He grunted. “Yes, the thought did occur to me.” Opening his eyes, he twisted to face her. “Who did you tell about going to Tygel yesterday?”
She flipped back and levered up to a sitting position, punching a few pillows as she made herself comfortable. “No one. Only we three knew.”
“Someone found out.” He put his hand to his forehead and rubbed. “They tipped off the Alysians, telling them you would be at that shop at that time.”
With a quick tug, she pulled the sheet up to her chin. “It was a spur of the moment decision. I reminded Amanda that the new fashions were showing in order to persuade her to go. I added in lunch to sweeten the deal, and she picked Descant’s.”
“Huh? Amanda?” He pushed himself up level with her and frowned. “What possessed the three of you to go by yourselves to Tygel? Was it Amanda’s idea?”
“No, it was mine. Besides, Mika agreed to come along to protect us. I believed we’d be perfectly safe.”
“Mika alone is not enough. There’s an underground network of Terran haters all over Alysia. Don’t you realize that you are an important Terran, and my wife, which makes you a target? It’s too dangerous for you to go out on a whim. From now on, you’ll not leave this house without my permission.” His jaw clenched on the last words, and he glared angrily at her. “You are too valuable to expose yourself like that.”
She got right up into his face. “You better not tell me what I can or cannot do. I commanded a fleet of twenty-eight starships. I gave the orders then, and no man is going to tell me what I can or cannot do now.” She dropped her clenched hands, breathing heavily. The frustration of being cooped up in this alien place, and the frustration of feeling so powerless washed over her. She felt the exhaustion of tending a child, of living on a strange planet separated from family and friends… with gravity that pressed on her, making every movement an effort, and with weather that was unpredictable. Her life ran out of control.
She went to grab her robe, knowing Tempest would soon awaken, demanding attention and breakfast. She was already tired before the day had barely begun. Abruptly, she stopped.
Frigid silence enveloped the room.
She closed her eyes as a thought popped into her head. Their lunch!
Swiveling around, she encountered his stony face. “Lunch. I had to cancel lunch. I told Alice we were going to eat in town. While I was telling her, Mika came in and asked for the itinerary. I mentioned the tech shop as our first stop before going on to eat at Descant’s.”
“Alice? I only recently hired her. My former cook, Mary, said she didn’t want to work in a house with Terrans, so I was forced to hire a new cook. After so many years of working for me, she just up and quit.” His voice took on an indignant tone as he fisted his hands.
He paused, obviously thinking over her words. The clenched jaw and closed fists released as his face changed to a puzzled expression, then cleared. He pounded his fist into his other hand. “It has to be Alice. I trust my regular staff. They have been with me for ages, but with additional people living here, I had to hire new workers.” His slanted his head. “Do you suppose we could turn her into a double agent?”
She tied her sash with a jerk and stilled her hands. Slowly sitting on the side of their bed, she touched his arm. “All right. I’ll admit driving into Tygel without adequate protection wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve ever made. But how could I know the situation had become that dangerous?”
“Because I told you so.” He exhaled a deep breath and glanced over at her. “I know you feel trapped here, but I’ve tried to provide everything you might need to make you comfortable.”
She looked away. “Except I have no control over my life.” She leveled her eyes with his. That’s why I must go to the Terran space station. You might not want to, but you should come along with me.”
“What?” His voice exploded out.
“Think about it. You’ve just spent two days with Trace trying to figure out how you can find out what’s going on at the Homestead. Right?” She edged in closer, leaning into him.
“Maybe.”
She gave him a side-wise glance. “And you didn’t come up with a good solution that didn’t involve a lot of explosions and loss of life, most likely.”
“Possibly.” He shifted away.
“The solution is that I go talk to Carter. He would know what’s going on at the Homestead, and I’m the only person he will confide in. Certainly not you or Trace—you’re Alysians. I know shuttling through space to the station isn’t your favorite thing to do, but you could come with me. When do Merek and John return?”
His face scrunched up into a grimace. “Later today.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “He and Luttrell are coming here, oh Fate, for dinner.” He gaped at her. “I planned to ask him about the Homestead. Everything we say will be overheard by that new cook.”
“Possibly we can plant a little disinformation. Also, consider John sharing a shuttle with us. He’ll want to return to his lab on board The New Found Hope. Arrange a secure shuttle and ask all the questions you want.”
“I can debrief him about the Homestead and those science labs on board the shuttle.”
“Yes. Do you think Angel could be persuaded to go with us, too?”
He nodded. She could see the idea growing on him. Then he paused. “What about Tempest?”
She fluttered her hand. “She can come, too.”
“Isn’t she too young? A child on a space station?”
She laughed. “I traveled constantly on a spaceship at an even younger age, and I survived well enough.”
He stood up and grabbed his own robe. Threading his arm into a sleeve, he swung around and said, “You were born on a spaceship. It’s not the same thing.”
“She’ll be fine. John will be with us to handle any medical complications.”
He paused as if thinking it over. Working a second arm into the other sleeve, he yanked his sash tight. “You’re right. She’ll be fine.”
His sudden confidence surprised her. Before she could wonder why, from the hallway, a wail of impatience penetrated their closed door. A knock sounded. The nanny had arrived with her daughter. Tempest was ready for the day and possibly a new diaper.
***
Merek and John arrived that evening. She thrilled to see her former bodyguard was going to live after all. His face didn’t have the pale, pinched expression that he had worn when last seeing him. Only when Amanda hugged him, did an involuntary wince reveal his discomfort, but he tried to disguise it. Her heart pounded at the sight, which brought tears to her eyes that she, in turn, attempted to hide from him.
Dinner was a hilarious affair with a new additional cook, recommended by Trace, who was so nervous she practically spilled the soup in Richard’s lap. It was obvious her talents lay elsewhere other than cooking, more likely toward espionage.
John’s eyebrows rose under his shock of honey brown hair at the near disaster. However, the meal itself proved delicious. Fresh vegetables alongside tender chicken provided the main meal with an apple pie from a nearby orchard for dessert. She had to admit the food was far better here on Alysia than on board any ship in her Terran fleet.
“I see Richard added a new cook to help our current cook,” Amanda commented to Merek as she dug a fork into a mound of mashed potatoes. “Good thing you’re back. I’ll feel a lot safer.” She looked up. “Plus, I don’t like sleeping alone.” A wink at him followed her comment.
Merek grinned at her. “Neither do I,” he said.
“It’s fixed.” Richard waved a fork. “I’ve installed additional safeguards and hired a security expert. He’ll oversee all logistics. If anyone wants to go anywhere, they need to report to him, and he’ll set up the itinerary.”
“That’s usually my job,” Merek protested.
Richard leaned forward. “Right now, your job is to regain your strength and keep Amanda happy.”
Patting his hand, Amanda said, “I have a few ideas about t
hat you might like, which we can discuss later.”
Merek grinned and squeezed her hand while the others suddenly busied themselves with their food.
Elise’s gaze traveled around the table as she realized here sat her family and the people she loved. What sacrifices would be required of them in order to survive this new life?
***
Within a few days, Elise was in the bedroom packing. Richard walked in and threw his hands in the air. He swung around. “How long are you planning to stay? You know we can’t take this much stuff.”
An exasperated snort came out of Elise. She swept her hand over the assorted bundles and bags. “When there’s a baby involved, you need lots of diapers, bottles, toys, outfits, special food… I have to change her at least twice a day. Also, I want to have enough outfits for myself.” She sighed. “Females need to pack a lot, you know. It’s not just a pants and shirt affair, and you’re done, like with men.”
His eyes roved over the piles of items. “Good thing the gravity is lighter on the station with all this baggage.”
Elise straightened and turned on him. “Right, so don’t stand there with your mouth open. Get a porter to help us load.”
“You still want to leave Merek here?”
She nodded as she continued to tick off the items she was packing. “He and Amanda need private time together. He’s still recuperating. Have you missed him?”
“Maybe a little.” He leaned out the door and waved a hand for a man to come and carry out the luggage.
“More than a little, I’ll bet.” She sniffed.
Soon, they were loaded and on their way to the spaceport where Angel had agreed to meet them. John brought boxes filled with supplies for his lab while several large containers held fresh produce requested by Jacob for the station, and a quantity of electronics for engineering.
Liftoff proved to be routine. Knowing his fear of space travel, Elise glanced over several times to check on Richard. He had his eyes tightly closed and music so loud in his earbud that she could hear it from where she sat.
Tempest appeared not to have inherited her father’s phobia of space for she weathered the stress of takeoff without a murmur. Of course, light drugs helped.
Once the shuttle’s engines cut off, the intense pressure of acceleration lifted to be replaced by the weightlessness of zero gravity. Elise sighed and peered out the small window onto a dark void sprinkled with stars. John pulled out a digital file of scientific information and began reading. Occasionally, he’d flick a glance at her, and then Richard, and with a grunt, go back to reading.
As the shuttle coasted in silence, Angel’s still body appeared to be meditating. The bodyguard Richard had commissioned to help simply pulled a hat over his face and slept. Elise’s hands itched to grab the controls and pilot the shuttle. She wiggled forward, drawn by its siren call, but a tug on the back of her shirt halted her.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Richard’s voice came from over her back shoulder. “Sit down. I know what you’re doing, and we have a fine pilot in charge up front. You need to stay back here and keep an eye on Tempest.”
Reluctantly, she slumped into her seat. Once again, motherhood pinned her to a place when her heart wanted to be elsewhere.
***
It took hours to reach maximum orbit and match velocity with the Terran station. The station whirled like a top in space with solar panels sticking out all over and a hulking ship tethered to its side. Elise examined The New Found Hope, feeling goosebumps race up and down her arms as she admired its sleek, powerful lines. She had been born in and grown up on the vessel. That ship had carried her and her crew through endless space, eventually to discover this planet. Memories flooded in, causing her to blink back tears.
Beside her, Richard gazed out another window, watching the space station that he helped build. “Isn’t it magnificent!” he breathed, taking in the sight of the station.
“Breathtaking,” she agreed, gazing at her ship.
The shuttle glided into the docking bay and attached to its designated berth. Clamps clanged, securing the craft.
“We’re here.” Richard stood to stretch and wobbled about. The lighter gravity took getting used to, even for her. “My head feels like it’s going to explode, and my stomach is upset,” he announced. “I hate space.”
Unclamping Tempest from her seat, Elise experienced the difference too, but for her, it was like coming home. Easily, she swung the carryall to the guard, struggling to remember his name. He was average looking with forgettable brown hair, but a well-toned body and easy smile. He took the child and gathered up pieces of luggage.
“Ian,” she muttered as she remembered.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered.
“Ah, here.” She thrust a carryall of bottles and diapers at him as he collected the child.
“Ooo,” chortled Tempest and waved her hands. The experience of light gravity appeared to please her.
As Elise stepped out, she studied the shuttle bay, half expecting to be greeted by Jacob Monroe, the station’s head of security. In fact, she didn’t recognize the faces that approached. A niggle of worry crept through her thoughts.
“Elise,” Richard grabbed her hand as he stared at the oncoming contingent, “Don’t say anything, but I think we’re in trouble.”
Chapter 16
Hostage
She felt Angel come up behind her. Pivoting, she stared into his eyes and breathed, “Wait.”
He nodded as if he understood.
To these men, Angel might not appear to pose a threat. He was not unusually big, in fact, he often had a feminine appearance with his bright golden eyes and white blonde hair that ran rather long for a male. When she was around him, he always presented as male, but to others, notably men, Angel could morph into something with a female flavor. Or so, Richard had warned her. Right now, she wanted to find out more about these strangers greeting her and why Jacob wasn’t among them. She didn’t want Angel to create a scene that might lead to difficulties down the road. She knew what he was capable of.
“Where is Administrator Monroe?” she demanded.
Richard squeezed her hand in warning.
“He’s unavailable,” answered a muscular man in an odd garb that mimicked a uniform. The others joined him, dressed similarly in khaki shirts, brown pants, and khaki jackets with metal piping. She saw their eyes travel past her to stare at the Enjelise. Well, they could look all they wanted, she would not reveal what he was. Let them wonder.
The gaze of the tallest one with a close-cropped brown beard and buzz cut traveled arrogantly over Richard and rested on her. “I’m Lieutenant Roberts, your designated welcoming committee.” The man stood in front of her, his jaw clenched, and chin lifted.
The men reminded her of pictures of soldiers she had seen in the old Earth archives. His mouth formed a sneer. “You may find things are a bit different here since you visited last.”
“Administrator Monroe requested fresh produce, and we brought it. I thought he might, at least, have the courtesy to welcome us.” She tried to sound friendly, but friendly didn’t seem to be the mode for this bunch.
Lieutenant Roberts signaled a well-tattooed guard into the shuttle. “Rayne, unload the crates,” he ordered.
“Aye, aye, sir,” the man responded and jumped in.
Lieutenant Roberts faced her. “You see, that’s the beauty of digital information. You put a name on a message and everyone thinks they know who sent it.” He grinned tightly with his mouth, but his eyes remained hard.
Richard stepped forward. “So, where is Jacob and why isn’t he here?” He crossed his arms and glared.
“In due time, Alysian. In due time. Now if you will come with me, we’ll see your group settled.” He tugged Richard loose from her, causing a ripple of shivers to dance across her arm at his rough touch. She and John exchanged worried looks.
She made an incoherent sound only to feel Angel’s hand on her back and hear him whisper, “I’m rig
ht behind you.”
As if he heard, Lieutenant Robert’s head snapped around, and he narrowed his eyes at the Enjelise.
Angel smiled, the picture of innocence.
Robert’s gaze lingered a half second on her, then the Enjelise. He frowned. Settling on Richard, he waved them forward. “Move along,” he barked.
She saw Richard studying the group, noticing weapons in holsters at their sides. “Elise, let’s follow the man,” her husband all but ordered, as he grabbed her arm again and pulled her forward.
“A most excellent idea,” Lieutenant Roberts said.
Along several stations within the shuttle bay, stony-faced men stood at attention and watched them pass.
Her group must have appeared pitiful, surrounded as they were by these grim-faced Terrans, who marched them at a brisk pace as if afraid to slow down. Tempest let out a wail, which she turned to hush, but a hand shoved her sharply forward.
Ian slowed to dig around in the carryall, causing the guards to stiffen and place their hands on their weapons. He looked up, startled, and dramatically flourished a bottle in their faces. “At ease, gentlemen,” he said as he promptly inserted the bottle into Tempest’s wide-open mouth.
The wail cut to a gargle. The guards exchanged chagrined expressions, and their hands dropped to their sides. They whirled around to resume the brisk march.
As their group entered the main entrance to the space station, they bypassed the decontamination chamber. Richard slowed. “Don’t we have to go through decontamination?”
Lieutenant Roberts shook his head. “A waste of time,” he snorted. “The men will clean the shuttle and decontaminate the produce, but everyone on this station has been inoculated.”
Shocked, Elise observed the station’s startling transformation. Where once a crowd of people had bustled about with smiling faces, now the station appeared thinly populated. An aura of discouragement radiated throughout, seen in the slumped shoulders, downcast eyes, downturned lips, and a shuffling walk by those around her. Shops that had done a brisk trade before she had left were boarded up, and the higher levels had little or no traffic.
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