His rancid breath was hot on her face. “I will pull the trigger right now, you stubborn bitch, I swear I will!”
Kalie gasped as the pulser dug deeper into her skin.
Krii’s hand shook on the pulser.
Oh, gods, ohgods, she was going to die.
“There will be war,” she wheezed. Sweat dripped down her face, stinging her eyes and leaving a salty tang on her tongue. “You see it, don’t you? Kill me, and—and Dali will declare war on Carik?—”
Krii went rigid.
She’d meant it as an idle threat. Dali was one of the wealthiest worlds in the Federation, but it was only one planet against a tyrant who ruled hundreds of star systems. They wouldn’t stand a chance. But the Admiral’s lips pinched into a thin line, and his skin blanched.
He couldn’t actually fear war, could he?
But Krii stood there, his finger hovering on the trigger, hardly breathing…
Kalie’s eyes widened.
It wasn’t Dali he was afraid of, and it wasn’t her death that would trigger war.
“The—the whole Federation loved Marcus Pool. The people think Carik ki—killed him—” Krii dug his pulser into her rib cage. Cursing herself for her stammer, Kalie raised her free hand in surrender. “They’re rioting, Admiral. The passengers on theChimaerasaw me alive. If I die now, in your custody, it’ll confirm the Federation killed my family.”
“Or it’ll confirm you’re a murderer who tried to escape custody.”
Kalie trembled, but she forced her voice to stay steady. “Do you want to take that chance? With Carik’s history, I think the odds are in my favor.”
Krii twitched, but he didn’t speak.
She loosed a shaking breath. He hadn’t pulled the trigger yet, so she had to be on the right track.
“Governor Roth knows I’m alive. If I die, he and my father will declare war, and I wager all of Sector Four and beyond would rise against Carik. Are your forces prepared to withstand that?”
The room had gone deathly silent, save for the blood rushing in Kalie’s ears. A vein popped out in Krii’s neck. Rage contorted his features, but he didn’t shoot.
She could see the fire and fury Father and Uncle Jerran would rain down on Carik. Sectors Four through Eight easily numbered five hundred planets, most of which had suffered under Carik’s elitist reign. The planets that supported Carik in Sectors One and Two didn’t even number a hundred and fifty; even if Sector Three threw its weight behind Carik, he would be fighting an uphill battle.
Others would lead the charge. Her death would have a greater impact than anything she could accomplish while she lived.
But as his pulser dug into her ribs, a whimper escaped her.
She didn’t want to die.
She wanted to watch a Dalian sunset again. To see her friends one last time.
His finger twitched on the trigger, and Kalie flinched, squeezing her eyes shut.
Krii shoved her into her chair.
Sinking into the thin cushion, Kalie pressed a trembling hand to her heart.
Krii’s footsteps thundered across the room as he paced. Sweat shone on his creased forehead, and he swiped it away, glancing at the cameras.
He was afraid of whoever was watching them.
Carik.
Kalie straightened in her chair. Of course Krii was afraid. He was on his way out, if recent intelligence was anything to go by.
