Simon Tam shielded her with his own body, looking up at Arcade in desperation.
"You spoke Latin. She didn't use to be like this- she was a sweet, smart girl until she was kidnapped." There was an edge of hysteria in his voice; Arcade was sure he'd had this conversation before, when his sister had attacked their companions.
"Kidnapped?"
"I should have told you. You said there was psychological trauma..." Simon avoided their eyes. "It's why I'm not settled down in the city. I paid all I had for mercenaries to get her back from the Legion, but she wasn't the same girl. She'll hear little things that remind her of- of what happened-"
Boone cut him off.
"You spoke Latin?" Arcade nearly shriveled under his glare. "I'd have tried to kill you too!" Cass had relaxed her grip on the shotgun and Boone nodded to Simon. "You're a good man, Tam."
So that explanation had worked on them. Fair enough- unlike Arcade, they had no reason to suspect it was a lie. Legionaries didn't cut open their slavegirls' heads, and they certainly couldn't have put one back together. Maybe River Tam really had been kidnapped, but it would have been by someone more scientifically minded, with more ambitious goals for her than being a concubine.
And when Arcade looked up at the little flying robot that had caused her to scream, he had a horrible feeling of who it was.
Five Times the World Opened Up 1b/5
"You spoke Latin. She didn't use to be like this- she was a sweet, smart girl until she was kidnapped." There was an edge of hysteria in his voice; Arcade was sure he'd had this conversation before, when his sister had attacked their companions.
"Kidnapped?"
"I should have told you. You said there was psychological trauma..." Simon avoided their eyes. "It's why I'm not settled down in the city. I paid all I had for mercenaries to get her back from the Legion, but she wasn't the same girl. She'll hear little things that remind her of- of what happened-"
Boone cut him off.
"You spoke Latin?" Arcade nearly shriveled under his glare. "I'd have tried to kill you too!" Cass had relaxed her grip on the shotgun and Boone nodded to Simon. "You're a good man, Tam."
So that explanation had worked on them. Fair enough- unlike Arcade, they had no reason to suspect it was a lie. Legionaries didn't cut open their slavegirls' heads, and they certainly couldn't have put one back together. Maybe River Tam really had been kidnapped, but it would have been by someone more scientifically minded, with more ambitious goals for her than being a concubine.
And when Arcade looked up at the little flying robot that had caused her to scream, he had a horrible feeling of who it was.