Nick's last words ringing in his head while he's filled with emptiness. He's lost something. He's not running, chasing or blasting anything to bits. He's broken down, crippled, and may not make it back alive and on top of that he'd been tricked. Someone pulled a fast one on him and Angus had obviously fallen for it no argument and this brings him calm because he has nothing else, for the moment, to do but look at Morn, deaf, dumb and slumped in her seat.The whole inside of his head was a desert. You're beaten. He wasn't angry anymore. Remember that. He didn't have any hope. I warned you. Something had been taken away from him-- something he needed and couldn't define and didn't know how to live without.
As he looks at her the reality sets in that he doesn't have the money to fix his ship and can't make money without using her and she's in no condition to be used so the situation is unsalvageable.
He begins to blame the situation on Morn and her passion for Nick, maybe that'll get him angry so he can think straight but it doesn't do any good.He might as well have been marooned--
Next he wonders how much she's going to remember when she wakes up. She may think the situation is entirely her fault and think that not only has she seriously put their lives at risk but she's also gonna get a beating for it which wouldn't be as bad as simply knowing that she is totally helpless against her own destructiveness. As bad as what he'd been trying to do to her all this time.
Morn asks if she wrecked Bright Beauty. Wile Angus' mind was painting a picture to tell her how it was her fault his mouth betrays him and he simply tells her it was a trap...Succorso...no supply ship...we're screwed. At first she's relieved that it wasn't her but wonders why they're still alive.She deserved to believe she was responsible.
Now Angus is helpless."He let us go."
Morn, at first, seems confused that 1.They're alive. Second, she's still on Bright Beauty and finally, why did Nick risk killing her? But then things in her mind start to come together and clarify and for a moment her expression could have given her away.She had to consider that for a while: even in her condition, she could see it didn't make sense. Nick attacked because he wanted to kill Angus.Then why did he leave Bright Beauty alive? He set his trap so he could rescue Morn. Then why didn't he? why did he risk killing her?
Nevertheless something made sense to her; Angus could read her expression well enough to know it when she reached a conclusion.
At this point ,I believe, Morn is realizing that her chance at freedom could be a reality if she doesn't blow it. She puts up a front.
Is this to get Angus to revert back into the snarling beast she's used to living with or to get him to think of nasty words to throw back at her so as to get his mind off the fact that he just caught her putting two and two together, she realizes something that Angus has no concept of and she's got to get his mind on something else if she wants to keep any secrets. She puts Angus into a position where he, trying to sound angry yet at the same time falling for another trick, rebuts by accusing her of thinking Nick a hero and she can't wait to get in his pants. The trick being that now she can throw him off balance by coming off as being sweet, calling him by his first name, and offer him salvation. An offer she probably can't truly make but if he accepts it wins her freedom, if he doesn't it'll at least get her back to Com-Mine alive.Carefully she cleared her throat and said, " You're beaten. He beat you. You'll be lucky if you can make this thing crawl back to Station."
This blows Angus' mind hearing her say that she'll turn in Nick and save Angus. Morn asks for the control of the zone implant and Angus thinks he understands. He understands that she doesn't want to save him but wants the power for herself. He had spent all this time forming her into what he wanted, a woman of exceptional beauty who was completely broken down yet would do anything he asked without question. A woman who could steal his heart away with a glance but who could be shut off like a light. In his mind she wanted to not just to take back herself but more. With the zone implant in her pocket she would have the power to be whatever she wanted , the perfect cop and lover without fear or gap-sickness. Angus still isn't angered by this as he realizes that he's broken her more than he thought. He tries to reason with her telling her it's illegal and her family would be discredited but she doesn't care."I'll testify for you. When you go back to Com-Mine, they'll charge you with illegal departure. I'll support you. I'm not much of a cop anymore, but I've still got my id tag. I'll tell them you left on my orders. And I'll tell them there was no supply ship.It was a hoax--that other ship set it up.I'll tell them to arrest Nick Succorso. I can't save your ship but I can save you.
Then he tries telling her she'd go to lock up and be executed.
Behind his tears, he could see her in lockup; see her waiting to be executed, vaporized. As precious as Bright Beauty.
Here, again, we see how Angus views Morn and Bright Beauty in the same light and that if he gives up the zone-implant control he'll not only lose her and the power over her but he's gonna lose Bright Beauty, too, and that thought wakes the beast that was quieted by his humiliation.
He then hits Morn in the face as hard as he could, hard enough to break her neck. She makes no effort to defend herself but he doesn't hit her again as it would be like hurting his ship.
Angus, now sounding claer headed after his outburst, explains to Morn that her plan to save him by lying wouldn't work without her pressing charges, and if she did that Bright Beauty's datacore would be pulled for evidence and that evidence would show how Starmaster was destroyed pointing to her so she's in the same boat as he is. Plus she'd be given have a physical and the zone-implant and control would be found so either way she's dead. Angus tells Morn that he's trying to save her life too, so gets the ship set to limp back to Com-Mine.
As they get going Angus is thinking about what he's done to Morn. He'd shot down her last hope of having control over herself, and hitting her after all the gentleness is telling her that he can never be reached. The chapter ends with Angus realizing that Morn has no choice other than to destroy him.
