General Saul Jones stood there watching me intently.
That’s when I noticed the IV in my right arm and that I was in a hospital bed. “Where am I?”
“Nellis Air Force base.”
I felt the general probing my mental shields. “Where is Kaelen?”
“Dunno. I ended up in the engine room, not weapons control and things kinda went south. How did I get here?”
“A medevac chopper. You lost a lot of blood.”
I sank back against the pillow. “Did Kaelen shoot down the Marauders?”
“He did.”
A funny ache settled in my chest. I missed Kaelen’s presence in my head. How weird was that? “Were you able to salvage anything from the Tai-Kok ship?”
“We were.”
“Good.” I closed my eyes.
The general sat in the chair next to the bed. “I had a long talk with Ben.”
“Shit!” I jerked upright. “Did Dad kill him?”
A smile tugged at the general’s mouth. “No. Other than two black eyes and some bruises your uncle is fine.”
“Thank God.” I collapsed against the pillow. “Did Uncle Ben explain that going through the portal is a bit like playing Russian roulette? Cause you never know where you’re going to appear.”
“His description of the process did not include a lethal game of chance,” General Jones said grimly.
From the expression on the general’s face, I was surprised Uncle Ben was still breathing. “You aren’t going to kill him, are you?”
“Your uncle is too valuable to kill.” The general rubbed his chin. “The portal and your missions are top secret. You are not to discuss them with anyone. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” Grimacing in pain, I tried to find a more comfortable position. The monster had done a number on my back. “Did you watch the videos of my time on the Tai-Kok ships?”
“We did. You are one very lucky young woman and too valuable to send on these suicide missions.”
Damn. Was I being grounded? I tried to swallow, but my throat felt like the Sahara Desert. “Could I have some water, please?”
“Certainly.” General Jones handed me a cup of water.
I sucked down the cool liquid and reviewed my options. They knew I wasn’t quite human; I had an alien battle commander sorta stuck in my head and I was related to a powerful alien lord. “What exactly did my father tell you?”
“Basically, that your mother crashed her spaceship in the Arizona desert, he rescued her and they fell in love.”
Rubbing my aching arm, I fought back the wave of grief. “And how she died?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want to know?”
General Jones refilled my cup. “Ben said you were able to communicate with the Tai-Kok.”
“In a way. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s sorta like a mind meld, but not. Their home world is inhabited by their elders, females and children. The males wander the universe looking for planets to harvest. They won’t negotiate with us. They won’t leave willingly.”
His face a hard mask, the general commanded, “Drop your shields and link with me.”
