In the tight space of his quarters, he stood unflinching under the critical stare of his captain. He'd had worse than Karik before this, each of them masking fear in the cold exterior—fear of losing control of others and themselves, fear of the unknown, fear of failure. Unlike the Seres they had picked up who readily exhibited her emotions, Karik and others like him preferred to keep everyone away. But they had other concerns with this task. Torik should be keeping her at arm's length, but he sympathized with her situation, as he had often wished others would of their homeworld's occupation, and couldn't bear to see her afraid. Fear would make her more dangerous, if she had any inclination to be a threat. "And you will refrain from telling her," the captain said. "You overestimate her." Torik's reply earned him a snarl from the captain. "How can she be a threat if she doesn't know what she is?" Karik's eyes twitched narrower, vertical pupils as thin as slits. "Do not lecture me, Lieutenant.
