Day Two of NaNoWriMo. 718 words.
Zy stared at the ground. She didn’t want him around because she would be responsible, but if she didn’t let him serve she would be responsible for his death. Holmes and Watson didn’t have that kind of relationship, and she didn’t even want a partner. There has to be a way to get him back to his people. You can’t pick up companions like stray puppies. Best to treat him the same as any other witness. “So Mylte, what did you do for Cobaine?”
“I protected him. Master had great caution for his life, though lately it had gone extreme.”
“Paranoia?”
“Yes, though I suppose it was justifiable in hindsight.”
“When did the caution change to paranoia?”
“Almost five months ago.”
“Local months?”
“Yes. Why does that matter?”
“Possatact, Ifeket, and Corbaine were involved and now they’re all dead. Maybe we can figure out what made him jumpy, we have a possibility into why they were killed.” Zy pulled her knees close and rested her chin on them. “Course, it’s equally possible that these murders are unrelated, but I don’t think so. Ifeket’s and Cobaine’s were both self-inflicted laser pistol wounds and then the gun disappeared—implying that someone was there to take it. In Cobaine’s case, someone a whole room ful of people could not see. Possatact’s head explodes for no reason and someone was there to watch it, but left no clue as to who he, she, or it was.” She looked back at Mylte. “Does that make sense?”
“Complicated, but subtle. Most killers are not subtle in Master’s world. Cunning to keep from being caught, but not subtle.”
“I know. Makes me think X wanted to play with them, torture them.”
Mylte’s head tilted as he looked down at her. “X? Who is X?”
“X is how you refer to the killer until you know who it is.”
“Why not just the killer?”
“X is quicker to write down.”
Mylte didn’t say anything to that, just turned and looked at the sky between the mountains. The familiar whine of engines grew louder. The silver of the saucer flashed sunlight as it slowly hovered into view. It moved over the cregs of the mountains. Zy stood up, and moved closer to the building. It moved slowly, but still kicked up the dust as it settled on the landing struts. Zy shielded her eyes.
The ramp slid out perpendicular to the door of the building. Zy grinned as she went in. “Perfectly executed, Sara.”
“Thank you, Agent Zy.”
Zy caught Mylte trailing after her and looking for the source of the voice. “Sarabel is the model computer that runs the saucer. I call her Sara for short. We’ve got a passanger for a while. His name is Mylte.”
“Greetings, Mylte. Or do you prefer another form of address?”
“Mylte is fine.” He turned to Zy. “What would you have me do now, Mistress?”
“First, we get you a bunk set up. Then we’re going to investigate.”
Zy was loathe to admit it, but Mylte was coming in handy. He could deliver the analyzerbot without gagging or vomitting or otherwise ruining what evidence was left. Though he had done a far job of ruining it by setting up the neverending wake.
She needed to find some more of Cobaine’s ex-employees to corraborate Mylte’s story. How to do that when they could have ran to any planet’s seamy side, no answers were forthcoming. So she turned to seeing what the throne room had left to tell.
Laser blast residue on the wall behind the throne. Sara calculated that it fit the trajectory of the blast that went through Corbaine. And the angle of the shot through Corbaine’s temple was consistant with a self-inflected wound. And correlating what was known of this Rvana 8’s inscects and how long it took them to grow, Corbaine had been dead for about sixty Standard days. The arid climate and Mylte’s constant care kept the worse decomposure away.
She pulled up a calander. Ifeket was killed 3.4.1012. Corbaine was killed on or about 14.2.1012, before she infiltrated Ifeket’s organization. Corbaine was killed first. When did that meeting take place between all thress of them? It was the end of last year, and Xeryl hadn’t known anything about it.
Corbaine was killed two months ago and nobody found out? His ex-employees didn’t say anything? Zy wouldn’t normally credit them with being so closed-mouth. Maybe it had something to do with the demon rumor.
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