There was a short silence, then, “I think I’m going into what you humans call shock. I’ve made a mistake, but I’m not programmed to make mistakes. How the hell could I have been so wrong about you, warrior? I thought you wanted her!”

Challen did not know whether to feel insulted by the contempt coming out of the box or guiltier. “You were not wrong in that,” he said stiffly.

“Then how could you hurt her? More to the point, how badly have you hurt her? Does she need a med-itech?”

“I know not what such is, but the woman was not hurt. She was made to feel great frustration and physical need, with no relief to ease it.”

“That’s what you’re feeling guilty about? And here I thought you’d half killed her. Well, that’s different, but if that’s all you did to punish her, what’s with the guilty conscience that threw me off the track?”

“I-took something to make my duty less a burden.” He went on to briefly explain the rest of it. “But I have not returned to her since I left her near the new rising. I know not whether she will accept the matter as finished and welcome me as before, or whether she will now abhor my touch.”

“You’ve got yourself a problem all right, kiddo. First off, you don’t punish a Sec 1,” Martha told him plainly. “They’re a law unto themselves.”

“Here she is no more than a woman, one who must obey rules as all women must.”

“Oh, I bet she just loves that.” The voice came out exceedingly dry. “And only a barbarian would think to use a woman’s body against her for a means of punishment. But I suppose you great big fellas had to come up with something to keep from killing your women off with those mighty fists.” There was a short span of chuckling here, not at all sympathetic to the difficulties of a Sha-Ka’ani male. “So are you asking me what you can expect, now that you’ve given Tedra a more thorough taste of your world?”

“It comes to me that you likely know her better than I,” he replied.

“Smart of you to figure that out.”

Challen stiffened at the unmistakable sarcasm. His need to instruct the voice on the proper respect due a warrior was strong, but quite impotent. How could he enforce that instruction when the one needing it was hidden inside a box which he knew not the workings of, much less how to open? The voice was safe from retribution, which only proved that such impunity encouraged objectionable behavior, whereas the promise of swift discipline prevented it.

Challen controlled his vexation long enough to demand, “If it is true you know the woman so well, you will give me the probables you claim skill in so I may determine how best to deal with her.”

“Will I? If you use commands instead of requests with Tedra, it’s no wonder she’s breaking rules. But you’re right on the nose, doll, in supposing you need my help. I’ve been programmed to know her better than any human ever could, and I can tell you there’s only two ways she’ll react to what you’ve done. If she hits you with a broadside of verbal anger, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. She’ll swear up and down she’ll get even with you, and any number of other things you won’t like hearing, but that’s her way of getting all that bruised emotion out of her system. That’s not to say her fury won’t be very real.”

“It was my hope you could suggest a means of defusing it,” Challen reminded the voice.

“My suggestion is you not even try. If you cajole her out of it before she’s had a chance to let you know how misused she’s feeling, then you’re only asking for more trouble. You should have discovered by now that she’s easy as computer basics to provoke, with that quick temper of hers. But the thing you aren’t likely to figure out on your own is that she doesn’t like to be angry at people. That’s one of my purposes, channeling her anger and frustrations in my direction, since it’s easy to yell at a machine without feeling guilty about it afterward.”

“So I am to allow her to be disrespectful?”

“If that goes against the grain, warrior, you might as well give her back to me right now. But I thought you were looking for a way to make amends for that guilt you were feeling,” she reminded him.

“But to allow-”

“You can’t make amends without giving a little, big guy, and it seems to me you owe her all the disrespect she cares to dump on you.”

There was a long hesitation before Challen asked, “Do I allow it, how long before she puts her anger to rest?”

“If you weren’t just bragging and she really has liked sharing sex with you, then count yourself lucky. The most she’s stayed mad was two days, and that only because no one was smart enough to talk her out of it after she’d had her blowup. But she’s looking at her stay with you as temporary, so she won’t want to waste much time nursing resentment.”

Challen knew very well the woman thought in terms of temporary. That he had no intention of losing her after her challenge service was ended was best kept to himself, certainly not to be disclosed to one who claimed such powers as this Martha.

“Did you not mention two possible reactions that may be anticipated?”

“The second one’s more simple, kiddo. It’s silence. If Tedra’s got nothing to say to you, then you can bet those overdeveloped muscles of yours that it’s because she’s decided the only thing she wants from you is your blood. If that’s the case, I want her back now, since she’ll be of no further use to you in that state of mind.”

“No.”

“Why do I get the feeling you don’t think the second possible reaction will be a problem? It wouldn’t be because you found it so easy to defeat her in the challenge, would it? I hope you’re not so arrogant that you haven’t considered the possibility that you came out the winner in that fight only because the woman wasn’t trying to kill you, merely defeat you. There’s a world of difference in what she’s capable of doing when it doesn’t matter to her if her opponent gets seriously hurt or not, even more difference if she’s actually trying to kill him.”

“Perhaps this is so if the opponents are the non-warriors of Kystran. The woman has told me they know not the art of weaponless fighting. And perhaps you yourself are unaware that weaponless fighting is the sport of warriors. There is no arrogance involved when I tell you the woman cannot defeat me, no matter the level of her skill.”

“Be that as it may, I think you’ve missed my point. If she’s out for your blood, you’ll have to fight her every time you get near her, and confine her otherwise. You won’t be having any more fun with her, and I mean that both ways. The probables in that scenario tells me it’s just going to get her more and more punishments, and I didn’t leave her with you so you could abuse her. If I determine it’s necessary, I will get her out of there.”

Again a rage reared up, that it might be possible the voice could do as it claimed, and this time he didn’t even try to control it. “The woman is mine for one month by her own word. I will have your word you will not interfere.”

“That’s rich, doll. You keep forgetting I’m a computer. I’m not programmed for integrity.”

“Does this mean you would not keep your word did you give it?”

“It means I do whatever I think is best, regardless of anything.”

“And if I destroy this box?”

“Tedra needs it to come back on her own. I don’t need it to bring her back if I get a fix on her as I now have on you. And you can lead me to her.”

“Your threat lacks substance, computer. Could you follow me to her as you say, you would not have lost this fix on her you claim to need to take her back.”

“Picked up on that, did you? But you don’t think I’d give away information like that without a reason, do you?”

“And your reason?”

“It’s true I can lose you in a crowd and be unable to pinpoint your position again without a great deal of luck, and computers don’t deal in luck. And you’d know I’d lost you if you abuse Tedra and nothing happens from my end. So I’ll make a deal with you. I’ve already determined you’ll keep your word if you give it, so I want it that you won t abuse the woman if she foolishly tries to kill you.”