Free Sound by Alexandra Duncan Page B

fork to my mouth.
    I lean over to Rubio, seated beside me. “Do they eat like this every day?”
    He shrugs. “What do you care? Just make the most of it.” He forks a tender bit of lamb into his mouth and closes his eyes. “Augh. Heaven.”
    â€œSpecialist Guiteau.” Commander Dhar pushes aside her near-empty plate and leans forward, apparently still intent on maintaining the illusion that everything is normal. “I heard you went out of your way to help welcome our guests today.”
    I glance down the table at Cassia. Our eyes lock for a brief second.
    â€œI didn’t do much, ma’am.” I lower my fork, suddenlyqueasy. Is that really why I’m here, after everything that happened? The chirkut cat? “I’m sure Mr. Rubio’s contribution was much more important.”
    â€œNever.” Rubio leans forward on his elbows, eyes glinting, and aims one of his charming smiles at the commander. “We pilots get more than our fair share of glory.”
    Commander Dhar smiles, pleased. “Specialist Guiteau was instrumental in apprehending one of the more wayward members of Captain Kaldero’s crew.” Her voice lifts with humor.
    A laugh makes the rounds among the senior officers. I look up, mortified. Never mind how Rubio is going to find out about my cat-wrangling skills; I doubt Cassia and her family are going to find any part of today’s ordeal funny. What is the commander thinking? Now would be an excellent time for a minor hull breach or a ventilation systems failure. Something small, but enough to send everyone scurrying to security stations.
    â€œReally?” Rubio turns to me, one eyebrow quirked. “Who?”
    â€œTibbet,” I mutter, sinking down in my chair.
    â€œWho?” he frowns.
    â€œTibbet.” I clear my throat. “The . . . um . . . the ship’s cat.”
    â€œThe cat?” Rubio looks like someone has handed him a million rupaye and a medal for Interstellar Gossip Hunter Laureate.
    My face goes hot as a Mumbai sidewalk. If he and the commander weren’t both staring at me, I would crawl under the table and die.
    â€œDo tell us about it, Specialist.” Commander Dhar smiles. “I’m sure everyone could use a little levity after today’s drama.”
    â€œI . . . um . . .” I shoot a miserable look at Cassia. This wasn’t my idea. Behind her, Dr. Osmani titters as the head of telemetry whispers something in her ear.
    Cassia slams her fork down on the table and pushes back her chair. “Commander Dhar. We didn’t come here for levity . We came to figure out what we’re going to do about my brother.” She plants her hands on the table and leans forward. “Are you going to help us, or are you going to drink yourself into a stupor, like everyone else here?”
    A shocked silence runs down the table. Dr. Osmani presses a napkin to her lips and raises an eyebrow. I know that look. Uncouth, she’s thinking. My discomfort vaporizes into hot, white anger. Suddenly, I don’t give a damn about what that woman thinks anymore, world-renownedbioengineer or no. Why did I ever care about pleasing her in the first place?
    Captain Ezar clears his throat and steps into the silence. “What my sister means is, while we appreciate your hospitality, Commander, we have problems a meal won’t solve.”
    â€œYes, of course.” Commander Dhar sobers. “Forgive me. We’ll be approaching Ceres Station in a few days. We can spare a shuttle to take you there and help you book passage to your home station.”
    Cassia’s eyes go wide, as if she’s choked on a chicken bone. I cringe. I don’t know much about Rovers, but the one thing I do know is that they skip from planet to station, picking up small jobs as they go. Surely someone should have briefed the commander about that.
    Ezar shakes his head. “Thank you, but our ship was our