Chapter X.
"Interesting display of your powers, Lieutenant." Spock said.
"Agreed. But also unfortunate, as now I will have to regain the trust of my department head and another fellow shipmate." Zachery said, as Admiral Kirk, Commander Scott, and Lieutenant Proudhawk walked into the Lounge.
Zachery snapped to attention as they approached the table.
<I am getting tired of his crisp military style.> Heather said to Proudhawk.
"At ease, Lieutenant. Everybody please take a seat." Kirk said. "Well, who wants the floor first?"
"I'd like to know where in the hell you got off breaking the bond with my soulmate?" Proudhawk asked pointedly.
<Oh, god, here I go again.> thought Zachery.
"What was that, Lieutenant?" Proudhawk asked.
"Oh, nothing really. In answer to your question, the breaking of the bond was a side-effect of what I did, which is described as a blanketing of the mind. Basically, what I do, is put a blanket over the mind and shut off all outgoing messages. Depending on how much energy I use, how much I shut off." Zachery replied, sounding extremely bored.
"The bond is strong. You must have used a hell of a lot of energy to be able to affect it." <And, are we boring you?> Heather said.
<No, just the subject.> "Well, to give you an analogy," started Zachery. "If Lt. Proudhawk remembers how much force he was using on me to enter my mind, it took about twice as much just to blanket Commander Scott's mind. I do not know if this helps Commander Scott understand how much it was or not."
"Were you hitting me with all your power?" Heather asked.
"Everything that I had and still stay conscious."
<You still haven't answered my question about the bond breaking to my satisfaction.> Proudhawk said to Heather.
"Soulmate... <I don't think he's going to answer, because I don't believe he's reading us.>" Heather said.
"You still haven't answered my question about the bond breaking to my satisfaction."
"As I was saying, it was a side-effect of my actions. At the time, I did not realize that you were soulmates, which is why I attacked Commander Scott instead of you. Because I thought it was her attacking me."
"Do you think you could have stopped me as easily?" Proudhawk asked.
"Yes." answered Zachery, without reservation.
At which Spock raised an eyebrow and Jim looked slightly shocked.
"But, I wasn't prepared for your attack." Heather protested.
"Not to be snide, or a smartass, but really, no one is. It's not a common ability among psychics."
"How did you first discover your ability?" Spock asked.
"It was when I was only 15 years of age, and being sentenced for manslaughter and was undergoing psychiatric evaluation, that I discovered that I was a psychic, with many latent powers, one of them, being able to blanket the mind, and kill a person with it."
"You want me to train a killer? Are you nuts?" Heather exclaimed to Kirk.
"First off, Commander, I am not nuts. Second, as soon as you read his file, you will find that he was aquitted on that charge. And, yes, I do expect you to train him. Killer or not."
<Um... now what?> Heather asked Proudhawk.
<I don't know. You dug your own grave, Soulmate.>
<Thanks. Watch me get demoted, probably.>
<Maybe, maybe not.>
"Understood, sir." Heather said, to Kirk.
"How can you qualify your 'yes' so easily?" Proudhawk asked Zachery.
"While undergoing Starfleet training, I knocked out some of their best psychics." <And God, it was a strain on me!>
<Did you hear that?> Heather asked Proudhawk.
<What? About knocking out psychics, of course.>
<No, about the strain he was under when he did it!>
<No.>
<Well, you have now.>
"Wasn't it an awful strain on you?" Proudhawk asked Zachery.
"If you're going to be reading my thoughts, would you mind if I read yours at the same time? And in answer to your question, the more power a psychic has, the more power it takes to blanket them."
"Proudhawk, remember our agreement?" Kirk asked.
"I haven't attacked him." Proudhawk protested. "And yes, I would mind."
"Did he attack you, Lt. Christenson?" Kirk asked.
"No, sir. It's just that somebody was picking up my thoughts, which one of the two I don't know."
"I was the one. You're broadcasting your thoughts, Lieutenant. Anyone who has any telepathic ability could pick it up!" Heather said.
<Soulmate, watch what you say.> Proudhawk snapped.
Kirk turned to Spock, and asked. "Is this true?"
"Yes, sir." answered Spock.
"Is there anything else I can answer to convince you that I meant no harm?" Zachery asked to everyone.
There was a general murmur of 'no' around the table, as McCoy walked into the room and said, "What did I miss?"
"Nothing at all, Doctor." Heather answered.
"Then why does everybody look so upset?" asked McCoy. "Especially you, Heather. Still having some problems with that biofeedback?"
<Shall we dig another grave?> Proudhawk asked.
<I don't need any help. Thanks.> Heather answered, sarcastically.
"No, I've discovered my mistake." Heather said.
"What mistake is that?"
"I lost control. I was actually trying to lower my blood pressure, nothing more."
"Did you figure out how you lost control?" asked McCoy as he noticed Kirk lean forward as if taking greater interest in what was about to be said.
Heather decided she might as well come out with the whole story, after seeing Kirk lean forward. "It's like this, Doctor..."
The End?
*Copyright © 1998 Dana L. Marshall
*Copyright © 1998 Wayne Kimball
*All Rights Reserved