CARIAD MISSED THE SHUTTLE by about a minute. As she stood at the closed portal to the shuttle bay, tiredness plucking at her eyes, she realized it was probably a good thing that she would have to spend the night aboard the ship.
After picking up a meal at the refectory, Cariad went to her room. She ate slowly, mulling over her conversation with Rene. Her friend’s explanation seemed implausible. How could she have hurt herself badly enough to require a healing gel but not even remember it? Yet it was the doubtfulness of her story that made Cariad inclined to believe her, even setting aside their friendship. An actual Natural Movement follower would have thought up a much more credible lie. They would know about Twyla’s tattoo and guess the real reason for Montfort’s examination of everyone
