Chaos Space - Marianne de Pierres [63]
Mira began hesitantly but found momentum in the reliving of her story and the presence of a sympathetic ear. She told Mianos most things—except for Marchella’s part in the events and Trin’s final act. When she had finally exhausted herself she sat, hunched and miserable, wishing for sleep or any type of oblivion.
Sophos Mianos took her hand and patted it for long moments until she grew uncomfortable and withdrew it.
‘Would you care for refreshments, my dear?’ he asked gently.
‘Th-thank you,’ Mira stammered. His refined manner was almost jarring after so long with the mercenaries.
They sat in an awkward silence until a menial bought a jug of iced water. Mira drank hers quickly but Latourn refused, frowning at her.
When the menial had removed the tray, another one appeared with a plate of meats and pastries which he placed in front of the Sophos. With a sigh and an innocent smile, Mianos tucked a serviette over his robe and began to eat. Between mouthfuls he began to ask questions.
Mira could not concentrate due to the smell of the marinated meats and the look of the honeyed cakes.
Her exhausted mind struggled to answer Mianos, for his questions seemed designed to trip up her logic and confuse her recollection.
She began to realise that though his skin was soft and his eyes gentle, Sophos Mianos was neither of those things. He continued to eat with a fastidiousness that could only have been intentional—fussing over the tiny scraps of fat and drips of meat juice, never once offering food to Mira or Latourn.
‘Tell me again, Baronessa, why the Principe’s heir provided you with transport to escape, while he stayed on?’ he asked.
Behind the Sophos one of the masked soldiers moved restlessly as though he too was impatient with proceedings.
Mianos turned and scowled at him: a fierce, quelling look.
Mira forced herself to speak. ‘I have explained, Sophos Mianos. The young Principe Pellegrini chose to stay to lead the survivors to a safe place. Our fleet had been destroyed—only the biozoon remained. He told me where it had been hidden. He knew—’
‘He knew what, Baronessa?’
She hesitated before continuing. ‘He knew that I was the only one who could fly her.’
Sophos Mianos put his fork down on his plate and blinked. ‘Are you telling me that you—a woman—have the Innate gene?’
Mira clung to her erect posture despite the dreadful fatigue flooding her body. ‘Si.’
‘But you cannot—’
‘Si, Sophos. But it has happened—a freak of nature, perhaps, but undeniable.’
Mianos threw his napkin down on his meat scraps and stood. He paced a few steps as if the knowledge of Mira’s talent had somehow changed things.
He turned to her. ‘What is it that you expect OLOSS to do?’
‘Trinder Pellegrini said that you would lend humanesquetarian aid. That the OLOSS charter meant that you would intervene on behalf of the Ciprianos.’
Mianos paused, plucking at his soft hairless chin. ‘Indeed, our accord protects worlds from such atrocities—but these things are never simple matters. An investigation and recommendation will need to be made to the OLOSS secretariat before any intervention can occur.’
‘But how long will that take?’ Mira cried.
‘I cannot answer that precisely. You will be notified when a decision has been reached. In the meantime, OLOSS will need to isolate and examine the biozoon. We will of course provide supervised accommodation for you on Scolar while the decision is pending.’
Isolate the biozoon. Supervised accommodation ... Blood thundered in Mira’s ears. ‘No!’ She rose hastily from her seat and stepped back towards the connecting matrix. Latourn did the same.
‘Politic!’ snapped Mianos at the three guards.
Two of them reacted immediately, bringing their weapons to bear on Mira and Latourn. The other, though, pulled his weapon from its holster and threw it towards his fellow guards. The impact when it hit the ground caused it to discharge and one of them fell to the floor, wounded.
The now-unarmed guard cried aloud—a childish, frightened noise. Then he rushed at