He has boots. You need boots.

  Yes, but I don’t need attention, and he’s too far away. Caleb moved into the passageway, remaining alert. It’s quiet here.

  Not surprising. The morgue is probably on the lower decks, likely amidships.

  Why do you think so?

  That brute looks like he’s going to fix something important, like an out of whack reactor. Plus, nobody wants the morgue where they have to look at it all the time. Even if it doesn’t have a name on it, people know what it is and don’t want to walk by it every day. We rode an elevator to get down here, and the morgue wasn’t far from it. It’s probably around that corner up ahead. Also, I figure the ship’s hangar is nearby.

  Let me guess, because it’s easier to move incoming dead to the morgue?

  Precisely. I’d also venture a guess that sickbay is up one or two levels.

  Do you think you can guess where the exit is? Or where we might find the Empress? Ham is still in trouble. Marley might be, too. I have no idea how these people would react to her after she killed me.

  Either celebrate her as a hero, or schedule her for execution with Abraham, I would imagine.

  Talk about two extremes.

  Someone’s coming.

  Hearing the light click of boots a few seconds after Ishek, Caleb hurried to the nearest door. Not equipped with a motion sensor, he had to tap the controls beside it for it to slide open. He ducked into an empty compartment just as a woman in navy coveralls came around the corner ahead, the door whisking shut before she could see him.

  “Too close,” he whispered, leaning against the bulkhead. He counted to twenty before opening the door and peeking out. The passageway was clear.

  I hope she wasn’t with the medical staff.

  Caleb froze. What were the odds? I don’t think so. I’m wearing light gray scrubs. The doctor’s scrubs were off-white.

  He returned to the corridor and hurried to the t-junction in the corridor, his sense of urgency increasing. The same mechanic he had seen headed in the opposite direction two minutes earlier stepped back around the corner, right in front of him. Both men came to an abrupt stop, their eyes meeting.

  “Oh, excuse me,” the mechanic said with a broad smile. “Sorry for almost running into you.” He shook his toolbag. “I was on my way to check on that stutter in the reactor, and I forgot my torque wrench.”

  “I hate it when that happens,” Caleb replied. “I forget my torque wrench all the time, usually in a cadaver’s stomach.”

  The mechanic’s smile faded. “Huh?”

  “Sorry, I just got done with an autopsy. Bad corpse humor.”

  The mechanic shook his head in disgust. “You cadaver cutters all think you’re comedians.”

  Caleb shrugged. “We try.”

  I think his boots will fit.

  I don’t want his boots.

  You should take his whole uniform. You look more like a mechanic than a cadaver cutter.

  “Yeah, well, anyway, I’ve got to stay on schedule,” the mechanic said. “Sorry again.”

  “It’s no problem, really.”

  The boots, Caleb.

  Forget the boots!

  The mechanic started to go around Caleb. Luckily, he hadn’t noticed his bare feet. “Hey…” Caleb stopped him. ”...you know anything about an execution?” he asked. “I heard from my boss that I should expect more work today because of it. Something about an enemy sympathizer?”

  The other man stopped again and nodded. “Yeah, I heard about that from my mate in the Guardian Corps. It’s not just the guy they brought in. We had related casualties. Almost two full squads.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I wish I was. Do you know about the pod that crashed about a hundred fifty klicks from here?”

  Caleb shook his head. “No. I don’t usually keep up with that kind of stuff.”

  “Turns out one of Crux’s bastard demons was on it. Another mate of mine is the scout who scanned him and the man with him. The other guy wasn’t infected, so he grabbed him and brought him back, thinking he was doing him a favor. He gets him back, delivers him to Haas, who starts asking him if he’s okay, where he came from, that sort of thing. Then the guy insists that the demon isn’t a demon and they should go back to help him. Crazy, right?”

  Caleb smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds completely insane.”

  “I’m telling you, if I ever get a shot at that demon, I would shove a wrench so far up his tail he’d crap iron for a month. Tyson was a good friend of mine. We joined the Corps together. I hear he didn’t make it back.”

  “That’s rough,” Caleb said. “My condolences.”

  “Not the first friend I’ve lost to the Legion, and it won’t be the last. But thank you. I hope they at least recover his body.”

  A guilty pang clenched Caleb’s stomach, eliciting a wave of pain from his gunshot wounds. He did his best to hide the sudden fire in his gut. “I hope so, too. You said you were in the Guardian Corps?”

  “For twelve years. I’d still be in, but nowadays they need me to fix stuff more than they need me to kill stuff.” He laughed. “Anyway, I’ve got to get going. If you want to see them dose the traitor, it’s being done publicly in the grand chamber. If you hurry, you can still make it in time. I’d go, but I’ve got a reactor to fix.”

  “Where do I find the grand chamber?”

  The mechanic raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know where the chamber is?”

  “I’m an autopsy assistant. I spend most of my time shuttling between sickbay, the morgue, the mess, the head, and my rack.”

  “I feel you. Take the lift to Deck Six, double back amidships and turn left to reach the port side linkage. That leads directly into the tunnels. The grand chamber is straight ahead from there. Probably eighty percent of the community will be there, the sick bastards. Just follow the crowd, you won’t be able to miss it.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate your help.”

  “It’s funny, we’ve been hiding out here for months and I’ve never crossed paths with you before.”

  “It’s a big ship. I don’t know everyone, either.”

  The mechanic dropped his toolbag to put out his palm. “Dwayne.”

  Caleb took the offered hand. “Jack.”

  “Good to meet you, Jack,” Dwayne said, his grip firm as he shook Caleb’s hand.

  “I guess I’ll—”

  Both his and Caleb’s heads turned as the hatch at the far end of the passageway opened. The autopsy assistant he had knocked out stumbled through, dressed only in his underwear, the hazmask discarded. He had a huge welt on his forehead, and the beginnings of a black eye. When he saw Caleb, he pointed, his face flushing. “Infected! Demon! Stop him!”

  Dwayne’s attention turned back to Caleb, tightening his grip so Caleb couldn’t pull his hand away. Any hint of cordiality vanished in an instant.

  Damn. How did he recover so quickly? Caleb wondered.

  Who cares? This guy’s boots are as good as ours.

  CHAPTER 36

  All of Dwayne’s earlier friendliness was gone, his expression instantly furious. He held Caleb’s hand tightly, trying to restrain him as he swung the wrench at his head.

  Caleb pulled back on Dwayne’s arm, using the man’s grip to tug him off balance, the wrench just missing his head. Caleb cracked his elbow into the mechanic’s chin, knocking his head sideways, the blow powerful enough to break Dwayne’s hold on his hand. As he slipped away, Caleb glanced toward the nurse, who seemed to be heading straight for a particular hatch.

  There were no comms units in the morgue. I bet there’s one through that door.

  Caleb needed to stop the man before he could raise an alarm. The toolbag Dwayne had dropped on the floor caught his attention.

  Dwayne squared off with him. “You son of a bitch. I’m going to kill you.”

  “I’ve already been there today,” Caleb replied. “It didn’t stick.”

  He faked a couple moves toward the mechanic, convincing Dwayne to attack. Ducking sideways, Caleb scooped up the toolbag before using it to block Dwayne’s incoming wrench. The force sent a painful shockwave up Caleb’s arms, all the way to his shoulders. He managed to hold onto the bag, turning it to tangle the wrench in the handles. He tugged the bag toward him, again jerking Dwayne off-balance. The mechanic let go of the wrench, turning his fall into a two-handed lunge at Caleb. Stepping aside, Caleb rushed forward, desperate to reach the nurse before he reached the door. Caleb knew that if the man made it into the room, it would be all over for both he and Ham, and possibly Marley, too.

  Dwayne crashed into him, catching him around the waist and lifting him off the ground. He slammed him face down on the floor, creating fresh bursts of agony from the still-healing wounds in his stomach and back. The mechanic tried to drop onto him, but Caleb bucked him off, flipping over to wrap his feet around the man’s neck.Grunting, he twisted him down to his knees. He pulled back one leg and kicked him in the face. The man’s head flew to the side as he stumbled back, blood spewing from his mouth and nose.

  Caleb threw himself toward the bag, stretching out just far enough to grab the wrench before Dwayne seized his ankle in an iron grip. Caleb tore the wrench free of the bag and swung it back at Dwayne. The mechanic let out a howl of rage and pain as Caleb nailed him in the wrist. Caleb broke free, picking up the bag as he scrambled to his feet.

  Dwayne crouched like a raging bull in front of him. Caleb threw the toolbag at him, more as a distraction than an effort to take him out of the fight. His major concern now was the doctor’s assistant, the door to the compartment he was so eager to enter beginning to slide open. He used Dwayne’s dodge as an opportunity to scoot past him, getting beyond the mechanic’s reach before he could recover.

  Too late to waylay him in the corridor—the man was already through the door and into the compartment—Caleb got there when the door was well on its way to sliding shut. He had just enough of an opening left to jam the wrench end-to-end between the door and its frame, stopping the door in its tracks. He had barely enough space to squeeze through.

  Just as the nurse reached for an intercom mounted on the wall, Caleb caught hold of his shoulder and spun him around. A right hook to his jaw laid him out cold on the floor, but not before Dwayne was at the door. Too husky to slide through the available opening, Dwayne powered the door open, grabbing the wrench as he rushed in.

  Caleb had just enough time to throw his fist into the intercom, smashing the cover and the circuit board behind it. He hit the circuitry a second time to be sure it was toast before whirling back toward the charging Dwayne, wrench raised over his head, his features twisted in a murderous rage.

  “Wait!” Caleb cried, putting his hands up. “Please!”

  Dwayne obviously didn’t expect Caleb’s sudden surrender. He held up his attack, staring in confusion at him.

  “I could have killed him in the morgue,” Caleb said, pointing at the man on the floor. “I didn’t. I didn’t hurt the doctor either. I only knocked her out. I didn’t kill Sergeant Tyson. He swallowed his poison pill when I tried to talk to him. I shot two members of his unit, but I didn’t know who they were or whose side they were on. All I knew was that they were trying to kill me, and I regret I had to kill them. I know now that Crux and his Legion are hunting you. I know you think I’m your enemy because I’m bonded to a khoron—”

  Advocate.

  Caleb rolled his eyes, otherwise ignoring Ish. “So I understand why you want me dead. But all I’ve been asking for is a chance to be heard. For someone to stop being afraid just long enough to listen to me. Private Marley listened, and she decided to help me. If you’ll listen, you might choose to do the same. Please.”

  Dwayne continued glaring at him. Tense seconds passed as Caleb waited for him to decide what to do.

  “I don’t believe you,” Dwayne said at last, muscles tensing to bring the wrench down in a fatal blow.

  “Dwayne, wait!” the man on the floor cried out.

  It took more effort for him to hold back his strike this time, but the mechanic paused, only taking his attention off Caleb long enough to glance down at the man. “What? Are you serious, Merrick?”

  “Just wait a second,” he repeated, bracing a hand on the deck and slowly rising to his feet. Looking pale, he put two fingers to the lump at his temple, his eyebrow flexing before he turned his eyes to Caleb and then looked back at Dwayne. “I’m not saying I trust him, but he’s right. He could have killed Doctor Ling and me back in the morgue. He didn’t. And it couldn’t be because he wants to infect us. He was naked, Dwayne. He didn’t…he doesn’t have any khoron on him, other than the one bonded to him. And it’s a different kind of symbiote than I’ve ever seen before. I think he’s different, Dwayne. I don’t know what it means yet, but I made a promise to do no harm. What if he’s telling the truth and we kill him without listening to him?”

  Keeping the wrench raised, Dwayne returned his attention to Caleb. “I don’t know. This could all be a trick. The last assassin that went after the Empress got close by infecting a palace servant. Jack here could have some other trick up his sleeve.”

  Caleb groaned in frustration. “Weren’t you listening? I was naked when I got to the morgue. Nowhere to hide anything. Yes, I’m carrying a symbiote. There’s no secret in that.” He jerked his shirt up and raised his arm, showing Ish to Dwayne. “You ever seen or heard of a khoron bonded to the outside of someone’s body? Ishek is different. He’s a more advanced form of khoron, an Advocate. He’s more intelligent and free-thinking. He’s been with me for five years. If we’re separated, we both die. If he dies, I die. If I die, he dies, so he heals my wounds. Makes me stronger than a normal man. Prolongs my life. We operate together toward the same objectives. My objectives.” He dropped his arm and shirt back down.

  I beg to differ.

  “He’s even able to block his collux from detection to keep me alive.”

  Maybe I should rethink that.

  Shut up, Ish.

  “Wait a minute. Are you saying Crux doesn’t know you’re here?” Merrick asked.

  “No, I’m not saying that. Ishek and I shot down a Nightmare. Crux knows something out of the ordinary is happening here, and he’s bound to send ships this way to find out what. Look, it’s a long story, and I’d prefer to tell it once, directly to the Empress. If you want to bind my hands, then do it. If you want to give me a battalion-sized escort, fine. I need to speak to her before Haas kills my friend.”

  “I’m not letting you near Her Majesty,” Dwayne said, finally wiping some of the blood off his face and swiping it off on the thigh of his coveralls. “Maybe I’ll let you talk to the General.”

  “No. I already tried that. He refused to listen.”

  “And what makes you think she will?” Merrick asked.

  “Because it’s obvious how much she cares about her people, that she’s still trying to fight, even in the jaws of defeat. She needs an edge, and I might just be that edge. But she’ll never know if nobody will let me present my case to her.”

  “If you aren’t lying...”

  “I’m not. Even if I were, what’s the worst that could happen? Crux is on his way. He’ll find her and kill her here on Galatin, or he’ll barricade the planet, jam communications, and use it as her prison. Either way, she’ll lose contact with the people loyal to her, and in time they’ll give up hope. And Crux will win. I don’t know him. Never met him. But I’m positive I don’t want that to happen.”

  “I don’t know,” Dwayne said. “If we help you, Haas might brand us as traitors, too. Next thing you know, we’ll be getting dosed along with your friend.”

  “If you help me, I might be able to help you fight back against Crux. If you don’t help me, one way or another, you’re definitely going to lose. Isn’t it worth a conversation?”

  Both men considered it. Dwayne glanced at Merrick. “He’s got a point. We never planned to hide here forever, but it does seem like everyone’s been getting a little too comfortable lately. I have some wire in engineering we can use to bind his wrists.”

  Merrick nodded. “I’m going to need my scrubs back if I want to move through the ship without getting undue attention. I can get you a pair of your own from sickbay.”

  Caleb stripped off the man’s scrubs, unashamed to stand naked in front of the two men.

  “You’re bleeding,” Merrick commented, looking curious. “I could have sworn that wound was bigger twenty minutes ago.”

  Caleb glanced down at his stomach. “It was.” The wound had opened just enough for blood to ooze from the damaged skin. “Maybe you can bring me some bandages, too.”

  “I thought you said your symbiote heals you,” Dwayne said.

  “He does, but he’s a little drained at the moment. Bringing me back from death’s door pretty much sapped him.” Caleb said, handing the scrubs back to Merrick.

  “You bled all over the inside of the shirt, but at least it didn’t go through the material.”

  “Are you sure you want to put that on?” Dwayne asked. “It may be infected somehow.”

  It doesn’t work like that.

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Merrick echoed Ish as he pulled his scrubs back on and started for the door.

  Caleb stopped him with a hand to his arm. “I take it I can trust you not to sound an alarm. Haas won’t give me a chance. I don’t blame him, but it would be a mistake.”

  “I’m going to sickbay to get you some clothes. That’s all.” Caleb nodded to him, releasing his arm, and he left the room, letting the compartment door close behind him.

  Dwayne considered Caleb for a moment after Merrick left, finally exhaling sharply. “I assume your name isn’t Jack.”

  “No,” Caleb replied. “Captain Caleb Card, Centurion Space Force Marines.”

  “Not just a Marine, but an officer.” He stiffened to attention. “Sir.” Smiling, he relaxed his posture. “That explains a lot. I was in the Corps long enough to know you’re a better fighter than I ever was. You could have killed both me and Merrick with your hands tied behind your back, if that’s what you wanted. You’re having trouble managing your objectives because you’re holding back. And there’s only one reason you would do that.”