Jeffrey continued. “He’s distracted you with a meaningless task. He’s disengaged from my ship and plotted a course somewhere. He’s locked you out of the navigation display, and he’s refused to tell you where we’re headed. What else do you need, a declaration signed in red jelly?”
His words made sense, even though she didn’t want to admit it. The human was clever. Smarter than she would have expected from a primitive race.
Still, she’d trusted Major Ontarii with her life for years. He’d never before let her down. “It could just be the stress of the situation. It would be easy to forget-“
The human male shook his head. “You didn’t forget. You immediately insisted on protocol being followed. You understood the risk of the situation. If your commanding officer is as trustworthy as you insist, then he would have made doubly certain to confirm our identities and his own. He would be sure not to risk the flagship’s security.”
Kat’Chinna lowered her head into her hands. “Just stop. Give me a moment to think.” She ran through the events of the last couple hours, trying desperately to find anything to refute his logic.
Her mind rebelled at the thought of her commander being compromised. If the Major Ontarii on her ship were a Hareema plant, that meant the real Major Ontarii was still on the human ship.
No, Major Ontarii wouldn’t let himself be captured so easily. He’d been the solid rock of her life since she’d taken the assignment under his command. If the human was wrong and she moved against him, her career, not to mention her personal relationship with Major Ontarii would be flushed down the tubes.
The personal risk to her in making that move was too great. Even though she’d never felt the kind of lust the human engendered in her before, she would have given her heart to Major Ontarii a hundred times over if he’d wanted it. They had a history, of sorts, one that she couldn’t risk on such a dangerous gambit.
“Let’s assume for a moment that Major Ontarii is still himself. That would mean this scan is correct, and there are no Hareema on the ship.”
Jeffrey’s brows furrowed. “Not necessarily,” he said after a moment’s pause. “That scan could be faked.”
Kat’Chinna didn’t like the thought of that. “But that would mean that the Hareema were already on the ship before we encountered your vessel.”
The human agreed. “It isn’t too big a leap. You wanted me to believe Hareema agents were hiding among my crew. So why not yours?”
“Our protocols, for one,” Kat’Chinna countered. “Each hour we initiate energy exchanges between our crewmembers.”
“And you still insist that the exchange couldn’t be faked?”
Kat’Chinna nodded. “How could it? If a Hareema came in contact with our bioelectricity, it would not be able to hold a stable shape. We’d discover the agent immediately.”
“Unless both crewmembers were Hareema.”
Kat’Chinna’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“You’ve been fighting this enemy for how long now? You don’t think it would be familiar with your tactics? You told me yourself that they’d managed to impersonate your Minister of Defense. You don’t think they’d leave themselves vulnerable to being discovered by an energy exchange, or a scan for that matter, do you?”
Although she didn’t want to, she had to admit that the human had a point. How could the minister have made it so far unless they’d figured out a way around Zantharian exposure protocols?
“If you’re right, then that means…”
She heard the human step closer, could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. “It means your crew could be infested with enemy agents.”
“No.” The word came out in a whisper.
His warm hands were on her shoulders, turning her around. “I know it seems unthinkable, but we have to face facts.”
His hand came up to brush against the tendrils on her head. They had become agitated as her worry increased.
“Fascinating,” he said, his eyes filled with wonder as he stroked her head. “So soft. A thousand times softer than silk.”
His touch was unsettling, and for a moment she considered breaking the contact. But the truth was, it felt too good.
The human had a calming effect on her, one that was entirely unexpected. She wanted to lean into his arms and rely on him to make her feel safe.
But this was no time to give in to temptation. She couldn’t relax if what he said was correct. The enemy could already be in control of her ship, and his. Kat’Chinna couldn’t afford to lower her guard, no matter how badly she wanted to.
“Jeffrey,” she said, her voice low. She took his hand and returned it to his side.
“Kat.” His voice was gruff, his tone urgent. “Don’t shut me out. Not now.” His hands rose to cup her face. “We could be the only two people in the universe who understand what’s at stake.”
