by Kai » Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:12 am
When Vigilant had his little paranoid episode, Kestrel slapped herself in the forehead. An organization full of people with insane powers, and he was surprised that Ben had done something horrifying. He could evidently accept interaction with a people-hive, but eyeballs in the wrong place was a big hell no!
Perhaps his name was appropriate, or perhaps a better adjective might have been Jumpy, since while it was significantly less intimidating... it made him sound as dangerous as he was. Shooting weapons at his allies. For the love of heaven.
Kestrel took a breath to move between the two men and in the very tiny margin of time between thought and action--small enough that she herself could barely measure it--something happened. While one of her allies pulled a weapon and shot another ally--just cause for violent intervention where Kestrel came from--and while someone else had to step in, Kestrel stood still.
Michael was tending Ben, and Dr. Brearly and Spade was castigating Vigilant while Skye made whatever excuses or mediations seemed appropriate to her. And Kestrel just stood there.
Kestrel.
She started, very slightly and quickly enough that it would have been difficult to detect by anyone who was merely watching. The soldier knew what telepathy was, but no one had ever bothered to communicate with her that way before. The sudden intimacy of someone else's thoughts swimming in with her own was deeply unnerving.
The gods have taken you from us again, came the voice again. She knew then that it had to be someone from home. Why in the hell would they be contacting her now? If her own world were in danger, surely Chon-Marshak would have told her. What have they told you?
Suddenly uncertain, her thoughts sped faster. What did they know? She saw no reason why they should share her information, especially since it would cause panic that would be futile in the worst case scenario, and dangerous in the best.
Answer. You will tell us the meaning of what we have seen.
Of course, Kestrel had no idea how to answer such an inquiry, even if she wanted to. Was it enough simply to think of an answer? Were they reading her mind and taking the knowledge even now? Or did she have to somehow form and project a return message so that--
You know. We KNOW you do.
Annoyed by the commanding tone that her people were taking with someone who should have been--to their minds--the chosen of their gods (even if she knew now that she was nothing more than a woman who did a little more traveling than they), Kestrel's dark expression seemed to bleed right down to the soles of her feet. Appalling to be commanded that way. How dare they.
Kestrel, apologies for our impertinence, but there is so much death. What's happening?
"So they are dying," she whispered to herself.
What! What do you know?
All she could do to answer was to concentrate on her feeling of certainty that it was being dealt with,that something would be done. It was enough. She felt them leave her, for now.
"That," she commented half to herself and half to Ben, who must surely have noticed the unexpected contact. It was his job to notice. "...was a disturbing experience." Still a bit shaken, she directed a puzzled glance to the representative of their allied telepathic hivemind. "You do that routinely?"