Dekkir (Galaxy Alien Warriors #1)(49)
I spoke on quietly, describing the chaos that happened when Dorin had been found poisoned by an assassination drone sent from the moon base.
The commander listened to my description of the scene with shock slowly widening his watery eyes. “I never gave the order for that.” He glanced at Norcross, who looked away quickly.
I sighed with relief. “I’m actually glad to hear that, sir. But it happened. And because I was the only human around, I was taken captive and interrogated.”
The red-haired science officer next to me gasped. The guards shifted uncomfortably, and Wickman’s eyebrows rose. Only Norcross seemed completely unaffected by the mention that I had been, as far as they knew, tortured. They didn’t know about Lyran empathy or telepathy, and I wasn’t about to let them know.
When I looked over at Norcross, though, I realized he wasn’t indifferent; he was smiling. Disgusted, I turned away. Let him think his petty sadism hurt me. In reality, I just hoped I got to see Dekkir put a spear through his black heart soon.
The commander looked between me and the interrogation machine that had not given off so much as a blip so far. I drew a deep breath, preparing to be very selective with the truth for a while. The last thing they needed to know right now was that the Golden Strain had granted every single Lyran, as well as myself, some form of psychic ability. That was the way in which I had been interrogated. It had been awkward and uncomfortable but painless, and they had gotten at the truth, which had exonerated me.
“I’m surprised they allowed you to keep making reports at that point,” Wickman commented. “Did they imprison you?”
“No, sir. I was placed under guard, but not jailed. The Lyran way tends toward forced labor instead. I was brought to a hostel run by their most famous healer and became her assistant, aiding her in discovering a cure for the poison. It took about a week, but we were eventually successful.” I didn’t bring up that was when I had inoculated myself with the Golden Strain in order to both awaken my psychic abilities and feel my half of the mating bond I shared with Dekkir. All Wickman really needed to know was I had been forced to work for the Lyrans.
He cleared his throat. “So the assassination attempt was unsuccessful, and you were forced to assist with the high chieftain’s convalescence. Obviously, you were not allowed to provide us with any information about your captivity or punishment at the time.”
“No, sir, that was not permitted.” Although, that was technically only because my communications device had been taken away as soon as the assassination attempt had been discovered.
“What happened after that?” Wickman took a few more notes.
I spoke very carefully. “Lieutenant Norcross has asserted that I betrayed Earth Command. In reality, I was still attempting to do my job and pave the way for a potential trade agreement and alliance. At the time, all of my commanding officers, including yourself, had led me to believe that was what Earth Command wanted.” I stared into his eyes until he couldn’t hold my gaze, then went on. “By that time, the symbiont that exists on Lyra had entered my system. Upon discovering I was genetically compatible with the symbiont, and thus with Lyrans, an arrangement was made to solidify a more formal alliance. I became engaged to their war chief, Dekkir.”
More like I finally admitted to the bond that already existed once I was able to finally sense it. The symbiont only made me aware of it, and then we . . . formalized things. I looked over at Norcross, who was squirming in his seat with a petulant look. Eat it, you. I’ve never climaxed so hard in my life, and you weren’t even involved.
Wickman looked up from his tablet with a frown. “Wait a second. How come you didn’t report in to us about this development?”
My cheeks got hot, and I looked down. “Partly because my communications were restricted.” As in nonexistent. “As for the rest, that’s honestly kind of awkward to talk about. But if you really want to know the details, I’ll explain it. Just not in front of the man who has sexually harassed me for my entire stay.”
Lieutenant Norcross stood up so fast that he knocked over his chair. “I’ve had about enough of this. Clearly, the interrogation device is malfunctioning. She’s been feeding you lies and manipulations this entire time!”
The commander stared at him, his expression deadpan. “You know, Lieutenant, I haven’t noticed any signs of malfunction, and the machine was tested prior to being brought up here.” He glanced at the redhead, who nodded confirmation. “I have, however, noticed that you’ve gotten increasingly agitated the longer Grace has talked. Apparently, you don’t want her telling me the truth. Maybe it’s because she knows more than you thought. Or maybe it’s because she never committed any kind of betrayal aside from attempting to carry out her orders the best she could in a shifting situation.”
Norcross stood there glaring mutely at his superior. I blinked at the commander in shock. I had never expected he would come to my defense. I had hoped he would listen, especially when I had risen to the challenge of submitting to the interrogation device. “Sir, we can go over that later, if it is more convenient.”
Wickman nodded thoughtfully. “I understand. We will discuss that later. At this point, you had this symbiont in your system, you had already dealt with one crisis and an interrogation, and you had become subject to an arranged marriage with a man who apparently is not that uncomfortable a companion for you. Is that correct?” I nodded, and he made a few more notes. “What happened next?”