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“Never.”
“Never? You never went for a walk alone, visited a site by yourself, slipped out of a boring conference a little early?”
“Never. I was continually surrounded by people. I traveled with an entourage. At the very least, one guard and an aide accompanied me everywhere. And the planetary host assigned its diplomatic squad to show me around.”
“Did you encounter any Aurelians?”
I’d been told most of the GJW anarchists were Aurelian. The movement to overthrow the League of Planets had originated on their planet. My eyes rolled upward as I visualized the people I’d met. I shook my head. “None that I recall.”
“Not even in a crowd? You’re seated at the head table at a gala, or giving a speech, and you peer into the audience, and you see…”
“No Aurelians,” I said emphatically.
“No one approached you and identified himself as a Galactic Justice Warrior?” Her voice rose on a skeptical note.
“Absolutely not.”
“No?”
What was the point to this line of questioning? “If I never met a GJW member or I met one unknowingly or had the memory of it wiped from my brain, the answer is going to be no.”
All four eyes focused on me now. “We’re establishing a baseline of memory and veracity.”
“You think I’m lying about not remembering?”
“I’m sorry. I must follow procedure.”
“As I said, I was never alone. Had I been approached, it would have been witnessed by any number of people—guards, aides, planetary diplomats. Perhaps you should talk to them. I’m sure the LOP knows who accompanied me on the trip.”
“All contacts will be interviewed, but that’s not my responsibility. Helping you is my job.”
Helping me. I almost laughed. Seeher wasn’t nearly as congenial and benign as she’d first appeared. If she discovered any crimes, she would be duty bound to report them to the investigators. Who would help me then?
While approving of the LOP’s charter and mission, I didn’t fully trust their methods or motives.
But…had I always felt this way? Or had distrust been planted in my head? Or had ambivalence rendered me susceptible to manipulation? I could drive myself crazy wondering. Crazier.
I glanced at the chronometer on a sideboard. I’d arranged to meet Kat in the garden soon. Sweet Kat.
“You have another appointment?” Seeher asked.
“I’m supposed to be…meeting a friend.”
“Given the direness of your situation, I would have expected you to make this session a priority.”
“Had I been notified you were arriving today, the session would have been prioritized.”
“Point taken,” she conceded. “I’ll endeavor not to take up more time than necessary. What do you remember about the recent trip to Aurelia?”
“I was supposed to attend an LOP summit on alien species trafficking. My older brother, Crown Prince Aeon, should have gone, but my father had temporarily stripped him of his title and duties because he’d bond-mated with a human, so I replaced him.”
“How did you get to Aurelia?”
Why ask questions not in dispute? Was she toying with me? “I flew on a league ship delivering abducted humans to New Terra. They’d been staying on Araset. As Aurelia was near the travel route, I’d been granted passage on the ship. When it neared the planet, I shuttled to the surface. I have clear memories of being on the ship”—that’s where I’d gotten to know Kat—“I remember flying in the space pod to the surface and landing...”
“And then?” she prompted.
“That’s when my memory goes blank. I have a few hazy flashes of…maybe…a cave? Gray walls. Hovering canister lights. People in hooded gray suits, their faces covered.” I started to rub my horns but touched the headband. I dropped my hand. “That’s all I remember. Maybe a brief flash of Nadir being there, but I can’t be sure. It’s like a faded dream. I don’t remember what I said, did, or heard.”
