Everyone didn’t like this development, but the First Commander had decided.
“Alley, have you installed Piper’s module.”
“I have. I have to say that this is something that is going to take some getting used to.”
“Why is that?”
“The range of my telepathy is huge. I can hear thoughts from all over the galaxy and it is one big intermingled conglomeration of mush.”
“You should contact Willow and get her to help you learn how to focus on individual terms you might be searching for.”
“I’ve already had her assistance. I think the real issue is that Willow is much further along than I am in my development and she had the intellect to make it work. I’ll get better after some time has passed.”
Chris looked at Allison and she shrugged. Chris sighed, “Alley, we’re going to depend on you to help us avoid trouble.”
“I know. I’m probably going to be much better at this when we’re outside a galaxy. Just trust me, I’ll get better.”
“Gene, have you pulled up the coordinates of the Leader’s planet in M-84.”
“I have. And they call themselves the Gorans.”
Alley said, “That’s a funny name for a species.”
“Actually, it’s the name of the planet where they evolved.”
Allison smiled, “We did the same thing, Alley. We call ourselves Earthlings.”
“Uhhhh, I thought you were called human beings?”
“That, too.”
“Alley, try an experiment. Think of Goran Leaders and see if they hear you.”
Allison looked at Chris and he shook his head. After a moment Alley said, “Holy guacamole. One of them answered.”
“Ask them if we have their permission to come speak with them.”
There was a pause and Alley said, “The Goran Leader said and I quote, “Do we have a choice in the matter. I’ll call all of the others in.”
“They don’t sound happy about us visiting, Alley.”
“This one wasn’t, Allison. I did hear that it’s going to take about an hour for all of them to arrive at the government center.”
Chris sighed, “Why don’t we go back in the main building and get something to eat.”
“Sounds good to me. We’ll be back shortly, guys.”
“I’ll let you know if they call.”
“Don’t get a big head about contacting them, Alley.”
“You’re just jealous you’re not telepathic.”
“Probably, but you sounded rather smug.”
“I did feel kinda proud I could contact them that far away.”
“Alley, was it you or are they that good?”
There was a pause and Alley said, “I don’t know, Gene. If it wasn’t me, then that seems to say they can watch us from their galaxy.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“Then what?”
“They sent scouts, Ally. If they could observe us from that far out, they wouldn’t have had to send them.”
“You’re right. But they heard me!”
“I suspect they can hear a thought with their name in it. Let’s make sure we get Chris to ask what their capabilities are.”
“Gene, it was them.”
“What?”
“I’m focusing on them and I’m not hearing anything. It had to be them.”
“I think I know why they had to send scouts.”
“Why is that, Gene?”
“Hearing thoughts doesn’t really give you a map or visual of where they’re located. If the being you’re listening to isn’t looking at a map, you don’t really get a view of the territory and you’d need that to launch an attack.”
“That makes sense. Uh oh!”
“What?”
“They’re all there now.”
“Contact Chris and tell him.”
Chris sat in his command chair and looked at Allison who nodded. “Alley, take us there and land just outside the center.”
They arrived in five seconds and took two minutes to make it down into the atmosphere. The Barrier Pod landed outside the government center and Chris stood up, “Aren’t you going to wear your armor?”
“Not this time.”
“But…”
“Allison, I’ll go armed and I’ll know if anyone is planning an attack.”
Allison nodded and pulled a blaster out of the arm on her command chair and put it in her holster. She followed Chris out of the Pod’s port and walked up the steps to the tall building. “They’ve done a remarkable of repairing it.” Chris nodded and looked at one of the Goran Leaders standing at the top of the stairs waiting for them. They arrived at the top and the Leader turned and led them into the building.
Chris followed him into the building and Allison didn’t need to be telepathic to see the guards they passed weren’t at all pleased to see them. She looked at Chris and knew he was hearing their thoughts. She sighed and followed the Leader into the chamber where Chris had killed their Supreme Leader and threatened all of them.
They stopped directly in front of the nineteen leaders and the Female Goran that had come to Earth stepped forward, “I’m going to speak so your new companion can hear what we’re saying.”
Chris nodded, “Thank you for that courtesy.”
“It’s not for you, it’s to show her our thankfulness.”
Chris nodded, “I understand.”
Allison shook her head, “I don’t.”
The Female looked at Allison, “When he came here, all of us could see the rage in his mind. His joy at killing our supreme leader was almost orgasmic for him. When he ordered all our people on this planet killed and he pulled his blaster, all of us knew we were dead. His mind was completely consumed by his rage at our killing his mate. We knew nothing would stop him.”
Chris nodded, “You are right. That is exactly how I felt.”
The Goran looked at Allison, “But you stopped him by pointing out the example he was setting for his child. We saw his rage pointed toward you and when he grabbed your throat, he was going to kill you. But…he saw your courage and your eyes never wavered from his. It made him start thinking and when he threw you back, he was still determined to kill us.”
The Female looked at Chris, “It was me attempting to hide my child that stopped you.” Chris nodded.
The Female turned back to Allison, “We all know that you did what you did to save him, not us. But it took remarkable courage to do what you did and we were saved as a result. It doesn’t matter why you did it. It stopped him from exterminating all of my species.”
“He still suffers from what he did to you.”
All nineteen leaders turned and looked at Chris. The female said, “Why are you hiding your thoughts?”
“Because I’ve come to ask you to do something and I don’t think my feelings have anything to do with the decision you’ll make.”
“What is it you want?”
Chris handed her a data cube. “Will you look at this?”
The female took it and frowned. She turned and handed it to a Goran wearing a white robe. The being took the cube and inserted it into a panel beside the Leaders. Chris pressed his wrist unit, “Alley, please convert the narration to thoughts.”
“Will do.”
A huge monitor to the right of the Goran Leaders illuminated and everyone saw millions of warships outside the Solar System following Earth as it orbited the sun. The Narrator began, “The Fellowship pursued a Welken Warrior and his escape pod to our planet.” Chris and Allison sat down in a chair in front of the seated Goran Leaders and waited as the recording played. Four hours later, it ended with the star map filled with red lights.
The Female stood up and looked at them, “So you are here to ask us to help you against the Loud Thinkers?”
“The what?”
“That’s what we call the ones you call Legends. Their thoughts are easily heard.” Chris nodded. The Female turned and looked at the other Goran Leaders and their expressions pretty much said it all. She shook her head, “I’m probably the only one here that has even small positive feelings for you and that is because you didn’t kill my son. But you did kill my mate. You have a lot of gall coming here asking us to do anything!”