‘I don’t care what people think. What I am trying to say is, as I met Amie about a decade ago by my reckoning, this date is about ten years overdue. So I figure why wait for someone else to sweep you off your feet—’
‘Your hurry to woo me wouldn’t have anything to do with Zeven?’ Taren figured her little conference with the pilot was what had sparked Lucian’s concern. And although he shook his head and smiled to deny it, Taren neared Lucian to reassure him. ‘Zeven asked for my help to master his PK, and he remains a friend.’
‘I believe you,’ Lucian said. ‘I’m just not sure that’s how Zeven sees it.’
‘That is exactly how he sees it. I told him about us,’ she advised, thinking that ‘us’ made them sound like a couple and they hadn’t even had a first date. ‘That you were taking me to dinner, I mean,’ she quickly said, downplaying her slip of the tongue.
Her awkward sincerity delighted Lucian. ‘And how did Zeven take it?’
‘Like a friend.’ She was pleased to find Lucian’s smile was more confident now.
‘In that case…’ He took her face in his hands and leant forward to bequeath a kiss at last.
A gasp, just short of their lips touching, followed by a suppressed squeal of delight, startled Lucian and Taren out of their wits. They turned to find Aurora doing a happy dance at the door.
‘I had no idea!’ she explained. ‘I think it’s just fantastic!’
Both Taren and Lucian felt a little odd at being congratulated on a relationship they hadn’t been given the chance to quite start yet.
‘Aurora and I are going shopping this morning,’ Taren told Lucian.
‘Well, have fun, ladies. I’ll see you this evening, about eight?’ he commented to Taren and she nodded.
‘Are you going to be all right dealing with the authorities?’ Taren knew he would be handing over Bonar Colbers and going through the gruelling task of recounting Amie’s death for the record.
‘It will be good to be done with it,’ he replied, a little downcast, but then recaptured his more positive mood. ‘I can finally put it all behind me.’ He smiled at Taren, seeing in her a future that was worth wading through all the drama for.
‘How will you explain how we discovered her murderer?’ She had been quietly concerned about that since she’d exposed the culprit.
‘Anything I tell them is going to sound more realistic than the actual truth.’ His grin instilled confidence. ‘I have a good idea how to get around it.’
‘If you get held up, leave a message at the hotel,’ Taren suggested.
‘I won’t be held up,’ he stated, waving them both farewell as he headed out the door.
As soon as the captain was out of earshot, Aurora went ballistic. ‘When did this happen?’
Taren rolled her eyes as she clipped her luggage closed. ‘It hasn’t happened…yet.’
Aurora gasped with horror. ‘I’m so sorry…my timing really sucks, huh?’
‘Not to worry.’ Taren waved off the missed opportunity. ‘Tonight will be a very different story.’
‘You bet!’ Aurora was excited for them both. ‘Especially in new threads.’ She clapped happily having been in space way too long.
Taren grabbed up her luggage and linked arms with Rory. ‘Let’s go shopping!’ they announced in accord, heading out to explore a whole new world.
Taren was nervous going through customs, but she was processed without a fuss. She had feared the MSS might have an alert out on her, but if that had been the case, she would have been taken into custody immediately.
Could she dare to dream that the Maladaan incident had happened so abruptly that no one in the MSS had had time to inform agencies off-planet about the mysterious power source they had coveted, or Taren’s connection with it?
Someone had given Colbers leave to kill Amie, and Taren hoped that someone had been Swithin, now deceased. What if all the MSS had perished, along with their files and the Psychic Monitor Database? That would mean a clean slate—no more of the past coming back to haunt her. Every planet in the USS was said to have a secret service and all these underground government agencies were known to share information and work together at times. By the same token, these agencies were called secret service for good reason and Taren very much doubted that the MSS would share the details of their covert operations with other agencies within the USS. No one truly knew where the chain of command ended, however, bar that unknown Master who was pulling the strings. That person had certainly not been Swithin, who would have been small fry in the MSS scheme of things. Hopefully, he or she had been snatched from this universe along with everyone else on Maladaan.
Taren decided she was going to give energy to that thought and, provided things didn’t turn pear-shaped at the inquest into Maladaan’s disappearance, she could start a new life with the man of her dreams.
AMIE’s crew were supplied with accommodation in a seaside resort hotel. It was near the Parliamentary Centre in Kotan-Bathaar where the USS would be conducting the memorial service for Maladaan and the inquest into the planet’s mysterious vanishing. At customs, Taren and Aurora were handed gift tokens that gave them a certain number of goods and services on Frujia, along with an electronic palm pamphlet that explained where their credit could be spent.
‘We are deeply sorry for your loss,’ concluded the customs officer. ‘On behalf of the citizens of Frujia, we hope your stay with us is a pleasant one.’
The girls accepted the commiserations graciously, although neither one of them had lost anyone close. Aurora’s only family, her father and brother, were both in mining on Sermetica, and those Aurora considered close friends these days were on board AMIE.
‘So, have you had any luck with Starman?’ Taren thought she’d catch up on the gossip as the hovercab sped them towards their accommodation.
‘Nah, that’s a lost cause. I don’t feel comfortable having to downplay my personality so much around him. So, screw Starman. I’m on the prowl for a new love interest.’
‘Good for you.’ Taren was happy for her, as Aurora seemed to have struck a nice balance between Aurora the lady and Rory the rebel—her look reflected a little of both today.
‘Look, there’s the water,’ Rory pointed out through the front windscreen, as the cab was moving way too fast to see anything out the side windows, just the green blur of the tropical forest they were driving through. ‘We must be getting close to the hotel.’ Aurora could barely contain her excitement. ‘This is like a dream come true! And I’m not going to waste a second of it pining over some up-himself ace who’d rather I didn’t exist.’
‘I don’t think that’s fair—’
‘Ah,’ Aurora cautioned, ‘don’t defend him, he’s an asshole!’
‘He’s also my friend, and yours.’ Taren had a soft spot for Zeven, and so did Aurora, even if she wasn’t admitting it.
‘I’ve got an idea…let’s just pretend he doesn’t exist,’ Aurora suggested.
‘Good call,’ Taren agreed, as the cab slowed to a stop in front of their hotel.
‘Just look at this place,’ Aurora said, eyeing the huge beachfront complex. It was built far enough away from the beach that it would not overshadow the shore until late in the day. Beside the hotel was a long, largely open-air shopping complex, housing all the goods and services a tourist could possibly need.
As they hurried out of the hovercab they found the intense heat of the day overwhelming. But not even the heat could deplete their high spirits, and they both breathed deeply of the fresh sea air.
Aurora was fit to burst. ‘This is going to be great!’
CHAPTER 12
APPEARANCES
Once Taren and Aurora had deposited their belongings into their beautifully appointed suites, they headed out to hit the shops.
As the day was so hot, and the shopping centre was so long, Aurora insisted on hiring one of the small two-seater hoverpods that were a popular local way of getting around in the heat. There were no doors an
d the pod hardly flew faster than walking pace, but it blew cool air on its passengers and had a moulded canopy overhead to keep the sun off. Taren allowed Aurora to do the driving and for a good part of the afternoon the transport served them well. It was on the way back that they ran into problems when the hovercraft puttered to a stop.
‘Oh, darn,’ Aurora objected. They had quite a few bags and she didn’t fancy having to carry them. ‘Do you know anything about engines?’
‘Nothing,’ Taren replied apologetically.
They sat there, dreading stepping out into the sun, although the temperature inside the pod was already rising as the air-conditioner had cut out too.
‘Hey there.’ A young woman around Aurora’s age approached to speak with them. ‘You having trouble?’
She was a tiny, big-breasted, bleached-blonde bombshell, tanned to the extreme, who was being incredibly friendly.
‘It would seem so.’ Aurora climbed out, eager to make friends with the locals. ‘Do you know anything about engines?’
‘More than most. You want me to take a look?’ she offered, and Taren and Aurora were quick to accept.
There was a covered bench and chair nearby under which Taren sought shelter from the sun. She sat admiring the sea sparkling in the distance across the sands for some time. The idea of throwing her body in an ocean was greatly appealing and she decided she must do exactly that at the first opportunity.
The sound of their vehicle roaring back to life drew Taren’s attention back to the two girls.
‘You bloody legend,’ shouted Rory.
‘No problem, really,’ said the local girl, flicking her long blonde locks back over her shoulders. She straightened up and closed the bonnet. ‘But you could meet me for a drink later?’
‘My shout,’ Rory responded with great enthusiasm. ‘At the club bar at the hotel?’
‘It’s a date.’ The sun-soaked beauty winked and departed, leaving Rory high as a kite to have found a new friend.
Taren might have been reading the situation all wrong, but she thought it only fair to warn Rory, who tended to be a little naive: ‘Looks like a new love interest found you,’ she commented as they climbed back into the cool pod.
‘Are you talking about Kalayna?’
‘If that’s her name, yeah,’ Taren affirmed.
Aurora was shocked by the suggestion. ‘No! You think?’ She grinned, seemingly not fazed by the idea of a lesbian relationship. ‘No,’ she decided at last. ‘I think you’re wrong.’ Her smile grew broader all the same. ‘But wouldn’t that put a big bug up Starman’s—’
‘Aurora,’ Taren cut her short, ‘he doesn’t exist, remember?’
‘He sure doesn’t,’ she grinned, full of mischief, as they hovered down the last leg of the boardwalk that led to the hotel.
The woman in the mirror was barely recognisable and Taren feared she’d be overdressed in the pale lavender cocktail dress she’d bought this afternoon. It did look fabulous on her, but Taren just wasn’t a ‘look at me’ kind of girl. She’d dyed the purple out of her hair and was back to her natural shade of dark golden brown. With make-up, heels and a smattering of jewellery she looked way too elegant for her own comfort. ‘Maybe I should just wear jeans?’
She made a step in the direction of the bedroom, when the room intercom service advised her that Lucian was at the door.
Taren clicked her fingers at being thwarted by time and looked back to the mirror. ‘Okay, if I am to play the lady this evening, I have to own it.’ She stood up tall and found her centre. ‘Now just remember to have fun.’
When she opened the door, Lucian’s jaw dropped. ‘Sorry, I think I have the wrong room,’ he joked and pretended to walk off.
‘No, it’s me, professor.’ She accepted his compliment with good humour.
‘Wow!’ Lucian entered her hotel suite and then backed up to look at her again. ‘Has anyone ever told you that you are far too attractive to be a scientist?’
‘Actually, no. I’ve spent most of my professional life hidden away in a science lab.’ Taren noticed Lucian was wearing a very chic casual suit and shirt, no tie—a style she found most attractive.
‘Why hide your beauty?’ he asked.
‘I didn’t want to be distracted from my work,’ Taren gave her standard answer. ‘But, at present, I have nothing to be distracted from.’ She smiled, semi-happy about that. ‘Besides, beauty doesn’t mean much once people get wind that you might have the Powers.’
Lucian had pushed that fact to the back of his mind, but there was something that still concerned him. ‘So, are you telepathic or not? I suspect not, and that you were covering Kassa’s involvement with our universal friend.’
Taren nodded and smiled, confirming his guess. ‘I have accessed that Power on one or two rare occasions, but it is not one of the Powers I have mastered.’ She saw him relax a little. ‘When I worked for the MSS I did mainly clairvoyance, and pre-cog work.’
‘Pre-cog?’ he queried, as he knew very little about the Powers but was now more eager to learn.
‘Precognition, like prophecy,’ she explained a little awkwardly.
‘That’s how you saw Amie’s death,’ he surmised aloud. ‘But let’s not go there.’
She nodded agreement and grabbed her bag. ‘You polish up rather well yourself, Lucian.’
He smiled to accept her praise, and held his arm out to her. ‘Shall we go?’
The anticipation was high as Taren and Lucian left to enjoy their evening—deep down they both suspected that they were in for the night of their life!
The prestigious restaurant that occupied most of the ground and first floors of the hotel was busy this evening, with so many officials staying in the area. Yet Lucian managed to secure them a quiet little table in the furthest corner of the upper level, overlooking the beach.
‘Who did you have to bribe to get this table?’ Taren queried after they’d been seated and ordered drinks.
Lucian shrugged and grinned. ‘Just a happy coincidence.’
‘Very nice, indeed,’ she agreed, admiring the beautiful view. Looking back to Lucian she found his eyes were fixed on her. ‘You like my dress?’ she concluded, as he’d never appeared so adoring before.
‘I like the woman in the dress very much,’ he replied with a grin.
As her heart did little backflips in her chest and set her pulse racing, Taren felt herself blush. She had never been comfortable with personal flattery, but coming from Lucian it actually meant something.
‘And, as much as I do not want to talk about my afternoon,’ Lucian continued, ‘I will. Suffice to say, you did not score a mention and have nothing to worry about in regard to my late wife’s demise.’
‘Thank you,’ Taren said and smiled at him. ‘Was it very awful?’
‘Yes and no. Enough said.’
The waiter arrived with the drinks and Lucian certainly looked pleased at the interruption.
Taren waited for the waiter to depart to voice her other concern. ‘Have you figured out what to tell the inquest?’
‘I’ll answer whatever questions they ask to the best of my ability.’
‘Do you think they know about the sample?’ Taren spoke softly, although no one in this area would be likely to know what she was talking about.
Luican shook his head. ‘At least, they haven’t mentioned it.’
‘Have they hinted at what will become of AMIE?’
‘If they allow us to keep the vessel, I’ll still have to find an institute on whatever planet I choose to adopt to fund our research.’ Lucian sounded uncertain at the prospect. ‘I was never very good at sales. That was Swithin’s job.’
‘Not to worry, I’ve pitched a few projects in my time. I’ll give you a hand.’ Her offer seemed to bring Lucian to life.
‘Really?…that would be brilliant.’
‘We’ll discuss my fee when I get back,’ she said and winked at him. She rose to go and find the ladies room.
‘As you are
the one who will have to raise the funds…just name it!’ He raised a glass to her as she gracefully moved off.
Lucian had expected it would be a long, long time before he truly smiled again and yet here he was, doing just that. The evening was balmy, the sun was setting over the ocean, the drinks were cool and he was having dinner with a beautiful woman who seemed genuinely interested in him. He sat there quietly sipping his drink, thinking that, apart from the risk of losing his life’s work, there really wasn’t much, at present, not to be happy about.
His gaze wandered to the boardwalk below and a sight met his eyes that sent his entire being into alarm. A ghost from his past was standing on the promenade, staring up at him. It can’t be, he assured himself, as he stood to look over the balcony and get a better view.
‘Swithin?’ Lucian, shocked, called to his brother, who bolted at the sound of his name. Lucian took off down the stairs to the ground level in hot pursuit.
Swithin held many of the answers to the Maladaan mystery and if his brother truly was alive he was going to be brought to justice and held accountable for his many misdemeanours.
Whilst Taren was refreshing her lipstick in the mirror of the elegant powder room, the doors parted and in walked five extremely tall women wearing long flowing veils that fell around them to their knees, in soft waves. Their faces were completely covered, without any slits in the cloth to see through. The rest of their attire was long and flowing also, falling all the way to the floor so that no one could view their feet. The women walked so gracefully and in sync with each other that they almost appeared to be floating on a common platform. They would be Phemorian officials, thought Taren, here for the inquest and memorial. The women walked in formation—four on the outside protecting the fifth and tallest woman in the centre. Taren became a little concerned when the group turned from their course to come and stand behind her.
‘Can I help you ladies?’ Taren put her lipstick in her handbag and turned to address the officials directly, hoping they understood her language, as she certainly didn’t speak Phemorian.
‘Dr Taren Lennox?’ asked one of the two women in front.
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