Vengeance and Betrayal

[Dab]

Vincenzo worked his jaw around. "I guess I deserved that..."

Evyn gnashed her teeth together to stop herself from railing at him until his ears popped. "You're damned right you did!"

He gave her an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry we left you there, but things-" He was cut off abruptly as she slapped him again, leaving it a red spot on his cheek. She was slightly embarrassed how much satisfaction it gave her.

Evyn felt a pressure as Zetsumai laid a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down and let him speak. You may not have liked it, but he had reasons for wanting you to remain in Bretonia. Things aren't as simple as they used to be." Evyn looked back and shot her a glare before shrugging her hand off.

She turned her attention back to Vincenzo. She kept staring at him, hoping it would make him feel uncomfortable.

It didn't seem to have an affect. He calmly walked back to his desk and activated the large 3D display projected from a table-like object in the center of the room. The lights dimmed as it was activated, leaving the room illuminated solely by the small pinpricks of light projected into the air, each representing a solar system of the known areas of Sirius.

Vincenzo pressed another button and the stars shifted from their natural physical colors to a multitude of distinct regional indicators. Small lines of text appeared besides them, stating the names of the systems. It was nearly the same map she had seen in briefings during her duties in the Armed Forces, though this one showed many of the systems the Bretonians didn't know the locations of, such as Omicron Gamma.

Vincenzo's voice rang out from the other side of the display. "I'm sure you're familiar with the map of Sirius. What Bretonia didn't know until just recently, which is why it didn't trickle down to you, is that there is an entirely new region we've become aware of. When he said that, many of the lights blinked out as the display zoomed in on the western edge of Sirius, showing the Taus, Bretonia, and Omicron Alpha. Bretonia's red stars, the Tau's light orange, and the purple star used to represent Omicron Alpha were joined by a large group, five in total, of light-blue colored stars. She didn't recognize the names.

She heard Vincenzo's voice in the background as she evaluated the map before her. "Lorraine, Champagne, Burgundy, Dauphine, Languedoc. These systems you see comprise the edge of a fifth house, called Gallia, that has strove to remain hidden from the rest of us. Until recently they've been successful. From what little we know so far, Gallia is ruled by an authoritarian monarchy. Currently King DeFrance is that monarch, and a woman named Lilith LaCroix runs the military."

"The significance of this is that Gallia seems to have a grudge with Bretonia and Liberty. We are fairly certain that they are going to start some kind of operations against them at some point." He paused for a moment, then continued slowly, "having a source within the Bretonian military would be a great benefit if this were to happen."

Evyn tore her gaze from the map and sent another glare in his direction, though his features were partially obscured by the display between them. "That was your reason? I was too valuable as a spy for you that you couldn't... Or wouldn't? Get me out. I'm not some turned Bretonian for you to discard when you're done with me. I'm your niece... I wish you'd start treating me like it.

"Evyn, please, I wish you would get over that. I didn't have much choice. You were the only one in Bretonia I knew I could trust." Not that she was the sole spy the Outcasts had in Bretonia. All the pirate factions had men and contacts in the various houses, but when it came to the Outcasts, the Dons rarely cooperated, especially when it came to privileged information.

"No, its much better for me to die in that stupid war instead." She said sarcastically. "Or better yet, get caught by Bretonia, drilled for information, then die?"

She heard Vincenzo sigh shortly before he turned the display off. The room's lights slowly brightened as the stars faded from view. "Lets leave this for now. Zetsumai will show you to your room."

Evyn spun on her hill and left the room, her step agitated. Apparently it showed... "You shouldn't act like that." "Yeah? Why's that?" Zetsumai caught up and fell into step with her. "We're victims of circumstance. He did what he had to do." Evyn couldn't help herself, and let out a mirthless laugh. "Did he now?" Zetsumai sighed with resignation. "I hope your more reasonable tomorrow morning."

After several minutes of navigating the corridors, Evyn opened the door to her room and practically fell onto the bed. It was an hour before she was able to finally slip into her dreams.

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