He nodded towards the view screen.
She turned to face it again, relieved to break her gaze from his. She could only hope he had not noticed her staring at him. “It's so peaceful. Where is it?”
“Taurus. It's my home.”
Laila closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing her frantic heart to slow. She focused again on the image, watching the grass sway in the breeze. She couldn't imagine having that much space and such a big house. He must be incredibly wealthy. Her surprise must have shown on her face.
“It’s my parent's home, really. I lived there as a child.”
She smiled, imagining a young Zac running and playing near the house. They stood next to each other looking at the view until Zac said, “So, shall we sit down?”
He pulled out a chair, gesturing for her to take a seat. When was the last time someone had pulled a chair out for her? She couldn't remember.
He flicked a switch, and the viewscreen changed to the now-familiar view outside the space station.
She cleared her throat, focusing on her reason for this meeting. “I’ve been going over the reports you gave me, and what I’ve read so far is very interesting, but there seem to be gaps—almost as if there is missing information.” Pausing, she turned to meet his eyes. “I wanted to ask you about that.”
“Gaps? You think there are gaps in the reports?”
“Yes.” Her voice steadied, gaining confidence as she continued. “There are kill counts, details about Taurean troop movements and casualties, but I could find no information about the military hierarchy of the Xakul. I was expecting to learn some information about the higher ups, and how they give orders. That sort of thing.”
Zac leaned back in his chair and considered her, his gaze steady. “For a long time, we did not consider them worthy of study.” He shrugged. “It was an oversight.”
“You’ve got to be joking?”
“Unfortunately, no. They were little more than a menace on the outskirts of our territory until about five years ago.”
“What happened then?”
Running a hand through his hair, Zac said, “They started a rapid expansion into planetary systems they had previously ignored. It was almost as if...”
Laila looked at him questioningly, “As if, what?”
He pursed his lips. “Never mind, it makes no sense.”
“No, I want to hear it. Please.”
Zac’s green eyes met hers. He nodded. “Alright. It was as if they were in a frenzy.” He shook his head. “Actually, we didn’t learn of their rapid expansion until fairly recently. We are not, were not, in regular contact with other races, so there was no way to know their impact on other systems. Of course, all that has changed now.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As much as certain members of Taurean society would like us to remain separate from other species, that’s pretty narrow minded. We can’t be everywhere. The galaxy is far too big, so we need intelligence from outside our own military.”
Surprised, she smiled. “I guess it’s a good example of how things change everywhere. But it still seems as if something is missing from the reports.”
“There’s not much that you don’t already have access to, but I can check again. I’m not trying to keep information from you.” He crossed his leg over at the knee, his foot jiggling.
Was he nervous? Surely not?
“Zac, do you—” she started, beginning to ask what had been on her mind for days, but he spoke at the same time.
“Laila—” he broke off.
“You go first,” she said with a small smile.
He turned to look her straight in the eyes. “Laila… That first night… Did you know who I was when you first met me?”
Of all the turns this conversation could have taken, this was not what she had expected. Not after the way he had been avoiding her the past few days.
