Sometimes, Bregg felt like he’d spent his entire life staring at that damn screen. It wasn’t like he hadn’t known what to expect when he’d joined the army, but he had expected a bit more action, too. And perhaps would he have seen more of that had things gone differently.

He stared at the gray globe for a moment longer, then turned to his lieutenant.

“Well?” he asked irritably.

Ferris shook his head. “Still no response. I think the storms down there are disrupting our transmissions, Sir.”

The colonel grunted. Did he have to do everything himself? Well, he had gone down to Rimzana, hadn’t he? He’d just do the same here. Though he wasn’t looking forward to seeing this planet from up close.

Someone behind him cleared their throat.

“Colonel Bregg?” He turned and saw Juden looking at him. “Could I have a word with you? In private.”

The officer scowled at the civilian, then glanced at his crew. Everyone was busy working on their consoles, though he did see Ferris casting a curious glance toward them.

He nodded and headed toward his office, motioning for the other man to follow him—which he did.

“What is it?” he asked, after closing the door behind them. “And please make it quick. Time is of the essence.”

“I quite agree, colonel. Which is why I thought I’d make a suggestion. You clearly don’t want any direct involvement with this ship, and yet you’re still chasing it. Why not let us do the chasing? You wanted our help to keep things off the record, so wouldn’t it make more sense to let us handle this?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It would. But that didn’t mean Bregg liked the idea. He didn’t know these two men, after all. How could he trust them? Then again, what would they get from betraying him? He knew Thiari wouldn’t approve of that, at least, and they worked for her.

“What are you proposing, exactly?”

The man motioned with his chin toward the bridge they had just left.

“Someone needs to go down there to get that ship. No point in you getting your hands dirty. We can go for you, do what needs to be done, then take the ship to a safe place.”

Bregg frowned.

“A safe place?”

“What was your plan, colonel? You have a big ship, but were you going to keep that thing on here? You know it wouldn’t be safe, or you wouldn’t need our help. We can take it where no one will find it. We’ll store it for you, and you can access it whenever you want or need to.”

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

The other man seemed hurt by what the words implied.

“What would we do with it, colonel? We have no interest in that ship. You asked for our help, and we are here to provide it. Our boss wouldn’t have sent us if she didn’t trust us. So I guess what you must ask yourself is whether you trust her?”

Well, that was easy. He didn’t. But trust wasn’t necessary. He had enough dirt on her to keep her in check. She wouldn’t dare do anything against him, he knew that much.

He sighed and nodded.

“Very well. Go. Take your friend with you and report back as soon as possible.” The man started toward the door. “Wait!”

Juden stopped and looked back at him with a quirked brow.

The colonel walked quickly to his desk and rummaged through his drawers, until he found a small squarish device. He came back to the man and handed him the item.

“What is this?”

“When you need to call me, press it against your wristpad. It will open a secure line that only I will have access to.”

“Understood.”

The man nodded as he slid the object into his pocket, then turned and walked out of the office.

Bregg’s eyes drifted to the screen.

That same damn screen.

He was so sick of it.

He shut the door, walked back to his desk, and poured himself some whiskey.