The Light-Field (32 page)

‘And if I have?' Taren challenged, rather than deny it.

Ringbalin was so dazed by her answer that he didn't notice Taren reach across and place her hand on his, and the contact made him jump; he was so unused to it.

Taren knew that normally he would have pulled away, as he did his best not to influence others with his feelings, but in this instance he was feeling her Juju and was currently being bombarded by a feeling of calm, trust and affinity. ‘Just come have a look at AMIE. I'm pretty sure she'll feel like home.'

‘I will do that,' he said, and as Taren withdrew her hand, his eyes turned back to the plans in his hand. ‘This is just amazing,' he commented. ‘There's not a thing I'd change.'

‘Funny about that,' Lucian said, raising his glass to Ringbalin.

The lad roused half a smile, still a little wary, but completely intrigued.

 

Two weeks later, Ringbalin arrived at the AMIE pier in a maxi-cab with a pile of equipment that was unloaded onto the roasting hot sun-exposed sidewalk next to him. He couldn't see anything of the construction from out front, although if the huge hangar at the end of the wharf was any indication, the AMIE vessel was every bit as large as he'd imagined.

‘Ringbalin!'

His attention was drawn to the left to find Dr Lennox walking down the sidewalk toward him, from what looked to be the project units further up the beach.

‘Good morning! Welcome to Frujia!' she called as she made up the distance between them. ‘I was hoping you wouldn't change your mind.'

In considering whether to join AMIE, Ringbalin did what he always did — trusted his gut instinct. When he thought about passing up on this opportunity he felt sick; when he decided to come, he felt fantastic. So, here he was. ‘The thought of living among people I don't have to hide from was enough to get me here …' To be open about his Power in the presence of others would be an entirely new change of pace for him; he suspected it would be rather liberating. ‘That, and my ego won't give up the possibility of having the first successful greenhouse in space.'

Food for space travel had always been of the pre-packaged, snap-frozen, reheatable variety. Off-planet hotels and inter-system transports had their food exported from the city they were closest to, or departing from.

‘Praise the universe,' Taren declared. ‘I've tasted your produce and I refuse to go into space without you!' She led him off down the pier toward the huge premises at the end.

Ringbalin didn't know what to say to that. He just stood there wearing the same silly grin of disbelief he'd been unable to wipe off his face the last time he'd met her.

‘Want to come see your baby?' Taren turned about and backed down the wharf, waving him forward after her.

Dr Lennox was so playful and not at all the serious scientist he'd always taken her for; she was brilliant, open, fearless and personable — a rare combination.

‘I'll get one of my people to bring your stuff down,' she called, as he began to collect his things.

Ringbalin left everything and ran to catch her up. There was not a soul to be seen on the little stretch of coast, so he wasn't worried about anything going missing. ‘They'll need to be
very
careful.'

‘Well, people with levitation skills usually are fairly good at moving things about,' she assured him, and he had to shake his head.

‘I don't wish to sound rude or anything …' Ringbalin stopped in his tracks, ‘but you do know that everything you say to me completely messes with my mind?'

Taren laughed as she approached the huge entrance doors to the holding bay and they parted automatically. ‘A bit of mind expansion never hurt anyone. Come on.' She headed indoors.

When Ringbalin saw the exterior of his new home, he was so awestruck he could not move or speak. He recalled the wonder of seeing Heavens-Gardens for the first time, and that feeling paled in comparison to the sense of wonder and purpose he felt in this instance.

‘Pretty cool, huh?'

Dr Lennox was up ahead, and the query came from beside him. Ringbalin looked sideways and down to find a four-year-old boy, balancing a huge metal pylon over one shoulder, and he was immediately concerned for the child.

‘I don't think you should be doing that?' Ringbalin moved to relieve him of his load. However, when he took hold of the pylon the weight sent it hurtling toward the ground, until the kid caught it up.

‘Nearly lost your fingers.' He grinned mischievously, as Ringbalin had a quiet heart attack.

‘Fari!'

‘O-oh.' The boy looked to Dr Lennox, who was on her way back to scold him for scaring their guest. ‘Sorry, Doc.' He ran off with his pylon, as though it were made of lightweight plastic.

‘Please tell me he's not moving my gear?'

‘No, his father,' Taren informed him, hoping to set him at ease.

‘Oh dear.' Ringbalin could only imagine what the little tyke's father was like.

‘Really,' Taren reassured him, ‘his father is quite placid, it's his mother you have to watch — she's Phemorian, an ex-Valourean and our head of security.'

Ringbalen's eyes parted wide in mild horror.

‘Oh yeah,' Dr Lennox assured him, having a chuckle. ‘We have all types here.'

The exterior hatch doors on the mid-deck led straight into a huge recreation Module D and followed the gym track that encircled the large, yet to be filled, swimming pool. Past the meditation rooms, a float tank centre and several spare science labs, a corridor led through to a hatch door to Module C's greenhouse.

Inside the central area of Module C was a huge domed area. All the pathways were laid, and the beds were all empty metal cavities at present, but Ringbalin could see the huge potential. ‘I can hardly wait to install my bio-system on such a large scale.'

‘Already done. We had it installed as soon as you accepted the position. The controls are up there.' She pointed upstairs to an observatory that overlooked the entire central greenhouse. ‘Want to check the weather?'

‘Absolutely.' Ringbalin headed up to the control room with all due haste, and Dr Lennox followed.

The control room was rather large and doubled as living quarters, with a sleeping pod, small kitchenette and bathroom — not to mention the wonderful view of the greenhouse below.

When Ringbalin saw the setup he could hardly believe how perfect it was. ‘This is way beyond my wildest expectations, Dr Lennox,' he
said expressing his profound joy, as he approached the control panel to fire it up.

‘You never did like leaving Module C much,' the doctor commented.

Ringbalin was getting used to her future perspective. ‘I can see that will certainly be the case.'

‘I was rather surprised that you agreed to the position before you'd even seen the project … I thought we'd surely scared you off.' She came over and leant on the control panel beside him.

‘No … I was scared you'd offer the position to someone else,' he admitted. Now he realised what he would have been missing; he was
so
grateful his fear of the unknown had not prevented him getting involved.

‘There was never any chance of us offering the job to another,' Taren assured him. ‘You are unique to our cause.'

‘Because I have a Power,' he stated, not denying it anymore.

‘Because you are a kindred spirit,' she replied. ‘And one day in the future you'll know exactly what I mean by that. But rest assured in knowing that you belong on AMIE as surely as I do.'

Ringbalin was rather touched by her point of view. ‘I believe I do.' He looked out through the control room windows and switched on the sun, which shone down into the greenhouse on an angle from the farthest end of the domed ceiling. The rest of the dome turned as blue as the Frujian sky outside. ‘Beautiful!' he said approvingly, as he fast-tracked the sun across the sky dome, and added clouds that swept over the greenhouse in fast motion. ‘It is my ultimate vision made manifest,' he declared as he watched the weather show, choked by the tears of profound pride and gratitude at seeing his aspiration fully realised.

‘Welcome home,' Dr Lennox said, as she left him to experiment. ‘I'll be in the project offices if you need me. Just take the lift from the construction bay.'

‘Okay, thanks again.' He could not drag his eyes from the dome, as storm clouds quickly gathered and it began to pour with rain.

 

By the time Ringbalin got the thunder and lightning happening, he couldn't hear anything over the storm. He was startled out of his wits when someone touched his shoulder and he turned about to find a very tall Phemorian woman scowling at him. Ringbalin recalled what Taren had said about their vigilant Phemorian security guard and was eager to appease her. ‘Hang on.' He switched the system off and Module C fell silent.

‘I do not think you screw with that,' she advised, coolly, although she was no longer frowning.

Her accent was thick and her grasp of the universal US language was moderate, but he got the general drift. ‘I'm the new biologist-cum-farmer on board,' he explained. He folded his arms and tucked his hands under his armpits, which was his standard way of avoiding shaking the hands of others; he hoped he didn't appear rude. Taren hadn't mentioned that the security chief was so beautiful, but then that usually went without saying with Phemorians.

‘You are Ringbalin Malachi?' She almost gasped as she said his name, and he just loved the way she said it and how it sounded in her accent.

‘
Hello
?' A male voice called from down below, and he turned to see a very strapping fellow walking through the greenhouse with luggage floating along behind him.

‘Excuse me,' Ringbalin asked of the Phemorian, and rushed down to meet the fellow he suspected was her husband. ‘Hello,' he called to the big blond tanned fellow and directed him toward the nursery. ‘This way, if you please.' He made no big deal of the fact that he was witnessing levitation for the first time.

As he watched all his equipment float past and pile itself neatly around the room, the fellow turned to him to shake his hand. ‘Yasper Ronan.'

‘Ringbalin Malachi,' he replied, folding his arms and burying his hands.

‘Ah sorry, I forgot Taren said you don't like to shake hands,' Yasper recalled. ‘Why is that exactly? What do you do, Malachi?'

‘I'm an emotional sympathetic,' he said out loud, without hesitation for the first time ever, and it felt fantastic.

Yasper whistled, impressed. ‘None the wiser,' he confessed, and with a friendly smile, he left to be on his merry way. ‘You'll have to explain that to me sometime. Catch you later, Malachi.' As Yasper headed back out through the greenhouse he passed the Phemorian who was hot on Ringbalin's trail. ‘Hey, Dr Portus.' Yasper waved as he passed her. Ringbalin got a delightful pang of shock, as he realised this was clearly not the Phemorian woman Taren had spoken of, and she was not married to Yasper.

‘Mr Malachi,' Dr Portus began as she joined him.

‘Ringbalin is fine,' he assured her, and she frowned and smiled at once.

‘I am marine biology.' She finally produced a smile. ‘I have been following your photonics work a long time … I am thrilled we are finally to work in union!'

Ringbalin figured she meant they would be working together and he could not have been more pleased about that.

‘Dr Ayliscia Portus.' She held out her hand to him and Ringbalin's shock tripled; Phemorians were notorious for detesting men, and he didn't want to discourage her.

Ringbalin unfolded his arms and held both his palms out toward her. ‘I don't wish to seem rude, Dr Portus. I am very pleased to meet you. But I am an emotional sympathetic and, quite frankly, if I make skin contact with you I'd make you feel
far
more disposed toward me than you would normally be.'

She appeared intrigued and affronted as she considered his confession. ‘So you find AMIE very attractive today? You are happy with her, no?'

‘Very happy.' Ringbalin loved her deduction, as she was completely correct. ‘May I ask what Power brings you to the project?'

‘Remote vision,' she advised without batting an eyelid. ‘I double as agent also.'

‘Double agent?' Ringbalin clarified and she nodded. ‘Really?'

‘I was Phemorian spy.' She faked a laugh and waved it off as the past. ‘Of course the boss see through me, and now I work for her, for she is at Phemoria's heart.'

‘The boss?' Ringbalin was a little puzzled by her claims, not too sure he understood them completely. ‘Do you mean, Dr Lennox?'

‘Mm-hmm.'

‘I didn't realise Dr Lennox had interests on Phemoria?' Ringbalin thought out loud, and Dr Portus began to chuckle.

She did not explain her amusement, she only shook her head. ‘Tell me of your plans for Module C,' she invited. ‘I am much eager to assist.'

Four hours later, when they were still seated on the stairs to the greenhouse control room chatting, Ringbalin had to wonder why Phemorians had a reputation for being cold.

The entire situation kept tickling him inside, for not only was he chatting openly about his Power with others for the first time since he was a small child, but he was befriending the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen — who should by all accounts hate his guts. Ringbalin had to concede, what everyone else on the crew already believed, that the boss knew best and this was exactly where he was meant to be.

Six months out from AMIE's launch date and it was time to chase up the outstanding members of their super crew; and what psychic army would be complete without a few telepaths?

The AMIE crew, in their previous future, had two telepaths on board. They'd not opened up to each other about their shared Power for
five years
and had pussyfooted around romancing each other, despite their inexplicable attraction. Taren was very interested to see what would happen when the barrier of secrecy, that had kept them apart so long, was torn away from the get go?

Kassa Madri was AMIE's medical officer, who was a physician and an excellent surgeon. She'd been the first woman to ever hold the title of Chief Medical Officer on a ship in the Maladaan Space Program and for the past twenty years she had been practising medicine in space. During that time she had crossed paths with Lucian on more than one occasion, but they had a connection that went all the way back to early university days on Maladaan. When the AMIE project first got approval, Kassa had been one of the first people Lucian had contacted. He had put her on notice that he was going to pilfer her
from the space program for his own project. Although he'd been keeping her up to date on AMIE's build, it seemed Kassa hadn't been taking their banter seriously. When Lucian finally sent her his official offer, she was sincerely shocked to the core and very thrilled to accept. The doctor was a little confused, however, when Lucian insisted she come see the project and discuss terms before agreeing.

 

The same morning Kassa Madri arrived to have her meeting with Lucian and his wife, her arrival in a hovercab was upstaged by more of AMIE's future crew. They rolled up to the dock in a classic gunmetal grey Hunzo Borealis Sports Coup that had the soft top up and windows closed. A couple of very handsome soldiering types climbed out of the vehicle, who appeared far too maverick to be government issue. There was also a very attractive blonde in their company, and a young girl, aged around four.

‘Dr Madri!' The youngest of the men, who'd been driving the car, ran over upon sighting her.

‘Yes.' She acknowledged his guess with a smile.

‘I'm Kale Tane, AMIE's chief pilot,' he informed her, shaking her hand.

‘I'm very pleased to meet you.' Kassa took hold of his hand. A feeling of bliss and a string of images of her in this young man's company bombarded her; she felt she knew him very well.

‘Ooops.' The pilot withdrew his hand, whereupon the images stopped and Kassa's consciousness returned to the young man's smiling face. ‘I'd like you to meet the rest of my family.' He motioned to them.

Still, Kassa was in a little daze. Within all those images that had just flashed through her mind, she'd seen one of herself getting married — and to a much younger man!
What the hell was that?
Her heart was pounding in her chest! She'd never telepathically picked up on anything like it before, nor had she ever been precognitive — unless, of course, Kale was a pre-cog? The possibility of having
another psychic on board AMIE was inwardly very exciting to Kassa; in all her travels in space she'd never met someone else with the Powers.

‘This is my wife, Aurora DeCadie.' Kale directed her to the beautiful blonde.

‘I'm Lucian Gervaise's personal assistant, so pleased to meet you, doctor.' Aurora smiled and shook Kassa's hand.

She too had a beautiful energy that felt somehow familiar, but no images were forthcoming. ‘The pleasure is all mine.'

The sight of her husband about to lift their daughter out of the car distracted Aurora. ‘Let me, honey, we don't want her popping off somewhere when we've just got here.'

Kassa wasn't too sure what to make of that comment but was sidetracked by the other charming gentleman in their company.

‘BA Tane,' he introduced himself. His handshake was filled with good energy like the rest of his family, but again, it didn't stir any visions.

‘You're brothers?' Kassa assumed.

‘Thankfully, no.' BA was flattered.

‘He's my old man,' Kale jeered him back.

‘The family resemblance is strong,' Kassa warranted, as she let his hand go. ‘And what is to be your role on AMIE?'

‘I'm a strategist,' he replied, grinning.

‘Really?' Kassa was surprised to hear this. ‘Are we expecting to go to war?' she joked.

‘We already are at war,' BA replied in all seriousness and then cracked a smile. ‘Do you know how difficult it is keeping government spies out of private research?'

‘No, not really.' Kassa was intrigued.

‘Fortunately, for me, the boss does,' he concluded. Aurora came forward with her arms filled with her little girl, who was dressed in clothes as hip as her mother's, but had dark hair like her father and grandfather.

‘And this is Thurayya,' Aurora announced.

‘I like Ray,' she told Kassa.

‘I'm very pleased to meet you, Ray.' Kassa shook the young girl's hand, and her energy was amazing and yet a little draining at once.

‘Are you getting married?' Ray asked, her tiny hand still in the doctor's, which scared Kassa into letting go.

‘Heavens no!' Kassa reacted with all the surprise she felt.

‘But you are thinking about it?' Ray replied with an innocent knowing, and Kassa could feel the blood draining from her face — was this child telepathic too?

‘Were you thinking about a wedding?' Kale queried Kassa, curiously.

‘Well, I …' Kassa wanted to be truthful, ‘yes, I was actually.'

‘Oh my stars.' Kale was very excited and so was his wife. ‘Did you just read her mind?' He gave his little girl a big kiss and a squeeze, and she revelled in his adoration. ‘How clever are you?'

The scene was like a beautiful dream to Kassa, but it was equally strange and disarming.

It seemed the new laws protecting psychics from unlawful discrimination and restraint was serving to bring psychics out of hiding. However, after so many years of keeping her secret, Kassa doubted she would ever feel at liberty to leave herself so exposed. What if the new laws were just a ploy to bring those with the Powers out in the open so they could all be rounded up?

‘Oh goodness!' Kassa glanced at her watch. ‘I'm late for my meeting! It was lovely to meet all of you.'

‘The pleasure was all ours,' BA assured her, in a rather flirty fashion.

‘Well, if the boss and the captain are having a meeting with the doctor right now, I'll grab the keys to our units. We can unload our gear before we catch up?' Kale suggested.

‘Good call.' Aurora and Ray climbed back into the car, whilst Kale accompanied Kassa up to the office.

 

They stepped out into the reception area where an attractive dark-haired woman smiled at them in greeting from the reception desk.

‘Amie,' Kale muttered warily to himself.

‘Good morning, welcome to AMIE.' The woman came out from behind the desk to greet them. ‘I'm Amie Gervaise, Head of Marine Research.'

‘What?' Kale sounded completely shocked. ‘I thought the captain would have married Dr Taren Lennox?'

‘He did.' She had a chuckle at his misconception. ‘I'm married to the professor's brother, Swithin Gervaise.'

‘Oh? Phew.' Kale brushed off his embarrassment. ‘Congratulations.'

‘You are Kale Tane, our pilot?' Amie guessed.

‘Absolutely correct,' he confirmed, whereupon Amie handed over two sets of key cards.

‘These are to your units. Lucian and Taren have a few meetings to get through this morning, but will be down to see you as soon as they are free.'

‘Excellent, I'll be off.' Kale headed for the lift, but was distracted by the professor's office door opening.

‘Dr Madri.' Amie turned her attention to Kassa, as the chime from the reception desk alerted her to an incoming call. ‘Lucian and Taren will be with you in just one moment.'

‘No problem,' Kassa assured Amie, who moved to answer the call.

When Kassa looked back to Kale, she was shocked to find him chatting with the same young man she'd seen herself marrying, when Kale shook her hand earlier! Yet, the men were introducing themselves, so she could only assume that this was their first meeting also?
A paradox
. She silently considered how very attractive and young the fellow was, and she felt that the notion of them becoming an item was quite ridiculous.

Once he'd shaken hands with Kale, the fellow appeared a little dazed. When he chanced a glance Kassa's way, he appeared as stunned to see her, as she was to see him.

What, in the name of science, is going on today?
Kassa wondered if this was what walking into your destiny felt like? She had considered this morning that she was doing nothing less this day, for this position ticked all her boxes and more.

‘Kassa!' Lucian emerged from his office to greet her.

‘Lucian.' She couldn't keep the smile off her face; he was such a good friend, and her escape from the high pressure and rigid ways of the Maladaan Space Program. ‘It's
so good
to see you.'

‘The feeling is mutual.' The professor embraced her briefly and then directed her to his office. ‘Come, let's talk contracts, and then I'm taking you to lunch.'

‘Sounds marvellous!' She entered the office, also very eager to meet the professor's wife.

She had read Dr Taren Gervaise's many theses and science articles over the years and, never failing to be fascinated by her research, Kassa considered it was a real honour to be finally making her acquaintance. For the doctor's work into unexplained phenomenon had been borderline seditious when she'd first begun publishing and from any psychic's point of view, Taren Gervaise was extraordinarily brave. Despite how her brilliance had been misused on Maladaan to trap psychics, on every other planet her research was aiding to banish centuries of fear and superstition.

 

When first introduced to Dr Lennox, Kassa was surprised to be embraced like an old friend. During that embrace she experienced the same strange bombardment of future memories of knowing the doctor, as she had with Kale. There was definitely something odd going on!

As a telepath, Kassa should have been able to read the thoughts of those in this room. However, when she stilled her mind to listen, all she perceived was the faint sound of beautiful ethereal choir and the feeling of utter peace. She had experienced some sort of psychic transference today that she had never had before.

‘I'm sorry, Kassa.' Taren Gervaise was very informal, which Kassa liked. ‘I know what my embrace is probably doing to your headspace,
but I just can't help it, it's so good to finally meet you.' Taren let her go. The good energy flow stopped and Kassa felt a little light-headed.

She was just overwhelmed, as she didn't quite understand what Taren had said to her. ‘I am the one honoured to meet you.'

‘You're probably wondering why I asked you to wait and speak with us before agreeing to come on board the project?' Lucian cut in and directed Kassa to a seat, where she sat herself down before she fell down.

‘Yes, I have actually, as I cannot think of anything that might put me off signing up.'

‘What if all your crewmates had Powers?' Taren Gervaise asked, before disappearing into thin air.

‘Oh my stars!' Kassa gasped in shock and excitement, and gave a nervous laugh as Taren returned to grace their presence.

‘I am also precognitive and have worked with you in the future,' she said, calm as you please. Kassa's heart felt like it would pound a hole in her chest.

‘That explains a lot.' Her eyes turned to Lucian, who was smiling calmly also.

‘I see dead people,' he told her, ‘and through walls.'

‘Not in my wildest dreams —' She failed to get her sentence out, as her inner joy suffocated her words. She looked from Lucian to his wife and back again, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘The entire crew?'

Lucian nodded to confirm. ‘We all take the same risk, but on the upside, you have an entire crew to protect you and your secret. As far as we know, a group of psychics have never been able to come together in wilful cooperation before. We've always been too repressed to unite.'

‘It's unprecedented,' Kassa agreed — so inspired by their vision, she had tears welling.

‘But of course,' Taren mentioned the sticking point, ‘in order to be a fully productive member of such a crew, you too would have to share your secrets with the other children.'

The notion struck Kassa's heart full of excitement and yet fear was hovering; clearly they already knew she had a Power, or they would never have exposed themselves to her. ‘It's overwhelming.' She breathed deeply, wanting to be as calm and grown up about this as her hosts were being. ‘I've never known anyone with a Power, I've always had to hide …' Her panic was suffocating.

‘I know, Kassa.' Taren knelt before her and took hold of both her hands. Again the doctor's touch had an incredible calming effect and made Kassa feel rather light-headed. ‘But we are here to offer you an environment where you can put your Power to good use, instead of having to repress what you know to escape persecution.'

‘To teleport you must be Phemorian royalty.' Kassa voiced her understanding of the great risk Taren had taken in confiding in her. ‘To expose yourself to me, a stranger, you are either insane or very, very brave.'

‘No.' Taren rejected her analysis. ‘Just determined to make a difference. How about you?'

‘I … I never considered I could make a difference to other people like us?' Kassa felt her resolve harden. ‘Can you use a good telepath?' She grinned broadly at her own coming out.

‘Always,' Taren assured her, ‘although you will not be the only one on board.'

‘You are our one and only doctor, however,' Lucian added to make her feel special, but Kassa was still caught up in Taren's remark.