Dana Cartwright Mission 1: Stiletto (13 page)

From the landing site, he crept to the lift and descended to the lower level.

Changing into swim briefs proved an agonizing process, but the first plunge was worth it.

He sank to his knees in the middle pool; sighing with thanks that Dana had introduced him to the idea of aquatic therapy.

A smile of satisfaction soon formed on his lips.

“I love the water,” he admitted, “I’ve missed it.” He still didn’t feel up to swimming, however, and admitted that his back pain was a certain indication that something — some part of his back surgery — hadn’t been entirely successful.

Thank you, Doctor Garcia.

Well, Kieran felt apologetic. It wasn’t exactly Garcia’s fault.
Navitor’s
Chief Surgeon had done an exemplary job under the circumstances.
 

Dana Cartwright had, too. She was the primary reason he was even still alive.

Dana?

His thoughts of her escalated. He felt love — that deep, all encompassing emotion — and he was enjoying it.

Just repeating her name, like a mantra, relieved his pain better than any narcotic.

Dana!

He thought hard about the Alphan tradition of mating. He wanted to…of all his sexual partners, no one had every touched his soul as deeply, in that private, inner place, the way Dana had.

And it kindled all his hopes and dreams.

Although tradition had failed Kieran, by his promised mate dying at the tender age of thirteen — before they’d even touched or sealed the psychic link — he still had hope.

What exactly would a link — a mating — with an Enturian mean?

He closed his eyes, trying hard to recall all he knew about the Republic’s newest member star system — the Galactic Colonies of Enturize.

He knew one major thing, they frowned upon telepathy.

Starlight
…No, it was the
Calvary
, a survey ship, which had made first contact, breaching the Van Corey Belt/Streetek Field for the first time. And Vince Syzek, who was then Captain of the
Starlight
, and Master Captain Terrin Hale of the GCE had formalized the very first treaty between the Republic and the Enturians.

Kieran tried to recall more history. It got cloudy. There was an ambassador to the Republic, Brettes — a tedious old fool — that had visited Centauri Prime several times.

Also, there was a new space station at the Crossroads…much more than that, Kieran just had no clue.

“Have to remedy that…I need to know more about the GCE.”

He thought hard of Dana. If she was the average Enturian female, he just couldn’t help but smile.

Brettes was a whole different type — a different generation — an Elder.

Oh, Dana… Dana!

He pleaded, sensing her awakening.

Dana awoke, alone, hugging her pillow — at first fearful then calm, feeling the telepathic link to Kieran as he sent her peaceful images and his thoughts.
 

I was hurting, so I came back to the pool.
He invited,
Come join me?

I need to check on the Ambassador and…

Please come…

She sighed. The temptation was just too strong. She dressed in yesterday’s uniform and tied back her hair, slipped on her boots and checked that the Sterillian blade was still there, in its sheath. The idea of leaving home with it troubled her; she was never one to carry weapons, and she wondered what scenario she would ever experience a need to use it.

Kieran piped up,
May you never need it… Yet always keep it near.

She smiled as she slid on her cloak. Having the telepathic link with Kieran certainly made her feel safe.

Before going down to the pool level, Dana checked on Ambassador Cray. Francis Calagura had been in earlier that morning and entered a recommendation to transfer from the coffin to a standard bed in a private room.

Dana concurred and entered the instructions, watching as the C-FIIN top and sides fell away and the android nurse pushed a standard bed alongside. The levitation module moved Cray from the coffin to the bed. Dana assisted the android nurse in removing many of the sensors and tucked the blanket around his torso for his privacy after a fresh diaper was tied on.
 

Cray awoke as Dana took a few more scans of his injured eye.

“Oh, Doctor, thank you,” he gushed at the sight of her through his good eye.

She smiled, gently and reassuringly saying, “The android nurse will escort you to a private room and assist you into casuals. I’ll check back on you in a little while.”

“Thank you so much.” He pointed to the coffin. “So good to be free.”

She chuckled, “Indeed.”

She left the ward and took the lift down to the pool level, but did not change into a swimsuit.

Kieran was chest-deep in the water in the middle pool, sitting cross-legged, meditating. She sat on a bench, poolside. “Feeling better?”

“I think my problem is gravity.”

She laughed. “Can’t argue with that. The spine bears the brunt of the stress of gravity; and an injured spine takes longer to heal than we realize because of it.”

He nodded, but made no move to rise.

“You really shouldn’t use the pool alone until your back has healed,” she reminded. “Wake me next time.”

“You looked so peaceful.”

He looked just as peaceful, right now, but she didn’t say it.

“Dana?”

She waited.

“Could you leave all this?”

“I’ve thought about it. I’m not sure where I would go or what I would do.”

“As my mate, you’ll have SSID security clearances. With your talents, you…”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Let’s talk about it later. I need to eat something. Feeling a bit
 
light-headed. Didn’t sleep well last night.”

He chuckled. “That’s my fault.”

“Indeed, it is,” she teased.

“I also need to check in again, on the Ambassador.”

Kieran got up from his pose and moved without splashing to the steps and the railing. “I love the water. There are no swimming pools on Centauri Prime. When I was a boy, the river at the bottom of the Canyon was off limits. Someone had drowned. That’s the one order from my parents I never disobeyed, but at academy I took to the water. They had a hard time keeping me away.”

“You were quite the rebel.”

He nodded agreement. “Still am.” He kissed her forehead and promised, “I won’t be long this time,” then ducked into the locker rooms.

Dana lingered upon the bench for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet, mulling his question — his proposal — repeating his words, “’As my mate…’, why does that frighten me?”

Regis had Skeller’s file still before him when he looked up. “Colonel Sierra?

The Galaxean offered the formal salute. “Peace, Inspector Regis.”

The Kentorian responded, “Peace, Colonel Sierra. How may I help you?”

“Doctor Cartwright?”

Regis raised both eyebrows. “Doctor Dana? Yes?”

“Someone entered and vandalized her apartment. I thought I should make you aware of the matter.”

“Oh! Anything taken?”

“Nothing.”

Regis found that extremely fascinating. “Nothing at all missing?”

“Very suspicious. However, we did trace some fingerprints on her padlet to Lt. Commander Dirk Skeller. I thought you should like to know since he is prominent in your investigation.”

“Yes,” the Kentorian commented, “Yes, indeed.”

“Have you any idea why Skeller would do such a thing?” Sierra asked.

“Well? Doctor Cartwright did threaten to press charges against Skeller for interfering with a first responder the night of the crash.”

It was Sierra’s turn to raise an eyebrow. His left shot upward. “Payback?”

“Perhaps…”

The Galaxean nodded and gave the hand salute, but said nothing more before he MAT’d away.

The Inspector repeated the word, after the Galaxean dematerialized. “Payback? That might explain many things. Time to visit the Star Service officer once again.”

He wondered if Doctor Cartwright would, indeed, press charges.

However, he still needed to interview Colonel Jai; and he needed access to the Colonel’s file.

Regis called, “Computer? Contact Admiral Barrett Cartwright?”

This time the computer connected.
 

Cartwright’s image appeared on the viewer. “Hello, Inspector.”
 

“Admiral… I need your permission to access Colonel Kieran Jai’s SSID officer file. It is, apparently, sealed.”

Cartwright nodded. “Yes, we did that because he is on Ambassador Cray’s security detail. Had to limit access. Why do you need to see it?”

“I am investigating the shuttle
Stiletto
crash.”

“Ah, yes…”

Regis went on, “There are still some indications of pilot error.”
 

“Doubtful,” Admiral Cartwright scoffed. “You’ll understand when you see it. I’ll log permission for you — and only you — to see it. And, by the way, Doctor Dana Cartwright’s file has now, also, been locked and sealed. Too many people snooping.”

“Yes, indeed. I heard someone broke into her residence,” Regis said.

The Admiral scowled. “What?”

“Yes, Colonel Sierra of SSID just gave me the news. It may be directly related to a Star Service officer who was an eyewitness to the shuttle crash.”

“Sounds too coincidental, Regis.”

“Indeed it does, Admiral.”

“First the Chief Surgeon of
Navitor
is caught snooping in Dana Cartwright’s file. Now, you say another Star Service officer is involved in a possible break-in. This is very disturbing!”

Regis agreed, “Something’s very wrong over there at SSID, apparently.”

Barrett Cartwright groaned, “They are tasked with security for the Meeting of the Masters. I’ll need to pay them a visit. Cartwright out.”

Regis stared at the blank screen for a moment before calling up the file on Kieran Jai. As promised, Admiral Cartwright had granted him permission.

And the file was fascinating.

Admiral Barrett Cartwright reviewed the SSID headquarters campus, flanked by two Star Service commanders. The SSID reception staffer rose to stand at attention.

“Where’s Colonel Sierra?” Cartwright snorted.

“This way, sirs.”

The agents along the path to the conference room stood up for the dignitary, many exchanged glances then sank back down at their stations. Sierra rose and remained standing at the head of the conference room table. “Good morning, sir.”

“Good?” The Admiral groaned. “Colonel, SSID was tasked with protecting thirteen ambassadors for the Meeting of the Masters. You have succeeded in protecting none!”

Sierra’s left eyebrow shot upward in affront. The statement was clearly inaccurate, but he did not dare contradict the Admiral without all the supporting facts.

“From the recordings, I’d say you have an infiltration of your forces.”

Sierra agreed. “SSID recruited one thousand Star Service security officers to act as agents for this event.”

“One thousand? Ten thousand? Find the culprits!” Cartwright began to turn away. His escort scrambled out of the way.

“Admiral?” Sierra called. “About Garcia? I’d like to interrogate the doctor.”

Cartwright waved what appeared to be approval. At least, Colonel Sierra accepted it as such. Although beyond what Galaxeans would consider curiosity, he had an intense desire to ascertain Garcia’s purposes in snooping into Doctor Dana Cartwright’s personnel records.

So far, Sierra’s theories bordered on the mundane. A few disgruntled — or, perhaps, irate — union thugs upset with the ambassadors’ voting records against trade contracts with Centauri Prime and several other smaller planetary systems might be at fault. They would certainly have financial backing beyond the scope of a few independent thugs.

Still, why had Garcia risked an exemplary career for the ‘peeping’ of Doctor Cartwright’s personnel file? Was it even related?
 

Sierra needed permission from Dana Cartwright to look. Perhaps Colonel Jai might be of assistance. He tapped his voice-badge and asked for a connection. “Colonel Jai?”

Kieran gulped down the last of his scramble — a mix of beef, sausage, eggs, and mushrooms with a tantalizing sauce. “Earth food certainly fills the belly.”

Dana scowled.

“I see you follow the Enturian diet — vegan all the way,” he noted.

“By choice — my gut cannot tolerate carnivorous fare.” She had barely eaten half the hot grain cereal or the biscuits set before her. “I don’t eat out often.”

“Digitizer glue is not breakfast,” Kieran groaned. “That’s not good for you.”

Dana shrugged. “Oatmeal is oatmeal.”

“Sticks to the ribs,” Kieran laughed. “I think I shall never eat porridge ever again. Four years of Star Service Academy food turned me off to it.”

Dana glanced his way. “Why did you not serve aboard a starship?”

“Oh, I did. Five years aboard the battle cruiser,
Regulus
. However, when I looked at my life, I didn’t want to be chained to the same cabin — the same faces — for another five.”

“Same women?”

He declined to comment, but, finally,
 
reassured, “You will understand after a few more years here at MCE.”

She tried to hide her reaction, but the telepathic link betrayed her.

“You’re already in the funk.” He chuckled, teasing, “I’m the most fun you’ve had in the last five years.”

Dana blushed. “Capitol City is a bit like a fish bowl; everyone can see where you’ve been.”

He shook his head. “There’s an advantage to being telepathic.”

Dana pushed her bowl away. “I need to check on the Ambassador.”

“May I come?”

“If he has no objections.”

She led back to the MAT station.

Kieran walked at her side, alert and vigilant, sensing something nefarious ‘out there’ but was unable to say in so many words exactly what he feared.

They reached the doctors’ level at MCE when his voice-badge chirped and Colonel Sierra called to him.

“Go on without me,” Kieran urged, sending Dana on to visit with the Ambassador. He then stepped outside to a viewport deck and answered, “Yes, Sierra.”