Cal shifts his weight. His restlessness makes my throat constrict. No, this can’t be happening. Not again. Not like with Mum. Please don’t. Bad news. The crow. The cracked nail. Help.
‘Jem is missing,’ Cal says.
Missing? Yes, he is. He needs help. It makes sense. I turn to Dad and Neath and see them reeling with relief. They had expected to hear the worst.
‘What do you mean by missing?’ Dad asks. ‘How worried should we be?’
‘Jem was assigned to the human settlement on Nattalia on a mission. The planet’s security scanners show Jem stealing a long-range ship and leaving the planet.’ Cal stops and clears his throat. ‘It seems he told no one of his plans, gained no clearance. Just left his post, abandoned his mission, his crew, without explanation.’
I consider this. No wonder Jem hasn’t b
