The 'Interrogation' of Drake Newport

[DrakeNewport]

As the marines unlocked his shackles, Drake fought back the urge to say something snarky. The words of his father swept through his skull, "it's important to know when you've lost, but it's critical to know when you've won." Dad was great for folksy zen-like sayings like that which seem profound but are useless upon further reflection only to spiral around to being the exact right words for the exact right moment years down the line. The cell door was open and his credentials were on the table. Somewhere out there, his ship was fueled and ready to break atmosphere with a dodgy nuclear mine strapped in the passenger seat.

He could work with this.

He scooped up the credentials and pocketed them along with one of the cigarettes. Drake didn't smoke. By the time he was legally old enough to do so tobacco was rare planetside. He preferred to use it as a commodity to barter for equipment. Once again, Drake was walking out of an interrogation room because he was lucky rather than good. One day, his luck would run out, and then it might be nice to light up once right before the end. But not today.

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