Tennal’s shock came off him like a wave. And, after that split second of immobility, Tennal fought him. He fought like a wildcat, he fought with every dirty mental trick possible, he sent stabs of phantom guilt and lances of pain into Surit’s thoughts. Surit overrode all of them. He had direct access to Tennal’s mind. It felt like they were two halves of the same being, but Surit was better at this. Surit was an architect with access to Tennal’s thoughts, and whatever Tennal did, Surit could reach in and shape him like putty.

At his wits’ end, Tennal finally recognized it was a compulsion and reached in desperation for techniques to defend himself from it. Surit hadn’t realized Tennal knew those, but ultimately that didn’t help him. Nobody was compelling Tennal himself so the techniques were useless. But they were irritating. Surit wrote him quiet.

Tennal’s mind convulsed one final time. Then, like an exhausted animal, he went compliant.

For the first time, they were genuinely, seamlessly, one mind, and Surit had control.

“Oh,” Tennal said calmly. “Yes, I see now. We have to get back, don’t we? Let’s take the closest route out of here.”

Istara swung around as Tennal moved from his copilot chair and settled into their empty seat. Tennal’s hands hesitated as he entered the instructions, but he had basic pilot training: Istara and Basavi had trained him themselves. Surit could feel him gathering confidence. Urgent, Surit reminded him, and Tennal sped up.

“Halkana, what are you doing?” Istara said.

Tennal was about to explain Surit’s message, Surit realized, and that wouldn’t do. They had to get back to Archer Link Station because Surit had to return to Oma’s office, and Istara might try to stop them if they knew what Tennal was doing. “I received an urgent request for help on a private channel,” Surit said. And to Tennal: Tell them that’s true.

“He’s right,” Tennal said, his eyes unfocused. He wasn’t quite pliable, Surit could tell. He was going to have to keep at least half his attention on keeping Tennal cooperative. The thought caused some odd dissonance. “It’s an emergency. Secure crew for approach.”

“Announce course change to the ship,” Surit said to Basavi.

It was habit. She would have run this routine hundreds of times since training, the same as Surit had. He heard her start to mouth the standard reply then stop. Her eyes narrowed.

That sent a spike of fear into Surit. If she refused, then Istara would follow, and the crew would follow them. Surit couldn’t afford that. He had to return to Archer Link Station. He took some of his attention off Tennal and wrote both of them.