Nexus: Ziva Payvan Book 2 (49 page)

Aroska stood up, stretching a bit and flexing his fingers again for show. “Well, I’d better catch up to the others – I wouldn’t want to miss out on Marshay’s cooking. You get some rest, and for what it’s worth, enjoy your time on Na. The galaxy knows you could use the break.”

He reached down and patted her on the top of the head. Even the simple touch felt jarring, though she didn’t dare admit it. “You’re not so bad, Tarbic,” she said.

“I’m going to quote you on that sometime,” Aroska said, dipping his head with a sheepish smile. “Take care of yourself, Ziva. It’s been real.”

“See you on the other side.” Ziva watched as he turned and wandered out the door, standing up a little straighter than he had been before. Placing a hand on her abdomen once again, she carefully eased back down off the pillow and worked her way into a comfortable position. The room was completely silent now except for the gentle hum of the machines surrounding her bed, and she took a moment to bask in the peace and quiet. Settling her head down against the pillow, Ziva closed her eyes and fell asleep.

And now, enjoy an exciting excerpt from

Ronan: Ziva Payvan Book Three

The sound of the portable comm grid coming to life startled Skeet Duvo out of his thoughts. His long legs already dangled over the edge of the stiff little bunk he lay on, so he worked his way into a sitting position and planted his feet on the floor, standing bolt upright when he saw that the indicator light on the communications console blinked red.

He made it across the darkened room in two strides and hovered over the console for a moment, wide-eyed. A red message light meant only one thing: a transmission straight from Emeri Arion’s office at the Haphezian Special Police’s Noro headquarters. And that in itself meant only one thing: bad news.

Skeet ran a hand through his spiky orange hair and drew in a deep breath before accepting the transmission. “Duvo, Alpha 40318,” he said in response to the prompt that preceded the message. A series of tones and static followed, odd for a call coming directly from Emeri. But instead of the director’s gruff voice, he found himself listening to the eerie feminine voice of HSP’s virtual intelligence.

“General distress. Agency-wide emergency protocols in effect. All agents currently dispatched to the field are asked to cease communications immediately. Operate under Condition Black until further notice. Warning: for security purposes, do not attempt to establish contact with HSP or any affiliates during this time.”

Condition Black
. The team had conducted a mission under Condition Black once, Skeet recalled, but mainly for training purposes. They’d been allowed no contact with the agency, no contact with any other ops teams, no contact with
anyone
on Haphez for that matter. Although it seemed like they were being hung out to dry, the protocol was in fact designed to protect agents; if the agency was somehow compromised, anyone in the field could remain anonymous and, theoretically, work independently to counter whatever force threatened headquarters. If Condition Black was in effect
now
, it could only mean—

“Does the user have any queries before this transmission terminates?”

Skeet drummed his fingers on the console. “What’s the status of Noro Headquarters?”

“One moment…Noro Headquarters remains under Code Red lockdown following an attack on the Grand Army’s Na Base. Casualties have been reported.”

He felt his pulse spike at the mention of Na. “Nature of the attack?”

“Base officials have initially categorized the attack as type: chemical. No other information is available at this time.”

“Find person: Ziva Payvan.”

“Accessing personnel database…searching. Alert; status of person ‘Ziva Payvan’ not found. Please try again.”

“
Sheyss
,” Skeet muttered, ruffling up his hair again. “No more questions. End transmission.”

“Ending transmission. Warning: Condition Black protocols in effect. Please cease all communications immediately.” The VI repeated itself twice more before the call went dead.

Skeet swore again and immediately began packing the communications equipment into its compact carrying cases. Everything in the room had been set up in a manner that allowed it to be torn down and stowed in a matter of minutes. Even on his own, he got the job done in no time. He held his pistol up to check the plasma charge, bristling a bit when the door of the room slid open. A quick glance revealed that the intruder was only Aroska Tarbic, and Skeet slid his finger away from where it had subconsciously come to rest just above the pistol’s trigger guard.

If the former field ops lieutenant was surprised to see the room empty and their supplies packed, he concealed it well. “Can I assume this is about the emergency code I just received from Headquarters?” he asked, holding up his communicator.

Skeet nodded and gave Aroska a quick rundown of what he knew, which, he regretted, wasn’t much.  “It sounds like the agency is secure for now. I’m sure they’ll be on board with the investigation on Na.”

Aroska was quiet for a moment as he checked his own pistol and slid his field pack over his shoulders. “What’s Ziva’s status?”

“Unknown,” Skeet answered. “There…were casualties. But I’m sure she’s fine. That base covers the majority of the moon – what are the chances she was even in the vicinity of the attack?” He forced a good-natured snort, trying to ignore the knot that had formed in his throat.

“We can’t worry about that now,” Aroska said, brow wrinkled as if it pained him to speak the words. He held up the data pad he’d been carrying when he entered the room. “We may have a lead, and you know as well as I do that we’re running short on time.” He offered the pad when Skeet reached for it. “Emissions signatures from a ship matching our target were picked up by a science team on Bectin. They said it was headed further out into the Fringe, toward Aubin or Plaunus.”

Skeet handed the data pad back and gathered up some of the cases he had packed. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving.”

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About The Author

EJ Fisch is a long-time fan of the science fiction genre. She has a vivid imagination, and has been writing as a hobby since junior high. When she's not busy writing, she enjoys listening to music, creating concept art, playing video games, and spending time with her animals. She currently resides in southern Oregon with her family.

Nexus is her second novel, Book 2 in the Ziva Payvan series.

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