Read The Tracker's Dilemma: (A Mandrake Company Science Fiction Romance) for Free Online

kind of research you do, Dr. Keys.”
    “Ms. Keys,” Lauren corrected.
    Hailey flicked her fingers in lazy acknowledgment. “I specialize in extrasensory perception,” she told Ankari proudly, as if her studies weren’t a bunch of woo woo nonsense.
    “ESP?” Tick asked, his voice oddly squeaky.
    “Indeed so. In addition to hoping to get a few samples of her microflora strains, I wouldn’t mind gaining some access to Lo’s specimens so I can run some tests on the way to Sturm. I saw some interesting activity on the brain scans she uploaded to her account, and I can’t wait to see if my hypotheses are correct. And eventually, I hope to inoculate my own Grenavinians. I’m prepared to pay handsomely.” Hailey nodded at Ankari, probably knowing that she ran the business and handled financial matters. As if Lauren would give up her proprietary blend of microbiota for any amount of money.
    “Grenavinians?” Tick asked, his voice still squeaky. He looked around, as if he needed something to lean against.
    “I see,” Ankari murmured, giving Lauren a look that she didn’t know how to interpret.
    All Mandrake did was sigh. “Let me gather some people, and we’ll meet in the conference room in an hour, Ms. Keys. You can tell us more about what you need, and we’ll discuss finances and logistics.”
    “That will be most acceptable, Captain. Perhaps the strapping Lieutenant Frog can show me to a room on the way?” Hailey snapped her fingers at the robot holding her luggage, then led it and the cheerful Frog toward the door.
    “It is possible I dislike her already,” Ankari muttered.
    Mandrake sighed again and nudged Ankari. “Is it wrong of me to wish that Farley had spoken honestly and that someone did want to hire us for a war?”
    “I’m not sure yet,” Ankari said. “Lauren, ESP?”
    “Complete piffle.” Lauren sniffed. “I will take no responsibility if you insist on trailing along after her. I have no idea what Grenavinians she hopes to find on that awful moon full of those awful raptors—” Lauren shuddered again at the horrible memory of that night in the storm, “—but I most certainly will not be going down there with you, and I will not be providing her with my microflora. I don’t care what she offers to pay.”
    Lauren strode from the room, barely noting the oddly stunned expression that Tick still wore. She was annoyed with Hailey’s presence here and even more annoyed that she wanted to involve the company with her ridiculous research. Sturm! Who in their right mind would go there? She fully intended to lock herself in her lab for the next month and ignore Hailey, ignore this mission, and keep the door locked if anybody tried to disturb her.

Chapter 3
    Tick hurried after Lauren—she had disappeared quickly, striding briskly from the shuttle bay. The captain had already informed him that he was wanted in the conference room for the meeting, but he’d also said they had an hour before that started. Now more than ever, Tick wanted answers to his questions. He should have asked them days earlier, when Lauren had been asking him about side effects, but he hadn’t had any more strange visions since then, so he’d thought it all might have been a fluke. No need to report flukes, right?
    Unfortunately, the captain hadn’t seen it that way. And after listening to Hailey speak vaguely about Grenavinians and ESP, he knew he couldn’t keep this to himself.
    He had his tablet open, reading entries on extrasensory perception as he strode through the corridors toward her lab. The network encyclopedia talked about card tricks and babbled about precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and other terms Tick had only read about in books. In fiction .
    When he reached Lauren’s lab, he forced himself to knock on the door instead of bursting in and demanding explanations. It was difficult. A feeling of panic rode behind his breastbone, refusing to go away. What was special about Grenavinians? Aside