Dallas’s boots clicked against the cement floor as they approached. “This is Commander Cori Jayla. She’s in charge of running the ship and making sure everything goes as planned with the mission.”
A tall woman with angular features and a swoop of jet-black hair saluted them. Her dark skin was smooth and unwrinkled, but Renna guessed her to be in her late forties.
“It’s an honor to be included in this mission, sir,” she said in a crisp voice.
“At ease, Commander. Renna, Jayla has worked for MYTH almost as long as I have and is one of our most trusted agents. She’ll help you find Captain Finn or die trying.”
“I hope that’s not necessary, sir, but I’ll do my best.” A twinkle of amusement shone in the commander’s eyes as she turned to the handsome blond man standing beside her. “This is my executive officer, Lieutenant Alistair Blake.”
He saluted smartly, but the grin at the end ruined the military effect. “Welcome aboard, Miss Carrizal.”
Renna smiled back. “I look forward to working with both of you.”
“Finn must be insane if he left you behind and went on the run with an Ileth pirate,” Blake said, with a chuckle. “Either way, his loss is my gain.”
Jayla rolled her eyes. “Despite what the lieutenant says, Captain Finn is one of our best. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he’s all right.” Jayla’s eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at Dallas. “I’m assuming we still haven’t heard from him?” Dallas shook his head, and the commander’s lips thinned.
Renna shifted on her heels. There was that stupid twinge of jealousy again. She wanted to know more about Finn’s life, about what he’d done after leaving Blur’s gang. She wanted to know how the commander knew him and if they’d gone on missions together. The urge to know everything about him left her breathless, and a surge of vertigo shot through her, sending the room spinning. She squeezed her eyes closed. Godsdammit. This could stop any time now.
She sucked in a few deep breaths and opened her eyes again when the pain lessened.
And then froze. Her implant had created a glowing text overlay with a full workup on Commander Jayla. Heart rate, blood pressure, height, eye color, birthplace, and rank all scrolled past as she studied the woman. She blinked, and the information shifted a level deeper, into a full dossier on the commander, including statistics, kills, military honors, and missions.
She’d been Finn’s commanding officer for two years prior to being reassigned to the Eris.
Renna glanced at Lieutenant Blake, and the data shifted instantly. According to the new information, Blake and Finn had been in boot camp together, recruited at the same time by Dallas.
Somehow, when she’d connected with the MYTH database, all of their records had downloaded into her brain. By the blasted stars, maybe this implant thing was going to be useful after all. She blinked again and the heads-up display faded, the personal info disappearing from her vision.
“Everything all right, Renna?” Dallas asked, watching her carefully.
She quickly pushed away her amazement and nodded. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” A twinge of panic beat wings against her temples, but she had to look on the bright side. Being able to pull up instant knowledge on anyone could be a real asset in her line of work.
“Commander, is the Eris prepped for take-off?”
Jayla saluted. “Ready whenever Miss Carrizal is.”
“Very good.”
There was a commotion at the hangar door as Dr. Samil darted through it, closely followed by Major Larson.
“So glad I caught you,” Samil panted, her pale face flushed pink like she’d been running. “I forgot to give this to you during your checkup.” She handed a small silver box to Renna. “We had a breakthrough. It won’t stop the integration completely, but I was able to create a compound that should keep the implant stable and the neural connection at bay for now. This is a month’s worth of pills.”
Renna closed her fingers around the box, the edges cutting into her skin. She glanced up at Dr. Samil, hoping the woman could see how grateful she was. “Thank you, Doc. I mean it.”
The corners of Samil’s blue eyes wrinkled as she smiled. “Make sure you remember to take them every day. And come back as soon as you start feeling any side effects again. The pills may stop working as your system builds up tolerance.”
“I understand. Hopefully, it won’t take me more than a few weeks to find Finn. I’ll be back for you to experiment on before you know it.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Renna.” Samil squeezed her arm. “Be careful out there.”
Dallas turned to Major Larson. “Is there something you needed, Major?”
Larson’s gaze wandered over the ship like he was looking for something, but after a moment he turned back to them. “I’d like to speak to Renna alone, if you don’t mind.”
Wariness flitted across Dallas’s face, but he nodded. “Very well. Dr. Samil, Commander, follow me.” The trio headed toward the loading hatch, leaving Renna and Larson behind.
Larson stood at ease, legs spread apart, hands behind his back. He studied her like he’d studied the Eris. Like Renna was just another thing to be used.
She forced her body to stay relaxed. She’d be damned if she let him see how uncomfortable he made her.
Finally, he smiled slightly, baring his teeth. “I’m glad to see I wasn’t mistaken about you back on Lenue, Renna. You did what needed to be done with Navang. You rescued the boy and destroyed the threat. I hope you’re willing to do the same to Finn and the Athena.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
“I know the truth, Renna. I know you blew up the facility. I don’t disagree with your actions, but I wish you’d contacted me first.” The major shook his head sadly. “It could have saved us all a lot of time and trouble.”
Renna stayed silent. The man was going to slip up; she only had to wait.
“This mission to find Finn and the boy is even more important than your previous one. I can’t tell you how critical it is we bring Myka in.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And why is that?”
“Myka and his technology are the key to our future. To MYTH’s future.”
She arched an eyebrow at him questioningly, but she held her breath. Could this be it? “How so?” she asked.
“I saw your report. If Navang believed using Myka’s DNA could help him build his army, perhaps we can figure out how. We need every advantage we can get. The universe is a dangerous place.”