“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” A sexy grin lit his face as he regarded her.
She took one look at his dimples and melted. Her gaze locked with his. “Shouldn’t we discuss our mission?” she asked in a desperate attempt to deflect his interest.
“We’ll do so at the briefing.” He moved closer.
Noting the look in his eye, she realized he intended to make a pass at her and she wasn’t sure how to respond. Her nerve endings tingled in anticipation of his touch. What would be the harm in it? He knew she was a professional. His opinion of her as a crew member shouldn’t be influenced by her response.
“Don’t worry,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, “we’ll have plenty of time to talk business later. Let’s get acquainted.”
His eyes pierced hers with a seductive warmth that stole her breath. She couldn’t tear her gaze away. But before she gave in to her yearnings, she sought to free her mind of lingering concerns.
“Do you think we’ll succeed?” she asked.
“Succeed? At what?”
“Our mission to Yanura.”
“Our mission is obvious, although how we’re going to face down the Yanurans in this unwieldy ship is beyond me. We’ll find a way.” He bent his head toward her, clearly wishing to dispense with small talk and get on with his seduction.
Her anger flared. “What do you mean by facing down the Yanurans?”
Deke’s face folded into a frown. “Our weapons array shows minimal configuration. The amphibians are sure to cause trouble. I’d have preferred a vessel with more armaments.”
She twisted out of his grasp. “Why should you think they’d cause a problem? They’re eager to be accepted into the Coalition. May I remind you that we’re not planning a commando raid? Our visit to Yanura is a diplomatic affair.”
“That’s what the Yanurans are supposed to think, but we’re searching for a missing child. We have to be prepared for any contingencies.”
It annoyed her that Deke anticipated hostilities. Why would Fromoth Trun, the Yanuran leader, spend over a month on Bimordus Two pleading his case with the Admissions Committee if he planned to harm the inspection team?
“I’m sure the Yanurans will be happy to cooperate with us,” she said in a stiff tone.
“Well, I’m not.” He stepped away, his eyes blazing. “Are you so gullible that you believe those creatures? Didn’t you see the preliminary survey that was done when they first mentioned joining the Coalition? Glotaj told me that hints of political unrest came to light, but the extent and nature weren’t known. He wants us to find out more about it. Jallyn’s disappearance might be related to whatever problems the Yanurans are having at home.”
“How preposterous! I don’t see any connection between the Yanurans and Jallyn.”
“Oh, no? Fromoth Trun’s vessel launched shortly after Jallyn’s abduction took place. Are you denying he’s a suspect when you saw for yourself that Jallyn was on a ship?”
So the commander did know about her separations. “Two other ships also left the spaceport at that time. You’re just prejudiced against the Yanurans like everyone else. I thought you were selected to command this mission because of your diving expertise. You’re supposed to check out their seaweed farms and confirm the data on Vyclor.”
“That’s only part of our mission.”
“It’s the most important part. As soon as you verify their claims regarding the drug, we can make a favorable recommendation to the Admissions Committee.”
He shook his head. “It’s not as simple as that. We still have to locate Jallyn.”
“Why don’t you come right out and say you believe the Yanurans are guilty of her abduction?”
“We’ll find out soon enough.” He gave her a smug look.
“How dare you accuse them of such a grievous crime without having any experience in their affairs.” She glared at him in righteous indignation.
“Oh, but I do have experience,” he said quietly, his brown eyes intense.
“How so?”
“I’ll explain during the briefing.”
“Fine, then you can leave now.”
Deke’s mouth tightened. “This isn’t over.”
“Yes, it is. I’ll see you later, Commander.” She stared after him as he left. Rage constricted her throat. Who in Zor did he think he was—a judge, jury, and executioner? How dare he accuse the Yanurans of wrongdoing when he couldn’t prove anything. She wondered what experience he’d had with them that made him so biased in his views. Regardless of his reasons, his attitude could be a hindrance to their mission.
She considered contacting Glotaj and registering a complaint, but then she remembered Deke had been selected by the supreme regent himself. Glotaj must have thought he was the best man for the job.
It would be up to her to persuade Commander Sage to take a reasonable approach. Hedy was always chiding her for promoting one cause or another, but she felt compelled to defend issues she felt strongly about. Instilling tolerance in Deke was going to be her next challenge.
She hadn’t always expressed her opinions so openly. As a child, she used to shy away from confrontations. Because of her special ability, her relationships usually ended in hurt and rejection.
The people on her planet were naturally psychic, but in most cases the full range of their ability didn’t develop until after puberty. Mara had manifested her innate talents much earlier. Although other Tyberian children were able to sense emotions at an early stage, it was rare for one so young to be able to travel the astral plane. Usually it took years of study for an adult to reach that level of consciousness.
Because she didn’t know how to discipline herself, Mara would jump into her friends’ viewpoints without warning. Her ability frightened her playmates, who were too young to understand. Under those circumstances, no one wanted to be her companion for long. Eventually it became too painful to make friends because she knew it would only lead to ridicule.
A special school existed for children like her who were specially gifted at an early age. Mara’s parents sent her there so she could learn how to channel her psychic energy. They didn’t realize their action only made her feel more alienated.
She’d applied herself to her studies so she could leave the school and enter “normal” society again. Eventually, she had learned how to control her separations. As an adult, she declined the opportunity to extend her powers and chose instead to study exobiology at the Science Conservatory on Gemini VII.
Her experiences motivated her to specialize in cultural relations. In her opinion, the key to accepting alien cultures was to understand them.
Commander Sage didn’t seem to feel that way. If he approached the Yanurans with his hostile attitude, he might destroy the progress she’d made with Fromoth Trun. Mara would have to convince him to view the Yanurans more objectively.
A knock sounded on her door, and Hedy’s high-pitched voice called out, “Are you ready for our tour yet? I finished unpacking.”
“Yes, I’m coming.” A moment later, she joined Hedy in the corridor. “Commander Sage stopped by my cabin.” She glanced up and down the narrow space to make sure no one else was around to hear.