Page 50 of Desperate Measures

The report went on, but Charity was waving frantically to Nobek Ebos. The scarred warrior was at her side in an instant, and she pointed to the news vid. “Mercy Colony has offered a bounty on me! Everyone knows I’m here.”

“Close out your research. You’ll return to your quarters immediately.” He spoke to his com next. “Agent Selt, we have a breaking situation.”

Chapter Fourteen

Selt and Kuran stood shoulder to shoulder as they reviewed the news footage. Selt opined, “She’s in no real danger here, but safeguards must be put in place. The problem is keeping her cooped up in her quarters or under heavy guard when she’s moving about.”

“Hardly a life for a young woman her age,” Kuran said. “Despite our security protocols where Matara Charity is concerned, trade and diplomatic visits mean there’s the chance a Dark can gain access to the station again and go after her. A slim chance is too much in my book.”

“Agreed. Have you been able to reach Admiral Piras?”

Kuran switched off the vid. “No. You worked closely with him for years. Do you think he’d agree to move her to another location?”

During his stint on Captain Kila’s spyship, Selt had overheard a number of conversations between Clan Piras in reference to their families. He hadn’t tried to eavesdrop, but a spyship was small and privacy could only be had in the tight quarters where its crew slept. Having been in exile for five years, Clan Piras had had many discussions about their concerns for extended family members in his hearing.

“The admiral would do whatever is necessary to guarantee Matara Charity’s safety…as would his clanmate, her sister Hope.”

Kuran nodded. “She’s ultimately your responsibility on the station since they made your clan her guardians. Do you have any idea on what to do about this?”

“I do. I doubt Matara Charity will find it appealing, but New Bethlehem has joined Mercy in demanding she be surrendered to them for questioning. We have to hide her.” Selt drew a deep breath. He felt he’d somehow failed Clan Piras, but as he’d heard Hope say before, the genie was out of the bottle. Given the circumstances, he could only find another bottle to put the genie in.

“Whatever I can do, don’t hesitate to ask,” Kuran insisted.

“Thank you, sir. If you’d request Governor Nichols’ and Admiral Tranis’ assistance, I’d be grateful.”

“The big guns, huh? Let’s make some coms.”

* * * *

Earth II

Blythe Nelson scowled as Retoft’s com frequency buzzed insistently. It wasn’t picked up. Because she was undercover on Earth II and it was a clandestine connection, she had no option to leave him a message. Muttering a string of obscenities, she clicked her unit off.

She was furious Jedver’s news bureau, her actual employer, had exposed Charity Nath’s presence on the space station. Had Retoft had a hand in it? He might have been under duress to put the young woman’s life in danger by running the story, but Blythe couldn’t imagine him caving under any circumstance. Not even for a big scoop like this.

Under the anger was great fear for her editor and friend. Though it opened her up to being outed as an undercover reporter, she’d dared to leave a message on Retoft’s official com link. She’d done so as an Earth journalist to avoid suspicion from those scrutinizing his contacts, asking him for more information regarding the Charity Nath and orphanage stories. Retoft, of course, would know she was checking on him.

He’d offered no response, either officially or secretly.

She recalled her intuition days prior that he was in danger. She had another nasty feeling at the lack of response. Something had happened to him. Those he’d worried were watching him had removed him from the bureau. She could only hope he’d been simply put on leave…and nothing worse.

Blythe clicked her com again. When her spy boyfriend Dramok Deram answered, she said in a cheery voice for the benefit of those in the crowded newsroom who might overhear, “Hi, Dan! I’m comming to let you know Rob’s out of his office for what appears to be extended leave. Do you have other contacts who could help me on the story we discussed?”

His smooth voice expressed sympathy. “Blythe, I’m sorry to hear Retoft might be missing. Hopefully, he’s okay. I’ll let our field head of the spy division know the Jedver news bureau is totally compromised as of now, and he can kick it up the line.”

“Thanks.” She switched to her other concern, though Deram would have already told her if there’d been an update. “Any new word on our friends on Mercy?”

His already soft tone gentled further. “Unfortunately, it’s become impossible to trace your mother since they evacuated the refugee shelter she was in. My contacts are watching for her…but between the insurrection and the virus, they’ve lost track of her whereabouts.”

It was an effort to keep her tone crisp and businesslike. “Thanks for trying. I’ll continue to check on the leads I get.”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

Blythe clicked off. It had occurred to her to beg Deram to ask if Kalquor’s spy division could perhaps get a lead on Retoft’s location, but they were focused on the members of the Galactic Council itself. Because the Darks could detect phased Kalquorians, they had yet to make any inroads in the matter…including a rescue of the Kalquorian secretary-general of the GC, Dramok Mereta. A mere news editor would fall far down on the list of Kalquor’s effort to defeat the All.

As for her estranged mother, who’d disowned Blythe years ago…she too fell far out of Kalquor’s sphere of interest since Mercy’s dramatic upheaval weeks before. There was nothing Deram or Selt could do to discover what had happened to her.

Blythe rose from her desk and left her cubicle, the heels of her pumps clicking the tiled newsroom floor. She managed to fend off frustrated tears until she reached the privacy of the restroom.

---