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screaming in
pain. Even Zingeri winced at the power of her mind.
    Such attacks had little to no effect on
normal humans because their brains were too primitive. They didn't
have the psionic pathways to affect the same way. For a lower-tier
psion, on the other hand, an attack resulted in an instant migraine
and complete suppression of their powers.
    Aliane tapped her foot. "I can keep this up
all day, you know. In a few hours you'll be begging to die."
    Kimber breathed heavily as the pain subsided.
"Okay," she said, spitting on the ground as her final form of
defiance. "I saw her on Rêve. I thought she was just a pretty
gold-digging socialite until I met her last month. My head tingled
the whole time I was there. It has to be her. Her name is Kara
Steinberg. There. Can I go now?"
    "Did you honestly think I was going to let
you walk out of here alive? Are you that dense? How much did Albert
Petersen pay you to kill me?"
    The woman's face glazed over, and she pouted
toward the floor. In spite of her quietness, Aliane extorted the
information she wanted to know as the thoughts rattled through
Kimber's brain. Love had been her undoing.
    "I know something else. If you promise to let
me go, I'll tell you. You'll never see me again."
    She tossed her hand into the air. "Very
well."
    "I moved to Fantasti last year and got a job
at the docks, transporting fresh fish to retailers. One night, I
was running real late. By the time I got back to the docks,
everyone had left. At least, I thought everyone had. A large
shipment of wood had come in for a new warehouse, and Matt Zoleki
was unloading it. But he wasn't, you know, unloading it. I watched
six pallets of the stuff float off the boat and stack up next to
the pier. That's hundreds and hundreds of pounds moved three
hundred yards at least."
    Zingeri furrowed his brow. "Matt Zoleki, a
telekine? I don't believe that for a second."
    Fantasti Fisheries was a successful
family-owned business for the past sixty years on Fantasti, Vega.
Matt Zoleki was a well-liked and respected citizen, donating both
food and money to humanitarian causes. Zingeri and Aliane had known
his parents, both telepaths, quite well. Was it possible all that
was an elaborate cover?
    <> Aliane
telepathically scolded him before returning her undivided attention
to Kimber. "You're certain about this? You weren't drunk or strung
out or tired?"
    "I know a psion when I see one."
    Aliane glanced back toward Zingeri.
"Telekinesis is a visual manifestation, correct?" He licked his
lips and nodded back at her.
    Most psionic abilities produced telling
effects to indicate psionic power was at work. A few were mental or
aural, producing a slight ringing in one's ears or causing a mild
headache in those around them. For many the powers gave a visual
indication. Among psions, few possessed high-level telekinetic
powers: the ability to move or lift heavy objects over great
distances and manipulate matter, a fact which lent less credence to
her claim.
    Aliane narrowed her eyes at the short-haired
brunette. "Did you see his eyes glowing?"
    Kimber forced herself to swallow. "I don't
know. I couldn't tell…he was too far away. It was dark—I"
    "It was dark and you couldn't tell if his
damn eyes were glowing?" Enraged, Aliane stood up and grabbed her
by the throat. "I don't have the time or patience for your
nonsense."
    Suddenly, the breeze gusted around them in
frenzy. Aliane's raven hair swirled around her head like a witch's
crown, and her eyes pulsated in furious madness. Her victim gasped
and tried to cry out, but no one dared intervene. Aliane placed her
left hand on top of her head to steal her mana, the pure essence of
life she could not survive without. As she absorbed every molecule
of gammamine, Kimber shrieked from the pain, her eyes wide with
horror. A dim blue haze surrounded Aliane's arm while it energized
her body with an orgasmic surge of power.
    After only a few moments, she released
Kimber, who dropped