Rebel's Quest (20 page)

No sounds, no alarms disturbed the peace. Andreia was safely inside, and Roshan was just about to remove her hand from their gentle grip when a familiar voice resounded from behind.

“
Henshes
, what are you up to?” Le’Tinia M’Aldovar rounded the people entering behind Andreia and Roshan. Roshan looked at the older woman with curiosity and, she hoped, well-hidden hatred. This was the woman she’d known only as the mother of her best friend all those years ago. Together with her husband, Valax, she had befriended Roshan’s parents and ultimately betrayed them. Beautiful, in a cold and distant way, unlike Andreia’s warm coloring, Le’Tinia now smiled broadly.

“Roshan O’Landha, this is a pleasant surprise.” She glanced approvingly at her daughter. “Andreia told me you two had finally put whatever squabble you had aside and become friends again.”

Squabble?
Roshan was ready to throttle Le’Tinia with her bare hands. It took some nerve to call the death of her mother, and the wrongful arrest of her father, cause for a squabble. The pain, never healed and always simmering just beneath her skin, rose and was as fresh as it had been when Roshan had found out the fate of her parents, one only a few lunar months after the other. She had idolized her mother and worshipped her father. The fact that her best friend’s parents were a crucial part of the group responsible for killing them had nearly destroyed her.

Now she forced down the fury brewing inside and smiled toward Le’Tinia. “Twenty-five years is a long time to hold a grudge,” she said, hoping her voice was light and casual. “Andreia offered to show me around the premises. I’ve always been impressed with this building and how our interim government conducts politics.”
So impressed that I’d readily take my unit in here and blast you all to hell.

“Mother, Roshan and I have to go—”

“But since you’re going to show her around your office, you can’t miss out on re-introducing Roshan to your father. He’s meeting with some of the ministers in his conference room in a little while.”

“What ministers?” Andreia asked, still holding Roshan’s hand as if to forestall a surprise attack against her mother.

“We have six of the North Onotharat ministers present. They came early yesterday, to see Chairman M’Ocresta off and to begin preparations.”

Roshan struggled to keep her expression impassive, to not reveal how extraordinary this piece of information was. It struck her as a sign of Le’Tinia’s arrogance that she shared it so nonchalantly with them.

Le’Tinia shook her head. “We almost had to cancel the whole meeting. Someone broke into your father’s office last night.”

“Father’s room? Who could do such a thing? This building is supposed to be impenetrable,” Andreia said, and Roshan had to hand it to her; she sounded genuinely baffled.

“The person, or perhaps there was more than one, we don’t know, managed to disable the feed to the security sensors. They were still operational, but somehow this individual had managed to load a virus into the software. Every single picture frame is garbled beyond recognition. Our head of security isn’t very optimistic.”

“What about fingerprints?”

“None. The smudges on the keyboard indicate the perpetrator wore gloves.”

“I see. I wonder what they were after, specifically. It could be any number of things, of course. Father’s files are pretty extensive.” Andreia glanced at Roshan. “Perhaps we’d better come back another day—”

“I’d like to take the opportunity to say hello to your father, Andreia,” Roshan interrupted sweetly with a broad smile. “I wasn’t able to greet your parents last night.”

“You were so eager to dance with our daughter.” Le’Tinia beamed and appeared happy to change the subject as well. “I can’t tell you how much this delights me. We’ve wanted Andreia to—”

“Mother. I’ll go see Father now. We’re off to dinner after that, so we can’t stay too long,” Andreia said.

Le’Tinia looked as if she was about to pout, which was a hilarious thought. Andreia’s mother was a high-ranking politician and advisor, and here she wasn’t even able to control her own child.
It must infuriate her.
This possibility pleased Roshan, but from the small tremors in Andreia’s hand, she could guess how the charade took a toll on her ally.

Roshan acted quickly at this small sign of distress from Andreia. Removing her hand from Andreia’s grip, she encircled her waist. Andreia jerked, but played along. Roshan pulled her closer and made Andreia lean into her as she slid a hand up and down her arm.

“It was nice meeting you again, Le’Tinia,” Roshan said, deliberately using the woman’s first name to make her realize Roshan considered them equals. Such a move was bound to throw the conceited Onotharian off, and it no doubt mystified Andreia’s mother how Roshan could find the strength and guts to adopt such an attitude.

“Very well,” Le’Tinia said, then pasted a smile on her narrow lips. “Until next time, then.”

“Next time.” Roshan nodded.
Perhaps not next time, but at one point, I’ll let you know just what the consequences are for what you and your people collectively did to my parents.
Roshan pulled Andreia along with her, and the farther they got from Le’Tinia, the stronger Andreia’s steps seemed. Roshan wondered why Andreia would be so apprehensive, afraid even, of her mother.

Surely Andreia must realize that her position among the Ganthar-ians was far more positive than negative. The Gantharians generally hated every single Onotharian, but it had always baffled Roshan how many of her countrymen actually admired and liked Andreia. True, Andreia had never officially condoned the aggressive tactics carried out by her people. Andreia somehow came across as the voice of reason, whether she recognized it or not.

Andreia’s office was a display of blue crystalline glass, blackened aluminum, and old-fashioned brass. On her wall hung three-dimensional diplomas, and Roshan let her eyes glide over the many titles. The third diploma made her flinch. “You finished medical school?” She pivoted and looked at Andreia. “I never knew that.”

“Not many do, and I never got to practice. Life, politics got in my way. I’m sure you realize that.”

Roshan listened to the polite words and raised a questioning eyebrow. Andreia gestured toward the ceiling and placed a fingertip on her lips. Roshan thought quickly and raised her left arm as she pressed a sensor on her chronometer. “I do. I sometimes regret going into business rather than finishing medical school, but as you say, that’s life.” Roshan conversed casually while she scanned the room for surveillance equipment. She found two transmitters in each corner of the room and held up two fingers, while directing Andreia’s attention to the devices’ location. Andreia nodded with a grim look on her face.

“One day, perhaps,” she murmured and walked over to Roshan. “Who knows?”

“Who knows?” Roshan realized they had to keep up the charade for the ones listening in on their conversation. “Maybe now, when we’ve found each other again, we can plan for such a future.”

Andreia’s head snapped up. “Roshan—”

Roshan placed a fingertip on Andreia’s lips. “I know, I know, time’s not on our side, but a person can dream, can’t she?”

It took a few more moments before Andreia caught on. “Yes. Yes, of course they can,” she said with pale lips.

Andreia’s look, rigid and defeated, disturbed Roshan more than she would admit. There were no tears in Andreia’s golden eyes, just very subtle signs of distress, but they were obvious to Roshan.

Forgetting that she had decided to stay aloof and not be the least personal with her former friend, Roshan hugged Andreia’s stooped shoulders. “There,” she said, infusing as much concern into her voice as possible. “I know you’re hoping to live your dream, but we don’t live in a perfect world—none of us do. We just have to make the most of what we have. I’ve gone by that rule for years now, and I’m not leading such a shabby life, am I?” Roshan swallowed and hoped Andreia would understand and read between the lines.

Andreia stood, still rigid, in Roshan’s light embrace. “No, of course not. You’ve done very well for yourself.” Andreia sounded almost forlorn, even if her eyes signaled that she understood. “I’m impressed with your success.”

“Thanks. And yours is unprecedented, of course.” Roshan winked, trying to lighten the mood. If Andreia didn’t get it together, she might say something to tip off the ones listening to her true frame of mind.

“So I understand.” Andreia smiled wryly and a faint light twinkled in her eyes. “The latest popularity polls have me in first place among those that count.”

This comment wasn’t lost on Roshan, who tossed her head back and laughed aloud, admiring Andreia’s aplomb. She knew her friend was inspired by the moment, and as false as Andreia’s statement might be, it stirred some very true feelings inside her. For the first time, she acknowledged to herself how important Andreia’s, not merely Boyoda’s, survival was to her. She watched as Andreia wrinkled her nose and made a funny face toward the surveillance equipment, finding this expression unbearably cute.
Cute?

Oh, Gods.
Roshan acted instinctively and pulled Andreia into her arms. The listeners should think this was what the two of them were up to, but that wasn’t why she acted this way. Roshan wasn’t sure if she’d been able to convey her true attitude to Andreia, because her vision was blurred when she brushed her lips over Andreia’s.

Roshan felt a small sigh against her mouth when Andreia parted her lips. Sweet, intoxicatingly delicious, the tip of Andreia’s tongue met her own, shyly to begin with. Soon Andreia’s touch grew bolder and the kiss deepened. Roshan tried to keep her mind on the fact that they were being monitored, but all she could feel was how well Andreia fit in her arms. A little fuller, more rounded in all the right places, Andreia cushioned her own toned frame.

Roshan gently cupped Andreia’s flushed face and pulled back a little to examine her expression.

“No,” Andreia murmured, “don’t let go…” She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to Roshan’s again.

Drunk on the euphoria that filled her at the hungry caress, Roshan ran her hands beneath Andreia’s jacket. The shirt underneath was thin and Andreia’s skin hot to the touch. Greedily, wanting to savor everything at once, Roshan spread her fingers wide and moved them up and down Andreia’s back. “I won’t. I won’t let you go, I promise…” The words startled Roshan back into reality.
I promise? Where did that come from?

Andreia seemed to sense the withdrawal and pulled back, looking as if she’d sobered up. Her golden eyes darkened to a dull brown, like a light had turned off inside her soul.
Or is it my overactive imagination?
Roshan sighed in exasperation at her own choice of words. It used to be so easy to interpret Andreia’s expressions; usually they were so obvious they didn’t need any interpretation at all. Andreia would make herself so transparent to Roshan, without being even remotely predictable or boring. She was just so honest, the person Roshan had trusted most of all, next to her parents.

As soon as the image of Jin-Jin and Mikael entered her mind, Roshan pulled back completely, carefully arranging her features to hide how it hurt her physically to let go of Andreia.

“This isn’t the time or place for this,” Andreia said, laughing nervously. “Let me just look up a few things, and then we’ll go see Father. He’s meeting with the ministers soon, which means he’ll be busy all afternoon, and perhaps the evening as well.”

Roshan saw no trace of their kisses, other than Andreia’s swollen lips. “Fine. I’ll just make myself comfortable.”

Andreia nodded curtly and walked over to her desk. Sitting down she seemed to grip her handheld computer tightly. Then she yanked a drawer open with uncoordinated movements and busied herself with its contents.

The sunlight coming from the window accentuated the highlights in Andreia’s hair, making the wild, barely tamed curls come alive. Roshan wanted to run her hands through their rich masses. She had never felt the silky texture against her body, and right now, it seemed impossible that she ever would. Andreia’s presence fulfilled a need in her, in a way Roshan would never have guessed possible. A maverick of sorts, she considered herself a true individualist, but somehow she doubted that fact now. Her body was apparently readying itself for Andreia’s close proximity. It hurt Roshan to tear her thoughts away from Andreia, who was beautiful both inside and out.

Andreia raised her eyes toward Roshan. She blinked slowly, as if her thoughts had been elsewhere, on matters other than her computer, and she was only now waking up to reality. Her lips parted, and the pink tip of her tongue darted out to moisten them. Roshan almost groaned aloud, but managed to cough instead, and Andreia blushed faintly.

Alarms blared inside Roshan’s head. Sliding her hand into her jacket pocket, she pulled out a handheld computer similar to the one Andreia was working on and brought up a document of her latest business transaction with one of the southern counties of Gantharat.

She needed the distraction badly, or she feared her eyes would give her away.

“Cloaking systems at one hundred percent, ma’am.” The ensign at ops tapped on her computer console. “Shields at one hundred percent also.”

“Excellent.” Rae regarded the streaming information that scrolled down the small computer screen attached to the command chair’s armrest. She had been very comfortable in this chair, supervising the
Gallant’s
high-speed journey to Gantharian space during the last five days.