Chapter 12

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I’m fine,” I answered with a wave of my hand. We were supposed to be going over the latest reports from the labs before making a tour to get in-person briefings. We’d been at it for a few hours, and I was doing my best to fool her. I thought I’d had her convinced.

“Majel, privacy mode.”

Or maybe not.

I blinked and looked up at my second-in-command as Majel made sure the room was private. I narrowed my eyes, but ZalAna simply smirked, which was an odd expression on her face. She lay aside her tablet and pierced me with a red-eyed stare.

“We have the briefings in the lab in less than an hour,” I reminded her as sternly as I could.

ZalAna just looked at me for another moment, and when she spoke, her voice was soft. “Captain, we are friends as well as colleagues, are we not?”

I sighed and set down my tablet. “We are. You know we are.”

She nodded. “Then tell me what is going on with you. Does this have to do with Commander Sousou?”