Cobra Outlaw - eARC Read Online Free Page A

enough.” His lips compressed briefly. “One way or the other.”
    Paul braced himself. “The MindsEye?”
    “Yes,” Santores said, eyeing Paul closely. “It’s a bit ironic that our original goal for your interrogation may soon turn out to be unnecessary. The Dorian ’s courier also brought information that Captain Moreau had made contact with a Commander Ukuthi from the Balin’ekha’spmi—” He smiled. “Excuse me. From the Balin demesne. Ukuthi has given Captain Moreau what he claims are Qasama’s coordinates.”
    Paul felt his eyes widen. After all his family had gone through to keep Qasama’s location hidden; and now some Troft had just given that secret away?
    Which would mean that all of this—Jody’s hasty departure, Lorne’s stalling, the Archway massacre—had been for nothing.
    He forced the thought away. There was nothing that direction except anger and despair. “Congratulations,” he said. “So now all you want is to dredge out whatever information I’ve got on Jody?”
    “Not at all,” Santores assured him. “And don’t despair for your Qasaman friends yet.”
    “Meaning?”
    “Meaning I don’t believe this Troft and his alleged information,” Santores said. “Neither does Captain Moreau. He thinks the coordinates may be a midway point where Ukuthi will issue a new course and probably make fresh conditions.”
    “Or it’s a trap,” Paul murmured.
    “I see fighting a war has given you a touch of warrior’s paranoia,” Santores said grimly. “Not necessarily a bad thing.”
    “Unless it so colors your outlook that it makes life meaningless.”
    “Part of the price warriors have chosen to pay,” Santores countered, his voice going hard. “For decades you Cobras have fancied yourselves soldiers without ever having to face the true cost of that role. It’s time that you learned about reality.”
    Paul’s mind flashed back to the hell he and his family had just been through. “That’s not fair,” he said stiffly.
    The lines in Santores’s face softened, just a bit. “For some of you, perhaps,” he said grudgingly. “Not for all. Certainly not for the Cobras in Capitalia.”
    “They were ordered not to fight.”
    “Those in DeVegas province and elsewhere in the Cobra Worlds disobeyed that order,” Santores pointed out. “The ones in Capitalia could have, too.” He waved a hand. “But that’s not the point. The point is that we still need Qasama, and I’m not expecting Captain Moreau to get it from this Ukuthi character.”
    “Hence, me?”
    “Hence, you,” Santores confirmed. “One way or the other, we are going to get Qasama’s location. If you have any as-yet unspoken information, this would be a good time to speak it.”
    “You already have everything I know.”
    “Perhaps. We’ll soon find out.”
    With a conscious effort, Paul relaxed his muscles. “It seems to me that if you’re going to dig into my brain, the least I deserve is a little information,” he said, keeping his voice calm. “Specifically, what exactly do you need Qasama for? Granted, they’re outstanding warriors, but the kind of space battle you’re obviously trained for is well outside their area of expertise.”
    “True,” Santores said. “I’m afraid that for the moment their significance will have to remain a secret.”
    “I see,” Paul said. But people talked, he knew, and sometimes people chatted to each other about matters outsiders weren’t meant to hear.
    And Cobras had enhanced hearing.
    Would he be able to eavesdrop on the conversations around him during the MindsEye treatment? He had no idea.
    But he was going to find out.
    “Fine,” he said. “Can you at least tell me what you’re planning to do about Captain Moreau?”
    “First, we’re refueling the Hermes and sending it to the Dorian ’s coordinates,” Santores said. “If we’re lucky, they’ll find the Dorian alive and well. If we’re even luckier, they’ll also find Qasama there.”
    “If