All That Glitters Ch. 49

Then, the image of her mother simply disappeared. She remembered a blinding flash of light and heat. The bus tumbling over and over.

When she woke, her best friend was laying beside her. Her eyes were open but there was no life in them. She was dead.

Alya tried to move, but everything hurt. She was pinned in place between two seats. She couldn't figure out how she had gotten there. People around here were screaming in pain or crying pitifully.

Alya kept falling in and out of consciousness. She remembered it was dark and couldn't figure out how it was dark when it had been bright daylight. Then the sun was peeking up over the horizon.

Alya remembered the colour of the air. It was like nothing that she had ever seen before. It was all reds and browns but it was as if someone had placed a piece of lace over everything, the colours were distorted.

She remembered waking up and being thirsty. There was nothing to drink and no one to help her. Everyone else had gone silent. Those that could had left the bus and were sheltering under the broken shell. Those that couldn't were dying within that shell, Alya included.

Then there was pain. Shocking pain. People were talking to her, trying to get her to tell them her name, trying to get her to respond to them but Alya was beyond response. She felt something at her neck and then there was darkness.

The next time that she woke, she was in a hospital room. She was in a full body cast that extended to both her arms and hands and one of her legs. The other leg had the shunt for medicines pushed into it.

She was in an open ward with many other people who had been injured in the event. She could hear them crying out for lost loved ones, crying out for explanations that nobody could give them.

The recriminations began then. How could this have happened? New Anglia was a neutral world, yet it had been struck by the Confederation. Alya learned that six of the largest cities on the planet had been completely destroyed. Half the population was now dead, the other half was dispersed around the globe in case another such attempt was planned. No one wanted to live in a city.

But for Alya, it all meant nothing. The image that kept repeating in her mind was that of her strong mother breaking down in heartbreaking sobs as she contemplated her death, and then nothing. Her mother simply disappeared.

Alya found herself looking into the eyes of one of the Toolend. Tougrate she knew. How she knew she couldn't say. That made the other one Malnad.

"That is your trigger," Malnad said. "The image of the woman who you relied on the most, falling apart because of what was happening. That is what is causing your nightmares, triggering your memories.

"Every time you see a situation that reminds you of your mother's strength, you see her failure at the last moment of her life. The fear in her eyes as death came for her. The fear that you too might not survive.

"Such a memory would upset anyone. Even the Toolend would be prone to such under the circumstances of your mother's death. But you had to witness it as you fled away from the scene. Your mother calling out frantically to you, telling you to get away and live.

"Now that we know what the trigger is, we can do something with it. If you wish, we can close this image from your mind. You would never see it again. We can leave you with the thought of your mother's immense strength of will, her perseverance, her kindness to you and your family," Malnad finished.

"You could do that?" Alya asked. "You could take away that awful memory? Leave me with another?"

"No. We would not leave you with another," Tougrate stated. "We would leave you with the good memories of your mother, your family. We would only take away the final memory that has haunted you for so long. The one that is triggering your nightmares, your PTSD. If that is what you want."

Tears fell freely down Alya's face.

"I would do anything to finally lose that memory. I never want to see my mother like that again," Alya said with conviction.

The two Toolend extended their tentacles to her again and something flashed in her mind. She saw her mother again, strong, beautiful, fun loving. She saw her family again, laughing and doing silly things. Her father, giving her hugs.

She suddenly found herself back in the clinic, being held tightly by her two friends, Joyce and Raymond. She had a headache. She closed her eyes because of it and slowly faded into a dreamless sleep.

"We will keep her here until tomorrow just to be sure there are no other effects but the headache," Dr. Maya told them. "The both of you are welcome at any time. If she wakes and asks for you, we will contact you immediately."

Raymond reached out to the two Toolend, who each extended a tentacle to him. They had helped him after what he had been through in the hellish prison on Planet Adenomere. Now they had helped his new friend.

"Thank-you, both of you," Raymond said with passion.

"I have no idea how to thank-you," Joyce told them. "If you have helped her get by these memories, that would be a miracle. She has suffered for so long with them. I had despaired that she would finally end things for herself because of these constant nightmares.

"Despite everything, she is such a good person. She deserves to get her life back," Joyce finished, getting a nod of understanding from Dr. Maya.

Day Six of the Second Denders Summit, Denders Resort, Terra, The Sol System

At 06:00 hours in the Plaza del Sol, the central square of Denders Resort, a strange group of people met. They were members of almost all of the Greater Community. Only the Djinaëte were missing. Even odder, they were led by a diminutive Asian woman wearing three swords.

"Good morning, Miss Sunshine," Kim greeted the newest member of the group, a young and clearly tired Guinevere Soulange.

"Ugh...you are so disgustingly cheerful for this time of day," Guinevere replied, getting laughter from those around the plaza.

"I do apologize, young lady, however, you will have to get used to my cheerfulness. By the end of this session, you will be hanging on to the cheer in my voice as your body falls apart." That got laughter from the group.

Kim began to lead them in a set of calisthenics designed to loosen up the muscles of all the sentients in the square. After fifteen minutes, she pulled the humans aside and began to lead them in human specific exercises while those of other races who she had delegated as her instructors ran the same for their own people. A dozen different races were going through a rigorous workout before the main event.

Kim began to instruct the class in the use of various handheld weapons, such as extending rods and fake knives. After a time, she pulled Guinevere aside and began to show her the first few Katas in the exercise programs she used for self defence using combat sticks.

She initially ran through the maneuvers slowly, gradually speeding them up until Guinevere was hard pressed to keep up, then slowed it down a little. Kim had another of her group take her place with Guinevere as she went around to check on the progress of the other attendees. By the time she came back to Guinevere, it was time to do the warm down and relaxation exercises.

By 07:30, the session had ended, all but one giving a cheer at the end. A smiling Kim approached that one...

"Sore?" she asked.

"You don't know the half of it," Guinevere complained.

"You are right, I do not. I have been doing this all of my life and know no other way of greeting the day. To the uninitiated, it can be difficult, even traumatizing. But it gets better as you go along. Your muscles will be sore today. Take these," Kim handed Guinevere a small bag of pills. "Take two now and two more in eight hours. They will help with the aches and pains.

"Go get a hot shower and, once the pills kick in, try to get some time in one of the resort's hot tubs. That will help as well. Whatever you do, don't go back to bed. Your muscles will stiffen up if you relax too much.

"Be back here tomorrow for another session. You can take the day off on Saturday, but you will be back here on Sunday. If you take too long a break from your daily exercises, you will wind up being too stiff the next time you do them.

"These exercises that you are being taught should become part of your daily routine. Once they do, you will find that they will get much easier to do. Unless your mean instructors push you a little harder as you develop," Kim smiled as she said that.

"Oh, you wouldn't!" But Guinevere could already see that Kim would indeed.

Damn, she thought.

Medical Clinic, Denders Resort, Terra, The Sol System

Alya woke from a deep sleep and realized that she was not in her room. Then she remembered the events of yesterday afternoon. She looked around and was not surprised to see that she was in a hospital room.

She saw the switch at her left hand and pressed it. Almost immediately a nurse came into the room. From her hair and skin tones, Alya suspected that this nurse was from Hollander's World.

"Good morning Alya, I am Nurse Katanya. How do you feel this morning?" the nurse asked.

Alya took a moment to check herself before answering the question. "I have not felt so rested in a very long time," she admitted.

"Are you hungry?" Katanya asked.

"Yes. Will I eat here or will I be allowed to go to the cafeteria?" Alya asked." That got a smile from Katanya.

"Until you are released by the doctor, you will be eating here," Katanya replied. "However, I can call Raymond and your friend Joyce and let them know you are awake. They can join you for breakfast if you would like?"

That brought a smile to Alya's face and a return smile from Katanya. "I'll let them know you want company," she told her as she raised the head of the bed. "Be good and stay in bed until the doctor comes round, please."

"OK, as long as I don't have to go pee," Alya told her, getting a giggle from Katanya.

"OK, I'll allow you out of bed to use the facilities, then right back into bed. Do you want me to stay here until you get back into bed?"

"No, I think I will be all right. I don't feel dizzy or anything," Alya told her.

Katanya lowered the railing and Alya slid her feet over the edge of the bed, sitting upright. She checked herself and didn't find any dizziness, so jumped down out of bed. She smiled at Katanya, who directed her to the door to the ensuite. A few minutes later, she was back in bed, eagerly waiting for breakfast.

Raymond and Joyce came in with breakfast, so Katanya set up a table for them. The three chatted quietly until Dr. Maya arrived.

"Good morning, Alya. I am glad to see you so cheerful today," Maya commented. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better than I have in awhile," Alya admitted.

"I would like my friends to come back and take another look at your mind, if you will allow it?" Dr. Maya asked.

"And what if I do not?" Alya inquired.

"Then you will remain under observation for forty-eight hours until we are certain that there are no ill effects from the Toolend intervention," Maya told her. "I am not trying to force you to allow the Toolend to look at you, Alya, however, with them we can get an answer as to your state of mind much faster than with traditional methods.

"I will leave it up to you what you want to do. You know now that the Toolend will not hurt you but it can be a little intimidating to have them in your mind," Maya conceded.

"I want to get out of here today, if you don't mind, so I will allow them to peek around in there," Alya stated, getting a giggle from Katanya.

"At least she has a good sense of humour," Katanya said from the foot of the bed.

The Toolend came in a half hour later.

"Good morning, Alya. I hope that you had a pleasant nights sleep?" Malnad asked.

Once again, Alya didn't know how she knew that it was Malnad who asked. "I did, Malnad, thank-you for asking. Dr. Maya says that if you poke around in my mind that I can get out of here much faster."

"If we find no ill effects from our intrusion yesterday, then that will be true," Tougrate told her. "We do not anticipate finding such, but it is prudent to confirm that."

Alya nodded and gave them permission to explore her mind. As had happened yesterday, the two Toolend each touched her head with one of their tentacles while Dr. Maya touched a tentacle offered by Malnad. Alya could now feel all three of them in her mind though she couldn't identify exactly what they were doing.

They withdrew from her mind much faster than she had anticipated and the surprise showed on her face.

"You will be happy to know that the trigger for your PTSD has now been blocked. That does not mean that it cannot come back, just that you now have more control over how you perceive things.

"You will be able to sleep much better, which will be a health benefit for you.

"You should seek out professional help for the situation that you found yourself in as there are other potential triggers there. But I believe that you will now have a much easier time with your life." Tougrate told her.

"I will leave it up to you, Dr. Maya, if you want to release her today or not," Tougrate stated. "There are things she still needs to deal with but those can now be dealt with under normal psychological procedures."

"Very well then, I will allow you to leave the clinic. You will need to retain the services of a good psychologist to help you with the other facets of your PTSD but you will not need further intervention from the Toolend," Dr. Maya explained. "If you can, it would be best if you can do some kind of group therapy session. For you, it will provide the best results."

Alya looked at the people in the room and suddenly started crying. Joyce and Raymond sat on the bed with her and hugged her until she got it all out.

"I don't know how to thank you, Tougrate, Malnad, Dr. Maya. These memories have been destroying my life for over twenty years. If I can start living my life on my own terms, that would be something that I could not have even dreamed of yesterday," Alya told them.

"It's what they pay us for, Alya," Dr. Maya told her. "I have to admit though, it sure feels good when we get it right."

Gold Conference Room, Denders Resort, Terra, The Sol System

"Good morning all," Sylvie Trian greeted the usual group at the daily briefing in the Gold Conference Room.

"Today, we have the South American dancers and singers in the theatre this afternoon and evening at 14:00 and 19:00 hours.

"The shuttles for sightseeing and shopping will be leaving at 09:00. See the list of cities that are scheduled for visiting and shopping. Once again, please make sure to get on the correct shuttle.

"For most of us in this group of luminaries, our day will be spent at the capital. I have confirmed that all of your aides have the list of departure times from the resort and from the shuttle port at the capital. Most of us will be boarding shuttles between 08:00 and 08:30 hours. Please make sure to maintain the schedule, as you will back everything up if you do not. Juanita..."

"Thank-you, Sylvie. This morning, starting at 09:00, the President will hold an official Meet and Greet at the Presidential Media Center. At 10:00 hours, he will introduce and acknowledge the Maha-Rrin, their leader the Pemipinae and their unofficial ambassadorial staff at Liramor-23.

During the rest of the day, he will ask the leaders of the member races to introduce the consular teams that will be working at the Johal Compound to the media. That will also include the human staff at the compound so there will be twelve races in total to introduce their staff. It will be a long day for all of us so pace yourselves accordingly.

"After each of the introductions, the media will probably have a lot of questions for the leadership and the Consular staff, try to be patient with them as most do not have much experience dealing with other member races.

"If you have any issues with the media representatives, ask the Presidential staff, who will be ever present. Your Ambassadorial staff from the Interspecies Embassies have experience with the local media and can assist you in dealing with them.

"The President has invited all of the ambassadors from the Union planets, and the ambassador from the Alliance of Planets, to attend the meet and greet along with their families. You, too, are encouraged to bring those family members who are here with you, regardless of age.

"Takebayashi Urano, who some of you will remember from last year, will be present with a few members of the daycare staff to assist if the little ones need a nap or some time out from the ongoing event.

"Tomorrow, starting at 09:00, we will have the opening of the Johal Compound beginning with the rededication of the Temple of Andanii. The Grand Opening of the Compound will be conducted at 10:00 hours. Hanalei..."

"Thank-you Juanita. As stated, the rededication of the Temple of Andanii will be conducted at 09:00. It should take around thirty minutes. While this is a religious ceremony, guests and viewers will be welcome. Please be considerate to those who will be attending for the religious aspect of this ceremony. Those who wish to can see the temple after the ceremony. It will be open to the public all day.

"Our media representative, Cynthia Stewart, has organized some cameras and monitors so that all those who are unable to get inside the temple for the ceremony, can still witness it.

"The Grand Opening of the Johal Compound will start at 10:00 hours. The Grand Opening will be a simple ceremony. There will be two speeches made, one by me and one by the President of the Union as the Consulate is on a Union planet.

"Ji'en Nahdi, the compounds manager, will provide each of the leaders and myself with cutting tools made specifically for our anatomy and we will cut the ribbon simultaneously.

"The Consular staff will then lead us into the Office Annex, showing off their offices. Only the leaders of the member races will be permitted to enter the living area of the compound tomorrow.

"The living quarters have enough rooms for your consular staff and for visiting dignitaries to Terra. You may want to see these extra rooms for yourselves as you may be staying at the compound in future.

"Please do not enter the living areas of the other member races unless you are invited. They will be spending time with their leaders and may not want to be disturbed as they do so. I do encourage you to invite the other leaders for quick peeks of your own spaces. You can choose to show off the unoccupied quarters for the dignitaries if you do not wish to have people in the currently occupied private spaces.

"The general public will be allowed into the Office Annex in the afternoon, or whenever the leadership of the member races has finished their tour. They will not be allowed into the living quarters.

"Starting Monday, the general public will be allowed into the Office Annex by appointment. I suspect that the greater majority of your dealings with Union citizens will be through the internet. However, there will be a share of people coming to the Annex.

"Your consulars will be there to help the citizens of the Union, and other member races, in the complexities of dealing with your respective governments many tax, business, shipping, and customs laws.

"After the summit, Juanita Invierno and her staff will take up residence in the Compound. She will be the Union representative for inquiries from your people. She and her staff will likely be dealing with your consular staff inquiries from your own people.

"Juanita will answer directly to Assistant Minister Peter Williams of the UDC. His boss is the Foreign Minister, Charles Ronter. Ergo, your consulate will have a lot of influence in the UDC, and the Terran Union Government Authority, referred to as the TGA. Sylvie..."