Empire of Bones by Terry Mixon Page B

easy.”
    “No, it isn’t. I didn’t have any medical records for either of you. Did you have a copy of yours?”
    Kelsey shook her head. “I barely had time to pack a few bags. I’d imagine he had as little warning as I did. Medical records were the very last thing on my mind.”
    “Then I need you to come to the medical center with me. We need to do a full medical exam.”
    The Princess chuckled without any real humor behind it. “I assure you, I get the very best of medical care. I’m as healthy as a horse, even if I can’t prove it.”
    “I’d wager that Ambassador Vega would’ve told me something very similar. Everyone on this ship is required to go through a medical checkup when they come on board. It’s on me that I didn’t examine Ambassador Vega. I’m not going to repeat that error.” The doctor’s voice had no give to it. Her words were a polite order that Jared knew she’d see enforced.
    “Go with her, Kelsey. Arguing with a doctor is like running headfirst into a bulkhead: pointless and very painful.”
    Kelsey nodded. “Of course. Captain, I need to find out if Ambassador Vega had any files that I need. It looks like I’m going to be stepping up in a big way and I need to know what the Department of Imperial Affairs sent along. What instructions they might have given him. We’ve spoken a lot, but we both imagined we’d have more time to train me.”
    Jared nodded. “I’ll have a couple of people come down here and find everything they can. Look at me, Kelsey. Nothing in this job is as big as what you’ve trained for already. If you can sit on the Imperial Throne, you can handle this mission.”
    She smiled a little. “Thank you, Captain. I suppose you’re right. Doctor?”
    Doctor Stone led the Princess out and the medical team followed with Ambassador Vega. Jared hoped to hell he was right about her, because if things went south on this mission, she’d be in the hot seat and all their lives might depend on her diplomatic skills.
    He called for some technicians to screen everything Vega had for files, including the bags he’d had stored. He instructed them to transfer everything they found to Kelsey’s computer. Then he went back to his cabin. He had enough time to do some paperwork and then he’d get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow might be a very long day.
     
    *
     
    Sleeping turned out to be more difficult than Jared had hoped. He lay awake for a couple of hours before he finally drifted off. His dreams weren’t quite nightmares, but Carlo Vega kept following him everywhere he went. Waking up early was welcome.
    His cabin was generous by Fleet standards. It actually had a large private head, a kitchenette, and a small work area. He normally used his office near the bridge to handle paperwork, but he made some coffee and sat at his station to review his inbox. No autopsy report, but that wasn’t a surprise. Lily would’ve spent the evening going through Kelsey’s examination results. She’d probably run labs late into the night.
    Vaguely dissatisfied, he worked on various reports until he had to get ready for the flight to Best Deal . He took a sonic shower and dressed for the day. He ate a quick breakfast in the officer’s mess, and when Kelsey failed to put in an appearance, he ordered her something to go. She needed fuel to get through the day, too.
    She answered his knock looking disheveled. She’d obviously slept in and probably had an even worse night than he had. “What?”
    Jared held out the bag of food and a cup of coffee. “You need to get ready. Our cutter leaves in a little more than half an hour. I’ll be waiting for you in the forward docking bay.”
    Kelsey took the food and closed the door without another word. He smiled. Not a morning person. He’d imagined she’d been a joy when her father woke her up and stuffed her into the cutter.
    He went to the docking bay and helped the pilot with his pre-flight of the cutter. The man probably didn’t