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Silently, I agreed.
The passengers were directed to sit in a spot under the shade of a wide tree with white flowers dotted here and there. Under other circumstances I might have appreciated its beauty. Now though, I sat where I was told and searched the gathered crowd.
There. Scared and angry, but alive, Jones sat near the edge of the group, apart by choice or because no one would sit closer, I don't know.
"What do you want with us?" a Garvian woman called out. Her tentacles dropped with obvious exhaustion.
Selvia ignored her and spoke in low tones to two or three other Iri. They nodded and bustled off, presumably to do as she'd asked.
"Food will be provided," she said. "Do as you're told and no one will be harmed."
"Right," someone said, disbelievingly.
If Selvia heard, she ignored it. She nodded to another Iri and disappeared into one of the buildings.
I started to look for J'avet, but soon found him sitting directly behind me. I caught his eye and nodded toward Jones.
J'avet followed my gaze and nodded. "Your accomplice," he said, but sensed he didn't believe it anymore.
I snorted anyway. "Hardly. You can ask him yourself."
"I will," J'avet agreed. He glanced at the Iri closest to us, rose and kept low as he made his way over to Jones.
Acting on instinct, I followed. I didn't need to look over my shoulder to know Danec, Slek, or Brinley followed. Possibly all three.
"Jones." J'avet plopped down beside him. "Did you plant a bomb on Infinity?"
That was blunt.
Jones blinked, the confusion genuine. I didn't need to hear his answer to know he hadn't.
"Of course not," he hissed. He nodded toward me, cold fury on his face. "Did she tell you I did?"
"She suggested you were acting strangely in the part of the ship which later exploded," J'avet said.
Thanks for throwing me right under the shuttle.I glared at him, then at Jones.
"You were acting funny and you hate aliens," I pointed out.
"Not enough to potentially kill myself," Jones retorted. "And certainly not if I knew we'd end up here." He shot daggers at the Iri with his eyes. his mouth was set in a line so tight his lips turned white. "What do they want with us anyway?"
"Hostages," Danec said. He had followed and now sat on the other side of me. Slek and Brinley were on the other side of him.
"Obviously," Jones snapped. "But why?"
"I think we're about to find out." J'avet nodded toward the closest building.
"Shit."
