He halted his packing and gritted his teeth. If the Yanurans were being deceitful—and he’d be willing to bet this was the case—Deke would quickly and ruthlessly ferret out the truth.
****
“I know we’re on the wrong track, Hedy,” Mara said to her roommate. “Fromoth Trun was extremely courteous in all my encounters with him. I’m sure the Yanurans have nothing to do with Jallyn’s disappearance.”
“We’ll find out when we get to Yanura,” Hedy replied.
They were home packing for the trip ahead. Hedy had finished stuffing her case and had wandered into Mara’s room. The medic sat on the lounger, examining her painted fingernails for flaws.
“I’m looking forward to seeing their planet after working so closely with Fromoth Trun. They’re an interesting species.” Mara folded a stack of data cards into her bag. “Did you know they are nocturnal? We’ll have to adapt to their way of life. It’ll be quite fascinating.”
Hedy rolled her green eyes. “I’m more excited about spending time in close quarters with that handsome Polluxite, Lieutenant Wren. Did you see his shoulders? By the corona, I’ve never met a man with a physique like his before.”
“Oh, yeah? How about that Fraisirian messenger from the finance ministry? Didn’t you say the same thing about him?”
Hedy shrugged. “That was last week.”
“Hedy! This mission is serious.”
The petite brunette grinned. “No one said we couldn’t have fun along the way.”
“Lieutenant Wren is a member of Captain Reylock’s crew. Normally he ships out on the Valiant.”
“So what? He’s barely recovered from a disrupter wound he got on their last mission.” She heaved a long sigh, her gaze heavenward. “I wish I had been his medic.”
Mara snorted. “You’re impossible. I keep telling you men are nothing but trouble, and you won’t listen.”
Her most recent relationship had been a disaster. She and Pietor, an advocate in the Enforcement Bureau, had been seeing each other for seven months when he’d invited her to his home planet to meet his parents. They’d taken one look at her dark hair and olive complexion and voiced their disapproval. Mara was nothing like the albino beauties on Sonoria. How could Pietor have taken up with someone like her?
Instead of coming to her defense, Pietor had told them about her special gift. The memory of his mocking words still cut her deeply.
“Pietor wasn’t worthy of you,” Hedy said gently. “If he’d really loved you, he would have appreciated your ability.”
“I was nothing more than an exotic plaything to him. What a fool I was to believe he cared about me.”
“He was weak, Mara. Be glad he didn’t marry you first and then take you home. You were lucky to get rid of him.” Hedy gave her a teasing grin. “Loosen up and you’ll have more fun on this trip.”
“I’m not joining this delegation to have fun. I intend to prove to the Admissions Committee that the Yanurans deserve an unbiased approval of their application.”
She threw a few cosmetics into her case despite her knowledge that the Celeste fabricators could supply most of what they’d need. She still preferred to bring along certain favorite items.
“I wonder what Lieutenant Commander Sage will be like,” Hedy mused. “I hope he’s not one of those stiff protocol types.”
“Wren speaks very highly of him,” Mara pointed out.
“We’re not in the military. He can’t order us around.”
Mara heard the note of defiance in her roommate’s tone. “We are under his command while on this mission, Hedy.”
Hedy raised her eyebrows. “Spoken like a real trooper. I can’t wait to see how you react when he gives you an order.” She rose, smoothing the skirt of her minidress. “In the meantime, I’m going to get ready to meet that gorgeous Lieutenant Wren again.” She indicated her brown waves of shoulder-length hair. “Do you like this style or should I straighten it?”
Mara raised her hands in mock despair. “What am I going to do with you?”
Hedy flashed her a brilliant smile. “Try having a lighter outlook. It’ll work wonders on your psyche. Say, maybe you could jump into Wren’s viewpoint the next time we meet. You’ll be able to sense how he feels about me.”
That did it. Mara picked up a pillow and threw it at her roommate.
Hedy dodged the hit with a squeal and ran out. Mara stood looking after her, her hands on her hips, wondering how she was going to stand hearing Hedy’s ramblings about Wren for the entire trip.
Despite their teasing banter, Mara knew Hedy was just as worried as she was about Sarina and the baby. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them to focus on the political aspects of the mission and not the personal angle. Otherwise, thinking about Jallyn could paralyze them both with anxiety.
Mara packed her last item, the baby’s blanket. She’d need it to do separations to check on Jallyn’s status. Her heart filled with pain as she pictured the tiny infant girl, so sweet and innocent.
May the Light of the Aura shine upon us, she prayed. We’ll need all the help we can get.
Hedy was a competent healer, and Mara knew she wouldn’t be diverted by her attraction to Wren when her skills were required. Despite her passionate nature, Hedy could be quite serious when the occasion demanded it.
Mara, on the other hand, was always serious. She drove herself hard and needed to be constantly busy. On this trip, as cultural specialist, she’d be responsible for ensuring the Yanurans were greeted properly, according to their customs. It was a role she looked forward to with great anticipation. Hopefully the crew, and Lieutenant Commander Sage in particular, would be receptive to her suggestions.
Chapter Three
“Hedy, what’s the problem?” Mara asked, frowning.
They’d just stepped off the moving walkway at launch bay 72 and were facing the air lock that would take them out of the protective domed section of the city. The whine of engines and roar of thrusters coming from outside hurt Mara’s ears.
“I forgot something.” Hedy’s arms were loaded down with bundles. She’d dashed into a few of the shops along the spaceport concourse and now paused, staring at Mara. “I have to go back.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Mara glanced ahead, eager to get aboard the Celeste.
“You can go on. I won’t be long. Did you remember to call Sarina and tell her we were leaving?”
“Yes, I did. She’s so disappointed she couldn’t come along.”
Hedy raised an eyebrow. “Glotaj reminded her that she needs to stay home in case the kidnappers contact her.”
“He’s right, but I wish we could offer more in the way of support. With Teir and us gone, she’ll have no one else to confide in. Glotaj has clamped down on letting the news leak out.”
“Stop feeling guilty,” Hedy chided her. “You know you’re excited about this trip.”
Mara smiled sheepishly. “Yes, and we should be moving along. At least let me carry some of those packages.”
Hedy handed over several of her bags. “I’ll see you on board the ship,” she said before turning away and heading back toward the shops.