Free Broken Vision by J.A. Clarke Page A

was the problem the last time." Alerik rose to his feet, yawned and stretched,
revealing tuffs of silky hair in his armpits. His pants slipped a little lower on his hips. He tugged at
them casually with one hand, but they settled back to the same position when he let go.
    "You felt fine, didn't follow orders, drank alcohol and ended up with temporary paralysis.
Your body's very fragile right now. You need rest."
    He strolled around the end of the sleeping platform. The lumens in the room dimmed as he
went. "I need rest. Too little sleep since I arrived."
    Oh, that implication wasn't subtle at all. She was out of here as soon as he left and she
could find her clothes. He reached the end of the platform but, instead of heading for the exit to the
room, he turned and moved up the other side of the platform. The lumens extinguished completely
as he lifted the cover and climbed onto the bed.
    As she lay stiff with horror on the large platform that could easily accommodate four
bodies his size, but seemed stiflingly small nonetheless, he murmured, "Let me save you some
trouble. This room is secured. If you try to leave, an alarm will sound."
    * * * *
    Two more bodies had been found on Pallas Seven, battered and bruised, and dumped in an
incinerator vat. They would have been vaporized without a trace, along with the rest of the garbage
and debris, if the Pallas Seven counselor hadn't ordered a surprise facility inspection. Cause of
death was not yet officially determined, but obvious nonetheless. No one had claimed the
bodies.
    And, coincidentally, the counselor had narrowly avoided being the target of a poison dart
later that morning.
    Alerik shoved his chair back from his console just as a chime sounded. "Enter."
    Sharm, looking polished and smooth and playboy handsome, and not at all like the deadly
weapon he really was, strolled through the door of his office.
    "Good day, Governor." He swaggered a bit as he crossed the ion floor. "How's the
miniature Alerik project coming?"
    Alerik's thoughts immediately clamped onto how he had left Maegan that morning, fast
asleep in his bed. She was an untidy, restless sleeper. She'd been belly down, arms and legs flung
out in every direction, the thin cover stretched across her sweet little ass and one leg, leaving her
back bare. Blood surged to his groin.
    "It's been initiated." Having her naked in his bed was certainly a start.
    He eyed Sharm, who was prowling along the edge of his console. He was reporting in late
this morning, an almost unheard of event for him.
    "A good night?"
    Sharm flashed a lecherous grin. "An adventurous one with a bonus ending. The ladies of
The Alabaster Nightshade do have some extraordinary talents."
    Alerik scowled. "Thought this was supposed to a fact-finding mission?"
    "It was. That was the adventurous part. The bonus part was--"
    "Spare me the details of your private activities. Anything useful?"
    Sharm shook his head. "A dead end. If there's something there, the employees are either
outstanding liars or not in the game, but I don't think there is. The Alabaster Nightshade appears
perfectly legitimate. Only one small set back. Dono Kalister was not overseeing his domain last
night. Seemed unusual. His employees were surprised he wasn't there."
    "Go back until he does show up. The source that pointed the finger seems trustworthy.
Two unidentified bodies were discovered in an incinerator vat this morning and there was another
attempt on the counselor's life."
    "Blood of Cor!" Sharm stopped prowling and stuck his hands in the pockets of his
breeches. "And we thought this was going to be one of those quick clean-ups, then we'd be sitting
around growing soft, fat bellies for the remainder of your term. The reek of lawlessness is oozing
ever deeper into Grogon."
    "How eloquent," Alerik said dryly. He rose to his feet. "But facts remain that it still seems
confined to Pallas Seven. Whatever Maegan is up to, it is something entirely unrelated."
    He hoped. She couldn't