Virtues of War Read Free Page B

original ark ships that had colonized the system, two centuries ago.
    Her mind raced as she tried to decide what to do next. Doubt led to frustration, which gnawed at her. She should have anticipated this, and already been thinking ahead.
    Chang watched her. “Shall we do the children, too, ma’am?”
    “Yes,” she replied. “Gently.”
    She was thankful to Chang for providing her with a moment to think. No one actually thought that the spy was a child, but she needed to consider her options without appearing indecisive.
    Intel had suggested where the weapons were hidden, but her main priority was to capture the Centauri agent. There were plenty of buildings to hide in, but with so few troopers it would take hours to search them, and leave too many opportunities for escape. Questioning the locals might provide information, but if these people were actively cooperating with the Centauris, they would lie through their teeth—unless properly motivated.
    Pushing aside her uncertainty, she issued her orders.
    “Bravo-One, we’ll start interrogating the detainees. Alpha-Two team, Bravo-Two team, start searching the greenhouses. Alpha-Three and Bravo-Three team up and give them a hand. Alpha-Two, you coordinate.”
    The troopers moved to comply. Katja and Chang circled the detainees for a moment, then Katja pointed wordlessly at an older man. According to the briefing Cerberans revered their elders, and she figured this would have maximum impact. Chang grabbed him by the collar, hauled him to his feet, and gripped him tightly.
    The man’s tanned skin was weathered and his posture stooped. His lean face sagged under a halo of white hair. Blue eyes of surprising brilliance stared up in fear. On Earth, Katja would have guessed him to be over a hundred, but life under Sirius was known to be hard. For all she knew, this wretch might not even be old enough to be her father.
    She leaned in close. With her black, armored suit and visored helmet, the only human part of her that was visible was the bottom half of her face. She forced her lips into a smile—an alarming display of humanity in the midst of overwhelming technology.
    “You understand me, don’t you?”
    The man nodded.
    “What’s your name?”
    “Thapa, ma’am.”
    “Now we’re friends,” she said. “And friends help each other, don’t they Thapa?”
    He stared at the ground.
    “Don’t they, Thapa?”
    He nodded.
    “There’s a person on your farm that we need to talk to. I don’t know his or her name, but maybe you do. This person is from a place called Centauria. Do you know who I’m talking about?”
    A voice sounded in Katja’s ear.
    “This is Alpha-Three, suspect, greenhouse four.”
    Chang answered immediately.
“Bravo-One, roger. Interrogate.”
    There was already someone present at the farm beyond what they’d expected. Excitement fluttered in her gut, but outwardly Katja’s expression and tone didn’t change. She leaned in toward her prisoner.
    “Do you know who I’m talking about, Thapa?”
    Thapa shook his head.
    “I’m disappointed, Thapa,” she said. “I thought we were friends.”
    “This is Alpha-Three, negative suspect.”
False alarm.
“Continuing search.”
    “Bravo-One, roger.”
    Katja’s excitement slid into frustration at the report of the false alarm. Time was short before news of the raid reached the local warlords; she needed to speed this up.
    Her armored fist smashed into Thapa’s jaw, sending him staggering backward against Chang’s bulk. She grabbed the long strands of his hair and turned him so he could see the lines of prone detainees.
    “Point at one of these people, Thapa,” she instructed him. “Any one will do.”
    With a hand visibly shaking, Thapa indicated a man three people away.
    Katja hefted her rifle, fighting down the inner qualms that threatened her conscience. “Tell me about the person from Centauria, Thapa, or I’ll shoot the man you just pointed at.”
    Thapa swallowed, and spoke with a