Free Katya's War (Russalka Chronicles) by Jonathan L. Howard Page B

Him? Ha.”
    The Vodyanoi came on until the Lukyan was entirely engulfed within the salvage maw, and then slowly and carefully closed its jaws.
     
    Once the maw had been pumped empty, the hatchway into the main forward compartment opened. On the dry side stood two of the Vodyanoi ’s crew accompanying Tasya Morevna, now looking far more comfortable in Yagizban fatigues with a colonel’s flash on her epaulettes than she ever had in her stolen Secor uniform. On the wet side stood a silently fuming Katya Kuriakova and Sergei, who kept swallowing nervously. When he saw Tasya, he blurted out, “You’re that Secor officer!”
    “And you must be Sergei?” she replied sweetly. “How do you do? I’m Tasya Morevna.” He blanched as he recognised the name, and she smiled a true killer’s smile as she watched the fear grow in him. “You probably know me better as the Chertovka, yes?”
    “Leave him alone, Morevna,” snapped Katya. “What’s this all about?”
    “Another one of Kane’s little schemes, I’m afraid, Katya,” said Tasya, entirely unaffected by the waves of hostility emanating from Katya. “I told him he was wasting his time, but he’s got this idea from somewhere that you’re more than just a stupid little girl.”
    Katya scowled. “You’re trying to provoke me.”
    “Ah,” said Tasya lightly. “Not so stupid after all.”
    “It won’t work because I’m already as provoked as all hell. I told you No , and I meant it.”
    “I’m not the one you have to convince. I’m just a passenger myself. You’ll have to talk to the captain.” She stepped to one side and bowed mockingly as she indicated the direction of the Vodyanoi ’s bridge. “This way.”
    Katya ground her teeth for a second, mastering her rage. “Fine,” she said, walking past Tasya. “Fine. I’ll see Kane, tell him what he can do with his plan, and then we’re leaving. We’ve got a cargo to deliver.”
    Tasya let her walk precisely three paces before saying casually, “Yes. Plumbing supplies, isn’t it?”
    Katya stopped so abruptly that Sergei, who was looking over his shoulder at Tasya, bumped into her. Katya stepped around him and narrowed her eyes. “How did you know that?”
    Tasya smiled pleasantly and shrugged. “Lucky guess.”
    Katya glared at her for a long moment during which Tasya’s smile never wavered. Only a small, sensible voice at the back of her mind, telling Katya that Tasya was a highly trained soldier who could likely kill Katya a dozen different ways with one hand tied behind her back, stopped her running at Tasya with her fists flying. Instead, she turned on her heel and strode off, Sergei close behind her.
    She led the way directly to the bridge and made an unannounced entry that silenced the place. “What are you, Kane?” she demanded of the somewhat bewildered captain in his command chair. “Stupid? Don’t you understand ‘No’ means ‘No’?”
    One of the bridge crew smirked at this, which was a mistake. Katya was by him, glaring into his face in a second. “Shut up,” she said. “You child .” The smirk melted away instantly.
    Katya turned back to Kane as Tasya arrived, having dispensed with her escort en route. She looked at the scene and said, “That’s alright, Kuriakova. Make yourself at home.”
    “Sorry about… this, Katya,” said Kane, seemingly sincere. “It’s just… well… There is so much at stake.”
    Katya wasn’t interested. “Our cargo, Kane. The plumbing stuff. You placed it, didn’t you?” Sergei glanced at her with puzzlement, and then realisation dawned.
    “So you’d know where we were going,” he said, half to himself.
    “Yes,” admitted Kane. “Sorry about that, too. A small deceit.” He was wearing dark grey trousers, a pale cream shirt and, over it, some sort of buttoned sleeveless top similar to an armoured vest except with a V at the front and made out of normal looking cloth in a shade of brown. It didn’t seem very functional to