Read This Day All Gods Die for Free Online

aura frying under the intensity of the director's IR sight.
    "Explain," Warden demanded.
    Hashi shrugged; smiled. The risk he took pleased him: it might prod Warden to reveal more of his intentions. The director could stop him if he went too far.
    He directed his words and his gamble at Warden, although they were superficially meant for Koina and Mandich.
    "Director Hannish and Chief Mandich have perhaps not been informed that our Angus Thermopyle, Isaac ne Joshua, has escaped forbidden space with a remarkable combination of companions. In particular I refer to Morn Hyland, first Captain Thermopyle's victim, then Captain Succorso's.
    "This is an unexpected development for several reasons.
    On your direct orders, Isaac's datacore was explicitly written to preclude the possibility that he might save Ensign Hyland's life." Then Warden had switched that datacore for another; a new set of instructions. But this secret was Warden's to reveal or hide: Hashi had no intention of exposing it. He only used it to put pressure on the director. "She is—
    or has been—
    thought
    dangerous to our purposes. Only a strange, unforeseeable sequence of events could have led to her presence aboard Trumpet:'
    "What 'purposes'?" Koina asked quickly; intently.
    Hashi ignored her to concentrate on Warden.
    "In addition," he continued, "we have reason to suspect that she has been a prisoner of the Amnion, delivered to them by Captain Succorso to gain some end we can hardly imagine.
    Thus it is doubly strange that she now accompanies our Captain Thermopyle. Did she escape? If so, how? Was she released? If so, why?"
    The DA director was not entirely prepared to surrender his hypothesis that Morn might be a type of genetic kaze: ruin aimed at the UMCP. Angus had rescued Morn—
    privately
    Warden had admitted as much—
    but that didn't erase other
    possibilities.
    Warden frowned as Hashi finished. For a long moment he kept his grip on Hashi's eyes: he may have been searching to find out how much Hashi knew—
    or guessed. Then he nodded.
    "I'll keep that in mind."
    "Forgive me, Director," Koina put in insistently. She remained almost motionless in her seat, yet she gave the impression that she'd risen to her feet. A low tremor flawed her tone without softening her manner. "Director Lebwohl said 'purposes.' 'Our purposes.' In what sense is it conceivable that Ensign Hyland could be a threat to any purpose of ours?
    "I heard Director Lebwohl tell the Council why we let Captain Succorso have her. I didn't like that, but this sounds a lot worse. She's one of our people. Why in God's name would a UMCP cyborg's datacore be 'explicitly written to preclude'
    rescuing her? I would have said that violates our purposes more than anything she might say or do."

    No doubt Min Donner would have approved Koina's objection. To the extent that he was capable of thinking clearly, Chief Mandich surely felt the same. Nevertheless Hashi was not swayed by it. Deliberately he pushed his glasses up on his nose. The smear of the unnecessary lenses aided his concentration.
    Now more than ever he needed to understand Warden Dios.
    Although Warden sat still, his frame seemed to intensify, almost to swell, as if he were taking on mass from the air and ambience of his office. He faced the PR director with an un-giving glare while she spoke. When he responded, his voice was gravid with bile and self-coercion. Each word was as exact as the flash of a laser.
    "Director Hannish, how did we get the Preempt Act passed?"
    She answered without relaxing her insistence. "A traitor in Com-Mine Security conspired with Angus Thermopyle to steal supplies." Beneath her professional polish and her wom-anish softness, Hashi realized, she was tougher than departed Godsen Frik had ever been. "That scared the Council. The Members decided that if they couldn't trust local Station Security they had no choice but to expand our jurisdiction."
    Warden nodded. "Would the Act have passed if the Council hadn't