All That Glitters Ch. 35

"I looked over at the Atohan and saw her begin to glow. The glow increased and I told her that she was glowing. Then she seemed to fade out and go unconscious. A few moments later, she stated speaking in the ancient Pod-Drran dialect. I called for Mind-Ur and was surprised at how fast she arrived.

"Mind-Ur began to translate what she was hearing. I did not want to believe what was being said, as the Atohan was apparently speaking to Poda-La. Junelliya's friends arrived and sat around her. Mind-Ur said that Junelliya was under attack and needed power. I was surprised to see the others begin to manifest power, though not as strong as Junelliya's to my eyes.

"Junelliya made her statement at the end and the light around her suddenly faded and her friends started to panic. That was when Mind-Ur panicked and asked the Atohan to stay with us, that we, the Pod-Drran needed her and her counsel.

"The people in the room reacted to that and began to cry, which upset my brood, and Ikekia. Junelliya reacted to the baby crying.

"I saw the glow start, first with the Chlaerge, then Junelliya, initially very faint but then getting stronger, faster. As the glow reached its peak, Ikekia began to glow as well, then Mind-Ur was asked what she saw and she replied that Ikekia and Junelliya's stomach was glowing. I had not noted that but Mind-Ur was correct.

"Someone said something that Mind-Ur reacted angrily to and I stepped in to confirm that what she described was what I saw as well, though I added the Chlaerge, who were glowing first.

"Junelliya came around and started to sooth the baby, then apparently fell asleep."

"Mind-Ur?" Fiona indicated the Pod-Drran.

"I was called to the conference room. I was on the Concours on India Deck and rushed to the room. I saw Junelliya on the floor with people around her. Most were manifesting power, though Junelliya's power was very bright compared to the others.

"Junelliya said 'I am no one you nor Poda-La need fear'. That surprised me as it appeared as if Junelliya was speaking directly to Poda-La and her people. This continued but we only had Junelliya's words, the other half of the conversation was missing.

"Then Junelliya made her proclamation, though it appeared more as if she was ticking of a list of things to do, as if she had been given a task to perform.

"The glow around Junelliya suddenly began to swiftly fade and someone said, 'We are losing her!" I panicked and told her that how much we, the Pod-Drran needed her, how much we valued her counsel, how much I valued her friendship.

"I heard weeping all around the hall, people were upset and that caused Ikekia to be upset. Junelliya reacted to the baby's cry and her friends noted this and placed the baby on Junelliya.

"The glow began to come back, slowly at first, then with more and more speed. When it was at it's peak, Ikekia glowed too, as well as Junelliya's stomach. Someone stated that it was impossible for the children to manifest. I got upset that they were calling me a liar for what you had asked me to tell you, Fiona.

"However, Sha-Ret confirmed what I had seen and also included the Chlaerge, which I had not seen," Mind-Ur finished.

"This was one of the most unusual session I have ever been in, Fiona," Vangeliya began. "When we manifest power, we can always feel the flow of that power. We can tell its origin point, and to where it goes.

"However, Junelliya was pushing out massive amounts of power that simply disappeared. We could not follow it to where it was going.

"Mind-Ur told us that Junelliya was under attack and needed power, so the Fellowship gave her our power. It too disappeared. It was as if it was being swallowed by a black hole.

"Mind-Ur was translating and made the proclamation at the end, when Junelliya began to quickly fade. This was not like anything that I had ever seen, either. She faded so fast and so completely, it was like she had lost the will to live and was just dying on us.

"I think I said, 'We're losing her,' and that upset Mind-Ur who begged her not to go. The Fellowship turned up our power but to no avail. People began to cry, then Ikekia began to cry. I could feel Junelliya's need as a mother when she heard the baby cry. Hanalei too could feel it through the link. She placed the crying baby on Junelliya, who came up from the deep to comfort the child.

"We could feel her power coming back. Mind-Ur said that the baby, and the baby bump were glowing, but that is impossible. It is something that just doesn't happen and I asked if she really did see that. Heyya said that openly.

"I think that Mind-Ur thought she was calling her a liar, however, Sha-Ret confirmed all that Mind-Ur saw.

"Fiona, power just does not disappear. I has to go somewhere. Babies do not react to power, especially not in the womb. However, we saw, and felt just those things today," Vangeliya finished.

"Didn't you say earlier that a person who will have a large amount of power will manifest early in their childhood?" Fiona asked.

"In their childhood, Fiona, and usually closer to puberty, not as a baby and certainly not in the womb. These events are unprecedented.

"Some of this is pretty evident," Fiona stated after a moments reflection. "Junelliya is saying that the Pod-Drran and the Maha-Rrin must come together again and that they must come into the Union, and into the Community of Sentients. We'll have to wait for her to wake before we can figure this out.

"But what is that about saving the Kumaraie, did she not just do that?" Fiona asked.

"Yes, but according to the Priestess we spoke with, I think she is fated to do that three times, Fiona," Mind-Ur reminded her.

"I remember," Fiona admitted. "What about her speech at the end, the things she said about the Light?"

"It appears she will be the one to identify the Light and prove to the people that she is the Light, her own words but she spoke them as if she had been given a task to perform," Mind-Ur replied.

"She said, 'You ask me to identify the Light and prove to the people that SHE is the Light'. That shows that the Light will be a female. Though how that reflects with everything else we heard today is unknown for now." Sha-Ret stated.

"We must wait for Junelliya to wake, but the longer she sleeps, the greater the risk. We do not know how long we have before the Kumaraie is attacked," Mind-Ur said. "Can we not get a message to the Kumaraie?"

"We could, if we had something definite, other that 'sorry Kumaraie but you are still at risk'. She already knows that," Fiona informed her.

"How long do you think she will sleep?" Mind-Ur asked.

"The last time, she slept for most of a day. If we wait for her, I do not think we will have time to deal with whatever she tells us," Sha-Ret said.

"Then, why don't we put things into place for when she awakes?" Fayad suggested. "We know there is a potential threat to the Kumaraie. We can put forces on alert to place at the Kumaraie's disposal, or at Junelliya's disposal when she awakes. Our ships can make the jump to the Pod-Drran home world in a single bound, so we can be there quickly.

"What of you, Sha-Ret, Kur-Han, will you place yourselves and your Jurte-Rai/Ro at the Kumaraie's disposal and come to the palace with us if Junelliya says we are needed?" Fayad asked.

"All that I have is at the Kumaraie's hand, Fayad. If she is replaced, I will be too. I would not hesitate a moment to extend my help for her, first out of loyalty, and second from the respect I have of her from what has transpired of late," Sha-Ret answered.

"Then we need to send a signal to the Fleet Shem and tell them to prepare for combat in defence of the Kumar-Pair. You have thousands available to you, do you have the numbers you trust?" Raymond asked.

"Yes. There are those who will rise to the order to assist the Kumaraie. I can count on many, but we need transportation to get them to the palace, Raymond," Sha-Ret reminded him.

"Transportation we can provide, but only to those you trust. We will not put our people at risk," Raymond stated.

"We can provide 100 marines from each of the ships we send to assist us. Those ships are not as large as The Wanderer, but they will support many hundred Pod-Drran for the short trip to the home world.

"With our people, and yours, we should have the means to fight our way from the shuttle port to the palace and into the Great Hall if needed. Though I hope we can provide that support to the Kumar-Pair before it gets to that point and act more of a preventative measure than one that leads to combat," Raymond finished.

"Sha-Ret, we will send a message from you to the Fleet Shem to request two hundred Pod-Drran for six ships, including The Wanderer, with our Marine compliment, that will give us 1,800 combatants to assist the Kumaraie if needed. Let's hope that they won't need to actually fight," Fiona said.

"Charles, Michelle, I need some way to get this back to UDC HQ and start to light a fire under the asses of the powers that be. As long as we put off accreditation to the Pod-Drran, we run the risk of loosing the Kumar-Pair and going to war against the Pod-Drran. We can no longer wait on the plodding pace of the TGA, this has become an urgent matter that must be dealt with immediately," Fiona snarled.

Both diplomats nodded to Fiona.

"Charles, we will need you on The Wanderer when and if we go in support of the Kumar-Pair. You will be working double time on this one," Fiona stated.

"Fayad, I want to know immediately when Junelliya wakes, your place is by her side for the next day or however long it takes for that to occur.

"You have your orders, lets get to it, people," Fiona ordered.

************

The two Toolend were waiting quietly for Fiona to return. But that was a façade. The Toolend were telepathic and could speak to each other over great distances, though the distance from Liramor-23 to the old Djinaëte station was taxing their limits.

They had shared what they had seen in the mind of Junelliya during the incident. There was no question that she was speaking with another, or others. They were still trying to make sense of all that.

Mayute came to the small office her people were in. There were two guards there.

"Are my people under arrest?" Mayute asked of the guards.

"No, Ambassador, however, Ms. Marsh has asked that they not leave the area until she has had a chance to speak with them," the more senior of the pair told her.

"Do we know when that will be?" Mayute asked.

"I cannot say, Ambassador. However, Ms. Marsh is aware of the needs of all on the station, and will not waste their time without warrant," he replied.

"May I enter?" she asked.

"Might as well let her," the other stated. "The Toolend are telepathic and she probably already knows all that transpired."

These guards are sharp. Mayute thought. That is unusual. Guards do not tend to be so intelligent.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Marsh. You came at an opportune time, ma'am. The Toolend ambassador is asking to see her people," the senior guard stated, politely putting the incident into Fiona's more capable hands.

"Thank-you, you may be dismissed back to your regular routines," Fiona told the guard, who snapped salutes and promptly left.

Fiona turned a glare on Mayute. "While I am aware that you are acting 'for the good of your people' I am acting for the good of ALL on this station, not just my people but your people as well, Ambassador. I would appreciate the next time you have an issue with your people that you come through me before you act on your own. Shall we enter?" Fiona suggested, not giving Mayute time to formulate an apology for her behaviour.

Fiona, with a mollified Mayute following, stepped into the room and were greeted with the ceremonial arm flicker that Fiona was beginning to understand as more than a general greeting. That meant that the greeting was for Mayute, or for herself, both of whom were senior personnel on the platform.

"I am Fiona Marsh, Director of Operations on Liramor-23. I was at the event earlier. I understand that you were there to learn about human pregnancies and the actions that might be taken by the medical staff?" she asked of the two.

"Ms. Marsh, I am Tougrate, a senior medical staff, what you might call, a doctor," the Toolend stated. "This is my compatriot, Malnad, what you might refer to as a senior nurse by way of reference."

"Thank-you for that explanation, Tougrate. In an emergency, is it permissible for the medical staff responding to touch the mind of the injured?" Fiona asked.

^Erht is sharp!^ Tougrate said telepathically to Mayute.

^SHE is the leader of this platform; such positions are rarely given to imbeciles.^ Mayute returned. ^Respond honestly,^ she ordered of the pair.

"It is permissible, Ms. Marsh," Tougrate replied. "We looked into the mind of the afflicted and saw something we did not understand. She was speaking to another person but she was not speaking in her native tongue, nor in standard, nor in French? She speaks these languages easily, but the language she was speaking was not a language she normally used, though she used it with the facility of one long practiced with it."

"Mind-Ur, the matriarch of the House of Ur, indicated that she was speaking an ancient dialect of the Pod-Drran language," Malnad chimed in. "However, when we touched Mind-Ur's mind, we found she was astonished at how fluent Junelliya was with the old tongue."

"It surprised us that she would think like this," Tougrate took over again. "Most people who speak another language mentally translate the language in their minds, it takes many years of practice in a new language before a person will think unilaterally in the new language. In Junelliya's case, she was actually thinking in this language as one born to it."

"That seems to have bothered Mind-Ur quite a bit," Malnad returned.

"Why?" Fiona asked.

"She was basically admitting that Junelliya was more proficient in the old language than she, a Pod-Drran, was," Tougrate answered. "In her mind, there are only two ways this can be accomplished, by lots and lots of practice, or by divine gift. She believes that Junelliya has received a gift from 'The Goddess'."

"Mind-Ur believes that Junelliya spoke to the Goddess," Fiona asked.

"Mind-Ur said Junelliya called her 'Poda-La', does that make sense?" Malnad asked.

"The ancient name of the Goddess," Fiona explained. "If Mind-Ur believes that Junelliya was indeed speaking to the Goddess, that would be significant.

"What did you sense in Junelliya?" Fiona asked.

"That is the thing," Malnad responded, "we could sense that she was speaking to another, or others, however, we could not understand what was being said. The only reason we know what Junelliya said, was because of the ongoing translation by Mind-Ur, we could not make sense of Junelliya's mental activity and that is very rare for a Toolend."

"Are you able to touch Junelliya otherwise?" Fiona asked.

"Yes, I was speaking with her at the Byandi party," Mayute said. "I was able to touch her mind and make sense of it at that time. But from what Tougrate and Malnad have shared with our community, this is an exceptional event for us. This is something that only occurs when a person is capable of blocking us and deliberately does so. In Junelliya's case, she should not have been capable of blocking our touch as she was in medical distress and, for all intents and purposes, unconscious.

"Yet, they were blocked and at the same time they were not," Mayute finished.

"Explain," Fiona demanded.

"We could touch her mind, make sense of much of the way it was working. We simply could not understand the language she was using. Normally, we are able to superficially touch a person's mind and get a clear indication of what they are saying or thinking, their surface thoughts in effect. In this case, we simply could not understand what was being said, even though her mind was functionally open," Malnar told her.

"So what do you make of this event?" Fiona asked.

"We were hoping that you could answer that question for us, Ms. Marsh," Mayute answered honestly.

Fiona thought for a moment.

"If things go to pattern, Junelliya will sleep for the better part of a day or so. I would like to have your two medical staff with me when I speak with her tomorrow, or whenever she wakes. Can you make them available?" Fiona asked.

"To understand this event, most certainly," Mayute answered emphatically.

Piscium Family Quarters, Hotel Deck, Liramor-23, Piscium System

Junelliya woke when the baby kicked. The first thing she noted was the two Cats purring in a duet, one in each ear, and the third laying on her chest. The baby kicked again and the Cats suddenly woke, sending out Kit Keening sounds to the unborn.

"Good morning," Junelliya greeted the Cats who in turn sent out greeting calls of their own to her.

"Well, someone is finally awake," Hanalei said from the doorway. She was holding Ikekia in her arms and Junelliya stretched out her arms for the baby. The two sat on the bed and played with Ikekia, Hanalei sending treats into the air for the Cats to get while Ikekia gurgled with glee at seeing them flying about.

"That is such a pleasant sight to see," Fayad said from the door, pride in his family showing on his face. "You seem better?"

Junelliya wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, but she nodded her head.

"Like last time, all I needed was a little sleep," Junelliya told him.

"It's 15:00 the next day, Junelliya," Fayad told her with a smile. "There are a lot of people waiting, worried about you and what they heard you say. Mind-Ur had to translate as you were speaking in the old Pod-Drran tongue. But we looked at all the recordings and were able to get some of what you went through. They will want to talk with you as soon as you can be up to that."

"The sooner the better, we have to act quickly, Fayad," Junelliya told him.

"We anticipated that, we have already organised a combat force of Marines and Pod-Drran from the Fleet Shem. We have not been idle while you rested," he said with a smile.

Junelliya slipped out of bed and stretched, her naked body showing her advanced stage of pregnancy.

"I will need to take a quick shower and put some clothes on before we speak to anyone. I'm also hungry," she stated.

"We'll let you get showered and dressed before we let anyone in," Fayad said.

"Yes, but the Byandi won't mind seeing her like this," Hanalei laughed, getting Junelliya back for the quip she had made a few days earlier when Junelliya had surprised her with their presence in their home.

"You won't forgive me for that will you?" Junelliya teased in return. She headed for the shower while Fayad and Hanalei worked to get something to eat.

Not long after, she was sitting at the table eating when the door chimed.

"Come," Fayad said, already knowing who it would be.

Fiona, Malteyea, Heyya, Silliya, Raymond Clark, Liea Samson, Kim, Gillaya, Vangeliya, Mind-Ur, three Toolend, Sha-Ret, Kur-Han, and a Jurte-Rai and Jurte-Ro entered.

"Oh, where is the brood?" Junelliya asked, disappointed at not seeing them.

"Told you so, pay up," Kur-Han said to his mate, holding out his hand. Sha-Ret smiled as she placed a bag of money in his hand.

"You look pretty happy for one who has obviously lost some serious money, Sha-Ret," Junelliya told her.

"Yes, but he will likely spend it on me or our brood, so it's not so bad to lose to my mate," Sha-Ret said with a happy grin.

Junelliya returned the smile and looked to the three Toolend an the two Jurte-Rai/Ro.

"You are Shel-Tre Jurte-Rai and you are Kal-Han Jurte-Ro," Junelliya said. "No, we have not met before."