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  They prodded her out of her cell and she was taken down a hall that had escaped her notice the day before. They walked several minutes until she was herded into a large boardroom with one occupant. A physician was seated at a table, waiting for her.

  "Patient J'tak, I am given to understand that you have an exceptionally high activity level for a sedated talent."

  "I don't know about that, I was asleep. I don't know of many folks who know what they do in their sleep. I mean…I know I drool a little, but that is hardly something to be classified as activity." She shrugged and placed her hands, palms up on the table. The short sleeves of her scrubs displayed the bruises and punctures to great advantage.

  "That is not what I was referring to and you are well aware of it, patient J'tak."

  "I was promised water and breakfast. I really can't concentrate on your interrogation on an empty stomach." She propped her chin on her non-bruised fist and fluttered her lashes at him.

  He raised his hand and she heard a distinct click on the other side of the door.

  "Your breakfast is on its way. What is your talent?"

  She smiled and yawned, knowing her breath was hideous. His flinch was enough for her, so she answered his question. "I have a boring talent that revolves around my own life and those around me. Nothing more."

  The doctor tapped his stylus on the table. "Do you have details?"

  She kept her sleepy smile in place. "I can see forward in time while I sleep, but I can't always interpret what I see."

  He blinked and made a note. "What about your cousin?"

  "I can't see her anymore, she is too far away." His words sunk in. "How did you know she was my cousin?"

  "We did our research. Now, where did she go?"

  "She went with the wind. It was what I had seen her do in my visions, so when it happened, I knew it was her destiny."

  "Is that all that you see? Simply the possibilities of your actions?"

  She shrugged. "Yup. Nothing more, nothing less."

  The door opened and one of the peacekeepers came in with a tray while the other kept a stunner trained on her from across the room.

  She ignored her audience and ate the toast, fruit and sausage that she had been given. The water flushed the last of the sedative from her throat and the moment she was finished with her food, the tray was removed.

  The doctor was done playing. "What is your cousin's talent?"

  "She can make holes in the ground. Nothing else that I know of." It was the truth. While Tosha had rumbled the ground growing up, nothing visible had ever occurred. It was one of Gran's rules. Don't show your family what you can do and they can never be forced to reveal you.

  He looked frustrated and Alara couldn't blame him. He had captured the useless talent and the really good one was out of his reach. Poor baby.

  "You will be assigned to regular monitoring and interviews to determine what you are seeing in your visions. Aside from that, you are free to enjoy the common areas as well as the commissary. Your days will be controlled with chimes and you will be required to get your requisite sleep. We may place monitors on you or have a telepath watching you while you sleep. On those occasions, you will be in a lab setting and sedated directly without gas."

  She refrained from commenting on her digestive frolics as she slept. He really didn't seem the type to appreciate her sense of humour and it was strictly a desperate attempt to keep control of the folks around her if she could make them laugh.

  "The peacekeepers are to be obeyed at all times. They will take you to your appointments."

  Alara nodded. "I understand."

  "No attempt to escape will be tolerated. We have a high-security wing and you don't want to be consigned there. It is not nearly as pleasant as the low-security facility." He checked his notes and nodded. "Dismissed."

  Bemused, she stood and walked to the door. It swung open at her approach and her peacekeepers took her from the interview room into a large, open space populated by an assortment of men and women in scrubs guarded by peacekeepers around the edges of the room.

  Alara wandered over to the edge of a group of women and sat down at the table. "So… anyone have a deck of cards?"

  Chapter Three

  "So, come here often?" A Selna with a wry grin turned to Alara as she got comfortable.

  It was such a relief to see one happy face in the aura of gloom that Alara burst out with, "Oh, no. I just decided to summer here. The hot weather can be so dry. I was after a nice climate-controlled environment."

  "I know what you mean. This lack of humidity and I can't do a thing with my hair. I am Isaro by the way." The Selna extended her hand in greeting.

  Alara took it with a grin. "Alara. What are you in for?"

  "Vacationing on the wrong planet. I am a shapeshifter." Isaro flickered and her features ran through nine different races.

  "That is fascinating. I had no idea that my government was grabbing off worlders."

  "Neither did I. Perhaps if I hadn't been intelligence gathering, I wouldn't have been noticed." Isaro sighed. "There are negotiations in place for my release, but they aren't going well."

  "That's new. Who are they negotiating with?"

  Isaro grinned. "They tried to barter with the Selna, but since my people have already tried to sell me once, they had no interest in paying to have me returned. I suggested that they contact the Alliance, but they resisted and are re-evaluating their options."

  "Well, the Dalphaic government is known for their stubbornness, if not their good sense. How are you enjoying your time here?"

  Isaro chuckled and leaned her chin on her fist. "Oh, I find it fascinating. I am merely waiting for my partner to catch on to where I was sent. He should have me out of here in two shakes of his tail."

  Alara blinked. "He has a tail?"

  "And gold eyes and pointy ears. He is feline in nature, but that is never a problem as long as I don't scratch too close to his tail."

  They shared a laugh and a few of the other women drew closer. The sound of joy was not a common one, Alara guessed. They came toward it like they were seeking heat.

  A stirring on the men's side of the room got Alara's attention. Her breath froze in her lungs as the man that she had been seeing in her dreams for the last six months was forced into the common area by four peacekeepers. Lights danced on his cuffs and anklets as well as the band around his neck that was designed to dampen his talent.

  "So, Isaro, do you know any Dhemans?"

  The woman blinked her fabulous eyes in surprise. "Yes, I do believe I do."

  "Good, because they just hauled one in on the far side. Is it someone you know?" She knew him by sight, but she needed her suspicion confirmed. She would bet her back teeth that Isaro was a member of the Sector Guard, one of the shadowy figures that Alara saw at the edge of her own future.

  "It could be. Those guys with horns all look alike." Isaro dismissed him with a shrug and returned her attention to Alara. Her attitude of indifference was an act. She was paying attention to the Dheman across the way with a peculiar intensity.

  "Of course. We don't get many aliens here, so I suppose you all know each other. This Sector is such a small place." She hoped that she was putting enough of her hint into her tone. When Isaro's eyes flared in surprise, she knew that the information had struck home.

  The Selna nodded in acceptance. "You are right. I will take a closer look later. He does look rather familiar."

  With the silent communication between them, Alara glanced at the other women. If one of them was a telepath, no sign was given.

  "You seem to have an awareness of those around you. What was your talent again?"

  Alara chuckled. "I can see into my own future. It is a fairly useless talent, but it is the only one I have."

  "Did you see me?"

  "Not in focus. You were an echo if that makes sense." Alara sighed and rubbed at her scalp under her hair. "You were in one of twenty possibilities that I could see. Some are stronger, s
ome weaker. I am guessing that your decision to come to Dalpha was sudden, despite what you said. I know that the memo that I sent to the Alliance should have trickled down to the Sector Guard two months ago, with the action plan being put in place weeks ago."

  Admiration flowed into Isaro's eyes. "You knew you would be taken and you still took the path that would lead you here?"

  "I did. This is not forever and my cousin is now safe with one of your co-workers." The smile that spread over her features came from the inside out. Knowing that her last relative was safe was all important to her and she knew her joy was written on her face.

  "You are sure that your fate does not lie here in the lab?" Isaro's face remained intense.

  "I am positive. Thanks to the sedative in the air here, I have seen many likely paths for my future. None of them end here." Alara inclined her head as the women next to her drew back in surprise.

  Alara grinned as she chuckled. "It is rather nice not to pretend not to know what is going to happen to me. This is a freedom I have always wished for."

  Isaro took her hand and squeezed. "Sometimes we find our freedoms in the most unlikely places. You have to take your joys when they come, no matter what form they take."

  Alara was going to reply when a couple of peacekeepers pulled Isaro to her feet. They didn't explain, simply grabbed her by the arms and hauled her off.

  Isaro yelled out a cheery, "See you later!" as she was pulled out of the common room and into the hall.

  Blinking in surprise, Alara watched her new friend taken away and then turned to the other women at the table. "Does that happen often?"

  The women were startled into laughter and a soft dialogue was begun. Alara peeked over to the men's side of the room and jumped when she noticed the brilliant blue and gold eyes staring at her from under dark brows and deeply red skin.

  While her mind shrieked at the beloved familiarity of his features, she tried to keep her face straight. His burnt colouration was a stark contrast to her shades of green and the images in her mind of exactly how extreme that comparison could be started a blush that she hid from him by turning her head.

  "Why are you blushing?" One of her new companions whispered it in her ear. Well, it seemed to be a whisper, but the woman who spoke was across the table. It was her talent, speaking at a distance, a handy power that the Dalphaic government was trying to find a use for.

  Alara gestured to the distance between them and quirked an eyebrow.

  Chuckling, Dori came around the table and positioned herself next to Alara.

  "I have seen him before. He wasn't wearing quite so much." Her words caused a flaring blush in Dori's cheeks as she caught the meaning.

  "Oh, I see."

  "I wish I didn't, but I did." Alara winked and Dori returned to her place. She didn't really regret the knowledge, but it made for a cute quip.

  A sudden whisper in her ear brought her upright in a hurry. "He's coming this way."

  A flurry of straightening her hair brought giggles from the ladies at the table as she turned to smile with bland curiosity at the man who lived in her dreams every night.

  "Are you Alara J'tak?" His voice was abrupt and not at all what she would expect from a lover. She mentally slapped herself. He didn't know that they would be lovers.

  "Yes. And you are?"

  He drew himself to his full and impressive height. He was magnificent, his horns gleaming in the open panels of sunlight coming through the ceiling. "General Brodin of the Sector Guard Base Teklan. I am here to rescue you."

  Alara heard and felt the women at her table swoon, but she knew how this was supposed to end. She got to her feet and looked up at him with an expectant look. "How are you going to do that with your limbs encased in restrictors?"

  He leaned down until they were almost nose-to-nose. His gaze warmed and his voice took on a distinctly sensual tone. "You've seen the future, you tell me."

  Chapter Four

  The women at the table scattered while Alara scraped her mind for something witty to say, what she came out with was, "I have never seen you in action."

  Her blush must have turned her skin a horrible khaki, but he laughed. "Fair enough. May I sit?"

  She was flustered but gestured for him to take a seat across from her. Before he took the chair, he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. Bolts of energy shot between them and the spike in Alara's mind sent her images of an immediate future. As he released her, she sat back in her chair.

  His lips were still quirked with amusement. "What was that?"

  "A future shock. It has never happened to me before. My visions are so vague as to be made of mist, this was much stronger."

  Brodin leaned forward, his horns gleaming ominously. "What did you see?"

  "In three minutes, they will take me away and have to restrain you. I don't know why, it is just an image that I see." She bit her lip and he reached out to tug her lip from the grip of her teeth.

  The small contact sent another shock through her. "They will take you to an interrogation unit and try to get you to tell them something."

  "They want to know why the Sector Guard is here."

  She held her breath as his fingers traced her jawline. "Why are you here?"

  His smile sent a glow through her skin. "Because you called us. Because you sent the right call through the right channels at the right time and Vortex was in place to recruit your cousin."

  A nervous peacekeeper came up and cleared his throat. "No contact is allowed."

  He placed his hand on his stunner, but Brodin just gave him a quiet look and removed his hand from Alara's face.

  The moment he stopped the contact, the spinning images ceased to pile in on her. She blinked as his hands rested on the table and she quickly sent the recollections of those hands on her body to the back of her thoughts. It was far too dangerous to dwell on those echoes while she needed to have her wits about her.

  In one of the futures, he had attacked the peacekeeper and after nine of them used stunners, he had been hauled off, not to be seen until the Sector Guard reclaimed them. That was not the strongest outcome, but it was one of the options.

  "Don't do anything to antagonize the peacekeepers, please. Your people will be here soon and we will manage to remove ourselves with a modicum of dignity." She reached for his hand, but pulled back when one of the peacekeepers went on alert.

  "What did you see?" The depth of his voice rolled over her in a warm, dark wave.

  "Violence and pain. Nothing that would leave you a lot of dignity." She shrugged. "Can I get you something to drink? The dispensers seem open to all."

  "Yes, please. A glass of water. The Dalphaic flavours are something I haven't warmed to yet." He inclined his head and his horns seemed to flash.

  Around the room, the peacekeepers went on alert the moment that she stood. She walked to the dispenser and eyed the selections, choosing an iced tea for herself and getting him his water.

  The men on the other side of the room were huddled together, whispering in low tones, but the incessant drone was unmistakable.

  Alara placed his drink in front of Brodin and sat across from him. "What are the boys buzzing about?"

  He tilted his head and concentrated. "They are discussing why they never thought of simply coming over here and starting up a conversation with a likely young lady."

  "Good hearing. Nice to know."

  "A Dheman trait." He sipped at his water and grimaced. "They are sedating us in the water."

  "I know. Don't worry. It won't affect you when it counts."

  His grin let her know that his mind had strayed down dangerous paths.

  "Stop that. The peacekeepers might just stun you to get that look off your face."

  He took his grin down to a smile. "I will ask you a few questions then that are completely off base. The first is why aren't you married with children already? A woman of your beauty and skills would have been snatched up in a matter of minute
s on Dhema."

  "Not without the requisite horns. I am pretty sure that it is a requirement for marriage on your world."

  He propped his chin on his fist and grinned at her. "Not always. My cousin married a woman of Terran extraction and they and their offspring are doing quite well. The little ones even call me Unkie Brodin, much to their father's disgust."

  She chuckled. "Really?"

  "Really. Do you have any family aside from Tosha?"

  "No. She is all I have and that is why I had to make sure that she was safe before she was taken into custody. The geothermal talent that she has makes her far more of a catch than I would ever be."

  "I believe that you sell yourself short. There is far more of an advantage in seeing the future than in shaking the ground beneath your feet." He reached out and touched her hand and that was the moment that the peacekeepers surged in.

  "You are needed in the lab, talent J'tak. Come with us." The peacekeepers hauled her to her feet by her arms and pulled her away from Brodin.

  "Where are you taking her?" His voice growled over them causing Alara to shiver.

  "Not for you to know, talent Brodin." The peacekeeper on her left tugged hard and she stumbled into him. It was all Brodin needed to see. He surged to his feet and five of the peacekeepers rounded on him. Two held his arms while the others prepared stunners.

  Alara shouted as she was hauled away. "Don't do anything stupid, Brodin. I will be fine."

  She heard cursing and an occasional thud as her Dheman resisted his restraints, but after they rushed her down the hall, the noises faded.

  The two peacekeepers escorting her kept looking back worriedly.

  "He won't follow us."

  "How do you know that?"

  "I told him not to."

  They didn't respond to that, simply took her to the medical centre and handed her over to the waiting staff.

  "Come with us, talent J'tak. We have some more scans to run as well as some monitors that we need to put in place." It was one of the physicians from her intake exam.