The Enclave (The Verge) by H.M. Clarke Read Free Book Online Page B

now.  In fact, the knot deep down in her stomach rose up and Katherine knew what her brother was about to tell her.
    “It was Hyde who attacked Val Myra wasn’t it?”
    “Yes it was.”  John showed no surprise at her statement.  He looked at her as if it was the most obvious secret in the galaxy.
    “And Naval Intelligence did nothing to warn Val Myra that they were about to be attacked?”  Katherine’s mind then leapt to the event that constantly haunted her thoughts.  “Did Naval Intel have forewarning against the attack on Adveral?”
    “No, of course not!” John stared at her aghast.  “We-I would never willingly let that happen to you.  Never.”
    The sincerity and hurt in John’s voice mollified Katherine, but he still had not answered her original question.
    “But why not warn Val Myra?  They wanted to leave the Alliance, the warning might have swung them our way.”
    “It’s not as simple as that Katherine.”
    “It never is, is it?”  Katherine leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as a wave of tiredness flowed over her.  Getting her hackles up had burnt away what little alertness she had left.
    “Did you ask for me thinking it would put us on talking terms again?”  Her voice was flat and emotionless.
    “No.  But the fact that you would do anything to get Hyde into Federation hands helped get my choice approved.”
    “Tom will be glad to know that Fleet doesn’t think me a cold blooded killer,” Katherine murmured.
    “What?”
    Katherine waved away his question.  “Did your intelligence also tell you where he is hiding?  Or for that matter, if he is even still on Junter Three?”
    “He’s still there, we just don’t know where.”
    “So they hit Val Myra and just disappeared, but are still on the planet.”
    “Yes.”
    “Any Special Ops team could do the job.  Why the Adelaide ? Why me?”
    “You and your crew have experience in tracking Hyde.  And you are more…”  John paused, searching for the right words, “shall we say ‘subtle’ in your operations.”
    Katherine looked up sharply at John’s words, unsure if he was taking a dig at her or not.  She felt too tired to know the difference, or really care.  “You do look like death warmed up Kath.  Go and get some sleep.  We’ll finish this when we arrive at New Holland.  I have arranged a meeting with the New Holland Security Director before we meet with the Val Myran representatives.  We’ll talk before then.”
    Katherine gave her brother a thankful nod and left to collapse in her bunk.
     
     
     
    Chapter
    Six
     
    New Holland Prefecture was one of the most beautiful colonial cities that Katherine had seen.  Not that she had been too many in the last three years.  Katherine had not been big on giving herself shore leave, and had refused the quarters that had been assigned to her by the New Holland authorities, preferring to stay aboard the Adelaide.  
    AFV Adelaide was met on landing by a delegation from the New Holland leading Council.  Katherine did not pay them much attention, except when she was introduced to Robert Prockter, the New Holland SIO Director.  Katherine briefly wondered if the man knew why they were really there, she would not have been surprised if he did.  Prockter probably knew more about what was going on than she did.
    Then the group rushed John and his entourage away and left her and the Adelaide in peace.  Coulthard was already organizing the shore leave roster for the crew as they had not had any decent leave in over six months.  Once everyone had done a rotation, the hunt for Hyde could begin.
     
    It was just after dinner when Brenton Joyce came to her door saying that Ambassador Kirk would like a meeting and had sent someone to escort her back to his rooms.
    “Why can’t he come here?” Katherine murmured.  But Joyce thought she was asking him.
    “I don’t know,” he shrugged.
    “He hasn’t sent Hayes to escort me has he?”  Katherine asked as she