When we come to my quarters, the door slides open in response to my presence. Soraya steps inside, but I stop in the doorway and turn to face our escort.

Lora takes a step back from me, raising her weapon. "Go on. I'm behind you." She jerks her head toward the open doorway.

"I would prefer to treat her in privacy," I respond, ignoring her pulse rifle and meeting her eyes.

She shakes her head. "No way. You could have weapons stashed in there. I'm coming with you to make sure you're doing what you claim."

"I could search the room first," Pelak offers.

My mind races in search of a response. If I allow him to search my quarters, he may find the transponder. However, protesting too vehemently could give them the impression I do have something to hide.

Lora spares me from having to answer. "It's not just that. After what's been done to her, the last thing she needs is getting shoved into a room alone with a Peacekeeper. So you stand guard outside, I'll supervise while he fixes her up."

Pelak and I exchange a puzzled glance. He frowns at his comrade. "Weren't you about to shoot her?"

"I want her dead, not tortured. I still give a dren about our code of honor. Part of that code involves paying for failure. Another part of it says we don't inflict unnecessary suffering." She raises her chin in a way that says further argument is futile.

I decide not to antagonize her by debating the merits of her so-called code of honor. Instead, I allow her to follow me into my quarters. When the door closes behind us, I mentally congratulate myself on having separated the two resistance fighters. Lora leans against the wall near the door, still on alert and pointing the pulse rifle. This would not be the optimal moment to take it from her.

I get the med kit from its storage compartment and set it on the bed. Inside the kit, I find a small set of scissors, which I use to cut Soraya's bonds. She winces as I knead her hands to restore the blood flow. The cables left deep bruises, and I hold up one of her arms for Lora to see. "This was necessary?"

Lora shrugs. "The girl came to us saying she needed our help, but when Terryl asked for the transponder, she didn't want to hand it over. He ordered a couple of us to take it by force, and your ship here shot both of them. I don't call that necessary. When the transponder stopped working, I wasn't going to complain about her getting tied up." She looks down at my chest, too much of a soldier to look away from me, but unable to meet my eyes. "It's all they did after that... that's what I'd call unnecessary."

Soraya turns to face me and wraps her arms around waist. "Thank you."

I put my hands on Soraya's shoulders and push her gently away before sitting down on the bed and gesturing for her to do the same. She sits beside me and remains stoic as I clean and seal the cuts on her face. Though I wanted to do worse to her after finding out she had stolen the transponder, I now find myself furious with her tormentors.

When I have finished with her face, I ask, "Are you injured anywhere else?"

She shakes her head. "No, not badly, anyway."

Careful to avoid her injuries, I cup her chin and force her to look me in the eyes. "You're lying. At least tell me if there is anything more I can do."

"I'll heal. Just fix Talyn." She leans against me, trembling as badly as she did when I found her on Kateri.

I glance at Lora over the top of Soraya's head and see that she has lowered her pulse rifle and is staring at us with a mixture of impatience and disgust. I bring my lips close to Soraya's ear, hoping that once again, this broken girl will be more capable than she appears.

"I need your help," I whisper.

She runs a hand through my hair, and I feel her cheek brush mine as she nods.

"Pretend you are leaning on me for support. When we get close to Lora, stumble and grab her arm." Not daring any further communication, I kiss her on the forehead, then stand up, pulling her with me.

Soraya keeps an arm around my waist and teeters convincingly. "That stuff you put on me, I think it made me dizzy."

I mentally curse her over-creative theatrics, but Lora does not seem suspicious. Soraya lurches forward, seizes Lora's sleeve, and falls to her knees with a yelp I doubt is fained. As I had hoped, Lora's attention is momentarily focused on Soraya, allowing me the opportunity I need. I slam my fist into the fighter's head, and she crumples to the floor, where I take the pulse rifle from her limp hands.

I aim the weapon at the door and call to Soraya, "Get the transponder from the third compartment down on the left side of the wall." I then tap my comm. "DRD, now, above the doorway!"

I press the button to open the door, then step back. When Pelak enters, he does so through a mist of coolant. As he coughs, I strike him with the butt of my newly-acquired pulse rifle. He reels back, raising his weapon and attempting to aim. I sidestep his shot and knock him to the floor with a sweeping kick. When the muzzle of my weapon touches his temple, he tosses his own aside and spreads his hands in a gesture of surrender.

Soraya hands me the transponder and collects Pelak's pulse rifle.

"Drag your comrade into the hallway," I tell Pelak.

He rises first to his hands and knees, then to his feet. "They'll just starve you out. Hardly seems worth it."

"I appreciate your concern, Pelak. Now move her."

He places his hands under Lora's armpits and moves her through the doorway. When both are outside, I shut the door, put the transponder in place, and tap my comm. "Kateri, wake Talyn."