he is, he said that he’s not alone. We found huge amounts of negative matter out of phase with both dimensions that seems to corroborate his story. I want to go back into the wormhole and try to contact him again.”
Sabine pulled Lara to the side of the room. “As a Chimeran he has some protection from sudden phase shifts, but how much time do you think he has, really?”
Lara hesitated. What if she was wrong? “I don’t know, Mother.”
“Lara, whatever resources you need are at your disposal. We want to continue peaceful relations with Terra, but if Rafael and our other Chimeran children are in danger, we must help.” She glanced at Kade, who nodded. “The entire cabinet supports me on this issue.”
A warm breeze swept in from the open doorway and over Lara’s face. Every visit to Creed gave her a sense of relief. Maybe the planet’s lesser gravity caused the sense of lightness or perhaps she was just more comfortable with her mother’s people. About the only place Lara relaxed more was in one of the havens.
Lara sighed. “I don’t plan for the Gryphon to stay here long. Who knows how the wormhole is affecting Rafael and the other Chimerans? I’d hoped to find answers here on Creed, but we haven’t. The best course now is to return to Terra and find out what the Interlace’ s mission was. I’m sure Commodore Yoshida will agree.”
“Agree with what?” Mitch walked up behind her, his gaze scrutinizing each of their faces.
Lara’s mother gave her a blank stare and held her tongue. Evidently this opportunity for diplomacy belonged all to her.
Lara cleared her throat. “The prime minister and her cabinet want to send in their own search mission, Commodore. We need to know the Interlace’ s last known coordinates.”
Mitch squared his shoulders. The man clearly had no idea how much he revealed of himself just from the tension in his posture. “I’m not at liberty to disclose that at this time. You know that, Captain.”
Lara nodded. “You’re going to have to tell me at some point. I’m not going to let you take my ship in blind. I know you were hoping the Interlace had ended up here somehow, but we haven’t been so lucky. What’s the difference if you tell me the coordinates now?”
Sabine stepped closer. “If you like, we can retire to a more secure venue, Commodore. I understand the need for discretion.” Her mother clasped Lara’s hand but looked at Mitch. “The Chimerans belong to the Creed as much as they do to Terra. We won’t just sit back and wait for you to solve this problem.”
Lara chafed at the idea of belonging to anyone. How could she ever make her mother comprehend that?
“I understand your distress, Madame Osai. We’re doing everything possible to find the Interlace. Rafe is a close friend of mine. Believe me when I tell you that I am very personally motivated to find him.”
Fear and frustration twisted inside Lara, making her insides lurch. Mitch knew where her brother had been last and wouldn’t tell anyone. Sooner or later, Mitch would have to tell her what kind of mission the Interlace had been conducting. She let go of her mother’s hand. “‘Personally motivated?’ Does your sister still live in New Tokyo, Mitch? What if she disappeared tomorrow? Would you call your desire to find her ‘personally motivated?’”
Mitch’s gaze darted around the room. “Lara, don’t do this. Not here—”
She stepped right up to him, her nose maybe an inch from his chin. “Know this. The Gryphon isn’t going anywhere until you give me those coordinates. I’ve had it with this classified-information crap, Mitch.”
She’d already gone too far, but the words just kept spilling out of her. “I can lock your crew out of the Gryphon’ s systems with one word. We can stay here for as long as it takes to get what I need to find Rafael. You’ve got less than a week before your molecules disintegrate.”
Mitch’s shoulders tensed up as the whole room
Sabine pulled Lara to the side of the room. “As a Chimeran he has some protection from sudden phase shifts, but how much time do you think he has, really?”
Lara hesitated. What if she was wrong? “I don’t know, Mother.”
“Lara, whatever resources you need are at your disposal. We want to continue peaceful relations with Terra, but if Rafael and our other Chimeran children are in danger, we must help.” She glanced at Kade, who nodded. “The entire cabinet supports me on this issue.”
A warm breeze swept in from the open doorway and over Lara’s face. Every visit to Creed gave her a sense of relief. Maybe the planet’s lesser gravity caused the sense of lightness or perhaps she was just more comfortable with her mother’s people. About the only place Lara relaxed more was in one of the havens.
Lara sighed. “I don’t plan for the Gryphon to stay here long. Who knows how the wormhole is affecting Rafael and the other Chimerans? I’d hoped to find answers here on Creed, but we haven’t. The best course now is to return to Terra and find out what the Interlace’ s mission was. I’m sure Commodore Yoshida will agree.”
“Agree with what?” Mitch walked up behind her, his gaze scrutinizing each of their faces.
Lara’s mother gave her a blank stare and held her tongue. Evidently this opportunity for diplomacy belonged all to her.
Lara cleared her throat. “The prime minister and her cabinet want to send in their own search mission, Commodore. We need to know the Interlace’ s last known coordinates.”
Mitch squared his shoulders. The man clearly had no idea how much he revealed of himself just from the tension in his posture. “I’m not at liberty to disclose that at this time. You know that, Captain.”
Lara nodded. “You’re going to have to tell me at some point. I’m not going to let you take my ship in blind. I know you were hoping the Interlace had ended up here somehow, but we haven’t been so lucky. What’s the difference if you tell me the coordinates now?”
Sabine stepped closer. “If you like, we can retire to a more secure venue, Commodore. I understand the need for discretion.” Her mother clasped Lara’s hand but looked at Mitch. “The Chimerans belong to the Creed as much as they do to Terra. We won’t just sit back and wait for you to solve this problem.”
Lara chafed at the idea of belonging to anyone. How could she ever make her mother comprehend that?
“I understand your distress, Madame Osai. We’re doing everything possible to find the Interlace. Rafe is a close friend of mine. Believe me when I tell you that I am very personally motivated to find him.”
Fear and frustration twisted inside Lara, making her insides lurch. Mitch knew where her brother had been last and wouldn’t tell anyone. Sooner or later, Mitch would have to tell her what kind of mission the Interlace had been conducting. She let go of her mother’s hand. “‘Personally motivated?’ Does your sister still live in New Tokyo, Mitch? What if she disappeared tomorrow? Would you call your desire to find her ‘personally motivated?’”
Mitch’s gaze darted around the room. “Lara, don’t do this. Not here—”
She stepped right up to him, her nose maybe an inch from his chin. “Know this. The Gryphon isn’t going anywhere until you give me those coordinates. I’ve had it with this classified-information crap, Mitch.”
She’d already gone too far, but the words just kept spilling out of her. “I can lock your crew out of the Gryphon’ s systems with one word. We can stay here for as long as it takes to get what I need to find Rafael. You’ve got less than a week before your molecules disintegrate.”
Mitch’s shoulders tensed up as the whole room
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