Chapter 3

Eric stood outside the ship, waiting for them to realize he knew they were there, wishing that he’d had the foresight to bring a jacket. He’d forgotten how cold it could get outside, and while a flannel shirt offered some protection, he still wanted to shiver.

Still, it had been exhilarating to fly through the air like that. At first, the wind resistance was a big problem, until he willed a cigar-shaped force field around him; that made travel not only more comfortable but also much faster. He had quickly learned the difference between ability and experience, as well, when he almost pissed himself upon breaking the sound barrier. He had had to stop for a bit until his hands stopped shaking. After all, he didn’t want to give these visitors the wrong impression. One of these days I’m going to look back on this and keel over laughing, I just know it. But not today.

He was starting to get irritated at how long they were making him stand out in the cold, and was actually considering taking steps, when a door opened in the middle of the air. He could see the woman’s face inside, right behind some guy. A quick look at the guy’s mind told him this was the captain, and he was very curious as to how Eric knew the ship was there. Eric smiled reassuringly (or what he hoped was reassuringly—his face stiff with cold) and stepped inside.

He greeted the captain first, because he heard that’s what you did in the Navy, asking to come aboard and all that. “Captain Shiloh,” he smiled, extending his hand. The man looked at his hand like it was a live viper. Blinking, Eric realized that must not be a custom among them. He withdrew his hand and simply nodded to the woman.

“Kurana Mitonir SeliGarde. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Is something wrong?” he asked in concern as she gasped. Eric frowned. Somehow, things were not going as he thought they would.

I can’t deal with too many more of these shocks, Kurana thought. Here was the man in her vision, and not only did he recognize her, he knew her name. His language was unfamiliar, but there had been no mistaking her name, or Shiloh’s. What is going on here? Is he an Oracle? Oracles had been proven possible, but they required a very specific combination of genomes, and it still required Essence. Still, he had to be addressed. He had greeted her, and needed to be greeted in return.

“I’m sorry, milord. I do not know your name.” She spoke as clearly as she could, but had no hope of him understanding her. He frowned again, clearly realizing for the first time that they did not speak the same language. Strangely, it did not seem to concern him overmuch.

He turned his gaze to Shiloh. Shiloh opened his arms expressively, indicating his helplessness, but the man, oblivious to Shiloh’s discomfort, ignored the gesture and continued to stare. After a few seconds, it became obvious that Shiloh was embarrassed at the strange highborn’s scrutiny, but even that didn’t seem to faze the man.

Abruptly, the man blinked and turned back towards the Kurana. “Do you understand me now?” he asked in perfect Imperial Dialect. Well, almost perfect—his accent was tinged with exactly the same inflections as Shiloh’s.

“By all that’s holy, man—what do you do for an encore?” Shiloh gasped in something akin to horror. He angrily turned back towards Kurana. “You never told me you highborns can suck the vocabulary right out of a man’s head!”

“Be silent!” Kurana hissed furiously. Her mind was suddenly flooded at the possibilities that this man had shown her. Shiloh’s reaction, while understandable, could be disastrous. She couldn’t afford to estrange this extraordinary man now. Turning, she beckoned him through the door. “I didn’t get your name, milord.”

The man blinked as he followed her and Shiloh into the ship. Shiloh closed the door behind them and all three began walking down the metallic corridor. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you knew it. I’m Eric. Eric Janis, that is. I felt you land a few hours ago and came as quickly as I could. I have some questions that I think you might be able to answer. If you will, that is.”

“If I know the answers, I will give them. But I would think that you would be able to get most of the answers yourself,” she said, nodding towards Shiloh. The man could obviously read minds—at least the minds of commoners. He still hadn’t indicated whether or not he could read her. She barely controlled a shudder at the thought. It would not do to show someone like him weakness.

Shiloh grimaced. It was obvious he didn’t like her drawing attention back to him. The man called Eric Janis laughed softly.

“His reaction is typical. Nobody wants to share their thoughts with a complete stranger. And who can blame them?” Kurana heard the note of bitterness in his voice disguised in light humor, and she felt a momentary surge of sympathy. What must it be like, to have everyone fear you? Difficult, at the least. Guiding the three of them, she decided the medical bay would be the best place to bring this prodigy—that way she could check his genomes.

“So you choose not to use that power?” She inquired, turning into another corridor.

“If I can avoid it. Sometimes people shout at me with their minds, and then I can’t even help it, but most of the time people are so involved in their own little worlds, I would actually have to try. I’ve never met anyone like you, though. It’s nice, you know, that shield you have around your thoughts. It gives me a feeling of normalcy.”

Perplexed, she turned to him. “Shield? And why would a shield around my mind give you a feeling of normalcy?” She was glad that he couldn’t read her thoughts, though.

“Oh, well, I just mean—” he laughed, a little sheepishly. “Maybe normalcy’s not the right word. More like, I know that you won’t expect me to read your thoughts. It means we actually have to talk to each other. You know, like normal people.” The hungry note in his voice triggered her sympathy again. This man was a fundamentally honest, decent being, but obviously miserable with the destiny his extraordinary abilities had brought him.

“I see.” Kurana kept her voice neutral as she led them into the medical bay. “I can understand why that should be a ... relief.” She shut the door as soon as he stepped inside. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a strand of your hair. I’m very curious how many of the genomes you have.”

“Genomes?” Curiosity spread over his face as he plucked a blond hair out of his head and handed it to her.

“For the Essence.” Quickly she placed it in the Genotyper and activated it.

“Essence?”

Kurana stared at him. “You don’t know what the Essence is?”

“Only in the sense that it’s the spirit of something. Something in its purest form.”

“Yes, that’s the right word, but to people like us it means something very specific—something very special. There are 614 genomes in the human body capable of supporting and using the Essence, and they can accomplish some extraordinary things. Only about two percent of the human population in the universe possess any of these genomes, and only about two percent of those have enough of them to be considered Lords or High Lords.”

“And these guys are like sorcerers or something?”

“ ... or something. For those of us who have the genomes to support it, the Essence can be a very powerful ally. High Lords usually end up governing planets and systems. If they support the Emperor, that is.”

“Sounds like the Force. You sure your name isn’t Leia?”

“What?”

“Never mind. So, how many people don’t support the Emperor? You’re one of those, aren’t you?”

Kurana cursed to herself. She hadn’t meant to say that much. Too late now. “Yes, I am. The Empire has become corrupt. Everyone suffers. The military has become especially brutal. Especially now, with—” Dammit, she was doing it again! Telling him about the coming Battle Group would not do! His undisguised honesty had a disarming effect on her. She had to be more careful.