A strange twist of fate

by Lucas43

A Confed battle group is trying to destroy a strange ship. And when it does, the people of the battle group find out how fickle the fates can be.

51. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Interrogation Room 1: Anthony Mason was now very afraid, this man had shown him what had happened to Phillip and Melissa, and he knew he didn't want to end up the same way. He felt from this man's tone of voice that he knew what he was doing, and if he had worked on either Melissa or Phillip, he would get the information he wanted. "Wait, stop. I don't want to end up like Melissa or Phillip."

The man looked at him, "Finally, a telepath with some common sense."

The man looked at him, "Now tell me why Psi-Corp would send a doctor with a group of spy's?"

"Mr. Bester added me at the last minute. He apparently ran into someone whose thoughts he couldn't read. So just in case it was some sort of medical treatment that your people used, or something else, I was sent because the Corp has trained me in the use of truth drugs."

"I see, tell me what this Mr. Bester looks like."

Anthony described Alfred Bester and Col Ellison just nodded

...
"Well now doctor, it's time for us to have a little chat."

For the next few hours, the Col asked him about Psi-Corp. More of the day-to-day aspect of it, rather than the Intel aspect of the Corp. Soon the man seemed to trust the Col, and the Col asked him more specific questions. Mason was a little hesitant to answer some of the questions, but in the end he did. After a few more hours, the Col told him that they were done for now, and that he would return the following day. The Col then walked over to the wall and pressed a panel. A large drawer opened, and he took out a bedroll, blanket and a bundle, and then closed the drawer. He placed everything on the table and then released the restraints on his hands. He told him that he would be back later. Anthony looked at him, "Can I see Melissa?"

The Col shook his head, "Not just yet, maybe later. I'll have someone bring you a meal."

Anthony nodded, and watched as the man opened the door. As he was just about to close the door, the leg restraints popped open. Anthony picked up the bundle and found it was a one-piece coverall and slippers.

...
Admiral Douglas's Office: Col Ellison had asked to see him, and the Col asked to see Dr. Lloyd as well. When everyone was there, he began his debriefing. "Well sir, I questioned the last prisoner, but instead of standard interrogation, I showed him his two associates. He seemed a little more open to talking after that."

The Col got up and slowly paced the room, "Since I had already gotten verification of what Miss Fox told us from Mr. Windsor, I asked him more general questions about himself and the Corp. This lead to some rather interesting answers."

He looked at Dr. Lloyd now. "I read in your report about an unusual protein in the brain cells of the telepaths."

"Yes, we found a high level of this protein in all three."

"Well, since he is a Dr in the Corp, I asked him about that. It seems that that protein is one of the markers found in telepaths. The level of it and the results of certain other tests is what helps them to determine a persons Psi-ability. Or their P level as they call it. I take it that all three of them have a high level of the protein."

Heidi nodded, "All of them had almost the same level, but Miss Fox's level was slightly higher."

...
The Col nodded, "And have you analyzed the sleeper drug yet?"

"Yes, it seems to be several proteins. Which judging by their substrates, most likely binds to the protein in the brain cells."

Now the admiral and the doctor both saw the Col shudder a little. The Admiral looked at him. "What's wrong Stanley?"

The Col looked at him, "Doc's right, but what she doesn't know, is that with the protein bound up, it can't cross the cell's membrane."

Now Heidi thought for a few seconds, "If that's the case, then with more doses. More of the bound protein builds up in the cells, and."

Now she had a look of shock on her face. "Oh My God."

The Col just nodded silently. The Admiral was looking at the two of them. "What am I missing here?"

Heidi looked at him, "It's like a child's balloon sir. If you hook it to a hose and fill it with water to a certain size, everything's OK. But if you add more and more water to it."

The admiral looked at her, "The balloon eventually explodes."

She nodded, "That's what would happen to their brain cells. And if enough of them die, then you'll start seeing alterations in personality, mood swings, paranoia, even homicidal or suicidal tendencies."

Admiral Douglas sat there and let this sink in. He couldn't believe that an organization would knowingly give a drug like this to people. Knowing that it would eventually kill them.

...
Col Ellison looked at the two of them, "It's one of the Corp's ways of culling out those who refuse to join them."

Now he smiled, "But even Psi-Corp can't get them all. Dr. Mason said that some people choose to go rogue, go underground and get away from the Corp. Some head to the outer colonies, and others head for alien worlds where the Corp has no jurisdiction or power."

Now the Col looked at the admiral, "I found out another of the Corps little secrets. It seems that hyperspace somehow amplifies a telepaths abilities. Dr. Mason told me that his abilities manifested the first time when he was going home after graduating from med school."

Both of them just looked at him. "The doc was a child prodigy, and by the time he was 10, he was already finished with college. He graduated from med school at 13. He was going home to Proxima for a vacation, and as soon as the ship he was on entered hyperspace his abilities manifested rather suddenly. A commercial telepath was on the ship and heard his mental scream. He helped the boy as best he could. When they reached the first Earth Alliance station, he used his Corp connections and had himself and the boy transferred to a ship going back to earth. He's been with the Corp since."

...
The Admiral listened to the rest of the report, and when the Col was done, he asked them both to put all of their findings on data cards and leave them with him. Once they had left, he called Commander Duganerro.

"Mary, I've got a special job for you. I want you to research all of the legal aspects of Psi-Corp. I want as comprehensive a report as you can make it."

"Yes sir, anything in particular you're looking for?"

He rubbed his chin, "I'm not sure, but I'll know it if I see it."

"Yes sir."

The Admiral now copied the data onto the data crystal that he would be sending to General Hague. He was positive that the EA Intel was definitely going to like this data. He then secured everything in his safe and headed to his quarters.

...
General Hague's Office: The Admiral had called him early this morning, and asked for a private meeting. He wondered what the Admiral wanted to tell him, but he suspected it had something to do with the three telepaths that they had captured. The admiral was escorted in as soon as he arrived, and before he said anything, he just looked at the General. General Hague knew immediately what the Admiral wanted, and he took the jammer device out of his desk drawer and activated it. "We can talk now Admiral."

Admiral Douglas sat down, and he looked like he had the weight of the universe on him. "Thanks."

Now the Admiral put a data crystal on the desk, "You may want to review this in private before you send it to your HQ. It has a few choice tidbits on it that Psi-Corp hasn't let people know about."

General Hague just nodded and picked up the crystal. "So how are they?"

Admiral Douglas looked up at the ceiling for a moment then looked at him. "The leader of the group didn't survive the interrogation. Because of the severe mental trauma, the woman has withdrawn into herself. The other man decided to cooperate, once he saw what had happened to the other two."

...
The general just nodded, both of them knew the need for gathering Intel, and the sometimes-high price that must be paid. A price that cost not only those being interrogated, but the interrogators as well. Now he tried to lighten the mood, "Admiral, I've been asked to forward an idea from our Joint Chiefs. They were more than happy that you and your people are willing to sell us the new technologies, but they wanted to find out if perhaps your people would be willing to do more?"

The Admiral looked at him, "How so?"

"They wanted to know if you and your people would be willing to teach some of our people the theories and principals behind your technology."

The admiral looked at him, "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day."

The general looked at him, "But teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime."

Admiral Douglas looked at him, "Some of my people have suggested the same thing. But it will have to wait until our new home is up and running."

"Of course. The Joint Chiefs understand that you and your people have to prioritize."

...
General Hague then opened a drawer and took out a folder. He set it in front of the Admiral. "What's this?"

"This is the list of the liaison that the EA has assigned, and his staff."

The Admiral opened the folder, and saw that the EA was assigning Captain Santiago, and several of his former crew as well. He smiled as he looked at the list. "I thought you'd feel that way Admiral."

"Have you informed them yet?"

"No I haven't, I'm scheduled to meet with the Captain in half an hour."

"Do you mind if I stick around? I can't wait to see the look on his face."

"Not at all."

...
Half an hour later Captain Santiago arrived and was sent in to the General's Office. He saw the General and the Admiral, and snapped to attention. "Sir, Captain Santiago reporting as ordered sir."

The General looked at him, "At ease Captain."

He now set some papers in front of him. "Captain Santiago, I've have been given the privilege to inform you that you have been chosen as the Earth Alliance's liaison to the Admiral's people. You and your staff will proceed to the Vega system with the Admiral's people when they leave here, and you will help coordinate the assistance group that the EA is sending. You and your staff will also act as an intermediary for any corporation that whishes to do business with the Admiral's people."

"Yes sir."

"And Captain, you and your staff are to help set up a teaching program with the admiral's people as well."

"Yes sir."

"There will be further instructions, but you'll get those before you leave. You'll be taking the James Carter, and it will act as a test bed for modifications to EA systems. Once you arrive in the Vega system, Commander Davidson will be taking over as the Captain of the James Carter."

Ricardo smiled a little at that, "Yes sir."

Now the Admiral stood up and offered his hand, "Congratulations Ricardo."

...
Ricardo shook his hand, "Thank you sir."

Ricardo now looked at the list of his staff, and he saw Terry's name. He looked at the Admiral with a hint of a smile. "Your idea sir?"

The general smiled, "No, it was mine."

The other two men looked at him, and they both smiled. Admiral Douglas asked Ricardo were Terry was at, as he wanted to tell her himself. "I believe that she's meeting her mom and dad for a late breakfast. They have to return to Earth tonight."

The Admiral smiled again. "If you two will excuse me, I have to go see someone."

The other two men held their smirks; "Of Course sir." and the admiral left the office.

...
He found Terry and her parents in the general mess, and he walked up to their table. "May I join you?"

Nick smiled and nodded, and the Admiral set down next to Terry. He could tell she was a little sad, he thought it was about her parents leaving. Nick looked at him, "Admiral, I talked to home office, and they are very excited about the preliminary tests. They have agreed to the idea of setting up the program that we talked about. So whom do we talk to about the details?"

He looked at Nick, "Well Nick, I guess that you'll have to go through the EA liaison's office. You just have to set up the meetings with his staff."

Nick nodded, "So any idea who that is?"

The Admiral smiled, "Well, I guess that would be her."

Terry had sat there only half listening to the two of them. But when Luke said that, he had put his hand on hers. She looked at him and the surprise was apparent on her face, "What?"

Luke smiled, "Captain Santiago has been assigned as our liaison, and you're on his staff."

Terry's mood changed instantly, and decorum was thrown to the winds. She grabbed Luke and pulled him into a deep kiss, and Luke didn't try to stop her.

...
Nick and his wife just smiled, they knew that Terry had been depressed all morning. Now they saw her mood change instantly, and the kiss she gave the Admiral. Nick cleared his throat, and Terry looked at her dad. Her cheeks quickly blushed as she remembered they were there. He tried to sound as official as possible, "So Petty Officer Charles, when can my people set up a meeting with the Admiral's people?"

Terry looked at her dad for a second, and she saw the smirk he was trying to hold back. But it was a loosing battle, and soon all four of them were laughing.

...
Admiral Douglas's Office: The admiral had spent a few hours with Terry and her parents, but now he had other duties to attend to. He contacted Dr Lloyd, and checked on the status of the prisoners. Dr. mason was well, but she was worried about Miss Fox. "She's becoming more withdrawn sir, I think that maybe we should let Dr. Mason see her."

"I don't know Heidi. How do we know that he can help her?"

"We don't sir, but as a telepath, he can most likely reach her in ways we can't."

He just nodded, "Alright, I'll talk to him and see if he can help her."

"Thank you sir."

He pressed a button, and the monitor switched to Col Ellison. "Stanley, I need to speak to the prisoner, I want you to make the arrangements. I don't want him able to read my mind."

"Yes sir, give me an hour." and the monitor clicked off.

...
An hour later the Admiral was at interrogation room 1, and the Col was briefing him. "We've got him blindfolded, so as long as you stay calm, we don't believe that he will be able to read your thoughts."

He looked at the Col with a puzzled look on his face. "The prisoner told me that the more angry or upset a person is, the louder their thoughts are. If a person is calm, the telepath needs a line of sight, or a touch to make contact. Since he can't see you, you just have to remember not to touch him."

The admiral nodded, and they proceeded into the room. Dr Mason was seated on a stool and he heard the door opening. He heard two sets of steps. "Hello Dr Mason. I'm the man in charge. My CMO has asked me to ask you for your help."

"What sort of help?"

"She feels that you may be helpful in the treatment of Miss fox. It seems that she has become severely withdrawn, and our Dr isn't sure if our treatments will be that effective. She thinks that as a telepath, that you may be able to help Miss Fox in ways that we can't."

"I see."

...
"Dr Mason, I'm not going to lie to you. My people put her through the wringer, and she may never fully recover. But with time and treatment, we hope that she will make a partial recovery. Our CMO is hoping that with your assistance, she can make an even better recovery."

"Just so you know sir, I'm not a psychiatrist."

"I understand that, but you are a telepath. You can reach into her mind and hopefully help her more than we can."

Dr. Mason thought for a few minutes, he had seen how Melissa looked on the monitor before. If she was even more withdrawn now, then he had to help her. "Sir, in the service of the Corp, I've had to do things I wasn't proud of. I've racked up some really bad Karma. Maybe with Melissa, I can try to get some positive Karma. I'll help in any way that I can."

The admiral nodded to himself, "Just remember Dr, you're still a prisoner. If you try to escape or hurt any of my people, you will be dealt with harshly."

"I understand sir. When can I see Melissa?"

"I'll have things set up, you can see her tomorrow."

"Thank you sir."

...
Once they left, the Admiral told the Col to make the arrangements, and to have medial standing by just in case. When he got back to his office, he was informed that Captain Grove needed to speak to him. He then had the Captain contacted. Captain Grove was in his quarters when the call from the Admiral came in. He could see that the Admiral looked like he had gone a round or two with a Kilrathi. "So Jeff, how are things in the Edding system?"

"Things have gone very well here sir. We signed the treaty, but the official announcement isn't for several days."

"That's good to hear Jeff."

"Admiral, there was something else I needed to talk to you about."

Captain Grove told him about the idea about a neutral space station, and some of the problems that the people faced. The Admiral listened to the idea, and found that he liked it. "Well Jeff, I can't help you with the Centauri, or these Vorlons. But I think I can help you a little. Can you get Mr. G'Kar in on this call?"

"Yes sir, hold on a sec."

...
After a few minutes, the admiral saw Mr. G'Kar's face on the split screen. "Mr. G'Kar, Captain Grove has told me of the idea of a neutral space station. He's also said that you may need an edge when talking with your people. Well I may have one for you."

G'Kar's interest was peeked, "What sort of edge?"

"I have been researching the various races and regimes here, and I know that your people had some rather unpleasant experiences with the Centauri."

He saw G'Kar just nod. "I also understand that when your people drove out the Centauri, they took the weapons left behind and revered engineered them. I would guess that that took quite a bit of time."

Again G'Kar nodded. "Well Mr. G'Kar, I know that you expressed a desire to do business with us. But instead of just selling you technology. Which I am sure that you would reverse engineer."

He held up a hand to stop any protest from G'Kar, "We would do the same."

...
Now the Admiral looked at him, "How much would it be worth to your people to be taught the principles and theories behind our technology?"

G'Kar was speechless; this human was offering his people the treasure of a lifetime. Not only would they be willing to sell them the advanced technologies that they had, but teach his people as well. "This is indeed a great edge that you are offering. With it I am sure that I can help my people see the true path of wisdom."

"I'm glad we could help Mr. G'Kar."

Soon the admiral was looking at just Captain Grove. "Admiral. There is one more thing I need to tell you."

"Yes."

"Well sir, Crewman Daniels has requested to be discharged sir."

The admiral smiled a little, "I'm not surprised Jeff, I take it that you're granting her request."

"Yes sir, I just wanted you to know."

"Thanks Jeff, and please pass on my best wishes to her."

"Yes sir."