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keep her political career from
imploding before it had really launched. She hadn’t even wanted the
position, but by the time he’d nominated her, it was already too
late to object. She’d faced a great deal of scrutiny and criticism,
which at the age of nineteen had been practically soul-crushing. In
the end, she’d lost the position, which would have been a relief
except for the impact it had on her political career. She’d always
felt that her father had been disappointed with the way she’d
handled herself, and every nomination since had been a
struggle.
    “ Do you think Lars has
caught on to something?” she asked.
    “ Even if he hasn’t, it
would be well to be cautious,” said Jarvis. “Of course, I’m no
politician, so I’m not the best one to give advice. Still, if he
does suspect something, you can be sure that he and the lieutenant
will be working together.”
    Exactly, Sara thought silently. That’s the problem. She thought back
to the briefing with her father in the tram car and remembered the
look on the lieutenant’s face. His copilot was fairly guileless and
probably not much of a threat, but Lieutenant McCoy had a glint in
his eyes that reminded her of her father. He was a man who played
his own game, irrespective of the forces that tried to contain him.
There was a certain charm in that, but a danger as well—or perhaps
the danger and the charm were two sides of the same
sphere.
    “ If the lieutenant is
hiding something, then maybe I should get him to open up,” she
mused aloud. “Find out his game, see how deep his connection with
Lars really runs.”
    Captain Jarvis raised an eyebrow. “How do
you plan to go about that?”
    “ We’re on a luxury yacht,
aren’t we?” said Sara, pulling back a strand of hair behind her
ear. “I’ve never met a boy who could turn me down for a
date.”
    Jarvis frowned. “Are you sure that’s such a
good idea, mingling your personal life with your political
one?”
    No, but it certainly would make this voyage
a lot more interesting.
    “ It’s the best way to get
some insight into the lieutenant without arousing too much
suspicion,” she offered instead. “Besides, I’ve dated plenty of
boys—it’s not like this means anything.”
    “ Just as long as you’re
careful about it,” said Jarvis, shaking her head. “Politics isn’t
the only high-stakes game out there.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    James wiped the sweat from
his face as the treadmill slowed for cool-down. The exercise
facilities on board the Freedom
Star weren’t as extensive as the ones on
the Trident One, but they were plenty sufficient. He’d had a good workout; his
shirt was soaked with sweat and his muscles were gratifyingly sore.
His lungs burned for oxygen, but the air on the starship was clean
and refreshing. As he slowed from a run to a walk, he breathed
deeply to catch his breath.
    The door at the front of the room hissed
open, and the patrician’s daughter walked in, catching his
attention almost immediately. Her skinsuit fit her slender form
almost perfectly, the sleek curves a sharp contrast to his
olive-green cutoff shorts and ragged tan T-shirt. She smiled at him
in greeting, making his stomach fall.
    “ Hello there, Lieutenant.
Mind if I join you?”
    “ Just finishing up,” James
stammered. She took that as an invitation to come in and walked
over to the mats in front of him.
    “ Do you work out often?”
she asked. The door hissed shut, leaving them alone in the
facilities together.
    “ Yeah. It takes a lot of
rigorous physical training to be a soldier in the
Corps.”
    “ I can tell. Where’s the
ensign?”
    “ Sterling?” said James,
wiping his sweaty forehead rather self-consciously. “He’s in his
quarters, I think. At least he was an hour ago.”
    “ You don’t work out
together then?”
    “ Not generally, no. We’ve
each got our own regimen.”
    She stood with her feet apart and pulled her
hands behind her to stretch them out. Leaning forward,