Sweet Venom Arc 03 Ch. 16

Unfortunately for him, Seeth didn't really care.

"Do you want me in or out?" Garnet laughed awkwardly, the tension in the room unmistakable.

"You can stay. You might want to hear what I have to say anyway."

Sensing a confrontation, Jace slowly sat up straight in his chair, and cleared his throat. He clasped his hands on the desk in front of him as his face hardened. "I'm glad you're here Seeth. I heard you liberated another barge. Everyone here is grateful for the risks you've been taking to help wipe this scourge out."

"Mhmm." Seeth scowled, her eyes narrowing. "Tell me Jace, why do you care so much about me taking the Barons on?"

Jace slowly raised his eyebrow as he contemplated her question. "Part of my role as border commander is to repair the relationships with our neighbours that my predecessors did such a fine job of destroying. I'm also personally invested in seeing those bandits disposed of. Barons are nothing but a blight, hearing tales of you destroying them is... satisfying. Why do you ask?"

"I don't suppose having Barons around killing all the nomad's you've worked so hard to repair relations with is a good idea." Seeth continued bluntly, studying the dragon's face closely.

"That too... But that is a colder way of looking at it. I do genuinely care -"

"Do you?" She interrupted. "Because from where I'm standing Jace, it does not look like you care. Not even slightly."

Both Jace and Garnet recoiled in their chairs respectively, Garnet choking a stifled cough.

"I... don't understand. Have I done something?" Jace asked, his face unreadable.

"I don't know, Jace. Have you? Let me lay this out for you, in simple terms. I have been asking you about Diego for months now and every single time, I get nothing in response. Nothing. I KNOW you have him. He's somewhere in the DA and you won't do anything for me. I want him back, Jace. I am losing my patience." Seeth felt her heart beating against her ribs, defiant and angry.

"Seeth. I told you before that it is not that simple. I can't be seen poking my nose somewhere it doesn't belong. I don't have division-crossing authority when it comes to prisoners. I've called in some favours, but to be quite frank with you, I have bigger fish to fry."

"Well, it's about time you sorted your priorities out, Jace, because you owe me. I'm out here saving lives and risking my neck right now. But you - you're all show and no tell. Maybe we shouldn't even be trusting you at all!"

There was a very obvious shift in Jace's attitude; although he remained silent, he tilted his snout, and his eyes narrowed.

"After all - " Seeth continued, before the silence could get to her "- the barge I hit today had twelfth generation DA security boxes on it, opened via code."

"What?" Jace's cool demeanour suddenly broke, his face a mixture of anger and confusion. "You're sure? Opened via code?"

"Not a scratch on the lock. Full of Dies and a loomer-sized piece of stealth armour, which was used to ambush me. You want to tell me what a random Baron barge was doing with that level of gear, and the access code? It must have been provided or sold to them. Either that, or your borders are breached, which means you're not doing as good a job as you think."

"Are you suggesting that I, or the DA, is deliberately working with the Barons?!" Jace slowly stood from his chair.

"Who knows? Maybe the commander that is stringing us along a breadcrumb trail of false promises is also hiding something else from us. Wouldn't be a stretch based on what I witnessed today."

Jace remained silent for a moment, carefully considering his next words as Garnet fidgeted about awkwardly. After several long moments, the dragon leaned forward.

"Just a few days ago, a Xeno Investigation and Threat Dismissal research space station near our border was attacked by a crew of czarites, and was completely destroyed. Not even the dorm barges were spared. Thousands died. Students - teenagers - died. Some of the staff were deserving, sure. Most were not. And these czarites looked suspiciously similar to the ones that you were affiliated with, not so long ago."

"...Right?" Seeth responded, cautiously. She was a little curious, but unsure exactly of what the commander was getting at.

"I was trying to help you. A student was suspicious of malpractice, and sounded the alarm. She lost her life for it. I was investigating that station because I suspected your missing friend from Barru X was located there. And from the looks of it, I wasn't the only one who suspected it either. I have an eye-witness report of one of the czarites carrying your friend through the station."

"They... They rescued Plasia..?" For a brief second, the rage in Seeth's stomach was replaced with a deep aching feeling of guilt. She'd done it again. She was thinking of Diego, thinking of only herself, again!

"That's what it looks like, Seeth! I sent one of my best friends and most loyal soldiers to investigate that station, and he nearly died for it too, at the hands of your ex-colleagues! Interesting isn't it, that days after your kin attack a DA station you start accusing me of working for the enemy. I don't know what exactly is going on with the Barons, but I am not going to sit here and have my life's cause shouted down by one ignorant nomad. You have NO IDEA the work I put into helping these people, Seeth!" Jace was running out of patience now; his face twisted into a snarl and his hands clenched into fists. "If your czarites hadn't attacked us, I could have rescued your friend and got her back to you!"

"Save it, Jace! They are NOTHING to do with me anymore!" Seeth spat back. "And how do I know any of this is even true? Last time we spoke you told me Plasia had probably been killed! I don't know if I can trust you! All I know is that I'm killing Barons, and you're just sitting there, talking. As usual. Don't bother contacting us again unless you have something of actual value. Remember, you fucking owe me, Jace. Stop fucking around and actually do something useful for me. Or just send your Baron friends in to finish the job already."

Jace was glaring at Seeth with such rage, such blinding piercing fury that for a moment, she actually started to wonder if he could see her after all. After several uncomfortable seconds, Jace swiped his hand, and the call cut off. As the connection died, Seeth was left staring at her own fuming reflection, as static hissed behind the black screen on the wall. Her burst of energy was already beginning to fade away though, and suddenly she just felt exhausted. Exhausted, and sad. She could hear the faint shuffling of feet outside the door; it seemed that several people had been listening in on their conversation.

"D-Do you really think Jace could be working with them Barons?" Garnet finally asked, dabbing his forehead nervously.

Seeth let out a long sigh and sank back into one of the chairs in front of Garnet's desk. "No, I don't think he is. But I can't say anything for sure right now, Garnet. Today's been... confusing." She pressed her fingers up against her forehead. "A box on a barge doesn't confirm anything, but I'd bet that the cargo aboard that ship was given to the Barons, not stolen by them. And that doesn't bode well for any of us."