by T. R. Harris
“That’s a scary thought, Trimen. They’re already pretty efficient at what they’re designed to do.”
“Just be assured that the technology given to us by the gods – or that we have developed – is sufficiently advanced. I believe you will be amazed as your training continues. The unit you carry within you can achieve some truly magical feats, and even to this day, the Speakers are discovering more.”
“No shit? You mean even they don’t know all that the unit can do?”
“It is not so much that, but rather what more they can do with it. There appears to be a level of individual ability associated with each Speaker. Some have been basically competent with their implants, while others have been truly extraordinary.”
“So skill does come into play? And how does Arieel rank among the Speakers? Is she up there with the greats?”
Trimen smiled again. “You spent time with her on the journey from Uniss to Formil. What do you think?”
Adam was taken aback by the question – he had no idea, nothing to compare it to. “Hell if I know. She seems able to do some amazing things – when she gets past her incredible ego and arrogance.”
Trimen nodded. “Yes, those are traits often associated with our Speakers. This is understandable when you realize they are born into their status and know of no other reality. But to answer your question, Speaker Arieel is of common skill, as was her mother. We have not had a truly exceptional Speaker for nearly three hundred years. But still their purpose is served, and Arieel performs her duties efficiently.”
“Yeah, but she’s such a bitch.”
Trimen’s smile grew even more, until he almost revealed the whites of his teeth. “I do understand the translation and the connotation, Adam Cain. You are correct, and that is also an unspoken reason why there is only one Speaker at a time.”
It was only after Trimen and Adam had shared a genuine, male-bonding laugh – at Arieel’s expense – that Human and Formilian were finally able to get past the awkwardness of their situation. From then on, the atmosphere in the small cabin was much more relaxed and congenial.
For the next three days, the training went exceptionally well, with most of the time spent with Adam going through visualization exercises using the monitor of the hand-held device. Images of hundreds of electronic devices were shown, creating a series of mental imprints that Adam’s unit faithful stored away. Simply looking at images, rather than having the real thing in the room, was the safest and quickest way to register the devices. Otherwise the unit would have sought to gain control of each of them – at least until Adam learned how to manage that aspect of the unit’s functioning.
22
On the morning of the fourth day, Adam came out of his room, unshaven, groggy and mentally exhausted from all the paces he’d been putting his mind through these past several days. He could see from the open door to Trimen’s room that the Formilian was not in the cabin.
After heating up a cup of what passed as coffee on Formil over a small gas flame, Adam sat at the table and attempted an exercise Trimen had been trying to teach him the day before.
Since it was a good bet Trimen carried the black monitor with him outside the cabin, Adam sought to reach out with his mind and detect the device. Until now, all Adam had been doing was feeding the unit with information. It was time to see if he could get a little back. He pressed the button three times.
It came first as a very strange, almost tingly sensation toward the back of his head. He sensed something, something moving. He closed his eyes and the sensation grew stronger. Adam had been told that closing his eyes didn’t really enhance the operation of the unit, but it did help him concentrate. Yes, the object he sensed – the object he visualized in his mind – was moving. It was now behind the cabin but moving to Adam’s left side and heading for the front. Adam got up from the table and moved to the front door. The object was getting closer … it was now right outside the door.
With flair and bravado, Adam whipped open door, a wide, satisfied smile coming to his face when he found Trimen standing on the small porch, holding the monitor device. Once the initial shock of Adam suddenly opening the door had past, Trimen smiled back.
“Very impressive, Adam, I was hoping you would use this opportunity to test your skills.”
“I could really feel it – almost see it – moving outside. It was amazing.”
As they both reentered the cabin Trimen said to Adam: “The skill of perception, or tracking, usually is not developed enough in a young Speaker until after two years or more of training, depending on the person. The visual acuity of the Human male mind is quite remarkable.” Adam then noticed the look of joy fade somewhat from Trimen face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, truly concerned. Adam felt that he and Trimen had become friends over the past few days.
“Unfortunately, I have had the rare opportunity to witness an alternative to the traditional uses we’ve had for our Gifts – our units. The Speakers have always been female, and always will be….” His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence.
“That’s some dangerous thinking there, Trimen. What are you getting at?”
“It is just that we may be missing out on some truly remarkable advances in this technology, at least in the uses of it. I’m not saying males are better suited for operating the unit; it is just that we’ve never really had the opportunity to study the alternatives. I have helped guide and train many a Speaker. They communicate with our gods, and are trained to manipulate their powers, essentially to become one with them from the understanding of their ways. I just feel we may be missing out by keeping it exclusively in the bloodline of the Bols.”
“That’s just the scientist inside you speaking. Your society has functioned quite well for a very long time just the way it’s set up.”
“And yet what if one such as you were—”
“Don’t even think about it!” Adam scolded. “I know you didn’t mean me specifically, but if Convor heard you talk like this it could be very bad. I’ve grown to call you a friend and I’d hate to see anything happen to you.”
Trimen smiled back at Adam, not a happy smile, but sad. “I appreciate your concern, Adam, but I am only musing. As you say, it is the scientist in me who always seeks to push the bounds of knowledge.”
Trimen suddenly slapped the table and stood up abruptly, a new spring in his step. “Adam Cain, our time here is almost done. We should not waste it on speculation and wishful thinking. During these next few days we will build upon the knowledge you’ve acquired, hopefully to the point where you can then design a training program of your own for the future. You have many years of learning ahead of you, but I truly believe that once the time and energy has been put forth, you could be one of the most powerful and skilled users of the Gift we have ever seen.”
“I appreciate your belief in me, Trimen. But right now, I just want to get back to my base without killing myself – or anyone else.”
Trimen grinned broadly. “I am very adept at the training of Speakers, Adam Cain, but I am not able to perform miracles.”
Later that day, Trimen used the monitoring device to call his support staff. They showed up an hour later bringing with them a variety of small electronic devices. The couriers dropped off the equipment and then left, while Adam hid in his room. The Formilian did not want any of his kind to raise questions concerning Adam’s present in the cabin with the Number Two person in The Order of Light.
Among the equipment brought was an MK-17 bolt launcher, the ubiquitous handgun of choice within the galaxy. Being a military man, the concern of whether or not he could control this device was paramount on Adam’s mind. Trimen set the weapon on the table and told Adam to activate his unit.
Over the past few days, Adam had come to expect the surges of input the unit would provide him with each time it was activated. Unlike the Speakers, whose units were constantly scanning the surrounding area, and only providing input when new items were introduced, when Ad
am would reactivate his module, the device would go crazy scanning everything around him and sending an incredible amount of data into its queue. Eventually, he knew he would have to keep the device on constantly, but until he learned more control, he would only activate the device when needed and deal with the consequences.
“The MK-series of bolt weapons is a completely solid-state electronic device. As I’m sure you’re aware, it operates by consolidating the bolt charges in the power pack into balls of positively charged electricity which are then accelerated through a negatively charged mini-rail system. Flash rifles have a longer rail system, which gives them more range and firepower. But the hand-held weapons are very effective at short range.”
Adam was fully aware of the capacities of the MK. He knew the weapon had four energy settings, ranging from a weak stun at level-four, all the way up to a certain kill at level-one. The operator would set the weapon at a particular level based on the number of bolts he wished to have available per charge pack. Most beings kept the weapon set at level-two, which gave the operator ten bolts per charge pack. At level-one, only five bolts could be fired.
What Adam did not tell Trimen was that anything less than a level-one setting was non-lethal to Humans. Sure, a level-two bolt hurt like hell, but it would not kill him. This fact had helped spread the rumor of Human physical superiority throughout the galaxy. In reality, it had more to do with skin thickness than anything else. Most of the creatures in the galaxy had thinner exo-coverings and their nervous systems could be disrupted by the absorbed electrical charge from a bolt. The Human nervous system was tougher than most, as well.
“Can you detect the power module within the weapon?” Trimen asked.
Adam could easily decipher the odd feelings he now received from the device, but it went even further. The device knew what it was scanning, and it had the capability of translating this information into audio signals. Yes, the unit could talk to him. If he had the time and inclination, he could hear within his mind the English words: MK flash weapon. With just a little push of his will, the device would also give the exact location with half a mile, which was beyond the effective firing range of the weapon. Theoretically, Adam should never again have an alien with an MK take him by surprise.
But now he would go beyond simple detection.
“Yes, I detect the power module,” Adam responded.
“Now instruct the unit to sever the connection between the power source and the control processor.”
“Done.”
Trimen lifted the weapon, aimed it at a far wall of the cabin and depressed the trigger. The weapon did not go off.
“Very good, Adam!” Trimen beamed. “You achieved this with your very first try. Impressive. In addition, you could have drained the power pack to also disable the weapon.”
“I saw Arieel produce an overload in flash rifles, causing them to explode.”
“This can be achieved by unloading the power pack into the weapon while its control processor is disengaged. The energy from the bolts has nowhere to go, and the effect is multiplied by the rail accelerator. I can see how the resulting explosion could be quite powerful.”
“It saved our lives on Uniss-3, even if it nearly killed Arieel.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was standing within twenty feet of the shooters when the rifles exploded. I tackled her and kept her from being blown away, too.”
Trimen smiled. “You thought she would be killed?”
Adam’s eyes grew wide. “Are you saying she wouldn’t have been?” At the time, Adam had thought Arieel’s comment about her gods protecting her was just more of her arrogance and religious naiveté.
Trimen set the MK on the table and leaned in a little closer to Adam. “I did not think we’d even get close to this subject during our brief training program, yet your progress has been remarkable. It is time to talk of static fields of electricity.”
Trimen rifled through the equipment on the table before withdrawing a small box about the size of a cigarette pack. He pressed a small button the surface and a low-level hum began to sound. “This is a simple sonic audio source. It is used to bathe an area in a steady sound so that other readers can gauge distance, interrupting layout and the like. It has no central processor, just a battery source that activates the internal speaker. It is about the most basic device we have, and yet this device, like all other electronics, emits an electric field. This field is produced from charged particles moving from one side of the field to the other following the lines of magnetism inherent to moving electrical particles. These fields can be disrupted through interference by other electrical fields.”
“Produced by the unit?”
“In a way. As you have mentioned, you are aware of the existence of what you call static electricity. This is a form of free electrons in the atmosphere which is everywhere, even when no electronic device is present. They come about as a result of an imbalance between the charges of various materials within a given area. The imbalance builds up until it is discharged in the form a static bolt. Your unit is aware of these free electrons, this static electricity. Given enough time, the device can consolidate these free electrons, actually increasing the existing imbalance between charges, and consolidating it into a finite space. As more are accumulated, an electric field is generated, and when the field is strong enough, it can affect the flow of electrons within simple circuits, such as in the sonic source device, even when no control processor is present.”
“How does this relate to Arieel and the explosions?”
“I will get to that. First, let us see if you can accumulate a static field. You created a visible field – a static ball – while unconscious during your operation, even without instruction. That was both impressive … and frightening. It was this free-form field that caused the overload in most of the equipment in the room.”
“So how do I create one of these fields without shit blowing up?”
Trimen had become accustomed to Adam’s colloquialisms, so he pressed on. “Since you cannot see the free electrons in the atmosphere, this command is harder to register with the device. So close your eyes and attempt to visualize a ball of white electricity hovering in the space in front of you.”
Adam did as instructed; he was finding that his ability to visualize objects was becoming much easier. He didn’t know if the device was helping with this new-found ability, but he figured it probably didn’t hurt. Soon, he could see the sparkling, golf ball-size bundle of energy in his mind, using the memory of the ball Arieel conjured up as a guide.
When he opened his eyes, the ball was there, sending out a mini-lightshow throughout the room, like that from a tiny disco-ball. Trimen’s eyes were wide and his mouth stood open slightly.
“I must make a stronger effort for the Order to allow testing on more males,” he said, mesmerized by the floating ball of light. “This is incredible!”
Adam watched the ball float in the middle of the cabin. He was just as enthralled by its otherworldly brilliance as was Trimen. He had conjured up the ball with just the force of his mind – and with the help of the unit. Here was electricity pulled out of the atmosphere and then compacted into a single point of stable, controllable lightning.
“Now back off some, allowing the ball to dissipate. Yet do not relinquish control.”
The ball slowly dissolved, but he could still feel the ticklish sensation from the vibrating hairs on his arms.
“Now move the field until it envelopes the sonic source device.”
Adam made a mental command – and the humming from the device was silenced.
“There. You have disrupted the flow of electricity within the unit, even though there is no control processor.”
“That’s neat; now what about the explosions?” Adam was still more interested in whether or not the device could protect him from exploding flash rifles and such. In his line of work, that happenstance was a more common likelihood then having to turn off an annoying littl
e buzzer – although Adam did have an unreasonable hatred for alarm clocks….
Trimen let out a long sigh. “I will tell you the theory, but what I will be speaking of is much more advanced, even for such a quick study as yourself.” Trimen took a deep breath and then began. “After years of practice, most Speakers are able to control the static fields around them to such a degree that they can manipulate them into rudimentary shields against heat and compression events, such as explosions – yet ones of only a certain magnitude. When an explosion occurs, much of the damage is caused by the compressed atmosphere rushing out from the point of origin. Often, this concussion is accompanied by blasts of heat, and if within a certain range from the source of the explosion, a debris field as well.
“The static fields the Speakers can form produce a counter compression. This tends to minimalize the effects of such events on the Speaker, and even diverts much of the heat and debris coming from such explosions. Yet please be warned, Adam Cain, it takes time to generate such fields, so unless the Speaker has been anticipating the explosion and prepared ahead, she is just as vulnerable as all others. In addition, since the static shield created is generally more of a single face creation – meaning it does not fully encompass the Speaker – only low-yield explosions can be diverted by the field. Larger explosions, or those originating from multiple directions, can overwhelm the shield. Even concussions ricocheting off other objects can circumvent the shield.
“In summary, Adam Cain, these kinds of mass-static fields, ones large enough to divert the effects of an explosion, are very difficult to generate and must be planned for well in advance. They are not the defensive tool you imagine them to be.”