“Are you still here?” Thho asked, changing her tactics. “Shall I deposit you on that planet where the little ones are?”
Automatically — and it was automatic now — Vekta slipped into the Attitude of Powerlessness, rendering it impossible for Thho to affect him in any way. “You can't. Don't worry, I'm going.” He stood up and restored his Fleet uniform. He'd long since repaired the initial damage to his body from exposure to the star cluster. And Thho had already reversed most of the physiological changes he'd needed to survive here.
Continuing to maintain his invisibility, Vekta applied the Attitude of Freedom and teleported to the planet Xanda in the Vega star system of Xost Universe.
By now he'd seen everything that had happened to his children. At the time, he had been in no condition to affect any of it, unlike now. Developing the Attitudes had involved an expansion of his mind that had been wrenching and draining. Yet, with Thho, he had watched, which had made his personal misery all the more horrible. On a distant, objective level, he had seen how the experience could be educational for his children, but most of the parent side of him had simultaneously screamed in terror.
He had angry things he wanted say to that Scorpa, and not many of them had to do with expressing his gratitude. He only forgave Thho for the whole thing because the Pelan had effectively removed Polluxanvega from any future interference of any entities, anywhere.
Bottom line, Vekta had to admit reluctantly, the Xandee needed the help of the United Star Communities and the Guard had a use for the Xandee's powers. He hated that his own children had to have been the contacts.
Within the Attitude of Powerlessness, Vekta could easily prevent detection by anyone. There's no good way to explain to them how I can be here, he mused and adjusted the Attitude to allow just one person to detect him.
Stander, eating breakfast quietly while the twins chattered with a couple of the attending Xandee, stiffened abruptly, his Tryker control momentarily shredded.
“Major Kvaan, what is it?” Story asked, wide-eyed. Qe'd never seen the colorless, stoic man react in such a way.
Stander stood abruptly with a quick, little bow. “Excuse me for a moment,” he murmured, and rushed out to the corridor.
“Maybe he has to poop all of a sudden,” Cory said with a giggle.
Outside, Stander leaned back against the wall next to the door, his heart beating fast. Pressing a hand to his heart as he hastened to recover his composure, he paid closer attention to the unmistakable presence he'd felt.
Then he looked, and just as if he'd been standing there all along, Vekta Rentclifv stood to the side, arms crossed, looking off toward the ground. “I'm sorry, I know this is unexpected. I have no explanation, Stander.”
“You can't be here,” Stander murmured, calming but still shaken. “How? The Andromedea is here, then? Crater was able to find the Dao Parameter?”
Sighing, Vekta shook his head. “The Andromedea is in the Chalawan System to pick up Novella after the Tarees brought her there. They don't know where I am yet. And as I said, I have no easy explanation.” He looked up at the other Dracon, begging understanding. “Please, Stander, I need your full acceptance and support. Let it suffice to say that I know what's happened here and that the Xandee are in danger, as you and the twins are as a consequence. We must move to help them, and soon.”
Stander was in full Tryker control again. He put a hand to the other man's arm. “What move?” He studied the other man's face; there was a new desperation and wariness that he hadn't seen in his commander before. “Of course, you have a way to get us home...” He trailed off. He could think of nothing that could get them home, short of enslaving the erstwhile Slimy and making him send them all back to Alpha. Impossible...
“By the time we and the Xandee are ready to go, the Andromedea can come here to collect all of us and take us home,” Vekta murmured, his glance sliding off the other's. “I'll provide the necessary Dao Parameter to Crater for the Starlock.” He paused, then continued, “Stander, soon I'll explain what's happened to me. Can't take time now. We have a lot to talk about later. Now, I need your support. And to help defer the questions I know will still be coming at me, which I can't explain. Are you in?” The last query was sharp, urgent.
“I'm in,” Stander said shortly, then added, “I trust you without question. Not just because you were a Starguard, or that you're a Dracon. It's something... I know.” This was no time to be revealing just what he thought of Vekta Rentclifv.
I think he really is a Tryker, Vekta mused, nodding tightly. Their superior powers of observation plus their highly developed intuition. I was right to pick him. “Thanks, Stander.”
“You need one of these against the equatorial radiation if you go outside,” Stander murmured, his hand on the black medallion he wore.
“Ah...” Vekta had already seen these, and had located one in a laboratory. The medallion appeared around his neck.
Stander didn't even blink at him, accepting. “Let's go.”
Vekta took a deep breath. Time for Starguard mode... He waved at the door to open, and strode inside, his colleague on his heels.
“BAPA!” the twins chorused together, leaping up, eyes wide and mouths open.
But their father didn't turn to them just yet, another shock. “Dr. Xiel Qoran-el, I'm Vekta Rentclifv of the Perseus Defense Fleet of the United Star Communities,” he quickly introduced himself to the Xandee chief. “I am the father of these children. We don't have a lot of time as Druxa-el's forces are enroute right now to take over Center Cone. On behalf of the USC, I'd like to offer you and your people relocation to our universe and our federation. That will take some time, unfortunately, which we do not have. Don't worry about the militia coming this way; I will take care of that. Do you accept?”
“Crater found Xost Universe?” Story interrupted, grasping onto the closest thing to a logical explanation qe could manage. “The Andromedea dropped you off and will be back?”
Vekta looked intently at his qild. “You twin stars are all right, I see, and have done well. We don't have much time—”
“It's okay,” Cory said, bursting with joy, bouncing in place. “Dr. Xiel, you'll all come, won't you? We heard about Druxa-el, too... and the Ruena.”
The Xandee were already moving to act, the chief's subordinates taking flight to go alert the others. “Our alarms just now sounded,” Dr. Qoran-el replied. Where did he get the medallion? he was wondering. “Certainly this would be a good solution for us, because Druxa-el will never leave us alone. How are you going to stop him, though? It will take a while before we can be ready to leave.”
“They won't find you,” Vekta said simply. “Please trust me on this.”
The Xandee scientist looked to the other adult Dracon. Stander merely nodded.
“Very well, we will present your proposal to the community,” Dr. Xiel murmured, hovering in the air. “But we have suspected for a while that Druxa-el would one day move against our colony. Some of us thought isolation would suffice, but others, myself included, did not believe that would be enough.”
“Bapa, so much has happened,” Cory suddenly said with a sob, throwing her arms around her father, pressing her face against his ribs. “Slimy and Scorpa. That awful bubble in space. And... and...”
Story grabbed qer father's arm, clinging to him. “Prater's gone, Bapa! I was fooled into linking with it, then we were brought here. It's just gone!”
Glancing down, seeing tears streak the faces of his children, Vekta felt the wave of pain more intensely than when he'd first witnessed all of it remotely. I've never seen them cry, even after their mother died. He pulled them both into his arms, enfolding them close, even tightly. “I know... and I couldn't come... then,” he murmured, then pulled himself together. “Let's go help the Xandee, all right?”
*
In the matter of an hour, forty-two of the Xandee from the colony around Center Cone had assembled in the main hall. They comprised the rest of
the scientific personnel of Center Cone, plus the representatives from the residential groupings. Not one of them settled down onto perches; all were aloft, their upper appendages busily signing their lively discussions with agitation.
Then Dr. Qoran-el entered, with Zanil and Qindo accompanying him. The activity stilled a little, but it was clear the assembly was stirred up. For now, the Humans — and Scorpa — were not to make an appearance.
The leader of the citizen's group, came forward to address the scientists, digits signing in a flurry. (“Why did the sirens go off? Is it true Druxa-el is coming? Is he here?”)
Someone else came forward as well. (“Is it true that you’re hiding Ruena from us?”)
Dr. Qoran-el gestured for attention, then began to sign his explanation: (“Druxa-el did not find us, Yur-Hazeg-el and Wiq-Bexa-el. There are no Ruena here. The sirens sounded because Druxa-el was enroute to confront us, but fortunately he was diverted. If you are patient, I will explain why I have called all of you here today.”)
At that, about half of the assembly settled down, though some were still signing back and forth though less vehemently.
Hazeg-el, the community leader, signed: (“We can be patient but we need full explanations!”) Then she settled down on a perch in front.
The leader of the scientists nodded. (“I will explain in full, I promise. All of you know why this colony was developed: to protect and support those of us with EDV, the special extra-dimensional vision powers. You know we have been observing peoples on this planet’s counterpart in another universe. Recently we observed new beings in close proximity to our star system but in yet another universe. Through the action of a being with the power to traverse between universes, they were brought here against their will. We have been helping them.”)
He went on to explain about Polluxanvega and the twins, Scorpa, and how Stander and the tiny starcraft came to their universe. When he explained how the Humans resembled Ruena, a flood of unrest rolled through the hall again, but it quieted as he continued to sign.
(“We thought that the three Humans and the being called Scorpa were going to have to stay here for good, but before we could call this assembly, the parent of the two immature Humans appeared. He has assured us that he has the power to thwart Druxa-el on our behalf!”)
With an angry gesture, the Xandee called Bexa-el interrupted him. (“Surely that is a ruse! Gon-Druxa-el would never use force against us!”)
Making a sagging body movement that the Humans would have said resembled a shrug, Dr. Qoran-el countered the accusation. (“I knew you would need proof. We have a recording you must see.”) He gestured to Zanil.
(“This is what is happening right now, captured by our external surveillance.”) Zanil activated a device which showed a visual on a screen behind them.
*
Vekta excused himself to his children and Stander. He autoported to a position high above the forest, keeping aloft in the air, employing the Attitude of Powerlessness to render himself impervious to the intensity of Vega's light — and invisible. There, he observed the arrival of six hovercraft, each bearing ten Xandee each, all wearing violet sashes that bore insignia which he guessed designated some official or military ranking. The hovercraft were armed with what he quickly identified as some sort of missile launchers, four apiece.
As Vekta had already made the entire colony “disappear” behind his Powerlessness, he had the leisure, while they fruitlessly searched, to read the minds of the Xandee.
Interesting reading... It was clear that this sort of military intervention was unusual, and that the Xandee except for a handful of leaders, were very nervous about the whole thing. But the leaders, on the other hand, were adamant, focused intensely on the eradication of the “teleXandee,” as they thought of the — to them — freaks of nature.
That Druxa-el has decided — and these leaders are completely in agreement — that they've tolerated the existence of the teleXandee long enough, Vekta ruminated grimly. They fear them because of their powers and they've come to believe they cannot risk their people any longer. Fear drives this... and that means there is no reasoning with them.
For now, Vekta simply prevented Druxa-el and his forces from seeing Center Cone and the colony. He noted that normal Xandee were nontelepaths. Even so, to be sure, he also prevented detection from mental or other senses. He suspected that the Xandee had a highly evolved sense of smell. With careful use of his heightened sense of perception, he masked the Xandee's senses so they smelled only forest.
Soon the Xandee gave up, turning back to search elsewhere. Vekta stayed with them mentally long past the beginning of the meeting back at Center Cone.
*
The twins, left behind in the laboratory while Stander went with the Xandee to their meeting place, did not speak for several long minutes, both lost in thought.
Then Cory had enough. “Something's new about Bapa,” she muttered sourly, slouching, her shoulders rounded. “Something's happened to him.”
Story fingered qer personal Sixtheye pin, a tiny needle-like device that was threaded into slits in the collar of qer shirt. The Sixtheye of course was useless here, but its presence itched at qer regardless. Qe missed the swirling layers of data fields that normally surrounded them whenever they wanted to look up something or play games or music. “I know,” qe murmured. “Did Slimy send him here? How else could he even be here?”
Cory touched her own Sixtheye pin, then arched her back and threaded her fingers behind her neck. “And he knows what's been going on here. How could that be? He's been watching... how? And from where? Maybe he was on the Elektra all this time, and came when Stander did.”
“Could he void himself from Stander?” Story used the term Dracons used: “void” to indicate preventing or shielding from something. Most USC planets were voided; no obvious or outward use of telepathy allowed. Draco, Chidrac, and all Agency facilities and ships were nonvoided.
“Can one Level 8 shield against another?” Cory asked back, then shook her head. “Major Kvaan is really observant. He'd definitely have said something if Bapa could have been detected. I think something has happened to Bapa so that he could hide himself completely. Back at Gozgazel? I wonder...”
*
The hall was abuzz again. There was the shocking evidence; the forces from the capital had flown over their colony and continued on, oblivious. But the communications intercepted had been clear. The colony's location had been discovered by the capital some time ago. Today they found nothing.
The communications also had revealed — to the dismay of all — the intent of the searchers.
Dr. Qoran-el called for attention again. (“Our new friends have offered us a solution. They will relocate us to their universe and their federation, which they say will accept us.”)
The assembly froze, stunned into stillness. The scientist hastily continued: (“So you must meet them and come to know them as we have, despite their appearance. They are of one of the species we have observed on the other Xanda, after all, which is why we can communicate with them, since we have studied their language. I believe that they honor and treasure the values that we treasure, believing in the promise of science and the importance of community, as well as the acceptance of differences. Perhaps this is why we have been given the power to see into their universe. Perhaps joining with them is our destiny!”)
That had rung a note with the assembly; many had questioned their purpose, wondering why their special sight had been given to them.
Hazeg-el signed solemnly at last, (“Yes, let us meet these Wingless Ones.”)
Qindo had been waiting for this moment at the back of the hall. Confidently, she opened the doors to invite in the two Perseus Fleet officers.
As Vekta and Stander strode to the front of the hall, Zanil came forward to hover beside them to serve as interpreter, signing the translation of their speech. The two Dracons bowed to the head scientist as Zanil signed to the assemb
ly that the folding of the body about a third of the way was their gesture of respect to the leader. Then the Dracons bowed to the assembly as well. Vekta stepped forward a bit to address them, smiling easily.
“My name,” he began, “is Vekta Rentclifv. I am a scientist in the field of cybernetic engineering and a commander of a starship called the Defender Andromedea in the Perseus Defense Fleet of the United Star Communities, our federation. My colleague is Stander Kvaan, Chief Navigator of my ship. Both of us are members of a subspecies of Humans called Dracons. We come from a universe similar to this one, which we simply call Alpha. We are also telepaths and we do indeed share similar values to yours. Especially we believe in the protection of those who do not have the powers we do and the respect for all. Our federation is comprised of many peoples, not just the Humans or Vriesians which I understand you have been observing. Your own scientists have studied the Vriesians who occupy this same planet in our universe. My own Chief Science Officer is one of these.”
He came closer, opening his hands in a gesture of entreaty and vulnerability that he knew would be understood as such by the Xandee. “Because your people rescued and protected my own children when they were sent here against their will, I have a debt to repay to you. You are in grave danger from the main population of Xandee. I myself as a telepath have tasted the deep fear that possesses them right now. They want nothing more than to see all of you dead. Reading them, I learned of the protests in the capital city, the people assembling in the streets to call for the military to eliminate what they are calling the 'Tele-threat.'
“For one thing, they fully believe that you are contacting peoples in other universes for the purpose of bringing them here to take them over. No, they do not yet know that we are here. And I will make sure they do not find out. But even so, the belief that you are dangerous to their society is deep and rampant. I made sure they did not find Center Cone today but I cannot always be so vigilant.”
“Relocating them… to Vriesia?” Stander sent a menttrans to him quickly. “You’ve got approval from FGS so fast?”
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