Chapter 51

THE DOOR SLID shut behind Teth, trapping him with his mother. Captain Winstead's office was small, occupied only by her cluttered desk, a stout filing cabinet, and a chair like those one would find in the mess hall. Teth tried to keep his face neutral, but the anger in his chest threatened to bubble over.

"Sorry to take you from your friends," Jude said, her mouth trying to find the missing link between a grimace and a smile. "You've all made excellent progress in a short time, and once I tell the Admiral, she'll order that the operation begin as soon as possible."

Teth nodded.

"Please," said Jude. "Take a seat. We might be speaking for a while."

"I'll stand," Teth said, pushing down the immediate guilt from such a petulant response. His legs ached from training, but the rebellious voice at the back of his mind urged him not to give any ground to the woman across the desk, no matter how saddened she may seem by his actions.