I held up an index finger. “But now you’ve told me.”

“I have.”

No more pretending now, no more fake innocence. This was the moment I had been dreading. I kept my tone as dispassionate as possible as I asked, “Does this mean you’re going to kill me too?”

He didn’t even blink. “I am afraid so,” he said.

“Two against one?”

The smile he gave was as insincere as it was tight. “We will try to be as… merciful as we can.”

“And my crew?”

“Collateral damage.”

I frowned. I could feel the caress of the higher dimensional vacuum on my outer hull, the steady power of my drives, and, deep in the engineering sections of the ship, I could feel the machinery churning out the torpedoes and ammunition needed to replace those I had renounced upon joining the House. However, I wouldn’t be able to manufacture the antimatter warheads that had once been my primary weapon. My fangs had been drawn, but I would not be entirely toothless. I would have my secondary systems, which alone would be more than a match for almost any other class of ship. When we met, I wouldn’t have to face my brother and sister as an unarmed ambulance. I would be a warship again, armed with orthodox nuclear torpedoes. My teeth would be sharp, my senses keen.

“Okay,” I said. It wasn’t an agreement, simply an acknowledgement of information received. I knew I wouldn’t last long without my primary weapons, but I knew Captain Konstanz had sent a message back to Camrose Station, requesting reinforcements, and felt confident I could survive long enough to at least score a few good hits against my former pack-mates—hopefully ensuring the next rescue ship to arrive would be able to do so without fear of attack.

Forty-One: Sal Konstanz

FORTY-ONE

SAL KONSTANZ

“So, what do you think?”

“I think he’s full of shit.” Alva Clay shook her head. “Right now, he’d say anything to save his sorry ass.”

We were in the ship’s circular corridor, a short walk from the galley. I glanced at Laura Petrushka. “And you?”

She looked up from her chair. “I think he means it.”

I took off my cap and ran my fingers around the rim. The clean clothes and shower had been an excellent idea, and had done me the world of good. I almost felt human again. “How long have you known him?”

“A couple of years.”

“Do you trust him?”

She hesitated. “Up until this morning, I would have said no.”

“And now?”

She smiled. “Now, he’s no longer working for the opposition.”

“So he says.”

“I think he’s telling the truth. If he goes back now, they’ll throw him in a hole so deep he’ll never see the sky again.”

Alva let out a snort. “If he even makes it back.”