When he inclined his head, I dropped my coffee cup in the sanitizer, then led him to the cargo bay. Despite the early hour, I’d dressed to go out, so I was wearing flexible armor under my shirt, and I was carrying both a plas blade and pistol. I hoped neither would be necessary.

Torran did not appear to be carrying any weapons. Though when your mind was a weapon, everything else was a little superfluous.

I downloaded Anja’s list of parts to my personal comm. The screen was cracked, and the back was held together with composite tape, but it got the job done. Maybe if we found Torran’s missing ring, I would allow myself to upgrade to a model made sometime in the last decade.

Or maybe I’d keep using this one until it completely failed. We weren’t short on areas that needed an infusion of credits.

If Torran noticed the state of my comm, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

I pulled the levcart from its dock and opened the cargo bay door. None of Torran’s team had joined us. “Your people aren’t accompanying you?” I asked.

He shook his head. “They will remain with the ship.”

“I’m surprised they’re letting you out on your own. I figured they were your security team.”

A brief smile touched Torran’s mouth. “If anything, I’m their security team.” As if to prove his point, the levcart rose over my head, did a barrel roll, and then settled back to its normal hover height so gently and precisely that it didn’t even need to make an adjustment.

My eyes widened and I fought the urge to freeze in place. In a hostile situation, the levcart could instantly become projectile, shield, or battering ram. Telekinetics were battlefield specters for a reason.

Still, I couldn’t quite help my curiosity. I’d never met a telekinetic before—which was one of the reasons I’d survived the war. “How long could you hold the levcart in the air?”

Torran’s gaze flickered over my face. “It depends on the circumstances,” he said slowly. “But in the easiest case, I could hold it long enough that sleep would become the bigger concern. I have to be awake to maintain the hold.”

Goose bumps rose on my arms as a shiver worked its way down my spine. Not only was he a telekinetic, he was a powerful telekinetic. If he ever turned on me, I would have a split second to act, then I would be dead.

Torran watched me, expression unreadable. “Would you prefer it if I didn’t use my ability while aboard Starlight?”