Page 37 of Alien Haven

“You don’t have to be the center of his universe?” Detodev only half-teased. He wished he could figure her out. Jennifer was often demanding, but he didn’t feel she was entirely self-absorbed. Just kind of…needy. Like a kid who failed to get her share of attention from distracted parents.

She shot him a challenging gaze, but her tone was defensive. “No, believe it or not. Just because I like to be around people, unlike present company, doesn’t mean it has to be all about me. I’d like to know what’s behind Ilid’s approach-and-avoidance behavior. Something’s bothering him, and it isn’t claustrophobia. Maybe Mitag can learn the truth.”

“And share his discoveries with you?”

“Why not?”

“It seems a woman as mysterious as you would respect others’ secrets.”

Jennifer straightened. Her manner wasn’t quite frightened, but it bordered on it. Detodev’s stomach curdled to see such emotion aimed at him.

“What makes you think I’m mysterious?”

“I overheard you telling Sara someone had discovered who you really are after the attack in the barn.”

She paled and was silent for several beats. Instead of shrinking, however, she went on the attack. “I’m pretty sure you know a lot when it comes to keeping secrets. You’re a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Heaven forbid you share anything about yourself.”

“You’re deflecting.” He kept accusation from his tone, inviting her to share. “I’ve spent the entire evening wondering who Jennifer Seng really is. And who realizes who she is and why they came after her today.”

“Damn it.” She scowled at the sky she’d been looking so dreamily at minutes earlier.

He expected her to tell him to mind his own business. To storm into the house. Instead, she set the telescope on the porch and sat on the back steps. When he stared at her, she impatiently waved at him to sit by her side.

“I get you Nobeks prefer to be on your feet, but I’d like you close while I spill my guts. In case I have to smack you for some reason. Down, big man.”

He obeyed. It wasn’t the threat of being hit, but his sense of her underlying need for support bringing him to her side. Her warmth was beguiling, forcing him to restrain himself from scooting as close as possible. “You’ll tell me?”

“I suppose I owe you, since you came running to my rescue. You have to keep this to yourself, though. My safety…maybe my life…depends on it.”

A wave of protective anger swept through him. Detodev glanced at their surroundings, instinctively checking for trouble. “I don’t tell tales.”

“No kidding. You barely talk.” She chuckled and gave him a playful nudge before sobering again. “My real name is Charity Nath. Does it ring a bell?”

Nath. Detodev frowned. It did indeed sound familiar. He sifted through his memory to discover why.

A second later, he had it. He rarely watched news vids, but he’d have to live under a rock to have missed the story of Holy Leader Browning Copeland’s supposed survival…and the allegations his last general, Borey Nath, had conspired with the Kalquorian Empire to illegally hold him prisoner.

“General Nath had…hasa daughter. She’s supposedly clanned to Admiral Piras, the spy who played traitor to get to Copeland,” he said, thinking out loud. Jennifer, or Charity, couldn’t be her…no way a clan like Piras’ would let their high-profile Matara out of their sight. Besides, she was too young for a man Piras’ age…he hoped.

His eyes widened in realization. “There was another daughter too, recently sighted on Alpha Space Station. You?”

“Me.” Charity smiled ruefully before launching into her tale of the bounty placed on her by certain factions of Mercy and New Bethlehem colonies. “It’s probably their leaders, who are the epitome of Earthtiques, who want to question me as to what I know about Copeland. I happen to know a lot. Plenty to shake up the balance of the current situation.”

“The Holy Leader’s alive,” Detodev surmised. Shock reverberated through him. If the Darks in charge of the Galactic Council could prove it, Kalquor’s few remaining allies might turn on the empire. It would be a ruinous result for a dimension already rumored to be teetering on the edge of destruction.

“Unfortunately. Why they haven’t executed the bastard is beyond me.” She stomped the step her feet rested on. “Some people don’t deserve a fair trial when their guilt is beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Detodev didn’t feel capable of weighing in on that portion of the situation, but he recognized what was important to him. “If the Earthtiques have learned you’re here, you’re in danger. We have to assume it’s the case.” He stood.

Charity stared up at him. “Where are you going?”

“To talk to Groteg.”

* * * *

“I can keep an eye on the farm tonight. Whenever else you need me. I can patrol the grounds and watch for trouble,” Detodev said.

He and Groteg had the kitchen to themselves for the moment. Steady thumps overhead were evidence of James running around on the second floor. Sara’s, Charity’s, and Tori’s voices also drifted from the upper story. Detodev was unsure where Utber and Adam might be. Groteg hadn’t signaled for quiet when the younger Nobek had announced he knew whom the fugitive Clan Amgar hid was. It reassured him they were far enough away for it to not be an issue.

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