"Ms. Bronwen I need to speak with you privately."
"You are already alone with me in my quarters."
"I mean without the Alythe man listening in."
-
Lao'k he wants to talk about you and your people.
He has no way of knowing I left your mind.
True, but this is a bit unfair from a human perspective. Your people can already pick thoughts out of our minds. You have the upper hand in negotiations. Klein probably wants to be on equal footing.
...Let me know the moment you are finished.
Thank you.
-
"You can speak Mr. Klein."
"Are you certain he is not privy to our conversation?"
"You'll just have to trust my word on that won't you."
"Fine. I believe the Alythes are stalling the talks deliberately and that it has something to do with the one accompanying you. There are rumours about you having relations with him, are you?"
"Mmm, I thought the government investigated rather than take action on rumours."
"I am investigating, that is why I'm here."
"I wonder, if I published some of the rumours on board about you in a few articles, the UEG would investigate and find more truth there than what you're trying to imply."
"How dare you!"
"You could have checked my records with the doctor or used the data from Captain Ruiz's lens or his reports. The fact that you're here means that you did and found nothing. Why are you here?"
"That does not absolve you from sleeping with him."
"How is that your concern?!"
"You are human, I have a responsibility to protect you. What if they are using you as an experiment?"
"Hahaha. I know Lao'k's mind, I am not an experiment."
"Ms. Bronwen!"
"Mr. Klein!"
-
"Alright, then you must have some information about them that we can use."
"...What information are you looking for?"
"They need women, how many women do they need? What kind of women are they looking for? How do they know which women are their partners? Is there a blood type, race, age range they need? What will they do in the case of already married women? Are there other ships nearby with men that will board our vessel?"
"I don't know the answers to those questions. What I can say, as Mal'k said at the first meeting, they don't choose partners the way we do. They don't go on dates trying to figure out if a person is a good match for them. The best way I can describe it, would be like a lock and key. Typically one key can open one lock, they are made specific for each other. Among them they can tell because they can read each other's mind."
"On that topic of reading minds, they can read our minds how do we stop them? How can they speak English? How would a woman know whether the man claiming her is telling the truth? You seem to have developed this ability as well, can you also read human minds?"
"First they don't actually read minds, only companions can read each other's minds. They can hear some of our thoughts, some easier than others, especially when we are excited. Their telepathy is similar to how we send messages on public spaces on the externet. You can broadcast or you can have private messages. We don't train our brains the same way, so most of our thoughts tend to be broadcasts. And no I can't read minds. With regard to knowing if an Alythe man is telling the truth about a woman being his partner, I... I don't know, our cultures are different. I don't know how other women would react, but I am less on guard with Lao'k, than I would usually be with men. There's a strange sense of familiarity, even though we're strangers."
"And speaking our language?"
"As to how they speak English, I don't know, perhaps from data on the ship they found."
You know, I hadn't given it much thought on how they can speak our universal language. I mean, their accent makes it obvious English is not their native tongue. In the beginning it was a question at the back of my mind, but when they said they found one of our ships I just assumed it was from data on the vessel. I searched Lao'k's mind and it turns out it was from the ship, but they also monitored our transmissions. Radio, television, satellite all our communications echo into space, they've been monitoring our planet for some time now...
"Ms. Bronwen?"
"Sorry?"
"I asked, if you can teach me how to block them from my mind?"
"Uh...I learned from Lao'k directing me. To teach it through spoken words would be difficult. The best advice I can give, would be to stay very calm and focused on one task at a time. It'll reduce the chance of your thoughts being on the common channel."
"Understood. Have you ever met them before?"
"Their aliens. It's not like I can run into them at the corner store, or stop by their house."
"You were identified as a companion the first time we met them, is that not grounds for suspicion?"
"Maybe he got lucky?"
"And you're absolutely not sleeping with him?"
"...Mr. Klein, have you ever seen birds mate? The male will mount the female, and in the heat of passion his wings flutter. If he were mounting me, it wouldn't be on this ship."
"Good day Ms. Bronwen. I trust our conversation will remain private."
-
Lao'k.
You were deliberately pushing him.
He's part of the UEG, that alone annoys me, coupled with his attitude...
You can answer his questions without the sass.
He'll want me to tell on you.
Then tell.
-
After meeting with Klein I felt like I had aged some more. I was worried about how much I should give away, without it being a problem for Mal'k and his councilors while also trying to be a good human. I replayed my conversation with Klein as I made my way to the viewing room, it didn't matter that Lao'k hadn't heard, he would know once he touched my mind, maybe even share it with Mal'k. I hate being piggy in the middle. When I got to the room Lao'k was waiting with his arms open again.
My beautiful lost puppy. Do not worry, I will not share your conversation with Mr. Klein to Mal'k.
We spent the rest of the day talking about plants. Well, I did most of the talking, Lao'k sat silently smiling at me, his eyes glued to mine. His intense staring made me blush a few times. His eyes are a cold piercing silver, they are both mesmerizing and frightening, but when he smiles they shine like stars.
"I'm sorry I scared you yesterday."
"No. You did not know what you were doing."
He pulled me into another hug, the butterflies rose in my stomach and my heart raced. I wrapped my arms around his waist and took in his scent. His heart beat sounded like a horse trotting. Everything about him reminded me of home, made me feel safe.
I think I'm falling for you Lao'k and that frightens me.
I look forward to you loving me.
-
While I was giddy with thoughts of Lao'k that night, I remembered my conversation with Klein. He thought they were using me as an experiment, I knew the truth in Lao'k's mind, but what about the others? The councilors despised Lao'k yet they were tolerating his presence, and not out of deference for Mal'k. They had spent a year monitoring the planet before they approached our ship. Why contact our ship and not the planet directly? Or even Mars or the Halfway station? He stopped me from seeing his memories just before they came to the Sol system...
I was in the Canyon of Regrets before the journey. That is the only memory I keep hidden from you.
I'm not doubting you Lao'k. I'm just trying to make sense of things.
You need to rest, you aren't fully recovered.
The next morning, Klein, Mal'k and one of the councilors, Gor'n, were also at the viewing room. I thought they were sitting in on our session, but there was an awkward tension in the room. Lao'k's eyes were cold it made me shiver, he was upset. Before I could say anything he kissed my hands then held them to his chest.
"The councilors are demanding to test our bond. Mal'k cannot intervene because he is my brother."
"What is the test for?"
"To determine whether you are my companion. You do not have to submit to the test if you don't want to."
"You're worried. What is it?"
"If you are found not to be my true companion, our memories of each other will be wiped."
"What'll happen to you?"
"I will be sent back to our home planet."
"You mean the Canyon of Regrets?"
He didn't deny or confirm it. My heart ached for him. He had fought alongside them during their war with another species five hundred years ago. They knew him, he was a hero for some of them and yet they treated him like he was filth, ostracised him. What the hell happened in that Canyon?
I looked at Gor'n, he had a plain face stare, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was the one who called Lao'k flightless, he'd practically spat the word out. My dislike for him was bordering on hate. He saved your ass in combat and this is how grateful you are! Lao'k chuckled as he kissed my temple.
"I admire your passion to defend me."
"Take care of our own, is the Bronwen family motto."
"You acknowledge me as yours?"
"I do, and I'll take the test to prove I'm your companion."
The councilors believed he was insane and lying about us being companions. That he was forcing me to accept him, and our bond was not natural. Ha, in their words, my lesser mind was open to his manipulation. The test involves an AI clone of his mind I have to interact with, it will determine whether or not I can read his mind and validate me as his companion. Klein's warning from yesterday came to mind, this test was basically an experiment. I hate that he might actually be right, but I trust Lao'k.
Klein seemed at ease with the whole thing, in a way it does answer his question on how to know if they are telling the truth. He didn't nag me or object to the test, only insisted to observe it with Captain Ruiz and our doc. Maybe I misjudged the guy. He seemed to be taking my advice, to be very calm and focused, it looked like he was counting his breaths the entire time.
Their physician explained Lao'k and I would both be put to pseudo sleep, our minds would be directed to simulations with AI clones of each other. They had these glass, coffin looking beds for us to lie in. Apparently these are what they use for pseudo sleep. The coffin was much bigger than I was, but their physician said as long as I aligned with as many of the holes as possible, it would be fine.
As I lay in the coffin a disk extended over my head, needles rose out of the bottom and tapped into my spine. The physician has said not to move, but the needles felt like a line of ant bites on my back. The needles began pulsing, then everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, the physician alone was there. He directed me to interact with a floating sphere. I put my hand on the ball and was immediately bombarded with thoughts, it sounded like the common area the day I went blind. I remembered the block out technique Lao'k taught me, the voices all disappeared except one, it sounded like his.
I then found myself standing in an empty room with Lao'k in front me. I tried to talk to him but no sound came from my mouth. Instinctively I tried to touch his mind, nothing. I tried again like he taught me the first time. Still nothing. I panicked. I touched his arm and looked into his eyes. I know your mind just as you know mine. There's no way I'm not your companion.
I tried again and again to touch his mind, I lost count of how many times I tried. It was like running into a wall, I couldn't get through, was he really manipulating me? I hugged the man in front of me, listening to his heart, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as I wept. Then in the silence of everything, I felt a light touch, a soft echo in my mind. Then everything went black again, I felt like I was lying on the sea, sound was muffled and I could feel the ebb and flow of the water as it rushed forward and returned. Days played out in front of me, all the days Lao'k and I had spent together, from the moment we met. The days repeated over and over again then everything faded away.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzSR3k4ZPa
