“Superior?” he scoffs. “You don’t even have a ranking.”
“Maybe not, but I am the CEO, so until there is a ranking that is suitable for me, say maybe supreme and benevolent beautiful one, then I still outrank you.” All three of my guys snicker at myfabulous new title, but again, I ignore them, keeping my focus on the irate man in front of me.
He doesn’t say another word as he turns and marches out of the room. The ship begins to shake as the circus pod breaks off and starts its descent to the surface. I’m shaking with adrenaline as I move over to the viewing window and watch in silence. I feel my guys fall in behind me, but they stay quiet while I process my feelings.
I knew everyone wasn’t going to be happy with me taking over the circus, but no one has been outwardly aggressive. I’ve been working hard, and I think maybe some who were doubting me have come to change their minds. I guess Captain Lester wasn’t one of them.
I turn away from watching the pod and find that Tirrian, Zeydan, and Silac have joined us.
“I’ve been monitoring communications since Brannock sent word via the Madovian’s communicator that the orb has been located and she is working on retrieving it. There aren’t signs of any other ships in the vicinity yet.” Silac takes a seat in the vacated security officer’s chair.
“Should someone be escorting him?” Tirrian waves his hand in the direction the disgruntled captain went.
I shake my head. “No. I’m giving him enough rope to hang himself with.”
All the others gape at me with confusion, except Xavier.
“Captain Lester is quite the projector when his emotions are high,” he explains.
“Yes, the minute I walked through the door, his thoughts and emotions hit me like a slap in the face. He was giddy with excitement,” I tell them. “Apparently he received a communication informing him of the whereabouts of the orb and to be on standby to transport himself and one other to a specific location.”
“He’s the mole?” Zeydan asks, starting to follow after him, but I wave him back.
“Leave him. I want to know what he’s going to do.”
Silac’s fingers have been tapping furiously on the screens in the security officer’s station. He’s muttering to himself, but he finally looks up. The window has been turned into a giant viewing screen, and on it, we can see a transcript of his communications.
“I found these in his inbox. They were encrypted, but I managed to break the encryption.”
Sure enough, in black and white, there are the exact instructions he received signed with a stylish S.
“It doesn’t mention how they are going to transport. No teleporting machine is powerful enough to teleport across the galaxy,” Saxon murmurs as Silac brings up another communication. This one was sent by Captain Lester last night.
Can confirm Madovian agent is on the ship. I saw her with my own eyes. Will attempt to make contact and ascertain the whereabouts of the orb.
The response is harsh.
Stand down. If you attempt to interfere with their mission, you will be terminated. I’m sure you wouldn’t like to be the Madovian’s next incubator. Your job is transport only. It’s why you were activated in the first place.
“He’s obviously a low man in the Syndicate,” I remark. “I wonder how long he’s been working for them or if it’s recent.”
“I can’t find any more messages to him prior to the circus breaking up. They must have tapped him while he was on hiatus.” Silac leans back in his chair, switching the image from the messages to cameras that track Lester as he moves through the ship.
We’re all silent as we watch him go into his room. There are no cameras in there, but it doesn’t take long for him to reappear with a backpack on his shoulder.
“He obviously already had that packed,” Xavier says, pointing at the screen.
“A bugout bag,” I murmur.
“Where is he going?” Brannock asks. “I would have expected him to head to the space dock.”
The cameras track him back to the elevator, and he gets on it. We have to wait until he makes his descent or ascent before the cameras will pick him up again.
Instead of the space dock, the lift opens one deck below where we are currently standing. On the bridge deck, there is only the bridge and our suite now, as well as the war/conference room. The teleport room was shifted one deck down at the same time my grandpas moved their suite down a deck to free up space for me and my family.
“Is he ignoring instructions and going after the orb? Does he think it’s in your grandpas’ rooms? Did they leave any of their belongings there?” Zeydan asks me, and I shake my head.
“No, I don’t think so. Maybe some clothes, but they took all their personal items home with them.”
