Coalescence (Dragonfire Station Book 3)

from the delicious foods belonging to a wide variety of cultures. As she enjoyed it, she wandered from one storefront to the next, admiring the array of offerings.
More than anything else, it was the feeling of vibrancy and activity that brought Fallon back to the boardwalk day after day. Here, she had the opportunity to watch the people she protected. They shared meals with friends and colleagues, laughed with the shopkeeps, and created a sense of community that she’d found herself unable to resist. Despite her crazy life, she’d found a home here on Dragonfire. Being a part of a community had changed her. Opened her up to the idea of belonging somewhere.
The window-shopping and people watching recharged her for her next meeting. Fortunately, this one would not be fraught with emotional landmines.
She joined Arin Triss in the security office, where he had been the acting chief of security up to this point. Captain Nevitt had commanded that Fallon continue as the chief, so now Fallon had to reassert herself.
“Let me guess,” he said, smiling, as they settled on the two facing couches. “You’re here to return me to my life of leisure as your legate.”
They both knew that Arin worked hard every day, regardless of his title. He’d always been an above-and-beyond kind of guy. “Yes and no.”
“Oh?” He tilted his head slightly to the side.
“The captain does want me to remain chief. But I’m involved with other issues at the moment, and I’ll need you to continue to handle more of the day-to-day operations than you did in the past as my legate. So you’ll get a lot of the chief’s work, but not the title. How do you feel about that?”
He shrugged. “Great. It’ll be less than I’ve been doing, and it’ll be a heck of a boost to my duty record for my next evaluation. Besides, I’m glad you’re back.”
“You’ve done a great job in my absence.”
“Your security system and protocols made it almost easy.” He waved his hands in an all-encompassing gesture.
She knew that wasn’t true. It took more than protocols to handle altercations, smuggling attempts, potentially hazardous cargo, and unsavory traders. She’d already reviewed the records and knew that Arin had done tremendously well. If she were a normal officer, she’d have recommended him for a promotion and his own duty post right away, without waiting for his next evaluation. But she was far from a normal officer, and she needed his help.
He knew that she was involved in some variety of intrigue, but he didn’t know about Blackout. If all went as planned, she’d want to bring him in, but for the moment, it was safer for him to be on the outside.
“Well, for now, we can split the duty schedule between us, as before. I’ll want you to continue handling the security personnel and reports to PAC command. But I’ll be prone to missing shifts unexpectedly, or even being away from the station for days at a time. So I’ll need you to be ready to take over at any given moment.”
He nodded. “No problem. I’ve tapped Jenson as my unofficial second, and he’s really stepped into the role.”
Lieutenant Mat Jenson. Zerellian male, stationed on Dragonfire for the past two years. The information popped into Fallon’s brain along with an image of his face. “Glad to hear it. I’ve always liked him.”
An awkward pause formed between them. Arin looked uncertain. “What about you and Wren?”
Ah. Well, naturally, he’d want to know about that. Both as a friend, and as the legate of security. “We’ve agreed to give friendship a whirl. See how it goes.”
Sadness and sympathy showed clearly on his face, but he only said, “I hope that works out.”
“Me too.” She snapped back to business. “I’d like you to get to know my teammates. They’ll be on the station indefinitely. How about dinner this evening on the boardwalk?”
“I have a date, but I’ll cancel. I’d love to meet these people you’ve been working with.”
“A date?” She shouldn’t have been surprised. Arin was gorgeous in a way that only Atalans could be, and Dragonfire had relatively few eligible men.
“Nothing serious. You’re probably thinking about Kellis. I thought that might go somewhere, but before she left last week, she was pretty clear that she isn’t interested in more than friendship right now.”
Since the Onari’s mech engineer seemed to have an interest in joining a certain clandestine spy establishment, Fallon could see why Kellis had put Arin in the friend zone.
“They’re due back in a couple days. If that’s going to be awkward for you, let me know. You don’t have to greet the ship with me.”
“No. It’s fine, but thanks.”
“Good. Would you rather take day shift, or night?”
Arin shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, really. Whichever you’d rather not have, I guess.”
“I’ll take day. My team likes to have their nights free.”
“Why’s that?” he asked.
“You’ll see when you meet them.”
Fallon kept an eye on Arin throughout the evening, gauging his reaction to Avian Unit. Though her teammates wore casual clothes on Dragonfire, Fallon couldn’t help noticing a certain stealth in their movements, or the way they always remained aware of their surroundings. Fallon saw an edge to them that she didn’t see in other people, and wondered if outsiders like Arin could see it too.
After dinner, they all went for a walk in the arboretum. She trailed behind so she could observe.
“Do you visit Sarkan often? It’s got to be great being stationed so close to such a beautiful planet,” Hawk asked Arin as they led the group along a path that took them deeper into the carefully cultivated greenery. Fallon paused a moment to admire a purple leaf with almost iridescent veins in it. Or whatever those were called. Botany was not her strong suit.
“I take most of my leave time there.” To his credit, Arin didn’t seem overwhelmed by Hawk’s attentions. “The beaches are beautiful, and I love boating.”
“Doesn’t hurt that Sarkavians are particularly friendly, does it?” The wicked gleam in Hawk’s