Page 75 of Star Claimed Omega
Their XO flicked them both off without breaking stride and tossed his jacket on the back of his chair. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’
‘Oh, but we do, because nothing but a woman gives a cat like you that Cheshire grin,’ Mak muttered under his breath.
Before Santi could retort, Miral was striding in on platformed heels like she owned the place.
Her face was sleek and unreadable as ever, and a data pad was clutched in her hand.
‘We have confirmation thefokkersbehind the op wereRed Skulls.It was sanctioned at the highest level,’ she said without preamble. ‘One of the surviving attackers spilled everything during interrogation.’
Miral’s lips pressed into a line. ‘He said the order came straight from Vern Gage. Varnok’s brother. The mission was to strike us, to punish us for keeping the Mad Wolf King locked away in our prison.’
Santi’s brows furrowed. ‘You believe that’s all it was?’
‘Nada.’ Miral sat on the edge of the meeting table. ‘I think it was a dry run. They’re testing us. Mapping our response time, weaknesses.’
Santi leaned forward against his desk, fingers tapping in a slow, dangerous rhythm. ‘What were they after?’
‘I would wager a few thousand chills that they’re preparing to break Varnok out.’
He snorted. ‘We’re impenetrable. They’d be suicidal to try.’
Miral’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are we, Santi? That breach came from our shafts. They had blueprints. Maps. Insider access.’
A muscle in his jaw ticked. ‘We need to track whoever their contact is.’
Miral didn’t argue, but she did tilt her head with a razor-edged smile. ‘Let’s hope spacing their best capos means they’re bleeding now. However, if their goal is Varnok, they’re not done. Not by a long shot. They’ll just come at us harder.’
Santi arched a brow. ‘How many of their capos and soldiers did we get?’
‘Fifty,’ she replied crisply. ‘Dead. Or enjoying a nice, solitary nap in the sub levels. Either way, we decimated their senior ranks.’
Santi’s gaze shifted into a lethal glare. ‘Let them. I’ll burn the whole void to ash before we let them take what’s ours.’
Miral nodded once. ‘Indeed.’
She turned to leave, but he called out, his growl with menace threading through it.
‘One more thing.’
She paused.
‘I want the mole. Whoever showed them in, we’ll find them, flush them out, and hang them dry. No mercy, no deals, just consequences.’
Miral’s expression sharpened. ‘Already on it.’
SOLEIL
Soleil stood at the edge of the maintenance office doorway, smoothing the front of her uniform and forcing her breath to even out.
Her shift badge hung at her waist, and the scuff on her boots had been polished out with obsessive care that morning.
Wren glanced up from behind a metal desk piled with scanner pads and scheduling logs. ‘Look who’s back,’ he said, quirking a brow. ‘Glad to see you vertical again, Sol.’
She nodded, mustering a small smile. ‘Santefor covering for me.’
He snorted. ‘I had no choice, and besides, I wouldn’t want to rile your sponsor now, don’t you?’ He leaned back in his chair,folding his arms over his chest with a smirk. ‘Not just anyone, either. The XO of theSombra.’
Before she could respond, a voice piped up behind her. ‘What’s this about the XO?’
