Chapter Thirteen
* Are you human? *
Galena reacted to the unexpected question. "Well, of course I am. What a question to ask." Her mouth opened in shock as she realized that she had just been revealed. An ironic and appreciative smile appeared on her face. "Very clever, Cally." There was no sweet empty-headedness now, only sharp, cold intelligence.
"I thought so. You're Auron," said Cally.
"How did you know?" asked Galena.
"I didn't, until now. I can't identify how you did it. How you shielded yourself so well that I couldn't sense you; but it was too good. Only someone who was Auron or had detailed knowledge of how our psi abilities worked, would be able to put up a block that complete."
"Ah. The perfection was too perfect. I should have known better but I wasn't expecting a fellow Auron," remarked Galena wryly.
"What are you up to? Why are you causing these problems on the ship? We're the ones who rescued you," said Cally.
"I'm only trying to survive. Like you are," said Galena. "There aren't many of us left, as you well know. I'm trying to carry on the best way that I can in a universe that didn't care that our whole planet was wiped out. We have no advantages except what we make for ourselves."
"You never cared about Auron or our people," accused Cally. "You've always only been concerned about yourself. Otherwise you wouldn't have tried to take our technology and our psi abilities and try to use it for profit."
"So you know who I am?" There was a sly, calculating look in Galena's eyes. She was still the same beautiful woman, but she had taken on a dangerous edge.
"Not precisely. But it had to be one of you," said Cally. "Where's your partner?"
"Oh, we parted company years ago. A difference of opinion."
"Which one of you was responsible for the mind interceptor?" asked Cally with narrowed eyes.
"That was Lorne. I told her it was a bad idea. Those people were idealistic and treacherous; a hazardous combination, it was bound to go wrong. At least she was smart enough to get them to pay up front."
"Then you're Vanora."
"Yes and that means we're sisters," she said with a warm smile.
Cally did not feel the same warmth. This woman was from the same sibling group as she was, but from different aging clusters. That was why they had never met before. Vanora was ten years older than Cally.
"What did you do to your face?" asked Cally. Being from the same sibling group they should have looked similar. Galena only slightly resembled her.
"Something very expensive. Facial reconstruction on the cellular level can do wonders for a person's confidence," said Galena/Vanora.
"You still haven`t answered my question. Why have you been targeting the men on this ship? What is your motivation," asked Cally.
"I told you, I'm only trying to survive. And have a little fun."
"You call causing fights on the ship, as having fun?"
"Of course, it's fun, Cally. The silly men falling all over themselves; it's highly amusing. You should actually be thanking me. You and Reya."
"Why would we be thanking you?" asked Cally suspiciously.
"I've shown that your men love you very much. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to resist my charms and focused themselves on you. I wasn't expecting that."
"We didn't need you to prove it to us. We already knew," said Cally.
"But isn't it better to have proof?" asked Galena engagingly.
"Love is about trust, not proof," said Cally.
"You were always a romantic, sister," said Galena with a disapproving shake of her head. "Well, now you have both. You know…if Franton were here, he would be putting all of us through the geno-scanners. To find out why so many of our sibling group ended up turning against our own people."
"I didn't turn against our people," said Cally. "I just didn't agree with their neutrality and isolation policy. I knew it would hurt us in the long run."
"And you were right. It left Auron helpless and we all became easy targets."
"I wish I had been wrong," said Cally sadly.
"At least we're still alive and both of us can take care of ourselves," said Galena. "Are you going to tell the others about me?"
"I have to. I will not keep this a secret from them. But if you tell us the truth, I will help you," said Cally.
"Somehow I knew you were going to say that." Galena/Vanora rolled her eyes.
At that moment, the door slid open and Reya came back into the cabin.
"It's time for some truth," said Reya.
**********
As Argus approached the medical bay, he wondered if Sester was really there or if he had managed to get around the security measures Avon had devised to prevent him from removing the tracer bracelet. He didn't know how technically proficient Sester was. Finding the psychostrategist incapacitated on the ground because he had run foul of one of Avon's security measures would not be something that Argus would mind.
He entered the open door and didn't see Sester. There was a snarl on his face as Argus immediately hit the comm button, "Zen…"
"You were looking for me?" The psychostrategist stepped out from behind one of the medical supply cabinets.
Argus stopped. "You're here…"
"Yes. It appears that way," said Sester with a bemused look on his face.
Argus said with displeasure, "You're still here."
"You say that as if it has some significance," said Sester, still with amusement. "Did you expect me to be somewhere else?" The amusement turned into a smile, "Or were you hoping not to find me here?"
Argus snarled at him and said, "There's a situation on the ship. The men on this ship appear to be affected by something that makes them obsessed with Galena. Fights have been breaking out all over the ship."
"And you came to check up on me? I'm touched," said Sester with just a hint of sarcasm.
Argus glared at Sester, everything the man said and did aggravated him. He was certain that it was deliberate though Sester was much too clever to ever be overt about it. Argus remembered he had promised Reya that he wouldn't hurt Sester unless the man presented an active threat; although he doubted if his definition of what constituted an active threat from Sester was the same as hers.
Argus expelled a sharp breath of frustration and said, "I'm very tempted to lock you back up in your cabin."
"Until this crisis is over? Or until you decide to let me out again?" asked Sester.
"Keep provoking me and you'll find out," said Argus with a scowl.
Sester smiled and said pleasantly, "I don't think I'll do that."
"You think you're clever, don't you?" said Argus.
"I don't think I am," said Sester, enjoying this game. He asked, "You said that all of the men are affected by what is going on? Does that include you?"
Just being in the same room with Sester, grated on Argus's nerves. He replied, "Both Avon and I are able to redirect whatever is happening onto someone else."
"Ah." Sester could guess who. He also realized why Argus was there and why he seemed even more out-of-sorts than normal around him. "You want to know if I've redirected mine as well."
"I know you have," said Argus.
Sester's lips parted in a wry smile. Games of words were no longer enough. He wanted something more; he needed it.
"I can hardly deny that since you've caught me doing inventory. For Reya," he said sardonically. Sester words and tone were surprising even himself. He was being deliberately aggressive, something he had never intended; he had planned a much more devious approach, something Argus would not have been able to fight. But for some reason, Sester had a need to assert his challenge.
Argus was surprised at the admission. He wondered what Sester was up to. "I'm glad you've decided to tell me the truth."
"I don't have a reason not to," said Sester with sudden antagonism.
Argus's face was hard. He recognized a challenge when he heard one. "You're trying to tell me something?"
"I hope I'm not being too subtle," said Sester.
Sester knew that what he was feeling and doing was most likely due to the influence of whatever was affecting the men on the ship. But it was also something that he wanted; it was hard to divide the one from the other. The separation was only in the degrees. He couldn't help himself.
There was a low growl in Argus's throat as he said, "Don't make the mistake of thinking you can challenge me, Sester. You're not good enough for that. I can take you apart very effectively without sparing it a second thought."
"I know you can. But I also know that you won't." There was a sinister and superior smile on Sester's lips.
"Won't I?" Argus took a menacing step towards Sester. Sester stood his ground; the smile never leaving his lips. There was no indication on his face that he was concerned in any way.
"No. You won't. Because you love her. And she doesn't want you to hurt me. Does she? She doesn't realize that she can't have both of us."
The tension in the air between the two men was so strong that only a fool would have tried to get between them.
"She doesn't want you." Argus's eyes flashed with anger.
"Are you sure she's certain of that? I don't think she is. Otherwise she would have told you about our meetings in the corridor. Oh. She didn't tell you about those? I was very bad but she didn't tell you. I wonder why not? Why don't you ask her?" Sester knew that he was skirting close to the edge. It was dangerous and exhilarating; and fulfilled his need to assert his dominance over Argus. The other man had what he wanted and he was going to take it from him. He could see that anger and frustration in Argus's eyes.
Argus said in a voice that was tight with the stress of trying to control his violent feelings. "I should never have allowed you onboard this ship." He felt like a dangerous but caged animal. Argus hated Sester; the other man understood him. He knew that Argus would never betray Reya's trust by substituting his own interpretation on what he had promised her, no matter how much he wanted to. She was too important to him to do that.
Sester sensed that he had won this battle. "No. You shouldn't have. And as long as I don't do anything which Reya considers a threat, you can't do anything. Or she will never forgive you."
Argus's voice was ice cold when he responded. "Don't cross the line, Sester. You won't live to enjoy it."
**********
In Vila's cabin, things were much calmer but that didn't mean that nothing was happening. There was a lot of thinking going on. Rather than resting, as Argus had told him to, Vila was sitting and planning. The scuffles on the flight deck told him that he needed to be much smarter about how he was going to achieve his aims.
Argus would be able to control the soldiers. Vila had no doubt about that and he would be as helpful as he could in that respect. The last thing he needed was lots of muscular competition for his Galena.
Argus and Avon didn't seem to be much of a threat. They had their own priorities, which was fine by him. Less competition was always good. With everyone else on the ship paired up, Vila had been feeling left out. Now was his chance.
He wondered if he should consider asking Sester to help. The psychostrategist wasn't a rival either; he was much too occupied with someone else. Vila felt a pang of guilt. He knew that he should tell someone about Sester but he had other priorities now. He could tell them all later. For now, Sester was too useful as an ally. The man's feelings about Reya could be used as incentive or leverage.
Vila got up and went looking for Sester.
Chapter Fourteen
After making sure Argus was moving safely away from the direction of Galena's cabin, Reya went back inside. There were some very important questions which needed to be asked and she was determined to ask them.
"It's time for some truth," said Reya. From the way Cally and Galena were looking at each other when she entered, she knew that something had happened while she was outside with Argus.
"Did I miss something?" she asked.
"Is Argus fine?" asked Cally. She had been aware of the strong emanation of emotions from outside the cabin and wondered if something had happened.
"He'll be alright. It's up to us to get to the bottom of this. None of the men can be trusted to act rationally with all of this going on," said Reya.
"I think we're partway there already," said Cally, looking pointedly at Galena/Vanora.
Reya's eyebrows lifted in question. "Seems that I missed a lot then."
Cally said, "Galena and I have been having a very interesting conversation. To start off with, she's not human.
Reya was alarmed. "You mean she's one of the aliens?"
"No. She's an Auron like me. But she left a long time ago to go her own way," said Cally.
"What was she doing with my brother? And what is she doing with the men on this ship?" asked Reya. She glanced briefly at Cally. She didn't know much about the Aurons, or for that matter the alien aspects of Cally; but she hoped that this wasn't something that Cally had kept from her. Her instincts still told her that she could trust Cally. She kept an open mind, but not too open.
"All very good questions," said Cally. She turned to Galena. "And I hope you will provide all the answers."
Galena/Vanora had a guarded look on her face. "If I have to."
"I was serious when I said that I would help you; but only if you tell us the truth," Cally said to her.
There was still a reluctant expression on Galena/Vanora's face. "What do you want to know?"
"Tell Reya who you are."
"Alright. My real name is Vanora. As Cally said, I'm an Auron. In fact, I am Cally's sister; but we're from different gestation clusters. I'm ten years older than she is."
"I knew that you looked similar," said Reya. "You have related bone structures. You must have had reconstruction surgery done to alter your appearance?"
"Yes, soon after I left Auron," replied Galena/Vanora. She continued, "My specialization was in augmented telepathic projection. When my people discovered that Franton's cloning technology resulted in psi abilities cropping up in certain sibling groups, project teams were formed to research what was happening. Some concentrated on the cloning technology itself. I was assigned to a project group which explored the possibilities of telepathic projection with non-Auron species."
"It was very controversial," said Cally. She could remember the many heated discussions and the final formal debates in the Communion chamber. The majority had overridden people like Vanora. It was the first time the Chamber of Telepathic Union had witnessed such great conflict. Cally knew that Vanora still harboured great anger and resentment over what happened. She didn't require telepathic access to know that.
Reya asked, "Why was it controversial? Did you try to read non-Auron minds as well as communicate with them?" The idea that someone could read her mind without her consent made her skin crawl.
"No. Nothing like that," said Galena/Vanora. When she spoke, she had taken on the tone of a scientist. "Reading another person's mind is not that simple, even between Aurons, except with those who have high telepathic affinity; such as ones in the same sibling group. There are many complications and with alien minds, it is virtually impossible except in the rare cases where the subjects are highly attuned to each other. Normally we are only vaguely aware of emotional landscapes. With other Aurons, we can only easily read surface thoughts and emotions."
"Then what did you research?" asked Reya. She was somewhat relieved but not by much.
"My group looked into the possibility of artificially producing and enhancing the frequency waves involved in telepathic communication. And adjusting them to alien physiology."
"That still doesn't sound worthy of controversy."
"It's not controversial if the signal is used purely for communications but it is if used for offensive applications."
Cally said accusingly, "Such as sending an oscillating pulse tone which is used to trigger and maintain a preconditioned hypnotic response. They did that with Blake. Using it they were able to control his actions."
Galena/Vanora said, "A very simple application. Some of us believed that being neutral shouldn't mean being helpless. We may not develop weapons which kill and destroy but when the psi abilities were discovered among cloned generations, some factions in our society saw it as a way to create a peaceful means of defence. In this case developing a mind interceptor which targeted the pilots of any alien force which could threaten Auron."
"It was wrong," said Cally.
"Some believed that," said Galena/Vanora. "We didn't."
"It is tantamount to taking over another person's will and reducing them to puppets. How would that make us any different from the Federation?"
"You of all people should have understood," said Galena/Vanora. "You thought that our isolation policy was wrong too. When you were exiled, you gave your service to rebels who were fighting the Federation."
"That was different," said Cally.
Galena/Vanora smiled wryly. "We both wanted what we felt was best for Auron but the pacifistic majority shouted us down. Literally. Telepathic communion enforces majority rule, if nothing else. My project group was shut down and all of the information destroyed; but not before I and another member of my team copied all of the research data and we escaped."
"You stole it," accused Cally.
"It was our research and they were just going to destroy it. They treated us like criminals even though our only intent was for the good of Auron."
"Don't make yourself out to be noble, Vanora. When you left, the only thing you sought was profit," said Cally.
"What else could we do, Cally? We were now alone, with no one to turn to for support. No resources. Did you know that they sent telepath teams out to search for us? We had to do what we could to survive."
"You sold our Auron heritage to anyone who could pay," accused Cally.
"Not to anyone," said Galena. "We never sold our services to the Federation."
Reya decided that now was a good time for some intervention on her part. "Alright, you've given us your background. But you still haven't told us why you've been playing havoc with the men on this ship. This ability to affect the men, does it come out of your research?"
"Partially. It was a lucky accident. I continued doing research on our psi abilities after leaving Auron. Testing and building up my own. I'd like to think that I know more about our telepathic capabilities than any Auron alive. But that wouldn't be saying much these days. I've been playing around with mental projection abilities as well as artificial. One of the things Aurons can do is project telepathic communications into Terran minds. It doesn't always work and not all Terran minds are receptive to telepathic communication waves. Your brains are different and the waves are too complex for some minds. The results were erratic. I began exploring the lower telepathic frequencies, ones that work at the near-subconscious level. The signal is much simpler, closer to the oscillating pulse tone but most produced very little in the way of useful effects, except for one area. This one was tied to the pheromone receptors in the brain."
"That's how you did it," said Cally, her eyes widening in understanding.
"Yes. And no."
"What do you mean?" asked Reya.
"With my own abilities, I can affect one or two people at a time. I have to specifically target those areas in the subject brains."
"But everyone on the ship is affected," said Cally.
"Yes. This has been troubling. I've never been able to affect this many people at one time before. At least, not until I came on this ship. And I seem to need to target it anymore either. It seems to work subconsciously now. At first it was interesting exploring this new development but I seem to have lost control over it recently. I can't stop it. I've tried."
"How can we believe that?" asked Cally.
"There is one way to convince you," said Galena/Vanora. "I will open my mind and you can find out for yourself."
Cally said. "I don't want to do that." Even though Aurons were telepathically connected, they were always careful to respect each other's boundaries.
"It's the quickest way to know the truth," said Galena/Vanora. "I am willing to let you do this. You're not forcing me. If what you say is true about what is happening on the ship, the faster we trust each other and work together the better."
Cally was still very reluctant, but she agreed. "Alright."
Galena/Vanora sat down. "It works better with physical contact."
"Yes, I know," said Cally as she sat down beside her. She had discovered this when trying to help Avon.
Galena/Vanora closed her eyes and put her hands on the table. Cally reached out and covered the other woman's hands with her own. At the contact, Cally gasped as a familiar Auron mind was opened to her. She hadn't felt this in a long time; she was surprised to find how much she missed this connectedness. As she began to travel along the mental landscape of the other woman's mind, Cally was amazed at the amount of control Vanora had. This was a highly developed telepathic ability. She felt ashamed that hers seem barely formed compared to this.
* You are capable of this as well, little sister. You only need to practice and experiment. * Vanora's mental voice was clear and melodic. * You may surprise yourself. *
* How have you been able to block me? * asked Cally.
Vanora sent her a mental impression of a smile. * There are some things, which I must keep for myself. The areas containing the information you need are open. You must understand if I don't allow you access to everything. *
Cally's explorations began to touch areas containing the memories she was interested in. At times it seemed as if she were experiencing a muted version of them; limited by a single perspective. She could even feel what the other woman had felt during the occurrences of the memories.
The kidnapping. The encounter with Ellis. Being held captive and moved repeatedly to prevent people finding out where she was. Then installed at the location where she had been rescued.
"They found out you were Auronar? " asked Cally. She voiced her thoughts so that Reya could follow what was going on.
Vanora did the same, "Yes, I was injured when I was taken. They had medical personnel who treated me. They seemed very interested when they found out that I was Auronar but they barely asked me any questions. And other than the medical treatment for my injuries, they didn't attempt to do any examinations of my brain or anything else. They never suspected I was a scientist and I was careful never to let them know I had any knowledge which was useful to them."
"Do you think that the aliens are responsible for what is happening on the ship? Could they have tampered with your psi abilities?" asked Reya as Cally continued exploring the other woman's memories.
"I don't see how. Other than for a couple of examinations, they didn't do anything else," said Vanora.
Cally withdrew from the other woman's mind and let go of her hands. Vanora opened her eyes.
"But Avon found that Ellis has been conducting extensive medical research. This has to tie into it somehow," said Reya. "It's too much of a coincidence."
"I agree," said Cally. She asked Vanora, "Could they have drugged you?"
The woman replied, "You must know that even in an unconscious state, the mind still registers activity. Do you find any indications?"
Cally said, "No. But we don't know what capabilities that the aliens who are with Ellis have. They may be able to render you completely unaware, even on an unconscious level."
"If that's true, then they could very well have tampered with my psi abilities." The look on her face was of someone who just realized something very unpleasant. "Cally, I could not read any of the aliens. They are completely closed to Auron abilities."
Cally asked, "Even the low frequency ones you've been using to provoke a pheromone response?"
"Yes. At first, I thought that they had blocked my abilities but I realized after awhile that almost all of the ones they had with me were alien. It was a waste of time trying."
Reya looked thoughtful, "If they are somehow able to use your ability to influence the men on a mass level but are immune to it themselves, then they've just made you into a powerful weapon. For them."
Vanora said, "But my ability to provoke a pheromone response has always been to attract men and make them more agreeable to what I want them to do. It's never caused this kind of aggression before."
"Until now," said Reya.
"They must have been able to increase the strength and range of the effects then," said Vanora.
Cally asked, "You said that you've lost control over this ability?"
"Just recently. It seems to be working independent of my conscious will. I can't stop it."
"How recent?" asked Reya.
Vanora thought for a few moments. "Not long after I talked to your brother."
"That can't be another coincidence," said Reya.
They looked at each other. Cally said, "We have to find a way to stop it or block its effects."
"And we need to find out where that medical research facility is," said Reya.