Page 9 of Her Alien Spy
That statement alone earned her a raised eyebrow from Xarek.
“He said some things…. Uh. I honestly don’t know if he’s full of shit or not.” She took a breath and then relayed the conversation she’d just had with Andethor. Once she was done, she shrugged. “So, since he says you two know the truth, I wanted to verify it with you and get a sense of what you think of him.”
She looked between the two of them, and Maggie was looking at Xarek. They exchanged a look, and Xarek picked his communicator up off of the side table, quickly typing something into it. He waited a moment, watching the screen, then set it down and looked at Julia.
“I hope you understand. I had to verify that he’d actually told you that,” Xarek said, gesturing at the comm.
“So you’re saying it’s true.”
“It is. He is what he says he is. And he downplays his significance to the Bellarians, which is very like him. Not only was he integral in forming the Alliance, but he works tirelessly for the safety of not just his own people, but the Alliance as a whole. Just last cycle, he infiltrated a group that was planningassassinations of some of our members and apprehended those masterminding it.”
Julia stared.
“He did?”
“He did. He is too… loud and excitable, a lot of the time, when he is not working. But he is a person I would trust with my life. Entrust the lives of the Altarian people to, and I have never had cause to second-guess that.”
Julia nodded. “So you know what he is, but you don’t wonder if he’s lying to you about your friendship, just to stay close to you?” she asked, and Xarek tilted his head.
“A fair question. It is always a chance, I suppose. That he is just that good at subterfuge that he has me believing he’s truly a friend. But, I have seen him in moments of stress, anger, tension… and quiet moments, times spent here in our home. I don’t believe anyone can be playing a role all the time, not even a master spy like Andethor.”
Maggie nodded in agreement. “He never actually told me he’s a spy, but apparently he knows Xarek enough to know that he would tell me. I know I’m a good judge of people and he’s one of the good ones.”
Julia let that sink in. Maggie was definitely that.
“What do you think he’s going to ask you to help with? Nothing dangerous, or I will destroy him personally,” Maggie said, and Julia couldn’t help but laugh.
“Andethor would never put anyone in danger. Especially a civilian and a friend,” Xarek said, and Maggie nodded after a moment.
“True enough.” She swung her gaze back to Julia. “Do you think you’ll help him?”
Julia sighed, then shrugged. “I'm not sure. It depends on what he’s going to ask me. But I guess I’ll find out. Thanks for settling that!” she said to both of them, rising to leave. After a nod from Xarek and a hug from Maggie, she was back out in the corridors, making her way through the station again.
As she walked, she went over what she knew now about Andethor.
And damn it all if it didn’t make her like him more than when he was just a cocky, arrogant, flirting musician.
She approached the Hendrix to see Andethor outside the ship, one of the panels open as he worked on something inside. He turned, studying her as he closed the panel.
“I hope you’re not offended that I went to Xarek to ask about you,” she said as she stepped closer.
“I would expect nothing less. I hope you weren’t offended when he messaged me to make sure it was actually me that told you what I am.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No. That alone convinced me you weren’t messing with me.”
He grinned, and it seemed like some of the tension went out of his shoulders. “So. I am what I say I am, and you aren’t secretly a spy working to ruin my cover,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “Want to go inside and talk about it?”
He shot her one of those devastating smiles and gestured toward the door, and she walked back into the ship and settled into the same seat she’d taken before. Andethor followed her inside, sealing the door behind them, then moving to the small galley and pouring two cups of coffee, which he brought to the table.
“Perfect. Thank you,” she said.
He nodded. “This might be a long talk, and that may very well still end up in my face. Hopefully you’ll let it cool a little first.”
She laughed, taking a sip of the coffee. Black as night, bitter as sin. Perfect.
“So. Probably the least painful way to do this, since you seem so uncomfortable with it, is for you to just say what you’re going to say, ask what you’re going to ask, and explain or whatever you need to do, and then I’ll ask questions once you’ve exhausted yourself.”
