By Honor Betray'd: Mageworlds #3 Read Online Free Page A

Point without a weapon or two for backup. And Jessan, for all his Khesatan elegance, had a single-shot needler concealed somewhere about his person, along with various other lethal surprises. If matters did come down to violence, they’d be ready.
    She straightened the heavy tiara—without the formal structure of braids to anchor it, the famous Iron Crown of Entibor tended to slip askew—and stepped through the door into the common room. Jessan followed her, a step or two behind.
    Two people waited at the common-room table. Ignaceu LeSoit, dark and wiry, with his thin mustache and his well-worn blaster, was a familiar sight. The woman was a stranger, dark-haired, her face creased with worry lines, but she wore the uniform of the Republic’s Space Force and the insignia of a full captain. She rose and bowed when Beka entered.
    “My lady,” she said. “Please forgive this irregular method of securing an audience—but I needed to meet with you, away from the eyes and ears of the local authorities.”
    Oh, wonderful , thought Beka. More politics, and it isn’t even lunch yet . “I haven’t got the time for diplomatic games. What do you need?”
    The Space Force captain glanced from Beka to Jessan and back. “I have reason to believe,” she said, “that the Steering Committee of Suivi Point wishes to commandeer my forces. In fact, I suspect that the committee’s messenger is looking for me right now. Regardless of the situation on Galcen, I don’t want to swear allegiance to Suivi Point, or to have my ships taken from my command.”
    I don’t blame her one little bit, Beka thought. Let those bastards on the committee get a fleet of their own, and it’ll be hurray for Suivi Point and to hell with the rest of us.
    She did her best to keep her features schooled to an expression of mild interest, as if they were discussing nothing more pressing than the allocation of tax levies for glidewalk repair. “So what do you want from me?”
    The captain paused. This was not, it seemed, a decision she had come to easily. “Domina,” she said, “we—myself and those under me—wish to swear ourselves formally to you … .”
    I don’t believe this , Beka thought. Nobody’s bothered with all that oath-of-fealty nonsense since before I was born.
    She kept her face impassive. The Space Force captain was still talking.
    “ … with the understanding that you not require us to oppose the Republic’s Space Force or to act against the Republic’s interests, and that you will release us from our oath once the present situation normalizes.”
    Beka drew a deep breath. “Is that all?”
    “Yes, Domina,” said the captain. “All I ask is that you put me and my detachment under your protection.”
    “All?” she asked. “Sounds like a great deal for you with not much in it for me.”
    “I’m afraid so, my lady. I can only hope that you’ll be generous.”
    “Generous,” said Beka. “Right. Hang on for a moment while I confer with my advisors.”
    She didn’t wait for the captain’s reply, but nodded to LeSoit and Jessan and swept out of the common room in her most regal manner. The Iron Crown, fortunately, didn’t slip until she was out of sight around the bend in the passageway that led to the engineering spaces.
    “Well,” she said, as soon as they had a solid bulkhead and a closed door between them and the Space Force captain. “What do you think?”
    “It is a chance to increase the size of the fleet,” LeSoit pointed out.
    “To more than one vessel. Yes, that’s a start. Jessan, what’s the Space Force got here?”
    Jessan sighed. “Small stuff … space-only, no ground presence … I don’t know anything more specific than that. I’ve been out of the loop for over a year now, remember?”
    “Then get back into it,” she told him. “I want to know what’s in port, what’s coming in, what’s going out. This is important. Find out. I’ll wait.”
    LeSoit was looking smug. “Captain Yevil’s