“And how do we do that?”
I pulled out my wrist communicator and scrolled through the wedding schedule Serge had loaded onto it. “The rehearsal dinner is tonight. All the Earth officials will be there, including my father. Before we walk down the aisle to rehearse, it will just be me and him standing in the back.”
Reina’s eyes widened. “The perfect opportunity for a private conversation.”
“I need you to make sure we aren’t disturbed. Maybe create a distraction to delay the actual rehearsal?”
Reina’s smile was triumphant. “I can definitely do that. Serge loves a good crisis to solve, and he’s the one we need to distract; otherwise, he’ll lose his mind that we’re running late.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind getting involved in this?” I asked, feeling guilty about dragging her deeper into our deception. “It might not work, and you might catch some flak for creating a crisis.”
“Hon,” she interrupted gently, “the people who should have protected you abandoned you. If your father knows who did it, you need to help him find his courage.”
My throat tightened. After my fallout with Ariana, having someone unequivocally on my side felt like a gift I didn’t deserve.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Reina replied with a wink. “Wait until you see how Serge handles wedding crises.”
Chapter
Forty-Six
Deklyn
The ceremony setting was a seaside bluff overlooking an impossibly perfect ocean, complete with a sunset that painted the artificial sky in shades of coral and gold. The scent of salt air and blooming flowers was so convincing that if I closed my eyes, I could almost believe we were standing on an actual cliff instead of a space station light-years from any real ocean.
But all the holographic scenery in the galaxy couldn’t distract me from my growing frustration. I hadn’t been able to talk to Sasha all day. Every time I’d looked for her, she’d just left where I was. Serge had been too busy to be of any help, rushing past me with armfuls of fabric samples and muttered complaints about last-minute changes. When I’d finally tracked down Reina, hoping she might know where Sasha was, she’d been unusually cagey, deflecting my questions with vague comments about bridal jitters.
I had the distinct feeling that Sasha was up to something, and I wanted to talk to her before she put herself at risk.
Tivek and Admiral Zoran stood nearby, their voices pitched low in conversation. Now that I knew Tivek was much more than the admiral’s adjunct, I suspected they were discussing sensitive information.
”You don’t have to keep secrets from me," I said as I joined them.
Tivek glanced at the admiral, who nodded permission. “Zoran got verbal confirmation from Chancellor Morrison that there were meetings where they discussed abandoning all Earth prisoners.”
“The man was quite talkative after a few drinks,” Admiral Zoran added. “He claimed the decision was made to drum up sympathy for Earth and to make people rally against the Kronock threat, but I believe he was being fed that justification by others.”
“The chancellor was too addled to remember which specific military leaders advanced the plan,” Tivek continued. “He admitted that they all looked the same to him. ‘Bald ties or buzz cuts in uniforms,’ were his exact words.”
“This is the man who represents Earth?” I growled.
Before I could tell them more of my thoughts about the chancellor, Volten approached us, his usual serene confidence replaced by obvious worry.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He ran a hand through his brown hair. “Ariana is upset. She and Sasha got into a fight.”
“When did this happen?”
“Last night, apparently,” Volten said. “Ariana went to Sasha’s suite, and they argued.”
Heat flushed my face. Had I slept through a fight? After showering with Sasha, I’d fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep that I hadn’t experienced in ages. If Sasha and Ariana had argued, I’d have been completely oblivious.
“Do you know what they fought about?” I asked.
Volten’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Their father.”
