"I'd never be ashamed to be seen with you. You're so beautiful and sensitive. Chelle, I---"
"Don't!" Chelle interrupted and averted her gaze from his. "You promised."
"I know," he murmured and lowered his eyes, too. "I can't apologize. I'm not sorry. I'm only sorry that I wasn't the one who first touched your mind---that I wasn't the one drawn to Earth to find you. I'm sorry that what I feel can't be thought, let alone said to you. . ..
"Mother, I've had so many women since you came. I can't even remember their names---some I never knew. There was no love in any of those matings . . . Except maybe Floria. Is there anything fair in this wretched lifetime?
Chelle looked at him querulously and sighed. It sure as hell doesn't seem like it. Perhaps, it will be easier for everyone when Hankura and I leave Aledus.
Trevin's mouth compressed into a grim line, and he looked doubtful as her thoughts slipped into his mind. He was used to it now, even though it sometimes made him uneasy knowing she could read him so well.
"Ah, Trev. I don't think it's me you really love. You envy the rapport Hankura, and I share . . . And you're putting our friendship in jeopardy with your fantasies. It's got to stop," she told him.
Trevin scowled and didn't answer.
After a moment, Chelle said, "I don't think I'll com Mikal. I want to see him in person. Will you come to Salla with me?"
"I had plans . . . " he began. "Ah, forget it. I'll come. You shouldn't be wandering around Salla alone. It isn't safe."
"Yeah, I know."
"How is Hankura?" Mikal asked in genuine concern. "He just commed me from Salla Jail."
"Then, you all know what happened." Chelle looked from Mikal to Nathan and Sharlel and back to Nathan again. They nodded. "What can I tell you? Hankura is bitter about the way he's been treated. He just got his termination notice from the Medical Center. That didn't help his mood any. His career on Aledus is over for good, now."
"I'm sorry Chelle," Mikal said. "We all are. We've given our prints for the Test of Truth. I even commed Merris, my younger wife. She is a Normal so she gave her print, too. They told us it would be five days before they scheduled a conference, and then it might be another week or more before the case is heard."
Chelle knew all of that, but she kept silent. They were so kind and caring. She was glad to have their help. "That means we only have to get one more."
"Let us know if there is anything else we can do," Sharlel added. "You know how we all feel about Hankura. He gave Nathan and me the only fair chance we've had in Salla."
"As far as we're concerned, he's better than half the physicians in the place," Nathan put in. "Now that he's been terminated, we are all leaving Salla Medical Center---and Aledus. Sharlel and I gave notice today. We'll be staying long enough to see Hankura freed."
"And I'm only staying until Lania's son is born. Then, we leave for Zevus Mar. It's a small, quiet place, but the colony is growing. It's a good place for a man and a woman to be free to raise a family and live out their lives. Maybe you and Hankura should consider it. He won't be employed for anything on Aledus again. What will you both do?"
"It's hard to say. First, we have to get him out of jail," Chelle responded bleakly. "We have signed on with the Explorations. Our contracts begin in a few months. In the meantime, we're going to Belderon. We can't fight six million people when even the other psions won't stand with us."
Trevin stood in the background, lost in his own thoughts. He paid little attention to the exchange.
"We hope everything works out for you and Hankura." Nathan extended his large hand to her. "We'll all miss him."
"And we will miss all of you," Chelle murmured huskily, clasping each offered hand in turn. "Thank you all. I have to go."
She turned abruptly and ran from the study. She stopped in the corridor and waited for Trevin to catch up. She slowly gathered her composure, and then there was no more reason to hurry. Chelle wasn't eager to go back to the complex to face Natar and Ludren---particularly Natar. She was glad she wouldn't be alone.
You're never alone, she-ell. Hankura expressed his psychic presence in her mind. You're doing a great job, and I have thought of a sixth petitioner. Marcus. I think he would do it.
Yes. I'll go to see him tomorrow. I'm going back to the complex to talk to Natar and Ludren.
Then all we'll have to do is wait.
Something you have little patience for. She smiled slightly as he mentally groaned at her pun. It wasn't especially funny, but it helped to break the monotony a little . . . if only for a while.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"Would you like a glass of yash?" Ludren offered. He beckoned Trevin and Chelle to sit on the sofa in the main lounge. "Will Hankura be coming soon?"
"Uh . . . no." Chelle began nervously. "That's why we're here. It's about Hankura---something awful happened." Sensing Ludren's fear, she quickly added, "He isn't hurt or anything like that. He's in trouble."
"All right, Chelle," Ludren said in a soothing tone. "Why don't you just tell us about it?"
Chelle nodded, fighting back a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as Natar strolled into the room and sat down beside Ludren across from them.
"Hankura was arrested this morning . . .." Chelle blurted. Then she plunged through the whole story yet another time.
No one spoke for several seconds after she'd finished. Unexpectedly, Natar to her feet.
"You!" she shrieked. "You're to blame for this. You've brought my son nothing but trouble since he found you."
"Please, I never meant for this to happen. Do you think I want him jailed like a criminal?" Chelle cried.
"He wouldn't be if you hadn't flaunted yourself once too often to those men in Salla," Natar retorted.
"That isn't true! Natar, you know it isn't true. We are psi-mates. I've had no other lovers. I haven't wanted any."
"But---if you had kept your place, none of this would ever have happened. It wouldn't have hurt you to give Theron what he wanted. What makes you better than I am or any of the rest of us?" Natar pointed an accusing finger at Chelle. "Submitting is how we psions survive. Normals rule Aledus. If you can't keep your place, you don't belong here!"
"Mother, what are you saying?" Trevin stared at her in shock. "You can't mean that. That's disgusting. Theron had no right!"
Mother, stop it. Chelle is my wife, and she didn't do anything wrong. Even a Psion has free choice on Aledus. He was hurting her. . .. Hankura's telepathy was relayed through Chelle's mind. She stared wide eyed as Natar stood raging over her.
I don't care. She doesn't belong here. You never should have brought her here. Never! I hate her! Natar's rage and hatred flooded into Chelle's mind with staggering force. Despite the fact that Hankura intercepted some of its impact, Chelle whimpered at the mental blow and fled out of the dome into the garden. If she had hoped for comfort and support, she had gotten neither. Trevin made a disgruntled sound and followed her.
"Natar!" Ludren exploded when they were alone. "What's the matter with you? Chelle isn't to blame for a man who lets lust rule his actions. What if he'd treated Capra like that? Wouldn't you want to Hankura defend her?"
"That's different. Capra is my own daughter. No man has the right to take a woman who doesn't want him." Her tone softened. "But Chelle is an outsider. She's taken Hankura from me, and I'll never forgive her for that. NEVER!"
"You can't mean that. Natar, you know what she means to him. You'll drive him away with that attitude. Is that what you want? You said they share Serene Perception. They belong together."
"Yes, I know," Natar replied absently, her eyes unfocused. Already, she was retreating into her own secret thoughts. Then, after a moment, her eyes focused on Ludren's face. "It was the Serene Perception. But, Mother of Life, Hankura is in jail because of her!" Bitter tears stole down her cheeks. "How can I forgive her for that? I hate her!"
Natar wrinkled her brows into a frown, averted her eyes for a moment, and then raised them again. "
Oh please, Ludren, don't be angry with me. I didn't mean it. I'm so confused. Why can't these people leave me alone? Don't let them take me to the chamber again. Please, Ludren, I beg you. I can't do it again, I can't. I didn't mean it. They won't believe me."
"No, no, Natar." Ludren seized her arms and pulled her close. "I won't let anyone hurt you. You're confused. No one will send you to the neurochambers again; I promise. Don't cry, my love, don't cry. Everything will be all right. But you must let Hankura go. When this is over, he can't stay here. Do you understand that?"
Natar looked up at him tearfully and blinked her eyes in slow acknowledgment. "Don't leave me, Ludren. Don't ever leave me."
"I won't my darling. Not ever," he murmured fervently and held her tightly. A sudden chill of fear stole through him. Goddess, no! How could this happen? Natar was losing control. What was he going to do?
Trevin paused outside in the night for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. Scanning the area around the domes, he caught a shadowy movement near his brother's dome in the garden. After a moment, he heard Chelle's muffled sobs. He found her by the hovercraft.
"Chelle, are you all right?" he asked. She passed her hand over the ID plate without looking at him and nodded, still crying. He longed to take her into his arms, hold her close and soothe away her tears. Instead, he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about Mother. She's upset. I'm sure she didn't mean half of what she said. It's just that Hankura is her favorite son . . .."
"Oh, Trev!" She looked at him sharply, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"Hell, I've always known that. And why not? He's a Psion like her . . . And I . . . Am one of the other kind, a Normal just like Father. Oh, yes, she loves us all in her own condescending way, but none of us will ever measure up to my brother." Trevin gave her a sad smile and laughed without humor. "What am I anyway but a master student? I know little of a lot of things and a lot about nothing. Hankura is everything the rest of us are not, and what galls Mother most is that he has you . . .."
"Jealousy doesn't become you, Trevin," she said unevenly. "You're a good, gentle man with great sensitivity, and you have the intellect to do most anything you want to do. Everything you envy Hankura for has cost him. You don't know how often or how deeply he's been hurt. But, I know, Trevin." She choked out the last, crying so hard she couldn't go on talking to him. She turned and started to climb into the hovercraft.
He gripped her arm tightly to stop her. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see Kaara. I have to get away from here for a while."
"Let me come. You shouldn't go out alone. A psion---"
"Isn't safe? I'll com Gray. I'll be safe with him. Just let me go, please."
"All right. Be careful---and if you need me . . .."
Chelle nodded and closed the hatch, then set the craft in motion toward the Salla where Gray would meet her. She was alone but for Hankura's gentle presence in her mind, and she was hurting more than she had in a very long time. Trevin was wrong about Natar. He hadn't felt her hatred or her anger like Chelle had. And part of what Natar said was true. Chelle didn't belong on Aledus. She never had--no matter how hard she tried.
From surface glance, Aledus seemed to hold everything a peaceful society should. It had clean, beautiful cities, a balanced environment, no overpopulation, and no poverty. Nearly everyone enjoyed a high, luxurious standard of living. But it only looked good on the surface. Underneath, there was always the old prejudice against psions. Alien psions were shunned even more.
Alien, an outsider---that's what Chelle had always been on Aledus. All of Hankura's love and credits couldn't change her social status. Life on Earth had been hard, but there had always been hope of something better. With that memory, a sharp stab of homesickness twisted her heart. Yet, even on Earth in the quiet haven of the mountain forests, there was no peace, no haven without Hankura to share it . . .. Goddess, it all hurt so much!
She-ell don't cry. It hurts so much to feel your pain---especially when I can't even hold you. Mother is wrong. Her thoughts seemed all twisted around and contradicting one another. I don't understand what is happening to her. I'm sorry for everything I put you through to learn what I should have known all along. Neither of us belongs here. I wish I'd taken you to Belderon months ago . . .. I promise we'll leave as soon as I'm free.
In her mind's eye, Chelle could picture the guilt and disappointment written on his face as he paced the tiny cell still another time. They had only been separated for hours, but not knowing when it would end made it difficult. Chelle could feel his remorse and his offer of mental comfort. She sensed him aching for her physically, and she shared that need. She sent him a memory of a tender embrace. That gave him some comfort for the time being.
It was dark and raining by the time Chelle settled the air wedge on the landing pad at East Salla hoverport. The rain fell in big drops that rippled the small pools of water under the landing lights. They shimmered silver against the black pavement. Except for the lights, the landing pad was dark and eerie. She stood by the hovercraft, looking anxiously toward the control station.
Gray was there waiting. She hurried toward him, her head bent against the rain. By then, she had regained her composure. She managed to smile at Gray, but she couldn't hide the redness of her eyes or the traces of tears on her face. She almost started to cry again when he put his arms around her and hugged her.
"I heard about Hankura. I was sure there had to be a mistake," Gray murmured in a soothing tone and released her gradually. "What happened?" He put a comforting arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the subway station. Chelle gave him the memory.
Gray blinked, a little disoriented, and shook his head. "I wish I had been there," he growled, "That slime would have wished he only had to answer to Hankura!"
“Thank you, Gray. I feel so bad for Hankura. I just didn't sense what Theron was going to do. He acted on impulse, and even an accomplished telepath can't always read such things."
"Did you get the six prints for the Test of Truth?" They stepped into a tube capsule together and found a seat.
"Not yet. I still need one more." I am planning to see Instructor Marcus in the morning. He respects Hankura, so he just might be willing to give his print."
"You didn't ask me," Gray said quietly.
"I didn't want to put you in that position. You're an Enforcer. They'd make life miserable for you at headquarters."
Gray shrugged. "We only have a month before we go to T'llead for training. I can handle them. I'll register my print as soon as we get home."
"And I will com Stefan. He promised to be the sixth if I got five. I doubt he will be overjoyed to hear from me."
Gray smiled. "Who cares if he likes it as long as he gives his print."
Chelle smiled, too.
Kaara was waiting at the door when they arrived at the dome she shared with Gray. She hugged Chelle, asking no questions, just offering human warmth and sympathy. Chelle didn't offer Kaara her memory. It would have brought back memories that Kaara had put behind her. Her friendship was enough.
Chelle stayed with Gray and Kaara for several days until Ludren commed to apologize for Natar. He assured her Natar was no longer hostile, now that Chelle had secured a Test of Truth for Hankura.
Chelle went back to the complex and allowed Natar to make amends. At least outwardly. Chelle could still sense her resentment. Natar tolerated her because Hankura loved her. Nothing had changed.
The Council of Seven took all of five days to reach a decision on Hankura's petition. They set a hearing for twenty days hence and informed Hankura over the vid com. That meant Hankura and Chelle could still make Belderon in time to meet Casir, who had commed that he would be called to Uloi sooner than he'd planned. He would be on Belderon for one month instead of two. That would give them fifteen days to visit him---if Hankura were freed.
And Captain Beras still had to be informed. With the hearing set, Chelle went to the telecom to contact the Se
arching Star and explain the situation to Beras. She was a little apprehensive. What if he canceled their contracts?
Minutes later, Dana, the com operator appeared on the screen. "Searching Star, Dana here. May I help you?"
"I am Chelle Narcaza, E-65372, from Aledus. I have an urgent matter to discuss with Captain Beras."
"One moment. I'll switch you over."
Then, Captain Beras' face filled the screen in front of her. "Yes, Chelle? What can I do for you? You still have five days to rescind the contract. Is that why you commed?"
"No, sir. I commed to inform you that Hankura has been arrested and jailed."
"For what?" he bellowed.
Chelle sighed uneasily before launching into a concise account of the matter again.
"Oh, hell!" Beras muttered. "That's a bunch of Aledan refuse for you. I warned him the day we met to pull out of there. He's a stubborn son of a bitch, isn't he?"
Chelle stifled a grin. Beras was closer to the truth than he realized.
"Tell him not to worry. He's got three and a half months before we pull into Belderon again." Beras smiled reassuringly. "If that's not enough, I'm coming down there to raise some hell. A Federation contract takes precedence over a bruised ego and a bloody nose. But, with a Test of Truth, I don't think they'll hold him. Does that set things straight for you, young lady?"
"Uh huh. Thank you, sir." She grinned. "Hankura feels better now, too."
"Psi-mates, huh?" He raised his bushy brows. "It should be interesting. Keep me informed."
"Yes, sir." Chelle nodded. As soon as the transmission ended, she turned to the vid com. Hankura still had an hour left, and he was contacting her.
"There you are." He smiled affectionately as his eyes fed hungrily in the image of her face. "I've wanted to see you so badly these past days, but I hesitated to use up my com time."
"I know, but you shouldn't be there too much longer. Both Capra and Captain Beras say you should be released after the truth comes out. As for the fine, and being exiled from the cities . . . We don't know."
The Aledan PSION: The Aledan Series Book 1 Page 20