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  “Yes, Aura Speaker.” He gave her a formal inclination of his head, raising her status in the eyes of those watching.

  She wrinkled her nose and headed into her office. Her terminal was waiting for her, as was her box of tricks. Avina settled the box on one side of her desk and kept her lenses on. The energy that was trying to crawl out of the box was almost blinding as it was.

  Kalo made eye contact with her through the open doorway, and when she nodded, he sent in the first candidate.

  Avina assessed Toyali and smiled. “Thank you for coming in.”

  “The presentation was very interesting. Some of the early signs of being an Aura Speaker were familiar.” Toyali smiled shyly. She was a lovely young woman whose primary colouration was a pale yellow.

  “Are you willing to tell me what you see?”

  “Of course. Is this the test?”

  “It is. I have a number of aura-infused objects, and I will place them in your open palm, and you can tell me what you see.”

  “Now?”

  “Why wait?” Avina smiled and opened the chest. She winced at the energy, looked at her candidate and selected an orb that hummed with a neutral blue.

  Toyali put her arm on the table, her webbed hand palm up.

  Avina placed the orb in her hand. The light that coursed up and formed a column said that Toyali had the talent; now, the question was what was she seeing?

  “What do you see?”

  “It is a man, all in blue. His features look a little Wyoran, but his eyes are solid black.” Toyali’s voice wavered as she spoke. “He is staring at me, and he is frowning.”

  “King Utolian the Ninth is notoriously bad tempered. Once you get to know him, he is a pushover. He loves the ladies.” Avina winked at the aura.

  The ex-king crossed his arms over his chest. You are a little flippant today, Aura Speaker Avina.

  “I had a good day, Your Majesty.”

  Toyali was looking between them. “I could hear that.”

  “Of course you can. You are a positive match for this particular line of occupation. You can begin training tomorrow if you wish to.” Avina smiled.

  She plucked the orb from the candidate’s hand and stowed it back in its position inside the box.

  “May I ask why you wear those lenses?” Toyali fidgeted.

  “Of course. Certain Aura Speakers have more aggressive sight. The lenses filter the electromagnetic interference that wandering auras give off. It isn’t a big deal on a world like Morganti, but a place populated for eons is going to be like walking through a star field if the species give off auras.”

  “Oh. Does that happen a lot?”

  “The aura species are one in twenty. I am sure you can do your own math.” Avina smiled.

  She brought up her schedule, checked off Toyali as a positive and sent a copy of the interview to the Citadel assessment department.

  “Thank you for coming in; you can ask Kalo to send in the next candidate.”

  Toyali nodded and got to her feet. Before she touched the door, she said, “There is a lot more in that chest.”

  “Yes, but they have all volunteered to help test candidates. Even Utolian has agreed to let new talents try their hand at making him manifest. That is what you did by the way. You found his frequency and powered it so that he could appear to you. You could even have spoken to him if you wished to.”

  Toyali looked relaxed as she exited and quickly spoke to Kalo.

  Avina sat back and waited. It seemed that it was going to be a long afternoon.

  Six hours later, Kalo hauled her bodily from behind her desk and prodded her to the sleeping quarters she had been given for the night. “You are in no shape to argue, Avina.”

  She grimaced, but he was right. “That was a lot of volunteers.”

  “I don’t know what you said to Yeerin, but she is very influential when she has to be. She sent half of the students in for assessment and the others succumbed to peer pressure.”

  She grinned as she sat on the edge of her bed. “We got nine. We never got nine before.”

  “Yes, Avina. Now, go to bed, because you have fifty appointments for tomorrow.” Kalo paused in the doorway. “I have an alarm call set for you. Good night.”

  Avina waved him off and got her in-room dispenser to supply her with a dinner and a lot of water. Her mind was more exhausted than her body, but she managed to grab a shower after dinner. She crawled into bed and passed out. It felt like her eyes had only been closed for a moment before the insistent chime of the alarm woke her.

  She groaned, grunted and muttered her way to the lav, closed her eyes and swayed as she waited for breakfast to emerge from the dispenser. She opened them when she realised she hadn’t selected anything. “Damn it.”

  Avina tried again, and while she waited, she slipped on her bodysuit and the flowing robe that went over it. She parked her lenses on her head and ate breakfast, gulping down the caf and wishing for coffee the same way she had for the last fifteen hundred days.

  Her eyelids jacked open incrementally with every slug of the hot, caffeinated beverage. By the time her com unit chirped, she was nearly awake and ready to face her day.

  Kalo was annoyingly cheerful and wrangling her appointments. He brought her caf every three hours, and they got through the day.

  The Citadel recruitment officers were stunned by the day’s haul. Utolian was losing some of his patience, so Avina promised that she wouldn’t use him until the next time she was on recruitment.

  He reluctantly agreed and helped her finish the day.

  Avina snorted. He was the easiest to call, because he was the strongest. Utolian had ruled his people for seventy years and died looking as young as he had been when he assumed the throne. He called his death surrendering the flesh, and there was no record of his body actually being buried.

  Avina asked Kalo, “Any more appointments?”

  “Nope. You have cleared them all, and we have enough candidates for the main Citadel to send a full-time instructor here.”

  “Good. I am sure that Turnari will be ecstatic.” She grinned and yawned.

  “You need a meal. Go back to your room and get some rest. You are leaving tomorrow evening, and I am sure that Turnari will want the highlights of your visit.”

  Avina nodded and stumbled out of the office with her box of artefacts clutched to her chest. It sounded so good, a meal and a night’s sleep. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

  She hated mornings. In space, it was always night and she liked it that way. Gravity was strange and atmospheres had transitioned from something that she craved into something that she had trouble adapting to. Avina liked being posted at Teklan as her permanent base. They were investigators and did a lot of travelling. That was the way Avina liked it.

  Even two days at the Citadel Morganti was enough to wear on her nerves. There were too many people, too many auras and too much schedule. Coming and going as she pleased was her favourite part of the job.

  She checked her schedule and noted that lunch with Turnari had been added to her day. Avina winced and emotionally prepared herself. With the count for successful candidates nearing three dozen, she didn’t have anything to worry about. As far as the Citadel was concerned, she was golden.

  Nothing he could say was going to ruin her day.

  Chapter Three

  Avina fumed behind the controls of the Hunting Haunt. Turnari had tried to get her in bed once more, and she had had to engage in her own personal defense.

  Tuning into an aura was not Avina’s only skill; she could disrupt them and cause their living host to drop to the ground. Turnari was going to suffer from that hole in his dignity for quite a while, but he really shouldn’t have become grabby.

  “This is Aura Speaker Avina Jenkins calling Teklan base. I am seeking my next assignment.”

  She sent the message and waited for a response. Getting out of Morganti space was high on her list of things to do that day.

  Avina di
dn’t know why Turnari’s advances irritated her, but they did. It was almost as if she was in a relationship already, and he should acknowledge it.

  The com beeped. “This is Teklan base. We have a haunted derelict floating in deep space. Are you interested?”

  “Yes, I definitely am. Send the coordinates and I will send official acceptance.”

  Just like that, she was off in another direction. The Citadel could call on her if they so choose, but she was entitled to one good assignment of her own selection.

  In two hours, she had her new assignment, a notice to the Citadel and a verification of location from Teklan. With a grin, she settled her jump halo on her head and engaged her engines.

  Space flickered through her thoughts as she headed from one point to the next. No auras, no ghosts, no strangers who wanted to contact their dead. It was blissful.

  Two days later, she was at the coordinates. What they had described as a derelict was not a ship. It was a spaces station, and it was ancient.

  There was only one thing as ancient as it was nearby, and she grimaced when she realised that she would have to wake his majesty.

  Sighing and grumbling, she opened her collection of volunteer artefacts. The orb glowed before she touched it, and Utolian sprang to full apparition next to her. Where are the candidates?

  I know I promised only to wake you for the next round, but I have turned up at an ancient space station and was wondering if you could identify it before I board. You are the oldest thing I could find, Your Majesty.

  A kiss is my price.

  She narrowed her eyes. It seemed that everyone wanted a piece of her today. Why?

  Because, I enjoy the kiss of a beautiful woman, and I have not had the opportunity in many, many years.

  Fine. She kept his orb in her hand and closed and locked the box of objects. Getting to her feet, she had to look up at him, and it was not because of his hovering. His feet were even with the decking, but he was at six foot six if he was an inch.

  She didn’t remember him being that tall, or maybe it was that an untrained Aura Speaker was always generating him.

  You will have to come down to me, Your Majesty.

  My pleasure. He leaned forward, cupped her head in both spectral hands and he brushed his lips against hers.

  She could feel his energy brushing against her own, and she marvelled again at how strong he was even after all the time he had spent in the orb.

  Arousal curled through her, hooked into her pleasure centres and spiralled until her skin was humming with it. She closed her eyes against the bright glow of his aura and returned the kiss as best she was able.

  When he pulled back, she blinked her eyes open, blushing at the satisfied smile on his face.

  Will you look at the station now?

  Of course. Lead the way.

  She noted that he was disturbingly cordial now. Avina headed to the front of the shuttle and took a seat in the pilot’s chair. He sat next to her at the navigator station and stared out the view screen.

  It is a Grafthian station, but I am puzzled. They did not create deep-space vessels of any nature. They enjoyed staying close to home. May I come with you?

  Avina mulled that over. I may not be able to stay in full contact. I have to wear a recorder that occasionally interferes with my personal signals.

  I will enjoy any new environment. I have not been able to get out and about like I had originally planned.

  You had a plan when you died?

  Well, I didn’t die precisely. It is a long story that I am sure you have no interest in.

  I am interested in hearing it as soon as I complete my survey of that station. The records indicate that there is any number of violent auras on that derelict. I have to either reason with them or destroy them.

  He gave her a surprised look. Do you do this a lot?

  Often enough. Some can speak to your kind, some can disrupt your kind, I can do both as well as destroying auras, ripping them into shreds that can never coalesce.

  Ouch.

  Yeah, I didn’t think you would like knowing that. Most auras think they are invulnerable to anything aside from degradation over time. They don’t like to have that confidence challenged.

  He nodded, and there was a thoughtful look on his face.

  She coaxed him. So, what else can you tell me about the Grafthians?

  They were peaceful, liked to stay at home and had a serious method of dealing with lawbreakers.

  She winced as she realised where this was going. What did they do to the lawbreakers?

  They put them in auto-piloted pods and launched them into deep space never to be seen again, or so the legend goes.

  I believe that we found their destination.

  I believe you are right.

  She drummed her fingers and sent a data burst to Teklan. Every mission held a risk, but this one was going to be a doozy.

  Okay, you are going to have to disappear. I need to change, and I don’t want you watching.

  I won’t look, I promise.

  Pardon my lack of faith, but I will just put you back in your little ball.

  Be gentle. His wink was pure mischief.

  She placed the orb on the control panel, and he disappeared.

  Avina sighed in relief.

  Before he could emerge on his own, she stripped off her flight suit and put on her EVA suit. It had armour, life support and insulation in it. She snapped her recording halo into place and checked the signal. With her breather and face shield tucked under one arm, she grabbed the orb again, and Utolian flared to visibility once again.

  Do you always wear bodysuits?

  Of course. It is part of my job.

  Don’t you take breaks, holidays and such?

  Of course, I do, but I don’t take you with me, so you have missed the rest of my wardrobe. She winked and tucked the orb into her suit. Nestled between her breasts, she would be able to keep him active while she explored the station.

  With the anticipation of a looming adventure, she moved her ship into a dock position. When her ship locked into position, she ran an environment check. The station contained breathable air, but she wasn’t confident that the other gasses would be good for her health. No sense in being stupid, she put her mask on and settled it in place, testing the flow.

  It was working, so she gestured to Utolian and entered the first airlock. A bio-scan ran over her from head to toe, and then, the doors opened to the second lock. Another scan went across her and she was stepping onto the Grafthian station deck plates.

  She could feel the auras in the area. The place was heavy with menace. As she moved further and further into the station, she identified five strong signatures.

  Your Majesty, what do the Grafthians look like?

  Just above your height, brown-green, they were a nature-bound species. I never met one personally, but they were generally good-natured from all reports.

  Can you feel what I feel?

  I can, Avina. Be careful.

  I will do what I can, but I need to discover the precise nature of the auras here.

  Why?

  Because a rogue aura can cause madness, suicide or even a rash of murders. If these auras are dangerous, I need to put up a warning beacon and a military ship will come in to blow the whole thing.

  Why don’t they just do that directly?

  There may be salvageable records or tech here. It is my job to find out if it is safe for retrieval teams to come in.

  They went silent as an aura flitted through the hallway ahead. The halls lit as she progressed, so the motion sensors were working.

  Where are we going?

  She smiled grimly. The first stop is always the command deck. Most of the records are contained there.

  So, there is a plan for this. I did wonder.

  She stifled a snort. Avina kept her senses braced for the appearance of an aura, but they steered clear of her. It happened when auras were up to no good or afraid of being confronted, so
she was definitely on alert.

  She avoided the lifts and used the ladder to approach the command deck. Auras loved to mess with lifts; it was a leap of logic that years of watching horror movies prepared her for. Sticking yourself in a tiny box suspended by a few strands of cable or energy ties was never a good idea.

  Avina was tired by the time she stumbled into the command deck. There were a few objects strewn across the deck that gave off the energy signatures of an aura key.

  Utolian moved toward them, and she hissed at him. Don’t trigger them.

  What are they?

  They are aura landmines. The moment you touch one, an aura will spring to this site and be ready for action. It works on energy connection. Hostile auras count on folks being stupid.

  Fair enough. I have never seen that technique before.

  It is a version of the object anchor that you use.

  Fascinating. He crouched near the object, and she could almost feel him absorbing the structure.

  Avina headed to the mainframe and examined the recording system. It was a data-crystal system, and it appeared that the Grafthians had managed shielding, because there was nothing actually within the system that carried a signature.

  Avina reached for the kit attached to her left thigh and pulled out a blank set of crystals. She turned on the data-retrieval system and slipped one of her recording crystals into place.

  The display told her that it would take ten minutes to fill the first crystal, so she checked the nearest seat; determined that it was rigged to call an aura, she sat in a chair that wasn’t booby-trapped.

  How long must we wait here?

  Oh, until I download the navigation and personnel registrations.

  May I ask you a question?

  Of course.

  Why are you an Aura Speaker? Your signature indicates you could be so much more.

  Because, I have always had a curiosity about those who have shed their bodies. With my species, it does not happen often. Those who become auras usually watch their loved ones and then fade away. The idea of entire species that walk and communicate with their descendants was very interesting to me.