Polaris Rising (Consortium Rebellion, #1)(67)
To ease our transition back to Universal Time, Veronica cooked breakfast for dinner and announced it was ready over the intercom. I would’ve preferred to grab something from the synthesizer and retreat to my room, but I refused to hide.
I was the last to arrive and sat at the end of the table facing the door. The table was piled high with a platter of pancakes, a large frittata, and a bowl of fresh fruit. I’d told Veronica she didn’t need to cook for everyone, but she said she enjoyed it—and I wasn’t going to turn down real food if she felt like making it.
Loch was pleasant to everyone around him but ignored me as thoroughly as if my chair was empty. Veronica shot me a questioning look but I just shook my head slightly. I ate without tasting the food and retreated as soon as I could without looking like I was running away.
I allowed myself an hour’s power nap, though I hardly slept, then I got to work. I would go to bed early tonight and by tomorrow my internal clock would once again match Universal Time.
Today would be long, though.
Because the Antlia sector was so sparsely populated, we had jumped in close to NAD Seven and by the time I made it to the flight deck, we were five minutes out from orbit. Scanners picked up no transmissions or signs of life.
The planet visible through the windows was larger than I expected, covered in white with sheer black cliffs breaking up the landscape. The ship confirmed the planet had atmosphere, but not one breathable by humans. It was close enough it could be terraformed, but no one had decided it was worth the trouble.
I settled us in a polar orbit and watched the planet slide beneath the window. The scanners kept searching but found nothing. Whatever it was that House Rockhurst wanted with this planet—if, indeed, this was the planet they wanted—our House hadn’t found it.
Perhaps I was on a snipe hunt, chasing after a reason that wasn’t a reason at all. Maybe House Rockhurst really was just upset that I’d thrown over their golden son, even if nothing had been made official. If they were willing to go to war over the marriage, I’d have to marry him, my own desires be damned.
I set the scanners and defense systems to alert me at the first sign of anything unusual. The FTL drive was ready to send us to our next destination, just as soon as we were finished with this one. The Rockhurst planets might orbit the next nearest star, but it was still several light-years away. That might make them next-door neighbors in space terms, but only because the scale of space was so mind-numbingly gigantic.
I dozed lightly, trying to snatch rest where I could. The swish of the flight deck door woke me some time later. A time check confirmed I’d been asleep for less than half an hour.
Rhys flopped into the navigator’s chair slightly in front of me on the right. He watched the planet through the window, then spun around to face me. For all of his studied casualness, something in his posture alerted me that he wasn’t as chill as he seemed.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Did you know that Loch and I were in the RCDF together?” he asked.
The Royal Consortium Defense Force was the combined military arm of the Consortium. While each House maintained its own fully operational military, those forces masqueraded as solely defensive units. The RCDF deployed when Consortium interests were threatened, even if it was just against a single House, because they were the only military units authorized for offensive maneuvers. But the RCDF would not intervene in wars between Houses.
“I didn’t know,” I said. “Loch refused to say how he knew you. He said I’d have to ask you.” Burning curiosity warred with guilt—I desperately wanted to know more about Loch but I felt slightly dirty getting the information from Rhys instead.
“I’m not surprised,” Rhys said. “It wasn’t exactly the highlight of either of our lives.”
I put two and two together and came up with seven. Still, I couldn’t resist testing my theory. “You were at Fornax,” I said. Another realization struck when he didn’t deny it. “You’re part of the missing squad.”
Rhys nodded once. The world tilted, then snapped back into a strange new form. The Consortium blamed Marcus for the death of his commanding officers and the unit with him. But the bodies of his squad had never been recovered, supposedly burned to dust in a massive explosion.
“There were eight of us,” Rhys said. “Loch was our squad leader. He bought our freedom with his.”
I frowned at the phrasing. “What do you mean?”
Rhys’s grin was sly. “You’ll have to ask him.”
“In that case, I’ll go to my grave never knowing,” I said. “He’s decided I no longer exist. I’d have better luck questioning the door.”
“You were both fine this morning. What happened?” he asked.
“I happened,” I said with a sigh. “I freaked out because he appeared to be sticking around and my relationship experience thus far has been shit. He was too angry to understand my concerns, so we fought. And now I am persona non grata.”
“Do you want him to stick around?” Rhys asked.
“Yes,” I said, “and that’s the problem. How do I know he’s sticking around for me and not because I’m a von Hasenberg?”
“Loch can be as manipulative and conniving as they come,” Rhys said. He held up a hand to prevent me from interrupting. “But he’s also one of the most honorable men I know. And honorable men don’t take advantage of women, no matter what their name is.” He paused and gave me a hard stare. “And honorable women don’t pursue a relationship they have no intention of committing to. Get your head straight.”