“There has always been an undercurrent of anti-aliens’ sentiment. People who didn’t want their race mixing with ours. That is fine if that’s their preference, but they don’t have the right to force their beliefs on other people.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “Did you hear about the mine collapse outside Val’kara? The mining foreman I treated said it was sabotage. I can’t help feeling that the protests are related.”
“I saw nothing about it on the Zevian info stream, but there have been small incidents at the Elran mine. They all seem to point at Trakellisans' incompetence. Only the people implicated are anything but incompetent.”
“And it doesn’t make sense for the Trakellisans to sabotage the Val’kara mine tocollapse on themselves. If Zevian dissidents did it, they nearly killed the Zevian foreman,” I mused. “And how widespread is this anti-alien movement? I can’t seem to find any specific information on it?”
“I’m not sure if the government doesn’t think it’s a problem or they just want us to believe it’s not. Something doesn’t add up.”
“Well, I’m going to keep looking and listening and see what I find out.” Marn and I chatted a little longer about my adopted family and their life on Oltarin. I have to admit I was a little homesick, missing them, missing my horse, and riding the trails through the mountain forest. But had I not come here, I would not have my Evalee.
Chapter Twelve
Evalee
I could sense Lanimer’s mind was racing, and he was longing for something he couldn’t have. I rested my hand on his shoulder, and he turned to me. Putting my arms around him, I pressed my body to his. “We’ll figure this out,” I whispered.
His hands tangled in my hair, and he took my lips in a deep kiss, finding comfort in my equally passionate response. While not a telepath, I could send my love and soothing empathy to his mind, reminding him I was with him in all things. Tenderness and empathy flared into sexual desire, and we found ourselves fucking hard and fast on our bed with little foreplay.
Our mutual orgasm burned off the frustrations of the day and renewed our connection and faith in each other.
Afterward, we showered and shared a meal from the food processor. “We need to findevidence that will help the enforcers figure out who is really behind the sabotage at the Val’kara mine.”
“We’re medics, not detectives.”
“Medicine often involves detective work. I think we should go to the mine and take a look.”
“How are we going to get in there?”
“They won’t see us.”
“You can do that?”
“I can, but we’ll dress in black, just in case.” He gave me his classic sexy smirk that went straight to my core. Lanimer gave me a quick kiss because, of course, he knew.Save that thought for later, my love.
Only one sentry guarded the entrance to the mine, so Lanimer and I easily slipped past him and into the mine. Auxiliary power lit the first few hundred feet of the mining tunnel. Expecting the darkness beyond, we came prepared with headlamps.
Fallen rock cluttered the path to the cave-in area, and we picked our way through. As we got closer, we could feel the psychic imprint of the miners’ trauma. A loud bang preceded the cave-in as Jamal and some Trakellisans were inspecting the support beams.
Jamal was the first to go down under the rock falling. Acting quickly, the Trakellisanspicked up Jamal and ran for their lives. They received minor to serious injuries, but their foreman nearly lost his life. It left us feeling as if we had been there.
Lanimer sensed impressions of ominous metallic cylinders that had been hidden deep within the mine, primed to explode at any moment. Military-grade detonators had triggered the 'accidents,' systematically targeting Trakellisan crews. Clearly, a sinister plot was afoot, lurking beneath the surface of the current unrest.
Jamal’s crew had been lucky; no one died. Others hadn’t been so lucky, and I sensed their despair as they succumbed in great pain. I can’t stop the tears that filled my eyes and ran down my cheeks. Lanimer took me in his arms and held me as I wept for those lost to the evil cause.
Lanimer
Before going to the clinic the next day, Evalee and I made a detour down to Medrin to speak to Magistrate Spencer Brooks and let him know what we discovered. We also wanted to learn how he planned to handle this obvious bigotry against the Trakellisans.
“What proof do youhave?” he demanded when I told him what we knew.
I wasn’t ready to tell him I was a telepath, although he was probably aware that most Trakellisans were empaths. I sensed that he was using a form of meditation to shield his thoughts and schooled his features into a passive expression. That made me even more suspicious that he knew far more than he would admit. That still left the question of why, after thirty years, there would be a rise in protests and ill will toward the gentle Trakellisan’s.
Maybe he already knew I was a telepath. That’s why he was using a meditative technique to hide his thoughts. I did try to probe him to confirm what might still be mere suspicion.
“I am sorry, but we need more than hunches to open an investigation. Let the mine safety people finish their investigation. If they find evidence of what you’ve told me, our detectives will investigate,” he assured me, crossing his arms over his chest. Even a Normal would know he was dismissing us.
I drew a calming breath and said, “Thank you for your time. We will let you know if we have evidence to present.”
