Page 88 of Lorran
More silence.
“I am curious,” Lorran said, not because he was—well, a little—but he saw how Mylomon seethed with frustration and how Caldar remained oblivious.
“They had Mylomon’s DNA,” the older male said. “Clones, perhaps. Isn’t that fascinating? I understand that you’ve been unsuccessful in breeding your mate, but the Suhlik—”
Mylomon’s fist slammed into Caldar’s mouth. The older male stumbled back from the impact, blood and spit flying.
Three more hours until they reached Med Orbital Five.
Wyn
Week three in space, and Wyn was on her first space station. She certainly was seeing the sights. Granted, the derelict ship and disused Mahdfel base were hardly luxury destinations, but they were interesting.
And terrifying. Don’t forget terrifying.
The medical station seemed, at worst, very serious. It was a hospital, after all, not a luxury resort. Armed guards and medics formed the welcome team, so maybe hers wasn’t the typical Med Orbital Five experience.
Now in cuffs, Caldar was unceremoniously shoved down the ramp by Mylomon to the waiting guards. “Place this one in the brig and do not let him talk his way out. He is waiting for the warlord to decide his fate,” Mylomon said.
A sour and determined look settled on Caldar’s face, as if he plotted his escape and Mylomon would be the first stop for retribution.
Wyn shivered. She didn’t like the man and was happy to see the back of him. On the ship, Lorran and Mylomon talked around Caldar’s actual crime—Saavi’s, too, when it came down to it—but she pieced it together. The ship. The tunnels. The supplies. Caldar was a smuggler. Saavi and her former husband were customers. Was it just bad luck that Caldar got caught on their ship when the Suhlik attacked? Then he took Saavi and her son to his smuggler hideaway out of the kindness of his heart?
He didn’t seem the type. The relationship must have been something more than a simple customer and merchant.
Speculating that out loud in front of Saavi’s kid would be beyond rude, so Wyn filed her questions away to be asked later.
Mikah, meanwhile, attached himself to Mylomon and would not leave the man’s side, much to Mylomon’s confusion. Wyn didn’t see the appeal. Mylomon always looked like he was plotting ways to kill you. The guy definitely had a strong murderous vibe. The less time she spent with him, the better. However, her beloved husband seemed determined to make the grumpy man his best friend. Maybe it was cultural, and Mahdfel naturally gravitated toward the grumpy and the murderous.
That certainly was a theory.
Mylomon told Lorran to get rooms for them both and rest. He’d take the first shift while the medics worked on Saavi, then steered Mikah down a corridor toward the hospital.
Besides the medical hospital, the station offered basic amenities for space travelers. Wyn picked up a new set of clothes, shoes, and toiletries. She had a long list of items needing to be replaced, but that could wait. She wanted food, a shower, and to sleep in a proper bed that wouldn’t hurt her back. Sleeping on seats in a spaceship that weren’t meant to be a bed…yeah, ouch. Thirty was too old for that nonsense.
The hotel room was offensively bland with soft gray walls, soft lighting, abstract art on the walls, and a patterned carpet design to hide stains. Hotels were the same regardless of planet or orbit. The one interesting feature was a large round window. Embedded blue lighting gently ringed the window, and the plush upholstered sofa sat underneath. A low table sat in front of the sofa, complete with a floral arrangement and a decanter of cold water and glasses.
A blue planet dominated the view. Swirling white clouds covered the surface. Bits of green and brown peaked through. It was surprisingly Earth-like but wrong at the same time, missing the familiar landmass shapes.
“Is that Sangrin? Where you’re from?” she asked.
“No. That is Tholla.” Lorran joined her at the window.
She repeated the name. “And what’s good about Tholla?”
“A shipyard capable of producing deep space vessels.” He pointed to a light to the right of the planet, just a blur in the sky. “There. The planet is mostly water. No large land masses and a few settlements.”
“How far are we from Sangrin?”
“Two days’ journey.” He stroked his fingers down the window and summoned a projected control panel. With a few taps, the view changed. A large blue and green planet filled the screen. A grid of golden lights sprawled across the largest landmass. “That is Sangrin.”
“Can I see your house from here?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“Alas, my parents are located on the other side of the planet,” he answered in a serious tone, not getting the joke.
Wyn couldn’t help her smile. He got a cute little worry line between his brows when he was serious. Adorable.
“How long are we staying here?”
