stood a few feet away, watching them. There was a hint of familiarity, but she couldn’t work out where she had seen them before. Both were tall, broad at the shoulders and lean everywhere else. Elvira had always considered herself beyond the lure of sexual attraction, but they were…stunning. Both dark haired, the one in front wore the yellow shirt of a second-in-command. He had golden eyes and an amused smile.
The other wore blue jeans and a black T-shirt, and the black ink of tattoos trailed down his arm—she hadn’t seen ink in a long time. And he wore some sort of amulet on a chain around his neck. He had mesmerizing silver eyes that were narrowed on Destiny, a frown between the dark slash of his brows. She turned back to look at Destiny, who was still staring at the man, but she must have sensed Elvira’s gaze as she glanced toward her then hurried after Silas.
Elvira looked back at the silver-eyed man. He was still watching Destiny but seemed to sense Elvira’s interest and turned his attention to her. For a second, she froze. There was something slightly threatening in his expression, his nostrils flaring. As his gaze met hers, she remembered where she had seen them before. They’d been landing yesterday as she and Destiny had left the ship. Destiny must have seen them then.
They’d arrived on the shuttle from the Trakis Two.
For a second, she hesitated, then called out to Silas. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
She walked toward the two men. As she approached, the man in jeans turned to his companion and spoke quietly; the other shrugged but strode away.
Elvira stopped in front of him. He towered above her and she had to look a long way up, while an inner voice whispered to walk away. To be patient. Luther had told her that he would find out about her family. And she trusted him. Didn’t she?
But this man had come from the Trakis Two. He would obviously have contacts there. And she wasn’t doing anything wrong asking about her family.
A shiver ran through her as she forced herself to hold his gaze. There was something almost inhuman about him. She shook away the thought. She was being fanciful.
“I’m Dr. Elvira Yang. I was third Scientific Officer on the Trakis Four.” She offered her hand. For a few seconds, he just stared at it, then a smile curved his lips and he reached out and shook her hand.
“Milo Velazquez. How can I help you, Dr. Yang?”
She licked her lips. She was nervous and almost didn’t recognize the emotion. What was there to be nervous about? Nothing. “I have family on the Trakis Two,” she said. “My daughters. I was wondering if they’d been woken yet.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m not part of the crew.”
“But could you find out?”
He studied her for a minute, and she couldn’t read what was going through his mind. Finally, he gave a brief nod. “I’ll ask the captain.”
The tight band around her chest loosened. “Thank you. And you needn’t mention this to anyone else.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why would I?”
“No reason.” She forced a smile; she’d never been good with gratitude. “It’s just…I know I should be patient but…”
“But it’s been five hundred years.”
“Yes.”
He gestured toward where a group of Chosen Ones, dressed in beige jumpsuits and supervised by three armed men in green uniforms, were digging foundations for a new structure. “Do you know what they’re building?”
She’d seen the plans in Luther’s office. “A church.”
She wasn’t a big fan of the Church. In the years before they had left Earth, the traditional religions had faded in popularity to be replaced by the expanding Church of Everlasting Life, which had seemed to appear out of nowhere. Saffira Lourdes, their founder, had quickly become one of the president’s most trusted advisers. Elvira had met her once. She’d been an interesting woman, but an odd leader for a religious cult. The new church had frowned upon any research into genetic modification, and Elvira’s own work had ground to a halt. Until she had been approached by Luther.
“Christ,” he muttered. “Just what we need in the brave new world. Same old crap.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “You’re not a member, Mr. Velazquez?”
“No. Not a member. Not a believer. And call me Milo.”
“Captain Sekongo of the Trakis Four was a designated member of the Church.” All the crew rotations had at least one designated member, supposedly to care for the spiritual health of