The negotiation team was beamed into the reception area connected to the VIP docks, Julia and Meridina joining them. They were met by their counterparts on the Earth team. In the lead was an older man, middle-aged going on elderly, with graying hair, mustache, and beard, and a demeanor that seemed pleasantly warm. Behind him were a number of other Humans of varying dress, equaling Onaran's team. One, a woman approaching middle-age, was in a black-and-gray suit with the brass Psi pin of a Psi Corps member prominent on the suit.

To his side were two women in Earthforce dress uniform. Julia recognized Captain Elizabeth Lochley, an older woman of dusky complexion and light brown, almost reddish hair. She was the commander of the station. Beside her was a woman, Caucasian, with brown hair and blue eyes that scanned them carefully. Julia found it easy to guess it was Ivanova, whom she hadn't met at Rohric during the Titans' brief time there.

The bearded man nodded to them and smiled warmly. "Secretary Onaran, it is my pleasure to meet you."

"And it is mine as well in meeting you face to face, Minister Lantze," Onaran replied. "My thanks to Earth for providing us this opportunity to settle matters between our governments."

"We are quite hopeful that we can make progress," Lantze said. Julia wondered if that was genuine or an act, given the difficulties they were facing.

One of Lantze's people stepped up and whispered in his ear. Lantze's expression briefly froze, becoming quite brittle in appearance before he recovered himself. "Mister Secretary," he began, "I am afraid there is an issue that must be addressed before we begin."

Onaran inclined his head slightly. ''Please, inform us of this issue."

Lantze did not seem particularly enthused by the request, but it was clearly part of the EarthGov position. He sighed and said, "I am afraid that the presence of Mister Travada is not acceptable to Earth. He is a rogue telepath, representing an illegal settlement of rogues. We cannot accept him in the negotiations."

Onaran narrowed his eyes. "Minister Travada is the diplomatic representative appointed by an Alliance affiliate state for talks in which that state has a clear and defined interest. He is the voice of his people, and it must be heard."

Julia noticed the hard look on the face of the Psi Corps woman, but even that paled in comparison to the open disgust from a couple of the other Earth people. As one of them sidled up to Lantze and drew his attention, Julia felt Meridina make telepathic contact with her mind. She shared not words but impressions; the Psi Corps woman was displeased, but the thoughts coming from some of the others was worse, open contempt for the Allied Systems mixed with raw hate for Travada. Most felt offended by the very idea of a telepath being the "Minister" of any kind of government. The only exception, which Meridina pointed out, was a Chinese man in a formal suit.

After a moment of discussion, a displeased, resigned Lantze turned back to Onaran. "I am afraid Earth must insist on the exclusion of Mister Travada from any discussions. We do not recognize his government as a legitimate one nor his right to participate."

Onaran nodded once and immediately looked to Julia. "Captain Andreys, please arrange for our immediate return to the Aurora. It appears we have come out all of this way for nothing."

Lantze sucked in breath. Some surprise showed on a few of the Earth members. Ivanova, however, smiled thinly, as if impressed. Julia thought she saw approval on the Chinese man's face as well.

"Mister Secretary, please…" pleaded Lantze.

Onaran's eyes bored into Lantze and then those with him, twin amethysts glittering with distaste. "I will give EarthGov ten hours to reconsider before the Aurora departs," he said.

Without consultation from those with him, Lantze insistently declared, "There is no need. In the interests of peace, we will concede and permit Mister Travada to join our talks, so long as you accept the presence of our advisor from Psi Corps."

Onaran nodded. "Then there is no issue. I believe you wished to hold a friendly reception meal before we begin business?"

"Yes. Captain?"

Lochley, who had remained silent the whole time, suddenly spoke as if she had never been out of the conversation. "Mister Secretary, Captain, if you will all follow me?" She turned and the two teams, as a group, departed the receiving area.

I wonder how the Psi Corps' 'advisor' feels about that distinction, Julia thought, knowing Meridina - and like Travada - would overhear, not to mention the advisor herself. We're demanding the telepath minority be given a seat at the table, Earth only has a telepath present to stop our telepaths from picking at their brains. And the Corps is still the majority of them.

I suspect she is used to it, Meridina lamented.

The holodecks could be used for many different kinds of activity, such as training or scientific examination. On some ships in the Alliance fleet, captains tightly regulated them as for training only, or for training and scientific purposes. Other captains saw them as a means to improve crew morale, as the most desired use of the holodeck for many wasn't for training or science, but for entertainment and fun (although for Cat, science was fun). Tom Barnes in particular had noticed its potential in one field almost immediately.

Holodecks allowed for the best video games ever.

Tom had his hands on the flight stick of a P-51 Mustang fighter. He pulled and moved the stick to keep the German aircraft in his crosshairs, pulling the finger trigger often and watching bright tracer fire play over the German fighter. Flame spewed from where his guns were ripping into the simulated aluminum (aluminium according to Scotty) skin of the Nazi craft. Damage caused the other craft's maneuvering to cease, allowing Tom the easy kill with his next barrage. His aircraft went barrelling by the enemy plane as it fell apart.

There was a stream of tracer fire in front of him, coming from below. Tom banked hard to evade. Some bullets still struck, but nothing vital was hit. He turned and climbed, putting the engine to full, and then dived to make use of this gain in altitude. All the while tracer bullets would appear, his foe reminding him that he was being hunted. So long as he kept this foe from doing to him the same he'd done to his opponent's buddy…

His radio crackled to life. "I've got him." With that, Zack's fighter dove in from the direction of the sun, catching Tom's foe by surprise. A burst of fire turned their last remaining opponent into a fireball that broke apart in the blue skies, sending them to the French farmland below. Zack pulled his Mustang up beside Tom's and flashed him a thumb's up sign through the cockpit.

"Alright lads, fighter sweep complete," an English male voice said. "Best run yet. Would you like to try again?"

"Nope," Tom said, knowing Zack was saying the same.

"Ready for landing?"

"Skip landing sequence."

Their surroundings changed immediately to an airfield in southern England. Their once mobile planes were now parked and shut down. They opened the cockpits themselves and climbed out. "Computer, end program." The holodeck shut down, leaving them in an empty room of blue walls. "Well, that was fun," Zack said. "I didn't think we'd beat our old score." He raised his fist and Tom bumped it, knuckle-to-knuckle. "It's good to see I haven't lost all of my piloting touch."

As he spoke they stepped out of the holodeck and into the ship's corridors. Given they were on a starship, being dressed up as World War II-era fighter pilots made them look particularly out of place. "You're still on flight status, right?" asked Tom.

"No. I'm inactive until I complete the requalification course," Zack answered. "Between the time I was gone and my time on psychiatric leave, I didn't get enough qualifying flight hours to keep my wings."

"Well, when are you going to take the course?"

"Probably never," Zack answered.

"But you love flying, man," Tom said, looking worried. "Why would you give it up?"

Zack returned the look with a small smile. "Yeah, I do love flying fighters. But I've got duties as CO of the Koenig. I let my crew down, Tom, so I have to work twice as hard to get their trust back. I don't have the time for the re-qualification tests or the mandatory flight time to keep my wings."

"Huh. Yeah, that makes sense. Kinda sucks though. You know they've got a new model of the Mongoose now, right?"

"I saw," he affirmed. "And they're awesome. But my place is on Koenig." They arrived at a lift that would take them back to their quarters. "Deck 4," said Zack. He gave Tom his own worried look now. "How's the arm?"

"Ah, it's fine," Tom said. "Although Leo's cramping my style, saying I shouldn't alter it."

"Leo will always be Leo," Zack pointed out. "I'm just glad the arm seems to be doing good."

"Yeah, it is. I'm getting so used to it I sometimes forget it's not my original arm," Tom admitted, holding his right hand up to look at it. The pseudoskin matched the hue of the rest of his body just right, but there was a certain feel to it that was off whenever he touched it. "I sometimes get nightmares," he confessed. "That I'm pinned in that wreckage again, but the plasma welder is just out of reach, no matter how far I stretch. And the entire place just keeps getting hotter and hotter, and Julia and Scotty are screaming over the line that the reactors are melting down one by one, and I just can't reach the damn thing. Like I'm completely helpless."

Zack set his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I know the feeling, buddy."

Tom looked at him. "Let me guess. Clara?"

"Sometimes," Zack said. He didn't say that sometimes it was Julia that the Cylons shot dead. "And since Germania, I keep seeing that teenage Dilgar girl in my dreams. And no matter what I try, she always gets blown to bits. People scream for me to help and then there's a big boom and… well…"

"Damn man," Tom said, shaking his head. "Y'know, when we got out here, it was like this really cool adventure. Now it's…"

"Now it's serious," Zack finished for him. "And it's our lives, and more, on the line."

"I never thought I'd be hacking my own fraking arm off, man. And they had you charging tanks and crap, watching people get blown up. That stuff messes you up." Barnes shook his head.

"Yeah," Zack said quietly. He could still see those Dilgar being blown to pieces. "That's the price we paid to come home, really. Thousands had to pay with their lives to stop the Nazis."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

The lift opened. "Same time tomorrow?" Tom asked.

"Sure," replied Zack.

As it turned out, EarthGov spared no expense, funding the reception lavishly with fresh food shipped directly from Earth and prepared by the kitchen staff of the station's most respected restaurant. Introductions were shared among the two negotiating teams.

"Everyone, please, a toast," Lantze requested, holding aloft a glass of wine. Those present quieted and did the same. "To the peace that brave men and women such as Captain Andreys and Commander Meridina won," and here he nodded toward Julia and Meridina, "by defeating the horror of the Reich, and to the hope that here we will preserve that peace and overcome the unfortunate issues that have divided our peoples. To peace!"

"To peace," echoed in the conference room, not spoken by all with the same enthusiasm as Lantze clearly had. After the toast, with individual members of the two groups splitting up to privately discuss matters, Julia took the time to note how they were reacting to Travada's presence. It was clear that most of Lantze's team were hostile to his presence, shunning his approach openly. Only one of the Earth team approached him, the Chinese man, who identified himself as Deng Jiang, who shook hands with Travada. As if not to be outdone, Captain Ivanova did the same.

It was easy to notice the same could be said for Astrid Bergsen, introduced as the Psi Corps "advisor" to the Earth team. Her own team gave her a wide berth. And they kept their distance from Meridina as well, as if she could download their memories with a glance. Julia noticed Meridina look toward Bergsen, but she was locked in conversation with her fellow Gersallian, the diplomat Tanapa, and did not approach.

Julia's attention was diverted when Lantze stepped up to Onaran and her. "My apologies, Mister Secretary, for that display," Lantze said. "I had to obey my instructions on the matter of Minister Travada."

"Oh?" The Dorei man showed not a hint of recrimination.

"Earth believed it to be impolitic to acknowledge or recognize, in any way, the Free Colony," Lantze explained. "The belief in EarthDome is that such recognition would inspire more telepaths to turn rogue and flee, complicating our relationship with the Psi Corps. I was only permitted to accept their presence as a concession."

The language made Julia suspicious that this had become a negotiating tactic: "We've given something up for you, now give us something", done before they even reached the table. Onaran, whether he believed it or not, nodded. "I understand the difficulties that a diplomat can operate under when instructions are strict," he said soothingly. "Hopefully we may use this to find a common ground."

Lantze was clearly pleased with that remark. He and Onaran stepped away, Lantze beginning to discuss something involving a grandchild.

Julia considered following but stopped when she noticed Captain Ivanova's approach. Ivanova came to a stop in front of her and nodded. "Captain Andreys," she said, her accent mostly American. "Your reputation precedes you."

"Yours as well, Captain Ivanova," Julia replied. "And it's more impressive."

"At the rate you're going, it won't be for much longer," Ivanova replied. "It's a shame I missed out on the push to Germania. I have twice the reason to want to blow up Nazis."

"Russian and…?"

"Jewish," Ivanova said. "Not very observant, true, but that wouldn't have mattered to those bastards."

"I understand," Julia said, nodding quietly.

"Your record against the Reich is one thing. What you did at Tira… it impressed the hell out of a lot of us in Earthforce. The Drazi and Brakiri went completely over the line."

Visions of smashed incubation tubes and the broken remains of Dilgar babies briefly entered Julia's mind. "They left the line over the horizon if you ask me." She returned her attention to Ivanova. "I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you at Rohric."

"It's no trouble. We didn't linger," said Ivanova. "Earthforce only sent us because someone had to bring the Huáscar back."

"You also carried Governor Ari'shan, though."

"They would have put him on an EAI ship if I hadn't been available for that mission," said Ivanova.

Julia took a sip of her drink, a fine wine that had a rich taste. Almost too rich for her preference, but enduring such things was the cost of doing diplomacy. "Earthforce felt that embarrassed about Tira?"

"Well, the ones who stayed with Clark back during the Civil War were upset that Captain Varma got involved in saving the Dilgar in the first place. And all of the officers who fought Clark were furious when EarthGov gave Foster support for mutinying against Varma. Then, depending on who you talk to, either Varma legitimately reclaimed her ship with loyal officers or staged a mutiny against the Earth-supported commander, making us look weak before aliens." Ivanova gave a frustrated sigh. "The entire thing was a screwup that Earthforce is happy to forget happened."

"A funny way to describe an officer seizing their ship to openly support genocide," Julia remarked.

"True. Good old EarthGov. Avoid the hard decisions until someone has a PPG to your head, then pick the wrong one." Ivanova rolled her eyes.

"If you ask me, Captain Varma should have been given your highest commendation and returned to her ship."

There was a flicker in Ivanova's eyes. It was joined by an uncertain silence. "Yes, I agree," said Ivanova. "It's good to hear she finally came around to doing the right thing."

That won Julia's attention immediately. "What do you mean?"

"How close are you to Captain Varma?" Ivanova asked. "I've heard she's accepted an Alliance commission now."

"Personally? Not very," Julia admitted. "I did just meet her again on her new command. But we're, well, I think pretty frigid right now. Professional courtesy and that's it."

Ivanova nodded. "She's always been an odd one. And she has a very rigid code of honor. It's why she fought on Clark's side in the Civil War after leaving B5."

Julia blinked at that. "She did?"

"Oh, she talked it up as remaining loyal to her oath to Earth," Ivanova said. "And she wasn't helping Nightwatch, I'll give her that. But when we asked her to support us after B5 became independent, she refused to sign up. All she'd do, she said, was protect the station. Given the stakes we weren't about to risk a secret Clark loyalist remaining on staff, so we shipped her back to Earth." Ivanova frowned at the recollection. "I hear Clark's people didn't care much for her either, she was too friendly to aliens for their tastes, but they didn't want to act against someone who fought on the Line."

"So if both sides hated her, how did she end up in command?"

"General Lefcourt supported her, gave her postings," Ivanova said. "She gets rewarded for making the wrong choice, then loses it when she makes the right choice. God's sense of humor, I suppose." A curious look came to the older woman's face. "So, I'm guessing she has some strong opinions on this current crisis?"

"Some, I think," said Julia. "I'm still confused on why she let Psi Corps reclaim the telepath children her crew recovered on Mars."

"She's always been a sympathizer for the Psi Corps." There was real heat in Ivanova's voice. "Maybe we shouldn't be surprised she sided with Clark…"

"The answer is fairly simple Captain, Captain Zhen'var repatriated them after their house-parents were brutally murdered, because they're our children. We raise them communally. Oh, and we won in court with our own lawyer." The Psi Corps representative interjected politely in a happy-sounding Swedish accent, that last part was spoken with particular pride. She stepped up to form a conversational tripod from a position where she could see every other mundane in the room.

"Astrid Bergsen, Psi Corps Commercial division, rating P9. A pleasure to meet you Captain Andreys." she turned again, not missing a beat. "And need I remind you Captain Ivanova that the Psi Corps is bound by our charter to political neutrality."

"Which is why you endorsed Clark, and why so many members of Psi Corps helped the Nightwatch mind-rape innocent people?" Ivanova retorted.

"Did we endorse him?" She asked. "I seem to recall that Director York is a non-telepath appointed by the Earth Alliance Senate. A quandary for the history books I suppose!" Astrid replied cheerfully. "Though I'm afraid that same charter also prohibits me from commenting on any aspect of what the Psi Corps may or may not have have done during the Civil War. However, I can discuss a hypothetical, will you permit me Captains?"

A look of impatience was showing on Ivanova's face. Julia preempted any refusal by stating, "Alright. I'll hear you out."
"Thank you for your forbearance. Say you have a population that is without any civil rights, including the vote and due process, shackled to the will of the state. Say that entire population makes up, oh, less than half a percent of a country's population, and they know they might be subject to pogroms like they were in the past if they refused to do what they were told by the state; would you expect those people to openly disobey the orders of said state?"

The word "pogroms" brought back dark memories for Julia, of a little town in Eastern Europe with rampaging Cossack cavalrymen sweeping through the streets, setting fire to homes and running people down. She remembered the surge of anger vividly, the grip on her pulse rifle before Robert and Angel rushed in, all to buy time for Tom and the other transporter operators on the Kelley to evacuate the residents.

"My people know something of pogroms themselves," Ivanova said. "It doesn't change what the Corps has become. Or what it's done." There was a quiet fury in Ivanova's voice as she said that.

"Here I am speaking in hypotheticals, and you're discussing the Psi Corps… You know I cannot necessarily answer your charges. However, let us assume there are excesses. Surely you know that there are always going to be quislings in the ranks of such a people that must be continually rooted out and destroyed. Surely you also know that this must be done quietly."

Before Ivanova could respond, Julia looked to Astrid and asked, "You keep bringing up the Psi Corps charter as forbidding you from discussing anything. You're telling me the charter forbids you from discussing anything about the telepath issue?"

"I am permitted to discuss the facts of history and law as an intellectual exercise, and am freer to speak in private, Captain. However, in a public forum I cannot discuss the merits of EarthGov policy or weigh in on controversial topics, that issue included. Nor am I permitted to vote, hold public office, or act as a journalist in any capacity other than perhaps to be interviewed on a matter of public information concern. A Psi Cop might get on ISN and provide information about an ongoing criminal investigation that impacts the public, for instance." Astrid answered in as cheerful a way as possible, but the smile never reached her eyes, instead her eyes gleamed with quiet anger.

Julia glanced briefly to Ivanova, who remained stolidly quiet, before she looked back to Astrid. She thought she could see far more to say behind those quiet, angry eyes, things Astrid didn't dare say in any kind of public venue. What she said tracked with what Julia already knew about the Earth Alliance and she felt a pang of sympathy for the idea of having to live like that.

A little part of her rebelled at that sympathy. These are the same people who hunted Rob and Meridina to turn them into lab rats!

I have been cleared to tell you this: We are sorry about that. Partially a misunderstanding, partially Bester, partly standing orders from EarthGov.

Given the silence that passed between them a suspicious look came to Ivanova. Before she could say anything Julia clamped down her anger and said, "I'm sorry you have to live like that. People should be free."

"I thank you for that." Astrid said gently. "It is… tiring. There are those who, under different conditions, might defenestrate me for being as forward as I have been." She glanced over at Ivanova.

Ivanova crossed her arms and gave Astrid a hard look. "I've gotten along perfectly fine with a telepath being forward with me. And she was loyal to the Corps too. The Corps repaid her by turning her into a spy and erasing her personality." As she spoke, Julia watched Ivanova's expression change, restrained anger giving way to painful loss.

Astrid actually looked at her with real sympathy, like she knew exactly how Ivanova felt. "Remember what I said about quislings that need to be rooted out and destroyed? It isn't always possible to bring the victims back, but speaking hypothetically of course, it is possible to settle the account."

Ivanova looked skeptical but said nothing. Julia couldn't tell if she had nothing left to say, or if she couldn't think of what to say, but her silence continued on for seconds until Julia, remembering Onaran's other mission, said, "Have you met my first officer, Ms. Bergsen? She is a Gersallian telepath trained in the Order of Swenya."

"I'm afraid I have not had the pleasure. I'll go introduce myself and let you two get back to your conversation." Astrid replied and dismissed herself, giving Ivanova one more look that was equal parts anger and sadness before she left.

Julia watched her approach Meridina, who now stood by herself, before looking back to Ivanova. "The telepath you mentioned. The one with the…"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Ivanova said, her expression rigidly stoic. "Sometimes I am reminded why we Russians are the people who understand the universe the most."

Julia blinked. "I imagined you were Russian-descended. You speak English with an American accent."

"I've had too many assignments with North Americans," she explained. "I lost my accent years ago." Ivanova offered her hand and Julia accepted it for a handshake. "It was nice to speak with you, Captain. Before the negotiations are over, I'd like to buy you a drink. It's been too long since I've been by Earhart's here on the station. They make a great Jovian sunspot."

Julia nodded. "I think I'd like that."

Meridina was beginning to worry that she might have to be more direct - too direct to not go unnoticed - when Astrid approached her. Meridina gave the Psi Corps woman a quiet look and seemed to wait for her to exchange pleasantries. Mentally she projected a thought toward Astrid, a desire to converse privately.

"Astrid Bergsen, Psi Corps Commercial division, rating P9." Astrid said verbally Your charmingly… ill-informed shipmate suggested I speak to you. I'm going to assume it has something to do with my actual reason for being here.

"I am Commander Meridina, First Officer of the Starship Aurora. I myself am a telepath. We do not rate quite the same way your people do, but I believe I would be considered a P10 in telepathic capability." Yes. I am here to facilitate a private meeting between you and an Alliance officer and member of the Mha'dorn.

"Ah, a pleasure to make your acquaintance then. Your reputation precedes you." Excellent, a Dilgar would stand out, I wouldn't suppose it's my prodigal sister?

Meridina gave a nod at the verbal remark, although it had a double meaning. "I have not dealt with the commercial side of Psi Corps before," Meridina admitted aloud. "I am told your work is the same as some of the professional telepaths in the Farisa Genut." Commander Elia Saumarez, yes. You can understand why she could not come herself. I believe she is still officially wanted as a rogue in Earth space?

Absolutely yes. By the mundanes, not by us. Speaking of wanted people Commander, I would like to extend the apologies of the Psi Corps for… well...Bester. Black Sheep would be a good term to use for him. "It is similar for most, yes. My specialty is somewhat different. Corporate counterintelligence, which puts me on the front lines when some mega-corp or another decides to use unregistered" usually enslaved "telepaths for corporate espionage."

Meridina frowned over the verbal remark and the telepathic data added by Astrid. "Gersal does not have these 'megacorps' you speak of, but I have heard of them. That their activities require them to employ intelligence operatives is quite… disconcerting." Bester did not harm us in the end, although he did provide rather an annoyance to our mission.

"I sense an opportunity for cultural exchange. I can get you a copy of the works of a 20th century author by the name of Ayn Rand. Her writings on 'ethics' are taken to heart by many capitalists within the Earth Alliance. They steal each other's work, try to illegally influence negotiations, whole nine yards." The fact that he tried matters. It wasn't acceptable. But he's family. I don't know if you have racist uncles on Gersal but it's a similar dynamic; complete with the rest of us having to clean up the mess.

"That sort of behavior in Humanity is despairing," Meridina sighed. "It led to the fate of Humanity in my home universe. We are very grateful the legacy of the Darglan was found by worthier Humans." Leonard once remarked on such beings. Older relatives with socially awkward beliefs and habits.

It's just like that, albeit they usually don't have a power base or the ability to rip out someone's personality. Astrid's mental expression was somewhat sheepish, even if it didn't show on her face. "So are we, bluntly." Speaking for the Corps, not humanity in general in this universe.

Meridina considered both remarks. My people do not believe in using our telepathic talents in that fashion. It is… Meridina glyphed the rest of the information, using personal memory association with all of the lessons her mother Drentiya had taught her growing up, plus the way that Gersallians viewed the universe. To destroy another's mind or forcibly rewrite their personality was an act of darkness, a violation of another being's self. It was one thing to use her swevyra - the concept of such was integral to the glyph - to temporarily assert will over another being to convince them to do something small, like ignore her presence or lower a weapon, but that sort of permanent alteration… it was entirely outside of acceptable behavior. Even entering the mind of another was frowned upon.

Astrid contemplated that, and nodded in understanding. It's a grim necessity for us. Many of us will go our whole lives without having to do it, but… For us, telepathy is an active sense like touch. It can be used to create or destroy. In the name of better relations I'll be honest with you. We've been fighting for our survival as a people for a hundred and fifty years. We've had to get our hands dirty. Some can do it and remain decent people. Some can't.

Meridina mentally nodded at that. Such an act can be corruptive. It leads into darkness, in the understanding of my people. She noticed that they were getting some attention, and that at any moment someone might interrupt. The gardens of the station are quite expansive and easy to hide in, from what I recall of Babylon-5. Will they suffice as a meeting place for you?

Thank God you didn't ask about Down Below… a mundane probably would have. I've been here before on business; they are lovely gardens and I know of a good spot. Astrid glyphed a location in an out of the way place near the interface between Green and Red Sector.

The negotiation meeting will come first, but I will bring Elia aboard - in disguise - two hours after we adjourn.

I'll be there. Be careful about being tailed. There's no guarantee this meeting is entirely on the level, and the negotiators might not know.

Meridina smiled at that. I was trained as a swevyra'se, what your people might call a Knight of Life. I know when I am being followed.

Hmm. From what I've heard Wizard might be better than Knight in some respects... But I trust your judgement.

This was the final exchange they had before Meridina separated from Astrid, moving toward Julia and Lantze. "Minister, this is my First Officer Commander Meridina," Julia said.

"Minister, a pleasure," Meridina said, bowing her head politely. Contact has been made, Meridina directed into Julia's mind.

Good.

With Julia and Meridina on the station, Jarod was left in command on the bridge for the rest of the watch period. He spent the quiet watch thinking on matters. Thoughts that had been in his head these past two days.

As soon as Locarno arrived to relieve him, Jarod went to the lift. "Deck 4," he said initially. As the lift arrived at the halfway point he suddenly revised the order. "Deck 6." The lift immediately changed to its new destination. "Computer, is there a location on Commander Saumarez?"

"Commander Saumarez is in her assigned quarters," answered the computer. It normally would not have shared such, but as the Aurora Operations Officer Jarod was one of a few command officers with authorization for such location requests.

Jarod quickly consulted his omnitool for the room Tra'dur assigned Elia. Finding it, he walked down the corridors of Deck 6 until he arrived at the appropriate guest quarters.

When the door chimed, Elia pulled herself up. She refastened her uniform jacket, tightened it, adjusted the rank tabs and Mha'dorn pin, pulled her gloves on, quickly drew her hair back with a couple of clips, and presented herself at the door. "Commander Saumarez…" She said as the door swished open, only one minute after the chime sounded the first time, and shortly after the second. The end result of the small delay was her perfect presentation, as if she had been in a conference rather than private. "...Commander Jarod, greetings. What do you need?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with you," he replied. His surface thoughts were still considering the similarities he was dwelling on, but he spoke them aloud regardless. "About some of the things you said during the conference on the Huáscar."

"Come in and have a seat," she answered after a moment, her eyes admitting her hesitation, but only for a moment.

"Thank you," he said, following her in only after she was out of the doorway. Her quarters on the Aurora were one of the nicer ones available, although Onaran had his team had taken up the best rooms already. Like all guest quarters they gave the sense of a hotel room; cozy, but the furnishings lacked the individual touch of a permanent resident. "I…" He stopped and sighed. "Well, even after the years I've spent with Julia and the others, I'm afraid my social skills are still occasionally lacking." In his thoughts he was clearly trying to think of a way to speak with her that wouldn't come across as patronizing her for Elia's obvious unease with the situation, both being pulled from her ship as it was still getting organized and feelings about her mission. For all of the related occupations he'd filled over his life since leaving the Centre…

And then he figured out the best way to approach it. He put himself into Elia's shoes, aided by the time he'd spent living with Meridina, to communicate in a way a telepath might feel more at ease with. With no words that might work, he simply bared his thoughts as openly, yet as gently, as he could.

"You don't need to worry. I could understand your intent. But thank you for making it plain, Jarod." Unlike Meridina, she abstained from answering telepathically. "On my Earth, you know, telepaths never communicate with mundanes telepathically. It's a trap to be accused of violating their rights. It would be a very hard barrier for me to do so with a mundane-something I've only overcome with the closest of my friends." She looked wryly at him, and reached up to undo her hair with a sigh. "This Centre you're thinking of. Why'd it do that to you?"

"For money, power," Jarod replied. "They used my mind to invent new technologies or methods. To figure out secrets that they could use to blackmail or manipulate with. They didn't care about the morality of any of it either. I'm not sure how many lives they destroyed with the things I thought up while under their control." An old pain showed on his face. While he never doubted that serving on the Aurora, with the Alliance, was helping to make up for the evil the Centre did with his gifts in ways beyond what he'd done while a fugitive, he sometimes found himself wondering if he could ever get away from the feeling of it never being enough. "They did this for thirty years. I've only been free for seven, eight years now. And when you described how the telepaths would get used without the Corps, well, I've spent the time since thinking about the Centre."

"I can understand why. It's essentially the same thing," Elia answered. "You do have the right of it. The Corps is like a medieval guild; it's a home, a way of life-and also a collective bargaining mechanism. And, of course, it's a monopoly that can get persnickety about its turf. But it does that because the alternative is the Centre. I've read what one of the Senators have proposed in place of Crawford-Tokash. Irregular, random, involuntary deep scans by anonymous enforcement personnel to make sure you haven't committed any crimes with your abilities."

Jarod shook his head at that. It wasn't hard to imagine how that system might get abused. "It's wrong," he agreed. "I'll admit I didn't see the Corps in the best light when I first learned about them. The reputation of your Psi Cops and Bloodhounds reminded me of…" He let the sentence trail off with thoughts. Of all of his close calls over the years with Miss Parker and her team of hunters, tracking him across the continent to drag him back to the Centre. "That seems to be our problem," he admitted. "The Corps has to protect telepaths while hunting the ones who run. It'd be easier if Earth had their own security agencies responsible for it."

"Self-enforcement grew out of Crawford's antebellum ideology. Psi-Cops are the Overseer slaves on the plantation in his mind. To us, they're heroes. They have the life expectancy of a medieval peasant, you know, Jarod. They burn themselves out trying to manage the contradictions. Bester's the only old Psi-Cop I can even think of."

Bester's name carried a weight that Elia could easily see. He'd tried to carry off Robert and Meridina. Jarod said nothing more about that, since there was no point. Instead his mind quickly worked to consider the perspective of a Psi Cop. Without being made a telepath he could never actually pull a Pretend as a Psi Cop, but he could do so mentally. His mind took in the facts of their job, position, and circumstances just as he had many other occupations.

It was not a pleasant one.

The Psi Cops - "Metasensory Police" or MetaPol in actuality - were caught in the tension created when Earth turned them into the enforcement of the draconian laws against telepaths. He considered the cause of that tension. Forced to hunt your own people by the masters oppressing you both, holding back as much as possible so you don't kill them when they're fighting to do the same to you. Becoming a symbol of oppression and fear because of the laws your masters imposed, dealing with the same master class and having to put up with their own hate and fear of what you could do…

Quickly Jarod understood how easy it was to fall into that trap. To become the mask and make it what you were; cold, ruthless, and relentless, not caring about whom you hurt so long as you caught your prey and enforced the law. Even if you still hated that law.

Did that explain Bester? He'd survived this long for a reason, and the more Jarod let himself slip into the Pretend, the more he felt it the only way he could survive that long mentally. Become the mask. Lose your soul to it. Internalize all of the jealousy and fear of the mundanes who oppressed you and decide they were right to fear you, because you are superior to them. You are the true next stop on the evolutionary road, and are destined to leave them behind. Nothing done to promote that end is wrong. Everything, everything, is permissible as long as it advances the Cause.

The things that sense of superiority could lead one to do, not just to the master class but to those of your own people who fail to measure up to their superiority…

"I wouldn't recommend going further down that road, Jarod. It will do unpleasant things to your psyche even to contemplate. I am also sitting here mildly amazed, wondering if you actually could Pretend a Psi-Cop by taking Dust. I don't recommend trying, but your own abilities might give you the control most Dust users lack." She was quiet for a Moment as her words pulled Jarod out of his mental Pretend. "There's another aspect, too. Most work Psi-Cops do is sincerely to protect people. They're the only telepaths who can fight back against Mundanes. They protect us from Mundanes-that's why they're heroes. Imagine the peril of being both saviour and enforcer. It makes the complex worse."

A shiver went through Jarod at the thought. That much tension between roles? He felt worried that she was right, that if he delved back into the Pretend with that idea, it would be damaging. "It wouldn't be the first time my psyche's been through the wringer from a bad Pretend," he confessed. "And every P12 is expected to become a Psi Cop?"

"To try. You can wash out into something else," Elia answered. "I should have been a bloodhound myself-such an ineffably demeaning term, I'm not a dog, my biological family bred dogs, but not me-but the rating assessment fell more or less right on the boundary between P9/P10. To try and minimise the stigma of the classifications, the slash and the second rating get put in your personnel file when you're a case like that. Our society has become hierarchal in ways we try to avoid from cementing into a caste system. But the mundanes would like it if we developed a caste system. At any rate, I was sent to Military, instead. My classmates sent me their sympathy, but I stiffened up my gut and resolved to be the best I could. Anything else would let the family down, you know. I wasn't afraid of war, I read Aubrey-Maturin and Hornblower growing up."

A thin smile touched her lips. "My biological family, by the way, did things the very tidy English way. When they found out I had the telepath genes and was showing signs of a young childhood manifest, they tidily went to court, had legal custody formally transferred to Psi-Corps, had the driver and the family huntsman-he said to the Psi-Corps nurse who took custody that the nursemaid had refused to be near me when she found out, so being a family man he volunteered-take me to Geneva. Very few new telepaths arrive in a Bentley in a cradle. The transfer of custody included a twenty million pound investment account under a very quiet old London firm-Telepaths can't own stocks, but a Trust for a telepath can-with instructions that I was to be disbursed after age twenty-one up to a million pounds a year on the sole condition I never contact my birth family for any reason whatsoever. And they didn't try to take my family name from me, so I'm a Saumarez. The rest was really rather boring until Tira, except for all the cricket championship trophies. I am an extremely lucky woman."

Jarod had knowledge of how the English upper classes worked. Undoubtedly her family considered that the best way to balance their status with the needs of one of their own, though for him it struck a nerve. "Your biological family gave you up," he said. "I was stolen from mine. The difference between us, if I understand the culture correctly, is that you found a replacement family. I…" He almost said he didn't, but he stopped. It wasn't quite true. For most of his life Sydney was his only family, or at least the closest he had to family, to a father. Even if Sydney was only meant to be Jarod's handler for the Centre, had indeed tried to stop Jarod from seeing him as a father, a bond had formed between them that still existed. And there had been Kyle, his brother, though they hadn't learned that until they were adults, long after the Centre separated them. "...well, I made do as best as I could," he finally admitted.

"I'm sorry. You were treated basely, you lacked that connection, because you … Were denied any association with others like yourself. Psi-Corps became more than a government agency precisely because it was that association. It was the only association. It's not that Captain Andreys is wrong … Originally, in what Crawford intended. It's that we were not powerless to change our own destinies, and we have been altering them ever since. Surely you understand? I think you do."

To that Jarod nodded. "I do. And I'm not sure you might have done any better in the circumstances. It's the matter of choice that's been at issue between the Corps and the Alliance. Given time and a chance to understand the situation, well, I suppose that's a might-have-been now." He sighed. "I can see that from the reports. So I'm going to try to help you with the others. They understand what I went through. They gave me a home when I never thought I'd have one. I'm sure I can get them to understand." Left unsaid was Jarod's sentiment, one Elia could see. That even if it had limited his choices as much as her's had been limited, even if it meant being a second class citizen…

...well, he loved Sydney as a father figure, and he didn't regret a moment of his time with Julia and Robert and the others, but from the eyes of the boy he'd been, the boy taken from his family and made into a corporate tool... why wouldn't he have wanted a family of people just as intelligent as he was? Brothers and sisters like Kyle, but without a diabolical Mr. Raines to split them up and break Kyle as a person? People that could have protected him from the Centre.

"I'm glad you've finally found a family, Jarod," Elia said very softly. "And thank you for trying to understand mine. Here, with my career, my civil rights, by loyalty to Dilgar and Union and the Alliance principles, what's left in Psi-Corps for me is simple: It's my family."

Jarod nodded in understanding. "And you do what you have to when it comes to protecting family."

After the reception, everyone moved on to one of the station's conference lounges. The table was long enough to accommodate both teams, one per side. Onaran and Lantze sat in the middle chairs facing each other. Julia and Ivanova were two seats to the right of their respective team leads, although this meant neither faced the other. Meridina and Astrid were on the far ends of the table, allowing either to act to protect their people from telepathic attack while giving them an open view of all participants. Meridina, upon taking her seat, felt annoyance at the unrelenting paranoia coming from most of Lantze's subordinates over the presence of three telepaths.

"Now that we are set to begin, I will state the Alliance's goals for these talks, Minister Lantze," Onaran said pleasantly. The Dorei man set his hands, the skin on them the same rich ocean blue as his face, on the table. "It is the position of the United Alliance of Systems that the issue at hand is a result of the Earth Alliance's repressive laws against your telepath minority. These laws inspire telepaths to turn to violent means to resist them and that has led to these unfortunate incidents. While we recognize that insisting on the repeal of said laws would be interpreted as an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Earth Alliance, we do urge you to consider that course. At the very least, a repeal of the statutes banning legal emigration of telepaths to other jurisdictions should be considered, and the Alliance is willing to provide assistance and concessions to create such a legal avenue for the dissenting members of the telepath population. This would reduce dependence upon sleepers and eliminate a major source of strife in the telepath community."

Julia noticed that with the exception of Deng Jiang, identified as the Earth team's intelligence advisor, the response was quite negative. Lantze seemed not so much negative as resigned. She wondered if he held similar views, or at least believed it a reasonable idea, but was forced by his government to dismiss the idea.

"And these are the totality of your views, Mister Secretary?" Lantze asked. "What of the Free Colony itself?"

"The Free Colony concurs with the views of the Allied Systems on the matter of emigration, and the root of the problem involving terrorists." Travada ignored the woman across from him - an Earth Alliance Security vice-director named Bethany Taggart - rolling her eyes at him. Just as he ignored the surface thought of Why did I have to sit across from the mindfreak?

"You misunderstand me, sir," Lantze said. "I was not speaking of your position, Minister Travada. I was requesting the Alliance's position on the Free Colony."

Onaran folded his hands on the table. "The Free Colony is considered a free, affiliated state of the Allied Systems, regardless of their current small size. We also consider them a legitimate expression of national aspiration for the E5B1 Human Telepath population."

Meridina marveled at the raw, seething anger that rippled on the other side, save in Minister Lantze himself, Captain Ivanova, and Deng Jiang. She glanced toward Astrid whose outward expression didn't change, but Meridina felt her take notice of the use of "a" instead of "the".

"I see," said Lantze. "Very well. And the matter of Darglan space?"

"It was what law regards as spatium nullius when the Alliance arrived in this universe," Onaran stated. "We laid claim to it in a fashion consistent with known practices of interstellar law, including that of your own universe."

Lantze jotted a note down and nodded. "I see. Thank you, Mister Secretary."

"And you, Mister Lantze?" Onaran kept his eyes on the Earth official. "What is Earth's positions on these matters?"

Julia could tell this was not going to go well when Lantze drew in a breath and glanced again to the rest of his team. "For one thing, we do concur on the matter of our laws. The Earth Alliance will not and cannot tolerate any power attempting to intervene in our domestic institutions, including the Crawford-Tokash Act and all related laws regulating telepaths. On that subject there will be no negotiation. The laws will not be changed on the word of an alien power."

Ivanova breathed out a little sigh. Deng Jiang's expression twitched slightly, showing displeasure. Astrid remained tightly controlled and absolutely stone-faced, but Julia thought she caught a twitch from her right thumb like she was suppressing an angry fist.

"And there is no chance of negotiation to persuade you?"

"I am afraid not, Mister Secretary," Lantze said. "EarthGov's instructions are quite clear. There will be no negotiation on our internal affairs." After Onaran merely nodded in understanding of the point, Lantze continued. "It is the position of the Earth Alliance that the United Alliance of Systems must bear at least a share of responsibility for the terrorist violence against Earth agencies. especially the Psi Corps. Your reckless support of a colony of rogue telepaths provides expectation of assistance in their radical agenda, whatever protests you issue to the contrary, and the Free Colony itself is suspected of providing aid to the Underground in these attacks. We insist and indeed expect that the Allied Systems immediately revoke its agreements with the Colony, dissolve its independent charter, and begin extradition to Earth of its leadership and all individuals listed by Earth security agencies as known terrorist sympathizers." Given the looks from the others, it was obvious that included Travada. Lantze kept attention as he pressed on. "Indeed, it is Earth's sincerest hope that the Allied Systems will do the responsible thing to restore peace to our society by immediately repatriating to Earth all telepaths born in the Earth Alliance or to parents from the Earth Alliance. By such an action you would prove your strong friendship to Earth and deal a blow to the outlandish desires of the Underground."

As he spoke those words, Julia found them lacking. Not just in reasonability but in passion. They were not being delivered by a man who believed in them. It was not just that Lantze did not believe this term attainable; it was that he personally had no desire to even ask it. He was speaking with the voice or voices of others, not his own.

"And you have no leeway for negotiation on this matter either?" asked Onaran calmly. Beside him Travada remained calm, but it hid great apprehension, Meridina felt.

"There is some," Lantze admitted. "But I must be blunt on these matters, Mister Secretary. EarthGov cannot and will not permit the repeal of any of the laws regarding telepaths, nor can we tolerate attempts to undermine them. They are for the safety and security of the non-telepath majority and for all of Earth."

Julia forced herself not to snort. Because if you give them the chance, you're worried all of the telepaths will run for somewhere they won't be treated like crap, and then how would you deal with those scary alien telepaths?

They're also concerned we might run with any political or personal freedoms we attain and use them to take over their government, and avenge ourselves upon them for a century and a half of oppression and death. Astrid sent to Meridina. Feel free to share that with Captain Andreys.
She isn't wrong. Travada concurred.

Meridina glyphed an acknowledgement, but did not pass the information on just yet. Lantze was resuming.

"As a consequence of this, neither can we accept the continued existence of the Free Colony. Especially not as it is currently constituted," said Lantze. "I can negotiate particulars and specific details, but the Free Colony's ability to rally support against EarthGov and its policies must be removed."

"We are a free and independent people," Travada insisted. "And we will not be chased from our new homes or ethnically cleansed from territory that isn't even yours."

"You're a bunch of terrorists and rogues and the fact you're allowed to sit here is a sick joke," Taggart retorted in a Scots brogue. Travada would have responded but Onaran cut him off before he could.

"If your subordinate cannot behave with proper respect toward the representative of one of our affiliates, then she has no place at this table," Onaran said to Lantze.

Lantze gave Taggart a hard look. She said nothing. Finally he sighed and said, "On behalf of my subordinate and EarthGov, I apologize for the outburst. It was unbecoming."

The fact Lantze couldn't compel his lieutenant to apologize herself spoke volumes to Julia. He's not really in control. The way it looks, Earth's not even really interested in an agreement. They're here to posture.

"As for the issue of Darglan space, Earth renews her protest at the Allied Systems' unilateral annexation of such a large area of space so near to Earth's frontiers," Lantze said. "Particularly the refusal of the Allied Systems to permit innocent xenoarchaeological expeditions onto former Darglan worlds."

Translation: We won't let IPX loot the Darglan worlds bare, Julia thought at Meridina. Meridina flashed a small smile her way in reply.

"We have reasons for restricting such activity," Tanapa remarked. "Among them being that some of those involved in it once shot down a Ranger vessel over their so-called 'archaeological' efforts."

"Anyone might have performed that deed," said Mr. Thomas, the man between Deng Jiang and Lantze. The same who, earlier, had compelled Lantze to attempt to bar Travada from the table. "Just as anyone might have been behind the attack on an IPX ship two years ago. The Pedicarus was raided in the Venir star system. People died."

Julia said nothing but thought, Given Bester knew, what's his game?

"So Earth will continue to demand access to Darglan space?" Onaran asked.

"We must, yes," Lantze replied.

Onaran seemed to consider that for a moment. "I am sorry, Minister Lantze, but this does not feel like a negotiation," he finally said. "You appear to have nothing but demands. I came here to find middle ground, not permit posturing for Earth's media. I am willing to negotiate a number of points, including providing security relating to the Telepath Underground attempting to use Alliance space as a base. But under no conditions will we betray the Free Colony."

Lantze sighed and nodded. "I understand, Mister Secretary. Perhaps if we were to discuss further the needs of our governments, a solution will reveal itself."

Julia's only mental response to that was her growing skepticism that they would get anything done. Which makes the meeting you're setting up all the more important, Meridina.

Noted, was the wry mental reply.

By the time the first round of talks ended in utter stalemate, Elia was ready, with dyed hair and false contacts to change her visible eye color. She would be masquerading as another Alliance officer, complete with an authentic ID attached to her fake name - courtesy of Jarod - to get through station customs.

More importantly, at least to her sensibilities, was the need to leave her hands bare.

Meridina picked up on that when they met in Transporter Station Two. She had swapped out her dress uniform for a standard one, which was far less likely to draw attention. To avoid issues with the station's regulations on personal weapons Meridina had tucked her lightsaber into her uniform jacket where it was unlikely to trigger the sensors. Wordlessly the two women stepped onto the pad and allowed the Alakin transporter operator to send them over.

The transporter deposited them in the section of the customs entry area. While the station had not been built with the technology in mind, the growing use of it ensured that station operations adjusted, with areas set aside for incoming transports while the rest of the station was protected by an anti-beaming field to prevent unauthorized transporting.

Without a word Meridina and the disguised Elia joined the line of new arrivals to pass through station customs. To the normal passerby they seemed like naval officers taking a shore leave who just happened to disembark together. Elia went first through security. A female Narn processed her real-yet-fake ID and made the usual queries. Within twenty seconds she was through.

Meridina followed through the line behind her, repeating the process. By the time she was through, Elia was already entering the station proper. Meridina followed from a slight distance, casting her glance around to take in the varied species milling about the station. A Gl'mulli slipped around her. To the side, a visiting Turian was disputing something with an Alakin, forcing a party of visiting Yolu to walk around them.

A group of Pak'ma'ra briefly obscured Meridina's sight of Elia. Meridina let the visual contact be broken; she still sensed Elia's presence through the Flow of Life, and she used that to follow Elia into the heart of the space station.