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and she didn’t fight the embrace.
    When she stood back and looked toward the ship, it had extended a long plank toward the stone where they stood, and it was waiting patiently for them to conclude their goodbyes.
    Tyvor extended his hand to her and helped her take the first step onto the ship.
    There was a mind inside the ship, and it felt so familiar, she was instantly at ease.
    “Welcome to the Mind Strike . My name is Lora and I will be everything around you. Come on inside and settle into the seats. We are about to head for the first planet on the list.”
    The cheerful voice was very familiar, and Tyvor gave Skiria an odd look as they walked into the ship and it closed the hatch behind them.
    “It sounds a lot like you, Skiria. Perhaps an ancestress of yours donated the voice?”
    “All of my family have been boringly normal and firmly entrenched in their lives on Resicor. No talents of any note have emerged and no one has left, not even during the sporadic Kozue attacks. It can’t be a relative.”
    “I am not your relative, Skiria Linz. I am merely the mind of the ship.” Lora chuckled. “Well, that and a bit more. Come in and have a seat. I can’t fly at full power until you soft, little things are all tucked in. This mission won’t work if you are turned into jam on our first flicker.”
    It took about two minutes to reach the command deck, and the moment they were both fastened securely, the ship lifted upward.
    Contemporary music of Resicor rippled through the air, and they were on their way to the first world.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    A flicker was a jump powered by the worlds themselves. There was no engine needed, just a contact from the Mind Strike to the target world.
    “If you can do this, why is my presence here necessary?” Skiria asked Lora as they were on their way down to the surface.
    Lora chuckled. “Because I am just a mind in a ship. Resicor has not connected me to the worlds we are landing on. That is for you to do. I cannot press my palm to their skin and make the connection with a burst of power. You can.”
    Tyvor grinned. “She is not wrong. You are the component, the living representation of your people and their need for help. You have to be the one to land and to meet the Avatars. They will not accept a messenger, it has to be the Ambassador of Resicor and they know what they are looking for.”
    Their flicker had not caused an energy pulse; they had moved with only a ripple of power to mark their arrival; the merest whisper of energy marked their appearance.
    Lora scanned the surface of Harlisk and located the Avatar by the power signature alone. Apparently, it was unmistakable.
    “I will land and let you out. Take as long as you need. I am filtering the signals to absorb the latest music from the far reaches of space.”
    Skiria watched their smooth and deliberate landing. “That sounds like fun.”
    “When you are a mind in a ship, you spend time making up hobbies.” Lora chuckled as they approached the smooth, sandy surface of the planet.
    “Where were you built?”
    Lora coughed through her speakers. “I would prefer not to say. I would have to divulge my age and that just isn’t something I am willing to do. A lady has her secrets, even a big metal one.”
    As the ship settled, Lora said, “Near the entryway you will find a wardrobe and the clothing hanging on the front of the racks is for each of you. We want you dressed appropriately. After we finish here, the next clothing will come to the fore and you will wear it. Proper clothing for each job.”
    Skiria blinked. “That is a Linz-family motto.”
    “Is it? It is still true. Now, go and get changed. The Avatar is on her way and she will be here within the hour. It should take you half of that to get into your clothing.”
    Tyvor cleared his throat. “I don’t require additional clothing.”
    “You are not leaving this ship until you are properly attired, and if Skiria is ready, she is going to meet the