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Cain, while I understand your forces suffered some unanticipated casualties, may I point out that your losses for the entire campaign were still extremely light.  Perhaps this platoon was careless in rounding up the Karelian stragglers and was taken by surprise and wiped out.”  Akeem had an irritating voice, and it wasn’t doing anything to improve Cain’s mood.
    Cain stared back at the Raschidan commander with molten eyes.  Careful, you inbred piece of rat shit .  “My soldiers are not careless, General.”  Cain saw Akeem twitch uncomfortably, an irritated look crossing his face.  You want me to call you Lord Akeem, but that is never going to happen, asshole .  “There is something unexplained here, and I have no intention of going anywhere, not while there is the slightest chance my troopers are alive.”  He paused.  “That is to your benefit, as well, since you will have to administer Karelia when we do leave.”  And anything that can wipe out fifty of my people can obliterate half of your pathetic little army .
    Cain could see Akeem was fighting to control his anger.  He’d have found the whole thing laughable if he hadn’t been so focused on his lost platoon.  If Akeem decided to bet that he was untouchable, the pompous ass was in for a rude awakening.  Cain would drop the Raschidan general in a heartbeat, and the Emir would accept his utterly insincere regrets before he’d make an enemy out of the Black Eagles.  Skulk back to your headquarters, Akeem…stay alive.
    “But fifty soldiers?”  Akeem sounded genuinely confused as well as annoyed.  “I cannot imagine what your continued operation is costing.”  He paused.  “The planet is pacified.  Per the contract, we are no longer responsible for your expenses.  Why would you remain here at such cost over fifty soldiers?”
    Cain felt a rush of anger, but it was quickly overwhelmed by disgust.  Akeem wasn’t worth his rage.  “I do not expect you to understand this, Akeem, but I do not place a monetary value on my soldiers’ lives.  Death in battle is a hazard of our trade, but when I lose Eagles, I know why.  Always.  And there is something going on here that I do not understand.  Yet.”  There was a cold edge to his voice, a non-verbal message.  Get the hell out of my headquarters.  Now.
    Akeem didn’t look satisfied, but he took the hint.  “I will be in my command post,” he grunted, and he turned and walked away.
    Cain was already ignoring the Raschidan commander.  He was deep in thought, going over everything he knew about the missing platoon.  They’d been approaching the river when they had last reported in.  A few minutes later, the command post lost their signals.  Something must have jammed their com, because there had been no warning, nothing.  One instant their transponders were relaying their locations per normal procedure, and the next they were gone.  And by the time the scouting party arrived to investigate, there was nothing left but a few scattered signs of fighting.
    The Karelians didn’t have anything like jammers that powerful.  If they had, they’d have used them in Petersburg where they could have seriously messed with his forces.  Even if he considered the possibility that it was a Karelian force that had attacked his Eagles—something that still didn’t pass the smell test—they had used weapons and equipment he knew damned well the locals didn’t possess.  No matter how he looked at it, there was tech at play that had come from someplace else, even if Karelian soldiers had pulled the triggers.
    “Erik!” he called out to the anteroom.  “You out there?”
    “Here, General.”  Teller came rushing through the door.  He rarely used rank when addressing Cain, usually calling his childhood friend by his first name.  But the Raschidan commander had just left, and Teller was always crisp and proper around Cain in front of outsiders.  The less trusted the visitor, the more