Free Being of the Field by Traci Harding Page A

Lucian’s office door alerted them to company.
    ‘At last.’ Lucian pressed the intercom key on his desk. ‘Enter.’
    It was Zeven Gudrun at the door and on sighting him, Taren’s and Kassa’s moment of relief was snatched away.
    ‘Sorry to interrupt.’ Zeven noted that they all seemed disappointed to see him.
    ‘State your business, Zeven,’ Lucian said shortly, as his mind was awhirl with other matters. ‘We have a bit of a situation unfolding.’
    ‘I understand that you do.’ Zeven’s eyes turned to Taren. ‘I decided to run a trace on that missing pod for you.’
    Despite the horrible day she was having, Taren felt warmed that the pilot cared enough to take the initiative in this matter.
    ‘And, guess what?’ Zeven handed her a printout. ‘It’s not headed back to Maladaan at all. It dropped like a stone when it misfired and fell to Oceane’s surface…smack bang in the middle of the area covered by our anomaly.’
    Taren was mortified by the news and cast a horrified gaze towards Kassa. They both realised that the misfired pod could not contain the missing sample because the stolen substance was on its way to the next star system. Therefore, Taren could only assume that the missing sample was on the same pod as Eleazar Kestler. Still, she could not tell Lucian of her suspicions without giving away Kassa’s secret. ‘Can we retrieve the pod?’
    ‘We’d bloody well better,’ Lucian objected. ‘Our insurance is bad enough without that kind of a claim. What the hell was Bonar thinking, not chasing it up sooner?’
    A very good point, thought Taren.
    ‘I plan to give Bonar an earful on the matter,’ Zeven assured Lucian. ‘I tried to extract the pod from Oceane’s surface with the magnetic retrieval system but the electromagnetic disturbance inside the anomaly must be jamming it. I thought I could take a salvage vessel down to the surface and see if I can locate it that way.’
    ‘And risk losing another expensive craft and my chief pilot? I don’t think so.’ Lucian was most annoyed, although Taren knew it was Amie’s failure to turn up that was worrying him more than the thought of financial stress. ‘We’ll just have to cop the loss of the pod.’
    ‘Maybe not,’ Taren proffered, and Kassa stood, knowing what the young woman was thinking. If their sample was still in contact with the whole, then perhaps it could help them to get the pod out.
    ‘Let us try something,’ Taren begged Lucian, who was not in the mood for playing games.
    ‘Like?’ he queried impatiently.
    ‘Why, an experiment, of course.’ Kassa intervened to take some of the heat off her younger colleague. ‘Have a little faith, Lucian.’ She ushered Taren out the door ahead of her. ‘We’ll report back presently.’
    ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Swithin’s suspected involvement in this theft sooner?’ Kassa asked on the way to quarantine.
    ‘I’m winging this, Kassa,’ Taren confessed, sorry that she had the need to keep secrets. ‘I love this project and having admired the work you do here for so long, damned if I will be the one to bring the project into ruin or disrepute. I just want to do whatever is best for AMIE.’
    ‘I know you do,’ Kassa assured her. ‘I know the inner thoughts of all and you are a good soul, Taren Lennox.’
    Taren’s curiosity was sparked by the comment. ‘What do you feel about Bonar Colbers, Kassa?’
    ‘You don’t think he’s the spy you’re looking for?’ Kassa was half stunned, half amused by the suggestion.
    ‘Only he has access to all the equipment and technology needed to sneak a sample out of quarantine unnoticed.’
    Kassa shrugged; this was true but he had no motive. ‘Bonar might be a little obnoxious and simple minded at times, certainly, but he’s a simple man. He loves his work and the people he works with. I feel very sure he is loyal to AMIE.’
    ‘But he might not be consciously aware of being party to the crime,’ Taren said. ‘It’s