“You sound almost maternal.” Renna studied the woman’s dark skin, her angular jaw. Despite reading Jayla’s file, she didn’t know anything about her personal life.
Jayla shrugged. “He had an easy life. I don’t think he knew what he was signing up for when he joined MYTH. Finn and I have kept an eye on him.”
“Is that why Finn got captain and Alistair didn’t?”
Jayla nodded. “Blake’s not ready for his own command yet. Don’t get me wrong, he will be, and he’ll be an excellent captain. He just needs a bit more experience under his belt. He’s got a different style from most of my crew, and I want to nurture that.”
Renna tapped a fingernail against the railing. Interesting. Most military people she’d met were more than happy to beat any sign of emotion out of their recruits. She hoped she was around long enough to see how Jayla and Blake interacted.
“Enough about my crew,” Jayla said, shaking her head. “Where are we headed?”
“Costa system. I have a lead on a facility on Crius Beta.”
Jayla’s brows drew together. “Why would Captain Finn be hiding there? It’s a manufacturing system. That doesn’t make sense.”
“No idea.” Renna shrugged. “My research said it was one of the possibilities. Might as well start there.”
The commander frowned but nodded. “Lieutenant Tevsi, set course for the Costa system.” When she was satisfied they were on their way, she turned back to Renna. “I’ll show you to your quarters now and you can get settled in.”
Jayla led Renna from the command center through the middle of the ship. Crew quarters were a floor below, and instead of separate officer/crew areas, everyone bunked in the same corridor. It was a pretty ship, well-designed, with barely a noise from the engine room.
“What’s it run on?” Renna asked as they passed a pair of engineers working at their consoles.
“It’s a fusion core generator with a Peron reactor and an electromagnetic dampening field to help it move smoothly through space. It’s a prototype design, but if it works well in the Eris, it’ll be rolled out to the rest of the fleet.” Jayla patted the wall of the ship. “It’s quite an honor they assigned her to you for this mission.”
“I understand this whole situation is a bit unusual.”
“You could say that.” Jayla studied Renna, her gaze laser-sharp. “You are also not telling me the entire truth, are you? There’s something else going on besides finding a missing ship.”
Great. Dallas had passed along his suspicions. Renna would have to tread carefully; she needed this woman on her side. “I promise, as soon as I know something, I’ll tell you.” She smiled at the commander. “Please know I’d never put you or your crew in jeopardy. I need this mission to succeed as much as you do.”
Jayla studied Renna. After a long moment, the commander nodded once. “Fine. But I am the commander of this ship and the safety of my crew is the most important thing, even beyond your mission.”
“I understand.” Renna turned and started moving again toward the sleeping quarters. “I appreciate you trusting me. I know this is difficult.”
“I don’t trust you, Carrizal. I trust Major Dallas.”
Renna bit back a smile. Now she sounded just like Finn when Renna had first come aboard the Athena.
She really needed to stop that. Whatever she had with Finn would have to wait until she’d put an end to Pallas and figured out a way to stop herself from turning into a cyborg. She couldn’t afford the distraction, especially if she failed.
And if she failed? Well, none of it would matter then anyway.
Jayla stopped at the end of the corridor and pressed a button on the keypad. “Here’s your cabin.”
The door slid open to reveal a small room with a single bunk, a table, and a small bathroom. Renna noticed her bag was already on the bed as she stepped inside.
“It’s perfect, thank you. Please let me know when we get close to the Costa system, and I’ll fill you in on the next steps.”
Jayla turned away. “One more thing?” she said, looking back at Renna over her shoulder. “Dallas told me who you are, Star Thief. I’ll be watching you.” The door slid shut behind her, leaving Renna to stare at the smooth chrome.
Damn the man. Did he have to tell everyone? Being the Star Thief was dangerous enough, but if word got out it was her, she’d be done. Every merc in the galaxy and most of their armies would come after her. It was enough to give a girl gray hair.
She sighed noisily. It would be fairly easy to escape MYTH’s clutches and disappear on the next planet, but with this stupid implant taking over her brain, they knew she was trapped. Her only option was to stay here and hope MYTH didn’t let the cat out of the bag.
“Dammit,” Renna growled and threw herself down on the bed. Her head pounded, and as she rolled over, the hard edges of Dr. Samil’s pill box dug into her skin. She pulled it from her pocket and set it on the nightstand where the metal glinted in the overhead lights. Those pills might be the only thing standing between becoming a cyborg and getting a happily ever after.
Renna felt her muscles relax as the pillow cushioned her aching head. She needed to get some sleep before they arrived on Crius Beta. Her thoughts drifted back to Finn. He’d been so angry at her the first time she’d stepped foot on the Athena. She snuggled further into the blankets and chuckled. She’d been pretty pissed at him, too, but that still hadn’t stopped her from enjoying the view of his ass as he’d marched away from her.
Her body started to relax, and she felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness. The ringing in her ears grew louder, but before she could worry about it, she was asleep.
EIGHT
Fuzzy. Everything was so fuzzy. A strange dull throb made the back of Renna’s head ache, and the taste of metal and star fuel filled her mouth with bitterness. Her weight shifted as the ship around her fell out of light speed. The tension behind her forehead eased as the ship slowed.
The Athena trembled as Flight Lieutenant Kojima disengaged the FTL thrusters and the flight dampeners re-engaged. On the bridge, Captain Finn frowned at a holomap of whatever system they were headed toward.
Renna shifted, trying to get a better view of him. His dark hair was spiky, like he’d run his hands through it too many times, and the skin beneath his blue eyes was smudged and shadowed.
“Lieutenant Keva, what’s our status?” Finn’s voice had a strange metallic tone, but she’d recognize it anywhere.