Halden stared at the man in the chair, wondering if he’d heard right.

“Treason?” he asked.

“Well, yes. Of course. How else would you avenge your daughter? We want the same thing, you and I, professor. We both want to see the tyrant pulled off his throne. And we can help each other.”

The scientist grunted. “And tossing people into a cell is your way of making allies?”

A smile—though there was no humor in it.

“We want things to be very clear between us, professor. Crystal clear. Because, you see, we will be asking you to do certain things which you might find... how can I put this? Unpalatable. You will, however, do these things regardless.”

“I will?”

The man made a wide gesture.

“Look around you, Prof. Roche. Do you enjoy this cell? Consider how easy it was for us to grab you and toss you in here. Do you think we would have any difficulty doing so again? Disobey us, and your stay here will be more permanent. Not to mention much more unpleasant. And if that is not enough incentive... Think of Rees. Think of Marthus. I know Marthus is no longer your friend, but you still care for his children, do you not? I’m sure you would not want them to suffer a similar fate to your daughter’s. Though I suppose there would be some karmic justice to it.”

“Don’t you dare—”

“You misunderstand, professor. You no longer have a choice. You no longer have control. You belong to us now. Do as you’re told or suffer the consequences. Do you understand?”

Halden grimaced. “So it’s not an ally you want, it’s a slave.”

A dismissive gesture. “Call it as you will. So long as you are clear on what we expect of you. Namely, obedience.”

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The scientist laughed again. The other frowned.

“You find this amusing?”

“Very. You say the Emperor is a tyrant and you want him off the throne. But your methods are not much better. I’d argue they are worse. So who will replace him? I doubt your master would be any less of a tyrant if his methods are any indication. Just switching from one monster to another.”

The stranger grunted. “Do not press your luck, Prof. Roche, you would not like the outcome. Work with us and you will find my ‘master,’ as you put it, to be quite a generous one. This...” He gestured again at the room around them. “This is only a message. To make sure we understand each other. Do we understand each other?”

“Oh, very much so.”

“Splendid.” The man tapped on his wristpad and Halden heard a click from his shackles. They opened and fell to the floor. “Come. There is food waiting for you in another room.” The stranger stood, turned, and headed out.

Halden rubbed his wrists as he got to his feet. He considered rushing the man and pummeling him to the ground, just to release all that pent-up anger on some deserving target. Caution stayed his hand and as he stepped into the hall, he realized he had been right to be careful. Two burly men stood nearby, watching him like hawks.

The one who had spoken to him had stopped at an open door and was waiting for him with a quirked brow. He motioned for him to go in.

Inside, Halden found a table covered with food. Four more guards stood there, one in each corner.

“If we’re going to work together,” he said as he headed for a chair, “don’t you think I should at least know your name?”

The other shrugged. “You can call me Nuj.”

“And what of your master? What’s his name?”

“Master will do just fine.”

Halden snorted as he sat and grabbed a glass of zestri. “Wonderful. So what do you want me to do? Might as well give it up already.”

“There will be several missions, professor. The first is a simple matter of delivering a package. You must do this before you leave for the Tin’kisti Belt.”

The scientist nearly choked on his drink.

“How do you know about that?” he asked. “I didn’t give that detail to Marthus.”

The other man smiled. “You think that bug in his glider is the only one we’ve planted?”

“Fine. But why do you need me to deliver a package? There are professionals who do it for a living, you know.”

“No questions asked, professor. That’s a must if we are to have a healthy relationship. Now, I will leave you to your meal. You must be famished. When you are done, these gentlemen will take you to a gateway. They’ll also give you the package and the address where you are to deliver it. You will then return here through the same gateway. They will then drop you home. Simple, isn’t it?”

Without another word, Nuj turned and walked out.