gaian consortium 06 - zhore deception Read Online Free

hooded robes they wore at all times. To think that a human woman had actually slept with one of them, let alone had borne him a child — well, that was something she would have never thought possible.
    “Yes, alien,” Brant said. “But apparently not too alien. We still couldn’t get any real information on their appearance, though — this young woman and her family were being remarkably close-lipped about the whole thing. Bringing any of them in for questioning would have sparked a diplomatic incident, since it seems she married this Zhore, and is now bound to him by his home world’s laws. You see the difficulty.”
    Trinity nodded. Her brain was still trying to digest the concept of marrying a Zhore and bearing his child, but she could tell that Gabriel didn’t want her to interrupt with what he no doubt would consider foolish questions.
    “Three standard months ago, however, we had a stroke of luck. One of our operatives on Bathsheva was contacted by the leader of a mercenary clan there. This man said he had something we might find of value.”
    Again Trinity nodded. Brant might be a closed book to her, but every once in a while she got the faintest glimpse of one of those pages. Right now, that little glimmer meant he wanted her to acknowledge how clever he was, but in a way that wouldn’t interrupt the flow of his narrative.
    As for Bathsheva, she didn’t know much about the world, except that it was in the outer territories, and supposedly a rough planet populated by a number of interrelated clans, most of whom seemed to be weapons-for-hire of some sort. It probably was the kind of place where the Consortium would have operatives placed, not only to hire mercs when the situation warranted, but also to keep track of who else was hiring them, and why.
    Gabriel continued, “That something was the body of a Zhore.”
    She definitely hadn’t been expecting that bit of information. Forgetting that she was supposed to be Brant’s rapt audience and keep her mouth shut, she asked, “What was a Zhore doing on Bathsheva?” True, the secretive Zhore didn’t keep completely to their home world, but on the other hand, it seemed that those of its people who did venture out into the galaxy generally chose more civilized places, such as Nova Angeles or Eridani.
    “We still don’t know for sure. What’s important is that we were able to procure a Zhore for study purposes, and also to hack his tech to see if we could find anything valuable.”
    “Wouldn’t the Bathshevans have already done that?”
    At her question, Brant scowled. Clearly, he didn’t want her acting as if she could form a single independent thought. She was supposed to be his puppet, no more.
    Well, we may have a little problem with that, Mr. Brant. I’m not quite as stupid as you think.
    Although, after the way Caleb had gulled her, she could see why Gabriel Brant had a fairly low opinion of her intelligence.
    But then — well, she didn’t know exactly what his title was, but she’d already begun to think of him as her handler — he gave her an indulgent smile and replied, “That’s against their code, Ms. Knox. If a Bathshevan has something he wants to sell, he has to ensure that it’s unsullied, untouched. Which means the Zhore handed over to us was in perfect condition, except for the injuries that took his life, and the handheld he carried was likewise undisturbed.”
    “Injuries?”
    “Apparently he was set upon by what the Bathshevans refer to as a xeno , or outsider. One who is lawless, outside their clan structure. The motive was simple robbery, most likely, but the xeno was chased off by members of the clan who contacted us. They could do nothing to save the Zhore’s life, but, being practical people, they recognized the body’s worth. And so it came to the Consortium.”
    Brant pushed a button on the handheld. “I think you’ll find this very interesting.”
    The image of Lathvin IV, which had been swirling in the center of