The Captain's monitor screen lit up to show several people seated in a group of comfortable-looking chairs around a low table, and Thompson repressed a chuckle. Talk shows seemed to be the same everywhere, he thought--then one of the guests caught his attention. She was attractive, wearing the uniform of a System Security officer--Chief of Detectives, from her badge--except that she was more than slim, she looked damned near starved. "How do you feel about the Kins who were killed, Chief Kaufman, and what do you plan to do with the ones who killed them?" a man--Thompson guessed him to be the show's host--asked. The woman shrugged slightly. "My personal feelings have no bearing; I plan to deal with them as I would with any other murderers, how else? I am an officer of the law." "You don't have any desire for revenge? After all, the killings were rather . . . unpleasant." The detective chief grimaced. "Yes, they were. But I can't take revenge, any more than I can feed on someone who doesn't want me to--it should be common knowledge by now that Kins feel any pain we deliberately inflict." "But you can feed on someone who's not willing, or kill; Kins have done it." "We can, yes; I've killed in the line of duty since I became a Kin, which was bearable because I knew that not killing would cause more harm later. And I did try to feed on someone who didn't want me, once--I suppose most Kins have--but I'd rather starve into coma than try that again. Thank the Prince I didn't really hurt him, but I did feel every bit of his terror." "Looks like she's doing just that, too," Thompson commented. It didn't look like much intervention, if any at all, would be needed--not with the `servants of the Devil' appearing on talk shows trying to reassure people and looking like death warmed over. "What the hell do they do for food, then?" Sanchez advanced the recording, then started playing it again. "--willing Donors," the detective chief was saying. "We feel pain we inflict deliberately, yes--but we can also project feelings. If somebody's willing to feed me, I can let . . . feel the satisfaction--even, if @'s willing enough, the ecstasy--I do when I feed. And I certainly wouldn't take enough to hurt, or even to weaken, . . .!" Sanchez shut off the recording. "You know, I believe her." "So do I," Thompson said thoughtfully. "I do still have to investigate, of course, but I'd say from this that there's no crisis big enough to call in even a squadron for." * * * * * The E-Team's landing wasn't the covert operation Thompson had originally planned; instead, the Koslov called for clearance, and they landed at the main spaceport, where Thompson and his team disembarked in full uniform, complete with sidearms. He didn't particularly like weapons, but procedure called for E-Teams to carry them unless doing so would be more dangerous than not, which didn't seem to be the case here.