The Naked Truth (10 page)

Sue took in his drooping shoulders and worn face. She believed him. This was the man who had taken her under his wing. Of course he’d wanted to protect her.

She sat beside him. “The problem is, I can’t answer their questions. I’m in big trouble, Commander.”

“I don’t think I can get you out. It was all I could do to get in here to see you.”

She swallowed. “Can you get a message to Asler Kiis? I…I don’t think he can get me out, but I’d like to tell him—I’d like to tell him I love him.”

Davies’s eyes widened in surprise. “You love him? He isn’t human.”

“I know. But it doesn’t matter, and I don’t care. They are so like us, and I can feel things with him that I never felt with anyone else. He helped me. He helped me to admit that I was so afraid I would do anything to get away from the torture, and he helped me to see that what I did was my only choice when I told them where the meeting was.” She closed her eyes. “They almost broke me. I got to the point that I wouldn’t even try escape when it was possible, I was so afraid.”

“Can’t you tell the SID that?”

“You know it won’t be enough. They need someone to blame, and it looks like I’m all they have.”

“What about what you said, about discovering something that could help?”

She sighed. “I don’t know that the SID would believe me. I can’t prove what I saw. I can’t even remember seeing it, just what Asler says we witnessed.”

Davies shook his head. “It won’t be enough.”

“No. Only the Inarrii will know what to do with the information anyway.”

They sat quietly for a moment. There was nothing left to say. She leaned slightly against his shoulder. It was the only comfort she could have from him, a man who’d meant so much to her but was still only her commander. The buzzer sounded, and her cell door swung open.

“I’ll pass on your message,” Davies whispered as he rose.

Sue watched him leave. Her heart sank as she wondered if he could get through to Asler, or if it would really matter.

Asler gritted his teeth as he watched Susan march into the room, a guard at her back. Their eyes met across the room.

“Asler!” Surprise and delight tinted her mental tone as she greeted him silently through m’ittar.

He pressed his lips even more tightly together as delight turned to confusion on her face when he didn’t answer. She didn’t know—he couldn’t answer.

The rules of the Confederacy were clear. They’d made their case for an interruption in the Treaty talks. The weight of two Examiners, along with a commander and the human ambassador, had been enough to ensure they could present their case, but he was now in the care of another Examiner. Outgoing m’ittar was not allowed, not even when the attending Examiner Advocate was a friend.

Salis gripped his shoulder in warning and in support, even as the thought passed through Asler’s mind.

“I must take objection to this meeting and remind each of you that Captain Branscombe is in the custody of the SID.” The Starforce Investigation officer had risen to speak to the room at large. The Human Council sat on one side of the room, their Treaty meeting table abandoned in the need for a larger audience, and the Confederacy officers sat on the other. A Confederacy projection platform had been erected at the front of the room, its low stage a circle of hope—at least to Asler.

Admiral Jeffers rose from his seat. Asler hadn’t seen him since the last meeting, but he knew Jeffers led the Human Council and had been officiating at the Treaty talks. “Your objection has been noted, but the reason for this meeting outweighs the SID objectives.” He motioned to Commander Finar. “Please continue, Commander.”

“As I was saying, Your Honors, our method of investigation differs wildly from yours. Our m’ittar, or mind speech, has deeper abilities in some of our people. Our Examiners in particular have the ability to review memories and pass judgment on motive, as well as retrieve valuable information. This was explained to the Human Council when Examiner Kiis took control of Captain Branscombe’s investigation. He was to review her memories leading to the first attack.”

Murmurs passed through the crowd. Admiral Jeffers voiced a question. “First attack? Have there been others?”

“There have.” Finar walked to the front of the room, standing before the platform. “As the attacks were directed against the Confederacy base and our ship the Horneu, it was agreed that until the investigation was complete, more information would not be passed on. More interruptions to the Treaty negotiations are not needed as I am sure you will all agree.”

The SID officer stood again. “No, we would not agree. This is exactly why the SID should have had control of the investigation—you admit that you are hiding things from us.”

“Sit down,” Admiral Jeffers barked.

“Please, if I may continue.” Finar spoke quietly, and the room fell silent to hear each nuance of his words. “This does involve all of us. Perhaps it was wrong of the Confederacy to keep silent on the subject of the attacks. But there is a further piece of information you must be made aware of. The Confederacy has long been troubled by members of a group we call the Ravagers. Destructive pirates of planetary resources, the Ravagers follow at our heels to snatch up and devour what they can grasp away from our protection. We feared they would be nearby, planning on attacking the Earth if for some reason the Treaty failed. Now we have proof that what we feared is true, and that the attacks have been instigated by them, been made more effective by their technology.”

Once again the SID officer stood. His skin had flushed to a livid purple. “You claim we must join with you or we will be attacked? I say you’ve likely staged these attacks yourself to force us to agree quickly to whatever terms that you have set.”

“We understand your doubts. We are prepared to prove everything.”

“With more alien technology? With more lies? How can we trust your proof?”

“We ask that you watch and listen to what we can offer as proof, and we ask that you consider that we did not need to offer this information. We could have let you interrogate an innocent woman, let you break her mind. We could have kept silent on the attacks and let the course of the Treaty make its way, one way or another. We do not need to protect your world. We do not have to have your agreement. But we have come to know some of you, and we have come to hope that we can be partners within the Confederacy.”

“Sit down, Officer. We will listen to the proof. And—” Admiral Jeffers gestured to the door, “—if you cannot control yourself, you can leave.”

Finar continued as the SID officer sputtered in his chair. “This platform is a m’ittar projection device. It will allow you to see the memories being reviewed, and the methods we use. Examiner Salis Fiiten will conduct the first examination.”

Salis stood, and Asler followed as he led the way to the platform. Asler’s heart raced. If Salis slipped only once and exposed a memory from a previous investigation, both their careers would be in jeopardy. If he exposed anything incorrect about his relationship with Susan, her trial might continue, despite what they could prove about the Ravager involvement. And if any of that came to pass, his chances of being with her again were gone.

“Physical contact is necessary for m’ittar.” Salis addressed the gathering. “Between Inarrii, where mind contact is common, only mild touching is necessary to access the memories by a skilled Examiner.”

The watching admiral made a motion with his hand, catching Salis’s attention. “Yes?”

“May we ask questions during your examination?”

Asler looked at the floor and worked to keep his face expressionless. This would make things even more dangerous. External influence could affect the choice of memories being reviewed.

“You can ask now, or immediately after, but not during the actual memory being played out. I must have quiet to concentrate. As you might imagine, the mind is a delicate subject, and Examiner Kiis has put his career at risk by offering to be publicly examined. If his memories are distorted or secure information is revealed, he will lose his position, both within the Confederacy and within his personal clan. Today he risks everything for the truth.” Salis looked out into the audience, but no further questions were posed. He laid one hand on Asler’s forehead, sliding his fingers against the roots of Asler’s hair and brushing the flat L’inar. “Are you ready?”

“Do I have to be?” Asler opened his mind for his friend. “Be careful in there.”

“We are initiating contact.” Salis slid his other hand around the back of Asler’s neck. The platform hummed beneath his knees. The room faded to an opaque gray. Then Susan’s face appeared before him with her luscious lips wet and parted, her skin flushed from his kisses. Her eyes glazed and he glimpsed himself sitting beside her on his office bench. He watched as he and Susan leaned closer together, his hands wrapping around her biceps, and recognized their stance as a m’ittar pose.

From Asler’s perspective, he watched again as they reviewed the first memory of her torture. How would Susan feel about watching the memory she’d been so glad to lose? Now she would have it again, although without the pain, thankfully. She and the rest of the audience would watch what had happened to her as though it were a three-dimensional vid. As though they watched hologram actors playing out parts on the Confederacy stage.

The memory faded, and was followed by one of his own, saving the injured diner and watching Susan beat down the fire in the dining room, risking her life to help save the men and women aboard the Horneu. He admired her again—her bravery, her beauty. There was no escaping this; his feelings were going to be revealed as clearly as though he said them aloud to the watching audience. There was no lying in m’ittar, or even hiding emotions. This was part of the risk to his career.

Salis moved on to the next memory he’d shared with Susan. A second interrogation, and torture, and the revelation of the Gathan technology. As he watched again the glow from the alien device, he sensed Salis withdraw from his mind. The gray field surrounding them dissipated, the viewers becoming clear. He and Salis had moved into a close embrace. They drew apart as Commander Finar stepped forward.

“This is the proof that you needed, gentlemen. The device you saw around that man’s neck is clear indication that the terrorist group Terran Purity is working, albeit unknowingly, with the Ravagers. And I think you will also agree that the information Captain Branscombe revealed was under extreme duress.”

Admiral Jeffers nodded and appeared to be about to speak when the SID officer broke in again. “What kind of proof is this? That man—” he pointed to Asler, “—has developed a relationship with Captain Branscombe. Of course he is going to review the memories that favor her actions. And how are we supposed to know that a shiny necklace is some sort of advanced alien spy technology?” He sneered as he spoke.

Asler glanced at Susan. Her face appeared more pale than usual, but the glint of anger and determination in her eyes assured him she was going to recover from seeing herself tortured once again. Asler stood. “You have my word as Examiner that these memories are accurate, and that Captain Branscombe is completely exonerated. Commander Finar can present more proof on the technical aspect of the Gathan device.”

Admiral Jeffers stood. “I accept your word, Examiner Kiis. Thank you for your expert testimony.” He turned to face Susan, sitting only two rows from him. “Captain Branscombe, you are released from custody. You may return to your base.”

“But—” The Starforce agent tried to interrupt.

“The SID are relieved from the case. You are dismissed.” He ignored the rage on the man’s face.

“Actually, Admiral Jeffers, I would ask that Captain Branscombe return to the Horneu for further examination and therapy,” Finar requested. “She may still have memories that can help identify the attackers, and she needs to be under the care of a therapist for the emotional stress and pain she has undergone.”

Asler listened in surprise, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. This was more than he had hoped for. The quick fire of heat flashed along the lines of his L’inar. He wanted her, needed her with him. He stared at her, trying to catch her eyes, but she kept her gaze firmly on the floor.

“Captain Branscombe? Would you be willing to undergo further questioning?” Concern edged the admiral’s voice.

Asler held his breath as she hesitated. What could she be considering? Was she unwilling to face her memories again, or had he been wrong about her feelings for him?

“Yes.”

What the hell did I agree to? Sue asked herself the same question again. She’d been freed, and here she was back onboard the Confederacy ship Horneu, assigned to go over memories that she never, ever wanted to think about again. Asler hadn’t wanted to acknowledge her before the Treaty officials, wouldn’t even answer her, let alone admit that they’d had any relationship. Part of her knew it was for her own good as well as his that he hadn’t, but still it rankled that he hadn’t defended her in a more personal way. She didn’t want to discover that what she felt for him was only in her mind, that he respected her or admired her but didn’t feel anything more. That it had really been only sex.