Empire of Bones (9 page)

“Aye, sir.”

Jared turned to Kelsey. “Would you care to join me for dinner in the officer’s mess?”

She unbuckled her restraint and stood. “I’d like that. Today’s been a long, productive day and I’m famished.”

The officer’s mess couldn’t hold more than two dozen people, and even so, it was only a quarter full. A crewmember in a white apron came over to their table. “Captain, Ambassador.” He set out water for them. “The mess is serving some excellent fish tonight. I’d recommend it.”

She nodded and Jared followed her example. Once the man was gone, she looked over at her half-brother. “Is the food here different from what the enlisted eat? I’ve been eating there.”

“No. Some ships have entirely separate messes, but I’ve always believed that officers and enlisted should eat the same food. Most ships in Fleet are that way. The only reason we have separate messes is so the crew doesn’t feel like the officers are watching them when they’re off duty. In fact,
Athena’s
officers eat in the crew’s mess once a week and on special occasions.”

He took a sip of his water and smiled. “I have to admit that you’ve surprised the hell out of me today. You’ve always been so reserved. I had no idea you could play cards with the marines on their own terms.”

“They were a little leery at first, but I think I’ve won them over. The Imperial Guards at the palace taught me well. They recruit from inside the Imperial Marines, you know. Frankly, I really enjoy being around people that don’t bow and scrape. They tell me what they really think. I like that they treat me as if I belonged and shouldn’t be up on a pedestal.”

“That should’ve been true in any case. I see that I’ve done you another injustice. I apologize for doubting that you had what it takes to be here.”

His admission made her preen a little inside. However, his honesty deserved a frank response from her. “I’ll confess that I haven’t warmed to you very much over the years. I blamed you for what happened to my parents for the longest time. Once I became old enough to understand that wasn’t true, it made me feel guilty, but didn’t change how I treated you. For that, I apologize.

“You’re much more complex than I gave you credit for. Seeing you working here is like watching a different man—a leader. Someone who commands respect and demands obedience. A lot like my father. Our father. It’s a pity Ethan doesn’t get to see this side of you.”

Jared looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve never felt comfortable in the palace. I honestly don’t think I ever will. Pardon my frankness, but I doubt seeing another side of me would improve my relationship with your brother.”

“Until recently, my brother and I thought you initiated the visits. He thought you were trying to…”

“Curry favor? If so, I’m particularly inept at it. Your brother hates me and you can barely tolerate me.”

“Perhaps that’s because we really didn’t know one another. I suspect that played a role in our father’s thought process when he sent me on this mission with you. He hopes we get past our differences. As do I. This trip could be a chance to start over for both of us. I’m not saying that things
will
change, but we have an excellent opportunity to start fresh.”

He smiled a little. “I’d like that.” He took a bite of his dinner as soon as the man deposited the plates in front of them. “Mmm. Very nice. So, while you’ve been exploring the ship, what has Ambassador Vega been doing?”

“Pretty much the same things as me. I see him in the mess hall, mostly. He also spends a lot of time in his cabin. I’d imagine he has a ton of background information to study. Information that I’m already familiar with.”

Jared took a drink of his water. “I probably should get together with him before the meeting tomorrow and bring him up to speed. I know I wouldn’t want to be blindsided first thing in the morning.”

“Good idea. I ate with him at lunch. He had some indigestion and said he’d rest for the afternoon. He’s probably feeling better. Let’s finish and we can go talk to him together.”

They ate the rest of the meal and chatted about the ship and crew. Kelsey quickly discovered that talking about his people was a sure way to get Jared into an enthusiastic conversation. He really cared about them.

That made the rest of the meal fly by and they finished before she knew it. Jared stood and led the way back down to her deck. She hoped she eventually learned the ship’s layout. It seemed like she got lost almost every day, even after all this time.

Jared stopped outside of Vega’s hatch and knocked. When no one answered, he tried again. “He’s probably in the mess or wandering around. Remind me to get both of you communicators so that people can contact you.”

He brought his communicator to his lips. “Bridge, this is Mertz. Page Ambassador Vega and route his call back to me.”

“Aye, sir.”

A louder version of the voice came from the concealed speakers overhead. “Ambassador Vega, please call the bridge on the nearest communications unit.”

After about thirty seconds, the call repeated. Then the voice came back over the communicator. “I’m sorry, sir. Ambassador Vega isn’t responding.”

Jared frowned. “Thank you. Mertz out.”

He put the communicator back onto his belt. “I suppose we’d best check to be sure everything is okay.” He touched his thumb to the lock and the door slid open. “Ambassador? This is Captain Mertz. May I come in?”

Jared stepped inside and cursed. She followed him inside and immediately saw Carlo Vega sprawled on the floor. Jared knelt by his side and felt for a pulse on his neck before pulling his communicator again. “Medical emergency. Medical team to Ambassador Vega’s quarters. Chief Medical Officer to Ambassador Vega’s quarters.”

She edged closer. Vega’s eyes were open and didn’t seem focused. “Is he still breathing?”

Jared shook his head. “No. The medics have to check him, but he’s gone. It looks like he’s been dead for a while.”

Kelsey covered her mouth with her hand and stepped aside as the medical team rushed in. They got right to work, but she could tell by the looks on their faces that Jared was right. Carlo Vega was dead.

Jared waited for the medics to make the final call, but he knew Carlo Vega was beyond resuscitation. The man’s skin was cold to the touch. Medical science was capable of doing some amazing things, but bringing the dead back to life wasn’t one of them.

Doctor Stone arrived less than thirty seconds after the crash team. She knelt at the man’s side and examined him before shaking her head. “He’s gone. Take him to the morgue and I’ll perform an autopsy.”

The slender, dark-haired woman stood and walked over to him. “Captain, I’ll get started tonight and I should have some preliminary results on your desk by morning. I’m not seeing any indications of injuries. Do you know if he had any medical conditions?”

“No. As far as I know Ambassador Vega was healthy.”

Stone grabbed a tablet from the medical cart. “I saw him around, but thought he came over from the freighter. I have copies of their medical files, but nothing for the Ambassador.”

Jared sighed. “They boarded at the last minute. I should’ve verified that they turned over their files and scheduled them for a checkup first thing.”

“They? There’s someone else running around the ship that I don’t know about?”

He nodded toward Kelsey. The young noblewoman stood with a sick expression on her face, silently watching the team move Vega to a stretcher. “My half-sister accompanied Ambassador Vega as his deputy. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.”

Doctor Stone closed her eyes for a few seconds. She didn’t open them when she spoke again. “You’re telling me we have a member of the Imperial Family onboard and I don’t have her files? I haven’t examined her. What if she dropped dead? Not to trivialize Ambassador Vega’s death, but that would be a disaster. Captain, forgive me for any impertinence, but what the hell were you thinking?”

Jared bowed his head in acknowledgment. “I obviously wasn’t.”

“I need her in the medical center right now. Ambassador Vega can wait until tomorrow.”

“Of course, Doctor. Let me introduce you.” He walked over to the Princess. “Kelsey, this is Lieutenant Commander Lily Stone, our Chief Medical Officer. Doctor, Deputy Ambassador Kelsey Bandar.”

Kelsey took the doctor’s proffered hand. “I wish we hadn’t met under these circumstances, Doctor. I’m not here in an Imperial capacity, so please just call me Kelsey. Or Ambassador, I suppose.”

“Call me Lily, then. I’m very sorry for your loss. Did you know Ambassador Vega well? Did he have any medical conditions that you know of?”

Kelsey shook her head. “I’ve worked with him some and he trained me in diplomacy, but we never discussed any medical information. I had lunch with him today and he said he had indigestion. I should’ve come back here with him.”

Lily put her hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “People have indigestion every day. While I’ll consider it when I start looking for answers, the heartburn might have nothing to do with his death. Don’t blame yourself for things you can’t reasonably expect to control.”

“That’s not going to be easy.”

“No, it isn’t. I didn’t have any medical records for either of you. Did you have a copy of yours?”

Kelsey shook her head. “I barely had time to pack a few bags. I’d imagine he had as little warning as I did. Medical records were the very last thing on my mind.”

“Then I need you to come to the medical center with me. We need to do a full medical exam.”

The Princess chuckled without any real humor behind it. “I assure you, I get the very best of medical care. I’m as healthy as a horse, even if I can’t prove it.”

“I’d wager that Ambassador Vega would’ve told me something very similar. Everyone on this ship is required to go through a medical checkup when they come on board. It’s on me that I didn’t examine Ambassador Vega. I’m not going to repeat that error.” The doctor’s voice had no give to it. Her words were a polite order that Jared knew she’d see enforced.

“Go with her, Kelsey. Arguing with a doctor is like running headfirst into a bulkhead: pointless and very painful.”

Kelsey nodded. “Of course. Captain, I need to find out if Ambassador Vega had any files that I need. It looks like I’m going to be stepping up in a big way and I need to know what the Department of Imperial Affairs sent along. What instructions they might have given him. We’ve spoken a lot, but we both imagined we’d have more time to train me.”

Jared nodded. “I’ll have a couple of people come down here and find everything they can. Look at me, Kelsey. Nothing in this job is as big as what you’ve trained for already. If you can sit on the Imperial Throne, you can handle this mission.”

She smiled a little. “Thank you, Captain. I suppose you’re right. Doctor?”

Doctor Stone led the Princess out and the medical team followed with Ambassador Vega. Jared hoped to hell he was right about her, because if things went south on this mission, she’d be in the hot seat and all their lives might depend on her diplomatic skills.

He called for some technicians to screen everything Vega had for files, including the bags he’d had stored. He instructed them to transfer everything they found to Kelsey’s computer. Then he went back to his cabin. He had enough time to do some paperwork and then he’d get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow might be a very long day.

*

Sleeping turned out to be more difficult than Jared had hoped. He lay awake for a couple of hours before he finally drifted off. His dreams weren’t quite nightmares, but Carlo Vega kept following him everywhere he went. Waking up early was welcome.

His cabin was generous by Fleet standards. It actually had a large private head, a kitchenette, and a small work area. He normally used his office near the bridge to handle paperwork, but he made some coffee and sat at his station to review his inbox. No autopsy report, but that wasn’t a surprise. Lily would’ve spent the evening going through Kelsey’s examination results. She’d probably run labs late into the night.

Vaguely dissatisfied, he worked on various reports until he had to get ready for the flight to
Best Deal
. He took a sonic shower and dressed for the day. He ate a quick breakfast in the officer’s mess, and when Kelsey failed to put in an appearance, he ordered her something to go. She needed fuel to get through the day, too.

She answered his knock looking disheveled. She’d obviously slept in and probably had an even worse night than he had. “What?”

Jared held out the bag of food and a cup of coffee. “You need to get ready. Our cutter leaves in a little more than half an hour. I’ll be waiting for you in the forward docking bay.”

Kelsey took the food and closed the door without another word. He smiled. Not a morning person. He’d imagined she’d been a joy when her father woke her up and stuffed her into the cutter.

He went to the docking bay and helped the pilot with his pre-flight of the cutter. The man probably didn’t appreciate the interference, but he wisely said nothing. Sometimes being the Captain had tangible benefits. The other officers coming over for the briefing started arriving ten minutes before departure time.

Kelsey hurried in with less than sixty seconds to spare. “Sorry. I got lost.”

“We’re going to have to send you around with the damage control teams to learn the ship’s layout.”

From her expression, she didn’t get that he was joking.

“Just kidding. You’ll figure it out. Come up front and you can sit in the flight engineer’s seat. We don’t need one for such a short trip.”

Jared locked her console and made sure that she was strapped in before sliding into the pilot’s chair. The assigned pilot took the co-pilot’s seat. He slid a headset on and made sure he was on the control frequency. “
Athena
, this is
Athena Three.
Ready for departure.”

“Roger
Athena Three
,” Zia said. “You are cleared for immediate departure. Have a good flight, Captain.”

“Thanks, Zia.
Athena Three
out.”

He undocked and dropped the cutter out of its slip. The screens cleared and displayed the star field. It was beautiful, as always.
Best Deal
showed clearly on his scanners. It was less than five minutes away. The acceleration he applied put the
Athena
behind them and made
Best Deal
grow quickly on the screens.