by A. C. Katt
“Do you drink brandy, Pa Chette?”
“It’s a little early, however a shot would not go amiss at the moment.”
“This, Pa Chette, is a Triad set. The sires of a newly bonded WarriorPair go in together and buy the best set of glasses they can afford. The glasses are hand blown and decorated with precious metals and elaborate etchings depicting the symbols and colors of Clan and House. The Tierest tree is the symbol of all of the Sarran Clans and the cloud behind it symbolizes Castle Air. Our late fem, Nara, used this glass and to pass it to a new fem is a very rare occurrence in Sarran society.”
Zaron poured the brandy and handed it to Syn.
“You broke those impenetrable barriers. After Zaron heard the faint buzz of a song on Brightstar, we had a scheduled communication. We spoke on more than a superficial level for the first time in two years. We didn’t understand what happened. It wasn’t until Nafer began to speak about Mommie that I began to get an inkling of understanding.”
“I, on the other hand, was too focused on the mission to understand what my psy was trying to register. The brief contact we had on board made me very uncomfortable and I couldn’t discern the reason which was why I abruptly left you and the Princess Anya the night before the tribunal. It was a muted BondStir.”
“Yet Naffie broke through. He slipped into the bed, you know, he needed comfort. I left him sleeping with the Duchess in the slumber chamber.” Syn sat beside Bron and absently stroked Zaron’s cheek.
Bron sighed. ::Dragon, bring over the decanter.:: He then smiled at his partner When he got up and complied.
::I heard that…can you hear me?::
::Yes, we can.:: Zaron shook his head. ::We have to teach you control. Before you had to mentally shout for us to hear you and your psy adjusted to make yourself heard. Now you only need to whisper.::
::What woke you, Pa Syn, was the pent up grief that Zaron and I repressed for our fem and fempring. The grief, so long denied, burst over us like a wave when the blocks were removed. It was necessary to remove all of the blocks to secure our bond with you.::
“You cannot bond with me while still grieving over Nara. The bond would interfere with your grief. In fact the grief might prevent the bond.”
Zaron sat down beside her and took her into his arms. “Please permit me the liberty of holding you in my arms.” Bron sat on the couch on the other side of Syn.
Bron closed the distance between them. ::Our grief was but a brief explosion because it wasn’t entirely suppressed. We are ready for you, Pa Syn. The Goddess made sure of it.::
Zaron placed his finger on her chin and turned her face to his. “I speak aloud to be sure you understand what I am about to say, Pa Chette. You were made for us. The BondStir with you is so much stronger than it was with Nara. It cannot be denied. We know this in our heart and by our psy. Although Nara possessed psy, her potential was limited. Your potential to love us and Naffie in addition to helping both our peoples is enormous.”
Bron kissed the nape of her neck. “Ah, Pa Syn, the road ahead for us is fraught with obstacles. The very existence of HiPsy Sarrans is secret. We are so few, the leading edge of Sarran evolution. Just as on Earth, it is on Sarran. If the people knew of our powers they would be afraid of someone different from themselves.”
“We would be labeled frauds or taken for testing.” Zaron moved to kneel before her.
::But that’s something they would do on Earth! I thought Sarran to be more civilized,:: Syn said with heat.
::Legends tell us that all the human species originated from the roots of the First Ones. How can we be that different from you? We, like your own race, practiced genocide. The very land we stand on is proof of that. The AirClan along with WaterClan disappeared at the time of the ClanWars.::
Syn could feel the irritation that seethed through their link. Both Zaron and Bron hated the type of prejudice that defined someone as different.
::There are those who would destroy that which they do not understand.::
The study door which Syn carefully closed behind her entry burst open. In ran a crying Naffie and Duchess nipping at his heels. ::Mommie, she hurt me, she wouldn’t stop biting and scratching until I came downstairs.::
“Zaron, Bron, Duchess never misbehaves that way, something’s wrong…”
Syn grabbed for Nafer as the house shook. Bron pushed them down to the floor and covered them with his body as Zaron followed the mewling cat. He met Garlance and Stoker in the large entry hall at the foot of the staircase. “Where?”
Duchess sprung up the stairs. Zaron followed. She led him to the door to the suite she and Naffie just left. The huge bed lay in ruins. It seemed that the explosive device was placed under the bed and designed so the explosion was contained and set in a manner that contained it to the immediate area in and surrounding the bed. Duchess pawed at his leg.
“You are forgiven, Beauty, you saved our offspring’s life.”
* * * *
They returned to the study. Bron rose. “We are all in good health. Thank Ulna the White that the petite beauty drove Naffie down the stairs. She must be special to Ulna because of her unique coloring.” Naffie sat on the end of the sofa emitting a string of hiccups punctuated by an occasional sob. “Do you think Duchess is angry with me? Will she still let me be friends and sit on my lap?”
Syn moved to a large chair across the room and sat on the arm beside Naffie, placing her left arm around his shoulder and pulling him in close to her breast. “Duchess is not angry with you. She knows you didn’t understand what she was trying to tell you.”
“But earlier today I heard her. Why didn’t I hear her this time?”
“I can’t answer that, sweetheart, maybe because you were sleeping—but it doesn’t matter, she knows you didn’t understand and she did what she could to make sure you stayed safe. I’ll bet she’s more worried that you may be angry at her.”
“She’s not angry?”
Syn nodded solemnly, “I don’t think so. Why don’t I call her and then I bet she will come right to you. Duchess…” Syn called to the cat.
“You think she’ll come?”
“I think so,” Syn answered.
Bron walked over to open the study door. “Is the suite intact?”
“Yes, the explosion was tightly confined; it was a shaped charge weapon that directed the blast upwards. It was specifically designed to obliterate the bed and its occupants. Nothing else in the room was affected.”
“If that is the case, we must do a sweep of the rooms. Replace the bed and run the air filter.”
As Bron opened the door, Duchess curled around it. Duchess went to sit on the multi-patterned, hand woven rug, raked her claws across the threads, and began to wash her face clean of the small mote of soot on her whiskers.
She spotted Naffie and as Syn predicted, headed straight for him. Jumping on his lap, she circled around to find a comfortable spot then lay curled up on his lap, kneading his trews.
“See, Naffie, everything is fine.”
“Nafer, why don’t you take Duchess up to your room? Show her some of your toys. Maybe she might play with you.” Syn scratched Duchess under her chin.
“Do you think she will?”
“I think so.”
Naffie rose, taking care to balance Duchess in his arms, and left the room. Syn looked up at Bron and Zaron. ::I hope I read you right. You wanted to talk?::
“Yes, we wanted to have this conversation in a more leisurely fashion, Pa Chette.” Bron sat down in the spot recently vacated by Nafer. Zaron knelt down before her.
“I’m afraid that what we just experienced upstairs and at the field, was the result of the fear of difference we were trying to explain. There is a traitor in the Elder Council who is working hand-in-hand with a rogue member of the ruling body of the Galactic Federation. We know he used Septis and Bane plus the Kassan chief I impersonated on Brightstar. He could be HiPsy himself, very talented at shielding and looking to eliminate the competition.�
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“A few on the council objected to the Earthen fem. They wanted to clone our fem from their remains. This was unacceptable to most Sarrans,” Bron explained.
Zaron continued, “A small number of Sarrans wished to take the tragedy of the loss of our fem and use it to repudiate the Codex…”
“Anya said if you mate with genetically modified fem you lose the psy power.” Syn took Bron’s left hand and Zaron’s right. She needed the skin-to-skin contact. “On Earth my profession was psychology. You have no equivalent science on Sarran.” She put both of their hands together and held them between hers. “It is a science of the mind and how it works, not the brain: that is called neuroscience, which explores the physical brain.
“We have an equivalent field to you neuroscience on Saran.” Zaron said.
“Psychology is more a study of behavior. This man you are seeking is not afraid. There is a science, back on Earth, where psychologists and law enforcement officers study criminal behavior to come up with a profile that could point to the person who did the crime. I’m not an expert; however I believe you have missed the motive. It is not fear.”
::Then what is it, Pa Chette?:: Zaron asked.
::Power. Whoever controls the HiPsy Sarran Warriors has the potential to control the galaxy. You, Bron and Zaron, plus the others, have used your gifts to aid the Sarran cause and not for personal gain. This Elder and his partner look for power, control of the planet, and eventually the galaxy. Who do you know among the Elders, a WarriorPair who are power hungry, conscious of their prestige, and overly fussy over the trappings of their office? This would be a pair who is insulted if not given the honor and prestige they feel their due and would be very vocal regarding their prerogatives. He could also be single, suffering a loss during the plague. He or they could have lost or muted psy ability due to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.::
Bron pulled his hand away, leaned forward putting his hand under his chin. Syn chuckled. ::He looks like Rodin’s Thinker.::
Zaron stroked his chin. ::There are a few candidates who act as you describe on the council but only one Elder Pair who meet the criteria. They lost their fem and one of the pair was wounded badly during the Zyptz war.::
::What Zaron says is true Pa Syn. Only Elder TeAngle and his partner TeZuff meet all of your parameters. But they have always been known to be good men, albeit a bit difficult to like.::
::Good men can become corrupt and if not corrupt, troubled and not quite sane.::
::Insane. Pa Chette, what could cause this insanity?::
::As I said, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD…it’s an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Events such as the Zyptz war and the plague caused by the explosion of the Ipz are perfect examples.::
“And this disorder causes insanity?” Bron asked incredulously.
“Depending on the degree of the trauma, the length of time from the onset of the PTSD until the beginning of treatment, various degrees of mental illness can occur. The afflicted individual could relive the event on an hourly or daily basis, each time reinforcing the disorder. Sometimes the disorder doesn’t appear until months or years after the incident. The person may become tense, on edge, or emotionally numb. I’m not sure, but I don’t think the disorder can bring about changes in personality, but it can enhance feelings of anger, depression, or guilt and the patient may act upon those feelings. Alternately this person or persons could be evil. I’ve seen enough of it on my world to know that it exists.”
“How can you tell if someone has this PTSD? Bron and I both experienced the numbness you describe. However, when we unblocked our psy, we had a huge outpouring of grief, which you partially witnessed.”
“The symptoms of the disorder are those that I described. What is interesting is that not everyone exposed to a traumatic event gets PTSD. In other cases, for instance the death of a loved one, one member of the family can acquire PTSD as a result of the death while the rest of the family remains unaffected. There may be a genetic component. Earthen Science had not yet advanced far enough to be able to totally explain the phenomenon. They have medication to ease the symptoms and talk therapy to give the patient support and the understanding to enable them to live with and eventually get over the trauma.”
“The suicides, the WarriorPairs unable to function properly within their bond, and the hair trigger tempers we have seen multiply planet wide could have all been caused by this disorder,” Zaron mused.
“And Earth has a means to treat this?” Bron moved to sit next to the still kneeling Zaron.
“We have treatments, but we do not have a cure.”
The study door popped open.
“You have a cure, Mommie. You can fix their auras, after the bonding.”
“Naffie, I thought you were in your room playing with Duchess.” Syn gave him the sternest look she could muster.
“I heard the mental shouting and decided to listen.”
“If you were sent to your room while the adults were talking, you weren’t meant to listen!”
“But I did, and I helped.”
“Nafer, you spied and acted like a sneak. I’m very displeased with you. There will be no cookies today.”
“Poppie, Zadda, tell Mommie I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Zaron walked across the room and took Nafer by the hands. He sent an image of a spy into his son’s head.
“But Zadda, I didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Offspring, knowledge in the wrong hands can hurt many. I have to erase what you heard from your mind. Anyone could pick you up off the street and use primitive mind opening techniques if they even had a clue that you possibly knew something that would be helpful to them…Bron.”
Bron stepped behind Nafer and held his head while Zaron put his forehead to Nafer’s own. A few mots later the three stirred.
“Zadda, where is Duchess? I came down to get her because I wanted to play.”
“Here she is. Why don’t you take her to your room? Please refrain from eavesdropping. Poppie, Mommie, and I have business to discuss that doesn’t belong in the ears of offspring.”
“Gees, I never get to hear anything interesting.”
“That’s right, Naffie, and you won’t until you get to be much older,” his Zadda answered.
“If you are good this afternoon and evening, Mommie will make cookies for you.” Zaron shot Syn a pleading look.
“You bet I will,” Syn answered. “Good offspring always receive cookies.”
* * * *
“Will his memory be permanently impaired? Did I cause this by my presence in the household?” Syn began to pace across the room in agitation.
“Calm yourself, Pa Syn. Zaron and I have known for quite some time that Nafer was out of control. We did not discipline him as good sires should. We made allowances for his and our grief. Now we must rein him in and give thought to what he overhears. I have to double, mayhap even triple the shields on this room and make sure to put them up each and every time we speak of sensitive issues.”
“Bron is right, Pa Chette, it is no fault of yours, the fault lies squarely on our shoulders. I put a block on Nafer’s memory. Since the block covers such a short period of time, he won’t even realize he is missing this memory. When he is of age, I will remove it. We will need to be more careful in the future.”
“We need to teach you to put up a shield.” Bron put his forehead to Syn’s and sent a picture to her mind. She reacted immediately.
“That is like a wall. I vary the material and the frequency depending on to whom I wish to speak and how loud I want to be heard,” Syn said, pleased with herself.
Bron stood in Syn’s path so the pacing stopped. He put his arms around her. “Cynthia, please…we really do need to talk. The bomb upstairs was meant for the three of us. If you become our fem, you will always be in danger.”
Syn’s face fell. “No…no…don’t ever think th
at. We don’t care what happened to you in the past. We have the records the government compiled on each fem. I went over them carefully. I didn’t want to receive Earth’s prison population. I refused violent fems, abusive fems, infertile fems, and fems with certain genetic disorders. We can fix most physical problems although we are not as familiar with trauma wounds as your planet. However, this planet is dying. We need to repopulate, soon. So fems who carried genes that could be passed to offspring that we could not fix, were eliminated from the pool.”
“It isn’t me I’m thinking of when I think of my past. It’s you and Bron, Naffie. Madeline Dixon-Howard knows some of the details of my life…unfortunately not enough. Her father and mine practically raped me. Then they covered it up by lying about me to the community. Maddy has told anyone who will listen that I’m a slut. You have social position on this planet. You have enemies who could attempt to use this information against you. I can’t give my heart and then find myself broken and alone again.” Syn’s eyes began to tear.
Her Warriors took her into their arms, one on each side.
“There is no doubt that you are ours. After the moontine meal we will begin the bonding. Our witnesses will be the Concierge who will relay it to our dinner companions. Today we must prepare the meal.”
Syn glanced at her watch. Although they called time differently, Sarran had same twenty-four hour rising (day) as Earth, although their year at three-hundred and sixty risings was five days shorter. The ship docked early, at six tines. It was only nine tines now. With the meal scheduled for nineteen tines, she had plenty of time to prepare something acceptable.
* * * *
Chapter 4
“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”