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  “Have you been in the Sector Guard long?”

  Counsel smiled, “Time is relative, but I knew for quite some time that there was no place for me back on Wyora. Being used to try and bring calm to the unbalanced is not my favourite occupation. Working with the Guardsmen who need some quiet help is far more gratifying.”

  Ikari’s face must have shown her confusion.

  “I am a psychic counsellor. My peculiarity is to be able to reach out and touch anyone once I know their mind pattern. Even a readout from a bio scan will do the trick. It lets me be anywhere and yet, I can still keep regular appointments with the Guardsmen who have experienced some difficulty in their duties.”

  “Does that happen a lot?”

  Counsel slowly stroked Maxi, “We see things we should not see and deal with things that should never have happened. It takes a toll, and if I can share that burden, it is lessened.”

  Ikari knew that feeling. The risk was occasionally worth the rewards, and based on the smile on Counsel’s face as she looked toward Contract, she had found a way to make it worth her while.

  Chapter Three

  Flying through the stars was boring, but Counsel, Maxi and Contract tried to keep her entertained. They kept her fed, relaxed and interested in her new station. It was hours before she realized that she had left her family and hadn’t even said goodbye.

  Counsel touched her hand, and Ikari felt an electric shock that began in her mind. The Guardsman’s eyes widened, and Ikari blinked back the tears that had been silently falling.

  “Oh, my dear. You have an amazing mind. I have never met one of the Resicor before. It is like staring into a hot rainbow.” Counsel blinked rapidly, and Maxi’s eyes glowed and swirled with bright interest.

  “You touched my mind just now. I could feel it. It was like touching a charging unit, not painful, but startling.”

  “Normally, folks do not feel my mind in theirs. I wanted to help share your grief, but I should have asked. My apologies.” Counsel inclined her head. “If you wish, we can call your parents. The Sector Guard has priority channels for interplanetary calling.”

  “Can I?” Ikari was on her feet in an instant.

  “Take the navigator station, and Contract will help you. You will be allowed unlimited contact on secured channels whenever you wish. We took you away so that you can have a useful life, and because one of our long-range seers has demanded that we come to your aid.” Counsel smiled.

  Ikari blinked at the mention of seers and walked carefully to the seat next to the pilot’s seat. “I can call my parents?”

  “I will call them this time and give you the codes. From then on, a simple fourteen digits and you will be calling your home line. Your family has been given a communicator with a dedicated encoding. You can speak freely but remember that they are subject to scanning from your government psychics.”

  Ikari nodded and watched his hands move over the console. There was a certain hypnotic quality to his voice whenever he spoke, but she was focussed on regaining contact with her family.

  Contract was a huge man. His hands were surprisingly graceful and competent on the keys.

  Ikari had to wonder what species he and Counsel were but wasn’t sure if it was acceptable to ask.

  “We are both Wyoran born, more or less. There are a few other races sprinkled in our genes.”

  She stifled a gasp. “You heard my thoughts?”

  “Counsel did, and she told me through our link. It is the Wyoran peculiarity that we tend to link to other psychics for personal emotional stability. I offered myself as Counsel’s anchor, and she was helpless to resist my charms.”

  A bark of laughter was heard from the back of the shuttle as his partner expressed her amusement.

  Ikari found herself smiling at the two and admiring the couple that they made.

  “I have placed the call, now Relay is routing it through the network, and we should have a response before we reach Teklan.” He turned and closed his eyes for a moment. “Jump, Counsel.”

  Ikari had no idea what he was talking about, but the shuttle suddenly spun around her, the sensation of being in two places at the same time overwhelmed her.

  Slightly queasy, she looked over to Contract as he flicked switches and steered the shuttle toward a series of round dots in the distance. “What was that?”

  “A stellar jump. We opened and closed a pinpoint in space for a fraction of a second, and in that moment, we moved from one place to another.”

  “It doesn’t feel very good.”

  “But it saves weeks or months of flight, depending on your destination. A little discomfort more than makes up for the time gain.” Contract smiled. “Your call is coming in. There are more focused relay stations here.”

  Ikari found that her palms were sweating. “What do I do?”

  The screen in front of her elevated. She was looking straight into it. An icon appeared, and she pressed it without being told.

  Her mother and father appeared in the image, and she fought sobs of relief. “I am so glad to see you well, Mom, Dad.”

  Her parents both had tears tracking down their faces, and her mother said, “I told you not to fly where they could see you, Iki.”

  Ikari stared at her parent for a moment before bursting out laughing. “I am banished to live on another world, and all you can say is I told you so? Mum, don’t ever change.”

  Her father leaned forward and wrapped an arm around her mother, “Ikari, are you well?”

  “Yes, Dad. I am to be inducted into the Citadel. How are things with you? Did the vet show up?”

  They lost an hour while they discussed the farm and the improvements that her parents were able to make with the large cash infusion that had been deposited to their accounts when she stepped off Resicor.

  The conversation had lightened Ikari’s heart tremendously, and the obvious relief on her parents’ faces showed that it had worked for them as well.

  “Well, Mom, Dad, I think that I should call an end to this call. I have been assured that I can keep in touch, and so, once I have a schedule, I will be making calls to you until you are sick of me.” Ikari smiled, and they made their goodbyes with only a light misting of eyes on all sides.

  When the screen went dark and sank back into the console, she smiled and hugged the knowledge that her parents were alive and well and still on the farm. They had a life, and it would go on without her, even if it hurt that she was no longer there.

  “We are arriving at Teklan. Please put your harness on for the landing.” Contract’s voice was kind.

  “Shouldn’t Counsel be here?”

  “We don’t need anyone at the nav station. We know where we are. Just hold tight and enjoy the sight of the first planet you will touch down on.”

  Behind them, Counsel buckled in and winked while Maxi disappeared to wherever she had been when Ikari had come on board.

  Contract called the planet they were approaching and received clearance to land. When they started through layers of atmosphere, Ikari perked up. Her interest was in the whistle of the wind against the shuttle. Now that there was wind around her, she itched to get outside.

  Her skin hummed, her hair wanted to feel the breeze and her hands curled and uncurled as they got closer to the surface.

  “Are you agitated, Ikari?”

  “I want to feel air again. This shuttle is too enclosed.” She looked at the incoming ground eagerly, and the moment that they stopped moving, she unbuckled and made a lunge for the rear hatch.

  The moment that the closure released, she was out the door and in the air. She heard shouting from the ground, but all she needed was a bit of sky.

  A shadow crossed between her and the sun, and she looked up as a tumble of wind knocked against her.

  A huge, leathery creature flew overhead, and its buffeting wings herded her back toward the base.

  Shaking her head, she turned and flew back to the shuttle, landing next to Counsel, Contract, Maxi and a woma
n that had rippling dark blue hair.

  Counsel smiled, “Ikari, this is Reset. She will be handling the alteration to your suit. Are you ready?”

  Reset’s lips quirked. “Are you sure that the suit is set to restrict? She was flying without any difficulty.”

  Ikari smiled and extended her hand in greeting. “Pleased to meet you, Reset. I am usually a lot faster. I tend to race our livestock down the meadows. They cheat, but I always win.”

  The hand that gripped her sent a short pulse of power up her arm, and it spread throughout her body.

  Reset looked as surprised as she was. “What species are you?”

  “Resicorian. Why?”

  “You are reacting like another race that I am familiar with, but it is faint, extremely faint. May I run some tests?”

  Ikari smiled. “Do what you like, but turn this suit down so I can race through the sky. I have never been able to fly without being afraid of being seen before. It was a lovely moment. What chased me in?”

  “Frost was in the area when we set off the alarm. He is a Drai sleeper, and he and his mate Finder were the first complete team here on Teklan.”

  Ikari watched the creature carve its way through the skies. “Does she look like that, too?”

  “No, Finder is a Terran. They are a race similar to yours, but they have not yet obviously developed their talents. Their population lies dormant for the most part, but they have the potential for power as Finder proves time and again.” Reset was gently steering her toward the building.

  A heavy column of mist met them inside and wrapped around Reset with delicacy and deliberate movements.

  “Ignore my husband, Ikari. He can be a little clingy at times.” Reset laughed, and the mist formed a column next to her that rapidly took the form of a Kozue.

  Ikari reeled back in shock. The Kozue were a race that the Resicor had the misfortune of knowing. She had never met one that turned into mist before, but there was a first time for everything.

  “Ikari, what is wrong?”

  “Kozue have killed many of my kind. They helped the psychics wipe out the physical talents on Resicor ninety years ago. After that, all physical talents were confined to the dome of the ancients.”

  The man reshaped his features slightly, and the war braids disappeared. He was still tall and imposing, but he no longer appeared Kozue.

  “Mist’s body can take any shape, he did not mean to cause you alarm.” Reset was watching a set of screens, and Ikari realized that they were displaying her pulse and other biological signatures.

  “I am not of the Kozue species, but there are some in the Guard.” The man smiled and bowed. “I hope that they will not cause you alarm in the future. If they are in uniform and have a talent, they are no longer welcome among their own kind.”

  Ikari blinked and shook her head. “I am sorry for my fright. The Kozue are the stuff that Resicor parents threaten their talented children with.”

  Mist smiled and resumed his previous appearances. “Reset is a genuine Kozue but she was banished along with her brother years ago.”

  “Really?”

  Reset grinned, “Really. Now, come and have a seat, and we will try and get your suit to obey your commands.”

  What followed was hours of clips attached to the cuffs and edges of her bodysuit, but eventually, after several rounds of tingling shocks, the suit released its grip on her internal power, and her talent flowed freely.

  Chapter Four

  “Can I go fly now?” Ikari knew she sounded plaintive, but there was nothing she wanted more than a flight in a new sky.

  Reset and Mist looked at each other and shrugged.

  Mist said, “I don’t see why not. We will just alert the ground and aircrews that you are on the loose. Come back when you feel tired or unsteady.”

  Ikari was so excited, she was hovering in place. The moment that Reset nodded, Ikari floated to the door before blasting down the hallway at one-quarter speed.

  She apologised to the three staffers that she bumped into on the way out, but the moment she reached open air, all other beings were forgotten.

  For the first time in her life, she could see what she was capable of and everyone else had better stay out of her way.

  * * * *

  “She’s an elemental. There is no doubt about it.” Reset watched the readouts on her screens and turned to the com screen in her medical bay.

  Mist sat next to her and nodded to the Kozue on the other side of the conversation.

  “Khivon, you are going to have you hands full. She isn’t fond of Kozue.”

  The male on the other end of the call sighed and ran his hands through his braids. “Of course she isn’t. Is she well, did the suit come off like we planned?”

  Mist smiled at his mate and turned back to the Citadel seer and medic of Dorali. “It is behaving like a normal Masuo if that is what you mean. She can control it and is out right now doing just that. You are in luck. It seems she will be only too eager to do her job.”

  Khivon grinned. “That is precisely what I saw. I only wish I could have gotten here in time to predict the outbreak.”

  Reset shook her head. “The viruses have been building steam for generations. There was nothing anyone could do until the Dorali declared their quarantines. We are just lucky that the Citadel had already established the relay post before the planet was closed. They can’t keep out replacement or supplemental personnel.”

  Khivon nodded. “You are correct, dear Reset, but have you told the new recruit about the pod drop?”

  Mist and Reset looked at each other before Reset said, “We will leave that up to her pilot. No sense scaring the young woman.”

  Khivon looked a little embarrassed, “Do you have an image of her? I have seen her in my mind but only as a glowing power.”

  Reset grinned and pulled up footage of Ikari as she broke free of the shuttle and took to the skies, her suit hid nothing, and her long hair rippled around her in waves. Bliss was stamped on her features as she climbed through the air and the wind caressed each inch of her.

  When she finished forwarding the image to Khivon, she waited. His groan was not long in coming.

  “That is going to keep me up nights, you know?”

  Reset held up her hand. “Not for long. You have been alone for quite a while, Khivon, take your time with her. Just because you know she is your destiny, doesn’t mean she will accept her fate without a bit of courtship.”

  “There is precious little here to court her with, Reset.” His face took on a grumpy cast.

  “Then you will have to be creative. Now go, she will be on her way to you in the morning. She needs a good meal and a good night’s sleep. I intend to see she gets both before she is trapped on that quarantined ball with you.”

  Reset flicked off the transmission and smiled at her husband. “Do you think he will wait?”

  Mist wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. “I think he will take all the time he can manage. She will be busy from the moment she arrives, and he will know that. It might slow him down, but remember she can always fly away.”

  Reset laughed and kissed him, enjoying the feel of him against her, as always.

  Ikari was doing well and enjoying the flight if the levels of endorphins were any indicator, Reset had enough time to take advantage of her multi-form husband, and he wasn’t going to get away.

  * * * *

  Ikari swooped and swirled, climbing and dropping. The suit covered her and protected her from the cooler air of the wind she was using for lift, but it was only when she started to pour on the speed that she realized what the mask was for.

  Clear lenses covered her eyes, and as she went faster, a filter covered her mouth. She could breathe easily no matter her speed, and it was a heady thing.

  Mountains whizzed by under her, oceans drifted by on her left and right. She cruised past a castle made of crystal and another huge home made of wood.

  When she felt fatigue, Ikar
i returned to the base and settled on her feet, walking in and sniffing out the dining hall.

  Counsel smiled and waved her over, “Ikari. How are you feeling?”

  “Hungry.”

  “Then get some food and join us. Finder was just telling us about her last visit to Station 13.”

  A woman smiled and inclined her head politely. “Pleased to meet you, Ikari.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Finder. I will return.”

  Ikari grabbed a tray and loaded it, rather peckish after her exceptionally long day. Food equalled fuel, and there was nothing better to keep someone awake when they didn’t have a chance to sleep.

  With food, drink and overwhelming fatigue, Ikari sat at the table with the other women and joined them in their meal.

  There was a camaraderie there that Ikari had often felt around the kitchen table with the other hands working on the farm. They all had a stake in the outcome, and it showed.

  After she finished her meal, one of the other ladies bussed the tray for her. Ikari crossed her arms on the table and leaned her head on her forearms.

  Counsel’s laughter was the last thing that registered in her exhausted brain.

  * * * *

  Reset smiled. “I am amazed she lasted this long. She has had one helluva day.”

  Finder shook her head. “I know my folks are backwards, but to lock someone up just because you don’t like the manifestation of their talent is just messed up.”

  Counsel frowned. “Even my people welcome all talents. The differing representations make things difficult, but incarceration is not the option to deal with them.”

  Reset tapped her com unit. When Mist appeared, she grinned, “Can you take her to the guest quarters please, honey?”

  “Of course, pookie. By the way, Finder, thank you for the nickname collection.” Mist grinned and lifted the Resicor woman with gentle arms.

  Reset was outraged. Since returning to her normal emotional state instead of the deadened one, she had been trying to out-cute her husband when it came to nicknames. “You are helping him cheat?”

  Finder shrugged, “He asked. It isn’t like cute pet names are state secrets.”