size of a coffin.
She sighed. Well, if her father had lived this way, so could she. The thought brightened her mood. She’d be able to share some stories with him that would bring them closer. Besides, this was an adventure —the adventure of her lifetime. She didn’t need to think about what she didn’t have. She needed to think about what she was getting.
Kelsey sat down at the desk with a smile. She keyed in her thumbprint and started sorting through the publicly available files on the network while she waited for her luggage to arrive.
Let the adventure begin.
Chapter Seven
Jared spent the next three weeks reviewing personnel files for the scientific staff and consulting with the senior scientists over the communications channels. They’d need to have another face-to-face meeting soon, but Jared thought that would have more impact if he waited until they were ready to jump into the unknown. The delay gave him time to review the scientists’ background.
He already knew his crew, including the marines, in detail. Adding familiarity with several hundred scientists and almost that many merchant officers and sailors took time, but he could at least begin the process. He needed the distraction to take his mind off his unwelcome guest, even if only for a little while.
He hadn’t gone out of his way to ignore Princess Kelsey…or rather Deputy Ambassador Bandar, but he hadn’t sought her out, either. He’d focused his attention on her boss instead. Ambassador Vega was a levelheaded man and went out his way to work with Jared and his officers. He fit in so well that it was hard to believe that he hadn’t been aboard for months.
Any time Jared encountered Kelsey was a different matter. She was always distantly polite, almost like a silent rebuke for his reaction to her presence. His overreaction, rather. She hadn’t stepped over the line once. She hadn’t really come close. Somewhat to his disappointment.
Now that they’d passed through the fourth flip-point and were travelling in unclaimed territory, he needed to address their problematic relationship and call a truce.
He ran into his first obstacle when he went to find her. Since she had no assigned station, she could be almost anywhere on the ship. Well, not engineering, the bridge, operations, or the missile tubes. He decided against paging her because that would make it seems as though he’d summoned her. Rather than get her back up, he’d just have to play ‘Find the Princess’.
Jared started leaving word for people to call him if she showed up, but he hadn’t found her in any of the places he thought most likely. He considered searching the maintenance shafts, but he wasn’t sure how she could’ve gotten into them. It was as if she’d vanished.
Time to form a search and rescue party, and no one was better for the task than the marines. He made his way to marine country and stopped dead just inside the large hatch blazoned with their unit flash.
Deputy Ambassador Kelsey Bandar, second in line to the Imperial Throne of the Terran Empire, sat at a table with four burly men and a wiry woman dressed in battlefield trousers and black tee shirts. Cards and chips covered the tabletop. More than half the chips sat in front of the Imperial scion.
The Princess had dressed down in a plain blouse and slacks, and she’d pulled her unruly blonde hair back into a loose ponytail. She took a sip of what looked like beer and tossed some cards out face down. The dealer slid her some replacements with a look of wary respect.
When some of the watchers spotted him, Jared held up a hand to stop them from announcing his presence. The sight of the Imperial Princess gambling with some of the roughest, toughest men and women in space boggled his mind.
There was no one he’d rather have at his back than a squad of marines, but he’d never in his wildest dreams let his sister—if he’d had one growing up—gamble with them. She’d come home scratching
She sighed. Well, if her father had lived this way, so could she. The thought brightened her mood. She’d be able to share some stories with him that would bring them closer. Besides, this was an adventure —the adventure of her lifetime. She didn’t need to think about what she didn’t have. She needed to think about what she was getting.
Kelsey sat down at the desk with a smile. She keyed in her thumbprint and started sorting through the publicly available files on the network while she waited for her luggage to arrive.
Let the adventure begin.
Chapter Seven
Jared spent the next three weeks reviewing personnel files for the scientific staff and consulting with the senior scientists over the communications channels. They’d need to have another face-to-face meeting soon, but Jared thought that would have more impact if he waited until they were ready to jump into the unknown. The delay gave him time to review the scientists’ background.
He already knew his crew, including the marines, in detail. Adding familiarity with several hundred scientists and almost that many merchant officers and sailors took time, but he could at least begin the process. He needed the distraction to take his mind off his unwelcome guest, even if only for a little while.
He hadn’t gone out of his way to ignore Princess Kelsey…or rather Deputy Ambassador Bandar, but he hadn’t sought her out, either. He’d focused his attention on her boss instead. Ambassador Vega was a levelheaded man and went out his way to work with Jared and his officers. He fit in so well that it was hard to believe that he hadn’t been aboard for months.
Any time Jared encountered Kelsey was a different matter. She was always distantly polite, almost like a silent rebuke for his reaction to her presence. His overreaction, rather. She hadn’t stepped over the line once. She hadn’t really come close. Somewhat to his disappointment.
Now that they’d passed through the fourth flip-point and were travelling in unclaimed territory, he needed to address their problematic relationship and call a truce.
He ran into his first obstacle when he went to find her. Since she had no assigned station, she could be almost anywhere on the ship. Well, not engineering, the bridge, operations, or the missile tubes. He decided against paging her because that would make it seems as though he’d summoned her. Rather than get her back up, he’d just have to play ‘Find the Princess’.
Jared started leaving word for people to call him if she showed up, but he hadn’t found her in any of the places he thought most likely. He considered searching the maintenance shafts, but he wasn’t sure how she could’ve gotten into them. It was as if she’d vanished.
Time to form a search and rescue party, and no one was better for the task than the marines. He made his way to marine country and stopped dead just inside the large hatch blazoned with their unit flash.
Deputy Ambassador Kelsey Bandar, second in line to the Imperial Throne of the Terran Empire, sat at a table with four burly men and a wiry woman dressed in battlefield trousers and black tee shirts. Cards and chips covered the tabletop. More than half the chips sat in front of the Imperial scion.
The Princess had dressed down in a plain blouse and slacks, and she’d pulled her unruly blonde hair back into a loose ponytail. She took a sip of what looked like beer and tossed some cards out face down. The dealer slid her some replacements with a look of wary respect.
When some of the watchers spotted him, Jared held up a hand to stop them from announcing his presence. The sight of the Imperial Princess gambling with some of the roughest, toughest men and women in space boggled his mind.
There was no one he’d rather have at his back than a squad of marines, but he’d never in his wildest dreams let his sister—if he’d had one growing up—gamble with them. She’d come home scratching
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