by Saxon Andrew
“I initially believed that New Britannia’s Navy is the most powerful force in the galaxy, but I was told that even the most powerful warship can’t attack a ship it can’t detect. He felt that without the help of telepaths, New Britannia and the Colonies would be destroyed.”
“Who told you that?” the other voice asked.
“Grady Henricks. He’s the one leading the effort to find telepaths hiding on New Britannia.”
“GRADY HENRICKS IS LEADING THIS?!” the first voice replied loudly.
“Yes he is.”
“Then count me in!!”
“Why the sudden change?”
“I see Grady and Taffy Henricks as heroes; I’ve got posters of them on my walls. If they’re in it, I’m in it too!”
Funny Man paused and asked the second voice, “What about you?”
“I just can’t…I…I don’t know.”
“Hey, you get to meet Grady Henricks!” the first voice commented.
“I don’t have stars in my eyes; I have no heroes.”
“Then become one! Help us!” Funny Man quickly responded.
The conversation was interrupted by a powerful thought. It wasn’t loud but the clarity and strength of it revealed that the one that sent it was…old. “I’ve been listening to the message being sent by that young girl and I’ve ignored it until now. Is what you’re telling me is that all human life on New Britannia is in jeopardy of extinction?”
Funny Man could only respond, “Yes Sir.”
“I can see in the subtlety of your thoughts that you really believe it’s true.”
“Sir, it is. I’ve seen incontrovertible evidence of it.” Britt, Sweets, and Linda Kay were astounded by the power of the thought and could only stare at each other in silence.
“I will be joining your group to try and prevent this happening.”
“Sir, how old are you?”
“Now is that a polite question?”
Sweets instantly said out loud, “It’s only impolite if you ask a woman.”
The voice laughed, “You’re right. Men are usually proud of their age. I’m over fifty-years-old.”
“And you’ve been hiding all that time?” Funny Man asked in awe.
“It’s not that difficult if you turn your back on your talent and never, ever, use it. However, I need some time before I can go with you.”
“Why, Sir?”
“For starters, my wife doesn’t know about my talent. I have to discuss this with her first. And if I go, she goes with me.” Funny Man turned to Britt and he nodded. “Who is the young man that just approved her going with me?”
“He’s Grady Henricks’ son, Sir.”
“That’s interesting. I need three days to prepare.”
“Why that long?” Linda Kay asked.
“I not only have to tell my wife about this, but I also have to tell my children and grand-children that I will not be around for a while. My family is the reason I’m doing this; I will not sit by and do nothing if they are in danger.”
The first voice said, “I’m in! All the way in!”
“And what about you?” Funny Man asked the second voice.
“I need some time.”
“OK, this is how we’ll handle this. At this exact time, I will be here prepared to pick you up in three days. If you still choose to join us, be ready to leave.”
Funny Man sat in his chair and shook his head. Sweets asked, “What’s bothering you?”
“I think RJ is right. There are more telepaths than I’ve allowed myself to believe. I’ve lived my life thinking I was unique. That old man shows me that I am far from being alone. What really shocks me is that all three of them lived less than twenty miles from where I’ve spent my life and I never knew they were there.” He looked up and said, “We need to continue around the planet.” Britt nodded and moved the shuttle over the horizon.
• • •
Ten more telepaths were found over the next two days and most of them were extremely reluctant to come out of hiding. They were given a few days to decide until the first telepaths would be picked up. The morning of the third day, Britt flew the shuttle directly to the city Funny Man lived and stopped. He turned, looked at Funny Man, and nodded. Funny Man was apprehensive that they wouldn’t respond but all three immediately answered his thought. He told them the location of the park and Britt called in some local security forces to block off the area. Britt waited an hour for them to arrive and for the guards to cordon off the park. He took the shuttle down and Funny Man stepped out of the port and stood outside the shuttle. Almost immediately, an older man and woman stepped out from the guards and started walking toward them. The guards had been given instructions that anyone that said they were supposed to be on the shuttle would be allowed through their lines. Another young man stepped out of the crowd followed by another young man and they ran to the couple walking toward the shuttle.
The four walked up and Funny Man looked at one of the two young men, “What made you decide to join us?”
“I’ve been communicating with Terry since we contacted you and for the first time in my life I’ve felt whole. I’m in this for us.”
The old man smiled, “My name is Philmore Gandy and this is my wife, Martha. You can call me Phil.” Funny Man extended his hand and they shook it, “Thank you for helping us.”
The woman smiled slightly, “I have to say that the last few days have been filled with surprises. But Phil insists he has to do it and where he goes, I will follow.”
A young woman walked through the security guards and headed toward the shuttle. Funny Man saw her and stared at her as the others turned to see what he was focused on. She walked up to them and Funny Man asked, “Why are you here?”
“You asked me to be here,” she said sullenly.
The young woman was wearing baggy clothes and her makeup was atrocious. Her hair was tied back in a long braid and looked like it hadn’t been washed…ever. She was carrying a backpack over her right shoulder and her expression was clearly hostile. Funny Man asked, “I don’t remember talking with you.”
“You didn’t! You didn’t require that I speak to you.” Funny Man looked at the woman’s thoughts and was blocked by a powerful mind shield. Her eyes went to squints and she said, “Don’t ever do that again!”
Funny Man shook his head, “I won’t. I had to make sure you’re a telepath.”
“One time I can forget; two I won’t!”
“Why did you decide to help us?”
Self-preservation; do I need another reason?” She replied harshly.
“No, I’ve been saying that everyone should do it to save themselves.”
“Good!” the woman responded as she turned and boarded the shuttle.
The old man watched her walk away and said, “She is going to be a problem.”
“Why?” one of the young men asked.
“She’s endured far more horror than any of us. She’s isolated herself from everyone and is truly doing this only to save herself.”
“We still need her,” Funny Man replied. “Let’s get on board; I need to complete my orbit of New Britannia before we can go to where you’ll be living.” They old man took the woman’s hand and assisted her into the shuttle. The others followed them in.”
• • •
The young woman entered the shuttle and Linda Kay smiled, “Welcome aboard and thank you for agreeing to help us.”
The woman scowled at them, “You can dispense with the niceties; my name is Grim.”
“It fits you!” Sweets responded.
“You have no idea sweetie,” the woman replied.
Linda Kay’s expression turned hostile, “I don’t care what you call yourself but if you don’t know how to be polite, I’ll kick your butt around your neck and throw you off this shuttle!!”
“LINDA!” Britt said loudly.
Linda Kay looked at him, “I don’t care if she’s the queen of Britannia. I will not allow her to be a bitch.”
Sweets smiled at the young woman, “And she can do exactly what she says.”
The woman stared at them and said in a neutral tone, “Yes Sir.”
Linda Kay started walking down the aisle and Britt grabbed her arm, “You don’t know what’s she’s been through and she is one of our guests! You will treat her accordingly!!”
Linda Kay glared into Britt’s eyes and then melted. She glanced at the young woman sitting in the back row and sat down.
Grim watched the exchange and knew that the dark-haired woman was dangerous. She wasn’t big, but she emanated an aura of power. She’d do what she needed to do to avoid her.
Britt left his chair and knelt in front of Linda Kay, “You have got to get control of your temper!”
Linda Kay sighed, “I won’t let it get the better of me again.”
Britt smiled, “Thank you.”
He stood up and went back to the pilot’s chair. Sweets leaned in close to her, “I thought you ran the relationship.”
Linda Kay whispered back, “That’s only because he’s not so proud that he needs to prove differently. He’s the stable and thoughtful one and I know he’s right…most of the time. He’s very much like Grady is with Taffy.”
Sweets smiled, “You’re lucky to have him.”
“Don’t think I don’t know it.”
The others entered the shuttle and moved to the front rows. No one wanted to sit near the young woman in the rear. Britt lifted the shuttle and Funny Man began broadcasting his thoughts toward the surface of New Britannia.
After listening to him for a few minutes, Phil asked, “Do you mind if I say something?”
Martha put her hand on his arm, “Now Phil, you know it’s impolite to interrupt someone when they’re working.”
Funny Man quickly replied, “I would appreciate any help you can give me. I’m winging it here.”
Phil glanced at Martha and she nodded. Once again, Funny Man was amazed at the power and clarity of his thoughts.
“I’ve been listening to this young man doing his best to convince you to come out of hiding and do the right thing. I can sense everyone of you and I’m ashamed of what you’ve made of yourselves. You’re being selfish, stubborn, and quite frankly, stupid! And I can sense that none of you are stupid. It’s time for you to come out of the shadows and become all you’re capable of being! Humanity needs you to protect it and you’re acting like rats hiding in a hole. You’re here because evolution has decided you are necessary and you’re fighting against the great gift you’ve been given. One day every human will be just like you and you refuse to see the great gift humanity has been given by your existence. Mankind is in danger of extinction and you hide in your lairs refusing to do something about it! I’ve hidden for more than fifty years and even I can see that now is the time for me to step forward and fulfill the destiny evolution has put on me. You should be ashamed for refusing to see just how wonderful you really are.”
They were suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of thoughts that rolled over them. “BRIT STOP THE SHIP?!” Funny Man shouted. He looked at Phil, “Tell them to talk to us one at a time.”
Phil thought, “There are too many of you for us to understand you. Please, one at a time and I assure you that all of you will be heard and listened to.”
Britt pressed Grady’s frequency and he appeared on the monitor. “Dad, we’ve found some more telepaths.”
“How many?”
“I can’t tell if it’s in the hundreds or thousands. We’re going to need a place for them to stay now!”
“I’ll get on it with Taffy. I find this hard to believe?”
“RJ was right. There’s far more of them than I ever thought possible.”
“What made them respond?”
“A man who is a father figure to them. I’ll introduce you later today.”
• • •
Phil listened to each telepath and was respectful, patient, and gentle with them. Finally he said, “Is there anyone listening that has something different to add?” No thoughts were heard until a young female voice said, “I have a baby. Will she be allowed to come with me?”
“She will not only be allowed to come but I can’t wait to hold her!” Phil responded. “What’s her name?”
“Charity.”
“What a beautiful name! She will be treasured and protected I promise you.”
Britt said, “Please tell them that we are preparing a place for them to live and that we’ll be coming in a week to pick them up and take them to their new homes.”
Phil smiled, “They heard you.” Then Phil thought, “The one that just spoke is Grady and Taffy Henricks son. They are looking forward to our arrival and they will insure that none of you are harmed or treated poorly.”
Britt’s face was red, and Linda Kay felt the love in her heart for him grow. He was embarrassed by the attention instead of it stoking his ego.
The woman sitting in the rear of the shuttle shook her head and frowned; these telepaths were so easily manipulated. She for one wasn’t.
• • •
Britt landed the shuttle, and everyone stood up to exit. Sweets stood and turned around. She pointed at the young woman sitting in the rear of the shuttle and said, “You will remain on the shuttle!”
The young woman stepped out of the aisle and took her seat. When the others had gone, Sweets and Linda Kay walked to the back of the shuttle and Sweets went to her knees in the chair directly in front of the woman. “Why are you here?!”
“I’ve already told you that I’m doing this for self-preservation,” She replied in clipped tones.
Sweets glared at her, “And how can you be of any help if you’re not willing to follow orders?”
The woman glared right back at Sweets, “I will follow any order I’m given.”
Linda Kay immediately said, “Any order?”
“As long as they are orders that you give to all the others. You can’t order me to like you.”
Linda Kay frowned, and Sweets replied, “I won’t give you orders about how to feel. However, I am ordering you to be respectful to those around you.”
The woman nodded, “That will mainly be accomplished through silence.”
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM!” Linda Kay demanded.
“That’s really none of your business. I will do what I’m told and keep to myself.”
Sweets stared at the woman and said, “You’re free to leave.” The woman stood up and walked off the shuttle.
“She’s going to be a problem,” Linda Kay commented.
“If it gets out of control, we’ll take her back where we found her.” Sweets stared at the port and feared Linda Kay was right.
• • •
“Taffy, Britt says that anywhere from several hundred to a thousand telepaths have contacted us.”
“We aren’t ready for them?”
Grady nodded, “We’ve got to do something about it now.”
Taffy lowered her eyes and walked over to the huge picture window. She looked out on the capital city’s skyline and suddenly turned around, “We need to buy Britannia Suites.”
“WHAT?!”
“It’s perfect. It has more than three thousand rooms and seven restaurants. It can house and feed all of them.”
“Are you out of your freaking mind! Do you have any idea how much that would cost us?! And why should we buy it?”
“We have to have a place where only the telepaths are living. If we don’t buy it, the management will house normal people to fill their inventory.”
“I don’t know about this, Taffy.”
“Leave it up to me.”
“How do you know it’s for sale?”
Taffy waved a hand at him, “Everything is for sale. You just have to find the right price to buy it.” Grady started shaking his head and Taffy smiled, “Leave it up to me.”
Grady rolled his eyes, “Oh boy!”
• • •
Three days later, they were sitting at d
inner and discussing the discovery of the huge number of telepaths. Funny Man asked Grady, “Where are you going to put them?”
Taffy jumped in the conversation, “I’ve just purchased Britannia Suites and that’s where they’ll be living.”
Grady turned to her, “You haven’t told me anything about this!”
“I just concluded the deal today and I had to get President DeCherico’s signature on the final contracts; he signed off this afternoon.”
“And just how much did it cost us?”
“A little over a billion credits,” Taffy replied
Grady’s head snapped back along with Britt and Funny Man’s. TAFFY, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!”
Taffy waved a hand at him, “We can afford it.” Britt was staring at his mother like she had three heads. Grady glared at her and Taffy smiled, “It’s not all cost. The government will pay us the telepath’s living allowance and food stipend. Since all of them are officers in the Navy, it will actually pay us more per month than the hotel is currently making.”
“How is that possible?!” Grady demanded.
“They usually have a lot of inventory that goes unrented. I estimate we will recoup our money in less than six years.”
Grady stared at her and Britt asked, “How much of that money did you have to finance. The interest rate will eat up profits.”
Taffy shrugged, “I didn’t finance it; I paid cash.”
“Taffy, that took a huge bite out of our operating budget.”
“We still have two billion in it; we’ll be fine, Grady.”
“You had three billion dollars in savings?” Britt asked with shock on his face.
Grady looked at him, “No. Taffy used the operating budget. We still have about fifteen billion in savings.” Grady turned to Taffy, “Now you’re putting us under pressure to dip into our savings! You know how much I hate that?”
Britt said with awe in his voice, “Fifteen billion in savings?” He shook his head and asked sarcastically, “Is that all?”
Taffy raised a shoulder, “No. We also have funded several billion credit trust funds for Candy, you, Sweets, and Cami.”
“Don’t forget Linda Kay,” Grady added. “She’s a member of our family.”
Taffy nodded, “You’re right. I forgot about that.”