by Joyce Lavene
"What we don't know, Kalatri," Juroh entered, "is what went wrong?"
Briefly, Kat tried to explain the situation. "They are far more powerful than we are on Ria as individuals because they've centered their thoughts on the only adult, Arcon. Their strength is magnified from him to their desired destination."
"And they destroyed the freighter?" Lanier shuddered at the thought of the repercussions.
"It was Guardsman's illegal activity that caused their destruction." Gael clearly underlined the circumstances. "Captain Amato and Alan Denby both knew that once life forms had been discovered on this planet, ore mining would become impossible. They tried to destroy the Chrysalines and us. The Chrysalines simply reacted, protecting their world."
"That will be for the courts to decide after an investigation, Lieutenant," the Commander who was monitoring the transmission from Central curtly reminded her. "In the meantime, what actions have been taken?"
"We've convinced the Chrysalines that the new Guardsman ship that's been sent to restart the processor will be stopped by our agencies. We've told them that we value their world and their lives." Gael felt the pull back to the planet and hurriedly ended her transmission. "There's a problem here. We'll pick up when we can."
"It's the warship," Kat told her as she returned. "They've trained their weapons on the planet."
"What are their markings?" Gael tried to stand but found that her knees were like rubber bands, buckling under her.
Kat supported her with an arm, looking towards Arcon.
They mean us harm, my friends. I cannot allow this.
Wait. Kat made a bid for his attention. I can stop them without violence.
Arcon turned his aged face, haggard with emotion, back towards Kat and Gael. What can you do?
Kat looked into Gael's eyes. "Together, I'll show you what I did on Padda firsthand. Coming?"
She nodded and closed her eyes, following his lead.
The warship was full of mercenaries that Guardsman had hired to protect the freighter. Its weapon systems were already powered up and ready to fire. The freighter had contacted the captain of the mercenary ship and demanded that he protect them. The response was to be a strafing of the planet, careful not to hit the processor.
Gael surfaced with Kat in the midst of them. What should I do?
Follow, Sadah. In whispers, Kat began to implant the idea that the ship was slowly being filled with poisonous gas. The only answer was to board the escape shuttles and head down to the planet. The thought picked up speed when Gael joined him, finding little or no resistance from the crew.
I could've told them that they were all Derkan Wart hogs. The idea amused her.
Careful, Sadah. Kat warned her. Or they will be snorting and clawing the floor. Keep your attention focused on this one thing.
In a timely manner, a great herd of sleepwalkers were headed down to the planet's surface. Once there, they would be stranded until someone of authority came. The warship emptied out and waited silently. Gael felt the sudden surge of extra energy Kat put forth and wondered what he was doing.
I've destroyed the crystal couplings in both ships, Sadah, he calmly informed her. That should last now until help can arrive.
Gael and Kat, together with the Chrysalines, put their energies together one last time to resume contact with their people. Briefly, Gael outlined what had taken place and what they'd done to avert further complications.
"What?!" the Central monitor thundered. "Under whose authority was that mission being carried out? There has been no order given to clear restarting of that processor."
"We've been told that the ship is here under direct Guardsman control. We wanted the Chrysalines to understand that this is not our policy."
"Of course." Lanier agreed quickly. "We'd like to talk with the Chrysalines, to tell them of our goodwill."
"Where is that Guardsman ship? Is it in working order?" The Central commander was not pleased with losing his authority over the situation.
"We've created only a minor disturbance for them until you can arrive but the ship has been unharmed. They do have relay capability now. If you could send them new orders -- "
"I believe I can take care of that. I've heard enough for now. I'll expect details on this as soon as possible." Central monitoring went down.
Lanier sighed heavily and Menor dared to breathe.
"The planet can't be able to sustain life." Menor considered out loud.
"Indeed not." Kalatri quickly responded to him. "They've created an underground refuge that has been under constant deadly stress. Many of their young are dead. ECHO will want to start a farming colony at once, trying to help re-build the above ground area as well as find ways to feed and protect the Chrysalines while they go into their new transformation to adults."
"I'm quite certain ENDO will want to have a hand in that as well, Officer Astri." Lanier intervened smoothly.
"But ENDO will have no war to fight here, Lanier, Sadah," Juroh added. "Farming, replanting the land is more ECHO work. I'm sure Central will -- "
Gael sighed and put her hands to her head, trying to ease the ringing. ECHO and ENDO would always be the same. And this mind stuff was more draining than she would've thought.
I feel satisfaction with this, Arcon told them. There will be new young ones. Our lives will continue.
"And ECHO and ENDO will continue to fight over who will do what." Kalatri observed wryly.
"As long as we get the job done." Gael yawned. She was still sitting on the rocky floor, almost on top of Kat. It had been easier finally to sit than to try to continue standing. She felt an overwhelming drowsiness pass over her and succumbed at last to sleep. Her head fell softly to Kat's chest.
Learning is always difficult. Arcon observed her sleeping form.
Indeed. Kat agreed, holding her to him.
She will not stay, you know. She cannot.
I know.
Chapter Twenty-two
Gael awakened to a feeling of awareness that she'd never known. Everything around her was alive with nuances and colors she'd never seen before. There were vibrations in the white woven robe, in the pale rock wall. It made her want to smile and she did until she remembered her opinion of the happy ECHO telepaths.
She sat by herself for long minutes, thinking about her past and present feelings. All of this was wonderful and there was a great deal to learn from the Chrysalines. But was it what she wanted? Kat said that she had little choice. Many people had felt the same way about living on the streets. She'd proven them wrong. It was possible that it could be the same way with this new life. Was she ready to give up her old life for this happy, let's-work-it-out, watch your every thought, group?
A Chrysaline entered the small room, bowing slowly, bearing a woven bag full of fruit.
Gael stood and returned the action, gratefully accepting the gift. The chiming that followed was accompanied by a series of curious glances. It took a few minutes but eventually, Gael caught the idea that she was being asked if she was ill. She smiled and tried to mime her way into good health.
If I may be of assistance?
Gael looked up at the understandable thought pattern and smiled at Arcon as he swept gracefully into the room. She is fine. He told the other Chrysaline. She will eat the fruit and she will be happy.
She wished it were that simple.
The smaller Chrysaline bowed again and left them alone together.
Arcon watched her for a moment as she ate a piece of fruit. I could help you so that you would be able to understand them all.
I appreciate your generous offer, Arcon. Perhaps later?
You have much in your thoughts. And you are not comfortable as yet with mindspeech.
It's not easy for me. Weapons I understand, the discipline of drilling and regimentation. I understand the body, Arcon. I don't know if I want to understand the mind.
What is there to understand, young one? It is not so different than being a warrior.
&
nbsp; Gael smiled, not wanting to disagree with him.
There is anger and pain that you must release. All your years of fighting have not changed this. Perhaps the way does not lie in weapons and regimentation.
Perhaps not. She didn't look up at him and the kindness she could feel would be in his eyes. But it's the way I know, the way I trust. Possibly the only way I can live.
That would be a sad waste of your potential, young one.
"I suppose so." She heard the soft sound that his wings made when he moved, knowing he was gone.
Juroh and Lanier had arrived on the planet during the night. The rest was easy as they organized and gracefully met the Chrysalines. With the speed and diplomacy of long years' practice, they won the trust of the people in the caves. It was only a matter of hours before recruits as well as equipment had started to arrive.
Technically, Gael's job was done. Lanier hadn't dismissed her as yet. She wandered through the caves, suddenly alive with the sounds of strangers, knowing she should leave. She wanted to see Kat, yet she dreaded that each turn in the caverns would bring her face to face with him.
Lanier finally sent for her. Gael went to her, watching in amusement as the older woman waded through a woven sack full of paperwork. "Lieutenant. It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too, ma'am."
"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" Lanier questioned, not looking up.
"No, ma'am. Just wondering about reassignment. The-uh-mission is pretty much over."
Lanier looked up at that. "There's a cruiser leaving for ENCOM in a short while. You could be on it, if that's what you want."
"Well -- "
Arcon entered the room and stared at her. The ship is leaving our world. Will you not stay? We have much to learn from each other.
I am sorry.
Aloud to Lanier, she outlined her responsibilities. "There will be reports to file and personal meetings that have to be dealt with. Depositions. I'll need to go back to ENCOM until everything is settled."
"That's fine." Lanier looked between the winged Arcon and her favorite agent. "I'll be expecting a full report from you. Perhaps I might prevail upon you to undertake some meetings for me while you're there."
"I'll be glad to, ma'am."
"You're dismissed then Lieutenant Klarke. Have a good journey back."
Lanier watched Arcon leave behind Gael. She couldn't clearly understand him yet but she knew she would eventually find out what was wrong. One thing she didn't have to be psychic to understand. She motioned for her aid. "Send for Officer Astri. I need some help translating."
***
Kat stood in one of the high caves overlooking the lake area. He watched as Gael walked by so far below. She was leaving, not even saying goodbye.
You will let her go? Arcon stood beside him.
I will let her go, Kat affirmed. And hope that she returns.
***
Before Gael left the planet, one of the Chrysalines gave her a tapestry, chiming through her mind, black eyes shining and huge in the white face. She clutched it tightly as she boarded the cruiser but didn't open it to look at it.
She didn't look back or wonder why Kat had let her avoid him. She needed time to sort through everything that had happened. The commitment that seemed to be expected of her was more than she was willing to give at that time. Had Kat been able to sense that from her?
It was a long journey back to ENCOM on the shuttle. It stopped at every station and port along the way. Gael had her own cabin since she was officially on ENDO business so she missed the jostling and crowds that sprinted from place to place. She spent her time thinking, sleeping, and staring out the tiny port window. The awareness that had seized her after her mental mesh with Kat and the Chrysalines had slowly left her. She went from euphoric to numb.
She unwrapped the tapestry just before they reached ENCOM. Half of it was dark shades and dead trees. The other half was bright and colorful. A faithful likeness of Kat's long, blond hair and his blue uniform stood beside her own figure with its dark hair and red garment. She knew from her time there that any dyeing of the individual threads was time consuming and required strict patience. The weaver of that picture had worked long and hard on its finish. That they had done it in so short a time was nothing short of remarkable. She refolded the material carefully. It was another souvenir to add to her modest collection. She'd been all over the known system in her twenty-year service.
Everywhere except for Farga. Not that she had any intention of going back there. She wasn't sure what had made her think of her home world. It was time to put the past few weeks behind her. The lights of Selim-3 were off her side of the shuttle when she gathered her gear together and made for the exit.
It took only a short time back at ENCOM before she fell into her regular routine. Despite the hearings and hours of explanations, Gael returned to teaching her classes and spending time with her friends. She worked out harder and took to the practice field at odd hours of the day and night. Her frame retained its almost gaunt sparseness weeks after her return.
She spent an almost constant two weeks testifying before hastily convened groups. Central and ENDO wanted to know the story behind the Chrysalis planet. Kat had left it to her, making himself incommunicado on the planet under the guise of helping to resettle the Chrysalines. Not once did he try to contact her even though fields of transfer were open between the planet and the rest of the system. Not once did she seek him out, holding her thoughts tightly to herself.
Lanier's part in the scandal was passed over quickly. Her biggest crime was being found out as a telepath by an unsympathetic ENCOM. She wasn't kicked off the Council as everyone had expected but there were rumors of her retirement.
ECHO awarded Juroh and Kat their highest honor. Kat didn't attend the ceremony. Praise for their deeds was on everyone's lips. Juroh and Kat were in the right place with the right group. Gael saw their pictures on the vid screen as she passed through the corridor late one afternoon.
Lanier called Gael for a private meeting on Selim-3 after the Central hearings had absolved any guilt from the Chrysalines. They'd acted with their only possible means to save themselves. The closed proceedings also absolved ENDO- ECHO and Central of any wrong doing in not keeping up with the planet. New laws were passed quickly stating that all worlds had to be checked on regular intervals for life forms of any kind. Fuel dealers groaned when they realized that the new laws would stiffen the price of synthetic fuel.
Gael read about it all with a detached amusement that was difficult to tell from boredom. She was tired. She realized it in the shuttle from ENCOM to Selim-3's surface. Her life was as it had been before the mission to Chrysalis. Nothing had been missing before. There was nothing missing now but everything had changed.
"It's so good to see you in person." Lanier greeted her gladly, gesturing for her to take a place with her in the sitting room of her luxury hotel room.
The room was pleasant enough. Sunshine streamed through the windows as she sat down on the green chair. Gael accepted a cup of green tea from her. "It seems like a long time since we talked last without a view screen between us."
"I want to apologize for this trying experience, Gael," Lanier began without preamble, not bothering to pour her own tea. "You see, until the Chrysalines reached out to me, I had no idea that I possessed any telepathic skills. Once I was convinced of their sincerity, I knew you were the only person I had felt a similar experience with at any time. I have a deep respect for you. But it was more than that. The importance of the whole mission rested on that feeling."
"I understand." Gael nodded, knowing the experience from personal happenings. "I wish you could've confided in me."
"I was afraid the whole thing was nothing more than an illusion at first," Lanier joked with a husky laugh. "Juroh and I met and agreed it was best for you and Officer Astri not to have any idea what to expect. You were unbiased then, you see."
"And unprepared." Gael set her cup down on it
s dainty saucer.
"Yes, there was that as well. But can you think of anything you would've done differently if you'd known?"
Not gone. Gael checked her thought, more careful of random thoughts since her time with Kat.
"The very idea was ludicrous. How could there have been living beings still alive on that world? The Chrysalines wouldn't have taken you into their confidence any sooner." Lanier looked at the younger woman shrewdly. "I understand Officer Astri tried to get out of the assignment as well. I hope you settled your differences?"
Gael could feel the stiffness on her face as she sipped her tea. "I don't think any of the differences between myself and Officer Astri influenced our judgment on the planet. As you know, ECHO and ENDO just have different ways of looking at the same thing."
"Indeed they do." Lanier didn't pursue the subject. Getting to know Kalatri Astri in her weeks on the planet had supplied her with all of the answers. "I have a bit of news for you. ENCOM has agreed to consider a branch of ENDO that would include highly skilled telepaths. It's a departure, I agree. I might be persuaded to head it."
"That would be wonderful, ma'am. I wish you luck. Any formal word on Guardsman?"
Lanier looked slightly disappointed but pushed on quickly. "They will be fined substantially and will have to support the families of those that died. Nothing too strong. We still need them, I suppose."
"Yes." Gael wished she could end the interview quickly. She was uncomfortable suddenly with Lanier, not knowing what to say.
"What will you do now?" Lanier asked, sensing Gael's uneasiness. Unlike Gael, she had taken Arcon up on his offer of helping her to cultivate her own budding telepathic skills. What she'd learned hadn't been earth shattering but it had already proved useful in dealing with other diplomats. Juroh. She smiled slightly at his name.
"I'm going to take that vacation that I gave up." Gael was vaguely aware of feeling that Lanier knew more than she was saying. "A year, if you remember?"
"I do indeed. If you need me, Gael," she reached over and touched her hand, "you know where to find me."