"I'll show you." Kirek stood there in front of them. Nothing changed.

"He isn't gone, is he?" Ranth asked.

"He's right here." Zical tousled the boy's hair.

"He's disappeared from my sensors. I can't get a reading." Ranth sounded more intrigued than disturbed.

"Kirek?" Zical's tone his curious but not the least bit anxious.

"He's back on my sensors now, Ranth reported.

"We'll have to turn around to take him home." Zical plucked the boy into his arms.

Dora understood that Zical was disappointed by the huge delay in their journey, but his arms ground Kirek remained gentle, his tone kind, his demeanor compa.s.sionate.

After they'd made good use of the Osarian black holes, their speed was incredible.

Although they'd just left, to brake their ship then turn around and retrace their flight path without the slingshot effect would take years.

Kirek squirmed. "My presence is necessary to this mission. Without me, you will fail." Such a serious, grown-up prediction, like that of a prophet, coming from the mouth of a little boy seemed incongruous, but Zical hesitated. "How do you know we need you?"

"I just do." Kirek wriggled down and looked up at him beseechingly, his big blue eyes both wise and sad.

Dora wanted to tell the boy everything would be fine. This wasn't his quest. He should have time to be a kid before he placed himself in jeopardy on a dangerous mission. Yet, clearly Kirek had never been a normal kid. Even before his birth, the 101.

family had been aware of his strong psi presence. And since then, he had an inner quality that radiated from him-like a wise, old soul.

"Shannon, How's that hyperlink call to Etru coming? Zical frowned at Kirek. I'm not taking you anywhere without your father's permission."

Kirek didn't argue. Instead, he stood too still for a child, his expression serene, his chubby cheeks set, his demeanor calm.

When his father's face finally appeared on the vidscreen, Kirek's expression filled with love. "Hi, Dad told you they wouldn't find me."

"You knew this child intended to stow away aboard my ship?" Zical's tone rose in astonishment.

It was two days before they heard Etru's reply and in those two days they'd traveled a third of the way to their final destination. Ranth reconstructed the conversation with questions and answers in real time so it seemed like a normal conversation. But in reality, the starship occupants spoke, asking question after question in an initial message. Much later, Etru answered those questions in one long message.

"I knew Kirek intended to try and sneak aboard," Etru admitted. "I thought the sensors would catch him and he'd learn a good lesson." Proud and sad, Etru spoke with Zical, but his gaze was focused hungrily on his son. Etru and Miri had conceived the child late in life and Kirek would likely be their only offspring. Etru doted on the boy, whose intellect had already surpa.s.sed that of his parents.

Zical shrugged. "As you can see, he's learned how to fool Ranth's sensors. We haven't yet discovered how."

"Dad, I must stay. They need me." Kirek repeated his words and they sounded no less a prophecy this time than the last.

Zical spoke to Etru. "Our journey might last longer than many. We're exploring unknown territory and we may not return for centuries." He paused, and everyone on the bridge heard the words the captain didn't speak. That they might never come back.

"Your son will miss his schooling-''

"I've already pa.s.sed the required courses," Kirek told him.

Dora knew that Kirek was being modest. The kid was way beyond the university level in physics and math. But it wasn't his vast store of knowledge that impressed her, it was the connections he could make with a limited number of facts. As Tessa would say, the kid could think outside of box-a trait both precious and unique.

Ranth piped in." I will instruct him in his studies during his time aboard the Verazen.''

"We don't have offer children here," Zical protested with a deep frown. "Without playmates, his social stills will not be adequate."

Kirek shook his head. "Kids my age still play in the sandlot. We don't have much in common except physical size."

102.

"I'll watch out for him," Dora offered, aware that of all the crew, she had the most time to spare. And although Kirek didn't need parents, he needed someone to love him and she thought maybe she could do that.

Shannon spoke with the voice of experience. "Boys his age aren't any trouble if you keep them busy."

Zical's grin said that Kirek was already trouble, but to his credit he didn't disagree.

His gaze swept across to Dora, as if asking her opinion on whether or not it was a good decision to let him stay. They exchanged a long glance and she nodded yes, pleased she could figure out his silent question, pleased the rapport she'd often shared with Zical when shed been a computer hadn't completely vanished with her humanity. When Kirek had proclaimed they needed him, an answering chord inside her had agreed. It was something she couldn't explain with logic. Was this a hunch? She didn't know, but her gut agreed with her head, even if she couldn't give a logical reason.

Vax offered, "I'll teach him to fight."

Zical was wavering. "Etru, he's your child. It's your decision."

Already their speed was so great that no Federation ship had ever gone as fast. If they slowed, stopped, and turned, using their, regular hyperdrive, Kirek would likely be an adult long before they could return him to his parents.

A tear escaped Etru's eye. "I love you, son. Your mother and I will miss you."

"Thanks. You're going to be proud of me."

"I already am." Etru's wrinkled face was now shiny with tears that he didn't attempt to hide. "Be careful and come back safe." Etru ended the communication and the screen went blank.

"Hold on." Zical scowled at the little boy. "If you're joining this crew, you must agree to take orders from me."

"Yes, sir."

"I want your promise that you won't hide from Ranth unless you're working with him to figure out how you cloak yourself from his sensors."

"Agreed."

"And if you have any particular notions on how to accomplish this mission, you'll talk than over with one of my officers or me and get permission before you proceed."

"Sure."

"All right. You can bank down with-"

"Me," Dora volunteered. She'd always enjoyed Kirek and she needed a distraction from thinking about Zical so much of the time. Besides Ranth, she had the best all- around education and could help the boy along in his studies better than anyone. She was the logical choice to be a subst.i.tute mom and actually looked forward to the challenge.

"Do you know anything about children?" Zical asked, his eyes fixing on her with sudden intensity, obviously hesitant to give his approval.

103.

Was he questioning her capability or her humanity? Either way, she didn't appreciate his interrogation, sure he wouldn't have doubted anyone else in his crew.

Raising her chin, she dared him to contradict her. "What I don't know, I can learn."

Dora wanted to rub her pounding temple, close her eyes against the streaking stars, and let her stomach settle. As if her body didn't have enough to deal with, adjusting to hypers.p.a.ce, her arm spasmed, and to slop the spasm, she had to grab her wrist with her other hand. And all the while, she held Zical's fierce glare.

She suspected he had more to say to her, but he didn't get the chance. They were supposed to remain in hypers.p.a.ce much longer, but suddenly the drive cut out, the ship lurched, shuddered and dumped them into normal s.p.a.ce.

When Dora regained her balance, she motioned for Kirek to join her. Zical's attention turned to his crew and instrumentation. "What happened?"

"The engine's fail-safe device overreacted to the hull's external heat," Cyn reported.

"Where are we?"

"Near Rigel Five."

"Preparing to jump back into hyperdrive," Vax said. Webbing dropped and this time Dora made sure that Kirek was webbed in before she secured herself.

"Get us back in the groove," Zical ordered. The drive hummed and normal s.p.a.ce once again disappeared. "How much velocity did we lose?" Zical asked.

Before he received an answer, the Verazen again plopped into normal s.p.a.ce.

"Stars!" Zical checked the monitors. "Now what's wrong?"

"We're undergoing spatial interference that our scanners cannot identify," Ranth said. "I'm working to modify our deflector shields."

"Are we under attack?" Zical asked.

"Sensor readings aren't picking up any ships within weapons' range."

But they didn't know much about the races who lived this part of the galaxy or what kind of technology they might have. Perhaps they possessed powerful weapons that covered much larger distances. Every second of delay was serious. As the ship traveled through normal s.p.a.ce, they lost critical speed that they could never make up again, adding time to their journey.

"We're at a crossroads," Kirek told them, his face scrunched up, his little body trembling with eerie intensity. "If we attempt to return to hypers.p.a.ce, we'll fail."

"If we stay in normal s.p.a.ce, we'll fail." Zical disagreed with the child, but not unkindly. "Unless we use the ship's hyperdrive, it'll take centuries to reach the galaxy's rim."

"There is another... path. You will find it."

"Can you be a little more specific?" Zical asked, but the boy's eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.

104.

The webbing held him in place until Dora rushed over to untangle him. She gathered him into her arms and carried him off the bridge, wondering what Zical would choose to do, but confident in his abilities. "I'll take him to the medical bay."

Dora didn't bother to ask Ranth to tap her into the discussion on the bridge. Her head ached and she was worried about Kirek. For the moment they remained in normal s.p.a.ce and she was glad.

The child's statement couldn't be ignored, ever if they didn't understand his meaning. The circ.u.mstances of and his birth and development were unique. Before they risked their lives in hypers.p.a.ce again, she wanted to speak to Kirek, but when the child returned to consciousness, he insisted on going to her quarters, claiming he only needed to rest instead of visiting the medical bay.

"Ranth?" Dora used her psi to float down a level to her quarters.

"All Kirek's vital signs have returned to normal."

"Okay." She carried the boy into her cabin. While s.p.a.ce on a starship was always at a premium, her quarters had a small living area with a food materializer and a sleep room. However she was reluctant to put him down. She'd never held a child before and marvelled at the protective feelings that touching him brought out. His skin was softer than adult's and he smelled sweet. His breath on her neck and his arms over her shoulders made her want to hold him tight. However, he was already squirming for her to let him loos.

She placed Kirek near a viewscreen, figuring the starscape might comfort the boy.

"Kirek those things you said on the bridge-"

His big blue eyes looked at her sadly. "You don't believe me?"

"How do you know that we mustn't return to hypers.p.a.ce? Not that I'm complaining. It gave me a terrible headache."

"My mom says to drink extra liquids for a headache. Water is best."

Kirek sounded as if he missed his mother already. Dora stroked his forehead and cuddled him. I'll get a drink in a minute." Then she waited for him to answer her question.

"Sometimes our future comes to me."

Was Kirek clairvoyant? Throughout history people claimed to see the future. On Earth, a thousand years before World War II and Hitler, Nostradamus had claimed a man called Hisler would start a great war. He was off by one letter. And on Zenon, a Zenonitie by the name Yulandros predicted the rise of the Federation before the Zenonites had rocketed to their moon. Others had correctly foretold disasters, predicted inventions that scientists wouldn't create for hundreds of years. But did that make them prophets or good guessers?

"Do the visions come to you in a dream?" Dora asked.

105.

He shook his head, "Never when I'm sleeping. Things just pop into my head when I'm awake-like a holovid, but I rarely get the beginning or the ending, only a small piece."

"What kinds of things do you see?"

Kirek crossed his legs under him and floated by the starscape, staring at the unfamiliar view, but she the feeling he was looking inside himself, rather than outward.

"I see an alternate future."

"You don't see our future, but an alternate one?"

He sighed, his eyes closing with weariness. "That depends on the choices we make."

She didn't like pressing him when he was so exhausted, but new Zical would want answers. "Can you be a little more specific?"

"I saw what would happen if we stayed on our original course, but not what will happen if we take a different turn."

"And if we go back into hypers.p.a.ce?

"We will all die."

"How do you how that this will happen now and not in the future?"

"It's just a feeling."

"And these feelings are always correct?"