Ice Baron (Ice Chronicles, Book One (science fiction romance)) by Jennette Green

three, to keep then
scrambling. Onred, for obvious reasons. And both Yegor and Belar are dangerous,
sadistic strategists. We’ve got a better chance to win this war if they’re
dead.”
    Richert nodded. “I like it. What
about the extraction?”
    “The same team will extract.
Tomorrow night, our combined forces will attack.”
    It surprised Anya that Richert had
brought up the matter of her family’s extraction. At the same time, Joshua’s
cold-blooded discussion of assassination disturbed her.
    Richert said, “I’ll give you
twenty-four hours. Then my forces attack, even if your team is still at risk.”
    “Agreed.”
    “Starting now,” the baron added.
    “Starting at dusk.”
    The old man’s gaze bored into
Joshua’s. A silent battle of wills ensued. The old man’s fire, drive, and even
a bit of contempt battled Joshua’s unwavering stare.
    With an abrupt nod, Richert pushed
back from the table. “Tomorrow at dusk.”
    “Thank you, Baron.” Joshua offered
his hand. “We will defeat Onred.”
    Richert shook it, briefly. His
black eyes glittered, and glanced from Joshua to Anya. “I have no doubt.” The
wheelchair swirled left.
    “Before you go,” Joshua said, “Anya
requires medical care.”
    The old territory baron rolled
away. “I’ll send Lisa.”
    When he had gone, Anya laid down
her fork. “That went surprisingly well.”
    One brow flicked up. “So far. I
still need to meet with him to hammer out the details of tomorrow night’s
attack.”
    “Do you trust him?”
    “No.” Bluntly. “But we both want
Onred dead. In the meantime, we’ll be alert to a surprise attack from Richert.”
    “When would Richert strike us?”
    “When it’s clear Onred is defeated.”
    “Will you really order Onred’s
assassination?”
    “Yes.” Joshua must have seen
something in her expression that concerned him, for he said more gently, “Why?”
    “I hate Onred, of course. But
planning his death…it seems like murder.”
    “He deserves to die.”
    “I know. It’s just
so…cold-blooded. Like when you went behind that rock and killed that pilot. You
didn’t have to kill him, Joshua.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Why did you?”
This newly realized, merciless side of him scared her. It made her wonder
again, as when he’d sold her to Onred, how well she knew him.
    Joshua’s warm hand curled around
her fist. It made her feel secure, although her heart beat faster at his touch.
“He was moving. In a minute he’d have reached for his weapon or contacted
Onred. With Onred alerted, we’d never have escaped to Tarim. I had no choice.”
He paused. Then, with apparent reluctance, he continued, “Even if he hadn’t
been coming around, I couldn’t let him live. As a soldier, I learned one
important lesson. The only safe enemy is a dead one.”
    “But ...”
    His hand tightened. “Listen to me,”
he said quietly. “The first day I joined the military I was twelve. I lied
about my age so they’d accept me. My community had thrown me out—” he grimaced,
“—because of a crime…never mind. I knew I’d die soon. I figured it would be
better to die as a soldier with warm clothes on my back and food in my stomach.”
    He drew a breath, and his thoughts
seemed to turn inward. “The soldiers didn’t ask many questions. They gave me a
knife, clothes off a dead soldier, and ordered me to carry supplies. That first
day was terrible. I’d never seen so much blood and death. I couldn’t imagine
any day being worse than that one.” He paused again.
    “At dusk, we battled Richert’s men
over the ridge. They retreated, leaving a few bloody comrades behind.  Soldiers
in my unit cheered. I remember one taking out a flask and gulping from it. His
face was so exultant. He was so pumped with victory that he didn’t see the dead
man move at his feet.
    “I shouted, but a laser flashed
first. The soldier’s mouth opened in surprise. His flask fell, splashing out
alcohol.
    “Our commander shot