He hesitated. “I want to tell you everything you want to know, but I don’t think it’s my place. You should ask Trey.”
“You’re the one testing me so I’m asking you,” she countered.
While Daith glared at him, a strange feeling came over her. She felt confused, torn by a decision. She realized she could sense Dru’s emotions again. Wanting answers, she concentrated on those feelings, to see what Dru hid from her. But something stopped her, a kind of wall in his mind which blocked her access. She hadn’t even noticed he’d continued talking.
“…so that’s why it’s better for you to speak to Trey first.”
“Yeah, sure,” Daith said, dismissing what he’d said. “Well, I’m pretty worn out, so I think I’ll lie down for awhile.”
“All right,” he said slowly. “Do you want to have dinner later, you know, to go over today’s work?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I’ll see if Trey wants to have dinner.” Daith could see the hurt on Dru’s face, but she didn’t care. She was too upset. If Dru wouldn’t tell her what she wanted to know, then she would find someone who would.
Daith left the simulation room angry and ashamed. She wasn’t really mad at Dru—confined by restrictions, he could only tell her so much—but ease came from blaming someone else.
She wanted answers.
And no matter what she had to do, she was going to get them.
Chapter 32
With quick strides, Daith headed to Trey’s office. Halfway there, she stopped. No good would come from her approaching the commander irritated. She wanted answers, but she had to go about getting them in her own way. First, she needed practice. And to practice, she needed someone to practice on.
Changing course, Daith headed to the fourth floor and into the mess hall. Still sparse, but enough crewmembers congregated to satisfy her needs. She ordered something from the front, not really caring about her choice, and plopped down within close proximity to a couple of cadets, sloshing the contents of her bowl as the edge hit the table’s surface.
Daith stirred the hot liquid around and focused on the two young men. She listened in for a moment on their conversation—they discussed one of the female cadets on the ship. The first male, tall and trim with black fur and dark red eyes, spoke about the female cadet’s last report on weapons’ efficiency. He chatted with an air of arrogance and seemed displeased with her report.
“I mean, really, how can Commander Xiven even consider her for a bridge promotion?” He dabbed at the corners of his mouth with his elongated fingers. A black, forked tongue darted out to lick their tips clean.
The other male, shorter, with dark amber skin, bright orange hair, and three golden eyes tall enough to touch his hairline, nodded and added murmurs of agreement whenever the first male stopped to take a breath.
Daith slurped up a spoonful of her meal. She chose the taller male to focus on first, recalling what she’d done with Dru during their session. She pushed her mind forward, darting in and out, searching for a way to connect with him.
And then, like skimming a datapad for a specific phrase and having the words jump out, she felt him.
The sensation felt similar to her link with Dru, but not quite the same. This male’s energy was sharper, like the contrast on a photo frame turned to maximum. She started with his thoughts. He projected the same thing he gossiped about, issues with the female cadet, but Daith couldn’t seem to push past these thoughts. Loud and intense, they dominated his mind. A further probe resulted in nothing but blackness.
She changed her strategy and focused on his emotions. Jealousy stood out stronger than the others. Daith wondered what spurred the jealousy, but couldn’t figure out a way to connect the emotion to a thought.
Still, the whole concept delighted her. She’d moved through his thoughts and emotions and he hadn’t even noticed.
With a boost of self-confidence, Daith turned to the shorter male. This male was much easier to connect to. She found the same problem with extracting any thoughts besides those he talked about, but his emotions floated right at the surface. His feelings were gentler and brighter. In fact, this male projected affection and attraction toward the arrogant cadet.
Daith suppressed a laugh. The shorter male was in love!
Pulling her mind away from his, Daith shoveled another spoonful of food into her mouth and thought about what had happened. She had scanned Dru’s thoughts so easily during their tests, but perhaps because they were right at the surface. Maybe searching for older thoughts, like memories, or sub-conscious thoughts needed a different method.
She still wanted one more test. Daith searched the room. A few tables away sat three higher-ranking officers, including the combat trainer, Lieutenant Commander Cenjo.
Daith dug in and connected with Cenjo. His sensations were hazier. Although a strong connection, she couldn’t sort through his thoughts. She could perceive bits and pieces, but nothing whole. She sensed his thoughts had something to do with her and a mission, but she couldn’t be sure. They blurred—like someone trying to read without their glasses on. Once again, she switched to emotions. Also fuzzy. She got impressions of pride, guilt, and contentment, but without knowing exactly what he talked about, she couldn’t make sense of them.
Daith, engrossed in her fascination, hadn’t realized she stared. Until she realized he caught her.
Panicked, Daith abruptly stood, knocking her half-eaten soup onto the table. She hastily mopped up the spill when Cenjo approached to help her clean.
“That’s really not necessary,” she said, averting his gaze.
“It’s no trouble. I noticed you eating by yourself and wondered if you’d care to join us?” To her horror, Cenjo steered her toward his table.
“Oh no,” she told him, embarrassed. “Really. I’m pretty much done anyway.”
“But you seemed so interested in my appearance. I thought you wanted some company.”
This was the second time Daith wanted the floor to open and swallow her. “It wasn’t that…” she stammered. Think, Daith, think.
“Well, what then?”
“I wondered…” think! “I wanted to ask you something, but I didn’t want to interrupt.” As Cenjo ushered her to the table, the other two officers watched her with interest.
“By all means, ask away.”
Daith could feel the heat in her cheeks. “I thought—if you have time…” she said, stumbling over her words while she stalled. And then something popped into her head. “Is there any space available in your combat class? I’d like to join.” She heard a snicker from the officer next to her, but Cenjo didn’t smile. In fact, he seemed intrigued.
“I have no problem with you joining one of my classes, but I’ll have to talk with Commander Xiven first. He’s in charge of the combat roster. Although I think it’s a good idea. Never know when you might need to defend yourself.”
Cenjo signaled to the other two officers who rose. “Well since that’s all, we’ll leave you to finish your meal.”
“Oh, of course. Let me know what Trey says.”
Cenjo acknowledged her statement and left. They weren’t far when one of the officers, the one who’d snickered, muttered to Cenjo under his breath “she calls the commander Trey, does she? What a joke.”
Daith stood there, stunned. A joke? What did he mean?
Shaken by the encounter, but not deterred, Daith left the mess hall and headed down two floors toward Trey’s office, feeling confident with her new ability. She rang the chimes to his office. The door opened and she took a seat. He signaled her to wait while he finished his vidlink call.
“To what do I owe this nice surprise?” Trey asked after he’d disconnected.
“I have a few things I’d like to talk to you about.”
“I understand. I assume you’ve noticed things are a bit hectic, crewmembers are tense, and I have been preoccupied and not able to see you as often as I’d like.”
Daith pursed her lips in resp
onse, unwilling to soften.
“I think it’s time to open the door the rest of the way. Can we meet later? I will answer all your questions then, I promise. I just don’t have time right now.” As if on cue, the communications panel on his desk lit up.
“Yes?” he answered.
“Commander, we need you on the bridge. Sensor malfunction.”
“I’m on my way.” Trey pushed the button to silence the com and nodded his head toward it. “Never seems to end.”
Daith didn’t want to wait, but realized she didn’t have a choice. “Fine. How about we meet for dinner?”
Trey lit up. “Dinner? Sounds great. Here, in my office? Say in about three standard hours?”
“See you then.”
Chapter 33
Three hours later, Daith rang the chimes to Trey’s office.
“Enter!”
Daith went in and paused at the change in the room—dimmed lights, a black cloth laid across his desk. A whiff of the piquant, sweet scent from the spread of food reached her nose. Trey stood behind the makeshift table, his appearance immaculate as ever, a toothy grin on his face.
Palpable tension filled the room—Daith didn’t even need to use her new-found ability to sense it.
“Please,” he said, gesturing to the seat in front of her. “Sit.” He pulled his own chair out with a screech and winced at the noise. “Sorry.”
She sat, admiring her plate: long, thin, cream-colored tubes lay in swirls under yellow and orange chunks, drizzled on top with a dark green sauce. There was a puffy white pastry in the middle of the desk and two glasses filled with smoky blue liquid.
“Help yourself.”
Daith tried a bite.
“This is delicious.” The flavor reflected the sweet and spicy scent in the air. Her beverage, also sweet, possessed a hint of smokiness which lingered after she swallowed.
Trey dug into his own meal. “It’s a dish my mother used to make. I taught the recipe to the cooks in the mess hall. It’s been a crew favorite for years.” A moment of silence while he swallowed, but when he opened his mouth again, nothing came out. He cleared his throat and shoveled another mouthful. Daith’s interest spiked at his seeming unease.
“So how are things on the ship?” he asked.
Daith put down her utensil. “You know how they are. Elusive. Secretive. I think I deserve some answers.” She readied herself to enter his mind.
Trey nodded and his shoulders relaxed. “You aren’t stupid, Daith—far from it. I knew you wouldn’t be satisfied with the paltry information I’d given you. I wanted to protect you and I thought sparing you the truth would make things easier for you here, help with your adjustment to your new life.” Trey paused, his voice catching in his throat. “I care about you, Daith. I want you to be happy here. I realize keeping you in the dark was wrong. The time has come for you to decide for yourself.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Decide what?”
Trey held out his hands. “Let me start with the explanation. Then you can worry about the decision.” He let out a breath. “We are at war.”
Daith propelled her mind into Trey’s, hunting for stray thoughts and emotions to help her determine his honesty. After a moment she connected and sensed feelings of confidence, spite, longing, and—
—and then nothing.
Blackness.
Daith disconnected her mind. What just happened? She didn’t sense a wall or block. Just a void.
Trey continued. “There are several small factions fighting, but the two main groups are the Aleet Army, which I command, and the Controllers.”
Daith tried once again to get a feel for Trey’s emotions, but she found nothing to grasp onto—like a vertical shaft with slickened sides. She feared pushing too hard, afraid he would notice.
“A little over twenty standard years ago,” Trey went on, “a young man found he had abnormal and unique abilities. He used these abilities to help strengthen and unite many governments that had fought for years. He brought peace and hope to many caught in endless cycles of violence and restored a harmonious way of life.”
The familiar words brought her back from her failed attempts. “He did this for your planet, didn’t he?”
“Yes. The war I fought in on my home planet, Sintaur, was a war he helped stop. After I decided to join his cause, I became a member of the group he’d started, the Aleet Army.”
Trey continued, methodically unfolding then refolding the cloth on his lap. “Some of those who originally controlled the governments, or who profited from the wars, lied to the citizens of these planets. They said our leader had corrupted them, that he wanted to control them, and he wanted power over their worlds.”
“Afraid of change, they recruited their own soldiers by propagating the idea they needed to be set free from tyranny and oppression. They called themselves the Liberators,” Trey sneered at the name, “but those who wanted peace and supported our leader called them what they truly were, the Controllers. Because of their wealth, the Controllers had no trouble funding their campaign. They viewed our leader as the main threat to their way of life and did everything they could to tarnish his name and image.
“Not everyone believed these lies,” Trey continued. “Beings from different planets, different ages, and different backgrounds, sent in their requests to join the Aleet Army.”
“You mentioned you are in command of the Aleet Army, so what happened to this leader?” Daith asked.
Trey’s lips pursed for a moment. “He’s dead.”
Daith’s chest ached with pity. “I’m sorry. How did he die?”
Trey took a moment to respond. “I suppose in the end the pressure was too much for even him to handle. He’d helped governments all over the galaxy, expanding and pushing his mental and emotional abilities to their limits. I think he finally just—stopped wanting to live.” An expression of anguish passed over Trey’s face, but disappeared quickly.
“What happened after he died?”
“Everything he worked for, we worked for, fell apart. Chaos broke out on many of the planets he’d helped and the Controllers seized this opportunity to reestablish themselves. Without our leader, the Aleet Army wasn’t strong enough to withstand the Controllers. Many members of our group became victims to their propaganda and some of them became double agents. A former recruit double-crossed us and gave away the location of our main base. Hit hard, we lost more than half our soldiers. Many families and civilians were killed, too. Those of us who managed to escape with our lives regrouped, but it’s been eight standard years and we are still rebuilding what had been broken.”
Daith took a drink from her glass to hide her nerves. “What does this have to do with me?”
“The Controllers sent out teams to find any others who had gifts like our leader. They heard about your abilities and tried to persuade you to join them. When you refused, they threatened you. Fearing for your life, your family hired my group to protect you. When we arrived on your home planet, you were already under attack.
“Since you had refused to join them, you’d been deemed a threat. They burned down your house, thinking you were at home with your family.”
Daith’s anger flared at the mention of her family’s murder. How could they do such a terrible thing? How could they take away my past? Daith felt the desk tremble under her hands.
“The dreams I had,” Daith said, quietly, “about the ship and the heat and someone grabbing me—they are my memories?”
“Yes. You may have noticed you haven’t had any dreams since you’ve been here. We did this on purpose.”
“You did what?” Heat inside her flared, matching her sparked anger.
“Daith, you aren’t the only one with these types of abilities, just this level of power. When the Controllers learned about our leader’s death, they not only hunted you, but anyone who possessed gifts like yours. They kidnapped dozens of low-scale telepaths and empaths, using them to search for you, to pry into the thoughts and emotions of
others to gain an advantage.
“We learned recently they’ve been searching minds while an individual is asleep—a way to access their thoughts when they are most vulnerable. They search for clues about someone’s whereabouts to find them.”
Daith remembered how Dru had asked her where her nerve pills were after she’d had her nightmare about his death. “The pills,” Daith said in realization. “You gave me the pills to keep that from happening.”
“They help suppress the mind from dreaming. Giving them to you was the only way I could think to stop the connection. We don’t know how far these individuals can reach. If we pass too close to another ship or planet…. We didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Then why did Doctor Ludd tell me not to take them anymore?”
Trey’s nostrils flared in disgust. “Doctor Ludd turned against us. And now that he’s gone, it’s a pretty good bet the Controllers are aware of our location, and of our plans.”
Daith’s thoughts swirled. “Why didn’t you tell me this from the beginning?”
Trey stood, clearing the dishes. “Three reasons. First, we weren’t sure if you were an undercover Controller agent. That’s what all the tests with Dru have been for. If they’d hired a telepath or empath to take your place, the imposter would not have had the range and power you have.
“Second, if you knew who you were, you would be determined to go back home, and I knew you wouldn’t be safe there. I thought keeping you here would be better. Not fair, I know, but I believed it best. Until you could go with confidence in your abilities, of course.”
“And the third reason?”
“I didn’t know who I could trust. Doctor Ludd is a perfect example. The only ones I do trust are myself, my brother, and you. Doctor Ludd was with us since the beginning. To know he could turn…” Trey twisted away from her, placing the plates near the food chute.
Eomix Galaxy Books: Illusion Page 20