Page 97 of Hot Zone

“Come again?” Tessa asked.

“It’s the stuff of legends among my people. I never dreamed it could be real. It’s when two star navigators share one set of powers between them. It’s reported that a bonded pair’s combined abilities are much greater than the sum of their individual powers. But it has been so long since a female star navigator existed who could bond with a male navigator that it has faded to the status of fable.”

“You yourself said you find that most legends have a basis in fact,” Tessa pointed out.

Rustam nodded, looking thunderstruck. He turned to Professor Carswell and said, “Your race wants to develop star travel, does it not?”

Athena nodded.

He continued, “Having now mastered time travel, more or less, you will need to turn your attention to star travel. My people know how to star-jump.”

The three women at the table nodded, following so far.

“My orders are to remove any potential star navigators from the human gene pool. Traditionally, my kind have assumed that meant killing any latent navigators. But what if I take Tessa with me back to Centauri Prime?”

Tessa stopped breathing. She was pretty sure her heart skipped a beat. A couple of beats, in fact. Go with him? Back to his home world? Travel to another planet?

“I can see to it she’s fully trained as a star navigator. I don’t believe I have any choice in the matter, actually. It does appear that she and I have, indeed, become a bonded pair. I won’t be able to travel without her from here on out.”

Athena and Beverly looked as stunned as she felt.

He added casually, “And then, of course, there’s the baby. He—or she—will need to be trained as a navigator.”

The other women’s accusing gazes swung in her direction. Athena nodded slowly. “The third spirit I sensed. You’re pregnant.”

“It appears that way,” Tessa said in a small voice.

Beverly burst out, “With an alien child.”

“She’s half-human,” Tessa protested.

“And half Centaurian,” Beverly retorted.

“Well…yes,” she conceded.

Rustam interjected, “And fully a star navigator. Humans have no ability to train this child. But my people can. My people will. I promise you that.”

“We need to talk again,” Athena said abruptly. “Out, you two.”

Tessa followed Rustam outside yet again, her head spinning with the possibility of being the first human ever to move to another planet, to another civilization. Not to mention the prospect of getting to be with Rustam, after all!

“Do you think they’ll go for it?” she asked him anxiously.

He shrugged. “Who knows?” Do you still have your cuff on?

Yes. Why?

Between the two of us, we can generate enough power to make a break for it.

This lab’s shielded. Unless we’re in the booth, we couldn’t get out of here.

He sent her a word she didn’t recognize.

“Is that my first Centaurian language lesson?” she asked wryly.

He chuckled. “Yes. And never repeat it in polite company.”

“Duly noted.”

The door behind her popped open. The two women stepped out.

Athena announced, “We’ve made a decision.”

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