The lighting of the compound was just coming back online when the infiltrator rippled into view. It landed in the compound commons, to the south of the bunker. Aside from the ruins of a dropship and the broken torpedo casings Robert had destroyed, the commons showed none of the sights of battle from before. The infiltrator's lights engaged, illuminating the area further. The cargo bay ramp opened with the ship pointed south, allowing those coming from the bunker to see the door open.
Antonia led out the half-dozen Psi Corps captives, plus the twins who were staying with her. All three were wearing replicated jackets acquired from the infiltrator systems before they landed. Lucy followed, still in her armor. From the bunker Robert approached, his wounded arm now bandaged by Doctor Hegebe, joined by Colin, Gene, and some of the others.
When the ramp opened and dozens of telepaths came into view, the space between minds was filled with a mix of happiness and deep familial concern. A moment later, informed by a telepathic telephone-game relay other telepaths emerged carrying clothes, blankets, and as much food as they could get out of the replicators on short notice.
Colin stepped forward to greet everyone.
"I am so happy you're all alive and safe." he said, speaking what everyone else was thinking, before turning to Lucy and Talara. "Thank you."
Lucy nodded in respect to him. "Thank you for keeping the valiant Sir Robert alive," she said, grinning slightly. "He always does have to play the hero." When Robert gave her a sardonic look, she responded, as always, by sticking out her tongue.
"You got them all?" Robert asked her, if only for form's sake.
"Every last one," she said, her voice fierce. "What they were doing to them up there…" Her mind went back to that bedroom. The red-eyed woman, the instruments of torture, and how they matched the wounds on Antonia, the teenagers flanking her, and some of the others.
"I know," Robert said. "The important thing is they won't be hurt anymore." He focused on Antonia. "Ma'am, I'm Captain Robert Dale, a Paladin of the Alliance. I'm glad to see you're all okay."
"Thank you, Captain," she replied. She reached out for the others and glyphed her relief to be among her adopted siblings again, along with her name and position as a final year medical student out of Genoa. The things they did to us...
No one will ever touch any of you again. Gene said to every assembled telepath. You're as safe as we can make you, even if we have to evacuate this site. He mentally introduced himself and Colin as well.
Hmm. Some of them haven't come out yet… Colin remarked.
They should all get looked at. Dr. Hegebe suggested There's no telling what kind of damage that kind of torture can do, and not just physically. Dr. Petrovich is going to be a busy man...
Lucy could sense what was on their minds, if not the actual exchange. "We'll show you to our medical supplies. Let me show you aboard," she said.
"Thank you. Our own supplies are starting to run low after…" Dr. Hegebe looked at the bodies, neatly covered in black cloth "That."
Lucy nodded somberly and led Hegebe into the ship.
A couple of hours passed and the cleanup was barely beginning. The medical telepaths were hard at work on the injured and the recovered Psi Corps captives were busy being comforted by their compatriots.
Near Robert's infiltrator, benches allowed Antonia and the twins to sit. Robert, Colin, and Gene sat at the bench across from them. Zara was on Gene's lap, refusing to leave either sight or physical contact.
"What happened?" Colin asked "We got your note but…"
Antonia responded by patting gloved hands on the twins' heads. They, too, now wore gloves, and like Antonia were clad in basic suits with Psi Corps pins. "Meet Giulio and Maria Toghatti," she said, her accent emphasizing the Italian names. Like Colin, she was speaking for Robert's benefit. "They're street orphans left homeless after their parents were killed by Nightwatch. They are both P8s by my estimation. But very untrained."
"How did you meet them?" Robert asked.
"While I am attending the University of Genoa School of Medicine, I volunteer my time to a free clinic," she answered. "The twins here often came by for help when they were hurt. Street children can lead a violent life. It was in the clinic that they had mindbursts, one after the other." She gave them a knowing look. "I showed them how to raise walls and called Education. But because of Clark and their parents… they were afraid of the Corps. They ran from the clinic. I pursued. They went to the spaceport."
The children spoke no English, Robert sensed, but they sensed what Antonia was explaining and were open in sharing an elaboration. They knew of a human trafficker who offered discreet passage to the outer colonies. They wanted to run.
"The trafficker had other plans. And when I arrived, trying to speak to them, his people overwhelmed me," Antonia revealed. "I put a few asleep, but it seemed like his whole crew were there…"
"It's not your fault." Zara piped up. "If you'd waited, Psi Cops wouldn't have made it in time to try."
"What she said." Gene confirmed.
"I know." Antonia sighed. "I… tried to shield them as best as I could. The slavers took an early interest in me. But they were a married couple and decided fraternal twins made a more interesting matched set."
Colin, Gene, and Zara shuddered in sympathy and all three of them projected warmth and affection at Antonia, Gulio, and Maria.
"I'm sorry for what you suffered," Robert said. "Whomever these red-eyed people are, the Alliance is going to find out, and we'll make it clear to them that they won't be tolerated."
"Fuck that, we're going to exterminate them." Gene blurted out before he could stop himself. "I don't normally condone wiping out whole groups of people but those… Aristos… they can't be permitted to exist. One way or the other, we'll find a way. They enslave trillions like that."
"When you write up your report, if you can share anything I can give to my superiors…" Robert's left hand lit up with blue light. He tapped the light. "Dale here."
"Sir, sensors are picking up a gravitational distortion," Talara replied, still aboard the infiltrator. "It looks like an IU jump point is forming…"
Robert blinked. The odds of a blind jump arriving in Tau Atrea were infinitesimal. Unless… "Crap. Where's Hawk?!"
"Right here."
Hawk approached from the bunker, Becca beside him. Each seemed to be supporting the other and both looked terribly weak.
"The ship's through… sir! It's…"
"The Avenger," Robert finished for her.
A moment later there were several bursts of light around them. Dark-clad figures coalesced from said light, the results of Darglan transporter technology. Most were armed, with weapons lowered. Robert noticed one with ridges on the temple of his head and pointed, ridged ears, matching the description of the enhanced strength alien that had caused such havoc on the Aurora over Tira.
"We're secure," Hawk said to them. "No need for a fight, people."
Two more pillars of light appeared ahead, coalescing into two figures. Thanks to the restored lights of the compound Robert immediately recognized one as Helen Fubuki, Hawk's second and, apparently, his girlfriend.
The other he recognized too, but it took him a moment to let it sink in. Even as it did, he felt the other telepaths' sudden realization and a defensive reaction.
"Hello, Captain Dale," said Lyta Alexander. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Gene got Zara out of there as fast as he could, picking her up and getting her to the rest of the group that was already starting to form a defensive Gestalt. Colin joined them at a remove and took over the collective consciousness, putting himself between Lyta and everyone else.
"That won't be necessary, Colin," Lyta said, before turning her attention to Hawk and Becca. "You two don't look so well."
"What the hell happened?!" Helen shouted, her anger not much different from Hawk's. "This was supposed to be a simple recon!"
"Slavers happened," Hawk said.
Robert briefly wondered if it would be so easy for this to end peacefully. He could sense the Psi Corps telepaths ready for a fight. Hawk's people - including more telepaths, he thought - were itching for an excuse, some already raising weapons. He held his hands up. "We have a truce!" he said, mostly to them. "Weapons down!"
"To hell with you, Alliance bastard," Helen snarled. "After Tira we've…"
"Weapons down now!" Hawk shouted, as loudly as he could manage. Becca weakly broadcasted the same to the other telepaths. "Dale's not lying! We've got a truce!"
Helen's nostrils flared, but she let her fists relax. Her posture eased.
"I told you I could handle it," Lyta admonished her. She directed her attention back to Robert and Colin. "We received intel at Sirius Major that there was a top secret Psi Corps operation here. We assumed it was a black site prison or experiment center. I can see we're wrong."
Colin couldn't stop himself, he'd written yet another white paper on Lyta Alexander but she was right there and he needed to know, needed to hear it from her own lips.
"Lyta, why?" he asked. "Your attack on Mars…It killed twenty thousand people, over a thousand telepaths. Psi Cops I can get but you slaughtered hundreds of innocent people and released disabled children into the tunnels, butchered their teachers. It was a damned research hospital to treat telekinetic children! What… what happened to the kind and gentle girl who I used to look up to like a big sister?"
For a moment Robert felt a surge of melancholy come from Lyta. It was pushed aside. "It's not your fault, Colin," she said. "It's really not. But the Corps… that's what happened. The Director happened, Bester happened, the Vorlons happened." As she spoke her voice grew in heat and intensity. "Sheridan happened, and then… and then I watched Bester and his Bloodhounds hunt down innocent telepaths who just wanted to live in peace. The Corps… you want it to be ours. You want to blame all of the camps and the bad things on the mundanes. But in the end, even if they started it, we've let it define us. They made our prison, and instead of wanting to escape and start something new, all the Corps wants to do is drag us back right back into the crab bucket."
"I'm sorry that happened Lyta. I truly am. You deserve better than all of that." He said those words and he meant them, from the terrified depths of his soul as he stared down the telepathic demigod who used to be one of the nicest people he knew. "But we can't change the past, and we can't fix our problems as a people by killing each other and setting the only home we have on fire. What we can do is build a better future, together, on our own terms. The only way to do that is to free the Corps from EarthGov, and by God Lyta I think we can win if we play our cards right." He believed that too. Maybe it was pure optimism or a desperate need for hope, but he did. "All you'll ever accomplish is make that harder or even impossible; do you honestly think that if you win that the Mundanes will ever let telepaths have any self-determination ever again?"
Lyta gave him an intent look. "Oh, Colin. Sweet Colin. I wish I could believe what you're saying. That your revolution will bring a better world for telepaths. But we both know it's going to be Bester and his kind who rule the Corps when this ends. And I'm not going to allow that."
"Appearances for mundanes aside Lyta, Metapol answers to me, Gene, and Marcel Szewczyk. The entire self-government of the Psi Corps is with us. That was over Bester's objections and I fully expect him to try something at some point, but we know where and who his assets are. Come back to us Lyta. We still love you, I still love you. There is still room for forgiveness, reconciliation. There always is."
"I'm aware of how that usually goes, Colin. Quite a few of us in the Underground are," she replied. And yet, while it was a rejection, Robert sensed that there was thought in her. She seemed genuinely surprised at hearing of Colin's rank. Robert had to admit he was.
After several seconds of silence, and a glance toward Hawk, Lyta spoke up. "What do you intend to do about the camps?" she asked. "Or any telepath who wants to go their own way?"
"If the choice is between dosing people on sleepers or providing security ourselves, I choose the third option: divert as many people away from them as we can, and when the time is right, evacuate every telepath before nuking the site from orbit. As for those who want to leave…" Confronted with the choice, Colin had to search through his soul. He'd been ignoring that question but he couldn't anymore. Not with Lyta right there asking him. On the one hand, he wasn't ever comfortable using coercion and he'd never really hunted people who committed no other crime. On the other hand, it was wrong to abandon your family the way rogues did, even if he could understand why they did it. He came down on the side of just being a good person and leaving the rest for history. "Sometimes, when you love someone you have to let them go. So long as it's an informed choice. My only concern is their safety and the safety of those still in the Corps. I'm willing to work out a solution."
From behind them Lucy was stepping out of the infiltrator. She looked to Robert and he looked back, his posture telling her everything was still stable. This let him return his attention to Lyta, who seemed thoughtful. He could sense the conflicting feelings inside of her. On the one hand, her hatred of Bester and the Psi Corps as he represented it was palpable, overpowering. But on the other… she had a genuine warmth for Colin, tinged with melancholy. As if he represented a simpler, sweeter time for her.
She glanced back toward Hawk. "We're partners now," she said. "What do you think?"
"I think the camps have to go," Hawk said. "People should be free. But this guy… yeah, it seems legit to me. He certainly fights like hell for his people."
She answered him with a nod. "And your newest agent?"
"I believe in Doctor Meier," Becca said simply.
"I thought so." Lyta looked back to Colin and Robert and gave a nod. "You might lead Metapol for now, but I know Bester. He has his ways to get what he wants, and what he wants is domination and control. So I'll give you a year, Colin, to prove the Corps can change. We'll probably still go after the camps because I'm not leaving telepaths to those, but we'll be gentle with your people. If they let us." She glanced toward Hawk, who nodded in reply, before returning to look at Colin. "I've been let down by those I thought were good men before, Colin. Don't let history repeat itself."
"I'll instruct them to let you. And I'll do my best not to." Colin replied, he knew she was talking about Sheridan, and his hatred for the man was thick enough one could cut it with a knife.
"Fine. Then we'll call off any further operations."
"Can you?" Robert asked. "With an organization like yours…"
"She can, Alliance stooge," Helen retorted. "And while we're at it, why doesn't your high and mighty Alliance do something about the bastards in EarthDome instead of making kissy-face with them?"
Robert furrowed his brow at that. He had no chance to reply before Lyta said, "If anything happens, it's not us, and I'll deal with any problems personally." She gave Colin a final look. "And congratulations, Colin. It was about time you found room for something other than duty in your life."
"There always was, I just had to find the right people..." Colin replied.
"Let's get you back," Helen said to Hawk and Becca, clearly impatient with the situation.
"Hawk, remember what I said," Robert said, urgency in his voice. "There are better ways to do this. Stop hurting yourselves."
Hawk gave him a measured look. "I've got work to do, Dale." There was something like a hollowness in his voice. "And a lot of injustice to avenge. I'll do what I have to."
"Dammit, think of your friends! Even if you're determined to destroy yourself…!"
Hawk gave him a quiet look, but said nothing else.
"Becca," Max, bandaged and on his feet through sheer force of will, stepped out of the Gestalt "We owe you our lives, and… if you keep going down the path you are there's a good chance you'll lose yours. If it ever gets to be too much, you'll always have a home to come to, for as long as we can keep it standing."
In reply Becca gave him a look that betrayed the ache inside of her. But more powerful than that ache was the guilt. Again telepaths had died, again she'd survived. It was evident to all that she was not going to stay.
Without a further word, Lyta brought her arm up. An amber-toned omnitool snapped into view around her forearm. With a tap of a key, she vanished in a burst of white light. Helen repeated the action. One by one the crew of the Avenger disappeared in similar bursts. The broken remnant of Hawk's shuttle joined them.
Becca and Hawk were the last ones to go. In the final second before she disappeared, Becca's mind opened and broadcast a simple message to the others. Robert thought he heard it, but it sounded like it was in Hebrew, and he didn't nearly know enough of it to understand.
What he did understand were the four characters Becca planted in his mind, in searing, pleading clarity.
And then they were gone.
With the threat past and Becca gone, Colin mentally collapsed. The stress of losing people, almost losing everyone, Becca leaving, and then his conversation with Lyta who in some other lifetime had been like a big sister to him...it was too much and he sank to the ground in tears.
Gene couldn't leave his husband crying there and Zara couldn't stand to watch him in pain like that. Zara clambered up on his shoulders and hugged him around the neck, while Gene got down on his knees in front of Colin, wrapped his arms around them both, and put their foreheads together.
"It's okay babe. We're still alive, shit, Lyta might even leave us alone… I don't know how you pulled that off, but you did it."
"Yeah Dad, Dad is right. We made it and you did the best you could. That's what matters."
Robert looked down at them and nodded, smiling slightly. "From the moment I met her, I didn't think anything could deflect her anger at Psi Corps like that. You should be proud."
Gene looked up "He is but… " Gene looked around pointedly "It's never really enough, is it? Hell, I'll break later." Even then, Robert could feel Colin's mind in Gene's acting like a brace keeping his husband from having the same breakdown.
"This is normal." Zara said "Only one of them at once."
Robert nodded in understanding, in more ways than one. At the moment, he personally wanted to go to his quarters on the infiltrator and collapse.
Which, ultimately, he would get to do.
Seconds after they all stepped off of the transporter pad on the Avenger, Helen whirled about and confronted Lyta. "What the hell was that?!" she demanded. "All of the trouble we've gone to and you're going to call off the campaign just because some guy you knew as a kid says so?!"
Lyta gave Helen a look that spoke mostly of contempt. "You don't really have a clue what's going on here, do you Helen? All you care about is getting someone to stab."
"What I care about is putting down these fascist pigs!"
"Communist, apparently," Hawk corrected weakly. He and Becca continued to balance each other.
"Syndicalist," Becca corrected in turn. "Neither. They're a big kibbutz." She leveled a look at Helen. "And what they have is better than why my people had on my world."
"Bullcrap," Helen growled. "Did the failsafes actually work? Maybe they pulled the whammy on your mind…"
"They didn't," Lyta said. "I'd know."
"The question is if you'd care."
The glare Lyta gave her was withering. "Why do you think I got involved in fighting the Corps in the first place, Helen?" Lyta asked coldly. "Yes, I damn well care, and that's why I'm giving Colin his year."
"A year for them to recover and be even more ready for us!"
"As usual, you're not thinking strategically," Lyta scolded her. "There are three ways I see this playing out." She raised her hand and three fingers, pulling one back as she listed off the outcomes in mind. "One, Colin's revolution fails, and Psi Corps is dissolved by Earth. We'll need to be ready if that happens because we'll be the only thing between telepaths and a genocide. Two, Colin's revolution succeeds, Bester takes over. The Underground will swell as a result, Earth will resist, and Sheridan will be more than happy to help bring Bester down. Then we make our move. And then the least-likely outcome, Colin wins and keeps Bester out. I don't put a lot of stock into that, but if it does happen then all we have to do is worry about finding Bester." Lyta leaned in to match glare for glare. "And in all three cases, more time means more time for us to train recruits. Gather allies and resources. We'll be even stronger in a year's time."
"Funny this is your plan now," Helen said. "I'd almost think you let that Psi Cop worm his way into your brain."
"Helen, dammit, please." Hawk gave her a pleading look. "There's more to this situation than we thought, alright? And with these slaver bastards around, the last thing we need is to make things easier for them."
Helen looked at him and some of her frustration seemed to fade, replaced by concern. "Let's get to the infirmary," she said.
"Let's get home," Hawk corrected. "We both need nanites. And we have to consider our next step."
"Agreed," said Lyta, an angry look on her face. "Someone is making slaves of telepaths. Let's make that our priority for now."
"These people are tough too. Becca and I only got an edge by going combat mode."
Helen's expression showed deep concern for the first time. "You're… you what?"
"Yeah. Why else do you think we're so wasted?"
"Then… we'll need a fresh round of infusions," Helen asserted. "To learn more about making it work."
"No, none of that," Hawk said. "New rules. Infusions every six months."
That made Helen glower again. "What?! Come on, don't tell me you bought that brain damage malarky!" The look on Hawk's face told her that yes, he did indeed, and that he wasn't going to be questioned. Helen's impatience was palpable. "It's going to set back all of our timetables! All of the replacements for the people we lost at Tira!"
"I know. We'll make do with on-the-job training."
"It's the right thing," Becca agreed. "It's healthier for all of us."
Helen gave her a dark look. "No one asked you, newbie. We were doing just fine before you showed up." With that she turned and stomped off.
"I need to lay down," Hawk said, rubbing at his head. Another headache was already forming.
After he left, Becca and Lyta remained alone. Thank you, Becca mindcast to her. For not forcing us to fight.
Don't thank me yet, Ms. bat Gurion, Lyta cast back. One way or another, there's going to be fighting. Her expression softened. Poor Colin. He really thinks he can make things better with the Corps. He doesn't understand that you can't fix a broken house when it's on a bad foundation. With that parting remark, Lyta walked off.
For her part, Becca returned to her quarters on Deck 6. They were one of the larger quarters available, a boon for being a nanite-augmented agent. It was an external apartment too, so she was able to look out a transteel window at Tau Atrea 3 below. She put her hand against the window while enjoying the view. It was such a beautiful world. It would be so nice to live there. To have a community again. To be at peace.
But she didn't deserve it. Not that kind of peace. Maybe her world would enjoy it, if Captain Dale followed through on what she sent to him.
Distortions appeared, telling her the ship was going to warp. Right as the planet disappeared she whispered aloud the Hebrew words she'd cast at the others before beaming away.
"Goodbye, brothers and sisters."
Personal Log: Robert Dale; 26 September 2643 AST. The Tau Atrea settlement has been fully secured. A Psi Corps vessel provided the promised reinforcements and the necessary defenses to ensure that another raid like yesterday's can never happen again. They also transported several hundred more civilians who are joining in the cleanup effort.
The experience of the last 24 hours has been eye-opening. It is clear that the Alliance will need to carefully consider its policies in E5B1 on the issue of telepaths. We'll also need to step up patrols and expand our sensor nets to deal with these 'Aristos' and other slave traders. Dr. Meier has been gracious enough to offer me a copy of his report on what he and the others gleaned from the slaver's mind.
I still wonder if my truce with Hawk was the right choice. I have to hope he might listen to us this time. That he is not directly responsible for the bombing of Earth C1P2 does not change much in the long run. He is still legally a war criminal for failing to appropriately punish the man responsible, and his guilt for the attack only seems to further fuel this crusade he is on. And as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved by good intentions.
We will be departing today to rendezvous with the Aurora. But there are a couple of matters to settle before we depart.
The morning daylight shined down upon the teams of telepaths clearing away rubble from the area most affected by the fight. The bodies of the destroyed cyborgs were already gone, taken outside the compound and buried in a common grave. Other groups of telepaths were at work with daily chores or giving orientation to the newly-arriving settlers. Another shuttle from the Sinbad, a Psi Corps transport, was already descending to land at the runway at the northwest corner of the compound.
Robert's infiltrator remained in the common, its dark gray hull reflecting sunlight from Tau Atrea. Zara and many of the children were milling around it, gaping in admiration and interest at the sleek, bird-like vessel. Near the back of the ship, a small plastic table had been set up. A number of parts were on it, all from the anti-grav orb toy the children had played with the day before. It was left behind during the evacuation to the bunker and damaged in the fighting.
Robert observed them while standing near the table. He was no longer in armor. He kept the brown robes, battle-damage still showing on them, and wore a plain blue shirt and navy blue trousers with it. After completing a circuit around the ship Zara approached.
"Hi!" Zara said as cheerfully as she could. They were still arranging funerals for those who didn't make it, and while she could compartmentalize with the best of them, she was still in mourning.
"Good morning," he replied. While she was doing well in holding it, he sensed her grief for the telepaths killed in the battle.
"I've been thinking. Shocking, I know." She gave the ship a pensive look. "Your family history, Jayhawkers in 'Bleeding Kansas'. I don't know much American history but I know they fought slavers. You fight slavers, that ship freed over fifty. Seems like a good name to me."
The recommendation brought a gentle smile to Robert's face. It was a good point. "Two of five brothers died fighting the border ruffians, the proslavery men from Missouri," he revealed. "My ancestor was the eldest surviving brother. He marched through Georgia with Sherman's army." He thought back to childhood visits to the county historical center and pictures of that first generation of Dales in Kansas. Over the decades the Dale family had often given family items and photos to the center, given how long they'd dwelled in the region. "I suppose it is a good name."
"Ah, now there's a song Dad" meaning Gene "made sure I knew. So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea. While we were marching through Georgia!" she giggled. It was so anachronistic but yet so perfect. "Glad I could help!"
When Lucy emerged from the armory it drew the attention of the kids. Like Robert she was out of armor now, wearing her blue robes over a Gersallian-style cool weather tunic of brown color and dark black trousers. She held a piece in her hand. By the time she arrived at the table the children were gathering around her. "So you can fix it?!" one of the children asked. Her concern was understandable; they were unlikely to find replacement parts for the device out here.
"Give me a moment…" She used a soldering iron to put the new part in its place. When she was done she set the tool down and held up a hand. The children gaped in wonder as each piece started levitating in the air. They moved together, assembling steadily, as if the parts could assemble themselves without Human involvement. The final bits formed together, creating the gray orb of before, bright lights on the exterior. Lucy levitated the orb toward a wide-eyed Maina, who plucked it from mid-air. "There, give it a try."
He pressed a bright blue button. The orb lifted from his hand. "Greetings, everyone! Are you ready for another game of Find The Orb?"
"Yes!" most of the children chorused.
"Your last time was twenty-six minutes twenty seconds! Work together and see if you can improve! Remember, you are each the keeper of your brothers and sisters." With that final line the orb zipped away. Maina and the other children started to give chase, but Husn remained behind with a curious look on her face.
Robert grinned at Lucy. "Show off."
Lucy replied with a playful grin. A thoughtful look followed. "When I bought one of those to convert into a training device, the rules called it 'Orb Hunter'. And it didn't say anything about working together. The kid who catches it the most in ten tries wins."
"We don't work that way." Husn explained. "We compete, sure, everyone likes to win. But we also work together and make sure that competition never harms. Losing a game isn't supposed to hurt, it's supposed to teach."
"Huh." Lucy gave Robert a meaningful look. "I might have enjoyed kickball in elementary school if we'd had that mentality."
He responded with a chuckle. "I still remember when you kicked the ball into Peter Smith's face. It seemed too random to be unintentional. I guess we know better now, don't we?"
To that she laughed. "Maybe so." She turned her attention to Husn. While the girl's telepathy was easy to sense, there was more to it with her.
Robert nodded.
"So… what was that I felt before? Do I have powers like yours?" She asked Robert directly. She was used to honest questions getting honest answers from adults, except when they couldn't answer.
Robert nodded. He gave his reply mentally. I felt it. You do have what is called a connected swevyra. It'll be up to you to decide if you want to explore it or not. But you might as well enjoy your childhood first, Husn. This power can be an even greater burden than telepathy. It can be spiritually corrupting if used wrong. Robert briefly gave her impressions from his fight with the SS in the foyer of the Führerhaus and of the earlier battle with Mastrash Goras as he became corrupted with darkness. How negative emotions like fear, anger, and hatred could corrupt one's life force. He remembered the cold energy of that darkness, powerful and intoxicating, but spiritually corrosive. To fall to it would mean personal destruction.
Husn thought about it and recoiled from those negative emotions. I don't want to end up like that. But I'm not going to refuse a gift from Allah. That would be wrong. She looked over toward the two Psi Cops, busily working on coordinating repairs and cleanup, and Robert felt that she was outright projecting her thoughts at both of them to make sure they knew. It got both of their attention, and after a brief conference between both of them that Robert couldn't actually pick up, just detect from body language, Colin replied.
This is something we'll have to discuss I think… As far as I know Husn, you're the first one in the Corps to have these abilities. He didn't leave Zara out either, but she knew enough to know it was beyond her pay grade.
I can try and see if anyone is willing to come here and show her the ropes. I don't think having her leave to receive training on Gersal or elsewhere will be good for Husn. Robert gave her an understanding look.
Yeah, I don't want to leave. Everyone I love is here and the younger ones need me. Husn replied.
"There are some teachers in the Order of Swenya, and some of the Dorei orders, who travel looking for the sensitive," Lucy said aloud, understanding what was being discussed. "And there's always other sources. If Kasszas is being nomadic again, he might be interested. Assuming he believes that is where he is being called, I mean." For the benefit of the others, Lucy drew memories of Kasszas S'szrishin to the surface of her thoughts, showing them a blind Zigonian with a walking stick who once helped Julia, Angel, and Meridina rescue Jarod. There were, by her knowledge, no reptilian species like Zigonians known in this universe at present.
"Woah, that's something you don't see every day!" Zara remarked. "And you're right, we don't have any reptiloids so far in this universe. At least not like that. Some people are scaly but not so… Saurian."
Husn thought about things, she thought about them hard. She didn't think adopting the beliefs of a group of people from another universe would work. She had her own. She had her own God, her own values. She didn't want to be in a position where she'd have to pay lip-service to something she didn't believe in or get trapped by rules she had no hand in making that were thousands of years old.
They both sensed those thoughts. "That wouldn't necessarily happen, Husn," Robert said gently. "Although I understand why you're concerned. The important thing is that if you want to use these abilities, you learn about them. In time, maybe you'll figure out your own way to view them."
Husn nodded. Both Psi Cops took a mental step back to watch. "That makes sense. And it might not just be me, I won't be the only one. I'm just the first. I might be the person other telepaths, or even mundanes, come to. So I have to do a good job."
"You've got time," Lucy assured her. "We'll see what we can do. In the meantime, enjoy being a kid."
"Oh that's going to happen either way! I mean, come on! Moving things with my mind? Zara won't be the only one inventing new games!"
Lucy gave Robert a slightly worried look. He responded with a small smile and a shake of the head. She'll be better than you think. The others will make sure she doesn't give in to any dark feelings.
Still, we'd better find someone to train her, just to be on the safe side. Someone flexible.
Colin approached, not wanting to interrupt, he waited until they were done before saying anything. "So… Robert, there are about twenty telepaths who haven't left your ship. I meant what I said to Lyta, I won't go in and round them up. On the other hand, a lot of them have been propagandized their entire lives to hate and fear their own people. With your permission, I'd like to go in and see if I can convince any of them to stay. You're welcome to observe if you want."
Robert replied immediately with a nod. "Follow me then."
Twenty telepaths sat on the floor and stairs of the armory, the only section of Robert's ship big enough for all of them. Sleeping bags and blankets were still laid out from where they'd slept. They represented the holdouts, unwilling to join the Corps like the other twenty or so that Antonia and the others had convinced before and after their rescue. At least one group was a cohesive nuclear family of unregistered telepaths from somewhere in Latin America - father, mother, and three children ages ten to three - and there was a group of adolescents and teenagers, cousins and siblings, of North American background. There was no disguising the fear most of them felt at the sight of Colin, but Lucy's assurances that their wishes would be respected quieted most.
"Hello. My name is Dr. Colin Meier, and it's… it's wonderful to see you still alive. But I'd like to first apologize from the bottom of my heart, for everything you've been through. You all deserve better and in so many ways we've failed you."
This drew attention, wary attention, from the assembled. Distrust was painfully evident in most, but Robert sensed a few were considering Colin's sincerity. They might not dismiss him out of hand as he'd considered likely.
Colin dropped his defenses, if they wanted his mind was open to them to examine his surface thoughts and assess his sincerity for themselves. "Psi Cops have two jobs. The first is to protect telepaths, but the other job is to enforce the mundane's laws. Those two are in conflict, and for the last sixty years, it's broken many of us. Between that and the Sleepers, the camps, you have no reason to trust me. I understand that. What I can say is this. We're done. We're resolving the conflict by telling the mundanes to get bent. I won't lie to you, that's going to lead to a war, and I understand if you want no part of that."
There was continued silence from the others, but Colin felt several feeling around at the edges of his mind, those trained enough to do so. Gauging his intent. There was curiosity in several of those minds.
"If we win, we can decide what it is we want, as a people, for the first time in our history; but the only guarantee for the future I can make for you is that we're going to fight for our and your dignity as sapient beings. We will not abandon you, nor will we abandon our children being born inside the Earth Alliance and under its laws. Those of you who want to, go outside, talk to people. See what the Psi Corps really is. Then make your decision. You won't be forced, and after you leave, no Psi Cops will hunt you. From now on, we're only going to look for people to make sure they're safe." With that, Colin turned around and walked out, letting them talk among themselves and make up their own minds.
The family didn't move. Neither did a few of the others. Their minds were made up. The one coherent group of adolescent and teenage kids, six in all, did go, as did several more, taking up Colin's offer to investigate..
While Robert and Lucy remained, seeing to the ship and making sure everything was ready, business continued in the compound. As the hours passed some of the others returned. Robert could sense their thoughts; this wasn't for them. For one reason or another they didn't feel comfortable with the people here.
When Lucy returned from checking on all of the vital systems, she counted the returnees. Eleven in all, including the teenagers from the group of kids. Another adult, an African woman, returned through the open cargo bay door a moment later. Robert sensed that she'd made up her mind after some soul-searching; like the others, this wasn't for her, although she now lacked the distrust that had been evident before. She leveled a look at Robert and said, "I am the last. The others are staying."
"Why?" asked the mother in the family, her English thickly accented. "Why would they give up their freedom after all of this?!"
"Some believe the Corps isn't what it seemed before," replied the woman. "A couple believe in the revolution Dr. Meier spoke of more than the Corps, and they want to serve in it."
"Understandable reasons," Robert noted. Sensing Colin was approaching, he walked up to the cargo ramp door.
"Eight. Better than I expected, not as good as I'd hoped but… it's understandable." Colin remarked to Robert. It made him sad, that much was evident on his face, but sometimes things just didn't work out the way one hoped, and he knew that the Psi Corps would be strange to an outsider. Culture shock alone would keep some people from joining. It was common enough with Laters, having difficulty adjusting.
"The Vulcans believe in the principle of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations," Robert said. "One of the things about diversity is that you're always going to find people who don't fit in to what you expect. It's why choice is so important, and why Earth's laws on telepaths must be overthrown."
"One of many many reasons. I think the list is actually longer than Martin Luther's little church flier."
Robert grinned at that. "It would be one way to kick everything off. Pin the list to EarthGov's door."
"Actually… we're almost literally going to do that. A broadcast and public data-dump but close enough." Colin replied with a wry grin before he got serious. "Take care of them. They're still my family. Wherever they go, they deserve to be safe and happy."
"Of course," Robert said. As he spoke he thought of the past of his family. Of being a young teen, hurt by his older cousin's departure from the family farm. From Kansas, off to a distant place. That hurt was much the same as Colin was feeling, tinged as it had been with the painful realization that this was the best for the departed. A chance for them to be safe and happy. There wasn't much love in the county for Beth after she was outed, after all. Moving to Portland gave her a chance to be herself. With that in mind Robert offered his hand to Colin.
Colin took the offered hand and shook it. Believe it or not, I was in the closet too, for almost twenty years. For reasons that are really stupid now that I look back on them.
Robert nodded in agreement. I think I understand. And don't worry about your family, we'll take care of them. Aloud he said, "Well, I should be going. I need to report back. But just to set your mind at ease, I've already had Tau Atrea added to our border patrol routes. You've been marked as a telepath refugee camp due to the attacks in Earthspace. Our ships will monitor the area more closely than before. With your new defenses, you should be able to hold out more than long enough for an Alliance starship to respond to any distress call."
Colin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. When Gene said we were going to have to leave and join our ground forces, he meant to command our ground forces. It's good to know our people are safe and in good hands."
Robert nodded. "I know you're putting a lot into this plan of yours, but it won't hurt if you've got someone at your back," he said. "There's so much the Multiverse doesn't understand about the Corps. For the most part, you're seen as a government agency tasked with controlling and hunting telepaths. This…" He waved an arm at the compound. "...this community, nobody really knows about it. Have you given any thought about trying to change that? Because I have an idea."
"Well getting on ISN isn't really an option, but I have considered it. You should have seen the look on the Director's face when Erika Flores argued a case in your court. We have considered similarly 'bending' the rules, but there hasn't been a good opportunity."
"There's one coming up," Robert replied. "With the end of the Reich War, my cousin's called a summit of current and former repressed peoples to meet on New Liberty, to arrange common diplomatic and economic action and promote endangered nations' needs to the rest of the Multiverse. Along with representatives from these peoples, there's going to be representatives from several major interstellar governments, including the Alliance and the United Federation of Planets, attending the summit. Maybe you should come too."
Colin froze for a moment, considering that. Then he started to giggle. "EarthGov would have kittens! As in live birth, actual kittens! Live, on ISN! Oh God it would be hilarious…" but he sobered after a moment. "Going openly as representatives of the Psi Corps might cause them to kick things off a bit early." He paused, and tried to think of a way to play Solomon and cut the baby in half without the infanticide.
Robert recognized the dilemma. He took a moment to think about it. An insight came to him. "I may have a way," he said. "And it plays right into the telepath-fearing attitudes that you're worried about."
"Oh I bet I'm going to like this…"
"It's going to depend on Max, actually," Robert confided. "He practices from what I see. How does his rabbi feel about the Corps?"
"He officiated at my wedding and gave us access to his synagogue's community center for plays and special events." Colin replied, definitely liking where this was going.
"Do you think he'd be interested in meeting with other universes' Jews to discuss theological matters and how their histories have influenced differences in rites and laws?"
"Given how excited he was when interuniversal contact was made, considering his absolute love of Maimonides? I think Isaac would be interested."
Robert grinned at that. "I think Rabbi Soloveitchik will be glad to meet him then. The Rabbinical Council on New Liberty's been putting a lot of effort into examining interuniversal Judaism. They're always happy to invite rabbis and scholars from other universes for meetings."
"Excellent. So, where does Max fit into this delightfully subversive scheme you have running through your head?" He could look into Robert's head for it, but he didn't. He thought he could see where it was going, but sometimes it was nice to hear someone say it.
"Well, you know how dangerous it is for people to visit to the Alliance," Robert remarked. "Where telepaths go around unmarked and unregistered, and law doesn't recognize surface thoughts as inviolable privacy. Clearly your rabbi friend will need a properly trained member of the Psi Corps along to protect his thoughts from intrusion. Of course, the risk of that Psi Corps member defecting to the Alliance, well… I was born at the end of the 20th Century on my Earth, Colin, so as a kid I watched a lot of old shows about desperate Eastern Europeans trying to defect from the Soviet Bloc, and there was always some kind of secret police agent assigned to watch them and make sure they didn't flee. Clearly Earth will understand if a Psi Cop is sent to ensure this telepath doesn't take the chance to defect to the Alliance."
"Clearly…" Colin replied, snickering. "And neither of those telepaths would ever dream of violating the Psi Corps Charter inside a closed meeting or private conversation with potentially high-level foreign officials while there by discussing the forbidden subject of politics. Obviously, the loyal Psi Cop would prevent that. Now where o' where could we find such an upstanding member of MetaPol, with an unassailable track-record, I wonder?"
"A man of your reputation, Dr. Meier, might work perfectly well," Robert observed. "Hypothetically speaking, of course. As an operative of the Allied Systems, it would be unconscionable for me to interfere in the affairs of Earth."
"Oh, I would never dream of it. Nor would I ever ask any of my official superiors to officially order me to attend such an event. Such a thing would be a perfidious subornation of the lawful authority of the Earth Alliance!" Colin feigned mortification, clutching the wedding band on a chain around his neck like it was a string of pearls.
"I'm glad we understand each other on that matter, then," Robert said, smiling.
"Indeed we do, Rabbi Isaac Liebgott of the Temple Beth Zion on Omega VII will absolutely be needing a telepath bodyguard if he is to venture beyond the pale of settlement into Alliance Space."
"I feel sorry for any rogue telepaths in the Alliance that think they can make him another victim under our inadequate laws," Robert proclaimed melodramatically.
They departed to well-wishes and heartfelt goodbyes. Zara sat on Gene's shoulders while the other children were in a group with their educator Mrs. Saunders. Max, Hegebe, Antonia, and many others joined them as the infiltrator lifted off.
Once they were in orbit, Robert checked the sensors. "No ships nearby. Engaging cloaking device."
"The Aurora's still at B5," noted Lucy. "Want me to set a course?"
"Yes. Parabolic, around Earth space. Engage when ready."
"Doing so now." After she completed the work and they were at warp speed, Lucy said, "You know, Meridina and Dr. Tusana are going to spend hours rooting through our brains to make sure the Corps didn't mind-whammy us."
"Yep," he said. "I already had that happen back on Solaris."
"Just so you know. So, Dr. Meier and Mr. Hendriks. I don't often see two people that intertwined. With their presence in the Flow of Life, I mean."
"I've never seen it before. Not to that extent," Robert noted. "Like their souls are completely bonded."
"I've seen it before," Lucy said. "Never thought I'd see another example of it."
Robert blinked and looked toward her. "Really? Where did you see it before?"
Despite the fact she was piloting the ship, Lucy turned her chair to face him. A small grin was on her face. "You and Julia," she replied.
Robert blinked at that. He didn't know how to react to her saying so. "Really?"
"Yeah, really," said Lucy. "Not the same way, I mean… but whatever the two of you have, it's the kind of closeness most of us can envy. It's very special."
He had nothing to say about that. But he did feel the truth of what she said. And it made so much sense to him. "It is," he agreed.
Lucy nodded wordlessly and returned her attention to the piloting controls.
Two days passed and they were nearing the edge of Earth territory when Talara identified the Aurora on long range sensors. After getting their attention and informing them of their approach, it took a few hours to make the rendezvous. They landed at the rear of the Aurora in the secondary shuttle bay. Lucy performed the landing with customary grace, allowing Robert to lead the twelve telepaths still aboard out.
Leo, Dr. Walker, and medical teams were waiting to process the telepaths. Julia and Meridina were present as well and their relief filled him. Unable to stop herself, Julia rushed up to him and gave him a tight hug. He winced a little at the intensity of it, even if it warmed his heart. "Woh, watch the ribs," he pleaded.
As soon as the hug finished Julia asked, "What is this? What happened to a simple recon mission?"
Robert smiled at her. Given what he'd pledged before leaving, he felt sheepish as he admitted, "Well, that's a long story…"
Tag
It was well into the evening when Robert was finished having Meridina and Dr. Tusana thoroughly examine his mind. The Gamma Shift first watch was coming on duty when he walked through the bridge and to the ready office. He found Julia looking over the day's last reports. "Well, good news," he said. "Meridina and Doctor Tusana have finished spelunking through my brain. They're pronounced me free and clear." He made a little face. "They also know about that time you and I glued Ms. Hinds' pens together."
Julia giggled in response to that act of childhood mischief. "It's between over twenty years and I still think she deserved it," Julia proclaimed. "The way she treated Zack was terrible. I'm glad his mom got him into another class, even if it meant he wasn't with us."
"Right." He took a seat at her desk, anticipating what was next.
"I haven't had a chance to read any of your preliminary reports yet," Julia said. "Assuming I get access to them. What happened? Leo's said something about a Psi Corps civilian refuge and red-eyed slavers."
"It's a very long story, and I'll show you my report," Robert promised. "I think everyone should see it. I've had to rethink some things. Like Hawk."
Julia's jaw dropped slightly. "Hawk? He was there?!"
Robert nodded. "Turns out he was running the same mission while training a new recruit. We worked together. With the Psi Corps." He set his hands on his lap. "Honestly, I actually feel sorry for him now."
He could sense Julia's incredulity at the comment. "Feel sorry for him? For Hawk?" After struggling to find a word, Julia settled for "Why?!"
"Being near him let me connect a little," Robert answered. "Through shouting at him, admittedly. But I was able to sense his memories with my abilities. He wasn't directly responsible for Earth C1P2. It was a rogue subordinate. The one you met on the Orsala, actually." When Julia didn't react to that verbally he continued. "Despite his violent behavior, he wants to do the right thing. He wants to end suffering. He's… well, he's very empathetic. The guilt of what happened to Earth C1P2 is crushing him. It's making his drive to fight even stronger."
"This doesn't change that they've done some terrible things," Julia remarked. "By shielding the real killer, Hawk's making himself a war criminal. They're all going to have to face justice."
"I know," Robert said. "And that's the damned waste of it all. He's taken this cause so far… and there's no telling who he's going to drag down with him before it's over." He mostly thought of Becca when he said that. That her survivor's guilt drove her to remaining with him was saddening. He could only hope she didn't end up a victim of Hawk's cause. That also brought him to the other issue. "And now that they're working with Lyta Alexander, they're even more dangerous."
"Christ. Really?" Julia rubbed at her head. "Things are bad enough as it is."
"When you count these red-eyed slavers, yeah, it's bad."
"And I made it worse," she said quietly. Seeing he didn't know what she meant, Julia said, "The negotiations. Our deal with Earth, it's going to have a secret clause. One that Captain Ivanova introduced to me when we were trying to find a way to keep the talks from failing. Earth is going to suspend searches of Alliance-flagged ships along one of our major trading routes. That way we can smuggle unregistered telepaths to Alliance space without our ships getting searched."
Robert frowned at that. "Or so they think," he said. "The fact is, Psi Corps has its own fleet. And it's bigger than I think people realize. They'll do raids and searches on their own. But at the same time, if the slavers realize what's going on…"
"They'll fake Alliance IDs to take advantage. Maybe even buy Alliance ships. Psi Corps can't catch them all, and we may not have the ships to either. If they even bother coming to our space." Julia's self-recrimination was hard for Robert to take. "God, what have I done?"
"Your job. Your duty," Robert said quietly. "You were required to bring that information to Onaran if you had it."
"No," she said fervently. "I should have listened to my gut. I shouldn't have brought it to him." Shame showed in her aquamarine eyes. "You saved telepaths from slavery, but I may have condemned even more to it."
"Maybe, maybe not. There might be ways we can salvage this," Robert said. "Julia, if this treaty with Earth didn't go through, it'd be even worse. Earth would tighten security, but they'd do it against us. They'd escalate the crisis, force us to focus on them and not the slavers. And they might have even upset Dr. Meier's plans."
"Doctor Meier?"
"He'll be in my report," Robert said. "He's one of the unofficial heads of the Psi Corps. Or rather, the forces preparing for revolution against Earth."
"Elia - Commander Saumarez - mentioned something along those lines," Julia answered. "And I always thought the rumors about Psi Corps taking over were conspiracy theories."
"That's not what he wants," Robert said. "It's more… Reformation. Or something like the Warsaw Uprising. They want to force Earth to end the oppression of telepaths."
At first Robert expected Julia to disbelieve him. But she seemed more accepting than he'd imagined she'd be. "If so, I hope they win," she finally said.
"I expected you to be a little more disbelieving," he admitted.
"I do. Somewhat," she admitted. "But I've come to realize that there's more to the Psi Corps issue than I realized."
"Same here. It helps to be shown different points of view." Robert nodded quietly. "They're not like us. And some of it… I still have trouble understanding why they're like the way they are. This collectivist mindset they have. This whole thing about 'The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father' still sounds cultish to my ears."
"Same here," Julia said. "And they were founded to be a ghetto for telepaths. Why they'd be loyal to it…" She thought back to what Elia said in the Lookout. "Elia is right on that, I guess. The oppressed can take the symbols of that oppression and make them something else."
"They can," he agreed. "And if we're to be fair toward them, we have to try to understand them, and hope they reciprocate."
"That's why he let you take those telepaths with you?" she asked. "Dr. Meier, I mean. To show he understood your point of view?"
"In part," Robert said. "But I think that he also resents taking away their choices. It hurts him that most of what they know about the Corps is propaganda, either from EarthGov or the Underground. But he understands that if things are to change, the Corps has to accept that not every telepath will join. So long as they're safe and happy, he'll live with it."
"Well, that's all we can ask for when it comes to family, isn't it?"
"Exactly. Colin adores his family, every member of them. Especially his husband and adopted daughter."
Julia made a bewildered face. "Wait, husband? What about that eugenics program they have?"
"Not very popular either," Robert confided. "Now, if you'll excuse me... " He stood up. "I need to go call Rabbi Soloveitchik to arrange a visitor from one of his counterparts from this universe." He chuckled at Julia's confused look. "I'll explain later," he promised.
"I hope so…" Julia put her hands together on the desk. "By the way, have you considered a name for your infiltrator ship? It'll make the manifest and the requisitions easier to deal with."
"A clever little girl suggested something," he said. "How about Jayhawk? Let's go with that."
Julia chuckled. "Well, it's better than Noble Steed, I'll grant. And so very Kansan of you."
"Well, you know my family history," Robert said, smiling. "We Dales have always been Jayhawkers."
Her response was a laugh.
Just as Robert approached the door, he turned and looked at her again. "Julie?"
"Yes?" She looked up at him.
"I'm home," he said. "I'm safe. It's okay."
With that he left, leaving Julia to sigh in relief.
The next day the Aurora was nearly to She'teyal and its second rendezvous with the Huáscar in the span of a week. Robert left his quarters, content with the report he'd filed with Admiral Maran, destined for the eyes of the President. He held a copy of that same report in his hand as he made his way through Deck 6 to his destination: Elia Saumarez's guest quarters. When he arrived he tapped the chime. "Commander, this is Captain Dale. If you've got the time, I've got something I'd like you to see before you beam back to your ship."
"Please come in, Sir," the proper voice on the other side said, and a moment later the door lock cycled. By the time Robert got in, she was already back in uniform with her gloves.
Upon entering Robert got a look at Elia for the first time. She was a middling-tall woman with an appearance more Mediterranean than English, dark hair and brown eyes, lithe in build. She looked born to wear a uniform, as if it was the most natural thing she could be in. The two gold and one black strips of Lieutenant Commander rank were visible on her collar, and the trim of her black uniform was Operations beige, just like Jarod and Tom, compared to the silver of Robert's and lacking the staff aiguillette. "It's good to meet you, Commander," he said. He extended his hand to offer the data pad in it. "I've brought you something. I admit I haven't cleared it yet with Admiral Maran, but given your crew provided us the first inkling that these people existed… I'm practicing Paladin's prerogative in sharing it with you and the Huáscar's staff." He was open with his thought that this was information that every Alliance crew should be aware of, to make it easier to know what they were facing.
"It's good to meet you too Captain Dale." But it didn't admit any cheer or particular enthusiasm. Elia was obviously drained emotionally and wanted nothing more than to get back to her own ship. Still, she was curious "I would ask where you got this, but I suspect you can't tell me." Elia replied, taking the datapad and staring at it's contents. Her eyes went wide. "Forget where. How? This is extremely detailed."
"I had help," he admitted. "Doctor Colin Meier of Metapol provided me with information he pulled from the mind of one of the slavers. While he and about twenty other telepaths tore the man's mind to kindling." Robert frowned. "Some also came from a Corps medical student named Antonia di Giuseppe. She experienced what these people do first hand. It's all in there, as disgusting as it is."
"I know that name…" Elia muttered, and looked it over, slowly at first, just taking it in. Then with rising horror at what these people were, faster and faster, as rapidly as she could read and digest the pages. Then she remembered where she'd heard that name. Elia had been out of the loop of the Corps for several years and the Corps hadn't passed along the internal org-chart. Then she remembered. He was Metapol's only active forensic psychologist. She also knew of him from somewhere else though, something to do with that Bloodhound from Mars, but she couldn't place it. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention Captain. I… this is horrifying. Do you know how the Corps is going to deal with them? Given the recent… agreement." There was a cast on the last word, she stifled snarling it.
"They'll definitely take more interest in trying to cut off trafficking," Robert said. "But I'm not sure to what extent. Dr. Meier has other concerns, after all, regarding the situation with Earth." He wasn't sure how much Elia knew of the internal plans, not being privy to her purpose in the talks. "As for the agreement, Captain Andreys filled me in. And we'll find a way to deal with the problematic elements of this agreement with Earth. Hopefully at the upcoming New Liberty Endangered Nations' Summit."
Elia raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me the Corps isn't openly sending delegates…" she hoped, but also inwardly chuckled at the thought.
"Oh, that would be unthinkable, it'd violate the Charter," Robert answered. "From what I've read of it. From what I understand, a Psi Corps telepath is being hired by a rabbi to escort him to New Liberty for theological discussions with the New Liberty Rabbinical Council. To protect him from all of the unregistered telepaths in the Alliance. And a Psi Cop will be along to make sure the telepath doesn't decide to defect. I can't tell you which, of course." He smiled thinly. "From what I hear, the invitation will bring them around during the Summit. It's the earliest date in their busy schedule the rabbis can manage, I mean."
Elia tried and failed to suppress laughter. It was just damned cheeky. It was so very thin, and yet, it might actually work provided no one blatantly took a podium. When she was done, she smiled warmly for the first time in days. "I needed that. Thank you."
Robert nodded. He'd sensed her mood and knew she needed something to make her feel better, to give her hope. "We've gotten some things wrong," he confessed. "I don't deny that. But we've got a chance to make up for that, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we take it. After what I saw on Tau Atrea, what I experienced, I can't do anything less."
Elia nodded, keeping herself disciplined again. "We'll see how well you do Captain." She sighed "You and I both know the Alliance is sick of fighting and has another war on the horizon. This is going to be another one before too long."
"Maybe. But if things fall the right way, if we do the right things, it might not be so bloody, or so long," he replied. "The Corps was made as a prison, and your people turned it into a society. We may not always understand it, but it shouldn't keep us from realizing you have a right to decide for yourselves what your future will be. And giving you that opportunity." As he spoke he thought back to what Tau Atrea and the settlement were like. The way the children played. The way everyone acted around each other. Thought around each other. He thought about Colin and Gene and Zara, and Husn and Lucas and Maina. He thought about Max and the burden of memories he willingly carried. He thought about Antonia and what she endured for the sake of two scared teenagers. It wasn't life or community as he'd known it. Or even as he'd seen it before. But whatever it was, it wasn't a prison either. Or if it was, it was only because outsiders made it one. And the "inmates" were not going to tolerate that for any longer.
Elia picked up that thought and smiled a little. "Captain I think you're the first person outside the Union who actually gets it, even a little. Thanks for going in with an open mind, that could have gone a lot worse." She wasn't even talking about the slavers. Had he gone in hostile there wasn't a Psi Cop alive who would have hesitated to end him and then simply evacuate elsewhere. She knew it, and she figured he did too, but it was worth saying.
"After seeing Dr. Meier and twenty telepaths use a telescope to tear apart that Aristo's mind while he was still in orbit, I'm well aware of how things could have gone," Robert observed wryly. "I'm grateful it didn't come to that.
Elia snapped her fingers at the mention of a telescope, it was something of a feat with the gloves. "That's where I remember him from!"
"He mentioned he'd done it before."
There was a tone in the air and Elia's omnitool lit up along the back of her left hand. She tapped at it. "Commander Saumarez here."
Jarod was on the other end. "Commander, just giving you a heads up. We're about to drop out of warp at She'teyal. The Huascar is waiting to receive you. Captain Zhen'var mentioned something about tea waiting for you."
"Thank you Commander. Please inform Captain Zhen'var that I will be transporting over shortly, and I would love to take tea." Elia replied.
"Acknowledged."
Elia turned her attention back to Robert and replied "Sorry about that. But yeah, he has. Him and the Bloodhound we met at Mars, but they were teenagers at the time, fifty or so others, and the target was the entire crew of a Minbari Warcruiser." Robert could feel that there was more, a certain sort of pride radiated from her even though she was blocking her own thoughts.
"I heard something about that." After that reply Robert considered things for a moment before saying, "Well, I don't want to keep you. This mission has disrupted enough of your life as it is and I'm sure you're looking forward to getting back to your ship. Please, show all of that to Captain Zhen'var and the others. Along with the information on the slaver threat, it includes data on some new, dangerous capabilities in Hawk's organization."
"Thank you Captain. I can't wait to take a look at my backlog." She gave him a wry grin. "I will pass this around our command staff, it's going to prove invaluable. It has been a pleasure meeting you, and I hope we cross paths again under better circumstances." This time, there was real warmth, even if the report made her shudder internally.
"I hope so as well," Robert replied. "Take care, Commander, and bon voyage." With that he left her to finish getting ready for her departure.
When he returned to his quarters, Robert took a seat at the desk and noticed he had a response to a query he'd sent into the Alliance Defense Command databanks, concerning the names Colin gave him for the slavers. Since he was due to see the others that evening to share his report with the entire Aurora and Koenig command staffs, he decided this information would be useful to share and opened the file.
His eyes scanned the data. Information via the Allied Systems' diplomatic mission to an Earth government encountered earlier in the year, the Allied Worlds of Earth, Universe Designation A5R0, concerning neighboring states the Allied Systems had yet to establish diplomatic relations with. They listed a political entity of A5R0, the Eubian Concord, an oligarchical monarchy ruled by a genetically-modified class of Humanity.
Namely… the Aristos.
With it was a preliminary report from the Strategic Threat Assessment Staff of Defense Command, using public data provided from Earth sources to determine potential danger. Their findings were listed as "Undetermined", with an explanation that more intelligence was desired to confirm fleet strengths before a final assessment was issued. The only other item of note was that the Eubians were not the only major power in their home universe, but were locked into a long-term cold war with a political entity called the Skolian Imperialate.
But even though there was nothing further on either group, Robert felt discomfort thinking about them. A sense within him that the Aristos were not just another group of slavers, and that they were a greater threat than anyone yet imagined.
But that wasn't the only matter at hand. He found a second message waiting. Admiral Maran's staff confirmed their receipt of the universe coordinate designation he'd sent them. A preliminary survey and contact mission was being ordered.
That made Robert smile. Wherever you are, Rebekah bat Gurion, don't worry about your world. We'll do what we can for them too. And maybe… maybe you can come home one day.
With that thought in mind, Robert shut down his systems and left for the Lookout. The others were waiting to celebrate his return from another mission. He didn't want to keep them waiting.
It was the least he could do for family.