amoral monster, he was Chandar’s captor. Keyran had scarified his career in his attempt to rescue her. Kotto was just as dedicated to her freedom, but he hoped to accomplish the goal without a similar sacrifice. Ending Akim and freeing Chandar would ensure that Keyran’s sacrifice hadn’t been in vain.
Then, in Kotto’s spare time, he needed to find the mysterious journals and refurbish Lunar 9.
Allowing himself a frustrated sigh, Kotto deactivated the grid and stepped away from the master console. The most complicated mission was completed one objective at a time.
“I’ll likely be occupied for the rest of this shift,” he said more or less to Sental.
“Take your time, Commander. Gods know I would.”
Another round of obscene encouragements erupted as Kotto walked from the room. He didn’t bother chastising his men. Each one was already risking death and dishonor to further the rebel cause. The occasional surge of obnoxiousness was to be expected.
He scrambled for a strategy as he walked to his quarters. Unfortunately, the walk wasn’t long. The ship’s commander and the top fourteen officers each had accommodations on the command deck, so his cabin was down the hall and to the right. Still unsure how to proceed, he stayed well back from the door so the sensors wouldn’t detect his arrival. Was Raina still angry? She’d had six hours to analyze the situation, to weigh her options and arrive at the most logical conclusion. Raina was a scientist. Surly he could appeal to her reason without having to deal with tantrums or tears.
* * * * *
Six hours! The heartless bastard had left her locked in this cage for six hours. Okay, maybe it was a nice, surprisingly large cabin, not a cage, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d been stewing in her own frustration for much too long. The guard who’d escorted her to Kotto’s quarters had barely looked at her much less made any attempt to ease her fear or defuse her anger. Even the chest-high robot that rolled into the cabin a few hours later had presented her with a tray full of edibles then spun around and departed as swiftly as it had arrived.
Raina had a spectacular view of the moon on one side of the sitting area and the Earth on the other. The moon side might be a large window, but the Earth side was an interior wall so it had to be some sort of display. She tried to find a control panel and attempted numerous verbal commands, but the image remained the same. She didn’t object to the view. It was just in her nature to discover how things worked.
Frustrated by her inability to control her environment, she sat alone at the table and nibbled on the sandwich and fresh fruit supplied by the robot. There was ice water in a decanter, even a cloth napkin. It had been almost relaxing, for a time. But silence and inactivity were not conducive to peaceful thoughts.
It had been years since she’d read Mimi’s journals, but her mind reproduced the stories with as much detail as she could remember. Royal intrigue and warring factions had been so much more entertaining when Raina believed the events fictitious. Still, she was on a spaceship and Bandar had known facts that weren’t in the journals. Denial was pointless. She needed to decide what she wanted to do.
Yes, Kotto’s approach had been heavy-handed. That didn’t change the fact that this was an unbelievable opportunity. She was orbiting the moon. How could she possibly turn her back on everything these people could teach her?
She stood beside the table, staring out at the moon, feeling displaced and isolated. If Ashley hadn’t been part of the rebellion, it would have been easier for Raina to walk away. But Ashley wasn’t easily swayed. Something real and compelling had convinced her to… Bandar’s image intruded on Raina’s orderly thoughts. With his rugged good looks and commanding personality, who wouldn’t have been affected by him?
The word commanding sent her thoughts spinning off in
Then, in Kotto’s spare time, he needed to find the mysterious journals and refurbish Lunar 9.
Allowing himself a frustrated sigh, Kotto deactivated the grid and stepped away from the master console. The most complicated mission was completed one objective at a time.
“I’ll likely be occupied for the rest of this shift,” he said more or less to Sental.
“Take your time, Commander. Gods know I would.”
Another round of obscene encouragements erupted as Kotto walked from the room. He didn’t bother chastising his men. Each one was already risking death and dishonor to further the rebel cause. The occasional surge of obnoxiousness was to be expected.
He scrambled for a strategy as he walked to his quarters. Unfortunately, the walk wasn’t long. The ship’s commander and the top fourteen officers each had accommodations on the command deck, so his cabin was down the hall and to the right. Still unsure how to proceed, he stayed well back from the door so the sensors wouldn’t detect his arrival. Was Raina still angry? She’d had six hours to analyze the situation, to weigh her options and arrive at the most logical conclusion. Raina was a scientist. Surly he could appeal to her reason without having to deal with tantrums or tears.
* * * * *
Six hours! The heartless bastard had left her locked in this cage for six hours. Okay, maybe it was a nice, surprisingly large cabin, not a cage, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d been stewing in her own frustration for much too long. The guard who’d escorted her to Kotto’s quarters had barely looked at her much less made any attempt to ease her fear or defuse her anger. Even the chest-high robot that rolled into the cabin a few hours later had presented her with a tray full of edibles then spun around and departed as swiftly as it had arrived.
Raina had a spectacular view of the moon on one side of the sitting area and the Earth on the other. The moon side might be a large window, but the Earth side was an interior wall so it had to be some sort of display. She tried to find a control panel and attempted numerous verbal commands, but the image remained the same. She didn’t object to the view. It was just in her nature to discover how things worked.
Frustrated by her inability to control her environment, she sat alone at the table and nibbled on the sandwich and fresh fruit supplied by the robot. There was ice water in a decanter, even a cloth napkin. It had been almost relaxing, for a time. But silence and inactivity were not conducive to peaceful thoughts.
It had been years since she’d read Mimi’s journals, but her mind reproduced the stories with as much detail as she could remember. Royal intrigue and warring factions had been so much more entertaining when Raina believed the events fictitious. Still, she was on a spaceship and Bandar had known facts that weren’t in the journals. Denial was pointless. She needed to decide what she wanted to do.
Yes, Kotto’s approach had been heavy-handed. That didn’t change the fact that this was an unbelievable opportunity. She was orbiting the moon. How could she possibly turn her back on everything these people could teach her?
She stood beside the table, staring out at the moon, feeling displaced and isolated. If Ashley hadn’t been part of the rebellion, it would have been easier for Raina to walk away. But Ashley wasn’t easily swayed. Something real and compelling had convinced her to… Bandar’s image intruded on Raina’s orderly thoughts. With his rugged good looks and commanding personality, who wouldn’t have been affected by him?
The word commanding sent her thoughts spinning off in
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