Page 104 of Alien Haven

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Assistant Chief Martin Wilkes eyed Jennifer Seng’s official identification picture, part of the information Chief Groteg had forwarded. He brought up another I.D. on his computer’s holo screen. He enlarged both so no detail could be missed. He looked at the two women side by side.

Jennifer’s honey-blond hair was shoulder length, a fabulously tousled mass suggesting windswept beaches. Sultry lidded deep blue eyes, which recalled the ocean, bore the slightest hint of an Asian background in their shape.

In contrast, the young woman so many were hunting for had dark brown hair and less-hooded hazel eyes. Jennifer’s nose and chin were narrower too. The second woman’s cheekbones were more sculpted, giving her a haughtier appearance.

There was a vague resemblance if one searched for it, but they did appear to be two different women. Surgery could have accounted for the variations…but if Jennifer Seng had undergone a cosmetic procedure, it was impossible to detect.

Wilkes considered them, wishing for a telltale scar or some other unmistakably shared detail. If there’d been any, if it were the same woman, the characteristics had been erased. He could only wonder until he had a face-to-face encounter with Groteg’s newest ward.

If Jennifer Seng was the recently vanished Charity Nath, Wilkes’ work was cut out for him to prove it.

Chapter Three

Ilid wandered the bucolic setting of the Earther-style home his parents had rented for the month. The property included an option to extend the lease should he deign to remain on Haven longer.

He was surprised at how taken he was by the wide-open countryside. He could see similar homes dotting the distance; free-standing structures of sprawling porches, fertile gardens of vegetables and flowers, and vast lawns. Close to Sunrise, these were getaways for those seeking quiet and the opportunity to unwind. Haven wasn’t a tremendously popular vacation destination, but for those invested in the sort of solitude that included the option of ready supplies in the nearby town, it was perfect.

Ilid was a city boy who’d temporarily traded the hustle and bustle of a major Kalquorian urban setting for the tight, congested spaces of a fleet spyship. Kalquor had its own wide-open spaces, but he’d eschewed plains and deserts for mountains and wooded areas.

He thought the wide space surrounding him should have been a void. He’d been prepared to be overwhelmed by the silence and loneliness. Instead, he felt incredible peace. He could see for what appeared to be miles at a stretch. Birds, frogs, and crickets imported from Earth and reptilian drils from Kalquor sang in a chorus as the sun sank into the horizon. Though darkness was beginning to spread, the absence of worrisome shadows made his heart light. For the first time in months, he felt a sense of real safety.

He heard the approach of someone behind him and recognized his mother’s tread. He marveled he had no instinct to whirl and search her for trouble. Less than a day on Haven, and he’d begun to accept he might be able to relax his constant vigilance for Darks.

She drew next to him and threaded her arm in his. “It’s so big out here. The sky goes on forever.”

He inhaled her scent and surmised she’d been baking stya rolls. Soft, airy breads, which practically melted in the mouth, they were among his favorites. He smiled at her.

I can finally breathe again.“I like it. I think Haven’s beautiful.”

“As is a certain young lady who shared our shuttle ride? Have you commed her to see how she’s settling in?”

“It’s a little soon, isn’t it? Are you in a hurry to clan me off your hands?” he teased.

“My home will always be yours. I simply want you to be happy. Jennifer made you smile more in three days than I’ve seen since you…since you returned from service.”

Since I was a prisoner of the Darks.

He warded off the sick memory. “She’s a special woman.” Vibrant and enthusiastic, Jennifer had helped him forget for minutes at a time the dangerous galaxy they lived in.

“She has promise. A mother’s instincts are seldom wrong when it comes to those who’d be right for her son.” Diju’s grin was self-assured.

Anguish rose again, determined to have its say. “What of her son’s rightness for potential clanmates? Can you guarantee that?”

Her smile faded. “You’re a wonderful man, Ilid. Caring, intelligent—”

“Damaged. Weak. After what happened, I might not be Dramok enough for anyone.”

“Stop it.” Diju tugged him to face her. “What you encountered would have destroyed most men. You survived what no one else on your ship could.”

“And afterward? If it hadn’t been for a watchful security guard in the psych ward, I wouldn’t have lived to see today. I fell apart. There’s no getting around it.”

He regretted reminding her of his suicide attempt as tears brightened her purple eyes. “You’re here now. Yes, you had a bad spell. Who wouldn’t, considering what happened? But you were given a second chance. You faced down the fears and won in the end.”

“It hasn’t ended, my mother. Until the Darks or we are destroyed, it’ll never be finished, not truly.” He drew a breath and smiled for her sake. “But yes, I am feeling healthier. I have no wish to end my life any longer. I just don’t know if I’m the kind of Dramok any woman deserves. Particularly a lady as lovely as Jennifer.”

Diju’s sadness was palpable. When a few seconds ticked past, she visibly drew herself up. “You should let her make such a decision, shouldn’t you? Despite an inclination to have the sort of fun and excitement people your age tend to go for…or at least, her tendencies that I wishyou’dtry on for size now since rank isn’t your entire focus…and if your drive to succeed isn’tpure Dramok, I don’t know what is…” the slew of half-formed protestations faded as she ran out of breath.

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