Stars of Blood and Glory Read Online Free

thoughtfully
behind his back.
    “ So,” he began, “I understand you
wish to be our new cybernetics officer, yes?”
    “ That is correct.”
    “ What makes you think you are
qualified for position?” he asked, pacing slowly around
her.
    “ A good cybernetics officer needs
to be an expert at gaming systems and breaking rules,” she
answered. “I have extensive experience at both—I believe my file
speaks to that.”
    “ No doubt. But what makes you
think you belong with us?”
    He let the statement hang in the air,
observing her reaction. Instead of answering, she waited patiently
for him to explain himself. He pulled off his eye patch and met her
eyes with both of his own.
    “ If you wish to join our private
military company, there is something you must know,” he said. “With
few exceptions, we are all Tajji. During Imperial occupation of our
homeworld, many of us fought as revolutionaries. None of us has any
love for the Empire.”
    “ Neither do I,” she said calmly.
“My parents were desert tribesmen living outside of any government,
and the New Gaian Empire collapsed when I was just a child. I never
had any allegiance to it.”
    “ Perhaps,” said Roman, narrowing
his good eye. “But you are still Gaian, yes?”
    “ Yes, I am. Will that be a
problem?”
    He declined to answer, watching her closely
for any sign of discomfort or weakness in her resolve. Despite how
small and fragile she seemed, Roman had to admit that she knew how
to carry herself.
    A glint on the back of her neck caught his
eye, and he reached down with his prosthetic hand to touch it. In
one swift, reflexive motion, she spun around and grabbed his hand,
reaching up to jam her thumb into the crux of his elbow. When her
fingers met his hardened durasteel prosthetic instead of an artery,
she stiffened a little and let him go.
    Roman chuckled. “For one so small, your
reflexes are impressive.”
    “ Don’t touch me,” she said, her
voice low and dangerous. It was evident she was talking about the
neural implants in the back of her neck.
    “ I see you have one, too,” he
said, turning and pointing to his own. “Where did you get
it?”
    No answer, but the coldness in the girl’s
gaze had turned from indifference to anger.
    Come, Roman transmitted directly to her
mind. Tell
me, where did you get it?
    Her eyes widened. “How did you do that?”
    “ It was not difficult,
considering how you had already broken onto our ship’s private
network. Perhaps there is something you are looking for? Or is this
how you demonstrate your skills?”
    His questions finally broke through her
impassiveness, if only for a fraction of a second. In that moment,
however, he saw a surprising degree of vulnerability. Her pulse
accelerated and her body heat began to increase, but she resumed
the mask of indifference like a seasoned professional.
    “ Simply testing for weaknesses,”
she said, taking a barely suppressed breath. “It’s my field, after
all.”
    Roman doubted she was telling the full truth,
but for some reason he didn’t quite understand, he decided to let
it go. Perhaps it was the momentary panic he’d seen when she’d
realized he’d caught on to her. It made her seem more human, like a
little girl trying desperately to fit into a world of cyborgs and
soldiers. He could respect that kind of quality in a person—indeed,
he couldn’t help but respect it.
    “ Why do you wish to join with
us?”
    “ Your company was the first
military force to win a direct engagement with the Hameji,” she
said, falling into a practiced answer. “In addition, your team is
small enough that your officers have a degree of flexibility that
can’t be found on a Federation capital ship. For those reasons, I
think I stand to gain more valuable experience from serving with
you than with any other battle group.”
    “ And why do you wish to be part
of this war?”
    She hesitated for a fraction of a second
before answering. “The Hameji destroyed my