Page 139 of Only Cold Depths
NEREZZA
“Yourmissionwasacomplete and total failure,” General Orion Ocnus said, a sneer in his voice.
He tossed his tablet down onto his desk and shook his head, as though I had greatly disappointed him. The motion made his short dark brown hair gleam like needles stuck into his ruddy scalp.
The two of us were in Ocnus’s office, if you could call it that. The only pieces of furniture were the chrome desk and matching chair he was currently ensconced in. Ocnus didn’t even have a chair for anyone else to sit in, which forced me to stand in front of him like I was one of his common soldiers. The lack of courtesy made me despise him even more.
“I wouldn’t say that,” I replied, spinning my own story. “I learned a great deal about the Erzton, including the fact that they’re not nearly as strong and united as we thought. There is just as much infighting with the Erzton Houses and nobles as there is with the Regal ones.”
Ocnus flapped his hand, dismissing my words. “I didn’t send you to Sygnustern to spy on the Erzton. I sent you there to capture Vesper Quill or at least get a working prototype of my hand cannon, and you failed to accomplish either objective. Not to mention the fact that you also tried to start your own coup on the planet by bribing the Serpens Corp mercenaries to work for you. Which, of course, was another massive failure on your part.”
“A calculated risk,” I countered.
“Let me guess—it all would have worked outexactlythe way you intended except for Vesper Quill and Kyrion Caldaren, who once again managed to foil all your carefully laid plans.” Ocnus eyed me. “Your daughter is becoming quite the thorn in my side, Nerezza.”
Daughter.He said the word as if it would—or should—stir some deep-seated emotion in me. Ocnus didn’t understand me at all, and that was going to be his downfall, sooner than he realized.
“Then perhaps Harkin should have done a better job of breaking Vesper when he was torturing her in his charming medical lab,” I said. “Seems as though we’ve both been disappointed by our children.”
Ocnus’s black eyes narrowed, but I maintained my serene smile. He had cared as little for his son, Harkin, as I cared for Vesper. To Ocnus and me, children were simply tools to be used to achieve our goals, but he took such reminders personally, and my jab was far more effective than his.
“We did learn some useful things on Sygnustern about the new hand cannons,” I continued in a more reasonable and less cutting tone. “Esmina Reston’s theory that the lunarium and solar wiring magazines need a stabilizing agent is promising. I’ve already got some of the scientists working on a possible solution.”
Ocnus dipped his head a fraction of an inch, acknowledging my point. “True. As was the information you discovered about how truebonds can be broken, and the resulting psionic power absorbed, if the circumstances are right. But that information doesn’t outweigh your many failures.”
“Esmina and Pollux deviated from my orders,” I replied, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. “Instead of grabbing Vesper like I told them to, they decided to kidnap Kyrion. Everything unraveled from there.”
“Then perhaps you should have convinced the mercenaries to follow your plan,” Ocnus snapped back. “Instead of antagonizing them to the point where they bombed your ship and blew even more of our resources out of the sky.”
I ground my teeth to hold on to my benign expression. The bombs on my ship had been particularly nasty, although not much of a surprise. Esmina and Pollux hadn’t been as subtle or clever as they’d imagined, and I’d expected them to betray me from the moment I’d hired them.
Then again, I always expected everyone to betray me. People were only useful until they weren’t, including Ocnus.
“I have other things to worry about today besides your failures, Nerezza. Dismissed!” Ocnus barked at me as though he was still a real Imperium general and not the head of a terrorist organization.
“Of course,” I murmured, ignoring the urge to use my telekinesis to fling him into the nearest wall and snap his neck.
Thanks to the rumors Beatrice Zimmer had started when I was younger, Ocnus thought my psion power had faded away long ago. I was going to enjoy showing him just how strong I really was, but sadly, now was not the time.
Soon, though. Very, very soon.
“Of course what?” Ocnus barked out again.
I barely restrained myself from rolling my eyes at his pettiness. “Of course, sir.”
He jerked his head, satisfied for the moment. “Get out of my sight, and get back to work.”
Ocnus picked up his tablet again, ignoring me. I tipped my head to him again, then left his office.
ImovedthroughtheTechwave base, nodding and smiling at everyone I passed and cataloging the expressions I received in return. Most of the scientists ignored me, far more concerned with their work than with being polite.
But one man blushed and almost dropped his tablet. I memorized his face. He might be useful later, especially since Ocnus was growing more and more impatient for me to deliver all the things I’d promised.
I returned to my suite. Unlike Ocnus’s sterile office, my chambers were comfortable in the extreme, with cushioned chairs, velvet settees, and other fine furnishings.
I went over to a table along the wall and poured myself a glass of apricot sangria, which I cooled to just the right temperature. The Quill Corp logo mocked me from the top of the beverage chiller as I picked up my glass, reminding me of perhaps my greatest failure.
My long-lost daughter.
