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  "You didn't comment on Maxi's size."

  "I simply figured out that she's one of the few who can shift size at will. It seems that she would be an exceptional animal given her choice of bond mate." He held the kit easily while she pulled the scanners from the interior and attached the monitors to her temples and the base of her neck.

  She inhaled and exhaled as she turned the scanner on. Her familiar thought pattern appeared on the display and she looked over at the file that Relay had sent and started to synch her mind to that of Maud Odette Mikaelson.

  Chapter Five

  Sending her mind that far out was no easy task, but she welcomed the sensation of speed that she felt. It was the first time she had done it while in a moving ship, so keeping her orientation became her prime concern.

  She crossed shipping lanes, com lanes and sought the mind with the pattern that now matched her working image.

  Sekhara found the trail of Maud's mind and followed the disgruntled Terran's sleepy thoughts through a star system until the mind began to shine brightly in the welter of beings on the sparsely populated world.

  She moved around, skirting the more sensitive inhabitants as she homed in on Maud. She put the equivalent of a mental finger down on the woman and woke herself slightly on the ship.

  "How long until rescue?" Sekhara kept her gaze on the waves that she was holding her mind to.

  "Have you found her?"

  "I have, but I don't want to contact her without letting her know what is going on."

  "Give me the coordinates. They have been standing by and should be able to find them shortly. I will get you a response as soon as I can. Don't lose her."

  "I won't." She didn't mention that Maud was in with groomers for some very intimate treatment. Sekhara watched her target and waited. When Maud was dressed and ready, Contract's voice finally came to her.

  "They will be there in under fifteen minutes. You can let her know not to move."

  "She doesn't have a choice. She's a prisoner, Contract. She goes where they put her." Sekhara smiled slightly and resumed strengthening her contact with the Terran woman until speech was finally possible.

  As she worked, Contract continued to feed her details of the imminent rescue and she absorbed them all for her conversation.

  Sekhara took a deep breath and broadcast to the woman. Don't move.

  The surprise in Maud's mind was evident. Why shouldn't I move, who are you and where are you?

  Sekhara felt a little sheepish. She wasn't used to this. Oh, sorry. I am Counsel of the Sector Guard. I am the longest-range telepath that we have, so all communications of the biological kind come through me.

  Maud accepted that. Okay, why shouldn't I move?

  Because we are about to do an emergency drop through your atmospheric bubble and Fury is going to be fostering a lack of oxygen. We will pick you up where you drop. Are you wearing anything in particular that will make you stand out?

  I am in silver to my fingernails.

  Excellent. We will be there in ten minutes. Hold tight. Their ship rocked suddenly and she lost the connection. Pain speared through her mind, but she could only imagine the pain the loss of connection had caused Maud.

  "What was that?" With one hand to her forehead, she removed the sensors. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision and tried to focus on the view screen.

  "We hit a debris field. It is weird, because there hasn't been any activity in the area for days." Contract swung to grip the controls and on an impulse, Counsel opened her mind again.

  "Contract, jump, now!"

  Her voice must have conveyed her urgency, because he engaged the jump engine and jumped blind.

  Counsel gripped the arms of her chair tightly and gritted her teeth as her body occupied two points in space at the same time. A flare of light struck their shuttle, but they were already on their way.

  The console was lit and flashing as they came out of the jump.

  Contract started cursing violently as he started to shut down the ship's systems. "The ship is dead. We would have been too if that blast had hit us head on. What was it?"

  She shook her head and breathed deeply, nausea rising sharply. "I don't know. I felt malicious darkness and then I yelled. Where are we?"

  "I have no idea. Our nav systems are dead and the emergency life support is only going to work for a few days." Contract paused for a moment. "Can you contact anyone?"

  She rubbed her forehead. "It doesn't work like that. Working with three-dimensional space is more different than you think."

  Maxi jumped up and cuddled on her lap, wriggling and whining.

  She watched Contract finish shutting down all the relays and tried to come up with a plan of attack. There was an insecurity in her tone when she asked, "Have you been in this situation before?"

  He grinned at her, trying to reassure her. "Not like this but something similar. First step is to launch a beacon."

  She nodded and cuddled Maxi. He seemed to have everything under control and she had a helluva headache.

  "Can I go lie down for a bit? My head is pounding."

  "Of course. I will be right there. We can have lunch and plan our next move."

  She smiled and put Maxi down, reaching out to support herself along the wall. Contract was launching the beacon and Sekhara really needed to get off her feet.

  The bunk was a welcome sight when she made her way into the cabin area. She fell heavily onto the fabric-covered pallet and groaned as the ship stopped spinning around her.

  "What is wrong?" She felt the edge of the pallet dip and Contract's hand on her forehead.

  "I…overextended myself without a proper anchor. My talent is in shock right now." She smiled through the pain that made bright lights dance across his features.

  "Link with me."

  She jolted. "No."

  "Why not, we are partners and you need a stable mind to draw strength and healing from. Use me."

  "I have spent my adult life trying to heal the wounds left by those who have used links for their own purposes. I don't want to be one of them." She took his hand and held it with her own.

  He let out a gusty sigh. "You are not using me. I am offering my mind as your partner to help you recover from an injury incurred in the line of duty. I want to do this. You need help now and we don't know how long it will be before a rescue can be launched."

  Sekhara sighed, shuddering as another waved of disorientation ran through her. That was the crux of the problem, her mind didn't know which way was up and she had no means to anchor herself when she had gone looking for Maud.

  Having never done that great a distance before, she had been unprepared for the violence of her reaction.

  Looking into Contract's sincere eyes, she nodded and he helped her to sit up, scooping her and putting her in his lap without asking her opinion. The strength and warmth of his body under hers gave her part of the anchor that she needed and her mind steadied by using his as a backdrop.

  "That's better already. We may not need to link at all." Her nausea and pain receded as her mind slowly reoriented itself within her body. It was as if she had scattered her energies to the stars and they were only now finding their way home.

  "We can and we will. I am in this for the long haul, Counsel. If you need a backup on the psychic plane, I will be there for you." His voice rumbled through her, calming her hesitant mind.

  She fought her disgruntled impulses. "Fine. Do you accept my mind as yours?"

  "I do. Will you take me as your link to increase your stability and power?"

  "I will." She leaned into his embrace and sought his thoughts, touching the part of his mind that was able to join hers.

  A peculiar rush went through her as he surged into her mind while she joined his. He was aroused by the mental contact. She could feel it under her thigh.

  "Not until we get out of here, Criton." Calling him by his call sign was silly given their proximity.

  "I love hearing my name on your l
ips and in your thoughts."

  Before she could move off his lap, his arms were around her and he was pressing a kiss to her lips that explored and tasted before parting them to slip inside.

  He tasted better than he looked and he looked amazing. She felt a tugging at the back of her skull and then waves of her hair cascaded over his arm.

  She jerked free of his kiss, her mild confusion and irritation burning in her thoughts. "Why did you drop my hair?"

  "Because it looks like spun midnight and smells like you." He ran one hand through the waves and tilted her head back to press a kiss to her throat.

  "What are you doing?"

  He lifted his head and grinned, "Laying the foundation for a seduction. We may be in and out on assignments for the next while and I want to make any headway I can."

  Sekhara sat back, her arms pressed against his chest for distance. "You seem really sure that there is a rescue being mounted."

  "Of course. It's a two-way beacon. The moment it launched, we got a signal from Udell base. They are dispatching Stellar Storm to retrieve us. She will be here in a few hours."

  She looked at him in surprise and let him know of her displeasure with a blast of emotion to his mind.

  He winced.

  "Why didn't you tell me right away?"

  "There was no opportunity. You were back here and already in need of care and more information would not have helped you. I am telling you now."

  His calm irritated her more than the grip he still had around her waist. She prodded his chest with two fingers. "What else did you find out?"

  His sheepish grin was echoed in his mind. "We are in the Udell system. It must have been the nearest location to the jump site."

  "Do you think what attacked us will follow?"

  He cocked his head, his bright eyes considering, a calm demeanour considering the heated arousal she was still pressed against. "I think our jump may have confused them. They either thought we got away clean or possibly that we exploded with the impact. I confess to curiosity as to what the hell hit us."

  She looked up at him and remembered the mind that she had touched a moment before they were struck.

  Hate, power and a sick anticipation skimmed across the psychic plane and had given her enough warning to pass the panic on to Criton. Whatever had blasted them was alive and it was not going to stop until it destroyed every Guardsman it came across.

  She focussed on her partner and let a wave of determination run through their link. "Whatever it was, it won't catch me by surprise again. I promise."

  He didn't reply but sent her calming thoughts as he lowered his head for a kiss once again.

  It certainly was a productive way to pass the time, but Maxi's whine let her know that she was upset at being left out. When Sekhara patted her thighs, a full-sized nylander was on her lap, grunting when Criton's lips thwarted its tongue, lapping at her cheek.

  He quickly withdrew when Maxi changed her target and it was soon a triad bound by lust and laughter that was startled by the delicate knocking at the side of the hull.

  Sekhara shoved Maxi and got off Criton's lap. The front screen of the shuttle showed a woman in a sparkling bodysuit peering in through the plexi. Sekhara gave her a thumbs-up and touched her mind.

  Hello, Stellar Storm. We are fine aside from our dead ship. Are you going our way?

  Oh, you are Counsel! Nice to meet you. Just hold tight and I will have you to Udell in no time.

  Criton came up next to her and casually wrapped an arm around her waist. Based on his thoughts, he wasn't aware of it.

  Stellar Storm gave her a thumbs-up and in a moment a glittering net of energy surrounded their ship. A few sharp tugs and they were on their way.

  Chapter Six

  Being towed in to Udell base was a little embarrassing, but when they were handed off to an Alliance warship for transport to Station 13, Sekhara had a hard time keeping Maxi under control.

  Everyone who saw the cheerful fluff ball wanted to pet her and Maxi was a very friendly animal. Shipboard staff stopped and tried to pet Maxi at every hall junction and open door.

  "Oh, how sweet."

  "What's her name?"

  "What kind of animal is it?"

  "Can she do any tricks?"

  Counsel smiled and walked along, answering what she could and ignoring the questions on tricks. Maxi was enjoying the attention, but she didn't lag back more than ten feet from her bond mate.

  Criton had a small carry bag with him, but he kept his arm around her as they walked the halls to an adjacent shuttle bay.

  She felt the jump of the warship and staggered slightly but righted herself in a moment. "Where did we jump to?"

  He grinned and nodded politely to the deck crew in the shuttle bay. They walked toward a pod so small that she wasn't sure that they would all fit.

  "Where are we going?"

  She could feel the smug anticipation in his mind.

  "I will tell you in a moment."

  He had a surprise for her and it sang out in his emotions.

  Maxi ran up to the tiny conveyance and sniffed around, looking up at Counsel dubiously.

  "I am sure that we will all fit, Maxi. Contract would not cram us into a tiny shell and run away, now would he?" She raised an eyebrow at him in challenge.

  "Of course not. Now, get in the tiny box and soon you will see my surprise."

  He shooed them into the miniscule shuttle and as soon as they were seated in the cramped space, he got clearance and took off.

  "Where are we going?"

  "You will see. Just let me clear the warship."

  She waited restlessly as the small view screen showed the bulk of the ship they had just walked through. As it passed on its way, the bright jewel in the darkness above a bright blue world caught her eye.

  "Is that…"

  Pride entered his mind and his voice. "Station 13. Your new home."

  She took in the struts, the compact body of the station as it slowly rotated in the blackness of space. It had the appearance of a slowly moving diamond.

  She let him feel her amazement through their connection and Maxi whined happily, catching onto the idea that she would soon be able to run around. Her happy feelings ricocheted from one Wyoran to another.

  Contract was smiling as he brought them into a docking clip and the station grabbed hold of the ship, tugging them inside.

  When the lights indicated breathable atmosphere, the door opened and Maxi took advantage of the opening. She was frolicking in circles around the tiny vessel as if she knew she was home. Taking Criton's hand, Sekhara stepped onto the deck of Station 13 for the first time.

  They were not even to the inner door of the landing bay when a figure ghosted up through the floor.

  "Haunt. I am pleased to introduce Counsel." Criton made the introduction swiftly.

  "Call me Kaylee when you are not on duty, but that isn't the case now. Come to my offices, we have an urgent matter to discuss." She led the way and a bemused couple and their pet followed her.

  Sekhara sat across from her base commander and tilted her head as a split display lit up and Relay and Tech faced them.

  Haunt nodded. "Tech, explain your findings."

  Tech nodded, smiling grimly. "At first, we tried to figure out what kind of a weapon had made the blast that crippled your ship, but once we examined the residue, it became more and more obvious that the power that struck you was under biological control."

  Relay listened and when Tech paused, she spoke. "So, what you are telling us is that there is a talent out there that can blow up spacecraft?"

  "More than that. Every superficial system was counteracted by an equal force that negated it completely. If you hadn't jumped, your systems would have been completely overwhelmed and life support would have been taken out with the other systems."

  Contract finished, "And we would be dead."

  Relay and Tech nodded in agreement.

  Haunt cleared her throat, "I believ
e that is what the attacker had in mind."

  Counsel swallowed, "That explains the wave of hate that preceded the attack. If the talent hadn't broadcasted, I wouldn't have had a chance to warn Contract. He really hates the Sector Guard."

  He looked at her and nodded. "And if we hadn't jumped, we'd be in small chunks right now or large frozen ones."

  Haunt gave Counsel a direct look. "Would you know that mind again?"

  "Of course. One doesn't forget that kind of hate." She gestured and Haunt slid a data pad toward her.

  Counsel was in her element as she created a depiction of the mind that had tried to kill them. "I don't know what his body looks like, but this is his thought map."

  She finished and held up the data pad.

  "Here he is."

  Haunt took the pad and shared the scan. A male with silvery skin and a Dhemon took places in the collection of images of base commanders.

  Haunt sent the file while speaking, "Might, Guardian, this is the thought map of the attacker. Please share it with all outposts and the Citadel staff."

  The men nodded. Guardian spoke. "Will Counsel recognize him and can she track him?"

  Sekhara blinked. "I suppose I could."

  Haunt put up a restraining hand. "Give her a day to acclimate. She also needs to settle and get her baselines done in medical."

  The base commanders on the screens nodded.

  Might followed up. "As soon as she can make the attempt, we will be standing by."

  Contract leaned forward, scowling. "She can't scan all of space looking for one mind. She needs a more stable environment to engage in a successful and stress-free search."

  She blinked. He had been paying attention. "I can manage it on the station."

  Haunt held up a hand. "No need. We can get you a seat on Balen, just pick the direction and do what you can. We will take it on a day-by-day basis."

  Haunt raised her voice to address the other base commanders. "But, her position as operating Guardsman and Counsellor is her primary duty. If she is called, she will go and put this seek on hold. That said, if anyone finds a clue as to the identity or location of this talent, the sooner we know about it, the sooner she can pinpoint their exact location and make contact with their thoughts."