Lost Planet 02 - The Stolen Moon by Rachel Searles Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t even remember my parents. I don’t know which I’m sadder about—losing them, or not even remembering who they were to begin with. My sister’s here now too, but I don’t have any memories of her either. We don’t really get along.”
    â€œThat sounds horrible.” She stretched her legs out beside his.
    â€œI guess when you lose the things that matter to you, it kind of feels like you don’t know who you are anymore. With or without amnesia.”
    Analora nodded. “I know that feeling for sure.” She knocked her foot companionably against his and smiled at him. “Maybe we can hang out, then, and be a little less lonely.”
    â€œI’d like that.” Chase returned her smile, and his spirits brightened for the first time that day.

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
    Lying in his bunk in the early morning, Chase watched the view from the observation deck on their video screen as a smaller vessel pulled up alongside the Kuyddestor . After three days of travel, they had stopped at the edge of the Galloi star system for a rendezvous with a Federation envoy ship, the Falconer . In the officers’ lounge Chase had overheard that the ambassador sent by the Federation was coming aboard this morning to meet with the captain.
    â€œDo you understand what it is we’re supposed to be doing on this mission?” he asked.
    The sound of rustling sheets came from the top bunk. “Escorting some peacekeepers,” mumbled Parker, half asleep.
    â€œYeah, but what are they keeping the peace about?”
    Parker sighed and rolled over. “This planet we’re going to, Storros, wanted to terraform one of its moons, so they hired some workers from another planet in their star system to do it. But then the people from this other planet were pretty happy with the terraforming work they’d done, so at the end they were like, hey, we’re gonna just stay here, okay? Bam, conflict. Honestly, you should watch the news once in a while.”
    Chase rolled his eyes. “Couldn’t they just share the moon?”
    â€œIf you were having a house built, would you invite the contractors who built it to live in it with you afterward?”
    â€œA moon’s a lot bigger than a house.”
    â€œYeah, but the principle’s the same.” Parker’s feet dangled over the edge of the top bunk, and he dropped to the floor and slouched toward his desk. Between working on his microchip and sorting through data about the blackout to look for anything suspicious, nearly all his time lately was spent in front of the computer.
    Chase got out of bed and started changing into the clothes he’d left lying on the floor. “So we get to Storros tomorrow?”
    â€œI suppose so. Or maybe later today.” Parker started fiddling with a jumble of tiny wires he’d brought back from his last visit to the engine room.
    Chase walked to the desk and leaned over to watch Parker laying out each thin wire as he untangled them. “Did hacking into the mainframe help you with the Asa stuff at all?”
    â€œIt did, but then I needed to get a more accurate signal reader. I just finally got the right stuff to build one.” He kept working, head bent over his desk.
    â€œI’m going up to the observation deck for a closer look at the Federation ship.” Chase paused. “Wanna come?”
    Parker shook his head, not looking up. “Nah.”
    Chase slipped out of the room and headed down the hall, but not toward the observation deck. His path went toward the teleport chamber. If someone were trying to entrap Captain Lennard or anyone else on the Kuyddestor , the ambassador would be the first possible suspect. Catching a glimpse of the man might not tell Chase much about him, but it was a start.
    The room to the teleport chamber was open, and the only person inside was the officer manning the teleport console. Chase groaned internally when he saw who it