Free Solo Command by Aaron Allston

interest. She was very cool and might decide to remove him from the universe to avenge her own death.
    Bress, his voice climbing into a wail, said, “Please, sir, so much of the project’s success is my doing, my mistakes have been so few—”
    Gast set the barrel of her pistol against Bress’s ribs and pulled the trigger. The sound of the blast filled the room, followed by the smell of seared flesh. Bress staggered sideways and fell against the office wall.
    Gast held up her pistol and allowed Melvar to take it from her. “Now,” she said, “will someone be killing me?”
    Zsinj looked at her, forcing his expression into one of reasonability. “Shouldn’t we? You’ve been part of a team that has covered up critical errors in judgment. Coming before me as a penitent, you’ve been insubordinate, even arrogant. You couldn’t even carry out a simple request to kill yourself.”
    She shook her head. “Nobody asked me to kill myself. Your unstated request could have been that we kill one another.”
    “Nor did you show enough courage to try to kill me when you had the chance.”
    At last, she smiled—a lopsided smile full of sarcastic cheer. “Please don’t insult me if you’re going to kill me, too. I’ll bet every credit I own, every one I’ve hidden away, that if I’d pointed that blaster at you and pulled the trigger, it would not have gone off.” She leaned forward and her smile evened out, became more genuine. “Well?”
    He regarded her steadily. “Well, you’re correct in assuming that I didn’t ask you to kill yourself. Why would I? You’re blameless. Had you killed yourself, or allowed Doctor Bress to kill you, you would have proven yourself to be stupid andblameless, but fortunately that’s not the case. How would you like to do me a favor?”
    “I’d like that.”
    “Return to Saffalore. Dismantle the operation without letting anyone—and that means anyone at Binring—know you’ve done so. Send everything to Iron Fist; we’ll consolidate the two laboratories. Set up the Binring facilities to detect and then annihilate anyone breaking in. Because at some point Voort saBinring’s squadron mates are going to get permission to return to the land of his birth … and that will be a good time to eliminate them. Setting all this up guarantees your continued employment within my organization; each dead Wraith brings you a sizable bonus. Deal?”
    “Deal.” With her characteristic insolence, she extended him her hand to shake.
    When she, the guards, and the still-smoking body were gone, Melvar returned to stand before his warlord. He looked curious.
    “What?” Zsinj asked.
    “You’ve instructed her to kill all the Wraiths. One of the Wraiths is an unknown quantity. Gara Petothel.”
    “I know. But since the mission to Aldivy went to pieces, she hasn’t communicated. Our agent dead, her ersatz brother dead, and no word from her since then … I’d be happy to arrange for her protection. She has to give me a reason first.”
    “Understood.”
    “And how goes Blunted Razor?”
    “The operation continues moving. Every day, we retrieve more tonnage of the wreck of Razor’s Kiss .” Melvar didn’t add, “And only you know why we’re wasting all this energy gathering up the wreckage of a destroyed Super Star Destroyer.” He didn’t have to. Both men knew he wanted to say it. Both men knew he wouldn’t.
    Zsinj smiled. “Dismissed.”

4
    Flight Officer Lara Notsil leaned in close to hear every word of the briefing, to see everything that floated on the holoprojection.
    She hadn’t always been Lara Notsil. She’d been born with the name Gara Petothel, and had worn many others since her adolescent years.
    She hadn’t always had downy blond hair cut short, or a near-flawless complexion. Nature had provided her with dark hair and a beauty mark on her cheek. Makeup and trivial surgery performed when she’d created the Lara Notsil identity had rid her of them. The delicacy of