Page 61 of Fighting Gravity
She seemed like she was past her tantrum and simply sighed at that response.
“Does she need medical attention?” she asked.
“None that I think she’d welcome.”
“What does that mean?”
“She was… small. I made her bleed.”
“How much?”
“Not much. I cleaned her. Gave her food and water. She’s sleeping now.”
“So? It seems like you’ve forgotten what and who she is. She’s a human. Humans are allied with valerians. Valerians are our enemies.Sheis the enemy. Fighting has been our whole life. The reason you killed Thalos. Now what do you plan to do? Do you plan to keep her?”
I took a breath and let it out, waiting for a beat before answering. “I don’t know.”
“Whatdoyou know?”
“I know that we still need to figure out who this Innifer is that she mentioned.”
“I found the name on her wrist device. She’s a new recruit on the Nexus. Nothing special.”
“And?”
“And her current location is Sylos.”
My jaw pulsed at the name. One of the many planets controlled by the valerians, Sylos was not a place for humans. Valerians were protective of their planets, even with their allies. If what Quinn said about a human and a valerian having a bonding moment was true, then my suspicions were correct. It had something to do with genetics. Mating. It was not very far-fetched since we’d all come from the same source. We were all DNA from Aksokrhun spread across many planets and though we’d all evolved differently, we were similar. If it was true humans and valerians were compatible, then humans were a great asset. It would lead to repopulation.
I cracked my neck, growing agitated. “She is special. I want a small-scale attack on Sylos. Their military there is weak. Find her wrist device’s signature and send it to every ground troop.”
“And do what?”
“I know what the valerians want with humans. They can breed with them. If not directly, then they can use their genetics to figure out a way to cure them of their affliction. That can’t happen. Not if we care about the future of our people.”
“Those i Veron hissed. “Breeding with that scum of a race. They’ve stooped so low in their desperation.”
I looked up at Veron from the shadows of my brows. I knew her implication and I didn’t appreciate it. With a glance, she shrunk back a step and nodded.
“I’ll contact central,” she said.
“No. It will mean more coming directly from me.”
“And if the valerians retaliate?”
“For the time being, they can’t. Their numbers are low and they’d have to venture into territory that isn’t governed by them. They’re too cowardly to do that.”
“And what about us? How long are we staying grounded?”
“Until the crew and ship are replenished and I can make plans.”
“Plans for what?”
I wanted to say for Quinn, but as urok, I needed to keep thinking bigger. Quinn was a distraction and one I’d given in to, but I didn’t want my crew to pick up on how big of a distraction she really was. I needed time and a port with plenty of entertainment was the perfect place to get it.
“Go back and enjoy your leave, Veron. I need to think.”
She pivoted, heading for the exit to leave the bridge, but stopped. With a heavy sigh, she glanced back at me over her shoulder.
