"Beyond the Pale"
BETA Mountain
Cadet Quarters Room 23
23:09 PM Local Time
Choose. The voice rolled across the astral plane
like thunder, echoing through her mind.
Already on the edge of sleep, Niko
sighed and released her consciousness into the glowing, shifting world that
existed just beyond the barriers of normal perception.
Familiarity did not lessen the
impact of entering the astral plane.
Events and information streamed with the quicksilver immediacy of now,
bombarding her with stimulus, with demands.
The trick was to simply be open to the barrage, and let coherent
perception sort itself out as a kind of aftertaste.
The Circle of Thought had not
provided a setting for their summons; Niko's spirit hovered in a space filled
with white light. The Circle's mental
construct stood before her, immeasurable in its immensity, implacable in its
demand.
*Choose now.*
*Why?* Niko felt a momentary flash of panic; it emanated from her
translucent form in a flare of orange. *Why now?*
*You are living in the mundane,
embracing it. Yet you are of the spirit
and the homeworld. You cannot be both,
and you are not yet either. Therefore,
choose.* The weight of
twelve minds awaited her answer.
*What will happen if I choose to
return to Xanadu?*
*You will continue your
studies. Fulfill your purpose. Become a healer and scholar.*
*And if I choose to remain on
Earth?*
*You will not fulfill your purpose
in a mundane life.* The leading
overtone of the many-mind was that of Ardryth Levteris, one of the most
vocal of the Circle of Thought.
*Xanadu is my home, but Earth is
the world of my parents' birth.*
Niko struggled to shield her emotions.
*I want to experience them both.*
*There are too many distractions on that path. You will forget all that Ariel has striven
to teach you.*
*Respectfully, ardryth, Ariel taught me that
knowledge must be tested and shared to be of value. The mundane world is a reflection of the spiritual one; there
are good and bad aspects to both. Is it
wrong to want balance for myself?*
*No, student.* The voice was Ariel's. Her mentor was a huge, shining presence on
the astral, separate from the manyminded Circle. *However, the mundane is immediate. It demands attention, and it leaves little time for other
pursuits. Balance such as you seek is
rarely known in the physical world.*
In the physical world, Niko's
mouth firmed into a stubborn line. *All
the more reason for me to stay.*
*Argument is pointless. You waste your talents if you remain, and
you risk the homeworld's safety as long as you remain beyond the Pale.*
*I swore an oath before the Circle
when I left. Xanadu will not be
betrayed by my words or actions. I will
tell no one where to find it, nor lead them through the Pale, unless the Circle
wills it. However, I will also choose
to remain on Earth.*
*You choose their disharmony over
all that the Circle offers?*
*That is my free choice, in
accordance with the highest law.*
*"One's mind belongs to
oneself." Very well; in accordance with
the law, we accept your choice, Niko dal'Ariel.* The Circle's composite voice was coated with
a slight sour tinge of Levteris' annoyed disappointment. *See that you do not fail us.*
Ariel's presence remained,
shimmering, after the multipresent Circle had withdrawn. Her shining form radiated concern in waves
of coherent light. *It will be difficult, Niko.*
*I know. I can See it.* Even in the
astral plane, the young woman's eyes went violet in the reflex that had always
unnerved her mentor. *But I will not
turn my back on everything I have trained for on either side – psi or mundane.*
*You never could choose the simple path.* Unlike her own mentor, Ariel dal'Levteris understood Niko's deep
need to follow the course she'd set. *Do you regret my taking you
to Xanadu?*
*How could I regret something I don't even remember
happening?* Niko emanated deep
love and affection for the older woman.
*I can't
imagine a life without Xanadu, Ariel.
But…. *
*But?*
*I've never felt like I really belonged there. I'm the only human on Xanadu.*
*Here you are one among millions of humans. Is this easier for you?*
Niko scuffed an insubstantial toe
against the intangible ground. *Nothing
has been easy since I've left the homeworld.*
*Ah, now.
What do they do, these human classmates of yours? Do they stare? Whisper behind your back and wonder if you can sense their
fear? They believe you'll read their
minds with a touch, and so avoid touching you?*
*Yes, mentor.
It's… hard. You and I lived
quietly on Xanadu, but this is isolation of a different sort. I'm alone in a crowd, and yet I can hear
them all…. Feel their thoughts out of sheer volume. I thought at first it was because there were other telepaths
around, but there is no one here like me.*
*At the academy?*
Ariel affected surprise.
*No, on Earth.
Do they not have psions here?*
*They did, once.
According to the records in the Great Library, many of those died in a
terrible war. Some of those who survived left the planet for colonies on the
fringe of space.*
*Like my parents.* She couldn't remember anything but the faint smell of lavender
that reminded her of her mother, but thinking about her parents always made
Niko's stomach twist in knots of sadness and an odd fear.
*Yes. Like
your parents.* Ariel's
mental voice sharpened. *Who is this man I see in
your thoughts?*
*Ah, him.
I'm not the only one having trouble fitting in. This man…
younger than I am, is completely shunned. The other cadets seem to be afraid of him.*
*But not you, my fearless
child?* Ariel
snorted. *A handsome specimen, but
so cold, student. Surely you could do
better.*
*Ariel! I'm
not doing anything. I'm just….*
*Drawn to him.
Yes, I know. What woman wouldn't
be? But this man is not one of the
broken-winged cathir you used to bring home to heal, Niko.
He is dangerous to you. His
thoughts are disciplined, but his emotions…
There is too much rage in him for my liking.*
Niko rolled her eyes. *Before you get too worried, the only thing I have
in common with him is that we're in the same graduating class. We've never had training or coursework in
common. I suppose that the academy
decided that one freak per classroom is enough to deal with.*
Ariel's mental eyebrows rose. *And this is the world you're choosing
over the homeworld's peace?*
*Yes.
Balance has to start somewhere, no matter what reservations Ardryth Levteris voices.*
*Hmph. Levteris can have all the reservations he wants – and he
will! I know that you will be true to
yourself. In the end, that's what
counts.* An ethereal hand
touched Niko's equally insubstantial cheek.
*Know that I will be watching you when you graduate tomorrow. I am proud of the woman you've become, anam-chara
Niko.*
Ariel's image withdrew, and Niko rode the residual
feeling of a psychic cuddle down into true sleep. Tomorrow, she'd finally become a Galaxy Ranger.
Notes:
*Text* indicates telepathic conversation.
Linguistic Notes:
Anam-chara – literally, "heart-daughter"
Ardryth – "High Master".
A title held by the members of the Circle of Thought.
Cathir – a kestrel-like bird native to Xanadu's southern
region.
Dal' – prefix meaning "student of"
January
2001, by Kelly Smith
