A pair of guards stood in front of Sarina’s door, frightening her with their fierce expressions. One of them announced her arrival over the comm unit.
Inside, Sarina rushed to greet her. “Mara, I’m so glad you’re here.”
After giving her a brief hug, Mara stood back, regarding her friend’s tear-streaked face and disheveled appearance. Sarina’s gray eyes were wide with shock. Her blond hair was in rumpled disarray, her nightclothes haphazardly covered by a crimson robe. A faint, sickly sweet odor was in the air. The casements were wide open, letting in a cool breeze that ruffled the hairs on Mara’s skin.
Her stunned gaze swept the living area, alighting on a tall, bearded figure seated on a double lounger in front of a black crystalline table. Glotaj, the supreme regent, was here.
He wasn’t the only guest. Lieutenant Wren, one of Teir’s crew, stood in front of the holovid entertainment center studying the flashy dials. He’d been injured on a recent mission and was on medical leave.
Great suns, had something happened to Teir that they were both here? The captain was away on assignment. Why else would Glotaj and Wren have come together if not to deliver bad news?
“What’s happened? Teir, is he—” She couldn’t get beyond those words.
Sarina shook her head. “It’s Jallyn. She’s been kidnapped.” Sinking onto a chair, the Great Healer covered her face with her hands.
Mara’s jaw gaped. “What?”
Glotaj rose from the lounger to greet her. “Mara,” the older statesman said, regally inclining his head. Wings of gray fanned his temples, flanking a forehead creased with worry lines. A pair of dark, piercing eyes met hers. Without preamble, Glotaj launched into an explanation.
“Someone showed up at Sarina’s door pretending to deliver a bouquet of flowers. She thought they were from Teir and opened the portal, wherein the delivery person disabled her with a noxious fume sprayer. When her life-form readings dipped, the automated sentry sent out an alarm. A security team found her out cold on the floor. We’ve already done a sweep of the apartment. Traces of quantum resolution activity were found in the baby’s chamber.”
He scowled as though that had a significance Mara didn’t understand. “The other results won’t be available for a few hauras yet,” Glotaj continued. “The security team picked up unusual readings by the stairs in the lobby.”
“Who do you suspect is responsible?” She wavered between talking to Glotaj and rushing to Sarina’s side. Her friend was in dire need of comfort.
“Speculation can wait,” Sarina snapped, lifting her head. “Will you do a separation, Mara? I... I have to know if Jallyn’s all right.”
As a Tyberian, Mara possessed extrasensory ability, but her power went beyond the norm for her people. She could actually separate her spirit from her body and jump into another person’s life space.
This allowed her to see what the other person saw and to experience their viewpoint as events unfolded. It was a gift she was loath to use because it had caused her an unhappy childhood. But in this case, she would do anything to help Sarina.
“Of course, I’ll help.” To ease her mind in preparation, she rested her gaze on various art pieces around the living space, souvenirs from Sarina’s travels. They would be meaningless if her baby daughter was lost.
“I need an object that’s touched Jallyn,” she reminded Sarina gently.
“Of course.” Sarina rushed from the room, returning a moment later holding a lavender woven blanket.
Mara took it from her and clutched it to her chest. Her eyes closed, and she began the inner flight along the astral plane. As she concentrated, a vibration hummed through her body, expanding outward. A buzzing noise rang in her ears.
She felt herself lighten as the sound altered, changing to a rushing noise like water gushing through a narrow gorge. All at once, her essence separated from her body and floated upward. She hovered a moment, feeling as airy as a feather. It was an incredible sensation and she wanted to savor it, to remain immersed in the peace and warmth of her new state.
Unencumbered by a physical body, she could go anywhere. Freedom beckoned her. The dimensions of time and space didn’t pose any restraints to her spiritual being. She still had a form of sorts, but it was different, like an energy signature of what she had been.
She focused her thoughts on the baby, on the pretty blond-haired child who’d be frightened and bewildered without its mother. She could feel its vibrations emanating from the blanket, guiding her. Almost instantly, she was with Jallyn, popping into her head.
Confusion struck her. Seeing through the baby’s eyes, it was difficult to make out the view in Jallyn’s perspective. She was lying on her back, squirming, her diaper wet and uncomfortable. Overhead a bright light shone in her face. When her head twisted to the side, rows of painted wooden strips obstructed her view. Beyond the slats was a curved metal wall.
Footsteps sounded. A woman’s face appeared, peering at her with a frown. Jallyn saw a large set of violet eyes, a pale complexion, brown hair knotted in a low bun. As the face neared, the nose seemed to expand, threatening to jab into her. She began to cry.
“Not now,” Mara whispered to herself. She couldn’t see well through the moisture in Jallyn’s eyes.
Huge hands grasped her pudgy legs, raised them, removed the wet diaper. She was cleaned and dried, then rediapered. As Jallyn was turned onto her stomach to have her back rubbed, Mara glimpsed a small round casement set high in another metal wall. A viewport, and outside all was dark.
Having seen enough, Mara separated. Instantly, she found herself back in Sarina’s apartment being sucked into her physical body.
She opened her eyes. The feeling of weightlessness had gone, but the serenity she’d experienced remained with her. Once more encumbered by her physical being, she took a moment to adjust.
“Jallyn is lying in a crib. A woman is caring for her,” she told Sarina, trying to keep the emotion from her voice.
Sarina stared at her, wide-eyed. “Thank God someone’s looking after her.” Her composure shattered, and tears streamed down her face. “Jallyn... Oh, dear God, what am I going to do?” Her face paled, and she slumped down onto the nearest lounger.
“She needs a medic,” Mara said in alarm. “Let’s call Hedy.” With the supreme regent’s permission, she gave Wren the coded signal that would trigger Hedy’s bedside alarm. Her roommate, a respected physician, could be relied upon for discretion.
Reassured that Hedy was on her way, Mara obtained a sedit beverage from the fabricator and handed it to Sarina.
“Drink this. It’ll help.” As her friend drained the contents, Mara wondered if she should get one for herself. It might help stem the flood of tears that hovered at her eyelids.
“What else did you notice?” Glotaj asked in an impatient tone.
“I saw a viewport and a metal bulkhead.”
“That sounds like a ship.” The supreme regent narrowed his eyes. “Computer, open channel. Get me the control center for Spaceport Operations.” When the connection came through, he identified himself. “I want the manifest checked for all departures within the past two hauras.”
“I’ll get right on it, Your Excellency,” said the controller. “Do you wish to wait on the line?”