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  “Oh, Beauty, I wish I could.”

  With that cryptic comment ringing in the air, the skimmer engines changed tone and they settled in for a landing.

  “Welcome to my private retreat.” He lifted her from the floor of the skimmer and held her against his chest, walking to the large shuttle that was squatting in the meadow. A hatch opened at his approach.

  “Handy, a bio sensor.” Her admiration of technology was genuine. It was her favourite part of leaving Terra—the new and fascinating applications of technology that were available for her examination.

  As he stepped into the shuttle and the door slid shut behind them, he answered in a wry tone. “Very handy when being chased by predators.”

  Since the largest predator in the area was holding her in his arms, she didn’t comment.

  Chapter Three

  The interior was not that of a standard shuttlecraft. Back on Earth, hospitals would kill for that kind of equipment. “Wow.”

  “Ah. I do occasional forays to plague worlds and natural disasters. Having everything I need at my fingertips is a handy thing.” As he held her, he flicked a switch with the tip of his booted foot. An examination table slid free of the wall and locked into place. He gently deposited her onto the clean bench, then turned away to rummage through a drawer.

  “Here we are. Let’s check that adrenaline and get it under control, shall we?” The cheerful tone of a doctor who loved his work was obvious.

  “Why do doctors always speak in the third person?”

  He began running the scanners over her with brusque efficiency. The flicker of interest that had been in his eyes earlier was gone, leaving cool control and detached interest. “It helps us to imagine ourselves in the body of the patient. Some do it for effect, but as you know, the Wyorans do it to distance our empathy.”

  “Speaking of empathy, why did you say that you couldn’t stop touching my mind?” She looked up and was gratified to see his eyes widen with remembrance over that one phrase.

  “Well, I seem to be stuck.” He put the scanner aside and looked her in the eye.

  Blinking in shock, she took stock of her mental state. Part of her mind was indeed clinging to him. She tried to pry her emotional neediness off him, but it wasn’t working. He was the only sentient being in the area and she was stuck to him.

  “I am sorry.” She was embarrassed. “I guess I am not used to being alone. It scares me more than I would like to admit.”

  His brow furrowed. “You were in a tank for four years and you were not alone? How is that possible?”

  “I can’t tell you that. It’s classified. I am sorry that it sounds more mysterious than it should, but it’s true.” Relays were not common knowledge. Most personnel did not know or need to know that all secure conversations were routed through living beings. That was why they were secure. With biology constantly changing, no records of the conversations were maintained through the communications system. The minds of the relays were trained to dump the information after every priority call. Only the most general idea of the communication stayed with them and nothing that could be used to create a transcript.

  Allie felt her lips twitch in a smile, her lack of attention span was what had gotten her into the Alliance. The one and only time that it had benefited her directly.

  “Accepted. But yes, until you let me go, I am going to have to keep close to you for the purpose of your mental health.” He was back to being a doctor again. His scanners chirping and whirring a series of data streams onto the monitors.

  “Well, Beauty, I can say that adrenaline and weak muscles are your main problem. I can flush the adrenaline, but you will have to remain with me until I either take you to Morganti or we wait for them to track your ship.”

  “Please work on the adrenaline. I have little enough muscle control without spasming all over the place.”

  A hypospray and a few seconds later, she was feeling calmer. Allie lifted her hands and flexed them while a wave of fatigue washed over her. She wiggled her toes and sighed happily. Back under control at last.

  “You know, the amount of scar tissue on you makes me think you may be a Relay. I have never seen one, but I took a class on biotech when I was at school and they had examples of a few. Negotiators of course, pilots, navigators, certain types of hunters and, of course, relays. All designed to be combinations of living beings controlling vast technologies. Impressive stuff. The person has to have a malleable system to be able to stop rejection or constant infection. The side effect is that they don’t live very long.”

  “That’s true. That is why those biotech combos try to put in their time and retire or find another job opportunity as quickly as they can.” She grimaced. “Hypothetically of course.”

  “Of course.” He smiled, displaying sharp white teeth with pronounced canines.

  She struggled to sit up and he helped her with an arm around her back. Allie pivoted and draped her legs over the edge of the table and kicked her legs slowly to regain control.

  “I don’t think you walk very well, do you?”

  “Not yet. I am still recovering from my time in the tank.” She left the relay portion of the assignment out of the comment.

  “Then I will try to contact Morganti and ask them how they want you delivered.” He scooped her up and walked through the shuttle to deposit her in the co-pilot’s seat.

  “Great. I am sure that they will be only too happy to hear that I am still coming.” She realized that she hadn’t said something. “Thank you, Effin. Not all would have bothered to come looking for survivors.”

  “I am always up for rescuing a damsel in distress.”

  In a move that surprised them both, he leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. His lips were soft, warm and tickled at the data port on the centre of her forehead. It was one of three on her head and the one that most made her feel like a neutered unicorn when she looked in the mirror. It was why she avoided mirrors.

  Warmth flowed through their emotional link from both sides. That seemed to have been why he leaned back just as she did, breaking their tenuous physical connection.

  “You had better make that call.” She straightened in the chair and began to fiddle with the limp locks of hair that were coated with dried gel.

  “Indeed.”

  His fingers moved quickly over the communications keys and it took fifteen minutes to make the connection, but eventually, a new voice broke their silence.

  “This is Sector Base Morganti, Kale speaking.”

  Effin gestured for Allie to take the call.

  “Sector Base, this is Alessandra Wyt. I have been recently assigned to your facility, but my vehicle crashed on the way and now I am stranded.”

  “Were you injured?”

  “No, and a physician was on the planetoid that I landed on. Effin Nywyn of Wyora. He removed me from the wreckage and has assured my health.”

  “Excellent. Star Breaker is off base, as is Pilot. Is there anyway for your rescuer to bring you here?”

  Effin joined in. “I would be happy to. It isn’t every day that you go out hunting and carry home a survivor.”

  The laugh was quite pleasant, cheerful even. “Then please, bring her to Morganti. Commander is eager to meet her.”

  “And I him. We will see you in…” She looked over to Effin and he took over.

  “Three days, maximum. I will have her to her new assignment in one piece.”

  “See that you do. We will intercept and speed your journey if we can. Sector Base Morganti, out.” The connection went dark and it was just Allie, Effin and the connection between them.

  He turned to her and smiled. “It will only take a day, but I wish to lay in some more supplies and water while we are here. Who knows when I will have another chance to hunt?”

  “Seriously? I interrupted your hunting? I am sorry. I seem to remember that vacations were fun.”

  “It is. With my link training, it is necessary to go somewhere people are not.”


  “Then I am doubly embarrassed for intruding on your time.”

  He stood and bowed to her, the courtly gesture bringing a blush to her cheeks. “It is nothing, Beauty. Glad to be of assistance. It has the ring of right place and right time.”

  He held his hand out to her and she took it, standing on wobbly legs. “I don’t know about that. Seems to me you were in the wrong place at the right time.”

  He led her back to the clinic part of the shuttle, boosting her back onto the table. “Stay here. I need to lay in some fresh water so that you can have a shower to get the gel off. It looks cute and all, but you are going to start randomly sticking to items in a few hours.”

  “Great. What can I do?”

  “Stay here and rest. You should have crashed already. I am amazed that you are still up and running.”

  “Running isn’t something I can do right now.” She yawned at the mere mention of the word rest.

  “You will be safe from the wild predators if you remain in the shuttle. A few may attack it closer to dusk, but you are in no danger.” While he spoke, he strapped some weaponry across his bare chest. Knives, arrows and a dart gun were only a few of the items he was wearing when he stood in the open doorway. “Stay put, Beauty. I will return with water and dinner.”

  She was going to wish him luck, but he was out of her field of vision with the door closing behind him before she could speak.

  Only the light touch of his mind on hers kept her calm and with superhuman effort, she pulled her legs up onto the table and lay back. Rest and calm. Rest and calm. She chanted it over and over until, eventually, it swallowed her thoughts and she rested.

  * * * *

  Effin leapt through the forest, tracking the beast that would become their dinner. Just having Beauty near him was energizing.

  She was too thin for her own health, but that would be easily fixed with regular meals and exercise. He just had to find a way to work his way into the staff at Sector Base Morganti and he would be able to assure it.

  As he scented the animal he was after, he fought a grin, if he had his way, the link between them would grow stronger until it was unbreakable. As a hunter, he knew his target when he saw it and she was all soft and defenceless. He looked forward to watching her grow claws.

  Chapter Four

  Fingers stroked the hair away from her temples and caressed the ports in turn. “Wake up, Beauty. Dinner will be ready in less than an hour and you can have a shower as soon as you get yourself off the table.”

  He probably didn’t mean for her to simply roll off the table to the floor and start crawling for the lav, but she was used to the impact by now and had taught herself how to fall. Above her, Effin cursed and picked her up.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Because it was the fastest way to get what I wanted and I really want that shower, though I don’t know what I will put on afterward.”

  He sighed heavily. “I have some patient gowns you can use until your suit is clean and dry.”

  She kept quiet while he carried her to the lav, placing her in the shower area. She pulled herself upright on the bars and waved for him to leave. “Shoo. This stuff is really getting sticky.”

  “I will leave the gown outside the door.”

  He left her alone and she started the shower, jumping and hissing as the icy water rolled out of the showerhead and onto her body. It rapidly warmed and she shook with the effort to stay under the spray. A gel soap that smelled a lot like her host stripped the remaining goo out of her hair making her sigh in relief.

  Having gooey hair was one of her least favourite things about being packed for transport, but a hot shower was one of her most favourite. Only stripping off the body suit was better than the feeling of clean hair.

  The fabric that they had given her kept her skin from excess stimulation, but it also felt weird. She hated the damned thing.

  Sensuality was not a word the she would associate with herself, but under the water and covered with soap, she had a tiny flicker of interest. The feel of her ribs creeped her out, bringing her to the realization that she was not exactly at her most alluring at the moment. The more she thought about it, the more she began to think that the nickname Beauty was meant to be mocking and not flattering. It was probably easier than remembering her name.

  Her nap had given her a little energy, but it rapidly waned as she finished and set the blower to dry her. She shivered with every nerve waking in the blasts of blowing air and twisted as much as she could to get full coverage.

  As soon as she was dry, she knelt to wring out the suit.

  Effin’s voice came through the door. “Leave it. I will take care of the suit after you are dressed.”

  The door to the lav opened a crack and a hand extended a folded piece of fabric to her. She took it and held it in front of her until the hand retreated. The medical gown was similar to ones she had worn back on Earth, modest enough as long as you didn’t move quickly. It wrapped and tied on one side, covering her from neck to knees. She wasn’t going to be crawling anywhere in this thing, it would snag on her knees.

  Careful to balance against the wall, she opened the door and moved into the hall. Step by step, she moved toward the smell of dinner.

  “Mm. Roast beast and vegetables. It looks lovely.”

  “Thank you, you look a little pale. Have a seat.”

  A table had been folded out with benches on either side. She scooted gratefully onto one of the benches and blinked in surprise when a tray full of food landed on the table.

  “Eat.”

  Keeping in mind that her digestive system was just coming back on line, she started with tiny bites of a tuber, then worked her way up to itty bitty pieces of meat.

  Effin slid into place across from her and dug in. In between bites he asked, “It has only been two months since you were decanted?”

  “Three weeks. I was in a hurry.”

  He cursed in a language that didn’t translate. “No wonder you are so weak.”

  “The opportunity for the assignment on Morganti came up suddenly. There was no time to wait until I was one hundred percent again.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I needed a change of venue or I would be stuck in that position indefinitely. Inside a tank, you can only have so many minerals and vitamins replaced with a drip. Eventually, your body degrades to the point where full recovery is not likely. I was hovering on the brink when the position came up.”

  “What is the position you are travelling toward?”

  “Classified. I think. I don’t know, but it seems weird to talk about it. It is a placement at the Sector Guard base.” A glass of water chased down mouthfuls of food. She was full in only a few minutes.

  “You are going to have to increase your food capacity if you are to regain your strength. I will put away the food and you will have leftovers in three hours.” His words were not a question. “Now, I will attend to your suit and we will get underway. The water supply should last us a week under normal circumstances and three if anything untoward happens. The meat that I hunted has replenished the stores and the vegetables will last for up to a week.”

  That was surprising—most ships carried pre-packed food. “You don’t go for ration packs?”

  “Not if I can help it. Those things taste synthetic. Ick.”

  He made a face, startling a laugh out of Allie. He went from grown man to five year old with that look. It made him a little less super heroish in her eyes.

  Effin stood and went into the lav. A few minutes later, he emerged with a clean but dripping body suit. Efficiently, he put away all of the food and folded the dining table and the exam table back in. Allie moved slowly to the co-pilot’s seat and strapped in. At his approving nod, she relaxed for takeoff.

  She breathed deeply as the ship tilted for launch, keeping herself calm with mental chants and reiteration that she would soon be on Morganti and everything would be fine. She would have screamed when th
e engines lit, but the pressure on her lungs was more than she was prepared for and she blacked out.

  She woke in the same spot she blacked out in, but now the darkness of space surrounded her instead of the planetoid’s surface. “Did I fall asleep?”

  “Yes. You really should not have rushed your physical therapy. You are sorely lacking in the muscle tone that you need for space travel.”

  She groaned and clutched her pounding head. “I know. I get it. Thank you, Dr. Nywyn, for your expert opinion.”

  “Go and get something to drink. I will program Morganti into the computer and we will be able to continue your physical therapy.”

  Allie unbuckled and walked slowly to the galley. She couldn’t help but mutter, “Continue? When did it start?”

  Effin wasn’t kidding. His tactics were brutal, but she fell asleep after each session and woke with her body aching, so it was effective.

  Two days later, she was full, exhausted and every muscle was identified by the particular type of pain it radiated.

  She was horribly relieved when the com unit lit up and a blaring message filled the shuttle.

  “This is Sector Base Morganti, approaching shuttle, please identify yourself.”

  Effin left her on the floor mid-stretch to answer the call. She collapsed backward in relief. For a physician, he sure liked pain.

  He exchanged pleasantries and got a heading for entry to the atmosphere.

  “Beauty, get up here and strap in. Landing is not my forte.”

  “Oh God.” Scrambling to her feet as best she could, she hauled her aching body into the seat and strapped in. Using one of the newly learned tactics for breath control, she breathed and huffed her way through the wobbles, dips and twists of the landing, confident that she was turning purple with her effort not to faint.

  The expanse of the Guard Base spread before them, signals flaring and directing them to the landing site. With a few skids and bumps, Effin guided them to a halt.