I stared after her, sobbing.

Ryee put his arms around me. O, that I could close her mouth! What is this?

We are forbidden to discuss DF, and she knows it! I wanted nothing more than to enjoy the hug, but I feared their gaze on my back.

He tightened his arms. Ne can see. I hide us. Please, take all of my comfort!

I put my arms around him and sobbed. Oh, it embarrassed me for him to see me in my weakness!

Someone else spoke in our Link. I do not fear to speak because I work offplanet, on Elshar Heizgha. Detector Force is the department that takes citizens for punishment with Kajarian weapons! They are left suggestible and some are trained to support the Rads.

My sister was treated this way. She lives on Ishah with healers because of it. There are many Areonians in Nesh Havhana like her.

Ryee frowned. Will you submit your sa’s records so we may complain? We gather evidence for TS.

I did. Lady, you should feel no guilt for whatever upset you. These machines are torture devices. You are innocent.

Never in my short life did I consider that our government could be wrong. We are reminded of how good our lives are.

With Ryee’s mind shielding me, I can think, and I can ponder this. Thoughts bring emotion, and I never dreamed that I could feel the anger and resentment seething in my bones.

It frightened me. But, what have I to fear? When the EDs are again detecting changes in our breathing, I am doomed, this is nothing new for me.

Yet Peri said I will live. Ry’nao promised to get that rare herb, and I even told him where to find it. I must have faith.

White light dried my tears and my nose, and I sat up. Nodded to Ryee. Smiled. Once again, I let work take me.

We mixed set after set. As Ryee and I worked, he played the holojournals that I craved to see, and I got new ideas. Because he could watch them faster, he used his mind to make mine process it faster. I remembered details from the holos many times what I remembered from past ones!

Because of what I learned, I added new catalysts from MLMT research. They design ship drives and use these to etch channels in metals.

These materials required containments, not cylinders. I sent my request to Vonn, and he approved it. Ryee wrote routines similar to those Stef Vaughn had in his report. This scientist already used Derees’ arrays.

All of the new ones gave excellent results!

My next set required much mixing to be ready for the array. I looked at Ryee, and his hands shook. He was pale! What is wrong?

His mind opened a little. Citsa imagined—I whirled and glared at her. Someone in my Link felt very angry. He was Elshar. Through me, he sent a surge of telepathy, and she grabbed her head.

Ossy kept her in her seat. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“Oh, this headache! He used his telepathy on me!”

Ossy frowned, and thought of something even more vile to show Ryee. Again, this Elshar struck out, and Ossy grabbed his head. Got out a vial of powder and shook it in their faces. Their hands dropped, and they both stared! A strong herb.

Ryee ran hygiene on them and the air in our lab. Analyzed it. His shock rumbled on me. This is a slaver herb, fau ta. It is used to train people. Why would he have an herb with ne healing use?

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Vonn strode across the room, but Ryee stopped him. They can be trained. We must be careful with our thoughts.

What an opportunity! We should train them to work hard.

Fau ta damages minds. I have ne-elohaia, to wake them. If you tried to train them, we would all see Ih Esta. Ryee went to them and shook a white powder in their faces. The vial in Ossy’s hand vanished.

He looked up. “What did you do?”

“Why would you carry fau ta, a slaver herb?”

“Slaver herb? I would not—”

Ryee’s mind showed him what just happened. He gasped, and frowned at Citsa. “You said that was eisha!”

“It was! I got it from the Areon Net—” She waved up the record. Ryee had a prog to analyze trades and trace them. The person who originally traded it was now in Och Pauchu Mine as a slave, on Gowa! Ih Esta’s Mine. She paled.

“May I touch your head? I know a little healing—”

“You want to probe me! No.”

Ryee looked at Ossy, twinfingered hands still up. He shook his head.

He sighed and gave them each a vial of rongahi, as he gave Derees. Ossy used some and tried not to smile.

Citsa twisted the lid and rubbed some above her teeth, then waved it into her alt storage.

Ryee and Vonn left them. The Elshar in my Link laughed. They will think before doing that, now.

Berto, you must ne!

Ryee, I see this kind of misbehavior in my DS Teams. Best to stop it before someone is trained. That woman tried to catch my men every time I send a team to Areon. They all avoid her, so she is not successful.

She has? Vonn gaped.

Watch her. She pretends to be stupid, but she knows Areon Net. Also, she plants false evidence on others. Because of her and her connections, TS Inspectors have not enough evidence to stop her by Areon’s laws. My operatives tried, and Asha Lir had to leave to protect his family—

Asha Lir who married Sia Runge? He is my uncle!

He is one of my best operatives and saved 500 Zheien diplomats, including 25 of yours, Ryee!

Oh, I am glad! I wish I could save a life.

You saved five, three days past. Ryee showed Berto the holo that Prog One put together. And how I tried to have myself ported to save my team.

Ryee, you should marry her! She would make a fine DS man.

Marry me? Oh, my! A king could never marry a common scientist like me. Yet, in that dream—I shuddered. Will that happen if I do?

Ryee turned a striking orange! Berto, we ne marry quickly, as Elshars do at times.

Oh, I did not mean wave up a Marriage Petition today! There is no shame in a quick Courtship Petition, is there? I could send you a penchalant, though I would free her and give her a choice to come.

Areonians ne even court quickly! I could ne ask such of her, even if my heart were sure. My fa and mea need to teach me how long I must know her before courtship. Many maidens ne wish to court any diplomat because of his danger. My wife would know far worse trials. He sighed, and it rumbled on me.

Berto also sighed. Maidens fear my title. But I see Zheien princes and kings every day on my teams who find love. I know of Galactic Ministers who courted while they held the title, as I remind Cevit Ion—

Amusement came to us. Ah, my friend, I have hope for you also. DS is a lonely place, eae?

You will marry Anne Wright, of Earth. She works in Georgia University Library. I saw her sitting at a counter like mine. But, she was thinking about her husband and three children. They will die in an accident. I shuddered.

I would nae wish such sorrow on her. How will they die? How can we prevent it?

They ported into a disaster and—slavers faked their deaths, to take them?

Where is Earth? He is not Alliance or Unified.

I showed the location, in the First Galaxy. Tried not to think of what I showed Ry’nao, but he saw.

Then, I shall take your mission to Th’marr. ScSv will study the Nefcot if I— they already do so?

I heard echoes of Ry’nao’s laughter. Smiled. Then, warned him of three poisons in the foods that DS did not know about. Amiritkaln-8 added to the next food the diplomat ate on Th’marr would neutralize all three before he even felt unwell. Ryee was unwell and Pas wished he called him—but it will not happen. Peri said these futures were fluid.