Starburst Page 5

  The woman dismissed her with a quick, impersonal smile, and Meredith tensed again as the ambassador smoothly moved forward to take her place.

  “My pleasure to meet you, Officer Gentry. May I call you Meredith?” His voice sounded warm and silky smooth, and she was sure it had been perfected over the years. She considered it well greased, like a squeaky political wheel.

  She really didn’t want to give him an inch—something about him said smarmy and slimy—but what could she do? Rather than answer him, she smiled and simply said, “Ambassador, it’s a pleasure.” She kept the tone neutral and nearly gasped as he reached for her hand, the look in his eyes warming.

  “I would be honored if you would show me the ship.” His words bordered on intimate, and the smile he bestowed on her made her want to recoil.

  “Uh, there are others who know the ship much better than I do, Ambassador. I’ve only been on here for a few weeks.” She let her gaze flick to Duvall and noticed his frown and the small shake of his head. Oh no! Say I don’t have to show him around?

  She snuck a look at Chowd, who scowled at her under the fawning attentions of the woman. For the life of her, she couldn’t work out why he’d be cross with her. She was as stuck with the ambassador as he seemed to be with the octopus-like Portia.

  Meredith glanced back to the man waiting expectantly before her. “Of course, it would be my honor to do so.” The words stuck in her throat, but there was little room to maneuver right now.

  The formalities completed, he took her hand, and a shudder almost broke through her composure. The touch of his cold skin on hers was more than unwelcome.

  She led the way, listening to the clank of the floor and answering his questions about the ship. She tried to avoid the myriad personal questions, queries of the length of her deployment, her connection to the ship. He tried to get a look at the inside of her wrist below the dark-blue flight jacket she wore and above her regulation-white glove. She worked hard to keep her wrist hidden. He was looking for communing marks, she bet.

  They ushered Portia—Ms. Delfray—to her cabin and waited while she inspected it, making pains to ensure the ambassador’s assistant found her cabin adequate. Then they continued to a larger cabin next door.

  “This is your cabin, Ambassador. Your sanitary unit can be found through there.” She indicated the small room, stepped him through the addition of his palm print to the door security system, and started to back out of the room.

  “Will you stay and take a refreshing tea with me?” His face looked hopeful, and a cold feeling flashed through her system. All indications pointed to a problem if he was expecting some kind of companionship. I need to raise this with Duvall.

  “I apologize, Ambassador, however, I do have work to complete. Should you need anything...” Meredith started backing out toward the door.

  “Of course. You are near my cabin?”

  Oh no! Please don’t ask where my cabin is...

  “No, Ambassador.” She temporized, hating that she might get caught in a lie. “However, should you require assistance, we can all be reached via communicator.” She handed him the one Duvall had passed her as she left the cargo bay. “You’ll need to keep that near at all times.” She smiled and turned, making once again to leave the cabin.

  “Then join me for dinner?”

  Now she really had a problem. He was going to be persistent, and that level of persistence in a man was something she didn’t want. She pasted a bright smile on her lips and hoped the panic that boiled within didn’t shine through.

  Turning her head toward him, she kept her voice even. “Ambassador, I do have a role that keeps me very busy. My duties for the Admiralty are extensive and time consuming. I would imagine the captain will make provision for meals, and I understand he has a formal dinner planned for tonight, with yourself and your assistant due to attend. Security officers will escort you at the appropriate time. Now, I really must go.”

  She bowed low as she said the words and made her escape, watching as the door shut behind her and taking a deep breath.

  “Duvall? Do you have a moment?” Meredith headed in his direction as he answered the hail.

  “Meredith?”

  “I have a problem and may need your help. Are you in your office?”

  “Yeah. Come straight along.”

  “Excellent. I’m on my way.” She needed to stop this debacle before it ballooned. For a moment she hoped Chowd understood her fears otherwise—and she stopped, sucking an unsteady breath in—he’d likely back right off, again. She refused to let that happen and spoil all her good work.

  She moved swiftly through the metal corridor to Duvall’s office.

  Chapter 3

  Chowd walked down the corridor. The blonde woman reminded him of a man eater; someone best avoided, he knew. He hid out in the security offices waiting for a clear run. And the man, the ambassador? He had all but slobbered over Meredith. The thought made Chowd’s gut burn as he headed to Duvall’s office. He swiped his hand over the unit, and as the door opened, Duvall and Meredith lifted their heads.

  “Oh, thank Eshra it’s you, Chowd.” Meredith’s voice betrayed her agitation.

  His instinct to protect her kicked in. “Meredith? Are you okay?” He moved swiftly to her side, and she smiled at him, warming him.

  “Oh yeah. But I think I have a problem. The ambassador is...well, in not terribly technical terms...lecherous. He wanted me to stay and have a drink. He wanted me to join him for dinner.”

  Deep rose colored her cheeks, and the glint in her eyes both made him feel angry that the human would upset her as well as relaxed the nervous tension that had filled him. She isn’t interested in the ambassador, but she wants me. He grabbed hold of one of her hands, feeling instinctively that she needed support.

  Duvall glared at the door before exhaling heavily. “Okay, well, the only thing I can do at the moment is either move you to the command post—but chances are he’ll track you down and spend a fair bit of time there in the next few days—or you can move into the security sector with Chowd, during your working hours. We can’t afford to upset the ambassador or his assistant, but you need clear air to do your work. Chowd?” Duvall cast a look at him, letting him know that he had his captain’s full support, whichever way he chose to act.

  Anger, hot and acidic, burned inside him. He knew that this would only offer her some small amount of freedom. If the ambassador truly were that intent on following her, then he’d look for her in her private time. He ran tight fingers through his hair, his mind working overtime. “I believe that would be appropriate. In fact, in the interests of keeping a lid on any advances he might make, we should move Meredith into my cabin until the ambassador is safely returned to the Star of Ishtar. I will, of course, sleep in my private office.” Though, the stars know, I will probably sleep badly with her so close by.

  Duvall watched him with assessing eyes. Chowd knew he’d been in this position before and was obviously assessing Chowd’s behavior before allowing it.

  He stood quietly, waiting for Duvall to reach his own conclusions. In his own mind, he had no question over his actions. Meredith didn’t want the ambassador’s attention, and he would move all the stars in the galaxy to ensure she didn’t have to endure it.

  He knew Duvall could argue the anti-fraternization rules the Admiralty had set in place, but the Elector was a place where people made decisions that worked, whether or not it broke any other rules. He snickered to himself at the thought.

  The silence grew before Duvall nodded. “Fine. That is probably the best outcome. I also need you to take on training with Meredith. Keep her skills current so we can ensure her safety during this mission.” He looked rueful for a moment before continuing. “Not just because she’s my sister, but she’s also a valuable asset to the Admiralty.”

  Meredith opened her mouth, but both Duvall and Chowd raised a hand. “No, Meredith. Trust me.”

  Chowd watched her face until she nodded. “Fine,
I’ll train. Anything else?”

  Duvall looked at them, shaking his head. “Is there anything else I need to be aware of?” His words sounded heavy.

  “No, not really. Meredith and I will head to her cabin and retrieve clothing and files, then I will relocate her to my cabin.” He bowed slightly, Meredith grasped his hand, and they waited for the door to open.

  They stepped through together, and Chowd looked around, making sure no one saw them, then without a word they headed to her cabin. On one level, he didn’t want the added problem of the ambassador finding them just yet, but he also saw the positives in him finding out now what he wanted him to think.

  At the door to her cabin, Meredith pulled off her glove, waving her palm over the scanner, and the door slid open. The silence between them grew as he watched her pull clothes from the drawers and small cupboard beside the sanitary unit door.

  “Do you need any assistance?” He indicated to the large carrier she tugged onto the bed.

  “Uh, no. This shouldn’t take long.”

  Meredith worked methodically, placing large items into the bottom of her bag, uniforms followed by the few more casual clothes, including a single workout suit then underwear. She had attempted to shield the red, blue, and black underwear, but the lacy pieces of fabric caught his eye.

  He swallowed deeply as heat traveled through his body at the thought of her dressed in those flimsy scraps of lace. What would she look like? The rattle of her moving to the sanitary unit, snatching up toiletries and shoving them into a small bag, brought him back to reality. Meredith fastened the bag with a firm pull and the ripping sound of a zipper echoed.

  Meredith turned to him, swiping a stray strand of hair from her face. “I need that desk screen downloaded to my personal unit. It’ll only take a minute or two, then I will initiate a level five wipe.”

  Level five, huh? That meant a total re-write of the operating system, making the information irretrievable by anything but specially prepared software, with the correct codes.

  Meredith moved toward the machine, engaging the connection between desk screen and palm-sized unit. The beep as the unit completed the programmed download filled the air, and she entered the command sequence to the desk-based unit. Her hands moved with precision as she typed the overriding passcode into the machine. It whizzed and whirred, and he waited in silence as she worked.

  “That should do it.” She stood upright and smiled at him. “Okay, we better deposit all of this in your cabin, then you can take me to your working office and you can track down a machine for me. You do realize I need an off-system machine?”

  Her nervousness amused him. She knew well enough that he’d get what she needed. He answered with a dry, “I was aware.”

  She blushed. “Okay, so you already knew that. Come on, let’s get out of here before I get cornered again by the ambassador.” She waved her hands over the unit nervously, and he grabbed the bag, following her.

  She stopped still in the doorway, as if something blocked her way. A glance over her shoulder was all it took to work out her sudden stillness.

  “Ambassador? Can I help you?” she asked, sounding surprised, as she looked at the man standing before her.

  Chowd felt a greasy emotion fill his stomach. Is this jealousy? The new emotion left him feeling angry and confused and somehow threatened. Barsha, the man was going to be more of an issue than they thought. She’s mine now, his mind screamed, and he allowed the thought to settle him as he slipped behind Meredith.

  He saw the way the ambassador’s eyes narrowed when they settled on the bag in his hands before his gaze darted to Meredith’s. Chowd grabbed her hand, the small contact giving him an emotional boost and reinforcing the message that she was taken. He felt a tiny measure of satisfaction as he nodded deeply.

  “I, uh... I came to ask a question, but now isn’t really appropriate, is it?”

  “Ambassador? Meredith and I have some work to do, so maybe she can help you later?”

  The ambassador’s lips tightened, a white tinge appearing. “Maybe later.” The man nodded stiffly and moved to the side.

  Chowd mentally made a note to discuss the ambassador’s perambulations with the security detail. He wanted a warning of the ambassador’s location if he came near Meredith. For now though, he steered Meredith toward his cabin.

  * * * *

  At 1700 hours, the senior crew of the Elector sat at the table, waiting for the ambassador and his assistant to join them. Subdued discussions filled the room. They had already discussed the issue of the ambassador’s immediate attachment to Meredith, and Chowd outlined the plans they’d made to head off any further issues that they may experience. He wouldn’t call himself happy, but at least they had a plan, and hopefully it would work.

  His communicator beeped, and he stood, moving away from the table. “Chowd.”

  “The ambassador and his assistant are on their way. Apparently she couldn’t find the right ensemble.” His second said the words with a caustic tone, and Chowd wanted to roll his eyes but refrained from the unprofessional conduct. No doubt this sort of event could be classified as usual in the diplomatic corps, but never aboard an Admiralty ship. He wondered how this could be broached before deciding to ignore it.

  “I see.”

  “Sir, she brought four bags and is complaining that her cabin isn’t big enough for her to access all her clothing. Apparently that was the reason she was unable to accessorize and find the right shoes.”

  “Shoes, bags, and clothing. Right. I’ll let the captain know.” He tapped the communicator off and turned. Every eye seemed focused on him. “They’re on their way. It seems the right pair of shoes must be found for an official welcome dinner.” He moved beside Meredith, thankful for the regulation-seating layout which placed the ambassador beside Duvall and Mellissa, leaving Chowd and Meredith together.

  Unfortunately, the assistant’s seat would be beside him. He’d already suffered a dose of her cloying sweetness and knew, even with his very limited experience, that his taste ran to women with strong and useful minds who didn’t feel the need to exaggerate their assets. Women who knew manners trumped the right pair of shoes. He knew beyond a doubt that the one woman for him had to be Meredith.

  The door chimed, and they turned as the ambassador entered the room wearing a casual purple suit, once again impeccably groomed. He smiled as he looked around, his gaze darting to and fro until it settled on Meredith. The smile on his face turned intimate.

  “Not happening,” Chowd muttered.

  Meredith squeezed his hand. “No. I second that.”

  On the ambassador’s arm was none other than Ms. Portia Delfray. She sashayed into the room with her tight, hot-pink pants and low-cut, silver-spangled top. It showed her cleavage to advantage—and in that department, she had more than ample assets, he reflected before looking away from the swell of rounded breasts rising over the top of the cloth. Her ‘perfect’ shoes turned out to be silver and pink with impossibly tall heels. Unsuitable for the ship, Chowd thought. Her blonde hair swept up onto her head, revealing large, sparkling earrings. He knew many would consider her beautiful, but her outward glamour left him cold.

  Duvall seated his guests and requested the immediate service of the meal. Ms. Delfray laughed gaily, constantly chattering, her hands moving here and there. Every now and then she would touch his arm, and he felt uncomfortable with her less-than-discreet advances.

  “Oh, Chowd, I was wondering if there was any chance I could find another cabin. I believe there is one next to you that is larger and available?”

  He blinked, momentarily stunned by the barely veiled suggestion, then shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, those cabins are for executive crew only.”

  She frowned, her lips dropping at the corners before she heaved a sigh. “Well, if that’s all there is to it...”

  Chowd looked away, and Portia engaged Raven on her right to an animated discussion. Chowd breathed deeply while his free hand rested on M
eredith’s thigh, out of sight. He worked hard to ignore the glare that Jemma aimed in his direction.

  “Not sure that you put her off for good,” Meredith muttered against her glass, and he smiled.

  “Maybe not. But when needs must...”

  A tinkling from the head of the table drew everyone’s attention and Duvall stood. “Tonight we welcome the ambassador and his lovely assistant. As you are all aware, the Elector is to journey deep into Ru’Edan territory where we will meet and transfer the ambassador. A number of our crew will be escorting him and ensuring his safety. But tonight... Tonight is about breaking bread and being thankful for what we have and what the future might hold.” Duvall toasted the ambassador and Ms. Delfray and those assembled raised their glasses.

  The ambassador cleared his throat. “I’m very pleased to be aboard the Elector. I’ve heard... We’ve heard many good things about both the ship and her crew. This mission is as much about strength as it is about the spoken word. It is my hope, once this mission is concluded, a new and stronger accord can be forged between Earth and Ru’Edan alike. The Elector and her crew are central to that happening. I, for one, am pleased to be associated with this new beginning.”

  Cheers filled the room, then Duvall gave the order for the ship to proceed. The vibrations of the engines rippled through the air. The ambassador proposed a toast, and they joined him.

  The view from the ports which dotted the captain’s dining room-cum-office showed that the ship made immediate headway, moving away from the Alpha Star Colony and into the nether regions of the Border Planetary Zone, where ships didn’t travel without a convoy or authorization.

  Chowd felt a thrill at the same time as a sense of foreboding, but he pushed it away as fanciful. They had the official insignia of both the Earth Admiralty and the ruling Ru’Edan Senate. He also knew that the ship would remain flanked by not one but three fighters, not including the small craft Jemma would command, so they remained adequately protected from any incursions.