Coalescence (Dragonfire Station Book 3)

plan to depart.” She leaned back against the couch. “That brings us to the last issue. Nevitt will be in the loop on our planning, and may attend meetings. Especially if anything pertains to Dragonfire. She’ll be an active member of our team.”
Hawk looked like he wanted to argue, so she cut in before he could get started. “That’s one of her terms for letting us use Dragonfire as a base of operations.”
Hawk grimaced, but said nothing. Raptor met her gaze, while Per frowned her usual frown.
“All right. We’re done here. I need to get to Deck Two to check out a faulty sensor.”
Peregrine said, “Nevitt’s terms are steep. Are you really going to be able to balance your job as security chief with what we need to do?”
“I’ve wondered the same thing,” Fallon admitted. “It depends on how difficult each of those jobs gets.”
“So no.” Hawk’s eyes were full of humor.
She smiled at him. “We’re going to find out.”
After her team left, Fallon sat in the chair behind her desk. With one foot, she sent both it and herself spiraling in a slow spin. She’d developed the habit as a child to help her blow off steam and center her thoughts.
She had a lot threatening to pull her off-center. Her loyalty to her team and her duty to Nevitt. Her concern about Ross and most of all, her need to figure out what was happening with Blackout and why her brain had been experimented on.
She knew now that she’d never consented to have illegal, experimental technology installed in her brain. She’d never been asked, either. She wanted to know how long it had been in there, and what had happened in that shuttle before the accident and her memory loss.
She remembered piloting the shuttle outside Dragonfire, then waking up in Dragonfire’s infirmary with Brannin and Wren standing over her. Clearly, some serious shit had gone down in that brief interim.
The way she figured it, there were three possibilities. Someone might have removed a device from her brain, causing brain damage in the process. There could have been some altercation that caused accidental damage to the implant. Or perhaps it was a botched attempt to install the device without her knowing.
The details weren’t important, in the grand scheme of figuring out who was to blame for subverting Blackout and developing illegal tech that violated the treaties at the heart of the PAC. Fallon’s experience was a speck of space dust compared to avoiding intergalactic war.
But it mattered to her and she hoped she’d get at least some of the answers.
For now, she had a malfunctioning sensor to see to.
By the time she recalibrated the sensor, she was due for her rounds on the boardwalk. She smoothed her hands over her uniform as she rode the lift down to Deck One. She hadn’t done this in an official capacity for over seven months now. And the last time she’d done it, she’d been operating with only a couple weeks’ worth of memories.
Her amnesia seemed surreal in hindsight, but she was proud of herself for managing as well as she had. With her two realities now meshed, her identity in check, and her team on the station, she felt complete for the first time in over two years.
She watched for her young friends Nix and Robert, but they didn’t seem to be down here today. They must be having lunch at school.
She wasn’t surprised when Cabot Layne stepped out of his shop as she walked by.
“Chief,” he said warmly, bowing. “It’s so good to see you back on the job.”
“It’s good to be back,” she answered as she returned the bow, surprised by how much she meant what she said.
She expected him to refer to the covert work he had at least some inkling of, or to the favor he’d done her in securing a ship for her and her teammates. But he merely smiled and fell into step beside her as he’d done many times before.
“Has everything gone well on the boardwalk in my absence? Is there anything that needs my attention?” she asked.
“We’ve been well taken care of. Young Arin has done an excellent job.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“And you?” he asked. “You’re well?”
She searched his face for some hidden meaning, but saw none. “Yes. Very well, thank you.”
“I’m glad.” He halted and stood in place, causing her to do the same. “I’d love to walk the rest of the way with you, but I’m afraid I have an appointment with a customer. Perhaps tomorrow?”
His geniality made her smile. “That would be nice.”
“If you think of anything you or your friends need, let me know.”
Again, she suspected a double meaning, but his face gave nothing away. Either he was being straightforward or he was damn good. Given what he’d managed to do for her previously, she’d put cubics on him being damn good. “I will.”
“Good.”
He bowed and she returned the courtesy.
The rest of her tour of the boardwalk was unremarkable. She received friendly greetings from people glad to see her back on the job, but she had no questions about their backgrounds or motivations.
Cabot Layne was another matter altogether. The man did a perfect imitation of a simple trader, but she knew him to be more. How much more, she had yet to discover.
Fallon’s team left for Zerellus that evening, which made her uneasy. Not going with them felt wrong. She’d make her lemons into lemonade, though, and use the time to have a talk with Ross.
The doors to his quarters opened just seconds after she touched the chime. “Took you five whole minutes to get here. I’m disappointed.” His expression didn’t match the teasing words, but she gave him points for trying.
She followed him in and they settled in the living area. “You know why I’m here. Tell me what’s going on.”
He propped an ankle across his opposite knee, looking conflicted. “Here’s my problem. I’ve seen the evidence against Krazinski. Raptor verified the data