by S. H. Jucha
“We expect you’ll find a console operator at Triton, but we can’t be sure,” Jaktook added. “While I can handle most operations, Kractik is far superior to me in that regard.”
“As you can see, these are only a few of the challenges you’ll face in accomplishing your duties,” Tacticnok said. “I’m sending two superb individuals with you to accommodate your needs. Jaktook’s services will be ineffective if you don’t take his advice.”
Opalus glanced at her mates, and they nodded their acceptance of Tacticnok’s conditions.
Sasha had slipped her gates open and let the emotions of the participants flow through her mind. As expected Lindsey, Tracy, Kractik, and Jaktook exhibited apprehension. Tacticnok radiated intensity, determination.
The Veklocks’ sensations were a mix for Sasha. She’d wondered if she’d be able to read the aliens. There was the possibility that the Jatouche were an anomaly, but that wasn’t the case. It surprised her that, while language and appearance could be different, the mind’s creation of feelings had a common vocabulary.
Sasha focused on Patrus. He’d nodded his agreement to Opalus, but he wasn’t calm and accepting. He was perturbed, bordering on angry. When she’d sensed that dichotomy in humans, she knew that indicated they were lying. She wanted to blurt out an accusation, but her experience with the Jatouche, especially hearing the way Rictook spoke to his daughter, had taught her some patience.
Lightly tapping a finger on the table, Sasha attracted Tacticnok’s attention. Then she cut her eyes toward Patrus.
Tacticnok considered what Sasha might be indicating. The basics were obvious. The empath had detected something that bothered her, and she was directing Tacticnok to the source. Tacticnok wondered if the Veklocks were aware of the Pyrean empaths and their capabilities. She decided it was better to explore the issue rather than have the triumvirate discover it later.
“Sasha is concerned about you,” Tacticnok said, focusing her attention on Patrus.
“Does she believe I won’t be safe?” Patrus asked.
The question confirmed for Tacticnok that the Veklocks were ignorant of the empaths.
“No, Emissary Patrus, I said about you not for you,” Tacticnok replied. “Sasha is a Pyrean empath. She senses emotions, and she’s disturbed that what you’re feeling doesn’t match what you’re saying.”
“Are we being dissuaded from our task?” Pesart asked. He was confused by the exchange.
Tacticnok sighed and said, “Sasha, I’d like you to calm the room.”
A tiny smile quirked the corner of Sasha’s lips. She summoned her power, relaxed, and projected a sense of peace. In her mind, she was sipping a green, the empaths’ restorative drink, with Lindsey and her sister.
Like the Jatouche, the Veklocks were highly susceptible to Sasha’s sending. She quickly attenuated her power, when she saw the triumvirate’s orbs roll up in their heads. She kept the room under her control, watching Tacticnok for a cue. When she saw the ruler lift two fingers, she eased off her sending until finally she closed her gates.
Around the room, there were sighs as individuals felt their calm fade away to be replaced by the emotions of the conference and their tasks.
Opalus’s beak clattered, indicating to the males that they should remain silent. Her large orbs examined Sasha, and then she turned to Tacticnok. “You sought to make a point,” she said. “Explain.”
“Pyrean females, who are empaths, can send and receive emotions,” Tacticnok explained. “It seems you’re as sensitive to them as we are. I know for a fact that she used a small amount of her power.”
The triumvirate glanced around the table. When orbs fell on Lindsey, the empath said, “Yes, I am too, but I’m not as strong as Sasha.”
Then they turned to Tracy, who quipped, “My only talent is in killing five-meter-long insectoids.”
Beaks opened, aghast at the thought of taking sentients’ lives.
Tracy quickly amended her statement, adding, “They were trying to kill me first.”
“Pyreans,” Jaktook interjected, “they’re different.” He let the comment sink into the Veklocks’ minds. Then he asked, “Were you told that Envoy Harbour is the empaths’ leader? She’s also their most powerful.”
“The purpose of Advisor Jaktook’s question,” Tacticnok said, “was to indicate the challenge you’ll have communicating to the envoy. If you speak, pretending one emotion, but feel something else, as you’ve done here, the envoy will detect your duplicity.”
Pesart was a scientist. He had trouble comprehending something he couldn’t see and measure. In an attempt to put the meeting back on a basis he could understand, he asked, “If the Pyreans are without shuttle service to and from Triton, what form of transport do they use to access their dome?”
“An ancient colony ship and several mining vessels,” Tracy replied. “You’ll find comfort aboard our ships’ shuttles will fall far short of alliance standards.” She flashed the Veklocks a pert smile, as if she’d tried to be helpful and informative. She could hear Kractik’s chittering.
“Your comrades are enjoying themselves at our expense,” Patrus said accusingly to Tacticnok.
“You must forgive their various reactions,” Tacticnok replied. “There’s a wide gulf between your expectations and Pyrean reality.”
“Travel by ship will be slow,” Jaktook said, “but negotiations will be swift. You should be prepared for this. What the Tsargit would deliberate for annuals, the Pyreans will decide in a few cycles.”
“What do you expect to receive from the Pyreans?” Tacticnok asked.
“That discussion is reserved for the envoy,” Patrus said imperially.
“You’re going to be fun,” Sasha stated sarcastically. She was fortunate that her comment was reported by the Veklocks’ translation apps as an error.
However, Lindsey and Tracy understood and agreed with her. Unfortunately, Sasha’s attitude wasn’t missed by the triumvirate.
“Are you a common example of the empaths?” Opalus inquired of Sasha.
“No, she isn’t,” Lindsey replied, before Sasha could speak. “She’s powerful, but she’s also young. The envoy is a mature female.”
One concern did occur to Pesart, and he sought to clarify it. “Are empaths’ capabilities used only for an individual’s well-being?” he asked.
“Any feeling an empath realizes can be transmitted,” Lindsey explained. “Negative emotions have only been used in self-defense.”
“Have we been properly informed to accommodate our communications with the envoy?” Opalus asked, seeking to bring the meeting to a close. Subtle feather ruffling told Opalus that the patience of her mates was at an end.
“You’ve received adequate warning,” Tacticnok replied. “You’ll learn the rest in time either in advance by heeding my advisor or afterwards by stumbling across the problem.”
“When do we leave?” Patrus asked.
“Late in this cycle,” Jaktook replied. “We’ll time our arrival to when the Pyreans begin their cycle.”
The Veklocks rose, towering over the seated individuals. They nodded to Tacticnok and swiftly left the room.
“I would speak to Jaktook,” Tacticnok said, and the others followed the triumvirate out of the room. They were met by a staff member, who guided them back to their accommodations.
“You have a delicate task,” Tacticnok cautioned, when they were alone.
“What are my priorities?” Jaktook asked.
“That’s the difficulty. A balance is required,” Tacticnok explained. “The emissaries must return to the Tsargit with something of value. If they don’t, their race will be diminished in the eyes of the council. The Veklocks are elders in the Tsargit, which means their pride is considerable.”
“Then Harbour has the opportunity to extract something of equal value from the emissaries,” Jaktook reasoned.
“Consider the wealth that the Tsargit represents,” Tacticnok said. “Harbour should think grand, even th
ough that isn’t her way.”
“But Advisor Cinders will understand,” Jaktook added and chittered his humor.
“I expect you’ll find the captain close to the envoy,” Tacticnok offered. “Be smart, be careful, and let the triumvirate make their mistakes,” she added. Then she patted Jaktook’s cheek and left the room more swiftly than the Veklocks had.
Jaktook touched the fur where Tacticnok’s hand had been. The brief contact warmed his heart. He realized that he had serious concerns, which had fled his mind when Tacticnok touched him. It occurred to him that her touch might have had more than one purpose, which pained him.
“Well, Master Advisor,” Jaktook muttered within the empty room, “worlds are vying for opportunities. Best you keep your eye on the greater challenges.”
-3-
Triton
Late in the Jatouche cycle, Tacticnok’s shuttle dropped tail down into a tube on Rissness, the Jatouche moon. After exiting the ship, the passengers made their way to a car to traverse the long tunnels to the dome. The entrance to every Messinants dome was via the level below the uppermost deck where the Q-gates were located.
When Tacticnok’s party exited the car, citizens of many races stepped aside and tipped their heads. The various medallions worn by Tacticnok, Jaktook, and the triumvirate announced their statuses, which every ear wig received.
Three medallion announcements confused some and excited others. They were newly created by the Jatouche and proclaimed Jaktook, Kractik, and Tracy to be gate explorers. Those who knew what that honor meant rendered a deeper bow for their courage and support of the alliance.
The Veklocks noticed that the Jatouche monarch and they received lesser honors than those with lower statuses. Tacticnok was pleased by the reception the explorers were receiving, and she hoped the triumvirate was learning.
From the dome’s second level, a ramp led to the upper deck. Arrayed across the space were five circular platforms. Each low structure was a gate that transported individuals and goods to another dome. In the center of the circle of gates was the console, which operated the gates.
However, a dome console was a tremendously versatile Messinants device that could do much more than simply manage gate transport. Its complexity was so great that alliance races were still unraveling its mysteries.
“I wish you success in your communications with the Pyreans,” Tacticnok said, addressing the Veklocks. Her words were also intended for Jaktook’s ears.
“Your assistance will be mentioned to the Tsargit,” Opalus said.
Kractik led the Veklocks and Pyreans toward gate two for the journey to Triton.
Jaktook paused. He searched for the words that would convey what he felt. When Tacticnok was a royal daughter, they’d journeyed together to meet the aliens who had activated the Triton dome. The excitement and danger of their early missions had created a close bond.
But Tacticnok was no longer heir to the throne. She was the Jatouche ruler, and the citizenry required she journey only through the domes of alliance members.
Tacticnok held out her hands to Jaktook. It was a gesture that other Jatouche didn’t miss, and Jaktook was reluctant to respond.
“Your monarch isn’t asking,” Tacticnok said. “It’s your friend who holds out her hands.”
Jaktook flashed his teeth and gripped Tacticnok’s outstretched hands.
“You know what we need, Jaktook,” Tacticnok urged. “I trust you to make it happen. Protect the Pyreans.”
“I will,” Jaktook affirmed. He gently squeezed her hands and then hurried for the platform. He hopped onto the circular stage and stood next to Sasha. The teenager looked down at him and grinned, and he chittered in reply. Then he felt a gentle wave of pleasure, and he reached to grip Sasha’s hand.
Tacticnok signaled the gate-two console operator, and the group disappeared in a flash of blue light that projected from the platform and merged overhead with the dome’s energy field.
* * * *
Aurelia Garmenti, Sasha’s older sister, poured through her comm unit. She’d recorded the latest glyphs that had been tested on a panel’s submenu. The console had a seemingly endless list of submenus embedded in its many operating panels.
The source of Aurelia’s entries surrounded her. Every meter of the dome’s deck and its corridor walls were covered in glyphs. Those on the platform level were etched into the metal wedges that composed the dome’s base. Those on the sublevels’ walls glowed with the favorite Messinants color — blue.
During the exploration of non-alliance domes, Aurelia and her companions had been cut off from their return route by the Colony, the savage, yet sentient, insectoids. The team spent months investigating various routes without success. Aurelia’s perseverance had paid off when she discovered a submenu that projected a star field onto the dome. The truly unique aspect of her action was that she appeared to have a knack for entering the glyphs into the panel’s laser projected screen that mimicked the Messinants. However, she kept the secret of the skill to herself.
The explorers used the star map to guide them home. After safely returning, Aurelia was driven to discover more of the console’s hidden capabilities. She requested that Harbour allow her to live at the dome and continue her investigations, which was granted.
Throughout Aurelia’s early years, she’d suffered the emotional deprivations shared by her mother and sister while imprisoned in the downside governor’s house. To make matters worse, she’d endured the sexual assaults of the governor’s nephew. Her escape and subsequent rescue by Captain Jessie Cinders had led to her life as a spacer.
Jessie became Aurelia’s father figure, and she reciprocated his kindness by using her significant empathetic powers to keep the crew in fine spirits, despite their aches and pains.
At heart, Aurelia was a gentle person whom life had treated unkindly when she was young. Those circumstances had made her uninterested in relationships. However, one man chose not to be kept at arm’s length from her. His name was Devon Higgins, late of Jenkels Orbital Station (JOS) security. Now the ex-lieutenant stood beside her at the console.
When the pair had arrived at the dome, they chose one of the better-appointed rooms two levels below deck. They followed the Pyrean cycle, spending the day researching the console.
Within days after their arrival, they consumed the fresh food they’d brought. Thereafter, meals were always the same. The dome supplied three versions of nutritious paste and water that sustained them. After a day’s work and an evening’s ration of paste, they’d often lay on their backs on the dome’s only platform to stare at the stars. They’d discuss what they might discover, argue over tomorrow’s plan, and then talk about friends and Pyre’s future.
At night, Devon would feel Aurelia creep onto his pallet, which projected from the wall. She’d lie close to him. Sometimes, if he was on his back, he’d feel her arm slide across him. When their comm units chimed the start of the day, Devon would wake to find Aurelia returned to her pallet or already using the facilities at the end of the room.
Devon often wondered if Aurelia’s actions were a test of his patience. If so, he was determined to pass. He’d had few partners in his lifetime, and the ones he did have didn’t last long. To him, Aurelia was someone entirely different. A part of him recognized that she was the partner he’d always wanted. That he was a normal and she was a powerful empath did complicate the relationship, but it was nothing compared to Aurelia’s difficulty trusting a partner.
Six weeks after their arrival at the dome, Devon felt Aurelia climb onto his pallet. He waited for her to snuggle against his back. Instead, she pulled on his shoulder, and he rolled toward her. Without a word, Aurelia kissed him. The first kiss was tentative, and then it became passionate. That was their first night of lovemaking.
In the days that followed, Devon observed Aurelia bloom. She laughed more. She teased him, and at night, she was more assured. At the same time, Devon felt if he wasn’t careful that he could destroy what
they had together.
One night, when Aurelia visited Devon’s pallet, she asked teasingly, “How is it that I always have to come to you?”
Devon was at a loss for words. All that came out was “Um.”
“This,” Aurelia said, tapping Devon’s forehead, “is a problem. You’re frightened.” She touched her nose to his to soften her rebuke.
“Concerned might be a better word,” Devon replied.
“I won’t break,” Aurelia said. “You’ve eliminated that possibility. Do you believe me?”
“I want to,” Devon replied.
“I’ll show you,” Aurelia said with determination.
Devon wasn’t sure what Aurelia meant by that statement. They’d kissed and began to enjoy each other.
Aurelia waited until Devon’s emotions peaked and his attention was fully engaged with her body. She opened her mental gates and empathetically shared with him.
Afterwards, Devon lay with Aurelia in his arms. His mind reeled from the intoxicating combination of physical and emotional ecstasy, and he chuckled.
Aurelia lifted her head off Devon’s shoulder and stared at him. “What?” she asked.
Devon looked into Aurelia’s eyes and asked, “Can we do that every time?”
Aurelia smiled, kissed him, and said, “Anytime you want.”
* * * *
On the dome’s deck, and with Devon beside her, Aurelia noticed a console panel activate. “We’ve got company,” she said.
The platform’s light flashed, and an unusual collection of individuals arrived via the gate.
Sasha recognized her sister, and with a cry from her lips, she leapt off the platform and rushed into Aurelia’s arms. Lindsey and Tracy hurried to join the reunion.
Jaktook held the Veklocks back. He said, “Pyreans are unaware of the greeting protocols of the Tsargit, and if they were, they probably wouldn’t care to follow them.”
Sasha’s gates were open, and she detected the emotions at play between Devon and Aurelia. “It’s about time,” she whispered in her sister’s ear. Then she added, “Good choice.” When she hugged Devon, she said, “You be good to her or else.”
