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I would like to think my life was fairly normal. I was just an enlisted male; I kept my nose clean and stayed under the radar. It was all uneventful, until I met her. I had never seen one of them up close before. You heard about them, sure, but they had not been fully integrated into the Alliance yet.

Her skin was smooth, furless, her hair as red as the prayer fires in the temples. Her eyes were a startling blue, rivalling Kuushoi's own. There is something about their females that seems to captivate us, like some exotic dream we want to be swept up in.

I was off duty, and that means I tended to keep out of the business of others, but she looked afraid, and every fibre of my being called out to save her from whatever it was she feared. That is when she looked my way. No, more than that. She looked at me.

My mind froze. I wanted to wave her over, offer her my protection, and as if she read my mind, she moved toward me. She stopped beside me, making sure she had her back toward the direction she had just come. I smiled to her, and she returned it.

"Seems you might be running from something, Djana," I said. Her smile became that more mischievous. "And if I were?" she asked. I raised an eye ridge, and replied, "I might be inclined to help."

The Ryaki was a big ship, with plenty of places, and even more faces; a large crowd made it easier to hide in plain sight. I offered a hand, which she gladly took, and I led her to the observation deck. She followed, trusting me. I had the power to change her life, for good or bad, and she let me have it.

We stood where we could see the area he had just left, and I noticed a few Terran males searching the crowd. "Seems we moved just in time," I said quietly to her, "But I won't ask why. That's your business, not mine."

She smiled to me, an almost shy smile. My heart was racing; Vartra's Bones, she was beautiful. My body called out to envelop her in my arms, to tell her everything was going to work out.

She touched my chest. "Thank you. To be honest, I turned down an offer they gave me, and they were not too happy about it. When they resorted to giving me no choice, I fled."

I nodded. I had heard that Terrans had a more ruthless streak, but this is the first I had heard of it first-hand. "It's okay; you're safe for the time being. Let's head for the Temple; I doubt they'd think to look there."

She nodded, and followed my lead. We wove our way through the milling crowd to the Temple, where the Brotherhood stood vigil on their sacred duties. No one stopped up; we were welcomed in. I gave my thanks to the statue, throwing incense into the fire. My guest did the same; bowing her head to the icon. I found myself wondering who this woman was, realizing that the question had not occurred to me before. Again, she seemed to pluck the thought from my mind.

"My name is Rachel. I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but given the circumstances..." She gave a shrug, palms upward. I nodded my understanding, "It's alright, Rachel. I am T'Moor. It's a pleasure to meet you."

We sat, sharing a rug. I did not come here often, and it was a welcome reminder that the Gods worked in mysterious ways. She brought me out of my reverie, asking, "Tell me about him?"

She was indicating the statue of Vartra. I collected my thoughts, thinking about my lessons. "He is the god and protector of Telepaths and Warriors. There is quite a bit of speculation about his history, but I hear that the Brothers can commune with him, and some have actually seen him. Do you know of the Enshalla Clan?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "I think so. That's the group of mixed pairs, right?" I chuckled. "It's a bit more than that. Their people are hybrids; a mix of both Sholan and Terran. They have stronger Telepaths than the actual Guild itself."

She gave a curious look, asking, "So they've been established for a few generations?" I shook my head. "They've been altered at the genetic level by Vartra himself. He changed them so they could better serve him. Enshalla means they serve no one but the Gods themselves."

She bit her lip in thought. It was a curious trait, and I tried to think if I had seen any of my kind do it before. She then reclaimed my attention. "So, only hybrids can join them?" I was taken aback. Was this woman actually a telepath? I tried to shake off the shock. "Those males. Were they trying to exploit you as a telepath?"

She looked away, closing her eyes, and I saw tears threaten to fall. "I'm sorry. It is not my business. However, there are laws to protect telepaths. Have you not been to the Guild on board?" She turned back to me. "No one told me they were. I came here in hopes of reaching Shola, to make a life for myself. However, in the process, I have become a fugitive of my own people, and worse, I have dragged you into it. I'm so sorry."

She stood to leave, but I took her hand, stopping her. "I'm glad to have been pulled into your life. It may have been Vartra himself that made me notice you to begin with. Come, let's go visit the Guild."

We left the Temple after giving Vartra a parting offering. I went first; to make sure her 'friends' were not lurking in wait for her. After a sweep of the immediate area, we made our way. I realized that there were even more Terrans on board than I had realized. All my time here and I had failed to notice them. Rachel had seemed to lift my blinders, opening my eyes to my surroundings for the first time.

We were getting close, when suddenly a voice rang out, "There she is! Stop her!" Her grip tightened on my arm, and I looked for where the voice had come. The bastards had waited for her to make her way to the Guild! That was low, planning to ambush a female who only wanted to live her life.

We turned and rushed back the way we had come. I heard our foes shouting and shoving people out of their way. The crowd's confusion was doing nicely to slow them, but I did not think it would be enough.

We darted around a corner, coming face to face with an Officer. "Sir, we need help!" He looked me over, then the girl. "What's your trouble?" Her ears stood alert as her heard our pursuers. "There are males after her. She's a Telepath trying to reach the Guild." He scrutinized her face once more. "Is this true?"

She looked into his face searchingly. "Please, I need to reach them. I cannot go back to Earth, I'm not safe there." She touched his arm with her free hand. "Please?"

He regarded us, and then nodded. "We'll get you there." He spoke into his comm. "We have a situation. A Telepath and her companion," He gave me a wink, "are trying to reach the Telepath Guild but are being barred by Terran males. Has anything been reported?"

The shouts were getting closer and the Officer led us to cover, waiting on a report. "Sir, there has been a report of a rogue telepath on the run from her authorities. They say she killed a man."

He looked at her, and she covered her mouth in shock. "I didn't... I couldn't..." She shrank visibly, the tears returning to her eyes. "They were trying to coerce me; I didn't think. I lashed out in my attempt to escape." I pulled her to me to comfort her, looking to my superior.

He shook his head. "That will have to be dealt with, but at a later time. For now, we have to get her to people who can help her with the problem at hand." He spoke into his comm again, "Be advised, we will need legal personnel at the Telepath Guild. There are extenuating circumstances. Make sure a Truthsayer is present."

Once we were certain the coast was clear, we made our way up the corridor toward the Guild. The doors were in sight; we were almost there. I heard someone scream, and another shout. I did not have time to look, and instinct took over. A moment after shielding Rachel with my body, my back felt as if it were on fire, and yet all I could do was smile to her and say, "You'll be safe. I'll make sure of it."

There was another shot fired, hitting me near the first. Rachel screamed, being pulled along by the Officer. I was confused. She was safe, why was she crying? I suddenly began to feel cold, wondering where the heat had gone. My vision began to dim around the edges, and the world seemed to fall up around me.

I saw a Terran being subdued by Peacekeepers. I recognized him as one of the males who had been chasing us. Serves him right for the trouble he caused Rachel. I tried to say something to them, but found that I could not. The ground hit me suddenly. Or did I hit it? Medical personnel were rushing to me, and I remembered I had blocked something from hitting her.

I looked toward the door, seeing her fighting against several people. She was screaming something, but I could not hear it. I smiled. She would be okay, and it was because of me she made it. Vartra, thank you. Watch over her, please? She needs someone to keep her path clear of danger.

As the darkness began to claim me, I heard a voice in my head, quiet, but full of strength and wisdom.

She does not need me. She will have you. Rest now, my friend. When you wake up, you may protect your Leska for the rest of your life.