All she had to do was sneak back later and deal with security.
“Excuse me, miss. Can I help you?”
Renna spun around at the sound of a woman’s voice directly behind her. A tall alien with bright green hair and three eyes set in a triangle on her forehead studied her with interest. A Xestu.
Renna pulled her lips into a smile of relief, playing the game. It felt good to slide back into something she knew. “Oh, thank the stars. Somehow I got myself lost. Can you direct me to Dr. Aldani’s dining room?”
The alien nodded. “Of course. I still get lost myself sometimes. Let me show you back to the residential quarters.” She gestured for Renna to follow and led her back down the corridor. “You’re with Captain Finn’s team? David said you were supposed to be rescuing Myka.”
Part of Finn’s team? Hardly. Only Dallas’s orders were keeping her out of prison now. But she nodded. “Yes. We had him, but he was captured again.” Renna paused. “Have you known Dr. Aldani and his nephew long?”
The alien blinked her three eyes. There was a small, half-second delay between each eye blinking. “I’ve been with David for about ten years now. He recruited me from university before I even graduated. He’s wonderful to work with. Very smart. And amazingly kind. I’ve always felt like part of the family.” Her smile was soft and full of affection.
Renna’s chest tightened. It had been a long time since she’d had anyone she could depend on. She quickly pushed that thought away. “What do you develop here? Aldani said he’s currently working on several large projects.”
“Oh, yes,” the Xestu woman said with a bob of her head. “His pet project is his space-time continuum machine, but we also build weapons and computer tech. He developed a tiny device that lets you network with any holovid in the galaxy from your armchair using the dark matter principle. Even though it hasn’t been implemented yet, the government paid him handsomely.”
“I bet they did.” Renna’s pulse quickened. She didn’t need the money necessarily, but the thrill of getting that kind of find to the black market was almost irresistible. And that’s where she kept getting in trouble. Every time she thought she was done, one last job came up.
But…there were at least half a dozen buyers who’d easily meet her asking price. Besides, it was unfair to give the government such an advantage. They’d create a communications monopoly no one could break. Selling a few of the devices to one of her fences would even the playing field a little. She’d be doing it for the good of the galaxy.
“Could I see it? It sounds amazing.”
“Unfortunately, no. We’re still in development mode. Testing should be done this week.” She pointed to a lab as they passed. “The specialists are working around the clock to make sure the devices are manufactured by the deadline. I think they only get a few hours of sleep a night. Probably not a good thing, but we want to make sure they’re perfect.”
Renna nodded sympathetically. “I understand.” Wouldn’t hurt to make a note of the lab number for later, though.
“Here we are. Take this elevator up one floor, and the dining room is the third door on the right.”
Renna smiled. “Thank you for your help. And good luck with everything.”
The Xestu disappeared back the way they’d come. That had been more productive than she’d expected. Guilt tugged at her, but she ignored it. Stealing from Aldani wasn’t breaking her code. The man was lying to them. In her book, stealing some of his tech was merely an insurance policy for when he screwed them over later.
But right now, she still had a game to play. Renna paused in the corridor and adjusted her jacket.
Aldani rounded the corner, coming from somewhere else in the facility. He smiled when he spotted her. “Right on time. I like punctuality,” he said. He’d taken off his lab coat and wore a dark suit that highlighted his athletic build and broad shoulders.
“I aim to please,” she said with a grin.
“That’s what I hear.” Aldani’s jibe made the smile slide from her face, and he cleared his throat. “My apologies. That didn’t come out the way I’d intended.”
Why was she offended? The guy was only stating a fact. But she was so tired of being that person. So tired of people not being able to see past her game. Maybe she was a bit too good at her job.
“Please, after you.” Aldani held the door open for her. The officers from the Athena had already gathered in the long, richly furnished dining room. A sleek glass table groaned with porcelain and silver, and the polycarbonite chairs were covered in thick cushions. Captain Finn sat with his legs outstretched, looking relaxed and at ease, but his navy uniform was neatly pressed and his dark hair had been tamed. The stubble that had shadowed his jaw, gone. Lieutenant Keva perched on the edge of her chair, hands moving as she talked to him.
Corporal Bokal and two of the other officers were deep in conversation, and Sergeant Gheewala sat near the door with her eyes closed.
“Give me a quick rundown,” Aldani said as they paused in the doorway. “Who am I dealing with?”
“Gheewala, the one over there, is a tech empath, and the big guy is Bokal, tech chief. The two other men with him are special ops. Haven’t seen them work yet, but I’m sure they’re dangerous. Dallas said they were all the best of the best. I haven’t seen otherwise yet.”
“And what about the captain?”
Renna watched the man in question for a moment. Now that was a loaded question. When she was thirteen, she would have said he couldn’t get any more handsome, but age had been good to him. His dark hair and blue eyes were the same, but his strong jaw and the five o’clock shadow along his jaw were new.
He seemed like a good captain. His crew respected him—always a sign of a good leader. But there was something else going on behind those eyes of his. Something secret that had everything to do with their past.
She chose her words carefully. “Finn is a respectable sort of military man. Does his job, runs a good ship. I think he’s trustworthy.”
Aldani arched an eyebrow. “You two don’t get along, I take it?”
She grinned despite herself. “Was it that obvious?”
“Just a little. What I don’t understand is how someone as obviously skilled as the captain and his team could have lost my nephew. It does not bode well for the rest of this mission.” Aldani sighed and, before she could answer, strode into the room, arms wide.