by D. M. Pruden
Stella started to protest, but her father interrupted her. “There is no more time for discussion. The creatures have breached the hull and are searching for you. We have to go now.”
Nodding in resignation, she leaned on him to help her to the doorway. She saw the figure lying on the floor.
“What happened to the medic?”
“It has malfunctioned. We must hurry. The escape pod is only a short distance down the hallway.”
Stella submitted and allowed her father to escort her out of the infirmary. They paused in the corridor, and he listened for signs of the battle. Satisfied that the soldiers were still engaging the aliens, he urged her in the opposite direction from the shots and explosions.
She shook her head, and her face wrinkled with pain. “Everyone is afraid, Papa.”
“I know, my dear. Try to shut them out, just as I taught you.”
She stopped in her tracks and clutched her head. “No. They will kill them. So much hate. So much fear. Make it go away.” She sank to her haunches and rocked in misery.
“Stella, please listen to me. I can’t carry you any more, like when you were small. You must walk. I cannot sedate you. You have to fight it for a short time. Soon it will be behind us.”
She looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks. As she nodded, her expression reminded him of when she was a child. He helped her to stand. They walked two more steps when Stella straightened up and stared into the space ahead of her.
“No, he mustn’t die. He is so afraid.”
She looked at her father, intent determination on her face. It was an expression he had never seen. Gone was the trusting little girl he had spirited away to safety so many times in the past. His heart broke at the realization that he had lost her to adulthood, and now he was in real danger of losing her to the enemy.
“Stella, what can you do? We must go before it is too late.”
“No, I must protect him.”
She closed her eyes and lifted her chin. Her face relaxed. Before Gabriel could urge her on, a sharp pain struck him between his eyes. It grew in intensity until he thought his brain was aflame.
Collapsing to the deck, he looked up at his daughter. Her previously serene face was contorted.
Tears streamed down her face as she said, “Don’t worry, Papa. I will drive them off.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Explanations
HAYDEN’S ARMS WERE crossed over his chest, and he struggled to maintain his composure. Across the table from him in the ship’s brig was Doctor Ishmael Gabriel. The older man sweated and stared at his manacled wrists resting on the tabletop. Hayden had argued against the restraints, but the captain was pissed off and would brook no discussion on the matter.
Two things kept the scientist from being spaced by Pavlovich. First, the fact that their mission was to retrieve him, and it wouldn’t go well if it was learned he’d been thrown out an airlock. And second, because of Gabriel’s actions Scimitar had been saved. He wasn’t sure which reason motivated the captain’s mercy more.
Right around the time that Stella was roused from her sedation, two strange and inexplicable things happened. Almost the entire crew experienced debilitating head pain before collapsing into unconsciousness, and the aliens broke off their attack and left.
Hayden recalled the shock of finding himself the only conscious person on the bridge. Desperate, he searched every deck, checking every downed crewman for a pulse or some sign of life. He finally discovered the unconscious forms of Stella and her father in the corridor outside of the infirmary.
Pavlovich wanted her placed into suspended animation, but for the moment she rested, sedated, in the medical centre under armed guard, thanks to some deft negotiation by Hayden on her behalf.
“Doctor, you haven’t been truthful about yourself or your daughter. I think it is time we went over the details from the top.”
Gabriel tiredly raised his shackled arms in resignation. “I have little choice in the matter, Lieutenant.” He forced a half smile, but Hayden remained unmoved.
“How long have you known about Stella’s abilities?”
He sighed. “I learned of her special nature when she was a toddler, but I suspected it soon after her birth. Adele, my wife, was pregnant with Stella when we were first working on the ruins of Dulcinea.”
“You never mentioned her before. What happened to her?”
Gabriel sank lower into his seat and stared at his hands with a mournful expression. “She died days after our daughter was born.”
“Complications of childbirth?”
He shook his head. “The birth was normal...almost painless for Adele. But I believe that was because of her other injuries.”
Gabriel’s eyes closed, and a tear ran down his cheek. “During the dig, we tripped something. I thought it was a security system, but she believed it was something more...transformative. It trapped her and exposed her to some kind of radiation. I now suspect it was a form of dark energy.
“At first, she showed no signs of any injury. We were worried that the child had been affected, but everything checked out normal for both, and we resumed our work.
“During her last trimester, she began to experience horrendous headaches and had vivid, frightening hallucinations. She became overprotective of the baby, not letting me anywhere near her. Soon after, she died.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Doctor. Do you know what the cause of death was?”
“In those days, there was a physician we knew. He was kind enough to perform an autopsy. All Adele’s systems were normal except for her brain. Her cortical implant had been destroyed, and she had damage in several regions, but the most significant injury was an altered anterior insular cortex.”
“I’m not a biologist. What does that control?”
“Empathy.”
“So the device you triggered damaged her brain?”
“No, it changed it, which in turn impaired her implant. It was her LINK that eventually killed her.”
Hayden recalled the severe headaches the rest of the crew experienced during Stella’s outbursts. Was he spared because his was deactivated?
“Did you ever examine your daughter’s brain after her birth?”
“No, there were no facilities to do anything like that. But I knew something was different when she began exhibiting her abilities, around the age of three.”
“Does Stella have a cortical implant?”
“No, and it is my theory that her lack of having one has allowed her to develop her powerful empathic ability. I believe if she possessed a LINK, she would have met the same fate as her mother.”
“What has this to do with her connection with the Malliac ?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t know. The technology that started this is Glenatat. Perhaps it was something they used to defend themselves.”
“Forgive me for being blunt about this, Doctor, but why aren’t you dead? You lived with Stella for twenty years. I would think that being exposed to her for that length of time would fry your LINK, and your brain with it.”
“Her powers were not always so strong. In fact, they have grown since you found us. We remained isolated from others for her entire life. Perhaps her sudden exposure to so many people’s emotions at once triggered the growth of her ability. I, myself, experienced pain and collapse like the rest of the crew, and that has never happened before.”
Stella’s gift was turning into a two-edged sword. On the one hand, she could detect and, seemingly, drive off an invisible and overwhelming enemy. On the other hand, she might end up debilitating the very people she was trying to protect. And her own response to the presence of the aliens was far from benign. She experienced significant distress and had collapsed on more than one occasion. Were her abilities killing her?
Hayden had managed to delay her being put into cryogenic suspension, pending this investigation. Her freedom was going to depend on how much he could learn about how well she could control her
power. He realized he was spending whatever trust and goodwill he had earned with Pavlovich since his arrival. He didn’t have much latitude and suspected he had even less time. He doubted they had seen the last of that Malliac vessel.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Stella’s Fate
THE CREW AND ship came away from the attack with extensive damage, and the deaths of fifteen crewmen weighed on everyone. But Hayden’s thoughts were dominated by another concern: that the crew’s collective emotions would adversely affect Stella and justify the captain’s desire to put her into suspended animation.
The chief medical synth, Doctor San, was just finishing up Stella’s examination when Hayden and the captain arrived at the infirmary. The girl was surprisingly composed and regarded them warily as they entered the room. Pavlovich ignored her and went straight to speak with the physician. While he appeared calm, even relaxed in his interaction with the medical staff, Hayden did not take that as a sign that things would go well for Stella.
“You look nervous, Lieutenant,” she said, smiling shyly.
“Well, I suppose you’d know that, wouldn’t you?” he said, returning her smile.
“I don’t need to be an empath to guess what you’re feeling. Your body language is screaming it out loud.”
He blushed. “I’m sorry, I just...”
She placed a gentle hand on his arm, and he felt a wave of calmness envelope him like a warm blanket. It took all his effort to gently disengage himself from her touch.
“You’re surprisingly calm, Stella. Aren’t the strong emotions of the crew difficult for you?”
She took a moment to consider it. “I’m not too experienced with large groups, but when everyone shares the same emotion, I find it less...disruptive.”
“How do you mean?”
“You know what it is like to first walk barefoot on a smooth surface? Your feet might feel the initial coolness and texture, but after a short while, you become accustomed to the sensation. You eventually don’t even notice the floor...until you step on a pebble or something else.”
“So when a group experiences a common emotion, you grow used to the sameness?”
She nodded.
“And when something unexpected crops up, it’s like stepping on a sharp rock for you?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“So as long as I keep my crew feeling the same way, you can’t harm them?” said Pavlovich, who had joined them, unnoticed.
“I’m afraid you’ve got it wrong. I’m the one who responds to them.”
“Then how do you explain the headaches and our collective collapse?”
“I don’t know...”
Kaine said, “It seems to me those things only happened when Stella was in contact with the Malliac.”
“Hmmm, that might be so, but when you first experienced them aboard the Odyssey, only you fainted. Now, my people are collapsing all over the ship when you connect with the aliens. Why?”
Stella’s brow furrowed as she considered Pavlovich’s question. “Ever since I first encountered them as a little girl, my reaction to the contact has always been the same. A fear so overwhelming that I would often faint or become so hysterical that my father was forced to sedate me.”
“I thought he sedated you so they couldn’t locate you.” said Hayden.
“Yes, that is true. It seems that once connected to them, they can detect me as clearly as I them. The sedation broke the connection and allowed us to hide.”
“So what was different this last time?” asked the captain.
“I heard the explosions. Everyone was afraid, just like me. I didn’t sense any of the crew that time, only the Malliac. I saw their intentions and I became angry and...well, I can only describe it as pushing them away.”
“You pushed them away? With your mind?”
Stella nodded.
“And in the process, my people succumbed as well. If you can’t influence others, Miss Gabriel, how do you explain that?”
“I can’t.”
“Not everyone collapsed, Captain,” said Hayden. “My LINK isn’t active, and I was unaffected.”
Pavlovich granted him a skeptical look. “You’re saying her push back of the aliens also clobbered everyone’s implant?”
“I spoke with her father before we came in here. Some of the things he told me sound related to what happened to Stella’s mother.” Hayden shared his conversation with them.
“That is consistent with my examination of the young lady,” said Doctor San, who had been listening. “I gave her a complete brain scan, and it reveals a substantial anomalous development of her anterior insular and visual cortex.”
Pavlovich frowned as he considered everything he had just heard. “Very well, Mister Kaine. I’m prepared to reconsider my position. What line of action do you propose?”
“First, I recommend that we conduct random examinations of some of the crew and compare those scans to their records, as well as my own, since I was not affected.”
“I think I see where you are going with this,” said Pavlovich.
“But I don’t,” said Stella.
“My theory is that everyone who had an active LINK will show some degree of deterioration around the implant site,” said Hayden.
“And that means for us to take tactical advantage of your abilities, young lady, my crew must give up their LINKs. That is asking a lot of them, Kaine.”
Hayden recalled his own feelings of disconnection from the world that he’d enjoyed his whole life. It felt like a part of him had been cut off. He wasn’t sure everyone could cope with that loss. “I realize that, sir, but it may be our only defence if the Malliac mount another attack.”
“Unfortunately, Mister Kaine,” said Doctor San, “deactivating everyone’s implant is not possible.”
“Why not?” said Pavlovich, “You turned off Kaine’s.”
“The lieutenant’s was simple to deactivate because it was defective since the day it was implanted. His brain compensated for the defect over time. Most of his neural pathways healed themselves some time ago. It is far more complex to turn off a functioning one. We simply do not have the equipment, and if we did, the recovery time for each patient would be weeks.”
Pavlovich frowned and regarded Hayden critically. “Alternatively, I can put the girl into suspended animation and take our chances the aliens will not be able to locate us. Or I could simply give her to them.”
Hayden’s jaw dropped open, and terror was written on Stella’s face. Her hand grasped his, and as it did, a cold, debilitating fear washed over him. Realizing what was happening, he released her hand.
“Sir, you can’t be considering that option.”
“Why not? Our instructions were to retrieve her father. Earth knew nothing of her existence. She is the one the Malliac want so badly. If we let them have her, maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
“Please don’t do that, I beg you.” Tears ran down Stella’s cheeks. “You don’t understand. I saw them the last time. I know what they are like.”
“What do you mean you saw them? I thought you were an empath?”
“I...I don’t know why, but I saw them. I’m not lying.” She looked to Hayden for some sign of support.
“I saw them too, Captain,” he said. “When I picked up Stella, after she collapsed, I saw in my mind a vision of an alien ship. I knew it was the Malliac. I felt them as well.”
“Her visual cortex and other areas of the brain once believed to be associated with so-called telepathy displayed signs of alteration,” said Doctor San. “I can’t say for sure, but I would not discount the possibility that what she says is true.”
“You’re telling me both she and Kaine saw the aliens?” said Pavlovich.
“No, I am saying it is possible she did. I cannot attest to any of the lieutenant’s claims.”
The captain looked from San, to Hayden, to Stella, confusion on his face. “All right, for a moment let’s assume that I believe you two, and you
did see the Malliac. Did you get any idea of what they want during your contacts?”
She nodded. “There is a rage that drives them—I don’t know how else to describe it. They show an almost instinctive response to us.”
“They perceive us as a threat?”
“No, Captain, I don’t think it is that. There is a drive that causes them to view us as something to be eradicated.”
“Or exterminated,” said Pavlovich. “Maybe we are an infestation in their eyes.”
“But we’ve never encountered them before. They showed up and destroyed Dulcinea, unprovoked,” said Hayden. “What possible reason would make them want to wipe us out?”
“What causes one invasive species to overwhelm another? They come from a place dominated by dark matter. Perhaps they are so different from us that we will never understand their motivations. Maybe the situation is what the young lady says it is: they have an instinctive aversion to us, like we do to snakes or rats.”
The room fell silent.
Stella clung to Hayden. Pavlovich seemed to notice, and his expression softened.
“Don’t worry, Miss Gabriel. I will not be turning you over to the Malliac. I have a tendency for hyperbole that occasionally gets the better of me. I’m sorry I frightened you.”
Stella’s fingers dug deeper into Hayden’s arm. She gave Pavlovich a half-hearted nod. “Thank you, Captain.”
“We aren’t far from the coordinates for your father’s wormhole,” he said. “We will continue with the plan to try to locate it. Perhaps we’ll even find it.”
He looked at Stella and failed in his attempt at a reassuring smile. “You might be an asset to us. If you can keep from frying the brains of my crew, I would like to take advantage of your gift.”
She looked worriedly to Hayden.
“That would mean you could only see them and warn us. Pushing back might kill us as easily as save us,” he said.
She nodded and relaxed a little. “I understand. There is something else you should know, but I want you to release my father before I tell you.”
The captain frowned. “You are hardly in a position to negotiate.”
