The Spiral Path Read Free Page B

you anyway? He’s just a Chimeran tool, isn’t he?”
    “You really think I let some Union edict get in the way of a friendship?”
    Lara poured herself another jigger of whiskey. “Why not? You let it get in the way of us.”
    Mitch chuckled, a dry smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You let that edict destroy us, Lara.”
    “That edict conscripted every Chimeran of legal age to military service for eight years. It’s slavery.”
    “You were already in the military.” Mitch threw out his hands, palms up. “Why did it matter?”
    “They didn’t conscript all Terrans. Just those of us who are half-Creed.”
    “Yes, it must be so difficult being able to survive in either dimension indefinitely, while the rest of us have to risk our molecules blowing apart.”
    Lara replied with only a steely stare.
    Mitch sighed. “Creed is so much more advanced than we are. How can we not use every tool we have to our advantage?”
    Lara pushed out of the chair and crossed the room. “That’s just it, Mitch. Chimerans aren’t tools. I am not a piece of machinery to be used as the Union sees fit. I guess even now you don’t understand the distinction.”
    He still used the same soap. A musky blend of sandalwood and lemongrass. This close, she noticed the fine lines around Mitch’s eyes, grooves starting to show on each side of his mouth. The lips were the same, though, the lower one slightly fuller.
    Mitch moved toward the door. “Oh, I understand the difference, Lara. A machine wouldn’t be such a pain in my ass.”
    With that, he tabbed the door open and marched out.

Chapter Three
    “Thorne compensator reboot complete, Commodore.”
    Mitch studied the terminal’s display from his station on the Gryphon’ s bridge. Looking at the clean lines of the command center, he couldn’t tell if the ship was of Terran or Creed origin, but noted elements from both. The liquid curves of Creed ships dominated the bridge, and terminals grew out of the decking in fluid lines, but the utilitarian info-grid was all Terran.
    He leaned back in his chair. “Good. Ensign, increase the sensors to the new threshold levels.”
    “Captain?” For the fourth time Ensign Chandra looked to Lara for confirmation of his orders.
    Mitch forced his shoulders to relax. His own XO had reported similar interactions across the ship. Apparently, the Gryphon’ s crew only answered to Lara Soto.
    “Confirmed, Chandra.” Lara propped herself against the bulkhead. “Compensate for the new threshold levels.”
    She could have settled the problem at any time by ordering her crew to follow Mitch’s command, but such a decree would never fall from her lips. Unyielding Lara. The trait he most admired was the trait that had split them up.
    Over the years he’d seen the very discrimination she’d predicted crop up again and again. It galled him to see that Lara had been right, but he could never admit it without her ego bursting out the airlocks.
    She shifted her weight, unconsciously jutting one shapely hip to the side. The woman still had the sexiest curves he’d ever seen, and that captain’s uniform didn’t hide any of them. For years Mitch had managed to put Lara out of his mind, but that was easier when the woman was across the galaxy or, better yet, in another dimension. Not so easy when they were on the same ship. So much for thinking he’d put their relationship behind him.
    Chandra nodded and clicked away at his terminal. The new compensators hummed to life without so much as a shimmy. Lara had built a solid ship indeed.
    A whole week their combined crew had been working on the upgrades. A whole week with no word from the Interlace.
    Mitch tapped the screen. “XO.”
    Rossa looked up from her terminal. “Commodore?”
    “Is the hull plating ionization complete?”
    “Ninety-nine percent, sir. Ionization should be operable within the hour.”
    “Perfect. When it’s finished, fire up the capacitors and alert me when they’re at full