Learning to Dance

take it from – Up’s orders made sense, and he valued her
input. But Tripp was another story. She only restrained
herself from telling him what she really thought of him
because he and Up had served on the Eagle together, and
Up liked him.
Tripp turned his back on her and spoke to the team
assembled on the bridge. “Commander Up wasn’t happy
with the results of our last meeting. It’s possible he returned
to the planet to try one last negotiation.”
“Up wouldn’t do that,” Taz said loudly. Most of the
Rangers turned to look at her. “He would never leave the
ship without telling anyone.” Without telling me, she
wanted to add, but restrained herself.
Tripp exhaled in exasperation. “All right then, Ensign
Taz, what do you think happened?”
Taz thought about the Graali, their calm, secretive
demeanour, and their complete lack of interest in everything
the G.L.E.E. had offered them. “The Graali didn't want our
technology. What if they already had their own? What if
they had already made a deal – with someone else?”
She didn’t say it, but she could see them coming to the
same conclusion she was.
Robots.
“Say the Graali are working with the robots,” Tripp said,
sounding unconvinced. “That doesn’t explain why the
Commander is missing.”
“Commander Up is one of the most senior officers in the
fleet, and a famous one at that,” Taz said. “It could be for
ransom.”
“Or information,” said a voice behind her. She’d almost
forgotten that Pedro had followed her in. “The Commander
has security access most of us can’t even dream of. They
might have taken him to get top secret information about
the G.L.E.E.”