Chapter Twenty-Four
“The Dauntless is within range, Commander.”
Roth, who had Maggie by his side, turned from where they studied the course set by the navigator on the star chart. “Make contact, and give them our heading coordinates.”
“Yes, sir,” the warrior at the communications console replied with a nod. To Maggie, it was odd to see anyone at the station other than Britta, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Being on the bridge and informed was far better than being banned, left in the dark as to what was going on, and at odds with her mate.
“Sir,” he called out a few moments later. “General Trask is hailing us.”
“Trask?”
“Yes, Commander. He is requesting to speak to you and Captain Dayne.”
“The captain is off duty; put the general on screen.”
“I didn’t know he was making the trip,” Maggie observed quietly.
“Until a moment ago, I wasn’t aware he was, either. Trask told me he intended to oversee the cleanup of the mine, see to added security upon its reopening, and preside over the investigation into who is responsible himself.” He moved to the captain’s chair and sat then snaked an arm around Maggie’s waist, drawing her to his side.
A moment later, the general appeared on screen. His appearance startled her. He’d always been clean-shaven; now he was sporting a full black beard. And his eyes, usually a soft teal, were dark. Though she didn’t know him well, she could tell he was distressed, and from the shadows under his eyes, he’d gone without sleep for some time.
“Trask,” Roth began, not hesitating to disclose that he had also noticed the drastic change. “You look like hell, man.”
“My mate is missing.”
“What?”
“Lana!” Maggie cried.
“We searched the city and found no sign of her. I want an exhaustive search of the Odyssey, immediately.”
Roth gave her a sidelong glance. “What do you know of this, mate?”
“The same as you, nothing,” she replied, bristling as she took it as an accusation.
“It was a simple question, little captain.”
“I haven’t seen Lana since the day before we left, in the hallway outside the med-bay.”
“What’s this? I wasn’t aware she went to see a physic,” Trask stated. “Do you know why she was there?”
“Routine tests, at least that’s what she told me.”
His dark brows slanted together in a troubled frown. “She mentioned no scheduled tests.”
“She was not on the list of those returning, none of the mated females were, except for myself. Why would you think she’s on the Odyssey, Trask?”
“Lana is there, I know it.” Though still strikingly handsome, the general’s face was drawn, with vertical lines of distress between his brows and grooves around his mouth.
Rising to his feet, Roth took a step closer to the screen. “We’ll do a thermal scan and begin a level-by-level search at once, my friend. If she’s aboard, we’ll find her.”
“I’m shuttling over. She could be lying ill somewhere, what with the separation, and might need my intervention.”
“What about you?” Roth asked. “Are you symptomatic?”
He raised his hands to his head and ran his fingers roughly through his hair, clearly agitated. “I’m experiencing tension, worry, and sleeplessness, not unexpected considering my mate has gone missing.” He paused as though lost in thought then he refocused, his eyes snapping back to Roth with blazing intensity through the screen. “Alert your landing bay to accept an incoming shuttle within the next time cycle. Trask out.”
It took the computer minutes to identify three hundred fifty-four heat signatures onboard, which was one too many. Lana was here, somewhere. It would take much longer to confirm the identity of each one. To expedite matters, Roth had the off-duty crew and all the passengers assembled in the large common areas. After eliminating the bridge, engineering, and sickbay, they narrowed it down to one remaining, unaccounted-for thermal sign in the cargo hold.
Maggie followed Roth, who walked beside Trask down the corridor on the lowest level to the storage section. The temperature in the cargo bays was set well below the occupied areas, so there was a distinct chill in the air as soon as they entered.
“Lana?” Trask called out as he strode between the secured shelves loaded with enough supplies to last twice the anticipated six-week-long voyage.
Roth activated communications at the wall panel. “Bridge, pinpoint the location.”
“To your left, sir, by the rear wall, far right corner.”
Immediately reacting, Trask veered that way. His long legs ate up ground quickly, and Roth kept pace. Maggie had to jog to keep them in sight. When they both disappeared at the end of the aisle, she increased to a run, skidding to a halt when she cleared the shelving and saw Trask bending over a mound of blankets on the floor.
“Paulova,” she heard him murmur as he ran his hand over her hair. While his actions proclaimed his worry, calling her his little lamb, revealed to Maggie, just like Roth, the big warrior genuinely cared for his mate.
Asleep until he touched her, Lana’s eyes fluttered open. A split second later, she twisted and sat up.
“I’ve been worried.”
She lifted her eyes, pain flickering there as she said, “You shouldn’t have come after me, Trask.”
Stunned, his head snapped back. “What? Why would I not?”
Lana didn’t answer. Instead, her panicked gaze shot over Trask’s shoulder.
“Are you all right?” Maggie asked while taking a half step forward.
She nodded, but she didn’t look good. Her face was as pale as her lips, and she was trembling.
“You’re freezing,” Trask observed gruffly, gathering the blanket and wrapping it around her.
“I’m fine,” she whispered, her eyes darting from Trask to Roth, and back to Maggie, briefly, before they again skittered off.
“It’s been three days, have you eaten?” Trask inquired, his voice rising. She didn’t reply, her gaze shifting to a box in the corner and the full shelves.
“I’m well stocked in here,” she murmured at last.
With a grunt of disapproval, he leaned forward and came to his feet with Lana cradled in his arms, blankets and all. “We’ll discuss this back on the Dauntless.”
She stiffened. “No, put me down.”
“We’ll shuttle over and be in my quarters in half a time-cycle. The physic can examine you there.”
“I don’t need a doctor, and I’m not going to your ship. I’m going home.” She began struggling in his hold, but like all the Primarians, the general was strong and outmatched her easily.
“Unfortunately, we’ve come too far to turn around, so going home isn’t an option for several months.”
“Not your home, Trask. I’m going to my home, on Earth.”
His jaw tightened visibly. “You’re not making sense.”
“I have a right to choose under the treaty proposed by the Princep.”
“That does not apply to females like you, who are already mated,” the general growled, his patience gone. “Further, it hasn’t been approved by both governments yet. Until that happens, your rights are what I give you. And right now, since you’re not acting rationally, I am making the calls and you will do as you’re told.”
“Maggie…” she called as he carried her past them.
“Lana—”
“No,” Roth warned near her ear. “They are mated; you cannot interfere.”
***
As Trask carried Lana to the dock and the shuttle, she went wild in his arms, kicking and twisting, and shouting to be let go. She got so loud, and near the point of hysteria, Roth directed Trask to their quarters. He also alerted the medical staff, including the Odyssey’s doctor, of a potential emergency and to be on standby.
Maggie was helpless to do anything for her as the doors swished shut behind them.
She and Roth glanced at each other with concern, silently agreeing to wait in case they were needed. They moved down the hall to give them privacy, but could still hear the low rumble of Trask’s voice, occasionally rising in anger, intermingled with Lana’s higher-pitched tones, especially her frequent shouts.
About thirty minutes passed before the doors slid open and a harried-looking Trask appeared. “She’ll be staying,” he muttered as he walked toward them.
“What can we do?” Maggie asked out of concern for them both.
“Have your doctor evaluate her as soon as possible. She wouldn’t calm until I agreed to go.” He looked up at Roth, his eyes dark with frustration. “My presence is only making her worse.”
“Trask…”
“I need to think. I can’t do that here. I’m returning to the Dauntless.”
“But, General, won’t you both get sick?”
He shook his head. “We were matched, although not nearly as high as you and Roth. Three days have passed. If the fever were going to appear, likely it would have by now, but I’m only a shuttle flight away if I’m needed.” Once again, he addressed the commander. “That is not my sweet-natured, loving mate; something is wrong.” His hands speared into his hair, yet again, and he closed his eyes, his face ravaged with pain. “Have her examined by both the Earth doctor and one of our own. I’ll want a full report.”
“I’ll deliver your orders myself and keep an eye on her, as will my mate.”
He nodded absently, appearing to Maggie like he’d been hit by a truck. “I’ll be in touch,” he murmured, moving slowly down the corridor to the lift, while his fingers rubbed his forehead.
“What do we do?” Maggie whispered as she watched him go.
“We support them, that is all we can do. It is between them, whatever this is.” His arm around her shoulder curled her into his chest. “Go to Lana now, Maggie. I’ll alert your doctor and our medical team.”
***
Other than melancholy, which Lana insisted was homesickness, Dr. Juna found nothing wrong. “I collected a blood sample. Preliminary tests reveal no significant difference from the last analysis run. The Primarian physics are also seeking answers.”
“She still refuses to go back to him, and won’t say why?” Roth asked.
“Not to me, Commander. I wish I knew more because that is one miserable woman in there.”
He nodded.
“There’s something else. One of your doctors needs to evaluate your general, soon.”
“Why do you say that?”
“There was blood on the floor.”
“What from?” he demanded.
“It was the general’s. I asked Lana. She insists he didn’t touch her.”
“Of a certainty, he did not.” Roth’s reaction was vehement as he came to his friend’s defense. “He wouldn’t harm her.”
“Lana said that as well,” the doctor assured them. “Oddly enough, despite their quarrel, whatever the cause, she trusts him completely. But you also need to alert maintenance; your three-room suite is now two. Apparently, he punched through the wall, and did so more than once.”