Author's Note - sorry this is so long coming. Had some illness and a real money paying project to finish. Thanks for sticking with the story.

River’s Run – Part 7

“Yes, sir, we found a cyro-chamber on board the Rose,” Flying Officer Janice Flowers reported to the captain of the Saratoga. She was seated in his bridge office, along with the commander of the ground force. Both men were much older than her, in their forties at least, and were career officers, unlike her, just trying to earn the money for university, like a lot of those her age. Janice had no love for the Alliance but didn’t hate it either. It was just there.

“You followed protocol and opened it?” the commander asked and Janice knew they knew something by the way he asked the question, with a grim look on his face. As soon as she was summoned to the captain’s bridge office she knew something wasn’t quite right and at the first mention of the Rose she knew what it was. But Janice was good at hiding her feelings, had lots of practice at it over the years as she hid her sexuality from her parents, her friends, and the military. She remained calm and answered their questions.

“Yes, sir, it was a dog like the Shepherd said. He had all the proper documents.”

“What kind of dog?” the captain asked.

“I…I don’t know,” Janice said, not expecting this question. “I only saw a paw.”

“What color was it?” the commander asked quickly and she knew they knew that River was in that box. She had to keep lying.

“Brownish, maybe with some black. I only had a quick look. The Shepherd was afraid his dog was going to die.”

“Flowers, would it surprise you to know that that Shepherd was not a real Shepherd, but a mercenary who sells his services to the highest bidder?” said the captain and now Janice was truly surprised. She knew they had to be friends of River’s but she didn’t know the Shepherd was a fake.

“No, sir, I didn’t know that.”

“He is a friend of River Tam’s. As are the other three passengers on the Rose,” the commander said. “We beli