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from him. It wasn t possible.
 He s locked the doors, Slyde reported grimly.  I can t override it from here.
 Get that little slimeball out of my auto-nav, snarled a deep voice,  or I ll break open the doors and
rip his throat out! It was Panthar, the big Tyger navigator, filling the doorway with murder in his golden
eyes.
 No, Craig rapped.  By the time we force our way in there, he could do a lot of damage. We might
not survive another session without it.
 You d better believe it, Panthar answered.  Even I can t get us past Cirrius and her moons. All their
gravitational pulls are programmed into that system.
 Gas him, Slyde said.  He ll drop in a moment and we can go in with masks.
 Hell, Craig swore.  Look he s putting one on right now. Somehow he knew about the gas. How
does he know all this?
 You can t come in here! a Serpentian guard barked at the open hatch.
 But I must speak to Commander Navos! It was Nelah, pale and distraught.
 Stay back. The guard gave her a push.
Cathryn Cade
 Commander Navos! she called.  Daron! You must listen to me! It s Chad. He 
 We know about him, Navos snapped. He waved impatiently at the guard.  Release her.
He turned back to the others.  I ll take care of him. It s the only way.
Craig nodded.  All right. Let s go.
Navos strode out of the command deck, the others following. Serpentian guards stood at the ready
outside the auto-nav. Inside, limned against the gleaming lights and blinking signals, Chad stood over the
console, already reaching out to one of the controls.
 No! snarled Panthar.  Not the override! Get him before he sends us all hurtling to perdition.
 Quiet! Navos s cold voice sliced like a knife through those around him.  I cannot work if anyone
speaks.
He braced his hands on the edge of the hatch and closed his eyes. He sent a current of psychic power
surging into the auto-nav. He was sent reeling back by a wave of malevolent power. It was not the boy s.
Snapping back to his own mind, he stared into the auto-nav, where Chad was touching first one, then
another control, as if trying to decide which to use. He was nodding, then shaking his head as if someone
were giving him orders.
Someone powerful. Someone very angry. Someone who had to be on the ship.
There was only one being on the ship besides himself capable of this. An icy sickness rose up in him.
Mazarin had done the implant. Mazarin and Cyan were involved. Cyan had sent Nelah to the Orion. She
was talented enough, and the temptation of wielding great power had been the ruin of more than one
Indigon.
He whirled. Yes, she was there, at the fringes of the small crowd. Watching the boy intently.
 You, he accused. Her lovely eyes widened as they met his.  Cyan talked you into this, didn t he? Or
coerced you, he guessed as she shook her head, hurt and horror written on her face.  But never mind that.
How are you doing it? Damn you, how?
Blindsided by the shock of having the man she loved, admired, turn on her, Nelah could feel her
mouth working, but nothing would come out of her throat. Like a small flutter-moth she was pinioned by
his icy gaze.
She noticed with ridiculous detail how the two guard captains moved to place themselves on either
side of her. Perhaps they thought she was capable of doing bodily harm. Or was it so she could not escape?
As if there were anywhere she could go. She swallowed a hysterical giggle.
With a greater effort of will than she d ever summoned, she forced herself to speak. She supposed she
should thank Navos for that she d learned more about self-control from him than anyone she d ever
met as well as more about losing it.
 He has an implant, she managed.  It is made of biotic materials.
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Deep Indigo
 What? How did you discover this?
 I I was angry. Unable to bear the contempt in his gaze, she spoke to the emblem on his chest.  I
intuited him. At once, I sensed there was another presence. I don t think he was aware of it. But it was
awake, somehow. It sensed me. She shuddered at the memory.
She dragged her gaze up to his.  If you wish, I will remove myself to a sealed portion of the ship.
Or or you may have me incapacitated. But I would like to stay and help.
 Think you could hurry it up back there? Panthar snarled.  He s got his paws on my manual drive.
Without warning, Navos sent his power slamming into her mind. Nelah reeled back against the wall
behind her. Every instinct screamed to defend herself from this sudden invasion. But she left herself
defenseless, letting him blast through every corner of her mind. It burned, but the pain was more than
psychic, it was her heart shattering.
This was no beguiling lover, but a cold, impersonal Navos, intent only on discovering whether she
spoke the truth. Whether she was a calculating manipulator, or merely a foolish blunderer who had
awakened a sleeping viper.
He was ruthless and thorough. And then he was finished, leaving her trembling.
 I perceive I was mistaken, he said curtly, even as he turned back to the window into the auto-nav.
 In which cortex did you find the device?
She forced back the moan of pain that tried to push out of her throat. Shoving herself away from the
wall with an effort, she started to follow him, only to find two golden-clad arms holding her firmly.
 The cerebral. She winced as she was shoved back against the wall again.
Navos whirled.  Release her. She s not part of it.
 You are certain? the huge guard captain asked.
 Yes. I was mistaken. Now all of you step back and stay quiet. Nelah, come. We haven t much time.
Panthar snarled wordlessly as, inside the auto-nav, Chad seized a large control and began to pull it
toward him.
 Follow me, Navos ordered.  It will take both of us to do this. I don t know how the device works.
 Who could be doing this? she asked as she moved to stand beside him at the window.
 Cyan. He spat the name contemptuously and Nelah jerked with shock.  But we re going to stop
him. Just follow me and say nothing.
She took a deep breath and opened her mind to him. He was there instantly, already flowing forward,
into the auto- nav, carrying her with him. It was like riding the crest of a great rushing wave. She could
only struggle to keep her balance. She d never used her intuitive power so swiftly, or with such force. If she
hadn t just experienced it, she wouldn t have believed it possible.
And then they were face-to-face with malignance. It was indeed her step-father. To what depths had
Cyan sunk, to be involved in this?
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Cathryn Cade
 So, you re back, he gloated.  Thought you d never have the guts to return and face me. The great
Daron Navos, bested by a first-year intern with a little implant. Tsk, tsk.
Nelah hovered in the background. Cyan seemed not to have noticed her. Well, she thought a little [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]