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  “How do I know my daughter will be…”

  “She’ll be safe,” interrupted Kusac, glancing at Zyan. “I would let no harm come to her, believe me.”

  Skinner leaned forward.

  “We haven’t any choice, Hamilton. They’re a reasonable lot, they won’t harm her; Kusac will see to that.”

  Peter Hamilton looked sharply from Skinner to Kusac. “There’s something here I’m missing. What is it? What kind of link do you have with my daughter?”

  “I’m linked to her like Elise was, Mr. Hamilton. If they harm her, believe me, I will feel it. No one will harm her. She’s important to both of us, and to both our species. We place a very high value on telepaths and healers.”

  The Sub-Commander interrupted again. After a brief conversation, Kusac turned back to Skinner and Mr. Hamilton.

  “It’ll be tomorrow morning before a shuttle returns to the Khalossa, and Carrie will be on board with the rest of the crew from the Sirroki. Once the preliminary talks are finished here, Sub-Commander Zyan will return to the ship, but that won’t be for several days yet. When he does, you’re welcome to accompany him and see your daughter for yourself.”

  Mr. Hamilton hesitated briefly. “I have no option, do I? I take it you’ll be returning with Carrie?” he asked Kusac.

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll have to trust you to look after her for me.”

  Kusac relayed the answer.

  “Since your daughter isn’t involved in any of the other matters we have to discuss, Rhian will escort her to the inn across the road where our people are being billeted. We can arrange for any personal items she might want to take with her to be collected from her home. An armed scouter and an escort can take them to Valleytown should she wish it.”

  “I’ve nothing I want to take,” said Carrie, looking bleakly at her father as she rose to leave.

  Kusac reached up to touch her hand comfortingly as she passed.

  “I hardly recognize her,” her father said, watching her walk away with the Sholan female. “That’s not the girl I raised. What happened to her out in the forest?” he asked Skinner.

  Skinner glanced briefly at Kusac. “She grew up, Peter,” he said. “They all do. They grow up and away from you, which is as it should be. She was never cut out to be a colonist, you know. You kept her too long as it was. Let her go now.”

  “The Sub-Commander would like to turn to other issues now,” interrupted Kusac. “Have you been briefed on the matter of your ship, the Erasmus?”

  Mr. Hamilton nodded, reluctantly turning away from Skinner.

  “A message was sent to one of our vessels in that sector of space, and two ships have been dispatched to escort it to Keiss. It should be here within a week.”

  “A week!” he exclaimed.

  “Our technology is more advanced than yours,” said Kusac, with a deprecating gesture. “It’s suggested that you don’t contact the ship until it’s in orbit around Keiss, then presumably you have a coded signal to waken the various personnel on board.”

  Skinner nodded.

  “We also need to contact your home planet so as to make parallel treaty negotiations with Earth as well. A deep space relay will be arranged to enable you to contact Earth using your own transmitter. Once you’ve appraised them of the situation here, we can arrange for one of our ships to call there and bring the necessary personnel to Keiss. Our flagship, the Khalossa, will be stationed in permanent orbit here to protect you until such time as between us we have organized a defensive force not only for this area of space, but also your home planet.”

  And so it continued until late into the night.

  *

  The next morning, Kusac was dug out of his makeshift bed by Mito with the news that the incoming shuttle had landed and he was needed to imprint the telepath. That done, he went in search of Carrie and food. Linking with her, he found her across the road at the inn where they had met Skai.

  It had been requisitioned for Sholan use, and was serving as their main canteen and accommodation area. Carrie was sitting with Vanna, Mito, and Garras.

  He joined them, ordering a meal when the innkeeper’s daughter came to the table.

  “How did the talks go?” asked Vanna.

  Kusac wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I don’t think I could work with the Diplomatic Guild,” he said. “All facts and dancing round the truth. Not the easiest or most interesting of work.”

  “Well, it’s nothing to do with us any more. It’s back to the ship in a few hours, and the usual routine.”

  Kusac shook his head. “We’re in permanent orbit here for some time.”

  “Ah, protection duty and routine search flights,” said Vanna.

  “To say nothing of flushing out the last of the Valtegans still loose on the planet,” agreed Mito.

  “The troops will handle that,” said Garras. “Could be interesting. Hunting another intelligent species for the first time will provide an unusual challenge. I’ve found out that the Valtegans have been making suicide attacks on our troops and the few they’ve managed to pin down have killed themselves rather than be taken captive.”

  “Why would they do that?” asked Carrie.

  “We won’t know until we can ask one of them,” said Garras. “It could be conditioning or it could be a racial characteristic. Did they display any hive creature attributes? You’ve been exposed to them longer than we have.”

  “They acted as independent beings rather than part of a group mind, but how do you begin to study an alien race anyway?”

  “That’s the job of our first contact teams. Doubtless AlRel will send some personnel down from the Khalossa,” said Vanna.

  “AlRel?”

  “Alien Relations.”

  “To assess us or them?” asked Carrie.

  “Both,” grinned Vanna. “You don’t think they’ll take our humble words for what we think of you, do you? Oh, they’ll debrief us and note our conclusions and findings, but that will have to be backed up by hard facts from a team of specialists.”

  Kusac’s meal arrived and he began eat.

  “They’re taking Guynor on board the shuttle,” said Mito, glancing through the window. “It can’t be long until we leave.”

  All heads turned to look as Guynor, under an armed escort of two soldiers, was led into the waiting craft.

  “What’s likely to happen to him?” asked Carrie.

  “Mutiny when on a war footing; that at least will be a dishonorable discharge,” said Mito.

  “No,” said Garras, looking at Kusac. “It’s more serious than that. There are… political complications.”

  Kusac looked away and toyed with his food. “My fault, then,” he murmured.

  “Nothing to do with you in a way. I found out he was from Khyaal, one of the two colonies destroyed by the Valtegans,” said Garras. “When we crashed on Keiss and realized that we’d found the Others, that was when his attitude changed. I presume it was because he was powerless to hit back at the beings who had destroyed not only his family, but his world. Then you two arrived. It gave him the perfect opportunity to release his pent up xenophobia on you.”

  Garras sighed. “He was a capable officer, but we can do without his attitude in the Forces.”

  “And the political implications?” prompted Mito.

  “I can’t discuss that matter with you since the courtmartial is still pending,” said Garras, refusing to be drawn any further.

  “By the way, I was none too pleased that you sent a message to the ship without my knowledge,” he said to Kusac. “Had you told me your fears for Carrie, I would have had no objections, but I thought you could have trusted my judgment a little better.”

  Kusac dipped his head, flattening his ears backward in apology.

  “Well, it’s done now,” Garras said, somewhat mollified. He checked his wrist unit, noting the time. “I want everyone on board the shuttle in ten minutes,” he said, rising to leave. “Carrie, Rhian and Askad will mee
t you there. I would suggest you take your leave of your father before it gets any later.”

  Kusac watched her go, aware that she was still maintaining the distance between them despite what she’d said to her father the night before. Well, he’d promised her some space; he’d have to wait now until she came to him.

  “Is Carrie all right?” asked Vanna quietly. “I know how difficult a time this is for her.”

  “She’s coping,” he said, pushing his plate away. “She just needs a little space at the moment.”

  Vanna grunted. “She doesn’t know her own mind. She’s subject to the same fears as us and responds to the same reassurances. What she really needs is you beside her to lean on.”

  “I’ll deal with it my way, Vanna,” said Kusac, getting up.

  *

  Carrie boarded the shuttle first with Rhian and Askad, sitting at the rear of the craft. The Leska couple sat together, opposite her, leaving the seat beside her empty, presumably for Kusac.

  A sense of isolation swept over her all of a sudden. Around her were only Sholans, not one of them familiar. The only one she knew, Guynor, was in the forward area under close guard. She thanked whichever Gods were looking after her that she hadn’t had to pass him.

  Human voices and footsteps sounded on the gangway and she cautiously peered over the seat in front. It was a group of her people, including Skai. Under her breath she cursed, watching them move to the front section. What the hell was Skai, not to mention the others, doing going up to the Khalossa ?

  Ducking back out of sight, she lowered her mental shield, trying to sense what they were saying. Before she could, she picked up the crew of the Sirroki boarding, including Kusac.

  With relief, she sent a thought to greet him, feeling his surprise, followed by a resulting wave of pleasure. Almost as if she were using her eyes, she could “see” him pushing through his friends to reach her.

  He stopped by the seat, towering over her as he looked down.

  Can I join you? he asked.

  She smiled up at him, the relief apparent in her face as she nodded.

  Kusac sat beside her, eyes narrowing.

  What’s upset you? he sent.

  Nothing. I’m just glad you’re here. From up front the Terran voices seemed loud and harsh in comparison to the low sounds of the Sholan conversations around her.

  Kusac put his arm across her shoulders, drawing her up against him. There’s nothing to worry about, he sent reassuringly. You won’t be alone. I’ll be there, as will your other friends.

  I know. She relaxed against him, letting her barriers down a little and closing her eyes as she felt his low purr begin. Exhausted by the effort of keeping the block against him up and fielding her father’s questions and demands, she felt herself nodding off to sleep.

  Kusac felt her consciousness drift. As she began to slowly collapse against him, he moved closer, easing her down till she lay sleeping across his lap. Automatically his hand went to stroke her hair, fingertips gently touching her cheek. His need for her flared and this time it took more concentration than before to push it to the back of his mind where he could contain it.

  A low chuckle from Askad drew his attention as the shuttle door was sealed for takeoff. He looked over at the other male.

  I can see that being of different species isn’t a problem to you or your Leska, Askad sent. The Link is already working its magic.

  No, not the Link, Kusac replied. This is ours, the Link only enhances what we have.

  Even better. It’ll make life easier for you both.

  Her mind seems very similar to ours, Rhian ventured. Perhaps being with us on the Khalossa will not be as large a step as you feared.

  Perhaps. There hasn’t been time for us to get to know each other properly yet, replied Kusac, ears flicking briefly.

  What’s to know? Your minds are Linked, aren’t they? You are aware of each other’s feelings and strong surface thoughts; there is no need to know more, chided Askad.

  Our Link is stronger than that. I know all her thoughts, I feel all her fears and joys as if they were mine. She’s become a part of me now. His attention was on Carrie, and he missed the apprehensive look that the two Sholans exchanged.

  Then the problems must be lessened with such close understanding, sent Rhian.

  Must they? I know that what she calls pain will hurt me, that what she thinks of as love, so do I, but the rest… His thoughts trailed off into a silence that was filled by the humming of the engines.

  *

  Chyad waited impatiently for Maikoe to open the door.

  “The rumors were true,” he said, before she had a chance to greet him.

  “What rumors?” She moved aside to let him enter.

  He nodded cursorily at the others as he stepped over them toward the chair that Kaedoe hastily vacated. “The ones about the Terrans coming on board,” he said, turning to face her as she let the door slide closed. “I traveled up in the elevator with one of them, a female.”

  “What are they like up close?” She returned to her seat.

  “They smell strange,” he said, perching on the edge of the chair. “Like us but different. Unsettling. This one was either small or a youngling. Her face was flatter than ours and her skin is hairless except for on her head.”

  “Hm,” she said, looking thoughtful as she picked up her mug. “Oh, help yourself to a drink if you want one.”

  Chyad got up and went to the dispenser.

  “I’ve just been telling the others about my interesting day,” she said.

  “What did you find out?” he asked, returning to his seat.

  “There were Terran collaborators. Mostly their females, many of whom went to work in the domed cities. The female telepath was one of them. I’ll bet it was her you saw.”

  Chyad grunted in disgust.

  “Naisha found out that one of the Sirroki crew is facing a courtmartial for Challenging their own telepath.”

  “Who?”

  “Guynor,” said Naisha. “You remember him, surely? He’s one of us. He came from Khyaal.”

  “I saw them taking someone off the shuttle under guard. Thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Why’d he Challenge the telepath?”

  Maikoe put her mug down and sat back in her chair. “He Challenged the female first, but he was stopped, so he Challenged the telepath instead. He went all the way, too: a Death Challenge, no less.”

  Chyad sat forward, ears pricking with interest. “For what?”

  “Because of the female Terran. He accused him of using his talent to make her pair with him.”

  “And did he?”

  Maikoe shrugged. “The trooper I spoke to didn’t know any more.”

  “I don’t like it, Maikoe,” he said, shaking his head. “Why didn’t the Valtegans kill the Terrans? They killed everyone on Khyaal and Szurtha. What was different here on this world? I have a strong feeling that this could be a trap. Allying ourselves with the Terrans could be the worst thing we’ve ever done. There are bound to be collaborators still on the planet, and having betrayed their own kind once, they won’t have any qualms about betraying us.”

  “This world has fewer people on it,” volunteered Khay. “It could simply be that they didn’t see the few Terrans here as a threat.”

  “I don’t agree with that,” said Ngalu. “If they let them live, there has to be a reason. I think Chyad’s right. They could be laying low, ready to signal the Valtegans when they think we’re at our most vulnerable.”

  “There’s got to be something we can do,” said Maikoe. “There’s an official get-together for those of us who lost family in the seventh level mess in an hour’s time. Maybe if enough of us protest about this treaty, they’ll listen to us.”

  “Don’t hold your breath,” said Chyad. “In fact, don’t say anything about how we feel if you go to the meeting. If we want to do something about this treaty, then we’ll have to do it ourselves, and we can’t do anything with the milit
ary protectorate looking over our shoulders. Believe me, if they get the faintest notion about how we feel, the protectorate will have us in the brig so fast our feet won’t touch the ground.”

  Naisha looked uncomfortably at the others. “Look, I think we might be overreacting,” she said. “We’ve no proof that these Terrans are in league with the Valtegans. They’d been here for years before our colonies were destroyed. The Terrans could be victims just as our families were.”

  Chyad took a swig of his drink and put the mug back on the table. “You could be right, Naisha,” he conceded. “What we need more than anything else is reliable information. Most of us work in different departments. Let’s see what we can find out. Does anyone know any of the Sirroki’s crew?” He looked at the other five people in Maikoe’s crowded room.

  “I’ve flown with Mito Rralgu before,” said Maikoe, “but I wouldn’t say I really know her. Khay has, too.”

  Khay looked over at her in surprise. “I don’t remember her,” he said.

  “Just take my word for it,” Maikoe said.

  “Well, see if you can get the chance to talk to her. The rest of you, see what gossip you can substantiate. Jakule,” he said, turning to the only trooper in the room. “You see what you can find out from any of your cronies running ground patrol duties.”

  Jakule nodded. “I’ll see if I can get down planetside to talk to some of the Terrans,” he said.

  “Just do as you’re asked, Jakule,” said Chyad, his tone sharp. “I don’t want you drawing attention to yourself. Ask your friends in the smoke den, see what they know. They must have managed to set up some black market deals in new narcotics by now.” His tone was full of contempt. “You’d better get on your way if you plan to make that meeting,” he said, looking round the rest of them. “I’ll be in touch. Remember, say nothing to anyone else at this moment, and let me know if you hear anyone else talking out against the treaty or the Terrans.”

  He waited till they’d gone before getting up to fetch another mug of c’shar.

  “What are you planning?” asked Maikoe, following him with her eyes. “You agreed far too readily with Naisha.”