Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes Page 0,5
those rules were even more inflexible when it came to bonds between doctors and those in their care. If Ward and Victor were Pheran, it wouldn’t be an issue, but they weren’t. They were human, so she was doing her best to abide by human guidelines. Especially since the human’s Interstellar Armed Forces were paying a good portion of her salary right now. Making them unhappy was not a good idea. In fact, it probably ranked right up there with poking a chorzet nest or insulting a Jeskyran’s brood mother.
This was just dinner, and she’d only agreed to it because it had ensured the brothers made it through their first virtual encounter with their former handler. They might be physically identical, but they were coping with their trauma in different ways. This had been good for both of them.
She finished dressing and added an ornate bronze cuff to one of her ears. It wasn’t something she wore at work, but it made things easier when out in public. It was a token of her social caste, reassuring any other Pherans she met that she was permitted to be out on her own. Some aspects of her culture had traveled with her species, even to places as remote as the Drift.
She’d chosen to wear one of her favorite outfits, a simple sheath dress of black with hints of gold along the hem and sleeves. She draped the matching shawl around her shoulders – the airflow on Astek station was notoriously inconsistent – brushed her hair one last time and declared herself presentable.
She was looking forward to tonight. Date or not, she didn’t get many opportunities to go out. Her work kept her busy and being in public meant she needed to guard herself against the constant background of emotional turbulence that accompanied any public outing. She’d learned how to manage her gift years ago, but it could still be taxing.
She checked the time and swore softly. She needed to go. Since she’d started taking on patients with connections to the human’s military, she’d been offered quarters within Nova Force’s section of the station - for her own protection. Security was tightening all over the station these days, in part because of the upcoming gala, but also because of the recent discovery that the Gray Men had paid operatives on Astek.
She’d agreed to the housing offer because it was safer, convenient, and as bonus, they’d arranged for her to have office space nearby. The only downside was that security was so tight that getting anyone past the guard posts was usually more trouble than it was worth. Because of that, she’d suggested they meet at her office, which was only a short walk away.
The guards nodded to her as she passed the security checkpoint. The corridor beyond them was relatively quiet. Most of the denizens of the station avoided the military outpost that had appeared in their midst a few months ago. Neither side was entirely comfortable with the arrangement, and tensions ran high these days, a fact she was painfully aware of every time she walked the decks of the station.
Her office was in the buffer zone between the two, a short stretch of corridor full of offices much like hers. Small businesses who didn’t rely on foot traffic and often had links to IAF or Nova Force.
Even from here, the raucous clamor of the main promenade could be heard. Vendor’s cries blended with music of all kinds that rose and fell in volume as the patrons of various establishments came and went.
Two figures walked toward her, perfectly matched in height, build, and gait. Their hair was even styled the same tonight, the dark brown length tied back into a tail. Even so, she could tell them apart. There were subtle differences in their body language, and Ward had a habit of walking a half pace behind his brother so their shoulders overlapped just a little.
Both wore black pants and military-style boots, and she noted with amusement they were both armed with blasters at their hip and a combat knife tucked into their belts. “Are you planning on killing our dinner yourselves?” she asked, not bothering to raise her voice.
Vic didn’t respond until he was only a few feet away. Then he grinned and shrugged, the motion drawing the charcoal fabric of his shirt tight across his “That wasn’t the plan, but if you ask us to, you know we’ll make it happen.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“Glad to hear