“Don’t play coy with me. You know who. Your cyborg accomplice. Where is she?” Halverson slapped his hand down on the table, and when he withdrew it, he left Nyx’s tracker lying on the table. It was mangled and broken, and there were traces of blood smeared across its smooth band. She’d gotten it off, but at a cost.
“I have no idea, sir. When I left my quarters to answer Commander Rossi’s summons she had already left. I have been here since then, and by your own orders I have had no contact with anyone except the Commander and Lieutenant Commanders Meyer and Castille.”
“She’s your accomplice! Surely you know where she would go. This was found on a maintenance bot not far from your quarters. She can’t have gotten far.”
“She’s not my accomplice, sir. My only act of disobedience was done in order to locate a hostile entity with links to the Gray Men. Nyx is a victim of that same entity and has done nothing wrong.” At least, she hadn’t done anything wrong until now. If she’d ditched the tracker, then she knew they were looking for her. She could be anywhere on the station by now, and probably looking to get off Astek as soon as possible.
“It’s all very convenient, isn’t it, though? You just happen to find information leading to a secret base, but all you manage to bring back is next to useless scraps of data and a cyborg with enemy affiliations. That female was then released and allowed to roam free to gather information and report back to her masters. Either you’re part of this conspiracy, or you’ve been played for a fool. Which is it?”
Eric didn’t respond. He saw the trap Halverson had laid for him, and he wasn’t stepping into it.
After an uncomfortably long silence, Halverson pushed back his chair. “Are you refusing to answer my questions, now, Ensign?”
“No, sir. I thought your last question was rhetorical, sir.”
The general got to his feet. “You and I are not done, Ensign. Not by a long shot. I’m going to find out what’s being done to find your partner in crime. Once she’s in custody, I’ll have more questions for you.”
Eric nodded in understanding and the General stalked out a moment later. Once he was gone, all three relaxed a little.
“Do I want to know what all that was really about?” Castille asked.
“No idea. As interrogations go that was… unique,” Kurt said.
“Someone wants me sidelined so they can go after Nyx and I think they’re using the general to do it.”
“Using a general? Isn’t that a complicated way to make things happen?” Castille asked.
Kurt grunted. “You must be new here. The Grays love complex plots. Makes it hard to figure out what’s really going on, and who is to blame.”
“I got here about a month ago. Until today most of what I’ve been handling were minor issues, clashes between the regulars and our personnel. I don’t know much about these Grays… I’m assuming you mean the Gray Men?”
“Yeah. If you’re going to be defending Erben, you’re going to need more information. I’ll arrange for a briefing to get you up to speed. What’s your security clearance?”
Castille smiled. “That’s a rather sensitive question, Lieutenant Commander.”
“I’d ask you out for a drink first, but we’re pressed for time. Maybe later?”
Eric watched the byplay with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. His life was falling apart and Kurt was taking time out to flirt?
Her smile widened. “Later, then. And I’m cleared for Tier Four – Black.”
Both men stared. She had a higher clearance than they did. What the hell kind of work was she doing for JAG to need that?
“Well then, a full briefing shouldn’t be a problem.” Kurt got to his feet, then leaned over to pick up the tracker Halverson had left on the table. “So, Nyx is injured and on the run. Any idea where she might be headed, Magi?”
“She took that off near my place, which means she probably went back there to get her things while I was gone, spotted whoever was sent to seize my equipment, and realized she’d been right all along and I was a bigger idiot than she already thought.”
Kurt’s brows hit his hairline. “Fraxxing hell. What did you do?”
Eric summarized the morning’s events as briefly as possible. He didn’t enjoy it any more the second time he had to explain it, but it gave him an idea. “I don’t know where she is, but I might be able to find out. Am I free to return to my quarters?”
“Your quarters, yes. But I wouldn’t advise going much farther than that. Halverson made it clear he wants you close by.” Castille stood, placed her data tablet in her bag, and looked at them both. “Be careful what you say and do for the next few days, Ensign, and if you’re called in again, I want you to contact me right away.”
They exchanged contact information, shook hands, and parted company.
“So, what’s in your quarters?”
“Something that’s going to get me in more trouble, but if I’m going to find Nyx, I need it. It would probably be best if you weren’t with me, though.”
Kurt didn’t look happy, but he didn’t argue. “I hate these games we have to play. Go, do what you need to do, then meet me back here. Rossi’s office. We’ll come up with a plan.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He clapped Kurt on the shoulder. “And thanks for having my back today.”
“Thanks for having mine.” Eric could have saved himself at least some trouble if he’d revealed that Kurt knew what he’d done to find Nyx. He’d never do that, though.
“Any time.”
Kurt nodded. “See you in a few.”
It wouldn’t take long to get back to his quarters. If he was lucky, then the device he’d built would still be safe in it’s hiding spot and he’d be able to contact Nyx. The way his day had gone so far, he was due for a change in fortune…wasn’t he?
Chapter Thirteen
His quarters were a mess. Nothing was destroyed, but everything was out of place and there were empty spaces where his equipment had been. They’d gone through everything, even his drawers and closets. He made sure the door was closed and locked behind him before he went to the desk and crouched behind it. The hiding spot he’d built into it was still closed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least one thing had gone right today.
He retrieved the device and plugged it into his data port. For the next five minutes he roamed his quarters as he tried to connect with Nyx, but nothing got through. She must have temporarily shut down the channel.
Veth. How could he help if she wouldn’t even speak to him? He didn’t even know where she was… but there might be a way he could find out. He’d need access to a computer system, and they hadn’t left so much as a broken circuit board in his quarters. His best bet was the Malora. The general had ordered his quarters searched, but no one had mentioned the ship.
He grabbed his go-bag - the one item in his place that had been carefully repacked after being searched – double-checked the contents, and set out for the far side of the station where the Malora was docked.