All That Glitters Ch. 38

Vangeliya entered the apartment, seeing the surprised looks on the faces of the others, she paused, sending a mental query to the new person who she immediately recognized as a fellow GME. The other woman waved her off, still looking at Junelliya, as she finished her conversation with Gillaya, then signed off.

"What?" Junelliya asked, seeing the looks everyone was giving her.

"Junelliya, you opened the door," Heyya answered quietly.

"Of course I did!" Junelliya stammered, then realized where she was in relation to the door...

Office of the Council of Empaths, Hollander's Planet, Sullivan System, Sixty Light Years from Terra

Petronellaya was sitting in her office, speaking to Cnslr. Gallayea when she got an urgent message from Violletiya on Liramor-23. She opened the link immediately to see six of the empaths on Liramor-23, including all three GMEs and two Toolend waiting on her.

"What has happened?" Petronellaya demanded.

"Junelliya has exhibited another unusual trait," Vangeliya explained. "This time, she used telekinesis to open a door from three meters away."

Petronellaya was shocked into silence. "Who witnessed it?" she finally asked.

"Violletiya, the other members of her trine, Takebayashi Urano, the new Nanny, Heyya, the Byandi Nurse Meela, and two Toolend," Vangeliya answered. "I was just coming into the apartment and stopped dead in my tracks when my empathy said something was wrong. Everyone was looking at Junelliya. She hadn't even been aware she had done this until it was pointed out to her."

"Which two Toolend?" asked Petronellaya.

"Augraf and Mayute," Vangeliya replied. "They wanted to ask to be present at the next training session for Junelliya. I think I'm saying yes to that.

"By the way, it would have been nice to know we are getting another GME," Vangeliya finished.

"Sorry, I was not even aware of which of the bodyguards that Hanalei had chosen yet. I'm sure it is on the reports awaiting my review," Petronellaya returned. "I'm betting you were probably pleased to see her though, especially under the current circumstances.

"Augraf, Mayute, were you able to sense anything in this issue?" she asked of the Toolend.

"Nothing. It was as if she did this without even thinking about it, which I am sure is the case," Augraf answered. "She was talking to Gillaya, introducing her to Violletiya when she did this. It was like she just slapped the control with her hand, though it was with mental manipulation instead of her actual hand."

"So, it wasn't done consciously?" Petronellaya demanded.

"That would appear to be the case," Augraf agreed. "Is this something that has occurred with powerful empaths in the past?"

"There are recorded incidents throughout human history but not very much scientific data," Petronellaya told them. "The last such incident occurred just before the death of a very powerful empath who lost her ability to keep her mind together. She basically had a mental breakdown after the incident and collapsed into a coma that she never recovered from. That was ten years ago.

"Humans have enough of an issue with empathy. Add telepathy and now telekinesis and that puts a strain on our mental capabilities that we often cannot overcome," Petronellaya told them. "What of Junelliya's state of mind right now?"

"She appears to be just like she was after she advanced her abilities as an empath," Vangeliya informed her.

"I suggest you make a concerted effort to conduct a training session," Petronellaya ordered. "The more of you the better in this one. Also, make sure you have the scientists present, and as many of the Toolend as you deem prudent. We need answers as to her current mental state, specifically, does she have control over her mental capacities? Of her new abilities?

"What she is displaying is totally unprecedented in human history. To show one of these traits is not unusual. To show three of them is another step altogether.

"What of the Toolend? Do your people have this ability of telekinesis?" she demanded of the Toolend.

"It is very rare," the Toolend admitted. "Currently, of all the Toolend, there are less than a Pad full of those who can use this power. Their mental state is odd even for Toolend."

"Sorry? A Pad full?" Petronellaya asked.

"Our expression of a hand. We have no hand and refer to the structure that holds our tentacles together as the 'Pad'. So a Pad full is ten tentacles, like ten fingers, though from our viewpoint infinitely better," Mayute explained.

"I see, so less than ten Toolend out of the billions of Toolend have this capacity?" she inferred.

"Correct," Mayute confirmed.

"Would it be possible to ask one to come to Liramor-23?" Vangelia asked.

"We could ask, and will," Augraf agreed, "however, these Toolend are not very sociable. They might not agree to come, even if it is for one who shares their ability. They may simply refuse to come because it does not suit their current mood."

"I see. That is regrettable," Vangeliya replied.

"Make arrangements for the training session as soon as possible," Petronellaya ordered and closed the link.

Campus of Malton University Liramor-23, Mike Deck, The Piscium System

Junelliya was conducting a last session with her students. They were preparing to return to Pod Saar in the morning. They had worked for several days to do their own version of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor. It did not have the impact of the version that they heard in the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris but they enjoyed playing it together all the same.

The students and Junelliya were sitting as a group on the lecture stage with the student sitting area above being taken over completely by the workers of Liramor-23 and members of the Interspecies Embassies, who had come to hear the final concert of Junelliya's students. At the end of the performance, the students were given a rousing standing ovation.

Junelliya hugged each of the students and made them a gift of a new, better quality Luttrale for each and gave them their student instruments to train the future performers of the instrument.

The students were overwhelmed by the generosity of their instructor, not knowing how to respond to such a show of largess.

Junelliya would remain with her students for most of the night, she and the trine seeing them off the next morning at the VIP Reception area as they boarded the shuttle for the ship that would bring them home to Pod-Saar.

Junelliya felt a loss as the students left the reception area, little Ikekia upset but not knowing why, as the students walked out of her life. Six months had been devoted to them in their training of the Luttrale. They had become like family in that time. She would miss them and they her.

Conference Room, Military Control, Liramor-23, the Piscium System, 106 Light Years from Terra

The Anti-Slavery Task Force (ASTF) was in full swing after many of the principle members had taken a week off to attend the accreditation ceremonies on Terra. The task force was in the last stages of its planning phase, working hard to cover as many contingencies as possible for the upcoming raid on the Alliance of Free Planets and the rescue of Union Citizens illegally held as slaves on Alliance planets. Raymond was preparing to make the final pitch to the senior members of the Navy before sending out the requests for ships.

The Navy brass had said that they could make as many as 1384 ships available for the raid, giving the task force a planned force of 174 ships per planet, with 340 ships available to use against high priority targets. Once the had the OK from the brass, they would begin the second phase of the plan, the practice for the attack.

"FTL wavefront in the Military lane," came the announcement from Central Control.

"Central Control this is NS Ora Evanest, Lt. Ishanvi Mehrotra commanding. We have Navy VIP aboard and are asking for berthing on Liramor-23, over."

"Control, roger, you are authorized to berth in VIP Shuttle Bay 2, position one, over," Central Control responded.

"Evanest, roger, VIP Bay 2, slot one. We are twenty minutes from docking, Out."

"Alright, people," Fiona said to those in Military Control. "The brass are here for our presentation. Let's get this right. Cdr. Malteyea, can you meet and bring in the brass, please."

Malteyea acknowledged the request and went to the reception area to guide the senior people back to Military Control.

Forty minutes later, the brass were seated around the conference table, ready to hear the presentation. Included were: Adm. George Ramison, Chief of the Navy, Adm. Rolland Heist, Chief of Navy Intelligence, Adm. James Hannison, JAG of the Navy, and FAdm. Charles Thenton, Commander Sector Forty-Two, there as a courtesy as Liramor-23 was in his area of responsibility.

The group sat and listened for over two hours as the presentation was made, with very few questions being asked, then the senior staff broke for a private conference of their own.

"Raymond?" Capt. Amelia Tan, a senior strategist inquired.

"We won't know for sure until they return, Amelia, however, nobody objected to anything that we showed them during the brief," Raymond replied.

"They didn't ask very many questions, either," Cdr. Teal noted.

Forty minutes later, the senior officers came back into the main conference room.

"OK, people. That was a superb brief. I am going to bring this to the President with my recommendation that we go ahead," Adm. Ramison said to the ASTF members in the room, getting a cheer.

"If you are wondering why we did not ask a lot of questions during the brief, the answer is simple, your brief covered everything," the JAG told them. "This is a testament to your abilities as planners. As such, I think we are ready to make this happen.

"George, how soon can we get the ships together?" Adm Heist asked of the boss.

"We can have them all at the Punarjanm System inside of a week," Ramison replied. "All of the Sector Commanders were privately briefed that they would be required to surrender half of their anti-pirate patrols while they were at TUSN HQ for the annual Sector Commander's Convention. I only have to send out a signal to them for those ships to be released to the ASTF.

"Tomorrow, I am scheduled to have a private session with the President. At that time, I will inform him that the ASTF is ready to act. If he gives the go-ahead, I will send out the signal to order the ships to the Punarjanm System.

"Raymond, that signal will also confirm your authority to act. It will also again recall you to active service.

"Once you receive the message, you are responsible for moving the ASTF to the Punarjanm System and having the Commodore there take control of the vessels as they arrive.

"You will be happy to note that Pallanders-4 has been given the recipe of the material for the jump grids so they can apply it to new and upgraded ships. They will start to apply that to any new ships they build, including large ships.

"The first large ship that will receive a jump grid will be the NS Dewfall, which is now ready for trials. She will lose her vanes and have them replaced by the grid, she will also have modifications made to her FTL engine and receive new computers. That work has already begun and is expected to be completed next week.

"Once completed and tested, the Dewfall will become the flagship of the raid. Your commander for the raid will be Cmdre. Liana Dostier, who is the commander of record in the Punarjanm System. She will be the person who oversees the preparations in the run up to the raid using your plans.

"We do need an actual Navy Commodore in charge, Raymond, otherwise I would use you. However, you and Dostier have history, so I do not doubt that you will be effective together. Excellent work on these plans, Raymond, to you and your team.

"One last thing, Raymond, I am aware that you have had ICS antennae installed on The Wanderer, as well as on your four Valour Class vessels and on your two private yachts. As such, I will be insisting that those vessels be available for this action, as communications will play a key part as to what will be happening. We will not ask the Princess Class to do anything other than communications pickets.

"Fiona, you will also make available The Valour, for the same reason that I have demanded of Raymond, its comms capabilities. Yours was the original ICS system on a ship.

"I am also requiring you to give up five of your ships to this endeavour. That is above the request that will be sent to FAdm. Thenton for half of his anti-pirate ships. What ships you provide will be entirely up to you, however, I think that we will need the Fleet Tender Roger Dancer, it will be an invaluable asset with that many ships on the Punarjanm system.

"I am asking for these ships because your ships are already well-versed in working together and we will need that in this raid. I have asked the Sector Commanders to provide ships that have worked together for the same reason.

"Yes, for a month or so, that will put you down a few ships for the protection of this system, however, you are very experienced in protecting this system with a much smaller fleet.

"This system is swiftly becoming a Very High Value Asset to the Union. I promise that this will be the last time I put this system at risk by pulling ships from your defence force. However, this is a one time raid to get back as many of our people as we can," Ramison explained to all.

"As to that, sir, there may be a problem," Cdr. Teal interjected, getting a look from both Ramison and Heist. At a nod from Ramison, he continued.

"Sir, the numbers just don't add up. We know that New Hadria alone has a population just shy of two billion people, almost a billion of which are slaves. We only have the numbers from the Gordon family on Union citizens turned slaves. Originally, that was roughly 42,000, some 8,000 having died. However, going back over twenty years of records of lost or missing ships, the total number of Union citizen slaves could be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 500,000. Using the same percentage on the number of dead as from the Gordon family leaves us with the possibility of approximately 400,000 Union citizens that could be in Alliance hands.

"The Gordon family was a purveyor of slaves to the companies on New Hadria and more recently to the Adenomere family on Planet Adenomere and a few other select companies on the other Alliance worlds. We need more intelligence on the locations of other Union citizens on Alliance planets, sir," Teal finished.

"The numbers have been at the back of my mind for a while now," Adm. Ramison admitted. "You are correct, the numbers did seem to be too low. At least they gave us the ability to prepare for this raid.

"It matters not how many we rescue from the Alliance planets; we will use them as proof that the Alliance has knowingly lied about the whereabouts of our citizens. Once we have established the facts, we will use diplomacy and the threat of blockade or war to regain our other missing citizens.

"I cannot emphasize enough that this raid is a one time event. There will be no other raid. If any of our Citizens are left behind, we will have to use diplomacy to negotiate for their release. The threat of interdiction, blockade, will be a major factor in that diplomacy, as will the threat of war. There is another group that is currently working on that aspect of potential future missions at Navy HQ," Ramison finished.

"That was the ruse to keep Alliance spies away from Liramor-23," Adm. Heist interjected. "I think we have succeeded in that regard, as I do not believe that the Alliance has tweaked on to the ASTF to date. That will change once we begin the practice phase of the mission.

"For that reason, there will be no unauthorized communications from the Punarjanm system from any of the ships in the practice. All official Navy communications will go through Cmdre. Dostier, without exception. We will continue to use FTL probes for communications purposes so that we can scan messages, private or otherwise, for content. Any ship that breaks this rule, will have their crew arrested immediately until we can sort things out.

"Fayad, can we ask that Junelliya accompany you during this phase? If we need to ferret out any spies, she will be the perfect person to accomplish that," Heist asked.

"I will speak with her and Hanalei about that, sir. Please understand, Junelliya is a new mother and may not want to be away from our newest for so long," Fayad explained.

"Then bring the little one with you," Ramison said. "I'm sure that Raymond can make a place for you on The Wonderer for the time you are away," Ramison looked to Raymond, who gave him a nod. "That will allow you to keep your wives and your children with you."

"I'll put that to both of them, then. Once again, I will defer to my wives on this issue," Fayad stated. "I do not mind going alone, as I have been part of the ASTF from the start. Junelliya was of two minds as to whether to participate in the raid or not, especially since the birth of Zarrenia. However, if we go, it will be as an entire family," he finished, looking at Raymond, who again gave a single nod of confirmation.

"Right, you have your orders, stand-by for the signal after I have spoken with the President tomorrow. Once you receive that, things will develop swiftly," Ramison told them. "Fayad, if you could get an answer back to me on your situation before I leave later today, I would appreciate that. I would rather know beforehand if I do or do not have Junelliya in the line-up. That is all. Dismissed.

Piscium Family Quarters, India Deck, Liramor-23

Fayad came into the apartment as Hanalei was taking a call from Pallanders Shipyard.

"Damaged!!" she nearly screamed.

François Pallanders held up a restraining hand. "Beyond repair. There is nothing that can be done about recovering the ship except as scrap," he told them.

"What happened, M. Pallanders?" Fayad asked, having come into the conversation a little late. He gave Hanalei a hug to calm her down as they listened to the explanation.

"An inexperienced crane operator moved a crane before he had permission. There was a supply shuttle coming into the work bay, it clipped the moving crane and tumbled into The Trine, which was in final outfitting before being sent to you. The ship is a write-off," Pallanders explained. "Fortunately, there were no serious injuries."

"My ship!" Hanalei said, a look of sadness crossing her face.

"Will be replaced, in fact, the new Trine is already being built," Pallanders assured them. "The Trine was a new type of ship, but it was based on The Princess Class, as were The Valour Class and Sprawl Class. However, unlike The Valour and Sprawl Class ships, there was nothing to distinguish The Trine Class from the Princess Class ships.

"We decided to build a slightly bigger ship. The Trine Class will now be 10.5m in diameter vice the current 8.5m, and 32m in length vice the current 22, still within permissible limits for all shuttle ports.

"The extra girth will allow for taller deck heights of slightly more than 3.3m. This will give extra comfort for the taller members of the Interspecies Community," Pallanders said.

"The extra length will make for more comfortable spaces on the first and second deck and will provide for storage on the third deck, something lacking on the Princess Class," Pallanders finished.

"How long before she is ready?" Fayad asked.

"We have been working on her for a little over three weeks now," Pallanders stated. "The interior work will now have priority as we already know the colour scheme and the level of opulence that is required. The ship will be ready in a little over two weeks and then will spend a week on trials. Your ship is our priority, Mrs. Anar.