Free Intensity by Viola Grace Page A

Yosh and have fun. She just wished that the sight of the world below did not send a strange anticipation and dread through her simultaneously. Despite what the Alliance scans showed, there was something beneath her on that planet and it was waiting for her. She knew it with every inch of her body and she was going to have to go and face it.
    "Well, no time like the present." She got to her feet and removed her couplings, stowing the wires after she removed them from the ports on her skull and neck. Raine twisted her head from side to side, sighing at the relief of pressure now that the electronics of the station were not being routed through her mind.
    Whistling in the empty halls of a station that she had set up was a tradition. She shut down and locked up each corridor after double checking that it was ready for an occupant at the drop of a hat.
    An early life organizing things around her down to the last napkin at a family gathering was the talent that had earned her a spot as a Volunteer. Who knew that being able to quantify and assess everything around her was a desirable trait?
    The station was dead silent behind her when she finished--heat, light, air, everything was running at minimal levels. The station was stocked with water and rations and every amenity that the caretaker of the relay would need. It got very boring on these stations, so making the caretaker comfortable was in everyone's best interest.
    Her ship waited for her, the Dart . It was her most faithful companion and contained everything she had been able to bring with her from Earth. It was only one duffel bag of items, but each one made her smile and held a specific place in her heart. She had chosen the items with the same care that she used for each aspect of her occupation.
    She closed the door to the station carefully, sealed the hatch of the Dart and got behind the controls to do the flight checks. It took several minutes, but when she was satisfied that she was fit to fly, she keyed in the access code and the outer hatch of the station opened, expelling her ship with the burst of atmosphere that had been in the bay.
    Once she floated free, Raine fired the engines and turned toward the planet. Enforced vacation or not, the Alliance was only going to look for her on the planet. If she wanted to connect with a jump ship at any point, she needed to be somewhere they could find her and that somewhere was Yosh.
    She settled in orbit and did a few scans, looking for the landing site. The resort was very low key, a subtle environment on the most beautiful coastline of Yosh. The beacon lit the moment that she sent out a probe and it led her in toward the dubious relaxation of the resort.
    "I can always cancel my reservation and move along." She chortled at the sound of her own voice, but she was already used to speaking to herself. After a brief introduction to Alliance protocols, she had been offered implants to bring her attention to detail to larger items, buildings and small stations. Being in company while she did her work had never been an option, so talking to herself became second nature. She was immensely amusing.
    A peculiar hum settled in her mind and she shook her head, promising herself that she would have her implants overhauled at the earliest opportunity. The hum had been prevalent in her mind since she started work on the station, but it was the fact that it grew stronger every day that had her worried. If her implants were degrading, she was going to be in for a very uncomfortable time.
    "Welcome to the Yosh Resort, Madam Burke. Please be welcome and comfortable." The graceful woman greeted Raine the moment that she opened the hatch of her shuttle. Two of her four arms placed a ring of flowers on Raine's head and the others reached for her duffel bag.
    "I can carry my own bags."
    "It is not necessary and it is the function of the bellhop to carry baggage. You travel very light compared with the guests we normally take on." The woman's smile