THE ALEDAN

by Chris Myers

CHAPTER ONE

Hankura turned over restlessly on his bunk, unable to sleep. He was alone in his darkened cabin aboard the Argus Lu. The passenger freighter was about to put into Earth Orbit to take on two more passengers and leave some freight. Then it would go to Velran, Hankura's destination, a place he did not want to go.

It wasn't fair! Why did he have to go to Velran alone? He didn't want to be on this ship with these stupid people who kept trying to make him like his voyage. He didn't want to go anywhere but home. He wanted his mother. He wanted his father to love him again instead of being angry all the time.

Tears filled his eyes and his throat ached with longing. Someday, he would go back and show them they were wrong. They would be sorry. Someday.

Finally, sleep claimed him, and his mind drifted into a dream that wasn't his own. This dream was more real than any he had ever dreamed. In the dream, he shivered with fear and cold. He was huddled under an abandoned stairway in a dark alley. A hard rain fell steadily, forming shallow pools in the scarred pavement around him.

At some point he realized it was not a dream. He felt her presence, the psychic force of her consciousness linked to his. Her thoughts, her fear, her pain filled his mind. The little girl was down on Earth. She sat alone in the dark, more afraid than she had ever been in the short span of her five years.

Jerry told her to wait no matter what. He would come for her when he finished what he had to do. He gave her the knife and fled. He would be gone however long it took for him to find and kill the man who had killed their mother.

Hours passed. She sat huddled in the corner against the cold brick wall---alone except for the rats. When they ventured too close she held them at bay with the sharp knife and pieces of broken pavement she had gathered before dark. She hit several with the concrete rocks and killed one of them with the knife. After that, they stayed back for a while. It was a needed respite because Michelle was exhausted. Her body ached with the cold and her eyelids drooped as she longed for sleep. But the rats were out there waiting. Sleep would mean death--endless sleep just like Mommy.

Some of the rats came closer, but the sound of their claws on the pavement opened her eyes wide with terror. She screamed, ending it in a sob as she slashed desperately with the knife.

She was sure nobody would hear or care what happened to her. But in blind desperation, she tapped her latent psionic ability and sent a mind-cry with such force that someone did sense her plea.

Hankura sat bolt upright in his bunk and brushed the wetness from his cheeks. He realized he was crying, but this time his tears were for someone else--- Michelle...and he reached out....

Chelle, don't cry. You're not alone. You don't have to be scared of those rats. You can make them go away with your mind. I can help you. He sensed the little girl felt even more alone and scared than he was.

Gradually, she stopped crying. She no longer felt alone or as scared. He was with her even though she couldn't see him.

"Who are you? Why can't I see you?" She said to the voice in her head.

Thinking to her? Michelle shrugged. She felt it was true his presence even though she couldn't see him, so he must be real.

"Are you going to come down here?"

Michelle looked skyward as his thoughts touched her mind. She could feel that he was scared and alone, too.

"My parents are dead," she said aloud. "Jerry's gonna kill the man who did it. When he's done, he's gonna come back and get me. That's why I have to stay here--so he can find me. But this place is scary. Will you think to me until he comes back?"

"Do they have gangs and overlords?"

"But you're not hurting me."

"I did?"

"Could I bring Jerry?"

"Well, there are probably other kids like you at Velran. You won't be alone."

"Dead people or live people?"

"Rats eat people here, sometimes dead ones and sometimes live ones. They wanted to eat me until you showed me how to make them go away. Can you show me how to do that with people?"

"Overlord Law?"

"That doesn't count here. Show me."

"Do they teach you that on Velran?"

"I wish I could go to school with you. I wouldn't be scared if you were there, and we would probably make friends with other kids like us."

I wish you could come, but they won't let me come and get you. When I grow up, I'll come back and teach you the things I learn. I promise.

Michelle sighed. She knew he meant it, but she didn't believe it would really happen. Daddy promised he would come back, and he never did. Mommy promised she would come for her, and she never did, either. She didn't believe Jerry would ever return. Why should she believe Hankura?

The sun's rays peeked gradually over the towering ruins of the ancient city through the mist rising from the wet streets. Michelle stirred in her sleep and brushed at the big black fly that buzzing over her stringy red hair.

"Mishy? Where are you, kid? Mishy!" The impatient sound of her brother's voice registered in her mind and she opened her eyes and blinked.

"Here, Jerry. I'm here," she called softly and strained to hear the sound of his footsteps. She sensed his nearness long before he found her. By then, she had turned her attention elsewhere.

"I have to go, Hankura and pretty soon, I won't be able to hear your thoughts anymore. But it's okay. Jerry's here, now. I'm not scared anymore." She spoke with her eyes raised to the morning sky, wishing she could go wherever he was going, too.

"But, how will you find me?"

"I do," she answered softly, and she did.

Jerry frowned. He hunkered down under the stairway in front of her and stared into her eyes. After a moment Michelle focused on his face and smiled sheepishly.

"Mishy--who were you talking to? Are you all right?"

"I'm okay. I was just talking to Hankura. His parents sent him on a star freighter from Aledus to a school on Velran."

"What?" Jerry frowned and raked a bony hand back through his unruly red hair. "How can he be on a starship when you were just talkin' to 'im?"

"Well--he wasn't here exactly--not like you're here. I heard what he said in my head." Michelle touched her temple. "Psi. He helped me make the rats go away, too."

"Who told you that word--psi?"

"He did."

"And I suppose he killed that rat over there, too."

"Of course not." Michelle chided. "I tolja he wasn't really here. I killed that rat with your knife."

Jerry looked at the dead rat and the bloody dagger on the ground beside her, then grinned and pulled his little sister into his arms. "You did good, kid." He hugged her. "I'm sorry I left you alone so long, but I had t'."

"I wasn't alone. Hankura was here--sorta."

"Ah--sure, kid. If you say so." Jerry crawled further under the stairway with Michelle under one arm. It had been a long night, and he was tired. He should never have left the kid alone for so long. Cold and scared, alone all night, it was no wonder she was hearing things. She still felt cold to his touch, so he cuddled her wiry little body close--to warm her.

"Jerry?"

"What?"

"Is Mommy really gone forever? Forever?" Her voice trembled on `forever'.

Jerry's arms suddenly squeezed her too tightly and she groaned. He loosened his hold, but he was trembling. It was a long time before he answered.

"Y-yes. She is gone forever." He rasped, tears filling his eyes. Michelle sniffled softly; she had known the answer before he'd said the words.

She was scrounging for food behind a seedy tavern, a few alleys away from the hole they called home. Two older boys came into the alley behind her. Michelle didn't think much about it. There was enough food to share with them. Only, they weren't looking for food.

"Isn't she a tasty little tidbit?" One said to the other. Michelle looked up at them with a frown. They advanced slowly until she was cornered against the building. "Don't worry, little lovely. We're not going to hurt you. We just want to share you."

One boy grasped her left arm and the other gripped the right. Suddenly, Michelle knew what they were going to do, and she started to struggle. "No! I don't want to. Leave me alone." Hankura, I need you. Please, show me how to make them go away. Please.

But nothing happened, except that the two boys began pulling at her clothes and touching her in places that no one had ever touched her. Hankura! Her mind cried out, and she screamed as they pushed her to the ground. One boy held her down half naked, kicking and screaming while the other unfastened his trousers.

He was trying to spread her thrashing legs and mount her when Jerry came. "Let her go." Jerry flashed a long deadly knife and poised himself in readiness to fight them both. "You think you can take me, come on and try. Or leave her, and we'll forget all about this."

"Moss, he's the one who took out two of Eakan's thugs--alone."

Moss jumped up as his friend let go of Michelle's arms. "You got it! She's yours? We didn't know. We're sorry." The two edged past Jerry then ran for their lives. The way Jerry gripped the knife, and the rage in his eyes told them just how close to killing them he had come.

Michelle sat crouched in the dirt, crying as she tried to pull her ragged dress over her budding breasts. Jerry looked around to make sure it was safe then hunkered down beside her and put his arms around her, murmuring soothingly to her. Had she been anyone but his sister, he might have considered seducing her himself. But his father had explained to him about these things. It wouldn't have been right. Besides, there were other females who wanted him.

"Mishy, what were you thinkin'? When you saw them comin', you shoulda ran."

"I thought they wanted food and there's plenty today. I never thought they would do this to me." She sobbed against his shoulder. "I wanted Hankura to help me make them go away like he did the rats, but he didn't answer."

"That's stupid. He ain't even real. Grow up! Mishy, you can't live on that dream no more. You gotta stay alert and learn how to protect yourself. By now everybody has noticed that you're a growed woman . . . and guys like them are gonna wait for their chance to getcha . . . " His cheeks colored pink, clashing with the red beard that covered the lower half of his thin face.

"You mean and hurt me like they did Mama?" Her troubled blue eyes sought his. "Have you ever done that?"

"Mishy."

"Did you?"

"Well, I never done it t' no woman who didn't want t'. But summa these guys don't care. They like it better if the woman don't wanna. You seen what they did t' Brinny . . . nearly killed her before they all got done." Jerry shuddered. "I don' want that t' happen t' you. So you can't be dreamin' about this Hankura guy all the time. He ain't never gonna get you outa this place. He ain't gonna keep those guys away from you, and he ain't gonna fight 'em for you. You gotta do that for yourself, and I'm gonna teach you. Save your dreamin' for sleep, unless you're ready t' sleep forever. You hear?"

Damn that Hankura! Jerry thought. If he were real he should of thought of what he was doing before he filled her head with these wild dreams. Jerry just didn't know whether to believe Michelle or not. If he didn't, then he would have to admit that maybe she wasn't right in the head. He didn't want to believe that.

He could understand Michelle's wanting to escape the sordid realities of their life in Farringay. But it was dangerous for her to keep hiding in her dreams. It was time for her to start living in the real world, if she was going to keep living at all.

Michelle nodded solemnly. Jerry was wrong. Hankura would come; she just didn't know when. Velran was probably too far away for him to hear her. So, she guessed it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn how to take care of herself until he came back. In the coming months when they weren't scrounging for food, Jerry taught her how to fight and use a knife to protect herself. But they never looked for fights. They only fought when they were cornered, otherwise, they ran. There were no heroes in the ruins--only survivors. She and Jerry survived from day to day.

Michelle didn't stop to question their lifestyle, because she knew no other way of life except in her dreams. She felt Hankura's presence in those dreams even after ten years. Some of them left her aching physically, for something she didn't quite understand. But she never talked to Jerry about Hankura anymore. She knew it would make him angry.

As time passed, it became harder for her to believe in someone she had never seen and the beautiful places that existed only in her dreams. Jerry was the only person who loved her and cared what happened to her, and she wondered if maybe Jerry were right when he said Hankura wasn't real. Then there was Berke for a while . . . . He'd rescued her from a gang fight, and she felt she owed him something. All she had to give was herself.

She still thought about Hankura once in awhile, but she didn't tell Jerry, and the remaining eight years she and Jerry had together left her with rich and lasting memories.

As the years passed, life became no simpler, nor did the dangers of street life ever permit Michelle and Jerry to let down their guard.

They were tired as they trudged back to the abandoned cellar they called. Scrounging for food that day had been discouraging.

Usually they found good pickings after the agri-market outside the Starport complex closed for the day. Someone else had gotten there first. None of their other sources had yielded more than a few morsels apiece. They were going home hungry as well as tired.

Half a block from safety, four strange men accosted them. It didn't matter that Jerry and Michelle had nothing to steal. These thugs were after them.

Michelle dropped the few morsels she was saving for later and reached for the throwing knife strapped to her calf. She flung the knife deep into the neck of one man, but another charged her before as she pulled the dagger from her belt sheath.

The dagger was her only chance to even the odds against this bigger man. He grabbed her arm and swung her toward him. By the time her fingers closed around the hilt of the weapon, his blade plunged between her ribs into her right lung. Had she not been struggling so violently, it might have been driven through her heart instead.

He pulled the dagger out and let Michelle fall. She gasped and coughed on the blood that filled her lung as she sank to the ground. The dagger was in her hand, but she no longer had strength to use it.

The scene before her faded as her consciousness receded down a long dark tunnel. So this was death.

No! You don't have to die, Michelle. You have the ability to heal that wound. Don't die. Let your mind open to that power within you. Live, Michelle. Live.

It was a dream, but not a dream. Hankura was there with her floating in a mist. She felt cold, so cold, until he reached out to touch her forehead. Then his warmth seemed to spread through her.

Jerry was wrong. Hankura was real--tall and strong and handsome. She couldn't die, not now. He had finally come back for her . . .

But when she opened her eyes again, he wasn't there. She was lying in the dirt where she had fallen. It hurt to breathe, but she was no longer drowning in her own blood. As she felt the hilt of the dagger in her hand, she remembered what had happened and strained to see where her brother was.

Michelle gasped as she saw that the same thug who had stabbed her was locked in combat with Jerry. A livid stain spread over Jerry's belly showed that he had already been stabbed at least once.

Michelle pressed her left hand over her partly healed wound and pushed herself to her feet, still clutching the dagger in her other hand. The enemy had her brother down, his knife raised to strike. Michelle stumbled, then lunged, screaming as she drove her dagger deep into the man's back. It was a killing wound, but not quick enough to save Jerry.

"Oh, Mother of Life!" she cried as she pushed the man's body away. Michelle fell to her knees beside Jerry, horrified at the knife she saw sticking in his chest. Not thinking clearly, she grabbed it and pulled it out as though she could erase the damage it had done. Blood spurted from the wound as she cradled him in her arms, sobbing.

But he wasn't there. When she tried to make Jerry's bleeding stop as she had her own, she found she didn't have the strength. She was still too weak from her own wound.

"It's okay, Mishy. You done good, kid. In a place like this . . . it was bound t' happen sometime." He choked and gasped for breath as blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. Michelle continued sobbing softly.

"Hey, hey--Mishy. You done all you could. Now, you gotta take care of yourself . . . so get the hell outa here before any more of 'em come. . . . Go to the mountains--get yourself some supplies and go to the mountains. Ain't no kinda life for you here. An' remember . . . remember how I taught you t' fight. Remember wha-- Remember . . . ." He sighed and closed his eyes.

Michelle wanted to stay with him longer, but she heard others coming. It took all her strength to stand and stumble away. There was nothing more she could do for him.

By then, it was growing dark. Michelle found the secret opening leading to the cellar where she and Jerry had been living. Without him to share it, it was a cold, filthy place . . . and Michelle had never felt more alone in her life.

If Hankura was ever going to come, he should have come today when she needed him. Why did he help her and not Jerry? Damn him! Why?

How could Jerry's death have been real? How could Hankura come to her and leave her when she so desperately needed him? She didn't want to believe it. Tears filled her eyes again, but she hurt too much to even cry.

CHAPTER TWO

"Michelle!" Hankura had been thrashing around for quite sometime 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 has it since you first mind-linked with her?"

"Almost twenty years standard." Hankura sighed.

"She must be a strong one."

Hankura shook his head. "She's not any stronger than you or I."

"Not psi-quotient, diamond head--psi-bond, Hankura. If she were that strong, I would feel her in my dreams, too. But, you're the only one who feels her."

"You mean like psi-mates? That's crazy?"

"Then, you give me a better explanation why you can't get a female you've never met face to face out of your head in twenty years of trying?"

"I can't. It's just that--well, I thought 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 don't know what to think anymore, Casir. All I know is 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."

"I know. 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 bio-chip, 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 her before those barbarians kill her. Maybe once I know she's safe, I can get on with my life."

"Only if you include her in your plans."

"If that's what it takes. I'll worry about that when the time comes. I just can't live with this constant fear for her life anymore."

"Care to make a small wager? Say 50,000 chips that you two are psi-mated?" Casir grinned.

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

"Ah, so you are beginning to believe it."

Hankura shrugged. "Maybe I am."

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 space craft 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 my probes."

"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 some 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. She isn't taking your leaving well at all."

"I tried to explain. It just wasn't working, and our co-habitation contract was up anyway." Hankura shrugged. "Every time it seemed like we could really be close, Michelle would haunt me again. Mesgar thinks it is psi-mating. If it is, he said I had best learn to accept the mind-link because I can't change it."

"My sympathies, friend. At least I won't have to share the ladies with you anymore."

"Don't be too sure. Maybe this obsession is just a psychological quirk--an aberration that will wear off. . . ."

"Who are you kidding?"

"Myself." Hankura sighed. "It's just that going to Earth these days is a good way to get myself killed. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. Yet, 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."

"Oh yeah. I remember you arguing back and forth about that for months over the telcom. I thought you finally decided not to go."

"Mother changed my mind. It meant 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. Going to Earth was highly dangerous 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 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.

In the weeks after Jerry died, Michelle kept on fighting to survive, mainly because she knew it was what her brother wanted and because of Hankura. Despite her doubts, she couldn't let go of her dream. Without him there was no reason to keep living, and no one to care if she didn't live.

Her wound healed quickly, it seemed, because she willed it. When she was well enough, she began stealing food and supplies where she could. Then she stole, Orion, a young blood bay stallion to carry her and the supplies into the mountains east of Farringay.

Orion didn't like the serving as a pack animal at first. He dumped Michelle and the supplies twice before Michelle made him understand what she wanted him to do. The two became fast friends and allies.

Michelle was glad to get away from the city ruins. Ever since Jerry died, she had nightmares . . . and she heard voices in her head---so many, she couldn't separate them. Somehow she knew she could escape those voices in the solitude of the mountains. The chatter seemed to fade as she got further from Farringay.

The journey took two days, and she looked for another day before she found the abandoned farmstead where she decided to settle. The dwelling, a rundown log cabin was set in a badly overgrown yard. To the left of the cabin near the woods was a small shed inside a roughly fenced-in pasture. The property looked as though it had been neglected for years. The whole spread was little more than a large clearing in the mountain forest. But compared to the ruins of Farringay, it was beautiful. The air was fresh, and there were green growing things all around her. She felt safe there. She decided to claim it for her own. With any luck, it would be a long time before someone came along and tried to take it from her.

In the next few days, while she mended the pasture fence with branches from the forest, Michelle wished that she and Jerry had left Farringay long ago. They could have had a good life here. She didn't remember when her family had been driven down from the mountains to keep from starving after an especially hard winter. Jerry had told her a little about it; but he hadn't talked about that part of their past much.

He had told her about how farmers planted seeds to grow the fruits and vegetables that they salvaged from the agri-market each week. He didn't know all about farming, just that the seeds were planted in rows and covered over with dirt. So Michelle stole several kinds of seeds from different pack animals at the agri-market. She didn't know what would grow from the seeds, but she would plant them and find out.

In the meantime, she could get along by foraging for food in the fields and forest. The supplies she brought wouldn't last very long. Despite growing up on the streets of Farringay, she knew enough about country living to identify some types of edible plants---dandelion, plantain, oats, wild carrot. She and Jerry used to forage the overgrown lots in their territory for such plants and roots when they could find nothing else to eat.

Michelle cleared a patch of ground near the cabin to plant her seeds. She did the work by hand. After she pulled out the tall grass and brush by the roots, she used a broken hoe that she found near the cabin to break ground for planting her seeds. The hard work gave her no time to grieve or think about the past. But when the hardest work was done, she could no longer deny the strange sense of expectancy that was stealing through her.

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.

The moon signs were right according to talk she had overheard from some farmers at the agri-market. She was counting on a harvest big enough to sustain her through the harsh winter snows---if the scavs roaming the mountains didn't come along and steal from her like they had from those farmers 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 felt she owed him. He could be very pleasant and charming when he wanted to, and it felt good for awhile 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 or simply brutalize her. The man was like two people. Michelle soon came to fear and hate him. The worst time was when he gave her to two of his thugs for the night after losing a bet in a game of chance. They expected a willing concubine, and Michelle had been anything but willing. She fought them and they hurt and humiliated, taking turns with her.

After they left, she went to Jerry who was quartered in another part of Berke's compound. "I'm going to kill him!" Jerry swore after she told him what happened. He swore again as he examined her bruised and swollen face.

"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. l'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 awhile until he figured out how they could escape. They stole one of Berke's hovercrafts and abandoned it only a few kilometers from his compound, then went into hiding. During that time, 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. She wished they 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 in 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.

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 space craft 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. More often than not 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. In 800 years, the motherworld 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 work station.

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

"N-not exactly," Ranking stammered nervously, trying to decide whether or not 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 about 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 at 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 in his own. "No games like before. I don't want either of you out 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 grey 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 whisky and passed them to Bart and Mason. "Drink up, gentlemen. We have to make plans.

CHAPTER THREE

His lips were firm against hers, and Michelle moaned as his tongue probed her mouth. Her nipples hardened as Hankura kneaded first one, then the other between his thumb and fingers, and she ached for him to fill her.

Hankura pressed his thigh tight against her loins as he took time to savor her body with his mouth. He cupped his hand over one full breast and flicked his tongue across the other nipple. She moaned again, pleading silently for him to enter her.

She parted her thighs instinctively as he moved over her to oblige. Their eyes held for a moment, and she smiled up at him. Then they both trembled with anticipation as he finally lowered himself to take her and make them one. They moved together in a rhythm as old as man, drawn steadily toward the ecstasy of mutual satisfaction.

But just as they were about to climax, Hankura was gone.

"No!" Michelle cried as she woke, still aching to feel him inside her, 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 sticky, wetness spreading over his groin, Hankura awoke in the solitude of his small space craft. It was only 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 felt 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 for 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. He felt vaguely sad as he considered the path that led the motherworld 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 rein as a major power in the Federation.

The planet had succumbed to barbarism 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 three 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 felt 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 800 hundred years, the greatest part of Earth still lay in ruin. But Earth had a starport 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 motherworld 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.

There was only superficial damage 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 nearly 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 he felt as though her soul were trying to meld with his own. Without ever having seen her, he felt physically aroused. His groin ached with the overwhelming need to join her body to his. He had felt the need 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. At the moment, 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 any of it, 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 motherworld. 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 felt her essence taking possession of him, and he didn't fight it. 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 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. Only 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 to reach out and slapped 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 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 grew 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, she felt his very real presence in her mind; more real than she had ever felt him 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 only 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 other wise again. He was real and she had to find him.

Following the tree-sheltered path deep into the woods, Michelle felt his presence 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 felt 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. She wanted him to come, but now that he was actually here she was afraid.

They saw each other almost at the same time and stood staring in awe for several moments before either moved toward the other. Hankura felt her fear and awe entwine with his own, 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 umber hair and emerald green eyes that seemed to look right through her.

Michelle felt beautiful in his eyes inspite of the ragged overalls that clad her slim figure. She felt his sexual attraction as well, and it 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, and Michelle felt 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 felt her fear and when he saw the memories flash through her mind he understood. Dropping his pack in the middle of the path, 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.

She felt the truth in his thoughts even though her fear made her try to deny him. After all these years, he had really come 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 knick 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 felt 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.

When she was calmer, he reached into her mind:

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

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.

She didn't question his apparent devotion because he had already shared a lifetime of memories with her and explained his affection 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.

Her eyes widened, and she couldn't look away. He felt her tremble 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 she felt a fluttery sensation 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 felt only 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.

Michelle could see herself in his eyes. She read the flow of his thoughts as he appreciated her stunning blue eyes. Blue eyes were rare to the human race except for Terrans. He liked the way her auburn hair framed her face in soft waves and shaded her eyes, making her look mysterious. He liked her slightly upturned nose. He ran his fingers through her long hair with a breathy sigh 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, and let his tongue explore 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 breasts made him throb with a new flurry of passion. He wanted to take it slow, to savor this moment, the moment he had dreamed about so long, but she was too exciting and willing now that she had let go of her fear.

He could see 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. She had round, firm breasts that filled his hands. He responded to her longing for him to touch them and massaged her engorged nipples, kissing her deeply. As their tongues again dueled sensually, he felt her tugging at his clothing and began helping her.

They made love many times on a bed of soft moss until they lay nearly 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 them. He only wanted to make love to her again. One more hour in her arms wouldn't change the future, or the past . . .

CHAPTER FOUR

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 only 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.

Michelle felt him tremble, and she looked up into his face. His eyes were bright with tears and she felt the force of her own grief echoed back to her. Suddenly she understood how vulnerable he was to her pain. She hugged him tenderly, wanting only 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 only the education of 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 have to 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 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 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 the only world she had ever know. He didn't want to frighten her any more---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 coverall.

"See? Orion likes you already."

"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."

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

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

"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 yet for himself. 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 and 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 felt 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 the sudden hostility he felt 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 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."

"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.

She shook her head. "I doubt it. They don't bother offworlders 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.

"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 as he felt her hatred for them and he felt shame for what he had done. If he'd done used his psi on anyone Aledus he'd be facing a nice long jail sentence. His impulsive act went against all of his training. 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 only 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."

"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 scavs 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. In 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 of 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 autoguide 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 knew 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 that 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 only a few 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 could 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 felt 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 tactics. 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 FIVE

"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 the 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 damaged done by one confused psion. Since that happened the Medical Center has demanded a psyke profile on him before they'll give him the staff position they offered. He won't like that. They're treating 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 awhile, 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 reholstered 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. Inspite of 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. He felt as if he had been there before. He knew he wouldn't make it to the warehouse alone, and there was no one trustworthy near by 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 only 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 agricomplex 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, grown for making a unique Wholaskan wine. Aledus was the only 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 agricomplex 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 by 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 grasses 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 tenday 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 only contact from Hankura since his leaving Velran nearly 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 telcom 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 felt 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 telcom 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 only wanted to have his eldest son come home again.

She felt Hankura's desperate summons echo 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.

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 as she felt his growing despair and longing for her. She didn't know how she could help him as she perceived the extend of his wound. He was the physician, and she was only 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 agility 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 only I had 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 the it, that she started when it clapped 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 felt 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 the 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 could only use 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 acknowledgement 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 felt 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.

"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 nearly 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?"

CHAPTER SIX

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 then came back outside to get her.

"You know, I'm not so sure about this launch business, Hank," she murmured, and he felt her uneasiness 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 felt her awareness fading.

Hankura quickly locked in the autoguidance 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 bioscanner 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. He felt his own tenderness returned as she smiled up at him.

"Are we really in space?"

"Take a look." He gestured and pressed a switch to open the front port. "While you enjoy the view, I'll double check the autoguidance 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 felt a sharp sense of finality, having left her homeworld, 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 in 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 only 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 really 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 one another'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 dropped 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.

"We are lifemates? Married just like that?" Michelle looked at Hankura and then at the pieces of plastic in her hand. Voice prints, retinal patterns, and 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 telcom. 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 agricomplex 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 lifemate 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 tendays."

"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 millenium before. She had mastered Aledan, and now he was teaching her the modern Wholaskan dialect used mainly on Velran where Hankura had spend his last twenty years.

Looking at the ID plate in her hand, she frowned. "Hankura, this says my name is C-h-e--e-l-l--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-ell 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--we--love--all that we are--I--you--we--love . . . love . . . .

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 nearly 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 pressed two buttons 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 acknowledgement 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-ell is from Earth, and we have filed a lifemate 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-ell 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 lifemate 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-ell 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 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 only three days away, and he could only guess what would be waiting for them. Although he could never actually lie to his psionic mindmate, he had only 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 had felt on that huge passenger freighter among strangers who saw to his needs because they were well paid to do so. Lucy had only helped 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 only one who had made it bearable for him in the beginning. Being psi-paths of similar ability, they quickly 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. 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 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 placed was 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 neurocells. 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 at 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 only seemed to offer a long 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 sense her probing him Sensitive to his worries, she had wakened 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. I wasn't being 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.

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.

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 . . .

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.