Earth’s solar system have submitted their final flight plan and schedule for your approval.”
“Yet again, you don’t knock.”
“Yet again, you’re stating the obvious.” She grinned at his look of annoyance. “Your door was open. Why should I knock when you can see perfectly well I’m there?”
“And when my door is closed?”
She shrugged. “Nothing will keep me from properly performing my duties. That is why you appointed me your secretary.”
Bekion bit back his next comment about replacing her. It was a flat-out lie. He could never replace Vieve. There was no one he trusted enough. What’s more, the annoying woman knew that. He snatched the tablet out of her hands and looked at it.
The report before him was a formality. So long as the expedition vessel stayed the required distance from Earth, he couldn’t care less what they were doing or how long they were gone. Despite his apathetic attitude, he read over the itinerary with a critical eye for any inconsistencies.
“Bekion?” Starling said in a small voice.
He looked away from the tablet to her. She sounded worried again. How much worry could such a small body hold? He was right to think she would have him comforting her for the rest of the day if he allowed it.
This was the last time. As Vieve had already said, he only had a few minutes before his meeting. “Yes, Starling?”
“That expedition to Earth—”
Vieve said, “Earth’s solar system, not Earth itself.”
Starling nodded. “Earth’s solar system. I—”
“You cannot go.” Bekion returned his gaze to the tablet once more. That went quicker than he’d thought it would. “I’ve said returning you to Earth is an impossibility. Even if Gorov law allowed it, the expedition vessel cannot get that close.”
“That’s not what I was going to ask,” she snapped.
Her annoyance surprised him enough that he stopped splitting his attention between her and the tablet and looked only at her.
She took a breath then said, “I was hoping… I mean… If I wrote a letter, would they be able to somehow send it to Earth?”
“A letter to whom?”
“My parents. I don’t know how long I’ve been gone but I know they have to be worried about me.” She clenched her fists at her side. “I could tell them I’m okay and not to worry.”
“And how would you explain not being able to see them ever again? How would you explain having no way for them to contact you and not knowing when you would be able to contact them again? Where would you tell them you are?”
“I don’t know.” A single tear slid down her cheek. “I don’t know. But even something, anything would make me feel better. I would know my parents aren’t worrying needlessly.”
Vieve placed a hand on Starling’s shoulder. “You have to know such a vague letter will worry them more.”
The hurt expression Starling turned to Vieve made Bekion want to grant her wish to alleviate her pain, if only a little. It would be a false positive. While he respected her right to grieve and knew she needed time to come to terms with her loss, giving in to every whim to keep contact with home would cause her more pain.
He looked down at the tablet once more but the words meant nothing to him. Rather than sign and hope it had nothing suspect, he would put it off until a time when he could concentrate. First he had to deal with Starling.
He said, “While I would like to grant your wish, Starling, I cannot.”
Tears glistened in her pleading eyes. “Why not? It’s just a letter.”
“I have two reasons.” He held up one finger. “First, denying you the ability to send this letter strikes me as the perfect punishment.”
Starling’s eyes widened until Bekion thought they might fall out of her head. She huffed a few times and then went off on a long, loud rant in her mother tongue.
Vieve said, “Bekion, five minutes.”
He nodded. There was no hurry. If he were attending the meeting of the monarchs, which was
“Yet again, you don’t knock.”
“Yet again, you’re stating the obvious.” She grinned at his look of annoyance. “Your door was open. Why should I knock when you can see perfectly well I’m there?”
“And when my door is closed?”
She shrugged. “Nothing will keep me from properly performing my duties. That is why you appointed me your secretary.”
Bekion bit back his next comment about replacing her. It was a flat-out lie. He could never replace Vieve. There was no one he trusted enough. What’s more, the annoying woman knew that. He snatched the tablet out of her hands and looked at it.
The report before him was a formality. So long as the expedition vessel stayed the required distance from Earth, he couldn’t care less what they were doing or how long they were gone. Despite his apathetic attitude, he read over the itinerary with a critical eye for any inconsistencies.
“Bekion?” Starling said in a small voice.
He looked away from the tablet to her. She sounded worried again. How much worry could such a small body hold? He was right to think she would have him comforting her for the rest of the day if he allowed it.
This was the last time. As Vieve had already said, he only had a few minutes before his meeting. “Yes, Starling?”
“That expedition to Earth—”
Vieve said, “Earth’s solar system, not Earth itself.”
Starling nodded. “Earth’s solar system. I—”
“You cannot go.” Bekion returned his gaze to the tablet once more. That went quicker than he’d thought it would. “I’ve said returning you to Earth is an impossibility. Even if Gorov law allowed it, the expedition vessel cannot get that close.”
“That’s not what I was going to ask,” she snapped.
Her annoyance surprised him enough that he stopped splitting his attention between her and the tablet and looked only at her.
She took a breath then said, “I was hoping… I mean… If I wrote a letter, would they be able to somehow send it to Earth?”
“A letter to whom?”
“My parents. I don’t know how long I’ve been gone but I know they have to be worried about me.” She clenched her fists at her side. “I could tell them I’m okay and not to worry.”
“And how would you explain not being able to see them ever again? How would you explain having no way for them to contact you and not knowing when you would be able to contact them again? Where would you tell them you are?”
“I don’t know.” A single tear slid down her cheek. “I don’t know. But even something, anything would make me feel better. I would know my parents aren’t worrying needlessly.”
Vieve placed a hand on Starling’s shoulder. “You have to know such a vague letter will worry them more.”
The hurt expression Starling turned to Vieve made Bekion want to grant her wish to alleviate her pain, if only a little. It would be a false positive. While he respected her right to grieve and knew she needed time to come to terms with her loss, giving in to every whim to keep contact with home would cause her more pain.
He looked down at the tablet once more but the words meant nothing to him. Rather than sign and hope it had nothing suspect, he would put it off until a time when he could concentrate. First he had to deal with Starling.
He said, “While I would like to grant your wish, Starling, I cannot.”
Tears glistened in her pleading eyes. “Why not? It’s just a letter.”
“I have two reasons.” He held up one finger. “First, denying you the ability to send this letter strikes me as the perfect punishment.”
Starling’s eyes widened until Bekion thought they might fall out of her head. She huffed a few times and then went off on a long, loud rant in her mother tongue.
Vieve said, “Bekion, five minutes.”
He nodded. There was no hurry. If he were attending the meeting of the monarchs, which was
Similar Books
