
Sunstar: Amina's Story

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Annalise Whelan
Copyright (C) 2019 Annalise Whelan

All rights reserved.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All poetry quotations are in the public domain and given authorship credit.

Cover art via Pixabay 
Also by Annalise Whelan

O'Hanrahan Legacy

Romance Me with Flowers

Romance Me with Legends

Romance Me with Memories

Peacekeepers

Sunstar: Amina's Story

Fire Healer: Mara's Story

Glow Spark: Gem's Story

Standalone

The Lost Princess of Keros

# Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Annalise Whelan

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

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Also By Annalise Whelan

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# Chapter 1

Amina paced outside his study door. The tall clock chimed another hour, afternoon shadows crept up the walls, and anxiety clenched her stomach. Her breath stuttered as fear clawed its way to her throat, but she forced herself to face the door, raise her fist, and knock.

"Come in." His voice was deep, calm. It probably wouldn't stay that way, but she had prepared, practiced her pitch, and hope wavered inside her like a small flame.

She entered the room, willing each step closer to him. Her fist unclenched, and she held out the crushed flier.

"Father, I saw this at the post. It would mean a great deal to me if you would allow me to go." Her voice quavered from her tight throat, and she forced a deep, calming breath. She must sound sure.

"What is it?"

"An invitation. It's free to anyone who would like to attend. They even reimburse the fare to the destination."

"To what? Where?" He took the flier from her shaking hand. She knew the moment he saw, the moment he understood. His face flushed crimson; his eyes bulged, terrifying in the intensity of his growing anger.

"Please, Father," she begged. "I'll be trained. I can help people. Away from here. The neighbors won't know."

Now he was shaking. The flier flapped at the end of his grip. His glare scorched her like a palpable heat. She shrank into herself, away from him. Look anywhere but into his anger.

He roared into her face. "No daughter of mine will ever be one of those abominations! Do you hear me, Amina? Ever!" He shook his finger inches from her cheek. Her hands came up as a shield.

She had tried to prepare herself. She hated this rage, each word hitting her like fists, each blow chinking away at her defenses. Her lips trembled, unable to withstand the pressure of unshed tears.

Still, he wasn't finished.

"Never mention this again. Obey me, or you will be out of this house!"

Mother rushed into the room, her hands wringing a kitchen towel. "What on Old Earth is going on?"

"Bah," he said with disgust, waving his hand like it was nothing. "Amina wants to go join that GWIPS or whatever it is." Father settled back into his chair. It was over. "What I would like to know," he grumbled. "Is whoever put this fool idea into her head and told her about this GWIPS in the first place?"

"Oh, my dear," Mother said, turning to her with a troubled expression. "Why would you want to do that and go so far from home?"

Nausea rolled in her stomach as truth wrenched through her like a physical thing. She ran from the room and out the front door. They would never let her go since they would never understand. It wasn't possible for their minds or their hearts. Anxiety had weighed on her, and now it heaved out and into the bushes.

"Amina," called Mother.

Avoiding her mother, she headed down the red clay road for the village and Miss Pringle. She had no option left but escape. She pulled the worn, wrinkled paper from her tunic pocket. Her list was short but necessary: currency, sustenance, clothing. It was going to be a long journey from planet Aldernon to planet Kildren.

She barely saw the fields flowing with red grass and golden-weed. She skipped over the stones in the stream and paid no heed to the boys working the hay field. Her ears were deaf to their singing with her mind focused on her future and her dreams.

Thankfully, she didn't see many of their neighbors in the village. She passed all the local shops with barely a nod to anyone. She didn't know who might report to her father, and she didn't need questions.

Miss Pringle's confectionery shop was empty when Amina stepped inside. It smelled of cinna-spice and fresh zest, of comfort. A smile broke over her face when Miss Pringle came to the counter.

"My Amina, how nice to see you so early."

"I had to see you before I go."

Miss Pringle frowned.

Amina slipped around the counter to wrap her in a hug. "Thank you for always being nice to me." She pulled back to look up into her sweet face. "I'm escaping. It will have to be tonight."

"What are you going on about?"

"I'm going to join GIPS. Or try to." She had left the flier behind, or she'd show Miss Pringle. "My parents won't allow it. I don't want to get you into trouble, but I must do it in secret. You're the only person I can trust."

Miss Pringle pulled away. "You mustn't! I don't understand. Your brother, or your mother? Surely they will help you."

"I'm on my own." It was simple and true. "You know what I am, what I can do." Miss Pringle's face tightened, and Amina hurried on. "I've tried to reason with them, to beg, but you don't know how Father is. And no one can change his mind. Even if they could, GIPS is taking recruits now, so I can't wait any longer."

Miss Pringle's mouth twitched, and her forehead wrinkled. Amina waited. "I'll help," she finally said. "What do you need?"

"Food for three days travel. It will take me that long to walk to Greenway where I can catch a shuttle to Kildren."

"What about currency?"

"I worked extra for three months at Landry's Farm, ever since I found the flier. I've got two spare tunics I stitched up in secret."

"My," said Miss Pringle with a lip twitch. "You have been preparing."

She packed some provisions and gave Amina a quick kiss on her temple. "I'll miss you, my girl."

"Thank you." Amina gave her another squeeze and breathed in the scent of cinna-spice, willow-rum, cocoa. "I'm going to miss you, too."

"Listen to me," she said in a rushed, hushed voice. "I believe you have a gift. A special talent. And you've got a good heart. I know it's not the same as if I were your parents, but I give you my blessing."

Amina thanked her again with a final goodbye then headed back toward home and her final preparations for escape.

It was easy to talk about escaping. It was another thing entirely to pull it off.

She couldn't go straight home to face Mother's questions and concerns and never-ending coddling, so she slipped onto the side path to the barn where she might find Derick.

Meg whinnied a greeting, and she ran her hands over Meg's plump sides. "How're you today, ya' old horse?"

"She's eating us out of oats."

Amina turned to see her brother approaching with Meg's harness. He was handsome, like Father, and made strong the way only farm labor can. She would miss his warmth and gentleness. He smiled. Oh, she would miss that. He was always happy to see her, even when she had been a little girl all bony legs and arms following along behind him. During the lean times, he would slip her a little extra bread under the table. What would she do without him to look after her? How long before she saw him again? He would marry soon. Grief swept her, but she shook it away.

"Something worrying you, Green Eyes?" he asked, stopping at her side and studying her face.

She tried a wobbly grin. "Just saying hello. I've got to clean up my nook."

"If you say so."

In her nook of the barn, she kept her escape stash. While Derick was busy with Meg, she pulled out the satchel she had made by stitching together old rags. She stuffed it with her leather gloves, a small sheaved knife, her saved currency, her few extra tunics, and the bundle of food. Last, she picked up her holo-vid and ran her fingers over it, remembering.

Derick had saved for months to gift her with the only piece of technology she'd ever owned, probably the only one in the entire village. Derick didn't understand her thirst for the outside star system, but he loved her enough to know she had the thirst. He knew about her ability, and years ago he had told her about GIPS. He told her she wasn't alone, and she could have a purpose. He might regret planting that seed, but it had given her hope that somewhere she might not be an abomination. It became her dream: one day, when she grew up, she would be patrolling the Gwana Star System, keeping the peace as an officer in the Gwana Interplanetary Peace Squad. She would fly in star shuttles and see every planet in the system.

She slipped the holo-vid into her satchel.

"Amina," he called, interrupting her thoughts. "Can you get that box just out of my reach?"

She sighed and hid her satchel in the shadow of a stall door. He took advantage of her ability when it served. High above Derick's head, an old box sat on a shelf. Amina shot her brother a grin. Facing the box, she planted her feet, focused on the box, and "lifted" with her mind. How she did it, she didn't know. It just worked. She could lift anything she could focus on if it didn't weigh too much. It landed with a little hop, and Derick clapped. She laughed and curtsied while he watched with that proud big-brother smile.

"I wasn't going to bring it up, but I know about Father's temper earlier, and his refusal to let you go."

"It's what I expected. I don't want it to worry you." She chewed her bottom lip. "Besides, what if I did go, and they didn't want me? What if I'm not good enough to be a Peacekeeper?" This buried fear had been creeping around in her head like a monster waiting for an opportunity to pounce. All of this she's risking, what if it were for nothing?

"You listen, Green Eyes," Derick said. "You are amazing. This talent or ability or gift, whatever it is, you have it. You. And it's worth something. You may not see how wonderful you are, but the rest of us do. Fear is motivating our parents. Mother fears the star system will find out how wonderful you are and never let you return. Father fears what he doesn't understand, and he fears you'll be mistreated. In his own way, he's trying to protect you. You know he's a Naturalist."

"You really think I'm good enough?"

"Absolutely."

How she wished to tell him about her escape. She threw her arms around his waist. "I love you, brother," she mumbled into his shirt.

"Whoa." He chuckled and patted her shoulder. "What's this about?"

"Just needed to say it." She sucked up a sob. Mustn't cry. Laying her plans on Derick would be unfair. He's Father's heir, and running the farm is what he wants most in the world. She refused to jeopardize his relationship with Father. No doubt he'd lie to protect her, but she wouldn't ever ask him to. "Now get to work, Farm Boy," she said.

Derick shook his head at her and grinned. "I'll be Man of the Farm one day. You watch out."

"Yes. You will."

Amina watched him grab his box and move out of the barn. She collected her satchel and slipped a note into his barn nook. He'd find it well after she was gone.

She hesitated, not wanting this to be a goodbye. Checking the sunstar's position and calculating, time remained for a last practice run. If escape worked, she needed to be primed, practiced, before arriving at GIPS Headquarters.

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# Chapter 2

Maisy shuffled in her stall, and Amina crooned to the horse while she collected a harness. Meg was sweet, a friend to Amina when everything felt like too much, but Maisy would do until she could catch up with Derick. She levitated the saddle from its perch on the wall of Maisy's stall to the horse's back. Once mounted, Amina gave ornery Maisy time to accept her weight.

Then she was off, galloping into the back field after her brother. The wind whipped through Amina's long hair. She loved the feel of galloping, of being one with a powerful animal as it tore across the turf. This would be her last day on the farm, her last view of the fields, her last ride.

Derick looked up, face creasing into a frown, until she drew close enough he could see the grin splitting her face. "What about your chores?" He worried because of Father. She risked his wrath. Again. "This isn't like you."

"I have time if you stop dillydallying." She raised her brows in challenge. "You think you can beat me today?"

He held onto Meg's lead. "You have the upper hand with your ability, sister. If you stay on Maisy, we'll even my odds. Make it a fair competition."

"All right. I accept your challenge."

With one smooth move, Derick settled himself on Meg.

They grinned at each other.

"Hiya!" Amina cried a second before Derick.

Maisy leaped to follow Amina's command, charging across the grassy landscape.

They raced across the fields, Amina laughing, headed for the secret training grounds where Derick had helped her develop the ability. She looked over her shoulder, soaking up the view of his beaming face. She wanted to remember this moment forever.

The pearapple orchard appeared over the next rise, and she swerved Maisy toward it. Ducking against the horse's silky mane, she rode under the branches, plucking the thick-skinned, ripening fruit as she passed. When she had five or six pearapples tucked between her arms and stomach, she rode out of the shadows to the open rows between trees, toward the targets Derick had hung from the branches.

"Are you ready?" she called.

He appeared at her side. "Are you?" He counted off, and the competition began.

She used her ability as she hurled the fruit, aiming for the center of the targets that swayed gently in the breeze. Getting it right while riding made a thrill of adrenaline shock through her system. Derick fell behind. Despite his greater size, strength, and speed, he couldn't match her gift. Powerful energy flowed through her, like an extension of her body, and one fruit after another splattered against the targets. Her aim was true on most.

When she pulled Maisy to a halt at the end of the route, she couldn't help crowing a little.

Derick smiled, shook his head. "You're amazing. Better every time."

She took a mock bow from the saddle. When she straightened, an overripe pearapple exploded across her chest, the surprise stealing her breath. The pulpy mass of red flesh flew into her face, into her hair, and dripped off her chin. "Ugh!"

Her brother's laughter rolled through the orchard.

Using her ability, she plucked a fruit from the closest tree and hurled it at him. Derick made a wide target, and the scowl on his face when the fruit hit his chest had her hooting laughter.

Until she saw his face wasn't laughing but serious as the grave. "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"I've seen you practice what? A thousand times. You pick the fruit. You throw it and use your power to support your aim. You just did everything with your ability." He rode closer, eyeing her up and down as if she were a bug in a jar. "You're changing."

Was she? She hadn't thought about what she was doing. It had been instinctive.

"Do it again." He looked fierce. "I want to see if you can repeat it."

"Not today." She didn't have time. Besides, the idea her power was changing, growing, had her scared. One thing Father and his club of Naturalists preached: Abilities were dangerous, unpredictable. Could she hurt someone she loved? Derick? She had to leave. She had run out of time. "Let's swim."

He nodded, but his expression remained wary. Was he frightened of her? It hurt, ached deep in her stomach.

They rode silent side-by-side to the swimming hole. She shucked her tunic and dove into the center of the cool water.

Washing the fruit from her hair, she gazed up at the cloudless sky unsure when she'd return, wishing her last day could somehow stretch time. Too bad she couldn't linger, but her chores waited.

Her tunic required scrubbing, but it came clean enough Mother wouldn't ask questions, and it would dry under the hot sunstar.

From the swimming hole, she made her way to the front gate. Amina pulled a loose stone from the gate pillar and stuffed the satchel into the empty space. She looked toward the vegetable garden that needed weeding. If she concentrated on her afternoon chores, she could avoid her parents until the evening meal.

The few hours passed, and she hurried to wash up for her final meal with her family.

Entering the kitchen without a minute to spare, she sat at the table. Terror hunched inside her. What if she said something and gave it all away? Would they see her anxious trembling if she held a fork? Father's temper would be unimaginable.

Mother sniffed at her when she sat but said nothing. Her sisters squabbled among themselves, oblivious to her. Derick gave her a studying glance but didn't question her.

Father wasn't there.

"Is Father joining us, Mother?"

"The lady from the confectionery sent a message right before the evening meal. Something about an order that arrived late. She was very apologetic over the inconvenience, but could it not wait until tomorrow? I expect your father will eat later."

Amina melted with relief. Dear, sweet Miss Pringle.

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# Chapter 3

The lullaby of the moon swallow rose eerily in the darkness.

Silver light from the third moon lit the room, alerting her the time had arrived to sneak away. She needed to get up, to move, but fear had her frozen.

She lay next to her three young sisters and listened to their breathing of deep sleep. She couldn't help but spend a few minutes gazing at each of her sisters, not knowing when she'd see them again and missing their sweetness and round baby cheeks already.

Enough. She could do this.

Amina rose from the bed careful not to make it squeak. Barefoot, she eased over the rough wooden floorboards.

Grease snitched from Cook ensured the hinges on the bedroom door remained quiet.

Her shoes waited outside the door. She pressed the door shut behind her then pulled on the shoes under the darkness of the wide, windowless hallway. Her fingers shook as she laced up the worn leather.

As she was sneaking past her parents' sleeping room, she heard a grunt and plastered herself against the hall wall.

Her parents' voices, indistinct but definite, filtered from the room.

Unbelievable. It's the middle of the night!

She could see the front door from here, so close. She had to take the chance.

Dashing as soundlessly as possible, she flew down the dark stairs toward the front door.

Her momentum knocked her against the tall clock, and it tipped. No! She grabbed for it but missed. Wood and glass shattered against the stone floor.

She shot a hasty glance up the stairs. A light flicked below her parents' door, sending a shock of panic through her blood.

She tried turning the heavy bolt lock on the door, but her hands shook, useless. Calm down! The bolt gave. Her parents' door squeaked as the front door swung open. Cool night air rushed over her.

Fueled by fear and adrenaline, she ran.

A fire burned in her chest as she fled down the long drive. When the gate appeared, sobs of relief wracked her. Panting, chest heaving, she collapsed against the gate post. Breathe!

Pulling herself up, she took a long look at her home. It shone beautiful pearly white in the moons' light, graceful though simple, with rolling pastures in the background, too dark to see now, but she could recall every detail. Her heart longed for her family as if she'd already been gone for ages. This was the only way she would be free.

She dug her satchel out of its hiding spot, turned her back, and headed for her dreams.

Town felt strange in its quiet, still emptiness. She had to hurry on to the next village if she wanted to avoid Father. Her parents had to know she had escaped, and Father would come after her on one of the horses.

Amina called it escape, but they would call it running away, abandoning her family and all her responsibilities on the farm.

She ran until her side hitch forced her to walk then picked up her pace to a jog until she reached the forest on the other side of the village.

A side path wove through the woods, and she debated keeping to the open road for a faster, direct route versus the longer wood trail. If Father caught up to her or gathered a posse to track her, she would do better in the woods. Making her choice, she traveled the length of the wood path toward Misty Hill.

The sunstar peeked over the horizon when the village came into view. Her legs ached, but she couldn't afford to rest. Not yet.

A cart lumbered along the road, and Amina walked beside it as if she were part of the farmer's family on a trip to town. The farmer gave her an absent nod, not paying her any real attention, and pulled up to a stop at the mercantile shop.

Amina didn't pause in Misty Hill any longer than it took to swallow water and a handful of bread. On her way out of town, she kept to the main road.

It wasn't long, not even halfway to the next town, when she heard the pounding gallop of a gang of horses. Dust kicked up on the road, creating a screen. She took advantage of the seconds she had to hide in the trees beside the road. Could it be Father?

A group of five passed her, headed for the next town. She recognized Father with his red flushed skin. Part of her had wondered if he would bother searching. Embarrassment was a dreaded thing, and he wouldn't want the village or his Naturalist friends to know he couldn't control his daughter.

What should she do? If she had a horse, she wouldn't be in this situation.

It could be worse. Since they were ahead of her, she didn't have to worry about them catching up, and she could take her time in the next town, rest, knowing they'd already searched it.

The creak of wagon wheels broke the silence, and the cart she'd left behind rolled toward her. She weighed her options, and her tired feet insisted she wasted time.

As the cart passed, she grabbed the back gate, pulled herself up and into the bed. The farmer hauled sweet cane stalks, wooden buckets of grain, and barrels of wine.

Amina nestled down between the barrels and stalks. The steady clop of horse hooves and rhythm of the ride had her eyes growing heavy, and she gave herself up to sleep.

The farmer's voice raised in anger jolted her awake. She remained still as she listened, trying to make out what she heard. He yelled at a caravan blocking his way.

Amina poked her head up above the side of the cart and spied a line of wagons ahead on the road. A traveling caravan blocked the farmer from passing, filling the road with people and goats and horses and a family of geese. A boy directed the geese along the route with a long pole.

Sniffing, she caught the scent of the river. The caravan must be changing haunts, moving from one river settlement to another. The travelers were known to be friendly traders, sharing goods and entertainment with the cities and villages they met along their nomadic trek.

She dropped from the back of the wagon, merging into a few stragglers in the caravan group. They would provide her cover for a good ways.

Children skipped and ran along the road, chased by little dogs and a fat-bellied piglet or two. Some of Aldernon's colorful native birds sat on the shoulders of the men as they rode on lean, long-legged horses. One of the men noticed Amina and pulled back on his mount, yelling words in his native tongue to the others. He and one other man turned their horses and trotted back to ride circles around her.

She had no choice but to stop and face them, hoping the stories of their generosity and open hearts were true. The first man studied her in silence. With shaggy sun-bleached hair in a weathered, lined face, she couldn't guess his age.

The other man had graying hair and light eyes that watched her. "You need a home? You are wanting to join us?"

It was the last thing she expected him to ask. "I am traveling to Greenway." Should she ask for help? "I could use a guide."

"You want to trade for a horse?" the younger man asked.

"I have nothing of value." She looked to the sunstar, calculated the daylight she had left and the distance she needed to cross that day. "I only wanted to blend with you on the road."

The older man nodded. "You may. We stop at Boulder Bend."

She smiled. "Thank you."

They left her alone, and she used them as cover until they drew close to the bend in the river where they camped. Amina continued with another two long days of walking ahead.

Snickering followed her, and she pretended to be unaware she had tag alongs. She dropped to a grassy spot beside the road, eating a handful of bread and drinking. The bushes behind her rustled, and she fought against a smile. "You can come out. I won't hurt you."

Two half grown boys stepped into the road, skinny under thin shirts and pants but tall.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked.

The one with light hair wrinkled his nose. "All you have is bread."

The other one scratched a scab on his elbow, shyly peeking at her. "We're supposed to keep you safe."

"Well, thank you. And thank your families when you return." She cocked her head. "It's a long journey, another two days. Nights sleeping in the forest or barns."

Both boys drew themselves up to their full heights.

"We can do it," announced the one with a flop of blondish hair falling into his eyes. He was adorable. He would break hearts when he grew up. "Honor and good." The code of travelers.

They no doubt had more experience living outside than she did, and she was grateful for company. She invited them to sit with her and asked for stories. The travelers were known for story telling, and Amina had always loved losing herself in tales.

After two nights in barns with nocturnal rodents and slithering reptiles, Amina was relieved to see the city of Greenway. By Aldernon standards, it was a bustling hot bed of activity.

Her two companions were not impressed and refused to accompany her through the city gates.

She hugged them, causing shy Berthol to turn crimson and snarky Sam to rub his chest as if knocking off girl germs. "Thank you for protecting me."

"Honor and good," Sam said.

"Yes, honor and good." She waved as she walked through the gate, and Berthol waved back until she couldn't see him anymore.

Once inside, she followed paved streets and signs to the star shuttle port. Her feet ached, blistered where her sandals had rubbed against her heels, and she wished for some real food, more than the bread she'd eaten and shared for two days. Berthol had offered to catch her fish, but she hadn't wanted to spend the time. Her stomach cramped with hunger.

She bought her ticket from an outdoor booth then a guard allowed her to enter the domed structure. The glass ceiling of the spherical shuttle port gave her a perfect view of the sky as the sunstar set. She had made it with enough time to find her gate and buy a meat roll with the small amount of currency she had left.

Sitting down, Amina's mind reviewed the last few days, the emotion and energy and physical demand. She'd made it this far. She sat in a shuttle port. In a moment, she would board a star shuttle for the first time in her life. It didn't feel real. What more awaited her? If she could make it this far, she could make it to graduation. She would see more than the woods and red clay roads of Aldernon. She would become strong and independent and free.

Could she become a Peacekeeper? Would GIPS be what she dreamed? Dreams were like that: tricky. Dreams made promises, birthed wishes, but seldom kept their word.

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# Chapter 4

The planet Kildren orbited closest to the system's sunstar, and she stood in its bright, hot light staring at the Gwana Interplanetary Peace Squad main headquarters. The path of small pebbles and colored stones sparkled in the sunlight, a remarkable treasure of the planet Kildren.

It was welcoming and lovely and made her heart dance in excitement. Yet she did not feel 'grown-up' or have the instant self-esteem she had hoped for. "I hope I make it," she whispered aloud to herself.

Straightening her tunic, she started up the jeweled path. She stepped lightly in her sandals, crossing the path quickly with the help of her long legs.

Her hand closed around the silver bar on the door, and she breathed deep. She flashed a long, worried glance of green backward. A twinge of disappointment, or maybe it was fated rejection, came over her. Even before the door was open, she could hear many voices. How much competition did she face? She set her jaw and opened the door wide with a mighty swing.

The room seethed with bodies. The voices she heard outside were a dull roar inside.

Four lines of people faced a counter labeled Register.

She reversed a step, pressing her back against the door. She hadn't been in a room with this many people at once, ever. She realized she was wringing her hands. Relax. No one's paying attention to you. Get in a line.

"It's a little overwhelming, right?" asked a voice in Amina's head.

She swung around, startled. "Who was that?"

Several people turned and gave her funny looks.

The voice had been so strange. Clear, yet hollow, an echo in her mind. Glancing around the room, she didn't see anyone who seemed to stand out.

"By the way, I'm not your imagination!"

Amina's eyes grew round. This was unlike anything she'd ever experienced, and she was on the verge of freaking out.

"I apologize," the voice said again. "I didn't realize you aren't telepathic."

She took deep, calming breaths.

"Please don't hyperventilate before I can explain!"

People gathered around, chatting. The ones in line faced the receptionists. Only Amina heard the voice.

"You aren't crazy." The voice sounded apologetic.

A black-haired girl watched her from across the room. The girl smiled and waved a little and shrugged. She appeared amused by her show or whatever that had been. With a tiny body, the girl didn't match the strength, the presence, of the voice in Amina's head. "I'm Gem, Gemima, really, but I beg you not to call me that. Sorry for that little mind-speak. I can transmit messages mentally, even implant messages on more open-minded people. I can also hear thoughts; although, I strive to mind my own. You were broadcasting loud and clear, so I thought you might be telepathic, too."

Amina's thoughts swam, trying to understand the girl's words, their meaning. Her voice was friendly, open, but her accent was crisp, words sharp. So different from the long, drawn out style on Aldernon.

"Come on! Relax! Are you always this nervous?"

Standing there with her mouth hanging open made her look ridiculous. She tried to relax. "I'm Amina. I've never heard of telepathy," she said aloud.

The woman in front of Amina turned. "Pardon. Did you say something to me?"

"No, sorry."

Simultaneously, Gem spoke. "You don't have to speak out loud. Just think your thoughts to me, and I can hear them. You'll look less nutty that way. I guess you don't know some people possess special Abilities? Unfortunately, not all of them are well understood. Telepathy research is in its infancy."

Amina hadn't heard anyone talk like that before. Infancy? Baby research? They did research on babies? "I can imagine it's hard to study someone's brain when they're, you know, alive." Gem chuckled in Amina's head. It vibrated around in there for a moment and made her smile. "That's an interesting feeling."

She liked this Gem person. She sounded vibrant and alive and smart. It made Amina feel dull, but it had been a long time since she'd had a friend.

Gem said, "I can still hear you. I will have to teach you how to mask."

Amina tilted her head. "Mask?" But Gem was next in line on her side of the room, so she didn't answer.

A thought struck her. Her secret, the thing her parents felt fear and shame over, was openly accepted here and not just by GIPS but by everyday people.

"You can levitate!" Gem cried. "You bet that's an Ability!" She said this in Amina's head while she spoke to the receptionist. Amazing.

Amina stepped forward when it was her turn, and the receptionist said, "Welcome to GIPS. Do you have any known Abilities?"

She hesitated. "Um, I can lift things with my mind."

The receptionist grinned. "Levitation. Kinetic manipulation is a valuable skill." She typed a few things into her network screen and gave Amina three holo-vid chips. "These are yours to keep even if you don't get selected for a squad. Do you have a holo-vid player? Good. You may use them however you like, such as recording your classes for playback. May I have your shuttle-travel ticket, so I can refund you? Thank you. When it's your turn a peace officer will interview you over there," and she pointed, "then you will go in there," and she pointed, "to demonstrate your Ability."

It was happening. Happening! A little bud of excitement grew.

She moved on to the interview and explained when she first discovered her Ability and what she'd done to exercise it. "I was six, and I caught my favorite rag doll before it fell in a mud puddle. I practiced in secret and with my older brother. I've worked on lifting and moving objects smoothly."

When the interview ended, the peace officer smiled. "I can see how nervous you are, but you did well. Now, you go to the gymnasium to demonstrate your Ability."

"Thank you." Nerves tumbled with excitement in her belly. The process moved faster than she had imagined, making her head feel woozy.

A haphazard line of people moved into a different section of Headquarters, and she followed behind the crowd.

Inside the gymnasium, people grouped behind signs: telepathy, speech, empathy, flight, kinetic manipulation. She joined the group behind the kinetic manipulation sign and asked a girl, "Is this where the people who can levitate things stand?"

The girl looked at Amina and blinked. "Uh, yeah, didn't you read the sign?"

"OK, thanks." She moved away from the girl and stood in the back of the group. A young woman peace officer noticed Amina and motioned her closer.

"Ready to show me what you've got?" She gestured to a table covered with objects of different weights, sizes, shapes.

Amina stepped forward and looked for the smallest, lightest object, a ball. "No sharp objects," she said with a grin.

The peace officer laughed. "We've learned it's best to have dull, flat, round things that are too big to strike eyes, stab or otherwise maim a person across the room. Begin any time you're ready. Just do what you do."

She took a breath and stared at the ball. She felt her Ability shift and move through her as if it were gathering energy, and the ball drifted over the table. She lifted it up above their heads and then returned it.

"All right," said the peace officer. She typed a note in her wrist-box network. Scanning the small group, she nodded her head. "You've all demonstrated you do have Ability, so you may now head to that desk to finalize your application. Unless any of you have another Ability to register?"

No one did, and Amina didn't know it was even possible. It must be rare. A chuckle spurted through her lips. Father would've popped an artery if she'd had two gifts.

Amina waited for her turn at the desk, listening to the hopeful recruits crowded around her but keeping quiet. The variety of accents and styles of speech intrigued her.

When her turn came, she sat in front of the desk with her satchel clutched in her lap. The young man checked over all the information entered in the network, confirming a few details like her home planet and the farm's address and her family information in case of an emergency.

He looked up from his network screen and focused on her with a smile. "Everyone will meet back tomorrow for further instructions after your applications have been reviewed." He handed her a flat disc. "This is the key to your room. The dormitory is the building on the right. Welcome to GIPS!"

She couldn't help her huge, toothy grin. Derick would say like a mule eating briers. "Thank you!"

Amina left in search of the dormitories.

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# Chapter 5

As she squinted away the brilliant sunlight, she made out a building on the right of GIPS headquarters. It wasn't as large as the headquarters, but it was just as fancy. Her light steps marked the sparkly pebbled path, walked by many recruits before her time. It was so exciting! She couldn't help a little skip and hop.

A giggle vibrated through her thoughts. "I see you! I'm waiting for you at the bench."

Gem was grinning as if she'd never been so happy to see someone. A definite new friend. Up close she looked exotic with dark liner accentuating her tilted blue eyes and light lavender-toned complexion. She wore a fitted cropped bodice and matching pants that began fitted and ended with a dramatic flair. "I love your outfit! It's so unique and fashionable!"

Gem laughed and shook her dark hair. "You're sweet!"

A quick glance down reminded Amina she wore a hand-sewn one-piece tunic of worn castoff curtain fabric. Not so fashionable, but she had unique covered. Would people think she was strange or think she talked like a backwoods planet nobody?

Gem rolled her eyes as she jumped up from the bench. "What are you so worried about? You're gorgeous with all that pretty long hair, and that tunic shows off your legs to perfection."

Amina's face grew hot. How embarrassing. "Can you teach me how to mask? Right now?" Gem laughed, and they started up the path toward the dormitories.

As they walked, someone bumped Amina's side.

She looked over and saw a young man jogging past. He turned and jogged backward, facing them. With a wave and a jaunty smile, he called, "Sorry about that." His glance flicked over Amina, lingering a second on her legs.

He stopped jogging backward and moved their way.

"It's turning out to be a beautiful day," he said with a confident smile. "Are you both recruits?"

It was all she could do to nod at the model-cute man with thick, dark hair that kissed the back of his collar. She had an immediate impression of vitality. He had something, maybe a brightness, but he reminded her of a field of red grass in the golden hour before sunset. Vibrant. Confident. Bold.

"Well, welcome to GIPS, ladies." He made a slight bow. Polite. Gentlemanly. Is gentlemanly a word? "I have somewhere to be, but I hope to see you again." The last he said looking at Amina, making her blush.

He turned back around and jogged ahead.

"You thought he was hot," said Gem. Then she murmured almost to herself, "I hadn't considered it before, but there will be lots of men around."

Amina sighed. "He had a gorgeous smile. He must think I'm an idiot. I couldn't get my tongue to work." When she glanced over at Gem though, she was frowning. Gem hadn't been impressed by the good-looking man and didn't seem happy about being around more. Interesting reaction. "Everything OK?"

"Sure! I can't wait to see our rooms. Can you?" Gem laughed and ran ahead.

The building Amina would be living in towered in front of her. With a deep breath, she marched up the marble steps. Inside it was impressive, ritzy. A huge water tank full of bright, colorful fish dominated the lobby. A cushioned bench and several single chairs, full of pillows, created cozy lounging areas. Plants added to the home-like environment. The greeters were bright, cheerful, and dressed alike in orange uniforms.

Her room was easy to find and sparkling clean and all hers.

The biggest bed imaginable took up one entire wall with a canopy and pillows piled up at the headboard. A cushy chair and desk with a lamp covered the opposite wall. How luxurious. No more bed-sharing with three little sisters in one small room.

Excitement blossomed. "I can't believe it's real."

She whirled around the room.

Exploring, she found the bathroom as richly furnished with heated water ready for a bath to be poured. "Wow."

"I know, right?" asked Gem's mental voice.

Amina groaned. "We're going to have to lay down some rules!"

Gem laughed. "I'm just super excited. Can't help myself."

"I hope it's going to work out. I'd hate to have to leave after all this."

"Don't worry," Gem's mental voice reassured her. "We'll make it. The Squad does need our Abilities."

"How can you be so sure?"

She could swear she "heard" Gem's smirk. "My interviewer thought it!"

"GEM!" But it was a relief and made her smile. "Why don't I come to see your room?"

"Sure!"

Gem's room was just as lush and unbelievable. Amina arrived to find her jumping on the bed.

"Got to break it in!"

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"It's fun! Come try it."

"I've never jumped on a bed in my life."

"No! You're joking."

"Serious."

"You haven't lived! Come on, right now!" Gem jumped off the bed and pulled Amina up with her. "Right now!"

She jumped. It was glorious, ridiculous fun and probably broke the bed. Freedom was wonderful. The feeling expanded in her chest.

Once they'd gotten the bed sufficiently broken in to satisfy Gem, they lay gasping and breathless and giggling on the plush, carpeted floor. Amina kept running her fingers into the carpet pile, feeling the softness underneath her palm.

Gem gave her a look like she was being odd.

Amina stopped petting the carpet. "Thanks to my sad lack of mask, you heard all about my planet. Where are you from?"

"Pystar."

"You've got to be kidding!" Amina knew her jaw must've hit the floor. "I dream of visiting Pystar. I heard it's like a garden. I mean, the entire planet! The first world we colonized after leaving the Solar System. And it's one of the largest and most sophisticated planets of the Gwana System. And only notable people can afford to live there. Who are your people? What do your parents do for currency?"

Gem didn't seem to feel the way she did. Her mouth drooped with gloom. "Yeah. It's not all a garden. Giant cities mean heaps of buildings. Most of it is beautiful."

Amina chewed her lip. Gem was the most carefree person ever, smiling and cheerful. She wished she had Gem's self-confidence. Maybe no one's life was perfect. Amina sensed her new friend had some painful secrets.

Gem's grin reappeared in a blink, and Amina caught the swift change as if Gem tossed a secret over her shoulder and hid it with a smile. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were assigned to the same ship!"

The two of them continued to talk together, giving silly examples of their Ability. Amina's heart grafted to Gem's. What had made Gem sense her and reach for her? Out of everyone in that room, Gem had chosen her to be her friend. Derick had meant the world to Amina, so much more than a brother also her best friend, her confidant. Leaving him, being alone, terrified her. Amina had been given a precious gift with Gem's immediate friendship.

Gem bounced up and rifled through the desk. "Look, we have orientation holo-vid chips. Let's watch them!"

They discovered they could have food cooked for them and delivered for no currency. It wasn't something Amina had ever heard of, but Gem seemed to take it for granted.

Gem asked, "What should we get?"

Amina grinned. "Dessert. Every kind of dessert."

Dessert was served through a network wall unit. She stared at the tray. "I've never seen so much deliciousness at once."

Gem hooted from her spot in the middle of the bed. "They've got maids! I was not looking forward to cleaning my room."

"You're serious? You had maids?"

"Sure. This means we can make a mess!" Gem shot over to the dessert tray and scooped a wad of white yummy looking fluff into her hand.

"What're you doing? I wanted to eat that!"

Gem's look turned mischievous right before she launched the white fluff into her face.

Amina smirked underneath the fluff. "You so shouldn't have done that to me!" She used her Ability to lift a dish of cocoa-mouse and dumped it over Gem's head.

She shrieked, and the fight was on.

They laughed and talked and watched holo-vids late into the night. Amina's heart began to settle, and hope began to win over her nerves.

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# Chapter 6

The next day, the meeting room of the main GIPS building was crowded just as it had been before. Amina's head rang with all the noise, as if a gong had been sounded.

Gem giggled beside her. "You'll adjust."

Gasps rose over the noise, and she looked toward the lobby door.

The GIPS Commander had entered, making an anxious hush rush through the crowd. Amina clasped Gem's arm, and Gem nodded in awed agreement.

"This is it!" Gem's mental voice echoed in Amina's mind.

The peace commander raised a hand to get everyone's attention. He stood a good two heads taller than the tallest males in the room. His baritone voice boomed, and she shuddered. "Welcome one and all!" He smiled under his thick white mustache. "You all have come from far beyond Kildren to meet with us today. We compiled thirteen lists of those who will be joining squads. The groups are based on each person's Ability. You must move forward from here and prove yourself in mental, strength, and skill exams. First, you will have three months to train with your squad. When you pass individual and squad testing, you will be given your first mission assignments. It is my personal goal to make sure each of you succeeds!"

A joyous hum erupted throughout the room. Amina grinned at Gem.

The room fell silent when he raised his hand again. "I will staple these papers to this board." Amina watched as he pointed to demonstrate. "You will all have a chance to find your names listed, so please be patient with your fellow recruits."

They waited anxiously as they watched him move to the board and spread the lists across the board's surface. He stepped away, and the board met a stampede of excited recruits.

When Amina pushed her way to the list, she found her name and her ship's coded name, Sunstar-3. "Gem! We made it!"

Gem squealed beside her. "We're on the same ship! Can you believe it?"

It was a little out of control for a while with the recruits jostling to find themselves on the list. Overwhelmed, she escaped and found herself a corner to wait it out.

Before too long, another peace officer came in, this time one of the captains. The captain called the group to order and pointed to the vinyl numbers applied to the meeting room floor. She then instructed them to gather by the vinyl number that corresponded to their sheet number.

All 13-squads-worth of recruits scrambled to find their spot. Amina found a corner to wait in until the hubbub died down enough she didn't feel her head would explode.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead." She looked up to find a handsome young man smiling down at her. "Oh! You're the jogger!" She noticed his uniform rank. "You're a captain, Sir!"

"It's true." He leaned in with a conspirator's wink as if sharing a secret with her. "I'm still getting used to the idea."

Well, wasn't he the charmer. Unsure how to respond, Amina didn't speak.

His shoulders straightened. "I would apologize for my earlier clumsiness, but I'm glad I bumped into you, literally."

Was he flirting? Ha, that's funny. She held out her hand, palm up. "I'm Amina."

"Nice to meet you, Amina." He laid his hand over hers, palm-to-palm, but he didn't linger. Charming but not creepy. Respectful. "Duty calls." After a brief nod, he strolled away.

She watched him go with a thoughtful tilt of her head. He hadn't made her uncomfortable this time. At least now she was able to speak. Most men made her nervous. Not that she hadn't been around men. She had. The fields back home were full of them. They just ignored her. Maybe because she couldn't flirt if her life depended on it. If a bad guy were to say, "Flirt or die!" well, she'd be dead. She'd gone to school with girls who drew boys like bees to pollen. It was a skill she had admired, envied, but never understood.

While she'd done all that hard thinking, the room had gotten itself organized. She moved to join Gem with their team. Their Team. The words made her want to swoon.

Glancing around, she tried to get a discreet look at her team members. Would she like them? Would they like her?

They all seemed to be studying each other.

Friend or Foe?

They were all girls. Maybe not such a great thing. She understood why GIPS made the freshly-recruited teams all male or all female. They would work close together for months. They would bunk together on the ships if they made it that far. It cut down on romantic complications, especially since GIPS didn't have rules against courting or marrying team members. It happened. Serving as Peacekeepers created bonds. But GIPS didn't want it happening between recruits.

Thing was, girls competed against each other. Amina knew, having three little sisters who squabbled nonstop. She and Derick had always gotten along better than her three younger siblings.

"Hiya!" a girl boomed at Amina with a wide, toothy smile. "I'm Katlin." She had flashing, black eyes, and a bulbous nose dominated her face. Her teeth were so prominent her lips couldn't close over them. She reminded Amina of a horse.

Sweet Meg. Homesickness tickled at her heart. "You remind me of a dear friend back home," Amina said with sincerity.

"Great to hear. What's your Ability? Me, I can speak every language there is. My brain just translates it straight for me, and out of my mouth the words come. My people say it's a miracle! Saved us a time or two traveling, I can tell you. But it's not too flashy like levitating or transporting or some such."

"Oh," Amina breathed. "I think that's a nice Ability. I can levitate." She turned to Gem standing wide-eyed, silenced by Katlin. "This is Gem."

"I'm telepathic."

"Great! We're a fun mix, aren't we? We'll be the best of friends, you wait and see." Katlin made Amina smile with her bright cheer and loud voice that echoed over the crowd. Confidence thrummed off Katlin's open, honest expression. This was a girl Amina could trust to always tell the truth since she would never think to hide her opinion.

Katlin turned to a girl next to her. "This is my friend Mara. She's the youngest here. She's some kind of medical whiz kid. Her parents are, no joke, scientists. She graduated medical college last year! Crazy stuff going on in our heads!"

Her view filled with Mara. An angelic expression lit her face, and she glowed with innocence and youth. The longest, blackest eyelashes Amina had ever seen traced her enormous eyes. Delicate features seemed even more so against a thick mane of reddish-blonde hair. Mara looked embarrassed by the attention. She didn't look how Amina would imagine a scientist or a medic or a genius.

Mara's child-like voice whispered, "It's nice to meet you both. I'm empathetic. I can sense other people's emotions and even influence others, but I have a lot to learn to control my Ability."

She was the perfect personification of empathy. It was a unique thought, as Amina had never met a person that made a quality come to life. It touched Amina's heart, making her feel protective like a big sister.

An image of her little sisters flashed, and a homesickness pang hit her. Would they ever understand or forgive her? Did they think she had abandoned them?

"There's one more of us. Where could she be? Anyone know her?" Katlin asked. "I hope she's not lost or gone off with a different squad."

A voice drifted to them from above. "Sugar, you talk too much."

They all looked up at a floating girl. She hovered with blonde hair framing an exquisite face, like an angel.

"I'm Sari." Sari landed with grace, posed, and fluffed her hair. "As you can see, I have the gift of flight. Did you know it's the gift most people wish for?"

Proud much? "Wow," Amina murmured. "Oops, did I say that out loud?"

"Mm-hmm," said Gem.

Gem and Amina exchanged a look. Sari would be trouble. Maybe they all felt the same. No one spoke because they all stared at Sari.

This is the girl who draws the bees. Blonde, curvy, confident with a voice like syrup, sweet and slow. How did she feel about the squad being all girls?

Katlin cleared her throat. "Well, I'm looking forward to meeting our captain! We're sure honored to have Captain Kindel Withes."

"Why are we honored?" Gem asked.

Mara and Katlin grinned at each other.

Katlin laughed, a loud, barking sound. "He's the youngest, cutest captain in all GIPS, only a few years older than us. And the Sunstar-3 is one of the new ships in the fleet."

Mara giggled. "I'm sure you've seen him."

Gem's eyes flashed as if she were angry, but Amina didn't understand why she would be. "I don't think so. Maybe he's cute, but is he a good captain? That's what matters."

Mara cringed. "You have such strong negativity, Gem. If you don't know him, you shouldn't judge him. Maybe you're wrong."

Mara's empathetic Ability was now Amina's favorite. "Mara's right. He must be excellent if he's a captain so young. Besides, as our captain, we must respect him."

Gem rolled her eyes, but she calmed. "We'll see. Hopefully, you're right."

Sari smirked at them. Superior. Smug. Amina really didn't like her. "I know Kindel. He's wonderful."

"Kindel?" Amina asked. "Don't you mean Captain Withes?"

"Please, call me Kindel. Captain Withes is so formal, and we'll be working and training close together as long as our squad remains intact."

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# Chapter 7

They all pivoted toward their new captain, and Amina caught a yelp in her throat. He was the jogger, the captain in the corner, the man who didn't make her nervous! He had a habit of sneaking.

"Hello, Kindel," Sari said as she slipped up close to his side and smiled. She flipped her hair.

Oh please. Sickening.

Gem rolled her eyes.

"Sari." He acknowledged her with a nod and a casual wink. "Since we've made all the introductions, it's time for you to get your uniforms and head over to training." His voice was warm but professional. "You'll be learning how to use your defensive tech, exercising each of your Abilities, and you will start your mental training classes. We'll arrange for any extra one-on-one training as needed."

"Yes, Captain," they chorused.

"See," Katlin hissed as they followed his instructions and headed for the gymnasium and the locker rooms. "Didn't Mara and I tell you he's cute!"

Gem groaned.

"He's our captain," Amina said, unsure why Katlin acted like he was a regular guy they could crush on.

In the gymnasium, waiting peace officers handed them ship suits. The green jumpsuits were one-piece with buttons up the front and pockets along the hips and thighs. Loops in the waist would hold a utility belt.

They hurried into the locker room stalls to change.

Amina looked at her reflection in the mirror with emotion welling up to choke her. "I made it," she whispered. Oh, she had a long way to go before she would graduate and be a true Peacekeeper, but this moment felt amazing.

Once everyone met back in the main locker room, they crowded together and struck silly poses in the wall-to-wall dressing mirror.

"How do we look?" Amina asked, smoothing her hands over her hips. "I love our ship suits."

Gem's reflection beamed a smile at Amina's. "Green does suit you."

Katlin laughed, stuck out a hip and batted her lashes. "It brings out your lovely eyes." Boy crazy Katlin crowed, "Wait till all the peacemen see us!"

Amina sighed. "It's so real now, isn't it? Every step forward I think this is it, it feels real now."

"I understand, Amina," Mara whispered. "I feel ready to use my training." She smiled, soft and sweet. "And look good doing it."

Their giggling dissolved as Sari stepped up and sneered. "You're so immature!" Her expression morphed her lovely face into ugly. No matter how well dressed, how flawless her golden hair, or how fine her bone structure, she turned ugly with her vanity and her arrogance.

"We're having fun," Gem snapped back. "You should try it sometime."

"Watch out, Sari," said Katlin. "Frowning and glaring make wrinkles."

Sari laughed with a flip of her hair. "You're like little children playing dress-up. Men want women with sophistication. And you." Sari pointed at gentle Mara. "You're a little girl. How do you expect to win a man's admiration?"

Mara's face twisted, tears glistened.

"What's wrong with you?" Amina asked. She put an arm around Mara's shoulders. "She's only a year younger than us."

Gem joined her at Mara's side with a fierceness in her expression that was totally new. "A woman with class doesn't put other women down."

"We're supposed to be a team!" Mara trembled, but she held her ground, reassuring Amina she had some backbone under the gentleness.

Sari shuddered. "I'll do what I have to do. But just watch, by the time we're through with training, I'll win Captain Withes."

"No way," Katlin said. "He'll see right through you. That fine man could have any woman he wants, and you think he's going to be impressed with how you flip your hair?"

"Please," Mara said. "We shouldn't be fighting. Sari, we're not here to compete with you. Let's make peace."

"We've got more important stuff to focus on, anyway," Gem said. "I'm not here to win a man. You can have them all for all I care."

"Our training starts today," Amina said. She turned and faced Sari. This is the type of girl who made Amina feel like less. Sari could turn any man's head, but that had nothing to do with her dreams. She didn't understand how catching the captain had become a theme in their group. She wasn't about to let a snooty girl sabotage her chances. "I'm here to become a Peacekeeper. How can we be a good Peace Squad with this pettiness between us?"

Sari lifted her chin. "I've got three generations of family in GIPS. I don't need a recruit from some hick planet lecturing me." Amina watched Sari as her stance changed, shifting to tough no-nonsense. "I won't let a bunch of babies get in my way. You better all grow up if you want to join GIPS."

She looked over Sari, sensing more going on under that pretty shell than she first suspected. What kind of pressure might Sari feel if she was expected to be the fourth generation in GIPS? Could her nastiness be covering a deep fear, a desperation?

"We're just having fun, Sari," Mara said. "It will be OK. We'll make it." Her face lit with a smile, and she took a step forward to lay a hand on Sari's arm.

If that wasn't a mature way to react to snooty Sari, she'd eat a mud-skipper. Her respect for Mara increased.

"We'll make it if we focus," Gem said. "None of this chasing men nonsense."

Katlin and Sari had a stare off.

Competition. Just what Amina had expected. Over their captain of all people. Ridiculous. She said, "I'm going to training."

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# Chapter 8

They filed into the gymnasium and found Captain Withes and another peace officer waiting for them.

"This is Liz," Captain Withes said. "She's my partner in your training exercises. Today we're starting with target practice."

Liz nodded and stepped forward. She didn't smile. Her dark bob was in flawless order, not a hint of a wrinkle in her ship suit. This woman meant business. "It's important to remember our primary objective is to maintain peace and order, support citizens, and uphold Gwana's interplanetary law."

"In case you need to protect yourself, you will know how to handle and maintain your shooters." The captain clapped his hands together. "Amina, let's start with you."

Anticipation hummed through her. She leaned in as Captain Withes showed her all the laser shooter's functions. He demonstrated the stunner's different strengths. She admired his ease and confidence when handling the shooters. When she asked questions, he paused and reviewed the setting with calm patience. For the first time in this whole adventure, no nervousness fluttered.

She smiled up at him. "You're such a good teacher."

"Thank you, Amina." He exchanged a knowing grin with Liz.

Embarrassment filled Amina, and she felt super young. She must've sounded like an eager little girl. Wait till they see me shoot. "I'm so glad we're starting with this exercise. I've had some practice on my family's farm, but I'm not used to this tech."

"So, step up to the target, and let's see what you've got."

She'd done this for years. She firmed her stance, leveled her site, and took aim at the center of the target. She fired. "Bullseye! Woohoo!" She swung around, lifted her arms, and victory pumped.

"Good Dirt!" Katlin yelled. "How'd you do that?"

"Way to go!" Gem cried.

She turned to Captain Withes who was shaking his head. A slow grin spread over his face. "That was the best first shot I've ever seen! You should be proud." He gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you. My brother Derick taught me. Of course, we didn't have lasers just simple hunting shooters."

"I'm thankful you'll have my back." He scanned the rest of the team. Turning to Liz he said, "Will you take over here? I'm going to go ahead and evaluate Amina's Ability."

"Sure. She doesn't need to waste time target shooting."

Captain Withes led her into the room next door and pointed out several stacked shipping containers and boxes. "I want you to move each box to the other side of the room."

She chewed her bottom lip. "I've never moved anything this large."

He stepped closer to put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be nervous. I need to see what you can do, so I know how best to train your Ability."

"I understand. OK, but you better step back in case I fling something." She focused on one of the top boxes and concentrated. It wobbled. It inched toward the edge. Throbbing pulsed through her skull, sweat broke out. She groaned. "I'm sorry, Captain Withes. I can't do it. It's too heavy."

He took her by the shoulders then and leaned down to look at her. His cocoa-brown gaze was gentle, steady, calming her. "You can move anything no matter the weight or the size. It's all about your energy. Watch me." He stepped forward, braced his stance, and focused on the box. The boxes began to shift then lifted and floated to the other side of the room. Effortlessly.

Her head swiveled from the boxes to Captain Withes. "You can levitate!"

"Yes. I can teach you how to hone your Ability, strengthen it."

"Yes, please!"

He chuckled. "Come closer to me, settle here in front of my chest." She stood close in front of him. "Lean back against my chest, that's it. Now, I want you to focus on the top box. I want you to focus as if there is nothing else in the room, just you and the box. Don't think about the size of the box or the weight. For you, it weighs nothing. Let everything else fade away."

Her eyes drifted closed, listening to the rhythm of his voice, a whisper. Relaxing into his body's warmth, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the rumble of his voice, she felt herself release. All her tension dissolved, worry gone, safe.

"Amina."

"Hmm?"

"Are you focusing on the box?"

"Oh! Right." She refocused on the box, and the feeling was different. It was lighter, no pressure, no throbbing, no effort.

She felt a gentle shift as the box lifted and floated. "I'm doing it!"

She felt him chuckle more than heard it. "Excellent. That's right. Nice and easy."

The boxes, one by one, floated to the other side of the room and landed with smooth grace.

"That was amazing! Can we do it again?" She hopped a bit and whirled.

He threw his head back and laughed. "Not today. Tomorrow. I'll meet with you one-on-one for your training. You did well." He reached out and ruffled her hair a bit. His grin was open and proud. Like Derick. Her strong, gentle brother.

He pointed at his wrist communicator. "I need to check the status of your team, and you all have your World View class next."

World View turned out to be the fun course.

"The objective," Officer Sheralyn explained, "is to give you a broader sense of the cultures and languages of the many planets in the Gwana Star System. My personal favorite is the Old Earth culture. We'll be listening to music compositions, watching films, and dancing like our ancestors did."

She wore a long burgundy gown that dragged the floor and hair piled on top her head like a tower held in place by one tiny pin. Each time her head turned her hairdo swayed. Turn right, sway left. Turn left, sway right. Amina had to fight laughter with each sway, and she didn't dare look at Gem.

"Why do we need to learn stuff we'll never use?" asked Katlin.

"It's fun. You will be working hard, and this course gives you a break from all that serious stuff. It's good for your health. You will learn to waltz, among other dances, and you will test those skills before you graduate. We celebrate each graduation season with a Ball. Yours will be the Winter Ball."

"A Ball sounds lovely," said Sari.

Wait, did Sari just say something positive?

"I agree with Sari," Amina said, as a peace offering. "I have one question: what is a ball? I mean, I know what a ball is. But what is a Ball ball?" Oh, idiot.

Sari gaped at her. "It's a formal dance. We'll wear gowns and do our hair and make up our faces. It will be divine!"

"Today," Sheralyn continued, "we'll begin with poetry. This collection would stir even a heart of stone. Each of you take a book for this week's reading assignment. Guard these with your lives. Books are so rare, GIPS can't afford to replace lost ones each season."

"I'm surprised you let us use them," Mara said.

"The experience isn't the same unless you can feel the pages in your hands. Enjoy it! But do not under any circumstances, damage or lose your books!"

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# Chapter 9

Amina nearly finished the poetry book in a couple of days, reading it every chance she got between courses, through meals, on breaks. The ancient words fed her and moved her and taught her emotion and love and heartache. Amina discovered the depth of love in poetry.

She read so much, so fast, Sheralyn gave her more poetry books to devour.

Their classes progressed, and Amina gained more control over her Ability, proving herself stronger than she ever knew. For target practice, she focused on speed combined with accuracy. The other girls would stand and watch her perform. Captain Withes' impressed smile made her feel six feet tall.

Liz surprised Amina and Captain Withes with a challenge. "Why don't the two of you have a shoot off?"

Amina and the Captain looked at each other.

"Can we use our Abilities?" she asked, remembering the day she'd used it with the pearapples.

"Why not? You'll be using it in the field." Liz nodded between them. "What do you say, Captain?"

He rubbed his chin in thought. "You're up for this?" he asked Amina, concern tinging his dark eyes.

"Are you worried I'll win?" she teased, as she would've Derick.

A grin lightened his expression. "I was concerned about you overextending."

She picked up a shooter. "What did you have in mind, Liz?"

Liz laughed and blew her whistle. She directed the group outside to the training grounds.

The team followed with curiosity clear in their excited murmuring. They weren't ready for physical training; that came with the second round, so this was their first glimpse of the obstacle course. Gem looked the most excited, her blue eyes shimmering with a special spark.

"I propose you run and aim for the targets...out there." Liz gestured to the targets Amina had to squint to see.

"That far away?"

"While running. With your Abilities helping you with distance, it should be a challenge but not impossible. Whoever gets the best time and best accuracy combined, wins."

Captain Withes eyed her, sizing her up with a different kind of scrutiny. They weren't teacher and pupil. They stood apart as competitors, equals. She wouldn't be getting any shoulder pats today. "I'm in."

She nodded. "Me, too."

"Captain, you first." Liz held up a hand and put the whistle to her lips.

When the whistle sounded, he took off, running and shooting, taking seconds to aim.

Amina watched him move. Seeing him in action caused her heart to pound with excitement. He was lean and long with controlled strength she found mesmerizing. The team cheered and hollered behind her.

When he finished, he walked back and wiped sweat from his forehead. Sari sashayed toward him with a towel and a water.

He thanked Sari, but his dark eyes were on Amina. Focused. Intense with a gaze so deep, for a second she felt like they stood alone. "Ready?"

She could only nod, a strange quickening in her heart rate as she looked up at him. Liz clapped her hands, bringing Amina's attention back to the moment.

Nerves fluttered, but she stomped them into submission. She could do this. At least, she could hold her own. Just like with Derick.

Taking her stance, she closed her eyes. Breathed. In. Out. Calm, focused, the sound of the team faded. The first target locked, she waited for the sound of the whistle.

She moved, feeling the stretch of her limbs, feeling the flow of her Ability as she called it to action, weaving in and out of her systems, through her arms and legs. She flew down the row of targets. Focus, aim, shoot, force, pull back, run.

When she finished, it took a moment for her senses to return to normal. Arms crushed her waist in a tight hug. She looked down at Gem's beaming smile, her glittering eyes. "Did I win?"

Gem didn't get a chance to answer before Katlin's voice rushed into the mix. "Great Gwana, girl, you are unbelievable! I've never seen anything like you. Were your feet even on the ground? How did that feel? Was it like lasers coming from your fingers? Because it looked like lasers coming from your fingers." Katlin let loose a string of words.

Mara smiled. She did a little happy dance. Amina wasn't sure she knew her feet moved. Mara seemed to have internal music moving through her.

Would Captain Withes be OK with her winning? She feared looking at him. Would he think she'd made a fool of him? Be angry?

A finger touched her chin, inviting her to look up. Lifting her head, she met his eyes. Kindness. Warmth. He looked happy. Proud. A breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding whooshed from her lips.

"Congratulations," he said, his voice husky and low. "You are an asset to my squad, Amina."

"Thank you, sir," she whispered, awed by his attitude.

He winked at her, and goodness, but he was gorgeous. Shy, but not sure why, she looked away. And right at Sari.

Sari looked between the Captain and her. With a huff, Sari turned on her heel and sashayed toward the gymnasium. Amina shook her head, wondering if Sari would ever be a part of the team.

Liz and Captain Withes released them for their mid-day meal, and the team insisted on treating Amina to a feast.

Life at GIPS had a routine. They woke at the same time each day, ate meals at the same time. They had a choice between eating in their rooms or as a group in the dining hall. They took breaks in a garden at the center of the GIPS Headquarters Complex.

One break she and her friends gathered in the garden, Amina's face buried in her book, when she heard Katlin rattle off a string of colorful words. "Look at Sari, now."

Looking, she saw Sari sitting next to the captain at a picnic bench, laughing up into his face and fluttering her lashes. Every few seconds she fingered her hair. The captain smiled at her as they talked, but he didn't sit close or touch her. If his emotions were involved, Amina couldn't tell. He treated them all with respect, like a big brother. Sometimes he teased, but he was always calm and gentle and patient.

"He's so good looking," Mara sighed.

"He's a flirt," said Gem.

"He reminds me of my brother," said Amina.

Her friends turned their heads in unison and stared at her with wide eyes. She laughed.

"You look at Kindel and think of your brother?" asked Katlin. "I don't believe it!"

"You shouldn't," said Gem. "She thinks he's hot."

"Of course, he's attractive, but he doesn't make me nervous. Oh, I don't know, he treats me like Derick does. He'll ruffle my hair or pat my shoulder. It's not like he's flirting with me! I admit, at first, I was a little awed, but I've gotten used to his good looks. Now, he's just the captain."

"Uh huh," Gem murmured.

"He winks at Sari," said Mara.

"He winks at everyone," said Gem.

Amina nodded. "Which means we shouldn't read too much into him sitting with her. He doesn't treat her any different."

"You pick up any romantic thoughts, Gem?" asked Katlin.

"He shields well, so I don't get much. Probably because he's also telepathic."

"Serious? I didn't know that," said Amina. "He has two Abilities! How is that possible?"

Everyone was silent a beat, thinking. His gifts were likely a reason he made captain.

"That reminds me, Amina," said Gem. "He's supposed to train you to mask. I asked him to."

"He shields his emotions well," Mara said. "I don't sense anything when he's with Sari. Rarely, I get a sense of annoyance."

"That's interesting," Katlin said.

"That settles it. We don't need to worry about her and the captain," said Amina.

Gem shot her a knowing look. What did she think she knew, anyway?

"He's too smart for Sari," Katlin said.

"Are you going to The Shuttle Club tonight?" Mara asked. "I wish I were old enough. They're supposed to have a great band, and Sheralyn says you get socialization credit. Isn't that nice?"

"I can't wait!" said Gem. "I've got my outfit planned." Gem always had her outfit planned.

"Mingling with the locals, count me in!" Katlin hooted.

Amina wanted to stay home and finish her poetry book.

Gem elbowed her and said in her head, "I heard that! Don't you dare! You are way too obsessed."

Too shy to dance in front of strangers, the singing voice of a bully-frog, what was she going to do in a club? Men weren't falling over themselves to meet her. It would be excruciating to sit at the table alone. She'd be able to lose herself in her book.

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# Chapter 10

The Shuttle Club was shaped like a star shuttle, and red lights along the roof line, doors, and windows lit it up like a sunstar. It was within walking distance of GIPS headquarters and a favorite spot for the recruits to meet the city's locals.

Amina pulled on her skirt as she and Gem and Katlin weaved through the crowd to a table. Music filled the space, and laughter and talking buzzed around them.

"Stop that, silly," Gem scolded.

"This is crazy short. It's not me! What were you thinking? And the material is all itchy."

"It's worth it. You are stunning. Except for that ragbag of yours. I should've forced you to borrow a clutch."

Gem never wore the same outfit twice. She lived for fashion. Amina, not so much, but she trusted Gem to know. So she sucked up her complaints and tried to ignore the itching overtaking her body.

"That man over there is checking us out," Katlin hissed loud enough for the table next door to hear. "Here he comes! Do I look OK? How's my hair? And my breath?"

Katlin breathed on Amina's face before she could register her friend's rushed questions.

A man swaggered toward their table, and Amina felt her jaw go slack. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a rocket rider advertisement. He wore a black leather jacket, jeans that fit his slim build just right, and black rocket boots. His slick, straight hair gleamed golden blond, fashionably combed back from his face except for a few single strands falling over his forehead. The structure of his face was exquisite. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, smooth thin nose. He was beautiful. It wasn't a word she'd ever used for a man, but it suited him. He was a master sculptor's statue come to life. As he came near, she saw he had clear, cool blue eyes.

"Hey," he drawled with a deep, deep voice. "My name's Reece. Can I get you lovely ladies your first round of drinks?"

"Yes!" Katlin said.

Gem laughed. "I'm Gem, she is Katlin, and this is Amina."

"You must be new recruits over at GIPS."

"Yes!" Katlin said.

"Let me welcome you to the city. What can I get you? The Orion is good. Or if you want something fruity the Twist."

"Do you work here?" Amina asked.

Gem dropped her forehead into her hand and shook her head back and forth.

His eyes twinkled when he smiled. "No, but I want to make sure you have a good time tonight, and I didn't want any of the other guys to beat me to the punch."

"They serve punch?" Amina asked.

Gem groaned. She turned to Reece with a smile. "She's from Aldernon."

"I see."

"So, how about you get us each a Twist? That sounds refreshing."

"I'll be right back." He smiled at Amina. "Don't go anywhere."

"Good Dirt, you two are hopeless," Gem said, but she laughed. "I'm going to dance. Who's coming with me?"

"I am," said Katlin, and off they went.

"He said to stay here!" Amina called after them. She'd never figure out this social game.

Reece didn't seem too bothered when he returned with the drinks. He settled into the chair next to Amina as if he did own the place.

She took a sip of her drink. Nice! "This is refreshing!" She took a bigger sip.

"Amina is a pretty name, but it doesn't do you justice."

"Oh." Her hands fluttered, so she clutched them together in her lap. "Thank you. That's a nice thing to say."

"Honey, I'm just getting started."

"Oh. Well. Um." She took a swallow. The drink did taste fruity.

He seemed to sense her nervousness, and he eased off a bit. "I noticed your bag. Must be a story there. Tell me?"

"I made it. I know it's not fashionable, but I thought I might need my book."

"Must be some book." He winked.

She laughed and took a swallow of her drink. "It's poetry. Do you like poetry?"

He didn't respond right away, but he studied her, his blue eyes moving over her features. Such deep, pure blue. Like the mid-day sky. She'd never been looked at quite like that. And then he said, "'She knew I could not choose but gaze upon her face, and she forgave me that I gazed too fondly on her face'."

She blinked and blinked again. "That was beautiful."

"That's by an Old Earth poet named Coleridge. Do you have a favorite poem in your book?"

"I'll show you!" She dragged her satchel off the floor and started pulling out the contents. "I know it's in here." She laid her gloves and knife on the table.

"Here it is."

"Do you always travel armed?"

"What? Oh, that. No, I needed it on the journey. Boy, was I glad when that was over!" It seemed she was out of the drink. She held her cup up, waved it around. "Can I get another one of these? Or I'll drink one of theirs since they're too busy dancing."

"I think you've had enough." He laughed as he took her cup away. It was a gorgeous laugh.

"Your laugh is just as beautiful as you!" Something was not quite right. Did she just say that aloud? She looked at him and tried to focus. "What was I looking for? Oh, right. My book. Here it is! I found it!"

He took the book from her hands. "Let me see. You've got this page marked."

"Hmm. Oh, yes. I like that one especially."

"A Browning poem. 'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, I love thee to the level of every day's most quiet need, freely, purely, I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life'."

"You should be a poet," she murmured, leaning toward him. "You said it so perfectly." She was tired. She laid her head on his shoulder. "You smell nice."

She heard him laugh, but it seemed far away. Maybe she'd just rest a moment. She wasn't certain, but she thought she heard him say, "'Be still, my heart'."

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THE NEXT MORNING, SHE was fuzzy, but the memory of her poet warmed her. She couldn't stop smiling.

Gem announced her to be a great embarrassment. "Who takes a nap in a club?" She sprawled on Amina's bed, frowning. Sighing for about the hundredth time, she said, "I just can't believe you."

"Why? He was charming. And gorgeous. He knows poetry. How many men have you met who know poetry? The way he looked at me, it was so deep, like he could see straight through me. What if it's real, and he could be special? He thought I was special."

"You've been reading too much poetry." Gem popped up with wide eyes. "That's what's bothering me! You've been walking around the campus buried in that poetry book, reading it in the garden where anyone can see you, and then some stranger happens to show up quoting all the nonsense. It's suspicious."

"Well, I liked him. I felt things looking into his eyes that I've never felt before."

"You don't know what you felt because you were halfway through your Twist. Be careful. Please."

"I will. Besides, I may never see him again."

"I don't want you to be hurt."

"You have an issue with men and trust."

"That's not what this is about."

"Have you been hurt by someone?"

Gem shrugged. "I left it in the past. I won't bring it into my present. In my culture, we don't say aloud the name or history of anyone we want to forget. We erase them."

"Except it does affect your present and your future if it colors your opinion of every man you meet, and you miss out on love."

"We've got training, so let's go. Just be cautious. Don't be swept up by all the flowery words and brooding glances."

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# Chapter 11

When Amina got to the gymnasium, Captain Withes took her aside for their one-on-one training.

"Today, I'm going to help you mask your thoughts and emotions."

"I'm so ready. Gem says I broadcast."

He led her to some floor pillows in a quiet corner. "Sit here across from me." They settled down cross-legged, and he sat close enough their knees touched. "Now, this may seem uncomfortable at first, but I want you to think as you normally would. I want you to think of a place or a person who is dear to you, and I'm going to listen. I won't probe, but if you're broadcasting, I'll pick up your thoughts."

"That's scary, someone being able to hear my private thoughts."

"That's the whole purpose of this exercise. It not only protects you, but it is vital for your GIPS training. We don't want confidential information compromised. Ready?"

"Ready." She tried to relax. She opened her eyes and found him staring at her. Yikes. "I can't relax with you staring at me."

"Sorry. Try again."

"I'm thinking of Aldernon."

"Don't tell me what you're thinking of. Defeats the purpose."

"Sorry." Sigh. "OK, I'm ready."

"I'm seeing fields of red grass and golden-weed. A horse in the field. Meg."

"Great Gravity! I'm terrible at this!"

Captain Withes smiled with warmth, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "What you aren't doing is shielding. I'll show you what I mean. I need to hold your hands."

He held out his hands, palm up. He had nicely shaped hands with long, slim fingers. She slid her hands palm down over top his. Tingles raced up her arms as his fingertips brushed the bottoms of her palms. Her breath hitched. She glanced up at him, hoping he hadn't noticed. His expression was neutral. Whew.

"Amina, I'm going to show you how to mask. I don't want you to be frightened. Just relax and watch like you're watching a holo-vid disc. I will send you your thoughts as I received them, the fields and your horse, Meg. But I will also show you how the mask looks in your thoughts."

"I don't understand."

His gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. "I promise I won't hurt you. Trust me."

"I do trust you."

"I'm beginning now."

She felt pressure then a presence in her mind. Images, her thoughts, appeared. The rolling fields. Meg's tail swishing. So clear and vivid, she could be there. Homesickness welled up in her, and tears traced down her cheeks. An invisible cord tied to the images, controlling them. It felt like she held the thoughts, allowing them to go only so far. Then the pressure eased, and the presence was gone.

"Open your eyes."

She did and found herself gazing straight into his. His face held such warmth and tenderness. A breath shuddered from her. He reached out one hand and traced the tears on her cheeks. Her skin tingled everywhere he touched.

"I miss it sometimes so much that I ache with the missing."

"I know." He smiled a little crookedly. "I wish I didn't have to put you through more, but now you need to mimic the cords."

She took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

He let her hand slip out of his. This time, she pictured Derick in her mind, his laughing face. She tried to picture the cords, tried to think of the image of Derick being held back.

"I see a man. He's laughing. Derick."

"Serious?"

He laughed. "You did better. It took longer for your thoughts to become clear. We can try it without the cords. Can you handle another merge?"

The emotion after the last merge was so strong. But this was important, necessary. "I'm not giving up yet."

"OK, then once again."

They reached for each other. She tried to steel herself against the sensations. He watched her this time, and she was unable to look away. His fingertips brushed her palms. How was she ever going to get this right when she couldn't focus over the sparks running through her?

He sent the thoughts to her with a veil blocking the outside edge. It was the opposite of the cords. Instead of holding the thoughts in, the veil blocked the thoughts from view. It felt different. The images of Derick were protected, treasured.

"Open your eyes."

"I understand that one better. I think I'm getting this."

"That's good. Now it's your turn. Think of something light and bright. Something that makes you happy. See if you can keep me out."

She thought of Miss Pringle and the yummy smells of the confectionery shop and the comfort she always felt there. He didn't say a word. When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her again.

"Did you get any of that?" she asked him.

"Not a thing! You did it!" He beamed at her.

She laughed. "Finally."

"This is where it's tough. Think of something ugly. Think of something you don't want to touch or a place you don't want to go. The worst of the worst. The stronger the emotion, the harder to mask." He took her shoulders in his hands like he did to make an important point. "I want to see you succeed. I'm just listening, not probing. Trust me."

Her darkest, worst thoughts? Trust would have to run deep to open those to him, to risk him seeing those thoughts. Just the possibility of letting those thoughts loose had them gnawing at the back of her mind. The emotion would ravage her. "OK."

She bowed her head, physically distancing herself, and thought of her father's rage and the feelings that rage inflicted on her. Her body shook with the memory of his face and the contortions that terrified her, turning him into a monster. She made a valiant effort to hide these thoughts. Spent, gasping, she looked at Captain Withes' face and knew she failed.

He was white as if all the blood had drained from his face. His eyes were wild with pain, tortured, and he shook with emotion. "Amina," he ground out, his voice taut.

She reached for him to soothe him. She ran her hands over his shoulders, over the sides of his face. "I'm OK. It's OK. It's not real. Just thoughts. They can't hurt me."

He groaned and grabbed her waist, holding her still. "I can't send those images back to you. I can't hurt you like that."

"I'm OK," she repeated. "You showed me the skill. I'll do lots of practice with Gem."

"For now, but I will have to test you." He shuddered. "Your father better hope I never meet him. It's inexcusable."

"It wasn't always that bad. He had moments of temper. I had other things, good things, that helped me."

"You amaze me more every day."

Surprised, she glanced up at him. The tenderness on his face reached deep into her, and she was suddenly aware of her hands on his shoulders and his hands on her waist. Heat flushed her skin. "I have World View next. If I don't go now, I'll be late."

He grinned. "We wouldn't want to upset Sheralyn. She might pop a hairpin."

She laughed and appreciated his effort to get things on a more even keel. As she was leaving, she paused and turned back to look at him. They'd connected today. He'd been inside her mind, had seen her darkest thoughts. Her pain had wounded him. It was heavy, and the emotion wasn't easily shaken. The words by Browning came to her mind, "two hearts beating each to each".

On her way to World View, she realized she didn't have her poetry book and couldn't remember when she had it last. Sheralyn would be livid! She raced back to her room, but it wasn't there. It wasn't in her satchel. Wait! That's where she'd had it last, at The Shuttle. She must've left it. She'd just have to be late. No way was she going without that book.

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# Chapter 12

Rushing into The Shuttle Club, she saw Reece sitting at the bar talking to another man.

"Reece," she called. "Thank Gwana you're here!"

"Good day, Sleeping Beauty!" He turned and nodded to the man he'd been talking to.

When the man stood, she had to crane her neck to look at him. He had a red dragon tattooed on his neck, and he glared at Amina as he ambled into the back of the club.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but I'm in a terrible hurry. Did you see my book after I left here last night?"

"Worry no more, I have it right here." He pulled it out of his jacket. "I hoped returning it would give me an excuse to see you again."

She smiled and glanced up at him through her lashes. "You don't need an excuse."

"That's good because I can't get you out of my mind. Where were you headed? May I walk you?"

"Yes. Just back over to the GIPS headquarters. I wanted to apologize for falling asleep last night. I hope I didn't drool on your jacket."

He laughed. "Not at all. It was a first. I think you may be the most unique woman I've ever met." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The brush of his fingertip along her skin shot a tingle through her.

"Thank you." Who cared if she was late to class?

He strolled with her toward the GIPS campus, through the gardens where she took breaks.

"So, tell me about your friends from last night. You distracted me, and I've forgotten them."

"Gem and Katlin. We're in the same squad. Gem is telepathic and Katlin is a linguist."

"And you? Do you have an Ability as well?"

"I can levitate. Of course, there's also Sari who can fly, and Mara is an empath. Our captain."

"Can I see you levitate? How does that work?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to show you."

"Meet me tomorrow? Same time."

"I'll be here."

She watched Reece walk through the garden, back the way he'd come. Excitement had her heart tripping over its own beat. Did she have a beau? She'd have to ask Sheralyn how courtship worked. Just before he disappeared into the trees, he turned back and shot her a grin that made her toes tingle.

She floated into her class.

"Where have you been?" Sheralyn asked with a squinty look.

"I had to get my book. I'm sorry for being late."

Gem eyed her. Mentally she asked, "What's with the glow?"

"I saw him again. Reece. He returned my poetry book. He's a dream."

"You watch out. The thing about dreams is--"

"I know! They're not real. But he's just perfect for me Gem."

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THAT DAY WHEN THEY met at the gymnasium, Captain Withes and Liz had a surprise for them. Another team waited, dressed in ship suits and utility belts, faces marked with stealth paint. A team of boys. Men. Boys.

Amina couldn't view the young adults as men compared to the lazy confidence of Captain Withes or their massive captain. Captain Ward was a hunk of muscle with a thick neck. His hair was a collection of waist-length braids pulled into a low tail at the back of his head. He stood with his feet braced apart and arms crossed, highlighting the thick tree trunk arms stressing his poor ship suit to the max.

Katlin gasped audibly. "Good dirt, I think I'm dreaming. Am I dreaming, Amina?"

Amina pinched her lips closed over a laugh. Gem shot her an irritated, dark glance. She had no time for flirting. Mara studied the other team with a clinical eye, looking every inch a scientist in that moment. Sari eased out in front of their group, posing with her hip cocked.

Captain Withes clapped his hands. "You're going to practice against each other today, using your Abilities. This is a team exercise, training you to work together." Was it her imagination, or did he give Sari a warning glance? A team exercise would test their weaknesses. "Each team must keep in mind, your 'enemies' are fellow recruits in training, beginning stealth exercises. Physical contact is limited. This exercise is about finding weaknesses and natural strengths, testing how you work as a team. This is not about beating each other." He passed out yellow stickers to each recruit. "If you capture a member of the other team, tag them with this yellow sticker. If you're tagged, you're out."

She had no idea how to deflect an attack, how to protect herself. They were in the early days of stealth training. She could maneuver in a series of crouches and crawls. She could silently signal a team member. She could whisper into a comm. The limits to this exercise made sense and filled her with relief. They didn't have to wrestle stronger, bigger boys.

Captain Ward stepped forward, his voice so deep it sounded as if he spoke from the bottom of a well. "You have an objective. It's up to each team to decide which member has what position and how to achieve your objective."

Liz passed out holo-vid players one to each team and chips. "You have fifteen minutes to plan your approach."

"Dismissed," Captain Withes announced. His eyes brushed over Amina for a flicker of a second before he turned and walked with the other captains toward the office.

Sari made herself squad captain, and no one bothered to argue with her. Huddled in a circle, they viewed the holo-vid. Their team had Intel a criminal band planned to infiltrate a planetary lab base. Mara perked up, face sharpened with focus. The lab had a virus that couldn't be loosed on the population or it would cause widespread death.

"Wait," Mara said holding up a hand. "What does the virus do? Is there a vaccine or an antidote?"

"That's not the point," Sari said, and Amina hated to agree with her, but she was right. "It's our job to keep the virus under guard and stop the other team from reaching it."

Katlin passed out comm units for their wrists.

Gem studied the map, pointing out strategic positions. "This is about stealth, right?"

"Must be that and team work," Amina said.

They all looked at Sari.

She frowned. "What?" She pointed at Katlin. "She's the one you need to worry about. If one of those boys smile, she'll be a pile of goo on the floor."

Katlin spewed a lot of words they probably didn't want to understand.

Mara sighed. "Enough, you two." The next thing Amina knew, Katlin and Sari were both smiling like besties. "We have to focus on being Peacekeepers. This is serious. No flirting. No infighting."

"Unless Sari is turning the boys into worthless piles of goo," Gem pitched in.

That had all of them grinning, and the shared moment gave Amina hope they could win this thing. "Let's make our captain proud. He's new, remember. This is a test of his training, not just our Abilities."

"True," Sari said, giving Amina a nod.

Amina smiled.

"So what's the plan?" Gem asked.

They whispered among themselves until Liz called time.

Straightening, they faced the other team.

They'd seen these boys around. RayJay was their flight pilot and pretty much Sari in male form. He wore a constant smile on his face, as if he knew something funny you didn't. Amina wondered if being a pilot required a cocky confidence. After all, if they failed everyone died smashing into a planet. Not a good way to go. Shaz was their levitation officer. He gave Amina a toothy grin when their gazes met. All challenge. Funny tidbit about Shaz, he juggled. All. The. Time. She'd never seen him without marbles hovering around him. Would the constant use of his Ability be a strength or a weakness? She felt her eyes narrow. Were they weapons? Hummer stood beside Shaz. He may be their linguist, but she'd never heard him speak. While Katlin's every thought exited her lips, Hummer kept quiet. He was tiny, too, almost matched to Gem. Amina found him strange, creepy. Temar nudged Hummer's arm, whispered something under his breath. He was huge beside Hummer, all muscles like their captain. His hands were as big as Hummer's head. He was the empath medic. Did he have the same gentle heart as Mara despite his appearance? Last was Melton, a telepath, who studied their group with a sly narrowing of his eyes. Amina exchanged a look with Gem. She needed to mask well. Gem nodded. So far, she wasn't giving anything away.

Taking their positions, they waited for Captain Withes' signal to begin.

The lights went dim, shocking Amina. "What?"

"Part of the plan," Captain Withes' mental voice implanted in her mind. Glancing at Mara next to her, Mara nodded. He spoke to all of them. "I can't help you with this, but I have faith in you all. Go!" With that final word, they began the hunt.

Amina and Mara crouched behind a massive freight box. Gem and Sari were posted on the other side of the room behind a similar box. Katlin guarded the "door" to the lab.

The comm on Amina's wrist crackled. "Three approaching from the west," Sari whispered.

"Copy," Mara responded. "We're on it."

She and Amina left their cover, exiting right and left. Crates dotted the gym floor, and Amina weaved in and out, using them for cover as she moved toward the threat. A heel scuffed the floor next to her, and Shaz came into view, crouched, moving toward the "lab".

Pulling her stunner, Amina took aim, but not at Shaz, at the marbles hovering. She had no desire to be beaned by a glass ball the size of her fist. It would hurt. The moment she got all the marbles in focus, she fired, sptz sptsz sptz sptz, knowing it would reveal her location, and things would heat up fast. He didn't have a chance to react before all his marbles scattered across the gym floor.

Amina tagged his arm with a yellow sticky dot. "You're out," she whispered.

He huffed. "Too fast, Tinsome," he said, using her family name. "No fun."

"Sorry. Next time I'll go easy on you."

She crept away and whispered into her comm while he slouched to the ground. She crouched beside a box, peeked over the top as her team reported. Mara had her eyes on one of them, she thought Hummer by his size.

Katlin called for help. Gem responded, "I'll be there right after I take out this comedian." Did she mean RayJay?

Amina's muscles bunched as she inched forward, trying to make out threats in the gloom. A mass rammed her, pitched her backward into the box. The impact arced pain up her side, into her neck.

A growl, an actual growl, sounded from the dark side of the room closest to her. Captain Withes' mental voice filled her head, "You okay, Amina?"

She sent her thought to him, hoping he'd catch it. "Yes."

"That was uncalled for. I'll blast him later."

She shook her head, but part of her was relieved the captain watched over the team. Over her. Melton was the boy who took her out, and she scooted to the floor to wait out the rest of the exercise.

When the lights came up, Amina's team was announced the winner, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. The win supported Captain Withes, and the girls beat the boys.

She stretched her legs out on the floor, bent her head to the right then the left, rolled her shoulders, knowing she'd feel the body slam the next day. The captain approached, concern etched into the corners of his mouth. He held out a hand, and she slipped her fingers into his palm, feeling the warmth of their contact travel up her arm.

"Mara!" He called as he studied her, squeezed her shoulders. Then for Amina only he whispered, "You sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine. Sore." Amina took a step, winced as pain throbbed in her hip.

Mara trotted over. "Yes, Captain?"

"Check Amina, please. She's hurt."

"I'm fine," Amina insisted.

Mara's big brown eyes settled on her. "You aren't fine." Mara touched her hip, ran a hand along her spine, touched her neck. Every place Amina ached, Mara probed. "You have deep bruising, but nothing is cracked."

"She'll be OK?" Captain Withes hovered, his face calm but tension riding his words.

"All she needs is ice and heat." Mara nodded. "She'll be sore but the bruises will heal."

The other recruits and Captain Ward watched the scene the three of them created. Hot embarrassment rushed Amina's face. "Please, don't fuss so over a few bruises."

The boys had lined up for their captain. His face was stony as he corrected their decisions, not harsh but disappointment heavy in his tone.

Captain Withes stormed up to the group stopping just short of hauling Melton up by his uniform. "You acted out of character for an Officer of Peace, attacking one of your own. You hurt a fellow Peacekeeper." His voice sounded savage, ringing through the gymnasium.

Amina stood shocked, and looking at the faces of her team, they felt it, too.

Captain Ward let Captain Withes finish his rant. Calm as a rock, Ward turned to her. "Amina Tinsome, I apologize for the actions of my recruit. He'll make appropriate restitution." He gave Captain Withes a steely look. "However, I suggest you toughen up, Captain. If a small brush with a box unhinges you, this position may be too much for you emotionally."

Unintimidated, Captain Withes stepped toward Captain Ward. "Melton's actions were inexcusable, dangerous." Captain Withes looked at Melton, then at each recruit. "No one here is guaranteed a position with GIPS. None of you have passed." His gaze swung back to Melton. "If you do anything like this again, you're out."

The boy's eyes darted to Captain Ward, Liz, back to Captain Withes. No one dared to deny Captain Withes' charge. "Yes, sir," he stammered.

The warning clear, Captain Ward ushered his team outside.

Captain Withes turned his back to them, but not before she saw a mix of emotion cross his face. He ran his hands into his hair. A moment later, their captain was back, shoulders relaxed, easy smile. "Good work, team. You won. Despite challenges." He nodded at her. "You took your knocks with dignity."

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# Chapter 13

Amina found it difficult to concentrate on her courses. Her head was full of Reece.

She saw him daily in the garden, and each time he quoted her a poem more romantic and emotional than the last. Her team teased her for never spending break with them, for all the sighs and sappy faces she made.

Running to the garden, her heart leaped when she saw Reece waiting at their bench. He lit up and hurried to meet her, holding her hands up to be kissed. He was intense and deep and talked to her about everything. He wanted to know all about GIPS and her classes.

Walking along the path hand in hand, Reece smiled into her eyes. "How long before you fly off to save the system and leave me to pine for you?"

"We've got a couple more months to go. We're learning self-defense and survival in our next series of courses. We'll start physical training and build on our basic stealth skills."

His face turned fierce, the blue of his eyes flashing. "Promise you'll keep meeting me. I've found you, and I don't ever want to let you go." He stopped again and took both of her hands in his. "Barnes said it best, 'the better that my longing you may know, the greatness of it throbs from sun to sun. Here within the sunlight beats my heart. I'm not asking you to finish, but - to start.'" He kissed the tops of her hands. "Amina, would you consider making a start with me?"

"How romantic you are. I would like that."

"Then we're official. You're mine, sweet Amina." He pulled her close, wrapped her in a hug. "Meet me here at the fountain tomorrow."

"I can't wait."

He stared at her, ran his fingers into her hair. Was he going to kiss her? She'd never been kissed. The timer went off on her wrist comm, alerting her to the start of the next class. Reece didn't release her, but his fingers dug into her scalp, holding her still. "There will come a day when I won't have to let you go. I won't have to watch you walk away."

Her breath stalled in her chest. What was he saying? Did he love her? Did he want them to be together forever? Her comm buzzed again, jerking her out of fantasy land. "I have to go."

"Tomorrow," he said, releasing her slowly. "Promise me, Sleeping Beauty."

"I promise." She spun and ran down the path toward the gymnasium. Turned and looked back at him. He hadn't moved but watched her with a fierce hunger on his face. "I promise," she called.

She was the last one to training. It had become a habit since she met Reece, but she found it harder and harder to leave him.

Gem eyed her with a concerned frown. "You're late again. What's gotten into you?"

Reece. He was distracting her, pulling her from her focus. Her stomach cramped, but she ignored the feeling. Nothing would keep her from her goal. She needed to put him in a box, separate her feelings for him from her training.

The time had come for them to work the obstacle course and test their strength. Liz was their strength trainer, and Amina wanted to impress her, wanted to live up to Captain Withes' expectations.

Amina enjoyed walking and riding. She could hike for hours. Lifting weights not so much. After a few weeks, she could lift a decent amount and had developed tone in her muscles with a respectable set of abs.

Tiny Gem put them all to shame, lifting more weight than girls twice her size. It had to be connected to her lavender skin tone and the spark that shimmered in her eyes - not totally human anatomy.

They followed Liz and Captain Withes to the obstacle course, Amina humming with nervous energy, Gem bouncing along beside her with a grin, Sari focused and snarly, Katlin on the Captain's heels with a spew of questions, and Mara looking curious, thoughtfully studying the layout of the course.

Captain Withes stopped at the course beginning and faced them. His usual grin flashed. "Your objective is to finish the course in under five minutes. You get one practice run before your first test."

The course started with barriers set at different heights, a run of horizontal bars to scale, a mud run, netted bridge, climbing wall. She couldn't see what stretched beyond the climbing wall.

"What if we can't finish in time?" Amina asked.

"You will." His smile grew as he focused on her, and she found herself smiling back.

Liz stepped to a square building off to the side. "Come get your packs."

"Packs?" Amina asked.

Inside the building, Liz parceled out gear: gloves, goggles, and backpacks with a hip belt to balance the weight. "You'll start the practice run with an empty pack. Once you pass with an empty pack, we'll add gear until you can finish the course in five minutes with a fully loaded pack of supplies."

Amina wasn't convinced finishing in five minutes was possible without the weight on her back. She didn't want the others to know how much she doubted herself, how badly her stomach cramped with anxiety. If she could get through without being sick, she'd consider it a win.

Not surprising, Sari was the first to slide on her pack and return to Captain Withes. She stood beside him, "struggling" with the hip belt.

Liz hurried to rescue the captain. "Let me show you the trick to getting the weight even, Sari."

Sari huffed but what could she do? Amina watched Captain Withes, saw one cheek dimple as if he bit the inside to hide amusement. He caught her watching him, and she whirled around, nearly running straight into a pole holding up one end of a barrier. Brilliant move.

Gem skipped up to her. "I can't wait to get started!"

Mara and Amina exchanged looks. They were the weakest links. Mara slipped her arm through Amina's. "We can do this."

"Together." Amina nodded.

"Together," Mara agreed.

They turned as one and faced the course.

Liz put her whistle to her lips, raised an arm, and the team lined up, ready to race ahead.

Sari and Gem were even, reaching the first barrier at the same moment. Sari went airborne, but Gem didn't need Ability. She vaulted over the first barrier, the second, the third without losing speed.

"How is she doing that?" Katlin panted beside Amina and Mara.

The three of them hefted themselves up, rolled across the top of the barrier, landed and heaved their bodies up the second. It was slow and painful.

"Enough of this," Amina gasped. She pulled up her Ability and "lifted" the three of them, giving them a boost, and cleared the barriers in half the time.

"Is this cheating?" Mara asked.

"So what if it is?" Katlin asked as they ran for the horizontal bars. "We're Peacekeepers with Ability. In real life, Amina would be doing all she could to help us."

"We're a team," Amina said between gulps of oxygen. She glanced over at Captain Withes keeping pace with them outside the course. He shot her a wink and a nod. "I wouldn't be surprised if testing our teamwork was part of this entire thing."

Katlin hollered encouragement as they swung across the bars, hand over hand. Amina's shoulders screamed, but Katlin's chants spurred her to keep going.

They landed, the three of them together, and didn't pause before launching themselves into the mud run. Katlin began a running commentary of how the mud felt and which crevice it had seeped into, until Amina laughed so hard she could barely stand. The mud sucked at her limbs, weighing her down, but Katlin's words distracted her and made it fun.

Mara struggled, and Amina gave her a boost at the end, easing the weight of the heavy mud. "Thanks," Mara panted. "How?" she asked. "How can Katlin talk nonstop like that?"

"Like she doesn't need air?"

"Exactly. I'm dying."

Mara leaned against Amina as they headed for the netting, and the two laughed together.

"Stop goofing around," Katlin boomed, taking their arms and pulling them forward. "Get a move on!"

Gem and Sari were just crawling out of the netting, so they weren't too far behind. They could do this. Amina grinned as she heard Sari and Gem swapping cut downs.

Once through the netting, Amina saw Gem hanging from Sari's ankles while Sari tried to fly over the climbing wall.

"Release me!" Sari demanded, kicking, trying to loosen Gem's grip.

"You're cheating!"

"It's not cheating to use my Ability."

Amina latched onto Sari with her Ability, holding her in mid-air. Wow. She hadn't been sure that would work. All the girls stared at her, and she shrugged. "Gem's right. Boosting yourself is one thing, leaving your team in the dust is another. We'll do the wall together, as a group."

Sari sniffed and tossed her hair.

"We do it right or not at all. I can stand here all day," Gem said.

Mara flopped down on the ground. "I'm exhausted."

Katlin hauled her back up. "If you sit, you die. Now move it!"

"Imagine we're running from a gang," Gem said, excitement ringing through her words. "Imagine there are lasers coming at us. What would we do?"

"I would help Mara," Sari said, looking as if the words tasted sour. She landed and supported Mara's weight.

"We've only got a couple minutes." Amina waved at the wall, moving forward to take a hand hold. She pinched the edge of the lip, slipped her toes onto the bottom nob, and pushed herself off to grab a higher hand hold. Then she pushed off to swing up to the next hand hold, managed to catch the edge of a foot hold, steadied herself. She looked down. The others stared up at her. "Let's go. What are you waiting for?"

Katlin began to sing in a horrible low voice that skipped any kind of bridge to hit shrill then crashed to low again. Amina giggled, fighting to hold onto her grips and contain the full laugh building in her belly.

"Sugar, please." Sari reached across from her position to slap a hand over Katlin's mouth. "You sing like a dying walrus! Didn't your mama teach you couth?"

"Kooth?" Amina asked. "What's kooth?"

Sari sighed. "Aw, sugar. It's a good thing you're pretty."

Gem kicked Sari from the wall sending her flailing to catch herself before hitting the ground. Katlin chortled. Gem met Amina's gaze, grinned and rolled her eyes. She looked like a crawler, moving up the wall with ease.

"Manners, Amina," Katlin said. "It means manners. Apparently, Sari thinks if you call someone sugar and say it sweet, you've got manners."

Gem passed Amina and perched on the top ledge. She stretched to grab a hold of Mara's hand and haul her up.

Mara shook her head at all of them. "Can't we get through five minutes without fighting?"

"Who's fighting?" Katlin asked. "We're bonding."

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# Chapter 14

"We're doing what?" Amina stared at Captain Withes, hoping she'd heard him wrong.

Sari's expression dripped smug. "I'm teaching you to flirt."

She was afraid that's what he had said. Looking back at the captain, she didn't try to hide the horror. He laughed. Laughed. Then he patted her head. Ugh. She was beginning to hate that. After all, she wasn't twelve. He got a funny look on his face. Oh no, had he heard her thoughts? Slamming a mask in place, Amina turned from him.

Gem nudged her side. "We're all learning from Sari."

"Great." Amina lifted her chin. "What do I do first?"

Sari took Amina's shoulders and turned her toward the gymnasium's weight-room mirror, where they had all gathered. Liz stood at the door in case the captain needed to give another team the space. This lesson was unofficial, but he had explained they each had strengths, skills, and he wanted them to learn from each other.

The next hour was spent watching Sari and mimicking her moves.

Amina tried to walk like Sari, swinging her hips and stepping in front of her own feet, but all she managed to do was trip herself. Captain Withes grabbed her shoulders, steadied her, and she could see him trying not to laugh. She pulled away from his hold, face scorching hot.

"Think of it like learning dance steps," Mara suggested. She would think of it that way with her natural grace and rhythm.

"You should practice on real men," Sari said.

"I'm in!" Katlin hooted. "Should we meet at the Shuttle Club?"

"You've done enough for today," Captain Withes intervened. "Sari has given you the basics."

The other girls were naturals, Gem surprising them all with her skill. She could flirt as well as Sari; she chose not to. Katlin didn't worry about her appearance. She dove in and enjoyed the splash. Mara's movements were subtle, feminine, alluring. Amina had caught the captain's eyes widen with surprise, respect stealing over his face as Mara worked the room.

Amina couldn't relax, couldn't feel feminine with everyone watching her. Her body froze, stiff and jerky. It was awful.

The captain dismissed them, and they filed out to the gym.

Before Amina could leave with the group, Captain Withes stopped her with a hand on her arm. Liz and the Captain exchanged a look, and Amina swallowed, nervous, as she waited for them to explain.

"You can do as well as the others," Liz said. "You need confidence. It will feel more natural if you practice."

"I know." Amina flapped her hands, and Liz reached out to still them.

"I'll practice with you," Captain Withes said, smiling. "You're comfortable with me, right?"

No. He's all gorgeous and perfect and gorgeous.

Liz looked between them, and something in her expression shifted. With a waggle of her eyebrows, she said, "Captain, why not show Amina how it's done?"

"But, he's a guy," Amina said, not sure she could handle the captain in full flirt mode.

He rubbed his chin. "No, I think Liz is right. When you're trying to attract someone, it happens more easily, naturally, if you're responding to their signals." He looked around them. With a sly grin, he walked to the other side of the room, slipped on a jacket a pilot had left behind.

Liz caught on to what he was doing, and clapped her hands. "I know!" She disappeared into the office and returned with a wide-brimmed hat in her hands. She stuffed it on the captain's head, making him laugh. Amina felt an irrational jealousy over their lighthearted chumminess. Liz patted his chest, nodded at Amina, and sat herself in a chair to watch the show.

The captain pulled the brim of the hat low over his eyes, flipped up the collar of the jacket, and transformed. He prowled toward Amina, shoulders rocking slightly in a swagger. No rush, giving her all the time in the world to take him in, he approached. A warmth filled her as he drew close, raking her over with his eyes, dark, shadowed, mysterious. He smiled, but it was the way he smiled, slow, wicked. Removing the hat, he ran a hand through his hair, drawing attention to the thick waves of black. A lock fell across his forehead, making her want to brush it back, making her want to run her hands into the thickness. The collar of the coat brushed his jaw, and her fingers itched to trace the path. Clean shaven, his jaw was angled, strong, with a square chin and firm lips, so masculine. How would it feel under her fingers? Would his skin be smooth or slightly rough?

"What are you feeling?" She jolted, hearing his warm voice in her head. "What do you want to do?"

Could he read her thoughts? Were her desires to touch him, to feel him, running through her mind? And the way he looked at her, so hot, she felt...womanly. A tentative hand reached for him, fingertips traced down the length of his jaw to his chin. Her thumb trailed across his bottom lip. His eyes grew heavy lidded as he watched her face, as she touched his skin. "Good," he said in her head. "The way you feel in this moment, the way your body is leaning toward mine, your face tilted up to mine, your lips parted...hold onto that feeling. You're doing well."

How well could she be doing if he could be instructing her? Her senses were drowning in the wonder, the heat, and it was all she could do to remember where they stood.

"That's how Sari works. She makes the men feel like she's interested, which gives them the confidence to approach her. I think that's how you need to view it. All you need to do is hint at your...willingness, and they'll do the rest."

Amina jerked her hand away. He'd been pretending with those sultry looks, that smile hinting at bad, bad things, desire completely faked. While her response had been instinctive, real. "I understand," she said, and she did. Flirting was faking those feelings, looking at someone with desire, making them feel desirable.

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"EACH DAY IT SEEMS LONGER before I get to see your beautiful face. How are you, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Breathless! I feared I would miss you. I had to run all the way. We've been so busy with our survival training. It is astounding what can be eaten in the wild. We're learning what is edible in every climate, every planet. My head is so full I'm afraid it will burst!" She laughed with excitement.

"Have you seen your ship yet? Do you know which model it is?"

"No. I know her name, Sunstar-3, and she's one of the newest in the fleet."

He tilted his head with a faraway look. "That is interesting." Turning back to her he grinned. "I'm anxious to hear all about your flight simulations."

"I'm looking forward to that, but it's more along Sari's interests. She'll be the pilot."

He glanced up over her head, and she felt him stiffen, his hands tightening their hold. "We have an audience today. Who is that man standing by the fountain?"

"That's my captain, Kindel Withes. The other girls call him Kindel, but I keep things more professional."

He remained silent, watching Captain Withes with a piercing, cold blue stare. She studied him. This strange intensity transformed his beautiful face. He reminded her of a hawk, and she'd seen hawks dive on their prey. She shivered.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm jealous for the short time we have. I don't want to share you with anyone. Why do you refuse to go out to The Shuttle with me? Or to an eatery in town?"

"It's not a rejection, Reece, I promise you. We're learning the waltz in World View. I'm exhausted by the end of the day."

"I live for these moments with you in the sunlight, and you fill my dreams. Is it so difficult for you to make time for me?" He squeezed her hands until it hurt.

She tried to pull away. "You're hurting me, Reece!"

He immediately released her and took a haggard breath, looking at her with remorse.

"You scared me."

"Forgive me," he whispered. "How true are Byron's words, 'there be none of Beauty's daughters with a charm like thee, and like music on the waters is thy sweet voice to me; Oh, to adore thee with a full but soft emotion like the swell of the deep ocean.' Please, say you'll meet me tomorrow."

"Yes."

Late that night, she couldn't sleep. She couldn't forget his coldness. The fear even for a moment left her reeling. Every time sleep came, she dreamed of a great hawk chasing her with talons outstretched and ice lightning shooting out of furious blue eyes. She had to face the doubts that niggled at her mind. It was time for her to use her head. What had Gem said? Don't get swept up by the flowery words and brooding looks. She sat at her desk and used one of her holo-vid chips to record two columns: what she knew about Reece and what she didn't.

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# Chapter 15

It turned out she didn't know much at all. Reece had asked all about her, but he'd told her very little about himself.

During her stealth exercise in the gymnasium the next day she kept losing focus. The lack of sleep combined with anxiety distracted her.

Scenarios ran through her head. What should she say to Reece? How would he react? She felt like she was gearing up to talk to her father, and that if nothing else told her she had made the right decision.

Still, something about Reece spoke to her, and she remembered when she met him and how he'd been exciting and kind and had watched out for her. When he looked at her, she felt exhilarated and warmed and wanted. He made her feel special.

"Amina!" Captain Withes yelled, and she snapped to attention. "I said to step back into the foliage. You're standing in the open. Congratulations, you're dead, and the enemy knows the location of your team. Unacceptable!"

"I-I'm so sorry. I'll do better," she stammered. Get it together!

"Take a break," he barked at the group.

He'd been testy all day, and they hurried to obey him with confused glances darting back and forth between them.

"Amina, you stay," he ordered with a glower. He leaned against a corner of his desk with his arms crossed.

"Yes, sir." She moved to stand in front of him and studied him, confused, looking for a clue to his mood. "I know I've been distracted today."

"Who was that man in the garden yesterday?"

Well. "That's funny. He asked me the same question about you."

"I've got a responsibility toward you. I should know if you're fraternizing with someone outside of GIPS."

"You don't need to know about my personal relationships."

"Meaning you're in a relationship with him." He stepped away from his desk so there were only a few inches between them. "I'll ask you again. Who is he?" His voice was low, calm, but carried an undercurrent of steel. He crossed his arms, pulling the uniform material tight across his biceps and shoulders.

"Reece," she managed to say. "I met him at The Shuttle Club, and he's been coming to visit me almost every day."

"Do you love him?"

She tore her stare from his chest. "How is that your business?"

"I can't have you endangering yourself or the squad. He's distracting you. I forbid you to see him."

"What? You can't do that! I made a mistake, but I care about my squad." Looking into his face so dark, she hesitated. She reached out and placed her palm in the center of his chest. "I care about you. I would never put any of you in danger."

He pivoted away from her. "Enough! I've made my decision."

Pride and anger flared in her. "You can't choose who I see or don't. I already decided to stop seeing him."

That should've calmed him, but he swung back to face her. "Why? Don't think I haven't noticed you mooning around lately. What did he do?"

She shrugged, embarrassed now. "It wasn't a healthy relationship."

He stalked back to her with his fists clenched at his sides. "Did he hurt you?"

Her mind reeled. What was going on? "I'm OK. Really, Captain."

He breathed deeply, making a visible effort to control himself. "Fine. You're dismissed."

She didn't know how she would handle an emotionally charged scene with Reece after the one with Captain Withes.

Gem was waiting for her outside the door. "What was that about?"

"You didn't hear it all?"

"You've improved with your shielding, and you know it. If you don't want to talk about it, just say so."

"I'm beginning to think you're right about men. They're all crazy!" She would've told Gem about the confrontation, but it felt too intimate somehow. He was so emotional, and she couldn't understand what had prompted such a strong reaction.

She was early to meet Reece that day, so she paced with nervous energy. He recognized her emotion and slowed as he approached. He stood close to her but didn't attempt to take her hands.

"You're looking serious."

"Yes. I've decided this isn't going to work between us."

He froze as if he'd turned to actual stone. "I see. I won't embarrass us both by pleading with you." He swiveled on his heel to march away, stopped, turned to her. The blue in his eyes glittered with intensity. "You surprised me, and every word was true." Treading into the trees, he disappeared from her view.

Tears trembled down her face, but it still felt right. For all the beauty, a dangerous coldness and an obsessiveness lurked in Reece. She had escaped, and she was determined to remain free.

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SHE HAD A SESSION WITH Liz in self-defense which was most definitely not her strongest skill. Add to that all the emotion she'd burned through, and she felt exhausted.

Liz glared. "You are being too nice. I can understand the problem in Mara since she's a medic. You have no excuse. Now, again." She pounded her fist into her opposite palm.

Amina tried, but aggression was foreign to her. "I can't do this!" She flopped on the mats.

"I'll pass you on to Kindel. Gwana knows, he's got his hands full with you and Mara." Liz gestured with her head to the room next door. "Get on over there."

Big sigh. Maybe he'd boss her about her private life, so she'd want to pummel him.

She entered the room and almost fell over when she saw the captain in his workout clothes. The form-fitting shirt and loose shorts showed his svelte form without an ounce of fat anywhere. She could practically see everywhere, so she knew. Every exposed inch of him rippled with lean muscle.

"Liz sent you? Amina? Did you hear me?"

"Oh! Yes, sir. I, uh, can't seem to, um."

Liz stuck her head around the door and shot Amina a wink. "She's too nice, Kindel! I can't get her to be the aggressor. She's got the defense moves down, but she's not getting how to assess the danger and act before the bad guy blasts her away."

"Got it. Thanks, Liz."

He wrapped a towel around his neck and sauntered over to her. He gave her a knowing, cocky grin, pressed one finger under her chin and pushed her jaw closed. "I'm finishing up with Mara, so take a breather."

"Mara's here?" She looked away from him and yes, Mara was standing on the mats her head swiveling back and forth from Amina to Captain Withes.

What was wrong with her? He's her big-brother-like captain. So, he's good looking. She hadn't expected to see him dressed like that and would've reacted the same way to any man. She'd adjust.

"Amina, come here."

She went to him on the mats and looked up into his face. He smiled his warm, wide, proud smile. His attitude from earlier had improved.

"I want to go through the basic moves Liz taught you. Ready?"

She nodded. It was like a dance, practicing the basics.

"Focus, OK, just like when you levitate. Breathe, let everything else go. First, I grab your wrist." She crouched, leaned forward, bent her elbow toward his forearm, and broke the hold.

"Great. Now choke hold." He grabbed her from behind. She swung one arm across and with the other elbow she struck backward, breaking his hold and pushing him away. She danced free.

"Getting sure of yourself, I see. OK, pin hold." He knocked her legs out from under her and pinned her to the floor.

With his face just inches from hers, he smiled, drawing her focus to his firm lips. Desire flicked to life. How would his lips feel against hers? How would he taste? No. Not the captain. She couldn't want him. His expression changed, tightened with intensity that thrilled her, as his gaze moved over her face. Could he read her thoughts?

Anxiety peaked. Panicked, she grabbed his wrist with one hand and behind his elbow with the other, trapped his arm to her chest, used her foot to trap his foot and leg, lifted her hips, and flipped onto her knees.

"That was perfect."

"Great. So, are we done here?"

He frowned. "Everything OK? We were going to work on your environment assessing skills."

"It's been a difficult day." To her horror, tears streaked down her face.

"What is it?" he asked, pulling her to him and holding her.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing. I'm just overtired."

"Go. Get some rest or take the girls out. You've worked hard with another big day tomorrow."

Just like a big brother. She turned away, desperate to distance herself from his warmth.

She needed sleep. Then she'd be fine again.

The next day the squad gathered as they always did at the gymnasium for their session, but there was a notice posted to meet at the hangar.

"Wonder what's going on?" Katlin said.

"It's a mystery," said Gem.

"It has to be the ship," Sari said.

Captain Withes waited for them right inside. "Today you begin training with simulations, so you'll be learning how to fly, navigate, operate your ship. Ladies, the Sunstar-3."

A couple of peace officers rolled back a screen, and there sat their ship. She was sleek, polished metal with a copper nose and aerodynamic side wings. Red paint decorated her tail around the engine. Sunstar-3 glistened in black along her side.

Amina murmured, "She's beautiful."

"She's my baby," said Captain Withes.

They explored inside and gawked. Straight ahead was the main seating area of the ship with comfortable lounging couches and chairs. Storage lockers ran along the walls. A hall in the back led off to the sleeping quarters and the medical facilities. The flight deck was in the front of the ship, complete with a switchboard and navigation devices. A map of the Gwana System was pulled up on a huge holo-vid screen.

Amina stuck her head in the door leading off the main living area and found her workstation. The Transportation/Storage Deck was where she would camp out if the need arose. It was a huge deck with sections that could be separated and air locked during space flight. From this deck, she could run the electric beam that would lock onto objects in space and pull them into the ship's docking room. Her own naked Ability would suffice for most occasions, thanks to the captain's training expertise. The life pods were on this deck as well as all the storage crates for their supplies and weapons. A smaller scout shuttle was available for them to use on-planet. It wasn't stealth, so she didn't think they'd be able to take that easy way on many of their missions.

Taking the time to let it sink in, she still found it difficult to believe she would be on this ship, using this equipment, with this team. They'd spent so much time training, and she'd been distracted by Reece and poetry. Now, that all seemed childish.

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# Chapter 16

Over the next month, they ran simulations on the scout shuttle and the Sunstar-3. Still, Amina found herself with free time in the day since Sari had to run simulations on the main ship for hours.

Sheralyn showed the others films from Old Earth. She taught dances including the foxtrot and flamenco and Charleston. Amina wasn't gifted with rhythm, so it made for some hilarious afternoons.

One afternoon, Amina had stepped on the dance instructor's feet for the millionth time. Frustrated, Officer Perre stepped out of the waltz hold. He ran a hand over his tiny mustache that quivered above his lip.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying."

"You are not trying hard enough." He slapped a count into his opposite palm. "It is simple, Amina, no?"

"Yes, I understand the idea, but dancing is not something I grew up doing."

Sheralyn stepped in, a reassuring smile for Amina. "You are improving, dear. With a little more time, you will be dancing like a butterfly." Her attention caught on movement outside the open door. "Wait a moment!" she called, dragging her skirts across the floor in her rush after the shadow passing in the hallway.

When she returned with Captain Withes in tow, Amina wanted to disappear.

"What's going on?" he asked, a friendly smile and nod for Amina and Officer Perre.

"We are trying to dance," Perre said with a long suffering look heavenward. "But we are not all equal to the task."

Amina headed for the door, but the Captain caught her arm before she could escape. "Hey, no running away."

She glared at him. "I'm tired of being made fun of."

"No one is making fun of you." He followed her gaze to Perre. "Ah. Well, he takes himself too seriously. Let me help."

"How?"

"Dance with me."

Her face shot up to gape at him. "You don't want to dance with me."

Captain Withes took her hands in his, directed her arms into the waltz position. "We're dancing." He held her tight, secure. "Tell me about your farm, Amina."

"Why?"

He hummed the tune a second. "You're thinking too much."

"I have to keep count, and think of where my feet are going." She glowered up at him. "So I don't crush your toes."

He smiled. "I can help with that." His voice filled her mind, counting the steps as he moved her around the room. "Let me do the thinking. You talk."

She liked his warm voice in her mind, soothing the anxiety, melting her defenses. How did he make her feel safe and secure with simple things? Like the way his arm banded around her, one palm flat on her back, steadying her, guiding her. So she told him about the farm, the changes Aldernon's seasons created, how she loved to ride and how beautiful the fields were in red or yellow or green.

"I like how observant you are," he murmured, and she was surprised to find she'd relaxed into his hold. He'd pulled her in close, so his voice whispered next to her ear. "You stand back and watch, take it all in, analyze. You see beyond the surface and measure before you act."

"I worry."

He chuckled, the sound vibrating through his body, into hers. She had to take a deep breath to steady herself against the sensation. "You do, but once you've figured things out, you act. You're cautious, you plan, but you're brave and determined."

"Thank you. That's...nice."

"Do you think I'm nice, Amina?" He pulled back to look at her, then turned his head before she answered.

She spoke into his shoulder, mumbling, "You're a good captain. I like how patient you are, how you make everyone feel special. You bring out the best in us. You're logical, principled, and intelligent."

"Hmm." He was quiet a moment as they circled the room. "Logical, principled, intelligent. I don't sound very dashing do I?"

She laughed, surprising herself. "You know you're charming, too. Don't pretend. You help me be myself, calm me down, like my brother does."

He pulled back, stared at her. "Like your brother?"

"Mm-hmm." Her fingers slid from his shoulder to play with the collar of his shirt, nervous under his gaze. "I-I feel comfortable with you. You're easygoing and kind. I trust you."

"Well. I guess that's good." But he frowned. "Like your brother?"

"You know, Captain, you're private."

He blinked. "How do you mean?"

"You don't talk about yourself much." She lifted her eyes from the hollow of his throat to meet his gaze. "Tell me something no one else knows."

He remained silent, but she could see the thoughts moving through his eyes. "I don't like peas."

A grin split her face. "You eat peas. I've seen you."

His head tilted close to hers, as if he shared a secret. "I like to make people happy, so I eat my peas to make the cook happy." A mock shudder rolled through him. "But I detest peas."

"I won't tell."

He laughed low in his chest. "I know my secrets are safe with you."

Her eyebrows rose, and she couldn't understand where this confidence, this teasing, came from. "You can do better than peas."

"Oh, a challenge. All right." He swung them into a circle. "I have webbed toes on my left foot."

Webbed...what?

"My toes didn't develop right. It's not like I'm deformed necessarily, but it isn't pretty." He shrugged, as if he forgot they were dancing. Straightening his form, he sneaked a glance her way. "Have I disgusted you?"

"No, I'm surprised is all." She studied his expression. "Does it bother you?"

He turned his head away. "It's not important, but it's something I don't tell people."

"I can see why not. How do you bring up webbed toes in conversation?" He grinned like she'd wanted him to, but she wondered. "If you weren't in GIPS, weren't a captain, what would you do?"

"Programming."

"Like what? Networking or holo-vid games? Simulations?"

"Games. I designed the holo-vid games on the Sunstar ships."

She didn't know the ships had games, but it would provide the squads entertainment. "That's impressive."

He shrugged again. "I enjoy it as a side hobby."

Taking her hand firmly in his, he swung her out, twirled her, and pulled her back into his chest. "Do you realize you've been dancing all this time without counting or watching your feet?"

She inhaled, looked down at her feet, up at him. "I can't believe it."

The music ended, and he brought them to a stop, but he didn't let her go. Grinning, he pulled her in for a hug.

Sheralyn glided up to them, clapping her hands. "Marvelous! You looked beautiful, dear, light as air. I knew Captain Withes would be just the thing."

He bowed to Amina, and she curtsied. "Thank you, Captain."

His smile deepened as he winked. "Any time you want to practice, call on me."

--------

CAPTAIN WITHES HAD her work with Liz to hone her self-defense and stealth skills.

Her mask training continued with him one-on-one with hand-holding and mind-merging, which was intense for her, and she kept an emotional distance as much as possible.

He spent the first half hour of their sessions talking to her, asking about her life and her interests, listening with rapt attention as she talked. And he shared with her all kinds of tidbits about himself. She found her traitorous heart storing all those bits like treasure. He kept the atmosphere light and easy, casual, never baring his soul, but she enjoyed his gentleness and humility.

The humility impressed her. He knew he looked good, and he liked the attention he got from the girls, but he took it in stride and didn't act like a conceited man. Everything wasn't about him, and Amina learned his winking and patting and smiles were meant to build up and encourage and commend. He was sincerely friendly with everyone. It wasn't about trying to win hearts or seduce. Amina found herself more and more comfortable with him, secure that he would keep her safe.

The more she knew about her captain, the more she admired him, but any time he seemed to soften, or his gaze seemed to linger, she excused herself and escaped. Her growing feelings worried her since he couldn't possibly feel the same way. They were friends. She appreciated that and tried to be content.

--------

THE TEAM GREW CLOSER especially one day when the UV levels rose on Kildren, forcing them to stay inside the ship.

Sari didn't hang out with them often. Amina wondered if she kept herself apart to protect her feelings. Something drove her to excel, to be perfect, and a hardness lived under her beauty. It amazed Amina how Sari could make sweat look attractive when they lifted weights and climbed ropes and dragged themselves through obstacle courses in their strength exercises. Still, she managed to not be prissy. She had serious, tough determination, and Amina was glad she was on their squad. Most of the time. Sari still acted superior and fluffed her hair every time a guy walked by.

The flirting with Captain Withes eased since he refused to respond, and that made Amina's heart happy for reasons she didn't allow herself to think about.

Since they couldn't go out, Mara, ever the peacemaker, suggested they play games in the Sunstar-3's lounge. Amina had caught on to how Mara operated her Ability. Subtle should be her middle name. Her personality may be quiet and gentle, but she held her own without needing to be anything else. Mara would sneak in a suggestion or prod the group to go a certain direction, use her Ability to smooth and sway, and no one would know she was doing it. She was probably the smartest of the group, but she didn't need to prove it. Being empathetic, she was moved to tears on a near-daily basis. Her need for peace in their relationships went bone deep and motivated everything she did. Mara was selfless.

Captain Withes pulled up the ship's holo-vid program and loaded several card games and board games. He caught Amina's eye and shared a private smile with her.

Gathering, the girls squabbled like siblings over what to play first.

Finally deciding on an Old Earth game called Hearts, they listened while Captain Withes explained the rules and dealt the holo-cards.

By the time the game ended, Amina felt like she'd learned a heap about Sari and the others.

Sari was competitive and temperamental if she lost. She studied the other players for any tells and played fast, sharp, driven. Beauty had a goal, and constant ambition motivated her. Flirting was a weapon to prove her power. She tried to use it on Captain Withes during the game, leaning in to distract him when she thought he was winning.

Captain Withes gave her a lazy smile but leaned away as he did it. He managed to keep things friendly and polite without outright humiliating and rejecting her. Amina felt a smile flicker at the corners of her lips.

Mara smiled the entire time, her eyes flitting over the group like a proud mama hen. She enjoyed the game but didn't seem to care if she won. Friendship was her goal.

Gem concentrated and worked for her win, but she took losing with more grace than Sari. After a second hand, she got the rhythm and sense of the game and beat them all another three rounds. Good dirt, she was smart. For as close as Gem and Amina had grown, Amina found her friend a mystery. She watched Gem play her hands with an unreadable expression, and she literally held the cards close to her chest. Gem rippled with energy. She could talk, laugh, joke and sparkle while she did it with intelligence and bright fun without giving away a morsel about herself. She was light and shadow. Positive but private.

Sari accused Gem of reading minds and cheating.

Gem was tiny, petite and slim with a toned body, but they'd all learned in training not to underestimate her strength. Before she could take Sari, Captain Withes stood and put an end to Sari's taunts.

Katlin had won the first game, so she was satisfied. She slid back into the depths of the sofa enjoying her popped corn as the show unfolded before her. Amina admired her sense of humor in any situation. If it wasn't Mara wooing them into happy feelings, it was Katlin making them laugh with a well-timed quip.

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# Chapter 17

The time had arrived for their final test. The graduation celebration was scheduled, and the invitations to the Winter Ball were sent.

Amina prepared the Sunstar for their training mission, fueling her up and filling supply boxes.

She also moved out of the dormitory at headquarters. On the ship, the captain had his own quarters, while they each shared a bunk room. Her bunk room was simple compared to what she'd had in training, but it was on a ship, which would be her home she hoped for many years.

She hurried to unpack her few personal things. She still had to load and inventory the ship's supplies.

On the outside of the Sunstar, she unlocked the docking bay. Fixing her focus on a large package marked 'MEDICAL', Amina began to load the storage room.

She was almost done when Captain Withes came to check her work.

"How're you holding up?" he asked.

"It's fulfilling. After all the training, I'm loading my ship for my mission."

"I remember how I felt preparing for my training mission. Those were exciting days. Your squad is ready."

She settled down on a bench in the hangar while he inspected her inventory list and compared it to the crates in the hold.

When he finished, he sat beside her. "Everything looks fine." Having him close had her heart thumping. He smiled at her. "I've enjoyed training you. I admire your strength and your heart."

Warmth filled her. "Thank you. I mean, for everything. I know you went above and beyond, especially for me. You've been so patient with me."

He held his hand out to her, palm-up, and she slipped her palm over top his. With a bittersweet smile, he whispered, "I will miss some elements of our training."

No response came to her. This could be her last moment of private connection with him. She allowed herself to study his face, every curve, and the plane of his defined jawline and square chin, his firm lips.

Liz walked into the hangar, looking down at a holo-vid. Amina jerked. Good dirt, she'd been staring at him. "I - I've got something. Somewhere."

She rushed out hoping she hadn't embarrassed herself beyond forgiveness. It was time for a plan because her feelings weren't going away. It would be mortifying if he or any of her squad mates realized her attraction had developed into a full-blown infatuation. She'd have to be all business on the outside even if she quivered inside.

The training mission would give her lots of practice time.

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THE NEXT DAY, AMINA met with her team in the hangar, and Captain Withes explained the final test was a real in-the-field experience.

"This will be a test of every skill. You will have a map, an objective, a gear kit, and rations. We will enter the field together as a squad, but the first phase will lead to teams being created according to the variance of the initial test."

Amina went over her Transportation/Storage deck for a final check of the straps over the cargo. She ran a diagnostic to be sure the electric beam instruments worked and the life pod ejectors were online. Hopefully, none of these things would be necessary on the training mission.

The ship comm beeped, and Sari's voice filtered through the deck. "Final check complete. Report to the main flight deck and prepare for space flight."

Excitement bloomed, and Amina rushed to the flight deck. The others had already taken their chairs and were strapping themselves.

She exchanged a toothy grin with Gem as she took her seat and pulled her straps over her shoulders. Sari waited for them to be buckled and flipped switches. Captain Withes sat in the co-pilot position, and he looked over the sensor panels to check Sari's progress.

The engines rumbled, and Sari taxied them out of the hanger onto the spaceway grid. "Going into flight in 3, 2, 1."

A great blast of air whooshed around the ship as it lifted and shot into the atmosphere. Amina had flown from Aldernon to Kildren, but this was the first time she saw the flight from the main deck. Her blood thrilled as they rocketed through layers of atmosphere into the blackness surrounding Kildren.

A couple of hours later Sari said, "Sensors indicate the planet Tigris will be visible on our right, Captain." She flipped some switches. A hum of excitement filled the room.

"Prepare for landing," he commanded. "It's about to get very real. Are you ready?" He glanced back at Amina, and they shared a grin.

"Ready, Captain!" they chorused.

Out the window, Tigris appeared a reddish-brown globe with white stripes, clouds in the atmosphere.

"It's gorgeous," Mara said.

"It's a jungle planet," said Katlin. "So why is it that reddish color?"

"Not all jungles are green," said Captain Withes. "Lesson number one, team, do your homework on the mission location."

"We're entering the atmosphere," said Sari. "Everyone strapped in?"

"Yes," they chorused.

Sari was good. She managed to enter the planet's atmosphere and locate their pre-approved landing coordinates without a bump of turbulence.

She flipped a few switches, and she and the captain perused a vid-screen.

"All clear for landing, Sir."

"Take us down."

The landing gear lowered with a whir and clunk. Sari's face pinched in concentration as she manually steered them closer to the planet's surface.

They dropped. The ground rushed up toward them, and Amina's stomach knotted. She hung in her chair, only the straps keeping her from free fall. Red treetops and rust-colored vines whipped past the windows as they plummeted. Just when it seemed they'd be crushed, the Sunstar-3 slowed. The momentum jerked her against the safety straps then smashed her back against the chair.

"Sari, you're doing fine. Now, easy. Feel it. Let it kiss the ground."

Sweat beaded on Sari's forehead and trickled down her face. "Captain," she rasped.

"You can do this," he said, his voice low but firm.

The ship contacted the ground with a slight bump and rolled to a stop. Sari flipped a switch and the engine purr quieted. Relief in the air was palpable.

A great gulp of air filled Amina's lungs. She unbuckled herself and patted Sari's shoulder. "You did great! You're a wonderful pilot."

Sari released a breath. "I'd better be."

"You aced it," Captain Withes said, grinning. "The ship's auto functions couldn't have done it better. I'm proud."

"Thanks, Captain."

"Now, everybody, gather your gear. I'll switch on the ship's stealth mode and meet you."

Outside the ship, the jungle air was heavy with humidity. Amina tied her thick, dark hair up high on her head. Perspiration beaded on the back of her neck. She rubbed insect repellent over the exposed skin on her legs and arms.

"It's like breathing fog," she moaned to Gem. "I guess no one told Tigris what late-autumn is supposed to feel like."

Gem paused in her own repellent wipe-down. "It's going to be killer, trekking through the vegetation. Those fern-like bushes come to my waist."

"Good thing I've got this baby." Katlin unsheathed her machete.

The captain came up behind them, slipping his pack onto his back. "Be cautious. Remember your survival and stealth training and avoid leaving too much of a trail. It may take you longer, but it's worth working your way through the vegetation not hacking it up. I want you to take your time and do this right."

"Yes, Captain," they chorused.

"Everyone, gather close." He crouched low to the ground and pulled out his map and another plastic-coated sheet. Using his index finger, he pointed out their route. "The objective is to enter this complex. A band of thieves is using this location as their headquarters. Our job is to apprehend and haul them to the Tigris authorities. It's down the river and then up to the ridge. We'll receive tests along the route, which will serve to divide us into teams." He looked gravely into each of their faces. "This is a GIPS simulation-like test, but the dangers of Tigris are real, and you are limited to the rations and tools in your packs. Do not underestimate this: your lives hang in the balance."

"Yes, Sir," they chorused.

"OK, move out."

It wasn't long before she heard voices and movement. Amina dropped flat to the ground alongside her squad mates. Covered by the thick foliage, she listened. The voices were low but audible. It was a foreign language. The speakers were natives to Tigris. This was Katlin's Ability, so they waited for her to translate.

She whispered, "They're part of the band. Saying something about outposts, checkpoints, they've set up leading to the main complex. It sounds like they've set up defenses."

"Katlin, Sari, you two follow them. Don't engage. Mark any locations you find on the map. We'll come back for them later. Keep wrist-comm contact. The rest of us will move forward."

Katlin and Sari moved away, crouched in the underbrush. Team one was a go.

Captain Withes gestured to her, Gem, and Mara to keep low. They waited a few more minutes until the natives' voices were replaced by jungle sounds. Then, they moved in silence.

--------

AFTER DRAGGING HER body through dense underbrush for eternity, they found a clearing. She could see the first stars through the trees.

Captain Withes scouted the area. "We'll camp here for the night." He used his wrist-comm and updated Sari and Katlin. "Amina, help Gem get her hammock up. I'll help Mara. As high in the trees as possible."

No telling what critters would come out at night. Good thinking to send Sari with Katlin, since she could fly into the trees.

Amina levitated the hammocks above her head as she and Gem climbed the thick, low limbs of the trees. When she felt they were high enough, she secured her teardrop-shaped hammock to a branch above her head. She plopped down on a garden-bench-wide branch and ate a ration bar.

Her exhaustion felt like a creature she had backpacked through the jungle. She crawled into her hammock. The night sounds and swinging of the hammock lulled her to a deep, deep sleep.

It felt as if she'd just closed her eyes when the alarm on her wrist-comm bleeped.

"Amina," Gem's voice called.

"I'm awake." She sat up in her hammock and looked down. Wow, she was a long way from the ground.

They packed up, ate ration bars, and moved on.

Captain Withe's wrist-comm cackled.

"Captain, come in," Katlin whispered.

"Report."

"We've found two outposts and marked them on the map."

"How many people?"

"Only five. They don't have many staying at the posts."

"Gather Intel. Listen. If you can determine an exact direction to the next outpost, then follow a lead. Do not engage unless you must."

"Yes, Sir. Out."

They continued their trek and came to a wide flattened path through the jungle.

"Transports must come through here often," Gem said.

"They have to haul their loot somehow," Amina said.

He pulled out the map. "There are some rocky hills in this area. The river is just north of here. Amina and I will follow the river. Gem, Mara, you follow the road." He looked at them dead serious. "Move fast. Use your Abilities to listen. If you hear anyone, I want to know. Use your wrist-comm. Take advantage of the terrain when you camp and stay off the ground."

"Yes, Sir."

Gem gave her a tight squeeze; she and Mara headed down the road at a trot. Team two, go.

Amina turned and looked at the captain. Just the two of them. He gestured to continue through the jungle.

They traveled in silence, listening for any sign of people or vehicles. She felt sure he listened with his telepathic Ability.

The closer they got to the river the heavier the air felt against her skin. Conscious physical effort was required to suck the thickness into her lungs. Her entire body slicked with sweat. The sleeveless shirt stuck to places on her body she hadn't known existed.

Captain Withes' face streamed sweat, and his sweat-soaked shirt molded to his back. The backpack covered most of him, but his visible shoulders and sides taunted her with sweet torture as she trekked behind him.

He turned every few minutes and assessed her. The sweatier she got, and the clingier her top got, the longer it took him to assess her. Maybe he was getting a little torture in return. She was a woman fit from months of physical training. She was afraid to admit, even in her private thoughts, her hope that he noticed her as a woman and not a kid-sister.

"We can stop here for a rest."

She lowered her pack to the ground and leaned over, hands on her knees. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. "How's it possible to be this wet and not be in the rain?"

"Drink. Eat. Then we'll head up the rock and camp."

Rock climbing. Good dirt!

She took the opportunity to lie flat on her back and propped her feet up on her pack. He sat with his back against a tree and leaned his head against the trunk. He made it appear his eyes were closed, but she felt him watching her. Her secret hope flared a little brighter.

He stood and held his hand out to her. "Time to go. The hills aren't too far." Pulling her up, he held her hand just a moment longer than necessary.

The hills were layers of rough, jagged rock. Between the layers were natural ledges and overhangs. She stood at the base and looked up. He pointed to the nearest ledge, and she nodded. The humidity sapped her strength, but she had to do this. She pulled on her gloves.

He grinned at her. "It seems impossible, but I know you can make it. I'd help by levitating you, but no cheating. They require your stamina to be tested, so I'm limited in how much I can 'lift' you. I'll be with you though, every inch."

"I'm so glad I'm not doing this on my own. Let's start before I can't move."

Carefully, one foot and one handhold at a time, they climbed the jagged edges. He helped her as much as he could, clasping her gloved hand to physically support and lift her. They climbed in complete silence, which heightened her awareness of each glance, each press of his fingers.

Finally, her fingers closed over the top edge, and she heaved her body onto the surface of the ledge. Exhausted, every muscle in her body screaming, she stretched out flat. "I'm never moving again."

She heard him laugh. "I've got some salve that will help the soreness."

Panic seized her, and she stared up at him. She couldn't mask her attraction to him if he rubbed salve over her back and shoulders.

The comm crackled. "Gem and Mara reporting. Come in."

"We hear you. Report."

"We're camping in a cave. We scanned it, so we know it's safe."

"Any sightings?"

"No. The road continues."

"Amina and I are camped on a hill ledge. We'll follow the river tomorrow. Get some rest. Out."

"Yes, Sir. Out."

He tossed her the salve. "I'm going to contact Sari and Katlin. Save some of that for me."

She walked to the inner wall of the ledge for some privacy. She laid out her sleeping mat and settled down for the night. As she relaxed, Browning's words whispered on the edge of her consciousness 'we cannot live except mutually, love as nature's magnet-heat binds pole to pole'.

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# Chapter 18

The next morning, she felt refreshed. Standing at the edge of the ledge, she looked down and laughed. "I'd love to be Sari right now." She rolled her shoulders. "Thank Gwana for that salve."

"Morning." He walked up beside her and stretched his arms over his head with a yawn.

She turned and smiled. His hair was rumpled and eyes a little sleepy. Adorable. "Ready to go down? Got any good ideas?"

"Slowly, just like we went up."

The humidity was fierce. It wasn't long before they were back to being soaked. Going down wasn't as bad as going up, and they were back on their trek through the jungle.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

She stopped and listened. "Sounds like the river."

They broke through the thick ferns, and the river snaked before them. Boulder rocks dotted the sides of the river. The clear water was shallow enough to see the pebbled bottom, and teeny blue fish darted at the water's edge.

"It's beautiful."

"Let's keep moving." His awareness stayed sharp, scanning the jungle.

They walked along the river until they came to a section where the boulders and smaller river rocks created a natural pool. She squealed and pointed. A waterfall cascaded down the face of a rocky hill. "It's perfect. It doesn't look real." She twirled around and beamed up at him. "Can we stop? Take a break here?"

"A few minutes. After we scout the area."

She went to the right while he went to the left searching for footprints, broken branches, trails, any sign they weren't alone. They met up at the other side of the pool. He dropped his pack and stretched out in a shady spot.

It was so blasted stifling surrounded by heavy air. She edged closer to the water. Stripping off her boots and socks, she soaked her feet. "Ahhh." Perfection. Crisply cold. The teeny blue fish nibbled at her toes. Sun-star light flitted across the top of the water. She glanced over her shoulder. His eyes were still closed.

She eased out of her shirt, careful to not make a sound, and dropped her shorts. She dashed into the cool water and gasped as the cold snatched her breath. She bounced in the water, twirled, dove down and swam underwater until her lungs begged for air. Surfacing, she tilted her face toward the sun. Her hair streamed down her back.

"Amina." She swirled around and saw the captain striding into the water. "You scared the life out of me disappearing like that." He sounded mad.

She couldn't help it, she grinned. "The water was too tempting."

When he swam closer, his eyes widened. He swallowed slowly. "You took off your clothes."

"Not all of them. Anyway, you were resting."

He continued to stare at her through the clear water. Embarrassed, she splashed him. A mischievous grin spread over his face. He snatched her around her waist. She squealed as he dunked her underwater. She surfaced laughing and splashed him again and again. He roared, grabbed for her and lifted her out of the water preparing to toss her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "No!" she said, laughing. "Kindel, let me go!"

He lowered her into the water and held her against his chest. "You called me Kindel. I've waited a long time to hear my name on your lips." He dropped his gaze to her mouth. Warmth spread through her. Her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck brushing against his skin. His breath caught, and his eyes shifted to hers. Heat burned.

Oh, my. So not a brotherly look.

He loosened his hold on her, setting her free, and smiled. "We shouldn't be in the water. Where there are little fish, there are big fish. We've got to keep moving."

He strode back to the shore, picked up his pack, and moved behind the boulders, giving her privacy. She dressed and joined him.

They'd been walking in silence for a couple of hours when they heard voices. Crouching behind trees, they listened. He pulled out the map and scanned it. After a moment, he gestured for her to move to the east, and they moved away at a low crouch.

"Stop," he said. "We should be close. I'm going to contact the others with our coordinates and call them in." He eased off into the underbrush, so if he were heard he wouldn't betray her location as well.

He came back to her. "Gem and Mara are a few minutes behind. Katlin and Sari have headed our direction."

They settled down to wait. They sat shoulder to shoulder, backs against a massive tree. His hand brushed hers. Sensations sparked up her arm.

"Do we wait for Katlin and Sari to go in? They must be a day's walk behind."

"No, we'll camp here tonight. Tomorrow, we'll enter the complex with Gem and Mara, taking the thieves by surprise. Katlin and Sari will meet us on our way back to the ship."

"Is there enough space in the holding cell for all the thieves?"

"It's about the exercise in the end. Whether we fulfill the overall objective." He paused and tilted his head. "They're coming."

Gem and Mara broke through the jungle.

"Good to see you both," Mara said.

"We saw one vehicle with a tarp over the back."

"Did you see where it went?"

Gem nodded. "We followed it until the road veered up toward the ridge. They're keeping a stash in this complex."

"If we can catch them with the stolen merchandise, that's better, right?" Mara asked.

Kindel said, "We're always after Intel, evidence, whatever will help the local authorities punish them."

They camped in the trees again. Kindel assigned them each a watch since they were so close to the complex. It would be an intense, early morning. She settled into her hammock, but sleep didn't come. Memories from the pool kept her pulse racing, joy panged deep in her belly, and she found herself smiling in the dark.

"The kiss in his eyes haunts me night and day." She whispered the words by Teasdale aloud. She hadn't understood the words until today.

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# Chapter 19

She had the last watch and woke the others while it was still dark. Gem and Mara led the team to the road. Kindel dropped back to walk beside her, and his fingers brushed against hers. He didn't look at her or speak, and she tried to act natural as if every brush of his fingers didn't send shivers through her.

They paused beside the road, and Kindel went ahead to scout before they walked into the open. At this point, the road began to wind up to the ridge, and there were places they couldn't see what may be coming around the curves. Kindel, Mara, and Gem were all concentrating, focused with their Abilities. Amina may not be telepathic or empathetic, but she had ears, so she put them to good use listening for anything that might indicate they were being watched or tracked. She heard a twig snap in the jungle on one side of the road and a rustle in the underbrush on the opposite side. The others must've sensed a presence. Everyone froze, listening, for a second.

"Take cover," Kindel commanded, but it was just a second too slow.

Six men leaped out of the jungle wearing militia uniforms with black masks hiding their faces. Amina's training kicked in, and she ran at the man zeroed in on her. He tried to fight her, but she was fast. She blocked each of his moves and pinned him to the ground. She pulled out her electric Shockocuffs and immobilized him. Swinging up and around she landed in a defensive stance and froze.

Five members of the band wore cuffs.

One had Gem in a tight grip with a laser shooter pointed at her stomach. "Drop your weapons!" he shouted, anger contorting his face.

Amina glanced at Kindel and Mara with fear gripping her chest in a vise.

"What should you do?" Kindel whispered, looking back at them and raising both of his hands. "I see his thoughts. He's picturing shooting her."

Mara took a breath, and Amina noticed her eyes narrow in concentration. "Keep calm," she whispered across to the goon as she slid her shooter into her holster. A soothing wave of calm fell over Amina. The man's shoulders relaxed, but his eyes carved into them.

Amina darted quick, anxious glances over the scene and moved in a heartbeat, shooting a limb above and behind the man holding Gem.

The man laughed. "You missed!"

"Did I?" Amina asked as the limb began to shift.

The crack of the splitting limb sounded, startling the man and drawing his attention above his head. Spittle dripped from his mouth as he cursed.

Amina shot again, hitting him in the shoulder with a stun and dropping him. Gem whooshed air audibly as Mara ran to her side and clasped her in a tight hug. Aftereffects of adrenaline made Amina shiver, and Kindel reached over to run his hands down her arms.

"You did well," he said, his smile warm as he gazed at her. "Both of you." He looked up to nod toward Mara. No doubt, she'd calmed the entire group.

Gem cuffed the man with a smile of pure glee. One of the others struggled and got a nice shock for his efforts.

"Don't move," Kindel barked.

He grabbed one up by the arm and shoved him toward the jungle. He tossed a coiled Shockocord to Amina. With a nod to the others, they herded the thieves into the jungle and grouped them together in a circle shoulder to shoulder. Amina wrapped the cord around them and clicked the ends together.

"If you struggle, you'll just hurt yourselves. We'll be back for you soon." As she was turning away, her attention caught on a burly man with a bit of red peeking out under his mask. Her memory flashed. She reached out and yanked off his mask. He had a red dragon tattoo wrapping around his neck. He glared up at her with pure malice. Then he smiled. A shiver ran through her.

"Let's go, Amina."

"Yes, Sir." She moved away from the thug, her thoughts racing. This was a GIPS training mission. Yet, she'd seen him at The Shuttle talking to Reece. Coincidence? It unnerved her to see him here, in this environment.

Gem fell into step beside her. "Why the frown? Wasn't that awesome?" She hopped as she walked faking defensive arm chops and blocks.

"There was something about one of those men. I know it must be nothing, but it's nagging at me."

Her friend's face became serious. "Say something. We've been taught to report anything suspicious. Even if it seems unimportant, we should let our captain decide."

Amina trotted to catch up to him. "Kindel, I saw one of those men at The Shuttle."

He slowed and rubbed his chin, considering. "That must feel strange to you, but he's working for GIPS."

"I thought so. He's just, so, mean-looking."

He laughed. "The better to play a thieving mercenary."

Gem caught up to Amina and arched one eyebrow. "Since when do you call the captain Kindel?"

"Since when are we so chatty?" Kindel asked glancing back at them. "I know we're all pumping adrenaline but keep focused. We could be ambushed again."

They came upon the complex and eased back into the jungle underbrush. Kindel used his scope to check the entrances. "They've got guards but just one at each door. There's a garage on the side closest to us."

"Windows?" asked Mara.

"Yes, several in the front. What're you thinking?"

"If we could sneak up to a window without the guards seeing us, it would be easier to get in and out without alerting them. They won't even know we're coming."

"That's a good point. We can't take out a guard without a sound," Amina said.

"They may have vid-recorders at the doors as well," Gem said.

"We've got a plan, then," Kindel said. "Do you think we can get in one of those windows?" He passed the scope to Mara.

"The one closest to the garage is closest to us, so I vote for that one."

"This is all assuming the windows aren't locked," Gem murmured.

"They're prepared for a more direct assault," Kindel said. He grinned at Mara. "I like it. OK, team, let's go."

They hid their packs in the ferns and kept low to the ground as they hustled toward the building. Mara and Kindel flanked the window, and he looked inside. He gestured for Gem and Amina to join them and pushed the window. It opened! Thank Gwana.

He motioned for Mara to go in first. She glanced inside and then slipped over the sill. "Clear," she whispered. "There're shelves lined up in here. Like a library. And tables against this wall."

Amina went in next followed by Gem then Kindel. It was lit by dim pendant lights with high ceilings creating pockets of light and shadow. Kindel weaved in and out of the shadows moving swiftly forward. They followed him. The shelves were lined with artifacts. The tables had tools spread out on them and several half-finished works.

"They're making forgeries. Copies," she whispered.

"They must resell the same objects. Buyers think they're getting the original," Gem whispered.

Kindle held up a hand, and they froze. "I see an office. Amina, see what paperwork or chips you can dig up. Anything like accounts, shipping routes, purchase receipts. Look out for any names." He was squatting on his haunches, and he swiveled, assessing the room. "I hear something. It sounds like it's coming from another room."

Gem cocked her head, listening. "There are people in the garage. Maybe they're unloading that vehicle we saw yesterday."

"Are you getting anything specific?"

She shook her head.

"Me neither. OK, Amina, go. You two, follow me to the garage. It's time we get these guys and go home."

Amina crept toward the office and peeked thru the window in the door. There was a man sitting at the desk, and it looked like he was writing in a ledger. A ledger. How quaint! Maybe he was from Aldernon. She took a deep breath. In one move she pulled the door open and rushed the room. He jerked, startled, and pushed away from the desk. She pulled her stunner and popped him. He twitched, his eyeballs bulged, and he fell forward onto the floor. She blew on the mouth of her stunner and chuckled. "Sleep, bad guy."

Surveying the room, she saw tall bookcases loaded with boxes and a filing cabinet. She whistled. She'd never get through all that. Where would they hide the good stuff? She searched the desk for hidden compartments. On the backside of a drawer, she found a keyhole. The bottom half of the drawer must be a separate compartment. She glanced down at her unconscious thief. "Thought you were smart, didn't you?"

She'd have to search him for keys. Ew. She focused on his body and used her Ability to lift him off the floor and roll him in the air. A key ring jangled and swung loose from his belt. She lowered him, snatched the key ring, and unlocked the drawer. Inside was a folder. Rifling through the papers she saw everything she needed in one neat little package. She grabbed the ledger as well and reported to Kindel. "I've got it."

"We've got the thieves, heading your way."

There was one problem with stunning the office man: she'd have to levitate him all the way back out. Or not. She levitated him into the desk chair, Shockocuffed him, and rolled the chair in front of her. She retraced her steps to the window.

Peeking out, she saw one guard stationed at the door closest to her. She slid out of the window and approached him. He stiffened when he saw her and started to react. She beamed at him and flipped her hair just enough to confuse him. Thank you, Sari. She grabbed his wrist and using all her strength and speed she twisted his arm back and Shockocuffed him.

Meanwhile, Gem and Mara had closed in on the front of the building taking out the other two guards.

A groan reminded her of the office man. Kindel levitated him through the window and dropped him on the ground. She lifted the file and ledger and handed them off to Kindel.

"Awesome job, everyone. Let's go get Sari and Katlin." He sent them an update and got their coordinates while Amina and the others rounded up their captives.

"I say we take their vehicle. We've got all those militiamen in the jungle to fetch, too," Amina said.

"I'm driving," said Gem.

It was an open-top vehicle, and Amina laid her head back and let the wind blow through her hair as Gem raced them back down the ridge road. "We should do this more often," she said. "I'm so glad we're not hiking through the humid jungle today."

Beside her, Kindel tangled his fingers with hers. "There were moments I wouldn't trade."

She felt herself flush. Gem eyed her in the rear view mirror.

When they met up with Katlin and Sari there were hugs all around, and Amina's team caught the other two up on their successful raid.

"We've found outposts here, here, and here," Katlin said pointing to the map.

"How many people do you estimate?" Kindel asked.

Sari leaned in close to him. "We saw seven. Five at the first."

He nodded. "Good job, both of you. I'm glad you're alright." He patted them both on the shoulder. "Let's get this done and go home. Gem, you and Sari head back to the ship with the vehicle. The rest of us will finish up and meet you there. Sari, start preparing for takeoff. As soon as we get this lousy bunch loaded up, I want to head straight for the local authorities."

"Yes, Sir," they chorused.

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# Chapter 20

"Your Peace Squad excelled, Captain Withes!" said the director of the Tigris GIPS branch. "Welcome to this luncheon in their honor."

They stood lined up in front of the local Tigris GIPS directors and the Commander of GIPS. It was official. They'd passed the final test and would all graduate. Excitement mixed with satisfaction. It was worth all the physical labor when Amina watched the entire band of thieves get marched into the local headquarters office, and now they got to have a party!

Gem latched onto her arm. "You have got to tell me what happened between you two." She steered Amina past the luncheon table and the drinks straight to a dining table.

"I'm not sure what's happening. He hasn't said anything, but I think, I hope, he may be developing feelings for me. He looks at me like he's attracted to me."

Gem searched her face. "Do you think it's different from how he treats the others? I'm concerned. What I see is a young captain who knows he's attractive, and he jokes and flirts and teases. He commends, and he pats, and he smiles at all the girls."

"Do you think there's something wrong with me? That he couldn't be attracted to me or think I'm special?"

"Of course not! You're gorgeous and, more importantly, you're kind and smart and tough. He'd be an idiot to not be attracted to you. But I'm not sure how special or unique the attraction is. You're a love-of-a-lifetime kind of girl. He's a pretty-girl-of-the-moment kind of man."

Doubt and sadness crept over her. "What if he just hasn't said anything because he's training me? Could he be waiting to declare himself after we graduate? I like that he's kind and considerate. He's patient and encouraging. Doesn't the fact that he is consistent mean his personality is real?"

"I could be wrong. I just want you to be cautious and maybe hold onto your heart a little."

Gem had been right about Reece. He'd been charming but not good for her. "I'll be careful. I've tried to avoid the emotional connection. I've tried to limit his effect on me, but on the mission it got intense. Gem, I want to be with him."

"Don't broadcast it. Protect your heart, my friend, at least until he declares his intentions."

The other girls joined them at the table, everyone laughing and excited.

"Guess what we get to do when we get back?" Katlin asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going gown shopping." Sari flipped open a compact and smoothed an eyebrow hair.

"That's right," Gem said. "The Winter Ball is next week."

"The graduation ceremony is a few days away," Amina said. Her fingers felt twitchy. She picked up a napkin and folded it into sections to make a fan.

Sari waved a hand. "Who cares? We just wear our dress uniform for that. I'm talking about the Ball!"

"Where will we get gowns?" Mara asked.

"Sheralyn has a source. This is her joy each season," Gem said.

"I'm not looking forward to getting measured and pinned and remeasured and repinned," Katlin said. "But I'm going to burn up that dance floor."

"You're surprisingly good at the waltz," Sari said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Amina asked, "Are your families coming to the graduation?" She smoothed out the napkin.

"Of course."

"They wouldn't miss it."

"I'm the fourth generation GIPS. My family is always there."

"They won't stay away."

Kindel approached the table and sat down next to her as if he belonged.

Gem shot her a warning glance and said, "I'm starved, let's grab some real food." Gem led the others away leaving her alone with Kindel.

"Would you like your family to be there?" he asked.

"I don't know." The thought of seeing her father came with a barrage of conflicting emotions. "I love my father, despite his temper. Something good should come from my escape, not just for me but for my entire family. My sisters should know there's life beyond Aldernon if they want it."

"You know you can visit any time you wish?"

"I know it's possible, but my father could ban me from the farm. I broke my mother's heart." She trembled. "I don't want to face my father's wrath. I should be stronger than that, but when he looks at me that way --"

He put his arm around her shoulders in a side hug. "I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel that terror again."

"That's sweet, but this is my family, my problem. Ultimately, I have my sisters to consider. My parents should see that my Ability is an asset, a gift. I think they'd have to be here before they could ever see beyond their little village. So, yes. I want them to come. All of them. My parents, Derick, my three little sisters." She paused. "All this wishing won't make them come."

He shook his head. "Don't worry. If you want them there, GIPS can be very persuasive."

Gem came bouncing back to the table and pulled her arm. "You have to try the crumb-bake, but don't go near the fermented drinks, Lightweight!"

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# Chapter 21

As soon as they arrived at Kildren headquarters, they were summoned by Sheralyn. She met up with her team at the World View course room, everyone chattering about dress shopping and hairstyles. When she walked in, Sheralyn was nowhere to be found, but the room had been transformed. The tables where they had sat were gone and several tall, fabric-draped booths had been set up around the room. One of the booths was labeled with her name, stenciled in ancient calligraphy script.

"What could this be?" Mara asked, standing next to her booth and fingering the rich fabric drapes.

Pulling back the fabric, Amina found a beautiful gown displayed on a statuette. "It's a fitting room!" A gilt-edged full-length mirror stood in the back of the booth, reflecting Amina's astonished expression and tumbling golden-brown hair. Above her head, a holoform of an old-fashioned chandelier with three candelabra arms sparkled.

She heard Sari moan in dismay. "I don't get to pick my own dress?"

"It's so much better than anything I would've picked." Katlin sounded amazed.

"This is setting a tone for the entire Winter Ball. It's a time apart, Sari," Gem said.

Mara sighed. "We wouldn't have found gowns like these anywhere."

Peeking into Mara's booth, Amina asked, "What does yours look - Oh, Mara. It's stunning."

Sheralyn flowed into the room. "My dears, I hope you're happy with my selections. Each dress has been designed for you." She gestured beside her as five other women followed her into the room. "Meet your seamstresses. Today will be your fitting, and your final practice with the waltz will be two days from now when your gowns have been finished."

The graduation ceremony was the day after that, and Amina's nerves grew. These last-minute ball preparations may keep her mind busy.

Her seamstress stepped forward and ushered her into her fitting room. "I hope you like the gown. The emerald green will be pretty against your hair." She held a large square box out to Amina. "This is your undergarment. Let me help you get it all put together, and then I'll measure and pin your gown."

The lush fabric was the softest Amina had ever touched, and it whispered over her head. Once everything was on, the seamstress cinched the lace-up back closure. It fit like it was designed for her, accentuating every nuance and curve. The wide neckline bared her collarbone but provided coverage of her decolletage. The elegant sleeves fit snug from her shoulder to her elbow then belled to brush her wrists. She felt like a different person.

"Are you happy with the result?" her seamstress asked, fingers twisting.

"I can't believe how beautiful I feel."

"Sheralyn's instructions required femininity with modesty. I'm so pleased you like it." She giggled.

"How did you get the measurements this perfect?"

"Oh, I see a few nips and tucks and hemming to be done. Sheralyn has a talent for sizing up her students."

Coming out of the fitting room dressed again in her ship suit, Amina threw her arms around Sheralyn. "Thank you! It's a perfect gift."

Sheralyn's hands fluttered. "My favorite time of the season, my dear. My pleasure."

It had been three days since she'd seen Kindel, and she missed him. She had become so accustomed to seeing him daily that now she felt something was missing from her person. It had happened so gradually over these few months, and it scared her. How could she keep her heart protected when she would be seeing him, working with him, following him every day? She hadn't imagined the heat between them, the kiss in his eyes. She dared to hope he would declare romantic feelings for her. It felt right. But he hadn't made an excuse to see her these three days. He hadn't been in the garden or at meals. They were all staying on the ship, knowing they'd passed their final test, but no one had seen him. Kindel had vanished from her life.

The graduation ceremony was just an hour away. Anxiety had returned to gnaw at her hungrily, and she felt sick with it. She hadn't received any word from Derick or her parents. Her fingers trembled as she scooped her hair into a ball on her head and pinned it into place. She inspected herself in the mirror. The navy-blue dress uniform gave her the look of authority. Making up her face wasn't part of her routine, but she was pasty, her eyes large and hollow. She added a bit of peach to her cheeks and a dash of wine to her lips. Better. At least she didn't look dead from fright. She said to her reflection, "all your dreams have come true. You're a GIPS peace officer, a Peacekeeper. No one can take that away from you. You have a gift, and no one will make you ashamed of it."

She made it to the auditorium without being ill and sat with her squad on the stage. No one said much, and the tension was palpable. The director of the ceremony came and palmed their hands. He was a funny little man with a few strands of hair covering the top of his head, and he nervously pushed his wire spectacles up his nose only to have them slip down again as he palmed and bowed, palmed and bowed, down the line. It wasn't just her squad graduating, and he had a long way to go through the entire crop of recruits. To think just three months ago she had walked into the headquarters building.

Finally, the director stepped up to the podium, and the ceremony commenced. The speeches were long-winded, and she tuned them out. Until Kindel came from backstage and strode to the podium. He shined his confident smile on the audience, turned his head and nodded an acknowledgment to the graduates.

"Three months ago, I bumped into a young woman as she walked to the dormitories. It was her first day at GIPS, and she had overcome prejudice and fear, even the emotional ties of love, to be here. Her determination is one example of many. GIPS brings out the best in the people of the Gwana System. It builds Ability, confidence, skill, and heart. I'm proud that that young woman became a part of my team. She and all the other graduates like her have earned this day of celebration and acknowledgment. Ladies and gentlemen, commanders and captains, before you sit the future of peace in the Gwana System. Let's give them a warm welcome!"

The auditorium burst into applause. Amina touched her cheek and realized tears were sneaking down her face.

The director took his place at the podium and cleared his throat. "Yes, thank you Captain Withes. Now, for the exciting part." He turned to the graduates with an emotional, squirmy smile. "When I call your name please come forward and collect your credentials."

When Amina heard her name called, she rose shaking. Head high. Shoulders back. Don't fall on your face. She wrapped her hand around the credentials scroll and made her exit from the stage in one piece.

After the graduates all received their credentials, the gathering moved on to the reception hall for refreshments and family reunions.

Gem found her and wrapped her up in a full, strong hug. "I'm proud of us!" She squealed. "I've got to run, my family is waiting, but that was some speech, huh? Could be I was wrong about that man." She winked at Amina as she rushed away.

"Hello, Green Eyes."

Amina looked over her shoulder and did a double take. "Derick!" She launched herself at her laughing brother. "You're here! You came! I've missed you so much. I can't believe it. How? When?"

"I've missed you too. And I forgive you for not telling me." His face grew serious. "I understand, and I'm so proud of you."

"You helped make today possible. Truly." She looked around. "Did - did - anyone else come?"

He smiled down at her. "Yes, we're all here."

"All of you? Where?"

He jerked his head toward the corner behind them. Peeking around him, she saw her parents and sisters sitting at a table all wide-eyed staring around the room as if they'd never seen people before. Nerves skittered over her.

"Mother and Father are afraid you won't want to see them, even though the Captain assured them you would. He threatened Father with bodily harm if he so much as sneezed at you, so Father is a little nervous on his account."

"Captain? Do you mean? Captain Withes?"

"Didn't you know? He made a personal trip to the farm. He said you were to be treasured and appreciated. He left attending the graduation up to them, but in such a way they knew there would be trouble in the village if they didn't come." Derick shook his head. "He advertised through the entire district that one of our own had graduated GIPS with great honor. It's all the village is talking about, they're so proud. That captain of yours is remarkable." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "So, what's the situation between the two of you?"

She laughed at his expression but shook her head. "He hasn't made any declarations."

Derick swelled, his chest and shoulders shifting to a menacing stance. "Do I need to speak to him?"

She swatted his arm. "No! Calm down! Nothing improper has happened. He's kind and considerate. He treats me like all the rest of the team."

Derick gave her an incredulous look. "Did he make personal visits to everyone's home planet?"

"Er."

"Right. I'm going to talk to him, man-to-man." He made to storm off, and she grabbed his arm.

"Derick, please. That would just humiliate me. Standing up for me is something he would do. It's the kind of person he is."

Her big brother searched her face. "Have you fallen for him?"

"I think so." She sighed. He must've heard the pain, regret, hope, despair, hope mingled in her sigh. He wrapped her in a warm, comforting hug.

"I'll talk to him myself and thank him, promise. First, I've got to face our parents."

Derick took her hand, and together they walked to the corner table. Her little sisters jumped up and ran to her. Laughing and crying, she gathered them to her and kissed their sweet faces.

"I've missed you, sweeties, so much. I think about you every day!"

They spoke all at once:

"Wook! I wost my toof!"

"I've missed you!"

"Kitty had five babies! And you missed it!"

"I see you lost your tooth! You're getting so big. I've got lots to tell you. Five!" She straightened and looked at her mother. "Hello, Mother."

Her mother's face scrunched up with emotion. "Amina, I'm so proud of you." She held open her arms, and Amina snuggled into her softness.

"It's good to see you. I'm glad you came." Pulling away, Amina faced her father.

He was standing and swaying a bit back and forth, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. His eyes darted as if they didn't know where to land.

"Father."

He looked directly at her. "Yes, Daughter. We, uh, we understand this is a great honor."

"Thank you, Father. I'm relieved you can see that, now."

His left eyelid twitched. "Of course, you left your mother with a heavy load caring for your sisters and your chores as well as hers."

"I would've made different arrangements if that had been possible."

A flush started at the base of his neck. Everything she had hoped would change fluttered and died in her chest, but she felt calm. Derick squeezed her arm. Standing there facing her father, she knew what she had to do. "Father," she stated, her head high and voice even. "Your behavior toward me in the past was unacceptable. You were a bully. I'm free of you, and you can't hurt me ever again. If we move forward, and I hope we can, you will not threaten me. It's your choice."

Her mother spoke. "Wess, please."

Her sisters crowded close to her and clutched her legs.

A small spark of something, could it be respect, lit his eyes. He bowed toward her. "I accept your terms."

She spent a lovely evening with her sisters regaling her and Derick telling her of a young village girl he was sweet on. Late in the evening she still hadn't seen Kindel to thank him for making this reunion possible. She excused herself to search for him.

A captain directed her toward the entry foyer. She found him talking to two other captains on their way out of the reception hall. He looked dashing in his captain dress uniform with his dark hair slicked back. Catching her eye, a sudden smile lit his face. He excused himself and moved toward her. Knowing what he'd done for her filled her with light and hope.

She swept up to him, rose on her toes, and brushed her lips over his. It wasn't a kiss so much as a breath. "Thank you."

He reached out to hold her arms. "Did it please you?"

"Oh, yes."

"And your father?"

"I told him he can't ever hurt me again. I'm free of him."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Good." His smile widened as he stroked his hands up and down her arms. She stared up into his face, with adoration she was sure. At the moment she didn't care. Pulling her closer, he opened his mouth to speak. A group of people walked into the foyer chatting and laughing. He dropped her arms and stepped back. "There's something I want to discuss with you. I will see you at the Winter Ball?"

"Yes."

"Save me a dance?"

"As many as you wish."

"I'll see you then."

She frowned. "You're not staying on the ship?"

"Not yet. This is a break period, between the season and taking out a mission assignment." His expression softened. "Have you missed me, Amina?"

She felt her skin flush. "I've grown accustomed to seeing you daily."

"Be patient a little longer. We'll get a mission assignment soon." He said goodbye then and left her.

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# Chapter 22

The day they'd all looked forward to arrived. Sheralyn had them return to the World View course room to change into their gowns and have their hair and faces done. It was a day-long experience being pampered. Amina's feet and hands got soaked and massaged and her nails painted. A delicious, light scent was sprayed over her body. When her hair was conditioned and brushed until it gleamed, Sheralyn pronounced she was ready to be dressed.

In the dressing room, Amina found a wrapped gift box addressed to her. She read the card and found Sheralyn had one more surprise. "Dear, Amina, I have enclosed a special token of my affection designed just for you. Enjoy your night!" It was a delicate gold headpiece designed to fall in shining strands over her hair with a single drop of gold at her forehead. It was the most exquisite thing she'd ever seen.

Dressed in her emerald green gown with the golden headpiece shimmering, she admitted to herself she wanted Kindel to see her and think she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her face was painted making her eyes seem luminous and her lips appear full and inviting. She hoped he would find her lips irresistible. She stared at herself in the mirror and touched a hand to her cheek. Could this be her?

They were met at the door of the ballroom by peace officers dressed in period men's clothing. A smart-looking young man beamed at her and gave her a slight bow. "May I lead you in, my lady?"

She curtsied and linked her arm with his. He swept her inside, and she stared a moment before walking down the entry stairs to the dance floor. Twirling, she took in a full view of the room. Floor to ceiling length windows covered the outside wall and double doors led out to a veranda. Holoforms created the atmosphere with shimmering chandeliers and candle-lit wall sconces. An orchestra played a gentle, rolling melody.

Tingles pricked the nape of her neck, and she looked toward the entrance. Kindel stood at the top of the stairs, his focus locked on her. He wore a short, open tailcoat over an emerald green vest. It accentuated the shape of him, the impossible breadth of his shoulders tapering to a trim waist and hips. He was - magnificent.

He advanced on her, drinking her in with every step as if he couldn't tear his gaze away. When he reached her, his eyes were fierce with a dark hunger. Breath caught in her tight chest.

"Isn't it breathtaking?"

"You're breathtaking." He reached for her hand and turned her in a slow circle, admiring every inch of her.

The orchestra shifted into a waltz, couples took to the floor, and her stomach tightened in anticipation.

"Waltz with me."

She curtsied. Her right palm slid into his left as if it were coming home. The fingertips of her left hand touched his shoulder as his right arm came around her and his hand rested on her back. She took a deep breath, lifting her chest, and he pressed his hip close to hers. They spoke no words, but the dance required none. She felt slight pressure through her fingertips, her arm, through her entire body as he stepped back, drawing her into the first step of the dance.

Dancing with him was like being set on fire from the inside. The sweet heat filled her as he swept her around the dance floor. With her face turned from him, she was aware of every nuance of his touch, the slight tensing of his muscles and the pressure of his hand at her back. The room was lost to her as if they were alone in the universe.

"We're levitating," he murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Open your eyes."

She did. "We're floating. I thought I was imagining it."

The music stopped, and they drifted to the dance floor. The other dancers gave them a round of applause. They broke apart, but he kept ahold of her hand. Shyness tinged her smile. He drew her across the room to the veranda doors and outside into the cool night air.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked.

If he only knew. She smoldered. This was it. He was going to say it, declare he had true feelings for her.

He leaned against the rail of the veranda and settled her against his chest. His hands slid over her hair. He watched her, running a finger down the side of her face, down her neck, to trace her exposed collar bones. Tingles raced over her skin.

He brushed his thumb over the fullness of her bottom lip. "Sweet Amina, you haunt me. Your eyes, so innocent. You are exquisite."

"Kiss me," she sighed. "Please, Kindel, kiss me."

He ran his hands into her hair, lowering his face toward hers. She could feel the heat of his breath.

The doors burst open, and they jerked apart, startled.

"Found them!" cried Gem.

"Hello, you two," said Sari.

Katlin clapped. "What a great show!"

"Ladies," he said with the hint of a growl.

Mara came up behind the others. She looked embarrassed and glanced between her and Kindel. She knows. Amina fought to mask, to hide her feelings. She realized he still hadn't told her how he felt, or that he felt anything real. Or deep.

She moved away from him, cooling from his touch. He gave her a questioning glance. "I'm getting cold." She fled inside.

A handsome older captain approached her and bowed. "May I have this dance?"

She smiled, curtsied. "Yes, Sir." He whirled her away.

The rest of the evening, she kept busy dancing and laughing. She felt Kindel's gaze on her as she moved around the room. She would glance up or turn her head or look over a man's shoulder to find him watching her. It was almost as intoxicating as their dance. But he didn't ask to dance with her again.

He had wanted to talk to her, hadn't he? Toward the end of the evening, she'd almost given up hope. Then he was there, beside her at the punch bowl. He touched her elbow.

"May I talk to you?" His look was dark but not in a romantic way. He looked upset.

"Of course."

He moved her to the side and ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated.

"What is it?"

"Gem is your closest friend, correct?"

What? "Yes."

"She gives you advice? Tells you her opinion?"

"Well, yes. Gem's been helpful, insightful."

He frowned and stared at her a moment. Shaking his head, he said, "I don't understand why she doesn't care for me. I've tried everything to reach her. What is it? Will you tell me?"

GEM? He wanted to talk to her about GEM? Rage burst in her mind, covered her thoughts like a great flash of dust. She'd get around to the hurt later. "Maybe she thinks you're a self-centered, arrogant, goat!" His head reared back in shock. "A pretty-girl-of-the-moment flirt! I can't believe I fell for it, that I almost kissed you!" Her chest heaved with the anger that boiled through her. She'd begged him to kiss her. She groaned. Like an idiot. A naive back-planet idiot. She'd given him her heart. Good Dirt, she loved him.

She ran.

How could he want the only girl who put up a fight? When he could have any girl on the squad, he had to choose the one who didn't swoon all over him. That was it though, and she knew it. Gem had spunk, and she was smart and gorgeous. Of course, Kindel was attracted to Gem. He called her innocent and sweet. Boring. Maybe it wasn't love with Gem any more than it had been with her. It could be the chase he was after. Or some kind of ego trip that he had to charm everyone.

Amina ran back to the ship and threw herself down on her bunk. The anger had burned off leaving her in emotional shock. She'd thought he liked her, might be falling in love with her. Following the shock, pain ripped through her in waves. Yeats wrote what her heart felt now, ragged and torn with disbelief, "O, never give the heart outright, for they for all smooth lips can say have given their hearts up to the play. Who could play it well enough if deaf and dumb and blind with love? And gave all her heart and lost."

There was a knock, and she didn't need to be telepathic to know it was Gem. She slammed a mask down on her emotions, her thoughts. She'd ignore the feelings. Pretend he'd never meant anything to her. She could do this. She opened the door.

"Hi." Amina forced a smile. "When did you get back?"

Gem studied her. "You left in a flash. I wanted to make sure you're OK. Did I mess up? I'm sorry if I interrupted. Did he? Did he make a declaration?"

"You didn't mess up anything. He didn't say anything."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm fine. Let's not talk about him anymore. I'm over it."

"If you say so."

"I tell you what, help me out of this dress. Yours is gorgeous by the way, and how about that necklace Sheralyn gifted you. Wow."

Gem smiled. "Sure, thanks."

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# Chapter 23

Days went by, and Amina longed for action. Being unoccupied gave her too much time to think about Kindel, to remember. Mara 'felt' her troubled emotions. Gem 'heard' them. They both cornered her in her bunk room, ready for answers to those awful vibes. So much for her iron mask.

Mara said, "You hurt."

Amina smiled. "I'm fine. Or at least, I will be. Thanks though, Mara."

"Come on, Amina." Gem sighed. "What is it?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh yes there is." Mara insisted. "We don't know what you're feeling or thinking exactly, but we know something happened, and we want to help you."

"We'll get a mission assignment, and you know we need to be in top form." Gem poked at her.

Amina threw up her hands. "It isn't like I enjoy being miserable! Besides, I'm trying to erase it as you do in your culture. If you keep poking at me, how am I supposed to let this go?"

Gem glared at her. She was about to continue when she stopped and cocked her head. Amina knew Gem did that when she had picked up on someone's thoughts. Just then, Kindel walked in. All three of them gaped.

He looked like death. Dark circles, pasty complexion, disheveled uniform. Did she do that to him? She almost asked if he was OK and stopped herself. If he's regretful, good. Maybe he'd learn not to play with people's hearts.

He nodded at Mara and Gem without emotion. Turning to Amina, he looked through her. "There's been a development, Amina. The commander has called a meet with us."

"Yes, Sir."

She followed him out of the ship.

He marched them to the headquarters building without a word. She struggled to keep up with his stride. Was he getting rid of her? Kicking her off the squad? That would be better, wouldn't it? She wouldn't have to see him. Her heart tripped over the idea. Stupid heart.

When they entered a conference room and several people in uniform swiveled toward them, she realized this was much bigger. Kindel sat down and placed a copy of Sheralyn's poetry volume on the table. Dread crept over her. She scooted into a chair and cleared her throat.

The commander with the white mustache sat forward and addressed the room. "Officer Tinsome, Captain Withes, thank you both for coming. We've received some troubling Intel. Officer Tinsome, I've already briefed your captain on some of the specifics. There have been rumors of a drug trafficking operation out of Distar."

Kindel twitched. Interesting.

"It's worse than that. We've got a history of embezzlement and kidnapping in play. We have reason to suspect GIPS has been infiltrated and details of operations have been leaked."

"Is that all?" she quipped. Ten stone-serious faces turned and looked at her. "Sorry." Her hands twisted in her lap.

A woman officer stood, pressed a remote, and a vid-screen slid down from the ceiling. She pressed the remote again, and two photographs appeared on the screen. Amina choked, coughed. Oh. No. The captain next to her got up, went to a drink trolley, and brought her back a water glass. Amina sipped. Coughed. Sipped. Oh. No. Panic had zapped her brain cells. She felt Kindel's focus on her, but she refused to look at him. She made a serious effort at masking.

The commander turned to her. "Officer Tinsome, do you know these men?"

"I met this man," she pointed to the first picture, "at The Shuttle."

There was a murmur, and the officer passed out a sheet to everyone. It was their file on him. Thin.

"This says his name is--" She choked. "His name is Rhys Smithe."

"Probably an alias," the woman officer said.

Horror gripped her. "He told me his name is Reece."

Kindel spoke in a low voice just for her. "It's not pronounced 'rice'. It's pronounced Reece, just different spellings."

She stared down at her hands. That was a little better.

"The other man?" asked the commander.

"I saw him at The Shuttle once talking to Rhys. And then I saw him on our training mission. He was playing the part of a militia group member and ambushed us."

"She recognized him and reported it, Sir," said Kindel.

The commander squinted at him. To Kindel's credit, he didn't squirm. The commander turned to her. "It is possible Rhys Smithe sent him on that particular mission to kill you. You had become a loose end."

The room spun. She pushed her chair away from the table and stuck her head between her knees. There was silence in the room while she got herself stabilized. This was more awful than anything she'd ever experienced. She sat back up and straightened her clothes. Looking across at Kindel, she remembered something worse. His expression looking back at her suggested he was in agony. Good for him.

"What role did Rhys Smithe play in your life, Officer Tinsome?" asked the commander.

This was so humiliating. "He said he wanted to get to know me. He came to the campus to see me every day."

"What did you talk about?"

She was going to be sick. She reached for the water glass but trembled, and the water shook. Laying her hands flat on the table, she willed them to stop shaking. Kindel moved as if to reach for her. He paused and sat farther back in his chair. She cleared her throat. "He recited poetry to me. We read poems from that book." She gestured to the one on the table. "He said nice things about me."

"What information about GIPS did you pass on to him?"

"Nothing important. He asked about my team, the captain, the ship. He wanted to know what we were studying and when. But I ended it before it went further than that."

"We suspect he was planning to use you to gain Intel on GIPS technology and operations."

Her despair and anger and sense of betrayal spiked. Did NO ONE want her? Kindel flinched. Oops. She broadcast that one. "So, who are they?" she asked.

"Five years ago, a company was founded on the planet Distar. The company became profitable, hugely profitable. Rhys Smithe embezzled currency from this company. He was discovered to be the embezzler, but by then he had disappeared. He used this currency to fund other illegal activities. We believe the rumors about the drug trafficking are legit and connected to Smithe's operation because they are located on Distar, his initial home base. It seems he came to Kildren, the GIPS campus, and The Shuttle Club because it was a new season for the recruits, and well, the rest of that aspect is history. It appears the henchman did infiltrate GIPS. How much he knows," the commander shrugged. "We don't know what he gained, but to be included in a training mission he had some level of trust. It's possible there are others, and we've got another squad investigating. It would explain how Smithe knows we're aware of his activity. He has just abducted the wife of the company's owner, Fiona Jorgensen. Smithe has Fiona held hostage for a ransom of 50 million credits. We think he wants the currency to make a clean break from Distar and start his drug trafficking operation elsewhere."

"He's running," she said. "What about the dragon tattoo man. Where is he now?"

The commander smiled under his mustache. "We got him. I was briefing Captain Withes on the mission because of Distar, and he realized you were involved in this whole situation."

"The henchman isn't forthcoming," said the woman officer. "We still have no idea where Smithe's operation is on the planet or even how big it is. It seems Smithe generates absolute loyalty in his crew."

"He can be very charming. He's intelligent," Amina said. "But he can also be scary."

Kindel said, "Our mission is to track him down, release Mrs. Jorgensen, and find out what else the jerk is up to."

The commander nodded. "Because of your understanding of Distar, Captain, and Officer Tinsome's connection to Rhys Smithe, we feel your squad has the best chance of bringing this to a satisfying end. Time is of the essence, as they say, because Mrs. Jorgensen's life is in jeopardy. Smithe has given Mr. Jorgensen 72 hours to come up with the currency. I want her rescue to be your primary focus."

It was a lot to absorb in a short time, and Amina was preoccupied with her own thoughts on their march back to the ship. Once inside, though, Kindel followed her back to her bunk room. Gem was there since she shared the room.

"I want to speak to Amina in private," he said. Very dry and serious. Not a wink or a pat or a smile in sight. Gem didn't hesitate and left the room.

She faced him. Now what? This new Kindel glowered at her. "It's been a long day, Sir. If there isn't anything else you need from me, I'd like some privacy."

"Need from you?" he repeated as if the words choked him. He paced in the small space like an angry, caged bull. "I've got a question, Amina. This time, I need an answer."

"I'm listening."

"Why did you stop seeing Rhys?"

"Serious?" She flopped down on her bunk. No, too intimate. She stood and faced him. "He scared me. He was controlling and cold, and he hurt me, and I saw that Gem was right."

"Gem." He spat the name. "That's what I thought. She saves you every time, doesn't she? You can't think for yourself. Like a child!"

"Not seeing him was my decision, not hers." In her anger, she focused on the top drawer of her desk and yanked it out using her Ability. The drawer flew across the room and crashed against the opposite wall. She lifted her holo-vid player and chip, pulling them to herself. Then she inserted the chip and slammed it against the middle of his chest. "This is why I stopped seeing him! My thoughts, my decision."

His hand came up to touch the round metal machine. Realizing her hand still rested on his chest, she jerked back. He watched her with wary eyes then looked down at what she'd recorded. It seemed forever ago to her now. It was short, so it didn't take him long.

A change came over him, a loosening of his shoulders and the hardness around his mouth. When he looked back at her, there was a bit of spark. "Thank you, Amina."

For what? "You're welcome."

He actually smiled at her. "Get some rest, we've got a lot to do tomorrow. I expect the ship to be loaded with supplies by 9 a.m."

"Yes, Captain."

As he was walking out the door, he gestured to the drawer on the floor. "Not bad, Tinsome. Your Ability is strengthening and developing new talents."

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# Chapter 24

Six in the morning he called them all to order in the lounge. He briefed the squad on the mission and how Amina was connected. He didn't mention his mysterious connection to Distar, and she didn't ask.

Katlin raised her hand to speak. "So, Captain, how do we start? We don't know where he is."

"That's what you have to discover first. Think about it. How can we find his location?"

Mara said, "No one is going to announce that he or she knows Smithe's whereabouts."

"We know he's been here on Kildren. But the kidnapping occurred on Distar," Sari said.

"The focus is on Distar since the commander thinks his operation is based there," Katlin said.

"That's still an entire planet to search," Mara said.

Amina and the others brainstormed for a while. Everyone talking, getting loud, and being opinionated. She cleared her throat. Kindel glanced down at her with a grin, as if he knew she would come up with an answer all along. "I have an idea."

Sari shook her hair. "Of course, you do."

Kindel nodded for Amina to continue and gave Sari a reprimanding glance.

"Well, I'm thinking we should start with where the company is located. That's District Four, right? We know he lived there once. If we can find out more about where he's been, it might tell us something about him personally and give us clues where he might go or hide."

Gem sat forward. "If Rhys expects to pick up a ransom, he isn't going to leave the planet. Perhaps not even the district. He must be close to where the currency will be exchanged."

Katlin brightened. "Maybe an interview with the company owner could tell us--"

"Or," added Amina, "a newspaper."

"Good idea!" Mara said. "It had to make the headlines."

"Wait, which time?" Sari asked, holding up a hand. "When he embezzled or when he kidnapped Fiona?"

"We could go to the Peace Office in District Four. His original case should be in their files," Katlin said. "They may have done a lot of the initial investigating for us and save us time looking into his past."

"That's an excellent point, Katlin," Kindel said. The old Kindel seemed to have returned. She turned toward him, wondering what he thought of this. "Sounds like a good plan. I want Gem and Mara to interview the company owner and ask if he remembers anything specific about Rhys' local connections. Go easy, OK, he's got to be under a lot of strain over his wife. Sari, Katlin, start with the local newspapers. Find out everything you can about the embezzlement and the kidnapping. Look out for any rumors or speculation about his original operation location."

Her feelings jumbled, as she realized his directions left her out.

Sari had noticed too. "What about Amina?"

Amina met Kindel's warm gaze, and she felt her knees weaken. "She and I will sneak into the Distar District Four Peace Office and peek at some files. It would be useful to know if there were any eyewitnesses or informants. How many people may have been involved in the kidnapping? Were there vehicles sighted? I want you all to be aware the local Peace Squads may not be happy with nosy GIPS teams."

Sari darted Amina a dirty look. "Why Amina? All she's good at is levitation."

Amina felt as if she had been slapped. She thought Sari had become a part of the team, but that old rivalry was there.

"You're going with Katlin. I need Amina's Ability on this one. That's final, Sari."

Amina escaped into her duties preparing the ship for their mission, refilling supply boxes, and doing the inventory. She wasn't sure how she felt about being partnered with Kindel. It was a mess in her head. Focus on the work. Ignore him. Forget him. He's gorgeous. He's strong. He's wonderful. Doesn't matter because he doesn't love you.

They landed the ship on the GIPS Distar Branch tarmac, just a few miles outside of District Four, where the Jorgensen corporation was located and where Fiona had been kidnapped. Amina stood with the others as they stared out of a round ship window.

"Why's it so dreary?" asked Katlin.

"I miss the Kildren sun," Gem said.

Kindel clapped his hands. "Time to get going. I want you all back here in three hours. Be careful and discreet."

Outside the ship, the teams went their separate ways, leaving Amina alone again with Kindel. Nerves had her on edge, and her fingers trembled. She frowned as she struggled with her pack. "This stupid hip belt won't latch!" She heard him laugh and fought her stomach's urge to turn flips.

"Let me help." He stepped in front of her, so close his chest filled her view. Trying not to stare at his chest, she lifted her chin and found him watching her. He never took his eyes off her, as he ran his hands around her waist and felt for her hips, adjusted the belt. She fought to keep her expression neutral as he left a trail of sensation every place he touched. When he clicked the latch, his fingertips grazed her belly button. She inhaled a quick, sharp breath.

"How does that feel?"

"Excuse - oh! Fine. The weight's balanced." She tried to give him a cavalier smile, but it quivered.

They set out on foot for the local peace office.

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# Chapter 25

It was a squat, square building without any decoration or life. "It's much smaller than I had expected."

Kindel laughed bitterly.

"What is it?"

"The Peace Squad here is limited. There aren't enough squads to care for the problems. They're busy taking care of the everyday duties, so the bigger criminal set makes more trouble. That makes Distar the ideal planet for Smithe's operation, and this particular district is the perfect location for his base."

"But that's awful! Why doesn't the captain add recruits or more squads? It makes no sense. This district is large enough to support major corporations and a GIPS branch. So why wouldn't they have more peace officers?"

Kindel grinned. "You're so innocent."

Like a puppy. So innocent. So cute. She glared and stalked into the office building ahead of him. She heard him chuckle.

They stood in front of a long counter cluttered with stacks of papers and files. A receptionist sat at the desk wearing two pairs of reading glasses stacked on her head, another on the end of her nose, reading a racy novel. She glanced up with surprise when they rang the desk bell and looked at their GIPS uniforms.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Captain Kindel Withes. I'd like to speak with the Peace Captain please." Kindel flashed his credentials, making sure she saw his name.

Amina was struck speechless by his actions. So much for discreet. As if sensing her surprise, Kindel whispered, "Authority will assure her cooperation."

The receptionist rose and retreated through double doors. He flipped his pack off his back, pulled out a bag, and leaned in close to her ear. "When we go back to talk to him, I need you to levitate some vid-screen file chips from a storage cabinet into this bag."

"Which cabinet?" She looked around the reception area. No cabinets.

"I need files from the cabinet in the left corner. The second drawer. The desk will be on the right, in front of the office. I will be distracting him, so he won't notice you."

"You mean, a cabinet in the captain's office? While we're standing there talking to him? How do you know what the office is like?"

"Don't worry about that now. Trust me."

She snorted. Did that. No thanks.

The receptionist came back. "He'll see you, sir."

Kindel beamed at her. "Thank you, Miss."

He took Amina's shoulders, steered her to the office door, and knocked. The door opened, and a handsome man looked them over. He was an older captain with silver and black hair but still tall, trim.

"Come in," he rumbled with a deep chest voice. He stepped back into his office and toward his desk chair saying over his shoulder, "how do I earn the honor, Withes?"

She cut her eyes up at Kindel, but he ignored her.

He replied with a calm voice, "thought I'd stop by. I heard you're planning an expansion on the building. This is Amina. Amina, this is Captain Lindon."

Captain Lindon barely acknowledged her, which was perfect. She eased away from them, pretending to study some certificates he had hanging on the walls, so she was out of the captain's direct line of sight. She focused her concentration on the file cabinet in the corner, and the conversation became a dull buzz in the background. She directed the pull and flow of her Ability, easing a drawer open. She 'lifted' one chip at a time and placed it in the bag. It felt like she was taking too long, and perspiration popped out on her forehead. She pressed a little harder and lifted several file chips in a cluster. She faltered when her name was mentioned, bobbling three file chips, but she caught them and slipped them into the bag. She glanced at the men. Their faces were flushed with emotion and neither turned in her direction. Whatever Kindel had brought up had Captain Lindon engaged.

When Amina pushed the drawer closed, Kindel ended his conversation. She stalled as he walked with Captain Lindon to the door, leaving her enough of a chance to grab the bag without being seen. She slipped into the hall behind Kindel and followed his lead out of the Peace Office.

"You did well. Come with me to the library, and we can go through that bag."

"Thanks. I didn't hear the conversation. How does he know you?"

He quirked one eyebrow at her. "Curious?"

"Yes, I admit it. I want to know what you said about me. He must've thought I was a bit strange just standing there."

"He's my uncle, and he thought you were charming. He likes quiet women."

"He just happens to be your uncle? I'm sensing a story here."

The library was massive compared to the Peace Office. The sign said District Four, Public Library Museum of Knowledge and History. "Does the city not have a name?"

Kindel shrugged. "Not a lot of imagination in Distar, and even less in District Four."

The inside was a stark contrast to the plain Peace Office. Shelves wound the inside into a maze of deep, rich, woody material.

"I spent a lot of time here, growing up," Kindel said. He took a deep, full-bodied breath as he looked around them. "It smells the same." She breathed in, but she didn't smell anything except furniture oil. "I'll give you the tour. You're looking at an antique collection from Distar's and humanity's history crammed on these shelves."

They strolled through the aisles, and she noticed a few books locked in glass cabinets. Holo-vid and vid-screen chips filled cubbies on the outside walls between windows. The lobby was furnished with couches. Shining wood partners desks sat in corners of the room. Instead of the dusty, untidy picture a library brought to her mind, Amina found herself in a cozy, shiny, plush environment.

He led them to a wide partners desk with two vid-screens. They sat across from each other, and Kindel handed her half of the chips from his bag. "Look through these for anything on Rhys."

"Yes, sir."

They worked without speaking for a while, separating the chips that didn't pertain to Rhys Smithe's case. It didn't take long to find his case files, but there was very little in the first few they didn't already know, and Amina felt discouraged.

Questions were bouncing around in her mind. She was trying to ignore them, but she felt like bursting. He had to know it was making her crazy. "So, any plan how to return these to Captain Lindon, who just happens to be your uncle, without him knowing? Oh. Before you explain that, please tell me how you knew which cabinet and which drawer, etc, these particular chip files were in."

He smirked. "Like I said, not much imagination in District Four. My uncle is using the same filing system he did when I did all his filing after school. Regarding Captain Lindon being my uncle, there isn't much to tell."

Amina studied him as she opened the next file. "There must be something, or you wouldn't have kept it a secret."

He looked across at her with a softness. "I didn't keep it a secret from you. The team doesn't need to know my personal history." That made her heart flutter just a bit. "I was raised by my uncle and aunt. Captain Lindon is my aunt's husband."

"Thus, the different last name." She glanced up at him. "Your parents?"

Kindel shook his head, not looking away from the folder open on his screen. "They died after I turned five in a shuttle crash. I was raised here, but I never wanted to stay. That disappointed my family."

Amina's heart clenched. He understood her better than she could've imagined. "Didn't your uncle want you to become a Captain like him?"

A bitter laugh shook his shoulders. "He wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a Peace Squad hypocrite like all the rest of District Four."

"Oh. The low Peace Squad numbers and the shady underground criminal set. I see. You couldn't sit on your backside and let the bad ones get away."

"I've found something!"

"What is it?"

"I've got testimony on how he committed the embezzlement and where he was living at the time." He swiped through a few more pages in the file. "Here are eyewitness accounts of the kidnapping." His jaw tightened with determination. "We need to get these pages copied and return the chip files."

"About that, I doubt your uncle will believe a second visit in one day."

"The way things work the receptionist will file them and won't even know we had them. She'll assume her boss got them out and just do her job." He took a blank chip from his pack and popped it into the vid-screen to copy the files.

"Let's go."

He sneaked into the Peace Squad lobby and left the chip files on the receptionist's counter. With everything else piled up and her face buried in her novel, she wouldn't even notice.

On their way back to the ship Amina looked around District Four with a new interest. This was where Kindel had grown up. She wished she could meet his aunt, see where he may have spent time outside or with friends, but this wasn't a social visit. It was just curiosity. It didn't mean there was any connection between them.

"I'm wondering now if you knew Rhys when you lived here? It was five years ago the commander said everything happened with the embezzlement." She remembered that hawk-like stare of his when he had spotted Kindel.

"No. I was on my way to GIPS. He's older than I am, and I don't recall ever seeing him around."

"Good to know that won't be one more surprise."

That afternoon when they gathered to report their findings to Kindel, they relaxed on the couches in the ship lounge. Amina tried to sit between Mara and Gem, but he shot Mara a look that had her choosing a different chair. Not too subtle, and Amina's face burned with embarrassment when Kindel sat beside her. She didn't want everyone to know what had happened, or not happened, between them.

Mara said, "Gem and I went and talked to the company head, Mr. Jorgensen. He told us how Smithe broke into his home and kidnapped his wife at laser point. He blames himself."

"We learned when they caught him for the embezzling it was because one of his little helpers messed up. He was running a group of extortionists, but GIPS didn't have proof of all that just the embezzling from the one company."

"That led us to conclude he may be using the same crew now for his illegal drug trafficking."

"Mr. Jorgensen told us Smithe had been using an abandoned warehouse, but he didn't know where. He hadn't found it important then."

Sari said, "That's where Katlin and I come in."

Katlin jumped up from her seat. "Yeah! The newspaper had all sorts of juicy details."

Amina's eyes widened. "Like?"

"Like the warehouse was in the foothills of Distar's largest mountain range. To get there you have to travel through thick jungles infested with blood-sucking insects and cross a desert plain riddled with caves."

"There are caves in the range next to the plain." Sari smirked at her. "The warehouse was described as near the mountains and the plain."

Kindel cleared his throat. "I've got the actual coordinates for the location, so we won't have to check every warehouse in that huge area. It's not guaranteed, but the peace officers were confident their informant was telling the truth. I also have eyewitness testimony of the kidnapping from outside the Jorgensen residence. There were men waiting in a van for Smithe. They had red dragon tattoos on their necks."

She shivered beside him. "That's evidence tying his crew to him and vice versa."

Gem said, "Not to be negative, but this is all assuming he's using the same warehouse. Why wouldn't he pick a different location? And if GIPS has coordinates wouldn't they have picked him up ages ago? Wouldn't they have said to us, by the way, this is where he hangs out?"

"For one thing, we know he hasn't been there. Remember, he was in Kildren for some time. Also, the location is difficult to reach. It's possible it was abandoned for years. The rumors about drug trafficking are recent, so we're not looking at a long period of time here. I doubt he spends much time doing the dirty work. That's what a crew is for. He could be using this warehouse for this one purpose."

"He probably uses different locations for different illegal activities," Amina said. "He runs them as an overseer. If one operation is discovered and shut down, he has others. He knows we're onto him, so he knows this is a risk. He's hoping to get his ransom currency before we can reach him."

Mara's tears flowed. "I think Mr. Jorgensen will pay the ransom if we can't rescue her before the deadline. He's desperate to get her back, and Rhys knows that, too."

Gem rubbed her temples. "I'm sensing we're missing something. If he's so smart and rich and he's got all these locations running operations, why is he risking everything now?"

"Our primary focus is saving Mrs. Jorgensen, whether we capture Rhys or not. This is the best lead we've got. We're working with the theory he's not a permanent resident, it's been put into use recently, and it's close to the scene of the kidnapping and ransom demand. As soon as GIPS figured out all of this was happening, they sent us. We're the ones going to pick him up," Kindel said. "I can't explain why the coordinates Intel wasn't shared. It would've saved us this entire day." He looked at her with dark suspicion and sadness. Her heart ached for him at that moment.

"We better be right about this," Mara whispered. "It means Fiona Jorgensen's life."

"This is one crazy smart crook," Katlin said. "I'd have never guessed it when I met him. He could charm the hair off of a hippo."

They laughed, and Amina asked, "Does a hippo have hair?"

"Not if it met Mr. Rhys," Katlin said.

"Sari, start preparing to take off. Mara, please ready the medical deck just in case there's a problem. Gem, please check the gear especially the wrist comms. I want to be in the air in an hour, so we can get to the location before dark and camp."

"Yes, Sir," they chorused and dispersed.

Amina shifted away from him on the couch, but he stopped her by gently taking her hand. Surprised, she glanced up at him.

"If you recorded a list for me like you did for Rhys, what would you say?"

"That's a nervy, arrogant question. I don't need to make a list for you." What do I know about Kindel Withes? Charmer. Remembering how she'd felt, how she'd responded to him, it was humiliating. He still held her hand, and despite it all, she felt a spark.

"I know what I would record about you, Amina." His voice was soft, coaxing. "You're beautiful. You've stolen my breath with your beauty." She should pull away, leave, but his gaze held her spellbound. "But that's a small part of you." He stroked her fingers. "Your courage amazes me. You have determination, and a streak of pride that set me in my place." He turned her hand over and traced his fingertips along the paths in her palm. Tingles raced over her skin. "You're kind and loyal, smart and strong. You love your family and always think of others. You're a bit naive, but I find that brings out my protective instinct." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the sensitive skin on her palm. A hot pang clenched deep in her belly.

She jerked away. "I'm going to help Gem check the lasers and stunners."

In the weapon storage area, she opened cabinets and slammed them shut. He affected her with a simple stroke of a finger, and she hated that lack of control in herself. He probably said those pretty things to a lot of girls. The next one on his list: Gem. Maybe he's using her to get closer to Gem. That's what he wanted to know right? How to "reach" her.

Gem had been working on the other side of the room, but now she approached Amina. "No matter what you think, Kindel doesn't have feelings for me. I don't know how he feels about you. You get near him, and he puts up a mask, but he has no feelings for me."

Amina sighed a trembling breath. "I've gone and fallen in love with him. Stupidly, naively, I've given him my whole heart."

"You need to catch me up. What makes you think he's interested in me?"

"Other than the fact you're amazing and it wouldn't surprise me at all?"

Gem rolled her eyes. "Please. Give me the specifics before I shoot you with a stunner."

"He did talk to me at the ball. He asked me why you didn't like him and how he could "reach" you."

"You must've misunderstood him. He was so googly-eyed over you his brain was misfiring. You didn't see how the two of you danced. I did. That dance floor practically melted. Good Gwana, Amina, you floated! Don't forget the speech. He talked about you in front of an entire assembly of people. That's impressive, and I told you so after the ceremony."

A tiny bit of hope unfurled in her chest. "Did I tell you he went to Aldernon?"

"No!"

"He went to my family and got them to come to the graduation. Derick said he threatened my father with bodily harm if he sneezed at me."

"Oh, sweetie. He's got it bad. Real bad. I'm sorry he's an idiot and said something stupid. He must've been temporarily insane. That's what lust does to a man."

"Gem!"

Her friend just laughed and hugged her.

Sari's voice sounded over the comm. It was time to fly.

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# Chapter 26

Since they moved from one area in the District to another it was more like a hop. The landing was rocky, on the edge of the plains where they met the foothills of the mountain range. Distar's District Four region was split in two by the range, so one side was jungle-like with overcast skies and rain while the other side of the range was dry covered in squat scrubby trees and brown grass.

"We'll leave the Sunstar-3 in stealth mode and take the scout shuttle closer to the coordinates," Kindel directed. "Sari will scout the area to locate the warehouse and determine a good entry point. While she's gone, we'll set up a camp for the night."

"As long as we can skip the jungle this time, I'm in," said Sari.

Kindel motioned for them to gear up.

The scout shuttle was just large enough for them all to sit and stow their packs. They buckled in, and Sari flew them closer to the coordinates and landed them behind some rocky protrusions for cover.

They disembarked and started out on foot to scout the immediate area before Sari left them. There was a bit of an oasis on the other side of the craggy rocks with a small pond surrounded by the squat scrubby trees. They hunkered down and scanned the area to see if any people or dangerous animals may be using the pond. Kindel gave them the all-clear, and they went to check it out.

The pond water was murky. Brown smog hung low in the air like fog rising from the ground.

"What has happened to this world?" Mara groaned as if she felt its pain.

Amina stepped close to Kindel and whispered, "Have you ever seen it like this before? Is this normal?"

Kindel shook his head. "I've been riding through this country several times since childhood. I've never seen it like this." He glanced back the way they'd come. "It appears the foothills have blocked it from spreading into the plains."

Katlin pointed to a plant growing along the pond edge. It looked near death. "These plants seem to wilt just breathing."

Amina began to feel ill herself. "Maybe we better test the air and water before we stay out in it too long."

Kindel scowled and looked at the time on his wrist-comm. "It's going to slow us down, but we'll have to head back to the Sunstar-3 and sleep there tonight. Meanwhile, don't touch the water, and don't leave ship unless you're wearing a mask."

Testing the water and plant samples was left up to Mara and Sari, since Sari could fly back out with a respirator mask to get samples as needed. Katlin assisted by running soil tests. The air in the ship was filtered every hour.

Amina pulled up a holo-vid file in her bunk room to do some private research on Distar. Just out of curiosity. Not because it had any connection to Kindel.

After a while, she wondered what Gem was doing and went to look for her. As she came up to the lounge doorway, she was surprised to see Kindel and Gem together. Sick fear told her to step away, but she had to know. She eased back, so she could see them, but they hadn't noticed her.

They were facing each other, Kindel seated on a chair and Gem standing in front of him. Her face was intense. Not angry but upset. She was gesturing in frustration, her arms waving about, but she wasn't speaking. Kindel was staring at her like she was a madwoman, surprise registering in his upswept eyebrows. As she silently berated him, he waved his hands in front of himself as if he were saying wait, wait. He remained silent as he took her arms and shook her gently as if to get her attention or make her repeat something she'd said. His expression became pained. He stared at her and she stared at him. She shook her head and pulled away from him, gesturing again making chopping motions with her hands to drive home some silent point. Then she crossed her arms and tapped one foot as she glowered at him. He wiped a hand wearily over his face, ran his fingers into his hair, and sat back in the chair as if whatever she'd said had blown up his world. Then he sat forward and nodded at her. He'd come to some conclusion or decision. He became serious, determined. Then he stood and grabbed Gem and pulled her into a fierce, firm hug. Gem's shoulders relaxed. When they broke apart, she shook her finger at him but grinned at him at the same time. She started to pivot away, and she'd see Amina for sure.

Amina dashed back down the hall to their bunk room. Sitting on the bunk, she laughed. It hadn't been romantic in the least, which was a huge, huge relief. She was giddy with relief. But it was crazy to have witnessed a telepathic conversation, or argument, she wasn't sure what it had been.

"Captain!" Mara's voice called over the comm. "We have results!"

Amina joined the rest of the team as they crowded into Mara's lab.

"This water has particles of a deadly chemical floating in it. That's why the water is tinted brown. It's called Collax, and it's used to make drugs that cause hallucinations and personality changes. It can alter the brain's chemistry, so it's irreversible. People dosed with this would be highly suggestible and controllable. Even if the effects were temporary, it's addictive, and the withdrawals are so powerful few people could survive detox."

Gem said, "It became a problem on Pystar. The planet's cities are overpopulated, and we've got slums, and we've got druggies. The authorities in some districts bought into the original manufacturer's claims that Collax could be used to replace the substances the druggies were using and make them contributing citizens by conforming them to work assignments. They tried to make the druggies into slaves, so they could clean up the slums and maintain cities."

"What happened?" asked Kindel.

"The drug outright killed some of them, some became vegetables, and others worked just as it was advertised. Everything Mara said made them stop the program. That's what they called it, a program."

Amina sighed. "Sometimes I'm relieved I'm from Aldernon."

"It was released into the water system," Sari said.

Agreeing, Kindel said, "Smithe might be up to a whole lot more than we suspected."

"How many cities are in this part of the District? How many people might be getting contaminated water?" Amina asked.

Mara collected her test results and samples, boxing and labeling them for evidence. "Good news," she said with a grim smile. "The air is OK to breathe. It's nasty, but it's a harmless byproduct."

Katlin said, "The soil is contaminated though, so don't eat anything you might see, like wild berries or fruit."

Shuddering, Amina wrapped her arms around herself. She looked around and caught Kindel watching her with a thoughtful expression. She averted her eyes.

"Okay, team," he said, "first light we'll head back out in the scout shuttle, and Sari will scout ahead as we planned. We have to know what we're up against."

They dispersed for the night for their personal time. Amina was just entering her room when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She startled and whirled around to find Kindel behind her.

"May I talk to you in private?"

"Of course, Captain." She moved toward her bunk room, but he reached out and touched her elbow.

"I would like us to be uninterrupted if that's possible," he said with a funny quirk of his lip. "Please come with me."

He led her to his quarters, and she shifted nervously as she entered his personal space. She realized it was a two-room suite, as they stood in a sitting room separate from the sleeping space. Still, it was his, masculine but tasteful with boxy side tables beside leather club chairs, cozy two-person sofas, open-backed glass shelves and bold, colorful art displayed on the walls. A spiciness permeated the space, and she recognized it as his personal scent. She tried to distract herself from the flash of memories invoked by fingering his collection of glittering stones and agate. He watched as she moved around the room, touching his personal things. When she felt she had herself under reasonable control, she faced him. The silence between them was filled with emotion, and she could hear their breaths.

He cleared his throat. "It's been brought to my attention that I've hurt your feelings."

She felt her skin heat and turned her face away to hide her blush. Gem was so dead.

He stepped forward, closing the gap she left between them, and placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes implored her. "Whatever I did, or said, you must know I wouldn't purposely hurt you."

She scoffed before she could catch it, and confusion filled his face. His hands on her shoulders shifted, sliding down to her upper arms, so he was holding her still and studying her face.

"Don't you know me, yet? How I feel -" He inhaled a shuddery breath. "Please, tell me what it is. I would give everything to make it right."

She stared at him as her mind whirled. If she told him, he would know she loved him. If he rejected her heart she'd have to leave because she could never deal with the shame. Maybe she had too much pride, but she wouldn't risk everything she'd fought for, all of this with GIPS, for a man who didn't love her. She'd rather keep her feelings hidden than lose being a Peacekeeper. At least if she remained with his squad, she could still see him. How could she live if she didn't get to be with him, even if it was just as a member of his squad, as his friend?

"Say something."

"If I could tell you, I would."

Pain etched his face. "I don't understand. How can I make it right if you don't tell me?"

"Can't we continue as we are, as friends?"

He groaned. "Do friends yearn to feel the other's hand in theirs? Do friends lie awake at night, remembering the feel of the other's pulse or the sound of a quickened breath? Do friends ignite from the nearness of the other's lips? I don't want to be your friend, Amina." He lifted her chin and lowered his lips to hers in a sweet, soft caress.

Sensation coursed through her, and she reached for him. She ran her hands over his chest to his shoulders into his hair. He kissed her again, brushing her bottom lip.

He stepped back and took her hands in his. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

She couldn't think, still whirling from his light, sweet kisses. "Yes."

"Thank you. I don't want problems with the squad. Gem was ready to stun me." He chuckled.

Wait. What? And he still didn't say he loved her. Disappointment made her hollow, and she turned away. "Goodnight, Kindel. We have a busy day tomorrow."

She closed the door to her bunk room and leaned back against it, emotions warring for dominance. He kissed her with sweet passion, and it was wonderful. He spoke so passionately, said the most poetic, moving words, but she wanted his heart. She wanted to know that she was special, and she still doubted how true his feelings were or how lasting they would prove to be. It would hurt like a mortal wound to relax her guard only to have him tire of her. Her heart was crafted for forever.

"Amina?" she heard Gem say, and the lamp flipped on. Her friend looked her over. "So, you want to talk about it?"

She sighed as she sank onto her bunk. "He's amazing and said the most beautiful words to me. He's attracted to me, wants me, and that feels wonderful. It's tempting to just let go and stop holding back my heart, but he still hasn't said he loves me. Why doesn't he make a declaration?"

"He's a man, and they're obtuse sometimes. Maybe he's still at the beginning emotionally, where you were months ago. I was worried he was playing with your heart, but it's become clear he's serious, even if he doesn't know it yet. I think he may just need time, so don't push him away."

"I'm terrified he'll see that I love him already, and it will scare him or disgust him."

Gem snorted. "I don't think that's possible. He's got the hots for you."

"I thought you couldn't read him."

"I had a little chat with him earlier, and he was horrified that you were upset with him. It had to be a very strong emotion to crack his mask." Gem tossed her a spunky grin. "You could outright ask if he loves you."

She groaned. "I don't have the courage. What if he said no?"

"You would know and stop all this emotional torture. What do you want to do?"

"I'm not ready to show him my love, but I won't push him away. I'll see if a little more time will catch his heart."

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# Chapter 27

The next morning, they were in the air before the sun awakened. Excitement and anticipation hummed through her as Sari landed the scout shuttle under the crags by the pond. Their mission was beginning in earnest, and time was running out for Fiona Jorgensen. Apprehension gnawed at her when she thought of facing Rhys. Focus on right now. Worry about that when it comes.

Kindel watched her, not being subtle with his smiles or his lingering glances. He kept touching her on the arm or brushing her fingers or her elbow. She buzzed with heat and desperately tried to maintain a neutral expression and not melt into a bubbly mess.

He gave Sari last-minute instructions, and she took off to scout closer. They weren't going to be there long enough to camp if things went well and they got Fiona and got out. They waited at the pond for Sari to return.

Kindel laced his fingers with hers and said, "Come with me."

He pulled her further into the scrubby trees that surrounded the pond. Just holding his hand had her simmering. Once they were out of sight, he stopped and pulled her into a light embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her.

"You're so beautiful." He trailed his hand along her temple into her hair. Lifting her hair away from her face, he tucked it behind her shoulder. He gazed at her with awe, as if she were the most beautiful sight he'd ever beheld. His fingertips traced along the side of her face, her jawline, her lips. Her body trembled with sensation, and she melted into his touch.

"Kindel, I," ...love you. Her eyes popped open in panic. She had to breathe, had to escape the heat. "I can't. Please, let me go."

His face clouded with concern and confusion. "What is it?" The hand at her waist dropped to her wrist. His thumb caressed her palm. "What's wrong?"

"I just need some space. I'm going back to the others." She turned from him.

He was letting her go, letting her hand slip away, when she heard him groan. The next second, he was swinging her around to face him. The dark longing in his face seared her. He gathered her close and kissed her slow and sweet. His lips teased, tasted hers. Desire shot through her. She slid her hands over his chest and kissed him back, hesitantly matching his caress. He moaned and tilted her chin to deepen his kiss. He took his time delving into her mouth, pulling back to linger on her lips only to deepen his kiss again, until she was combusting, exploding. She clutched at his shirt as she blazed.

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, as they both fought to catch their breath. His voice rasped, "Don't you understand? You've captured me, and I can't believe you don't feel the same. You're trembling with it." He looked down into her face, his eyes pained. "So why do you keep running away?"

This time when she pulled back, he let her go. She managed a shaky whisper, "Wanting isn't enough. I need your heart."

"You have it, Amina."

His wrist-comm crackled. "I'm coming in," Sari's voice echoed.

"Blast it!" Looking at her, he ground out, "We aren't done with this conversation." Then he marched back toward the pond.

She stood trembling but slowly came alive as if dawn rose in her chest. She laughed and twirled with joy. "He loves me!"

Sari was at the scout shuttle by the time Amina returned. She was stretching out her back and saying, "The warehouse is huge! There's no way I could've missed it. There are thirty-two outside doors with guards posted."

Kindel asked, "Could you see in at all?"

Sari shook her head. "Not without me being seen. There's no cover close to the building. But this is interesting, there was a line of people at the front entrance. The guards were scanning them and then letting them inside."

"His customers?" asked Katlin.

Sari shrugged. "They looked like bums all dressed in rags."

Glancing at Kindel, Amina wondered what he was thinking. He rubbed his chin and paced. "To get in, we have to be a Smithe goon or a Collax customer. We're going to break into two teams and, disguised, get invited into the warehouse. Gem, I want you to be the leader of one group while I'm the leader of the other. Take Amina and Katlin with you."

Sari frowned. "That's taking a risk, not knowing what we're walking into."

"Gem's Ability of telepathy will allow her to communicate with me without having wrist comms. If we're scanned, we'll have to go in without them. We'll get into the building and follow the lead of the other drug addicts until we can get a clear view of the interior. I'm hoping it's going to be one open room."

Mara said, "Be sure you don't make physical contact with the drug if you see it or are handed it. Don't drink anything."

"Once we're inside, we'll break into groups. Gem's group will find Mrs. Jorgensen. Guards will be on the lookout, so if the need arises, steal a uniform."

Katlin laughed. "Sounds like fun, knock them out and steal their clothes!"

Kindel grinned. "The important thing is to get Fiona and get out."

"What about you?" Amina asked, feeling ill that she'd have no idea what Kindel was doing.

An almost sweet smile crossed his face. "My team will be working on arresting Smithe. Remember," he said looking at her, "I'll be in touch through Gem."

She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Part of her wanted to face Rhys and tell him just what she thought of him.

Gem asked, "What do we do once we have Mrs. Jorgensen?"

"Get out and get to safety. Return to the scout shuttle." He focused on Amina for a moment. "Communicate with headquarters when she's free, so they'll know the ransom demand can be ignored. As Mara said, her husband will pay if he doesn't know she's safe, and we're cutting this real close."

"How long do we have?" Sari asked.

"A few hours. Sari, take the scout shuttle back to the Sunstar-3 and gather bed sheets. We're going to make some rags."

Amina dressed in her costume covering her ship suit, knee-high boots, and utility belt. She made sure her laser was secure in her holster. She tucked two ration bars into her utility belt pouch with her knife and her location laser beacon.

"Nothing like dressing in rags for the self-esteem." Sari sighed.

"Just imagine you're going to a costume party," replied Gem.

"We're moving out!" Kindel ordered.

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# Chapter 28

The warehouse was as big as Sari said. The walls were cracked and peeling. Some windows were broken, and some were boarded up. A 'condemned' sign hung on rusty, chained garage doors.

"Cozy," Gem said.

Katlin asked, "Do you want me to go in first in case there's a language problem?"

Kindel nodded. "Good idea, Katlin. Gem, Amina, you go ahead, too."

Kindel gestured for them to be quiet. They did as he said, none of them knowing what they would encounter at the door. The guard posted at the entrance held a laser shooter in one hand, and a comm unit sat at his hip. He was letting everyone pass through. When Katlin approached, he looked her over and grunted for her to pass. Amina let out a breath. Gem was next. As she moved to pass by, the guard snaked out his free hand and grasped her jaw.

Turning her face roughly, his lips spread into a ghastly grin. "Lovely. I might keep you for company. And as drugged as you are," he laughed, and Amina's skin crawled.

She didn't know how Gem stood still through his crude talk. He put his laser in his holster and began to reach under her rags. Amina's gut clenched. With a reaction time of seconds, Gem unholstered her own laser shooter and jammed it in his crotch.

She snarled into his face. "I suggest you stop before I blow off your potential for a family." His hand stilled. "Now, buddy. How about you tell me and my friends here where the woman hostage is held."

He stared at Gem's face, then his eyeballs rolled over to Amina, and he studied her. Interesting reaction.

At his reluctance, Kindel pulled his laser and aimed at his head. "Answer the lady."

The henchman looked at him then back at Amina. "Second floor."

"Take a nap, Grunge." Kindel stunned him, and he slumped unconscious to the ground.

They all turned to Gem. "I'm fine," she said with a wave. "Let's get her."

Kindel motioned for Gem's team to move forward while he dragged the man's body out of sight and traded clothes with him. "If anyone sees him, they'll assume he's one of the addicts."

When she got inside, she saw the addicts were lined up working assembly lines. The warehouse was a factory. She looked up and around. It was a giant rectangle with an open center all the way to the metal roof rafters. The center, bottom floor of the warehouse was covered by a grid of assembly line tables. Following the line of people, Amina saw they were building weapons, enough to start a revolution.

Several stairways on the bottom floor led to a metal mesh walkway that ran along the face of the second floor. Gem nodded at her and Katlin, and they headed for the line of people wandering up the stairs.

"Don't look at anyone else," Katlin said. "Try to look spaced out."

Amina wasn't sure it mattered. There were a couple of guards on the bottom floor. The addicts seemed unaware of their surroundings and were practically sleepwalking. "Do you feel Kindel's mind?"

"Yes," Gem hissed. "Focus."

When they reached the second floor it was almost stomach wrenching. There were rooms all along the corridor, one right after the other.

Gem's mind pushed thoughts on Katlin and Amina, both. "No more talking, Kindel's orders. Just open your minds and think to me. Don't use your natural shield, Katlin. Amina, just be you."

"Ha, ha," Amina thought at her.

"We're going to stun a guard. I'll steal the clothes, no, Katlin, you're bigger, you steal the clothes. Katlin, you act like you've taken me and Amina into custody. We'll take out another guard, and so on."

"I follow," Katlin and Amina thought.

"Let's go."

Her first steps out of the line had Amina's heart racing. They crept up to a guard, and Gem pulled and fired before he could react. Amina got a mental 'hold' on him and levitated his pants down his legs and his jacket off his back. Katlin shuffled into them over her layers of ship suit and rags and rolled the legs of the pants. She looked like a clown playing dress-up. Maybe if they moved fast enough, no one would notice.

Gem and Amina stood in front of Katlin as they kept moving down the corridor. They spied another guard and Katlin sauntered up to him and batted her lashes. They were in trouble now.

"You got something in your eye?" The guard asked her.

"I've got two addicts refusing to work their shift. I need help putting them in a cell."

The guard had a thick, black beard. As his yellow eyes slid over them, a suggestive smile spread under all the hair. His slimy leer paused on Amina. "Follow me." He swung round on his heel and marched back through a door.

Katlin played along far enough to let him lead them in and open a cell. The doors were solid metal except for a barred door-wide window at the top. The room was dark with a single bulb suspended from the ceiling and a metallic smell. "I'll take it from here," she mumbled in a deep voice, trying to dismiss him.

"You aren't going anywhere!" His gravelly voice echoed off the cold walls as he shoved them into the cell and locked the door. Amina looked through the window and caught sight of the keys being hung on his belt.

She said to Katlin, "I'm going for the keys, stall him!"

"What are you doing?" Katlin roared at him. "Don't you know who I am?"

"You're no guard, and those two are no addicts." He laughed. "With the bonus I get for catching her," his eyes flicked to Amina's face in the window, "I'm going to buy my own planet." While he talked, Amina focused on the keys and suspended them above his head, so he wouldn't see them.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. "What're you talking about?"

He grinned. "Let's just say the boss has been looking forward to your visit." He started to talk into his comm.

Katlin pulled her stunner and popped him through the window. "I don't think I got him fast enough."

Amina asked, "Has Kindel found Rhys?"

Gem shrugged. "Must have. He's using all his strength on something. I've lost his touch."

"You're sure he's not --" Katlin didn't continue her sentence.

"No! He's got to be OK," Amina snapped, her pulse racing. "Tell Kindel what the guard said, Gem. Somehow Rhys knew we were coming."

A small voice from the next cell asked, "Are you from GIPS?"

Amina said, "Yes. Are you Fiona?"

She heard a burst of tears. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Well." Katlin chuckled dryly. "I don't know how much good we'll do you now."

"I got the keys," Amina said. "Give me a boost." Katlin boosted her up, so she could angle and see the door lock through the window. She levitated the key into the lock, and it clicked open. Amina unlocked Fiona's cell then tossed Gem the keys. Katlin and Gem dragged the guard into their cell and locked him inside.

Amina helped Fiona to stand and walk out of her cell. Fiona shivered and struggled to move. "So sorry, but it's bitter cold at night. All I had were these wraps."

"Ssh. It will be okay. We're getting you out of here." She turned to Gem. "Can you contact Kindel?"

Gem crouched on the cold floor, her fingers to her temples. "He hasn't located Smithe. They've been surrounded by guards, and they're under fire. He says it was a trap. I told him what the guard said, and he wants us to move, now."

Amina had to support Fiona with her Ability, but they made it down the corridor to the stairs. Shadows fell over them. Three guards were rushing up behind them.

"Run!" Gem yelled and pulled her stunner, aiming at the guards. Katlin jumped ahead of Amina and shoved aside the drug addicts climbing the stairs. Amina and Fiona lunged through the path made for them. They hit the ground floor, and Katlin wrapped an arm around Fiona's waist, propelling her forward.

"We're going to make it!" Gem yelled aloud as she covered Amina's behind, shooting at the guards. The door was a few paces ahead. Fiona and Katlin rushed through the door. Gem caught up and ran side-by-side with her.

Amina was steps away from the door when she was sideswiped by a ginormous guard. He picked her up, swung her around, and slammed her onto the floor. The breath knocked out of her, Amina gaped as her lungs fought for air, helpless.

Gem stopped, turned back toward the room. She threw her mind open and shouted thoughts, hoping Gem would hear her. "No! Get out, get Fiona to the scout ship, and let the Commander know she's safe. She's our priority. I'll get out with Kindel and the others."

Silence, but Gem swiveled and ran out the door. The guard ripped at her rags and snatched the laser shooter from her holster. Three other guards surrounded her.

Gem's voice came to her then. "Kindel is coming for you."

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# Chapter 29

The guards parted, and Rhys walked forward between them. He took a laser shooter from one of his guards, calmly checked the switch on the side, and shot the guard who had manhandled her. The man dropped, dead.

She couldn't look away from his face. He lay on the floor next to her, his unseeing eyes wide open, and smoke rose from the black hole in his head. Blood seeped onto the floor. Her stomach heaved. Calm down. Don't let him know you're afraid.

She forced herself to look away and stared up at Rhys, not comprehending the monster. He smiled at her like he hadn't just killed a man, and she wondered why she'd ever thought him handsome. His cold blue gaze sliced her like razors.

She focused her Ability on a shooter in a guard's holster, but he felt it moving and grabbed it. She focused on weapon parts sliding by on the assembly line tables, picked up several, and threw them at the guards. They glared at her and swatted at the parts pelting them but not doing any real damage. Where's the Ability to shoot fire or lightning when it's needed?

Rhys held out his hands. "Calm down. There's no need for violence and no more tricks!" His intensity cut into her. "I'm not going to hurt you, Amina. If you agree to come with me, I'll let your friends go."

Did that mean he had captured Kindel? "We've got Fiona, Rhys. You lose."

He moved toward her. "I never cared about Fiona or the ransom. It's you I was after all along. I knew GIPS would send you, once they put all the pieces together. If I got the money in the end, all the better." He pulled her up by her arms and squeezed her. "I've missed you, so much." He ran a hand over her hair. "You're even more beautiful than I remember."

"Why plan all of this when I was right there on Kildren?"

"You were confused and exhausted by your training. Your captain was watching over you. We belong together, Sleeping Beauty, but you didn't see the love we had. I sent one of my crew to collect you on your training mission, but that failed. So, this operation was the perfect bait."

"You started the rumors about the drug trafficking?"

"Of course. That got GIPS' attention. Your captain is the nephew of the cooperative District Four captain, so I knew they'd send his team."

"I understand," she said and leaned into him. "I'm so impressed. Your love for me is so strong. I didn't realize how much you meant to me, but now I do." She looked up at him and imagined crumb-bake smothered with icing. "Don't you want to be alone with me?"

His breathing hitched. With his steel grip on her upper arm, he pulled her into a corner of the first floor. No good. Why didn't he take her into a room? She could've used her defense moves, but here the guards still watched them. He yanked her against his chest and clamped his mouth over hers in a rough, bruising kiss, and she fought a gag. He bit her bottom lip. She winced.

She had to find a way to escape. If she used her Ability to push Rhys away from her that would just tick him off. She could levitate him into the air and hold him there, but there were three guards with shooters. Where were the others? Kindel? Focus. Keep it together.

He brought his head down to kiss her. She prepared to shove him away no matter the consequences when she heard a scuffle coming from the warehouse floor.

He shifted to see what was happening. Amina gulped back a sob when she saw Kindel, Sari, and Mara fighting the guards. Kindel knocked the laser shooter from one's hand and decked him, sending him sprawling across the floor. Sari kicked another in the crotch, sending him into the fetal position. Mara ducked the swinging fist of the third guard and stunned him with her shooter. It was a moment in time, but Rhys reacted, grabbing a shooter off the ground and checking the switch on the side.

Kindel rushed Rhys with a furious roar and murder in his eyes. Mara's head came up, and she saw Rhys point the shooter at Kindel just as Amina did. Mara leaped in front of Kindel. Amina screamed and pushed Rhys with her Ability. Rhys' body flew sideways and struck a metal stairway with an audible crack. Mara jerked from the impact of the laser set to kill, and she crumpled to the floor.

"Mara!" Sari screamed and rushed to her friend. She turned her over and searched for the wound.

Amina swayed. Kindel caught her and cradled her against him. "Mara. Check on Mara. She was hit."

"She's alive," Sari sobbed. "It looks like it got her in the side."

Kindel tilted his head. "Gem and Katlin are on their way back with the scout shuttle. Fiona's safe on the Sunstar-3, and the commander's been briefed."

Mara's skin turned pale, and blood oozed from under the pad Sari pressed into her wound. She opened her eyes long enough to gasp, "Did we get him?"

Amina smiled. "We got him."

Kindel looked at Sari. "Get her back to the Sunstar-3." He helped lift Mara with his Ability and eased her out the door with Sari.

Gem and Katlin rushed into the room with stunners drawn.

"We've still got trouble," Katlin said.

"What now?" Kindel asked.

Katlin pointed. They'd forgotten about the addicts and the guards. A chill shot through Amina as she watched the guards grouped around Rhys. They pulled him up and checked his body for life.

"He's dead," one of the guards said.

Some addicts remained oblivious to their surroundings, but others keened. It was the creepiest sound Amina had ever heard.

The guard with the big black beard turned toward them and yelled, "They killed the boss!"

Amina moved backward toward the door with her team, stunners drawn and firing, but there were too many guards.

"Go!" Kindel shouted. He shoved Katlin and grabbed Gem's arm, swinging her toward the door. He turned to Amina, cupped her face in his hands, and gave her a quick kiss. "I love you. Get out of here!"

"What about you? Come with me, Kindel, please!"

"I'll hold them off. Now, go!" He pushed her toward the door. "Help Sari get Mara to the scout shuttle."

"Listen to him!" Gem cried, pulling her away from the building.

Once outside, Amina's senses returned. Sari stood beside Mara, holding her up. There was no way Mara could walk. "Can you fly Mara to the Sunstar-3?"

"I can get her to the shuttle. Help me get her on my back."

Amina lifted Mara to Sari's back as gently as she could. Still, Mara cried out and tears streamed down her face. Sari cast off.

She ran for the shuttle on foot with Gem and Katlin. Gem stopped and crouched with her fingers on her temples.

"What is it?" Amina asked, breathless. "Kindel?"

Gem nodded. "We've got to get as far from the building as possible."

"Why?" Katlin asked. "What's he doing?"

Gem shook her head. "Just run! Now!"

Amina took off running and made it almost to the trees when a wave of pressure and heat exploded against her back, pitching her to the ground. Smoke enveloped her. Debris and ash dropped from the sky all around her. He'd blown up the building.

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# Chapter 30

She hurt all over. Nothing seemed to be broken. What had happened? Understanding filtered through the haze and struck with the force of lightning. She jerked up from the ground. "No! No, no, no!" Debris from the warehouse lay everywhere. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

She moved to run, to find him, but Gem and Katlin flanked her and wrapped their arms around her. The yellow-orange flicker of flames glowed through a great billowing wall of smoke. She stood motionless, stunned and consumed with disbelief. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. No one spoke.

"There isn't anything we can do now," Katlin whispered.

She had a flash of hope so bright it hurt. "Gem! Can you hear him?"

Gem tried to speak, choked, tried again. "I'm sorry. I already tried. He's not there. He's gone."

Sari landed next to them, panting. "What's taking so long? We've got to get Mara to the Sunstar-3. She talked me through--" Her face blanked as she stared at the smoke and flames. "I heard a boom. I didn't know." She turned and looked at them. "Where's the captain?"

Katlin gestured with her head toward the burning destruction. Amina melted to the ground. Weeping sobs wracked her body.

"No," Sari breathed. "Oh, Amina, sugar." She knelt beside Amina and rubbed her arms. "I'm just. I don't even know."

She shuddered on the end of a sob. "It's not real."

Her friends exchanged looks. Gem took Amina's hands and stared at her. "Amina. Look at me. I know you're in shock and hurting, but we've got to move. Mara needs us."

"Go."

"We can't leave you here."

"Go."

"Gem, we'll come back for her. Mara's got supplies on the medical deck. She's holding on, but." Sari sighed. "I've got to get the ship ready to fly. I need you and Katlin with Mara."

Gem squeezed her hands. "I'm coming back. As soon as we get Mara stable, I'm coming back."

"Yes." She focused on her friend's sweet, sad face, and felt her own face crumple in pain. She forced her voice past the hurt. "I love him."

She sat there on the ground and shivered with shock. The sobs subsided to shuddering breaths and silent, continuous tears. Lightning flashed through the clouds, lit up the smoke in a flickering show of light. Thunder cracked as the rain started to fall. Still, she sat, letting the rain fall over her.

As the flames died down and smoke dissipated, she stood and walked toward the skeleton of the warehouse. She searched through the debris using her Ability, lifting sheets of metal, turning over pieces of door and wall. Her boots crunched glass. She couldn't leave him here alone. She'd find him, and when Gem came back for her, she'd take him home. Still a good way from the building, she had a lot of ground to cover.

She lifted a section of door and saw him. Her breath wrenched painfully in her chest.

He lay in a heap, face down, still. No! Sobbing wails of grief tore from her. She pressed a hand to her mouth as she collapsed to her knees, doubled over with agony.

She crawled closer to his body and ran her hands over his back, feeling him. He wore a cover of blackened, singed rags over the stolen guard uniform. She levitated him, turned him, and laid him down in a more natural position. With shaking fingers, she removed the cloth that covered his face. A horrid gash slashed across his forehead, blood dry on his face. "Kindel." She laid over his chest and wept.

Amina felt a tickle in her mind, a feeling, a voice. She reared back. Did she make this up in her desperation? She brushed her hands over his face. Nothing. Lifting his chin, she felt for a pulse in his neck. It was there. Faint, but there. She sobbed a laugh.

"Hold on, Kindel!" She screamed the desperate, emotional plea. Shelter. She had to get them to shelter from the rain. "I'm going to find us a cave."

She ran through the rain toward the foothills of the range adrenaline powered by a surge of relief, joy, ecstasy. Uncontrollable, emotional laughter spurted out of her. If anyone had seen her then, they would've thought she was a madwoman scrabbling around in the rocks, laughing hysterically. She searched for any crevice that might give them dry cover and found a shallow cave in the craggy rock not far from where the shuttle had been. She ran back to Kindel and levitated him as swiftly as she could to the cave.

She shed her wet rags and piled them with his into a makeshift mat to cushion his body against the cold rock floor. His breathing grew stronger, deeper. At least she hoped that's what she saw as she watched his chest's slight rise and fall. The uniform was dry beneath the protective layers. The head wound wasn't bleeding and seemed more superficial than she'd first thought. His ankle was swollen, so she wrapped it. He continued to sleep.

Her terrible fear was internal injuries, bleeding she couldn't see. He could be dying, right in front of her, and she was helpless to stop it.

"Kindel, I've got to check you for internal bleeding." She used her utility knife to cut away the uniform. "There's nothing romantic about this. I'm doing this for your own good." She admired his lean build, running her fingers over his chest and taut abdomen. "You know you're gorgeous. I don't feel or see any swelling. I don't see any bruising." He'd ache when he woke, but she didn't see anything outright that suggested major internal damage. "I think you're going to be OK. If you wake up and your brains aren't scrambled." Stop it! Stop worrying. He's alive! "You must've just made it out, my love. I thought I'd lost you. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't accept that I lost you after I'd just found you. I didn't even get to tell you, did I? That I love you." Tears choked her voice. "I do. I love you."

She watched him breathe and willed him to wake. Lying on her side next to him, she traced his forehead, his thick dark eyebrows, his straight nose, his firm lips. "It's time to wake up. Please, wake up. I need to see your eyes, hear your voice. I need to know you're going to be alright." Nothing. Not even an eyelid twitch. "It stopped raining. I'm going to set up the light beacon, so Gem will find us. I'll be right back."

She attached a piece of red fabric to the branch of a squat tree and watched it blow in the breeze. She directed the light into the sky.

Back inside, she sat beside him and ate a ration bar. "You hungry? If you wake up, I'll share half of this with you."

She leaned over him to check his pulse, and his eyelids fluttered. She sucked in a breath as his eyelids lifted. He blinked up at her, disoriented.

"Am I dreaming?" he croaked.

Amina's face broke into an ecstatic grin, and she threw her arms over him. He winced, and she pulled back. "Sorry. I'm just so happy to see you." She kissed his face: his cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids. She drew back and looked into his warm brown eyes. Keeping her gaze locked on his, she lowered her lips to his. "We thought you were dead. I thought I'd lost you."

"I must've hit my head. I've got a roaring headache."

She nodded. "You have a nasty cut, but I don't think it's too serious. You must have a concussion. The others had to get Mara to the Sunstar, but they'll be back for us when she's stable. I've got the beacon set."

"Good. That was a nice way to wake up. I should get concussions more often." His hand reached for her, and she slipped her hand into his.

"I love you, Kindel."

He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. "I love you. You're OK with us? You've dealt with whatever was holding you back?"

"Yes, but there's one thing I have to know. If you loved me, why didn't you declare yourself at the ball?"

"I took you onto the veranda with those intentions, but I was interrupted by Gem. She has a habit of interrupting us, pulling you away, giving you warnings against me. I wanted to tell you, but each time I got close to you someone came, or I got called away. You tended to run from me like a scared little rabbit."

She laughed. "I've loved you since the beginning. I thought, hoped, you would declare yourself at the ball. You'd said you wanted to speak to me, but when you did, it was to ask me how to gain Gem's favor."

"You thought I had feelings for her? I was overwhelmed by you. I couldn't see straight, I wanted to kiss you so badly."

"I thought you were toying with me, enjoying me at the moment, but that it wasn't love. I wanted your love."

His eyes darkened. "Come here." She laid along his side, resting her head against his shoulder. He sighed deeply. "You have all of me. Please, don't ever doubt that. I've been going slow, trying to show you my heart, waiting for you to deal with whatever was keeping you distant."

"Why did you ask about Gem?"

"I was afraid if I declared my feelings, and her opinion influenced you, that you would reject me. I was crazy in love with you, but when she interrupted us you drew away from me. I panicked, terrified I would lose you. I didn't explain myself well. And you called me a goat."

They laughed. He stroked her hair, running the strands through his fingers. "But then, you showed me that list you'd made for Rhys, and it gave me hope. If you could see through him, through all his pretty words, then perhaps you would see me, too. No matter what Gem might say."

"You make me feel the words. You make me understand the poets. He might've read them or quoted them, but you inspired them."

"I wanted to kill him. When I saw him manhandling you, kissing you, I wanted to tear his arms off. I'm sorry I couldn't reach you before he hurt you. I've never felt so enraged or so helpless. I was so close to you but so far away."

She shuddered. He wrapped his arm around her and snuggled her close. "That chapter's closed. We have so much ahead."

They stayed wrapped up in each other for some time. Kindel dozed in and out. She shared her last ration bar.

"They're coming." She heard the Sunstar-3's engines outside.

Gem ran into the cave. "Kindel! I can't believe it. We all thought you were dead! How did you find him?"

"I'll tell you once we're in the ship. We need water, food, pain killer."

"Pain killer first, please."

She hugged Gem. "I'm glad to see you."

Gem called Katlin on her wrist comm. "You aren't going to believe it! Kindel's alive. Prepare a sleeping chamber for him on the medical deck, please."

"One more thing," Kindel said. "I need clothes. I've lost mine."

Amina felt her face flush. "Not all of them. I had to check you for internal injuries."

"I guess we're even since you went swimming in that lake. Were you trying to give me a heart spasm?"

She got him settled into a sleeping chamber, and they all fussed over him. They worked out how to use the scanner and checked his insides. All good as far as they could tell.

They dropped Mrs. Fiona Jorgensen off at the Distar GIPS branch for an emotional reunion with her husband and headed for home.

Amina walked to Mara's bedside. She was white, even her rosy lips pale. She was stable according to the monitors. "We're getting you back to Kildren, Mara sweet. Just hold on a little longer."

"She's saving her strength," Katlin said. "She's got steel on the inside."

Mara didn't respond, and fear gripped Amina. Would they save Kindel and lose Mara?

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# Chapter 31

Amina tried in vain to find Kindel in the crowd. The ceremony was about to begin. Although she saw many GIPS captains, none of them were Kindel Withes. Spotting Katlin at the punch bowl, Amina made slow progress toward her.

Many of the people gathered recognized her, which was unsettling considering that before the mission she was just another fresh recruit. Smiling in the dim light of Kildren's arena, Amina remembered how the entire crew became famous in less than two weeks. Everyone had heard about the Sunstar crew's miraculous escape and shut down of Smithe's operation.

"Have you seen the captain?"

"No. But with all these marvelous captains around, I can't say I've been looking either."

She laughed. "Any one captain in particular?"

A spark in Katlin's eye confirmed Amina's suspicion. She hadn't been staking out the punch bowl. It was the fair-haired captain standing by the punch that caught Katlin's eye.

"Ladies and gentleman," the Commander's voice rang out and the crowd became silent. "Please take your seats. Mrs. Fiona Jorgensen would like a chance to thank the team responsible for her rescue."

Fiona came from the right side of the stage and stood at the podium. "I thank the Captain of the Sunstar-3, Kindel Withes. Without your guidance and support, it couldn't have been done." Amina felt tears mist at Fiona's praise, and the brief reminder of what she so nearly lost. "I thank all the young women who made up the crew. I'm indebted and thank you from the depths of my heart."

The Commander came back to the podium.

Katlin snatched her sleeve. "Look! There's Kindel!"

He walked onto the stage just a bit stiffer than usual wearing a pneumatic boot on his broken ankle.

The Commander of GIPS turned to Kindel with a proud, beaming smile under his thick white mustache. "I'm awarding Captain Kindel Withes a Ruby Star for his bravery and sacrifice."

The crowd clapped in an uproar of approval.

Kindel's eyes glistened as he raised one hand to hush the room. He was so distinguished and handsome. Amina wasn't sure her heart would ever grow quiet again. "I'm honored to receive this award. It was a team effort. Thanks to the support of a great crew and the leadership of GIPS' Commander."

The Commander took over the podium again. "I'm also awarding Mara Saprophase the Ruby Star. Since she isn't present to accept the award, Gem Falhowsen is accepting it in her stead."

Gem stepped forward and took the award, and the audience clapped.

The Commander closed the award ceremony saying, "please, join us in the reception hall for light refreshments and dancing."

Amina hurried to the side of the stage to meet Kindel. She threw her arms around him. "I'm so proud of you!"

Gem stepped up to them. "I wish Mara could've been here."

Kindel said, "I do too, but she's recovering well back home on Zel."

"I'm so relieved. We got to speak to her over vid-screen, and she's looking much better. She's going to pursue medicine though and not return to GIPS," Amina said.

"I'm not surprised. She was fantastic in the field. Being empathetic, medicine is her calling," Katlin said.

Sari glided in and stood by the group. "You're sporting new equipment I see." She pointed to Kindel's boot.

"Just a couple more weeks and it should be as good as new." He wrapped an arm around Amina's shoulders. "Up for a waltz?"

"As long as you don't step on my toes with that boot, always."

He led her away with the others trailing behind them.

When he took her in his arms it was just how things should be. She could dance with him happily, forever.

"I'm glad you feel that way, my heart."

"Stop spying on my thoughts!"

He laughed and surprised her by swinging her out of the couples and through the veranda doors.

"Where are we going?"

He swept her along until they stopped beside one of the veranda columns. He pulled her up against his chest and captured her mouth with his in a long, lingering kiss. "I could kiss you forever and never get enough."

"That's a nice theory. We should test it."

"I love you. Your heart was made to beat alongside mine. There's a poem I found written by Johnson that reminded me of us. It's how I feel about finding you."

"You did that for me? I'd like to hear it."

"'I dreamed you were a rose close by a lonely way, you grew and gathered perfume within your heart but never knew why you waited there and grew. I dreamed I was a bee that one day flew along and came to you, I brushed your petals with a kiss, you yielded the treasured perfume of your heart, and then I knew, you had waited there for me'."

"That's lovely and sweet."

"It's true of you and of me. We complement each other, encourage each other, strengthen each other. You're a part of me." He held her waist and brushed his lips over hers, just a breath, like a promise. "Will you be my wife?"

"Yes. Absolutely, with all my heart, yes."

He wrapped her up in his arms, lifted her off her feet and twirled her around, both laughing. He gazed at her as if she were a treasure and kissed her. She reached around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, letting herself get lost in the heat. She heard the door to the veranda open and the girls' voices. He growled but kept on kissing her. In her peripheral vision, she saw Gem try to walk out to the veranda only to be swung back around and the door close behind her.

Gem called, "I can take a hint, you know!"

Some time later, she said, "I'm so happy." She leaned against him, and they stood together on the veranda enjoying the late afternoon breeze.

Then, something strange started, and she straightened. The clouds rolled in the sky like giant waves. A great hole opened where the clouds had been. Pink, purple, and gray lights flashed like lightning, except it wasn't storming. A sphere of rings appeared out of the hole in the sky, like the rings around a planet. The rings swirled so fast they were blurs of pink and yellow.

"What is that?" she asked.

"It's a ship."

"I've never seen a ship like that before. And what was the hole in the sky?"

"I don't know."

The sirens went off, blaring all around GIPS headquarters. A warning announcement blared from the speakers. "Attention all GIPS personnel we are under attack. Make your way to the shelters."

People ran out to the veranda. Amina looked over the railing to the courtyard below and saw people running outside and staring up at the sky.

Kindel's wrist comm crackled. The Commander's voice came through the comm. "Captains, Kildren is under attack by an unknown enemy. We've received reports from five planets under an identical assault. All squads available and willing, please help with evacuations."

Amina grabbed his arm. "The city is full of families. Children. We have to help them."

He laced his fingers with hers and called the Commander back. "What do we know about the enemy? Have there been sightings?"

"They're not humanoid. Initial reports are they're some sentient carnivorous plant."

"Meaning they eat people?"

"That's how it sounds to me."

"Amina and I are going to help with the evacuations."

"Count us in too!" Gem, Katlin, and Sari met them on the veranda.

"My squad is ready, sir."

"Head for the city with your ship and get as many people out and to the shelters as possible. The Fighters are defending the planet as we speak. Our objective is to keep order and support the citizens."

"Understood sir."

Amina tugged on his arm. Flashes of silver-gray light were appearing to fall from the alien ship. "They're teleporters!" she cried. "Tell the Commander they're infiltrating the courtyard."

"Commander, you get that?"

"Yes, sir. I'll call in the Fighters. They're up there as we speak above the clouds trying to take down the ship. These are like nothing we've seen before."

Kindel kept Amina's hand clasped in his as he led the group into the reception hall and outside. Pandemonium surrounded them.

Charging for the hangar, they jerked to a stop as one of the silver-gray lights flashed down in front of them. Amina shielded her eyes from the piercing light. The blinding glare flipped off leaving behind a hulking brown-green mass. She couldn't move. Time seemed to slow, and she watched it as if she were seeing it from a distance. It pulsated in front of them, and whip-like tentacles writhed all around the creature. It didn't appear to have a face. Gaping black holes covered the entire shape and wept with mucus, as a tree would drip sap.

One of the tentacles whipped after a man, capturing him and coiling around him. He screamed in agony as the creature crushed him. Blood burst from his eyes, ears, and mouth. Another tentacle waved and whipped toward them. Amina reacted instinctively and pushed with all her Ability. The creature writhed. A rushing noise screamed from it, like wind blowing in a gale, and it imploded. Globs of mucus-covered flesh fell all around them.

"Great Gwana," Katlin gushed out in a breath. "I thought we were goners!"

"How'd you do that?" Gem asked.

"I pushed. All I could think was I wanted it away, fast."

Kindel said, "I pulled. I wanted to rip its arm off."

They looked at each other and grinned.

"You popped it like a pimple!" Katlin said.

"What're we waiting for?" Sari asked with a haughty swish of hair. "You two are our secret weapon!"

Kindel called the Commander on his wrist comm as they ran to the hangar, imploding any creatures they met along the way.

If you liked the first book in the Peacekeepers series don't miss Mara's story!

Thanks for reading! Annalise Whelan

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Also by Annalise Whelan

O'Hanrahan Legacy

Romance Me with Flowers

Romance Me with Legends

Romance Me with Memories

Peacekeepers

Sunstar: Amina's Story

Fire Healer: Mara's Story

Glow Spark: Gem's Story

Standalone

The Lost Princess of Keros
