by K. Aten
“Yes. But it’s not necessary for you to leave the railer, Connate Dracore. You would be better protected by staying here with your Shield unit—”
“Bollux! I’m a powerful Psi, and well trained in emergency situations. I will be there in case someone needs me.” She looked over at Savon. “Is this like the rock slide?” He nodded. “Just as strong?”
Savon made a face. “Stronger, Connate. I hope we are in time for Lieutenant Commander Tosh to help.”
Olivienne spun her gaze back to Castellan. “You?”
“Yes, it seems that my touch prompted an episode of telesthesia immediately after his precog, indicating that I am the one the vision relates to. He was able to see children on an island in the middle of a rapidly rising river. The precog says a flash flood will occur soon so we need to get them off that island.”
The Connate raised an eyebrow to take in the well-built Lt. Commander. “Interesting.” Olivienne continued to stare for secs longer then shook herself as if she were in a daze. “Well, whatever the challenge may be, we won’t meet it standing here like a couple of milling gozens. Let’s head toward the front of the railer where the pilot will most likely line up with the platform. If I remember correctly, the town is on the river right before we cross the bridge.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the pilot’s voice came over the speaker system located in every segment of the railer. “Attention citizens, we will be making an emergency stop in five meens. Please remain seated and do not exit the railer. Do not fear, the emergency is not related to the railer or any of her passengers. We are simply stopping to assist the town. Again, please do not leave the railer and remain in your seats.”
Castellan, Olivienne, and all but two guardians made their way toward the front of the segment as they felt the railer begin to slow. Before they could pass by Castellan’s cabin, the door slid open and a sleep tousled Dre. Shen popped her head out. “Tosh? What is going on?”
“Emergency in the next town, Gemeda. Lieutenant Savon is a precognitive and says they need my help.”
Gemeda looked alarmed. “But Castellan...”
Castellan knew her friend was about to bring up the strained channel and for whatever reason, Tosh didn’t want the others to know. She interrupted the good doctore before she could traipse any further down her line of questioning. “Come along if you wish, Gem, but we need to leave now.”
It only took a few meens to make it to the front of the long railer. Their jog through the aisles of each seg was assisted by the fact that citizens were remaining seated, just as the pilot had requested. A porter directed them to the door that would line up to the platform and it was only a few meens longer for the railer to eventually slow to a stop. It was raining outside and two people stood in the middle of the downpour, soaked to the skin and waiting to meet the departing group. The clouds were so thick that the dae was cast into a gloomy haze, despite the afternoon light of the two suns. Of the people waiting, one was a woman of middling rotos and wore an insignia on her cloak so Castellan addressed her. “Our precog says you have a situation with trapped children.”
The middle-aged woman took in Castellan’s rank insignia curiously. “Yes, Commander. Five of them took a boat out to the picnic island earlier todae and when the weather kicked up sudden like, they were unable to come back. Eventually the parens contacted me and when we investigated we found the water impassible.” She paused as if remembering something vital then held out her hand. “My name is Stelle Gordy and I’m the elected town Representative. I’m sorry you stopped for nothing. The island has a small shelter, we figured we’d just let them stay the night out there and retrieve them in the morning once the storm passes and the water slows again.”
Castellan’s hair had wet enough that a lock fell down into her eyes. She took a sec to slick it back off her face, then she clasped Rep. Gordy’s hand in her own. “Lieutenant Commander Tosh, and behind me are Royal Sovereign Connate Dracore, Doctore Gemeda Shen, and the Connate’s Shield unit. It is Lieutenant Savon who is responsible for this stop. Your plans to wait will not work since he had a precog of a flash flood coming down from the mountains. I’m afraid your children are not safe where they are.”
Rep. Gordy didn’t know which shock to respond to first. The fact that the royal heir was soaking in the rain in front of her, or that danger was at their doorstep. She bowed toward the sovereign. “Connate Dracore, it is an honor to meet you!” She turned her attention to the man that had accompanied her. He was young and had a similar look about him so Castellan thought maybe he was Rep. Gordy’s son. “Gevin, take the moto and go round up your papan and the rescue crew. And hurry! Have them meet us at the dock.”
She turned back to their group. “If you’ll follow me, the dock isn’t far from here.” She gestured down a path that ran perpendicular to the railer tracks. Nearly twenty yords farther down the railer line there was a bridge that crossed the Mir Ataq. The river wasn’t very large but the bridge itself was quite high, a testament to the fact that spring floods were not that uncommon in the region.
The group took off at a fast jog down the slippery path. Castellan glanced at the Connate out of the corner of her eye, surprised that the royal was keeping up with no effort. Dre. Shen had no problems but Castellan knew that her friend kept up a strict exercise regimen that started back when they served on the east coast of Endara together. Gemeda acted as though she were a hundred rotos old with her proper seriousness. But in all actuality they were the same age and had come through the academy in the same class. They both went to officer school together then on to serve in the Psi Defense Corp. But when the Psi Medi Corp was low on members, they recruited Gemeda and she left with the chance of faster advancement rather than continue along the military track. She had more opportunities and better appointments through the Psi Medi Corp as well.
About five meens after they started out, the path brought the group to a park. Rain and wind lashed at them, soaking Tosh’s shirt and causing it to stick to her skin. The dock itself was on floats, another indicator that the river rose up and down with some frequency. Castellan could immediately see why they decided to wait on rescue. The water was both fast and deep, running from right to left. On top of the hazardous current, there was also a lot of debris in the water, including entire trees. Any boat attempting to cross would be on a suicide mission. Olivienne was thinking the same thing and turned to the Representative of Vesper. “Does your town have a high telekinetic or teleporter?”
Rep. Gordy shook her head regretfully. “No, our last high channel went off to Academy this past spring.”
“So you have no hard channels that could help?”
The older woman grimaced. “I’m sorry, Connate Dracore, but no we don’t.”
Castellan looked at the Connate curiously. “You’re a royal, and you mentioned being high Psi. What are your channels?”
Olivienne frowned but listed them off anyway. “Awareness, telepathy, pyrokinesis, and apportation, and low channel teleportation. I’m afraid none of those could help this situation. I could wish a million times over for my teleportation channel to be higher, but unfortunately I can’t pull more than a small animal if it’s something alive. I’m stuck primarily with the inanimate.”
Lt. Commander Tosh straightened, a determined glint in her eye. “Don’t be too sure that your channel is so useless, Connate Dracore.” She peered across to the island, driving rain impeding her view. “Do you think you could apport float vests over to the island?”
Olivienne gazed out over the tumultuous water. “Do you have a spyglass?” Castellan pulled one out of her pouch and handed it over. After a few secs of struggling to peer through the wet gloom, the Connate collapsed the device and handed it back to Castellan. She could just make out the shelter on the small island and the huddled children inside. “Yes, I could do that.”
Tosh looked around and spied a boathouse. She removed her pistol holder and her ever-present leather pouch and handed them to Gem
eda then addressed the Connate. “Come!” She broke into run, knowing that every single sec counted. Seeing her intention, the Connate handed off her own gear to Savon and made haste after her. She was followed closely by her Shield guardians. When they reached the boathouse ten yords away, Castellan found it locked. She abruptly pulled up and gave a great kick to the door, splintering it open. Inside they retrieved the only five float vests stored within. It would do. She handed them one by one to the Connate and just as fast Olivienne apported them out to the island. At the same time Castellan reached out with her mind to make contact with any of the children in the group.
She found one mind with the telepathy channel and pushed slightly to make her presence known. The child, a boy on the cusp of puberty, responded. “Hello?”
“Do not be frightened. My name is Castellan and we will get you to safety. But you must put the float vests on just in case the water rises further. Okay?”
Castellan didn’t have the empathy channel but the colliding thoughts in the boys head indicated relief. Indistinct words like happy, sad, scared, and cold bombarded her through their connection. “Thank you, and please hurry. Water is almost to the shelter!”
“We will hurry. Tell me one thing, is your boat still there?”
“No, the river took it.”
She pulled out of the connection and turned to the Connate as they jogged down to the floating dock. “Did you hear?”
Olivienne nodded. “What is your plan?”
“There is only one thing I can do. I’m going to have to go get them. I will levitate across the river to the island with a boat, load them up, and bring them back.”
The Connate looked Castellan up and down with surprise. “You can do all that?”
Ever the unflappable professional, the lt. commander responded with confidence. “Of course. I’m a five channel high Psi. My telekinesis is rated a six, I think I can manage a few kids and a boat.”
Olivienne’s eyebrows rose with the commander’s words as they joined the rest of the group at the edge of the dock. “You! You’re the Hero of Temple Beach?”
“Yes she is, why do you ask?” Of course Dre. Shen only heard the Connate’s question, not the preceding conversation.
“She’s going to levitate a boat out to the island to get the kids and bring it back.”
Gemeda looked like she was going to protest but Castellan held up a hand. “This needs to be done, Gem, damn the consequences.” The sense of unease she had been feeling since being on the railer increased and she knew she had to act. Without another word to the group, she jogged over to the nearest boat that looked like it would hold five kids and cut the line with a knife on her belt. It was the only item she hadn’t removed when she stripped her tools and devices. Then before the river could rip it away from the dock, she lifted the boat into the air.
As the boat rose above the river, so too did she. It was harder than she thought it would be. Though her strength had long returned to her depleted channels, using her telekinesis felt a lot like touching a hot brand with an already burnt hand. Castellan’s channel throbbed sickly and pain flared through her temples. Her face a study in concentration as she went, all the group on shore could do was watch and wait.
Curiosity niggled at the back of Olivienne’s mind and she addressed Dre. Shen. “What were you going to say to her when she stopped you?”
Gemeda clenched her fists, knowing exactly how much pain Castellan would be in. “Her actions at Temple Beach strained her telekinetic channel, practically burned it out and depleted her reserves at the same time.”
“What? Is she insane? If the pain overwhelms her she’ll drop them all!”
Dre. Shen shook her head. “She’ll drop herself first, unconscious into the water if need be. We should stand ready just in case.”
The entire group moved to the top of the hill nearest the dock as rain continued to lash at them. Lt. Savon gave warning when another precog hit. “Connate Dracore, we only have meens until the flood. Perhaps we should move back to a safer distance—”
“No! We will stay here and wait.” Mentally she sent warning to Tosh. “Hurry, Savon says we only have meens ’til the flood!”
“We are on our way.”
Sure enough, within the next meen they saw the small boat appear through the gloom, floating just above the water. Castellan and the boat barely cleared the frothing waves below. The pain of her strained channel was preventing her from expending the amount of effort that a greater height would require. The salvo team and medicans, arrived while they had been waiting. The trained men and women were ready to swoop in and tend to the kids the meen the boat landed. Much to the dismay of them all, the boat full of children and Tosh stopped about ten yords out from the shoreline. Even from that distance in the rain, Castellan’s face showed the agony she was in.
“She’s not going to make it...can’t make it...” Olivienne wasn’t sure who said it, but she hated the words. It was Gemeda who countered them.
“She’ll make it or die trying. There is no can’t in Castellan’s lexicon.”
A great roar sounded upriver to the right. Castellan’s face turned toward the sound and with the motivation of fear for the kids she gave a great mental shove that sent the boat halfway up the side of the hill. Unfortunately that push stole her consciousness, plunging her into the icy water below.
Olivienne didn’t even think about the consequences of her actions. She apported two of the float vests from the kids that were safely ashore and sprinted toward the water. Savon called out to her just before she dove in. While the Connate was an excellent swimmer, nothing had prepared her for the raging and abusive current. When she broke the surface, she saw Castellan’s head pop up as well, the plunge having brought her awake again. She screamed into the other woman’s mind. “Catch!” Then she apported the other float vest into her hands.
Olivienne took valuable secs to secure her own vest, ever conscious of the wall of water that she knew was coming. She winced when a small tree limb glanced off the back of her head but she didn’t take her eyes off the lt. commander. Tosh had only succeeded in draping the float vest around her neck, but it was not secured. The Connate swam as hard as she could, angling toward the barely conscious soldier. By a stroke of blind luck, she made it to the lt. commander and wrapped her arms securely around the woman just as the flood hit. She held on as tight she could, not only to Tosh, but to the strap of Tosh’s vest as well. It wouldn’t do to lose the one thing that was keeping her afloat.
Castellan roused slightly, struggling in the unfamiliar grip as they were tossed about. “What...?”
Olivienne soothed her mentally. “It’s okay, just don’t let go.”
The soldier twisted her head to look upon the Connate with dismay. “If something happens to you the Queen will kill me—look out!”
A large tree trunk was coming right at them, but Olivienne had seen it too and before it could strike, she concentrated and apported the deadly projectile downstream from them. She continued apporting the largest stuff away for desperate meens while the river tossed them like leaves in the wind. Her awareness and apportation channels were working at their limits as Olivienne tried to keep them alive and intact.
The duo was approaching another high bridge when multiple things happened at once. The Connate was distracted by another large tree trunk in the water and while she took care of that the back of Castellan’s head struck a boulder just below the surface. Olivienne saw it but there was nothing she could do to prevent the blow. She screamed when Castellan’s eyes rolled back and shut. “Tosh!” But the roar of the raging water drowned out the sound of her voice. She tried again. “Tosh!” Her mental calls too went unanswered.
Another large piece of debris struck the Connate in the back while she was distracted causing her to loosen her grip. That was all it took for Castellan to be washed away from her. Olivienne felt a slight pressure in her head and the mental voice of Spc. Devin came through. “Connate, we are he
re!”
Before she could respond, Olivienne was caught up in a large net of some kind. She was relieved to see that Castellan was caught with her. The pressure of the river was immense but slowly the two women began to rise, the net pulling them back together. When Lt. Commander Tosh was within reach, Olivienne tried to ascertain her condition. The soldier was clearly unconscious but it was impossible to check her breathing or pulses until they reached the safety of the bridge. It felt like aeons before they were lifted over the rail and deposited on the stone surface.
The rain had let up to a light sprinkle but Olivienne wasn’t concerned about any of that. As soon as they were released from the tangle of netting she scrambled to Castellan’s side. The woman wasn’t breathing and a check of her neck yielded no pulses. “Sheddech!” Olivienne looked around desperately. “Where is Doctore Shen?”
Lt. Savon was breathing hard and his face was flushed. “We had to leave behind the group to sprint ahead in time to catch you at the bridge, Connate. They should be along shortly. Is she not breathing?”
“No pulses either! You take chest compressions and I’ll breathe, okay?” He nodded and they went to work on Castellan, trying to bring the life back to her abused body. They worked for precious meens until Tosh’s body spasmed and a rush of water coughed up from her mouth. Relief washed through Olivienne and she helped roll the other woman to her side to facilitate the evacuation of river water from her lungs. Pounding steps sounded nearby and suddenly Dre. Shen was in her face.
“What happened?”
Castellan continued to choke out the water so the Connate answered. “Lieutenant Commander Tosh’s head struck a boulder just before my guardians pulled us out. She was wrenched from my grasp and took in water. When we got to the bridge, she wasn’t breathing and had no pulses. We were able to resuscitate her though.”
Gemeda looked at her longtime friend with concern and immediately placed her hands on either side of Castellan’s face. Olivienne stood while the doctore worked and salvo personnel from the town arrived with a couple of dry blankets for them both. Five meens later, Castellan was able to rise and stand on her own two feet, though still shaky. Gemeda turned to the Connate and grabbed her hand. A warm rush of energy swept through Olivienne’s body and all the aches and hurts from the time in the river faded away. “There, that should be fine for you. I’m afraid Lieutenant Commander Tosh is a little worse off but she should make it back to the railer now.”