Empire of Bones by Terry Mixon Page A

lock and the door slid open. “Ambassador? This is Captain Mertz. May I come in?”
    Jared stepped inside and cursed. She followed him inside and immediately saw Carlo Vega sprawled on the floor. Jared knelt by his side and felt for a pulse on his neck before pulling his communicator again. “Medical emergency. Medical team to Ambassador Vega’s quarters. Chief Medical Officer to Ambassador Vega’s quarters.”
    She edged closer. Vega’s eyes were open and didn’t seem focused. “Is he still breathing?”
    Jared shook his head. “No. The medics have to check him, but he’s gone. It looks like he’s been dead for a while.”
    Kelsey covered her mouth with her hand and stepped aside as the medical team rushed in. They got right to work, but she could tell by the looks on their faces that Jared was right. Carlo Vega was dead.
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Jared waited for the medics to make the final call, but he knew Carlo Vega was beyond resuscitation. The man’s skin was cold to the touch. Medical science was capable of doing some amazing things, but bringing the dead back to life wasn’t one of them.
    Doctor Stone arrived less than thirty seconds after the crash team. She knelt at the man’s side and examined him before shaking her head. “He’s gone. Take him to the morgue and I’ll perform an autopsy.”
    The slender, dark-haired woman stood and walked over to him. “Captain, I’ll get started tonight and I should have some preliminary results on your desk by morning. I’m not seeing any indications of injuries. Do you know if he had any medical conditions?”
    “No. As far as I know Ambassador Vega was healthy.”
    Stone grabbed a tablet from the medical cart. “I saw him around, but thought he came over from the freighter. I have copies of their medical files, but nothing for the Ambassador.”
    Jared sighed. “They boarded at the last minute. I should’ve verified that they turned over their files and scheduled them for a checkup first thing.”
    “They? There’s someone else running around the ship that I don’t know about?”
    He nodded toward Kelsey. The young noblewoman stood with a sick expression on her face, silently watching the team move Vega to a stretcher. “My half-sister accompanied Ambassador Vega as his deputy. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.”
    Doctor Stone closed her eyes for a few seconds. She didn’t open them when she spoke again. “You’re telling me we have a member of the Imperial Family onboard and I don’t have her files? I haven’t examined her. What if she dropped dead? Not to trivialize Ambassador Vega’s death, but that would be a disaster. Captain, forgive me for any impertinence, but what the hell were you thinking?”
    Jared bowed his head in acknowledgment. “I obviously wasn’t.”
    “I need her in the medical center right now. Ambassador Vega can wait until tomorrow.”
    “Of course, Doctor. Let me introduce you.” He walked over to the Princess. “Kelsey, this is Lieutenant Commander Lily Stone, our Chief Medical Officer. Doctor, Deputy Ambassador Kelsey Bandar.”
    Kelsey took the doctor’s proffered hand. “I wish we hadn’t met under these circumstances, Doctor. I’m not here in an Imperial capacity, so please just call me Kelsey. Or Ambassador, I suppose.”
    “Call me Lily, then. I’m very sorry for your loss. Did you know Ambassador Vega well? Did he have any medical conditions that you know of?”
    Kelsey shook her head. “I’ve worked with him some and he trained me in diplomacy, but we never discussed any medical information. I had lunch with him today and he said he had indigestion. I should’ve come back here with him.”
    Lily put her hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “People have indigestion every day. While I’ll consider it when I start looking for answers, the heartburn might have nothing to do with his death. Don’t blame yourself for things you can’t reasonably expect to control.”
    “That’s not going to be