They were gaining height now. Below, Malik caught sight of the coast. Lines of white surf crashed against rust-colored cliffs. Vicious waves, some of them enormous, battered the coastline, thanks to the pull of Idral’s two moons: Mira and Elda. For that reason, most of the planet’s inhabitants lived inland.
The shuttle climbed higher still, shuddering as it hit turbulence. And then they were looking down upon the planet’s curve, silhouetted against the inky depths of space. Mira, the largest of the two moons, hove into sight then, silver and pock-marked with craters.
Malik continued to gaze out the window. It didn’t matter how many times he flew, he never tired of seeing Idral from the sky.
He caught sight then of a large, crab-shaped battle-cruiser that also orbited the planet. It’s pale gold surface gleaming against the glittering void,The Star Sirenwas one of three ships that warded Idral. With the escalating conflict between the Mir-Brennans and the Mir-Leliths, Cathal kept security tight—even here, far from Mir-Lelith territory.
A murmured oath drew his attention then. Lady Jenna’s face had paled, lines of tension bracketing her full mouth.
“Brace yourself,” he warned her. “We’ll be making the jump into hyperspace in a couple of minutes.”
She swallowed hard before nodding.
The pilots would be maneuvering the shuttle into a lane. The route to Aura Terminal—a border station that sat on the boundary between the Rith and Eos sectors—was a well-traveled one, and being a clan-lord’s ship, the shuttle could make the journey faster than most: twelve hours instead of the twenty-four it would have taken a passenger liner.
“I usually try deep breathing if I feel queasy during the jump, Lady Jenna,” Pelicon Mir-Barus spoke up from the opposite aisle. “It helps.”
“That works for me too,” Malik murmured.
“Thanks, but I’ve tried that,” Lady Jenna replied, her voice strained. “It’s not just the jump that bothers me … it’s being stuck in here.” She gestured to the spacious yet spartan interior of the shuttle. “While just outside the walls there’s … nothing.”
“Try not to think about it, Your Excellency,” Malik advised her. He knew the emptiness of space scared some people, for it was as cold and inevitable as death. Nonetheless, he’d have thought the clan-lord’s sister would have taken it in her stride, as Cathal did.
The shuttle jolted then, throwing them all back in their seats—and then the stars beyond the windows changed from sparkling pinpricks to flowing streaks of light.
“Gods,” Lady Jenna gasped. “I’m going to be sick.”
Malik reached into the pocket on the back of the seat in front of him, yanked out a bag, and handed it to her.
The ambassador clutched the bag tightly, her face ashen.
Leaning back in his seat, Malik shifted his gaze to the panel lighting overhead. The pilots preferred the passengers remained harnessed for a few minutes after making the jump into hyperspace, otherwise he’d have gotten up and given Lady Jenna some privacy.
He frowned then, knowing the visor he wore hid his expression, and waited for the retching to begin.
Serves you right for fantasizing about her.
It was true. Lady Jenna might barely notice his existence, but that hadn’t stopped him from taking himself in hand at night to thoughts of what she looked like naked. He’d been twenty when he’d been promoted to The Watch. Lady Jenna was an awkward teenager then, although she’d matured into a sensual beauty.
She’d worn a revealing gown to a charity function recently that had all the dignitaries gawking. Malik had found it hard not to stare at her curves too. His role demanded rigid discipline—but he wasn’t made of stone. That night he’d lain in bed imagining ripping the silky material off that lush body and taking her hard up against the wall.
But now he was escorting her on an important mission, and he had to focus. Perhaps seeing Lady Jenna as a fallible human being rather than his fantasy woman would prevent any more inappropriate thoughts.
Moments passed, and then Idralian pipe-music started once again.
Glancing the ambassador’s way, Malik’s gaze settled upon a pinched, wan face. Lady Jenna sat rigidly in her seat, holding her bag—which she hadn’t yet used.
A ‘ping’ sounded, letting them know it was safe to move about the cabin.
Unlatching his harness, Malik rose to his feet and turned to her. “Do you need anything else, Your Excellency?”
Lady Jenna swallowed before shaking her head. “I should be fine … now we’ve made the jump,” she said huskily. Her grip tightened on the sick bag once more. “I’ll hold onto this for a bit longer though … just to be sure.”
We’re off to a great start.
Taking a sip of water, Jenna swallowed down the sting of bile in the back of her throat.
It had been a while since she’d actually thrown up during takeoff or the jump into hyperspace—but she’d come very close to embarrassing herself today. She was on edge, more so than usual. A lot was riding on these negotiations, she’d just left her husband, and Captain Malik’s intimidating presence had only made her anxiety worse.
