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  “No!” His vehemence surprised her. “The Erians must be purged. They are debauched. Not even fit to be slaves. They would corrupt and contaminate all who came in contact with them. In fact,” He frowned slightly, a white indentation appearing between his black-on-black eyes. “I wish you to take special care, Commander K. You must not even speak to them or allow them to see your face.”

  K felt a mild surprise at his orders which seemed extreme. “I will, of course, avoid contamination at all costs, Sentinel.”

  “See that you do.” His eyes burned into hers. “I have great plans for you, K. You are the most promising Paladin I have seen come up through the ranks in too many cycles to count.”

  “Thank you. I am most gratified by your trust in me.” K felt a mild pleasure and then wished she had not. A Paladin of her level ought be able to hear the grimmest news or most lavish praise without even a hint of emotion. Still, she would get there soon if she progressed as the Sentinel expected.

  “You have earned it. When you return to Athena I think you will be ready to take the fifth level trials.”

  Another faint surge of pleasure made her clench her jaw. “I had not thought to be ready for that for another two cycles.”

  “Oh, you’re ready, K. You must be. We can wait no longer for—” He broke off abruptly. “Just see that you dispatch the Erians quickly and with minimal contact. Then set a course back to Athena.”

  “I will do as you say.” K nodded again.

  “Very well. Do not fail me, Commander K. Sentinel out.” His image flickered and disappeared with a faint hum.

  K closed the com-link and stepped into the command area of her ship to look at the vessel on the viewscreen. It was clearly from Eros. The sleek pink sides made of gallixium, a metal found only on the fifth planet from the Prometheus system’s yellow sun, glimmered softly in the cool black of space. What it was doing here, on the far side of Minotaur which was mostly inhabited by ravenous reptilian beasts, was a mystery. But mystery or not, it was not Purist and therefore must be purged.

  “Get ready to engage,” K told her pilot. “Our orders are to kill on contact and leave no survivors.”

  The pilot turned, clearly surprised. “But, Commander. The pshalite mines—we were told that every available slave is needed.”

  “You heard me, Six.” K gave him a slight frown to signal her displeasure. “These orders come directly from the High Sentinel himself. Purge them all.”

  There was a faint murmur around the command area as the rest of the purge squad took this in. It wasn’t the killing that bothered them—K was certain of that. Paladins were trained to kill without mercy or emotion from an early age. Waste, however, was shameful and not in keeping with the concept of Purity.

  At the moment there was a push for more pshalite, the mineral that fueled the hyperdrives of most interstellar ships. Rumors filtering down through the ranks spoke of a massive campaign in the making. Possibly one that would encompass the entire Prometheus system. K didn’t know about that—it was not her place to know. She only knew that she must follow the High Sentinel’s orders without question. To do anything less meant both dishonor and death.

  “Four and Five,” she snapped at her gunners. “When we board them I’ll want you on my right flank. Three and Two on the left. One, you’re bringing up the rear. Six will remain with the ship as always and plot a course for home.” She nodded at her pilot. “Take us the fastest rout possible, Six. I want a straight line trajectory back to Athena.”

  The pilot frowned slightly. “Your pardon, Commander K, but that will take us much closer to Colossus that is safe. Maybe if we were to detour and pass by Pan instead—”

  “I said the fastest rout, not the safest rout, Six,” K admonished him. “Do you fear the giants so much you would yield to cowardice?”

  His chin snapped up and he glared at her. “I fear nothing. I feel nothing, Commander.” The Paladin’s code.

  “Clearly you do or you wouldn’t keep questioning my orders, Six. Plot the course and be ready to engage the moment we finish with the Erian vessel.”

  “Commander, please, I do not fear for myself. But you are too valuable to risk. I—” Six had risen from his seat and now he took a step toward her. His eyes were full of some emotion K couldn’t read and his hand…his hand was outstretched as though to touch her.

  Though the thick black webbing of their skinsuits covered both his hand and her arm the gesture was still completely unacceptable. Contact was forbidden, a fact that was drummed into every Paladin, male or female, from the moment they were assisted from the artificial womb by the birthing mechanoid. That Six would even think of touching her, let alone act to do so, was a grave offense.

  “Remember your place, Paladin.” K amplified her commanding contralto through her suit, making it sharp enough to cause pain. “You dare to approach me so?”

  “Forgive me, Commander. It was only my regard for you that made me forget myself.” Six stopped abruptly, his hand dropping to his side. His cowl was down and K could see that his cheeks and the tips of his ears were red with embarrassment.

  “Allowing yourself such emotions, even for your commander, is unbecoming and inappropriate,” she told him. “Admitting them aloud is even more shameful. Return to your seat, Six and let’s hear no more about it.”

  He nodded silently and did as she commanded. K watched, frowning slightly. She wouldn’t have tolerated such a show of emotion or his endless questioning if it were not for his extraordinary skills as a pilot. It was strange since the rest of the squad had all been part of his birthgroup and none of them showed much ability at flying. However, it happened so sometimes. K herself was the eleventh of twenty-six and though all of her birthgroup had been genetically engineered for leadership, she had far surpassed the others—those that had survived to adulthood, anyway. None of the rest of them was more than a second level Paladin and none had their own purge squad as she did.

  The High Sentinel’s voice rang in her head. I have great plans for you, K. Yes, and she intended to be worthy of those plans and his trust in her.

  “Now.” She nodded at Six again. “Bring us in fast. They won’t know what hit them.” There was the faint vibration as their ion grappling hooks dug into the sides of the Erian vessel and began to pull it close. “Shields up,” K barked but there was no reaction from the pale pink vessel. It floated in their grasp inactive, glistening like a polished shell in the black void, waiting for K’s next move.

  K allowed herself a frown of concern. This wasn’t right—wasn’t normal. The Erian ship should be a bubbling cauldron of frantic activity. They should be hailing her ship and suing for peace or at the very least calling for help but the sensors didn’t detect so much as a single distress cry.

  K thought of hailing them herself but no, the High Sentinel had specifically warned against face-to-face contact. She wasn’t sure why since the Erians were descended from the inhabitants of Earth-that-was, the same as the Purists. Though they were clearly inferior stock and had allowed themselves to become wanton and excessive as the Purists had not, K didn’t think their depravity could spread through viewscreen contact and a few words exchanged. Still, the High Sentinel’s word was law.

  “Why do they sit there like that?” murmured One. “They aren’t even trying to escape—their life buoy is still attached.”

  “Maybe it’s disabled,” Three said. “Sensors show an increase in heart rates among all aboard. Clearly they fear us.”

  “As they should.” K raised her voice and addressed them all. “Purge squad, are you ready for battle?”

  They answered as one. “We are ready, Commander. We fear nothing. We feel nothing.”

  “Good.” K depressed the pressure tab behind her right ear. The cowl of her skinsuit slid over her face, forming an airtight seal that doubled as a helmet. She could see out but no one else could see in. Her features were completely obscured allowing her to be the faceless, anonymous instrument of Purity she had b