by Petra Landon
The Ur’quay Captain’s words seemed to strike Zoran forcibly. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath
“It’s a diabolic scheme, Zh’hir” he acceded, the dark eyes burning. “In one fell swoop, they neutralize the Alliance. And with no one the wiser! With that information, the Imperial Forces could pick out the Armada, one by one. They’d be sitting ducks.”
He turned to Sila who was staring at them, her face white. The old rules had just flown out the window and the war would now be fought on a very different battlefield. They would all suffer the consequences, Zoran knew — this sector, the Alliance and the Budheya. But for Sila, matters had become dire. She would become a pawn, her ability prized in this new battle of reading minds to ferret information strategic to the war.
“Never forget” he reiterated quietly. “You saved the Alliance from a catastrophe today, Sila.” Don’t let the Alliance forget it either, he added silently.
Sila’s eyes turned to him blindly but it was the Star Captain who interjected.
“Zoran, have you ever had any inklings of mind-readers in Ketaari employ?” he asked. The mercenary had fought across the sector for a decade and a half and his network of contacts and spies rivalled that of the Alliance.
Zoran shook his head. “The first I heard of any telepath was Sila.”
Sila had it, and it wouldn’t be too far-fetched if others in Sector Araloka shared her ability too, Zh’hir mused. But mind-readers unencumbered by a moral compass alarmed him. This unstable sector would become far more precarious if mind-readers started taking sides in the war.
Zoran frowned, something in the Star Captain’s words triggering his memory. “You once told me that minds can be read over great distances. We were five minutes away from the rendezvous when Sila detected the intruder. Can telepathy work over such a distance, Zh’hir?” he asked.
“At the sub-light speed we were traveling, no.” The Star Captain’s gold eyes pierced him. “It is too far, by Ur’quay experience.”
The Ur’quay Captain’s expression grew thoughtful. “The more I think about it, the stranger it is” he remarked. “The distance is too great for a mind-scan. Yet, it was an amateur who succeeded at it. How did he traverse the distance to touch Sseela? It doesn’t add up.”
“But he is a threat?” Zoran persisted, as wild hope rose in his breast.
“Absolutely” the Star Captain stated categorically. “Sseela was able to stop him but there are many in this convoy with knowledge that could be very valuable to the Empire. He could have succeeded with someone else.”
The mercenary’s dark eyes tangled with the unblinking gold eyes. “We must warn Commander Kerovac” Zoran said.
“There is no other way” his Ur’quay counterpart agreed.
The Star Captain turned to Sila. She looked pale but composed. “Do you feel well enough to meet with the Alliance Commander, Sseela?” he asked.
“Yes” she said somberly.
The gold eyes studied her, sensing the fear and despair in her. Ignoring Zoran’s presence, he put his arms around her to hug her to him. Sila stepped into his embrace to lay her head on his chest. Below her ear, she could hear his heart beat steadily.
“I won’t let this be Terra Agri again, Sseela” he said softly, bestowing a feather-light kiss on the burnished head.
His assurance made Sila feel immeasurably better. This time, she wasn’t on her own. Sila burrowed into him, trying to tell him without words what his support meant to her.
Zoran watched them with hooded eyes before turning away.
“Jolar, let the Ishtralaya know that Sila will be accompanying us” he directed on the COM. “And send someone to escort her to the Shuttle Bay.”
“Acknowledged” his deputy responded in his ear.
Behind him, he heard the Star Captain murmur quietly.
“Let me do the talking with Commander Kerovac” Zh’hir said to Sila.
“Yes, Star Captain” she acceded softly from within his embrace.
Silence descended on the chamber until interrupted by a buzz at the door. It was Belur.
The Star Captain disentangled slowly from Sila.
Zoran addressed her. “Belur will take you to the Shuttle Bay, Sila. I need a word with Zh’hir.”
Sila shot the Star Captain a last glance before allowing Belur to lead her out.
Zoran waited for the door to close behind her.
“A word of warning, Zh’hir” he said quietly. “Watch yourself with Kerovac.”
The gold eyes studied the Hadari’Kor male. “Like us, he is bound by duty and constrained by compulsions beyond his control, Zoran. Yet, I believe Commander Kerovac to be an honorable male.”
“Yes, he is” Zoran agreed readily. “My experience with the Commander has been very good, Zh’hir. Kerovac is a fair male and keeps his word when he gives it. But he is not like you or me or anyone else we know. You know what they call him — Un Kieto Maal. There’s a reason for it. The augments have given him abilities much beyond an average guy, but they have taken a toll on him. He is more machine than male, his emotions shunted away to focus on his purpose. And his entire life has been geared towards one goal — to lead the Alliance to victory over the Empire. Never forget that he has been bred to his duty to the exclusion of everything else. If need be, he will not hesitate to exploit any advantage — especially, if it helps him achieve what he and everyone in the Alliance consider his destiny.”
Zoran paused to choose his words carefully. “He needs the Ur’quay to win his war but Sila is an Alliance citizen. He might consider her expendable if sacrificing her can bring the Empire down.”
The Ur’quay were strangers to Sector Araloka. Zoran knew that the Star Captain was shrewd and experienced enough to protect his interests as well as that of the Ur’quay. But Sila was a different kettle of fish altogether. From a rural planet that had washed its hands off her, she possessed neither the protection nor the bargaining power of the Ur’quay. Zoran, aware of how much the Terran girl meant to the Star Captain, did not shy away from warning his friend.
The Star Captain gave him a sharp nod. “Thank you, Zoran.”
In the Shuttle Bay, Jolar awaited them with Sila.
“The Ishtralaya is expecting you, Zoran” he informed his Captain.
They climbed aboard the small shuttle which would take them the short distance to the Alliance Commander’s flagship.
In the shuttle, as Zoran busied himself, Sila turned to the Star Captain. Revealing her secret to the Alliance terrified her. The Terrans, who had known her all her life, had not been able to deal with it. She refused to even contemplate how the Alliance, with its track record of abandoning both the Terrans and her, would handle the revelation. But she’d had time to ruminate on the ramifications of a mind-reader who took marching orders from the Empire. With the Star Captain by her side, she felt safer, but there were many who would suffer greatly if the Alliance fell.
“If there is a way for me to help, Star Captain, I would like to try. I don’t want the Ketaari to win the war ….” her voice trailed off.
She knew that he and his warriors were bound by Ur’quay law. And Sila did not want the Budheya’s fate to be visited on Terra Agri or other worlds. Also, while mind-readers could not take advantage of Ur’quay, the Star Captain’s world would suffer if the Alliance could not keep its promises to them.
On the Ishtralaya, the Alliance Commander’s Aide-de-Champ Yaneou Tirovac greeted them. The Star Captain introduced Sila with her Ur’quay title — Terran Ambassador. ADC Tirovac was charm personified, with the exquisite manners of Iovac nobility, the tattoos on his forehead marking him as a member of it. A diplomat to the core, he betrayed no hint of curiosity at her presence on the Ishtralaya. They were escorted to a chamber where the Alliance Commander awaited them. Glancing curiously around the Alliance Commander’s famed flagship, Sila noted that although huge, it didn’t appear as new as the Hadari’Kor ship nor as advanced as the Henia.
Commande
r Kerovac came forward to greet her as he caught sight of Sila dwarfed by the two Captains.
“Ray, this is Sila Gatherer, Terran Ambassador to the Ur’quay” the Aide-de-Champ made the introductions.
“Ambassador Gatherer, Alliance Commander Rayeou Kerovac.”
Commander Kerovac greeted her with old-fashioned courtesy and invited them to seat themselves. Sila, who had heard much about Un Kieto Maal, studied him surreptitiously. Like his Iovac Aide-de-Champ, his manners were impeccable. A striking male with a tall, lean body and an attractive face, his thick black hair provided a contrast to his pale skin. The markings that covered one side of his forehead over his left eye down to just above his cheekbone gave him a rakishly mysterious air. Remarkably soft-spoken, the only hint of his extensive augments were the piercing cobalt blue eyes that seemed to glow in the handsome face. Sila, who had not expected such an attractive and well-spoken male, was taken aback, though she did find the effect of his bright eyes a little eery.
Zoran opened proceedings, before ADC Tirovac could take a seat.
“We have some information, Commander. And it might be prudent to limit this conversation until you decide what to do with it” he suggested diplomatically.
Commander Kerovac studied Zoran with his disconcerting bright eyes for a moment before catching the eye of his aide. Tirovac made a discreet exit from the chamber.
“You have discovered something about the rendezvous” Kerovac prompted them. They had, after all, turned back when almost to it.
“It is a trap” Zoran declared.
The Commander looked unperturbed.
“As we suspected” he remarked. “It is out of character for the Ketaari to attempt a negotiated peace.”
The cobalt eyes flickered to the Star Captain. “Unless they know about the Ur’quay, which I doubt. We have been careful.”
“This is no ordinary trap, Commander” Zoran explained. “They have a telepath waiting to read you at the rendezvous.”
This time, the mercenary’s words had the desired effect. The Alliance Commander went poker-faced, even as his piercing eyes glowed brightly.
“A telepath” he repeated, after a second of silence. “How do you know this?”
The bright eyes flickered to Sila and she forced herself to not fidget as they clinically assessed her. This was Un Kieto Maal, she reminded herself. Of course, he would put two and two together.
This time, Zoran remained silent. He had warned his friend and now, it was up to Zh’hir.
The Star Captain stepped into the fray. “As you have guessed, it is the Ambassador who alerted us to the mind-reader, Commander Kerovac. But before she reveals anything, I would like your word that anything she says will not in any way affect the protection she deserves as an Alliance citizen. And that she will not be asked in the future to take any action that places her in danger.”
The piercing blue eyes studied the three across the table. Zoran remained silent while Sila fought to retain her composure but the Ur’quay warrior met the penetrating gaze steadily, with steely determination in the exotic eyes the Commander did not fail to note.
“I give you my word, Star Captain” Kerovac said in his sparse, precise manner. “The Ambassador and anything she tells me will be protected.”
The Star Captain inclined his head. “The Ambassador felt someone attempt to breach her mind.”
Commander Kerovac turned to Sila to address her directly. “I have an augment that allows me to shield my thoughts” he said quietly. “But not one that lets me know if someone breaches it. Do you possess such an augment, Ambassador Gatherer?”
Sila glanced at the Star Captain before answering the question. “My ability is natural, Commander Kerovac.”
Zh’hir stepped in adroitly before the Alliance Commander could question her further.
“The Ambassador possesses the ability to protect her thoughts from being probed, Commander. On the way to the rendezvous, she sensed someone attempt it. She locked the entity out and reported it to Zoran. He directed all ships to turn back a safe distance from the mind-reader.”
“Are we sure this entity is tied to the Ketaari party that awaits us at the rendezvous?” Commander Kerovac inquired.
“The Ur’quay sensors detected nothing else.” It was Zoran who responded.
“Good enough for me.” The Alliance Commander’s disconcertingly piercing gaze rested on the two Captains. Sila wondered if the brightness of his eyes was an indication of how much information his brain was sorting through.
“So, the Ketaari have themselves a telepath” he remarked. He glanced around the room. “Where did he come from?”
“Is there an augment that could allow this, Commander?” Zoran asked curiously. Until Kerovac’s words about an augment to protect his mind, he had assumed this new telepath to be like Sila.
“If it does, the Iovac do not have it, Captain. Therefore, I think it safe to assume that it is not an augment that allows this entity to read minds.”
Zoran concurred with the Commander. The Iovac had the most advanced augment technology in the sector. If they were not aware of such an augment, it did not exist.
The electric blue eyes swept over Sila. “If the ability comes naturally to the telepath, perhaps he is like the Ambassador” the Commander suggested.
“She is the only one with the ability on Terra Agri 5, Commander” the Star Captain responded. “And Zoran tells me that he has never heard of anyone else in the sector with it.”
The Commander sat back, his mind pondering the matter.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about the telepath?” he asked the Ur’quay warrior. Kerovac, no fool, understood that the Star Captain intended to guard access to the Ambassador. There was something else at play here, he realized, even as he shoved it away to the back of his mind for future consideration. A male with a long memory, he had not forgotten the puzzle of the Ur’quay’s fixation with the rural planet of Terra Agri 5.
Zh’hir picked his words carefully. “The Ambassador believes that the mind-reader is not particularly adept, though he was able to make the attempt over a distance considered impossible for such communication.”
“Considered?” the Alliance Commander looked startled by the term, especially when used in conjunction with telepathy.
“The Ur’quay have some experience with such communication of the mind” the Star Captain acknowledged, parsing his words very precisely.
Surprisingly, Commander Kerovac took this news in his stride where he had been astonished by Sila’s ability. No revelation about the Ur’quay’s abilities had the power to surprise him. Even Rayeou Kerovac wasn’t inured to the mythology about the mysterious Ur’quay and their powerful abilities. What did catch his attention was the coincidence — the similarity in an unusual ability. If Sila Gatherer was truly the only Terran to be telepathic, perhaps it was her the Ur’quay were fixated on and not her world, he realized shrewdly.
“Are you saying that the Ur’quay can communicate telepathically, Star Captain?” he inquired.
“I am saying that Ur’quay law makes probing another’s mind punishable by death. We have some experience with enforcing this law” the Star Captain answered evenly with deliberation. “And no one in our long history has ever displayed any mind-reading abilities at such a vast distance, Commander.”
“Just because the telepath was unsuccessful with the Ambassador does not mean he did not get information from others in our party” the Commander remarked. “I must make the rendezvous. If only to gauge what the telepath got from us.”
The cobalt blue eyes passed over them dispassionately. “This rendezvous is my chance. I might not get another. With such a weapon in their arsenal, the Ketaari have a formidable advantage.”
Zoran, who concurred with the Commander’s assessment, nevertheless straightened in his seat. It almost sounded like Kerovac meant to still make the rendezvous. “They made a mistake with the Ambassador” he reminded the Commander. “We got luc
ky.”
“I will enable my augment, Captain. They will get nothing from me.”
As Zoran stared at him in response, the Commander smiled grimly. “I’m not easy to capture, Zoran of Hadari’Kor.”
“If you intend to make the rendezvous, the Ur’quay can guard you, Commander” the Star Captain offered. “The mind-reader will not affect us.”
“Thank you, Star Captain. But I must use the opportunity to learn about the telepath. Turn the tables on them, so to speak.”
The Star Captain’s unblinking gold eyes met the glowing blue ones. “The Ambassador can tell if someone breaches her mind but cannot turn the tables on him, Commander” he said evenly. “She does not have the ability to read minds.”
“Do you possess the ability, Star Captain?” the Commander inquired.
“Our laws do not allow me to attempt it” the Star Captain stated firmly. “However, the Henia’s sophisticated sensors might be able to tell us more about the mind-reader.”
Kerovac pondered the starfarer’s words. “Does the Henia have the technology to test for telepaths?” he asked.
“Ur’quay law forbids it. We can help prevent a mind-breach but not scan for it.”
The Alliance Commander sighed. The Ur’quay were not going to budge on this. Scans of the Ketaari ship and its crew was great but with no way to verify the presence of a telepath, the Alliance would still be at a disadvantage.
Zh’hir, conscious of the stakes, recalled Sila’s words in the shuttle. With him by her side, he could make sure the attempt did not endanger her.
“The Ambassador can help verify the presence of a mind-reader” he suggested. “But we must take precautions to shield her mind while she jousts with him.”
The Alliance Commander looked at Sila, who gave him a mute nod to affirm her support for the plan.
“Can you shield someone’s mind from being probed?” the Alliance Commander asked the Star Captain curiously.
“It is frowned upon by my people” the Star Captain responded cryptically. “But I am willing to do it for the Ambassador if she is agreeable. It will mean that I must stay by her side.”