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  “So, we are engaging in a police action.”

  “We are under contract to his parents. They wish us to bring him home, so we shall.”

  It was the last word on the subject, but Aggie didn’t feel good about it.

  Two days of travel had them intercepting the passenger cruiser that was taking Wovian to his cousin. Talon had been in communication with the ship, and the captain was having the guest they were looking for meet them in the landing bay.

  Aggie’s heart went out to him when she saw his hunched shoulders and hopeless expression. “Wovian, I have been sent by your family. Please come with me.”

  He shuffled toward her, and she put restraints on him before walking him into the Grey Talon.

  She turned her head toward the ship’s security. “Thank you for your assistance.”

  The captain jerked his head. “He seems harmless enough.”

  “He does, but he has to face his future and make a decision. He can’t make that choice out here.”

  “Take care of him, Keeper.”

  She sighed behind her mask. “That is my job.”

  Wovian waited, and she made sure he was clear of the doorway before she sealed it and removed his cuffs. “Come with me, please.”

  He followed her in silence, and she showed him his room. “The door does not lock, but I will always knock before entering.”

  He nodded to indicate that he had heard her and sat on the bunk. “It doesn’t matter. I know why you are bringing me home, and there is nothing I can do about it.”

  She felt for him. He was so resigned to the whole scenario.

  “We are detaching immediately, so please strap in until we are on our way.”

  He nodded and folded the seat out of the wall. He sat and the robes he was wearing shifted around him.

  There was no way a teenage boy should look like he was heading to his own execution, no matter his species.

  Aggie headed back to the cockpit and settled in. “I don’t feel good about this one.”

  “The transport? It will be fine.”

  “No. Hauling a child home to face a loss of self is not something I thought I would have to deal with.”

  Talon made an exasperated hiss. “He is not a child by your standards. He is forty-eight years old.”

  Aggie blinked. “But, he isn’t an adult by the standards of his own people.”

  “That is correct. He has two more years before he is legally allowed to reject the position, but they want him back now, before that happens.”

  “So, they want to pin him in place before he can reject the choice, and we are here to make that happen. How could the planet be so unfeeling?”

  “It is a choice they make. If it is seeking a new Avatar, then there are a limited amount of options as to why. Some planets seek them out regularly, on a timer. Some wait until their Avatar is failing before looking for another. Others do it because their Avatar is seeking a mate or a normal life, and they can’t bear the emotion anymore. It is a complicated thing.”

  Aggie rubbed her faceplate. “Is it something that can be undone?”

  “Of course, but some planets are better fits for their Avatars then others. Some literally burn their Avatars out.” Talon showed her the trajectory and the estimated time of arrival.

  Aggie nodded and got to her feet. The clock was ticking, and she didn’t know what she was going to do about the young man in the guestroom.

  Her second assignment and she was already wondering if she was doing the right thing.

  She headed to the guestroom and knocked on the door. “Wovian? I would like to speak with you.”

  The door opened and her defeated passenger looked down at her. “Yes, Keeper?”

  “Come with me, I think I need to know what is going on.”

  He looked at her with his tusks protruding from his jaw and giving him the look of a surprised troll. He might be a juvenile, but he was not a child.

  She headed down to the kitchen with him lumbering after her. Now that he was alone with her and away from the large security guards of the transport, he looked considerably larger.

  Aggie showed him where to sit, and she set the dispenser for tea.

  “Tea, caf or water?”

  He blinked, “Tea, please.”

  She set out two cups, and when the light changed on the dispenser, she removed the carafe. “The tea won’t be as nice as what you could have landside, but it is all I have available.”

  “Why is a robot drinking tea?”

  She grimaced and set the carafe down before releasing her faceplate. “Because I am not a robot.”

  Aggie poured two cups of tea and added sweetener to hers before she blew on it.

  He was staring at her and finally a smile twisted the corner of his lips. “My sister does that. She is always in a hurry.”

  “My name is Aggie, and I want to know why you ran.”

  He sipped at his tea and grimaced. “I don’t want to be the Avatar. I want to have a family, a life and enjoy myself. The Avatar is a locked in position and has to be serious and businesslike all the time.”

  “Is that so wrong?”

  “It would lock me into that position for five hundred years. Can you imagine? Five hundred years and I won’t age. I won’t be a man of my people, and therefore, I have to spend five centuries celibate.” His hands curled to fists.

  She winced. “So, if you are an adult, the planet wouldn’t choose you?”

  Wovian shrugged. “I don’t know. It has never happened before.”

  Aggie sipped at her tea. “Is there anything you want to know before we continue on our journey?”

  He cocked his head and narrowed his yellow eyes. “What are you?”

  Aggie grinned with her lips over her teeth and explained to him the mysteries of being a Terran Volunteer. It killed a few hours on their way to his home.

  Chapter Three

  Aggie didn’t know why she did what she did, but Talon went along with her, so it worked just fine.

  Wovian was reunited with his family, they declared the contract complete and Aggie returned to the Grey Talon.

  Four hours later, Wovian was at the door, and they lifted off to break thirty-two different laws and kidnap a minor.

  “Why are you doing this?” Wovian was gripping the doorway of the cockpit.

  “Because no one should be forced to give up part of themselves until they are ready. You aren’t ready, and if you change your mind, you can still go home.”

  “What about you?”

  She chuckled. “I have no idea. I obeyed the rules of the Alliance when I dropped you off, but now, I think that Nyal space is going to be more hospitable.”

  “You are running because of me?” Tears formed in his eyes.

  “Of course. Choice is my primary concern. You are going to have to split your psyche in two. That isn’t something you jump into out of obligation.”

  He suddenly looked very mature. “Thank you for buying me this time. If I do choose to return to seek the position of Avatar, I will remove the crimes from you record.”

  Aggie smiled. “That would be nice.”

  She dropped him off with his cousin, and the Grey Talon took off once again.

  In the cockpit, Aggie sent the two messages and took a deep breath.

  “Your vitals are erratic, Aggie. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “This is a chunk of time for you, too, Talon. Are you sure you don’t want to turn me in to the next Alliance station?”

  Talon sighed. “I am sure. They will look for us, but I am going to make it difficult. Once you go into cold sleep, I will try and hide you. I can only run for so long, so I hope your plan works.”

  Aggie watched as they got away from planetary orbit. She headed to her quarters, inhaling deeply as she put her full battle suit on.

  “I have only done this once, in training. I hope that it works.”

 
Talon chuckled. “I will catch you if you fall. My floor is there for you, Aggie.”

  She stepped into the grips that closed around her feet. The ship gripped her waist and pulled her against an inner wall. Her hands were fastened down and her neck was restrained next. Jacks emerged from the wall and ran coolant and atmospheric gasses through the battle suit.

  Aggie hoped that two years was enough time, because that was all the time she had. Talon would keep her alive, and after that, someone would have to come and get her out. Snow flooded her vision and she relaxed in the suit. It was time to sleep now.

  * * * *

  Martha sat in the Volunteer offices and listened to the recruiter tell her that her sister was missing in action, a felon and in flagrant breach of nineteen different protocols including theft of an experimental spacecraft.

  “Do you, Mrs. Lennox, know where your sister is?”

  Martha looked at the alien and felt a prickle of contact on her mind. “I am not a Volunteer, so what right do you have to rummage through my thoughts?”

  The recruiter looked sharply at the woman in robes behind him. “I apologize. It was not our intent to intrude on your privacy.”

  “My privacy or my grief? My sister’s mind has gone dark. There is no contact with her. Our connection is silent.” Her voice trembled, but she sat up straight. Her daughters were in the outer office with their father and they were not going to feel her pain.

  “What would drive your sister to such actions?” The woman behind the recruiter spoke softly.

  “She wouldn’t break the rules unless someone was in danger. Check her last assignment and see if there was someone that she would be concerned for. If you can speak to them, you might be able to find out why she did what she did.” Martha got to her feet and headed for the door. She paused and turned around. “Did she really steal a spaceship?”

  The woman in the robes nodded.

  “One of us born for family, one of us born for adventure, and so it has always been.” Martha quoted her mother and left the Volunteer Centre office with a sad smile on her lips.

  Jake Lennox smiled at her and tucked her against his body. She put her arm around him and held tight as her daughters clung to her legs. They moved out of the centre and into the family car.

  Jake drove while Marty closed her eyes and felt for Aggie. The link was dark, but it was still there. She hadn’t lied. Aggie’s mind was silent, but it was still alive.

  Twelve generations of women with twins had culminated with Aggie and her. One was always an adventurer with keen senses, and one was designed for family. Marty wondered what she would have done if she was the adventurous twin. Would she have locked herself out in outer space, a criminal waiting for trial the moment she was found? The next letter from Aggie had better fill in details.

  Marty could wait as long as their link remained.

  * * * *

  Getting on a tour to the moon base had taken some doing, but Aggie had been gone nineteen months and there had been no trace of her. The file that Marty received that week was very specific.

  She was herded along with the crowd, and she sat in the auditorium to meet some of the trainers that ran the Volunteers through their paces.

  Marty smiled at the displays of telekinesis, the analytical touch of a Reader and the physical capability of the combat trainers. She identified the one she wanted easily. He was cold as he went through his paces, but he was definitely beautiful. Aggie hadn’t lied.

  When they were allowed to speak with the trainers, women surrounded him. Marty hung back and waited for his silver gaze to skim over her.

  The moment he saw her was visceral. His whole body jerked, and he pushed through the crowd. He gripped her arm and pulled her against him tightly. “Agatha.” He inhaled sharply and frowned. He let her go. “No, you are not.”

  Marty winced at the residue of his grip. “No, but she hates being called Agatha. It might be a little informal but she prefers Aggie.”

  “Preferred.”

  Marty led him from the disappointed crowd. “Not precisely. She is alive, but she is asleep. She has been asleep since she disappeared. Does that make sense?”

  He nodded. “Cold sleep. Of course. Why would she do that?”

  Marty passed him a small data crystal. “Let her explain it. Whatever information she wanted me to give to you, this is it. I know she is alive and she needed someone to find her and she trusted it to you. Can you send someone to look?”

  He closed his fingers over the data crystal as if it was something precious. “She has communicated to you?”

  “One message before she went dormant and one came this week. She told me not to read it, just get it to you. Somehow.” Marta smiled and patted his cheek. “I think she likes you.”

  He gave her a narrow-eyed look. “What do you know about me?”

  Marty walked to the edge of the viewing window and she looked out. “She mentioned you at least twice in every conversation we had. Her expression would get all soft and dreamy for a bit and then she would shake herself into being serious again. She spent too much time being serious.”

  “What do you expect me to do?”

  He crossed his arms and she watched his reflection in the thick barrier between her and the vacuum.

  “I expect you to act on whatever is on that crystal. I expect you to find my sister, and I expect to be embarrassed when you both get into whatever is running below the surface.”

  “You really feel what she does?”

  “Remotely, like through a filter. She knew when I went into labour, but she also felt my shock when I realized I was pregnant. She came over with a six pack of fruit juice and held my hair while I puked for two hours.”

  He looked at her via the glass. “You miss her.”

  “I miss the life she brought to me. Everything was brighter when she was on the other end of the connection, now it is just blank. I know she is still out there, but she isn’t answering the call.”

  “That must be frustrating.”

  “Well, it has taxed my marriage, but hopefully, you will find her or find someone who can.” Marta smiled and turned to face him. “If you will excuse me, I have to rejoin the group. Good luck. My sanity and her life are now squarely on your shoulders.”

  Ikvaro narrowed his eyes again. “You are trusting me with her life?”

  Martha patted him on the arm. “Aggie trusted you with her life. I am merely trusting my sister.”

  She fought the tears as she walked back toward the diplomatic tour. Her husband had called in every favour he could to get her on that tour, and she hoped he hadn’t wasted the effort. He would have hacked off his own limbs to make her happy, and it was nice to know he made the offer. Marty would never ask that of someone she loved, but she would do anything remotely possible to help someone she loved.

  She really hoped that Aggie had been right about Ikvaro because it was all up to him now.

  * * * *

  Ikvaro spoke to the base commander and resigned his contract.

  Trainer Ikvaro returned to his quarters and emerged in his Enforcer uniform. The ship that he caught was on its way out to Nodak station. He sent information ahead, and when he arrived, a ship was waiting. Commander Pen was also waiting for him, a smirk on his face.

  “So, what are we hunting for? An escaped prisoner? An assassin?”

  Ikvaro clapped him on the shoulder and moved past him, into the ship. “A missing Keeper.”

  Pen came in behind him and stowed their gear with the ease of long practice. “Really? Why are you bothering with a Keeper?”

  In the grand scheme of things, Keepers were one step above private security. They were not a highly prized occupation.

  Ikvaro did the preflight checks and glanced over at Pen as he settled in the navigator station. “I am bothering with her because she and I have a connection that I wish to awaken.”

  “A woman who didn’t fall over for you? This
is a woman I have to meet.” Pen grinned, his exceptional good looks as irritating as always.

  “Can you track her if I have something of hers?”

  Pen nodded. “Of course. I can at least point us in the right direction. Where is she?”

  “I don’t know. She went missing twenty months ago.”

  He got clearance and eased them from the station. The transport from the moon base had been painfully slow. He wanted to get free and into untapped communication routes. He had no idea what was on that crystal, but he was hoping that it held clues to her location.

  Chapter Four

  Ikvaro slipped the crystal into the reader and smiled at the display.

  “Ikvaro, if you are seeing this, then I have been out of commission for a year and a half at least. My sister and I rated a secure connection because we are twins, but I wanted to send the sealed data to you so that the Minders couldn’t pick her brain. She would just have received this and then had to find a way to get it to you…but I digress. I sent this on a time delay so my sister will have gotten it to you as fast as she could.”

  She inhaled and exhaled in a blast. “I did something stupid. Do you remember that I was told not to get too involved with my charges? I didn’t listen. A kid in trouble is still a kid in trouble. So, if you want to find me, start with the place I was last seen and ask my ship’s sisters where we went. If I am missing, so is the Grey Talon.

  “If you send someone else, tell them to say Marty. I will get the hint.”

  The vid went dark.

  Ikvaro exhaled heavily. He had hoped that she sent the signal live from wherever she was hiding. This meant that her sister had been telling the complete truth. Aggie’s mind was dark because she was sleeping and even her ship was only equipped to keep her under for two years. They were running out of time.

  He opened the secure box he had and removed one of the hair combs that Aggie had brought from Earth. It had put her over her travel weight limit, so she had asked him to hold onto it for her. Now, he was going to hand it to Pendrikan and have him use his tracking capabilities.