Zical pulled his knife, his expression fierce. "If they want violence-"

"Put that away," Dora snapped. She peered at Avanti and Deckar. "Can't you claim we're on secret and official business?"

"One check into the computer," Avanti said, "and that approaching guard will know the truth."

"Let me handle the computer," Dora and Ranth went to work. Since Ranth was now free, he needed little guidance from her, allowing her to follow the conversation, around her in a way she'd never done before. It was like listening to a conversation while a holovid program played in the background and she caught pieces of each.

While she and Ranth plunged into the Kwadii system and eradicated all efforts to capture them, she held on to Kirek who stirred in her arms. As a Pirinja yanked open the door, she and Ranth quickly and efficiently erased the soldier's orders to capture them.

"Why have we been stopped?" Deckar asked with all the authority behind him of the cla.s.s who'd ruled Kwadii for ten thousand years.

"Orders, sir."

"I suggest you recheck your orders," Deckar demanded in a commanding tone that expected immediate obedience. "We are on a clandestine mission of vast importance.

You've drawn attention to our presence and placed lives at risk."

Avanti added her weight to the order, I'll hold you personally responsible if you delay our departure another minute."

The Pirinja swore under his breath, apologized, and waved back a squad of men.

However, he kept his weapon aimed at the skimmer, checked his wristvid for orders an frowned. "Something must be wrong."

207.

"Something's very wrong," Zical snarled. "You soldier, are stopping the Oracle."

The Pirinja's gaze went from his vidscreen to Zical. As if sensing his presence was required, Kirek opened his eyes. "Dregan h.e.l.l. Why has my sleep been disturbed? Is there no rest for Tirips's messenger?"

The Selgrens soldiers skepticism pulled his lips into an ugly sneer. "My missing order is highly unusual. I must check with my superior-"

"We have no time." Zical tried to reach out and close the door.

The soldier placed a boot in the way and consulted his holovid. "You will please wait one moment. I could lose my rank if-"

"Here." Kirek flipped the man a credit chip.

The Pirinja caught the credit chip in midair He eyed it suspiciously, then as he saw the credit amount on the chip his eyes widened. Dora wondered where Kirek had acquired a large amount of Kwadii credits. "Sorry to have delayed your trip."

As the Pirinja closed the door and stepped back smartly from the skimmer, motioning his men to raise the net, she surmised the bribe had worked. Relief flowed through Dora as Deckar punched the engine and they zipped toward the s.p.a.ceport. She hugged Kirek against her, smoothed his hair, and hoped he'd return to sleep. When she gazed down at his sleepy face, a smile flitted across his lips. And when she looked up, she caught Zical's burning gaze on her.

He was looking at her with a hungry expression of approval and need. She'd waited so long for him to look at her with that kind of regard, that for a moment she'd thought she was imagining it. But no. The burning in his eyes remained steady, and she realized that despite all the problems on Kwadii she would remember the planet with fondness. This was the world where she'd first made love. And this was the world where she and Zical had connected.

He'd picked a fine time to allow his pa.s.sion to show. While in a crowded skimmer.

While she held a child in her arms. While they fled for their lives.

During the last few days, she'd had little time to dwell on their personal relationship. And this was not the time either.

Deckar expertly parked the skimmer at the s.p.a.ceport. And as they all exited the vehicle, Dora linked with Ranth and monitored communications. They'd already sent the s.p.a.ceport's security detail to the far end of the tarmac to check out a bogus smuggling operation.

So far no one appeared to have noticed their alterations to the Kwadii computer systems. And they remained alone on the pavement. As their starship landed, she held her breath, half-expecting someone to stop them, or worse, shoot the ship out of the sky.

But when Vax opened the hatch and it was time to depart Kwadii, Kirek surprised her by waking completely and wriggling from her arms. He held out a hand to Deckar and Avanti in an odd gesture. Then he gazed into their faces, and spoke solemnly. "If you truly seek to find Nevanna, you must join our mission."

208.

"Join you?" Avanti asked.

"On the starship," Kirek told her.

Kirek's words took Dora by surprise. Until now, she'd believed Kirek was playing a role to help them escape Kwadii. But now she was no longer sure. Why would he invite Kwadii from two warring factions to join their mission?

Did Kirek believe that unless the two leaders were aboard the ship, the Kwadii would stop them? Or could Kirek's mind have snapped during his sleep deprivation?

Had he insisted that he was Tirips's Oracle for so long that he now believed it?

Fear for him triggered her every protective instinct. But Kirek didn't need her protection. His words had stunned Deckar and Avanti, their faces paling.

Deckar recovered first. "If you will have me, I will be honored to accompany you on this mission."

"Our mission is to reprogram the Sentinel and stop the Zin, not find Nevanna," Zical told them as a boarding ramp uncurled. "However, if you wish to join us, please understand you will be under my command and must abide by Federation law."

Dora was surprised that Zical hadn't refused to take these strangers along, but then, he'd held the boy in high regard since long before he'd been born. She remained silent, wanting to talk to Kirek in private.

Deckar and Zical strode toward the ship. Dora waited for Kirek, who still clasped Avanti's hand. The child gazed at her with wisdom too mature for the eyes of a four- year-old. "You do not believe in Tirips, do you, Selgren Avanti?"

"No."

Kirek winked at her. "But apparently your belief is not necessary, only your presence."

At Kirek's mischievous wink, Dora didn't know what to think. The child was asking Avanti to leave her world, to go on a mission of faith when she had none. Dora expected to say good-bye and depart.

Zical and Deckar were already motioning them to hurry. They had to leave Kwadii quickly before the authorities realized they'd escaped. And still Kirek waited.

"It is difficult to leave one's world behind'' he told her. But sacrifices must be made.

And you have been chosen for the task."

"Come." Dora tugged on Kirek's hand. "We can't linger. You are only the messenger. If she chooses not to listen, it's not your fault."

"You are correct." Kirek released Avanti's hand.

Dora and Kirek hurried to the ship, leaving the Selgren leader behind on the tarmac. Dora glanced over her shoulder once and caught a pensive expression on Avanti's face. With Kirek and Dora about to climb through the hatch, Avanti had mere seconds to change her mind.

Chapter Twenty.

"Close the hatch," Zical ordered, not the least bit surprised when Avanti stepped through the portal and onto the bridge at the last second. She'd never struck turn as a coward. He nodded in her direction. "Welcome aboard."

The hatched clanged shut. After boarding, Zical had taken a moment to change into his suit and to temper his elation at bringing his people on board. Although he'd always wish he could have saved everyone, he considered losing only the one panicked scientist after they'd first arrived a major victory-a victory that would allow him to continue his mission.

His responsibility to the Federation and Mystique was never far from his thoughts.

With his mission back on track, he renewed his determination to find the Sentinel, to reprogram the machine so all peoples in this galaxy would remain safe from the Zin.

With renewed purpose, he strode onto the bridge, pleased that his crew's determination hadn't wavered. No one had even suggested they turn around and go home.

With the Kwadii dampeners off, their engine worked and so did their psi-controlled suits. It felt great to be clean again able to move at the speed of thought. Living on Kwadii without their suits had been like living without one of their senses, and it was a measure of crew discipline that they hadn't complained. In fact they'd adapted, and he was proud of them all. Especially Dora. He'd begun to realize just how difficult it must have been for her to adjust not just to the lack of a suit, but to human form.

There was much he wanted to say to Dora, but right now his priority was to lift his ship back into s.p.a.ce. Put the mission in the groove of hypers.p.a.ce.

Zical glanced to his chief engineer. "Cyn?"

"Engines ready to go, Captain."

"Dr. Laduna and his staff are set for departure," his first officer summarized.

"Cargo and supplies are exactly as we left them. Water tanks have been topped off."

The exhausted Kirek had departed for his quarters but Dora remained at a computer station. She no longer needed hardware to tap into Ranth with her psi. But the blank expression in her eyes and the lack of emotion on her face indicated that she was linked, monitoring the Kwadii communications to ensure their lift off would not be challenged.

His communications officer, Shannon Walker, sat at her station, but she had no job to do, since they planned to keep the Kwadii in the dark about their departure. Instead of asking for permission to depart the planet, she instructed Avanti and Deckar how to 210.

web in for liftoff. Since the pair had yet to learn how to use their psi or their new suits to nullify the g-force, they would require additional protection.

"Dora?" Zical prodded her into giving a report.

Her tone was flat, indicating her attention was split between the ship and her exalted computer. "Captain, the Kwadii dampeners were developed by a race as old as the Perceptive Ones and are technically superior to ours. They power their machinery by converting both solar power from their sun and geothermal power from their Lava flow, transforming it to negative energy on their moons. The result is hypers.p.a.ce defense system that can also be employed to enhance our journey as effectively as our initial boost from the Osarian black holes."

His hope rose joyfully to think that they might complete their mission much sooner than he'd antic.i.p.ated after losing their original momentum, but he kept his tone even.

"Are saying the Kwadii system will accelerate us back to our former speed in hypers.p.a.ce?"

"Affirmative. Captain."

''Will the Kwadii be able to come after us again?"

"We intend to drain their power almost dry. By the time they can recharge, we'll be long gone."

"What's required?" Determination to place them back on track filled him.

"Ranth and I will perform the calculations." Dora spoke in a voice so flat he had to refrain from wincing. The contradiction between his excitement and her cold, mechanical voice vexed him. Now that he knew how warm and giving she could be, her return to efficient crew member irked him.

While Zical needed her help, he'd always disliked it when she popped back into computer mode. However, he couldn't complain when she was doing her job so well.

"Commencing countdown to liftoff," Vax said.

Cyn, as usual, remained rock steady. "Engineering is a go."

The liftoff procedures settled Zical's elation at escaping Kwadii. Daring the last few years he'd become more at home in s.p.a.ce than in his quarters on Mystique and the engine vibrations beneath his feet soothed him. The delay on Kwadii had cost him the life of one scientist, but it could have wrecked the entire mission. And even as the many tasks he needed to complete popped onto his vidscreen, he was glad to be back on course.

Kahn and Tessa must be worried by now and he needed to check in once they were safely away. Miri and Etru would want to rea.s.sure themselves that Kirek was fine. And the Federation would need particulars about Kwadii, especially about their beliefs that hypers.p.a.ce travel might lead the Zin to the Federation. After Ranth and the scientists had carefully checked Kwadii libraries and data banks, Zical had no proof that the Kwadii belief that the Zin could find them through a hypers.p.a.ce trail was anything 211.

more than superst.i.tion, so the mission would continue as planned. Zical had endless details, logs, and reports to file, but the person he wanted to talk to most was Dora.

He could no longer deny his attraction to her intelligence her beauty and her courageous nature. But he didn't wish to return to their old relationship, the kind they'd had before they'd landed on Kwadii. He wanted to openly express hiss affections. He wanted to seek out her company whenever he wished. If he had been Terran, he might have asked Dora to share his quarters. No regulations prevented crew members from forming social units, as long as they competently performed their a.s.signed Tasks.

However, Zical came from Rystan. And on his world, men didn't make love to women outside the bonds of marriage. He'd gone against custom once, making love to Dora, believing they'd be executed the following day. He'd flaunted custom again, when Dora had a need to increase her psi power, by making love in the sub. His reasons had been good, and if he had the same choice to make, he'd do nothing differently.

Holding her, loving her, living so closely with her through such trying circ.u.mstances, had convinced him of what she'd seemed to know all along-that they were meant for each other. The idea pleased him. Although the timing could have been better, and he wished they weren't on such a dangerous mission, if all went well they would spend the next day or two in hypers.p.a.ce, more than enough time to settle things between them.

The liftoff jarred him from his thoughts, and as the ship soared into s.p.a.ce, his heart lightened. He could still complete his mission. His crew was safe. They'd found and rescued Kirek. And along the way, he'd found someone extraordinarily special to hold close to his heart.

Dora had a unique way of looking at the world that complemented his more serious nature. He recalled how often she smiled, how she gave of her body during lovemaking, how she'd saved him with cool when thinking when the Kwadii had been about to lop off his head, how she'd risked her life to save Kirek-all while keeping an upbeat disposition. Sure, her linking with Ranth disturbed him, but once their mission was completed, she would have no more need to lose herself amid computer circuitry.

They could return to Mystique, build a home together.

Vax's voice interrupted Zical's musing. "Prepare for hypers.p.a.ce."

The familiar sensations of color and sound rea.s.sured Zical. They'd overcome enormous obstacles and he was certain they would face many more. Yet his confidence and hopes of success had never been higher and he attributed his feelings of well-being to Dora.

Although he wanted to speak with her, the ship and his responsibilities were his first concern. It was many weary hours later before his shift ended and he turned in.

Although he didn't expect to share his quarters before marriage, he was hoping Dora might visit him there. He'd come to think of her as a partner in this mission and valued 212.

her ideas as well as her company. But she wasn't asleep. At least not in his empty cabin, and it disappointed him that she wasn't there to celebrate their successful escape.

Zical threaded his fingers through his hair, glad he no longer needed to waste precious time shaving and bathing since his suit once again took care of his grooming needs. And yet, right now, the idea of sharing a water shower with Dora sounded enticing.

Stars. The woman had taken over his thoughts. He supposed once they'd spoken, he'd be able to better focus on his responsibilities. He wanted to succeed and bring everyone back safely. With that goal in mind, he convinced himself that seeking her out now might be best for the mission.

Dora awakened from a wonderful dream to Zical's kiss. "Mmm. I was hoping you'd come and find me."

With Kirek snugly tucked away in her sleeping quarters and the portal between the two areas closed, they had all the privacy they required. Although they'd made love recently on Kwadii, it seemed way too long ago, and she wanted to try making love in hypers.p.a.ce where sensations were especially sensitive. This time, they could concentrate on pure pleasure and she needn't try to put aside her worry for Kirek, the Sentinel, and if they'd ever escape Kwadii.

They'd made it back into s.p.a.ce. And now she was ready to reward the man who'd done everything possible to keep them alive. His arms around her allowed her to snuggle in ways she couldn't have done while she'd worn clothing instead of her suit. A simple psi thought here and there allowed for perfect pleasure, perfect pressure. And as she fitted her mouth to his, her senses quickened.

She'd always dreamed of having Zical for a lover and had feared that once they'd returned to the ship, he'd go back to treating her as one of the crew. But he seemed to want her as much as she wanted him and happiness zinged through her. She couldn't wait to make love with null grav. The variations, were as endless as the imagination.

And she already knew from the past experience that Zical could be quite inventive.