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“Listen,” Doug practically whispered. “I saw you throw yourself on the captain when the bomb went off, so I understand your stance on Norlon relations. We’d really like to show the public that you’re on their side.”
That’s what he thought I had done? I knew I’d run for Py, but had protecting him been any part of my motivation? Because I’d been pretty sure I wanted someone to protect me. And now I really didn’t want to admit that.
“But Santos here is, uh, spinning things a bit?—”
“Oh, I know,” I said a little breathlessly before clearing my throat. “I spoke to him the day it happened. He’s, um, not going to like me being here.”
Doug nodded, studying me. He didn’t look any more sure that I could handle this than I felt myself. But dammit I had to speak up. I couldn’t let Brett or anyone else on my father’s team lie about what he’d done. I had to do this.
“Screw it,” I said. “I’m here to tell the truth.”
CHAPTER 8
OWEN
Predictably, Brett got mad the second he noticed me, and then he demanded to talk to Doug without me being able to hear them. I felt bad letting Doug handle it, but the rest of me was hoping Brett might storm off and that would be the end of it. I’d seen opposition interviews where they brought on people representing two sides of a serious issue. I had a feeling that was what they wanted to do with me and Brett.
Soon enough, I discovered I was right.
While someone toned down the shine of my skin and another person put a mic on me, Ashley quietly explained her vision.
“We have about ten minutes of Doug and Santos, but I’m willing to scrap it all to have you tell your side and get his reactions.” She looked over her shoulder at the empty space where Brett had been before staring at me again. “I have a feeling this could get volatile, but it’s not live and we’ll cut it if he goes too far.”
I gulped, having not realized live might’ve been an option and now wondering what “too far” might mean. I was sure Brett was against Norlons, but could he blow something up, too? At least he was down there where they weren’t.
Ashley was studying me again, so I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
She looked relieved as she smiled and gave me a double thumbs-up before moving behind the cameras. Directed to a chair by yet another crew member, I noticed that Ensign Codisin was still in the room and the only Norlon present. Were they more than my escort? Were they maybe a bodyguard, too? Even though Brett wasn’t even on the ship, I felt a little better knowing Ensign Codisin might whisk me from the room if things got dangerous.
That fantasy would be even better if it was Py doing the whisking, of course.
“Okay, Owen,” Doug said, “we’re ready for you.”
On the screen, Brett’s expression went from frowning menace to sparkling smile. There was the smooth operator who’d once coerced a younger me into giving him a blowjob so that he could confirm my sexuality to my father and remove me as part of the campaign. Strangely, seeing Brett in professional douche mode had a calming effect on me and I sat down in the indicated seat with a smile of my own.
Doug did introductory things like he was kicking off a show before turning his attention to me. “While we have the scene on film, I’d like to get your take on what happened that day. Can you tell me what you experienced, Owen?”
“Well,” Brett interrupted, “like all of us, Owen was justifiably startled by?—”
“I’m sorry,” Doug jumped in, “but I’d like to hear from Owen.”
I waited a few heartbeats for Brett to push back, but he simply smiled again, like a viper waiting to strike. My building hatred for him made me brave.
“At first,” I said, “I was caught up in how amazing it was to be on a spaceship. I’m still struck by moments of disbelief that this is all real.”
Doug chuckled. “Same. It trips you up now and then.”
“It does, yeah. So when I walked down the shuttle’s ramp, I was staring all around me, taking everything in as fast as I could.” I gulped as the memories hit hard. “And then my father said?—”
“Allegedly said,” Brett snapped.
I frowned at him. “That he said ‘Humans First’ is a fact, not a rumor. The whole thing was recorded.” And I may not have watched it, but I was sure it had been playing on every news station the world over on a damn loop.
Brett shook his head. “Those recordings could’ve been doctored by any number of bad actors.”
“What? I was there! I heard him say Humans First?—”
“No, that’s not?—”
