"Which is the wrong thing to do. It takes dissatisfaction to want change. If she's shipping off the ones who aren't happy there, nothing will ever get changed."

Martha was back to chuckling. "I know that, and obviously you know that, but my Tedra needs to feel that she's doing something for those people, so we aren't going to point that out to her."

"To coin a phrase of yours, wanna bet?"

"So you're going to stir the pot?"

"You could always return me to my home instead," Brittany suggested.

Martha chuckled. "Blackmail?"

"Bargaining."

"You keep forgetting that you're dealing with a computer who can tell you exactly the end of that scenario. I send you home, I even take Dalden back to Sha-Ka'an without you, since there's no choice in the matter of who flies this ship. But then we have one very angry warrior, and one very angry Challen who will agree I overstepped my bounds. So I probably get unplugged, and Dalden gets another ship and comes to collect you, because there is no getting away from your lifemate. So at the most you've saved yourself from this horrid new life you're imagining for six months, then get taken to Sha-Ka'an anyway, but with an angry lifemate rather than one who is presently going to go out of his way to please you. Now I ask you, which option is going to be more to your benefit?"

"Oh, shut up and go away."

"I can't go away. The best I can do is offer silence. But then you'll just sit there and brood about everything you don't believe, and since arguing with me is more healthy than brooding, guess which you get?"

"I'm not Tedra," Brittany nearly snarled. "I'm not your responsibility."

" 'Course you are. When Dalden made you his lifemate you became part of Tedra's family, and I think we've already covered this ground. Her family, every member of it, falls into my sphere of responsibility. She's a very caring woman. She gets upset when her personal people aren't happy. She feels their pain."

"So who gets priority when two of her 'people' are unhappy with each other?"

"Priority is given to the best-choice conclusion with all variables involved," Martha replied. "That may mean someone will have to bend a little, but compromise is necessary in many disagreements."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'll be the someone who has to bend?"

"Not even close, doll. I've known Dalden all his life and you not even a week, but keep in mind I said best-choice conclusion. Dalden has been due for some bending. He strives to follow, only the one path, ignoring half of his nature. This has caused him a lot of unnecessary grief that I'd like to see end. He'll be happier with himself, with who he is, once he accepts that he's not just a Sha-Ka'ani warrior."

« ^ »

BRITTANY DID GET TO BROOD SOME, FOR ALL OF TEN minutes. That was about all she could stomach of trying to assimilate all the fantastical information Martha had thrown at her. There was simply too much of it, too many bizarre inventions, too many advanced concepts mixed in with the barbaric. And even that didn't make sense. If there were such advanced, godlike worlds such as Morrilia, why weren't they educating the primitive worlds? Why leave them to struggle in ignorance?

But none of it was true. Whoever had designed this program she'd been unlucky enough to get picked for had a really strange imagination. Or maybe it was just Martha, instructed to improvise as needed, who had the overactive imagination. And where did that leave her? Imprisoned on this so-called ship for nearly three months? Then what? Taken to some remote area that they had set up to convince her she was on another planet?

Somehow she doubted they planned to invest three full months on just one test subject. There was probably a time limit, a couple of weeks, a month at the most, to either convince her or admit it was all a farce and send her home-without Dalden.

Her heart constricted. He was one of them, part of the program. Work on the heart as well as the mind? God, she hoped not. She'd rather think their involvement hadn't been counted on, that at least that part of it was real.

But she still wasn't going to get to keep him when this was over. And she had to decide whether to cut that string to her heart now, before it got any stronger-or enjoy him while she had him. But hadn't she already decided to savor their time left, to stockpile the memories, anticipating that their time together would end? Of course, that was a decision made before their program went into full gear.

"Where is Dalden?"

"Done brooding already?" was Martha's reply.

Brittany sighed. "Tired of the headache already. Where's Dalden?"

"He's calmly assumed the role of ambassador and is presently explaining to Jorran why his demands aren't going to be met. I'm amazed he hasn't lost patience yet. Jorran's overwhelming arrogance is hard to stomach by any species."

"I suppose you've been listening in on them?" Brittany remarked.

"I'm capable of following and participating in every conversation going on in this ship at any given moment," Martha boasted. "Computers aren't single-tasked like you humans, you know."

Brittany allowed herself a satisfying snort before suggesting, "How about directing me to him? I'd prefer not to stay here."

"These warriors aren't going to bother you, doll." Martha went back to reading minds. "You're off-limits to them because they know who you belong to."

"I don't belong to anyone. Must you make it sound like slavery?" And then the thought struck her. "Is there slavery there?"

"Yes, in a few of the more distant countries. But before you go getting bent out of shape over that, kindly remember that there's still slavery in some of the far corners of your own world, and it was widely accepted just a couple of hundred years ago in your own country."

Brittany thumped her head mentally for even asking. Barbaric in the eyes of "most of the universe" would of course include things like slavery. A logical deduction. And much easier to convince the nonbeliever if the tall tale followed a logical path.

But Brittany proved just how single-minded humans were by repeating, "Directions? Or is there some reason I must stay here?"

"Out the door and right to the lift at the end of the hall. It's voice activated-or controlled by me." And then a chuckle. "Dalden doesn't even know that. He just assumes it's always going to take him exactly where he wants to go in the ship, because I always know where he wants to go and control it for him."

"Why not just tell him?"

"Weren't you listening when I mentioned that he doesn't like spaceships? The less he has to personally deal with the ship, the better.

"Will I get to explore this ship?"

"Sure, why not?"

Brittany could have thought of one major reason why not. If their ship was as big as it was being represented by them, then the size of the studio that had created this illusion would have to be mammoth to show her all of it. It would be much easier to restrict her to just a few rooms. Of course, when she got around to asking for that tour, they would probably come up with excuses to not allow it.

"Alone?"

Martha chuckled at that addition. "Doll, there's no such thing as being alone on a ship controlled by me. There are visual monitors in every single room that can't be turned off if I don't want them turned off."

"What about broken? Smashed? Demolished?"

"Are we getting hot under the collar? You could try, but they're made of unbreakable material. And why does that upset you?"