Mrs. Cassel was not surprised to see Rondok. After his last killing spree, she had used a few tricks to bring the psychologically twisted Half-Modified Human under her command.
She had no great expectations of his loyalty. He was just a tool she could use, a vessel to hold a Void Yin Spirit's consciousness.
Even so, his arrival caught her off guard and broke her train of thought. "What is it?" she asked.
Rondok bared his teeth in a grin. "I went over there a few hours ago. Found something."
Mrs. Cassel and Colonel Zilabeka both knew where "there" meant. "What did you find?" they asked at once.
Rondok grinned impudently. "Finish what you were saying first. Then I'll tell you."
A chill flashed deep in Mrs. Cassel's eyes, but she gave no outward sign.
Rondok did not truly care about Mrs. Cassel's private affairs. He was testing how far he could push her.
Since Mrs. Cassel had brought him under her control, Rondok's warped personality had been somewhat suppressed. She injected him with a sedative that let him remain reasonably rational most of the time. Rondok had always been exceptionally clever, and with his mind clear, he was keenly aware of the danger he was in. Yet he still could not escape her control. He had tried before: if he went more than two days without an injection, his mind slipped beyond control. Existing in that muddled state, with no sense of self, was no different from being dead.
Rondok had to find a way to change his situation.
"Since you're interested, I don't mind telling you," Mrs. Cassel said evenly. "Of course I didn't kill my sister. I envied her a little back then, but I have to admit she was genuinely kind, and she took good care