Free The Prize: Book One by Rob Buckman

hundred and twenty soldier and scientist died in the attack.  Including Penn's parents.  They all died fighting to the death, even after repeated offers of amnesty.”
     
    “From what I have read in your reports, even at twelve years old, this Penn person started a guerrilla campaign against us.”
     
    “True, your Majesty.”
     
    “I'm surprised we managed to capture him at all.”
     
    "Actually he was betrayed by his lover.”  Markoff commented off-handedly with a throw-a-way gesture of his soft white hand.
     
    “Yes, I see.  Without that, I doubt our troops would have captured him at all.”  The Emperor didn't bother hiding the sneering tone in his voice.  "The only mistake we made, was not executing him on the spot!”  The Emperor glanced sideways at the Director as he said it.
     
    "I'm aware of that, your Majesty, and precisely my point.  Once I became personally involved, and learned his history, I put out a stay of execution.”  That Markoff, had over ridden his execution order, yet still remained his Director of Imperial Security, only pointed up the fact of how much the Emperor valued his service.  Other than a temper tantrum, he'd let Markoff get away with it.
     
    “He is very, very good at what he does, and managed to survive the best we could send against him.”  It didn't take Markoff to paint a picture of dead IMPSEC agents, with their throats slit, or hung on meat hooks like some rotting side of beef.  "He didn't just blow them up, or shoot them at long-range with a sniper rifle.  He actually killed most of them up close and personal, as they say on Earth.”
     
    In this day and age of long distance strike and standoff weapons, it was a little frightening even to the Emperor's way of thinking that someone would prefer that method of killing.  It spoke of a hatred, or madness he barely understood.  He resisted the sudden urge to touch his own throat as he swallowed carefully.
     
    "From what I have read, and what you have told me, I agree he is a survivor.  But, Mother preserve us, we can't trust him an inch.”
     
    "Yes your Majesty, but you don't throw away a resource such as Penn, no matter how loathsome.  In this case, that decision proved beneficial to the Empire.”  The Emperor couldn't help himself and asked the obvious question.
     
    "How so?"
     
    "He has proven useful on numerous occasions, where his particular expertise was needed to correct oversights in the legal system, without our direct involvement.”
     
    Emperor Cytec nodded, knowing Markoff had used Penn to execute people he considered a danger, or who stepped over the line.  To the Emperors ear the Director's words had an odd timbre to them.  As if on one hand,  he was pleased with the result yet disdainful of the instrument he used, but he was curious.
     
    "What in heaven's name would induce a human-like this to help us?”  The Director raised one perfectly trimmed eyebrow as if contemplating the Emperor's question, his mouth pulled into the suggestion of a smile.
     
    "Because I have one great advantage he does not.”  The Emperor Cytec also raised an eyebrow in question and cocked his head slight to one side as he waited for the answer.  “I have two billion, nine hundred million hostages to ensure his loyalty, and compliance.”  The Director actually smiled, albeit a wintry one.
     
    "I only had to exterminate a city of one million to gain his cooperation the first time.”
     
    As callous as the Emperor thought he was, he understood the sheer ruthlessness of the Director's action and agreed.  How do you say no to someone who held that many of your compatriots' lives in the palm of his hand, and could crush them with a word?  The Director, on the other hand, remembered the look of hatred in the human's golden eyes, when he saw the video of a city of over one million people vanishing in a blinding flash of a KEW impact.  The five thousand ton rock smashed into the center at over four