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  "And this?" He touched his slave mark with his finger. "I could rip it away as you did."

  "No." She stayed his hand quickly, recalling her own pain. "We'll have it taken off by a doctor. They can do a much better job if they take it off themselves."

  But would they? she reflected as he ran from the game room into the corridor. Slavery was accepted as part of the Fargan culture. Would she be able to legally set him free, even if he belonged to her?

  She would have to have Menor check on the laws for her. If not legally, she knew people that would hide him, places he could go. Not everyone thought the laws were right. She'd been so careful since she'd joined ENDO that she never crossed that line of what made up legality. This time she would have to make an exception. So far the mission had been a series of exceptions. Learning experiences, Menor called them.

  The Try-sting still zephyerd through her system. Her body was stiff and sore but her mind was racing. The cruiser was next on her agenda and the long ship's night stretched ahead.

  "Sadah?"

  Gael looked up from her position on the floor. Her mouth had been bloody but had now become merely swollen and sore. A bruise nearly closed one eye. She wore the drab gray Guardsman gear with her red ENDO sash at her waist. It was finally morning and the freighter was coming back to life around her.

  Kat sat down beside her on the cruiser floor, close but not touching. Disapproval was clearly etched on his fine features. "I see I only saved you some time."

  "I walked out." Her busy hands replaced a converter that was almost new in the circuit board. "It took four men to carry him out." His presence made her acutely aware of what she must look like. It took all her concentration on the parts in her hands not to use them to cover her face.

  He shook his head ruefully. "And you find something of value in this?"

  "I don't expect you to understand and I don't require your approval."

  He studied her bent head, feeling the barrier between then, wanting to strain against it until it shattered. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't want him there. It didn't take a trained psi to tell that.

  Her hand shook on the tool she held. The tension in her body was palpable. Why didn't he go?

  "What do you require, Sadah?"

  "I require our relationship to work until we can get this job done. We'll be at the planet shortly. I checked in with Menor this morning and the situation is still the same. No one will make a move until they have the facts from the ore operation."

  Her words were too fast, too excited. Her gaze stayed on the board in her hands. He could sense her thoughts weren't focused on what she was doing. They were focused totally on him. He could feel her emotions pulling at him. "We need to talk, Gael. You need to understand what happened last night even if you'd rather not."

  She continued to work on the circuit board until Kat's large hand closed over her own. The shock ran between them like an electric jolt. The flare ran up Gael's hand and through her arm before she drew her hands away, moving back from him quickly.

  "Don't tell me what I need or don't need to understand!" Her head jerked up and she stared at him angrily. "What do you want from me?"

  "You've done remarkably well concealing psi until now. But you can't hide forever and there's nowhere far enough to run." His eyes caught her own and refused to let her look away. "Even untrained, you're a formidable talent. Let me help you."

  "It seems odd to me that I never possessed this talent," she spat the word from her mouth like dirt, "until I met you. I've worked with telepaths before and I've been tested since I was a small child. Excuse me if I choose to believe that this all has something to do with you."

  "I don't deny this." He reached to grasp her arms, pulling her closer to him. "Every Rian believes that there is a compliment to their energies. With our energies meshed, you are my compliment and when you're near me, it will be impossible for you to hide for long behind this clever shield that you've devised."

  Gael gasped at his touch and frowned into his blue eyes that were too near her own. The feeling was uncomfortably near what she'd experienced in her dream last night. "There's no such thing as a shield that can hide psi from ENDO tests. Everyone knows that."

  "There is now and has been since you were a small child. ENDO is going to have to rethink their testing procedures."

  Gael pulled back from him. "I don't want any part of this, Kat. If you try and bring this up to ENDO or ECHO, I'll deny it."

  "It is a part of you, Gael. You can no more deny this than you can your arm or your face."

  He leaned towards her again but she was lithe and fast, getting to her feet in one graceful movement. "If you have something to say about this mission, let's hear it. If not, then I'd suggest you spend some time preparing for our search of the planet."

  She was in charge of this mission. If he continued to act like a cadet, she'd treat him like one.

  He stood slowly, tall and lean. The sleeves of his ECHO uniform were pushed back to his elbows revealing identical armbands of pure gold that were painted with pagan Rian symbols. His hair was tangled gold around his shoulders and his fierce blue eyes were cold.

  "I could have taken both you and your sparring partner out with a single thought and monitored a dozen other conversations at the same time. Your weapon and your training mean nothing to me, Sadah." He bowed his head to her. "I will be ready for the check of the ore operation, Lieutenant. But with the Try-sting and the djine tremors, will you?"

  Chapter Eight

  He left her there, angry and scared. She threw the heavy tool she held against the wall, cursing, certain that she heard his quiet laughter in her mind.

  "Excuse me, Lieutenant." Alan Denby looked from the fallen tool to where she stood. "Nice shot. Is there a problem?"

  "Endo-Echo." She bent to retrieve the tool. "There's always some problem. What can I do for you, Mr. Denby?"

  "It might be what I can do for you, Lieutenant. Have breakfast with me. I have some interesting ideas that I want to discuss with you."

  ***

  They sat in the crowded eating space with several hundred other techs. Voices rose and fell around the room. The tables were pressed nearly end-to-end to accommodate the crew with the size of the room. The floors were sticky with food. Gael had the impression that her freshly recycled cup had been used before. She kept her arms and hands off the table, glad she was wearing the Guardsman uniform and not her own. That the techs spent years on the freighters before getting leave was difficult to believe. She was glad to have been spared a tour of the galley area.

  Over hot djine, Gael watched Denby consume an enormous amount of food. Her stomach revolted at the idea of anything solid. When he'd finished off the meat and bread and was looking longingly at the iced rolls, she decided enough was enough. "Your ideas, Mr. Denby?"

  "I like that about you, Lieutenant. Straight to the point. No crap. I'll be as blunt." He took a small vial of powdered green crystal from his jacket pocket. He handed it to her with a smile. His faded blue eyes glittered sharply in his haggard face. "Know what it is?"

  "Rissan." Gael looked at the vial and was instantly revolted. The chemical had enslaved an entire race. Not acceptable precisely but as Kat had reminded her about her own world, not something that Central considered going to war or expulsion for either. "Where did you get this?"

  "It's not illegal." He still looked from side to side.

  "Just difficult to come by." She returned the vial. "And worse than illegal to some. There have been reported cases of murder when telepaths have encountered this."

  "But this could solve our problem."

  A man beside them belched loudly then left the table.

  "Our problem?" She hated using the dual possessive but needed to know what the man was thinking.

  "You know, Officer Astri and his telepathic stuff? We could take him out for the rest of the mission. You could have all the commendations when we solve this little mystery and I wouldn't have him looking
over my shoulder."

  "Is there something specific?" She tried to stay cool, careful not to overplay her hand.

  "We can talk, can't we, Lieutenant? You and I think a lot alike. There's no real secret here. We just plain don't know what's happened. But we don't want Bonding to come out of this alive. Does that seem like too much to ask? We can make it worthwhile." His face was eager, his smile ingratiating.

  Gael fought down her anger and disgust. "You want me to find some proof that will verify to Central that Bonding was responsible for the breakdown of that plant? And in return, you're willing to take Officer Astri out of my way."

  "That's about it. We can also offer you a substantial bonus of credits for your services. Discreetly, of course. Guardsman can be very generous."

  "Of course." She smiled back at him then used the table as a lever to push him into the wall. He gasped and tried to move. Gael used her weight to propel him tightly against the flat surface at his throat.

  "Have you lost your mind? What are you doing?" He gasped and slid to the floor. Gray uniformed techs moved quickly to empty the room until it was just the two of them.

  "I'm relieving you of your Rissan." Gael heard a tray drop at the door and glanced at Toine. "Get the green vial."

  He looked from her to the Guardsman agent with confused and frightened eyes.

  "It's all right. Just pick it up and give it to me." Then she said in Fargan, "I'll protect you. Trust me."

  Moving carefully, Toine picked up the vial and handed it to Gael. She shoved it into her pocket. "I'd like to have more than that, Mr. Denby. But the best I can do is to relieve you of your authority in this mission and remand you into the captain's custody."

  "You'll be sorry." He was choked into silence as she pushed the table tighter against his throat.

  "Not as sorry as you would have been if Kat had caught you with this stuff." She told Toine in Fargan, "Go. Get the captain for me."

  He nodded, too afraid to speak, and ran for the door.

  It was only a matter of moments before Captain Amato and several of her crew returned with the boy. The woman paused at the doorway, her narrow eyes taking in the situation. "What's going on here, Lieutenant?"

  "Sorry to have abused your furniture in this way, Captain," Gael apologized. "I want this man put into a holding area until this mission is over and he can be taken into custody by Central."

  "This is a Guardsman freighter, Lt." The captain smiled nastily. "You can't give orders here."

  "I'm sorry to have to quote Central legalities to you but ENDO is controlling this mission. As ENDO's representative, that puts me in charge. If you need to verify, please do."

  "Set up my com panel." Amato turned to her nearest officer, her slanted eyes not leaving Gael's face. He scurried to do her bidding. "I hope for your sake, Lt., that you're correct. Trying to take over a captain's position on board ship is tantamount to treason."

  Gael's gaze never faltered. "Your duties are your own, Amato." She didn't bother to keep the sarcasm from her voice. "However, when your freighter is being used for ENDO-Central purposes, your duties also include assisting me in my mission."

  "Denby is passing out." Amato pointed to the man at the other end of the table.

  "Get your answers quickly, Captain."

  The COM officer returned shortly, nodded towards Gael then turned to the captain to quietly report his findings.

  "It seems you're correct, Lt. Klarke." The captain sent two crewmen to help Denby from his place at the wall. "I'll have Denby put in his quarters with a Scan- Lok until we finish this mission."

  "Thank you for your help, Captain." Gael released her prisoner then moved the table back to its previous placement. "How long before we reach the planet?"

  "About two quarters. My crewmen tell me that your ENDO contact is requesting an immediate response from you."

  "I'll find Officer Astri and return his communication." Gael started to turn away and noticed the feral gleam in the captain's bloodshot eyes. "Anything else?"

  "Just a warning, Lt. Guardsman is a powerful group. Not as powerful as ENDO or ECHO, I'll grant you. But a bad enemy nonetheless. It might be wise to remember that."

  "I'll do my best," Gael returned sharply. "But Guardsman had better be sure their slate is clean on this one, Captain. Or it might be Guardsman and not Bonding that lose their license to create synthetic fuel."

  Gael went quickly to her quarters, feeling Amato's daggers in her back as she walked away. Recalling the sight of the woman in Kat's bedport the night before nearly made her gag. Had it given her pleasure to put the woman in her place because of it? That was ridiculous. She was just doing her job.

  Did the captain realize what had happened to her? The illusion had been so strong. She could still feel it. She quickly cleared her mind and pressed her door for entry. She was surprised at first to find Kat there but managed to recover before she faltered at the sight of him. He had, no doubt, monitored the entire occurrence. What would it be like to sit in a freighter away and know everything that was going on -- ?

  "Since you consider my intrusion into your thoughts a hostile act, would you work at keeping yours out of my mind as well? Or would you rather I answer your question about what it's like to know what's going on without being there?" He smiled when he saw the abhorrence on her face. "I thought not. I've already hailed Menor and secured the channel."

  Menor's face came up on the screen before she could form an answer. "Gael, please tell me why it was necessary for you to commandeer that freighter? This was supposed to be a friendly partnership between Guardsman and ENDO."

  Kat's pale brows rose sharply.

  Gael glanced at him then turned back to the screen. He didn't know! It was a small victory but a nice one. "I didn't exactly commandeer the vessel. I simply reminded the captain that on an ENDO mission, the mission takes priority over anything else. The Guardsman delegate, Alan Denby, tried to bribe me into finding proof on the planet that Bonding was responsible for the plant shut down."

  "What proof? Do you think they have something set up?" Menor jumped at her words.

  "I think it's possible. I had Agent Denby held for ENDO or Central agents to interrogate as soon as the mission is over. It's not inconceivable that Guardsman shut down their own operation just for the attention."

  "Anything else you've noticed?"

  Gael looked pointedly at Kat who simply shrugged. "Officer Astri doesn't think they know what's going on, Menor. He thinks that's what they're covering up and not their own actions." The tone of her voice made it clear what she thought of the idea.

  "I'm capable of speaking for myself when the need arises," Kat told her plainly. "I've made my report to ECHO, Menor, as I was requested to do."

  Menor nodded. "I'll request a copy of that report, thank you. You're very near the planet. Do you have any impressions as yet?"

  "There's a great blankness, as though nothing is there. It is curious."

  "Indeed." Menor inclined his head, frowning.

  "We are less than two quarters away." Gael held her hands in her pockets to keep them from shaking. "We should have the answers soon enough.''

  "I know all this has seemed strange, Gael. It's been strange for me as well. We're relying on you and Officer Astri to make sense of it." Menor looked at her battered face. "Did that happen to you with Denby?"

  "Just a misunderstanding between two Fargans." She brushed it aside. "Nothing serious."

  "The other Fargan is in much worse condition, I trust?" He smiled proudly.

  Gael caught Kat's grimace of disgust from the corner of her eye. "Much worse."

  "Good. Proceed with your mission, Lt. And I'll expect to hear from you next on the planet's surface."

  Kat got up to leave as the screen went blank. Gael started to pull the vial of Rissan from her pocket but found she couldn't do so without betraying the solid tremor in her hands. She kept silent, trying not to draw his attention.

  He pushed the button for the
door, left her without another word.

  Gael sat down on the bedport, realizing that she was beginning to feel worn down. She only had a few Try-sting left but if they did their job on the planet in good time, that should be all she'd need. Not once had she felt the crawling sensation in her brain that accompanied some outside psi condition. She hoped Kat was right and that the shield he thought she possessed was back in place. She might wonder at the strength of his psi abilities but she would never want to possess them.

  If it were true that she would only be off guard with him, then she would see to it that they were never together again. The COM screen lit up, catching her attention as a young woman appeared. "Captain Amato requests your presence on the bridge, Lieutenant."

  "I'll be right there." Gael walked quickly down the long, dimly lit corridors; following the general direction she recalled leading to the bridge. What could the woman want now?

  "Lieutenant," Amato hailed her when she'd reached the command area. "Over here."

  Gael approached the sensor area, watching the panel, as Amato and her officer seemed to be doing. "Is there a problem?"

  "We're not sure," Amato replied. "Take a look."

  They all continued to look at the panel. The energy patterns changed and fluctuated in what seemed to be a random form.

  Gael didn't understand. "What is it?"

  "A disturbance from the R-12 planet," Amato told her.

  "Maybe com lesions or tracings," an officer added thoughtfully.

  "I don't see anything to indicate a specific signature." Gael watched the screen. "Maybe just something random bouncing off the surface."

  "Perhaps." Amato shrugged, standing up straight. Her head barely reached Gael's shoulder level. "I thought you should see it since it will be logged."

  "Thank you. I'll make a note of it."

  "Could I speak with you?" Amato gestured towards her quarters. "Alone?"

  Gael agreed, following her into the tiny cubicle, wondering what they could have to discuss.

  "Rum?" Amato offered, holding a beaker. "It's Fargan."