Without thinking Danta reached out to contact Blith, but his partner wasn't there and had not been for a long time. The emptiness he found disturbed him. As a distraction he pushed his awareness out to the limits of the room. Five or six times a day he repeated this ritual. Danta knew the room intimately, from the minute stress buckles in the bulkhead to the special coating on the walls, nothing in the room had changed for a long time. With the strength of his mind he pushed at the edges of the door and the slot where they passed in his food. The paint was old but the chemicals were still active and blocked his attempts to extend his presence beyond his cell. Danta might have been a prisoner for a long time but he was far from giving up. If his own people required his skills, there would be others. As long as the Kaste existed there would be a need for what he knew. So Danta sat in his spot and experienced his world within the barriers created by his enemy.

Trish walked three steps behind Sam, David and Guy followed right behind her. One of the aliens led the way with another bringing up the rear. They were escorted through a heavy, cloth curtain that draped across the hallway. On the other side of the drape the walls went from a dull, dirty gray to a highly reflective white, even the cloth drape was the same reflective color. The change in environment unnerved Trish. The sudden apparent concern for the way things looked was entirely out of charter for the Kaste. The enemy had no time for anything other than their war and the rest of the ship displayed the obvious lack of care. Even the floor and the ceiling in this section were white. At the end of the hall stood a guard dressed in a white uniform, just beyond him was a single door. Half way to that door their escort stopped abruptly and motioned for them to proceed to the end of the hall. When they hesitated one of their guards slammed its weapon into David's head.

"Dave." Trish cried as the large man dropped to his knees.

"Guy, help David." Sam grabbed Trish's arm and pulled her down the hall after him. They stopped in front of the door. The guard pointed his weapon at the door and stepped back. Sam nodded and tightened his grip on Trish's arm. She didn't look at him but she felt his fear. As prisoners of the Kaste there was no hope. No one ever escaped or had been rescued. Consequently the profound lack of any kind of information badly disturbed all of them.

In the exact instant Sam opened the door Trish experienced hell. Trapped in a small room, alone, helpless, isolated. Death came through the door, mine, theirs, it no longer mattered. Confusion.

So overpowering were the emotions, that when they suddenly ceased Trish could not sense Sam even with the physical contact. She felt numb and drained. The exchange took less time then the high-speed door took to retract.

As the door opened the guard shoved David forward. Guy stumbled with the effort to support David. Together they fell into the room. The four of them crossed the threshold and the door slammed down behind them.

Trish set to work doing what she could for David. She stopped in the middle of examining the wound above David's right ear and looked up past Sam. On the far side of the room stood a man. Rising to her feet she met his eyes. He stood seven foot tall or better. His skin was dark, as if he'd been exposed to a tropical sun. Apart from his massive height and muscular build the man's most shocking features were his hair and eyes. The hair, pulled back from his face, was long and surprisingly white. As unsettling as that was, it was muted next to his eyes. Trish caught herself stepping back in fear. His eyes were as white as his hair, almost colorless and Trish couldn't make out a pupil. She would have sworn the man was blind if he had not been staring straight into her eyes. On her left Sam and Guy also stood.

"I am Samson Carstit, Captain of the Last Ditch," Sam introduced himself.

Danta did not know the spoken words but he could understand their meaning. "Danta," he spoke mentally.

Trish nodded and glanced at the Sam. Slowly she looked back at Danta. A frown deepened on her face, Danta's lips hadn't moved.

"My name is Sam," Sam tried again slowly. "And this is Guy, Trish, and David." Motioning he pointed to each person in turn. Danta stepped toward the group.

"Sam." Danta inclined his head toward the captain. "Guy, Trish, David," he repeated the greeting.

"Can you speak verbally?" Trish asked. Sam and Guy turned confused by her question.

"I do not know your language." Verbally he said, "Danta," pointing to himself. His voice was strong and musical, with an accent that expressed itself as a resonance.

"You understand me?" He spoke aloud and mentally in his own language. Sam and Guy exchanged looks.

"I understand what you mean, but your words are foreign," Trish said.

"What's going on Lieutenant?" Sam asked.

"He's telepathic."

"Oh. Can you translate?"

"I understand your meanings," Danta spoke.

"Trish, what is he saying?" Sam asked his tone rising in frustration.

"Sir, he said he understands what we are saying," Trish's tone encouraged Sam to be cautious.

"Well I don't like it. Can he read our thoughts as well?"

"Guy! That is enough!" Sam commanded.

"What if he is working with them?"

The image of working with the Kaste was the funniest thing Danta had heard since his captured. He amazed himself when he discovered he was still capable of laughing. It wasn't loud or long, but a light, brief laugh that lifted Danta's heart and encouraged his spirit.

"No. I don't hear your thoughts. At least not without physical contact." In his mind Danta heard the woman's laughter, though her face revealing nothing more than a bare smile.

"Guy, he hears us in the same way I hear him. The mind interprets what it hears." Quickly Guy held up his hands to forestall the lecture on telepathic contact evident in Trish's voice. Trish's laughter echoed again in Danta's mind. The sound was pleasant and he realized to what extent he missed any kind of personal exchange.

On the ground David groaned, Trish returned to his side. "Okay Dave. You need to hold still." Trish looked around the room and noticed how empty it was. Aside from the five of them there was nothing else in the room, no furniture, no comforts, and no conveniences.

"You live like this?" She thought. "Danta is it possible to get some water?" He stared blankly at her. He could tell the fallen man was gravely injured, to such an extent, that water would not help him.

"Hey! Did you hear her? Dave needs water." Guy advanced a couple of steps in Danta's direction.

"Water will not help. You are aware of that?" Danta said silently to Trish.

"It'll ease his suffering," her reply came sharply and Danta heard anger in her thoughts.

"There, in the wall." He pointed to a spot. "I can't open it." In explanation, Danta opened his mind and showed Trish the chemical coating on the walls. "That prevents me from making contact with them." Trish passed on the information. Sam pressed a recessed panel. The panel sprung open and Sam recognized the water spout. While Sam busied himself with getting the water, Danta forced his awareness into a tight band and sent it into the dispenser. The system was devoid of electrical currents since everything was hydraulic. Undaunted Danta used his mind to grip a hydraulic rod, shifting it. Blindly he tried to gauge where the ship's sensors were. He knew the Kaste couldn't secure every opening into the cell. As he shifted the rod he discovered a spot where the cell wasn't sealed. Sensors guarded it and shifting the rod caused an abrupt drop in temperature that triggered an alarm. Punishment was immediate. A low-pitched vibration issued through the air vents. Danta jerked defensively as the sound penetrated his shields. It took less then a minute for the vibration to short-circuit Danta's nervous system. He cried out before crumpling to the floor.

Trish saw Danta fall as she searched for the source of the vibration. For a brief second she felt the mental contact, like earlier, but it stopped when Danta collapsed. The vibration increased, Trish felt it in her head, her hands, and her feet. She couldn't tell weather the origin of the vibration was physical, auditory, or psychic. On a deeper level she felt the mood of the ship change, the new mood was tinged with panic.

Trish remained at David's side but continued to watch Danta. The vibration must serve as a form of torture. Drawn as she was to the stranger, her first duty was to her team and David needed her now. A moment later Trish realized she couldn't sense anything, even David's pain vanished from her awareness.

"Can either of you hear that?" Sam asked. He stopped to check on Danta but was afraid to do anything more than just monitor the stranger's breathing.

"Hear it? I can feel it, and I am experiencing it on a psychic level."

"Really?" Sam always encouraged Trish to be open with her psychic feelings even if it scared the shit out of him. Her 'feelings' had kept them out of trouble more times than he would admit.

"It started right when he fell."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Guy looked back and forth between his teammates.

"You can't hear it then?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Guy shook his head.

"Where do you think it's coming from?" Sam started checking the vents and trying to open the panels. "Hey, they won't open now."

Suddenly the door hissed open and six guards entered. Each one carrying a heavy weapon. A seventh guard entered carrying what looked like a flame gun. The first six took up a defensive stance around the room and the seventh welded over all the panels. Finally they sprayed white paint over the fresh welds.

The white paint, coating everything, sparked Trish's interest. Recalling Danta's image of the coating she wished she had the time to contemplate this new puzzle. The vibration increased in speed and pitch, the room spun only once before tipping suddenly under her feet. Just before she collapsed, Trish understood the purpose of the vibration.

Unable to move Danta watched the guards, he knew their drill and surprised himself by remaining conscious even after the strength of the sound increased. At the edge of his vision he saw Trish fall. She didn't possess his level of sensitivity but she was a sensitive. The guards finished and left. Sam and Guy rushed to their companion's side.

"She can not respond," he commented to himself. Unable to share his console, Danta struggled to remain in control. The sound/vibration dimmed, lessening to a flute like warble before vanishing completely and releasing Danta from its hold.

He reached out across the room and touched the outer layer of Trish's mind. Her sense transmitted strength. Designed to interfere with psychic impulses the sound affected those with a sensitivity. The more sensitive one was the more debilitating the sound's effects. Trish avoided the main brunt of the assault because she was less sensitive but she was not able to avoid it altogether.

"What the hell happened?" Sam demanded. Both the men were agitated and Sam rounded on Danta. It took all of Danta's will to force himself to stand up, straightening to his full height. "Tell me what's going on here!" Sam yelled, abandoning his composure.

Danta felt the others' fears ripple outward in waves. At Trish's side Guy's insecurity permeated the cell. "I can't expect you to understand," Danta said aloud in his language. "But Trish," he pointed. "Will recover soon." The men stared at him unsure how to deal with the situation.

Danta met Sam's glare. "Our only chance of escape is in trusting each other." He watched Sam, his calm strength meeting Sam's uncertain fear. "There is nothing to loose that has not already been lost Sam." The name flowed smoothly in Danta's language. Sam's eyes narrowed his suspicion evident. In hopes of calming their fears Danta projected trust. The effect was immediately evident on Sam as his shoulders relaxed and he allowed himself to steal glances at Trish. Guy instead refused to look as Danta. Fear dominated his mind, closing him off physically as well, hands fisted, mouth drawn and jaw clenched, his muscles tense and tight, ready for a fight. Danta knew his kind could not survive long, as the Kaste's main weapons were fear, suspicion, and insecurity. Already Guy appeared to have withdrawn into himself. Danta would need to watch Guy but for the present there were other pressing matters.

He extended his awareness out and touched David, his presence was distant and weak, and his discomfort blindingly evident. Danta pointed to the forgotten cup still in Sam's hand.

"He could use the water," Danta said pointing to David. Sam looked blankly at David then he looked down at the cup in his hand.

"Oh, right!" He said hurrying over to David.

Guy stayed at Trish's side with one hand on her arm. Danta took a step toward them and Guy twitched as if he was about to launch. "Don't come any closer!"

Danta felt as well as heard the threat. "She may need help." He watched the other stiffen in response.

"Take it easy Guy."

"Why?" Guy said. "We don't know this guy. For all I can tell he's here to spy on us. Look!" He gestured without meaning, both his hands shaking. "Trish might be seriously hurt and he's the one who told us to take the water. See what happened. That damn alarm thing went off then those things came in here and sealed off our only source of water. You really think I need to calm down. Hardly!" While Guy ranted at Sam, Danta edged closer. Out of the corner of his eye Guy caught Danta in motion. In a practiced move Guy launched at Danta.

In the heartbeat it took Danta to realize Guy intended to put actions to his emotions, he knew physical combat could not be an option. Survival meant working with these people. Danta clearly understood the powerless frustration one felt as a captive but to incite Guy further would be deadly later on.

Guy's mid air tackle impacted forcefully into Danta's chest throwing him off balance. Danta shifted. At maximum Danta could shift his body about ten meters, but this time he chose a distance two steps to his right. The shift didn't counter the loss of balance and Danta staggered backwards but remained on his feet. Guy on the other hand lost his forward momentum when he struck Danta and fell flat on his chest.

Sam froze when Danta moved, his mouth hanging open just a bit. Good, Danta thought, they are off balance but can accept the unknown. Danta felt Sam's concern for Guy. Sam seemed a man who knew the dangers of forced confinement. His sense of Guy told a different story. Even as he struggled to regain the breath knocked form his lungs, Guy's anger escalated. Once on his feet he advanced on Danta again.

"Sly shit," Guy grunted.

"Guy!" Sam called.

"Thinks he's so smart. Thinks we can't tell he's one of them." Guy stopped a meter in front of Danta.

"Lieutenant Unton, stand down!" Sam crept closer. "Now mister. Do you here me?"

At just over two meters tall Danta towered over Guy. Looking down on him, Danta felt Guy's fear spike, physical bearing represented a position of power in Guy's mind. Ready for action Danta relaxed outwardly, dropping his shoulders and opening his mind. Instead of projecting he lowered his shields. It was a gesture of respect among Ondei warriors. He hoped Guy might respond even if he didn't understand. Danta's shields dropped exposing him to the full force of Guy's hatred and fear. The man was truly xenophobic. Danta could not consider crossing into another's mind even if his life hung in the balance, but in dropping his shields he came within a thought of impropriety as Guy had no natural shielding. The shock of Guy's mental instability proved a distraction and Danta was caught unaware when Guy made his next move.

"Gideon Unton!" Sam yelled.

In the back of his mind Danta heard Sam urging him to flatten Guy. Danta didn't have time to shift again. His block was slow and weak, and the attack was powerful and on target. Guy's fist impacted solidly with Danta's lower ribs knocking the air from his lungs. Guy's other fist found its mark on Danta's jaw. Guy stepped back clearing a space between them it gave Danta the opportunity to shift directly behind Guy. Danta placed a hand on Guy's shoulder and shoved as Guy spun in panic knocking him to the floor. Following him down Danta dropped a knee on Guy's chest. His one hundred and fifty kilos proved adequate to subdue Guy, whose angry, aggressive thoughts ceased, replaced by self-pity. Danta regretted using physical force to control the situation but any control was better than no control. As his adrenaline subsided he could again feel the physical and mental presence's around him. Instantly his barriers snapped to full, but not before he sensed Trish's pain as she struggled to her feet.

"Trish, I do not wish to hurt this man," Danta said in his language. Trish cautiously approached the combatants. "I will..." Danta looked down into Guy's eyes. "Protect myself. Tell him please."

"Listen Guy, he doesn't want to hurt you. He's only protecting himself, but I don't think it would take much effort on his part to break you in half. He's been a prisoner for a long time and I expect he'll do whatever's necessary to survive. Which is exactly what you're doing, right?"

Guy ignored her and attempted to ignore Danta by focusing his gaze on the wall behind Danta's head.

"Gideon stand down. Do you hear me? Lieutenant?" Danta sensed a forced command emanating from Sam. Beneath him Guy stiffened then relaxed a bit. The physical contact heightened Danta's awareness of Guy, providing another concern. Guy become defensive to his own people and their failure to support him devastated his resolve. Danta sensed he was giving up hope. Accepting the possible dangers Danta stood and offered Guy a hand.

"Back off!" Guy snapped, scooting backwards before standing up on his own.

Without turning his back on Guy, Danta went to see how Trish was. "Trish?" the question expressed a world of concern. She held her ground as he reached out a large hand and delicately raised her chin so their eyes met. Without probing, for that would be an unforgivable breach of conduct, Danta searched her eyes and aura for any signs of lasting disruption caused by the vibration. "Do you feel well?"

"Yes I'm fine, just a headache."

"Sure?" he asked a second time. Danta's white eyes held a fire in their depths like living opals, his stare was intense and demanding and Trish felt as if she couldn't breathe. Danta dropped his hand as her discomfort became his. The intensity faded from his eyes and Trish held the contact a moment longer.

"Yes," she answered with more confidence. Her gaze swept past Danta to where David lay. Panic rose up within her, David was pale and sweaty. His condition demanding her attention.

Danta felt the man's life dimming. A cold, deeper than space, edged into his heart. He will die soon. Danta allowed the thought to pass to Trish.

"David can you hear me?" Trish asked, rushing to his side. She got no response. "Where is the damage? Can you see it?"

"I see." He wanted to lie.

"Tell me how bad it is?" Danta avoided Trish's stare but not her question.

"A piece of the skull is lodged in his brain. There is swelling and hemorrhage."

Out of respect for their grief and their privacy Danta removed his physical and mental presence to allow them some privacy. Moments later when David left Danta sensed their combined grief. He flashed back to the deaths of his own team, those he had trained, lived, and fought with. Within moments of stepping onto the Kaste's ship Bass and Donr had been executed. Either out of fear or as a means of intimidation their motivation did nothing to lessen the images of spilling blood and the mental sound of his leaders unvoiced cries. With remorse he pushed those memories down. Deep and primitive emotions flashed to the surface. These were less painful. He stood at Qontakl as he pledged to serve the Phyon race as an Ondei warrior, to protect all against the Kaste.

Danta's people were Phyon, descended from a colony of three moons circling a gas giant in a system dominated by a large white star. The Kaste descended like a pack of carnivores on the moons. Their only goal appeared to be the consumption of the civilized worlds they encountered. Merciless and savage the Kaste stripped their victims of all processed goods.

The Phyon withstood the onslaught for five generations. They identified and trained their most sensitive children to fight. Those children were taught everything that could be learned about the Kaste, even the most insignificant details. Those that were the most gifted became the chosen, know as Ondie. Their lives were pledged to eliminate the Kaste plague. Teams of six, united in ability, were sent out to harass and destroy the Enemy's movements across the galaxy.

Alone, without his team, Danta's duty included protecting these people; his oath demanded nothing less. Hatred of the Kaste had been bred into him for generations. His first training as a child was the mental and physical exercises that strengthened the abilities at his command. Then came the two hundred years of information acquired about the Kaste.

After three generations of war the Ondie had dramatically thinned the Kaste's presence. But disaster occurred with the capture of the first Ondie team was captured. Danta watched the war turn from victory to defeat. The heroes of hundreds of battles began to fall victim to the Kaste's new tactics. By the time Danta and his team took their oaths and launched there were only seventeen teams left. The Phyon knew the end was not far off and the Ondie embarked on suicide missions as the colonies sent their refugees out into space.

Blith's death, so long ago, had been the result of captivity and abuse. As the stress took its toll and Blith shut out all contact. Danta did all he could to keep his partner active and alive. Blith's death tore at Danta but also motivated him to endure his time alone. When the Kaste came to take Blith's body Danta denied them that by shifting his friend into space. In his anger he forced his presence out through the open door. He rammed the three Kaste that has come for Blith into the corridor wall. Before they could slam the door on him, he reached out and overloaded all the electrical systems he could find, temporarily disabling the ship.

A hand touched his. He was sitting on the floor; Trish was knelling in front of him, Sam behind her. Her brow was creased in concern. Their emotional states assailed him.

"Sorry to disturb you, we were worried. You've been sitting here for hours."

Danta brought up images of his isolation in an attempt to strengthen his shields. He could still feel Trish's grief and her anger for failing David. Sam's desperation eased across a link to Trish and Danta felt guilty for intruding. The woman breached his shields with ease and Danta could find no weakness in them. He stood, backing away from them.

"It is unacceptable for me to intrude upon your grief, I chose to occupy my thoughts elsewhere. I meant not to concern you." Trish automatically translated for Sam and Guy.

"What will happen to David?" Sam asked after a moment of silence.

"They will take the body apart." Danta turned away from them.

"Dissect it?" Trish muttered, not entirely sure she understood him.

"To find weakness, learn about your kind." Danta visualized the process; Trish paled and sank to the floor at Sam's feet.

"What?" Sam demanded, frustrated at the delay.

"Dissection. He said, they will take him apart, literally, piece by piece."

"Hell no! I am not letting that happen to my people." Sam's voice rose.

"Like you could stop them," Guy mocked from across the room. Sam turned on him. The temperature in the room plunged.

Danta dropped his shields; he needed to feel the room, to know what their grief was doing to these people. Sam, only now, realized he had lost command and the respect of his people. Trish, lost a life, she never could have saved. Guy stood at the edge of his envelope, to him, realistically this could not be happening. Mentally and physically he was stressed beyond his breaking point. Each of them was looking for a way to balance out what they had lost with what they could gain. From Sam he felt a challenge, a need to prove he could still lead. Further away Guy exuded a hunger to test the strength of command. Trish's guilt and fear, projected into the room, only fueled the men's egos. Survival was no longer at issue. Danta inhaled slowly, cleansing mind and body. Exhaling he extended his presence. Filling the room, he became the room. His mind enveloped all within.

Trish, concerned at the turn events had taken, opened her mind to speak with Danta when a smothering force exploded from him. In an instant he was inside her shields, knowing what she knew, feeling what she felt. She felt his concern, fear, desperation, and then his shock at being in full contact with her. For a brief moment she saw herself from his point of view, suddenly pale and shaky. She felt the dishonor that overwhelmed him before he reached deeper to touch the core of her memories. Then like that, he was gone from her mind.

"This will stop!" Danta said and thought in their language. He spoke aloud, his voice deep, followed by a bell like echo that was felt not heard. He focused and placed a compulsion behind his words. Both the men stared at him.

"You want a piece of this Alien?" Guy drew out the last word as he advanced.

"I am now your enemy?" Danta stood his ground. "You kill me and they let you free." He threw out a long arm as if opening the door and letting them out. Guy hesitated. "This is a testing. If you pass you live." Danta's voice was filled with contempt. "You believe?" Danta stood taller, his shoulders pulled back, a lock white hair had pulled free of the tie and hung half way down the right side of his face.

Guy forced his feet forward. Each step was harder than the last. Each breath caught in his throat. Sweat broke out on his forehead and rolled silently down his back. Guy stood two meters in front of Danta. No one else dared to move. Guy was ridged, arms at his side, hands balled into tight fists, jaw clenched, his eyes locked on Danta. In contrast Danta remained relaxed, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, shoulders back, chin high, and neck exposed, presenting a non-confrontational front. He intensified that image. When he finally spoke, his tone was soft, like the wind blowing leaves across a field. It forced those around him to focus intently upon his words.

"I can assist you. Together is the only chance we have." He released his control of the room and waited in the stagnant silence for the confrontation. "Or do you believe you have the means to escape on you own?" Danta added in the same soft tone, speaking only verbally.

Sam bowed his head, depression radiating from him. He knew he had lost the control needed to pull off this kind of escape. In his mind he knew he had failed his team, himself, and his command. On a narrow line Danta sent Sam a blast of confidence. He needed to defuse the situation not debilitate the individuals. These people were sensitive but also volatile. If he could get them to work together they would have a reasonable chance of getting out alive. If not, their stay wouldn't be a pleasant one.

"Escape? Have you seen their armament? We won't even be able to find our way back to the landing bay." Trish was stunned.

"Shut up Trish," Guy said.

"You think there is a chance we can get out?" Sam asked.

"Sam you can't be . . . "

"Captain," Sam corrected Guy, taking back his authority. Sam turned to Danta waiting for an answer.

"There is always a chance," Danta said softly. "I have planned my escape a long time. Alone, there was little I could do. They coated the walls. It is a chemical dangerous to my people. Also, a barrier to my mind." Danta paused a moment. "When you opened the panel I went beyond. Second to the barrier is the alarm, the sound is pitched to affect telepathic receptors. Its effects are not reliable."

"I'd say it's effective enough. You dropped awfully fast," Guy taunted. "It even knocked Trish out. Won't be much of an escape with you two on the ground. This is ridiculous, he's just going to get us killed." Guy walked away.

"You will die here. We are not prisoners, we are specimens to be studied, cataloged, and destroyed. Stay and die, your only chance for living is escape." His words faltered slightly. "When I came here there were six of us. I am all that is left. Even the youngest of my people would risk the odds of dying during an escape rather than wait to be slaughtered." This time Danta turned his back on them.

Trish had been watching Sam throughout Danta's speech. Pain, fear, humiliation, guilt, and finally hope crossed her captain's face. After her first encounter with Danta she knew she would follow him. She also knew Sam would follow. Sam may have lost control, he may even have been unprepared to handle a situation like this, but he wasn't prideful or stupid enough to disregard potential help. Guy, on the other hand was a problem. If he wanted to stay and rot in the cell Trish was sure Danta would let him.

"I'll do whatever is necessary." Trish said. An image of the Citsen colony surfaced in the back of her mind, her home world as well as David's. A place David would never see again, a place Trish might never see again. Grief threatened to overcome her, then another image came to mind. A bright, sunny, morning. Tall trees with blue-green trunks and blue-white leaves spattered across a hillside. A small, white, sun hanging high in the sky and two large moons drifting at opposite ends of the horizon. The emotions elicited by the vision were of comfort, and warmth and peace. The scene shifted then spun away, stars and galaxies whizzed past. An unimaginable distance was crossed before the image centered on a ship. A ship Trish found disturbingly familiar. The Kaste ship.

"My home." I can never return. Danta faced Trish.

"Why not? If we escape..."

"That world no longer exists too call home." His thoughts were hollow, once they had brought him pain but that was long ago.

"I will guide and protect you." The words had a formal, ritualistic quality. He extended a hand to Trish, and she felt compelled to take it, sealing a bargain.

The physical contact brought her awareness tight against his. Danta drew back within the shield of his body. The elation he felt at the prospect of escape became an aura around him.

Sam shifted from foot to foot and Trish caught his look of envy. He could not accept Danta's offer. He still needed to be seen as a leader. Danta had to know that, Trish thought, he had to allow Sam to do things his way.

"What do you suggest?" Sam asked.

"I can't believe this!"

Sam ignored Guy, refusing to add any more fuel to an already burning issue.

"When I went beyond the cell," he pointed to the dispenser. "I saw ships in the bay, one level down."

"You think ours is there?" Trish asked. Danta placed the image of the ships in her mind. "She's there!"

"Is she under guard?" Sam asked.

"No." A hint of laughter colored Danta's voice. "This cell will hold you, they need no guard."

"What makes them so secure in their defenses?" Guy asked.

"This cell has held me for two of their generations. I have not been able to tested their outer defenses."

"If you don't know how strong their security is how can you expect to escape?" Guy continued to undermine the other's resolves.

"They have never wasted beings as guards. There is a limit on how many can be pulled away for their posts." Danta spoke with the knowledge gained from experience.

"Good enough. Go on." Sam dismissed Guy once again.

"With your help we can get out of the cell and I can get us to the ship. From there I make no promises. We will have to battle their outer defenses."

"What about that sound weapon?" Trish asked.

"If this escape is as easy as you say how come you're still here? If you can move things how'd they get a hold of your ship?" Guy interrupted.

"There are limits to all things." That was the only answer Danta gave, his face hardening.

"What about the sound?" Trish asked again. There was a long pause while Danta considered her question.

"There are risks to all things."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam said.

Danta took a deep breath. "I do not know if this system is fitted beyond this room. It takes a special speaker, and if I can reach the transmitter before I am affected I will destroy it. There is a good chance you are resistant and will be less effected a second time.

"What about you?" Trish's concern was apparent.

"There are risks," he said.

"What happens if they catch us?" Sam asked.

"Punishment." Emotions tore at his features as the memories of his friends assailed him.

"What kind?" Trish said.

"An example will be made to deter further attempts."

"You mean they would kill one of us." Sam paced the cell. "So it's a slow death here or a quick death out there."

"Can't the two of you see this is a trap? Rats trapped in a maze," Guy said.

"They will come for him soon." Danta pointed. "They will take him to the scientists. He will be studied; they will learn your weaknesses and use them against your people. Our chance lies when the come to take David."

"How do you expect us to take on armed guards?" Guy shot. "We have no weapons, or haven't you noticed?"

"A weapon is anything you use against the enemy. We have many weapons we can use." Danta's white eyes fixed on Guy, making him fidget. "Fear is often the only weapon needed."

"I'm sensing something." Trish said, catching everyone off guard. "Danta what do they feel like?" He responded by broadcasting to her what he felt.

The prospect of escape set his nerves on fire. The thing he had spent years envisioning, attempting only in his mind loomed nearer. Would the Kaste have altered the ship, or changed their procedures? The uncertainty of what lay behind the door attacked his resolve. He took a deep breath to slow his hart. Once beyond the cell walls he would know the interior of the ship. The location of every Kaste would be a mark on his mental map of the ship. Soon the enemy would come. If the repressor activated he would have to be prepared. Danta withdrew his presence, tightening, coiling as a snake prepared to strike. Adrenaline and ketsetin flooded his system, the first, heightening his physical system and the second heightening his psychic system. The iced calmness of battle readiness swept through Danta's mind.

"Can you still sense them?" Danta asked.

"Someone is still out there." She pointed near the door. "May even be more than one."

"What do we do?" Sam's tone betrayed insecurity.

Sam never received an answer. The door opened allowing four Kaste to enter. One stopped just inside, the second stopped half way into the room while the last two moved toward David. All the guards carried rifle like weapons.

"Back away from the door," Danta advised Trish, who cautiously edged away from the door. "It happens."

Danta collapsed onto his knees just as the two guards bent to pick up David. The sudden movement attracted their attention. The other two brought their weapons to bear. In the next instant they found themselves unarmed. Both of the missing weapons appeared at Sam's feet. The other guards dropped David's body with a sick thud as they fought to free the weapons slung across their backs.

As time slowed Danta knew this would be a dangerous moment. The physical manipulation of the first two weapons, a heart beat apart had been a stressful undertaking. To do the same with the remaining weapons could dangerously deplete his strength.

Trust these people, he told himself. The Kaste guards were shouting something Danta failed to interpret, their weapons coming to bear on him. He focused on them, but before he took action a mental cry of triumph exploded from Sam as he fired one of the weapons Danta left at his feet. The shot tore through one of the armed guards. Danta wasted no time shifting the weapon from the other guard and depositing it at Guy's feet. The suddenly weaponless guard knew his duty, stop the Phyon at all costs. He threw himself at Danta.

Danta knew the attack was coming, he wanted the attack to come, but a long time had passed since he had been tested physically. The guard hit him hard in the ribs, knocking him to the floor.

"Sam, the door!" Trish screamed before a guard attacked her.

The guard nearest the door was attempting to escape. Sam, who knew his first shot had been pure luck, took the time he didn't have to aim the heavy weapon. The Kaste managed to open the door before Sam's shot tore through its back. Sam and Guy rushed to assist Trish in her struggle.

Danta's fight ended quickly. Years of pent up anger, frustration, and desperation were unleashed against the guard. Ondei fighters possessed a unique arsenal of abilities. One of those was emotion. In an unconscious response to the attack, Danta bombarded his opponent with an emotional maelstrom. Its effect was obvious confusion. His opponent faltered and did not live long enough to regret it. Danta rushed in, pinning the guard's head in the crook of his elbow and yanking it back, Danta dropped to his knees shattering its neck.

Across the cell Trish was also locked in combat. Sam stood by anxious and ready to step in and assist. So far he had been unable to do much more then shout encouragement. Overcoming his shock, Guy retrieved the weapon in front of him. Danta, also, awaited a chance to join Trish's fight, a fight she too wasted no time in ending. Managing to overbalance her heavier opponent she sent it crashing to the floor. Sam recognized the maneuver and was on the guard the moment it hit, the heavy weapon pressed tightly against its throat. The guard froze. Danta acted while there was time. Coming in quickly from behind Sam, he kicked the Kaste guard just above its hip, hard enough to move the guard a meter across the floor. The guard gasped once before dyeing, the shattered bones of its his shredding its heart.

"What the hell?" Sam turned on Danta.

"There was no choice," Danta said before Guy slammed into him from behind. Screaming incoherently he pummeled Danta's back. Trish and Sam moved to stop the new fight. They both knew there wasn't any time to waste, the clock had been started and the race was on. The guards would be expected somewhere with David's body. Sam tried to pry Guy's arm from around Danta's neck, but stopped when he noticed the look of absolute terror on Guy's face as Danta's anger flooded across the physical bridge. It was over; the passion to fight vanished leaving Guy physically drained. Sam snatched the back of Guy's uniform, dragging him away from Danta and slamming him against the wall, Sam pointed his gun at Guy.

"If you act without orders again soldier, I will shoot you for mutiny!" Sam shouted. All his emotions vanished; Guy then understood the need to follow orders.

"Yes, sir."

"And you!" Sam swung the gun around at Danta. "Don't interfere in matters of military importance. You need us just as much as we need you."

Danta held Sam's angry stare before answering. "He could not have been helpful." The truth in those words rang in Sam's mind. "I will follow your command. As long as no lives are in danger." Danta walked between Sam and Guy heading toward the door. As he passed, Guy thrust out a foot tripping Danta. Danta staggered a few steps before he was forced to use his left hand to prevent his head from crashing into the wall. Sam slammed the butt of his weapon in Guy's stomach.

"Don't test me Lieutenant," Sam said, through clenched teeth.

Trish caught Danta's mental cry of anguish just before his shields came down so tightly she couldn't sense him at all.

"What's wrong?" Silence was her answer. If he had been facing her Trish might have seen the intense flash of pain that crossed his face when he touched the coated the wall.

"Trish get the other two guns. We'd better get moving." Confidence returned to Sam's voice. "Move it mister," Sam said to Guy. "Danta, are we ready?"

"The panel right of the door must be accessed." His composure regained, Danta forced all else from his mind and returned to the task at hand.

"Will there be guards on the other side?"

"These two in white are our guards," Danta said. Trish tried to give him one of the weapons. "I cannot use the weapon." He said stepping aside giving Sam room to work on the door.

Sam took aim, and with the weapon on what he hoped was it's lowest setting, fired into the panel. It exploded in a brief shower of iridescent sparks.

"Well shit," Guy said, waving away the smoke. "The wiring is all fried. I'd say that was a dumb idea."

Danta smiled at the man's ability to make the worst of any situation. Using a narrow focus he searched out the high-pressure hydraulic system for the door. He tried to be careful not to trigger the alarm, but he had to open the door soon, alarm or no. He found the circuit and the door snapped open.

"Go," Danta commanded. "Kill anyone you see. No prisoners." Sam glanced briefly at Danta before sprinting down the hall to the curtain. Trish was next out the doorway.

"I'll bring up the rear," Guy spit at Danta, making it clear he did not want Danta behind him. Danta wasted no time challenging Guy.

Sam slipped through the curtain and Danta's mind flashed past him extending outward in all directions. His view from this perspective was like looking down at a live map. He sighed with relief noting the clear path ahead of Sam. Danta reached out toward the hanger deck. At a distance thirty meters his presence snapped back to his physical position. Confused and disoriented, the sudden shift sent him reeling. Trish caught him by the arm and kept him from falling. Danta flinched against the pain in his hand and forearm. Trish noticed the dark skin of his hand was marred by gray streaks that ran half way to his elbow.

"What's this?" Trish gasped silently.

"Don't concern yourself. We have greater concerns right now," Danta replied. He set up a warning perimeter at twenty meters out. As one they joined Sam at a bend in the corridor.

"What's the plan?" Sam asked.

"Half way down this corridor another crosses it. They are clear now. I cannot sense far enough to say if it will stay clear for long. We aim for the cross-corridor and go right, as fast as possible. If we run across anyone I will disarm then."

"And we'll do the rest," Guy growled.

"Once we start firing, they'll know we've escaped. No shooting unless necessary," Sam informed Guy. "Clear?"

"Go," Urged Danta. Half way to the intersection he heard the cluttered thoughts of the enemy. Panicked that he had not heard them sooner he pushed out in all directions. They were there, twelve meters away, on the other side of a wall. Danta relaxed, a bit.

"They're near?" Trish's mental voice radiated fear.

"Beyond the walls."

They reached the intersection and Sam signaled the others to wait.

"Danta?"

"Clear now, we must move with speed. They are many to the left." Sam nodded, and flung himself around the corner, the others followed. The corridor angled back slightly in the direction they'd come from. Twenty meters down the corridor, it turned again to the right. Sam, in the lead, pressed himself flat against the wall. One by one the rest of the escape party copied him.

Danta searched outward. Beyond the corner the corridor opened out on to the hanger bay. They were on the middle deck of the Kaste ship. Their corridor continued back toward the rear of the ship, but the left-hand wall ended three meters past the corner. It opened out to give an unobstructed view of the hanger bay. Below them were several Kaste long-range fighters, a few shuttles, and a menagerie of other craft, some Kaste, some not. Above hung fifty racks holding almost as many flash fighters ready for launch. Danta knew the ship had two such bays, and that tucked somewhere below them were an additional one hundred flash fighters waiting to be pulled out and loaded onto the launch racks.

"Well. Danta?" Sam was eager for the battle ahead.

"They are twenty-six. Four on this level, beyond. Another eighteen below on the deck, four more above in the fighter racks, they are unarmed. Most are calm or bored. We are still undiscovered."

"Our ship?" Sam asked.

"Trish, show me your ship." Danta matched her mental picture to a ship at the edge of his range. He noted the detail of the image she sent him, including the final blast burn to mar the ship's hull sending it spinning into the Kaste's tractor beam.

"Your ship stands below," Danta said. "Left of us, near the bay door. I believe it has not moved since it was brought aboard."

"If they've messed with the ship we're stuck. Even if they haven't, an emergency cold start takes ten minutes. We won't have that kind of time. They'll just take us out, ship and all." Guy's panic was beginning to affect the others.

"He's right Sam," Trish added.

"Sir," Danta's addressed Sam, his voice low and soothing. "If you are willing to show me your knowledge of the ship's systems I might be able to start it from here."

"Whoa, hold it. Like hell. Wrong buddy, you can't possibly..." Guy said. Trish rushed to quiet him before anyone overheard him.

"Guy, give it a rest. You want them to find us now? Our lives are hanging in a balance here, don't start rocking things." Trish's eyes betrayed the frustration pent up inside her. Guy opened his mouth to speak.

"Hold your tongue Lieutenant," Sam said, his weapon once again pointing at Guy. "Danta I don't have Trish's ability," Sam said, his eyes never leaving Guy.

"It is not necessary. All you need do is bring the knowledge to the surface. Think about your ship. Concentrate on the start up procedures. Physical contact is needed to transfer the knowledge." Sam stared at Danta's proffered hand. The large, dark skinned hand. Sam looked from the hand to the face. Danta's eyes were an extreme contrast to his dark skin. The white eyes, with white irises bordered by a fine gray line, even the pupils were white. Those white eyes unnerved Sam but he could feel Danta's confidence, and more than anything else he wanted to go home. Taking a deep breath, he met Danta's hand with his own. For a second Sam felt like he was in free fall, then his mind jumped to the Last Ditch. In less than a second Danta knew all Sam knew about the their ship.

"It's done," Danta said.

"We need to be somewhere more secure," Trish said.

"Shit," Sam said when Danta released his hand. "My whole arm hurts," he complained.

"The pain is not yours," Danta told him, his face tightly controlled. "The contact was too close." Sam stared at him in disbelief; suddenly the pain was gone. Even the memory of the pain faded rapidly. "The area is still clear, we can stay here until we are ready."

"Yea, right." Guy growled.

"You got any better ideas?" Trish growled back.

Doing his best to ignore Guy's hostility, Danta focused tightly on the Last Ditch. He explored the ship's systems. Everything looked in working order. The Kaste had not yet gotten around to examining the ship. A single twitch of his mind initiated the ship's emergency start up sequence. The ships internal systems came on line, initiating its self-check, and checklist. By the time they reached the ship it would be ready for them. While he was there Danta turned on the weapons system allowing them to warm up as well.

Danta's vision blanked. Fear gripped his heart. He struggled to regain the fragile balance he'd established. Earlier Danta felt sure his exposure to the coating on the wall had been brief and he would suffer no dramatic or permanent side effects. He was not so sure now. Closing his eyes, he focused on his physical presence, dragging his awareness back like a reluctant child. The pain in his arm exploded to the front of his mind, he used it as an anchor. Cautiously Danta opened his eyes; Trish and Sam stood before him.

"Are you okay?" Trish said in voice and mind, expressing the concern both she and Sam displayed on their faces. "Do you need help?"

Once more in control Danta pushed himself off the wall he'd used to support himself. "The ship is preparing itself for flight and fight." Danta's voice was steady and he managed to add a fair amount of strength to his words.

Sam took Danta's hint and moved on to their next problem. "We'll need some kind of distraction in order to get down there." Sam said.

Danta stuck his head around the corner and surveyed the ships in the bay. On the wall to their far left was a ship whose design Danta found familiar. A Stiliry fighter, probably taken around the same time Danta had been captured. The ship stood untouched. Stiliry were noted for security, their ships rigged to explode if messed with. Danta had no doubts the crew of that ship had killed themselves upon capture. Their bodies sitting in an eternal vigil at the controls of their ship. Stiliry security consisted of an intense retinal scan. Danta was aware that the last action of the crew would have been priming the ship's detonation system. The Kaste knew better then to touch or move the ship. The whole thing made a perfect diversion.

With a plan in mind Danta turned back to the others, who were engaged in a heated discussion carried out in strained whispers. "Excuse me," Danta interrupted. "The diversion is ready."

Sam stopped mid sentence. Guy and Trish carried on as if they hadn't heard. "Even if we get to the ship how are we supposed to get out of the bay?" Guy gloated at getting in the last word.

"The Kaste will open the bay doors for us." Danta replied. "Brace yourselves." Danta didn't wait for further discussion on the matter. He dropped to the ground and pressed against the wall. Visualizing the hatch plate on the Stiliry ship Danta pushed it. An electrical charge started building before Danta could withdraw from the area.

The explosion sent tremors throughout the ship. The sound was muffled but the flash was bright enough to blind everyone in the area. As the flash faded Danta grabbed Trish's sleeve pulling her around the corner.

"Come on," Danta urged. They made their way along the wall, heading for the stairs. On the level below them the Kaste danced about, some running for fire equipment, others dragging the wounded or dead away form the destruction zone. To Sam, Guy, and Trish, there didn't seem to be enough damage to cause the frantic state of the beings below. The explosion rained bits of metal and plastic in a rough circle, forty meters in diameter. A white dust coated everything within the circle. A dense gold cloud remained suspended above the spot where the ship had been.

"An electric charge ignited the atmosphere within that ship," Danta explained. "The vapor is as deadly as the explosion." They could see the cloud slowly fanning out, caught in the ships circulating system. "Even a trace of the gas is fatal for oxygen breathers. We must get to the Last Ditch now!" Both verbal and mental tones stressed the urgency of his words.

As if planned, Trish edged ahead of Danta taking the point. Guy dropped back to cover their rear. Sam took a position watching the racks above them, together they pressed forward.

The survival instinct overcame the four escapees, their doubts, fears, insecurities, and petty plays for power vanished. This was the type of situation all of them had been trained for. Combat, in one form of another was the business they had chosen, or been chosen for. They knew what was expected of them and nothing else mattered now.

A second Kaste fired on them. Its shot impacting on the deck in front of Danta. Guy, Trish, and Sam fired as one the second Kaste died. Stealth no longer on their side they crept to the head of the stairs. Their exchange only catching the attention of a couple of those on the bay floor, the rest were too busy to notice. A single guard raised its weapon. Danta reached out to shift the weapon, half way to the target his vision dimmed. Quickly withdrawing, he wondered as he had earlier if his exposure might have been toxic, that kind of compromise to his abilities would end their efforts to escape.

"Guy, that guard there." Danta pointed.

"My pleasure." Guy sighted on the Kaste, then with slow deliberate pleasure he fired the weapon. The Kaste dropped. In mass they rushed to the bay deck below. They were exposed when they hit the bay deck, each alert to every movement and sound.

As they headed for cover, a half-dismantled ship, Danta worried his plan might have failed all together. The bay doors still stood tightly secured against the blackness of space. If the Kaste did not open the doors they were going to have one hell of a time getting out. Time seemed to have swept Danta along; hours seemed to have passed since they had escaped the cell. Looking at the gas cloud Danta realized only minutes had passed since the explosion. The cloud was now slowly settling to the floor.

A deep rumbling, vibration startled the others, this was what Danta had been waiting for. Slowly the great bay doors were grinding apart. An intense magnetic field held in most of the atmosphere, while elsewhere on the bridge the field was weakened allowing a controlled release of air.

His spirits lifted Danta shooed the group forward, they'd stopped when the bay doors opened. "Go on!" He commanded them. "Left of the doors. The ship is there."

Sam spotted the Ditch and needed no further prompting, grabbing Trish he propelled her along in front of him. Guy and Danta were several steps behind him. From the deck above came shouts of alarm. They had finally been discovered. Premonition and warning flashed through Danta's mind. The interference from the toxin in his system continued to plague his abilities. His arm hurt terribly so he carried it close to his body. Without his extended senses and defenses he was vulnerable, and he felt useless. Maybe, he thought, I can still fulfill my debt owed to the Kaste. Visually he began to plot his final attack on his life long enemy. They dodged from ship to ship amid the random fire from the deck behind them. Guy, a mere step ahead of Danta as Trish and Sam stopped in the shelter of a small shuttle. Guy suddenly backed away from the shuttle nearly colliding with Danta. The ship like most in the bay was in the process of being stripped. Sections of hull platting had been removed and the shuttle's wire and pipe guts lay exposed for all to see. The uncovered framework took on the look of some large beast's bones baking in the sun. It wasn't the condition of the ship that had attracted Guy's interest.

"Sam, isn't this a S.R.D. shuttle?" Guy asked.

"An S.R.D.?" Sam stepped back to get a better look.

"Sgsnllte Resesei Devssln, can't be," Trish said in disbelief.

"No he's right. Look here at these markings," Sam said. Amazed that despite the state the shuttle there appeared to be no real damage. "We must be well within Star Defense territory now."

Danta again felt the need to be wary. The air around them changed, before he could react, they were under attack. The Kaste found a better vantage point and began strafing them from above. Danta shouted a warning in his native tongue, too unnerved to worry about translating. Trish spun firing on the Kaste she could see.

"We need to move or they'll pin us boys," she shouted above the noise.

"Give me a count," Sam ordered.

"Two on the walkway above."

"I've got three on the ground to our right," Guy added.

"At least two more back the way we came," Trish said, sweeping the bay with fire for emphasis.

"That makes seven."

"Six," Trish amended.

"How's the line to the ship?" Sam asked.

"Clear for now. They'll figure out which ship we're heading for soon enough," Danta answered, after sending out a brief tendril of awareness. The effort was followed by a momentary bout of dizziness.

"Five left. Closing in," Guy warned.

"Break for the ship. Guy, first. I'll bring up the rear," Sam ordered. In order they broke around the nose of the shuttle, firing as they went. Guy in front, Trish next, Danta staying close to Trish and Sam behind clipping a Kaste as he swung around the shuttle.

Nearing their destination Danta felt the familiar pangs of premonition. Things were about to go horribly wrong, his sensory restriction prevented him finding and dealing with the threat. Every step he took brought stronger warnings. Even the breaths he took tasted of death. Time stalled, slowing further by the overwhelming sense of dread. Instinctively Danta prepared for action. Ahead Guy dropped to a knee firing to his left. The remains of a long sleek fighter obscured Danta's view. Trish reached Guy's side firing over his shoulder.

"Get to the ship!" Guy yelled.

Sam and Danta reached their position simultaneously. Sam never slowed, he shoved Trish into motion as he shot passed. Firing with his other hand, he dropped another Kaste while crossing the last open space between them and the Last Ditch. Danta, overcome by the need to do something, noticed the large number of Kaste surrounding them. If they didn't reach the ship within the next few seconds none of them would leave. Passing Guy, Danta slowed.

"NOW!" He projected the word on all levels, with intense emotion.

Guy jumped to his feet as two more of the enemy dropped. He sprinted after Danta, his attention riveted on the threat to their left, and he failed to notice the danger approaching on the right.

The warnings peeked in Danta's mind. The moment had come. Turning he watched as it unfolded in front of him.

Guy saw Danta turn, saw the look on his face and realized he had really messed up this time and it was going to cost a life. His life.

Danta on the other hand was not ready to allow that to happen. Training told Guy to turn and fight, something else more primitive and more compelling told him to run. Inside he knew that something, was from Danta. This time that knowledge held no fear. Survival, he realized lay in the dark hands of the white eyed stranger. Since entering the Star Defense Guy never allowed himself to rely on anyone or anything but himself. That had been wrong. He had resisting Danta out of fear. Fear of the unknown, death, and mostly fear of personal failure. Now he knew his self-reliance might kill him here and now. Danta was barreling toward him at a speed uncharacteristic of a human being. Guy saw Danta flinch, and somehow in his own mind he saw the flash from an enemy weapon above, he saw the projectile's course intersect with his own head. Guy threw himself to the deck. The shot, a mass of glowing energy, slashed past a hand span above him. Rolling he brought his weapon to bare, missing, but a hair closer then the enemy's shot had been.

Danta skidded to a halt next to Guy, just as Guy's second shot also went wide. "Wait." Danta's words forestalled Guy's third shot. Far above the sniper fired a second shot. The energy bolt filled their vision as it pulsed toward them. Danta reacted, raising both his hands above his head, he curved his awareness into an arch creating a shield between them and death. When the bolt struck, the energy crackled exploding and dissipating in an azure haze. When the contact occurred Danta folded the arch down on top of the bolt then he slammed it into the deck and visually tracing a path back along the metal to the sniper. The azure glow raced along the path, losing none of its speed. Before the return shot reached its victim Danta hauled Guy to his feet. Together they sped across the last few meters to the ship.

For Danta time still refused to resume its normal pace. Somewhere a hidden warning continued to play on his subconscious. He felt as though something vital had been forgotten. A mere five meters from the safety of the ship it became painfully clear precisely what he'd forgot.

The alarm.

Trish and Sam waited in the air lock of the Last Ditch. Trish watched in horror as Danta collapsed. Sam's biting grip on her arm kept her from rushing out to help him, then even the pain of Sam's hold vanished as she felt the vibration build slowly in frequency. The alarm was twice the strength she remembered from the cell. In an instant she too collapsed.

Danta heard the alarm, sensed its effects on his physical and mental stability. Fighting for each step, breath, and thought, took its toll. He faltered, going down hard he cracked his chin forcefully on the cold deck. His iron will to remain in control evaporating, leaving him dazed, his consciousness ebbing from him.

In a graceful feet of agility Guy avoided Danta as he fell. In mid air Guy turned. Alien or not Danta had risked his life to save Guy even after everything Guy had done to him. He reacted as though Danta were a part of their team, a part of the Last Ditch's crew

The hull of the Last Ditch shielded Danta and Trish from the effects of the alarm allowing them to recover. Danta rolled on his side and levered himself into a sitting position. Across from him Trish rested against a wall, her knees drawn close to her body and her head resting on her knees. Danta's head and chin hurt, and his jaw ached terribly. In spite of the pain Danta knew he still had a job to finish. A job only he was left alive, to do. A job he had to do before the ship left the bay. The attempt would press him beyond the limits he had encountered so far. The consequences of which might cost him his life. A risk he was glad to take.

"There's no other choice," he said aloud. This is what he'd been born to do, waited all his life to do. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind, blocking out all physical sensory awareness; he extended himself beyond the Last Ditch. Danta pushed deep into the center of the Kaste ship. The mission he embarked upon was one he had imagined thousands of times. Those journeys prepared him well and he sped toward the heart of the big ship. He had no trouble ignoring the distractions around him. The alarm continued to vibrate throughout the ship, sending pilots to the fighters in the racks over head. If Danta hadn't been so focused on the mission at hand he might have lost valuable time wrecking the ship's launching systems. Time and energy, though, was not at his command. His vision dimmed and nearly panicked. He cut his reach and snapped back to the safety of the Last Ditch. Narrowing his focus made his immediate surroundings sharper. There was his goal. The ship's propulsion system, a two-meter cylinder suspended in a fluid filled chamber. Tubes and wires spread outward from the chamber in all directions, some ending at control panels, while others pierced the engine room walls sending power throughout the ship. All too simple, he felt, shift the cylinder from its liquid surrounding to the bridge. The liquid in the cylinder would react to the air, blowing the bridge into space. For a single second Danta held his bomb suspended in the center of the Kaste bridge for all to see. He dropped the cylinder to the deck with a loud crash, shattering it and releasing its liquid contents.

"It's done," Danta said as he crumpled.

Trish stood on shaky legs and palmed the intercom. "Sam. Danta's done something to the Kasten ship."

"What?" Sam didn't understand. He had too much on his mind to spare any time on trivial matters.

"I think Danta used his powers to sabotage the Kaste ship. We have to go now. We have to get as far away as we can, now." Trish spoke with such calm, Sam's blood chilled in his veins, igniting a sense of urgency that overwhelmed him.

"Hold on guys and gals, the ship is leaving the station. Please have your tickets ready," Sam joked, throwing switches, checking gauges, and turning dials. "Emergency maneuvers. Secure for laser launch." Sam stated for the computer record.

In the rear of the ship Trish struggled with getting Danta into a compression net. When he was in she quickly spun one around herself.

On the bridge Sam hit, what David had called the Ditch Switch. The sudden whine of the laser generator was the last thing he heard before all aboard the Last Ditch blacked out from the pressure of the launch.

Sometime later Sam was drug back to consciousness by an incessant and unmerciful beeping. He recognized it as their distress homing beacon. Strange he thought since he hadn't activated it. With the issue of the beacon still unsolved Sam received another shock. A response tone squealed across the static of the radio.

"Last Ditch come in. We have you on the scanner now, how may we assist?" A crisp military voice said.

"This is Last Ditch. Captain Samuel Carstit speaking. To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Sir this is Comet's Tail, under the orders of Captain Jo Dan Merritt. Are you in need of aid Captain?"

"Yes, sir, we are. Our status is a red alert. Be on the look out for an enemy vessel."

"Not to worry on the E.V. Captain. We monitored an explosion at their last known position, a half an hour ago. We were on our way there when we picked up your distress. If you can brake for two we'll tractor you in."

"Thank you sir. Braking commencing. See you on board. Last Ditch out." When he finished with the braking maneuver Sam unstrapped and went to check on his crew. In the common room Trish and Guy had Danta laid out on a couch.

"How is he?" Sam asked.

"Unconscious, but he seems stable," Trish said.

"Comet's Tail is dragging aboard. Someone sent a distress out?" Sam hinted at a question. Both Trish and Guy shrugged a negative response.

"Home?" Danta whispered.

"You're awake." Trish's relief was felt by all.

"You blew up the ship, didn't you?" Sam said.

"It's gone?" Guy stared in amazement at Danta. Danta nodded, his white eyes glowing with relief.

"Is there anything I can do for this?" Trish asked examining his arm and the gray streaks that had slowly appeared on it.

"Carbon, in powder. It will take several weeks to heal. And a week of sleep would help." He managed a smile.

"I think that's something we could all use," Sam agreed.

END