It seemed a long time before she emerged through the docking hatch and caught sight of two pairs of standard-issue CORE boots.
“I’m right behind you,” Mace encouraged from below.
Nia pressed her elbows on the deck. Strong hands grabbed her upper arms, lifting her, and settled her on her feet.
A man and a woman regarded her with puzzled expressions, each wearing the beige and white of CORE science officers. Both tall and lean, a goatee graced the man’s chin while the woman’s straight black hair brushed her shoulders. Intelligence sparkled in her angular eyes, mixing with her confusion.
When Mace’s head became visible out of the docking tube, the woman let a whoop, her face exploding into a dazzling smile. As soon as he got to his feet, she threw her arms around him in a huge hug.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Her Common accent hailed from the Lunar colonies, unlike Nia’s Jovian one. The woman stepped back, holding Mace at arm’s length, a frown puckering her brow. “Why are you here? You wouldn’t be in a Condor unless something bad happened.”
“They’ve takenOrion,” Mace said, voice hard.
The woman gasped and paled. The man beside her stepped close to place a hand on her shoulder, but his eyes were on Nia.
“How?” The woman whispered, hand covering her mouth, and Nia realized they both wore PALMs. It seemed so strange to see them now. So unnecessary.
Mace shook his head. “We’ll get into that later. First,” he took Nia’s hand and pulled her closer, “I want you to meet Nia. Nia, this is my sister, Lexi.”
His sister.Once he said it, Nia could see the similarities in their features and coloring. “I’m pleased to meet you,” she said, giving her a nod and slight bow of greeting as anyone CORE would.
The pair in front of them froze. “You’re CORE,” Lexi murmured, then returned her gaze to her brother. “Why? What’s she doing here? What’s going on?” A Tellusian accent started to emerge in her words.
Reflexively, Nia touched her wrists where her bonds used to be, her instinct to hide them from sight before she remembered they’d been removed. Both scientists in front of her tracked the action.
Lexi’s expression turned horrified. “No. Mace. Say you didn’t.”
Mace stepped close behind Nia, his hand on the small of her back. “I’m not going to get into it right now.”
His sister’s mouth opened and closed like she couldn’t get words out, then she closed her eyes briefly before turning to the man beside her. “This is Justice, my colleague.”
Justice nodded to both of them, holding himself respectfully, but Nia became aware of how he stared at her, his piercing eyes making her uncomfortable.
“When’s your next scheduled maintenance?” Mace asked.
“Two days,” Justice answered, his tone hinting at anger. “And I don’t think I need to tell you what would happen if you’re found here.”
“It’s really bad timing,” Lexi said, taking a step closer to Justice. “The worst really.”
“Because of what you’re working on?” Mace asked.
She gave him a nod. “We’ll discuss more. You two look tired.” She jerked her head to the right. “This way. I’ll show you some quarters.”
They followed her up the ramp, over top a green space that contrasted with the beige and black glossy surfaces of the outpost’s construction. The lack of gray metal composite was startling, unnatural. They stepped into a circular lab, and Nia examined the assorted equipment wondering what they were doing out this far.
Lexi kept walking, navigating the circumference of the outpost, until they reached the habitat level. “There’s only one extra room,” she said, stopping at the third door.
She gave Mace another hug, but the frown never left her face. “It is good to see you, even under the circumstances.” She pulled away. “We’ll talk when you’re ready. But don’t take too long.”
Mace nodded. “I owe you one.”
“I know.” A small smile toyed on her lips, then her eyes flicked to Nia, and it disappeared.
Nia’s stomach churned.I’m not welcome here.Whatever safe haven Mace thought they would find, he was wrong. Her presence put both those scientists on edge so much, she wanted to leave.
Chapter thirty-three
Theirtemporaryquartersweredesigned the same as those Nia had onElara Five. A surreal sensation wrapped around her as she stopped in the middle of the room. She placed a hand against her stomach to ground herself. Only built for one, it had a narrow bed, a washroom with a steam shower, a table built into the bulkhead, and a handful of wall compartments stacked on top of each other.
