Allegiance Read Online Free PDF Page B

Since the stormtrooper commanders had, in turn, refused to confine their men to barracks when they were off duty, they’d come to a more unofficial arrangement.
    “Permitted by whom?” Drelfin demanded. “Your lieutenant? Your major?”
    “Is there a problem here, Major?” a new voice said from the far end of the observation gallery.
    LaRone turned to find Marcross and Brightwater walking toward them, the latter with a rag tucked into the pocket of his fatigues and grease stains on his hands.
    “What
is
this, the Kiddie Klub meeting room?” Drelfin growled. “Identify yourselves.”
    “Stormtrooper TKR 175,” Marcross said, an edge of both pride and challenge in his voice. “This is TBR 479.”
    “Also not in armor, I see,” Drelfin growled. “Also apparently ignorant of the regulations regarding off-limit areas.”
    He shifted his glare back to LaRone. “Or is it that you border-world recruits don’t know how to read the regulations in the first place?”
    “As I said, sir—” LaRone began.
    “—you didn’t think regulations applied to you,” Drelfin finished sarcastically. “I trust you know better now?”
    “Yes, sir,” Brightwater said. He touched LaRone’sarm. “Come on, LaRone. You were going to help me change the steering vanes on my speeder.”
    “LaRone?” Drelfin echoed, his voice suddenly strange. “
Daric
LaRone? TKR 330?”
    LaRone glanced at Marcross, noting the sudden crease in the other’s forehead. “Yes, sir,” he said.
    “Well, well,” Drelfin said softly. Without warning, he drew his blaster. “I’ve been going over the records of the Teardrop operation,” he continued, an unpleasant tightness at the corners of his eyes as the weapon came to a halt pointed at LaRone’s stomach. “Your squad was ordered to execute some Rebel sympathizers. You deliberately missed your shots. That’s dereliction of duty.”
    LaRone felt his throat tighten. So someone had noticed his lack of precision shooting that day. This was not good. “My duty is to protect and preserve the Empire and the New Order,” he said, forcing his voice to stay calm.
    “Your
duty
is to obey orders,” Drelfin countered.
    “They were unarmed and nonthreatening civilians,” LaRone said. “If there were charges or suspicions concerning them, they should have been arrested and brought to trial.”
    “They were Rebel sympathizers!”
    Quiller took a step forward. “Sir, if you have a complaint against this man—”
    “Stay out of this, stormtrooper,” Drelfin warned. “You’re in enough trouble as it is.”
    “What sort of trouble?” Marcross asked.
    “You’re out of uniform, you’re in a restricted area without authorization—” Drelfin nodded at LaRone. “
—and
you’re obviously friendly with a traitor to the Empire.”
    “
What
?” Grave demanded. “That’s insa—”
    “With all due respect, Major, TKR 2014 is correct,” Marcross cut him off. “Regulations require that a chargeof this magnitude be brought immediately to the attention of the senior stormtrooper officer.”
    “Let me explain something, TKR 175,” Drelfin growled. “We’re the Imperial Security Bureau. What we say is principle; what we decide is regulation; what we do is law.”
    “And whoever you order shot is dead?” LaRone retorted.
    “So you
do
understand,” Drelfin said, the corners of his mouth quirking upward in a death’s-head smile. “I was in command of that operation, which means
I
will decide what to do with you. Not your lieutenant; not your major; certainly not your stupid Captain Ozzel.”
    He stepped up and pressed the muzzle of his blaster into LaRone’s forehead. It was an unfamiliar design, LaRone noted distantly: large and nasty, with an odd-looking attachment at the end of the barrel. “And if I choose to summarily execute you for treason—” His finger tightened visibly on the trigger.
    He was bluffing, a small part of LaRone’s mind knew. He was toying with his victim in one