The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight

Malin’s section blew open the rear exit, firing as they came through at a guard running toward them. The guard jerked backward under multiple hits before spinning to hit the wall and flop to the floor lifeless.

Soldiers started to pour out of one of the barracks rooms, only to meet a barrage of fire that dropped the first ones through the door. At least one soldier in the barracks tried the emergency exit and found out the hard way about the explosive charge placed there by the commandos.

Someone had figured out that stealth suits were being employed, and at critical areas inside the facility passageways and rooms filled with a fine mist. But the commandos already controlled every important point in the civilian side of the facility, and before the mist had fully deployed one of Morgan’s sections got into the military command center and wiped out the soldiers on watch there.

Morgan moved with reckless speed, killing two soldiers near the entrance to Dun’s quarters so fast that they were both still falling as she reached the door. A commando put a breaching charge in place, then they all went to either side as the charge tore the door off its hinges and fried automated defenses just inside the doorway.

Drakon could see Malin coming along fast, closing on Morgan’s position as she led her section into Dun’s quarters. He was pushing the pace, too. Why? Did he want Dun dead? Or did he want to save Dun for interrogation before Morgan reached her?

The inner door protecting Dun’s personal area blew inward as another breaching charge went off, then Morgan was inside the last barrier, her weapon questing for targets.

Malin had reached the back of Dun’s area, his own section blasting its way inside from that direction.

Morgan put a round into the center of Dun’s bed, then centered shots in each closet door before the commandos with her yanked open the doors. “Not here,” a commando reported.

The image from Morgan’s suit swung wildly as she surveyed Dun’s bedroom, then centered on a wall panel that betrayed signs of being newer than the panels to either side of it. “There!” Two shots failed to penetrate, but a final breaching charge shattered the concealed armored door.

Morgan, who had been against the wall next to the last door as it was blown, was still coming around to face that door when Dun stepped into view, weapon leveled at her. Drakon could see it all from several points of view at once, but he could do nothing. For a few instants, time seemed to slow down as Morgan tried to bring her weapon to bear, as Dun’s hand tightened on the trigger of her weapon, as the commandos with Morgan found their lines of fire blocked by her, and as Malin burst into the room with his commandos, Malin’s weapon already pointed at Morgan’s back.

“No!” was still coming out of Drakon’s throat when Malin fired.

* * *

“WHY?” Drakon’s gaze was centered on Malin, who stood at rigid attention.

“Dun had to be stopped before she activated any fail-safes,” Malin reported, his tone as emotionless as his expression.

“That was Morgan’s primary duty. You knew that.”

“It was my assessment, on the scene, that she needed backup.”

“Do you think that excuse is ironclad?” Drakon almost shouted.

“Sir, you have always encouraged us to act based on our assessments—”

“Dammit, Malin, if your shot had been aimed a fraction of a millimeter different it would have blown off Morgan’s head instead of Dun’s! Why the hell did you take that kind of chance? Or was it a chance? You knew that after Dun shot Morgan she wouldn’t have gotten off a second shot before the commandos with Morgan nailed her. Was this just a perfect opportunity to end your quarrels with Morgan by ‘accidentally’ blowing her away during a firefight?” Drakon was shouting now. “If you wanted her dead that bad, why not let Dun do it? Or were you afraid that Dun would miss?”

Malin had paled, but he kept his voice steady. “I . . . General Drakon . . .”

“Yes or no! Did you try to kill Morgan?”

“No!” His voice cracking, Malin stared at Drakon. “No,” he repeated in a lower but still-strained voice. “She . . . I knew Morgan wanted to get Dun. I thought . . . she would . . . need help.”

Drakon moved back and sat down heavily, glaring at Malin. “Dammit to hell, Bran. You were worried about Morgan’s getting hurt? That’s your defense?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If I didn’t know you, if I hadn’t seen a thousand times just how professional and dependable you are, I wouldn’t believe you. I still have trouble believing you.” He blew out an angry breath. “Your shot could easily have killed her. But Morgan would probably be dead if you hadn’t fired. I hope you’re not expecting her to thank you.”

“Colonel Morgan has already made clear her feelings in that regard,” Malin said.

“Yeah. You’re damned lucky I was tied into the command circuit and could activate overrides to freeze her suit. Otherwise, she would have killed you then and there. Why, Bran?”