Cyborgs regroup and for the Emperor to get obliterated by the Military Elite he built before turning on it.”
“I believe your rival is trying to do just that,” I intervened.
All heads turned questioningly in my direction, although Loreus merely narrowed his eyes at me.
“What do you mean?” Yelena asked.
“Grellik is trying to build his own Cyborg army,” I explained. “Judging by the look of the people in stasis at the development lab, they were experiments gone wrong. I believe Loreus was going to be the key to solve the problem that kept them from succeeding.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Haelin breathed out, visibly shaken for the first time since I’d met her.
“I concur with Jarog’s assessment,” Loreus said. “Based on the failed experiments in stasis and the amount of parts on display in the lab, that man is on a mission.”
“And with us being outlawed, I suspect Grellik will not rest until he has one of us under his control to study and dissect,” I continued. “I downloaded all the data they had in their computer before wiping the drive. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have backups somewhere else.”
“Good thinking,” Haelin said.
“But between that, taking Loreus from him, and disabling his spaceport for a few weeks, I believe he’s going to retaliate more violently than you initially expected,” I warned.
“I agree,” Lanish said.
“So do I,” Haelin said, while Yelena nodded. “We’ll prepare accordingly. Do you have any idea as to where your own plans are leaning, Loreus?”
Even though I already knew the answer, I caught myself holding my breath.
“I want to reunite as quickly as possible with my remaining pod brothers,” Loreus said.
“Do you even know where they are?” Haelin asked.
“Yes, they are safe,” Loreus responded. “They are aware I have been restored.”