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

detachment consists of one destroyer, two fast couriers, a hyperspace-capable transport, and a half-dozen local defense single-seat fighters. Of those six, only three are fully operational.”
    The ’ Hammer ’s number-two gunner leaned back against the bulkhead and favored Jessan with a bland smile. The Khesatan’s lips tightened, but he didn’t reply.
    Beka took a deep breath and ignored the byplay. “Opinions on the cost to us of taking the captain up on her offer?”
    Jessan shrugged. “We might annoy the local authorities.”
    “I can live with that. How about her conditions?”
    “Not unreasonable, considering the situation.”
    She nodded. “Fine. Jessan, you’re now officially the General of the Armies of Entibor. She’s under your command. Don’t disappoint me.”
    Beka looked at her little group. “Well, let’s go back in there and accept the captain’s oath. This is starting to shape up into an interesting day.”

II. GALCEN NEARSPACE: SWORD-OF-THE-DAWN
     

    SUIVI POINT: ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT;
WARHAMMER
    GYFFERAN FARSPACE: NIGHT’S-BEAUTIFUL-DAUGHTER
     

    G RAND ADMIRAL sus-Airaalin was, reluctantly, at work in his office when the messenger arrived. Reluctantly, because he disliked the office’s cramped space—back on Eraasi, he’d worked out-of-doors whenever he could, seeking out the high mountains and the desolate places as a defense against spies and eavesdroppers. Now that he didn’t need such measures, he found the confinement of shipboard life oppressive. His preferred station on the Sword’ s observation deck gave him a view of the stars and enough room to pace back and forth, but some of his duties as admiral could only be carried out in the room assigned to their performance.
    Correspondence, for one thing—letter after letter from the leaders of the Resurgency. They hadn’t been able to reach the Grand Admiral for several weeks by Eraasian reckoning, while the Mage-Circles had suppressed all hyperspace communications in order to maintain secrecy for the attack on Galcen. The gradual return of the hi-comms network, however, had put an end to the Resurgency’s silence.
    He called up the first message in the morning’s traffic and read it, frowning slightly.

    “With regard to the possibly replicant body of Rosel Quetaya, flag aide to General Jos Metadi, sent to us from the morgue at Prime Base Hospital: extensive testing will be necessary to determine whether the deceased is ours or the original. syn-Tavaite has been summoned. If you could tell us by whose agency the death occurred …”
     

    sus-Airaalin sighed and switched on the autoscribe pinned to his collar. “Be aware, as I believe I told you when I sent you the body, that the Space Force authorities at Prime Base were exercising their minds over the same question. Since General Metadi himself was not at Prime when the attack occurred, he may well be at large in the galaxy in the company of one of our own. Please do your best to expedite your findings in this matter.”
    He clicked off the autoscribe and brought up the next item in the queue—fulsome congratulations, this time, from sus-Ieleen syn-Arvont, who had fought sus-Airaalin and his plans for the Circles ever since the beginning. Now, predictably, syn-Arvont was trying to curry favor. sus-Airaalin was about to switch on the autoscribe again to dictate a response when the office door beeped at him.
    “Come,” he said, with relief.
    The door opened and a trooper entered. “My lord sus-Airaalin,” he said, and saluted. “We have an intercept, one of high interest.”
    “What is it, Criaal?”
    “This, my lord,” the runner said, handing over a message tablet.
    sus-Airaalin glanced at the display, noting that the style of the intercept was that of the Republic’s Space Force, with an indicator in the header showing a point of origin in the Gyfferan system. The message itself was written in the Standard Galcenian that the Adept-worlders used in their