atherings in every Kingdom, it was obvious
the Sovereigns were planning something that promised no good for the
Brotherhood and his plans, but he couldn't find out what without taking
a risk of alerting Cortin.

Since there was nothing constructive he could do about that, he let
himself reminisce about the auxiliary. Eleanor Chang, since age
eighteen a professed Sister of the Order of the Compassionate Mother of
Succor and known as Sister Mary Piety. Shannon had a particular
dislike for that order, since they specialized in caring for seriously
wounded or ill Enforcement troopers, sometimes accompanying them as
medics.

That was Sister Piety's specialty, and she'd been handling one of its
more difficult aspects when he'd encountered her almost a year ago.
He'd been on St. Ignatius then, picking and training some of his
subordinate raid-masters, and he'd given in to the urge for some
recreation. That had taken the form of a raid on the clinic where
she'd just brought a trio of wounded from her last mission, and it was
a raid he remembered with considerable satisfaction.

The clinic was in the country, to let the troopers recover or die in
the most pleasant surroundings the Order could manage--and it was
remote enough that Shannon and his raiders could take their time, with
troopers and nuns alike. Piety caught his attention immediately, being
the youngest and most attractive of the women as well as the most
spirited, and he promptly claimed her for himself. His subordinates
were welcome to the rest.

To his satisfaction, she fought him. Not with any skill, but with
enough energy and determination to excite him as no woman had in far
too long. Stripped of her habit, she was even more attractive--and
better yet, she continued to fight, even as he pinned her arms and
forced her legs apart. Starting into her, he felt resistance that told
him his hopes of her had been fulfilled. He paused, relishing that for
some moments while he made certain adjustments to his body. He
respected courage, even in an enemy; add that she'd managed to remain a
virgin, surrounded by Enforcement troopers, and he was inclined to give
her a fair chance. Like the pre-Empire Terran game show, if she said
the magic word, she would win--not money, but her life. And her
fighting had bought her a clue to that word.

Her eyes widened as she felt the change. She struggled harder, shaking
her head and gasping negation, but her sudden panic