The man’s excitement had leaped off the pages. It had slowly settled down as the monotony of ship life had rubbed the unbridled enthusiasm away. He’d stopped writing in his diary every day, eventually using it just to note interesting stops and events. But he’d never lost the underlying thirst for adventurethat had prompted him to join theNero. He’d loved every second of being on the ship. Nissa envied him that joy.
He’d also fallen in love. Tumbled headlong in love with a woman named Claudia, theNero’scomms specialist.
At least Nissa had confirmed theNerohad followed the path she and Justyn had guessed, almost exactly.
Young Anderson had been in awe of the cargo they’d carried.
I got to see the Constitution today! The Captain allowed a select few on the science team to examine it and ensure its plas-coating was still protecting it. It’s so amazing to think about what this document represents. It was the foundation of a nation and now will be the cornerstone of the galaxy’s new laws. And little ol’ me, from New Hong Kong, is playing a part in the story.
She headed out of the science lab and up to her cabin. The corridors were all empty. After thePathfinderhad landed on Hydrae, they’d transferred to theSky Nomadand not long after that, everyone had headed off for the feast.
Nissa had wanted to finish reading the diary and promised Justyn she’d find him. Once she’d started Anderson’s tale, she’d been compelled to follow it through to the end. The tragic end that had been written in a hurried panic. It had taken her some time to decipher the uneven scrawl written in half sentences: Nerounder attack. We’ve tipped on our side. Crewmen dead and dying. I can’t find Claudia. Enviro systems failing. Out the window I can see green gases and a space monster devouring the ship.Leaving in an escape pod.
She shook her head. He’d obviously been panicked, and probably suffering oxygen deprivation from the failing enviro systems. Crazy tales of space monsters abounded in the records of early space explorers. A way to explain the strange things they often saw that had no explanation a thousand years ago.
In her years as a captain, Nissa had seen strange-shaped nebulas, molecular clouds, and accumulations of interstellar dust, but she’d never seen a space monster.
Anderson’s last heart-wrenching entry had been days after the attack. His pod had drifted for so long that he’d lost track of time. No one had found him and he’d eaten all his emergency rations. He’d been starving, afraid, and alone. He said he was going to try and land on the planet he’d seen on his sensors. A habitable Super-Earth.
She released a long breath. She needed a break. Better yet, she needed to seduce a certainallegedsmuggler. She ruffled through her bag and pulled on her favorite skinny black trousers and heeled boots, but all she had to wear with it were plain T-shirts. Three years on the edge of the galaxy had left her wardrobe sadly lacking.
After a quick trip to the goods printer, she was wearing a black halter top covered in small silver dangles. The string did up at the back of the neck and left her back bare. Justyn really seemed to love her skin, including the reptilian scale pattern across her lower back, so she wanted to show it off.
She exited the ship and paused for a second to drink in the view. Hydrae was mostly desert in the southern hemisphere. The sun had almost finished setting, painting the horizon a brilliant golden-orange. Dual moons hung in the sky, casting a glow over the undulating dunes of the palest sand intermixed with tall, twisted rock formations. She imagined the planet’s children playing games to pick what each formation looked like. A soldier standing tall and straight, weapon held high. A woman dancing in a wild twirl of skirts. A tree, with its branches long and twisted.
A crushed-gravel path led from the landing pads toward the two-story, U-shaped building that made up the main part of the caravanserai. The complex was nestled in a sprawlingoasis with a small, placid lake in the center. Slim, rough-barked trees speared into the sky, and farther away from the landing pads and the main building, she noted smaller domed buildings dotted amongst the trees. Private cottages for those who had money to spare for the extra privacy and ambiance. Lights from the village of Meni twinkled across the lake.
As she neared the main building, the noise of a party in progress filled the air—laughter, chatter, the strum of some stringed instrument, the snap and crackle of burning wood.Actualburning wood. Not something she saw very often.
She rounded the corner and paused. The convoy members seemed very happy to enjoy the hospitality of the Hydraens. She easily picked out the hosts—slim, blue-skinned humanoids with elongated, hairless heads. They smiled unceasingly, many of them carrying platters covered in delicious-smelling food around for people to sample.
Masculine laughter she knew belonged to Justyn came from nearby. The sound shivered through her.
She stayed in the shadows, content to watch for now. Two young Hydraen children, maybe around seven or eight, were pestering Justyn, tugging at his shirt. Their blue skin was shades lighter than the adults. He was teasing them, making something—chocolate treats, she suspected—appear from behind their ears. His tricks sent the two boys into fits of laughter.
She couldn’t drag her gaze off him. The golden firelight washed over him, making him seem sexier than ever.Mine. All her life, she’d been driven to excel in her career. Follow the rules, be the best she could be, keep her eye on the next promotion. She’d thought that was what she wanted.
But looking at Justyn Phoenix, she really understood what those wants and needs were.
Now, here on this little-known planet in uncharted space, she wanted this man.
Music cut through the night. She pulled her gaze away and saw a small group of Hydraens seated on a bright-red blanket, playing an assortment of instruments. The hard beat of the drum blended with the thrum of strings and some sort of pipe. It was happy, cheerful, optimistic.
A Hydraen woman in bright skirts of blue and green appeared beside Justyn. She shooed the small boys away and said something to Justyn, making him laugh again. The way she spoke with him, placing a hand on his arm, tilting her head…it spoke of intimacy, friendship.
Nissa frowned. They knew each other. Well.
“Any luck with the diary?”
Rynan appeared out of the shadows, making her start. “Oh, hey. I finished reading it. Nothing concrete. He talks about green gases and—” she grimaced “—space monsters.”
Rynan’s expression mirrored her own. He handed her some delicacy wrapped in a green leaf.
She took it from him and nibbled the edges. It tasted delicious.
“Well, I’ve arranged for you and Justyn to meet with the local Memory Keeper tomorrow. If anyone knows anything about theNerostopping here, it’ll be him.” His gaze drifted past her to the fire. “Do you dance?”
She gave a small laugh. “Not well. You?”
