The Adventures of Deacon Coombs (14 page)

“What!”

“Yes.” She shook her head wildly, and her brown hair tossed about while she laughed and touched him on the shoulder. “Instead, after my medical degree, I studied the Uscher zone to master the brain’s energy.”

“Why the switch away from surgery?”

Her laughter spewed forth. Before she answered, she pulled her full lips taut, raised her cheeks, and, squinting her eyes at him, said, “I made a startling discovery. I detested the sight of blood.” Deacon conjured up the incident in the library on Earth when he had fainted due to the sight of blood. She caught that thought but kept it to herself based on the last incident of exposure.

“Now it’s time for another demonstration.” She started with one tune and then switched to a second, and then a third. She repeated the pattern over and over. Deacon was mystified, for he could not decipher the pattern. She broke the silence by saying, “I guess that you heard only the first chords.”

“Right. The first part was easily detected.”

“By one as advanced as you,” said Schlegar, who interrupted them as an observer.

“I sent the last two tunes to you in an aroused state of mind. In order for you to detect them, you too must arouse yourself. You will not be able to capture these waves from a relaxed state. When I send in an aroused state, you too must be aroused.”

“Do I have the ability to receive these signals if I am aroused?”

“Our tests,” Schlegar said, “state emphatically that you do.”

“So I can go up and down the dial tone, exciting myself to hear certain thoughts and calming myself to hear others. I could put this skill to use for gain.”

“That is precisely why we monitor all those who have this power, Deacon.” Schlegar then asked, “How do you feel about this affliction now?”

“I am more comfortable with it than yesterday, I admit. But until I experience an incident in a real setting, I am still a little uneasy about what I am being told.”

“Come,” Schlegar said to him, “rest is prescribed for you. We have other patients to attend to.” Gem appeared on cue to escort him back to his quarters, but not before he gave thanks to Schlegar and Lyanna and complimented Lyanna on her efforts. The combination of brain fatigue and travel strangled him. With the two Owlers by his side, he dropped into slumber. His last remembrance before he passed out was the figure of his new female acquaintance. After that, blackness.

Discovery

The next day Deacon worked strenuously, accenting the teachings of the previous day, relaxing momentarily until Lyanna reminded him that these were not games that they played. It was the first time that she had flashed sternness in her tone. Exhaustion arrived sooner for Deacon than it had the day before, the effects of travel combined with her rigorous drills stretching his mind to the limits. Upon awakening, he couldn’t recall the stroll from the observation deck to his bunk. He had lost all reference of time. Gem gained his attention quickly and poked him to arouse him. “Master, Jim has discovered a reference to the word
urzel
.”

Jim affirmed Gem’s comment as he stood beside Gem. “Yes. I found it among the slang used by the early Aralian space traders. Here is the book, retrieved from your own stored data banks.” Jim passed to Deacon a small monitor. “Look here, Master.” Deacon browsed page one first to read the title,
Aralian
Navigational
Handbook
. Jim had marked the key page. Deacon fast-forwarded, and on it was the reference to the word
urzelli
, short form
urzel
. It was the ancient code word for the number one.

Deacon was alert instantly. He stretched his arms, donned his shoes, and swiftly proceeded down the hallway, Jim in tow, to Schlegar’s office. Before he could present his opinion, Schlegar looked up from his incredibly messy desk to say, “Yes, the Owler visited me hours ago while you slept. I have found that it is derived from the word
oneness
, or
ego
. As best as I can determine, Deacon, the origin is Globianan, not Aralian. I have discovered that some trading vessels still use the term to denote safe harbor, indicating that the ship and the space are at peace, or are at oneness. Peculiar though, that I have never heard this term before.”

“I thought about this term immediately,” said Deacon. “If it possesses Temisori’s mind, as we seem to think it does, then it must have another connotation other than that used in navigation. His condition is anything but safe port, safe harbor.”

“If you take the term literally, Deacon, as meaning ‘oneness,’ it could be that Temisori feels something that we cannot possibly share, perhaps an experience on Nix.”

“No, I don’t think that it is that simple, Schlegar. Too many connected incidents. Let’s consider the idea of oneness or ego as power, the one. Then the chant becomes the result of the encounter.” He paced in front of Schlegar’s desk. “Perhaps our Aralians were released with their captors knowing full well that they, because of their state, cannot disrupt plans in place; or they were released assuming that anything that we learn cannot be used to disrupt the plans of our assailants. This would be a clear case of ego!”

“Your imagination frightens me, Deacon. I hate to think that someone, or something, released these men knowing that a plan to destroy our worlds cannot be altered.”

“I am just thinking aloud, Schlegar. It’s easier than trying to spear thoughts, read our minds by expending mental calories. Right?”

Schlegar grinned back. Deacon looked at the aging doctor, the silver mop over his eyes. As he stopped to postulate further, Lyanna entered for her day’s teachings. Today she wore a crimson-red gown, a stark change from the drab colors of the day before. Her hem was pleasingly higher, her slender legs showing up to the knees. A graceful, petite figure seemed to fill the robe. Her long hair was neatly pinned back behind her head in a perfect oval bun. A peaceful feeling engulfed Deacon. He was manufacturing a fondness for both of these people.

Schlegar addressed her mockingly. “Mister Coombs thinks that the Aralian crew was purposely released from their ordeal because a power to be out there”—he flung his arms toward the heavens—“knows that we cannot learn anything from these poor souls to counter their plans for further chaos, for universal domination.”

Lyanna did not see the humor that Schlegar spoke of. Solemnly, she gave eye-to-eye contact to Deacon. Meanwhile, Schlegar summoned Jim to step forward, by waving his hands.

Upon Schlegar’s instructions, Jim opened his torso area to reveal a viewing screen. “Landrew wanted to address us at the proper time. Proper time being when you have absorbed a better understanding of your skills and when the time for your departure has become imminent. Jim has that recording. Jim, if you please.”

Jim strutted forward, bowed deeply, and then stood still as the voice of Landrew emanated, his image appearing on the screen. “Deacon Coombs, with the assistance of Lyanna and Schlegar, my old friend, you now understand more clearly your ability to read other people’s minds and how to control this gift. I shall attempt to explain to you why this stop at Brebouillis was absolutely necessary, and is the most critical stop on your mission. Now that you recognize that you have powers beyond your imagination, and now that you have the tools to control them, I hope you realize and admit to the value of such skills on your mission.

“I cannot guarantee that you will use these mind controls in your case. However, I feel strongly that the deaths of Geor and Como were murder. Although they alone held the implements of their own destruction, we, the High Council and the governments of Aralia and Globiana, believe that they may have been mentally programmed, or mentally tormented or mentally influenced, to commit suicide. If this is the case, the unknown enemy is one to be feared.”

Landrew raised his voice. “In addition, in case you don’t already suspect this, you should know that Travers has these mental abilities and that his are as well developed as yours. That is why you need to understand your powers, Deacon, understand how to use them to the fullest extent! You may be forced to use these powers against Travers to save your life!

“You must use these powers to determine who your friends are and aren’t by probing their minds. I trust you to use this advantage at your discretion. We all pray that you can turn your gift against evil to protect yourself. Learn your limitations; learn to survive. I want to see you again. You have the Owlers as your guards. Use them!” Deacon nodded in agreement.

“Plan your moves carefully. Most importantly, your mission is to discover the identity of the enemy, this evil, and then run home to Earth as fast as you can to inform us. I can’t emphasize this enough. Once again, run home when you learn the identity of the misdoer. The disappearance of Travers remains unsettling to me, for the Alliance has searched everywhere for him. If you find him, you must be prepared to combat his superior mental abilities. Do not drop your guard! Regrettably, I confess to the misuse of my position to stage his trial, but it was necessary. I will not apologize for it, as nor will Schlegar. Good luck, my friend. The games of the mind play an important role in this unfolding drama. You are not a sacrificial lamb. You are a spy, an investigator, a valuable asset of the Alliance. We are all counting on you. I await your return to Earth with results. Good luck. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” The tape ended abruptly. The room was silent.

Deacon was the first to speak, whispering. “Landrew omitted a grim reality. There could be powers in outer space that could reduce me to that same empty shell that Temisori occupies.”

Lyanna took his hand in hers. “Not with my training. Today’s lessons are about to commence, so I suggest that you and I excuse ourselves from Schlegar.”

Before they left, Schlegar blocked their path and stood directly in front of Deacon. “Not very many have your powers. You must adopt the mental attitude that this power is a weapon, not be afraid to use it, and not be hesitant to invade the sanctity of others. Do you hear me?” Deacon nodded in agreement. “Dismissed.”

Lyanna drove Deacon to the brink of exhaustion, changing his moods to change the reception of energy, over and over, until he received and interpreted every message correctly. Deacon was an excellent pupil. The later theme of the day explored the supplanting of ideas into the minds of others, but it was never a certainty, for it depended entirely on the reception of the other individual. The success of such a sortie would always leave an unknown risk.

Lyanna praised Deacon throughout for his efforts and his abilities, building his confidence, boosting his ego. During this short stay on Brebouillis, she had developed an attraction to this small-statured man who displayed an intense dedication to complete his task. “I have a favor to ask of you. You have a visitor who has traveled at great personal expense to meet you.”

Deacon was curious.

Quobit

“Deacon, it is my pleasure to introduce my friend Quobit, from the planet of Jabu.”

On cue, she entered and gracefully strode toward Deacon, her multicolored gown swaying to and fro, her thick, long crimson hair swaying to the beat of her pace in a ponytail, her four-foot strides closing the distance quickly. Deacon felt intimidated as she towered over him.

“It is a great honor to meet you, Deacon Coombs. I have read with interest most of your works, your mystery short stories, and, of course, the many crimes you have solved. Please excuse my intrusion. I have traveled a great distance, and it is my honor to speak with you.” In typical traditional Jabu custom, she bowed first and then they shook hands briefly.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Quobit.” Deacon had never witnessed hands so large, with knuckles the size of peaches, and curled nails at the end.

“Quobit and I met at a science conference on Gastov, and we have become friends. We converse regularly through different media and even vacationed together on the beaches of Globiana last year. I will leave you to conduct your business.”

Deacon was curious. “Business?”

“Yes, business,” said Quobit. “I have free time, earned by my job as a Vesper engineer on Jabu. With the stress in my job, we are encouraged to use our free time. At my expense, I decided to journey here to meet and talk to you, Deacon Coombs.”

“Well, you certainly have my attention. When I entered earlier, I pondered over that rather large chair in the corner, for it was not here the last three days. Now all is clear.” Deacon pulled the chair forward and, recognizing the Jabu intolerance for proximity to aliens, positioned it across the room from her. She surprised him after they both sat down, for she placed the chair in front of him, her bony knees protruding through her dress as she came closer. She clasped her hands in her lap, sat erect, and peered down into his eyes.

“With your permission, we shall abandon courtesies and I shall break the suspense.”

“Yes, please do.”

“I was the engineer on duty at the Jabu Vesper station on that fateful day when the Aralian freighter
Sleigher
disappeared. I want to digress for a moment to tell you that since I was a little girl growing up in the Khackstack desert of Jabu, I dreamed of being a Vesper engineer. I dreamed of managing a Vesper station and making a name for myself in the engineering of Vespering. I graduated at the top of my class only recently and have been assigned to that station since.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. However, since the
Sleigher
disappeared on my watch, I have felt disappointment and much sympathy for the crew and their loved ones. Imagine my surprise, and everyone else’s, when the
Sleigher
rematerialized at the Aralian Vesper station and its crew was declared insane.” She paused in a moment of empathic silence with her head bowed. Deacon waited and let her control the conversation, still puzzled by her presence. She raised her head, and her light, sooty eyes focused on him. They were deep-seated and protected by a large, protruding forehead with bushy eyebrows. She noticed his stare into her eyes. “Evolution has played its part in protecting Jabu eyes by setting them deep into our head with long, wavy eyelashes, protecting the eyes from the incessant dust particles blowing every day.” She smiled, and then the smile disappeared.