
OTHER BOOKS BY CHRISTINE MYERS:

PSION MATES Prequel

OLTARIN

SURVIVING ZEVUS MAR

PSION FACTOR

PSION'S CHILDREN

CALAN

Cyborg Awakening Series

CYBORG AWAKENINGS Prequel

VYKEN DARK

JOLT SOMBER
Hankura's family sent him away to school on a far-off world when he was only ten to spare him from the torturous mind conditioning of psions on Aledus. On his way he touched the mind with Michelle, a frightened little girl. Neither child realized they had forged a mental connection that would last the rest of their lives.

It didn't come back to haunt until after she reached puberty. The connection grew stronger, haunting his dreams, and coming between Hankura and a woman he thought he loved.

When she was almost killed in a street fight, Hankura knew he must go to Earth and find her. A psion mate bond cannot be broken. Attempting to break that bond could destroy them both or at least their sanity.

But life for psion mates is not perfect. Even though he loves her deeply, Hankura selfishly puts his needs before Michelle's. They struggle to find balance in their relationship in a world with discriminating psion laws, and family dynamics that test them to the limits. 
The Aledan  
PSION

The Aledan Series Book 1

Christine Myers
Copyright © 2018 by **Christine Myers**

Based on the book originally published under ASIN: B011FFALWK

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

Publisher's Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

**The Aledan PSION /Christine Myers** – 3rd ed.

ISBN: 9781370654635
CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Excerpt from OLTARIN

The Horse Clans' Colony An Aledan Series Novel Book 2

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Other Books by Christine Myers:

CHAPTER ONE

"Michelle!" Hankura had been thrashing around for quite some time before he bolted upright in his bed. His heart was pounding, and his body was soaked with sweat. He groaned softly and tried to catch his breath.

His roommate stirred in the bed across the room and roused as he sensed Hankura's agitation. "You dreamed about her again, didn't you?"

Hankura nodded his head. "It was more than a dream, Casir. She needed me. I _felt_ her needing me, and I wasn't there. She nearly died. We were in limbo, and I touched her soul. Then she found the will to live," he murmured. "I didn't want to let her go."

"How long is it since you first mind-linked with her?"

"Almost twenty years standard." Hankura sighed.

"Then Mesgar must have been right. She _is_ your psi-mate."

Hankura shook his head. "That's the only explanation that makes any sense."

"That's why you're the only one who feels her in your dreams light years away. That only happens with psi-mates," Casir said. "Carianne believed it, you didn't renew, and she left."

"I kept telling myself psi-mating was just a myth dreamed up by that madman Malkan."

"Maybe Malkan was crazy, but the prophet Narcaza wasn't. He was your own ancestor, and he believed it," Casir pointed out. "Mesgar believes it, too."

"Space! I have to go there and find her, Casir. I could feel her reaching out to me as she was dying. I didn't want her to die. She wanted me to help her heal her brother, too. But she was too weak. If I'd pushed her too hard, she would have died, too, trying to save him. I had to break contact because I couldn't stand her pain. Her brother is dead now, and she's all alone. I promised to get her out of there a long time ago. I'm afraid she might not make it until I get there. I've got another two years in the program, and I don't know how long she can stay alive without Jerry to help her. Half the time she thinks I lied to her, and half the time she doesn't think I'm real. I feel her pain, Casir, I feel her despair like she's part of me."

"Because she is. I feel your dilemma," Casir empathized. "What are you going to do?"

"Take a bio-chip implant for the last two years," he said. The computerized organic implant would feed information directly into his brain over a period of three months. By taking the last two years of medical school through a biochip, he could leave Velran with his physician's certification in three months.

"But, can you handle the headaches, Hankura?" Migraines were a side effect of such implants, which is why most students didn't use them.

"I know it can be pretty painful, but I can't wait any longer. I have to find Michelle before those barbarians kill her. Maybe once I know she's safe, I can get on with my life."

"Not without her. You don't just get over being psion mates."

"I know. I just didn't want to believe it because I loved Carianne. But, part of me has always been drawn to Michelle. I'm going to Earth to find her then I have to go back to Aledus."

"Are you crazy? You know what they will do to her there." Casir frowned.

"The same thing they will do to me."

"Yes, but you were trained for it. From everything you have shared with me, she is a latent. It will be torture for her."

"Maybe not."

"Care to make a wager on that say fifty thousand chips?

"I don't think so. I don't like the odds."

"Going back to Aledus is even crazier than going to Earth to find her. They never recovered from the Procyon War."

Hankura shrugged. "Maybe it is, but it's what I have to do."

After three months' preparation, Hankura was ready to leave on his journey. Casir went with him to the hangar at the Velran Starport to see him off in the _Mran_ spacecraft that was waiting to be launched.

"It sure is a beauty," Casir said, admiring the sleek triangular shaped craft.

"At a million chips, it ought to be. It's nearly new."

The two men stood looking at the silver and blue craft in silence. Hankura was dressed in a shiny silver flight suit, and Casir wore a loose-fitting white suit that was currently fashionable among human males on Velran.

Casir spoke finally after a long silence. "You remember the first few days after you got here when I wouldn't even talk to you?"

"Yes." Hankura grinned wryly. "I was ready to choke you just so you would say something. I didn't know what you were trying to do because you were so good at blocking everybody."

"Well, when you came walking into our quarters that day, I had a feeling we could be good friends. I didn't want that. I knew that one day you and I would be standing here like this, and I'd be losing my best friend.

"You were lucky, Hankura. Your parents sent you here because they thought they were doing you a favor---even if you didn't think so at the time. My family sent me here with 5 million chips and said don't come back. That was pretty hard to take ...."

"I know," murmured Hankura. "It took me awhile to figure that out." He paused. "You know you could come, too."

Casir shook his head. A stark contrast to the Aledan, Casir was as fair as Hankura was dark with platinum hair and amber eyes. The Aledan held his gaze, studying those familiar features.

"I've done a lot of crazy things in my life but going to Earth with you after your dream girl is not going to be one of them .... Besides, with you gone, someone will have to console Jana and Delara. It might as well be me." Casir grinned suddenly.

Hankura grinned, too. "They always liked you better anyway--"

"--Except for Carianne until she realized that Michelle kept flashing in my mind when we were having sex. It wasn't like I could control it, it just happened. I would never have hurt her like that on purpose," Hankura shrugged. "I loved Carianne. But I feel like Michelle is wrapped around my soul. Mesgar said I had best learn to accept the mind-link because I can't change it."

"My sympathies, friend."

"This could be the best thing that ever happened to me or the worst." Hankura sighed. "Going to Earth these days is an effective way to get myself killed. It scares the hell out of me, but, I know I'll never have any peace until I find her."

Casir swallowed hard. "What happens if you do find her? You're not planning to stay on Earth, are you?"

"Certainly not! I promised my parents two years ago I'd return to Aledus after I finish here."

"That's crazy! How can they ask you to do that? I thought you finally decided not to go."

"Mother changed my mind. It means so much to her, I didn't have the heart to refuse her again. But that doesn't mean I'll stay forever. What about you? What are your plans?"

"I'll let you know when I decide. ...if I can find you."

"I'll leave word with my family .... if I make it back to Aledus."

"You will. I have faith in you." Casir held out his hand, not fooling his friend at all. Casir was worried. Earth was a dangerous place ever since the Procyon Wars. This might really be the last time they ever saw each other.

They both knew it.

Hankura shook Casir's hand and turned to board the ship. He stopped abruptly and turned back to embrace his friend, briefly. No more words were necessary. After one last look into Hankura's dark green eyes, Casir nodded, and Hankura turned without looking back to board his ship. Casir watched the hatch close behind him then turned and left the hangar.

Although he couldn't watch Hankura go, he was glad he had finally accepted Hankura's friendship. The Aledan was the best friend he would ever have.

The glaring sun warmed the freshly turned earth as Michelle knelt planting her seeds in the small groove she had just made in the dirt with her fingers. She paused in her work for a moment to brush at the perspiration beading on her forehead. Her stomach growled with hunger, and she glanced over her shoulder toward her cabin and then out over her garden patch. Some tiny seedlings were already sprouting in the rows she planted a few weeks ago. One more row and she would be finished planting for the season. Then she would eat and maybe cool off in the nearby stream while she washed off the dirt and sweat.

The moon signs were right according to talk she had overheard from some farmers at the farm market. She was counting on a harvest big enough to sustain her through the harsh winter snows---if the scavengers roaming the mountains didn't come along and steal from her like they had from those farmers that complained at the market.

Of course, she wouldn't have to worry about surviving the hard mountain winter if she hadn't left Berke's protection months ago. Berke had rescued her from a gang fight about a year before Jerry was killed. She didn't understand why he had helped her at first, but Jerry knew. Berke wanted her. It was as simple as that. Because he had saved their lives, Michelle believed she owed him. He could be very pleasant and charming when he wanted to, and it was nice for a while to be protected and cared for. In return, she gave him what he wanted from her---her body and a certain degree of affection. She even had begun to care for him until he started playing his sadistic little games with her.

Sometimes he was tender and loving, other times, he would make her play perverted sex games that went way beyond a little BDSM. It was torture. The man was like two people. Michelle soon came to fear and hate him. She left him, but he sent his thugs to bring her back. Berke rewarded them with a night of raping her.

Jerry rescued her two days later. "I'm going to kill him!" Jerry swore after he saw her bruised and swollen face and the tormented look in her eyes.

"No, Jerry. He'll expect you to do something like that. Maybe it's what he wants, so he will have an excuse to kill you. I'd like nothing better than to kill that scum, but we wouldn't have a chance against his thugs with only daggers for weapons," Michelle cried. "I just want to get out of here. Please!"

Jerry hugged her and let her cry for a while until he figured out how they could escape. They stole one of Berke's hovercrafts and abandoned it a few kilometers from his compound, then went into hiding. When she recovered, Jerry taught her how to fight more effectively. Her new skills had come in handy more than once, but Jerry's death taught her that she still had much more to learn.

And sometimes, it was better to run. Michelle wished she and Jerry had run that day.

Michelle had spent most of the day digging out all the plants growing between her neat straight rows. It was nearly sunset, and she was tired, hungry and thirsty. But she forgot her discomfort as she raised her eyes to the clear, blue sky. For one brief moment, she remembered the dirty and frightened little girl that crouched in the alley alone that rainy night. Sometimes, that little girl was too much a part of her.

As she scanned the sky, Hankura's promise whispered itself into her mind again. She shook her head, trying to deny the memory. She couldn't. She wanted to run and hide, but instinct told her there was no place on Earth to escape his beckoning.

I'm coming for you, Michelle, I'm coming... And I will be there soon.

Jed Rankin pored over the readout data, again and again, searching desperately for the information Berke demanded. It just wasn't there. The tiny _Mran_ spacecraft had vanished from the screens less than a minute after he'd given the Aledan pilot ground clearance.

Jed realized belatedly he never should have shot his big mouth off in the first place---especially not to Evans. The little bastard had run straight to Berke with the news. Now he was in a helluva mess. If he didn't come up with the information Berke wanted, the Overlord would see that he lost his job at Farringay Starport. Then how would he take care of Marla and the kid?

At least he'd warned Hankura, which was probably why the Aledan's tiny blip had disappeared so quickly from the scanner screens. Jed shook his head and nervously smoothed back his thinning red hair. Berke sure as hell didn't know what he was asking. That tiny _Mran_ could have veered off in any of a thousand different directions from after the scanners had stopped picking it up.

Jed pursed his lips and frowned at the screen again. Just why was one _Mran_ so important to Berke? Tiny ships like that slipped by the scanners all the time. Often their pilots never bothered to ask for ground clearance. Immigration hardly bothered with them so, why should he? None of the ships stayed long, and there wasn't much damage they could do to the Earth that hadn't been done during the Procyon Wars. A few hundred years later, the mother world of humanity had not yet recovered.

Little hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and Jed straightened up in his seat at the forbidding shadow that fell over his workstation.

"Well?" Berke demanded. "Did you find it?"

"N-not exactly," Rankin stammered nervously, trying to decide whether to call this well-known cut-throat 'sir.' Fine clothes and smooth manners couldn't change what he really was. "I can only assume that the craft probably held to its course and landed somewhere in the mountains east of here. If not, then I really can't help you Mister Berke."

Berke glowered at the cringing man for a moment and satisfied himself that the little weakling was telling the truth.

"The mountains, eh?" he repeated, and a sardonic grin creased his rugged face. "Thanks, Rankin."

Berke turned without another word and swaggered out of the dispatch room. When the door whooshed closed behind him, Rankin sighed in relief, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. Berke was the last person in this part of the world a man would want to antagonize. Those who crossed him usually didn't get a second chance ....

As Redmyn Berke left the starport complex, he went out to the nearby hover station and climbed into his auto-piloted hovercraft.

"Did you learn anything?" Bart asked eagerly when Berke slid onto the seat across from him and his partner Mason.

"Yes." Berke nodded tersely to the thugs and reached for a drink from the dispenser to his right. "How would you and Mason like to pay a visit to my little Michelle again?"

"What?" Bart's mouth dropped open. "I thought you had her wasted."

"She got away." He paused with a frown then his expression grew smug. "That Rankin thinks the _Mran_ might have landed in the mountains. Michelle is there. Perhaps she has seen or heard something .... And even if she hasn't, I decided I want her back. Bring her." Berke paused and met their eyes each, in turn, an ominous warning of his own. "No games like before. I don't want either of you screwing her. She's mine! Don't hurt her."

"But I thought .... " Mason began stupidly.

"Yeah--well, you thought wrong," Berke retorted and swallowed the contents of his glass. The fiery liquid burned all the way down, filling his treacherous gray eyes with moisture. "I just thought she needed a lesson," he muttered and reached to fill his glass again. "She's mine. You'll just have to settle for your cut after we sell the _Mran_. A few more of those handy little ships and we'll have Wingale as well as Farringay in our conglomerate. Then, who knows?"

Berke pressed for two more glasses of whiskey and passed them to Bart and Mason. "Drink up, gentlemen. We must make plans."
CHAPTER TWO

Hankura came to her in her dreams like many times before, but the pull was so much stronger now. _I've come for you, Michelle... Just as I promised when we touched minds as children. We are meant to be together..._

He took her into his arms and held her close, with her face pressed against his shoulder, and he caressed her hair, kissing the top of her head. His body was strong and warm pressed to hers. His erection pressed into her belly and she sucked in her breath as desire throbbed in her core. Despite what she had been through with Berke's men, the soothing tenderness that flowed directly into her mind told her she had nothing to fear from this man.

He told her without words how he wanted to pleasure her body and fill her with his hard cock, how he could drive her to ecstasy when they joined together as one. She raised her eyes to his. She saw passion and tenderness as well as _felt_ it like an incoming tide of emotion echoing through her mind.

His kiss seemed to electrify her whole body with sensation, causing her to press her body against his, wanting more of him. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, and his cock thrust deep inside her to soothe the aching emptiness.

Then the dream changed and they were in bed together naked on a soft, silky sheet. Hankura was on her and in her, thrusting in and out of her in a hard, easy rhythm that felt so exquisite that she uttered a cry of pleasure with each driving lunge. It was so real she could feel his weight on top of her and the delicious friction of his muscular chest against her erect nipples.

Hankura was hers, and she was his, and they always would be. Somehow, she had always known that. As the years passed, the knowing dimmed for a while as she pushed it back when she was with Berke.

As they made the carnal journey toward the pinnacle of their desire, their climax was about to erupt like a geyser spewing hot water from deep in the earth. Closer and closer, higher and higher they soared...

Then they were both ripped away, split in two, back in their solitary beds...alone.

"No!" Michelle cried as she woke, still aching to feel him inside her, to know the warmth of his hard body against hers, and the comfort of his thoughts entwining with hers. But Hankura wasn't there, he never was. She was alone in the dark cabin, wanting a man she had never seen except in her dreams.

Cursing the uncomfortable wetness spreading over his groin, Hankura awoke in the solitude of his small spacecraft. It was just a dream, but the result was real enough. Michelle had given him some of the best erotic dreams of his life without even knowing it. It was a bittersweet meeting of their minds that always left him depressed afterward. He always woke up alone, ready to sell his soul just to hold her .... To make love to her as he dreamed of doing. In those moments, he believed it was certainly worth the risk of going to Earth.

After a few calming breaths, Hankura got up from his bunk and went into the sanitary closet to shower and dress. He still had another hour to sleep, but he wasn't tired anymore. When he was dressed, he slumped into his pilot's seat to monitor the auto-guidance system.

Hankura knew that going to Earth would be risky, long before Jed Rankin warned him of the dangers. But he had no choice now. Aside from Michelle's beckoning, a power overload in the auto-guidance system had sent him off course and ate away most of the five small crystals that powered the _Arius Mran_.

If he didn't put down on Earth and get replacements, his ship would eventually lose power completely, and he would die in space. On the other hand, if he put down on Earth, he could get himself killed by merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hankura let out a rueful sigh, shifting his lean, long body in the pilot seat. It made him vaguely sad as he considered the path that led the mother world of humanity to this state of ruin. The Earth had known a proud and glorious history until they had tried to take Procyon III from alien colonists. Retaliation for the massacre of the alien colonists nearly destroyed Earth. A series of conflicts followed, ending Earth's reign as a major power in the Federation.

The planet had become a dystopian nightmare after the Procyon wars. Earth's natural resources were severely depleted, and the population was decimated.

Lengthy negotiations brought the conflict to an end after a hundred years. The Federation had been forced to admit wrong-doing to the Mesaarkans and relinquish all future claim to Procyon III. Since that time, the Mesaarkans had built a thriving colony, and their world had become a prominent influence in the United Galactic Federation.

They considered that the ruin of Earth settled the debt owed by the humans. As retribution, one million people had died for each Mesaarkan killed in the attacks. Many more had died in the famines and pestilence that followed while peace was being negotiated.

Now after hundreds of years, the greatest part of Earth still lay in ruin. But Earth had a star port in Farringay, and there was no reason Hankura couldn't find Michelle and purchase the fuel cells he needed. He figured he could be back in space within a few days.

Finding Michelle was the least of his worries. Her presence in his mind was growing stronger and stronger the closer he came to Earth. When the shining blue face of the mother world loomed ahead, he knew exactly where to find her.

Hankura locked in the computer to guide the _Arius Mran_ in for a landing. The power converter in the guidance system was working right again--too late to save his power crystals.

The landing was routine until he crashed into the forest.

Trees cracked under the weight of his ship, and branches scraped the hull heavily as the craft set down, echoing the sounds of destruction through the quiet of the night.

The damage was superficial according to the computer readouts. But, considering his recent experience with the guidance system, Hankura decided to check the hull himself in the morning. He didn't trust a computer that would send his ship almost a full sector off course.

To conserve what little energy was left in the power crystals, he shut down the outside lights and most of the interior systems. Although he wasn't due to sleep for a few hours, there was little else he could do in the dark forest. So, he lay down on his bunk and tried to relax until daybreak.

He lay for a long time staring up at the ceiling interior of the ship's upper hull and let his mind wander.

He sensed Michelle reaching out to him, and it was as though her soul were trying to meld with his own. Without ever having seen her, he was physically aroused. His groin ached with the overwhelming need to join her body to his. It happened many times before in the erotic dreams they had shared, but never with this intensity. He understood that this mating instinct was being triggered by the psi-bonding. Now, it threatened to overwhelm his other reasons for coming to find Michelle. He had never wanted anyone so much.

Hankura sensed that he had been a cherished imaginary friend, sometimes more real to her than others. He kept her company when she was alone and afraid, and he shared her fears in his dreams.

Michelle didn't really understand the strength of their connection, though. Even when the voices came to her in the months before Jerry was killed, Hankura had seen that she didn't realize the power of thought she could control. She was a latent psion, wild and uneducated. She was everything Aledan society shunned in the people of the mother world. The prospect of taking her there worried him because they would quickly see how different she was. He and Michelle would have to deal with that.

Hankura didn't fight it as her essence invaded his mind. The bond was too strong. After fifteen minutes, Hankura knew he couldn't rest. He got up and assembled a pack for his journey, then changed from the metallic coverall he was wearing to a loose-fitting shirt and trousers. On his belt, he hung a laser/stunner just in case ....

Although he was a physician by trade and didn't know if he could kill, he didn't dare venture out into this strange world unarmed.

At sunrise, he left the ship to check the hull. It was marred by scraping branches but undamaged just as the computer indicated. Hankura paused to stare up at the trees towering over him. His rough landing had opened a gaping hole in the greenery that would expose his ship to air crafts passing overhead.

He couldn't risk having anyone find the ship--his only way off this miserable planet. So, he used his laser and sheared off some of the surrounding brush to camouflage it.

_Mother of Life, what am I doing here?_ He cursed silently as he tossed leafy branches on the pile that was beginning to cover his ship. _Why didn't I just take a freighter?_

But it was not a valid question. He knew full well he had loved piloting the _Mrans_ from the first time he'd sat behind the controls in space with the freedom of the stars in his grasp.

He'd sacrificed companionship for his freedom, however, on this journey back to Aledus. He'd hoped the solitude would help him sort out his life. Now he was more alone than he ever thought he would be--except for her.

Twittering sparrows startled him out of his thoughts as the birds rustled the branches overhead. He finished covering the ship and set out to find Michelle. As he moved through the trees and brush leafy branches and thorny vines seemed to reach out and slap him in the face. Brittle twigs snapped, and dry, dead leaves rustled on the ground. His noisy tramping through the woods sent numerous frightened animals scurrying away. Although he saw few, there were living creatures all around him, and he sensed their fear of him.

He could have reassured them, but his obsession with finding Michelle kept him moving. Only that obsession could have made him struggle so relentlessly through the thick brush of the mountain forest. He'd lost track of time altogether when he finally saw an opening ahead that renewed the strength of his determination. Two tracks were etched in the dirt, a strip of green growing between them. This open path was less direct than his route through the forest, but it stretched out before him invitingly. He sensed that it twisted eventually toward the big clearing where Michelle lived. And taking the path was a lot easier.

Hankura! As Michelle awoke with his overwhelming presence in her mind; it was more real than she had ever known before. He was coming to find her just as he'd promised all those years ago.

So many times, Jerry had tried to convince her that Hankura was merely a product of her imagination! She had started to believe her brother, but Jerry was wrong .... Hankura was real, and no one would ever convince her otherwise again. He was real, and she had to find him.

Following the tree-sheltered path deep into the woods, Michelle sensed his approach long before she caught sight of him. It was a strange feeling--a kind of magnetism that made it impossible for her to turn back. It frightened her a little.

Then images of places she had seen in their shared dreams started to unfold in her mind as the strange-familiar presence grew stronger. She saw the endless blackness of space and sensed his loneliness on the journey to Earth. She didn't know how to shut out his memories.

Michelle stopped at the edge of a small clearing. The sudden urge to turn and run almost overwhelmed her. He--Hankura was coming nearer. He was in her head stronger than ever before, and it scared her.

They saw each other almost at the same time and stood staring in awe for several moments before either moved toward the other. Her fear and awe entwine with his own and mixed with a compulsion to reach out and touch her ....mind and body.

He was all she had expected physically--tall and well-muscled with dark hair and emerald green eyes that seemed to look right through her.

Michelle knew she was beautiful in his eyes despite the ragged overalls that clad her slim figure. His sexual attraction awakened feelings that she had suppressed for a very long time. A vision of them entwined in a sexual embrace accompanied that yearning.

Her face flushed. Michelle was shaken as she realized her vision of them together touched his mind, too. His eyes were warm, and he grinned, moving toward her with his hand extended. It was clear he meant to fulfill her sexual longings.

"Nooo!" She backed away in unreasoning panic. She wanted him, but she was afraid to give herself into his possession despite the bond of their minds. She was afraid of the way he made her feel. He moved closer, and she turned and ran.

As Michelle ran, Hankura knew her fear, and he understood when he saw the memories flash through her mind. Taking up his pack and slinging it over one shoulder, he ran after her. He overtook her more quickly than he expected when she tripped and fell over a tree root.

He knelt beside her and reached to comfort her, but she screamed and struck at him. Her wiry strength surprised him as he caught one driving fist and then the other. But before he realized her intention, Michelle broke free and knocked him on his back, scrambling to hold him down. In the stunned moment Hankura hesitated, she found her knife. Straddling his middle, she held the point against his Adam's apple.

Hankura met her steady gaze with a startled look. His first impulse was to bat away the knife and overpower her, but he knew that would be a mistake. Just then, she needed to feel in control of the situation, and he knew why.

Michelle, I didn't come all this way to hurt you. I'm not like those monsters who raped you, simply because I'm a man. You know me, and I know you. I'm Hankura. Remember our dreams? Remember!

She read the truth in his thoughts even though her fear from her past made her try to deny him. After all these years, he finally came back for her. She sensed that he was warm and gentle and strong; just as she always knew he would be. Now she knew beyond all doubt that he had never been a dream.

Michelle started to tremble and took the knife point away from his throat. Then she moved off him and sat back on her knees, clenching the hilt of the dagger in her fist. She saw a drop of blood where her slight pressure on the knife had caused the point to nick his flesh and regretted that she had hurt him even a little. So many emotions welled up inside her, she started to cry. She had waited so long for him, been through so much.

Hankura sat up slowly on the ground beside her and held out his hand, aching to comfort her. As she saw his outstretched hand through her tears, she looked into his face and let herself feel his warmth and compassion. Slowly, she laid down the knife. She put her hand in his and let him draw her gently into his arms and hold her close. For a time, she wept softly against his shoulder and shared her memories with him. His own eyes filled as he perceived the pain and joy and fear of her past, and he held her more tightly, softly stroking her tangled hair. Then he shared his memories with her, the story of his life so far.

When she was calmer, he reached into her mind:

Now you understand. We've been part of each other since we first touched minds as children. Our minds are in harmony because we're psi-mates. That's why we've been linked all these years.

"How can that be true? I'm not a psion." She shook her head.

_But you_ are _. That's how you knew I would come back to find you. We are two halves of a whole yet separate unto ourselves. You just need to open your mind to me to know what I'm thinking._

The gentle caress of his thoughts washed through her mind as his fingers idly strayed across her cheek in a physical caress. Men had always looked at her with lust in their eyes, but no one had ever looked at her the way he was looking at her---except in her dreams about him.

She didn't question his attraction because he had already shared a lifetime of memories with her and explained the intensity of his feelings for her in the span of a thought. He was the Aledan who had touched her mind in compassion those many years ago. She had trusted him then, and she was starting to trust him again.

I could never hurt you, Michelle. You are part of me. I want you to feel that. I want you to need me the way I need you. I want you, but I would never force you. If anyone tries to hurt you again, they will have to deal with me. Remember those sweet dreams we shared so many times. It can be like that for us if you let it.

Her eyes widened, and she couldn't look away. She trembled with uncertainty. He reached and touched her cheek softly, his eyes promising his touch would give her that kind of pleasure if she would let him.

You're beautiful, Michelle, and your beauty goes beyond what I can see with my eyes. When our minds touch....

She drew a sharp breath as he filled her mind with the memory of one of their erotic dreams and it caused a sensual fluttering in her loins. As her breathing quickened, she looked at him with a sudden hunger that made him ache for her. Her lips parted willingly as he bent to kiss her, pulling her tightly against him. Emotions he had experienced in their shared dreams surged through him. He drew back, startled by the intensity of the torrent of unspoken passion that passed between them. He sat quietly and looked at her for a moment.

The warmth of her body pressed against him, wrapped in his arms was a balm to his soul. Her lips felt like no other lips he had ever kissed. Home was not a place or a dwelling, it was the woman in his arms. She quivered and sighed as he caressed her and their mouths stayed fused together until he broke the kiss to look at her face.

Michelle saw herself in his eyes. She read the flow of his thoughts as he studied her stunning blue eyes. Blue eyes were rare to humans except for Terrans. He admired the way her auburn hair framed her face in soft waves and shaded her eyes, making her look sultry and the way her nose turned up at the tip. He ran his fingers through her long hair with a pleased murmur, and she smiled at him. She too liked what she saw--the strong jaw line, his dark green eyes. His skin was warm, and she let her hands wander over his chest and shoulders, reassuring herself that he was real.

Hankura kissed her again, slowly savoring the feel of her lips, exploring her mouth as a prelude to the other places he wanted to explore. She pressed her body against the taut muscles of his chest, and the feel of her stoked his passion almost beyond his control. He wanted to take it slow, to savor these moments, as he had dreamed about so long, but she was too aroused and willing now that she had let go of her fear.

He could sense her desire in his mind, and it heightened his own. She pulled away, looking shy and a little nervous but inviting. He groaned and pulled her close again. With shaking fingers, he unfastened the bib of her ragged overalls and let it fall. As he pulled her close for another kiss, he and she began tugging at his clothing and he started helping her.

It was impetuous for them to simply strip and copulate on the soft bed of moss under a canopy of tall green trees, but their need to mate was so urgent they could think of nothing else. Hankura's telepathic ability told him they were completely alone in the woods. No one could bother them.

Knowing how she had been abused, tempered Hankura's need somewhat. There were many beautiful women in his past, but none that could compare with Michelle. That she was his psi-mate may have augmented his attraction to her. Now that she was wrapped in his arms with her body against him, he realized he had been in love with her for years through the dreams they had shared.

They had shared so much more than sexual attraction. They shared their hopes and fears.

Hankura wanted Michelle to feel nothing but pleasure when they made love. Because he could read her mind, he knew exactly how to please her. She liked the feel of his hands on her body and the way he kissed her and teased the inside of her mouth with his tongue. When he cupped her breasts and massaged her nipples, the sensations shot straight to her core and heightened her desire. If he laved and sucked on them long enough, she would cum without his even penetrating her.

As he loved her with his body, he also loved her with his mind, and her love echoed back to him. He knew the exact moment she surrendered to her desire for him and silently urged him to fill her with his member. She opened her thighs for him just like in their dream, and the flower of her sex glistened with her juices. He held himself above her with the head of his cock poised at her entrance until he sensed her unspoken plea to fill her to the hilt.

Hankura slid his cock easily into her slick tunnel as far as he could and Michelle, Chelle in his mind, gave an inarticulate shout of pleasure. He pulled part way out and pushed in firmly as she arched her hips up to meet him.

_More! More!_ Her mind shouted into his. _Deep and hard, fill me with your love, Hankura, my beloved. Only you have ever made me feel this good._

In her mind, he saw a vision of a fountain shooting water high into the air. As their arousal increased they were carried on that stream up into the air, he knew with certainty they would climax together when they reached the summit, and they did each time they made love that day. __

They made love many times on a bed of soft moss until they lay exhausted in each other's arms. By then the sun was starting to set. The air had grown cooler, but they hardly noticed anything except each other in the heat of their embrace. They laughed aloud together, relishing the pleasure of finally meeting.

Eventually, they got up, intending to dress. Then, suddenly they were kissing, and a new shock of awareness reverberated between them. Hankura hugged Michelle close and groaned as her nearness aroused him yet again.

There was so much he needed to tell her--things he'd kept from her when he shared his memories with her--things he wished he didn't ever have to tell her. Soon enough, she would know everything about him. Hankura didn't want to think of that just then. He only wanted to make love to her again. One more hour in her arms wouldn't change the future or the past ....
CHAPTER THREE

It was dark when Michelle led Hankura from the forest and into the clearing where her cabin stood. As they walked along the path in the moonlight, Hankura sensed that Michelle was feeling hurt and angry with him now that the glow of their mating had faded some. He stopped and drew her around to face him. _What is troubling you, love?_

Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him. "Why did you let Jerry die?"

He flinched as though she had struck him, and his eyes grew bright.

You didn't have the strength, She-ell. I didn't save you, you saved yourself. I just helped you find the way. To save Jerry, you would have had to give up your life force---and that may not have been enough .... I'd hoped you'd understand why I withdrew. I couldn't bear your pain. I would have saved him if I could, She-ell. I'm deeply sorry that I couldn't.

As she sensed how deeply the memory hurt him, Michelle put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. Jerry wouldn't have wanted her to sacrifice her life for him, and she understood that Hankura could not have saved him. Hankura held her close and grieved with her for a man he had only known through her.

He trembled against her, and Michelle looked up into his face. His eyes were bright with tears, and the force of her own grief was echoed back to her. Suddenly she understood how vulnerable he was to her pain. She hugged him tenderly, wanting to soothe him. After a moment, she looked up and saw the tiny wound on his throat. She touched it with her finger and concentrated on making it heal. When she took her finger away, it was gone.

Now she began to realize even more clearly the strength of the bond between them. But she wondered if that was enough for them to build a life together on Hankura's world.

Hankura sensed her doubt. _How can you doubt it, She-ell?_

"Oh, Hankura--I've dreamed of this moment so many times. In the worst times, I prayed for you to come. Now, I just don't see how our lives can fit together. I want you for my mate, but I just don't know how I can live on Aledus. We don't even speak the same language, except in our minds. What can I be on Aledus with just what I learned on the streets of Farringay? I don't know your customs, Hankura, I can't even read!"

Hankura framed her face in his hands and shook his head with a rueful smile. _I admit that you'll be an alien there. But you have the intelligence to learn everything that you need to know. I'll teach you much of it myself. Michelle, I must go back. I promised._

"Yes, and you wish you hadn't. It worries you. Why?" she asked aloud.

He sighed and averted his gaze. _My family wants me to come back. I just want to forget our bitter parting and go on with my life. Father says I don't understand why they had to send me away instead of taking me to Belderon. He wants a chance to make up for that. I don't think he can._

"But you want him to. You want him to love you and be proud of you." Michelle turned her face to kiss the palm of his hand. "I feel your need to go back, and I need to be with you. I hate this place, but I'm not sure I want to leave knowing that I may never come back."

_Life for us on Aledus could be difficult,_ he admitted. There was more he could tell her, but maybe things had changed after twenty years. Still, worries nagged at him.

Michelle sensed his concern, but she attributed it to fears about making peace with his family. "Don't worry, Hankura. They'll be proud of you."

As she hugged him tightly, he let himself be drawn into her optimistic mood. She was scared enough by the enormity of leaving everything she had ever known. He didn't want to frighten her anymore---especially if it might be for nothing.

After a few more minutes, they started walking toward the cabin again, following the pasture fence. Michelle's big red stallion whinnied and trotted forward to greet them. She spoke to the horse in low tones and rubbed his soft muzzle.

Hankura watched curiously. Having little experience with domestic animals, he didn't quite know how to respond. He drew his understanding from Michelle's rapport with the animal and tentatively reached to pet its head. In turn, the stallion nipped playfully at his shirt.

"See? Orion likes you already."

He sort of reminds me of a Wholaskan I met on Velran. Of course, your beast doesn't have Fask's intellect. Fask was an astrophysicist, not a beast of burden.

"Fask is the one who taught you how to run your ship."

Hankura nodded. _Without him, I might never have found my way here alone._

Michelle frowned as he opened his mind to let her understand the problems he'd experienced with his guidance computer and the damaged fuel crystals.

"Where can you get new crystals?" she asked.

He put his arm around her shoulders, and they began to walk toward the cabin again. _Jed Rankin said that I could buy them in Farringay if I didn't mind paying an outrageous sum. I have the credit chips. How can I get to the Starport from here_?

She gasped. "No, Hankura. You can't go to Farringay. Berke is there. He is overlord. He controls most of the city and probably Rankin, too. You wouldn't be safe, there."

I'm not afraid of Redmyn Berke. I'll fight him if I have to. I need those crystals. We'll never get off this world without them. I can go for them alone if you're afraid.

"No. I am afraid, but I won't let you go alone. I know Farringay. I can help you."

Do you have transportation?

"Orion is all I have. It's three days ride---more riding double."

That will have to do.

"But you don't even know how to ride!"

Hankura shrugged. "I'll learn."

Michelle flashed him a brilliant smile that made it hard for him to breathe. They'd made love again and again, and he still wanted her. But it was far more than mere lust.

When they touched and joined as one, she gave as freely of her mind as she did her body. In passion, Michelle could touch his soul as no one else ever had. She made him feel strong and whole---at peace with his universe for a long time after those moments when she was his universe and he hers.

He sensed Michelle's embarrassment as she read his memories of their lovemaking. They gave her pleasure, yet she seemed to be uncomfortable with her own sexuality and the depth of the intimacy they shared.

_Ah, Michelle._ He grinned at her in the moonlight and cupped his hand to her cheek. _Our mating was satisfying when we did it. There's no shame in enjoying the memory._ She looked away in confusion, and he could sense her blocking his telepathy instinctively. She wasn't ready to give him access to feelings she hadn't sorted out for herself yet. He nodded in understanding. "You did promise me some food."

"Yes." She took his hand and led him into her darkened cabin. She found her way to the table and the box of matches upon it. Lighting one, she touched it to a candle on the table then moved about the cabin, cupping her hand over the tiny flame while she lit the other candles. "Now, I'll build a fire in the stove to cook our food. We can make plans to go to Farringay while we are eating."

While she went about her tasks, Hankura was left to explore the three small rooms of the cabin. He knew how to reconstruct damaged organs or grow new ones from a single cell, but he knew little about cooking food in this primitive manner. There wouldn't be much use for such skills on Aledus, so he saw no reason to learn them.

To him, the dwelling was tiny and incredibly shabby, but it looked clean. Hankura thanked the Goddess he'd had his inoculation therapy before leaving Velran. Only she knew what insidious diseases this barbaric world harbored. Before leaving Earth, Michelle would have to undergo the therapy, too. He was glad it wasn't painful because, under the circumstances, he was the only one to administer it. It would be hard for him to cause her pain even in her own best interests.

Hankura shuffled around the simply furnished sitting room, and picked up various objects and examined them. Touching each one, he sensed Michelle's aura in them.

He shook his head introspectively and wondered what Casir would make of all this. Knowing Casir, he would take it all in stride---especially Michelle. A smug grin tugged at the corners of Hankura's mouth. Here was one woman Casir wouldn't be stealing from his affections as he had Jana and Delara.

He was surprised at his sudden hostility when considering that someone might try to do that. He and Michelle were bonded now, and this made him intensely possessive of her as his mate. Pity to anyone who tried to take her from him.

Michelle pushed her hair back over her tanned shoulders then carefully spread the coarse blanket on Orion's back. She settled the saddle on top of it and tightened the cinch while Hankura watched. He handed her the bridle, then held the horse's head while she slipped the metal bit into its mouth.

"It's going to take even more time than I thought to get to Farringay since you've never ridden before. You're going to be pretty sore after the first day," she said as she buckled the bridle into place.

_I'll survive_. His smile was wry. "She-ell---" he said the word to her again as he tried to put his thoughts into the strange words of her language. Pronouncing the words was more difficult than he expected. It would take some practice. He shook his head.

"You called me that before. My name is MI-chelle." she pronounced it slowly for him. "But you can call me Chelle if you like. It sounds nice when you say it."

She-ell is who I see when we touch. She-ell is who you were in my dreams---who you are in my heart. It means beloved or dear one in Aledan.

"How could I mind that?" She grinned. "My brother used to call me Mishy or Mish, but Chelle sounds nice. Would you mind if I called you Hank sometimes?"

"I won't mind," he said slowly. "Chelle---" His pronunciation was closer to hers, but he still had trouble focusing his mind on the words in the current Anglic dialect that he needed to express his thoughts. So, he reverted to telepathy.

Do you think I'll have trouble buying my fuel cells? I have plenty of standard credit chips. But will they demand a visa or immigration permit?

She shook her head. "I doubt it. They don't bother off-worlders unless they are merchants or they cause trouble. They won't take much notice of one stranger cashing in a few thousand chips for some Verlian crystal cells. We just have to be careful not to draw attention to ourselves while we're in Farringay. _Mrans_ are bringing three million credits on the black market these days, and there are enough people around who wouldn't think twice about killing you for that kind of money.

_You're afraid, but you still want to come to the city with me_.

"Well, I have a bad feeling about letting you go to the city alone. You don't know what it's like, and you can hardly speak English. I don't know anyone who speaks Aledan. Forget about using telepathy with anyone but me."

Hankura nodded. _I'm glad you decided to come with me._

When she had finished saddling the horse, Hankura helped her hook their light packs and bedding to the saddle. He went to open the door, so Michelle could lead Orion out of the stable then gestured for her to stop. He stood poised for a moment as though he were listening.

Two men are coming in a craft---they're looking for you.

"Berke?" she asked, and Hankura shook his head. "No, he wouldn't come himself. He probably sent Bart and Mason, the bastards," she muttered.

Michelle came to his side and peered out through the crack where he held the big wooden door slightly ajar. A small hovercraft set down lightly, and Bart and Mason climbed out. They went to search the cabin first. Finding no one inside, they started for the stable. Both were armed with laser-stunners.

Without warning, Hankura gripped her shoulders and pushed her behind him. He drew out his weapon and held it poised to fire a stun beam at the two approaching men. Then, he thought better of it. As they reached the shed, he overwhelmed them with a mind barrage, and they crumpled to the ground.

"You should have killed them," Michelle murmured.

Hankura frowned at her hatred for them and he was ashamed of what he had done. If he'd used psi on anyone on Aledus, he'd be facing a nice long jail sentence. His impulsive act went against all his training in psionic ethics. But they meant to kill him for his ship and to take Michelle from him. Realizing that he really did want to kill them bothered him even more. He understood why Michelle wanted to kill them, now.

He shook his head. _Killing them won't bring your brother back to life. It wouldn't change what they did to you. It would just make us more like them._

"I have been at their level all my life, Hankura. This is my world. I kill them, or they kill me. That's the way it is."

Yes, but not the way you want it.... We'll take their craft to Farringay. We can be back before sundown---before they ever come to and realize what we have done.

"Only if you know how to kill the homing signal. Otherwise, it will lead Berke straight to us. Can you fix it?"

Hankura nodded. _I will do it while you free the horse. We won't need him anymore when we come back. One of your scavengers will find him and claim him, or he can fend for himself. He will survive._

"Leave Orion?" Her eyes filled with tears as she realized he was serious. Until then, she hadn't stopped to think that leaving Earth would mean leaving Orion behind as well. Of course, they couldn't take him to Aledus in Hankura's tiny ship. She knew that but leaving Orion hurt nonetheless.

Hankura's expression softened, and he put his arms around her. _She-ell, I know how much he means to you, how important he has been to your survival here. But we can't take him. My ship will seem small for two of us. I'm sorry._

His tenderness helped as she nodded against his shoulder and sniffed back her tears. At that moment, she consciously made her decision. She pulled away slowly and turned to unsaddle and unbridle her horse for the last time. As Hankura watched for a moment, he ached for the sacrifice she was making for him, wishing he could take the pain away. Finally, he turned to the hovercraft and went about deactivating the homing signal, but he found it hard to concentrate.

Michelle lingered over her task, stroking and talking to the horse as she unburdened him. Tears slipped down her cheeks and wet his mane as she hugged his neck. Orion nickered softly and turned to nuzzle her hair. This time the tears wouldn't stop as she imagined the empty place his absence would leave in her life.

"This is it, boy.... I'll never forget you. Go on with you, now." She slapped him on the rump and sent him running across the field toward the woods, kicking up his heels. Eventually, he slowed and turned to look back at her. Again, he nickered softly as she willed him not to come back to her. He seemed to understand and dropped his head to graze on a thick clump of grass. Michelle watched him until her tears stopped, then shuffled over to the hovercraft. Hankura had already finished dismantling the homing signal.

They climbed into the craft together, and Hankura began to study the controls. He knew how to operate such a craft, but all the controls were marked in a foreign language which neither he nor Michelle could read. However, Michelle solved the problem quite nicely. With the touch of a button, she set the craft on auto guide and voiced the necessary command. She had seen Berke do the same many times.

The craft lifted slowly into the air, pivoted forty-five degrees and shot forward. Twenty minutes later, they set down at the edge of Farringay in an abandoned warehouse.

Hankura and Michelle walked to a subway terminal where they took a tube capsule to the Starport using some of Hankura's chips to pay the fare. That took more credit chips than Michelle had seen in six months.

With luck, she might have gotten as much for selling the extra produce from her garden in the fall. Only she wouldn't be there for the harvest.

She was going to Aledus with Hankura, and they would marry according to his cultural beliefs. Michelle didn't feel marriage was necessary. They were already pair-bonded. For her, that was enough in a world where her life held little certainty from one day to the next. But being legally bonded seemed important to Hankura so she couldn't refuse him.

The purchase of the fuel cells at the Starport was uneventful. Michelle asked for the merchandise from the service counter, and Hankura paid the required number of credit chips. She was appalled at the number of chips it took for the five small crystals that were no bigger than the tip of her little finger. Hankura grinned and shrugged as he put the fuel cells in a zippered pocket of his shirt. He would have given all the chips he had to get them. They were that important.

Before leaving the Starport, Hankura also bought two coveralls for Michelle to wear on the ship. She went right into a change room and donned one of the new outfits. She shoved the ragged overalls she'd been wearing into a refuse tube and carried the second garment folded under her arm.

Hankura and Michelle took the subway back to the area where they had left the hovercraft. Not long after they left the subway, Hankura began to sense that they were being watched. As he let his mind drift, he learned that Berke's men were indeed watching them.

They were still a hundred meters from the hovercraft. He hoped they could make it there before any of Berke's thugs could catch them. Maybe he and Michelle could hole up until dark and leave the city then.

This section of the city was mostly rubble of ancient buildings. The streets were strewn with rubbish and human wastes, and they were infested with rats and roaches. Even the destruction caused by the Procyon Wars couldn't rid the world of vermin.

A hundred meters from the warehouse, Berke's men began trailing them from a hovercraft. It landed nearby as they fled into an alley for shelter.

Two men climbed out of the craft and followed them on foot, firing laser blasts after them. It looked as if Hankura and Michelle would escape until she fell over a pile of rusting metal. Hankura turned to defend them while she scrambled to her feet.

One man fell to the Aledan's mind barrage, but the other, the other was a Tregan---immune to such a tactic. In the split second, it took Hankura to realize this and draw his laser, a searing beam hit him in the left ribs below the heart. His shot went wild as he fell, and Michelle screamed.

The Tregan flicked a switch on his weapon and leveled it at Michelle. She gasped as the blast stunned her, and she crumpled to the ground beside Hankura.
CHAPTER FOUR

"Father, won't you come to the concert with us?" Capra prodded. "You'll miss their last performance in Salla."

"No, thank you, dear," he said quietly. "I want to be here in case we hear something from Hankura."

"It'll probably be that he's been delayed again. I'm beginning to wonder if he's coming home at all."

"He'll come! He promised."

Capra shrugged, shaking out the layers of fabric in her loosely draped gown. "I hope he does for your sake. But, I hardly remember him. I don't know what to expect. He'll know what I feel and think when I can only guess about him."

"I'm sure if you give him a chance, he'll let you get to know him. He _is_ your brother, and this is his home, too."

"But, he's an unconditioned psion. Aren't they dangerous?"

"That's what we've always been told, but your mother wouldn't let them take Hankura to the Psi Institute. We have been, however, assured that he has received most careful training on Velran. I'm sure he's disciplined in the use of his power, and he knows Aledan law. He would never hurt us."

"Well, I don't envy him coming home after the last psi attack in Salla." Capra shook her head musingly, jiggling the mass of tight, brown curls that capped her head. Six people had been traumatized irreversibly, and the Psion was placed in stasis indefinitely because reprogramming just didn't work.

Ludren nodded. "Hankura will suffer now because of the damage done by one confused psion. Since that happened, the Medical Center has demanded a psych profile on him before they'll give him the staff position they offered. He won't like that. They're treating him like a criminal."

"I know." Capra shook her head.

"That's why we have to make him welcome here. He'll have enough problems without our adding to them."

"I'll try," she replied in earnest. "After all, he is my brother."

"You'll do more than try, young lady," Natar ordered as she strolled into the sitting room. She had perceived the entire exchange between her husband and daughter from the bed chamber. As she came into the room, she raised her chin proudly, and the emeralds in her hair sparkled. "Hankura has been away too long. Now that he's coming home to stay, you will show him the same consideration that you show your brother Trevin."

"Of course, Mother." Capra acquiesced.

"Natar, you must remember that he may not stay." Ludren injected. "We've discussed this before. Twenty years is a long time, and things have gotten worse since he left. Be grateful that we will at least see him again."

"He will stay," Natar insisted stubbornly. "I know he will. This is where he belongs. I will never forgive any of you if you drive him away. He is no more dangerous than I am."

"Don't worry, Mother. We'll make him welcome." Capra humored her. "Are you ready?"

"Do I look ready?" Natar turned for them both to see how the layers of her delicate green gown flattered her rounded figure. The neckline plunged low to reveal the valley between her ample breasts. In that vee hung a large emerald in an ornate gold setting.

"I'll say!" Capra grinned. "You look wonderful, Mother."

"What do you think, darling?" Natar turned to her husband.

"Lovely." _I think I'd like to have you all to myself this evening._ His eyes flickered with appreciation. He put his arms around her and drew her close to kiss her cheek. "The gown certainly becomes you."

_If you don't retire until I come home, you will have me all to yourself._ Her eyes softened with affection as she smiled up at him.

_Pray that I never grow that old._ He grinned and held his thought for her to seek it in his mind. "Enjoy yourselves. I'll record any news of Hankura to share with you."

Ludren watched them walk out into the garden where they stepped into the hovercraft that was waiting for them there. When they closed the hatch behind them, he closed the portal and walked back to the lavishly furnished sitting room. He sat on a recliner and pressed two buttons. Thus summoned, a small white autocart arrived at his side, bearing a frosty glass of _yash_ , a kind of wine made from blue _yarrel_ flowers that were grown in abundance on Aledus.

The touch of another button turned on the cube in the console at his left. He leaned back to sip his drink while exotic tone patterns filled the domed dwelling with symphonic poetry. As he listened to the music, he shook his dark head worriedly.

Why wouldn't Natar acknowledge his warning? Hankura never promised to stay. Ludren doubted Hankura would stay long once he realized the effect of the changes in government policy toward unconditioned psions. Maybe he should have released Hankura from his promise to come back. It would be easier for Natar if he didn't come at all than if he came back to Aledus and left again.

But twenty years was a long time for a man to miss his son.

Michelle was gone by the time Hankura drifted back to consciousness. He was first aware of her absence and then of the burning pain in his side. He was alone in the dirty alley except for the rats. They crept closer and closer, sniffing at him. They could smell his blood, and Hankura smelled it, too. They smelled food, but he wasn't food for them yet.

He cringed with revulsion as they crept closer, willing them to stop long enough for his hand to close around the laser that had fallen in the rubble beside him. The creatures fled in all directions as his blind lust for life seared through their tiny minds. He sent a laser beam searing through three of the nearest creatures that failed to escape. Then, blackness enveloped his mind, taking him back through time to the beginning and another memory invaded by those great, beady-eyed rats of the sewers; back to the time when Michelle first reached out to touch his mind.

_She-ell, Chelle, Chelle ...._ His mind drifted, aching for, seeking the touch of her thoughts. Hankura's eyes opened again sometime later. The sun was shining into his face. He lay there for a while, staring into the bright blue sky, and watched puffy, white clouds floating past his line of vision above the tattered ruins.

Now, watching the clouds drift and letting his mind drift, he grew certain that _Chelle--_ Michelle wasn't dead. He couldn't know where she was or in what condition, only that her life's essence had not been snuffed out.

Somehow, he had to find the strength to drag himself from this filthy alley. Only 200 meters to go, and he could get his medkit from their gear in the hovercraft. If he could just get up.

Already, breathing was agony, and he needed drugs to speed healing before he accidentally broke the cauterizing effect of the laser beam completely. His movements had already started his wound bleeding, and he knew he was in trouble.

Clutching his side with his hand, he struggled to a sitting position. He holstered the laser, then willed his muscles to stand him on his feet. So far, so good. At least he could stand, but his head swam with the effort. Each step through the stinking clutter was a major accomplishment. The smell irritated his already burning lung even more.

Hankura made slow progress along the chipped, concrete wall, balancing himself against the wall with one hand and clutching his painful wound with the other. The street and the buildings ahead of him swam crazily in his vision as his breathing became more labored.

He looked down at his wound. Despite the care he'd taken, blood had started to trickle a little faster between his fingers. The red stain began to spread wider over the front of his pale, green shirt. In the next alley, he found a vaguely familiar sheltered place under an old concrete stairway. It was the place where Michelle had hidden, waiting for her brother, that night when she first reached out to touch his mind. It was her memory that gave him that sense of déjà vu. He knew he wouldn't make it to the warehouse alone, and there was no one trustworthy nearby whom he could summon for help. Here was a place he could rest.

With the stairway in sight, Hankura moved along the side of still another building. He stumbled the last few steps and fell into this wretched haven with a groan of pain. The scurrying along the concrete around him reminded him that he wasn't there alone. The rats would finish him off if he let them, but he wouldn't let them. He still had too much to live for.

Pain racked his body, radiating from the bleeding wound, and Hankura remained conscious by an effort of will. He stared up at the sky again, breathing with shallow breaths to keep from aggravating the wound.

The sky was now streaked with pink and lavender, and soon the first evening stars would be visible. Aledus was out there, too---millions of miles away. He wondered: _Will I live to see it again? Sweet Mother, I don't want to die here alone in this awful place. Ah, Chelle---two days is not enough. I want more. Mother of Life, I want more!_

Hankura leaned his head back and let out a sigh. Closing his eyes, he drew a shallow breath and let his mind drift again.

_Chelle_ was unconscious. If he probed deeply enough, perhaps he could coax her back to consciousness and call her to his side.

The bleeding had slowed a little, but not enough. He was slowly drowning in his own blood. Now _Chelle_ was his only hope for survival---and a slim one at that.

The Aledan sun was a shining blue ball on the eastern horizon as Ludren stared pensively out over the huge agro complex that belonged to him and his family. He looked out over nearly 100,000 hectares of _yarrel_ and various staple food crops grown on Aledus. _Yarrel_ was the most exotic, its exquisite blue-green flowers were grown for making a unique Wholaskan wine. Aledus was the one other world in seven sectors of the galaxy that could sustain the flowering plants. The other crops were grown for domestic use and were sold in the cities. The _yarrel_ was shipped to Wholaska to be made into wine which was shipped throughout all seven Federation sectors. This arrangement had proved quite profitable for dozens of Aledan agriculturists. It allowed Ludren and his family to live in luxury in the natural surroundings of this isolated agro complex 400 kilometers from the nearest city.

In the quiet hour after dawn Ludren walked alone in the ornate garden in front of his white, domed dwelling. As he walked slowly toward the pond outside his front window, he watched lavender, reptilian _ropans_ diving for tiny fish under the water's surface. He paused to watch them for a time then turned back to look at his crops again. By then, they were being sprayed with a thick white mist.

The lush blue-green _yarrel_ blossoms bobbed back and forth on tall green stems under the nourishing mist. The crops on the complex were tended by automated machinery controlled by a central microcomputer under the main dome. Even so, Ludren made a personal inspection every day.

He walked on through the garden, taking in the various scents and watching tiny white _gresar_ monkeys playing tag under round, yellow-orange bushes that dotted the grounds. Their color contrasted with the thick mat of brown moss that grew around them. There were few native kinds of grass on Aledus, so this brown moss served as a lawn. Some Terran type trees had been imported as seeds when the Aledan colony was young, but most of the trees were red-needled conifers that whispered eerily in the breezes that played across the warm, temperate regions of these fertile Aledan plains.

As Ludren made his way to the rise just past the pond, his gaze fell on the new landing pad across the 200 meters of open ground in front of him. Another week had passed and still no word from Hankura. Ludren was desperately worried, not knowing whether his son was dead or alive.

The last relay message from Hankura came as he was about to put down on the ruin of Earth, a barbaric hellhole that claimed the dregs of humanity. That relay was the first contact from Hankura since his leaving Velran almost two standard months ago. Now, it would be at least another two months before they would see him if he got off Earth at all.

Despite his eagerness to see his son, the prospect also made Ludren uneasy. He wondered just what kind of man this son of his would be, if and when he arrived. An image on a telecom screen at regular intervals throughout Hankura's childhood was a poor substitute for an intimate parent-child relationship. Would Hankura harbor the bitterness he'd expressed when they had sent him away?

The Velran authorities had sent word of young Hankura's safe arrival those many years ago, but their son had not contacted them until six standard months later. It was his way of punishing them for rejecting him. When he did finally contact them, he was stiffly formal and coldly polite throughout the communique.

Hankura didn't fully understand why he'd been sent to Velran until nearly three years later. By then he'd long since stopped showing animosity during their telecom exchanges. But his real feelings could have easily been disguised over such a distance through time and space.

Ludren pined for his son. He needed to see him in person again to make him understand that they loved him as they loved his brother Trevin and his sister Capra---to make Hankura believe that they had done what was best for _him_.

Natar had made Ludren swear long before Hankura was born that none of their children would suffer as she had as a child. He had kept his promise even though carrying it out had nearly broken his heart. Now, he just wanted his eldest son to come home again

She-ell---my Chelle, wake up. I need your help. My life ebbs.... Help me ....

Hankura's desperate summons echoed through her mind again and again. It began as a vague little nagging and grew until her mind began to struggle for conscious awareness. Michelle's eyes opened suddenly at the realization that she wasn't dreaming. Berke's men had found her and shot Hankura because they wanted his ship.

And Berke wanted her.

She cringed at the thought and flicked her gaze over her surroundings. Berke's private den. She began to tremble.

Berke was no worse and no better than any of the other overlords in the Noamerik Territories. He held more power than most---more than the official Enforcers. None of them dared to oppose him. Michelle had dared, and it had cost her a brother. She had barely escaped with her life. Now, Berke held her captive while Hankura lay dying.

She wept silently at his growing despair and longing for her. She didn't know how she could help him as she perceived the extent of his wound. He was the physician, and she was just an illiterate street fem. How could she help?

It didn't matter. Even if there was no way to save him, she had to go to him if only to comfort him before he died. Michelle sat up on the couch where she was laying, and Berke came into the den. He approached, then stopped to study her intimately. A sneer twisted his lips as his eyes rested on her face.

"Ah, still as lovely as ever, my Michelle. If you thought we were finished, you were mistaken."

He moved closer, and she tensed. Berke was a big man with sandy hair, considered attractive by most. Michelle had even liked him once before she discovered his mean streak. He'd treated her like a pretty toy. As he came closer, she sensed he was ready to use her for his games again.

"Berke, it's finished. What more do you want?" she tried to reason with him. "I belong with Hankura now; let me go to him."

"You'd rather be with a dead man? That's interesting---and I can arrange it if you like. You can spend eternity with him. But first ...." He leaned over and reached for her.

"No! Hankura isn't dead. I know he isn't," she muttered. As he grabbed her, she savagely raked his face with her fingernails. "I have to go to him. He needs me!"

Berke growled in pain and slapped her across the face. Michelle staggered but managed to keep her footing by sheer determination. Jerry had taught her early in life that there were no fair fights in the back alleys of Farringay. You just survived the good ones.

The Overlord thought he was fit, but he was soft from too much easy living. He was stronger and outweighed her, but he hadn't the ability to dodge her blows and return them. When Michelle finally downed him, two thugs appeared. Berke had reached his signal button when he fell.

"No!" Michelle screamed with the fury of a cornered animal. _Damn you, Berke! If I could just reach my dagger ...._

Both the knife and her belt had been removed while she was unconscious. Without even looking, she knew instinctively it wasn't there. She visualized it in her mind and thought about how it felt in her hand. How she wanted that weapon! So, intense was her desire for it, that she startled when it slapped into the palm of her hand. Magic? She wondered for a split second. It didn't matter. She didn't have time to think about how or why.

Berke lunged at her, and she kicked him square in the groin. He doubled over, and she drove the dagger upward---deep into his belly. Jerking it free, her eyes locked onto his, and she sensed his stunned fear as he crumpled to the floor. She shuddered as she watched his blood dripping onto the white carpet before she turned to face the other two men.

For a second, they were too shocked by Berke's condition to move. Their hesitation gave her just the edge she needed to keep them from drawing their lasers. She fought, kicking and stabbing, wounding one in the shoulder and the other man flew against the wall, propelled by an unseen force. They both lost consciousness as she leaped for the door.

_You are a psion, too._ Hankura had explained. Was this what the power of her mind could do? It was almost too fantastic to consider, and there wasn't time to wonder about it now.

She ran from the building and stole Berke's hovercraft to get back to Hankura. Unable to read, she used the voice control to send the craft near the place where Hankura lay dying. When it settled on the marred pavement a couple hundred meters from his hiding place, she jumped out and ran until each breath knifed through her lungs in sharp, painful gasps. Finally, she found his crumpled form.

He gave no outward sign of acknowledgment at her approach. She drew a shaky breath and sank down numbly, tears of anguish filling her eyes. She wept softly and cradled him gently on her lap. She could feel his life's essence slipping away.

"Damn you, Hankura! You can't die now. I won't let you. You can't leave me alone again. I need you." A tear slipped down her face and dropped onto his cheek. Michelle gently wiped it away and kissed his brow, then covered his wound with her hand as though she might keep his life's essence from escaping.

At the edge of his awareness, Hankura sensed her fear and anguish whispered into his mind. He couldn't speak or even stir to open his eyes. It took nearly all the strength he had left to reach into her mind.

You have the healer's gift. You have the power to help me, She-ell. Touch my spirit, and you'll understand. Quickly!

"Oh, no!" she sobbed, pressing harder as his warm blood seeped out over her hand. Michelle closed her eyes and reached into his mind with all the strength of her will for him to live.

"Don't die, Hankura. I won't let you .... _I won't let you ...._

An eerie warmth spread through her, enveloping them both in an aura of psychic energy. They were one as her life force melded to his. Michelle lost herself in the cloak of the aura, letting the energy of her life force bind his wound and heal his broken body.

Dawn broke over the horizon, and the first rays of sunlight peeked over the ruins when Michelle finally collapsed in exhaustion with Hankura still cradled against her breast. She woke again when the sun was high overhead, its warmth beating down upon them. She was dismayed that Hankura still seemed to be unconscious.

She watched his face intently and noted the sound of his deep, even breathing. He was alive! --just sleeping.

"Hankura?" she said softly, caressing his face to wake him gently.

He groaned and moved against her, then his eyes blinked open. "She-ell--you did it," he whispered weakly. "I knew you could."

This time Michelle knew she had heard his words. The other two times he had spoken to her she hadn't always been sure whether she heard his words or sensed his thoughts in her mind. She liked the sound of his voice. She loved him, and she had nearly lost him.

Tears of relief crept down her cheeks, and her arms tightened gently around him. "I was so terrified that you would die. I don't even know what I did. I just knew I couldn't let you die."

"You wanted me to live badly enough to make it happen." He still felt weak, and it was hard to talk, though he knew all the words now .... _Your love touched me, and you gave me the strength of your own life force to heal my injury. Your love guided you to find the knowledge in my mind. That is the way with psi-mates._

Michelle nodded, staring deeply into his eyes, savoring the tenderness in his thoughts to her, and she understood. She would never again be able to imagine a future without him. She was still afraid, but she would go to Aledus with him because she knew he needed to go.

"Do you feel all right now?" She drew her fingers across his cheek, searching his tired face. She felt as tired as he looked.

His smile was thin. _I'm no worse than you. We both need more rest, but we're not safe here. Let's get back to the hovercraft and fly back to my ship. We can rest once we get off this miserable world. I had no idea Earth could be like this. Rankin barely hinted such things when he gave me ground clearance._

"He couldn't know, Hankura. The people who work in the starport live in the adjoining compound governed by the Federation. They don't really know what it's like on the outside. They just know it's not safe." Michelle sighed and shook her head. "We may not have to worry anymore. For all I know, Berke is dead. I meant to kill him."

_But now you're not so sure you want him to be dead. He may not be, She-ell. I doubt his wound was fatal as I see him in your mind._ Hankura drew away from her and got to his feet slowly, trembling with the effort. _If he is alive, he will send more of his enforcers after us, and they may come for revenge if he is dead._

Michelle got up, feeling just as shaky as he looked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm alive." He grinned faintly, unzipping his shirt to look at his wound. There was a reddish, healed over scar; that was all. He left the garment unzipped and held the fabric away from his skin where it was laden with his dried blood. "I'll be fine. We'd better go."

Michelle slid her arm around his waist to offer support. As they began walking, she was a little surprised to find that she needed his support almost as much as he needed hers. Nestled in the crook of his arm, she made slow progress with him to the warehouse where the borrowed hovercraft was hidden.

"Hankura, what happened back there when that man shot you? Why didn't he lose consciousness like Bart and Mason?"

He was a Tregan mutant. There have been rumors that the Tregan Empire is experimenting with genetic engineering to produce biologically superior warriors. They are said to be immune to psych probes and interrogation drugs. It must be true .... I won't make that mistake again.
CHAPTER FIVE

It took less than a half hour for them to travel back to the mountains and find the _Arius Mran_ where Hankura had hidden it under a pile of brush. Once inside, he got them each a nutri-stim dot, then went right to work replacing the Verlian crystals. Michelle went back outside to take the branches off the ship. In twenty minutes, he came back outside to get her.

"You know, I'm not so sure about this launch business, Hank," she murmured, as he led her to the cockpit. "You know I've never been in space. I've only dreamed about it .... I don't think I'm as brave as I thought ...."

"I know." he smiled and touched her arm. "I was afraid the first time, too. Maybe I'm a little afraid every time. But I sense you feel more than fear. Perhaps you regret that you may never see your world again?"

"Maybe; I don't know. I'm scared, but I'm going with you. So, tell me what to do."

"Well, first I'll give you one of my silver flight suits. You lost the one we bought, and there isn't time enough to get another one."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, _She-ell_. It wasn't your fault. We can do without it. You'll only have to wear it until we clear this star system. Meanwhile, I'll have the one you're wearing cleaned. It'll do until we can get you some proper clothing on Aledus."

She nodded.

Hankura went to a cabinet beside the bunk and took out two metallic coveralls. He gave one to Michelle and peeled off his soiled clothing and changed. He put his ruined garments in the incinerator and stuffed hers into the cleaning chute, then led Michelle to the copilot's seat and showed her how to strap in.

Seating himself in the pilot's chair, he keyed the ignition controls. The engines came alive with a low roar, and he began checking the prelaunch readouts on the screen in front of him.

_Just try to relax, she-ell. The launch will be a little uncomfortable, but you'll_ _be all right. Trust me, She-ell._

"I do .... but I'm still nervous."

"Me, too." Hankura nodded and outwardly turned all his attention to his task. As he played his long surgeons fingers over the keypad before him, he concentrated inwardly on soothing her.

He made a brief check with Farringay Starport then strapped himself securely in his harness and reclined both their seats. Jed Rankin expressed his relief that Hankura was preparing to launch. A good thing they were leaving, because according to Rankin, Berke wasn't dead. The overlord had already sent men looking for them.

By then, Berke didn't matter anymore. Within a split second of confirmation of the launch request, the _Arius Mran_ launched. The pressure increased against their frail human bodies as the ship climbed steadily higher and faster to escape Earth's gravity. The G-force increased until Michelle's awareness started to fade.

Hankura quickly locked in the auto guidance system and turned on the artificial gravity generator. The computer made course corrections as he unfastened his harness and raised his seat into an upright position. He got up and went to Chelle. She was dazed but conscious. A whiff of oxygen brought her around, but he checked her with a bio scanner as well. Just as he thought, she was still weak from healing him.

"We did it." He smoothed her damp hair and smiled down at her. Her tenderness flowed into his mind as she smiled up at him.

"Are we really in space?"

"Look." He gestured and pressed a switch to open the front port. "While you enjoy the view, I'll double check the auto guidance system. I fixed it before, but I still don't trust it. When I finish, we can get some rest. We need it."

Michelle nodded vaguely and gazed into the endless blackness of space ahead of the ship. Never had she felt so small in her life, yet so a part of it all. It was a kind of freedom she had never known.

Michelle was gripped by a sharp sense of finality, having left her home world, and she knew she couldn't look back. _We are free now_.

Hankura chuckled as he picked up her thoughts. _You may not feel so free when we have been locked up on this ship for two months._

_Maybe not_. She smiled with a shrug. _So, what will we do with all that time? Besides what you are thinking?_ She blushed and lowered her lashes.

Hankura smiled half to himself and got up. He offered his hand to help her up. _First, I'll teach you to speak and read Aledan. Then, I'll teach you about running this ship. For anyone else, two months would never be enough---but as psi-mates, we can share much of what I have already learned. Reading and language are simply the beginning._

"But for now, I'll show you to our bunk. I know you're as tired as I am."

Michelle nodded.

Three steps from the bridge, Hankura reached up and pulled down an air cushioned bunk. They undressed in silence and tucked their flight suits into the cleaning chute which hungrily sucked them inside. Too tired to even eat, they cuddled warmly under a thin sheet of material on the bunk.

"God, Hankura! It's still hard to believe that we are here in space tonight. Last night, you were dying. I was so scared."

"I was too until you came to me. Then, I knew you wouldn't let me die. I suspect we will have a very long time to enjoy each other's company," he murmured and kissed her forehead as he drew her closer.

For a time, they simply enjoyed cuddling each other. Then Michelle sighed. _Do you think they will like me?_

_Who_?

Impatiently: _Your family group of course!_

_I don't know. It's been so long since I've been with them, I don't even know if they will like me._ His eyelids drooped sleepily, and she laid her head on his shoulder. _Sometimes, I'm afraid to find out. Sometimes, I think it would be better if I never go back---and other times, I want nothing better. I guess we'll find out whatever is waiting for us together._

Michelle wanted to know more, but Hankura drifted to sleep before she could ask. She didn't wake him. The details didn't seem to matter just then.

Hankura awoke some nine hours later in the sleep chamber of the _Arius Mran_ with Chelle nestled against him. They were safe together and headed for Aledus. His chest didn't hurt when he breathed deeply. Chelle stirred beside him and turned to face him with a shy smile.

Hankura smiled back and stroked her cheek with his fingertips. The pain of the implant to finish his physician certification, his three months alone in space, and getting shot---he would do it all again to have her safe in his arms.

_And I would fight them all again to get back in time to save you._ She responded as she read his thoughts.

As much as I would like to just lay here with you, I need to get up and check the ship systems and our course.

Then can we have some food?

"Yes, we can get something to eat," he said aloud. "Come on up to the bridge with me, and I will start teaching you how to run the ship. We will do it _en rapport,_ and you will also learn to read the controls and computer screens as I go through the procedures."

"You really think I can learn all that?"

"I know you can. You have the intelligence to learn most anything. All you need is the education. I can share my education through our psi connection---like we shared memories."

"Could I be a physician someday? If I learned the things you know, I would be a better healer."

"I know you could be anything you want to be. I can share much of it with you, but you will have to go through formal education as well," he said. "Let's get up and start with the flight protocol then we can get a sonic shower and get cleaned up."

"What will I wear? I didn't have any other clothes to bring."

Hankura grinned. "As far as I'm concerned, you don't need to wear anything."

Chelle laughed softly and kissed him. "How about you loan me a shirt. It would probably fit me like a short dress."

He let out an overdramatic sigh. "Okay, if you must insist on dressing." He kissed her back, a lingering kiss, tempted to give in to the desire to make love to her. But making sure they were running on course and the ship was running normally was too important to put off.

Hankura forced himself to withdraw and rolled out of bed to his feet. Chelle followed, feeling just a little self-conscious of her nudity. Then she shrugged it off. Hankura wore just a very abbreviated undergarment that covered his male parts and rode low on his hips.

On the bridge, he took the pilot seat and motioned for Chelle to take the copilot seat which had duplicate controls and readouts. Using their psionic connection, Hankura went through all the systems checks with her, explaining each one. In reviewing the procedures with him, she also received her first reading lessons. Even with their telepathic rapport, Chelle didn't understand everything in one lesson.

But they made substantial progress for a first lesson. Hankura didn't mind that walking Chelle through the procedure took nearly twice as long as usual. He enjoyed the wonder of learning new things through her eyes.

Satisfied they were on course with all other systems running normally, Hankura introduced Chelle to the sonic shower. It got them clean, but Chelle didn't find it an enjoyable experience.

"It makes me feel like bugs are crawling on my skin," she said to him.

"I know. Our water supply is limited for drinking and food processing," he said. "When we get to Aledus, we can bathe and shower in real water as much as we want. My dome has a large tub where we can share a bath."

"But that's at least three months out," she sighed."

_I know, love._ He put his arms around her and cuddled her against him, stroking her back. They hadn't bothered to dress since it was just the two of them in hyperspace on the ship.

Although they were both hungry because they hadn't eaten in a day in the half, the two were quickly aroused with their bodies pressed close. So, before they could think about food they had to satisfy their hunger for each other. Afterward, they had a small meal of bread and protein slices from the food processor.

When they had finished eating, Hankura took out his computer tablet and suggested he would start teaching Chelle to read the Aledan language. With three months of travel ahead of them, he expected that Chelle would reach a proficient level of education through their psionic connection. They started with earth's history of which he read to her allowed so she could learn how the words sounded as well as how they were written. It seemed a little tedious at first, but Chelle was as intelligent as she was beautiful, and she picked up reading and speaking the language quickly.

Soon she was able to read material without his assistance. Using the accumulation of materials from his own education, Hankura expected Chelle to reach a secondary level of education by the time they reached Aledus. It took a little more work for Chelle to reach a comparative level in math and science. With a basic understanding of numbers and simple arithmetic that she had learned as a child first from her mother, and then from Jerry, it was a big leap from there to algebra and calculus.

"It might take a few more months to finish secondary levels of math and science, but then you can probably enroll in the Med-tech program at Salla University," Hankura told her.

"I'm sure I can do it with your help," she told him smiling.

"And I love helping you," he murmured and leaned over to kiss her as they were sitting together in bed. _Your sense of wonder at the new things you are learning almost makes it all new for me, too._

_And your pleasure in my progress encourages me to keep learning. We make a good team._ She reached up to stroke his cheek as his kiss deepened and she set the tablet aside as he pulled her close to him and began to caress her.

_I guess this means we're taking a break._ Already she could feel her desire rising to meet his. Their journey to Aledus was a time of discovery and indulgence in their sensuality. They rarely bothered with hindering clothing with just the two of them on the ship. Some days they spent hours on Chelle's education while others they spent laughing and teasing and making love.

Within days of leaving Earth, Hankura started switching their ship schedule over to Aledan time so they would be in sync by the time they arrived.

"We are life mates? Married just like that?" Michelle looked at Hankura and then at the pieces of plastic in her hand. Voice prints, retinal patterns, and some vital statistics along with the proper answers to pertinent questions were transmitted to the Aledan Central Statistics data bank over the com. These yielded their affirmative reply in the form of two small plastic sheets. One contained an agreement to a lifetime marriage contract.

"We're married," replied Hankura. "It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it satisfies the law. You'll be allowed to live on Aledus at my family's agro complex for at least a few days without being processed. We can pay our respects at the Fountain of Narcaza in Salla after we're settled. By marriage to me, you are now an Aledan citizen. A life mate contract is the only way an alien psi-path can gain citizenship on Aledus. Otherwise, you'd only be allowed to remain for a few weeks."

"I see." Her glance fell to the plastic sheets in her hand. One was a copy of their marriage contract, and the other was her identification plate.

She could read them now. With Hankura's help, she had learned very quickly to read the complex language. It was predominantly an old Wholaskan tongue adopted by the religious cult that had originally settled Aledus a millennium before. She had mastered Aledan, and now he was teaching her the modern Wholaskan dialect used mainly on Velran where Hankura had spent his last twenty years.

Looking at the ID plate in her hand, she frowned. "Hankura, this says my name is _C-h-e-l-l-e_ \--just Chelle--nothing else. Why did you take my name away? I'm Michelle Marlow."

"Of course, you are. But Michelle Marlow doesn't translate into Aledan. Since we use only one name here, Chelle is the closest I could make of Michelle. On record, you are _Che-ell_ Marlow-Narcaza. My family is descended from the Narcaza line. I thought having an Aledan name would make things easier for you on Aledus--for both of us. Do you mind .... Chelle?" _Beautiful, Michelle Marlow-Narcaza .... Che-elle is only a word. It doesn't change all that you are._

"Chelle?" She pronounced it `shell,' drawling the `e' slightly.

"Pronounce it any way you like," Hankura smiled. He could sense that she was more bewildered than angry at the severing of one more tie to her troubled past. He moved closer and took the plastic sheets from her and put his arms around her. Her mouth was soft and warm against his. _I--you--us--love--all that we are--I--you--we--love .... love ...._

In their naked state, it was simple for Hankura to lift her up and slide his cock into her. He turned and pressed her back against the bulkhead. He fucked her hard and fast while she encouraged him with love words and sounds of pleasure.

Ludren finished his bath and pulled on a robe. A short white autocart brought him the cold glass of _yash_ he'd ordered, and he picked it up to take a sip. At the bleeping from the nearby comcell, he almost dropped his glass. The sound filled him with anticipation---and fear. Ludren fumbled to tie the robe as he hurried down the hall to the adjacent room. His hand shook as he touched the screen and waited. Would it be his son? Or a stranger telling him Hankura was never coming home?

Momentarily, the image of his son and an attractive red-haired woman filled the screen. Because they were still outside of the Aledan star system, Ludren's acknowledgment would be delayed for several minutes.

"Ahh, my son. It is you," Ludren murmured in delight. "You must have read my thoughts."

"As you can see, I have survived my visit to Earth. I got the fuel crystals I needed there. I've commed to let you know that I will be coming home in six days with Chelle," Hankura said and smiled down at the woman beside him, his arm around her shoulders. "Che-elle is from Earth, and we have filed a life mate contract with the bureau of statistics. I hope the family will welcome her as you will me ...."

"I haven't had a real family life since I was very young," said _Chelle_. "I'm looking forward to meeting you all."

"We are psi-bonded," added Hankura. "Be happy for us." He paused to give his mate an affectionate squeeze. "I'll contact you as soon as we're in system for landing instructions. It'll be good to see you all again. Acknowledge."

The automatic device had barely finished recording Hankura's message as Ludren eagerly began broadcasting his reply. "We're looking forward to your arrival, my son. We'll prepare a special welcome for you and your wife. You and Che-elle have my best wishes."

Now that he had finally heard from Hankura, Ludren wished some of the rest of his family were home so he could share the good news. Natar was out for an evening of gaming in Salla with their other two children and their free-mates. When she returned three hours later, Ludren caught her in his arms excitedly and swung her around in a circle as she entered the dome.

"Hankura is coming home in six days! He commed while you were out. He got his fuel crystals on Earth, and ...."

"What do you mean he's bringing his _wife_?" she demanded. "He has taken a wife from that savage world? In a _life mate_ contract? Good Mother of Life! She could ruin everything." Natar's emerald eyes blazed with anger, and Ludren set her back on her feet.

"Natar, don't! Our son is a man with a man's needs and desires. You can't treat him like the frightened boy we sent to Velran twenty years ago. You must accept him the way he is, or you will hurt him even more than he has been hurt." Ludren admonished and tears filled her eyes. "Che-elle is a beautiful woman, and he says they're psi-bonded. Come see the recording. They look so happy."

Natar gave a grudging nod and allowed him to lead her to the comcell. Natar watched silently, starting to cry as it ended with the two frozen into a loving pose on the screen. "She is beautiful," Natar sniffed.

"And she must love him very much to leave her world with him. You of all people should know how frightening that can be," Ludren stated pointedly. "We must make her welcome here as you told Capra we must welcome Hankura. He might leave if we don't accept her." His tone grew gentler as he continued.

"No. I don't want him to leave. I will be good to his mate. My son and I have lost so much time together--but it was worth it for his mind to remain free ....

Hankura stared at the ship's interior upper hull while Chelle slept with her head nestled in the hollow of his shoulder. He couldn't sleep. The _Arius Mran_ was dead on course for Aledus. There was little more for them to do but wait for the ship to take them into the Aledan system.

He was tired, but there were so many things on his mind that could be denied no longer. The ship was taking them closer and closer to Aledus, now three days away, and he could only guess what would be waiting for them. Although he could never actually lie to his psionic mind-mate, he barely hinted to Chelle the problems that would be facing them. He couldn't conceal the truth any longer ....

Hankura wanted to see his family and get to know them again, yet he couldn't forget his bitterness at their parting when he was a boy. Instead of bidding them farewell, he had told them he hated them all. To ease his guilt, he reminded himself of how lost and alone he was on that huge passenger freighter among strangers who saw to his needs because they were well paid to do so. His primary attendant Lucy had helped just a little.

As he had stepped off the shuttle in Velran, he'd felt completely abandoned. It didn't matter that it was a world holding one of the oldest and most magnificent learning centers in the Galaxy. It didn't matter that intelligent beings of all kinds came from as many strange and different worlds to study every subject imaginable. Or that it had been established before the dawning of man on Earth. What mattered was that he had been sent there _alone_.

Casir was the one who had made it bearable for him in the beginning. Being psi-paths of similar ability, they eventually established an amiable rapport that began a solid friendship. Casir's companionship and morale support helped him progress from that first frightening day and adjust to a student's life on Velran.

Then there was Delmran, a Velran native who also shared their quarters. He was a good friend to both boys. Knowing both Hankura and Casir were on Velran alone, he invited them to his home during holidays and vacations. Delmran's parents treated Hankura and Casir like family. They'd had some good times. Even after Delmran left to join the military, his parents still had expected Hankura, and Casir to spend holidays and vacations with them. They had been like a second family for Casir and him.

Now that part of his life was over, and he was on his way home to visit and begin his career.

But home was a world where psi-paths or Psions were treated as a problem minority with laws abridging their rights and freedoms. It was a world where psi-path children were taken from their families to be conditioned in the proper use of their psi-powers---and to their "proper" i.e. inferior place in Aledan society.

Conditioning. Call it programming, education, whatever; it was mind control--brainwashing, pure and simple.

The children were taken and isolated from their families and each other. For orientation, each child was placed in a room that was no more than a cell. For as long as it took, they were left alone with machines meeting their physical needs and no more. These children, no older than ten, were kept alone until they would do or believe anything that was required just to lay eyes on another human being. Stripped of their self-esteem, they were easily fitted into the established mold, a degrading code of conduct.

Any regression or deviation from the set standards was treated with pain therapy in the neuro cells. One session was a journey into hell itself.

Even with these controls and conditioning, psions were usually socially shunned and harassed by psi Normals. Psions were forced by law to wear identification patches on their clothing. This alerted Normals to their presence wherever they went. According to Aledan government, controlled exclusively by Normals, Psions were an unpredictable group which required special restraint. No laws prevented a Psion from reading minds or using mental telepathy, but let one defend himself as Hankura had done on Earth with his mind, and the Psion would be punished.

A Normal could kill a Psion and get away with it. Execution was preferable to what they did to Psions for such a crime against Normals. This did nothing to quell the growing animosity between the two factions of society. It was the cause of most violent crimes on Aledus. And while psions empathized with each other, they would readily betray one of their own to save themselves from harsh penalties despite the emotional repercussions to themselves.

There were a thousand worlds where he and Chelle could live in harmony with the inhabitants. Aledan life offered an extensive list of hardships for them to endure.

What made him keep this from Chelle? Considering the bitter parting from his parents, he wished he had ignored his mother's pleas to come home. He didn't see how he could stay on Aledus for long. He should have refused, but his guilt for the things he had said and his longing to see his father prevented him. Now he was afraid that he had made a terrible mistake.

What about Chelle? She still had so much to learn. Now that she could read, she wanted to attend the university as he had. He regretted suggesting it because of the potential problems she would face as a psion. Her red and blue psi-patch would single her out as an alien born psion, and that would compound the problems.

Chelle trusted him completely, he had hidden all of this from her. _What have you hidden?_ Hankura sensed her probing him. Sensitive to his worries, she had awakened to mentally eavesdrop on his musings. Hankura looked away from her probing gaze and sighed. Then he opened his mind and shared his thoughts with her because she had the right to know and because he couldn't hold them inside any longer. _I'm sorry I kept it from you. It wasn't fair to you._

Her feelings were mixed, and she didn't respond for several moments. Then she half turned and raised herself up on one elbow beside him tracing her fingers along his jawline. _I've sensed your worry about going back to Aledus for a long time. But I knew it was something you had to do for yourself as well as your family. I wish you had shared all of this with me_ _before. If you weren't working so hard to keep this from me, you'd know it wouldn't change my mind about coming with you._

_Forgive me, She-ell_. _I fought hard to hide it from myself as well as you. Mother is strong and likes to be in control. At times, she seemed to smother me. She won't want me to leave Aledus, yet I doubt we'll be able to stay more than a few years._

Because our children could be psions, too. We couldn't send them away alone as you were sent. Growing up with no family is hard. I could no more send our children away than I could have sent you from Earth without me. I knew there was a secret bothering you when I agreed to come with you.

Her eyes were warm with tenderness, and she caught her breath in a soft little sigh. She leaned closer, and he took her into his arms, molding his lips to hers and caressing her with his hands.

Oh, my Chelle. I-you-we-love .... Your skin is so soft and smooth to touch .... Your lovely breasts, your hip. I feel the pleasure of my touch as it pulses through you ....

And you are strong, yet I always know gentleness in your embrace.

Passion took them to an alternate universe of their own, plunging them into a pool of water, symbolizing the melding of their spirits and the depth of their passion. The water bubbled warm in the center of that pool, rising with their desire, and shooting steadily higher in the ecstasy of their physical union.

Chelle moaned softly in pleasure as Hankura entered her. _And we are one, mind and body and soul .... I-you-we-love .... I am in you, and you are in me. Feel me all around you, deep inside this warm, dark place--squeezing, drawing you deep inside. You fill the emptiness of my body .... I need you so much. I-you-me-we-love .... sweet love .... love...._

Hankura groaned in pleasure as he climaxed in the throes of her erotic fantasy. Momentarily, she climaxed as well, falling into that warm pool of passion with him. Never had a woman satisfied him so completely.

"Ah, my Chelle," he laughed happily and hugged her. "How I love you! In your reckless spirit, I could find the courage to do _anything._ " Then he kissed her again. _Before I found you, I felt lost and alone far too often ...._

Like being in the corner of a dark empty room with the echoes of your heartbeats pounding in your ears. The room closes around you, trying to crush you with its emptiness. But it's only fear. Together, we can push it away .... I-you-we are strong.

Hankura murmured inarticulately as he slid his hands to the small of her back and pushed deeply into her. Again, they were captured in the fountain of their passion, and nothing else mattered. Time and space might cease to exist before they would note its passing in the dimension of their union.
CHAPTER SIX

"Now do I have all this straight?" Chelle asked while Hankura locked the _Arius Mran_ into orbit around Aledus. "Don't use telepathy with Trevin and Capra, but reading them is okay if I'm careful."

"And don't initiate telepathy or try to read my mother," he added. "I don't do that either. It's all right if you read father; and once you become acquainted, he'll readily accept your telepathy. I can't say about Capra or Trevin. They were too young when I left."

""Oh Mother!" Chelle muttered nervously. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."

Hankura grinned, sliding her a sidelong glance. "That makes two of us. But we'd better get ready. We'll touch down within half an hour. Will you double check ground clearance for the complex while I get us angled for descent?"

Chelle nodded.

Ground side at the complex, Natar and Ludren fidgeted, shifting nervously while they waited for the _Arius Mran_ to touch down. Trevin and Capra were equally anxious but outwardly more subdued.

All four fixed their gazes on the ship as it slowly descended.

"Ah, now I see. Chelle is a psion, too," Natar whispered. "Oh, Ludren! They are psi-mates!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I know the _Serene Perception_. It's rare, but I've sensed it twice before---when I was a child, and a few years ago. There was a couple with the Paskien Dancers." Natar smiled wondrously. "There is no doubt that Chelle does belong with Hankura."

"I'm glad to hear you say that." Ludren smiled, a little relieved. "It'll please our son, too."

"Both psions," Capra grumbled to her older brother.

"I might have known," mused Trevin.

"All right, you two." Natar chided with a warning look. They're both uneasy about meeting us. Don't you dare make it harder for them."

"We're keeping an open mind, Mother," Trevin quipped in an ironic tone. _Whether we like it or not._

The ship settled on the pad with the engine roar gradually lessening to silence. Sliding open the hatch, Hankura jumped lightly to the ground, turning to lift Chelle down. She slipped a shaky hand into his, and he squeezed it tightly as he tensed at his family's hesitant approach.

Natar was so eager that she broke into a run with open arms extended to embrace her son. "Hankura!" she cried, hugging him fiercely. "You have gotten so tall! I've missed you so much."

She looked up at him through large, emerald eyes like his own. Her ebony hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders and was held back from her face with a jeweled metallic band. No one would have ever guessed she was sixty-one. She hardly looked forty.

Soon, as Natar released Hankura, Ludren embraced him with tears misting his eyes. _I've missed you, too. I loved you then, and I love you now. I had no choice_. A Normal accustomed to being engaged in telepathy, Ludren held those thoughts for Hankura to read them.

_I know, Father. I just wish I were given a chance to know whether I could have adjusted to life here. I was hurt. You must know--I could never hate you_. _Perhaps it was the only way._ And it seemed there was something in Hankura's eyes, too.

Blinking it away, Hankura stepped back to get a better look at his father. It was almost like looking into a mirror, except his father had brown eyes and the fine lines around his eyes and mouth made him look a little older. Trevin, on the other hand, resembled both his mother and father and looked like a brother to both Hankura and Ludren.

"It's good to be home." Hankura grinned happily.

Then he turned to his brother and sister. "Capra, Trevin--believe me, I'm as nervous as you are. We have missed so many of the things brothers and sisters should share in their lives. For now, I'd like to try to be friends ...."

Trevin looked at him for a moment and slowly smiled, extending his hand to him. He still had mixed feelings, but he had no wish to hurt this man who was his brother. "We _will_ try."

Capra sidled up to Hankura shyly. Putting her hand lightly on his shoulder, she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Welcome home, brother." _You aren't so frightening after all._

Hankura grinned. "You've nothing to fear from me, little sister. I'm just a man."

"You look like a fine one to me." Capra chuckled. _Maybe it'll be okay._

He just smiled and turned finally to Chelle who was feeling a little left out and bewildered. _You, my love, are never forgotten._ He draped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close.

"Everyone .... I want you to meet my wife, Chelle. As I'm sure you've sensed, Mother, we're psi-mates."

"Yes." Natar's smile was warm and sincere as she took Chelle's hands in hers. "I'm so pleased that you and Hankura share the _Serene Perception."_

"Thank you," Chelle murmured.

"I thought that was only a myth .... before," Hankura remarked, aware his wife did not really understand.

"It's not a myth," Natar spoke reverently. "Call it what you like; a path of insight such as you two share is the _Serene Perception_. It was first written in the ancient Wholaskan Circle of Life Chronicles and later by our forefather Narcaza."

"And to honor that belief, Mother, Chelle and I have decided to pledge according to the _Pattern of Insight_ and pay our respects at Narcaza Circle after we have been processed. You must know that I love her very much, and as you come to know her better, you will, too."

"I'm sure we will," Ludren said. Taking Chelle's hand in his, he kissed her cheek lightly. _Your eyes are even bluer in person--very lovely indeed._

Natar nodded in agreement. Then, addressing Hankura, she said, "Your dome is ready. I'm sure you'd like to relax and show your wife our complex. But, will you join us later for dinner?"

"Yes, thank you," said Hankura, "for both offers."

But, Hankura. They all have such nice clothes, and this is all I have to wear. They'll think I'm crude.

"I'm sorry, I forgot." His smile was apologetic. "Mother, Capra--could one of you lend Chelle something suitable to wear for dinner? There was no place to purchase any formal clothing in Farringay, and no opportunity to go anywhere else to look for some. We plan to buy some for Chelle in Salla as soon as possible."

"I can loan her something," Capra answered quickly. "She's only a little taller than me and about the same size. Mother's clothes would never fit. Sorry, Mother. You're shorter than we are---and a bit plumper."

"Sad, but true." Natar sighed with a short laugh.

"I'll have a droid tram unload the ship for you, and a hovercraft is waiting to take you to your dome if you like," Ludren told them.

"The droid can unload the ship," Hankura said, "But Chelle and I want to walk the grounds before we go to the dome."

"Walk the grounds?" Trevin said almost distastefully.

"Yes," Chelle grinned. "I did a lot of it on Earth. I want to know the land and the little creatures around here."

Just then, she saw a white _gresar_ monkey no bigger than a chipmunk. It climbed down a red trunk conifer and scurried to its den under a golden flowered bush. "Oh, that's precious! He's so cute!" Chelle murmured in delight. "Are they friendly?"

"Only from a distance," Trevin told her. "They can be pretty fierce little things when they're cornered."

"Not only them," Hankura added enigmatically. "Come on, Chelle. You'll love the pond where the _ropans_ swim. Then, I'll show you the _yarrel_ fields. The flowers are beautiful as well as profitable."

"This is beautiful," Chelle said softly. "Almost like autumn would have been in the mountains. Remember, I told you?"

"I remember." They started walking toward the pond, each with an arm around the other.

"I'll be damned!" they heard Trevin murmur after them as they walked up the gentle slope. "They really are going to walk."

"Do you like it?" Hankura asked expectantly.

Chelle gazed slowly around the richly furnished dwelling. It was one of four domes that made up the family complex, a far cry from the simple shack she called home on Earth. Hankura's home was decorated in shades of autumn and black and white. There were five spacious rooms and a comcell for interstellar communications. Most Aledans used personal tablets for communications on Aledus

"It's nice, to say the least. I guess it never sank in that we would live in a place like this. Do all Aledans live like this? Or are there slums in the cities like in Farringay?"

"No slums, love. Here the standard of living is much higher than on Earth. No more stealing to survive. A comfortable dwelling and enough food to eat are the least of our problems," he told her.

"Where do we prepare food?"

"It's almost like the ship. Only our processor here gives us a much better selection of food," he explained. "It programs the same way, though. There are also service droid terminals in every room that control both the droids and autocarts."

"What is there for me to do?" She gave him an uncertain look.

"Well, there's holovision broadcasts or discs, audio cubes, and holo-computer games," he told her. "Father has an extensive library from his days as a cultural instructor in Salla. There is still a lot for you to learn, and a lot you'll want to learn."

"Yes, and it looks like I'll have plenty of time to do it, too," she said. "When will we go to Salla?"

"Not for a couple days," Hankura mused aloud. "Because we're unconditioned psions, we'll have to be 'evaluated' and get identification patches before we can travel the city freely.

"After we're classified and duly labeled, you'll have to be printed--fingers, voice, retinal--for credit and identification purposes. Then, I can show you the city and take you to the fashion houses."

"You make it sound like such an ordeal," she said with a sigh.

"I'm afraid the evaluation will be for both of us." Hankura frowned.

She shrugged. "Do we have a choice?"

"No," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Then let's not worry until we have to." She put her arms around him and moved against him playfully. "Now, how about that bath you promised me days ago? Is it really a small pool?"

"It is," he assured her. "Come on, I'll show you."

He led her to the bedchamber and to the left. Inside the bathroom, Hankura opened a large, opaque door, then reached inside to set the temperature and fill the two-meter oval sunken tub with warm water.

"Oh, that looks good to me, Hank. We could almost swim in it." Chelle murmured in delight.

"I used to try." Hankura grinned. "It's deep enough for a child to swim in, but I think I've grown a little too much."

"Pushing two meters, I'd say so."

"Not quite two, so there's still room for us to share the bath." He reached for the slide on her coverall and unzipped it.

"And a little body language?" Chelle smiled.

"I'll get you a wrap to wear until Capra sends something."

"Why bother? You didn't find clothing necessary on the ship."

"Ah, love, but we're not on the ship. I'm afraid it's customary to wear clothes, however brief in some cases, here on Aledus."

Chelle nodded and watched the water frothing as it ran into the tub. Then her mind drifted back to the meeting with Hankura's family. "What did Natar mean by the _Serene Perception?"_

"That we're psionic mind mates It's a religious term, coined by the Path of Insight cult that was founded by Malkan in the Aledan first century. Mother's family is descended from the people of the original cult, and she believes in many of the old doctrines."

"But you are skeptical about most of them."

"Less than I was. The kind of psionic bonds that we share are extremely rare, yet here we are---psi-mates. Father's library has micro-discs of Arall's _Path of Insight_ and on of Narcaza's _Patterns of Insight._ They explain the theories quite well.

"However, as far science can determine, a good deal of it has to do with hormones and brainwave patterns. We match up better than 98 percent genetically as well as psionically."

"Which means we're stuck with each other," Chelle teased.

"Basically." Hankura cast her a tolerant smile.

"Okay. So, tell me about this _Path of Insight_ stuff."

Hankura moved closer and slid his arm around her. "The Prophet Arall expressed many of the same concepts that were incorporated in the religions of old Earth. He combined them with concepts expressed by the Wholaskans who shared many of the same ideas about understanding, compassion, and love in daily life.

"However, the theory of _Serene Perception_ came directly from the Wholaskan's _Circle of Life Chronicles._ It says that the Mother of Life has linked all entities in the Circle of Life, and each soul follows its destiny from birth to body death. At death, it becomes a free soul that may or may not inhabit another body. Theoretically, each soul has a mate that complements and harmonizes with it."

"But with humanity now sprinkled over seven sectors of the Galaxy, they may be separated by light years. What about _Serene Perception_?"

"That's Malkan's term for psychic recognition of one's soul mate," he replied. "He believed in the Wholaskan's philosophy that the Mother of Life has begun gifting humans with the ability to see with their minds. A power they revere in all species.

"Malkan got it into his head that it made him a superior being. He gathered up several thousand people including many who shared a measure of this ability at various levels and came to found the Aledan Colony in Salla. He became a priest-deity to them, mainly through his superior psionic power. In reality, he became a religious fanatic. Though his followers began to suspect, they didn't realize that he was insane until it was too late.

"Malkan was so strong that he could control or destroy a human mind with barely a thought. Those he couldn't control, he weeded out for execution with his thought police. He even had children killed who threatened to mature with power to rival his own.

"By the fourth generation, the Normal population outnumbered psions four to one because psi is a genetically recessive trait. Malkan liked it that way because he could control them with less mental effort.

"During all this time, his son Arall had been living among the Wholaskans on Velran as his father had before him. There, he studied the true Wholaskan doctrines. He was appalled when he returned to Aledus and found how his father had twisted their beliefs to suit his own needs.

"He was forced to flee the palace after a bitter clash with his father. Then he started a rebellion that resulted in the bloodiest psi-war that mankind has ever known. Arall ended it the only way he knew by killing his father in a battle that nearly killed him as well. Legends say Arall was helped by the Wholaskans, but they never admitted it. Even though it was over a thousand years ago, the war pulled the psions from power and all but destroyed the _Path of Insight_ religion.

"Then Normals came to power in a dark age, persecuting psions in sordid witch hunts. Many were cold-bloodedly murdered or tortured to death. Normals feared and despised anyone who held psionic power. Not until the Prophet Narcaza returned from the Wholaskans did Normals begin to understand. Narcaza negotiated peace between the two factions assuring the Normals that psi could be controlled and used to human advantage. Only they took his methods and twisted them into the present methods of psi-conditioning used to this day. It's hardly any better than torture." Hankura finished bitterly.

He paused as the control panel signaled that their bath was ready. "Shall we?" He gestured for her to enter first.

He slid into the water beside her and lay back till it was nearly up to his chin. The water was comfortably warm and would stay that way for as long as they cared to enjoy it.

"Mmmmm! This is wonderful." Chelle sighed as her body was buoyed by the water.

"Your mother was conditioned, wasn't she?" Chelle perceived. "I understand why your mother sent you away from here."

"Yes." His mouth tightened into a grim line as he nodded. "That part made sense, but I don't agree with what they did. They should have _taken_ me to another world to live, where we could have all lived together. I never knew why they didn't, and it hurt. I was just a child. I wanted to live with them, not be sent half way across the Galaxy alone."

"At least you were trained compassionately." Chelle tried inwardly to soothe his lingering feelings of bitterness.

"I do understand," he murmured, but the pain never quite left his eyes.

"Let it go," Chelle whispered and put her arms around him. There were no words in what he felt from her as she fell silent. Raw tenderness filled his mind. He experienced her love in its purest form, as pure as the human mind could comprehend; and there was no describing the warm pleasure it brought him.

The pain receded. He enfolded her naked, warm and wet in his arms and held her close. _I-you-we-love .... Such joy .... And we soar in the fountain ...._ He moved to kiss her. Her soft, moist lips parted and clung to his; the closeness of her body made him ache with need. He caressed her, and he sensed her answering need as intense waves of pleasure washed through her. She pressed closer, quivering against him, and he knew she was ready for him to fill her. He held back until her need shouted itself in his mind, and he could wait no longer.

Water splashed gently as he held her above him to complete the union. He thrust slowly into her, savoring the sweet torment of every stroke. Sensual ecstasy took them soaring high in the fountain of their erotic fantasy, and they reveled in the magic of their psionic coupling as well.

It seemed an eternity that the imaginary water carried them upward in its spray, taking them higher as they reached mentally for sexual climax. Hankura groaned in release as she shuddered convulsively against him. He throbbed warmly inside her as the orgasm seemed to go on and on.

Chelle moaned and finally collapsed against him, breathing in quick shallow gasps.

Still, inside her, Hankura closed his eyes and smiled serenely.... _.so beautiful, Che-elle .... Oh, lovely woman, what you do to me inside!_

She raised her eyes to his with a smile, and he smoothed her tangled, wet hair away from her face then cupped his hand against her cheek. _I can't bear to feel you hurting. I just wanted to make you forget your worries._

_You do._ He grinned. _Sometimes, far too much, I think._ Then his expression grew somber, and he hugged her fiercely. _My darling Che-elle, I wish it could all be so easy. I hope our stay here will not be what I fear .... I hope you'll forgive me if it is ...._
CHAPTER SEVEN

Natar sat down to think for a moment before she began pressing the keypad of the food processor in her kitchen to set up the program for the evening meal. She chose foods that Hankura had liked best as a child: _presh, trelp, keesa_ and marinated _ropan._

There was little else for her to do so she decided to entertain herself for the next few hours. Trevin and Capra were both off in Salla, and Ludren was out in the fields checking the crops and the equipment for the upcoming _yarrel_ harvest. Maybe she'd view the new holo-disc Ludren had brought from Salla a few days ago.

Natar gave a toss of her hair and turned from the processor, strolling lazily into the main living chamber of their home. Opening a small compartment on the side of the holocube, she took out the disc and dropped it into the three-centimeter slot on top of the cube. Then she sat down on a plush gray lounger to watch the Marcellian opera.

She stared absently into the cube, not really seeing or hearing the grand 3-D production before her, thinking back to Hankura's arrival. He had changed so much more than she had expected.

Of course, she had seen his image on the com screen over the years; she had watched him grow from a dark, slender boy to a tall, strong man that way. But it had been twenty years since she had touched his mind.

This time, it was just the briefest meeting of their thoughts, but she had sensed his apprehension at her touch. Knowing Hankura was uneasy with that intimacy now, hurt. They were so close when he was a child. That is until she was forced by circumstances to tell Hankura he was being sent to Velran to be educated. The Psi Institute gave them three days to turn Hankura over to them or send him off world.

Mother of Life, she could never give her own son to _them_! Natar grimaced with a choked cry at the memory of her own stay there ....

They put her in such a tiny room with only an air cushioned pallet, a sanitary closet, one dim light, and no windows. She spent twenty days and nights locked in that cell alone, never seeing another human face or hearing a human voice.

The prescribed stay for a ten-year-old was five days---if he/she conformed. Natar had not. In her desperate loneliness, she reached out telepathically to touch another mind. The keeper's sensors betrayed her telepathy, and she was immediately locked into a neurochamber. The tiny booth opened from the wall and sucked her inside for two minutes of the most excruciating agony she had ever known. Pain ripped through her body via the network of her own nerve cells---stabbing, burning, tearing---seemingly from every fiber of her body until she was screaming in agony at the top of her lungs.

After she was finally allowed to collapse in a heap on her pallet, Natar's punishment for her indiscretion also included five more days alone in that tiny cell, staring at four empty walls. Following each of her four 'regressions,' Natar promised herself she wouldn't reach out again, but she was fast reaching the end of her emotional endurance.

She would do _anything_ they wanted if they just didn't leave her all alone anymore. She cried and cried, pleading and begging for someone to let her out. No one heard; no one listened. Only by sheer determination did she endure her fourth session in isolation. During that terrible period, she had lost all sense of time and sometimes reality, retreating into her own fantasies for comfort and companionship.

Natar came out of her cell in a state of shock. She was emotionally starved for any kind word or thought. From there, her instructors proceeded to reprogram her and mold her thinking until she became a meek and subdued level ten psion. She was released from the Institute several years later when she was no longer considered a threat to Normal Aledan society.

The experience left Natar with a well of emptiness inside that ate at her soul for years. She buried her psi powers from her thoughts and tried to pretend they didn't exist; she was so afraid of being punished again. Two years later at twenty, she left her family in Lenth and took a lonely flat in Salla Tower-26 to attend Salla University. There, she learned more of the bitter lessons inflicted on Aledan psions. If not for Ludren, she would not have completed her degree.

At that time, Ludren was a young cultural instructor at the University. Natar was doing poorly in her work as so many of the young psions he instructed. Ludren took a special interest in Natar, though. He was a Normal, but sensitive to the plight of Psions at the University. It bothered him that such an intelligent group of people so often failed to complete their studies. Even before his interest in Natar, he had hated the degrading treatment they endured.

He had tried not to care more for Natar than the others. But his mask of indifference broke when she came to him intent on withdrawing from the University to go back to Lenth. Knowing her high potential for learning, Ludren found himself urging her to stay for sound reasons that had nothing to do with his feelings for her.

Ludren was much more distressed than Natar ever expected. Because he had always afforded her the same respect as any of his Normal students and because of her conditioning, she had always respected the privacy of his thoughts. But on the day, she meant to leave, she saw it in his eyes; she felt his longing without reading his mind: This Normal loved her. Only when he thought he would lose her did he let his guarded feelings show.

Realizing Natar could read his naked longings, he became even more upset. He was as embarrassed as if he had been stripped naked in front of a gawking crowd. His mind held no barriers to her probing, and he could only guess what she felt for him.

He grew angry at the way Natar simply stood there staring up into his face.

"Do you have to look at me like that?" he shouted. "Why don't you just go and leave me alone? Or do you like watching me make a complete fool of myself?" Yet, despite his anger, she knew he wanted her to stay.

"No, Ludren," she answered softly. "I don't want you to feel like that. I'm the fool. You've hidden your feelings so well; I didn't even know. I-I knew you wanted me--but because of what I am I didn't dare to believe you could love me."

"Is that what conditioning did to you? Made you so insecure, so insensitive? You are descended from the great Narcaza. You have the gift of insight. Do you only realize now how I have loved you?" Ludren didn't quite believe her. He'd thought her so wonderfully sensitive as well as beautiful .... And she hadn't even sensed his feelings for her!

"Oh, Ludren!" she cried, her eyes glistening with tears. "You don't understand. Do you know what they do to us?"

He didn't. He had seen how they were treated in public, but few Normals understood psi-conditioning that were not directly associated with it. And fewer wanted to.

"I guess maybe I don't," he admitted finally. Natar could see that her tears upset him. "Tell me, Natar. I want to know--to understand."

"May I give you the memory?" she asked, touching his arm.

Ludren hesitated, not sure he wanted her to put the memories into his mind. Natar was a very powerful telepath by any standards, and the idea made him uneasy. But it seemed so important to her that he nodded reluctantly. "All right."

"You must tell me if you feel any discomfort--the law forbids..."

Ludren could see by her trembling, it was more than concern for him that caused her hesitation.

Very gently, Natar touched his mind with the bitter memories, knowing that a Psion must always be gentle with a Normal. Probing or sending with too much force could hurt--or even _kill_ him. Normals had no defensive mental shields to protect their minds.

Gently, as if it were a dream, Natar sent him the memories of the pain and fear and loneliness; the emptiness that plagued since conditioning. The conditioning had been much harder for her than usual because she had such strong psionic ability and such a strong will.

Gentleness had come in many hard lessons, too. They had tried to make her probe Normals and psions on the same level instead of letting her establish a rapport at her own level with each individual. Their mental beatings had so confused her that she accidentally injured three of her instructors with the force of her probes. They recovered quickly, but each slip in her control was punished by a session of pain therapy and five more days in isolation.

The pain therapy was administered in two consecutive sessions. Natar barely had time to recover from the first before she was subjected to the second. Then, an unsympathetic programmer forced the _proper_ behavior pattern into her mind with shattering mental force that almost pushed her into a complete psychic breakdown.

It took Natar nearly five years to open her mind again and begin to use her psychic gift. Even then, she just used telepathy with receptives, and sparingly. Her fear of punishment slowly lessened with time, but never died completely.

Ludren was stunned when she finished giving him the memories of her torment. He swore and shook his head in utter disgust. He hated the Aledan government for what they had done to her.

He put his arms around her and pulled her close without thinking. He wanted to wipe the pain from her eyes and protect her from all the hurts of the world. She was so small and had such a heart-rending look of vulnerability about her.

"Forgive me, Natar," he murmured huskily. "I truly didn't know what it had been like for you." Gently he lifted her chin so he could look into her face. He loved her, he wanted her. He needed her. "Do you care for me at all?"

Natar didn't answer at first. She didn't really know how she felt---except that his loving her made her feel good inside. His desire for her excited her.

"Yes, Ludren. I want you to love me. I need you," she replied softly. She needed to be loved more than anything, and it was easy to allow herself to become caught up in his passion. There in Ludren's study, they had become eager lovers. It naturally followed that he pledged as her life mate and filed a civil marriage a brief time later.

Following their marriage, Ludren brought her to live at his agro complex and gave up his position at the University to farm and write educational materials.

Even now, Ludren was easily persuaded to do almost anything she asked because of his love for her. Natar smiled to herself, leaning back on the lounger with a fresh glass of yash at her fingertips. She realized that she fed emotionally on Ludren's implicit love for her, but she also knew that she loved him deeply---in her own way.

However, he was a Normal far below her on the psi-scale. She never truly saw him as an equal. And Ludren had always known she could cripple or even destroy his mind with a careless thought. But he did not fear it. He trusted her completely. Natar never betrayed that trust, partly because of her conditioning but mostly because of her genuine love for him.

For the most part, she believed her life with him was good. In his love, he had given her three fine children. There would have been four had the first not perished due to an 'accident' at the Salla Fetal Nurtury. The dead fetus would have been their eldest daughter--maybe a psion. Natar would never know. Following the suspicious death of their fetal child at the nurtury, Natar had carried her next three children to term in her own womb. Nothing could ever convince her even now that the death of her first baby was merely an accident.

Hankura, her first-born after the loss, was exceedingly precious to her--even more so as he began to show a high level of psi at a very early age. With this discovery, Natar reminded her husband of his early promise not to let their children suffer the same hardships that she had.

To keep that promise, Ludren wanted to take his wife and son to Belderon for training until Hankura had reached age fifteen. Such training would make him exempt from psi-conditioning on Aledus. Natar, however, was terrified of being enclosed in a space ship flying into the void of interstellar space. Severe claustrophobia was one of the after effects of being kept for so long in solitary confinement at the Psi Institute.

Belderon Psi Institute would only take children under the guardianship of an adult, but the University of Learning on Velran did not require this. Once she realized her claustrophobia would prevent them from taking Hankura to Belderon, Natar secretly decided they must send him to Velran to be trained by the Wholaskans in the tradition of her ancestors. The University of Learning on Velran was also one of the finest Universities in the galaxy.

However, as the time to send Hankura away drew nearer, Natar became reluctant to go through with her plans. She had decided to abandon her plans since she hadn't told Ludren anyway. Natar tried desperately to conquer her fear of space by taking an orbiting sightseeing tour. But each time she went inside a shuttle, she panicked as soon as the hatch was sealed. Her heart pounded wildly, and she always broke out in heavy perspiration. (She felt as though she would suffocate if she couldn't get out.) Each time she became hysterical until the last time the officials called Ludren to come get her.

She confessed everything to Ludren. He suggested psychotherapy. Natar refused because of her experiences with the Psi Institute. It made Ludren sick at heart to realize he would have to choose between his beloved wife and son. As much as he loved Hankura, he couldn't leave Natar. He sent his eldest son to Velran, and something died inside him.

Sometimes, he even suspected Natar of faking her anxiety attacks to get her own way. Yet she seemed obsessed with the boy in a way that Ludren couldn't understand.

But then, Natar didn't always understand herself.

Hankura was everything a mother could want in a son. He was gentle and loving, yet strong---so much like his father. In the beginning, he had shared all his thoughts and feelings with her. Hankura loved his father as well. Even after the births of Trevin and Capra, Hankura came first in Natar's heart. Ludren knew she was very possessive of their first-born, but Natar knew he didn't suspect how deep her obsession was.

She loved him more than a mother should---more than she loved Ludren. The idea frightened and repulsed her.

No! It couldn't be true. Natar shifted uneasily on the lounger. She loved Ludren. He was her husband---her life-mate!

Oh, but Hankura was so like him .... And with such a strong mind. He was almost as high as she in the psi-patterns.

Only Hankura had found his psi-mate on Earth. Mother of Life, he was making love to her that very moment! The knowledge aroused her incredibly and disgusted her at the same time.

Natar threw the half empty glass of yash against the dome's white inner wall. It broke, splashing the clear fluid everywhere, and Natar covered her face in shame at her incestuous yearnings. While she wouldn't touch his mind, she could feel his surging emotions through the psychic web. She could feel the intense love he lavished on the Terran.

"He must not know. Ludren must not know," she whispered. No mother should feel that way about her son. Even the permissive Aledan society was not that broad-minded.

After a while, Natar pressed for the cleaning droid to clean up the mess she'd made. A few minutes later, Ludren came into the chamber to watch the end of the operetta disc with her.

"Did you enjoy the disc, darling?" he asked.

Natar knew he had wanted to please her with it. She couldn't bring herself to tell him she had hardly watched it. "It was wonderful," she lied, then changed the subject. "Will there be any trouble with the harvest?"

"There will be a few days' delay while the flowers finish blossoming, but our harvesters are in fine shape. They will have the crop ready in time to ship on the _Arcius Freighter_."

Natar extended her small hands for him to help her up. "Ludren--" she murmured, suddenly overwhelmed by a physical need for him. She slid her arms around him and pressed close, her emerald eyes alight with a silent invitation. _Make love to me_.

He grinned slowly and bent his head to kiss her as he folded her in his arms. Her urgent response quickly aroused him as well.

"Do you love me, Ludren?" she whispered close to his mouth. "Tell me you love me. Show me."

"You know I love you, my darling. I will always love you," he assured her, caressing her tenderly. He reached behind her to press the privacy signal, then escorted her to their bedchamber.

He loved her so much, yet Natar didn't feel he would ever love her as Hankura loved his Terran psi-mate. But he was an excellent lover, and he knew how to quell this ache inside her. Natar closed her eyes and tensed for a moment as he began to undress her, horrified at her thoughts. No one could love her more than Ludren did. He just couldn't express his love in the same way Hankura could, but it was always there for Natar to seek it out in his mind. Ludren loved her with all his heart. It should have been enough for any woman. She could never let him know that it wasn't.

_And I will always love_ _you my darling Ludren._ She smiled up at him adoringly and knew that she meant it. If only it could be enough ....
CHAPTER EIGHT

During the times of confusion before Hankura understood his nightmares and his psychic connection with Michelle Marlow, he enjoyed several pleasant relationships with women. While he had loved them all on one level or another, he had always assumed that none of these relationships would be permanent.

As a child, he merely understood that he cared what happened to Chelle. As a man, her attraction scared him until he found her and realized that his attraction for her was just as great. When they stopped running and finally faced each other as man and woman, body to body, mind to mind, a new fear arose within him .... That he would lose this other half of himself---this beautiful woman who stood facing him under the light of the Milky Way.

She was dressed in a silvery gown that swished over the brown moss under their feet as she walked. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders to her waist. They were alone, facing each other slightly apart. They had come out under the night sky to fulfill the ancient custom of pledging their love.

"In the _Path of Insight_ , it was written by Arall: 'The Mother of Life is responsible for the evolution of humankind throughout the Galaxy. She gifts some humans with a special insight--the gift of mindsight ....

"'Through the gift of mindsight, those who are chosen will recognize their soul mates as they meet through the will of the Mother .... And those who meet will be destined to share a _Path of Insight_ for all time. For through time and space, the human soul knows no bounds . ..'" Hankura recited the words from memory as Chelle met his gaze steadily and opened her mind to him.

Love has many facets, my beautiful Che-elle, and knowing love is a precious gift. You give your love freely, and what's more, you accept my love freely .... Che-elle, I give you my love now and always. As it travels the circle of our thoughts from my mind to your mind and back again, it grows and blossoms to a joy beyond words, pure and untouched inside us.

As his love enveloped her mind, Chelle sent her love flooding back into Hankura's mind like an incoming tide.

Beloved Hankura, I love all that you are .... With all that I am .... all that I will ever be.

We are like the water that ripples in the pond. Your love is my love .... And your joy is my joy .... your sorrow, my sorrow .... Your pain is my pain. We are one with our love. We are one now and always, and with all that we are, we will protect our life together from this moment on.

The solemn vow passed unspoken between them, formally sealing the twenty-year-old bond that had brought them to this moment. They stood touching and kissing for a long time in the glowing aura of their psychic union.

Little had changed in the family's main lounge chamber in Hankura's absence. The room was fairly open with too little furniture for its size. The white curved walls held colorful wall hangings and holograph art, and the same crystalline sculptures that he remembered from his childhood were distributed on stands throughout the room.

The familiarity was not especially reassuring as he sat beside Chelle with his family on the large, circular sofa that dominated that area. The urge to jump up and leave was hard to suppress. He felt no more at home here than he had those first lonely hours on Velran.

Chelle sensed his nervousness and touched his arm with unspoken encouragement. She couldn't translate his strange sense of foreboding into terms that she could understand, and he did nothing to help her. It was like a door had been suddenly closed to her. To cover that denial, Hankura smiled thinly and send her a silent endearment. The earlier strange sensation passed so quickly, Chelle began to think she had imagined it--whatever it was. She was very curious, but she decided not to press him for an explanation. He would share it when he was ready.

Drinks were served by a small autocart that moved quietly among them. It paused before each person so that they could lift a glass of _yash_ from its service tray.

"Does that gown fit all right, Chelle?" asked Capra politely. "It certainly looks nice on you."

"Thank you. It's quite comfortable--just a little strange after wearing a coverall for so long. I have never worn such a beautiful gown before."

"Was it designed at one of the factories in Salla?" Hankura asked. "We're planning to buy new wardrobes in current styles. Any suggestions would be helpful."

"It came from Ramyon's--but .... Well, it's nearly impossible for a Psion to get in there. But you can order by vid com once you have been measured. Chelle is welcome to keep that gown. It looks a lot better on her than it ever did on me. White just isn't my color." Capra said then flushed. _Oh, Mother! I didn't mean Chelle should wear my castoffs. The gown really does suit her better._

"It's all right, Capra. I understand. Thank you." Chelle's smile was genuinely warm. "Maybe I can do the same for you one day."

Capra looked relieved as she lifted her glass to her lips.

"Hankura, tell us how you found Chelle," Natar prompted. "And tell us about your visit to Earth."

"Well, she wasn't hard to find. Actually, we were looking for each other when I got to Earth. But our bond of recognition was sealed twenty years ago when the _Argus-Lu_ locked into Earth orbit for a couple days on the way to Velran."

"Then it was the _Serene Perception_!" Natar murmured in wonder.

"You could say that, I guess. It took many years for us to understand, for me to realize what I had to do," Hankura continued. "And Earth is a very dangerous place." He went on to tell them about their misadventure and how Chelle had literally saved his life.

"Oh, my dear!" his mother gasped, as she understood how near death Hankura had been. _And well she should have. It was her fault._

"No, Mother. It wasn't Chelle's fault. Berke hadn't the right to treat her cruelly just to amuse himself. That isn't the point, anyway. Chelle fought Berke and two men at the risk of her own life to come and heal me when I would have died. What more could you ask?"

"I've never been so terrified in my life!" Chelle shivered at the memory.

"Hankura is a lucky man." Trevin commented in frank admiration for Chelle.

"Indeed." Natar relented in view of her younger son's approval. "I am just thankful to have you home safe. Will you be accepting the position in Salla?"

"I will--providing they approve my profile. At least for a while. We don't know how long we'll stay on Aledus, and I don't need the credit allotment, but I need to keep my skills fresh."

"What about Chelle?" Capra asked. "What will she do while you are keeping your skills fresh?"

"Since she is already a gifted healer, she wants to begin Med-tech training so she can learn to channel her abilities more efficiently. Our psi-link will enable her to reach a proficient level in a relatively short time. As a physician, I have already been through all the tech levels."

"Maybe Chelle would like to be a physician, too." Capra said.

"Maybe." Hankura chuckled at her ardor. She was treating him like a brother, he realized as his tension lessened.

"Maybe someday," Chelle agreed. "Since I had no formal schooling, we thought I should take it slow to start. I only just learned to read on the voyage to Aledus. Going to the University at Salla will be a big enough step for me right now."

As Chelle said that, Hankura sensed his brother's concern about the plan. "What bothers you about Chelle's going to the University, Trevin? Do you think it will be a problem?"

"Enrollment won't be a problem once she's been evaluated. But--she's an alien psion. It's the other students who will make it difficult for her. I've seen how the Normals treat psions; I am a student there myself." _Knowing the hard life, she led on Earth, I'd hate to see your wife treated that way. She has a certain innocence about her that women lack here._

_In some ways, yes_. Hankura agreed, meeting his brother's gaze. _I doubt I could discourage her now. She is also very stubborn._

_I suspect that makes two of you._ Trevin grinned, obviously comfortable with his brother's telepathy. Hankura was easy to like and trust. Maybe they could be close again as they had been as children. Trevin was hopeful.

A chime signaled from the processor that dinner was ready, and Natar urged the family to move into the dining area and take their drinks with them. They seated themselves in a circular booth before plates of food that contained a serving of each item on the menu. They could request extra portions from the service droids through the panel beside Natar.

Chelle waited and watched the others begin eating before she picked up the three-pronged fork beside her plate. She decided to try a liver-colored pate~ to start.

_Chelle, don't eat much of the presh._ Hankura indicated helpfully. _I think you'll like it, but it's very rich after the bland rations we shared on the Mran._

She nodded and took a few small bites. It was good, but Hankura was right about its richness. She left most of it on her plate as he advised. All the food was rich and tasty, but neither Chelle nor Hankura were used to eating large meals. Both picked at their food, savoring what little they did eat.

As the other members of Hankura's family ate, Chelle took the opportunity to observe them. The resemblance between Hankura and his father was amazing. Only a few flecks of silver hair and his brown eyes marked their physical differences. Especially Ludren's eyes. They held the wisdom of his years and his contentment with his life. Hankura's emerald eyes sparkled with dreams yet unrealized and a reckless yearning for adventure.

"Hankura, will you consider making your home here, permanently?" Natar asked. Her question broke Chelle's train of thought.

"I doubt we will stay permanently, Mother," he told her gently. "We came so I could get to know you all again and spend time with you. We'll probably stay only a couple years because we don't want our children born here--when that time comes. We haven't decided where we will settle, yet."

"Couldn't you stay on Aledus until you know whether your children are psions?" Natar asked hopefully. "If they are Normals, there would be no reason to leave."

"I don't want to raise them here even if they are Normals. I don't want them to learn the prejudices against our kind that they'd learn here ...." Hankura frowned and reverted to telepathy. _Look at Capra and Trevin. Despite their attempts at friendship, they're a little uncomfortable with Chelle and me. You've nagged them until they're afraid to act naturally for fear of offending us._

I just didn't want them to hurt you.

I'd rather they were honest instead of trying to hide their real feelings from me. Let us work out our own relationships, and we'll get along just fine.

_What about Chelle_? _She's the reason you won't stay. I know you love her, but she's alien, and she doesn't belong in our world. Why... why she may even be a mutant. What kind of children will she give you?_

_Beautiful children. Mother, we are all mutants so to speak. Chelle is my wife--my life mate If she doesn't belong here with me, where does she belong?_ His eyes flashed defiantly. He sensed Chelle's hurt, at the realization that she was partly the cause of their heated exchange. _For that matter, Mother, I doubt that I belong here either. We didn't have to come here at all, but we came here for you and Father. Maybe it was a mistake for all of us. Maybe we should just plan to resupply the ship and leave as soon as possible._

Hankura, no! I don't want you to leave, not ever. And I know you'll leave if Chelle is unhappy.

_Well, you'll make_ me _unhappy if you try to run my life! I have been an adult for some time. Whether we stay a few months or a few years will depend on a lot of things .... Including Chelle's happiness. We'll see, Mother._

Please don't be angry with me, Hankura. I've missed you so. I--I just didn't expect you to marry before you even came home .... And to a Terran ....

Hankura sucked in an exasperated breath. _One moment you're pleased that we have pledged and then you criticize her origin. You know what psi-mates are to each other. She's part of me. We're pledged according to the laws of Arall._

Of course, you are infatuated with her now. You're a man with a man's needs, as Ludren said, and I expect she fills them quite nicely. I've sensed your passion for her ....

"Mother!" Hankura hissed. _This has gone far enough. You're intruding on my privacy. Either drop this probing, or I'll finish dining with Chelle in our own chambers._

Natar blinked slowly and sighed in resignation. _I'm sorry. I don't dislike Chelle, darling. I just need to get used to your having a wife ...._

His expression softened a little. _I understand that. But please try to be a little more tactful. Chelle feels your resentment through me, and it hurts us both. You know I love you, Mother_. _My love for Chelle won't change that ...._

"I know," Natar murmured. _Forgive me. I don't want to ruin this evening by arguing with you. I'll try not to interfere with your private life._

"Good!" Hankura flashed her a dubious look.

"All right, you two," Ludren broke in. "You aren't dining here alone. You have the rest of us at a disadvantage.

"Sorry, Father," Hankura gave him an apologetic look and shrugged.

"I'm sorry, too," murmured Natar. "If everyone has finished eating, let's go back into the lounge and open a bottle of _carava_ to toast Hankura's marriage and pledging."

Nodding in agreement, the family members rose and moved into the adjoining chamber. An autocart brought them a flask of thick, magenta _carava_ and fresh glasses. Ludren opened the bottle and poured each of the six glasses half full. When each of his family had been served, he raised his glass.

"To Hankura and his lovely new wife, Chelle .... Health, happiness, and love. May you have children as fine as my own. And welcome home."

Touching their glasses together in the ancient tradition, they saluted one another then drank.

Unprepared for the potency, Chelle took a normal swallow just like the others. She gasped and choked as it burned all the way down. "Strong .... But very good," she murmured hoarsely. _Pure liquid fire! You should have warned me_. She flashed accusing eyes at Hankura who chuckled at her expression.

_It's good for you_. He teased silently.

_Someday, I'll give you what's good for you._ She threatened half seriously.

Smiling at their silent exchange, Ludren asked, "Have your psi evaluations been scheduled?"

"Yes. It was one of the terms of ground clearance," Hankura replied as Chelle drifted away so they could talk alone. "Mine is tomorrow, and Chelle is scheduled for the day after .... Father--would you mind coming with me to the Psi Institute? I---"

"I'll come," Ludren assured him. "I'll take Chelle, too, if you like. I don't think either of you should go alone, and I'm sure your rapport with her would make it impossible for you to go with her.

"Thank you for understanding, father." He smiled in gratitude then looked for Chelle. She had drifted over to the dome's largest window to look out over the garden and complex grounds. She was still holding the half-full glass of _carava_ clutched in her hand, reluctant to sip anymore after her first eye-opening swallow.

"Have things been going well for you here since I have been out of touch?" Hankura glanced toward Chelle again as Trevin moved to the window beside her. His brother's growing interest in her bothered Hankura, yet there was no reason for concern. Trevin was just being friendly. Hankura turned back to his father and forced himself to concentrate on what the older man was saying.

"The complex pretty much takes care of itself," Ludren replied. "I just watch over things. We have good crops this season, though."

Capra moved to join them while Natar discreetly went to the kitchen to program the cleanup in the dining area. "Another term, and I'll be an authorized legist."

"Good," Hankura muttered. "Maybe you can get them to let us vote so we can get the discrimination laws against psions repealed."

"I wish I could, Hankura," she gave her brother a thin smile. "I hope they don't make your life here too miserable---for either of you. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Thanks for the thought, little sister." It felt good to know she genuinely wanted him to be happy there.

The sound of breaking glass turned their attention to Trevin and Chelle. "No!" she murmured as the magenta stain spread over the carpet. "I couldn't!"

Chelle turned and ran headlong through the tunnel exit on the far side of the lounge. It led to the underground tunnel and would take her the dome she shared with Hankura.

Hankura set down his glass. Clenching his fists, he stepped menacingly toward his brother. A deep red flush crept up his neck and over his face as anger threatened to take control of him.

"I didn't mean any harm," Trevin stammered guiltily. "I just---"

"I _know_ what you did!" Hankura gritted. "Chelle is no one's free mate---not yours, not anyone's! She belongs to me. Leave her alone!" With that, he pivoted and stalked out of the chamber after Chelle.

Trevin shrugged in bewilderment to his parents. He had simply asked her to share his bed. He found her terribly attractive, and extra-curricular sex was common practice on Aledus regardless of marital status.

"It's all right, Trevin," Natar soothed, pressing for a service droid to clean up the mess. "You didn't know they would feel that way. I never would have guessed. They say some psi-mates are like that."

"I'm sorry, Mother. I know what you said." He sighed. "She looked---almost scared. I don't understand. I wouldn't have hurt her."

"It's all right. She'll calm down---then you'll straighten it out."

Trevin nodded. "I will," he agreed, knowing it was an order, not a request. "If you don't mind, Mother, I think I'll be going, too. Good night, Father."

Trevin drained his glass and set it on the autocart with the others, leaving through the tunnel immediately afterward. Natar watched his receding figure thoughtfully. Maybe things weren't so bad as they seemed.

Ludren frowned at her expression.
CHAPTER NINE

Hankura and Chelle came out of their domed dwelling into the bluish morning haze that hung over the garden. Turning left onto a garden path, they sauntered toward their newly arrived hovercraft.

It was a four passenger LeFarian air wedge, fully automatic with an auxiliary manual guidance system, vid com, a refreshment dispenser and other conveniences.

These and similar fliers were used to get from place to place outside the five major Aledan cities where there were no roads to speak of and no public transportation. There were hoverports that served as parking areas outside the city domes at various locations for the crafts to be parked while the occupants did their business in the cities.

Hankura pressed his hand to the ID plate, and the hatch opened for them. They climbed inside, and he showed Chelle how to operate the craft.

"After the _Mran_ , this should be simple for you," he told her. "The wedge is already programmed for all of the larger cities. All you have to do is make your selection, and the craft will automatically take the shortest route to our assigned Hoverport at each of those cities. For any of the smaller villages or agro complexes, check the computer for coordinates and lock them in with this button."

"No problem," she nodded. "Being able to read the controls makes things a lot easier. I never realized what I was missing. Reading is terribly exciting, especially now that I have so many book discs available to read." Her enthusiasm, however, did not cover her confusion over his family situation.

"You're still a little bewildered by what happened with Mother and Trevin last night, aren't you?"

"A little. I can see how Natar feels.... And Trevin meant no harm. I just never expected, and he didn't understand. You never told me that it was like that here."

"Sorry---it never occurred to me. We have both taken it for granted that our psi-mating will make our marriage a monogamous relationship. But that is not a usual thing here on Aledus," Hankura replied, trying to push aside his anxiety. "Maybe this was a mistake from the beginning. Maybe we should just supply the Mran and get out now. Mother was right; you are different, but so am I." _Sweet Mother, I wish I didn't have to go through this. What if I can't hold my shield? What if the tester breaks through? I am afraid, and I am afraid for you._ "

"I know, Hankura. I'm afraid, too--for both of us. But you're not ready to leave, and we both know it. You need time to know your father again and your brother and sister. And you need to come to terms with your mother. You know if you leave now, it will always haunt you.

"Besides, you've done these evaluations before, and you said yourself that my telepathic ability is fairly well under control."

"It is. I just don't think you're ready for the kind of pressure you will face at the Psi Institute. Trevin says they make it very hard for off-worlders...."

"There's no choice, Hankura. You've taught me everything you could. I can do it."

Her words were brave, but he wasn't fooled. She was just as nervous as he and just as determined not to give into her fears.

"I wish I could go with you."

"I'm afraid we can't do this together." He wished he didn't have to do it at all. "The evaluation will be unpleasant enough as it is. Try to block it out as much as you can, and use the med-dot I gave you. You'll need it."

"What about you?' She looked at him worriedly.

"No drugs until it's over. That would only distort my concentration. Father is coming. Why don't you go back to the dome and play some music? It'll help you to relax."

"It's hard to relax when I can feel you're so tense."

She draped her arms loosely around his neck, touching his mind with her tender empathy. It helped a little.

"Do the best you can," he murmured and kissed her lips lightly. "I'll be fine."

Hankura pressed the button that opened the hatch and let her out as Ludren arrived. Chelle gave him an uneasy smile with a silent endearment and turned toward the dome, walking slowly back to the entrance.

When Ludren slid into the craft, Hankura closed the hatch and started the hovercraft's power source with a low hum. Already set for Salla, the craft rose slowly into the air and started moving forward at a steadily increasing rate of speed until it tapered off at regular cruising speed. In less than half an hour, they would be on the outskirts of Salla, two hundred fifty-seven klicks northwest of the agro complex.

"You look tired, son," Ludren remarked. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept badly when I slept at all," he muttered.

"Maybe you should postpone the evaluation."

"So, I can keep worrying about it longer? No thanks! I want to be done with it."

Ludren shook his head musingly. "I hate for you to have to go through this, Hankura. All of the evaluations you've had on Velran should make it unnecessary."

"My feelings, too. But Aledus won't accept evaluations from anyplace else, not even Velran. I don't have much choice unless I want to leave Aledus in three days. Father, I can't do that. I haven't seen you for twenty years. I've missed so much.

"What really irks me is that damned psych profile! Mother, you'd think I came home from Penta Prison instead of the University of Learning! This is sure a helluva place for a Psion to call home."

Hankura's mouth tightened into a grim line as he fell silent and leaned his head back to close his eyes and try to calm himself. Ludren seemed to understand and didn't press him to make any more small talk for which he was grateful.

Soon, the domed city loomed on the horizon. Housing more than three-quarters of a million people, Salla was a highly diverse city of varied and elegantly simple styles of architecture. The Aledan world capitol was a rainbow of jewel paneled towers and muted pastel domes attractively grouped together and divided by the many pedestrian beltways that traversed the ancient city.

Salla was where the Aledan colony began with a fair skinned Terran race led by Malkan. In over a millennium and a half, Aledus had grown into an independently governed industrial and agricultural world. Its slight axial tilt provided a fairly even temperate climate, ideal for growing crops year around in its northern plains. Temperatures in the southern hemisphere were cooler and harsher, and few people cared to live in the tundra wilderness. However, there were a few living near the fairly large Federation Defense Installation.

Although the Federation maintained a defense base there, they did not interfere with Aledan politics. They were located on Aledus for strategic defense purposes only, and they rarely mixed with the general populace except for those living around the base.

Hankura and Ludren left the hovercraft at the hoverport just outside Salla's tinted dome. Walking briskly in silence, they crossed the hoverport to the subway to catch a tube capsule to the heart of the city. They stepped into a downtube and floated to the second sub level to wait in a well-lit room with several other people for the next capsule.

A cylindrical car arrived within thirty seconds. Its doors slid open automatically, and twenty people filed into the empty capsule without pushing or crowding. When everyone was seated, the car gave a slight lurch and then there was no further sense of movement until the capsule stopped. About a minute later, the capsule opened at the central terminal near Narcaza Circle.

Pausing outside the capsule, Hankura watched a dozen people push past a young female Psion on the platform where she was waiting to get aboard. The woman flashed him an accusing look as she noticed his left sleeve bore no psi-patch. She could sense that he was a psion.

Because she might have reported him to the Aledan Law Enforcers, he opened his mind enough for her to learn that he was on his way to the Psi Institute to "earn" his patch. He didn't need trouble the moment he got into the city, and if the Enforcers were feeling belligerent, they would take him to jail and ask questions later. Except for going to the Psi Institute on arrival to Aledus, it was against the law for a Psion to enter any of the cities without a patch. He had three days from touchdown to get one or be deported.

After learning his situation, the woman politely nodded and turned to enter the next capsule. Hankura scowled in annoyance as he walked with his father to the lift tubes. The nosy little bitch would have turned him in if he hadn't obliged her inquiry. It was no damned wonder a Psion had no rights here!

At ground level, they stepped out of the lift onto the beltway, heading west toward the Aledan Psi Institute three klicks down the line. Standing together near the center, they let the belt carry them along at a jogging pace past Narcaza Circle, a huge city park and botanical garden traversed by stone paths instead of pedestrian beltways.

The park displayed bushes and trees of all kinds. There were huge bulbous flowers that pulsated like jellyfish in the sea and a great variety of plants and flowers from different worlds. All of this was arranged into a great garden. At its center stood a huge marble pool with a fountain shooting water high into the air and raining it down on lavender ropans in the water below. The reptilian waterfowl swam in all the other fountains in the gardens; but Narcaza Fountain was the most magnificent--graced by a marble statue of the great master himself with a bronze commemorative plaque listing his many achievements.

It had been over twenty years since Hankura had seen these sights and remembered his family's kinship with this place and this man. If not for the ordeal awaiting him, he knew he would be thrilled to be there. But, blast it, Aledus was his home world. His roots were here. He wouldn't let them drive him away again.

The two passed four other psions, but just one man took any notice of Hankura. The other three were content to mind their own business. Hankura gave the fourth the same courtesy as he had the woman, again for his own protection. This was the only time Hankura would traverse the city unhindered by unkind thoughts and outright rudeness from Normals around him. He savored the peaceful feeling.

Hankura would be the last to deny anyone the freedom of his own thoughts. He ignored the thoughts of others for the most part. But there were those who enjoyed making trouble for psions. Usually, it was just taunts and murmured insults; but sometimes, there were gangs of youths who went around assaulting unaccompanied psions in secluded places, exactly why Hankura planned to start teaching Chelle _chackrin_ before he let her go to the University.

She had already proved she could defend herself fairly well, but _chackrin_ \---a sophisticated version of martial arts techniques---would give her a better edge. Psions were never allowed to carry weapons.

The whole system angered him. There would be a lot less trouble in the cities if psions weren't singled out with psi-patches and tough, discriminating laws that they had no part in making. Without patches, they could travel the cities and work unhindered without drawing unsavory attention to themselves. Outwardly, most of them were unremarkable in their appearance.

Granted, a few psions were dangerously unstable, but they were the exceptions. Most of them were just trying to make a place for themselves in the scheme of things like everyone else. Aledus was their home.

_My home, too._ Hankura thought, yet his own people demanded that he face this degrading ordeal to prove that he was no threat to them. He had spent ten years learning to discipline himself in careful control of his psionic power. He but once ever caused a Normal slight discomfort while he was still a child. He never repeated that mistake.

Now he was a physician, trained to preserve human lives and wellbeing. To him, the human mind was an intriguing world all its own to be respected and protected. He used his insight to help people, not hurt them. Control over his power came as easily as a shout or a whisper to a Normal, but Aledan Psi Laws didn't recognize these factors. He was one of _them_ , a second-class citizen of Aledus.

_Goddess, why am I doing this?_ He wondered. Hankura glanced at the man beside him again---his father. He sensed his father's love and concern, and his father's happiness at his presence. It made Hankura feel good. It made him ache for the special times they had missed as father and son in the years they had been apart. It must be worth a half hour of torment to have the chance to recapture some of what was lost. _I can do it. I can,_ he told himself as they stepped off the beltway in front of the Psi Institute.

Inside the large domed building, Hankura and Ludren were greeted curtly by a plump, middle-aged receptionist with short white and blond streaked hair that stood on end.

"I'm Jessa." She gave him a faint smile that didn't meet her eyes. "Which of you is to be tested?"

"I am." Hankura stepped forward, resting his hands on top of the long orange counter. "My name is Hankura, ID number 5-741374, Physician, Telepath Grade 8.5."

"Born?"

"1673 Aledan Standard Time."

"Residence?"

"Agro complex S-1852-D2."

Watching her computer screen to see that Hankura's information was recorded correctly, Jessa handed Hankura a thin, white plastic disk. Then she addressed Ludren. "Sir, you can have a seat in the lounge." To Hankura, she said, "An attendant is on his way, Hankura. Put your disk on your left sleeve. It will be your psi-patch when your evaluation is completed. A beam from the scanner will turn it blue when the test is over." She told him all of this as though he were a less than intelligent child, which did nothing to brighten his dark mood.

Momentarily, a young man dressed in a two-piece Psi Institute uniform of light blue, synthetic fabric came and beckoned him. Hankura followed him down a long white, arched corridor past rows of closed cells lining each side of it. At the end of the corridor, they turned left and entered the fifth open cell on their right. The man hadn't given his name, but Hankura knew it was Selter.

"You understand the testing?" asked Selter.

Hankura nodded mutely and took his place on a contour recliner where Selter strapped him securely. The attendant poised the neuroscanner over his head, and double checked his restraints.

"Kodric will be here in a minute or so. Just try to relax, and it'll be over before you know it." Selter told him in his best reassuring tone.

_Yeah, sure._ Hankura thought to himself. _That's easy for you to say. You're not about to be probed by a Grade Eleven Psion until your brain wants to explode._

An ordinary looking man of medium build in his middle seventies walked into the room with an air of authority and stretched out on the recliner opposite the one where Hankura was strapped.

_We will begin as the orange light flashes._ Kodric indicated without emotion.

Hankura took in a deep cleansing breath and let it out slowly, watching for the orange light on the scanner above his head.

The light flashed, and Hankura tentatively began to probe Kodric's mental defenses. He found the path into Kodric's mind quickly, only to be met by the other man's strong shielding mental block. Hankura's task was to psionically batter against Kodric's defense shield to the limit of his power, knowing he couldn't break through.

For Hankura, it was like trying to break into a tightly locked room by ramming his body against an immovable door. Clenching his jaw, he squeezed his eyes shut, and his forehead beaded with perspiration in his intense effort to summon all his mental reserve. A beeper sounded from the scanner when it registered the top limit of his psychic power--8.56--six-hundredths higher than his last evaluation on Velran.

The difference was almost negligible, but Hankura still had to endure the same punishment from Kodric.

_You are well skilled, physician._ Kodric grinned smugly. _I actually used some effort to block your probes. Not much, but at least it was somewhat challenging. Perhaps, my probing will be equally challenging._

Hankura scowled at him, feeling the menace of Kodric's thought. He felt like a sacrificial virgin about to be raped. In about a half a minute, Kodric would start probing him, trying to break away his mental shield to seek out his most intimate thoughts and feelings. In a sense, it was a kind of mental rape.

The light flashed again before Hankura's eyes. Kodric's first probe was strong, but not too strong for his mental shield. Each probe attempt became stronger, battering persistently harder against his mental defenses. Only intense concentration and a supremely stubborn effort of will kept his defense intact.

His muscles tensed painfully, and his heart raced with the stress of turning all his energy to upholding his mental shield. Kodric was the last person he wanted to let inside his head. But the probes kept coming, stabbing, pounding, and searing into his consciousness with mind stunning force.

Hankura groaned, straining against the straps that held him down and clenching his fists at the mental beating. He'd reached the upper limit of his tolerance, and the beeper sounded, yet Kodric went on probing.

Hankura jerked against the restraints, fighting desperately to hold his shield until he finally just screamed in anguish. Only then did Kodric relent and withdraw from their battle of wills. He knew he could break Hankura if he wanted; that was enough.

"Well done, physician," Kodric snickered condescendingly and stood looking down at him. "You made 8.65 defensive. Not bad."

"You bleeping _nache_!" Hankura murmured unevenly.

"I've been called worse." Kodric shrugged as he turned and sauntered from the room, leaving Hankura helplessly strapped to the recliner. Hankura thought of a few worse names he could have called him after he was out of sight.

After a moment, he let his muscles relax and blinked slowly, wincing at the throbbing pain in his head. He sucked a long uneven breath and sighed raggedly. At least it was over.

Trevin approached his brother's dome through the underground tunnel that connected all four of their private domes in the family resident quarters. As he came to the open portal, he heard music playing loudly from the inside, and he started to just walk in as an open door was customarily regarded as an open invitation.

He stopped short at the sound of Chelle's strangled cry followed what sounded like an oath in another language. Then, hearing nothing else but music, he went on inside with the three small disks bunched in his fist. Chelle was sitting huddled on the brown velvet sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest and her head resting on her knees.

"Is something wrong?" Trevin asked gently, not wanting to startle her.

"My God!" She looked up at him and shuddered. "No wonder he said I couldn't go with him."

"What do you mean?"

"The testing was pretty hard on him," she said, a faraway look in her eyes. "They're finished now."

"You sensed that all the way out here?" Trevin looked at her dubiously. "Even mother isn't that sensitive. I thought she was stronger than either you or Hankura."

"She's not Hankura's psi-mate." Chelle raised an eyebrow at his uneasiness in her presence. "Hey, take it easy. I haven't mind wiped anyone lately."

"Have you done it before?" She did a double-take as he took a step back from her.

"Of course not, Trevin," she laughed, amused at his expression. "I was joking. Why don't you sit down? Maybe you'd like a drink or something--- _jern_ tea?"

"No thanks. I'm fine." He hesitated briefly before he sat on the far end of the sofa. "About last night--I didn't mean to insult you. I meant no harm."

"Forget it." Chelle half shrugged uncomfortably and wrinkled her brows. "He's blocking me." She sighed and jumped up suddenly, pacing across the room to the window. "He hardly ever does that. It must be that damned testing," she muttered, staring out the window with eyes unfocused. After a moment, she turned back to face Trevin. "They are going to do that to me. If I'm not tested, I'll be deported in two days."

"Have you ever been tested?" Trevin wondered.

Chelle shook her head no, resting one hand on her hip. "I learned I'm a Psion from Hankura. He says I'm about as strong as he is, but I'm not that good at reading people yet." She paused at his worried look. "Oh, don't worry. Hankura taught me how to do it, so I won't hurt anyone. It's just that I'm still a little clumsy at it, and I don't always learn much--except from him."

"Has he warned you about using your power against Normals? It could get you into a lot of trouble if you ever did."

"Oh, sure. He told me." She nodded walking back to the sofa where she sat down again. "Why should I do anything like that? I never hurt anybody who didn't try to hurt me first. I only stabbed Berke. .because---"

"You stabbed a man?" Trevin's mouth dropped open. He didn't know how she escaped to save Hankura, only that she had.

"I had to. Hankura would have died. .and you don't know what he was like. Berke would've--never mind," she murmured. "I can't talk about it. I didn't kill him, though. Jed Rankin told us he didn't die."

"Have you killed men before?"

"Yes--twice," she said grimly.

"Why?" Trevin breathed incredulously.

"To survive. One of them killed my brother, the only person in the whole world I cared about. It was an ugly thing in an ugly life. I don't know what would have happened to me if your brother hadn't come. I'll just be glad if I never have to kill anyone again. It's not a good feeling. I even felt bad when I thought I killed that no good bastard Berke. But I didn't, and I'm glad." She paused, meeting his hazel eyes earnestly. "Tell me, Trevin. How could things be any worse for me here?"

After a moment, Trevin averted his eyes from her gaze. "Sometimes, they are pretty cruel to psions, especially at the University in Salla. Chelle, I really don't think you ought to go there. I don't think Hankura truly understands what it'll be like for you."

Leaning back into the cushioning, she draped her arm over the back of the sofa. "I don't see that I have much choice. I'm not used to idleness, and there's nothing for me to do here. I want to do more than be entertained. I'm a healer, and someday, I might be a good one, if I just learn more about human physiology. That's what Hank told me." Chelle shifted her position again, still too keyed up to relax and a little shy in Trevin's presence.

"Well, I've brought you some disks on Aledan culture, government, and what-have-you. You seemed interested when we talked last night, and I thought these would help fill in things Hankura may have forgotten to tell you. After all, he's been away a long time. Father has a lot more if you're really interested.

"You know there is a lot you could learn from the disks. They cover just about any subject you could want, and you wouldn't have to go to the University right away---maybe not at all." he went on.

"But, I won't learn how to fit in, hiding here at the complex, and I can't be certified that way. I want to work with Hankura. I can't be kept here as a pet. I had a hard life on Earth, but there I was free."

"Yeah, until Berke came along and tried to take your freedom away from you." He pointed out.

"And you know what happened to Berke."

"That's the point, Chelle. You're a psion. You haven't the right to stand up and fight for yourself here. That's what I'm trying to tell you. If you don't conform, I don't know what could happen to you."

"Trevin, there are many ways of fighting. Some are subtler than others," she told him. "You know; I wasn't sure I wanted to come because I didn't know how I was ever going to fit in here. You would shudder to see the way my brother and me were forced to live before he was killed. Even Hankura, my own psi-mate wasn't so sure about all this. But he promised Natar and Ludren. He had to come back, and we had to be together, so here I am. Maybe Natar is right. Maybe I don't belong here." She shuffled to the holocube with the disks, opened the storage compartment, and dropped them inside, closing it. "I'm here though, and I'm going to try to fit in the best I can. Hankura needs to be here to prove something to himself--and I need to be here for him and help him any way I can."

Shaking his head in disapproval, Trevin glanced at the ceiling and sighed. "If I can't talk you out of it, just remember---you'll have to watch yourself. And you should learn to read minds better. You'll need that skill attending the University."

He stood up, intending to leave.

"Why all the concern?" Curious about his motives, she tried to probe his mind.

_I like you. You're different._ He looked embarrassed as he realized what she was doing. "I have to go. My co-mate is expecting me in Salla."

"I thought you lived with a co-mate." Chelle arched an auburn brow upward.

"Vera won't live here, and I won't live in Salla. Sometimes, I stay for a while, but this is my home."

"You have a mate. Why did you---ask me that last night?"

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you. That's just the way it is here. You're attractive. I wanted you, so I asked. You refused, and it's your right. I accept that." He raised his chin in a defensive gesture.

"Good, because it can't be like that, Trevin. It's not my way. Let's just forget it happened, hmm?" she murmured gently. "I'd like to think that we could be friends."

Trevin seemed to relax, offering a faint smile. "Sure, why not? I really have to go. Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks, Trev," she grinned back. "Have a good time."

He chuckled as he turned and walked into the arched tunnel. "Good luck, Hankura! You're going to need it."
CHAPTER TEN

The attendant, Selter, came back to the testing cell with a sympathetic smile and a tiny, foil backed med-dot to calm Hankura and ease his splitting headache. Selter peeled back the foil and discarded it, then pressed that side of the small disk to Hankura's wrist. It left a small, red blotch when he took it away, but Hankura felt no pain as the drug was absorbed into the capillaries through the pores of his skin.

"You'll feel better in a few minutes," said Selter. "When you're ready, I'll take you back to the lounge. You didn't come, alone did you?"

"No," Hankura murmured, massaging the tense muscles in the back of his neck as Selter released his restraints and helped him to sit up. Trying to clear his head, he added, "You know don't you; what Kodric just did to me would have killed you?"

"Yeah, well--I try not to think about it too often." Selter's mouth tightened.

"Does he do all the testing?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Damn! My wife is a dawning latent. It's going to be awfully hard on her."

"She's the Terran?"

Hankura nodded. "I know it's that or deportation. I just don't want him to hurt her. " Selter seemed to understand but made no comment. "I'll go to the lounge now."

Selter took his arm to steady him as he stood, then led him slowly back to the reception lounge. He left as soon as Hankura was seated on the couch beside his father.

Stretching out his long legs in front of him, Hankura slid down on the seat and leaned his head back, letting out a long sigh. His head hurt, but not as bad as after the biochip implant. The drug Selter had given him was easing the pain but left him feeling a little groggy.

"Are you all right?" his father asked.

"I haven't decided yet," he answered with forced lightness. "That sadistic bastard had me screaming my head off." He took another deep breath and let it out. "It was plain hell. I was beginning to wonder if the son of a sludge worm was going to stop--and I was afraid he wasn't." He paused. "I couldn't have taken much more."

"I'm sorry, Hankura. I wish I could do more to help. We've petitioned against this testing for years, knowing one day you'd have to face it, but it never gets to the Senate Council," he mused with a touch of bitterness.

"I know, Father. I'm just glad you're here with me now. That helps a lot. I felt very alone in there, and I couldn't really share it with Chelle." Hankura turned his head slowly and grimaced. "Mother of Life, I wish she didn't have to go through this!"

"I know. I wish I could have spared your mother all she went through, but it was already too late when I came to know her."

"Father, she's only a dawning latent, and she's so sensitive. I don't know what this will do to her. Kodric won't be gentle. She's going to be hurt, and he will take pleasure in hurting her, unless we leave Aledus by tomorrow."

"Is that what you and Chelle want to do?" Ludren looked at him with a doleful expression.

"No." Hankura shook his head. "We have hardly had a visit so far. .and after last night, I know our leaving would make Mother very unhappy."

"Does Chelle understand the testing?"

"I've demonstrated the technique to her several times, but it was really no test," Hankura explained. "I couldn't go on with it when she became distressed. I'm only a little stronger than she is, but a lot more experienced."

"You could ask Natar."

"No. Not while Mother is resenting her. Besides, I think the strain would be too much for her so soon before the evaluation. She'll be restless enough as it is."

"Are you still angry with Natar and Trevin?"

"Not really. Mother is disappointed not to have me all to herself, and I can well understand how Trevin feels. He meant no harm. I was angry because they both upset Chelle---especially Trevin."

"But free mating is a common social practice here. You know that. Didn't you explain it to Chelle?"

"As I told her, it never occurred to me. I already knew her feelings about sex, after what Berke did to her before I found her. I doubt she would have even come to me if we weren't psi-mates. She still doesn't trust men entirely."

"Just what are you telling me. I---don't think I understand."

Hankura explained what Berke had done in quiet tones.

"No!" Ludren muttered incredulously. "How did she ever survive in a place like that?"

"By her wits mainly. She learned to fight at an early age. I won't let anyone---not anyone---hurt her like that again. Right now, though, I just hope Mother will accept her."

"She does in the logical part of her mind, but emotionally she is jealous, and she can't seem to control it," Ludren told him sympathetically. "I have tried to talk to her about it, and I will keep trying. But she only listens to what she wants to hear."

"Are you and Mother happy?" It was a sudden question.

"You mean because she seems to run my life?" His father grinned, and Hankura nodded. Ludren chuckled. "It's true, but only because I let her. I'm not afraid of her power. She is very sensitive to hurting me. I do what pleases her because I love her. It isn't in me to deny her anything---even sending you to Velran. What you just went through in there is only a sample of what you would have suffered had you stayed here. There were many times I wished we could have done things differently where you were concerned."

Hankura was finally beginning to read his father's feelings again. He sensed his regret and need for understanding. "What could you do? I was the first-born son and a Psion in a place where psions are highly unpopular. I gave Mother more trouble than Trevin and Capra put together."

"And she loves you the most. It shouldn't be that way, but I know it is. Perhaps I'm just as guilty."

"But, you don't stifle me the way Mother always did. You know, after I stopped feeling sorry for myself on Velran, I was relieved to be away from her. I hated myself for feeling that way because I do love her. But I don't know how long I can be this close to her without us hurting each other."

"I'll do what I can," Ludren assured him. "I don't want you to leave right away, either."

"Thank you," he replied. "It's not only Mother, though." He glanced pointedly at the round, blue psi-patch on his sleeve.

"You don't have to explain. I know what a psion's life is like here on Aledus. In the meantime," he smiled, "I'll make the most of your stay."

"Me too." Hankura grinned affectionately and straightened up. "Now that I've been classified and labeled let's get out of here." He stood, wavering slightly. "I promised to get Chelle something of her own to wear."

"Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I'm a little shaky, but I'll get over it." He started walking toward the exit, and Ludren fell into stride beside him. _I just hope Chelle will._ Hankura mused to himself.

The next morning, two strong tranquilizers did little to calm Hankura's anxious state. He paced the living chamber of their dome over and over, waiting for Chelle's evaluation to begin. It had been another restless night for both of them, and passion only distracted them from their apprehension a little. Just after dawn, they had dozed for a while before Chelle was due to leave.

Hankura dreaded letting her go; she was so vulnerable and afraid. There was nothing he could do to protect her, and his own uneasiness had not helped calm her at all. He could only pray---something he rarely did---that she was strong enough to stand Kodric's vicious probing. He dared not believe otherwise.

He stopped his pacing suddenly in the middle of the room. Chelle was making her probes of Kodric. So far so good. That part lasted just a few minutes. Checking his pocket for the tranquilizer dot he'd slipped in there earlier, Hankura went on pacing again. It was too soon to go to her. It was hard enough to keep out of it this far away.

"Damn him!" Hankura muttered as he sensed Kodric toying with her. As he sensed her increasing mental distress, he hated himself for bringing her to Aledus. _Mother of Life, what have I done?_ He stopped and kicked the sofa viciously, spouting a string of colorful expletives in three languages. "Stop it, you bastard! What are you trying to do to her?"

He went on muttering angrily as he picked up his adhesive psi-patch and slapped it on his left sleeve. Then he stalked out of the dome to his hovercraft and started it in motion almost before he'd closed the hatch. He chose its highest cruising speed and headed for Salla.

"Jessa, is Marston in the building?" Selter questioned the receptionist at the Psi Institute. "He doesn't answer his signal."

"No, he left an hour ago. It was a long night," she replied. "What's wrong?"

"We've got a bad one here---the Terran," he griped. "Kodric took her clear to critical, and she's in hysterics. We're out of Halcynol---that's the only thing the readouts say she'll tolerate. We can't do anything with her. I'm afraid she may go into psychic shock."

Ludren looked up uneasily as he heard the exchange from the adjacent lounge. Turning off the holocube, he listened to the conversation closely.

"Was there any brain damage?"

"Not so far as I can tell. So, what do I do now?"

"Do the best you can. I'll---wait a minute. Sir?"

"Where is she?" Hankura demanded.

"D-down the corridor, third door from the end on your right." the woman faltered.

Hankura turned abruptly and strode down the corridor.

"Selter, her husband, is on his way---that grade eight we had yesterday. He's fuming so watch it," Jessa warned.

After a long pause, Selter answered, "It's okay. He's just trying to calm her down. Put Kodric on report. He's gone too far this time. Get us another tester."

Hankura bent over the recliner where Chelle was still strapped down. He took the med-dot from his pocket and pressed it to her wrist.

"No more! No more! Nooo!" she screamed, hardly aware that he was beside her. The scream faded into convulsive sobbing as she went on pleading for Kodric to stop tormenting her.

Hankura quickly unfastened the restraints and tried to pull her into his arms, but Chelle struggled against him, pounding his arms and chest.

"Damn you!" she cried. "How could you let them do that to me? Why did you bring me here to let them torture me? They are no better than Berke was. At least he was honest about it."

Each word was emphasized with one of her pummeling fists. It was no more than Hankura believed he deserved. In those moments, he hated himself almost as much as she did. He didn't stop her until one of her fists would have clipped him in the jaw. He held both of her wrists tightly as she struggled and cursed him.

As her anger subsided, she began to sob softly, and Hankura pulled her into his arms and held her close. She clung to his neck, sobbing, and pressed her face into the hollow of his shoulder. "She-ell, ah, she-ell. I'm so sorry. Kodric went far beyond any testing. I don't blame you for being angry. I should have never put you through it. You weren't ready."

"It wasn't me, Hankura. It was him. He---he w-wouldn't stop. I-I begged and begged---him. Why wouldn't he stop, why?"

He paused to swallow against the lump in his throat before he could answer. "I think he was sick with the pleasure our pain gave him. They took him away, and he's not going to hurt you anymore," he soothed. "Don't think about it. Just try to relax now."

He stroked her hair and held her close while he waited for the drug to work. In a few moments, her sobbing lulled, and she grew calmer. Hankura began to feel calmer, too.

"I---knew---it would be bad," she said at length. "I never imagined. He was breaking through; I couldn't hold him out." Tears filled her eyes again and spilled down her cheeks.

"I know, Chelle." Hankura blinked at something in his own eyes as he wiped her face with a cool, moist cloth that Selter had brought. "He never should have been allowed to do the testing in his condition."

"I stopped him as soon as I realized what he was doing, Hankura," the attendant told him. "He just cracked all of the sudden. Will your wife be all right?"

_I'm not sure yet._ he indicated with a grim look.

"I want to go home," Chelle said huskily, her nose still stuffed from crying. "Will you take me home?"

"To Earth?" Hankura asked. Her thoughts were jumbled, and he dared not probe them more deeply at the moment.

"No! Of course not!" she said slowly. "To the dome. I've had enough of this place."

"Well, I couldn't blame you if you did want to go back to Earth." He raised his hand to brush her hair back and allowed his fingers to linger on the softness of her cheek.

"Not after what I just went through so I could stay." she sniffed.

He handed her a tissue to blow her nose.

"Can we go now?" she asked when she finished.

"All right. I'll take you to the lounge so you can rest for a few minutes before we go home." He put an arm around her and guided her out to the lounge.

"Hankura, I don't want to stay here. I just want to go home." she protested.

"Please, just rest here for a few minutes." Hankura gently tried to steer her the rest of the way into the room to join his father.

"No! I told you I don't want to be here." She pulled back and twisted away from him. "I want to go home!"

"Chelle---" Hankura drawled in surprise as she turned and bolted from him without further warning. He shot a worried look at his father and ran after her. She ran out of the Psi Institute before he could catch her.

"Chelle! Wait for me," he called after her.

Drugged and confused, she didn't hear as she stumbled and fell onto the pedestrian beltway. Hankura jumped on at the first opening, but Chelle scrambled to her feet and went on running. It wasn't long before she'd gained a wide lead on him. Soon she was out of sight.

The beltway was crowded by then. People kept stepping in front of him and hindering his progress. At the sight of his prominent blue psi-patch, some of them deliberately pushed in front of him or tried to trip him.

Hankura sensed Chelle's nearness, but he could just catch glimpses of her in the crowd. She was frightened and disoriented, and he knew she didn't know where she was going. If he didn't catch her soon, she would quickly be lost in the maze of beltways that ribboned the city.

Catching her on the crowded belt seemed hopeless when he saw her change belts again, about 30 meters ahead of him. He leaped to that same belt, but Chelle changed belts still again. Hankura surged ahead through another opening and almost caught her arm, but he stopped short, sensing the threat of an Enforcer stunner at his back.

"Psion, you know the rules on the beltway. You're endangering the other pedestrians by running through the crowd like that." the Enforcer warned. "You can be fined and exiled from Salla for that."

Damn you!

"Look," Hankura said, keeping his annoyance silent. "My wife is confused from her psi evaluation this morning. I have to find her before she gets lost or something. She's an off-worlder, and she has never been in Salla before today. She's running scared."

"She dangerous?"

"Space, no! She's my wife! I just want to find her and take her home before something happens to _her._ _You damned idiot, with that stupid patch on her sleeve, she is the one in danger. If you don't let me go after her, you will find out just who is dangerous in about one second._

The powerful looking man studied Hankura for a moment, unaware of his silent threat. He seemed harmless enough, but he was a psion--they weren't to be trusted. But if he were telling the truth, on the other hand, his wife could get into trouble or get hurt, and the Psion might blame him....

"All right, go on. Just slow down, or I will have you charged," he warned and waved him on, returning the stunner to his belt.

Hankura strode away and scanned the crowd for Chelle's flame-colored hair. She was not far away, but it was still impossible to pinpoint her exact location without her help, which she wasn't giving.

He could have kicked himself for not sensing her state of mind sooner. He'd been too busy hurting with her and feeling guilty for putting her through the ordeal. He should have expected her resistance when he didn't concede to her wishes. After Kodric's near success at breaking through her shield, she was bound to feel hostile and assertive on the rebound. Arguing with her so soon after that shock was a stupid mistake; he should have indulged her.

In desperation, he questioned a few passers-by and learned she'd been seen; although no one knew just where she had gone. When some of them tried not to answer, he simply read their minds and got his own answers along with a few insults to his anatomy and his intelligence for daring to bother them. He scanned a few others with about the same dubious results and soon gave up. Instead, he turned his powers of concentration to seeking out his father's thought patterns instead.

After a few minutes of intense concentration, he knew that his father was searching for Chelle on the lower side of the city opposite where Hankura was. If Ludren found her, he would stay with her until they could all meet someplace.

But finding Chelle in a city of that size was no easy task without help.

Chelle was nearly exhausted by the time she finally stopped running on the beltway. The drug Hankura had given her was working to calm her, but now she was alone. She looked all around her, searching the crowd for a familiar face---his face. She looked up at the tall, pointed towers shimmering like jeweled prisms in the sun. She saw a round, tiered glass tower and unfamiliar domed buildings everywhere with brightly lit signs marking them. She realized she was lost.

By then, she was feeling light headed from her ordeal and the drug. The motion of the belt made her stomach lurch, and she swayed unsteadily. Desperately, she looked around for a place she could get off to sit down and rest until she could decide what to do. Then she saw the great open park that she had passed with Ludren on the way to the Psi Institute.

The thick, reddish-brown moss and tall trees beckoned her. She was especially attracted to the magnificent fountain at its center. Chelle stumbled almost drunkenly from the belt before it came to a stop. As she regained her balance, she was drawn toward the source of the rising water.

Two tiny _gresars_ chattering under a bush drew her attention, and she stopped for a moment to watch them scold and tease each other. Walking on, she stopped once more to gaze at the huge orange flowers pulsing on their thick green stems. Then she continued slowly toward the pool of the fountain. There, she sat down in the moss beneath the statue of Narcaza, crossing her legs and staring raptly at the rising water in the pool.

Vaguely, she sensed a young couple passing near her, but she didn't look up when she heard the young man's disparaging remarks. "Look at that dumb Psion sitting on the ground over there. Ah, an off-worlder patch, what do you expect?"

"Stefan!" a familiar voice admonished. "That _dumb_ Psion is my brother's wife."

"Uh---oh, sorry."

Chelle looked up as she recognized Capra's voice. She was coming toward her with a reluctant fair-haired young man in tow.

"Chelle, what are you doing here in the Circle all alone? Where's Father?" Capra squatted down beside her.

"I don't know," she murmured with tears misting her deep blue eyes. "I just couldn't stay in that place. Kodric wouldn't get out of my head---he wouldn't stop probing. I begged him--he didn't stop until they made him. I had to get out."

"The evaluation?"

Chelle nodded with a shaky sigh. "I wanted to go home, but I didn't know where to go. Hankura wanted me to rest. I just felt like I was going to suffocate in there. I--I ran away."

"I see. Then they are both probably looking all over for you."

"Will you help me find Hankura?" Chelle asked sheepishly.

"I'll do what I can. I won't leave you here alone." she soothed.

"But Capra," protested Stefan. "We'll miss the new Marcellian performance."

"Then you go. Chelle doesn't know her way around, and I'll bet father and Hankura are frantic with worry. I'm not leaving her here like this," Capra retorted and sat down in the moss beside Chelle.

"Oh, good grief!" he muttered, glancing skyward in exasperation. "I don't want to go without you. What's wrong with her anyway? She seems kind of dazed."

"Probably because of the testing," Capra told him and turned her attention back to her sister-in-law. "Where did you last see Hankura?"

"At the Psi Institute. I had to get out. He wouldn't listen. He doesn't know where I am; I don't know where I am. I feel his anger. Maybe he's angry with me. It was a dumb thing to do. I felt like I was going to suffocate." she repeated.

"Well, can't you find him with telepathy?" Capra suggested. "I bet he's not angry with you--but at the people who did this to you. Honey, it's going to be hard to find him in this city without help. I have no idea where to start."

"Hankura tried telepathy, only I can't seem to open my mind to him after Kodric's attack. He kept pounding at my shield until I could hardly think except to scream in pain for him to stop. He wouldn't." Chelle shivered.

"How did they stop him?"

"Some kind of a stunner. I think I heard them say that." She leaned forward with her forehead almost touching her ankles, and covered her head with her arms. "Oh, God!" she groaned. "Why did they do this to me? I wouldn't have hurt anyone with psi. I'm only just learning to use telepathy well with people other than Hankura."

Chelle straightened up and looked at Capra. "All they have done is to set me back so I can't even open my mind to Hankura, now," she sniffed, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "He would find me if I could open my mind---just like I found him after that man shot him on Earth."

"Shot him?" Stefan repeated incredulously. Finally, he sat down on the moss beside Capra.

"Yes. He nearly died," Chelle murmured absently.

"Can't you use telepathy to reach into his mind?" Capra said, looking hopeful.

"I'm not sure I can even do that right now--not coherently." She wrinkled her brows in dismay. "I've been probed and drugged until I can hardly think straight. To top it off, I've got one hell of a headache." She shook her head. "I just don't know."

"Well, why don't you give it a try? Even if you can't make him understand where we are, he'll know you're okay," Capra persisted. "Maybe it would help to think of something pleasant."

"That's why I came to the fountain," Chelle said softly and smiled to herself. Then she turned a pensive stare back to the rising water in the fountain.
CHAPTER ELEVEN

Hankura was walking on the pedestrian beltway when he sensed Chelle's telepathy. He stopped mid-step. She was sending a collage of images, and he wasn't quite sure what she meant by them. Trying to ask her was no use. She still wouldn't accept his telepathy. The images came again then stopped completely.

He made a wry face, confused yet relieved. At least Capra was with her; that much was clear. His sister must have encouraged Chelle to reach out to him by thinking pleasant thoughts.

He wished he had a better rapport with Capra so he could seek her thoughts. In crowded places, it was a difficult task for even the most accomplished telepath. Even though he had a good rapport with his father, reaching his mind had taken a lot of luck along with his concentrated skill. He wasn't sure he could do it again.

As for Chelle, Hankura could sense her nearness whether she blocked his telepathy or not. But sometimes, like today, his own emotions would get in the way of his sensitivity to hers. He'd been so worried about her Psi Evaluation he could hardly think straight. Now, what did she mean? He read erotic images of their more intimate moments and a huge fountain with _ropans_ swimming in the pool under it. Hankura grinned slightly. Those were enchanting thoughts, but she was obviously trying to tell him something specific, and she was having a hard time making it clear.

Of course! It was Narcaza Circle. Alone and bewildered in this strange city, Chelle would seek out a quiet haven like that to sort things out. Hankura changed directions and stepped eagerly on to the next perpendicular belt. In a matter of minutes, he was walking toward the huge fountain at the center of Narcaza Circle.

Some people crossed his path, paying little attention to him as he passed. He circled the fountain and found Chelle sitting under the statue of Narcaza with Capra and Stefan.

"Chelle!" he chided gently. "Father and I have been searching all over Salla for you."

"You are angry." she sighed, and Hankura could sense that she was still hurt and confused and a little angry with him. Yet he knew she was glad to see him as well.

"Not with you, love. With them for what they did to you and with myself for putting you through it. I knew it would be hard for you, but I--I wanted to believe you wouldn't be hurt because I need to be here right now."

"Well, I certainly didn't need that testing," she muttered, avoiding his eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry, Chelle---and I don't blame you for being angry with me. You have every right to be," he admitted. "But, why did you run away from me?"

"Because I wanted to leave and you were trying to pull me into that stupid lounge," she sniffed.

Hankura lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I only meant for you to rest a few minutes to calm down after the testing."

"I didn't want to stay there," Chelle retorted. "I--"

"I know." Hankura sighed. "You told me. And I didn't listen. I'm sorry."

Chelle looked into his face. Seeing the misery in his eyes tempered her anger some. He hadn't _wanted_ to hurt her. He just wanted to stay on Aledus so badly that he had convinced himself she wouldn't suffer for it. He knew it, and she knew it. He had done this to her by bringing her here. What did he expect?

Yet, as she looked into his eyes, she knew he had been hurt as well. He was hurting now. A part of her wanted him to hurt: he deserved it. But another part of her wanted to soothe his hurting.

"I got lost. I could feel you close, but I couldn't find you. I tried." Tears formed in her eyes again. "I wanted to find you. I was scared that I wouldn't."

"Me, too. It's all right, sweetheart, I'm here. Don't cry." He reached up in a gentle caress and pushed her tangled hair back from her tear streaked face with his fingers. If anything had happened to her....

"After Capra found me, I wasn't scared anymore. I just wanted to go home. I'm glad you found us." She winced suddenly at the pain throbbing in her head. "Can you make this damned headache go away?"

"I can try. Here." He laid his hands on either side of her head and gently massaged two pressure points near her temples with skilled fingers for about half a minute. Then he applied the same pressure on the top of her head and moved gradually to two other points at the base of her neck and on the back of her shoulders. It was an ancient headache remedy.

"Better?"

"Oh, yes! My head was starting to feel like one of those big orange flowers."

"If the pain comes back, I'll do it again. I only had the one tranquilizer with me." After a moment, he turned his gaze to Capra. "Thank you for staying with her. I know you had plans with your friend." _Maybe you'd better go with him now. Stefan is embarrassed to be seen with us.... And I sense you are too._

_I'm sorry, Hankura._ Capra met her brother's eyes sadly. _I'm ashamed to feel this way. It's so hard to be in the middle like this. You know I care about you both; you're family.... But you should never have come back to Aledus. This is no place for you--and certainly no place for Chelle._

You're right, but I promised Mother and Father. I never wanted to believe it would be this bad for Chelle.

_What about the University? Have you any idea what it will be like for her there?_ Capra wondered.

"Unfortunately, yes," Hankura admitted. "Chelle is stubborn as hell. She wants to go anyway." He half grinned. "That same stubbornness probably saved her from psi trauma with Kodric. He tried his best to damage her psyche."

"I feel better now," Chelle interrupted softly.

As Hankura smiled and looked into her shining blue eyes, she blinked slowly and sent the image of a blooming _yarrel_ flower into his mind.

Squeezing her hands ardently, he sent it back to her as a whispered endearment caressing her mind. She softly sighed and smiled back at him. That she had opened her mind without conscious effort was a good sign. She would forgive him in time.

"Can we go home now?" she asked. "I'm tired, and I've had enough of Salla for one day."

"I'm ready to go, too. I just need to find Father and let him know. Will you let me try and not run away?"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight," She grinned sheepishly.

The four of them sat in silence while Hankura closed his eyes and concentrated, blotting out everything but his sense of oneness with his father. It was almost like trying to pick out one special ant in an anthill of thousands.

"Aah!" Hankura exclaimed, exhilarated by his success. He opened his eyes, blinking several times. "He's going home, too." Then he stood up, untangling his legs a bit awkwardly. He drew Chelle to her feet and hugged her for a moment. "Thank you both," he said to Capra and Stefan, releasing her.

"Maybe you will bring Stefan to visit us," added Chelle graciously, taking Hankura's arm to steady herself. "He isn't so bad either."

"Chelle, you must be more discreet," Hankura told her. "Not everyone appreciates your kind of honesty."

Stefan chuckled a little uncomfortably. "Serves me right, I guess." He watched them turn for Hankura to give silent tribute to the statue of the great Narcaza. When they continued on their way back to the pedestrian belt, Stefan looked back at Capra.

"They are very different from the other psions here on Aledus. I'm not sure what it is---but they have a certain dignity about them. Sludge, I'd have been mad as a _gresar_ if you had done that to me. He hardly seemed annoyed."

"Probably because he was so glad to find her unharmed. You know what could have happened to her alone in this city." Capra muttered. Stefan nodded grimly. "They _are_ different. Their minds have always been free."

"Doesn't that worry you--living so close to people like that?"

"Oh, I'll admit I was nervous about it at first. But they are hard people not to like." She shook her head slightly. "Mother and Father should never have made Hankura give that dumb promise. They're going to have a hard time because of what they are. What the Psi Institute did to Chelle was just plain cruel--and unnecessary."

"Maybe it seems that way," Stefan admitted. "Still, they are psions...."

Capra glared at him.

"Okay, okay---so I don't know that much about psions," he admitted. "I guess I'll learn."

A few people stared at Hankura and Chelle with obvious disdain, but no one accosted them when they entered the Enrollment Hall in the Admissions Dome at Salla University. The two walked down a long wide corridor and paused in front of a computer information terminal.

Chelle placed her thumb on the black ID plate, and the machine ejected several plastic sheets into the catch bin. She picked them up in order and started glancing over them as she and Hankura walked back out the way they had come.

"Blast it all!" Chelle exclaimed in disgust. "Look how they've got us listed." She handed the sheets to Hankura, although he already knew what she had read. All of the students for Med-Tech Level One classes were listed in alphabetical order with their ID numbers, sex, origin, and psi status listed beside each name.

"They don't even give me half a chance," Chelle mused. "They didn't need to put all that on there for everybody to know. It's not fair. By the time the others finish reading this refuse, no one will come near me, let alone talk to me. Wearing this stupid psi-patch is bad enough."

"Aw, Chelle," Hankura sighed as they walked down the nearly empty corridor. It had emptied since they arrived. "Capra and Trevin haven't been exaggerating at all. I'm afraid that's exactly what you can expect." _I wish you'd change your mind about this._

"But you were the one who suggested it in the first place!" She gave a sudden toss of her long auburn hair.

"That was a mistake on my part. I can certainly see that now." He took her arm, and they stepped onto the beltway together.

_You don't think I can do it? You want me to quit before I even start?_ She flashed him a tight-lipped glance.

"Woman! Don't read thoughts into my mind that aren't there. I'm just telling you that no one is going to give you a fair chance. Even the Aledan psions will probably avoid you. Those gorgeous blue eyes of yours have you marked as a double genetic recessive.

"The other students will only work with you when they're forced to. You'll be alone in there, and if they ignore you, you will be lucky." _Chelle, I don't want you treated the way they will treat you. Kodric hurt you enough_.

_I got through it okay, and I can do this, too._ She looked at him persuasively. _If that's the way they want it, that's the way they will get it. I did what you wanted, now let me do what I want to do--just until we're ready to leave Aledus. I've got to try. If I don't go to the University, what will I do? Sit at the complex and watch the yarrel flowers grow?_

"You've got me there. I know you hate to be idle, and you're eager to learn the things I know...."

"Hankura, I need something to do while you're working at the Medical Center. I want to do this. Besides, do you really expect them to treat you better than I will be treated here?"

"I'm not a Terran Psion with blue eyes," he pointed out. _Mother of Life! I should never have brought you here! I should have taken you anywhere but Aledus. They won't see anything beyond how different you are._

"But you do. That's what matters to me." She offered him a fond smile. They stepped from the beltway and walked toward the subway tubes to board a capsule and cross the city.

"If you help me, I can do it. And just in case anyone might get nasty, you can teach me some more of your _chackrin_." _We can't be afraid to do everything because they won't make anything easy for us._

_Of all the women in the Galaxy, I had to find an impossibly stubborn Terran for a wife. What am I going to do with you?_ He cast her a sidelong glance. _The hell of it is, you're right. If we stay here for any length of time, we'll have to face the situation. If we can't do that, then we may as well leave now._

"The hell we will. The time to decide that was before you sent me for that damned testing," she exclaimed. "You thought I was angry that day. You might not be so lucky next time."

He laughed, and she laughed as well. It seemed good to laugh together again. The last week had been an emotional roller coaster for them both. Her nightmares interrupted their sleep several nights, and she would accept no comfort from him. Chelle seemed to hide inside herself while she wrestled with her anger and hurt. She blamed him for what Kodric had done. She blamed him for the loss of her horse and the loss of her home in the green mountain forest. And he accepted the blame. He had hurt her enough already. How could he let them hurt her, too?

Chelle stopped and turned to him, meeting his gaze.

"Hankura, don't. I've been homesick, but I can't keep punishing you because the reality of your world is not as pretty as the dreams. Earth looks better in my dreams, too. But the day would have come when I couldn't fight well enough to survive. It wasn't so long ago that getting me out of there nearly cost you your life. You did that for me, and I did this for you. It's been hard for both of us, and it doesn't look like it will get much easier any time soon." She paused. "I want to do this. I faced Kodric for you, now let me do this for me."

Chelle was not asking his permission. She was asking for him to have faith in her ability to cope with the situation. They both knew she was his equal in intelligence. She just lacked his education.

He looked at her for a long moment. "All right ---go to the University if you like. Telling you, it won't be easy is a challenge in your eyes. You know I'll help you all I can."

"I'll need it---and it goes both ways, you know."

He grinned with a sparkle in his emerald eyes. "Why else would I go to all this trouble? I don't care what anyone thinks. Your eyes are beautiful."

The pedestrian belt paused before Ramyon's Salla's largest factory outlet in the garment district. Several other people got off at the same time as Hankura and Chelle. As they approached the entrance, the other people pushed ahead of them. The others went inside, and a blue light began flashing above the entrance. The light legally barred them from entering.

"That was rude," Chelle spouted. "Why did they do that?"

"Look on your left sleeve," Hankura muttered. "Let's go to Sallisan Terrace. That's where Mother usually goes. It's where most psions go for clothing when they don't order from home."

"We could be barred from here for hours," she resigned. "We might as well go. It still isn't fair."

"I know." he murmured and took her hand in his. "There's nothing we can do. There are many places that Normals can bar us if they wish, I'm sorry to say. We can order clothing from there once we have been fitted at the Terrace."

"I don't believe this. I wish I could just rip this damned psi-patch right off my sleeve!"

"Chelle don't ever do that in the city!" Hankura warned. "They wouldn't let me see you in jail."

"Sludge! They don't fool around. Okay---so I won't rip off the patch."

A few minutes later, they'd crossed the garment district to a less frequented shop. After they had left the belt, they entered a tall glass tower and took the lift tube to the twenty-second floor.

"There's no one here," Chelle said as they emerged from the lift tube into a large round room.

"Completely automated," Hankura answered and led her to a small booth. "Press the ID plate to go inside. The scanner will take your measurements. I'll use the next booth."

When Chelle came out a few seconds later, they went to a round booth and sat before a holocube. Hankura explained the voice commands to Chelle and turned on the cube. Momentarily, Chelle's holo-image appeared, decked in a clingy, lavender gown. "I look great in that, don't I?" She grinned in delight. This was a novel experience for her and Hankura was enjoying the newness through her.

"Umhmm. Buy," he told the computer and pressed his thumb to the credit plate. "What else would you like?"

"Something like that yellow outfit Capra loaned me. It was comfortable, and I liked the boots, too. Then, I need some plain things--a few jumpsuits, I think, to wear to the University."

"Okay, say next for the style selections to change. When you see something you like, say hold for review, and the computer will hold them all for a final review. Then, we can add or leave out selections. They will all be custom-made to our measurements. We'll take a couple things with us, and have the rest brought to the complex by droid tram when they're completed."

"But you pressed the credit plate for the lavender gown."

"I want you to have it. It's lovely on you." He grinned. "Choose whatever you like, and we'll have it deducted from our account. Just hold any you aren't sure of and we can review them."

"Anything I want? Are you sure?" Chelle looked at the total uncertainly. She hadn't seen that many credits in her whole life.

"Certainly. Credit is the least of our problems. It's almost harvest time," he explained. She realized then that he was pampering her in an attempt to make up for some of the pain he had caused her. She knew that he needed to do that, so she decided to let him.

"And if you don't take all day," he went on. "I'll take you to dine in Tharn by the sea. After that, we can go to Lenth to see the Paskien Dance Company."

"Are we in a hurry? I thought we had a whole month to see the sights."

"Actually, we have thirty-three days to do whatever we like...."

"Almost...."
CHAPTER TWELVE

A soft purple hue spread through the long thin clouds that stretched across the sky and the sun shown as a lavender ball sinking toward the Tharn Sea. Low wavelets rippled the salty water and rolled gently toward the shore, lapping at two naked lovers entwined in the sand. Only the hovercraft settled some fifty meters away revealed human presence on an otherwise deserted stretch of beach.

"You know this is crazy, don't you?" Hankura murmured, exploring the curves of her face with his eyes. There was such love in her gaze, in her touch, and in the passion of their mating. He didn't really care that they had no blanket and that they were covered with sand.

Such a moment should last forever....and it would, if only in his thoughts.

They lay together, still joined, his erect cock still pulsing inside her even after the exquisite orgasm they had shared.

Chelle laughed softly, caressing the back of his neck with her fingers. "I suppose that making love in the sand has some drawbacks--but it was what you were thinking." She reached to brush a bit of damp sand from his shoulder.

Ah, Hankura. This place is more beautiful than all of Salla. Nothing men have made could match what is already here. I would like to stay here all night.

"Darling, there isn't a dwelling for klicks...." he pointed out. "Making love in the sand is one thing---"

"So? Have you never slept under the stars before?" _I have missed it_. "But you're right. We could come back another time and bring at least a blanket."

Hankura smiled and pulled her closer, molding her body to his. Softly, he kissed her mouth, savoring the caress of her lips on his own. _It's getting cool. We'll have to go soon._

_Ah, but you are so warm._ Chelle moved her hands sensually over his shoulders. She kissed his throat and hugged him tightly, almost fiercely. _I love you so much, Hankura. Sometimes, it scares me....how vastly empty I would be without your love, without the joining of our thoughts._

My darling Chelle, I never truly understood love until I knew yours. I am still amazed that you look at me with such tenderness and respect. You find strength inside me that I never knew I had. How awesome and beautiful this flower is inside us, an exquisite madness that consumes us.

He turned on his back with the warmth of her body to shield him from the ensuing coolness. With one hand, he stroked the soft curve of her buttock, and he used the other to push her wet hair away from her face. "The sun has set. We should go now, love."

"Before I can tempt you to make love again?" she laughed softly and gave his mouth a quick touch with her own.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he framed her face with his hands. _I am already tempted, but we would be much more comfortable sharing a nice warm bath back in our dome._

"That sounds lovely. But, can we swim for just a few more minutes to get the sand off before we put on our clothes?"

"Sure." He pressed her from him so she could get up. Then Chelle took his hands and helped him up after her. As they brushed the sand from each other, they were drawn irresistibly into another torrid embrace.

After a few minutes, Chelle broke the mood, jabbing him playfully in the ribs, and then went running into the water. She laughed and splashed water at him as he chased her.

"Chelle!" He lunged for her and caught her with one arm. His momentum knocked her off her feet, and they both went under the water for a few seconds then bobbed to the surface. "Chelle, it won't help you to shield your intentions when you get that gleam in your eyes."

"But you love it," she giggled and wrapped her arms around him.

Hankura laughed and lifted her into his arms, carrying her from the water back to the rock where they had left their clothes. Shivering in the cool night breeze, they shook off the water and dressed quickly, then climbed into the air wedge.

He set the controls and started the power pack. The craft lifted into the air and turned 180 degrees from heading from west to east. It began moving at a steadily increasing rate of speed toward their home on the far side of Salla, about 1500 klicks from the eastern shore of the Tharn Sea.

Once the craft was moving, Hankura cuddled Chelle half on his lap, with her legs stretched out across the other seat. They shivered together until the inside temperature rose to a comfortable level.

"Let's come back here again---before we begin the routine of my studies and your work." she murmured, snuggling close in his embrace. _I'm afraid if we don't come back before that, we'll never come here again._

You may be right. We can come back if you like, and we'll bring a blanket and some supplies.

_That would be lovely._ Chelle smiled sleepily and reached up to touch his face in a familiar caress. Her eyelids drooped, and she drifted contentedly to sleep before his eyes.

_She is like a wild thing._ He thought with a stab of conscience, watching her beloved face so vulnerable in sleep. The first day they spent together on Earth was wild and free like this day. So many times, they had made love in the cool moss under the trees.

Like Aledus, Earth was also a world with many faces. They might have been free forever there in the mountain wilderness. Hankura would never know. He did know that freedom would come to them on Aledus only in stolen moments such as these. His mouth tightened ruefully as his eyes fell on the red and blue patch affixed to her sleeve. _Take her from Aledus._ An inner voice urged him. _Don't let this world destroy what you hold MOST precious in your life._

"I can't, my darling," he whispered, resting his cheek against her hair. "Not yet...."

"Oh, what a lovely gown," Natar said sweetly as Chelle strolled into the main dome at Hankura's side.

"Thank you," she murmured with a shy smile, and Hankura kissed his mother's cheek. "Your son has excellent taste."

Ludren beamed in pleasure at their arrival and beckoned them to sit on the large round sofa.

"Did you and Chelle like the _chackrin_ matches?" Ludren asked.

"Yes," Chelle replied. "I learned a lot watching them. Tomorrow, Hankura is going to show me how to use the moves I saw there."

"Trevin seems to think it would be a good idea. By the way, aren't he and Capra going with us? I thought they were looking forward to seeing the Paskien dancers." Hankura said.

"They are going, but not with us." Ludren averted his eyes from his son's and stared at his hands.

"I see." Hankura set his jaw, glancing from his father to his mother and back to his father. "They don't want to be seen arriving with Chelle and me---because I am unconditioned and she is an off-worlder."

"Not so much them," Ludren said quickly. "Their co-mates...."

"Space, what difference does it make?" Hankura scowled. "The result is the same. They're ashamed to be seen with us." His breath shot out in a disgusted hiss, and he took a long gulp from his glass. "Fine! We'll see the dancing without their company." He shrugged against the anger simmering inside him.... anger and hurt.

How could Capra and Trevin feel any different, raised on Aledus? They were torn between the two opposing factions of Aledan society within their own family.

"I'm sorry." Ludren shook his head. "I tried to talk to them. It's clear that they love you both, but they are still torn in their loyalties...."

"Ludren, can you fix my patch on this gown? It won't stick on the thin strap. If I can't get it to stay, I'll have to change my gown before we can leave."

Ludren rose and crossed the room into the bed chamber. In a moment, he came back with a clipped fabric disk. "This'll do the trick." He clipped the disk to her left strap and smoothed the blue psi-patch over it. It clearly looked out of place against the sophisticated lines of her pale aqua dress.

_A yarrel blossom would do it more justice._ Hankura thought bitterly. The red and blue patch he'd fastened to Chelle's elegant lavender gown looked even worse.

_Don't_. Chelle chided silently. _We should try to enjoy the pleasure of each others company this evening and not think about what is not pleasant._

_I can't forget._ He frowned miserably, meeting her eyes. _Even my own sleeve is disgraced by this hideous patch that just serves to make a mockery of us on my own world_

Hankura, if you hate this place so much--why are we staying? I have to. Don't you see? If I run from here again, I will be running for the rest of my life. I have to know for myself whether I can live here in some kind of harmony with these circumstances and with my family.

But you must find harmony within yourself, my love. That is what you have told me so many times. Fear makes these people do these things to us, fear and malice for what they don't understand. If we're to live here as you wish, we must both try to understand and protect ourselves. You mustn't let your resentment steal what happiness we do find here.

He raised an eyebrow and wrinkled the other at her gentle chafing which was, as always, tempered by her love. With a crooked grin, he pressed her hand to his lips. _I'll try to do better._

"We're ready," Natar announced tautly. She gave them a shallow smile that didn't quite hide her displeasure at his open show of affection to Chelle.

Hankura met her gaze coolly for a moment and drew Chelle to her feet. "All right. We're ready, too." He offered Chelle his arm, and they walked with his parents to the waiting hovercraft outside the dome.

Lenth Coliseum was a kaleidoscope of color. People from all over Aledus streamed through its many archways arrayed in every manner of finery imaginable--silken, clingy gowns of diaphanous material in colors of butterflies' wings that fell soft and low over feminine curves, distinguished tunic suits that accented sleek male lines or hid flabby paunch. There were unisex jumpsuits in brilliant colors topped with long, sleeveless vests that brushed the floor with their hems. Hair arrangements ranged from total baldness to near floor length in all colors.

The audience for the dance ensemble was entertaining in itself, particularly for Chelle who had never seen so many people in one place before.

Aledan Enforcers kept order in the assemblage, affording just a little more consideration to the Normals than the duly labeled psions. Lenth had always been more or less a haven for them since the fall of Malkan. But treatment was still not entirely non-discriminatory. There were separate seating sections for psions and Normals. Normals could sit in the Psion sections if they wished, but not vice versa.

Thus, admonished by his wife earlier, Hankura did his best to ignore the blatant insult to their pride and turned his attention to the gathering crowd. After what seemed like an endless influx of humanity, the lighting dimmed to several spotlights on the arena below. Seven men and seven women seemed to float out into the light to a rhapsody of exotic music. Their sublime, graceful movements were poetry to the eyes. The company performed a splendid harmony of ethereal dance, a form reminiscent of the ancient ballet but augmented by telekinesis.

The audience watched the Paskiens, spellbound by their sheer artistry. Their enjoyment was unhindered by the fact that most of the Paskiens were generally psions.

A few hours passed as minutes for more than fifty thousand people. Soon, Hankura was again making his way through the crowd with Chelle and his parents to the exit near the subway terminal that would take them back to the hoverport. As they neared the exit, Hankura saw Capra and Stefan followed by Trevin and his co-mate Vera. Capra smiled and waved, but Trevin turned his glance away and pretended he hadn't seen them. He offered a silent apology to his brother. Hankura quelled his disappointment as he understood Trevin's torn loyalties.

"Who are those.... _people_?" Vera cast a scornful glance toward Hankura and Chelle as she whispered to Capra.

"Our brother and his wife, and our parents," Capra answered coldly and gave Trevin a disgusted look.

"You admit the relationship?" Vera's tone was derisive.

"Who are you to judge? You don't even know them." Trevin growled. Vera turned a biting look at him as his fingers tightened painfully on her upper arm. "Don't you ever say anything like that again, Vera! I've already hurt them to accede to your snobbery. At least have the decency not to insult my family further."

"I'm sorry." she murmured in a petulant tone. She wasn't.

"You certainly are!" Trevin muttered.

Hankura shot him a look of respect and disappeared with Chelle into the crowd.

During the month of leisure that followed, Hankura and Chelle filled their days with passion and some Aledan entertainments to insulate them from days to come. The days when they would have to face the full brunt of prejudice against psions in Salla.

They spent their last four days of leisure on a secluded shore of the Tharn Sea, embracing a oneness with their surroundings and each other. They had come equipped with the bare essentials for swimming naked in the sea and making love on the sandy shore--with or without a blanket to protect them from the sand. It was a time of discovery for both of them.

"Do Aledan's get much food from the sea?" Chelle asked Hankura as they walked barefoot along the shore on the second day.

"Yes. That's where we get the plant for _trelp_ and a kind of slug that we use to make _presh_. The Tharn natives use a lot more that they don't ship to our area. Before we go home, I'll take you to Tharnel to sample some of their rarer delicacies."

"I'd like that." she agreed. "What about swimming here? Are there any creatures that would consider us rare delicacies?"

"Not here," he assured her with a grin. "On the far shore area, there are some large, carnivorous amphibians that might find us tasty, but we could sense their presence if they came near us."

"Good." she murmured with a thoughtful expression. "One thing I don't understand, though, Hank. How come no one else is here enjoying this magnificent stretch of beach? A place this beautiful is so rare on Earth."

"I really don't know. Tharnel is the only large settlement on the shore--perhaps because the water is salt. The bodies of water on the plains are fresh and provide water for the cities around them as well as cheap transportation for goods.

"I remember there was a well-frequented resort near Tharnel, but nothing this far north--particularly not with the kind of creature comforts that Aledan's have come to expect. What we are doing here, so simply equipped is not a usual pastime on Aledus. Life was simpler for me on Velran and for you on Earth so we can appreciate the tranquility of this place."

"I just wish we had more time."

"If we spend too much time here, people will think we are crazy--especially Mother and Father." He grinned at her fondly and drew her into the circle of his arms.

"We're not crazy." She grinned back. "We're lovers...."

"Is there a difference?"
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

_Well, here I am. They don't look thrilled to see me, either._ Chelle thought, walking nervously into the partly filled classroom at Salla University. As she took her assigned seat in the third tier of four rows, other students openly stared at her. She stared back at them in defiance and turned on the computer screen in front of her.

"That's the Terran psion," Farra whispered to her friend Arianne. "Unconditioned, grade eight-point-three, the sheet says. Can you believe they actually let her in with us?"

"A grade eight yet!" Arianne muttered, glancing at Chelle in disdain. "At least you don't have to sit beside her."

"Well, Landis has to work with her in the lab. Is he ever mad!" Farra told her. "Marcus refused to assign him another partner. When Landis threatened to drop the class, Marcus told him to do it. It was all the same to him."

"What do you expect?" Arianne murmured back. "He was an instructor on Velran for twenty-five standard years. There were millions of psions there. They don't faze Marcus."

Half listening and half reading their thoughts, Chelle smiled to herself. _Looks like I get a fair chance after all._

A series of bleeping tones signaled the start of their lecture, and a detailed image of a human cell appeared on the screen before her as Marcus started to speak. At the finish of the lecture, the computer was set to eject a microdisk to each student for future reference and review.

With microdisks that could easily fit into a pocket to store text and lectures, there was no need for students to lug around heavy textbooks; though there were still some real books in existence. During training, the student would accumulate dozens of lectures on a single disk to keep and review for their regular examinations.

Throughout the lecture, Chelle paid close attention to all that Marcus said, gently probing his mind for anything she didn't quite understand. Even then, it was difficult for her to grasp everything because the concepts and theories were a little advanced for her limited education. However, she was less disconcerted as she sensed that the other students were about as confused as she.

Reviewing her disk later with Hankura to help her to understand would be enlightening. As her psi-mate, he knew just how to relate the information to her in terms she could understand. It was clearer than ever now that she'd never get through the training successfully without his help.

At the finish of the lecture, her machine popped out its disk, and it went rolling on the floor before Chelle could catch it. Knowing it belonged to her, Landis vindictively ground his heel into the tiny plastic disk and smashed it to a dozen pieces.

"That was rather childish." Chelle faced him calmly. "Just what did you prove?"

He didn't answer, but she sensed his cold dislike of her--because she was an alien psion.

"You think I'll quit because you give me a hard time?" she demanded. "Well think again." She held out her hand, palm up, and met his gaze levelly. "It's too bad your disk got crushed. I'll take mine now."

"And what if I don't give it to you?" He looked at her worriedly. "You wouldn't.... wipe my mind?"

"Do you want to find out?" she dared. Of course, she wouldn't. She wasn't that skilled yet, but he didn't know that.

Seething inwardly, Landis grimly handed her the disk. _Arrogant slit._

"I'm not overly fond of you either. I certainly don't like your attitude." Her eyes narrowed, and she wanted to hit him, but she held her ground with an outwardly calm demeanor. "Nobody says we have to like each other. Treat me fairly, and I'll do the same for you. Take it or leave it."

"Just go straight to hell, bitch!" he hissed and stalked out of the classroom ahead of her.

"We'll see," she murmured defiantly after him. "We'll see."

Slipping the disk into the small pouch sewn at the waist of her drab, loose-fitting coverall, she sauntered down the corridor alone, oblivious to the snide remarks from her fellow students. They were merely words. Any acknowledgment on her part would only increase their harassment; she had learned that lesson young in life. It was when they started hitting or hurting her in some real physical way that she fought back.

Tall and slender with a shapely figure, her blue eyes enhanced her exotic beauty, so Capra had told her. "You really look great since you filled out a little," Capra added as she was experimenting with Chelle's hair to help her choose a new style. Chelle could see in her mirror that her high cheek boned face was less gaunt than when she had arrived. The food at the complex was good, and there was always plenty of it. That in itself was wealth to Chelle.

Away from the hardships of life on Earth, she could look forward to well over a 200 or more years of good health and maturing beauty--and she had Hankura to share it with her. It could have been worse--a lot worse.

In that light, the others' taunts seemed irrelevant. She had already faced worse things on Earth. Those times seemed long past, she mused with a sigh. Lost in her thoughts, she almost bumped into a young man who was deliberately barring her path to the exit. "Excuse me, I'd like to pass." She tried to go around him, and he stepped in front of her again.

"Are you in a hurry?" he taunted with a smug grin.

"Yes," she muttered. "I--"

"Aah! Chelle," Trevin drawled from behind her. "There you are." She turned as he strode toward her. "Do you want a lift back to the complex with me now?"

"Thank you, I would," she smiled gratefully. "Hankura will be busy for some time yet."

Trevin nodded and took her arm, leading her from the building. "I figured something like this might happen."

"Is that why you just _happened_ to be here when you did?"

"I didn't think it'd hurt. I knew Hankura couldn't make it." He shrugged carelessly.

"I'm glad you did," she grinned. "I was about to resort to violence."

"Yeah, so was he," Trevin scowled as they stepped onto the beltway.

It was Chelle's turn to shrug. Violence was nothing new to her.

Profiled, evaluated, classified and duly labeled; Hankura was finally cleared to work at Salla Medical Center out of a private office suite. Mulling over the red tape he'd completed, he hesitated then pressed the button to gain entrance to his study that was set adjacent to a series of well-equipped treatment cubicles. He walked inside, stopped, and glanced around the off-white room. The floor was covered with a thick beige carpet with a curved brown and black desk centered at the back of the room. There was a large comfortable looking chair behind the desk and three others like it against the wall on the right. Near the corner of that same wall was a refreshment dispenser. The opposite corner held an artificial tree and on his desk was a computer holo-terminal. Otherwise, the room was nearly bare. No windows, probably the least desirable office on that level, but not bad. It was his.

Momentarily, a young blond man in his late twenties came in from the direction of the treatment cells. His face lit with a genuine smile of welcome that reached his amber eyes. He held out his hand to Hankura in an amiable manner. "Hello, Hankura. I'm Mikal, your chief assistant."

Pleasantly surprised by Mikal's sincere friendliness, Hankura took his offered hand and shook it. "Where are the other two? I'm supposed to have three techs to go into surgery. What the hell's going on?" Immediately, he sensed Mikal's reluctance to answer. "No assistants?" Hankura understood.

"Well---" Mikal rested his hands on his waist just above his hipbones.

"You're the only tech who agreed to work with me," Hankura verbalized his answer before Mikal could. "That's just great. I need those two techs or no surgery."

"I know two others who might come, but they don't come highly recommended," he offered. "Then, Fargo's a real bastard to work for. They might be a little leery of you, but I don't think they'll refuse to work for you."

"They any good?" Hankura looked at him dubiously.

"Fairly good in my opinion."

"Get them here, and I'll see 'em. I've got to have somebody," Hankura bit off. "What made you agree to work for me when no one else will?"

"Didn't they tell you--?"

"Belderon, of course. Psions live like human beings there." Hankura grinned suddenly. "So, you're from Belderon. What made you come here?"

"Lania, my eldest wife has a complex near Lenth. We came here three years ago to supervise the crops. She was born here, but her parents took her to Belderon before mind conditioning would have been enforced. I understand you were sent to Velran for the same reason."

"Yeah, it's all in the records," Hankura was unable to hide a note of bitterness from his new colleague. "That's why I can't get any techs---that and this damned blue psi-patch." He jerked his head toward his left sleeve. Pacing to the curved desk, he turned to face Mikal again. "I don't know what I'm worried about. I probably won't get many patients anyhow."

"You're right there. You only have three today--all off-worlders from the Searching Star exploration ship. It's all on the computer." Mikal gestured to the screen link on Hankura's desk. "Your code's listed on the left ID panel. I figured you'd want a complete body scan. They should be arriving any time now."

"What about--?"

"The other two techs?" Hankura finished for him. "In my tight schedule, I might find time to interview them."

Mikal nodded sympathetically. "Don't feel bad. Lania is not happy with life here either. She's pregnant to top it off, and she's carrying to term. We lost our first to an "accident" in the Fetal Nurtury."

"Happens to Psion offspring all the time in Salla," Hankura answered dryly. "Chelle and I will never have children on Aledus."

"Well, ours won't be living here for long. A couple more good crops and we're heading for Zevus Mar."

"Zevus Mar? Don't think I've ever heard of it," Hankura remarked.

"Not many have. It's just a little mining and agricultural colony settled in the last two centuries or so," Mikal explained. "It's in Sector Four near the rim in the same string as Tregas and Sol."

"I know where you mean. I just came from Earth a couple months ago. My wife is Terran."

"She a psion, too?" The question held no malice.

"Yes. We're psi-mates. She's in the Tech One course at Salla University."

"She's in for a rough time. I trained on Belderon. We got plenty of psions transferring in--all fed up with the hassles at Salla."

"Don't remind me." Hankura sat down and started checking the readouts on his patients. The first was a Captain Beras. "Carfen 23 bacterial infection--says they used Frentex. That should have cleared it up," he murmured half to himself.

"The Federation sent them here for medical clearance before they will let them leave this sector."

"Hell, you're qualified to report on this!" The Aledan switched off the terminal irritably, drawing his dark brows together in a disgusted frown.

"The record calls for a physician's print," his assistant pointed out. "You might as well face facts. Your skills will rarely be taxed here. You'll get a few leery Aledan psions and most of the off-worlders, probably not much surgery."

"So, I'm a token Psion to hold up for show to the others," Hankura muttered and made a bitter sound.

"That's about it," Mikal agreed, shaking his head. "That's just the way it is here."

Captain Beras was a hard military man with forty-five years of service behind him in the United Galactic Federation Defense Force. More years of his service were spent fighting wars than he cared to think about. Honored many times for his courage in the Sargus Wars, he retired from the Defense Force to take command of a Federation Exploration ship that employed both civilian and military personnel.

Slightly shorter than Hankura, Beras was stockily built with a squarish face. His graying hair bushed thickly under his military issue cap, and his face was barely wrinkled despite his eighty years. To Hankura, he looked in good condition for a man half his age.

As Hankura glanced at the Captain's readouts, he sensed Beras probing his mind tentatively.

_You're being here is merely a formality as you have guessed. There's nothing wrong with you._ The physician indicated.

"Regulations," Beras murmured blandly. "Aledus just happens to be our last stop on our way out of this sector. It's the only reason we came here for the report. You won't find anything wrong with Jabe or Cran either."

"I didn't expect to. I just have to check for the report."

"I suppose you have nothing better to do," Beras' tone grew dry. "What did you expect here, Aledan? After all this is Aledus. Without Federation clearance, I'd never come here."

"There are a lot better places for a Psion to live, but I had my reasons for coming back. After twenty years on Velran, I wanted to see my home again. I don't know how long my wife and I will stay."

_Not long I'll wager. Educated on Velran—right? You won't stay long. From what I know about Velran and what I sense in you; you'll only take so much of this refuse before you start striking back. Then, you'd better get the hell out. They'll try to break you because of what you are. In your shoes, I'd launch that Mran_ _fast. A man like you could do a lot better than this do-nothing job."_

_Not on Aledus._ Hankura indicated with a rueful grin. _It beats doing nothing at our agro complex. It'll fill my time until we're ready to leave._

"But don't wait too long son," Beras spoke aloud again.

"I know. Thanks for your concern." He eyed the other man a bit self-consciously. He knew the stronger telepath was gleaning a great deal of information from his memory--most of what was bothering him at the moment.

The Captain learned about his psi-mating and his trip to Earth. He learned about his brush with death, Chelle's healing ability and a lot more. Had Hankura shielded his thoughts, Beras would have respected his privacy. But it felt good to share them with this understanding stranger.

Beras understood how Hankura's homecoming had been less than warm and reassuring. In more than a month, his conflict with Natar over her attempts to dominate his life and her resentment for Chelle had hardly lessened. His brother and sister would rarely be seen with him and Chelle in public; except that Trevin seemed to have appointed himself personal protector for her.

Hankura knew that Trevin was fonder of his wife than he would like. But, he couldn't justify in making objections to their friendship. Trevin respected Hankura's relationship with Chelle, and he knew Chelle would only allow friendship between them. What could he say?

Then his father was caught in the middle of everything. In addition to all that, Hankura still had qualms about taking Chelle from Earth and bringing her to Aledus. So far, life on Aledus was proving nearly as much of a challenge as the hard life she'd led on Earth. But she was doing her best to fit in.

Hankura hated for her to be subjected to the daily harassment at the University, but he couldn't help being caught up in her enthusiasm in everything she was learning. If he weren't so damned stubborn, he would take her someplace else to study; he just couldn't bring himself to leave without making a stand this time. Chelle's understanding of his feelings helped, but he got a case of guilt every so often for exposing her to the humiliations of a psion's life on Aledus. Still, it wasn't all that bad. Those days and nights at Tharn...

Hankura flushed slightly, shielding those intimacies from Beras. With a careless tilt of his full mouth, he sighed to himself. "I'll give you and your men clearance for duty. Let me know if I can be of help to you in the future. I'll do whatever I can." It was more than just a casual remark. He meant it. In the span of those few minutes, they had become friends, and Hankura hadn't found many friends on Aledus.

"I appreciate it." Beras nodded. "I think you're a little crazy for staying here, but I understand. You've got guts, I'll say that for you. It's been a pleasure meeting you."

Back in his study, Hankura found Nathan and Sharlel waiting nervously to see him. He strode briskly into the room and sat down in his chair without a word to either of them. He looked at one and then the other for several long moments. Sharlel was a tiny wisp of a woman with small features and large gray-green eyes wide apart in her pointed face. Her shapely figure filled out the blue and white tech uniform in all the right places.

She kept sneaking glances at Hankura, hoping he wouldn't notice. Despite the blue psi-patch on his ice-blue uniform sleeve, she found his dark-haired good looks appealing.

Hankura stifled a grin and turned his attention to Nathan, a big man, all of two meters tall. He had rich brown hair with deep set hazel eyes. His hard, angular jaw was set in defiance as Hankura looked him over.

Nathan figured he wouldn't want him because he was considered big and clumsy. Hankura had to admit to himself that Nathan looked more like a manual laborer than a skilled Med-tech, but he couldn't afford to be fussy. According to the record, Nathan was from Cantes III. His recommendations from Cantes III and from the small medical center in Tharn were excellent. However, he'd had a difficult time adjusting since his transfer to Fargo's team at Salla. In fact, Fargo had just requested his transfer.

Mikal did some fast talking to get him to come and talk with Hankura. He came reluctantly. If Hankura, a Psion rejected him, that was the lowest. If he did, Nathan planned to go back to Cantes III. There was nothing to hold him on Aledus, except possibly his infatuation with Sharlel. Only she wasn't aware of his feelings.

"You're both acceptable as far as I'm concerned. Even if you weren't, I don't have much choice. So--if you're willing to give me a chance, I'll treat you fairly," Hankura told them. "We don't have much work at the moment. You can work out a schedule with Mikal pending surgery...."

Just then Mikal burst into the room. "Hankura, we have a badly beaten kid--a psion--internal bleeding, the whole list." He didn't bother to add that Tech-twos were prepping him for surgery. He just let Hankura read him.

"Damn!" Hankura murmured as he stood abruptly. "He's hardly more than a boy. Come on, Nathan, Sharlel. You start now." He skirted the desk and strode toward the doorway, feeling through his sense of responsibility a certain charge of excitement surging inside him. This was his element, what he was trained to do, and he was eager to meet the challenge. At the same time, bitter anger simmered inside him that cruelty and violence had brought him his first patient.

The unconscious youth was waiting for them in Surgical Cell 217, prepped and draped, attended by two techs. Hankura checked his condition quickly on the scanner readouts while Nathan set a neural block by inserting special electrode pins into his scalp. Once the block was completed, Nathan stood by to monitor vital signs. Sharlel began working on the left arm at Hankura's unspoken signal, and he and Mikal started an incision to make repairs on a ruptured spleen and a damaged kidney. There were also three broken ribs to mend after that.

Telepathically _en rapport_ , not a word was spoken among the four throughout the entire set of procedures. This rapport was kept almost entirely intact by Hankura, through a psi-link that enabled his colleagues to work almost as extensions of himself. Yet, they remained separate unto themselves within that harmony.

Sharlel repaired two breaks in the arm by fusing the broken pieces of bone together, then closed the tiny incisions she'd made. There was hardly a trace that the arm had ever been injured when she finished.

Mikal and Hankura continued work on the internal injuries and moved on to repair the broken ribs while Sharlel applied artificially cultured skin patches to some nasty scratches on the boy's face. She also grafted skin over a deep gash on his cheek to a neat, smooth closure. After that, she stood back watching Hankura similarly close the lower chest cavity. As he finished, Hankura signaled for Nathan to remove the neural block gradually and for Sharlel to administer a drug for the pain their patient would begin to feel and a healant to speed his body's natural healing processes.

A few minutes later, the young man began to regain consciousness, looking anxiously at each of the four masked strangers hovering over him. He was frightened and disoriented, and he hadn't scanned them to know whether or not he was still in danger.

_Good work._ Hankura sent each of his Techs a mental compliment, and turned his attention to the patient on the table before him, pulling off his mask. _You're safe now DaVonne. No one will hurt you here. You're at Salla Medical Center. We have patched you up, and I think you'll recover nicely._

Olia? Where is Olia? Did they hurt her?

No one hurt her. Your free mate is waiting in your recovery cell to see you. An autocart will take you there in a moment, and I'll check on you later.

Davonne lolled his head from side to side in mental anguish. _Why did they do this to me? I did nothing to provoke them. They just kept hitting and kicking me, and I could feel that they liked hurting me. But, why?_

Hankura grimaced at the young man's pain, shaking his head. "Mother of life, I wish I really knew!"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Chelle watched Landis poise the pipette over the Petrie dish for his part of their joint laboratory experiment. She compressed her mouth into a thin line. He was doing it wrong as usual.

"Wait, Landis." She touched his wrist lightly. "You must not accelerate mitosis until you've confirmed your correction of the genetic defect on the chromosome chain."

"Keep your hands off me, minder!" He jerked his arm from her touch as though she'd poked him with a hot probe. "I know what I'm doing."

"The hell you do. You're going to botch the experiment for both of us. That kidney will be good for nothing. At least let me check it if you won't."

"Don't touch it!" Landis glared at her. "Who made you an expert anyway?"

"I'm no expert. I never claimed to be, but Hankura told me you always check the chromosomes before you accelerate the growth of tissue. Otherwise, the new organ may have the same defects as the old one."

"So? What does he know?" Landis placed the cover over the dish and set it inside the incubator.

"He knows. He's a physician, and a good one. He explained this entire process to me this morning."

"Another bleeping psion, I suppose?" he muttered.

"What has that got to do with anything? Psions aren't stupid! Most are more intelligent than a lot of Normals, so don't give me that sludge," she spouted back, her temper boiling. "The only reason you won't check for genetic damage is that I suggested it. You know that's the right procedure."

About half an hour later, Instructor Marcus came to analyze the regenerated organ with a bio scanner. Chelle's disgust with Landis increased as Marcus showed her the readouts first. "Can you tell me what this indicates?" he demanded.

"The organ has the same defects as the original," she stated in a respectful tone, steeling herself for the reprimand she sensed was coming. "They weren't successfully corrected.

"And why not? You know the correct procedure, Madam. You are psi-mated to a physician. Had this organ been implanted in a patient, it would have deteriorated in the same manner as the original. That is precisely what this experiment is to teach you to avoid. Your mistake would have caused a patient to undergo a second unnecessary surgery for your carelessness."

"Yes, sir. I'm well aware of that. But, Landis has no use for my opinions or my assistance." She'd let Landis get away with it too many times before. She was tired of it.

"I see." Marcus glared at both of them and his mouth compressed into a grim line. "I'm warning both of you for the last time. These are not competitive experiments. One cannot always work with colleagues of his own choosing. I think you have both lost sight of our main concern here, which is---if you will remember---the patient. If you can't put your personal differences aside and work together efficiently, perhaps this profession is not meant for either of you. Repeat this experiment, and do it correctly or get out of my class. Is that clear to both of you?"

Landis nodded and gave Chelle a murderous look as Marcus turned and strode out of the lab cell. "You're so smart minder; you correct the genetic defects. If you do it wrong, I'll make sure you get the blame."

Chelle's face grew warm, and she turned to him with her fists doubled in rage. Nobody had ever treated her like that and gotten away with it. She wanted nothing better than to wipe that smug look off his boyish face. He was a little bigger and a little stronger---maybe. But he hadn't been raised on the streets of Farringay. She would teach him to respect her one way or another ....

_No, Chelle! Calm down, it isn't worth it. Please!_ Her eyes widened for an instant, then she relaxed her stance as Hankura's telepathy soothed her. _It would change nothing, love. If it weren't him, it would be someone else. I know you want to hit him but don't do it. If you hurt him, there'll be others to hurt you---and you'll be_ expelled _._

The last inflection convinced her. She wanted to teach Landis a lesson, but she didn't want to risk being expelled when she had come so far in such a short time. She had to get out of there before she succumbed to the temptation.

"If I'm at fault then I will accept the blame," she said with a quiet dignity that belied her raging emotions. "I'll take no credit or blame from you or anyone else that I don't deserve. I'm going for a walk. When I get back, I suggest we each do our part of the experiment the right way and select one of our specimens for regeneration--yours if you prefer. We should both learn the technique for reorganizing the genetic structure. That is the most difficult part of the process."

"I don't want to," Landis said, and Chelle could sense that he didn't understand the process. Yet he was angry with her as if it were her fault.

"Have it your way, then," she told him. "And Landis .... I don't need to make and ass of you. You do that quite well yourself."

Chelle took off her lab apron and walked out of the cell. She needed some time alone to think. Had she not wanted to be a Tech so badly, she wouldn't be going back. She'd do the experiment later--without Landis' 'help.'

With another hour before her next lecture, Chelle decided to spend the time by Narcaza Fountain. She sat down in the thick brown moss before the huge fountain. The moss smelled like fresh mushrooms, and the air was filled with a cooling mist. Watching the water rise and fall into the huge, round, marble pool soothed her. Although her courses were interesting, attending the University of Salla was exactly the ordeal Trevin, and Capra warned it would be. After eight months, she had yet to make a friend. The realization depressed her and angered her as well.

She was openly snubbed by the Normals as she expected, but she had hoped at least some of the Aledan psions would be cordial. Instead, they were barely polite. They were even afraid of her. Maybe it was because she was not conditioned as they were--that her spirit had not been broken. She possessed an inner kind of wildness that they sensed and feared---and envied. And they sensed the barely controlled violence in her when she was taunted by the Normals.

If they would just give me a chance. I could be a better friend than they have ever known.

From time to time she looked up from her idle contemplation of the rising water. It made her feel wistful to watch others walking in couples or groups of friends. Capra and Trevin were friendly enough, but their friendship stopped short of the intimacy she needed aside from her relationship with Hankura. She needed a friend to fill some of the void Jerry had left. She ached with that need.

I need, too.

Chelle looked up; as someone stopped beside her. A petite blond woman about her age offered a shy smile. Chelle smiled back, recognizing her as a fellow loner who she had seen before in Narcaza Circle. She was a psion, too.

_I am Kaara._ The woman lowered herself to sit beside Chelle in the moss.

I am Chelle--from Earth.

_Is it as bad as they say?_ Asked Kaara.

_Probably worse._ Chelle grinned, already feeling in harmony with this young woman.

Would you share memories with me?

Yes.

To put Kaara at ease, Chelle offered her memories first. She shared her memories of her life on the streets of Farringay, her psi-mating with Hankura, their journey to Aledus, and their life here. She shared the frustration of trying to fit in where she wasn't wanted, and she offered Kaara her trust. Kaara then offered her memories...

Kaara squatted at the edge of her sandbox scooping sand into a pile with her playmate Gray. She was five, and he was seven. They played together almost every day since his parents had moved to Darayn village a few months before. Gray was showing Kaara how to build a miniature agricomplex in the sand, starting with the main dome. She piled the damp sand while he packed it down.

"Father says that rural life is better because there are too many psions in Lenth now. He doesn't mind working there, but he doesn't want to live where so many people can get inside his head without his knowing it," Gray told her. He picked up the other shovel and started making a second pile for another dome.

"Why would they want to get in his head?" Kaara asked.

"Because he is an Enforcer. They don't like Enforcers, and Enforcers don't like them."

"You mean just because they can think to other people and help them think back?"

"Partly, but he says that they can make people do things even if they don't want to."

"They're not s'posed to. Mama said."

"Father says they do anyway--whenever they can get away with it."

"I don't." Kaara gasped as she realized what she had said. She put down her shovel and looked at Gray apprehensively.

"What do you mean, you don't?" he demanded.

"I can't tell you." She swallowed hard. Suddenly, she wanted to cry. Ever since that dumb test showed she was different, there were so many secrets to keep. Now Gray would figure it out, and he wouldn't be her friend anymore. "Mama said not to tell anyone--not even you. She said we wouldn't be able to stay in Darayn anymore."

"But, we're best friends. I won't tell anyone, Kaara. I swear--not even Father."

"'Specially not him. He would tell and make Mama and Papa send me away or leave Darayn."

"I won't tell. I swear by my ancestors," Gray assured her. "You're a psion," he whispered, understanding the need for secrecy.

Kaara studied his face and let herself sense some of what he was feeling without actually seeking a path into his mind. She sensed a combination of curiosity and excitement, but he wasn't threatened by her.

"Yes. It started after we came here. I can hear what people think, and I can think to people I like. Mama got me a psi tutor, so I could learn the right way."

"Can you think to me?" Gray looked at her with a new respect.

"You're not afraid."

"Uh huh." Gray shook his head. "We've been best friends all this time. We promised to always share and never be bad to each other. I know you. It's different than those other psions."

Kaara could tell that he was a little nervous because of the things his father told him. But Gray wanted to prove himself to Kaara. He couldn't believe a little girl like her could possibly hurt him despite what his father said.

I would never hurt you, Gray.

His eyes widened with this new sensation of sharing then he grinned. "That's super! It felt good."

_I like you._ Kaara smiled back. _We can have secrets and share dreams--and never share them with anyone else._

"And you won't make me do things?"

I can't do that. I'm still a kid, and my psi isn't that strong yet. I can just think to people who let me. And I only think to people I like. Only eights or higher can do thought changing. My tutor said I might be an eight when I grow up, but I still won't do that. It's not fair to people who can't block psi.

"And we're best friends. You would never do that to me," Gray said earnestly.

"'Course not," Kaara said. "It's against the law, anyway. But Mama says people don't understand about psi. They believe all the dumb government lies and get scared. She used to believe that dumb stuff 'til I got tested."

"My Father says it's true."

"Maybe sometimes, but not always. Psions get scared, too, 'cause people don't like 'em. People won't like me anymore if they know. You can't tell anyone, Gray. Not ever."

"I never will," Gray promised.

He never did in the five more years they had as playmates before the Psi Institute representative came to Darayn to officially test all the ten-year-olds for psi. Once the results were made public, Kaara wasn't allowed to see Gray anymore before she was sent to Salla for conditioning. But they thought to each other every day as always until she left and said their goodbyes at night when they were alone in their separate bed chambers. She shared her fear with Gray, and he shared his faith in her, and they shared a dream that they built from holo-programs to leave Aledus someday to explore other worlds together. In the two years since they first came upon this plan, their fantasies grew into elaborate adventures that they shared mentally.

_"Remember our dreams, Kaara. Someday, we'll make them come true. Even when you can't think to me in Salla, I'll think about you, and you think about me. I'll never forget you."_ In their years as playmates, Gray had learned to hold his thoughts for Kaara to seek them. Kaara was closer to him than anyone else in her life.

Kaara found his thoughts, and the sadness in them made her cry. _I will never forget you_ , _Gray._

It was eleven years before she saw or heard from him again. His father made sure he had no further contact with her, once she was identified as a psion....

Kaara heard the warning chime as she neared Narcaza Fountain. It was time for all Psions to leave the gardens for the rest of the day. She was reluctant to leave the peace she had found there after the harassment she had received from the Normals in her first integrated class at the University.

Kaara stayed in Salla after her psi conditioning to enroll in the University of Salla in the Alien Relations program. Unlike Chelle, she had opted for segregated classes, but there were several integrated studies in Kaara's program. It was proving to be a more difficult adjustment than she expected.

Psi-conditioning created a wall of suspicion among the Aledan psions. They were mostly all loners, except when they mated. Kaara had no mate: she was feeling very much alone. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the second chime.

"Psion, didn't you hear the chime? You have to leave the Circle now."

Kaara turned with a start to look into the hazel eyes of an Enforcer. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear it. I was thinking." She frowned, as he looked steadily down at her. His eyes took on a strange light. There was something familiar about those eyes---in his essence. Then she knew. "Gray?"

"Yes." He smiled slowly. "Kaara, it is you." He moved without thinking, as if to enfold her in an impulsive hug then he stopped. "I knew you were here in Salla, but I didn't com because---I didn't know if you'd want to see me. You look well."

"Gray--it's so good to see you. You should have commed. I do want to see you---to talk."

"Me, too. But, we can't talk here, now. You have to go. Can I see you after shift at twenty-three hundred? Your flat Tower forty-six, flat six-o-three?"

Kaara nodded. Then she bolted from the circle, her heart pounding as she stepped onto the beltway. Gray was a Salla Enforcer. In the hours that followed their chance meeting, she even began to doubt it had been real.

He was real enough when she opened her door to him seven hours later. He was no longer in the impressive regalia of an enforcer. He wore a simple pullover and pants. This time he did fold her into an enthusiastic hug. "Kaara, I've missed you so. I tried to contact you after you came out of isolation, but Father found out and punished me. He disconnected my personal vid-com and only let me use his when he was present. He sent me to Enforcer training two years later. They wouldn't let me contact you, either. I wanted to."

He let her go and stood back to look at her. She sensed a mixture of affection and physical attraction from him. "You've grown up beautiful." He grinned.

"And you have grown tall." Kaara smiled back. He was tall and powerfully built, like most typical enforcers. But he was still Gray with darker hair and rugged features. She was nervous, happy and afraid all at the same time.

"Come in, Gray. Would you like to have some _jern_ with me?" Her hand shook a little as she gestured for him to come inside. She sensed that he was nervous as well.

"I'd like that. I want to know everything that's happened to you since they sent you away."

"That could take all night."

"Not if you think to me."

"You would still trust me to do that after all these years?" Even before he said so, she sensed that he did. The realization was elating.

"Yes," he said softly. "I got the truth before the government propaganda, love. I got it from you."

"But you still became an Enforcer." Kaara pressed for the autocart to bring a pot of hot jern.

"I had this crazy idea that I could make a difference by treating everyone fairly.... Maybe get some of the other enforcers to do it, too."

"Have you?" She handed him a mug of hot _jern_ and took one for herself.

"I've got a couple of buddies thinking. I have to be careful, though. If I am branded a psi-lover, I could lose my commission."

"Then you shouldn't be here."

"It doesn't seem so important anymore. I've never met anyone else like, you Kaara. I've never had a better friend. Will you share memories with me?"

She took a sip from her mug and nodded.

The worst thing about conditioning for me was being taken from my home---from my best friend---and put in a tiny cell all alone. I was so desperately alone and scared. But I didn't reach out like some of the others, so I wasn't punished in the neuro chamber. I had our memories and dreams for the future to sustain me and keep me sane. I was released in 5 days.

_I learned quickly how to avoid punishment by conforming. I did well in learning to touch Normals because of our rapport. It wasn't as hard for me as for many of them, but it was hard to learn the low place I hold in society as a psion. I hated it, but I did as I was told. When I finish my studies, I'm joining the Explorations just like we dreamed._ _I'm going to be free._

_"Without me?"_ Gray wondered when she finished.

"But you have a commission. If your father knew you were here, he would disown you. If your commander knew you were here, he might demote you."

"My father and I have not been close since he barred me from contact with you. I may not publicly associate with you on duty. Off duty, I am free to see who I please." he told her. "If I'm not welcome, I'll go. I won't harass you. It's not what I want, but I would never deliberately do anything to hurt you, Kaara. We shared too much for that."

"What do you want?" she asked softly as she sensed his inner turmoil.

"I want my best friend back," he said. _"I want to hold you close and touch you---make love with you."_

Kaara withdrew from Chelle's mind and blushed as she came back to herself. She didn't mind Chelle knowing that she and Gray were lovers, but she didn't wish to share the intimate details of their first mating. Politely, Chelle didn't press. When she had finished, the two women hugged and began chatting like old friends---all in a matter of minutes.

"So, are you and Gray going to join the explorations?"

"Yes. His commission ends in another year. Then we will enlist at the Federation Starbase in South T`lleadd. How long will you and Hankura, stay here? This is no place for people like us."

"That's for sure. But Hankura has his reasons. I will miss you when you leave."

"And I will miss you," Kaara replied. "I've seen you here several times. I knew your need, but I've met with rejection so many times. I was afraid to ask for your friendship. Your need seemed so much greater today, I decided to take the chance."

"I am glad. I thought I sensed your longing before, but when I sought you before you withdrew so quickly, I was sure I imagined it. It's good to finally have a female friend. I have not had one since I left Farringay. It's been a long time."

"For me, too." Kaara agreed. "Do you think our mates could be friends as well? Then we could recreate together sometimes?"

"I think they might. Gray seems like a man with an open mind."

"He is," Kaara assured her in complete prejudice.

Chelle smiled. It was worth a try. She sensed Hankura was willing.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Come on, Hankura. When are we going to meet your wife?" asked Sharlel. "We've been working together for months now, and we haven't seen her once."

"Yeah," Mikal put in. "I'm beginning to wonder if she's a figment of your imagination." He chuckled. "How does she like the University?"

"As well as any Psion likes the University," Hankura said. "She's been openly shunned or hindered at every class. She almost assaulted her lab partner last month. He's treated her so badly. But, she's made it to Level Three."

"So, she'll be rotating through our department pretty soon," said Nathan. "Maybe the only student who won't give us a hard time."

"Don't bet on it," Hankura snickered. "Chelle is good at giving people a hard time."

"Well, at least she won't resent working with us like the last batch," Sharlel murmured. "They treated us worse than they treat you because we're Normals and we like working with you."

Hankura stared into his steamy mug of _jern_ , wearing a glazed look. "It only seemed that way. They don't usually verbalize their insults to me. I don't know why they even bother coming to this department. They won't believe anything I've tried to teach them."

"I suppose Marcus blamed you because most of them didn't learn to work _en rapport_." There was a look of tenderness in Sharlel's eyes as she rested her gaze on Hankura's face. She hated that he was treated so badly by both the students and his peers. All three of his techs were very protective of him and fond of him.

"No," Hankura brightened. "Marcus has watched us work, and he knows our record. He knows how bigoted the Normals are against psions, and he's disgusted with the whole system. I sensed he was considering resignation at the end of his contract."

"Are you?" Sharlel asked and took a sip of _jern_.

"I've optioned for another year," Hankura said. "Chelle wants to finish Level Three before we leave Aledus. I may as well stay on here at the Center until then. We don't get many patients here, but we've helped them all."

"I just wish there weren't so many patients that are deliberately injured psions," Nathan added. "Like Davonne. The poor kid has been back three times, beaten up worse each time."

"I know." Hankura shook his head. "His free mates brother did it the last time. Olia's family doesn't want her free-mating with a minder. Olia thinks she can make them change their minds about Davonne because she loves him."

"Idiot!" Mikal muttered. "What's wrong with him? Why doesn't he just take her and get off Aledus?"

"He's claustrophobic. Isolation during conditioning does that to a lot of them. He couldn't stand to be enclosed in a small shuttle long enough to get off world," Hankura explained. "And Olia has convinced him that her brother won't hurt him again. Because Olia believes her brother's promise, Davonne believes her. He doesn't want to believe anything else."

"It's a shame." Sharlel murmured. "DaVonne's a nice kid. Olia's family shouldn't judge him without knowing him."

"They don't want to know him," Hankura said in disgust. "And they don't want to know about psi. Normals have chosen psions as their scapegoats. If they get to know us, they might like us, and they would have to stop punishing us for a war that happened a thousand years ago. They would have to treat us like real people."

"You mean like we got to know you?" Sharlel grinned. "We didn't like it much when Mikal maneuvered us into working with a---minder. That is until we got to know you."

Nathan nodded. "I figured I didn't have much left to lose. Fargo gave me such a poor performance evaluation that no one on Aledus would have given me a contract. My work for him wasn't that good, but that self-righteous tyrant always made me feel stupid if I so much as asked him to explain something. I kept botching things, trying to second guess him. You never made me do that, Hankura. You know when I need something explained, and you just do it."

"And I'll give you a good recommendation---even though it won't do you much good on Aledus," Hankura told him. "Fargo is an arrogant _nache_."

"Thank you, Hankura," said Nathan. "Estus will probably take your recommendation. They need Techs, and there's land to be had at a good price. I'm thinking of settling there when you and Mikal leave."

"When Hankura leaves, I'm leaving, too," Sharlel agreed.

"How about coming to Estus with me?" Nathan looked at her hopefully. That was as close as he had ever come to telling her how he felt about her.

Hankura glanced from one to the other unnoticed. They both made such a simple thing so difficult. Despite her open flirtation with him, Hankura knew she loved Nathan, and Nathan loved her. But neither could seem to tell the other. Sometimes, he was tempted to take each aside and try to open their eyes, but he didn't want to interfere.

"Go to Estus with you? I just might take you up on that," Sharlel grinned, glad that Nathan had suggested it. Now she couldn't have to find an excuse to go to Estus after him.

_Hank, you busy?_ Chelle's question whispered itself in Hankura's mind. He could sense her close.

He smiled slightly. _Oh, sure. I'm drinking jern and talking with my techs about the injustices of the world. Only four patients today. Anything wrong_?

Yeah, but something's right, too. I made a friend, today. Are you sure you're not too busy for me now?

_You know, I'm not busy. Come in here._ He sent patiently. _It was different that other time. I was in surgery, and I couldn't stop and break concentration._ He wrinkled his brows in a puzzled expression, sensing her hesitation.

He stood and set his mug on the desk. "Excuse me for a minute," he murmured and went out into the corridor. Chelle was just outside his study, standing beside the doorway out of sight.

"What is it?" he asked in a soothing tone. _There is something bothering you, and it's not that I shut you out of my mind during surgery the other day._

_Bad day, today._ She gave him a bleak look. _The mood I'm in, I don't think your techs would find me very likable._

Kaara likes you.

Yeah, but we shared memories. Marcus stuck me with a worse lab partner than Landis--if that's possible. This Theron is a real manipulator. He broke my lecture disk, then cornered me in the lab cell, second session. When I didn't cooperate, he ruined the whole experiment, and I now have two experiments to repeat....

_And you were disciplined by Marcus again._ He pursed his lips and let out his breath in a disgusted hiss.

Landis is mad because I advanced to Level Three, and Marcus stuck him with a nine-five who won't take his refuse. He blames me for that, too.

Hankura leaned against the wall beside the doorway and put his hands lightly on her shoulders. _You know they want you to quit._

Perhaps the others feel that way, but not Marcus. He simply reacts to what he sees. He's no mind reader, and sometimes he misinterprets things. Usually, he's fair and supportive. But Theron is more devious than Landis. Marcus hasn't figured that out, yet.

_At least Theron didn't hurt you_. Hankura's grip tightened on her shoulders. _This time._

Chelle shook her head and sighed. _Just my feelings. I'll survive his nastiness. I just needed my mate to cheer me up._ A wry smile played on her lips as she held his gaze. _You can always make me feel better._

We can leave Aledus, Chelle. You can finish the program someplace else.

You're not ready to leave. And you know I've only got one more year to finish Level Three--maybe less with your help .... Besides, Natar still needs you.

Hankura shrugged. He didn't want to think about Natar. Her attentions were becoming oppressive, and he couldn't bring himself to consider why. He grimaced and pushed it out of his mind. For the moment, Chelle let him.

Come on inside. They're accusing me of making you up.

Chelle laughed. "I bet Sharlel wishes you were."

"You'd win the bet." He grinned. "Another half hour and I'll take you home. You suggested there is something more I can do for you---some way I can cheer you up ...."

She looked up at him through her lashes and gave him a seductive smile. _The best offer I've had all day._

_But not the only one._ He scowled.

The others don't count. You've spoiled me for that. Are you sure you can't leave now?

He laughed as they walked into the study. _Love, don't tempt me like that when we're not alone or my thoughts won't be secret from anyone._

Chelle stole a glance and grinned, crossing discreetly in front of him as they entered his office.

"I'll be damned," Mikal murmured with a friendly grin. "She's real all right. I wouldn't let her loose in Salla."

"Welcome to the sludge tank," Sharlel greeted. "I'm glad the boss is keeping you out of free-mating. It's hard enough to find a good lover." The little tech colored at her own audacity and dropped her glance. She loved Nathan, but she still wanted to bed Hankura as well. She'd had neither man.

"Maybe you're not looking in the right place," Nathan suggested and gazed longingly at Sharlel.

_So, tell her you want her._ Nathan's head jerked up, and he looked at Chelle in surprise. _Well, she's no mind reader, you know._ Chelle grinned wickedly.

Hankura tried to look stern but he couldn't. Someone needed to urge Nathan to act. _I swear you're incorrigible_.

_But you love it._ Chelle grinned. "Do you think I could get a mug of _jern_ around here?

"Kaara has shared some of your background with me," Gray told Hankura after dinner a week later. He and Kaara had dined with Chelle and Hankura and were conversing in their sitting room following the meal. "It took a lot of courage for you to come back here."

"I'd been away from my family for a long time," Hankura told him. "It takes courage to sever ties with your family to be with Kaara."

"Not courage." Gray shook his head. "Anger. There was no reason for my father to force me to shun Kaara like that. There is no reason that psions should be treated as lower life forms here. You all have so much to teach us about ourselves and each other. This whole system is crazy."

"Do you really think you can change it?" Hankura asked.

"Perhaps in some small way." Gray shrugged. "I have to try. Would you share memories with me, Hankura? Maybe then you will understand."

Hankura did. Gray's severance from his family was not unlike Hankura's separation from his family. He understood, and he cared. He was glad to know Gray as a friend.

A fine mist swirled around Chelle from the nearby pool as she stood watching the water rise in Narcaza fountain. _Why? Why does he make it so hard? I'm not trying to take anything from him. He thinks I'm a freak, but he's attracted to me, and he's ashamed of his feelings. If he touches me one more time ...._

Chelle should have been working in the lab with Theron, but he had been so abrasive that she had left him to figure out their new assignment by himself. She shouldn't have come to Narcaza Circle alone either, but she needed to be alone for a while. Kaara was coming soon, anyway. Just let anyone dare harass her. She was in the mood for a fight. But no one bothered her.

Watching the rising water relaxed her and gave her time to harden her resolve to go back to the lab and face Theron again. Anyway, all psions would be barred from the park in twenty minutes. It was time to go, but Kaara ....anguish, fear, pain\--Chelle stopped mid-step. Kaara! Once Chelle let go of her own concerns she could feel Kaara nearby, but she didn't know where to look. There were so many paths in the gardens, so many sheltered places. Chelle turned slowly, looking and listening.

"Kaara!" she called. "Where are you?"

Her friend screamed in pain, which gave Chelle a fix on her location. Chelle ran in the direction of the sound. "Kaara!"

Kaara shrieked in pain again. Chelle ran toward some bushes near one of the smaller fountains. Two youths were struggling with Kaara on the ground. "Leave her alone!" Chelle screamed and charged them without thinking of the possible danger. She only knew they were hurting Kaara, and she wanted them to stop.

One boy jumped up as Chelle ran toward them, and the other kicked Kaara in the abdomen before they both fled. "Kess, why did you do that? Are you crazy?" The other boy shouted as they ran. "That other minder had a red and blue patch. She's unconditioned." _She saw us real good._

Chelle saw their faces and saw into their minds. She would have followed. She wanted to make them pay for what they had done, but Kaara needed her more.

Her friend was lying under a thick clump of foliage on the ground. Kaara's dress was mostly torn away. There were bruises on her face and throat and body with an especially ugly mark over her ribs. She made a quick probe and sensed that Kaara was bleeding internally.

_Chelle, help me. please. It hurts._ Kaara pleaded silently her eyes full of tears.

_I will._ Chelle nodded and her own eyes filled with tears. She knelt beside her. Cradling Kaara's head on her lap, Chelle covered the bruise with her other hand and closed her eyes. A healing aura of warmth enveloped her and the other woman as they linked mind to mind and spirit to spirit. The bleeding stopped, and the tissues began to regenerate. Through the healing link, Kaara drew strength from Chelle's life force. But she took no more than she needed to revive her body and heal her broken spirit.

For Chelle to heal Kaara, she had to heal herself as well. What had happened to Kaara was similar to what had happened to her at the hands of Redmyn Berke's men. Chelle had to conquer her own pain before she could conquer Kaara's.

Kaara had not been so lucky as Hankura. She had spent ten years in the Aledan Psi Institute. While she had suffered less than many, she had been subjected to repeated mental assaults not unlike what Chelle and Hankura had suffered during their evaluations. This physical assault brought back that torment.

Chelle cried out as she shared the anguish, reaching deeper within herself for enough strength to draw Kaara away from their shared pain and into the healing balm of their friendship. Gradually the aura faded and the link was broken. Chelle opened her eyes slowly.

Now she understood why Hankura and Trevin both warned her never to come to Narcaza Circle alone. She hadn't believed their horror stories until this moment. How could anyone hurt this gentle-spirited woman? Chelle wondered angrily.

"Psion, you have to leave." Chelle looked up as she recognized Gray's voice. He always treated them with strict formality when in uniform. "You know the rules."

"Yes, but I couldn't leave Kaara here like this."

He looked from Chelle to Kaara. Kaara was crouching nearly naked beside Chelle. "Kaara! What happened? What are you doing here?" His face paled at the sight of her bruises and torn clothing.

Kaara started to cry, and Chelle hugged her protectively. "Some boys caught her alone at the statue of Narcaza. They dragged her behind these bushes, beat her, and tried to rape her. I chased them away." Chelle answered grimly.

"Mother of Life!" the enforcer exclaimed as he hunkered down beside them. "Kaara--love, who did this to you?" With large but gentle fingers, he brushed a tear from her cheek. "It's all right. Let's get you to the medical center."

Chelle sensed that Kaara wanted his comfort and let her turn into his arms. He pulled off the cape of his uniform and wrapped it around her. "Where are you hurt? How bad is it?"

"It's healed--Chelle did it." Kaara murmured against his shoulder.

"Thank you," the big man said, meeting Chelle's eyes. He meant it.

"You're both welcome. You'd better take her to the medical center anyway to make sure she's all right." Chelle said. "I'll come with you. I saw who did it, and I know who they are. I read them."

"I'll get them," Gray swore. Then he stood, lifting Kaara easily into his arms. He carried her down a stone path that would bring them out of the park directly across from the medical center. Chelle followed close behind her friends.

Hankura and his techs met them at the emergency entrance. He knew through his bond with Chelle what had happened, and he knew they would both need attention. Healing Kaara had so drained her strength, that Chelle collapsed breathlessly in his arms from the exertion of walking across the park afterward.

Although Hankura knew ethically he should treat Kaara and let Mikal see to Chelle, he couldn't leave her. She needed his strength and comfort as well as the IV that Sharlel inserted. Because of their bond, she could draw strength from his life force to replenish her own. The transfer weakened him as well, but he needed to help Chelle. Her severely weakened condition unnerved him, and Hankura was afraid for her even though he knew intellectually that she would recover with no long-term effects.

Mikal sent them to one recovery cell and Kaara to another. Even though Chelle had healed the worst of Kaara's injuries, Kaara was still very weak as well. More than anything they needed rest and nutritional supplements. And Gray needed reassurance. Once he knew they would recover, Gray went to file charges against the boys--Kess and Sojhan. The two were easy enough to find. Figuring they would go unpunished, they simply went to their homes. They nearly did go unpunished...

They were fined 10,000 credits, directed to pay Kaara's medical expenses, and sentenced to 5 days in jail. Jail for a Normal who committed such a crime was comparable to being confined in a luxury hotel. A Psion would have spent six months in solitary confinement for the same crime.

Two Enforcers had to restrain Gray when the youths left the Council Chamber after their sentencing. They were laughing over what they had done. "Come on, Gray. We know you want to break them into little pieces, but they're not minders. You'd never get away with it." Wendic said.

"And because Kaara is, she deserved what they did to her?" he demanded furiously.

"Of course, not. I didn't mean it that way. That's just the way the system works. You hurt them, you go to Penta Prison." Wendic told him calmly. "We'd like to help you break them into pieces for what they did to Kaara. They had no right to hurt her like that, but it won't do her any good if we're all in prison for avenging her."

Gray sighed and nodded. His friends released their hold on him. "She was right. It'll take more than me to change the system. I don't even know what to do anymore."

"You do your job like the rest of us, and try not to make things any worse than they are." Wendic murmured. "At least we try to be fair. That's more than most of our crews do."

"It's not enough," said Gray, shaking his head as he started walking away. "It's not enough."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"How are they doing?" Nathan came and stood by Sharlel. Through the recovery cell's observation window, she watched Hankura and Chelle sleeping.

"They're just resting, now. They'll be fine." She glanced from Nathan back to the window. "I've never seen him so upset. Hankura knew what was happening to her, but he couldn't do anything. He had to wait until Gray brought them out .... The instruments went crazy when he was sharing his life force with her. I've never seen anything like it."

"And you wish you could have what she has?" Nathan wondered aloud.

"You mean; do I want Hankura?" Sharlel looked up at him and smiled. "No, he's bonded to Chelle. I haven't got a chance. I was stupid to ever think I did."

"Not stupid---just unrealistic," Nathan said gently. "Hankura is a sensitive and caring man. He has a way of making people feel good about themselves. We all love him in different ways. But Chelle is his psi-mate---his mate in every sense of the word. I wish---I wish it could be like that for us .... But we're just regular people, Sharlel."

Sharlel moved closer and touched his arm. "We can still take care of each other and be together."

"Would you---would you ...." Nathan swallowed. "Consider a co-mate contract?" He looked away, afraid he would see refusal in her eyes.

"Nathan, do you mean it?" Sharlel gripped his hand in both of hers, and he looked down into her smiling face.

"You know I do." He smiled, too.

"Six months with a three-year option?" she asked.

"Terms accepted!" He grinned and swept her into a hug that lifted her off her feet. "It'll do for a start."

Hankura woke with a smile as he realized the dream about his friends was not just a dream. But then he frowned as he looked as Chelle. She offered a contrite smile as she reached up to caress his cheek.

Don't be angry, love. I know you could have helped her, but I couldn't wait. I could feel her pain.

What if she had been hurt worse? She could have taken your life force, Chelle.

Kaara wouldn't. Hank, she was dying--but as soon as Kaara knew she would live, she stopped drawing from my strength. Maybe another person wouldn't have, but I knew I could trust Kaara. I'm sorry it frightened you.

Frightened? I was terrified.

And angry.

If anything happened to you, Chelle.... I'm not sure I could live without you---you are so much a part of me.

Yes, and your emotions didn't let you see that I wasn't really in danger.

I can't help what I feel.

Neither can I.

Hankura stroked her pale cheek and sighed. It was an impasse as most of their arguments were. How could he argue against her viewpoint when he understood her so well? How could she contest his arguments when she understood his side as well? Chelle turned her face and kissed the palm of his hand. Suddenly, he didn't want to argue anymore. He wanted to hold her close and make the rest of the world disappear.

But just like all the other times, they could only escape for a little while.

Another day, Hankura mused, glancing up at the domes and towers of Salla Medical Center as he stepped off the beltway in front of the building. He was on his way to his study. Their last six months had passed quickly, if not especially eventfully. His and Chelle's situation was no worse, and no better either.

Chelle was almost finished with her Tech Level-3 training, and it was time for them to start making plans to leave Aledus. Worse, he would have to tell Ludren and Natar that they would be leaving soon. He and Chelle had been on Aledus for two years, and as an unconditioned psion, he had advanced as far in his position as he ever would on his home world. He was sick of the insults, sick of the psi-patches, and sick of the restrictions. He had learned the meaning of freedom on Velran, and he needed it again. He wanted to know the kind of freedom that he and Chelle had shared those first few days at the Tharn Sea. Hankura wanted to wipe the shadow from her eyes and soothe the disillusionment from her mind. She had learned how to fit in on Aledus, just as he had, but the lessons hadn't made them happy. Life on Aledus for psions was every bit the degrading ordeal he had feared it would be.

Stepping on to the Center's mini belt, Hankura got off at the lift tube near the middle of the complex and took the lift to the third floor. Looking neither left nor right, he strode down the crowded corridor. No one greeted him, and he greeted no one. To do so would just invite insults.

Inside his study, Hankura took a mug of hot _jern_ from the wall dispenser and sat down to check the day's schedule on the readout screen. Two patients. Probably neither one of them were actually sick. He switched off the terminal and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the foot rest under his desk.

So. He could cope with life on Aledus. He had proved to himself that he could take it. Now, it was time for them to consider the future. They were thinking about joining the explorations with Gray and Kaara, but they weren't quite ready to make the commitment.

Watching the steam rising from his _jern_ , Hankura let out a pensive sigh, and a plan began to form in his mind.

Soon, he would take Chelle back to Tharn to spend some more time away from the pressures in Salla. Maybe then he would see that sparkle in her shining blue eyes again .... And feel her inner peace returning. That renewed harmony would feel good. Then they could decide.

His attention was jerked back to the present as Sharlel burst into his study.

"Hankura! They've just brought Davonne in. It's the worst yet. The readouts ...."

"Let's go!" He jumped up and brushed past her. Mentally, he signaled for Mikal and Nathan to meet them in the surgical cell.

After molecular decontamination, the four met in the sterile surgical cell; finding, as they expected that Davonne had been prepped and draped with sheets as on three previous occasions. A life support machine oxygenated his blood and added any blood he needed along with nutrients and medication to keep him alive long enough for Hankura and his techs to put him back together.

Hankura paled when he came to the table to check the readouts. An eerie feeling crept through him, sparking a dim, memory. Mikal looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to signal Nathan to set the neural block.

"No." Hankura groaned under his breath. He took a second reading from a handheld bio scanner. "Bleeping, sadistic barbarians!" he raged. He threw his bio scanner against the wall. "Damn them to hell. He's dead this time. They murdered him--bashed his brains in." He choked on a shuddery breath. "Just a kid .... Brain scan's flat .... A mindless body is all that's left. Why did we get him at all?"

"He's dead?" Nathan blinked incredulously, looking from Sharlel to Mikal to Hankura. "Can't we do anything?" His eyes misted, and he glanced at the bruised, discolored face of the dead nineteen-year-old youth who looked more like fifteen.

"Yeah, sure." Sharlel sniffed. "We could clone him another brain--only such a transplant has never been done successfully. The poor kid's better off dead."

"He's going to stay dead, too," Hankura rasped and turned off the machine. "Get him out of here. I'll tell Olia and his father." He let out a profane sigh. "At least the son of a slug came to see his son this time."

"You going to report her brother?" Mikal asked.

"For all the good it'll do." His voice was thick with bitterness. "I'm only a bleeping Psion .... Like him! He tore off his mask and turned, stalking out of the cell.

"I haven't seen him like this since Kaara was attacked," Sharlel whispered. "You'd think he'd never lost a patient before."

"He hasn't," Mikal murmured. "And the first one had to be Davonne" He shook his head. "Any loss is painful, but it's easy to understand Hankura's reaction in this case. Hankura really liked the kid. Hell, we all did." He paused and looked from Nathan to Sharlel. "You two go ahead. I'll dictate the report and take care of the body." Mikal nodded at the lifeless form on the table, blinking suddenly at a moist haze in his eyes. "Damn!"

DaVonne's father and Olia looked up expectantly when Hankura came into the waiting lounge.

"Is he all right?" Olia demanded. Her brows crinkled together in a worried look. "When can we see him?"

Hankura could only shake his head. There was a lump in his throat that threatened to choke him. He inhaled sharply and cleared his throat at length before he managed to say, "Davonne is dead. The assault resulted in brain death. He was murdered." As his eyes began to fill, he spun on his heel and stalked quickly away, trying to shut out their grief. His own was hard enough to bear. Davonne was his friend, and the finality of the psychic expiration left him badly shaken.

The moment he'd stepped into the surgical cell; he'd known Davonne was beyond help. He wasn't naive enough to believe none of his patients would ever die under his care. Davonne was his first loss, and the fact that the kid was senselessly murdered made it so much harder to accept. They could clone him a new body in a matter of months in a nurturing tank--the same kind of tanks used to nurture human fetuses or regenerate damaged organs--the same kind used to clone mindless human bodies for scientific research.

But, there was no cloning the human psyche. Hankura knew better than any of his companions; whatever was truly Davonne had left his body with the death of his brain.

DaVonne's soul was in the hands of whatever gods there might be. At the moment, Hankura had serious doubts that any existed. If they did, they didn't seem overly concerned with the state of humanity as far as he could see.

Mother of Life! How many times had he called upon her in his thirty-two years? And what good had it done? Why the hell should he care about one stupid, mixed up kid? DaVonne's own father wasn't all that concerned over his death. Even Olia wouldn't mourn long for him before she found another lover to fill her needs.

Deep down, Hankura knew what was really bothering him. That mixed up kid could have been him ten years before .... Or his own son twenty years from now. Aledus had been degrading and destroying psions for centuries, and they would probably do it for centuries to come. But outnumbered and brainwashed from childhood, the few dissidents that existed would never make a stand and fight.

Hankura and Chelle could fight until the day they died; nothing would change. It was clearer than ever that Aledus was no place for him and Chelle ....

Chelle picked up the scanner on the lab counter and started taking readings from the nurturing tank. She keyed in the results on the cell's data computer while she pointedly ignored her unwilling lab mate.

"You know it would be a lot easier to work together if you'd be friendlier," Theron told her, openly assessing her body. "You know I'm not above coupling with a minder.... Most are pretty good lovers. You're probably fantastic."

"You'll never know!" She shuddered as she sensed his sexual fantasy. "I'm life mated. I don't take other lovers, and if I did you wouldn't be one of them."

"Arrogant bitch, aren't you?" He grinned derisively and continued to leer at her.

"Just stop it! Either take part in this experiment or get away from me so I can do it myself. I'm sick of taking the blame for your refuse."

"And I'm sick of---"

"Chelle, I want to see you in my study. Now." Neither one had heard Marcus come in until he interrupted the heated exchange.

"All right." She nodded and put down the bio scanner, then followed him out of the lab cell and across the classroom to his private study.

"Sit down, please." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and pressed a button from where he sat to close the rooms sliding door. "I'm sure you know what's on my mind. But, since I'm not a telepath, humor me.

"You're the most advanced student in Level Three. In fact, you could advance to Level Four if your lab work were better. What's the problem? I don't understand. Tell me the truth."

"Theron's the problem, right now. He's given me nothing but trouble since you assigned us to work together. He refuses to work with me, and he ruins the work I do by myself. Usually, I can only complete successful experiments when he's not around," she explained. "I've only stuck it out this long to get my Level Three certification. Hankura and I will probably leave Aledus soon."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I believe you could finish Level Four in another six months. Of course, I know your husband has played a part in your rapid progress, but in any event, you have learned the required material. Sensors show you haven't had any telepathic assistance on exams."

"Hankura wouldn't do that .... and I wouldn't ask him to."

"Judging from his careful evaluation of your work, I'm sure that's the truth." The older man grinned slightly. "It's a good report, but I rather expected he would be more lenient with you."

"Not professionally." Chelle smiled warmly, flicking her eyes over his plain features. "His report was honest. I still have a lot to learn, but our close rapport has helped overcome my lack of knowledge. Admittedly, I have learned as much from Hankura as I have from you. Not without effort, however, as my fellow students seem to think.

Hankura has spent a lot of time teaching me the most basic concepts to me---things that the other students have learned when they were children---because I was never formally educated. He even taught me to read."

"And quite well, too, obviously, considering your accomplishments. I have the utmost respect for Hankura," he told her. "Since you've done so well on the regular evaluations, I'll recommend you for certification exams. You will have to repeat the bone grafting procedure and complete this last experiment before the examination."

"I will. Thank you, sir .... One thing--can I work alone?"

He nodded with a thin, understanding smile. "Under the circumstances, I don't think that's an unreasonable request. Up until now, I hadn't suspected the problems you've had here. I'm sorry if I've been unfair to you."

"Thank you, Instructor. I know you never meant to be. Trying to be fair to everyone in a place like this isn't easy."

As she got up to leave, he nodded his dismissal. "I---" she began, then her face contorted in anguish. "Oh, my darling!" she whispered.

"Chelle, you've gone pale. What's wrong?" Marcus demanded with genuine concern.

"I--It's Hankura. His patient just died. He's taking it hard." Tears in her eyes began to blur her vision. "He was fond of Davonne" Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Patients die. We all have to accept that in this profession," Marcus told her stiffly. "He can't grieve for all of them, or he'll become an emotional cripple."

"But Davonne was murdered--only because he was a psion like we are. The whole of Aledus should mourn his death."

She ran out of the study. Pulling a tissue from the pouch on her belt, she attempted to wipe away her tears.

"What's wrong? Marcus give you hell again?" Theron sneered in his usual mocking tone when she finally shuffled into the lab cell. The door slid closed automatically behind her.

"What do you care if he did?" She blew her nose again and tossed the tissue into the refuse tube. "It gives you a thrill to think he did. After all, I'm only a damned minder."

"Ah, but a sexy one." He came closer, leering at her. His vivid fantasy was beginning to annoy her.

"Get away from me," she muttered and pushed past him to recheck her fertilized _gresar_ ova in the small nurturing tank. They were floating in a clear fluid, gray and lifeless. "You killed them. Theron, you son of a dog! They should have been a centimeter long by now. Even a stupid Terran minder wouldn't have put buffered fixative into the nurturing tank!"

"So, what?" He smirked. He was enjoying her distress.

"Get out. Just get out of here. We're not partners anymore. Instructor Marcus said I could work alone now." She turned and shoved him toward the door, but he didn't go far.

"Hankura was right about all of you--" She jerked the circulation tube from the nurturing tank and emptied it into the sink, shoving the small tank into the autoclave. Then she turned on Theron fiercely. "I wouldn't listen. I couldn't let any of you stop me from being a Tech. You could be a fine Tech, but you haven't the motivation to do anything but entertain yourself at my expense. I pity any patient you ever care for---if you ever complete the course. No more effort than you put forth, I doubt you ever will!"

Her frustration compounded with Hankura's grief made it hard to keep tears from filling her eyes again. She turned away from Theron. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry again. She took out another vial of _gresar_ ova and began the experiment again, trying to ignore Theron completely.

"I told you, it would be easier for me to concentrate if you weren't so damned cold." He moved behind her just short of touching her as she tried to extract some of the ova from the vial with a synthetic pipette. "Every time I see you, I can't help wondering how it would feel to hold you in my arms ...." He drew a strand of her hair through his fingers, contemplating his fantasy of coupling with her.

"Go away, Theron!" She pushed him away. "I know what you're thinking. It makes my skin crawl. Get away from me."

Chelle lowered the vial and straightened. She sensed his sudden hurt and growing anger.

He gripped her arms and swung her around. "Not this time, minder." He knocked the pipette and test tube away and pulled her into a crushing embrace. He grabbed a handful of her thick hair and yanked her head back. "I'm tired of your games," he hissed and ground his mouth against hers in a brutal kiss.

Shocked by his attack, Chelle hesitated before she began to fight back. She tore her mouth from his and pushed at his face with one hand while struggling to free herself. She gouged him in the chest with her elbow and jammed her knee into his thigh, aiming for his groin. Breaking his hold, she punched him twice, but he was skilled in chackrin--more skilled than she.

He slapped her in the face and threw her against the metal cabinet across the tiny cell. Her head hit the door hard and left her dazed as he slammed her against the door a second time, then pressed her body against the cold metal with his own.

"Too bad it has to be this way. I could make it pleasurable if you'd let me." He twisted her arms behind her and tugged at the zipper clasp on the front of her coverall. Clamping his free hand over her breast, he forced her to endure another brutal kiss.

Chelle groaned in distaste and jerked one arm free. She drove the heel of her hand into his chin, struggling to free her other hand from his iron grip. Theron pulled back his fist to punch her in the stomach, and Chelle tensed her muscles, anticipating the blow. The punch never landed.

Theron was yanked away in one jerk. Theron whirled to face his attacker. Hankura slammed his open hand into Theron's face so hard that he fell on his back, his nose bloodied. Utterly furious, Hankura seized the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. He slammed Theron against the metal cabinets several times, thumping the man's head hard against the doors each time.

Even though Theron and Hankura were quite evenly matched in size and weight, Theron regarded Hankura with raw terror. He knew Hankura was a top rank expert in _chackrin_ as well as a high-level Psion who could kill him with a thought---and the physician seemed mad enough to do it.

Knowing Theron's fear only tempered Hankura's rage a little, enough so he could regain control of himself.

"If you ever .... touch her again," Hankura spat, "I'll break so many of your bones; you'll need three physicians to put you back together again."

Then, Hankura slammed him against the cabinet again and shoved him to the floor. Still seething with anger, he gripped Chelle's arm roughly and dragged her out of the lab cell.

_How did you let him get so far? You knew what was on his mind!_ He pulled her down the corridor while she struggled to zip her coverall up as they went.

_Yeah--him and ten others! You know damn well, I was too worried about you and my lab experiment to pay much attention to his disgusting fantasy._ Chelle planted her feet and stopped abruptly, jerking her arm from his grip. _Look at me! Is this what a woman wears to invite that kind of attention?_

She was dressed in a drab khaki coverall that bagged on her everywhere. It was a near duplicate of several others in equally drab colors that she wore to disguise her attractive figure.

Hank, I didn't realize he meant to do more than taunt me as usual until he attacked me. I can't shrink from every man who looks at me with sex on his mind. Most of it is just harmless fantasy. It doesn't mean anything.

Oblivious to passers-by in the long corridor, Hankura all but snarled, jerking his head to one side and averting his eyes from hers. _You're mine--we are pledged! Have you taken these insults so long that you can accept them? Do you relish being treated as the lowest form of life on Aledus?_

I sure as hell don't! I'm sick to death of this whole damned place. It's never going to change as much as it will change us if we stay here.

Hankura let out an exasperated breath and took her arm more gently. He guided her down the corridor and out of the building.

All I wanted to do was learn to be a good healer so that I could work with you. There's so much I can learn here--so much more than I ever dreamed possible ....

But at what price? He was going to rape you! He might have killed you! You're far too precious to me. I won't let them hurt you like they hurt Kaara. I can't let you go back there.

"Hank, I have to," she finally said. "I'm so close to Tech Three .... only a few more days ...."

"No, not _here_ , Chelle. Medicine is part of what we are. But, if Theron doesn't try again, someone else will. There will always be someone else. I won't have you brought to me like Davonne I'm afraid for you--terrified of what I would be without you. We'll find you another program."

Chelle nodded grimly. Knowing she would be as lost without him as he would be without her, she couldn't argue. Suddenly she began to tremble.

"God, I haven't been so scared in a very long time," she said shakily. "I just couldn't believe he would hurt me; I didn't see it coming until it was too late. He's teased me so many times. I've gotten pretty soft here on Aledus, and he got control before I could stop him." Another shudder passed through her. "God, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come. I should have expected--I should have fought better ...."

"But I was there, Chelle." Hankura soothed as they stepped off the belt and into the subway. "You knew I would come. I couldn't let him hurt you. I knew your fear, and I was afraid, too."

A few minutes later they emerged from the subway terminal and crossed the hoverport to their air wedge, both deep in thought. There was no question that they could cope with the problems facing them. They could survive on Aledus. But wasn't there more to life than just survival? Wasn't there?

"Yes!" they murmured in unison as their craft lifted off.

"So, what do we do now?" Chelle asked.

Hankura shrugged. "Go home and try to figure it out, I guess. Home. Ha! Where is that for us?"
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"Do you want to key-in something on the processor?" Chelle asked while she unzipped her coverall. She took it off and put it down the cleaning chute, then took out a wispy blue gown.

"I don't feel much like eating," Hankura said and stroked her bare shoulder as she fastened the single strap of the dress over her other shoulder. "How about a drink?"

"Sure. I'm not really hungry, either." She finished straightening the garment. Hankura crossed the room to press for the autocart which would bring them potent glasses of _carava_ in their bed chamber. She sensed that he was still upset about Davonne, and with her. Further, he blamed both Theron and **her** for what had happened, and he was angry with himself all at the same time.

Chelle moved to his side. She understood his anger and shared in it just as she shared part of the blame. But she needed to feel his love and understanding. She needed reassurance.

Hankura's anger waned as he sensed her emotions, and he turned, slipping his arms around her and cuddling her close. _She-ell, my she-ell. I couldn't blame anyone for wanting you. You are beautiful even in those hideous things you wore to the University. He had no right to force you when he knew you didn't want him. Thank Goddess, you were not hurt badly. I have never been so angry. I wanted to kill him. I really wanted to_ kill _him._

Feeling his rage, Chelle started to pull away. _No more than I did. But I'm not to blame, and I won't accept blame from you. I became a citizen of this world because you wanted to come here, and as a citizen, I had the right to learn at the University. Theron is the one to blame. I never offered what he tried to take from me._

I know, she-ell. I should have taught you to fight better. His kind is everywhere on Aledus. I'm glad you didn't attack him with your mind, even though he deserved it. You would go to jail.

Chelle nodded grimly, then shook her head. _Aledus is an outwardly beautiful world, but what you can't see with your eyes is ugly and hurtful, to us and all of our kind._

That's why we can't stay here. I think we should make plans to go to Belderon. It's close, and you can finish your training. Then we can decide whether to stay in-system or go elsewhere. We have to be free. We can't live like this anymore.

Chelle looked into his eyes. _My love, I was glad to come here for you, but I've looked forward to the time when you'd be ready to leave so we could be free to follow our dreams._

Hankura nodded, contemplating the softness of her lips. She had endured so much to give him what he needed. He wanted to hold her and touch her, to be enveloped in the strength of her love. She could make him forget the death and the fear of the past few hours, and he wanted to make her forget everything but his love for her.

"I thought you wanted a drink." Chelle laughed softly near his ear and kissed his neck.

"You know what I want." He drew back, and she turned up her mouth for his kiss. He was about to steer her to the bed when the telecom bleeped urgently from the comcell in the next room.

Chelle sighed ruefully. He released her with a muttered curse, and she followed him out of the bed chamber into the comcell.

"Whoever it is could have picked a better time," he complained and jammed his thumb against the switch that would pull in the indicated channel. A slow grin spread over his face as the image of a platinum haired man filled the screen. "Casir, you old _nache_! Mother, it's good to see you. You could have commed sooner."

"I figured it was about time. I've been out of the main sectors, building starports and settlements in the outlying colonies."

"So---to what do I owe this honor?" Hankura asked.

"I'm on my way to Belderon to meet Jana and Delara. I was going to drop down to Aledus, but they won't give me plastic even for a limited visa."

"Yeah, well---it's worse to live here," Hankura said.

Casir nodded and continued, "Then, I got to thinking that Belderon would only be a week's jump in the _Mran._ Jana and Delara would love to see you; we're all eager to meet your psi-mate." He paused. "I trust you found her well."

"I did, and we're life-mated."

Casir grinned. "I suspected as much. Is she there with you?"

"Yes." Hankura turned to Chelle. "Come let Casir see you, love."

Chelle hesitated because the revealing gown she wore left little to a man's imagination. If Casir looked too interested in her body, Hankura would be angry again.

"It's all right," the Aledan assured her. "Casir is half civilized---not like these lechers here." She came and stood beside Hankura in front of the view screen and smiled demurely at Casir when they were introduced.

"You are very lovely. Yours are the bluest eyes I have ever seen. I'm pleased to meet you, Chelle." Casir looked at her with frank admiration and friendly interest--nothing more. "I'm happy for you both, my friend," he said to Hankura. "How was your journey?"

Hankura shrugged. "Aside from the fact that I nearly got myself killed, it was fine."

"I was afraid there would be trouble. I'm glad you're okay. I can't wait to hear all about it."

"How soon do you expect to touch down on Belderon, and where?"

"Sometime this month. We're taking a large flat in Tesen for a while. Shall I reserve one for you and Chelle?"

After a moment's silent conference, Hankura said, "We'd appreciate it. I'll give my print when we arrive."

"Fantastic! It'll be good to see you again in person." Casir looked delighted, wistful and excited all at the same time. "See you soon." He signed off with a wave of his hand.

"Right." Hankura nodded as the screen went dark.

"Maybe his timing wasn't so bad after all." Chelle slid her arms around his waist. "You're in a much better mood now. Shall we begin where we were interrupted---or have you changed your mind?" She pressed closer, her face very close to his.

"What kind of question is that?" He pressed his mouth to hers and folded her into his arms. _You feel so good, my love._ Slowly he trailed butterfly kisses along her jaw line, and down over her throat toward the creamy swell of her breast. He pushed away the fabric of her gown and went suddenly still as he saw the bruises Theron had imprinted on her flesh. _The bastard had no right. Theron's lucky, I didn't kill him._

And so are we, love. Don't think about it. I can heal those easily. Just love me, and let me love you.

"Yes," he whispered and lifted her into his arms. They were nearly to their bed when the telecom bleeped again. "Oh, sludge!" he groaned. "Next time, it goes on auto." He let her down, and she fastened her dress over her shoulder again.

Hankura opened another channel, and the image of the all but forgotten Captain Beras appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Hankura. How's life on Aledus?"

"Not especially great. What can I do for you?"

"It depends. Have you decided to pull out yet?"

"Just now, we did. We're going to Belderon for a while. Why do you ask?"

"I need a chief medical officer, and I want you," Beras told him, coming straight to the point. "Mine is due to retire in a few months. A man named Gray just printed his contract and mentioned you might be available. Interested?"

"Now that depends. Do you have a place for my wife? She's a healer---about to be certified as a Tech Three---been in space before."

"I prefer Tech Fives, but I'd take a Tech Three to get you. You said she's a psionic healer?"

"Dawning---saved my life. We're psi-mates if you remember."

"Yes." The other man nodded. "I guess you wouldn't leave her behind." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Can't say that I've ever met psi-mates before---might be interesting. Hmm."

Chelle moved beside Hankura, greeting Captain Beras politely.

"Nice, very nice," said Beras. "You think about it Hankura, and get back to me in, say---no more than a week."

"Fine, sir." The Aledan nodded.

"All right then, stand by and Dana will give you coordinates and channel codes for contacting us," said Beras. "We'd be glad to have you join us. A few of my crew are a little leery of psions, but nothing like the prejudice you have on Aledus."

"Glad to hear it. I'll let you know as soon as we decide."

A few minutes later, a golden-skinned woman with short, kinky blond hair appeared on the screen. She fed the necessary information into their telecom computer, then ended the transmission.

"I guess Gray and Kaara really want us to sign up with them," Hankura said and set the telecom to record any further messages. "Beras is a good man. He would treat us fairly. He doesn't think much of Aledus."

"But he must think highly of you---and you want the job. I know you do."

"There's so much to consider, though." His expression grew serious. "Space exploration is dangerous business---even for medical people .... Sometimes more so for them. If they need anyone, they usually send techs with the landing parties. Who knows what you could be exposed to? Disease, hostile beings, poisonous environments, radiation---it could mean any number of things."

"You just about summed up Earth, if you ask me." She smiled and draped her arms around his neck, looking him straight in the eyes. "And there are plenty of hostile beings there ...."

"I can't argue that." He hesitated. "At least we'd be trained to deal with the dangers, though. They don't care to lose their people. We'd have to sign for five years with the option of an extension. And we have been considering that possibility before this happened."

"Then why don't we? You know I'll go anywhere with you."

"You really want to go?" Hankura grinned. He knew she wanted to go as much as he. With a flourish, he swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply. "Morning's soon enough to com them. Right now, I'd rather continue what we were doing. You didn't want to sleep, tonight did you?"

"I just want you, tonight."

Teasing and laughing in the midday sunshine, Hankura and Chelle walked through the garden in front of their dome, headed to the air wedge on their way to Salla. In the corner of his mind, Hankura still mourned DaVonne's senseless death, and he hadn't gotten over his anger at what Theron had tried to do to Chelle. He no longer blamed her. They weren't going to try to fit into a world that didn't want them---anymore. They were going to the stars.

"Captain Beras gave us more time than I expected," Chelle said, waiting while Hankura opened the air wedge hatch. They climbed inside.

"Umhmm. Two months'll give us a nice long stay on Belderon with Casir. I'm really anxious to see him again. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him on the view screen last night. I just know you'll love him."

"And Jana and Delara?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Hankura added with a wry grin. "They always did like Casir better, but they are still my friends, and I love them."

Chelle laughed. "I know that. There have been so many before me. If I'm jealous of one, then I'll have to be jealous of all of them."

"None of them were as special as you---"

"What about Carianne?"

"Lovely lady." Hankura shook his head and sighed. "But, you're my only psi-mate." He chucked her under the chin and kissed her lightly. "Set this thing for Salla and let's get going. I want to get to the Medical Center before Mikal gives up on me."

"Are you going to tell the others what happened yesterday?" She pressed the ignition sequence, and the craft came to life, lifting slowly into the air.

"No, I don't plan to tell anyone unless Mother pries it out of me. But, she's been behaving herself lately. I doubt she'll try."

"Natar certainly won't be happy when you tell her we're leaving ...."

"That can wait---and if you don't mind, it's something I should do alone."

Chelle looked at him intently. _You're afraid she'll be angry and blame me._

"It's possible--but that's one of the bogies I have to face on my own. Anyway, she's grown fond of you in her own way."

"She'd like me better if I gave you a child," Chelle said dryly. "She reminded me the other day that I don't have to carry a child full term the way those barbarians still do on Earth; as if I didn't know ...."

"But you haven't forgotten about Lania's dead child at the nurtury," Hankura finished. "Well, Mother will just have to wait for us to have children. We have to get our own lives in order before we have children to worry about. I am Aledan born, but Aledus can never be our permanent home. It's only a stopping place for us. There won't be any children before we leave the explorations. We've printed the contracts."

" Natar won't like that, Hank. I know she won't. She still hopes we'll decide to stay after all."

"Don't worry, Chelle. I'll take care of it."

"Speaking of children, when does Lania deliver?"

"Two and a half months. I was looking forward to it. I haven't delivered a baby in a long time."

"Who'll Mikal get in place of you?"

"Probably Fargo. He's not much for psions, but Mikal can trust him. He wouldn't let Lania out of his sight during the birth anyway."

"And will you be there when I give you your first born?"

"Count on it." He grinned. "But have a partial neural block, or I won't be good for anything until it's over. I'm sensitive to another person's pain, but I feel yours as though it were my own. If I were as empathetic with others, I could never be a physician."

"That's what happened to Casir, isn't it?"

"Yeah. He was doing fine until he came to people in pain. He needed so much mental effort to block out their suffering, he couldn't effectively help them. So, he switched to engineering."

"Does he like it?"

"He seems to. Engineering was his second choice, and it was a hard decision for him."

"I am really looking forward to meeting him in person after all this time. I feel as though I already know him through you."

"You do."

The air wedge settled down at South Salla Hoverport close to the subway terminal. The power pack shut off, and the hatch opened automatically. Hankura and Chelle climbed from the craft and headed toward the tubes. Six uniformed Enforcers stood near the entrance. They could sense the Enforcers eyes on them.

A cold shiver crept up Chelle's spine. She suspected their intentions. "What do you think they want?" she whispered shakily to Hankura.

"They want _me_."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"No! Don't let them take you." Chelle gripped his arm. _We have to get away. You haven't done anything wrong ...._

"They think so. Theron lied to them. They believe I attacked him without provocation." He turned to her and grasped her arms. His eyes were dark and intense. _If I run, it will just make things worse. There's no way I can get off world before they catch me._

"It's my fault." She shook her head. "I should have listened to you about the University in the first place."

"No, we settled that. It's his fault. _He_ lied!"

"What'll they do to you?" She glanced warily at the armed Enforcers moving closer to them.

"State the charges and arrest me. I'm a psion. The case is already decided." He paused scanning their minds. "Mother of Life! I've been sentenced to six months' solitary confinement. Then I'll be exiled from the cities for a standard year."

"Oh, no! What can we do?"

Hankura shook his head miserably. "There's nothing we can do. Theron only had to charge me. He's a Normal. I'm guilty until proven innocent. I want you to go home and tell Trevin what happened. He'll go with you to tell Mother and Father. I'll contact Mikal."

"Will they let me see you?"

"No. Remember, I told you that. Psions aren't allowed visitors." He held her, pressing his cheek against her soft auburn hair. _But, they can't keep you from touching my mind._

"I still don't want them to take you." She looked up at him, trying to blink back tears. She was afraid for him and afraid of being separated from him. They hadn't been apart more than a few hours since they left Earth.

He cupped his hand against her cheek. "Don't cry. I don't really want to go, but no one'll hurt me if I just go with them. Promise me you won't come to Salla alone while I'm locked up. I won't be able to protect you from jail. I don't want anyone to hurt you." Reluctantly, gently, he put her out of his embrace.

"I promise," she managed.

The Enforcers surrounded him. The man in charge recited the charges of criminal assault with intent to kill along with the sentence just as Hankura predicted. Then, he added, "Come with us willingly, or we'll use force."

"You'd like that," Hankura muttered and walked toward them slowly, looking more confident than he felt. He paused to cast a wistful glance at his wife just before he disappeared into the Enforcer's special tube system within the subway terminal.

Chelle watched them go, staring after them in shock for a long time.

"You damned psions never learn," taunted the smug Enforcer as he motioned for Hankura to go into the windowless cell. "Maybe reconditioning is what you need to straighten you out."

Hankura bit back an angry retort and stepped into the small cubicle. The door slid shut behind him immediately.

The room was nearly empty except for a narrow pullout bunk on the far wall and a vid com seat to the left. He'd get three hours vid com time per month of his stay here.

At the other end of the room was an in wall holocube beside a tiny sanitary closet and food dispenser. The food would be bland with little selection, but it would sustain him during his stay.

_But six months locked in here alone!_ He could see no one; no guards, no visitors---no other prisoners until his release.

Hankura flopped on the bunk, feeling thoroughly frustrated and discouraged. He was guilty of nothing. All he'd done is defend his wife against a brutal attack. Was he just supposed to let Theron beat and rape her because she was a Psion and Theron was a Normal? Like hell, he would!

Still, Chelle should have been more alert to Theron's mood. She should have gotten out of the lab cell before he could corner her like that. No, that was unfair. She was doing required lab work, and Theron was harassing her. Ignoring him was her primary defense because of the Psi Laws. And she was sharing his grief for Davonne

Hankura understood all of this, yet he resented her part in the whole mess. That just brought him back to realize what he'd known all along; he should never have brought her to Aledus in the first place. He loved her, but marriage and pledging under the circumstances had been a reckless move. He had been foolish enough to believe that love would give them strength to meet the challenges of Aledus.

But was it enough? He wondered. Until they'd locked him alone in this tiny cell, Hankura had never questioned it. Feeling his need to come to Aledus and face his past was enough to make Chelle find the courage to journey through space with him. Hankura had no right to blame her for anything.

He flicked his glance around the cell and squeezed his eyes shut, shuddering as the walls seemed about to close around him. He felt none of the peaceful solitude in that tiny cell that he'd experienced traveling alone in space in his _Arius Mran_. His increasing sensation of claustrophobia had him on the verge of panic. What if they never freed him? How could he stand this loneliness?

_You aren't alone, love._ Chelle's assurance crept soothingly into his mind. _I don't blame you for being angry with me. I made a stupid mistake, and I am sorry. But I can't take it back ...._

I know Chelle. I'm just feeling discouraged. I have never felt so trapped in my life---six whole months in here alone .... Not to touch you or hold you or feel your body close to mine .... Mother of Life, I can hardly stand the thought!

Hold on, love. They've gone too far, this time! Theron won't get away with this.

_What are you going to do?_ Hankura wondered uneasily. Yet, he was heartened by her stubborn determination.

Something. I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Chelle, be careful. Don't do anything reckless.

Who me? I would never!

When she returned to the complex, Chelle could sense only Trevin's presence within the family domes. She went inside and took the tunnel to his dome to talk over the situation with him before facing Ludren and Natar with the news.

"Come in." Trevin motioned for her to enter when he answered the courtesy signal. "I see you're not attending lecture in Salla today."

"I won't be going back to the University anymore." She looked at him glumly. "Where is everyone?"

"Lenth, I think. I just got home---I've broken off with Vera," he told her dully.

"I'm sorry," Chelle said, steeling herself against the mixed feelings of sadness and longing that were directed at her. Outwardly, they were friends. But Trevin still wanted her, and he didn't always hide it very well from her or Hankura. Trevin was in love with her.

"Aw, hell, don't be. It was a pitiful relationship anyway. There was little more than sex between us. A dozen others could give me that just as well. And I'm rather fond of Floria, my new free-mate. She may even like me a little, I don't know yet." He shrugged ruefully.

"Trev, do you know when Ludren and Natar will be back?" she asked, only half listening to what he said.

"Sometime this evening, I think. Is something wrong?"

"Yes. Hankura was arrested a little while ago," she said slowly.

"What?" He looked stunned. "What did he do?"

"Oh, Mother. It's not fair," she muttered and went on to tell him everything that had happened the day before.

"Didn't they even let Hankura answer the charges?"

"Trevin, he's a psion. Theron charged him so he's guilty until proven innocent because Theron is a Normal. Hankura got six months because he wouldn't let Theron hurt me."

"Theron is lucky Hankura didn't kill him."

"No, Hankura is lucky," Chelle mused bitterly. "They would wipe his mind for that. Oh, Trevin! How am I going to tell Ludren and Natar? She's going to hate me!"

"I'll help you Chelle," he quickly assured her, and it helped a little. "What we need is a legist. It seems there is a way to get Hankura a hearing---but it's been a long time since I studied civil law. Capra should know ...."

"Of course! She's a law intern." Chelle brightened. "Did she go to Lenth, too?"

"No, I think she's in Salla with Stefan. We'll check with the vid com."

Chelle followed Trevin into his comcell and waited while he keyed in the code for Stefan's tower flat in Salla. Shortly, an annoyed Stefan materialized on the view screen.

"To what do I owe this untimely interruption?" Stefan demanded haughtily.

"Is my sister with you?" Trevin asked, unruffled.

"Yeah, wait a minute."

Then, Capra appeared, pulling the belt on her dressing robe tighter and shoving her fingers through her tousled curls. "This better be good, Trevin."

"Hankura was arrested this morning."

"For what?" Capra demanded in an outraged tone.

"Chelle will tell you." He stepped aside and let Chelle go through the story again. "Can we help him?" she asked finally.

"Yes. Petition the Council of Seven for the Test of Truth." Capra answered without hesitation. "It might be hard, though. We have to get prints from six Normals, not blood related to the accused before they will consider it. Do you know enough people to do that?"

"His techs at the Medical Center. That leaves three more. Hankura and I are less than popular here. We have very few real friends because I am an off world psion, and we're both unconditioned."

Capra turned to look at Stefan inquiringly.

"Do you know what that would do to my reputation if I were to intercede for a psion?"

"Do you know what six months in solitary confinement will do to my brother?" she countered. "You don't have to speak for him. We're only asking for the truth."

"I don't know." His face took on a haunted look, and he turned, pacing away from the screen. "That would still leave two short. I don't know anyone else who would petition for a psion."

"Well, if you won't," Capra told him, "I'm putting on my clothes and packing my things. I'll leave for good. We're not just talking about some psion. We're talking about my **brother**. No matter what they say; he's a good man. So, make your choice."

"Capra!"

She turned to face him. "I mean it," she said with grim determination.

Stefan grimaced as she came into view again. "All right. If you can get the other two, I'll give my print as the sixth---only because he is your brother."

"Thank you, Stefan." Chelle smiled gratefully. "Hankura would do the same for you. I'll com you when we have found the fifth."

Ending the conversation, Chelle turned back to Trevin. "Do you know anyone?"

He shook his head no. "I'm ashamed to say. Most of my friends don't like psions any better than most of the other Normals on Aledus. Haven't you noticed that none of them ever come here? Vera wouldn't. First, it was because of Mother, and then you and Hankura came. I love you all, but I'm ashamed of you to my friends," he admitted miserably. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Trev." She touched his arm gently. "Hankura and I understand. But, I don't think you're ashamed of us. I rather think you're trying to spare our feelings by letting your friends stay away and by keeping your social life separate from your home life. You're not ashamed to escort me in public at the University. It helped a lot, you know."

"I'd never be ashamed to be seen with you. You're so beautiful and sensitive. Chelle, I---"

"Don't!" Chelle interrupted and averted her gaze from his. "You promised."

"I know," he murmured and lowered his eyes, too. "I can't apologize. I'm not sorry. I'm only sorry that I wasn't the one who first touched your mind---that I wasn't the one drawn to Earth to find you. I'm sorry that what I feel can't be thought, let alone said to you....

"Mother, I've had so many women since you came. I can't even remember their names---some I never knew. There was no love in any of those matings .... Except maybe Floria. Is there anything fair in this wretched lifetime?

Chelle looked at him querulously and sighed. _It sure as hell doesn't seem like it. Perhaps, it will be easier for everyone when Hankura and I leave Aledus._

Trevin's mouth compressed into a grim line, and he looked doubtful as her thoughts slipped into his mind. He was used to it now, even though it sometimes made him uneasy knowing she could read him so well.

"Ah, Trev. I don't think it's me you really love. You envy the rapport Hankura, and I share .... And you're putting our friendship in jeopardy with your fantasies. It's got to stop," she told him.

Trevin scowled and didn't answer.

After a moment, Chelle said, "I don't think I'll com Mikal. I want to see him in person. Will you come to Salla with me?"

"I had plans .... " he began. "Ah, forget it. I'll come. You shouldn't be wandering around Salla alone. It isn't safe."

"Yeah, I know."

"How is Hankura?" Mikal asked in genuine concern. "He just commed me from Salla Jail."

"Then, you all know what happened." Chelle looked from Mikal to Nathan and Sharlel and back to Nathan again. They nodded. "What can I tell you? Hankura is bitter about the way he's been treated. He just got his termination notice from the Medical Center. That didn't help his mood any. His career on Aledus is over for good, now."

"I'm sorry Chelle," Mikal said. "We all are. We've given our prints for the Test of Truth. I even commed Merris, my younger wife. She is a Normal so she gave her print, too. They told us it would be five days before they scheduled a conference, and then it might be another week or more before the case is heard."

Chelle knew all of that, but she kept silent. They were so kind and caring. She was glad to have their help. "That means we only have to get one more."

"Let us know if there is anything else we can do," Sharlel added. "You know how we all feel about Hankura. He gave Nathan and me the only fair chance we've had in Salla."

"As far as we're concerned, he's better than half the physicians in the place," Nathan put in. "Now that he's been terminated, we are all leaving Salla Medical Center---and Aledus. Sharlel and I gave notice today. We'll be staying long enough to see Hankura freed."

"And I'm only staying until Lania's son is born. Then, we leave for Zevus Mar. It's a small, quiet place, but the colony is growing. It's a good place for a man and a woman to be free to raise a family and live out their lives. Maybe you and Hankura should consider it. He won't be employed for anything on Aledus again. What will you both do?"

"It's hard to say. First, we have to get him out of jail," Chelle responded bleakly. "We have signed on with the Explorations. Our contracts begin in a few months. In the meantime, we're going to Belderon. We can't fight six million people when even the other psions won't stand with us."

Trevin stood in the background, lost in his own thoughts. He paid little attention to the exchange.

"We hope everything works out for you and Hankura." Nathan extended his large hand to her. "We'll all miss him."

"And we will miss all of you," Chelle murmured huskily, clasping each offered hand in turn. "Thank you all. I have to go."

She turned abruptly and ran from the study. She stopped in the corridor and waited for Trevin to catch up. She slowly gathered her composure, and then there was no more reason to hurry. Chelle wasn't eager to go back to the complex to face Natar and Ludren---particularly Natar. She was glad she wouldn't be alone.

_You're never alone, she-ell._ Hankura expressed his psychic presence in her mind. _You're doing a great job_ , _and I have thought of a sixth petitioner. Marcus. I think he would do it._

Yes. I'll go to see him tomorrow. I'm going back to the complex to talk to Natar and Ludren.

Then all we'll have to do is wait.

_Something you have little patience for._ She smiled slightly as he mentally groaned at her pun. It wasn't especially funny, but it helped to break the monotony a little .... if only for a while.
CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Would you like a glass of yash?" Ludren offered. He beckoned Trevin and Chelle to sit on the sofa in the main lounge. "Will Hankura be coming soon?"

"Uh .... no." Chelle began nervously. "That's why we're here. It's about Hankura---something awful happened." Sensing Ludren's fear, she quickly added, "He isn't hurt or anything like that. He's in trouble."

"All right, Chelle," Ludren said in a soothing tone. "Why don't you just tell us about it?"

Chelle nodded, fighting back a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as Natar strolled into the room and sat down beside Ludren across from them.

"Hankura was arrested this morning ...." Chelle blurted. Then she plunged through the whole story yet another time.

No one spoke for several seconds after she'd finished. Unexpectedly, Natar jumped to her feet.

"You!" she shrieked. "You're to blame for this. You've brought my son nothing but trouble since he found you."

"Please, I never meant for this to happen. Do you think I want him jailed like a criminal?" Chelle cried.

"He wouldn't be if you hadn't flaunted yourself once too often to those men in Salla," Natar retorted.

"That isn't true! Natar, you know it isn't true. We are psi-mates. I've had no other lovers. I haven't wanted any."

"But---if you had kept your place, none of this would ever have happened. It wouldn't have hurt you to give Theron what he wanted. What makes you better than I am or any of the rest of us?" Natar pointed an accusing finger at Chelle. "Submitting is how we psions survive. Normals rule Aledus. If you can't keep your place, you don't belong here!"

"Mother, what are you saying?" Trevin stared at her in shock. "You can't mean that. That's disgusting. Theron had no right!"

_Mother, stop it. Chelle is my wife, and she didn't do anything wrong. Even a Psion has free choice on Aledus. He was hurting her...._ Hankura's telepathy was relayed through Chelle's mind. She stared wide eyed as Natar stood raging over her.

_I don't care. She doesn't belong here. You never should have brought her here. Never! I hate her!_ Natar's rage and hatred flooded into Chelle's mind with staggering force. Despite the fact that Hankura intercepted some of its impact, Chelle whimpered at the mental blow and fled out of the dome into the garden. If she had hoped for comfort and support, she had gotten neither. Trevin made a disgruntled sound and followed her.

"Natar!" Ludren exploded when they were alone. "What's the matter with you? Chelle isn't to blame for a man who lets lust rule his actions. What if he'd treated Capra like that? Wouldn't you want to Hankura defend her?"

"That's different. Capra is my own daughter. No man has the right to take a woman who doesn't want him." Her tone softened. "But Chelle is an outsider. She's taken Hankura from me, and I'll never forgive her for that. NEVER!"

"You can't mean that. Natar, you know what she means to him. You'll drive him away with that attitude. Is that what you want? You said they share Serene Perception. They belong together."

"Yes, I know," Natar replied absently, her eyes unfocused. Already, she was retreating into her own secret thoughts. Then, after a moment, her eyes focused on Ludren's face. "It was the Serene Perception. But, Mother of Life, Hankura is in jail because of her!" Bitter tears stole down her cheeks. "How can I forgive her for that? I hate her!"

Natar wrinkled her brows into a frown, averted her eyes for a moment, and then raised them again. "Oh please, Ludren, don't be angry with me. I didn't mean it. I'm so confused. Why can't these people leave me alone? Don't let them take me to the chamber again. Please, Ludren, I beg you. I can't do it again, I can't. I didn't mean it. They won't believe me."

"No, no, Natar." Ludren seized her arms and pulled her close. "I won't let anyone hurt you. You're confused. No one will send you to the neurochambers again; I promise. Don't cry, my love, don't cry. Everything will be all right. But you must let Hankura go. When this is over, he can't stay here. Do you understand that?"

Natar looked up at him tearfully and blinked her eyes in slow acknowledgment. "Don't leave me, Ludren. Don't ever leave me."

"I won't my darling. Not ever," he murmured fervently and held her tightly. A sudden chill of fear stole through him. Goddess, no! How could this happen? Natar was losing control. What was he going to do?

Trevin paused outside in the night for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. Scanning the area around the domes, he caught a shadowy movement near his brother's dome in the garden. After a moment, he heard Chelle's muffled sobs. He found her by the hovercraft.

"Chelle, are you all right?" he asked. She passed her hand over the ID plate without looking at him and nodded, still crying. He longed to take her into his arms, hold her close and soothe away her tears. Instead, he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about Mother. She's upset. I'm sure she didn't mean half of what she said. It's just that Hankura is her favorite son...."

"Oh, Trev!" She looked at him sharply, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Hell, I've always known that. And why not? He's a Psion like her.... And I.... Am one of the other kind, a Normal just like Father. Oh, yes, she loves us all in her own condescending way, but none of us will ever measure up to my brother." Trevin gave her a sad smile and laughed without humor. "What am I anyway but a master student? I know a little of a lot of things and a lot about _nothing_. Hankura is everything the rest of us are not, and what galls Mother most is that he has you...."

"Jealousy doesn't become you, Trevin," she said unevenly. "You're a good, gentle man with great sensitivity, and you have the intellect to do most anything you want to do. Everything you envy Hankura for has cost him. You don't know how often or how deeply he's been hurt. But, I know, Trevin." She choked out the last, crying so hard she couldn't go on talking to him. She turned and started to climb into the hovercraft.

He gripped her arm tightly to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Kaara. I have to get away from here for a while."

"Let me come. You shouldn't go out alone. A psion---"

"Isn't safe? I'll com Gray. I'll be safe with him. Just let me go, please."

"All right. Be careful---and if you need me ...."

Chelle nodded and closed the hatch, then set the craft in motion toward the Salla hoverport where Gray would meet her. She was alone but for Hankura's gentle presence in her mind, and she was hurting more than she had in a very long time. Trevin was wrong about Natar. He hadn't felt her hatred or her anger like Chelle had. And part of what Natar said was true. Chelle didn't belong on Aledus. She never had--no matter how hard she tried.

From a surface glance, Aledus seemed to hold everything a peaceful society should. It had clean, beautiful cities, a balanced environment, no overpopulation, and no poverty. Nearly everyone enjoyed a high, luxurious standard of living. But it only looked good on the surface. Underneath, there was always the old prejudice against psions. Alien psions were shunned even more.

Alien, an outsider---that's what Chelle had always been on Aledus. All of Hankura's love and credits couldn't change her social status. Life on Earth had been hard, but there had always been hope of something better. With that memory, a sharp stab of homesickness twisted her heart. Yet, even on Earth in the quiet haven of the mountain forests, there was no peace, no haven without Hankura to share it .... Goddess, it all hurt so much!

She-ell don't cry. It hurts so much to feel your pain---especially when I can't even hold you. Mother is wrong. Her thoughts seemed all twisted around and contradicting one another. I don't understand what is happening to her. I'm sorry for everything I put you through to learn what I should have known all along. Neither of us belongs here. I wish I'd taken you to Belderon months ago.... I promise we'll leave as soon as I'm free.

In her mind's eye, Chelle could picture the guilt and disappointment written on his face as he paced the tiny cell still another time. They had only been separated for hours, but not knowing when it would end made it difficult. Chelle could feel his remorse and his offer of mental comfort. She sensed him aching for her physically, and she shared that need. She sent him a memory of a tender embrace. That gave him some comfort for the time being.

It was dark and raining by the time Chelle settled the air wedge on the landing pad at East Salla hoverport. The rain fell in big drops that rippled the small pools of water under the landing lights. They shimmered silver against the black pavement. Except for the lights, the landing pad was dark and eerie. She stood by the hovercraft, looking anxiously toward the control station.

Gray was there waiting. She hurried toward him, her head bent against the rain. By then, she had regained her composure. She managed to smile at Gray, but she couldn't hide the redness of her eyes or the traces of tears on her face. She almost started to cry again when he put his arms around her and hugged her.

"I heard about Hankura. I was sure there had to be a mistake," Gray murmured in a soothing tone and released her gradually. "What happened?" He put a comforting arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the subway station. Chelle gave him the memory.

Gray blinked, a little disoriented, and shook his head. "I wish I had been there," he growled, "That slime would have wished he only had to answer to Hankura!"

"Thank you, Gray. I feel so bad for Hankura. I just didn't sense what Theron was going to do. He acted on impulse, and even an accomplished telepath can't always read such things."

"Did you get the six prints for the Test of Truth?" They stepped into a tube capsule together and found a seat.

"Not yet. I still need one more." I am planning to see Instructor Marcus in the morning. He respects Hankura, so he just might be willing to give his print."

"You didn't ask me," Gray said quietly.

"I didn't want to put you in that position. You're an Enforcer. They'd make life miserable for you at headquarters."

Gray shrugged. "We only have a month before we go to T'llead for training. I can handle them. I'll register my print as soon as we get home."

"And I will com Stefan. He promised to be the sixth if I got five. I doubt he will be overjoyed to hear from me."

Gray smiled. "Who cares if he likes it as long as he gives his print."

Chelle smiled, too.

Kaara was waiting at the door when they arrived at the dome she shared with Gray. She hugged Chelle, asking no questions, just offering human warmth and sympathy. Chelle didn't offer Kaara her memory. It would have brought back memories that Kaara had put behind her. Her friendship was enough.

Chelle stayed with Gray and Kaara for several days until Ludren commed to apologize for Natar. He assured her Natar was no longer hostile, now that Chelle had secured a Test of Truth for Hankura.

Chelle went back to the complex and allowed Natar to make amends. At least outwardly. Chelle could still sense her resentment. Natar tolerated her because Hankura loved her. Nothing had changed.

The Council of Seven took all of five days to reach a decision on Hankura's petition. They set a hearing for twenty days hence and informed Hankura over the vid com. That meant Hankura and Chelle could still make Belderon in time to meet Casir, who had commed that he would be called to Uloi sooner than he'd planned. He would be on Belderon for one month instead of two. That would give them fifteen days to visit him---if Hankura were freed.

And Captain Beras still had to be informed. With the hearing set, Chelle went to the telecom to contact the _Searching Star_ and explain the situation to Beras. She was a little apprehensive. What if he canceled their contracts?

Minutes later, Dana, the com operator appeared on the screen. " _Searching Star_ , Dana here. May I help you?"

"I am Chelle Narcaza, E-65372, from Aledus. I have an urgent matter to discuss with Captain Beras."

"One moment. I'll switch you over."

Then, Captain Beras' face filled the screen in front of her. "Yes, Chelle? What can I do for you? You still have five days to rescind the contract. Is that why you commed?"

"No, sir. I commed to inform you that Hankura has been arrested and jailed."

"For what?" he bellowed.

Chelle sighed uneasily before launching into a concise account of the matter _again_.

"Oh, hell!" Beras muttered. "That's a bunch of Aledan refuse for you. I warned him the day we met to pull out of there. He's a stubborn son of a bitch, isn't he?"

Chelle stifled a grin. Beras was closer to the truth than he realized.

"Tell him not to worry. He's got three and a half months before we pull into Belderon again." Beras smiled reassuringly. "If that's not enough, I'm coming down there to raise some hell. A Federation contract takes precedence over a bruised ego and a bloody nose. But, with a Test of Truth, I don't think they'll hold him. Does that set things straight for you, young lady?"

"Uh huh. Thank you, sir." She grinned. "Hankura feels better now, too."

"Psi-mates, huh?" He raised his bushy brows. "It should be interesting. Keep me informed."

"Yes, sir." Chelle nodded. As soon as the transmission ended, she turned to the vid com. Hankura still had an hour left, and he was contacting her.

"There you are." He smiled affectionately as his eyes fed hungrily on the image of her face. "I've wanted to see you so badly these past days, but I hesitated to use up my com time."

"I know, but you shouldn't be there too much longer. Both Capra and Captain Beras say you should be released after the truth comes out. As for the fine, and being exiled from the cities .... We don't know."

"It's freedom I want, and I'll believe in that when I walk out of here," he replied with a cynical expression. He was almost afraid to hope for that. _Mother of Life, I don't want to be locked in here! Sometimes I feel the walls closing in on me with the echoes of my own heartbeats pounding in my ears. I can see your face, but I can't touch you or hold you .... And you know how I want to hold you._

"I know," she empathized, caressing his mind with tenderness. He was soothed by her mental touch. "Do you want to sleep now? It's getting pretty late."

"I don't think I can sleep. This place gives me the creeps. I just want to look at your face until they shut off the com." _Then I'll see your face in my mind and not think about the walls holding me here. It's so hard to sleep alone_.

_Soon, you won't have to---very soon._ Her eyes mirrored the promise of her thought. "Very soon," she murmured softly.

The Council of Seven conducted Truth hearings on the top level of the circular Law Enforcement tower. The large round chamber took most of that floor. Blue and white panels dominated the walls. The three-meter black and gold seal of Aledus was mounted on the wall behind the long, curved table where the Council would sit. A large blue circle on the floor in front of the table proclaimed itself the Circle of Truth in glowing red letters. A mechanism within could determine with extreme accuracy whether a human standing on it spoke true or false. There was a small gallery for observers in the back of the room.

Hankura, Chelle, and Theron were led into the chamber. They stood waiting behind the Circle of Truth while the Council of Seven entered from a side door and sat down behind the curved table. They were dressed in regal robes of pastel silks and silver fabric. An aging woman sat at the center, heading the Council of four men and three women. Three men sat on her right with two women and one man on her left.

Elena, the chairwoman, studied each of the three. Several moments passed before she finally addressed them:

"Physician Hankura, you have been charged by Theron with unprovoked assault and attempted murder. Given the petition filed by six Normals, we have granted you a Test of Truth. Step forward and stand in the Circle of Truth to state your pleas."

Glancing at the floor, Hankura stepped onto the blue circle. He faced the Council, wrists bound in front of him as a common criminal. He looked at each member and nodded politely to Elena. "I submit that Theron's charge is false as he stated it. While I did willfully use force against my accuser, it was only to stop his attack on my wife."

"Why did he attack her?"

Hankura's mouth tightened, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. He tried to suppress the violence simmering within him as he recalled the incident. "He was trying to rape her after she refused sex with him. He had already hit her and was tearing at her clothes when I stopped him. He was hurting her, and I was angry---afraid for her. I was only trying to protect her."

The council was aware of the anger that still churned beneath the surface of his outwardly calm demeanor. Yet, the sensors didn't miss the truth in his words. Hankura and Chelle were both anxious to know what was going through the Council's minds, but scanning them was forbidden. The sensors would also pick up any fluctuation in the psionic force around them, a serious offense.

"Very well," Elena indicated, dismissing him with a curt nod. "We will hear Chelle's statement now.

Hankura stepped back from the Circle and returned to his place beside Theron, holding Chelle's gaze for a moment before she stepped into the circle.

"Do you agree with your husband's statement?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Chelle gave an eloquent nod.

"Is there any reason that Theron should have believed you would accept his attentions?"

"Absolutely not. I told him plainly on numerous occasions that I was not interested. I am pledged to my husband through the ancient ritual of Arall. On the day of the attack, I asked to be released as Theron's lab partner, and Instructor Marcus granted the request. When I told Theron to leave and resisted his advances, he became violent." Chelle went on to describe the attack in detail.

"I see," Elena murmured. A number of the other council members nodded silently and pressed buttons on their monitors to indicate their opinions in the matter. "You may step from the Circle, Chelle. We will now hear Theron."

With his jaw set in defiance, Theron glared at Hankura and Chelle each in turn before he stepped into the Circle of Truth.

"Theron, do you honestly refute the statements of the defendant Hankura and his wife, Chelle?" Elena demanded.

Theron squirmed uncomfortably. There was no mistaking Elena's manner. He knew it would be best to tell the exact truth. Suddenly trembling, he sucked in his breath sharply. "I cannot."

"Have you any further explanation?"

"No."

"Then you will step from the circle, and we will give our judgment."

The Council sat in silence for two or three minutes, working their fingers over the keypads in front of them. Hankura, Chelle and Theron stood surrounded by Security Enforcers waiting anxiously for them to finish.

Finally, Elena spoke to them again. "Physician Hankura, in light of the truth, the charges of unprovoked assault and attempted murder are dropped. You will be released from confinement immediately. You have acted with excessive violence against the Normal, Theron, however, and The Council retains your fine of two-hundred thousand credits, and your Aledan Urban privileges are revoked for one standard year starting today. Enforcers will escort you publicly from the city to South Salla Hoverport. There they will relieve you of your psi-patch. If you return to any Aledan city during this exile period, you will be jailed for the remainder of your sentence. Is that clear?"

"Completely," Hankura replied, his eyes glittering with outrage.

Elena then addressed Theron. "You have lied without duress to the Council of Seven, obviously to have this Psion jailed unjustly. For your false accusation, you are hereby fined ten thousand credits. Any future criminal charges made by you will be made under the Test of Truth before action is taken. The next time you lie, you will be jailed for fifteen days. This case is concluded."

"Ha!" Theron sneered as he turned to leave. "You were lucky this time, minder. I didn't know there were so many psi-lovers on Aledus to help you. Ah well, what's ten thousand credits? It was worth it to watch you squirm." He laughed derisively and sauntered from the Council Chambers.

"Bleeping rectal probe!" Hankura muttered under his breath.

"At least you're out of jail," Chelle said quietly. "But, your career is ruined here. I'm sorry."

"That's justice on Aledus," he muttered.

Before he could say anything else, four Enforcers stepped forward. They ushered them out of the tower to the pedestrian beltway. The Enforcers escorted them in public view across the city to the hoverport for Hankura's exile. In the ten minutes it took them to traverse the city, Hankura and Chelle became objects of curiosity and ridicule by the small groups of Normals they passed. This was exactly the intention of the biased Council of Seven.

Gray was one of the Enforcers waiting at the hoverport. "I am sorry, Hankura," he told him as he came up and ripped the psi-patch from his left sleeve then unshackled his wrists. "At least now you're free to leave as you planned." Gray smiled faintly. "We'll see you on the _Searching Star._

Hankura nodded and gave him a tight smile. "Thank you, my friend. We look forward to serving with you."

As he turned to Chelle, he heard one of the other Enforcers mutter, "Well, that's one less Psion in Salla."

"And that is Salla's loss," Gray admonished. "He's my friend, and I'm proud to call him a friend."

"Then you're a fool." the other Enforcer jeered.

"You're right. I've been a fool to think I can make a difference with people like you."

As they moved away, Chelle and Hankura climbed into their hovercraft. When they were inside, she looked at him uncertainly. He was so filled with anger and outrage that he was trembling. Some of his anger was still directed at Chelle, and he hated himself for feeling that way. How could he blame her for his own stupidity in shoving her into the middle of all this just to satisfy his own needs?

"Will you ever forgive me?" Chelle asked softly.

He shook his head as if to deny his anger and pulled her close. _My she-ell. We must forgive each other. If there's any blame, we must share it equally. You did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong, yet I've been punished, anyway.... Goddess, it's so good to feel you in my arms---to see the sun in the sky. I was slowly going mad in that cell._

I know. I got you out as soon as I could, the only way I knew.

_And you saved my sanity._ With that thought, he kissed her deeply. "Let's go back to the complex and get ready to leave for Belderon tomorrow. We have no home on Aledus, especially now."

"When will you tell Ludren and Natar?"

"As soon as we get there. I want to be done with it tonight and start fresh tomorrow. There's no reason to wait any longer."
CHAPTER TWENTY

"Trevin is coming over," Hankura said and sat down beside Chelle on the sofa in their lounge. He put his arm around her. "I want him to stay with you while I talk to Mother and Father."

"What's wrong, Hankura? You're uneasy---I can feel it---and you're trying to block it out."

"I know that Mother is not going to take this well, and I dread telling her. I'll make her understand. Trust me."

"I do." She looked at him dubiously. It was not him that she didn't trust. She didn't like his sending for Trevin to keep her there. She knew he was even contemplating sending her to Tharn, but he knew she would refuse.

Hankura got up as Trevin strode in through the open tunnel doorway. "I'll be back in a little while. There's a mug of _jern_ on the autocart if you want it." Trevin nodded. Then, Hankura gave his wife a tight smile as he turned and walked into the tunnel. Chelle stared after him, feeling oddly unsettled by his secretive manner.

Upon entering the main dome, Hankura knew his mother sensed that he had something serious on his mind. But Natar refrained from probing him because she knew he would resent her intrusion.

Hankura looked from his mother to his father, trying to decide how to begin telling them what he knew they didn't want to hear.

"You know everything that's happened to Chelle and me since we came to Aledus to be part of this family." he began. "We love you all, but we're not happy here. Chelle and I are leaving for Belderon tomorrow," he blurted out. "After we visit Casir on Belderon, we are leaving on the exploration ship _Searching Star._ We have already printed contracts. We love you all, but that's not enough. We never should have come back."

"You can't be serious." Natar's eyes flashed with anger.

"Now, Natar---you knew he would leave some day." Ludren tried to soothe her with a note of warning in his voice. "There's nothing wrong with the Explorations. It's honorable work. Tell us about your position, son."

"I'm going to be Chief Medical Officer. Chelle is going as a Tech Three. Captain Beras is a psion, too. He understands what we have been through. It'll be nice to be treated as an intelligent human being for a change. The captain has assured us that the prejudices are only minor in the ship's crew. And we are looking forward to being in space again."

"I hope this isn't too much trouble for you, Trev," Chelle murmured as he took a seat in a padded chair across from her and took the last mug of _jern_ from the autocart. "It was Hankura's idea."

Trevin shrugged carelessly with a grin, flicking his hazel eyes over her face. "I don't mind spending time with you. I'm not meeting Floria for another hour. It's too bad you'll be leaving tomorrow. I'd hoped to introduce you to her."

"I would have liked that," Chelle told him somewhat absently. She was still unsettled by Hankura's earlier mood.

"How is my brother now?" Trevin honestly wanted to know.

"He's a little depressed and a little annoyed with me for what happened---though he keeps trying to hide it. Right now, I think getting away will be the best thing for us, and it will be good for him to see Casir again. We both need to put this behind us. It's been rough."

"As rough on you as him," Trevin pointed out.

"He knows that. That's partly why there is so much conflict within him now. He's angry with me for letting Theron put me at a disadvantage, and with himself because he brought me here in the first place. I should have expected Theron's attack. I am a psion, Trevin. I should have known."

"He had no right, Chelle! Don't blame yourself."

Chelle smiled faintly. "Thanks. I don't know how I would have gotten through this without your help."

"Oh, hell. You'd have figured out something." He grinned.

It was her turn to shrug at his backhanded praise. "I just wish I knew what Hankura is hiding from me."

"What could he possibly hide from you? You are psi-mates after all, as you are so fond of reminding me," he said with a touch of irony.

"Oh, Hankura is good at keeping things from me when he concentrates. He has years of training that I lack. But---he can never completely hide the fact that he is keeping something from me. Usually, I can coax him to share it---except this time ...."

"You're probably worrying too much. He only went to speak to Mother and Father. What could be wrong?"

"I don't know. I--" Chelle suddenly fell silent and went pale. "Mother of Life!"

"What the hell?" Trevin demanded as Chelle's eyes widened and she clamped her hands against her temples in great pain.

Natar stared at her son for a few moments before she found her voice. "No, Hankura! You can't leave. You're my son. I won't lose you again!"

"I am your son, Mother, but I'm also my own person. Chelle and I have to go. Try to understand." He braced himself mentally for the anger he sensed rising within her.

"No! NO!" she shrieked. YOU WILL STAY! I WILL YOU TO STAY _._

Hankura flinched and jerked his head to the side at the staggering force of her telepathy. I WILL NOT _!_ He defied her, clenching his fists against his temples with his eyes squeezed closed in supreme concentration.

"No! Stop it!" he cried out as her probes kept exploding inside his mind, battering his mental shield. I WILL MY OWN MIND ....MY OWN MIND .... I WILL GO .... MY OWN MIND.... MINE! MINE! MINE! CHELLE, HELP ME ....

_Chelle has made you do this, but we can stop her. She sent you to jail, and she wants to take you from me. I hate her, and I wish she would die. She must not take you from me._ WE WILL STOP HER! WE WILL BREAK THE BOND, MY SON, AND SHE WILL DIE.

Natar's probe was far stronger than any he had faced during his evaluation. It was meant to kill Chelle. His only way to defend her was to attack Natar. This made Hankura's mother aim her attack at him.

Then Chelle attacked Natar to undermine her concentration and confuse her.

Hankura and Chelle took turns attacking and counter attacking for several minutes. Each hoped to protect the other from the killing force of Natar's psionic probes. With each mental assault, Natar became more and more confused. She blocked their attacks and concentrated on gathering psionic energy to deal Hankura's mate a fatal blow. Only in her confusion, she attacked Hankura instead. Hankura welcomed Chelle's help to mentally block out Natar's deadly psionic probe. But it wasn't enough.

"Nooo!" Hankura screamed as his mental shield collapsed. He sank to the floor as a blinding flash of light exploded behind his eyes. He felt the plush carpet against his face. Then he knew, quiet, black oblivion.

Ludren watched in horror as blood trickled from Hankura's nose onto the beige carpet. There had been nothing he could do to stop the silent battle between the two people he loved most in the world.

"Natar! How could you do this? Why?" He grabbed her upper arms and shook her as she stared vacantly in shock. Then he forced her to look down at Hankura's crumpled form. "Will you do that to me if I don't please you? I know you have the power. You could destroy me with a single thought. Is that how my life will end? Would you kill Capra and Trevin as well?"

He shook her again. She met his gaze with a dazed look. "Look at him! Look at what you did to our son. Is that how you want to keep him here--barely alive, all but mindless?"

"No, oh, no! Not you, my son-- _her_. You should have let me kill her."

"Sweet Goddess!" Ludren cried.

Natar tried to bend and touch Hankura, but Ludren shoved her roughly toward the sofa. "Don't touch him. You've done enough. You think you could have made him stay by killing Chelle? My Goddess, Natar. My Goddess."

Ludren knelt down and turned Hankura, feeling for a pulse in his neck to be sure that the subtle rise and fall of his back had not been an illusion. Then, Ludren cradled him in his arms and shuddered as blood seeped from his ears as well. His son was alive. To what degree, he didn't know. Tears filled Ludren's eyes. He had never felt more helpless in his life.

Chelle and Trevin found them like that moments later when they burst into the room.

"I couldn't stop her," Ludren said brokenly to Chelle. "Tell me his mind isn't wiped. Please don't let him be lost to us."

Chelle knelt before Ludren and put her hand on Hankura's damp brow. Reaching into his mind was like entering a deep, dark tunnel, calling for someone she knew was there but who would not answer. There was damage on every path she tried, but she sensed his essence was there, deep within the blackness retreating from her approach. Only her own thoughts echoed back through that darkness.

She could heal the damage to his brain, but she couldn't make him whole again without his help. Chelle closed her eyes and enveloped them in her healing aura as Trevin watched in awe.

At last Chelle opened her eyes and looked from Ludren to Trevin and back at Ludren. "He isn't mind-wiped, but he's in deep psychic shock. We need a psychiatrist to be sure of anything."

"But Chelle, you know what they will do to Natar," Ludren objected. "What she did was wrong, but what they would do to her is no better. She is ill, and she needs treatment. I have been trying to deny it for months now. I never believed she would go this far." Two tears slid down his face.

"I know, Ludren. But do you really think we can hide this? Every Psion on Aledus must have sensed his pain to some degree."

"They couldn't know who or where so quickly as you, Chelle. What is one more unsolved attack? It was only another .... _minder_. Who will care--except us?" Ludren said unevenly.

"You will get treatment for Natar?"

"I swear it," Ludren promised.

"Blast," she sighed in defeat. "I don't know who I could get to treat him, anyway since he was exiled. But I don't know if I can reach him either." She began to tremble and her eyes filled. "She meant to kill **me** , you know."

"Dear Goddess!" Trevin murmured.

"I know, Chelle." Ludren nodded. "Her conditioning made her more unstable than any of us realized. I love you both, Chelle, and I am deeply sorry for what she has done to you and Hankura, but I love her, too."

_It's that damned conditioning._ Chelle remembered Hankura's bitter rejoinder as she saw Natar's pathetic state. If she summoned a psychiatrist, Natar would be reported and reconditioned. She would never be healed.

"Take her to Velran," Chelle decided.

"But she's claustrophobic," Ludren objected. "She could never stand being confined in the small quarters of a spacecraft. That was why we couldn't take Hankura to Belderon. Taking her into space now would only make her worse."

"Then put her in stasis. You have to take her there. Only the Wholaskans can help her now." Chelle said. "I think in time, Hankura will recover. I healed the brain damage. Now he needs time. I wish Casir could be here. Hankura will need him."

From somewhere in the blackness, a gentle caress beckoned Hankura, probing deep within his mind. He felt its lure, yet he hesitated to leave the safety of his oblivion. Nothing hurt him in the blackness; nothing mattered. But he was being shaken through the blackness by some physical attacker, and there was nothing to hold on to. He groped blindly, thrashing and reaching for something solid to steady him.

"Ow! OW! Hankura, let go of my hair!" A lilting, familiar voice echoed in the blackness, and his fingers were being torn from their hold. He clung even more desperately. Someone slapped one cheek and then another.

"Please, let go of my hair." Chelle lowered her hand as she saw him open his eyes, his expression bewildered. "You're pulling out my hair, Hankura. It hurts."

Hankura stared at her for a moment, then at his hands that were tangled in her long, thick hair. He studied her face as she looked down at him. Now he understood the familiar beckoning. "Chelle, why did you hit me?" That he didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, love. I was just trying to get you to let go of my hair. You did this." She held up a handful he had pulled out.

He blinked as he understood, and his eyes moved to the fresh bruise on her cheek. "Did I do that?"

She covered the bruise with her hand and grinned wryly. "Got me down with one punch, and you weren't even awake to enjoy it," she quipped and stretched out on their bed beside him. "It'll heal quickly. I'm okay. How about you?"

"Me?" He was confused. The whole scene had an air of unreality to it, and Hankura wasn't quite sure it wasn't a dream. But her touch was real enough as she put her arm across his chest and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Mother, my head wants to explode. What a nightmare!" he groaned. _Carava_ never did that to him before ....

"Poor darling," Chelle murmured, stroking his cheek tenderly. "I'll get you a med-dot for it." She started to get up.

He reached out and grabbed her, digging his fingers into her upper arms. "Don't leave me. Please don't go."

"No, honey. Of course, I'm not leaving. I'm just going to get you a med-dot from the drawer over there with the other meds. You know where we keep them. I won't leave the room, I promise."

His gaze followed her as she moved off the bed and crossed the room. He didn't dare move his head though; he knew any movement would increase the pain. Why did it hurt so? What was this unknown terror that lingered just beyond the reach of his consciousness, eluding his attempts to remember? Why did he feel so alone when Chelle was just a couple meters from his side? Why couldn't he seem to think straight?

Hankura frowned, trying to remember. It was such a simple thing, yet he could hardly think straight. What the hell was going on? Why did he feel so vulnerable all of the sudden? This was his bed, in his home and his wife who he held at arm's length. She was looking at him as if he had suddenly taken leave of his senses. What was wrong with her? She almost looked.... _afraid._ But why?

"Hank, please! You're hurting me," she gasped shakily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Gradually, he made his fingers loosen their grip on her, leaving imprints that were quickly turning to bruises.

Momentarily, she returned, peeling a med-dot that she pressed to his wrist.

"Chelle, what's the matter with me? How long have I been like this?"

"You've been in shock for about fifteen days from a psi attack. You regained consciousness once. Don't you remember?" She looked tense and worried as she explained.

"No--I don't remember." He pondered her answer. "Mother did this, didn't she?"

Chelle nodded, evading his eyes.

What was she thinking? Mother of Life! He didn't know. He didn't feel the psi bond anymore. That's what made him feel so alone. He grimaced.

"What is it, love?" Chelle's eyes reflected concern, but he couldn't feel it.

"Our psi-link is broken. I can't feel it. I can't even reach into your mind to feel your thoughts. Chelle, why have you left me alone inside like this? What are you hiding from me? Is it Trevin?"

"No, Hankura! It wasn't like that. He was here, but not like that. I wouldn't let it be like that." Her eyes filled with tears. "He only helped me take care of you and let me cry on his shoulder. I am pledged to _you._ Don't ever say that again. Trevin is my friend, and he was here when I needed him."

"And I wasn't?"

"You were in shock, unconscious--except for that one brief period. I don't have to tell you what kind of care you needed." He half heard her words as he saw her shudder and choke back a sob, wiping the tears from her face. She looked tense and uneasy as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside him--if only he could read her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "It must have been hard for you. It's just that I know how he feels about you---at least I did. I can't feel much of anything now."

"You will, Hankura. Give it time. It's like what happened to me after the psi evaluation when we first came here. Only what happened to you was much worse. In a way, it's like waiting for your ears to stop ringing after an explosion."

"But I can't feel the psi-link!" He searched her face anxiously.

"It's there, darling. I can feel it. You're still blocking it all out." Her tension seemed to ease, and she smiled reassuringly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

He reached for her suddenly, needing to feel her soft warmth close to him so he could ward off the inner emptiness he was feeling. Chelle's eyes widened, and she flinched as he put his hands on her, but she didn't pull away when he pulled her close.

"You _are_ afraid of me," he realized aloud. "Why? What have I done?"

"Nothing. It's all right, Hank," she quickly assured him. "You--uh .... You were violent the last time you woke up, and .... uh, we tangled."

"Did I hurt you?"

"Yeah, well, you might say that---but I'm all right now," she said softly against his chest, and she began to relax as he stroked her silky hair absently.

"Are you still afraid of me?" He couldn't tell for sure.

"No. You seem much better now. Do you feel like having something to eat? You've been sustained on Nutri dots for quite a while---longer than you should."

"Maybe later. I'm not really hungry." He pulled her a little closer. "Right now, I just want to hold you and feel you close to me."

"I'm here, darling. It's going to be all right," she murmured and brushed his lips with hers. "Believe me."

Mother of Life, he wanted to! But the gnawing emptiness still cut deeply. He had a lump in his throat, and a misty haze covered his eyes. He could see the tenderness in her eyes, yet he couldn't feel it reaching inside him to warm his soul.

He still felt alone and half numb inside--like he would never be whole again ....
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Hankura wandered into the bathroom. Chelle stepped out of the bath with her hair damp and tangled. He paused to admire her body, recalling the hours he had spent exploring those supple curves. Just looking at her made him want her all over again. He shrugged off his desire and plucked her wrap from the hook behind him, holding it for her to slip on.

Outwardly, they had gone on living together as they had for the last two and a half years. Chelle tried in every way she knew to support and encourage him to work at regaining the use of his psi. But when they made love, it left him cold because he couldn't share her sensations and feel her love. His body responded, but he felt lost inside.

He guessed it must be like that for Normals. Hankura felt sorry for them .... And himself. He loved her, and he couldn't touch her mind with that love. Because he couldn't use his telepathy, he couldn't feel her love filling his mind as before--

\---And every once in a while, in the past week, Hankura still suspected she was afraid of him---or at least uncertain.

Hankura shook his head and pressed his lips into a grim, taut line, resting his hands on Chelle's shoulders for a moment before she turned to bestow an impulsive kiss on the side of his mouth.

"I went to see Father, but no one is at the main dome." He sighed. "Do you know where they've gone?"

"Yes." Chelle looked down at the belt of her wrap as she tied it. "I didn't know whether to tell you yet. They've gone," she said as gently as possible. "Natar had a complete mental breakdown after she attacked you---it wasn't your fault," she added quickly, seeing the pain in his eyes. "You know her emotional state was fragile from her conditioning. I suppose that's why you came back in the first place. You hoped your being here would help her.

"But you couldn't help her. You were an obsession, and I think you were beginning to realize her feelings weren't normal or healthy ...."

"Where did my parents go?" he demanded, grasping her shoulders tightly.

Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Th-they went .... to.... to Velran---" she stammered and started to pull away from him. "Hank, please ...."

He let her go, dismayed by the way she was looking at him. "I'm sorry, Chelle .... You are still afraid of me."

"A little, when you're like that. Usually, you control your anger, except---" She paused, and she wouldn't go on.

For a long time, Hankura just looked down at her face. A vision flashed in his mind. Her face wet with tears and her eyes filled with pain. He remembered the blind anger that took control of him. Angry words, and then he had hit her---so hard that she fell. Hankura blinked, shaking his head and pushed back the memory. Mother of Life, how could he have done that?

Gently, he brought his hand up and cupped it against her smooth cheek---the one he'd struck in the vision. "I'm not going to hurt you again. I swear it." Gently he wrapped his arms around her and drew her against him. "Why were you crying--before?"

She trembled against him, and she didn't answer right away.

"When I tried to explain what Natar had done to you---the first time you came to---you got angry and accused me of lying. You said terrible things to me, but they were Natar's words. I tried to get away, but you attacked me."

"Goddess!" he murmured and hugged her gently. "I'm sorry, I don't remember much of it."

"I know," Chelle said softly. "I should have waited to tell you. You weren't ready to accept it, yet. A psychiatrist might have helped, but your father asked me not to call one. They would have destroyed Natar at the Psi Institute."

"You did the right thing, not getting a psychiatrist. They will help Mother on Velran. She hated you so much without reason. She was going to kill you. I couldn't let her."

"I know." Chelle trembled against him, then said, "She was so lost and heartbroken. She didn't even know who I was anymore. Part of the time she thought she had killed you. Ludren could do nothing to console her. We kept her sedated and put her in stasis to board the shuttle."

He nodded and slowly released her so she could dress and style her hair. In the meantime, he wandered into the lounge to summon an autocart for some _jern_. The vid com bleeped, and he went into the comcell to take the call.

"Hello, Trevin," Hankura said stiffly when his brother's image filled the screen. "What do you want?"

"Well---" Trevin raised an eyebrow at his brother's cool manner. Guilt kept him from commenting on Hankura's changed attitude. "I'd like to see Chelle for a moment if you don't mind."

"She just got out of her bath, and she's dressing. Is there a message I can give her? Or should she com you back?"

"No. I'd like to see her now." Trevin persisted.

Hankura gave his brother a dark look. "All right. I'll see if she'll come. Will you wait?"

"Yeah."

Chelle was fastening up the front of her tunic when Hankura came into the bedchamber to relay Trevin's message. He tried to hide his suspicions, but he could see by the look on her face that he hadn't managed well.

He paced the lounge while she went into the comcell, pausing from time to time to listen to what was said.

"Hello, Trevin," Chelle said patiently.

"Are you all right?" Trevin sounded more than a little relieved. "I was worried that maybe I should have stayed; but after that night I knew I couldn't. Floria's glad to have me here, anyway. She says she loves me."

"I'm happy for you, Trevin," she told him honestly.

"Me, too. How's Hankura?"

"Much better."

"Does he know what happened? I don't mean when I kissed you." Trevin asked, looking ashamed.

"Not yet, Trev. I think it's too soon. Besides, it's over. Just forget the incident. Next time, let me com you back. You'll make Hankura think we've been lovers--until he recovers his psi. Things are hard enough."

"I'm sorry. I was worried about you. I don't want to see you hurt again. When I found you like that.... Mother of Life, Chelle, he could have...."

"Trevin! He's all right now," she asserted. "He just hasn't recovered his psi. That's all."

"Okay. Com, if you need me."

Chelle nodded and watched the screen go dark. Hankura looked up when she came into the lounge to join him.

"What happened with Trevin?" Hankura demanded, unable to stop himself. "Did he ask you to share his bed again?"

"Something like that." Chelle evaded. "If you must know, he tried to make love to me when I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I needed you--I wanted _you_. I couldn't use him like that. I asked him to leave--so he did."

"He's still in love with you."

"Well, I can't change that. I love you. We are pledged. I can't help what he feels. Maybe he will get over it when we've gone to Belderon."

"You still want to go?"

"Whenever you feel ready. We still have two months before we leave on the _Searching Star._ " She moved to his side and rested her hand on his arm. "But there is one thing I must tell you. We have missed Casir. You were still in shock when he had to leave. I'm sorry."

Hankura swore bitterly. "I wanted to see him so badly. I was counting on it."

"I know. Casir was just as disappointed. He couldn't wait for you. They needed him in Uloi. He even tried to get clearance to come here again when I explained what happened. Jana and Delara sent their love. Casir will com from Uloi."

Hankura shrugged sullenly and turned from her, pacing toward the window. He found no comfort in her touch. He needed more. He clenched his fists in frustration as he stared out the window. He wanted to break something. This emotional isolation was more frustrating than anything he had ever known. It was even worse than being in jail.

Glancing at Chelle, he sighed. He knew she was hiding something from him that had nothing to do with Trevin. It was something far more ominous. If only he could reach into her mind and know what it was. He studied her closely, frowning in puzzlement. Whatever it was made her afraid of him; his own wife ....afraid of him. His mouth curved sadly at the thought.

In the next fifteen days, Hankura's power of telepathy came back gradually and completely. But nothing became any clearer about what Chelle was hiding. If she would just trust him enough to share it...

The feeling grew steadily stronger. An ugly, evil thing stood between them. What was love without trust?

Then, the nightmare came, insidiously at first, waking him deep in the night with its unfathomable terror. But, when he awoke, the memory stayed just beyond the rim of his grasp.

Somehow, Hankura knew that the answer he sought lay within the nightmare. He was afraid that when he finally came to face himself, he wouldn't like what he would see. But, he knew he would never feel whole again until he saw the truth--maybe not even then.

The air was cool, and it was still dark when Hankura came out of the dome alone. He walked aimlessly toward the vast yarrel fields, pausing to gaze up at the stars in the clear, early morning sky. Then, he walked on.

Each step nearer to the yarrel, its pungent aroma grew stronger. Hankura stopped again when he ran head on into the slender stalks that he hadn't seen in the dark, and some of the flowers brushed his face. He reached up and plucked one of them with a length of stem attached.

The nightmare had wakened him again from a sound sleep. Trembling in the aftermath, he drew a shuddering breath and went on walking.

In front of the empty main dome, he stopped and gazed sadly at the shadowy structure. His mother and father had gone without his knowing--without even a chance for him to say 'good-bye'. He still wondered how much of the blame for their having to go fell on his shoulders. Maybe none; he didn't know.

Hankura came to the edge of the pond and looked out over the clear black water, shimmering ever so slightly in the starlight. He lowered himself to the damp moss at the water's edge and crossed his legs, staring toward the horizon, watching for the familiar blue haze to creep into the sky with the rising sun.

How many days now had he awakened before dawn from his restless sleep in the throes of terror following the nightmare? Eight? Ten?

He knew now it wasn't just a dream. It was a reflection of reality.

Hankura turned the yarrel stem between his fingers watching the flower petals open before his eyes with the breaking dawn. He remembered how he had awakened in the dimly lit bedchamber with a start.

The dream had been so real; his fingers closing around her throat--hearing her gasping for air as he squeezed tighter and tighter. He'd seen her eyes widen with fear, pleading, then dim with despair as she finally succumbed to lack of air and closed them.

The full blossoming blue-green flower blurred with the tears that stung his eyes. Angrily, he crushed the flower, pulling it from its stem. He threw the crushed flower into the water. In a moment, Chelle was beside him.

Hankura knew she had come outside from their bedchamber. He had sensed the moment she woke and found the empty place in their bed. He knew she was there, but he couldn't bear to have her look at his face. They sat in silence for a long time, without exchanging thoughts. After a time, she moved and touched his arm almost furtively.

"You know; they say there's a little evil in all of us. Sometimes, this evil can turn love to hate if only for a short time," she said softly. "I know you meant to kill me in those few moments, and you know I was afraid you would. For a second, I almost welcomed death."

She paused, giving him an opportunity to respond. When he didn't, she went on:

"You've been torn in your loyalties between your mother, your family, yourself and me these past months. You were angry with me for what happened with Theron. Your mother's psi attack amplified that anger out of proportion until it took control of you. She meant for me to die. She planted that desire in your mind.

"I don't think you wanted _me_ to die. I think you were trying to kill the emotions that were tearing at you from every direction. Natar made you feel guilty for leaving, and you were ashamed of the way she wanted you .... Then I touched the memory of her death wish, and it took control.

"When you tried to kill me, you didn't see me as your lover. You saw me as she did--as one more source of your pain and guilt and frustration. You weren't rational, and you had lost hope of solving your inner conflict calmly and rationally. In that desperate moment, you hated me enough to kill me.

Chelle knelt before him and gently cradled his face in her hands, coaxing him to raise moisture filled eyes to hers.

"My darling, you've tortured yourself enough."

"But I tried to kill you. I really tried," he said brokenly.

"But you didn't do it. Don't you see? You had me by the throat and could have finished me as easily as you crushed that yarrel flower. Why didn't you? Tell me."

Hankura brushed the tears from his eyes and crushed her in a fierce embrace. "Because I love you far more than I could ever hate you for anything. I knew I couldn't bear to lose you." he choked hoarsely.

How can you ever forgive me? I can't even forgive myself. How can you still love me after what I have done to you?

_That's hard to answer, my love, but you know I do. Because you saved my life by blocking Natar's attack, you were hurt badly. She filled your mind with hatred for me. It was her hatred that I felt when you attacked me, not yours._ She sniffed, and her tears were warm and wet on his neck. _You've been part of me since we first touched minds all those years ago. There is little that you feel and think that I do not sense. We've known joy and love and passion, and pain and anger and sorrow .... And our love is stronger than all of those. The strength of that love keeps them all in their proper perspective._

_Yes._ _She-ell, I love you more than I could ever tell you in words in a lifetime .... Words that I never need to say. It hurts beyond reason that I could have done this to you. I'll never forget your fear and despair ...._ An agonizing shudder racked his body, and he clung to her, burying his face in her thick hair.

Let it go, Hankura. Remember the love. Let it blossom inside us and heal us the way I once healed the wound on your side. Your pain is my pain. You have punished yourself more than I or anyone else would.

She held him tenderly, murmuring soothing assurances and caressing him until he grew calm and rational again. Her love warmed him inside, and he raised his eyes to hers again. He held her gaze and sent the image of a blooming yarrel flower into her mind. She smiled, and his arms tightened around her.

As the blue sun climbed higher in the morning sky, he felt at peace with Chelle and with himself. He was an Aledan, but Aledus could never be his home again. Now he understood that the fault was not his, and he was ready to go on with his life--his and Chelle's. He still had her love, and their dreams for the future.

It was enough.

THE END

#

# **Excerpt from** ******OLTARIN**

# **The Horse Clans' Colony  
** An Aledan Series Novel Book 2

# 

#

CHAPTER ONE

Belderon was a big change from Aledus for Hankura and Chelle. Aside from the absence of the discriminatory psi laws, the cities were older and more classic in their brick and mortar architecture. The streets of Tesen, the world capitol, were crowded with pedestrians both on and off the beltways. Few people took notice of the couple during their long belt ride to their hotel from the Tesen Starport where they'd left their private spacecraft, the _Arius Mran_. The few that noticed them mostly were admiring Chelle, and Hankura couldn't blame them. His wife was a tall, well-proportioned woman with unusually blue eyes, a feminine oval face with attractive features and red hair that fell nearly to her waist.

Hankura was tall, of medium build with thick, dark hair and intense emerald eyes and a strong angled jawline. In fact, the two together made an impressive couple who were hard not to notice. Others were fellow psi-paths who acknowledged them respectfully.

Tesen had all the modern conveniences. It just didn't look as modern and pristine as Salla. The Tesmont Hotel was a mundane red brick building. The decor was quaint, but their suite was comfortably large with all tech needed to make them comfortable. It was more than adequate for their twenty-day layover until the _Searching Star_ sent down a shuttle to pick them up to start their five-year exploration tour.

After everything that happened on Aledus, Hankura wasn't sure if they were ready for the challenge. They had been ready and looking forward to a new start until his mother's psionic attack during her mental breakdown had nearly killed him and Chelle both. Chelle was a latent telepath and telekinetic healer living in the ruins of Farringay on Earth when they touched minds as children. Hankura was on a passenger freighter orbiting Earth on his way to a boarding school for psions far from his home. That night, two scared children formed a psionic bond that brought Hankura back to find the woman who claimed his heart and soul as he claimed hers.

Life on Aledus realized most of his misgivings about going back. The discriminating laws against psions landed him in jail for defending his wife from an attacker. Guilty until proven innocent. Even after he was proven innocent, he was banned from the cities and fired from his job.

His mother, Natar, a victim of extreme psi-conditioning on Aledus suffered a mental break when Hankura told her they were leaving to join the space exploration. A stronger telepath, she had planted seeds in Hankura's mind that Chelle had ruined his life. Natar hated Chelle and meant to kill her. The potency of that hatred planted in his mind caused him to turn on Chelle and attempt to finish what his mother started.

Thank the goddess, his love for her won out! ... And thank the Mother, Chelle had forgiven him!

Hankura's stood staring out the window of the sitting room at the bustle of pedestrians in the street below. The memories still pained him, and it was hard to keep them out of his thoughts...

"My head wants to explode...a terrible nightmare...oh, my head," he groaned.

"Poor darling." She put her arm over him and kissed his cheek. "Let me get you a med-dot; it'll help. "Suddenly, he turned and grabbed her upper arms so tightly it hurt.

"Don't leave me alone. Don't go, please," he pleaded.

"No, honey. Of course, I won't leave you alone," she assured him. "The med-dots are just in the drawer over there. You can watch me get them. I promise I won't be out of your sight. Okay?"

Hankura nodded and gradually released his vise grip on her arm. The red imprints of his fingers remained on her flesh for several minutes afterward. He shifted his eyes to watch her cross the bedroom; he didn't dare move his head because movement would only increase the throbbing pain. Why did it hurt so? Why was he so terrified?

"What's the matter with me?" he asked suddenly.

"You've been in shock ... from a psi attack," she said carefully.

"Who? I don't remember." He blinked in an attempt to focus his thoughts.

"Hank...it was...N-Natar," she stammered. "She didn't want us to go with the Searching Star."

"No! She couldn't," he denied sharply.

"Couldn't she?" Chelle asserted. "You feared it all along. That's why..."

"No, don't say that! Get the hell out of here and leave me alone, you lying bitch! Terran whore!"

How dare she accuse his mother!

Chelle started to back out of the room, and Hankura jumped up from the bed and caught her wrist. "Liar!" He yanked her toward him and slapped her so hard that she landed sprawling on the bed. He lunged at her and landed heavily on top of her. He knocked the wind out of her momentarily, and she struggled to catch her breath.

"Hankura, please. I'm sorry. I'm not lying. You're hurting me." Chelle stared up at him through eyes full of tears and tinged with fear.

"Oh, am I?" he hissed. "I could easily kill you." He emphasized those words by curling his fingers around her throat.

Her eyes widened, and she gasped as his tightening grip began to choke her. She could hardly fathom that the same hands that had caressed her so tenderly so often would actually choke the life from her. She gasped again, the weight of his body adding to her difficulty in breathing. She squirmed beneath him, trying desperately to tear his fingers from her throat.

_Hankura, I love you. Don't do this. Do you want me to die?_ When his grip tightened, her eyes closed and her body went limp. _Kill me quickly, if you must._ Then she sent him the image of a blue-green yarrel flower that had been a symbol of their love on Aledus. That reached back into his memory to before Natar's attack had twisted his reason as she attempted to destroy his love for Chelle.

"No!" Hankura let out a strangled cry and let go of her throat. He sat up, gripped her shoulders and shook her. "Mother of Life, what have I done? Don't die she-ell. Dear Goddess, don't die." Quickly, he pressed his ear to her chest. Her heart was racing, and she was breathing ragged at first, but growing steadily more even. But when she opened her eyes as he held her, the fear was still there. The strain of the psychic shock and that incident caused him to black out and bury the memory for a time. He had been devastated when he finally did remember.

It just hurt so damn much! How could he have done that?

Chelle came up behind him and slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back. _Don't do this to yourself, my love. I have forgiven you. Forgive yourself. I know you love me, and I know that's why you couldn't go through with it._

But I hurt you nonetheless.

Nothing I couldn't fix. I'm a healer remember?

I was selfish to take you to Aledus in the first place. In the back of my mind, I knew Mother wouldn't accept you, and I knew how we would both be treated there.

But they are your family. Natar's treatment at the Psi Institute caused her to do those things to us. Their conditioning drove her to madness. When she was totally lucid, she was happy for us and loving. You needed that, and you needed to understand exactly why your parents sent you away. The only way to do that was to go to Aledus and experience life there as an adult.

Hankura's turned to face her folding his arms around her. _I know. I just can't forget the way I made you feel._

It's over. The urge that made you hurt me came from her mind, not yours. Don't let it haunt you. Remember how good we feel when we are one. I love you... Feel it... Know it.

Chelle wound her arms around his neck and turned her mouth up for his kiss. His kiss was gentle at first his mouth teasing and caressing her lips until he sensed she wanted more. Their kissing deepened and became sensually arousing. She made an inarticulate sound of pleasure and pressed her body tight to his, wanting him. Then she was tugging at the zipper on his shirt.

They helped each other off with their clothing until they were naked, then paused for a moment just to look at each other. Hankura's body was lean with a taunt abdomen and good muscle definition in his, chest, abs, arms, and legs. As he saw himself through Chelle's eyes, he became even more aroused. She loved everything about him as he loved her.

He found her body, perfectly defined in his eyes. She was not as tall is he---her forehead was exactly the height of his mouth. She had a lovely long neck straight shoulders and beautiful round breasts, ample but not too large, a tapered waist, lovely rounded hips, and buttocks, with long, shapely legs.

He held out his hands to her, and she placed hers into his as they came together body to body mouth to mouth. He released her hands to frame her face as he kissed her. This beautiful, flame-haired woman was the most precious thing in his life and he in hers. Without words, she told him how she wanted to please him. He released her mouth, and she worked her way down over his chin, his neck, his chest, and lower---kissing, tasting, and nibbling. He moaned aloud his arousal complete.

She wanted him inside her. Again, he took her hands and drew her up the length of him, and they moved to the bed together. He lay down first, and she knew instinctively to climb on top. It was her turn to moan aloud as she straddled him and lowered herself over him. Together they felt so good.

As she rocked over him, he reached up and caressed her. By then they were both so aroused they came quickly---together, explosively. She collapsed against his chest, with him still inside her and they kissed tenderly. He rolled them over, so Chelle was on the bottom. It was his turn to tease and taste her.

He could feel her pleasure as she moaned and caressed his head, running her fingers through his thick dark hair. He enjoyed it as much as she did because he knew it made her throb the way he throbbed when he was aroused. Kissing and tasting his way down over her belly and lower, driving her to climax again. It didn't take a telepath to know she wanted him inside her again. Feeling the intensity of her desire quickly made him completely ready.

_Now do it now!_ And suddenly he couldn't wait any longer either. He quickly moved over her as she parted her thighs for him. He filled her, knowing her exact threshold between pleasure and pain. Again, she cried out loud, an inarticulate sound, and wrapped her legs around his hips to pull him deep inside her. She was still in the throes of her orgasm, and they moved slowly, very slowly, drawing out the pleasure of their oneness. Then he brought them both to orgasm again. In their minds' eye, the water that was their passion, the water in the fountain at its center their sexual pleasure, as it rose higher and higher. When it reached its apex, they came together in a magnificent orgasm that sent waves of pleasure vibrating through their minds as well as their bodies.

It was so much more than sexual pleasure that melded them together mind and body. It was love in its purest form, and their mutual sexual satisfaction was a grand bonus. They lay together joined for a long time after their orgasm subsided basking in their oneness.

Hankura kissed her tenderly, letting himself feel the strength of her love echoing through his mind. He gave his love to her as freely as he received hers. The love they shared was healing his soul. Finally, Hankura began to forgive himself for what he had been unable to control.

Their joining took them to a place where the past in the future didn't exist---only they two in the love that bound them together.

Eventually, they parted, and Chelle lay with her head nestled in the hollow of his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and they slept.
CHAPTER TWO

Some 500 years before Hankura and Chelle had even met, another chain of events was set in motion that would eventually touch their lives:

A knock on the door of his den interrupted Grant McKell as he was leafing through his wife's private journal, or he might have given into the grief that threatened to overwhelm him. In his bittersweet musings, she was still alive, But Marcus Solomon's knock jolted him back to the painful present.

"Come in," he said, and Marcus opened the door.

"We'll be ready for you soon, Grant. The three graves have been dug." His friend said grimly. "God, I still can't believe that Victor would do such a thing."

Grant stared down at the pale blue, plastic cover of Wynne's journal on his desk. The pain inside threatened to consume him, and he blinked at the moist haze in his eyes. " But he did. He killed her with his own hands. He killed her, and I'm going to kill him---long and slow. Wynne never did anything to him..."

"She picked you," Marcus reminded him gently.

"Then he should've settled with me! He didn't have to kill her!" His voice grated, hoarse with emotion.

"No, he didn't. I don't even think he meant too. She must have fought him to give Kean and Felice a chance to escape. Luke Travis and Redd Monson found your son and daughter in the forest. They were cold and hungry and scared, but okay. Lynae fed them up and put them to bed."

"Do they know their mother is dead?" Grant rasped.

"Yeah, I think they do. But they're still in shock... Everyone is. We just got all the fires put out in the last hour. Half the town was destroyed, and we lost a lot of valuable equipment."

"And the lab?" Grant demanded.

"We saved it."

"Good. How many horses?"

"Thirteen. Victor's men killed some and stole the rest."

"Damn! Not enough left to go after them. We can't risk the few we have left for revenge. That will have to wait... But our dead will be avenged. Victor Rode will pay! They will all pay."

Marcus nodded grimly, his eyes filled with compassion. Only a man who loved a woman as Grant had loved Wynne Schaefer could understand how Grant was feeling. Marcus hadn't. He just knew his friend was hurting deeply.

"Tell the others I'll be there in a while," Grant said after a moment. "I'd like to be alone for a little while longer."

"I understand. I'll tell them." Marcus turned slowly and left the room. When the door closed behind him, Grant turned back to the journal and open it to a page to begin reading than neat, feminine script...

**Personal Journal- Wynne Schaefer**

January 26

It's been about 10 months since Grant, and the rest of us put this colonial expedition together for the Tyrell Corporation. There have been a few problems with the new Procyon crystal drive, but nothing Marcus Solomon couldn't handle. According to Captain Lochner, we should make Demus in about three months. It's a good thing because morale is deteriorating. There's a lot of grousing over work assignments. My crews are working with the problem but were having trouble getting them interested in the standard rec program. They're growing impatient with restrictions of ship life. They want to get started with their new lives instead of being held in limbo in this tin can.

They seem to a forgotten what this expedition would mean to our people. Millions of men and women had died in the war with the Mesaarkans before our agents managed to steal the crystal star drive from them. If the Mesaarkans destroyed Earth home and the inner Colonies before more ships can be built, we could be the last of our kind. But if we can't get along together here, how will we do better on Demus---DM-237-4?

January 30

Group sessions went the little better today. I expected so with Grant in attendance. He has such a way with people; it's amazing! Behind his back, they do nothing but complain. Face to face, they hung on most every word he said even though he hardly told them anything different than what we've been telling them. He made them feel like they matter, and they believed him. He made them feel it because he meant it.

When I have dinner with him in the formal dining room this evening, I'm going to see if he can schedule more personal appearances. I need him to help me keep their spirits up. Life is not going to get any easier for them once we get down on Demus.

3:45 AM

Business happened to be the last thing Grant had on his mind tonight.

I should be sleeping, but it's not easy with everything that's on my mind. I smile watching Grant sleep. His dark hair is ruffled, and he breathes so contentedly sprawled over most of my bed. He is so strong in gentle, wonderfully male. I've cared for him for a long time, hardly daring to hope we would become lovers.

I am even more amazed at Grant. I always knew he would be a satisfying lover, but he was actually uncertain when the moment came---not sexually but emotionally. He didn't know how much I care for him or how much I wanted him. I never thought I was very good at hiding those feelings.

My only regret is that Victor will be hurt if there is more than this one night. Victor has been my good friend for a long time, though I'm afraid he wants more than friendship from me. He has no right to act possessive of me; yet, he looked like he wanted to kill as both when he saw Grant dining with me. I'd better talk to him today.

Ah, good! Grant turned and made room for me again. Good night...

The words took him back, sweetly back to those first moments he'd held her in his arms. How he had needed her then when the pressure of his position had become such a strain. The memory was so vivid; Grant could almost smell the scent of her as he had smelled it on her sheets when he woke in her bed that morning alone.

Of course, making love to her hadn't solved the problems that had been piling up day by day since their departure from Sol, but losing himself in her took them away from that for a while. God, he needed that! Somehow, he pulled together his motley group and got them to Demus... Or at least the planet they thought was Demus.

**Personal journal of Wynne Schaefer** \- **February 4**

Trying to talk to Victor was useless. He said I'm making a big mistake allying myself with Grant. That's the word he used---almost like we're not in this together. Whatever he meant, it's clear he no longer considered us friends. The way he looked at me was almost frightening. I wondered if I'd made a mistake and saying anything to him until Grant came to my quarters this evening.

He asked me to marry him just like that! Yet, it was as though he'd been considering it for a long time. He gave me half a dozen reasons, logical reasons for our pairing off---including the fact that we are a good genetic match for superbly viable offspring. The man was so serious and unromantic that I nearly refused him. He made me so angry.

Finally, after he finished talking all that scientific refuse, he laughed and hugged me. He says he also happens to love me. If this is love, it's great. Naturally, I agreed to the marriage contract, and we had a whole six hours to celebrate together. Whatever comes we will share it.

And they had. For the next few months, they shared hardship after hardship... Grant turned ahead a few pages.

**Personal journal of Wynne Schaefe** r **March 17**

My brother was buried in space this morning. He will drift among the stars for eternity in answer to the ultimate far call.

We finally learned what's been happening to divide our people. A rival corporation—Brady Corporation—had hired our own chief of security Victor Rode, to sabotage our expedition. He's done his job well, too.

That wasn't the only terrible thing he did either. The riot he started on Level B killed eight people; one that was my brother Jake. Damn Victor! How could he have done this terrible thing? Jake was like a brother to him as well.

Victor's men nearly killed poor Marcus to secure the engine rooms so they could sabotage our engines. Now we cannot achieve sufficient deceleration in time to lock Mari-Sanna into Demus orbit. Our ship, so costly in human blood is heading straight into DM237, and there's nothing we can do to stop her.

We have isolated ourselves and secured six launch bays and a dozen shuttles, and it will be crowded, but they will get us to Demus---if that is actually Demus we're approaching. At this point, we can't know for sure, all we know is that it's a habitable class M planet. We have no choice now. Whatever planet this is we are calling it Demus.

Victor's people have already left. They took the main shuttle with most of the extra oxygen and supplies. He planned his treachery well, but Grant planned well, too. He suspected sabotage sometime before he told me about it. We will depend on the Mari-Sanna's life support system until the last possible moment, then we launch all the shuttles for Demus. Because of Grant, we are supplied better than Victor expected.

We will survive, and Victor will be sorry. Someday he will be very sorry.

Personal journal Wynne Schaefer March 26

There's been little time for the journal these past days. The shuttle was crowded, and I've spent a lot of time calming the others even as part of me is threatening to panic. So far, I've kept that irrational fear under control, but it keeps coming closer to the surface.

This journey to Demus as even harder than Lochner and Marcus expected. Some will not make it. And I am afraid. Not so much of dying, but that Grant and I will never have a real life together---never have children to inherit the empire he plans to build on Demus. The fear keeps me going, fear and determination that our plans will be realized.

April 3

Only two did not make it. Our shuttle has landed in the snow-covered Cerulean Mountains of the largest continent far inland. We lost contact with Blake Falkner's group and Scott Bundy's. Scott's shuttle carried the beacon with which we could communicate with the next incoming ship. Grant says they will be here in two years at the most. The others believe him, but I know he is just hoping because we don't really know where we are.

Ray says the lab is set up now and some of the crops have been planted. Grant has also produced horses and cattle embryos for the nurturing tanks with the genetic material we brought. In the spring of the next Demian year, we should have two small herds. Then, perhaps he will produce some cats and dogs with the next group. Life has been a lot of hard work and sweat, but are people are content because they have begun to build futures for themselves again.

June 17

There's been so much work these past weeks. I've had very little time for the journal again, but I must write this. Our first child will be born in the spring---or what would've been spring back on Earth. It will be autumn here. Grant has finally decided it's time to start working on our own high hopes. He is happy, but I can also see that he is worried. I'm not. We're going to have a fine, healthy child. I can feel it.

June 22

We had our first town meeting in the community hall today. Grant was elected as chief executive of our village. The vote was almost unanimous: no one even ran against him. We have also voted to name the village Blue Summit. It seems appropriate since we landed in the Cerulean Mountain range. We named it that because of how blue it looks from space. Beyond our mountain's there is a Sapphire Lake and a Gentian Plain.

It doesn't matter what we call this place it's beautiful, and it's our home, green and full of life. Flora and fauna are reminiscent of an earlier age on Earth, but much is suitable for human consumption; a good thing because we're getting low on supplies.

September 4

Our home is finished and grander than I expected. They made it from the wood from a kind of rubbery tree that hardens almost like rock when it dries. It can be stained and polished to a lovely shine. Most of the houses are finished now 37 of them for 79 settlers. Ten other women are pregnant now, too. There will be many babies in the spring. Already the waiting is hard. I yearn to hold our child in my arms. I want to fill this beautiful house with our children---

There were many more pages of the neatly written script, but Grant could no longer see to read them. All her hopes and dreams could never be realized now... All of his own had died with her... Two tears slid down his cheeks into the silver streaked beard that covered the lower half of this face. Memories were all he had now thanks to Victor Rode. Grant brushed back the tears and swallowed hard against the aching lump in his throat. He closed the journal, caressing the pale blue cover lovingly. He was glad she had guarded her private thoughts by recording them the old way. Otherwise, they would have been lost on the computer of the Mari-Sanna when it fell into the sun. At least he had them.

Finally, he got up, his eyes haunted and his mouth a grim line with the pain he held inside him. It was time to lay her to rest with the others. Then he would plan his revenge...

Personal journal of Wynne Schaefer-McKell

Supplement by Grant McKell

October 23

Two years have passed since your ruthless murder, my beloved. Our children have grown tall and blossomed without you. I know they still miss you, but they have adapted better to life without you than I have. Not even revenge has taken away the emptiness. I killed Victor Rode today. I made him suffer for every moment of torment I suffered, for those brief moments you suffered at his hands. Yet nothing is changed.

You are still gone, and I am alone with the guilt I will carry for the rest of my life. I fear my revenge will spill the blood of our children's children---maybe their children, too. I killed Victor Rode; now his son may one day come to kill me to avenge his father. Then our son may kill him. All their blood will be on my hands.

I know in my heart that what I did was wrong, but I'm still too filled with hate to feel much remorse. Victor Rode deserved every moment of pain he suffered for all the years he stole from us, you and me and our children together---for the children you'll never have with me now.

I hope one day they will forgive me for this bitter blood feud I have begun.

Maybe one day I will forgive myself.

# ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine Myers has been a science fiction fan since seeing the original "Day the Earth Stood Still" at age eight. Her favorite sub-genre is space opera romance. Among the most influential in her work are the Lazarus Long novels by Robert Heinlein including "Time Enough for Love", Marta Randall's "Journey" and of course "Star Wars", everything "Star Trek" and "Fire Fly".

A lifelong resident of Silver Lake, NY she wrote her first novella at age fifteen. She has a BA in Cultural Studies from Empire State College majoring in creative writing. She wrote a regular column in the local weekly newspaper _Perry Herald_ for several years. Christine has written six novels in The Aledan Series and is working on her new _Cyborg Awakenings_ series.

Contact the Author: **camyers.author@gmail.com**

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