Junebug nodded to the two women, more to give herself a moment to think than for any need of acknowledgement. Her somewhat guilty consciences immediately leapt to the conclusion that they knew she had spent the night with Neil, although her intellect informed her that if that were the case this would be a very different conversation.

“I uh… don’t sleep much,” Junebug admitted. That much was true, combat fatigue, as the doctors called it, was always with you and many mercenaries relied on booze or drugs or a combination of both to keep the dreams at bay. Sayeeda wasn’t quite there, though she did sleep better after a little alcohol and she often woke during the night in a cold sweat.

“It’s just us girls here,” Graciella said with a conspiratorial smile, leaning forward to keep her voice low.

“The servants told us you did quite a number on your bedding,” she added. 

“I’ve never known anyone who slept with a Hex before, so exotic” Indra said with a giggle. Junebug relaxed somewhat as the thrust of the conversation became clear and decidedly less dangerous. On many worlds it would have been bad form to ask, but sexual moraes varied dramatically from world to world. In a mercenary company graphic descriptions were all but expected the morning after.

“I can’t say I had alot of time for sleeping,” Sayeeda said, her voice warming at the memory of Neil’s athletic body entwined in hers rather than the previous encounter with Saxon.   

“It was … different,” she said with a helpless shrug that bought a chuckle from both women.

“I dare say it was,” Graciella said with a wicked grin. Further awkwardness was averted when one of the androids arrived to take their orders. 

Junebug sat across from Neil and Indra enduring the small talk of one of the officials who had also been invited to the breakfast. It seemed the purpose of such events was to expose the movers and shakers of Gregorious’ government to Neil as the future partner of his daughter. The fellow seemed to be in charge of controlling the fishing grounds that provided the bulk of the protein on this largely aquatic world, a topic in which he seemed unreasonablely interested to Sayeeda. She chewed mechanically on some sort of fruit that seemed partway between a lemon and a grapefruit. It was very sour but not unpleasantly so and the mild warmth she felt in her gums suggested that it had some mild narcotic effect also. Neil for his part seemed to alternate between uncomfortably returning Indra’s obvious and public affections and glancing at her. Once, when Indra was distracted, she winked at him, causing him to blush adorablely.

After a sufficient interval had passed and the first courses of breakfast had been cleared away by the android servitors. Gregorious summoned Neil, Taya and Sayeeda to join him at the high table. Although it appeared to be a solid sheet of worked soapstone, when the older man touched the surface a shimmering filled the air and the background conversation seemed to mute to a dull buzz. Noise cancelling devices varied in quality, but they worked on a principle of creating the inverse of the incoming soundwaves and broadcasting it at a commensurate volume but at a frequency too high for human ears to register. This one, like the table, was obviously of a very high order.

“Ah a little privacy,” Gregorious declared with his usual air of bonhomie.

“I think it is time we discussed the task we have in mind for you, I’m sure you ladies are eager to begin the wedding planning but business before pleasure as they say.” He reached forward and touched the table once more and a holographic representation of the surface of Cylonieka sprung into sharp relief. Junebug glanced around in concern.

“If you are worried about secrecy people can still see us,” she pointed out, though none of the diners seemed to be glancing in their direction.

“Your concern does you justice Captain,” Gregorious conceded, “but there is a holographic cancelation field also, all that our friends out there can see is six people enjoying breakfast.” Sayeeda nodded in agreement. She would still have preferred to be discussion mission specifics in private, but he was paying and so they would do it his way unless it presented an unreasonable risk. The map zoomed in to show a section of ocean. There current location was marked as were several surrounding islands also controlled by Graciella’s family.  The whole area was shaded in green. Beyond the green area were other smaller islands and groups of islands, colored in blue for what Sayeeda assumed to be neutral. Further south towards the equator were several red islands and a number of what appeared to be artificial platforms.

“In a week or so Cyloneika will be hosting an open recruit to assemble a force of mercenaries,” Gregorius explained. Vanek had mentioned something to the effect back on Hahn now that Sayeeda thought about it, though she hadn’t given it much thought since they had escaped that parched desert world.

“The purpose of this recruitment is a preparation for an attack on New Cadiz, a planet a few days jump away that has been sponsoring attacks on our shipping in order to try to blackmail us into joining an ‘alliance’ it is setting up.” Junebug nodded along, planets with larger economies or simply more united leadership often tried to expand their influence to their neighbours, launching attacks on their merchant traffic was an effective and time honored way of convincing an enemy of the benefits of paying tribute. In theory a world like Cylonieka could construct a space navy to defend its merchant fleet but the expense of such an operation was immense and the process both slow and likely to provoke a confrontation sooner rather than later. Assembling an army and striking at the enemy planet wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than the alternative.

“Our house is, of course, contributing to the cost of this operation,” Graciella added.

“We are just one small ship,” Taya objected, “surely…” but Gregrius was already shaking his head.

“No, we dont need you to sign on as part of our invasion force, although that is certainly possible if you are interested in transporting supplies or troops,” he went on, his eyes making it clear he was speaking to Sayeeda and Taya and leaving his prospective son in law out of it.

“Unfortunately a highly placed agent of our has defected,” Gregorius said, tapping the keypad again to bring up a holo of a nondescript balding man in his late forties. 

“Javier Pradec,” Gregorius identified.

“He has fled to the island of Canjar, to seek shelter with the freebooters and pirates that lair there,” Gregorius explained.

“We need you to infiltrate the island and kill Pradec before he can slip off planet and share his secrets,” the older man went on.

“And you need us to do this as opposed to your own troops because…” Junebug pried, something about the whole explanation seemed wrong, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. Gregorius sighed theatrically.

“If the other houses knew that Mr Pradec had defected, they might conclude that he had already shared our plans with New Cadiz, it would be a disaster for us, win or lose,” Greogrious explained. Sayeeda could see that the other Noble Houses would be quick to blame Gregorious if the invasion failed, or they might use it to try to cheat him out of his spoils if it succeeded.

“We just can’t take the risk that one of our people will open their mouths,” Graciella expanded.

“And you don’t mind risking the life of your son-in-law and crown prince or whatever to get it done?” Junebug asked. The question was a little beneath her, but it was early and she hadn’t gotten much sleep. Gregorious’ face hardened.

“When someone marries into our nobility, we judge a match based on the merits of the man or woman involved Captain Cykali,” the grey haired man explained, glancing towards Indra for a moment.

“While I would be saddened to see my daughter broken hearted, if Mr Edwards were to be killed completing this task, he is not the man we imagine him to be.”