Free GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) by Marilyn Campbell Page B

questions regarding our captain." A brief twisting struggle between Mar and Dot ended with Dot maintaining the forward position. "Mar has agreed not to interrupt again but he does not believe that I should tell you anything more than the captain wants you to know."
    "Then why would you?"
    "The captain needs you. I do not fully agree with his plan but he is decided. I can tell that his explanations did not satisfy you."
    "His explanations were fine... if they were the truth."
    Dot frowned. "I see. Since he lied to you before, you do not trust him now. I am afraid that the nature of the captain's business makes it necessary for him to prevaricate on occasion. Our lives have often depended on it. Like any male, he has his flaws but he is one of the finest men we have ever known."
    Cherry's look of utter disbelief surprised Dot. "You do not believe us either? How can that be? We touched your mind. Did you not sense that you could trust us?"
    Cherry thought about that for a moment. "Well, I suppose I did."
    "Go with your intuition, Cherry. It is quite strong and, I would venture to say, very accurate."
    "You'll tell me the truth?"
    Dot nodded. "Or nothing at all, but we will not lie to you."
    "Are we following a beastly assassin named Frezlo to a planet called Zoenid?"
    "That is correct."
    "Is Voyager a good guy or a bad guy?"
    "Few people can be categorized so simply. Perhaps a satisfactory answer would be that compared to Frezlo, the captain is... a good guy."
    "Uh-huh." Noting Dot's hesitation, Cherry got up and started wandering around the cockpit again.
    "Okay. Will he take me home after we get to Zoenid?"
    Dot pursed her lips and seemed to search the blackness beyond the ship for an answer. "We do not know."
    "That's what I thought. He lied again."
    "Not necessarily. We believe he has every intention of returning you, if at all possible. But since we cannot foresee the future, we do not know what might happen on Zoenid to delay your return."
    "All right. How about something easier. Why does he wear that eye patch?"
    Dot lowered her eyes for a moment, giving Cherry the distinct impression that she was conferring with Mar. "We are not at liberty to explain. If the captain wants you to know, he will have to tell you. I would like to tell you a story about him, however. It may help you to see him in a different light."
    Cherry shrugged, doubting that there was anything the he-she could tell her to change her mind about Voyager's character.
    "I told you that we were sold to a traveling circus as a baby. The owner was a horrid creature named Phlylox, whose only concern was profit. We were one of twenty-five strange beings he had bought or captured over the years. We were all featured as oddities of the universe. For most of our life, our home was a cage, smaller than our cabin on this ship. When we were on display, we were kept in chains. It was not uncommon for us to go for days between shows without sufficient food or to be brutally beaten for any display of insolence."
    "How horrible," Cherry said sincerely. "It's a wonder you remained sane."
    Dot gave her a sad smile. "Because we had each other, Mar and I were luckier than some. And remember, we never knew any other life. At any rate, about eight years ago, the captain was on an assignment that took him to the remote colony where the circus had stopped. When Phlylox wasn't looking, the captain spoke to us and promised to help if he could. We didn't think much of his promise because we were transported later that day. But he didn't forget us. When he completed the assignment he was on, he tracked down the circus and freed us all. He spent the next several months returning every being to his or her home planet."
    "Except you."
    "Yes, except us. Since we had no idea where we had come from and we discovered that we had a natural talent for navigation, the captain agreed to take us on as a member of his crew."
    Cherry sat down again. "Gallant said he was an orphan also. He must have