invitation to the elcor delegation to join us here at the embassy after today’s talks.”
“Why?” Cerise asked, suddenly suspicious. “What did you do?”
She’s a sharp one. Can’t sneak anything past her
.
“I think I offended Calyn with a joke.”
“I didn’t know the elcor had a sense of humor.”
“Apparently they don’t.”
“Don’t worry,” the young woman assured him. “I’ll take care of it.”
Grateful, Anderson took the elevator to his office. He had thirty minutes before the scheduled meeting with his advisers to prepare for the afternoon’s talks. He planned to spend the entire time alone, just savoring some much-needed peace and quiet.
When he saw the blinking light on his extranet terminal indicating a message waiting for him, he nearly picked it up and threw it out the window. He thought briefly about ignoring it; he had a list of ten people hecould imagine it being from, and he didn’t want to hear from any of them. But in the end his soldier’s training wouldn’t let him be derelict in his duty. He logged on to the terminal, hanging his head in resignation.
“David: I need to see you right away.”
His head snapped back up in surprise as he recognized the voice of Kahlee Sanders.
“It’s important. An emergency.”
He hadn’t spoken to her since Grissom’s funeral. Even then, they had exchanged only a few pleasantries, carefully avoiding any mention of their time together on the run twenty years ago.
“I’m on the Citadel. I can’t say where. Please—contact me as soon as you get this.”
Before the message had even ended he was sending a reply. Kahlee wasn’t the type to overreact or blow things out of proportion; if she claimed it was an emergency, it had to be something very serious.
She answered immediately, her face appearing on the view screen.
“David? Thank God.”
He was relieved to see she wasn’t hurt, though it was easy to tell from her expression that she was upset.
“I just got back to the office,” he said by way of apology for keeping her waiting.
“Is this a secure line?”
Anderson shook his head. “Not really. Standard diplomatic protocols. Easy to hack.”
“We need to meet in person.”
There was a long pause, and Anderson realized shedidn’t want to openly suggest a location in case someone else was listening in.
“Remember where we said goodbye after Saren filed his mission report from Camala?”
“Good idea. I can be there in twenty minutes.”
“Give me thirty,” he replied. “I need to make sure I’m not followed.”
She nodded.
“David? Thank you. I didn’t know where else to turn.”
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, trying to reassure her … though of what, he couldn’t even begin to guess.
The call disconnected. Anderson rose from his chair, locked up his office, and headed back downstairs.
“I have to go, Cerise,” he said to the receptionist on his way out. Remembering the concern etched on Kahlee’s features, he added, “Don’t expect me back for a few days.”
“What about the trade negotiations?” she asked, taken aback by his sudden departure.
“Udina will have to take my place.”
“This isn’t going to make him happy,” Cerise warned.
“Nothing ever does.”
Anderson took three monorails and two cabs, transferring between four different levels of the Citadel space station to make sure he wasn’t followed. He didn’t know what Kahlee was afraid of, but the last thing he wanted to do was get careless and lead whoever she was hiding from right to her.
Once he was confident nobody was tailing him, he made his way back up to the Presidium. In addition to the embassies for all the species residing in Council space, the Citadel’s inner ring also housed a spectacular park. Grass, trees, flowers, birds, and insects from dozens of different worlds had been chosen and carefully reengineered to coexist in a verdant paradise where diplomats, ambassadors, and other
“Why?” Cerise asked, suddenly suspicious. “What did you do?”
She’s a sharp one. Can’t sneak anything past her
.
“I think I offended Calyn with a joke.”
“I didn’t know the elcor had a sense of humor.”
“Apparently they don’t.”
“Don’t worry,” the young woman assured him. “I’ll take care of it.”
Grateful, Anderson took the elevator to his office. He had thirty minutes before the scheduled meeting with his advisers to prepare for the afternoon’s talks. He planned to spend the entire time alone, just savoring some much-needed peace and quiet.
When he saw the blinking light on his extranet terminal indicating a message waiting for him, he nearly picked it up and threw it out the window. He thought briefly about ignoring it; he had a list of ten people hecould imagine it being from, and he didn’t want to hear from any of them. But in the end his soldier’s training wouldn’t let him be derelict in his duty. He logged on to the terminal, hanging his head in resignation.
“David: I need to see you right away.”
His head snapped back up in surprise as he recognized the voice of Kahlee Sanders.
“It’s important. An emergency.”
He hadn’t spoken to her since Grissom’s funeral. Even then, they had exchanged only a few pleasantries, carefully avoiding any mention of their time together on the run twenty years ago.
“I’m on the Citadel. I can’t say where. Please—contact me as soon as you get this.”
Before the message had even ended he was sending a reply. Kahlee wasn’t the type to overreact or blow things out of proportion; if she claimed it was an emergency, it had to be something very serious.
She answered immediately, her face appearing on the view screen.
“David? Thank God.”
He was relieved to see she wasn’t hurt, though it was easy to tell from her expression that she was upset.
“I just got back to the office,” he said by way of apology for keeping her waiting.
“Is this a secure line?”
Anderson shook his head. “Not really. Standard diplomatic protocols. Easy to hack.”
“We need to meet in person.”
There was a long pause, and Anderson realized shedidn’t want to openly suggest a location in case someone else was listening in.
“Remember where we said goodbye after Saren filed his mission report from Camala?”
“Good idea. I can be there in twenty minutes.”
“Give me thirty,” he replied. “I need to make sure I’m not followed.”
She nodded.
“David? Thank you. I didn’t know where else to turn.”
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, trying to reassure her … though of what, he couldn’t even begin to guess.
The call disconnected. Anderson rose from his chair, locked up his office, and headed back downstairs.
“I have to go, Cerise,” he said to the receptionist on his way out. Remembering the concern etched on Kahlee’s features, he added, “Don’t expect me back for a few days.”
“What about the trade negotiations?” she asked, taken aback by his sudden departure.
“Udina will have to take my place.”
“This isn’t going to make him happy,” Cerise warned.
“Nothing ever does.”
Anderson took three monorails and two cabs, transferring between four different levels of the Citadel space station to make sure he wasn’t followed. He didn’t know what Kahlee was afraid of, but the last thing he wanted to do was get careless and lead whoever she was hiding from right to her.
Once he was confident nobody was tailing him, he made his way back up to the Presidium. In addition to the embassies for all the species residing in Council space, the Citadel’s inner ring also housed a spectacular park. Grass, trees, flowers, birds, and insects from dozens of different worlds had been chosen and carefully reengineered to coexist in a verdant paradise where diplomats, ambassadors, and other
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