Emerging into the cavern outside once more, they made their way past a stall selling barbequed insects and headed toward the far side of the central hub.
Their lodging was in a narrow passageway just behind the cavern. Halting before the plain blue door set into the wall, Jenna punched in the code the host had forwarded her onto the keypad.
The locks released, and Malik pushed the door open.
“This was a good choice,” he said casting Jenna a wry smile. “I didn’t feel like explaining to hotel reception why we’re dressed up as Daksari.”
Jenna’s mouth quirked. Indeed, it was just as well that droids had served them in the clothing and shoe stores. “No need to look surprised, Captain. I know how to be discreet.”
Stepping under the shower, Jenna let out a long sigh of pleasure. She hadn’t been able to wash properly in three days; it was a relief to scrub off the face paint. Green water swirled around her feet before spiraling down the plug hole.
The shower in their lodgings was much better than the one in their hotel on Aura Terminal. The room wasn’t fancy, but it was central, safe, and clean.
Emerging pink and glowing from the shower, Jenna wrapped herself up in a fluffy towel. She then turned to the clothing she’d brought into the bathroom with her.
She hoped Malik had gotten her size right. She’d suggested she try the garments on in the shop, but he’d brushed the idea aside.
Jenna pulled on the sturdy pair of black cargo pants before she wriggled into her bra and reached for the black t-shirt. Over it, she pulled on a long-sleeved, quilted jacket. To her surprise, all the items fitted.
Catching her reflection in the mirror, Jenna’s mouth curved. She’d removed her contact lenses earlier, so her eyes were back to their usual shade. Her brown hair hung around her face, which was flushed from the hot shower, yet her quilted jacket and cargo pants made her look like someone else.
She was no longer the Mir-Brennan ambassador.
Jenna’s expression sobered. Her diplomatic skills would still come in useful though. Malik was currently off buying weapons and flak vests for their mission, but it was up to her to secure the support of her brother’s military commanders.
Leaving the bathroom, she padded through to the bedroom—a white-washed space dug out of the rock with two single beds and a kitchenette. Sitting down on a bed, she picked up her tablet, switched it on, and deftly opened an encrypted channel toTheStar Tempest.
She’d been impatient to get in touch with Commander Levi Mir-Brennan since their departure from Aura—but had wanted to think through what she’d say to him first.
“This is Ambassador Jenna Mir-Brennan,” she introduced herself crisply when a comms officer upon the flagship answered. “Please patch me through to the commander immediately.”
Perhaps it was her tone, but the operator complied with only the briefest of inquiries to confirm her identity. And when Commander Levi Mir-Brennan answered, Jenna switched on the camera.
The commander sat in his office before a wide window of tempered glass, with the curve of Staturine II’s tan, grey, and blue surface behind him. What was left of the Mir-Brennan space fleet was now orbiting the planet. His gaze narrowed as he peered out at her. “Lady Jenna?”
Jenna smiled. Of course, the commander had only ever seen her at functions where she was heavily made up, and with her hair elaborately coiffed—not in this flushed, bedraggled state. “Yes, it’s me.”
Levi Mir-Brennan’s features tightened. “It’s a relief to see you are safe, My Lady.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
“We thought you’d been kidnapped … or worse.” His features tightened. “Did you know that Tian Mir-Ferrin has put out a bounty on you via the Shadownet? Forty thousand credits. Dead or alive.”
Jenna tensed, heat igniting in the pit of her belly.The shithead.The Shadownet was a comm-network used by criminals throughout the Rith sector. Of course, the clans monitored it. “No, I didn’t,” she replied, her tone sharpening. “Although it doesn’t surprise me. The assassins he sent after me failed to deliver.” She inhaled sharply then. “Apologies for not contacting you sooner … Captain Malik and I wanted to get off Aura Terminal first. I’m safe now though.”
The commander nodded, his dark eyes glinting. “Where are you, My Lady? I can send a shuttle to pick you up immediately.”
Jenna tensed. Of course, Levi Mir-Brennan would want to take control of the situation, to protect her. He wouldn’t like her idea, any more than Malik had.
“It’s best you don’t know my location,” she replied firmly. In truth, there was no reason why she couldn’t tell Levi—he was a clansman, after all—other than she was afraid he might try and stop her. “I don’t require a shuttle, Commander.”
His brow furrowed. “You don’t?”
“No … Captain Malik and I will be leading a team to Idral shortly … to free my brother and his family.”
Silence followed these words. Jenna watched a myriad of reactions flicker across the commander’s face—surprise, incredulity, and concern—before he eventually responded. “But there’s a Mir-Ferrin blockade around the planet.”
“We’ll find a way to slip by.”
