Free BioCybe by Imogene Nix Page B

His face
paled, and Sandon bared his teeth as he glared at the man. “I had no idea…”
    “No idea?” The banked rage spewed forth. “Then you should
have made an effort to ensure her safety. You entered into an agreement with
me, without making adequate arrangements for the safety of my pilot.”
    “Captain, you must be aware that if I had thought this would
happen—”
    The conflagration burned white hot. “I expected better,
given I was here on behalf of the Juran Commonwealth! I expected you to make
arrangements for her safety. Not that she would return to me beaten and
bloody.”
    He tugged Levia against his side, and she hissed slightly as
if in pain. “Leave it, Captain. Let’s just get the cargo and leave this damned
planet.”
    The general winced as she spoke, and when her words ended on
a cough, a tiny dribble of blood appeared on her lips.
    “This will be duly noted. Now get us to the shuttle.”
    The general nodded, whatever he’d been about to say
forgotten with the anger that sparked in the room.
    With careful motions, Levia shrugged away, and for a moment,
Sandon mourned the loss of her tucked in against him. It wasn’t an emotion he
understood or was even comfortable with. In fact, he rather thought it might
change him somehow. There wasn’t time to examine his thoughts in any depth, so
he followed her. They moved quickly, Sandon watching as she stiffened with each
step, from time to time a sound emanating from between her tightly clenched
lips. Oh, these bastards will pay for the way they treated her. Right
now, his first concern was to get her back to the Echo and into the
medical bay.
    At the ramp, they stopped. Long boxes were being loaded into
the transport bay. She glanced over the steady procession then turned in his
direction. “How many bodies?”
    Sandon shrugged. “I don’t actually know. As many as they
load, I guess.”
    For a moment he was sure she would faint, as beads of sweat
appeared on her face. Her eyes narrowed so the pupils were little more than
tiny pinpricks. She swallowed, her neck contracting, and his innards shuddered.
    “Levia?”
    “I’m fine.” He watched, amazed as she firmed her shoulders
and lifted her chin. “How soon ’til they finish the upload?”
    He noted that she refused to directly address any of those
on duty, and honestly couldn’t blame her. He cast a molten glare at the general
who backed away.
    “Let me check.” The man spun on his heel.
    They waited in silence. He wasn’t going to question her there,
but once on the shuttle and airborne, there were several hours of travel, and
he’d wring every bit of information he could from her. That way, when he
presented his report to his contact from the commonwealth, he’d detail every
injury she’d received.
    When the general returned, he mumbled, “Ten minutes should
finalize the last loading protocol.”
    For their sake, he hoped that would be correct. He gripped
Levia’s hand once more, standing like a sentinel as the last box was loaded.
Levia tugged her hand free then rounded on the general. “Get them out of my
way. I’m about to complete my pre-flight check and if any…” The threat was
implicit as she let her voice die away, and he nodded convulsively.
    “Of course.”
    Sandon gave a signal, his hand shooing everyone back, and
she stalked forward, her hand running carefully over the hull, checking the
locks, wheels, and the engine recesses. Satisfied, she spun on the ball of her
foot. “I’m going aboard. You finish what you have to here.”
    Watching Levia stomp up the ramp, Sandon controlled his
smile. She wasn’t happy, but at least she was alive.
    “On behalf of the Dendaran Federation, I extend my
apologies—”
    “Save the oxygen. What your men did is unconscionable. I
will be lodging a formal complaint with the Juran Commonwealth, and I have no
doubt they’ll be in contact soon.”
    “Captain, you must understand—”
    He snarled. “I don’t have to understand