Chapter Seven

The gathering was almost complete.

Minds of all talents and ranks filed into the hall, taking positions around the huge table and sitting quietly. The only sounds were the creaking of chairs and the rustle of cloth as each Mind communicated with their thoughts, confused and somewhat bewildered by the Lordmind’s insistence that all should be present. A little while later they had all settled and sat patiently.

Lordmind Estoor was already sat in his place at the head of the table, sitting far back in his seat and slumped down, his face conveying a condition of deep thought. He chewed the inside of his mouth as he sorted through his mixed problems, and when he noticed the gathering was complete he stood.

As he opened his mind to project his opening speech, the far door to the room suddenly opened and Mothermind Loritacia entered, walking to an empty seat not far from the Lordmind. He watched her with interest, and then allowed his thoughts to flow.

“I do not remember inviting you to this meeting, Mothermind.”

The gathering looked at one another nervously, detecting the venom in the Lordmind’s thought. The Mothermind cast a lingering stare on her counterpart, her mouth slightly raised at the corners.

“From what I understand, Lordmind, from the undisguised thoughts I have felt floating around this moon, this meeting was of the utmost importance, and what affects this place affects me, also. I will not be kept from this meeting.”

Estoor nodded, “Then you shall be involved, Mothermind.”

With a slight nod of his head, the Mind sat next to him leaned forward and re-activated a cylinder on the table in front of him. The cylinder opened and the information unit patiently awaited instructions.

“My fellow Minds, I have asked for your presence to inform you of two things which could possibly affect the future of our order. First, the mystery of the deaths of our Minds those many days ago.”

The Lordmind then went into detail about what really happened to the Minds in the enhancers on the Mindmoon and Chinngard, the emergence of the child’s psychic pattern, the interruption of the unidentified signal. Basically he informed them of everything Chiefmind Vasquid had learned during his many hours of research.

In the few hours leading up to this lecture, Vasquid had learned of something else that had worried him. This new piece of information Estoor was about to disclose.

“My researcher on this project has found out something new recently about this strange signal that apparently killed our Minds.

“This signal was apparently a huge transmission of mental energy, it’s source we have theorised emanated from the dead star. Chiefmind Vasquid surmises, after much in-depth study, that the signal is not a single transmission, but a combination of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, all sweeping along space on the edge of the light pulsing from the star. This mental energy is what killed the Minds and may have affected the child somewhat.”

“What are you saying, Lordmind? That there was intelligent life within that star’s system, and they had the talent?” asked a Chiefmind far down the table. Estoor had to squint to make out his features.

“That is correct, Chiefmind Oriad.”

Although the air was quiet, the mental communications between the gathered Minds’s suddenly became electric. Opinions and views and ideas and theories, coupled with dismissals and haughty, sarcastic remarks. Estoor had to push his mental elbow out to grab their attention.

“My fellow Minds, it was almost an inevitability that there was some kind of life other than our own...”

“But our order has explored a third of this galaxy, and we have never found any evidence of other Minds with our kind of powers. It was almost a foregone conclusion that we were the only ones.”

Estoor looked at the younger Overmind sat opposite him with a smirk. “It is true that if an entire system contained Minds we would have known, but nevertheless, these calculations have given us the results you see before you.” With another nod to the Mind sat next to him, Estoor had the cylinder activated. It projected an image of the enhancer recording with evaluations and explanations peppered over it. The Minds looked on in fascination, which slowly turned to disbelief.

“The actual importance of this is now without doubt, but one problem still remains. The Familee child, the daughter of Baroness Julid Familee born to her as the transmission collided with our Mind’s communication. She has appeared on the enhancer recording, and apparently has been greatly affected by the collision. It appears, according to my information, she not only has some form of talent but she is also changing physically.”

Again the young Overmind leaned forward. “So why not obtain the child?”

“I have already placed that action in motion. With the help of the unintentionally accurate timing of the invasion of Chinngard by Janos, I have managed to use the information regarding the murder of the Prime Lord’s daughter to blackmail the Baron Janos into helping me find the child with use of his rather expansive network of spies and informants. I also enlisted the help of the Prime Lord, but his reasons for finding the child are more in keeping with a concerned grandfather than a worried leader.”

There were murmurs of assent throughout the Minds, but what the Lordmind did not see was the look of horror on the face of Mothermind Loritacia.

She was in shock, amazed at what she was hearing. The Familee members murdered? Estoor using this as a blackmailing tool? The child considered as a piece of scientific flesh?

What had become of the order she had so dearly loved, the one that had raised its followers to believe in the order, to trust and help the order, to combine their knowledge for the future of the whole race? She knew that the Lordmind was a ruthless and calculating man, and maybe she shouldn’t be so naive as not to expect him to do this. What would happen if the Prime Lord learned of his involvement with Janos, his real aims for the child?

“It is the Prime Lord which brings me into my next subject.” Even through telepathic communication, the other Minds could feel the tension in Estoor. The Mothermind leaned forward, almost second-guessing what the next thing would be.

“It appears that a plan I had using a Familee member to trap the children of the Baroness has failed, and the Prime Lord will soon learn of my alliance with House Janos. I have been informed of this by the Mind on Nebrassa where the mistake happened, and, even though the Mind is under instructions not to use the enhancer and pretend it is out of commission, she thought it a large enough danger to send a message. The Prime Lord’s men will now have to travel to Fedarn on their transport to inform the Prime Lord of what they have learned. This means in about three and a half hours the chances are the Prime Lord will launch an attack on this Mindmoon and Janos if he is somewhat disturbed by the news he receives.”

The room was mentally silent, a peculiar reaction to Estoor’s admission. All eyes were locked on him, but no one communicated, not wanting to support the Lordmind or condemn him in case another Mind was in disagreement.

“I tell you this now because you must understand my reasons. This child was too important, perhaps dangerous, to the Mindmoon because of her exposure to this transmission. My actions were based on a concern for the future of our order and the security of the Ki-Ki Sector. Maybe I was mistaken in my course of action, but all I could think about was obtaining that child and making our future safe.”

There was feeling of agreement within the hall, but the Mothermind was not one of the gathered who supported the Lordmind’s decision and decided to let them know her displeasure.

“All you have done, Lordmind, is doomed us all. No one has ever trusted the Minds, and when the truth is known we shall be either exiled or hunted because of your desire to capture a baby who you assume is some form of threat. All I can see here is a man afraid of the security of his position, afraid of the unknown power this child may have. All I can see is a pathetic man staring into a mirror and trying to avoid the reflections of his own fears.”

The Lordmind was outraged, and his mental fury caused some to raise their walls of thought to block his venting. “How dare you assume I...”

“I have gone far beyond assumption, Lordmind, your actions and reasons are nothing but inevitable. All you will do now is lead us down the path that will tear us apart!”

The Lordmind’s reply was pressed from the uproar that exploded in reaction to the Mothermind’s outburst. All the Mind’s in the room were standing and forcing their thoughts upon each other in a form of mental shouting match. Faces were tense, distraught, and afraid. Older Minds collapsed in their chairs, exhausted from the exertion. Younger Minds concentrated on their powers to make their point.

In the centre of all this was Lordmind Estoor, trying to calm the situation down whilst trading dark looks with the Mothermind. She was looking at him with a slight smile, wondering how he was going to restore order.

With a huge psychic shove the Lordmind managed get everyone’s attention.

“Enough of this! Enough! This is not the time to break apart! We have to be calm!” Some of the Minds continued with their squabbling, but Estoor silenced them with painful thrusts of his mind. “I said ENOUGH! The Prime Lord will take full of advantage of this when he comes, and come he will! I will not have you crumble under the threat of the throne! We must prepare, gather our forces and make sure that the Prime Lord realises he has made a mistake coming here. After all these years we will not be forced out. You, inform the messenger Minds to call all Minds on the other worlds and have them deactivate their enhancers and break communications. They are to return to the Mindmoon any way they can. You, call the department heads and have them single out their most powerful Minds. You, have the security chief come to my room. Go!”

The gathering dissolved quickly to leave the Lordmind and Mothermind alone in the hall. Estoor glared at Loritacia who continued to sit with a wry smile on her face.

“Exactly what were you trying to accomplish, Mothermind?” Estoor demanded. He was slowly walking around the table so that he stood opposite her.

“I thought it was about time we saw just how much control you have over this situation. Many of the Minds here, on this moon, do not like you or your plans for the Mindmoon. They are afraid to say it, stay quiet out of fear...”

“Out of respect!”

“Out of fear, Estoor! Did you see how they reacted at my words? All they needed was a voice to express the opinions they were to scared to voice themselves.”

“I still do not see the need for disharmony, nor why you instigated it.”

“There is a terrible time coming, a time of war and death which you helped create. Your own selfish plans have brought us here, to this place, to this danger. Because of you this moon will be reduced to a cinder and all the Minds reviled for their innocent talents. Gods know who else will be drawn into this conflict It’s all because of you and your need for power, for prestige. Congratulations.”

Estoor jammed his fisted hands on the table and leaned across to stare at the Mothermind with unadulterated hatred.

“Besides,” the Mothermind finished, “I enjoyed it.”