Duty, Honour, Love

Karasena stared at Dareia open mouthed as she finished her report. She wasn’t sure what to think.

“Why don’t you tell me where you thought to take Jane with you to White Mountain was a good idea?” Karasena demanded.

“I didn’t want to disrupt your plans.” She knew exactly what Karasena had done and how she felt guilty about doing it. Mark wasn’t like Karasena’s former commander out to get what he could grab. Mark genuinely loved Karasena and she loved him just as much. “It’s about time you thought of yourself for a change. You might not get this moment again?”

Karasena tried hard to ignore Dareia’s words but she was right. “Ok I get that but you should have told me the instant you knew? I am your commanding officer.”

“You did leave me in command.”

Karasena conceded the point. It was hard to argue with a tepe that knew your every thought and was ready with the answers. “That I did.”

“So I made a command decision. I decided not to involve you or Mark which is why I took Jane.”

“You took Jane along, Jane who does not speak a word of Galactic. And you thought that was a good idea?”

“I am a tepe we also had Kathleen but it turned out I didn’t need Kathleen in the end.”

Karasena blinked unsure it appeared Dareia hadn’t given her a full report. “What do you mean by that?”

“Jane was a latent.”

Dareia’s statement took her by surprise. “Latent? Ancients she’s a tepe?”

“A Kinetic.”

“Kinetics are rare,” Karasena said. Even amongst the tepe community Kinetics were few and far between.

“I know that, I was the one that woke her telepathy.”

Karasena regarded Dareia unbelieving. “You did what, how?”

“She had as she calls it a panic attack and reached out with her mind. She didn’t even know how she did it.”

“I don’t understand,” Karasena said.

“Jane reached her crisis point.” Dareia grimaced. “Mine was near death on Hyren Shai. I was going to die my mind reached out calling for help. Sandra Locke answered.”

“How?”

“I was buried under rumble no one could have found me there. Well they would have recovered my body later.” Dareia shivered at the thought feeling Jane shiver along with her. That was the downside of the link the shared feelings. She was the dominant one of the link but they both could feel the other’s pain. “She tore the rumble apart with her own hands and pulled me out. She carried me to the evac shuttle even though she was wounded herself.” Dareia would ever be grateful for that she owed Sandra Locke big time.

That was the only part Karasena fully understood. “I get that, what about Jane?”

“Her crisis point woke hers. We were lucky that Kathleen had the foresight to dose us with Psycodrine. It calmed things down otherwise.” Again Dareia shivered, Jane copying her as if they were in the same room instead of kilometres away.

Karasena ran her hands down her hair. She lost her secret weapon it was useful while it lasted. “So everyone knows you are a tepe.” She’d have to deal with the fallout from that.

“Only Mark and the same few know,” Dareia answered reading Karasena’s thoughts from her mind. “Everyone at White Mountain thinks Jane is the mind reader.” Dareia hesitated she’d have to tell Karasena everything. “We’re linked.”

“Shit that’s dangerous!” Karasena blurted out.

“I know and Jane’s aware of the danger but that’s the whole of it we are linked and we can’t be separated.” Dareia paused knowing full well what Karasena going to say. “ Because of that I want her close so we’re moving in together.” Dareia had broached the subject with Jane but she was reluctant to give an answer.

“You can’t do that!” Karasena protested. “We don’t have the accommodation here. Ancients I can even bring Mark here and I’d like to. We are still at war with Terran Empire. The base wasn’t built to house families. You know how many requests I get every week about that. Requests I have to refuse. I can’t make any exceptions?”

“I never said the base I’m renting an apartment in Hawthorn. I knew staying here would be a problem that was before I read it in your mind. It’s the ideal solution. Janes needs to help Cloiytie plan our defences and I need to help train the militia. As the Human’s call it a win, win situation.”

“And Mark?” Karasena raised her last objection she knew it was hopeless trying to argue with a tepe.

“Jane will tell him.”

“Alright,” Karasena caved in. “I can’t argue any more with you especially when you can read my mind and counter my arguments.”

“Thank you,” Dareia said.

“I must remind you, you still have a duty to the Confederacy.”

“I know,” Dareia replied simply.

Karasena shook her head and walked away.

Jane glanced around the living room of the apartment unsure what say. Four doors surrounded the living room. Two on one wall, one on the other, an exit from the apartment on the wall behind her. Directly opposite was a small window with heavy metal shutters. The walls were painted in a floral pattern in those soft toned pastels the T’Arni seemed to love.

“Ok it’s colourful in a muted way,” Jane commented out aloud. She continued with her exploration. Opening a door she noted it was a bathroom with a toilet, sink and a bath. “Wow an actual bath!” she exclaimed. It was the only thing she’d missed from her former life.

Dareia smiled revelling in Jane’s happiness however short lived it was going to be.

Jane closed the door and stepped across to the door beside it. It was a bedroom with a comfortable double bed flanked by a closet on either side. There was even a dressing table with a mirror that doubled as a comms device. The T’Arni colour theme continued into the bedroom. On the bed was a pastel blue comforter and matching pillows. Jane closed the door and headed across to the door opposite. It opened to reveal a modern kitchen. In one corner was a breakfast nook with a very Human styled diner, seats in glaring red and chrome.

“This is very nice,” Jane said trying hard to find a way of hiding her disappointment. She had hoped for another bedroom but she wasn’t that lucky. She turned to Dareia. “So no second bedroom?”

“I know you don’t mind sharing the bed,” Dareia answered. It was her that might have the problem. She had only slept with male T’Arni sharing the same bed but with a Human that was a first for her.

For Jane it wasn’t the first time she’d shared a bed with another woman the last she’d done so was with the real Jane. The thought made her feel melancholy.

Dareia could feel her pain she placed her hand on Jane’s shoulder. “It will be ok.”

Jane reached up and patted Dareia’s hand the touch was the bit of calmness she wanted. “I get the right side of the bed,” she stated. “That all right with you?”

“Of course.”

“That was the easy bit,” Jane said with a sigh.

Dareia sensed Jane’s reluctance. Not about the bedroom arrangement it was because she thought she would be a burden. She wouldn’t be able to contribute to the household finances.

“I really don’t want to live on your charity,” Jane told Dareia reluctantly.

“Charity?” Dareia looked at Jane confused. “Oh that. We’re linked we are each other. Jane we are one and the same.” Dareia squared herself up to what she now felt for Jane. “You make me whole.”

“Thanks, she replied. Jane stared at Dareia their feelings as one. No more Human or T’Arni, just one mind.