Orion: Star Guardians, Book 1 by Ruby Lionsdrake

Author:Ruby Lionsdrake [Lionsdrake, Ruby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

14

Juanita was watching the planet grow in size on the display over the table when the door to the rec room slid open. The ship was descending through the atmosphere, like a plane coming in for a landing, and she could see ponds, rivers, and dense green forests now. The sky had a greenish tint rather than a blue one, but the fluffy white clouds they sailed through seemed like the ones back home. She’d eaten her meal while watching their descent, and it was with reluctance that she tore her gaze from it to check on their visitor.

Captain Sagitta walked in by himself, and Juanita straightened.

“Captain.” She waved and strode toward him. “I’m so glad you’re here. I need to talk to you about—” she glanced at all the women looking in their direction, “—things.”

Yes, she wanted to discuss Orion and the incident with the captain, but she didn’t want to do it in front of everyone. She hadn’t even told Angela and Tala about the kiss yet.

Sagitta looked at her, his expression grave. “I understand, and I will return to speak with you, but at this moment, the needs of the ship must be my priority. I came because I need the assistance of your doctor.” He nodded toward Tala sitting on the bench, her empty plate beside her. She hadn’t had any qualms about eating the meal. Angela on the other hand, had only poked at hers.

Juanita could understand since she’d not found it that palatable herself. The meat hadn’t been awful—it had reminded her of mutton—but salt had been the only seasoning. These people needed a chef badly.

“Me?” Tala stared at the captain.

“We’re going to question a prisoner using a truth drug that sometimes invokes seizures,” Sagitta said. “It’s unlikely he’ll die, but I would like to have a doctor on hand in case there are complications. We… lost our own doctor on a mission last month, and Headquarters hasn’t assigned us someone new yet.” His face was usually cool and hard to read, but he winced as he spoke of the loss of their doctor. Maybe it had been someone close to him.

“I’m not familiar with your technology, Captain,” Tala said, “and without equipment and drugs I know, I’m skeptical about what I could do in an emergency.”

From Tala’s grimace, Juanita expected her objections had more to do with the idea of witnessing an interrogation than with not having the ability to help. Juanita had seen her sew up a dog that’d had a run-in with a pack of javelinas when a storm had swept in and kept the emergency vet from coming out. She seemed handy in any medical situation, even if her specialty had been hearts.

“Nonetheless, I would appreciate it if you would join us.” Sagitta walked over to the bench and offered his open hand, palm up.

Tala hesitated, but placed her hand on his. He pulled her to her feet, released her, and nodded toward the door.

“Can I come?” Juanita asked.

Even though

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