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“Carrying around Earth money is safe?”

A slow, easy smile slipped across her face. “Carrying around Earth money with you is safe. Ican’t see anyone trying to rob someone your size.”

“What else must I know to successfully attend your market?”

As they worked through various possibilities, Winn couldn’t shake the feeling that they were playing a dangerous game, adance on the edge of a precipice.

“Enough,” Jo’Nay announced at last. “As a First, Ifrequently lead in new situations where I am not always familiar with how the creatures of any given world will react. Ihave learned to adapt to conditions as they develop.”

“Yes, but those worlds know about other alien life forms. The people of Earth are ignorant.”

“Yes, your people are very ignorant.” Irony shaded his words. “But we will manage. Our mission is too important to fail.”

“Rory? We’re going to succeed at our mission, right? You’ll be with us every step of the way?”

“Affirmative. We may communicate silently. Success rate is a solid sixty-five percent.”

“Wait! What?” She stared at Jo’Nay in alarm. “We have to work out more details. The success rate has to be as close to a hundred as possible.”

“We will not wait.” He yanked her into his arms. “Rory? Proceed.”

Chapter 5

JO’NAYglanced down at Winn, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. Her human form, delicate and fragile, never failed to amaze him. How could something so small contain such immense strength?

“We’re not ready,” she insisted, her voice laced with a hint of nervous energy.

“We go,” he stated with authority. “Our readiness is at an acceptable level.”

“Okay.” Winn released a soft sigh. “Rory, get us there and back again safe, okay?”

“Transport sequence initiated. Destination coordinates confirmed. Safety factors uncertain at this time.”

Jo’Nay felt the familiar tingling sensation as the ship’s transporter whisked them away from the safety of their vessel and deposited them in a deserted parking lot. The air shimmered for a moment, the remnants of their materialization lingering in the air like a fadingecho.

Rory’s voice, calm and reassuring, echoed in his mind.“Five hundred meters from the marketplace. Current location sufficiently deserted. Initiate safety protocols.”

Safety protocols. Yes, good. He had to keep Winn safe, protect her at all costs in these unfamiliar surroundings. His mind, trained for centuries to analyze and strategize, automatically went into overdrive.

“Did you hear Rory?” he asked Winn, asliver of his tension underscoring his question.

“I heard her loud and clear,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

“If anything goes wrong, if I become incapacitated, you are to order her to transport you to the ship immediately. Do you understand?”

“I understand. Although the chances of my leaving you if you’re injured—”

He caught her chin in the palm of his hands and forced her to meet his narrowed gaze. “You must agree to my rules or I will have Rory return you to the ship right now.”

Winn pulled free and planted her tiny fists on her hips. “That wasn’t what we agreed to earlier. You can’t just add new rules now.”

“I can and I have. Accept them or return to the ship.”

She blew out a sigh. “Okay fine. If our situation becomes critical, I’ll return to the ship. But you better, too.”

“Agreed.”

She glanced around. “Seems deserted enough. Let’s go before anyone sees…”

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