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must admit his reasoning, while unpleasant, is sound.”
    “So you’ve had a vision about us, too, about our capture?”
    “I did not say that. And it is not a vision that I’m speaking of. I’m speaking only of Chief Wyer. He will murder me tomorrow unless either you or I stop him.” Aja hesitated. “Or, if you so choose, I will allow him to carry out his plan. I must admit I’d prefer to live.”
    Kyr smiled. “Yes, I imagine you do.” He seemed ready to indulge her. “Tell me then, tell me how you know this. The myths are true? You can read a man’s thoughts? You can see the future? Have you read my mind?”
    Aja sat down in the navigator’s seat. “It’s not quite so simple,” she said. “I read your intentions when you entered the laboratory and I knew I could trust you. I have not looked into your heart or your mind since. It’s not my place. The answer to your question is, yes, I can and will read a man’s mind, or a woman’s mind if I choose, if I have a reason to do so. It isn’t usually necessary for me as I am an Intuitive and I read feelings. Those are not quite so private. If I feel someone is a threat or has evil intentions, I will drop my internal barriers and listen to their thoughts.” Aja rubbed her forehead. “Sometimes I merely see pictures. Thoughts are not necessarily coherent. The pictures I saw in the Chief’s head were not pleasant.”
    “So the stories are true, about the Blood? You can do all they say about you? Read a man’s thoughts? Predict the future?” Aja heard the excitement in the captain’s voice, saw the light in his eyes. He clearly understood her value to the Resistance.
    “We were talking about the Chief,” Aja replied.
    “If the myths are true…” Captain Aram rose to his feet. He continued as though he hadn’t heard her. “Then we can win this war. With you, with the Empress, we can destroy the Coalition. We can bring down the military Junta.”
    “Not if I am dead.”
    “What?”
    “I said: not if I am dead.”

    Her words brought Kyr up short. She’d been talking about her impending rape and murder and he was blathering on about the revolution.
    “You’ll stay with me tomorrow,” he said, still not entirely convinced. “He won’t dare touch you if you spend the entire day with me.”
    Aja didn’t back down. “So sorry, Captain, that won’t solve anything. Chief Wyer will kill me. I’ve seen it. If not tomorrow, then the next day, or the next. In the end, he will betray you and your men. If he dies, he cannot betray you and we may survive. If I die, you may indeed escape this trap, but he will learn the true nature of your work with the Resistance and he will betray you at the first opportunity. Then you will die, along with all your men. Even if I am dead, your duty to the loyal men who serve with you requires that you kill the man. I tell you all this as a courtesy and because we share... Because I owe you a debt of gratitude. I could easily kill him myself and you would be none the wiser, but I felt I should come to you first.”
    The captain paced in the small space. “Aja, you seem so cold blooded about this. It’s a man’s life we’re talking about.”
    “It’s my life too,” she replied, rising to her feet. “Think what you will of me, but I am a realist. There is one other way.”
    “Oh? What’s that?”
    “I leave now. Give me enough coin so I can survive long enough to buy transport off this planet. You have the antidote. Take it to the Resistance. If my family has escaped, they will pay you well and you can recoup your losses.”
    Aja turned on her heel. She opened the door to the cockpit and disappeared down the companionway.

    Kyr heard the door to her cabin slide shut. He heard her turn the lock.
    Stubborn woman. No, not woman. You’d do well to remember she’s a Princess of the Blood.
    What if all the legends and stories are true?
    The captain sat back down in the flight chair. What other abilities did she