They had nailed him for a bungled burglary—he'd have made it, all right, except that he hadn't foreseen one of the new-model psionic alarms—and, since he was a four-timer, they'd stuck him in solitary deep in the dank heart of the planet.
The guard, a thick-muscled Alpherazian with three cold, slitted eyes, had hurled him into the cell, thrown him sprawling against the slimy stone.
"That ought to hold you, Kiley!" the Alpherazian growled. "You've stolen your last jewel, Earthman."
"Get out of here!" Kiley said thinly. "Don't stand here and gloat. I'd be free and out of here if that crazy alarm hadn't popped off."
The guard chuckled. "Relax and cool off, Kiley. You've got plenty of time to get used to your new home."
The door clanged shut. Kiley spat in the darkness as he heard the bolt slipping home—the unbreakable, foolproof bolt of the escape proof Alpheraz jail. And then—
How would you like to be free in five minutes? a voice asked.
"Huh? Who's there?" Kiley looked around, narrowing his eyes to see in the foggy blackness, but there was no one within sight.
Don't strain your eyes, the voice said—and Kiley realized it was an unspoken voice in his mind. I'm a thousand light-years away. The name is Thaklaru.
"Who are you? What are you?"