A Time For Ryda Read Online Free PDF

pledging complete loyalty to the new regime. All of Ryda’s formerly independent media companies had been made subsidiaries of a new state-owned conglomerate, with Lex as the titular head. Since then he’d become both fantastically wealthy and utterly despised, surviving at least two assassination attempts.
    He’d also proven to be Eve’s ticket off of Ryda. An hour after escaping the Contemplar, while Gandian security forces were still rushing about, she’d sauntered past Lex’s luxury yacht in Blasaria harbor. Once more her natural, healthy blonde self, she’d smiled up at the corpulent man on the aft deck, asking if he knew where she could find a decent party. Ten minutes later they left harbor, spending the next twenty-four hours cruising underneath the Yalyer Sea. At Eve’s request, they had then blasted out into space, the better to work on her tan.
    Though eager, Lex’s endurance had proven agreeably short. In fact, he mostly enjoyed watching Eve with his regular mistress, providing regular encouragement and even choreographing the action. Cantella was a sweet girl, though, and even with Lex’s incessant babble it had been as pleasant a way to pass the time as any.
    Still, it was dangerous to stay in any one place. Though Lex’s yacht had proven immune to any Gandian search so far, the authorities were no doubt frustrated in their attempts to find the Terran spy. At some point, even an exalted turncoat like Lex might suffer the indignity of a Gandian boarding party, with DNA scans for everyone.
    “Some more Rodasia leaves, my dear?”
    Smiling up at Lex, Eve made a point of ignoring the Gandian patrol ship slowly cruising past his right ear, entirely visible through the atmospheric bubble encasing the yacht’s rear deck.
    “Now there's an idea, Han.” Raising an eyebrow, Eve touched his leg once more. “Maybe Cantella would like some as well?”
    Giggling, the Gandian toady looked over at the gorgeous redhead. Idly poking at a holo-magazine, the pages leaping up before her, Cantella seemed unaware of her benefactor’s attention.
    “Ah yes. In-deed!” Inanely drawing out the last word, Lex was acting as if he’d just seen his mistress for the first time. “A wonderful idea. Oh, Cantella!” he cooed, stumbling in her direction. “Our very good friend here just had a wonderful idea…”
    There were two crewmen on board the yacht, who normally kept as far away from the big man and his guests as possible. As Lex crossed the deck, however, Eve caught sight of the yacht’s “captain” staring out of the rear window of the ship’s superstructure, down at the round sun deck extending from the rear of the vessel. Eyes almost comically wide, the man focused first on Eve, then Lex, then back again. Noticing Eve’s casual scrutiny, the captain darted away from the glass.
    Quickly rising to her feet, Eve gave Lex a big smile. “I’ll be back in a minute, love.” Then, before he had a chance to object, she took a deep breath of air, passed through the bubble field encasing the aft deck on which they’d been sunning themselves, took a few steps through exposed space, and then passed through the door field into the ship itself.
    Jogging down a short passage, she then leapt up a short flight of stairs onto the main bridge.
    Clearly engaged in a hushed, animated conversation over the center workstation, the captain and his “mate” were stunned by her sudden entrance. Casually, Eve walked a few steps into the control room, smiling at each man in turn. The normally pleasant pair said nothing, the captain visibly shaking as he reached down to a cabinet by his side.
    He never made it. Darting forward, it took Eve a mere moment to incapacitate both of them.
    There was a holo-terminal on the workstation, pre-set to Lex’s Gandian controlled news station. Activating it, Eve was not very surprised to find her own image floating before her, firing a gun in the Contemplar. Apparently frustrated over the past few