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“The mines?” I said.
Of course!
The mines!
I should have thought of that before!
“But most of it was dug from the ground and exported to our planets,” Sleii said. “If I knew more about what the issue is, I might be able to pin it down a little more…”
He was digging for information, but what was I going to tell him?
That I had fallen in love with his former lover?
That she had ensnared my heart like no other?
And even if I told him what was going on — giving him the broad brushstrokes at least — and said that Layla was in danger, would it sharpen his mind or just distract him further?
I thought the former, so I decided to tell him just enough to keep him on track.
“It’s Layla,” I said, closing my eyes to find the inner strength I needed to confess what I had done to one of my best friends.
“Layla?” Sleii said, voice rising in alarm. “Is she all right? Is she in trouble?”
“Yes. And it’s my fault. I don’t have time to tell you everything right now but… well, soon after Mila took off with Krena, I fell into a deep depression and, well, I was lonely. A friend of mine put me in touch with a companion and when I got to the hotel room I found out it was…”
“Layla,” Sleii said.
He was silent for a long moment after that.
I wanted to hurry him along but knew any interruption I made would only make him take longer to process it.
Joruch slammed the controls forward, just in time to avoid a large freight delivery shuttle.
My instincts took over and snapped a hand over the headrest of his pilot chair.
I barely managed to hold on.
“Do you love her?” Sleii asked.
“What?”
“Do you love her? Layla. She’s a very special female and I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”
“Yes,” I said. “I love her. I didn’t know quite how deeply but now that there’s a chance I might lose her… Please tell me everything you know about tiberium on Enchor’s Heart. If there’s anything you can tell me that will lead to her being found safely, I’ll give you any business deal you want. Just help me find her.”
“I don’t want any deal. Just make her happy. She deserves it.”
“I will,” I said.
The intercom on the ship’s control panel hissed and Azzak’s voice came over it.
“Icor? Are you there, over?”
“Sleii, can you wait a sec?”
I didn’t wait for his reply — it wasn’t like he had much choice!
I hit the mute button and turned to Azzak’s large holo-image floating above the terminal.
