rpeting."

"True, especially when they belong to His Majesty's Own. And I've got
a couple of months before I'm well enough I have to make a final
decision--I presume I am eligible for a disability discharge?"

"Yes, of course, at full pay. But I don't like what I think you're
getting at. Joanie, don't do anything you'll regret."

"I don't intend to," Cortin said quietly. "I know what I have to do,
though. If I can stay in and do it, that's best, of course. If I have
to get out, though, I'll do that instead. One way or another, Brother
Lawrence Shannon and the rest of them on that raiding party are
gone--and so are any Brothers who get in my way to them." She looked
at her bandaged hands for a long moment, then back up at him. "Which
I'm sure you guessed when Egan passed along the information that I was
keeping their marks."

Odeon nodded. "Partly--that you'd go after them. Not that you'd
consider going rogue to do it." Enforcement took superlative care of
its members and their families, if they had any . . . but when a
trooper went bad, all its resources went into hunting and then killing
him. Or her. Odeon had participated in three of those hunts, hating
the necessity but as grimly determined as any to rid the world of them.
Dammit, Enforcement troopers were sworn to protect the Kingdoms and
their citizens--when one went rogue, he had to be stopped! And yet
. . . the idea of taking part in such a hunt with Joanie as the target
upset him more than it should. Not that the alternative was any
better! "Joanie, please--don't do it."

"As I said, I don't intend to." Cortin took a deep breath. "You know
me too well to believe I'd do something like going rogue if I had any
choice in the matter. And I need time and resources a rogue wouldn't
get, to do what I have to--but I can't do it if I'm stuck behind a
desk, either." She frowned, still unable to make sense of the feeling
of absolute certainty that had come over her during the Brothers'
torture. "Mike, we both know I'm as practical and non-mystical as
anyone could be--but while the Brothers were working me over, I . . .
realized, or discovered, or something, that eliminating them is my job.
It helps that I have a personal reason for wanting to, but that's a
bonus. Whatever happens to me, whatever I have to do to accomplish it,
I don't have any choice about the fact. I have to get rid of the
Brothers--and I plan to enjoy it." She stared at her ha