“That’s all you have to say after that disappearing act you pulled down there?”

“Oh, that’s a good one. You abandoned me, but now it’s my fault that you lost track of me?”

“Still want to melt my circuits?”

“Maybe.” She might not regret being abandoned to the barbarian’s mercies anymore, but now she faced an even worse dilemma.

“You’re worrying over nothing, doll,” Martha said, able to guess her thoughts accurately as usual. “You won’t lose him. He wouldn’t allow it.”

“You don’t know what’s been happening, Martha, so don’t speculate when you don’t know the facts.”

“You don’t think he’ll return to Kystran with you?”

“He won’t believe anything I’ve told him. He won’t even let me prove it. The man is totally close-minded.”

“He won’t be after he wakes up here.” Martha chuckled.

“No, that’d be taking advantage in the worst way and I won’t do that to him. I don’t want him to know he’s even been here. Have the meditech keep him under until he’s returned to the planet.”

“And who’s going to keep his friend there from relating every detail?”

“You mean if Tamiron doesn’t think he’s dreamed the whole thing?”

“Don’t be cute.”

“It won’t matter. Challen wouldn’t believe him anyway. I tell you, the man invented stubbornness.”

“Well, it’s your call. I assume your ‘only visiting’ means you’re still determined to honor your challenge loss.”

“Why would you think that was in question?” Tedra asked suspiciously.

“Oh, no reason. I was just wondering how you’re liking it down there.”

“Well, you can keep on wondering. I-”

“To whom do you speak, Tedra?”

She turned to see that Tamiron had returned to the world of hearing, and he was busy looking for a body to go along with the voice he’d heard. “You, me, and Challen are the only people on the ship, Tamiron. Martha has a voice, but no body to go along with it.”

“I beg your pardon,” Martha cut in dryly. “I’m rather fond of my body.”

“Don’t confuse the issue, Martha.” And to Tamiron, “She’s talking about her casing, this grand console here in the center of the room, and it’s not even hers, but belongs to the ship’s master computer, which she’s hooked up to. You could say she’s the heart and soul of the ship, since she operates everything on it. But she’s just a computer, albeit an advanced model, a free-thinking machine, which is why she sounds so human. Does that make sense to you?”

“No, but-nothing here does.”

Tedra grinned. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not necessary to know how things work, just what they can do. Martha will answer any questions you have about the ship or anything else. And I’ll be back shortly.”

“You go to see Challen?”

“No, he can’t be seen while the meditech is working on him. But he’s already out of danger and is being patched up in high-tech style. He’s going to be just fine, Tamiron.”

“If you are no longer concerned, then it must be so.”

Tedra blushed. She’d really given herself away with her farden hysterics, hadn’t she, and she a Sec trained to retain control under any circumstances. But at least Challen hadn’t been awake to witness her falling to pieces.

“Yes, well, as I said, I won’t be gone long. I’m just going to clean up a bit. So relax and enjoy your little adventure into space. As soon as Challen is completely healed, we will return to Sha-Ka’an.”

Tedra headed for the exit, leaving Tamiron wide-eyed again as he watched the sliding doors open and close without being touched. But if she thought she’d have a few minutes of peace, she was mistaken. Martha’s voice followed her down the hall through the ship’s intercom system.

“You shouldn’t have left him alone. He could well damage something if he doesn’t listen to me and starts touching what he shouldn’t.”

“Don’t be too surprised, Martha, but the man isn’t stupid.”

“He’s a barbarian. Every known source states quite clearly that they’re an aggressive breed who do exactly as they please. And you’ve left him in the Control Room. If we end up in deep space, don’t blame me.”

“Stop exaggerating. You’re supposed to be entertaining him with your vast knowledge, not bothering me.”

“I can do a thousand different things at the same time, and you know it. He’s getting his questions answered, and you’d be surprised at what interests him.”

“You, no doubt.”

“Not at all,” Martha replied with only a slight touch of pique. “His questions are devoted to the ship, how much it costs, how many men it takes to operate it, how long it would take them to learn to operate it.”

“Well, he is a warrior. He’s no doubt already contemplating conquering other worlds.”

“You’re being sarcastic, but I think you’ve hit it right on the nose, doll.”

“He can contemplate that all he likes, but he doesn’t know what’s out there. When he does, he’ll settle for much safer trade instead of aggression.”

“Speaking of which, is there anything worth trading for down there?”

“They’re a strange culture of old and new, nothing advanced to our level, but for primitives, they don’t lack for comforts. And yes, they’ve got something to trade all right, an energy source that could well rival crysillium.”

“Well, congratulations, kiddo. How’s it feel to do good on your secondary-choice job?”

“I just want my old job back. And I didn’t say I’d closed any deals, Martha. I told you, my barbarian won’t discuss worlds outside his own, much less the possibility of trading with them.”

“So is he the only one down there?”

“As far as I’m concerned.”

When she reached her quarters, it was to find Corth sitting in an adjustichair and looking like he’d been there since she left. “Well, hello, Corth. What are you doing here?”

He came immediately to his feet. “Missing you, Tedra De Arr. You have been gone a long time.”

“I’ve been gone less than a week, not long at all.”

A week? Stars, was that all the time it had taken her to fall head over heels?

“Will you stay?”

“No, I’ve-ah-still got business to take care of on the planet. And actually, I’d like a little privacy now.”

He took the hint almost like the old model, before Martha had tampered with him, though he did display a good deal of disappointment on leaving. She was going to have to have another talk with Martha about changing him back to her original specifications, but she had too many other things to think about right now.

After giving orders to her robocleaner, she stepped into the solaray bath-what heaven! But Martha was back, her voice still reaching her.

“You’re having those rags you were wearing cleaned? What’s wrong with changing into something of your own as long as you’re here, complete with utility belt and homing signal?”

“Because Challen wouldn’t like it, and for now, I’m just a challenge loser, forced to accede to his wishes.”

“So I’m to lose track of you again?”

“You should have considered that before you refused to send down Corth so I wouldn’t have had to challenge the barbarian in the first place.”

“And you could have tried a little harder to win that challenge.”

“Go away, Martha.”