“No, but I know them. Do not stay on Yelmurn any longer than necessary.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Taly was smiling as she headed back to her suite. They’d been able to find more than she’d expected going through the living quarters of her crew and the storage units. It couldn’t replace what the colonists had lost, but at least they would be starting with something.
Ree’s warning had her smile dimming. Was he right? Had she underestimated the threat they posed? Should she tell Ranvir about Ree’s warning? They were only a few hours out of Yelmurn. Why stir up trouble?
Seeing Vujcec in the hallway, her smile returned. “Are you busy right now?”
“No. I was heading down to get a meal. What do you need?”
“Could you come to my suite for a minute?”
“Ah, sure.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“Smile,” Taly ordered, which Vujcec did. “Now, frown.” Again he did as instructed. “It doesn’t itch or feel like it’s stretching?”
“No. My Gods, I can’t believe it.” Vujcec touched his face in awe. “How do you know how to do this?”
“I’m an entertainer, Vujcec. To me, using enhancements is what cloning the Celerity’s transponder code is to you.” She dabbed an application pad into a pot of color that closely resembled Vujcec’s natural skin tone, then lightly patted it along the edges of the enhancement she’d applied over Vujcec’s brand, blending them in. “There. What do you think?” she asked, stepping back.
“I think it looks amazing.” He leaned forward so he was nearly nose to nose with his reflection. “No one would ever suspect I’m a rebel.”
“That’s the point. Now, remember, don’t touch your cheek. It will destroy the effect.”
“How long can it stay on?” he asked, still tipping his face up and down, looking at it from various angles.
“It can stay on as long as we’re on Yelmurn. After that, it’ll need to come off. Otherwise, it could affect your real skin.”
Vujcec met her gaze in the mirror. “Will it work on cyborgs?”
“It should. The enhancement will have to be larger, so I’ll have to blend more. Also, their nanobots may try to counteract the adhesive, so it may not last as long as yours.”
“So we’ll have to be quick on Yelmurn.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Ranvir paused as he walked into the suite, surprised to hear voices coming from the bedroom. He’d known Taly was here. For his peace of mind, he’d had Tane track her the entire time she’d been on the lower deck. He wasn’t sure what she’d been doing, going from room to room, but since there had only been two or three people with her at any given time, he hadn’t been concerned.
Who was with her? One of the colonists?
They were still a few hours from Yelmurn, and he wanted to apologize to her for how he’d acted on the bridge. For what he’d said. He only wanted to protect her. Surely she’d understand that.
Entering their bedroom, he found Taly and Vujcec exiting the bathroom and drew to a stop. His jaw clenched, and his temper soared. “What the fuck’s going on?!”
Taly’s eyes widened. Ranvir wanted to kick himself. This was not how he planned to apologize.
“Do you see?” Vujcec ignored Ranvir’s outburst as he pointed to his face. “Taly figured out how to temporarily cover our brands.”
Ranvir pulled his gaze from Taly’s sparking eyes to Vujcec’s branded cheek, shocked to see smooth skin. “How?”
“With enhancements, I use when I perform.” She lifted the case she carried. “We were just coming to the bridge to work on you guys.”
With that, she walked by him and out of the suite. Vujcec gave him a disgusted look as he followed her.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞