Free Amethyst Moon by Julia Brandywine Page A

dark passageways.
                  Gears clicking, the android turned her way.  “May I be of any further assistance, Lieutenant King?”
                  “No thanks, Jerald 4.  I can take care of this.”  She smiled at the helpful, silver servant knowing his empathy chip would appreciate her politeness. Slipping into her jumpsuit, made of a lightweight, sturdy, buff gray material, she checked to make sure her pockets held the correct survival material.  Overkill maybe, but she wanted to be prepared for all possibilities. 
                  Pulling on her sturdy mine treads, she mentally coached herself for the task ahead.  She could do this.  Her uniform would scare off any poachers who might be lurking around.  Touching a member of the firm would bring dire consequences for any poachers or renegades in the territory foolish enough to touch her.  No one dared bother her, she told herself taking in a deep soothing breath to tamp down her panic.  Smoothing her long red tresses back, she put on shades tinted the same sky blue as her eyes.
                  She glanced toward the back of the craft to the sleeping area.  Red cat eyes glowed at her from the bed.  “No, you can’t go with me this time, Spot.”
                  The big tan-and-black speckled cave cat turned his back on her, his usually languid body rigid in annoyance.  “Killjoy,” he grumbled.
                  She knew he itched to explore the mines, but she didn’t want to track him if he wandered into one of the defunct mine’s offshoot shafts.  Lowering the hammer on Fox when she reached him would be tough enough.  Unresolved feelings aside, this time she’d have to give him the boot.  In a way, hers was a mission of mercy. She might be out to fire Laurent Fox, but she wasn’t ready to blacklist him in the community.  Her superior had no such compunctions.
                  Picking up her communication device, she flipped it open to pick up Fox’s current presence on the mineral detector.  The chip of Amethyst he wore in his badge would lead her to him.  The Ancients on Earth had long ago mastered the strength of the precious Amethyst gem, making it a valuable communications tool.
                  Stepping out of the airlock, Tabitha turned back to Jerald 4.  “Take Spot for a walk, please.  And wait here for my return.”
                  “Yes, Lieutenant.”
                  Winding her way through the thick, steamy undergrowth of jungle vines, she soon became surrounded by verdant green jungle.  Birds cackled in the nearby trees and, somewhere in the distance, a creature let out a feral cry that made her shake.  What kind of animals prowled this land?  Maybe she should have brought the cat.  The heat and perfumed smell of the jungle blooms enveloped her in a heady cloud.  She pressed a button on her jumpsuit, putting it on cool.  She’d forgotten how muggy the jungle climate could be. 
                  A figure moved in the undergrowth, making her duck hurriedly behind a bush.  She peered around a tangle of thick vines to see a man in a torn blue tunic and pants.  A poacher!  His feet were bare.  If poachers felt free to roam the property, Fox definitely wasn’t doing his job. 
                  Just then, the poacher spotted her and let out a cry of alarm.  He seemed even more shaken at the sight of her than she’d been at his, she decided, feeling her confidence return as he ran off into the tropical rain forest 
                  Tabitha didn’t bother to chase the barefooted poacher.  She was after bigger game—Laurent Fox.  His beacon came through strong and easy to follow on her hand-held screen as she pushed her way through the jungle, finally breaking through the clearing that faced the mountain.  The peak went right up into the clouds.  Foothills offered a