Chapter 18
An hour later
“LemAN, I’m fine. The medics said as much. What’s happening with the Morins? Any sign of them?” Once the medics had checked her over thoroughly and cleared her, LemAN carried her back to their quarters and laid her in bed. He worried over her and she was getting frustrated and antsy.
“Nothing, which is troubling. We’ve sent a transport back through the wormhole to look for shuttles or warships. All they’ve found was small residue left from burning fuel. No warship or shuttle could survive this far out in deep space without refueling from a transport.”
“Did you warn Toro that they could still be a target?”
“Yes, and we will be leaving a transport on each side of the wormhole. I don’t know how they could have disappeared.”
Teagan bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. “The shuttles and warships have a beacon that acts like a satellite transmitter. If they have set up on a luna or another planet with a satellite relay, they could possibly transmit to their shuttles and warships to help cloak them. The only problem with that is the range. With a transport, it moves with their warships and shuttles but if they are at a stationary location, they would not be able to go far.”
“You think they cloaked their smaller ships and sent them back through the wormhole?”
“The Balar detected them on their side so it makes sense that the Morins may have found a planet that gave them coverage and allowed them to regroup. There could even be more transports that come back to the planet they are using to replenish their supplies.”
LemAN stood up and reached for his comm link. “Will you be okay if I leave you here?”
“Of course. Go do what you need to do.”
He bent down once more and kissed her on the lips briefly before leaving. She wished she was going with him. She hated sitting there doing nothing. When the transport was hit from the debris of the explosion, she had worried about LemAN. She couldn’t lose him, not now that she’d found him.
She’d told him she loved him but he didn’t say it back. Did he need to say the words? His every look and touch showed her how he felt for her. Maybe he was scared to say how he really felt because of his dead mate. She felt guilty for being a little jealous.
The other woman may have had him when he was younger and more optimistic. That wasn’t who he was now. LemAN was smart, strong, sexy, determined, cautious, wise, and gentle. This was who she was completely and helplessly in love with. He was also a little scared to open himself up fully to being hurt again, and she understood that.
Teagan was patient and strong enough to hold on until he was finally about to say the words she knew were in his heart. The way he cared for her, worrying about whether she was warm or cold, hungry or even bored, showed that she was always on his mind. He would eventually admit his true feelings. She would love him and make sure he knew it.
*****
LemAN wanted to go back to check on Teagan but had a job to do. Doing his job would ensure her safety and the safety of his crew. People counted on him to push aside his feelings and do what he must.
The medics had cleared Teagan. She would be fine. Emptying his mind of everything but what he needed to do next, he entered his ready room. His second commander was already there waiting for him.
“I have Prime Commander ConEL on the line,” BorIS said.
“Put him on.” A moment later, ConEL’s image appeared on his monitor. “Prime Commander, have you found anything on your end?”
“No. It doesn’t make sense that they seem to have disappeared.”
“My mate, Teagan, the one who developed a way to decloak the Morin transport ship and helped to cloak the Morinian transport, believes that the Morins may have a land base close by that is helping to cloak the smaller ships.”
“That could be on either side of the wormhole. What range are we looking for?”
“I did not ask her but when the transport was using its satellite dish to create the cloak it could possibly cloak few miles out. I would assume it would be a few miles from the wormhole for a stationary base.”
“I will have a transport on both sides of the wormhole start to look for the base. You will need to return to Katiera to give your crew a break and to do more repairs,” ConEL said.
“I promised the Morinian leader and council that I would personally escort them to the Colonial Planet. They’ve placed their trust in me and I feel obligated to ensure their safety.”
“Very well. Once you’ve escorted them to the Colonial Planet, report in.”
“Yes, Commander.” He ended communications and turned to Second Commander BorIS, who did not look happy about the situation.
“I hate leaving with the Morins still out there. We should be here hunting them down.”
LemAN understood his position. If it weren’t for Teagan, he might have even made the same argument, but he made a promise and he intended to see it through. “We will escort the Morinians and do our duty.”
