Fated Blades (Kinsmen)

“True,” Matias agreed. “And the summer solstice is so well suited for this handoff. No ships are permitted to orbit above Adra during the festival. Half a dozen religions have rituals and commune with the stars on that date. The sky must be clear, and Planetary Defense parks several military vessels nearby to make sure it is so. The Vandals would be cut off. They couldn’t simply slaughter everyone and shuttle up to that lovely ship they parked in orbit. The security for the festival is tight. They’d have to fight through it, and even if they managed to escape, the Planetary Defense would cripple their ship, so they’d never leave the planet. You had to sweeten this deal to get them to agree to it, so you offered yourself as a hostage, letting the Vandals camp out here in case we knock on your door while conveniently keeping an eye on their bargaining chip.”

“Don’t forget the bonus,” Ramona added. “Once the research is sold, you and I go bankrupt, while his daughter and Gabriel jet off planet for a well-deserved vacation. Cassida is free and much richer, you are a broken wreck, and I am collateral damage.”

Drewery raised his arms. “You got me. Here I am, utterly defeated. You have what you came for. Now do get the fuck out of my house.”

Ramona glanced at Matias. He gave her a shallow nod. She released Lyla’s wrist and stepped back. The older woman scrambled to her feet, her face trembling with rage.

“Come, my dear.” Drewery held his hand out.

Lyla locked her teeth, turned, and joined him at the desk.

“Breaking into my house was a mistake, Matias,” Drewery said. “A colossal mistake. I was going to let you keep what was left of your enterprise after the handoff, but I’ve changed my mind. You should’ve known your place. I don’t need the Vandals or your research to bankrupt you. By next week, your companies will be a distant memory. I’ll bury you both and your families with you.”

Wow. She took a step forward. “You colluded with a foreign power, you let them into our orbital space, and you allowed their combat troops on Rada’s soil. Are you not worried at all, Senator?”

Drewery laughed. “Truly, the naivete is refreshing. The Vandals are here on a diplomatic mission. They have all of the right permits, they enjoy diplomatic immunity, and the men you killed were guests in my home who took it upon themselves to protect their host against a surprise attack. You broke into my home, slaughtered my guests, and assaulted my wife. By the time I’m done, the entire planet will stand in line to suppress you. Make no mistake, I will survive this. You won’t be so lucky.”

Matias shut his eyes for a moment. Three vid screens slid out of the walls and flared to life, displaying documents.

“What the hell is this?” Lyla demanded.

“A record of your dirty deeds for the past five years.” Matias’s voice was cold. “Kickbacks, quid pro quo backroom deals, illegal campaign contributions, bribes from foreign powers. You’ve been busy.”

Drewery stared at the screens as if they were venomous snakes about to bite him.

“You’re right. You would survive the Vandal fiasco,” Matias said. “That’s why we’ll build up to it by starting with something juicier. Like the Monroe chemical spill. Three hundred and thirty-seven technicians died because the Monroe Conglomerate failed to follow their own safety protocols. And you absolved them of all responsibility during the senatorial investigation. You literally took the death benefits from widowed spouses and orphaned children, all to preserve the stock price from falling.”

Drewery clenched his fists.

Matias pretended to ponder the screen. “You might survive this one as well. After all, you were just the head of the committee, and the generous gift of stock your wife received six months later could be a coincidence. That’s why the next day we will follow it with Abbas Orbital Station. In case it’s slipped your mind, the Department of Defense used to maintain a reserve of fuel cells on one of Gameda’s moons. This reserve was designated for emergency use by the system fleet. You plied the secretary of defense with gifts and favors until she transferred control of the reserve to the Department of the Interior, and then your buddy, the undersecretary of the interior, quietly marked it as defective and sold it to Abbas at a huge discount.”

“He’s accessing our confidential files,” Lyla hissed.

“Yes. I felt that much was obvious.” Drewery stared at Matias with naked hatred. “How?”

“Cassida gifted you a lovely vintage Second Wave toaster for your collection,” Matias said.

What? Ramona turned to him. “You hacked them through a malignant toaster?”

“Yes.”

She laughed.

Matias pondered Drewery. “I knew you were dirty. You wouldn’t have offered Cassida to me if you weren’t. I wanted to protect my family and my lovely spouse from the fallout when you inevitably got caught with your pants down. While you were grandstanding and your wife was trying to remember which end of the firearm to point at the enemy, I took control of your house and dumped your data banks to a private server. I have everything, Theodore.”