Jennix didn’t even blink. I took the locked stare between Kass and the general as my cue. I made my way down to the trio, nodded to the new general—Aryk, I thought, because he was the one who’d been on Jamie’s screen when she’d won the game.
I crossed my arms over my chest and let the hate boil through my blood. “Sponder is a traitor and a liar, General, and I found the proof,” I said. “You have it. All of it. I sent it to you.”
Sponder went quiet.
“And Sponder had the proof to have you arrested,” Jennix said to Kass.
“I said I found the proof. You have it. I sent it to you before the Phantom exploded.”
Jennix eyed me and continued to play her role. I had no idea why she was doing this, but I didn’t question her choices. Perhaps she had to play this game to satisfy the Commissioner? Or to solidify mine and Kass’s reputation as a highly skilled Starfighter MCS team.
“Graves!” she shouted.
“Yes, General.” Her emissary appeared almost immediately.
“You are Group Five Leader until I return.”
“Yes, General,” Graves repeated, then disappeared.
“Comms,” Jennix said to the room. “Retrieve Jennix data files sent from MCS Becker. Past two hours.”
“Processing,” the AI-generated voice replied. “Data visible on screen six.”
Jennix pivoted on her heel and walked to a screen along the side wall and stood for long minutes, reading. Processing. She stared at the display. I knew when she read the details of Sponder’s connection to Delegate Rainhart because her spine stiffened and I could almost see the steam coming off her shoulders. Her self-control was admirable, as was her acting skill.
“Explain, MCS Becker,” she said.
“This is preposterous, General,” Sponder sputtered, but a trickle of sweat ran down his cheek.
Jennix held up her hand. “The Phantom mysteriously exploded, Captain. I have questions. If Becker’s data is inaccurate, she will share a cell with her pair bond.”
Which meant she believed me—and the data I’d sent to her—because, if she didn’t, she would have done the political thing and set up an investigation to review the data at a later date. But now, here, it was displayed in front of the entire mission control team. She’d probably doubted Sponder all along but had no proof that would enable her to do anything about it.
Sponder wasn’t arrested yet, but I was exhilarated. This wasn’t like flying in the Phantom with Kass. This was like my work on Earth. I dug up the data. Processed it. Analyzed it. Found the bad guys. Took them down.
Facts were facts. It was finding those facts that made catching the bad guys hard. I brought the truth to light, and I was damn good at it.
I would now, for the first time, expose the dark truth about someone I knew. Someone I could look in the eyes and enjoy watching them realize they’d been caught. It was also the first time someone’s evil had affected me and someone I loved.
On Earth, my job had been real but not personal.
Now, this? Sponder? It was more than personal.
I started with the information I’d retrieved on the Phantom.
“I believe you’ve heard of Delegate Rainhart? The traitor to all of Velerion? The person responsible for the decimation of the Starfighter fleet?”
I thought a hush fell over the room for a moment.
“Yes,” Jennix said. The one word was taut with tension.
Everyone knew what Rainhart had done. I didn’t know how widespread that knowledge might be because I was new to the planet, but apparently he was infamous.
“Captain Sponder is in league with Rainhart?”
“That’s outrageous!” Sponder shouted. “I’m here leading Group Two shuttle teams, offering valuable resources to Xenon. How can you not question her data? Her pair bond is a cheat and a liar. Guards, arrest him. Again. Arrest them both.”
Guards appeared behind Kass. I felt movement behind me and turned to see two less than enthusiastic members of the control room’s security detail. They hadn't touched me, yet. Sponder opened his mouth to shout more orders, but Jennix held up a hand.