The ranker looked around belatedly and twitched like someone had electrocuted her. She scrambled to her feet—Surit was generally the tallest in any room, but she was nearly the same height—and saluted. “Sorry! Sorry. I didn’t see you come in”—a moment’s hesitation as her eyes went to Tennal then to Surit’s lieutenant rank tabs—“um, sir.”

Surit wasn’t thrown. “At ease, Private…”

“Basavi, sir,” the ranker said.

“Thank you. I’m Lieutenant Yeni. I’ve been assigned to Cavalry Retrieval Unit Two-Eight-Seven. I take it you didn’t get my message about the muster.” Surit looked around again at the notable lack of soldiers mustering. “However, we’re thirty-four minutes into the start of shift two, by standard schedules. This class of retrieval shuttle requires a minimum of four people on shift. There should be at least three other people here.”

Basavi shifted from foot to foot. “Yes, sir.”

Tennal leaned back against the doorframe to enjoy the show. Surit said patiently, “And where are those people, Private Basavi?”

“Some of the unit went to get breakfast, sir. Everyone was excited to land.”

“Did they offer to get you breakfast, or did you get the short straw?” Tennal said, and slightly regretted it when she flushed. He wasn’t here to pick on people who weren’t picking on him. “Ignore that. They all left together?”

“Some of them went to their rooms, s—” She cut herself off as she took a closer look and realized he wasn’t an officer.

“This is Agent Fifty-Six,” Surit said. “He’s seconded to our unit.”

Tennal could see the gears turning. “Call me Halkana,” he said. “Ranker, third-class. The lieutenant is my architect.”

It took a moment, but then it clicked. She visibly swallowed and took a sharp step backward. Tennal narrowed his eyes. Of course, soldiers only came across the most powerful readers: the ones the army had decided were useful, and so they’d dug up a crime or another reason to sync them. Of course Private Basavi was afraid of him. As far as she could see, the only thing stopping him from reading her mind was Surit’s sync.

Tennal had been trying not to think of how close he’d come to being synced, but her reaction made it roar up in the back of his mind. All Surit had to do was give in to the pressure and do it. Tennal wrestled the thought back down. Lights but he could use some soothers.

“All right,” Surit said mildly, as if he hadn’t noticed the sudden tension between them. He tapped his wristband, pulled a list of names off the network, and projected them above Basavi’s desk. “We’ll take these one by one.”

Basavi turned helpful once she realized Surit wasn’t going to demote her on the spot. Surit took notes on each name—notes!—as Tennal grew bored and started poking into the nearest workstation.