CHAPTER EIGHT

                                    

                                          
"My favorite thing—staff meetings. You can't imagine how thrilled I am to be called from Shafir's bedside for this. Thank you Captain for making my day complete."
            Boni Davenport stalked into mission briefing, hands balled at her sides, scowling at de Goa and those already assembled. Her shepherd Chika padded in beside her, head cocked and conveying the same irritation. As usual, Boni's kinky brown hair was pulled into a taming knot against her neck. Otherwise, she was nothing like her normal self. There were circles of exhaustion under her eyes, obvious even with her dark skin tone. Instead of looking tiny in a way most termed "delicate", she looked gaunt and wasted. The change in her threw Abriel. She'd barely seen Boni since the moleboy attack now she'd all but taken up residence at Medical Intensive. Abriel had suspected things were bad, but not this bad.
            "Lieutenant Davenport," de Goa said, her frosty tone seeming to make icicles of displeasure from thin air. She sat at the head of the stone alloy table and drummed her fingers on it. "Nice of you to come after only making us wait ten minutes. Why don't you take a seat so we can begin?"
            "I apologize if my issues inconvenience you, Captain," Boni answered, her salute so exact as to be insubordinate before she marched around the table. De Goa said nothing, but her eyes shot lasers.
            Abriel scooted farther down the bench to make room for Boni between herself and Tague. Tague looked annoyed. Boni parked herself with a thud and blocked his scowl.
            "Boni's pissed," Keko noted.
            "You would be too if the man you were supposed to marry was in a coma a month before the wedding."
            "Do you want me to point out I'm a shepherd, hence, I don't marry or mate for life?"
            "You just did, irritating puppy."
            "Seems to be the day's theme. I'm getting a sense from the other shepherds that everyone's annoyed at being summoned."
            "Maybe, but you have to respect the office of Captain even if you don't like the person holding it." She reached down to where Keko lay curled on the floor and scratched between his ears. "I wonder if Braen's pulling de Goa's strings or if this is her own initiative."
            "Maybe she wants to give a pep talk."
            "Do you picture de Goa as a morale booster?"
            "Honestly? Look at how stiff Haru is beside her. He's trying ease her nerves, but he's at the point where he's projecting her emotions."
            "So she in distress?"
            "Distress barely qualifies. She's terrified. Whatever she has to say, we're not going to like it."
            Abriel slumped on her bench, miserable.
            "Chika says Boni says to keep smiling and hold your head up," Keko sent a moment later.
            Abriel smiled and met her friend, roommate, and coworker's warm brown eyes. "Tell them thanks even if I've heard that advice a million times already."
            "She also said de Goa couldn't lead a pack of shepherds to lunch let alone into a firefight."
            "Ah, that's my girl," was the last thought she sent before hunkering down to pay attention.