A Technomage and a Telepath
By JeanDream
Explanation:
Though the Crusade TV series was short-lived, I was able to become an avid fan. Ever since the Babylon 5 "A Call To Arms" movie, I have been in love with the character of Galen. The handsome and charming actor, Peter Woodward, played this character with such grace and distinction that I have not been able to forget him. I'm sure that my "crush" on Galen will come out in this story. Please forgive me!
Of course, Crusade, Galen, technomages, etc., were created by JMS. All others are my creation, including the plot of this story. If anything is not technically correct, please bear with me. I don't know everything about technomages, telepaths, their ships, space, etc.
Chapter 2- Feelings
After coding messages which left almost all of her assets, including her little ship, to PsiCorps (she still had an ultra secret account that had been a trust fund from her parents) and her personal effects to her family back in Scotland, Cara packed a small satchel with clothing, toiletries, a Holy Bible, and a data recorder. It was a strange feeling for Cara to realize that all of her material possessions were now essentially tucked in that bag. Psi Corps had been good to Cara – financially. She had always possessed mostly anything that she wanted. Now it seemed her affluent, high glamour days were in the past.
Which was all right with Cara. Wealth did not buy happiness, as she had realized long ago.
With satchel in hand, Cara descended the ramp of her beloved little starship one last time. Feeling a little melancholy, she hit the close button at the bottom of the ramp.
There Galen was waiting quietly for the telepath.
"Ready?" he asked.
"As I ever could be," she replied as Galen took her arm. Cara looked up at him quizzically.
"It is necessary for you to be touching me . . . I have a quick mode of transportation to my ship." With that, Galen casually waved his free hand in the air and suddenly the air was rushing around them as they moved across the dark terrain at a dizzying speed.
Cara couldn't squelch the gasp as her breath escaped her. It was at once an exhilarating and terrifying experience-like flying almost. She clutched Galen's arm a little tighter.
Galen looked down at her with a small smile on his face. "Don't be afraid, Cara. I've got you. We'll be there soon."
Cara smiled weakly at the technomage. "This is unlike anything I've ever experienced . . ." She trailed off as they seemingly passed through the side of mountain.
"How is this possible?" she gulped.
Galen said nothing. He just smiled that small, enigmatic smile of his.
Cara's senses were too engaged to care.
After about five minutes of Galen's "special" transportation, the pair finally came to a gentle but quick stop on a wind-swept grassy plain after which Galen gently stepped away from Cara. She barely noticed his withdrawal. A sleek, black ship rested amid the swaying grasses. It reminded Cara of a panther she had seen once in a park on earth. Like the panther, the ship was starkly silent and potentially most deadly. She loved it.
Intently, Galen watched the telepath regard his ship. Her long dark hair blew around her face, which was still flushed from the excitement of the ride he had just given her. Green eyes reflected perfectly in the moonlight turned to look upon him. They gazed at each other for a few moments. Then Galen moved beside her.
"Yes, I think this will work," he gentlemanly rested his hand on the small of her back and guided her up the ramp into his ship.
Once inside, Galen led her through mostly dark corridors. Here and there, she saw what looked like an instrument panel, but the devices were so different than anything Cara had seen, she couldn't be sure what they were.
Finally, Galen showed her into a small room. He waved his hand and a light came on to display a bed, drawers built into the room's walls, and a recessed seat with a view out a small porthole.
"These are your quarters." He gestured at the tiny room. "You can rest now or join me in the cockpit. We will be departing immediately."
Cara laid her satchel on the bed and turned to Galen.
"I would prefer to be with you," Cara blurted, instantly embarrassed. No man had ever caused her to lose her cool like Galen did. "I mean, I want to watch the take-off of the ship, see how she handles . . ." She felt like a rambling idiot.
Galen seemed not to notice Cara's discomfort. "Fine," he said neutrally. "Follow me." He turned on his heel and departed Cara's quarters.
Cara trailed after him silently. They reached the cockpit where Galen promptly commanded her to strap into a chair to the left and a little behind what was most certainly the pilot's chair. He briefly assisted her with the unfamiliar harness, which surprisingly fit like a glove. Then Galen strapped himself into the main chair.
Cara had yet to see one standard control in the cockpit area, which both intrigued and unsettled her. She had no idea really who or what this man was—the way he seemed to interact with technology. The concept was foreign to her. Cara wondered what the touch of his mind would feel like. For once, she wished to reach out to a stranger, but was unable to get the faintest whisper of contact.
"The ship ascends quickly and smoothly," Galen explained, his eyes closed. As he spoke, the ship lifted gently from the field it nestled in. "But it may cause some . . . discomfort to you. You will grow accustomed to it in time."
Cara was about to ask what he meant when the ship rose almost fluidly through the sky and almost immediately into the blackness of space. An intense sensation of weightlessness, of floating, overwhelmed her. The perfection of the ship's flight both sickened and enraptured her. She had never before felt a feeling of such physical freedom on a spacecraft. The notion of becoming accustomed to that sensation was entirely foreign.
As the black of space surrounded them, and Dornik 4 became a rock behind them, a jump-point appeared suddenly and Galen plunged the ship into it - another dizzying sensation in itself. But soon the feeling faded and Cara felt her normal self again inside the mottled confines of hyperspace.
Galen at last opened his eyes, and it seemed to Cara like a vestige covering him had dropped away. He unstrapped himself and watched Cara carefully while he disengaged her harness.
"We are beginning a long journey," he said softly. "You should rest now in your quarters."
Cara stood and to her dismay, her vision flooded and she nearly fell over. Though her vision momentarily blackened, she felt strong arms catch her before she could fall.
The first thing Cara saw when the darkness faded was Galen's deep blue eyes.
"The ascent affected you more than I thought it would," he murmured, a worried look upon his handsome face. He still held onto her tightly and made no effort to let go. "How do you feel?"
Cara was about to swoon when her pride kicked in. She shook out of his embrace. "I'm fine, just a little light-headed. I used to get that way, when I first experienced spaceflight . . . I'll be allright."
"Are you sure?" Galen asked, the cold neutrality had crept back into his voice, but his eyes still held a light of concern.
"Yes," Cara replied pseudocalmly. His touch had affected her more than he could imagine, more than she wanted him to know. "But thank you . . . I think I will take your advice-and sleep."
Galen simply nodded to her, his eyes now seeming to look past her.
Cara hurried out of the cockpit to her quarters. She fell onto her bed and for a long time stared at the ceiling. The memory of Galen's arms around her and the look on his face electrified Cara. She didn't want to fall in love with him. It would make her weak – and she was weakened enough by his presence! Cara needed to have a clear mind when she faced the living ship. No, a secret passion for the technomage was simply out of the question. Somehow, she would have to put her growing feelings for him aside. How to do that was a good question, a good question indeed.
Galen reclined on the bridge of his ship, alone for the moment. He sat with his eyes closed, listening to his ship-sharing a private communication with it that only a technomage could.
Try as he might though, he could not remove the image of the telepath, Cara McDowell, nearly limp in his arms.
The feelings that she aroused in him he had thought died with Isabel. Galen had vowed that he would never love another woman, and up until now he had no problem keeping that vow. If he had known that the telepath his friend Thomas had recommended would be so . . . compelling-Galen never would have taken his advice.
But it was more than Cara's beauty that drew him to her. She was an enigma to him. When relating to Thomas, Galen had mostly dismissed Thomas' telepathic abilities. They had been a non-issue between them and rarely did they discuss it. With Cara, it was different.
For one thing, she was more than twice as strong telepathically than Thomas, and Galen could see it in her eyes. As a technomage, Galen had abilities that most people could only dream of, but Cara had her own abilities of which Galen would never himself possess. She was a woman used to knowing more than others and keeping secrets. Secrets not just from others, but from herself. Though usually she masked her emotions well, Galen could tell that she was a hurting individual. He recognized something of himself in her. They were both searching.
"Excuse me, am I disturbing you?"
Galen's eyes flew open in surprise. Cara was standing to his left, looking down at him strangely. His thoughts had so filled his mind, that he hadn't heard anyone enter the bridge.
"No," He quickly composed himself. Galen was immensely thankful for his telepathic block. He couldn't have born the thought of the telepath overhearing his thoughts about her. "I was just resting. You are welcome to join me."
Cara glanced briefly at the chair she had occupied during their illustrious departure from Dornik 4. The thought of sitting brought back the memory of nauseating weightlessness. She quickly dismissed the idea of sitting and leaned back on the black bulkhead.
"So, how you long do you think it'll take for us to get to the creature's home?" Cara asked casually. It pleased her that she had regained her usual unshakable composure. No, she would not be made to look weak again in front of anyone, least of all a technomage whose mind was disturbingly silent to her.
Galen too remained as calm and detached as he had when they had first met in the tavern. His cool blue eyes met hers as he said, "the journey to the Living Ship's home system is not long, 3 days. Finding the creature itself will be the real challenge. The living ship has become an expert at hiding, after all, its been doing that for over a thousand years."
"How do you know that?" Cara narrowed her green eyes. "How much do you really know about this Living ship?"
"Through legends mostly," Galen admitted. "My people have been searching for the Living Ship for a long time. A few have encountered it. Their stories of those encounters have been passed on."
Cara crossed her arms over her chest. "Galen, when a telepath links with an unfamiliar life form, it can be well . . . uncomfortable. What happened to Thomas Oates when he heard its call?"
Galen's clear gaze faltered and he glanced away from her for a moment. For a few seconds he did not speak. Then he looked back into her eyes seriously. "It incapacitated him. Thomas lost consciousness almost immediately. For several days he was in a coma."
"It nearly killed him, didn't it," Cara did not ask but stated.
"Yes, Thomas did come very close to death," Galen said softly, still looking into her eyes. "I saved his life." He looked away from her penetrating gaze.
"You should have warned me before," Cara protested.
"I know," Galen replied. He suddenly rose from the command chair and approached the telepath. To her surprise, he clasped her hand in his.
"But I think that you can handle it. You are strong, I can tell, much stronger than Thomas. He wasn't able to process all the messages the Ship was sending. You-you, can focus better. I have faith in you."
Cara returned his gaze and did not pull her hand away from his. "Thank you, Galen, for the confidence you have in me," she said seriously. "When the time comes, I'll be able ready speak to the ship."
"Or die trying," she added inwardly.