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  She snugged under the covers and passed out with images of files dancing in her head.

  Tomorrow would be soon enough to think about what she was going to do with being confronted by the man of her dreams and not wishing him to join her nightmares.

  Emotional hangovers were the worst. The next morning, her mood was black and she flinched whenever Solos came into her vicinity. If she didn’t make herself more pleasant, she wasn’t going to have much luck with her recruitment.

  Solos was steering clear of her so that left her with one option; it was time to lock herself in her quarters.

  Solos pinned her to the wall and thrust into her. She shivered at the graze of his teeth against her neck as her back pressed to the unyielding surface and his body was the only thing that supported her.

  She licked and bit at his shoulder, gasping with every hard slide. He drew his nails up her torso, stroking and irritating her skin with delicate precision. They had been intimate for days, but he already knew what did and didn’t work.

  Their bodies slid and smacked together as Solos took her higher and higher, until she bit his shoulder and groaned as her mind came apart and light flared behind her eyes.

  Brigs fell to her knees in the gel shower and let the pleasure run its course through her system.

  It felt like cheating to use a memory of Solos to ease her stress, but it worked, so she was going to have to live with it. She slowly stood, braced herself on the wall and cleaned off the slick residue of her stress relief using the gel.

  It came out warm and hardened on her skin, shattering and taking all the dirt and oils from her body. She felt relaxed and ready for another day of narrowing her choices. Brigs not only had to choose the right super-being, but she also had to do it in the correct order. If she picked wrong and the citizen was not interested or was repulsed by her offer, it could blow the whole thing. Word would spread and she would be off world in no time, with a stain on her recruitment record.

  There was nothing like performance anxiety to freak her out.

  Chapter Three

  Brigeet got her formal clothing on, and when she exited her quarters, Solos shook his head.

  “That won’t do. Wear your bodysuit, cloak and practical boots. Jaluum is a harvest-based culture. You don’t want to present as someone fancy or elite. You want them to see you as someone who can offer them employment in the service to their people but not someone putting on airs.”

  Brigs returned to her room and put the cloak on. “Fine.”

  She pulled off her formal footwear and yanked on the boots. Aside from the hero that she was to interview, the rest of the visits were going to be on farms, so it was practical.

  Brigs exited her room again and stalked toward the cargo hold. “I hope you know what I am doing.”

  Solos smiled and pushed the hood of the cloak off her head. “You know how we love the white hair.”

  “Oh, okay. I thought it was just you there.”

  “Nope. It is cultural. Only one in fifty thousand women have white hair here. It is a highly desirable characteristic.” He pulled her long braid out and let it cascade down her right side.

  “It makes me feel a little cheap to play on a cultural peculiarity.”

  “Just forget that it is there.”

  “I usually do. It will just make me guilty later.”

  “I know. We will go somewhere nice for dinner when your recruitments are finished.” He smiled and caressed her cheek.

  She nodded. “I might take you up on that.”

  He straightened his shoulders and brushed at his uniform. When he was his normal, flawless self, he opened the rear hatch for their check through Jaluum customs. Once the officers had completed their scan of the vessel, they were free to leave to visit any areas of the world that would catch their interest.

  Brigs kept her data pack with her and showed Solos the addresses when he asked. He keyed in the information, and their small skimmer shot out of the back of the ship, taking to the air with incredible speed.

  The clear dome over the top of the skimmer made the flight easy with a lack of wind in her hair.

  The first name on her list was Deniali Sarco. She had first immerged on the radar when a new weather system had emerged without warning to water an area wracked with drought.

  Brigs was here to see if she was interested in the Guardian project and to check into Deniali’s marital status. Things were different on Jaluum, but bonding was still in the society, they just didn’t limit the bond to two.

  A few people came out to greet them, and Solos stepped forward to make the introductions.

  “Good afternoon. My name is Solos. I am the companion of the recruiter for the Nyal Imperium special projects.”

  The head of the household smiled with a friendly grin. “Welcome to our home. Please, come inside.”

  Brigs walked calmly across the yard and followed her host into the house. Solos was right behind her. Having him with her was actually a good idea. He could break the ice with the isolated folk of Jaluum.

  The family invited them in and the matriarch smiled. “Well, dear, what can we offer you?”

  “Your hospitality is generous, but I wish to ask Deniali a few questions, if that is allowed.”

  The young woman standing behind the matriarch blinked in surprise. “Me?”

  The matriarch gestured and Deniali took a seat.

  “This is where I ask a few questions, and when I leave, what is said here will go no further, there is no danger of discovery. Your decision is final and yours alone.”

  Deniali nodded.

  The matriarch gestured again and the rest of the family cleared the room. “Tell us, lady, what do you recruit for?”

  Brigs smiled. “My name is Brigeet and I am a representative of the Guardian project. Three years ago, there was a weather anomaly in this area that preceded Deniali being sent to a medical centre with intense headaches. She remained in the med facility until the rains had stopped and the drought was over. I believe that she has a weather talent.”

  Deniali blinked and swallowed.

  The matriarch looked resigned. “I have been waiting for this day.”

  Deniali rubbed her neck. “I had to do it.”

  Brigs smiled. “I know. That is why you are on the recruitment list. You put your community above your own safety. That is a characteristic that I have been looking for.”

  The matriarch leaned forward. “Where would my granddaughter be posted?”

  Brigs smiled. “Here. There is a new Guardian outpost in the works and it will be here on Jaluum. With the strong community ties of your population, it would be best if the Guardians were all locals, so that is our goal. A minimum gathering of three Guardians will staff the base.”

  Deniali bit her lip. “I do not have much control over it yet. I have been practicing in the barn, but it takes a bit of effort to roll a cloud in.”

  Brigs nodded. “I understand. You have not been able to practice properly. It is a side effect of having a great power. I can guarantee you a place to work on control and a sizable income defending your world.”

  The young woman’s eyes widened. “Income?”

  “Yes. As Guardian, you would have an income, uniforms and meals provided as well as access to vehicles and the ability to visit your family on days off. You would still be on your world and still have everything familiar. If you are interested, I will give you my com link and I will return in a few days with a contract if you are inclined to sign on.”

  Deniali blinked. “Just like that? You don’t want to see me in action?”

  “I would love to, but that is not my primary function. I recruit members and they agree or not depending on their confidence level. If you would like to show me, I would love to see it.”

  Deniali looked toward her matriarch and got a nod.

  They followed the young woman to a barn that showed signs of lightning strikes. Inside, Deniali
tucked them into an observation booth that had been reinforced, and the young woman quickly moved to the centre of the barn.

  “She seems eager to show us her talent.”

  “You are one of the few who can accept it on its merits. She is trying to impress you.” The matriarch spoke from behind them.

  Brigs blinked. “Impress me?”

  “Certainly. You are the most powerful female she has ever met. We have been taught to respect power since birth.”

  Solos was standing in a corner of the booth, watching with a slight smile on his face.

  Brigs sighed. “I am not powerful.”

  The matriarch put a hand on her arm. “You sought and found her. No one has ever put the weather together with her before.”

  Brigs didn’t know what to say. The connection had been obvious to her, but now, there was something happening in the centre of the barn.

  Deniali was standing under a rapidly forming cloud and the weather system caressed her but didn’t touch her as she called wind and rain from the interior to whip around the barn.

  When lightning struck out, Brigs jumped. Deniali could definitely be an asset, but when the storm ended, she slumped in exhaustion.

  Brigs left the safety chamber and ran to Deniali’s side. “Are you all right?”

  The young woman smiled. “I am great. Did you see it?”

  “I did. Are the weak spells getting shorter?”

  Deniali blinked. “How did you know?”

  “Do you feel yourself getting the urge to use your talent, like a power surge is starting under your skin?”

  The young talent nodded. “That is why this barn was set up. It is for me to burn off power without having an effect on the local systems.”

  Brigs smiled and helped her to her feet. “I will add a practice dome to the schematics of the base if you choose to join. Water tanks would ease your generation, right?”

  “They would. Pulling water out of the air is tiring.”

  Brigs was making mental notes as she and Deniali walked across the barn and out into the bright sunny light of day. They were standing in the front yard when the matriarch and Solos joined them.

  Brigs nodded respectfully to the matriarch. “She has a decision to make and I am sure that you will help her reach a conclusion that is right for her. You have my contact information. I will be waiting for your call.”

  Deniali lunged for her and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Recruiter Brigeet.”

  “It is your choice, your chance. Think it over.”

  Solos caught her tone. “You may be in touch with the recruiter anytime. Our suits have com implants. We will never be out of com range.”

  The talent reached out and held her matriarch’s hand as Solos and Brigs left.

  Brigs could feel the excitement in Deniali, but she wanted her to come to the project calm and determined, not desperate and enthusiastic.

  She settled into the skimmer and Solos directed their vehicle to the next location ninety minutes away.

  “It seems you have your first recruit.”

  Brigs smiled at him, “I don’t know that. All I know is that I have contacted and confirmed the first theoretical talent on my list. Now, on to number two.”

  Solos inclined his head. “As you like. Second destination is eighty-eight minutes away.”

  Brigs settled into her seat and closed her eyes. The next candidate was going to be a handful.

  Chapter Four

  The cheering and shouting led her to her next candidate. Solos was at her side as she eased through the crowd until she had a full view of her candidate.

  Brigs grimaced as she watched the candidate shatter rock by clapping his hands and directing the wave. The crowd was putting bets on the quantity of rock shattered.

  He was not an ideal candidate, but he was powerful. He needed to focus his energy and not just try to make the biggest hole.

  Brigs was gaining looks from the surrounding crowd, and when her target had finished his exercises, she approached him.

  He leaned back and draped a towel around his neck, smiling at her in a suggestive manner. Brigs could feel Solos stiffening up beside her.

  “Kardu Nehal, I am a recruiter from the Nyal Imperium. You have been identified as a possible candidate for the Guardian project.”

  He rose to his feet and swaggered. “Of course, you would come to me first.”

  Solos chuckled. “Oh, you were not first, Kardu.”

  That comment made her target jerk with shock. Brigs kept her expression calm but inside she was sniggering. This is why Kardu could not be the first call. She had meant to leave him for the last, but her instinct had ranked him as second, and she did enjoy going with her gut from time to time.

  Kardu looked at them and turned to the gathered crowd. “That is all for today. Go!”

  Brigs inclined her head politely. “Would you care to discuss this in greater detail?”

  Kardu huffed and led them to a bar with a closed sign. He pushed inside and moved behind the bar, pouring himself a glass of glowing green liquid.

  “Can I offer you anything?”

  Solos nodded. “The recruiter will have water. Her species requires it frequently.”

  Brigs grinned and took the glass of water her extended to her, hopping up onto a barstool. Solos stood behind her, with a watchful vibe in his posture.

  “Well, Kardu, the Guardian project has received permission to open a base on Jaluum, and I am here to recruit Guardians to fill that base. Your service to your world is well known, but that is not why I am here. I am here because of why you stepped into action.”

  Kardu blushed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Your sister was having her first child when the invasion began near your home. You fought off the incursion on your own because your niece was coming into the world and you wanted her to be safe.”

  Kardu frowned. “How do you know about that?”

  “Her birth announcement was in the news reports immediately after the defensive movement. You appeared in the family recording posted around the baby.”

  Kardu blinked. “Those records made it to the imperium?”

  “When the possibility of a Guardian outpost here was raised, we received a complete dump of all public records. That is how I found the candidates for recruitment.”

  “It must have taken you months to pore over all that data.”

  With only five days behind her on the Jaluum project, she smiled slightly. “That is my job.”

  She sipped at the water and forced herself to swallow. The metallic tang was definitely present and the primary flavouring agent. Brigs had consumed water on half a dozen worlds and none of them tasted like home.

  She casually reached over and stuck a straw in the glass, quickly draining it before she could gag.

  “What would you want from me?”

  “If you chose to partake in the Guardian project, you would be a member of a minimally three-person team, deployed around Jaluum as needed when the situation calls for it. You would be on an on-call rotation, and during that time, you would be confined to base.”

  Kardu scowled. “I am not sure that I like the idea of being confined.”

  “The base will have plenty of entertainment options but no inebriation or off-base personnel allowed. It will have to be a secure facility to protect the identities of the other Guardians. Most of them are unknown to the public and they might wish to stay that way.”

  He nodded with understanding. “That sounds like a logical practice. If I had not been involved in the defense, I would have preferred to not have been known. Sure, the females are appreciative, but my family gets harassed for my presence. My mother would like me in a nice, stable occupation and away from the scandalmongers.”

  Solos inclined his head. “You have been asked to father another generation?”

  Kardu blushed, “Several times. My mother has refused to allow me to spaw
n until there is a proper offer so I can enjoy the attentions of the ladies, but a family of my own is out of the question.”

  Brigs enjoyed the by-play. Solos and Kardu shared a moment of understanding. When they had first gotten together, Brigeet had gotten a quick and graphic understanding of Jaluum mating practices. The men were traded for family alliances and social position. They were sterile until their matriarch freed them into a formal union. A man without a matriarch on Jaluum had no chance of a family.

  It was a world with strict rules when it came to male behaviour. Women were responsible for engaging in activities that would raise the profile of their own matriarch until they had families of their own. From that point on, all responsibility for the family organization rested on their shoulders, no matter how many mates they had.

  Kardu had been given a certain amount of freedom by his matriarch, but only because of his public exposure. She had wanted to keep him as far away from the family as possible to reduce the annoyance of his popularity.

  Brigs nodded, “So, why do you engage in the show outside?”

  Kardu wrinkled his nose. “It keeps public interest in me and supports the bar. My mother has a lot invested in it.”

  Brigeet stifled a grin. “I am sure that if you choose to involve yourself with the Guardian project, it will have the same effect. Heroes are great, but a hero in uniform gets respect.”

  “I agree to whatever you ask.”

  She shook her head. “No, talk it over with your matriarch and get authorization. We are doing everything by the book. There will be no repercussions to the project. Every man and woman on this team will be authorized by their matriarch unless one is not available.”

  He grinned. “Thank you. You are the first person to treat me like a normal Jaluum citizen in years.”

  Brigs inclined her head and slipped him the data chip that matched the one she gave to Deniali. “This is the contact data. Your matriarch is welcome to ask questions, and we will answer what we can. You will be offered a uniform, transport, room and board as well as a hefty stipend. All the data is there.”