“That’sdefinitely one aspect of it, but…”
“Butwhat?”
“Thisis the part I’m not sure of. I think that besides reading thoughts, they can influenceothers’ thoughts and actions as well.”
“Youmean like, make you think or do something you normally wouldn’t?”
Inodded. “I think the Descendants are… toldwhat to do and think. And they are not aware of it.”
Heleaned his head back, staring emptily at the roof of the tent. “That makes thema dangerous opponent.” Then he turned back to me. “So, this thought-controlpower they have—how do you know about it?”
“Idon’t… know about it for certain. It’s just a… hunch. Thoughts that came to me—”
“Ina Vision?”
“No,this wasn’t a Vision. These were just… thoughts I had, like a memory. Only Inever saw or experienced any of it.”
“Canyou remember anything else?”
“No,it’s not like memories from my own life, which I can access. These memories appearas single thoughts… and they’re very rare. In fact, I think they mostly appearafter porting.”
“Afterteleporting? Hmm. Yeah, that is funny… perhaps someone else has had thesethoughts or memories, too. Perhaps you’re not the only one.”
Ipressed my lips together. “Well, if they did, they never had a chance to talkabout it.”
Therewas a moment of silence as we both contemplated the hard reality of the Uni worlds.
“Allright, so they can read thoughts, and maybe they can influence thoughts andactions as well—of the Descendants, right?”
“Yes.”
“Whatabout Humans? The Zema4 Humans—can the Zlathars do it to them?”
Ishrugged. “I don’t know. My guess would be not, because otherwise they wouldn’thave to be kept under surveillance all the time. They would do what the Zlatharswanted them to do. But they continue to resist.”
Jlooked at me. “That might be the reason, then.”
“Reasonfor what?”
“Thereason they didn’t influence your thoughts as well. That you can actually see thesituation as it is!”
Inodded. “Possible. Probable, even.”
“So,is that the reason the Zlathars pushed Humans to the very bottom of Uni society:that Humans can resist their mind control? Or is there something else?”
Iturned my gaze away from him and shook my head slowly. “I… I don’t know. Idon’t think that’s the only reason. My feeling is that… Zlathars are afraid ofHumans.”
“Afraid?But why would such an advanced Descendant species be afraid of low castes likeHumans? What can Humans do that is a threat to them?”
“Andthat is the question, isn’t it?” I looked at him and nodded.
Irealized I was slipping into my Senthien mode again. I did that whenever Ianalyzed. I smiled within.
There is something special about Humansthat Zlathars fear. What is it?
Iclosed my eyes and sat very still, barely breathing.
Iknew it was there, somewhere, I just needed to reach it.
Jwas waiting, not making any sound.
Nothingcame, however. I exhaled and opened my eyes. “I can’t see it.”
Ilooked at J and gave him a weak smile. “I will see it though. I can feel it’sreally close. Close to my mind.”
Hesmiled a gentle smile and kissed my forehead. “I don’t doubt it.”
Itwas late afternoon when we crossed the rope slide. The river was more turbulentand much higher than it had been on our outward journey, only a few IPs beneathour feet as we slid across. Peter said that a few years ago, the river hadoverflowed to such an extent that it flooded the village. After that, theyraised the village and built it up in the trees.
Wehad only one day to go before we reached the village, and I realized I was afraid.One part of my anxiety was this little bubble of a small group of people withwhom I’d learned to open up, to let go, to become Human completely. I was notsure if I would be able to remain Human in a large group as easily. And second,the Vision that I kept pushing away—and that kept coming back—scaredme so much that I was now afraid to see it. Something was obviously there,something that at first I didn’t want to know, and now I was too afraid toface.
Allof this kept me silent over dinner, and J kept looking at me with worried eyes.After the meal was done, J and I stayed sitting by the fire while everyone elsewent to set up their tents.
“Hey!You okay?”
“Yes,”I said and forced a smile.
“Soonhome.”
“Yes.”But now I couldn’t even force a smile.
Jhugged me with one arm. “Hey, don’t worry about it. One step at a time, all right?”
Heunderstood me a lot more than I thought.
“So,tell me something.”
“Yes?”
“Howcome your dad managed to hide his relationship with your mom?”
“Hetook a sabbatical.”
“Okay?”said J slowly, with a clear question in his voice for me to continue.
“Senthiens,as you know, give predictions of things that might come to be. For that theyneed access to a vast amount of data. They either collect that via the Uni computerinterface or port to different worlds to interact with other Descendant species.”
“Andthis is how your dad met your mom, right, when he went to Zema4?”
“Yes,that’s right.”
“So,what about the sabbatical he took?”
“Senthiensare constantly gathering and analyzing information, and it’s actually hard tostop. Frequently experiencing intense Visions is exhausting, so periodically Senthiensare allowed to take a sabbatical. That was the first sabbatical my father hadasked for, and it was approved.”
“Whywas this sabbatical so important?”
“Becausethis was the time when my mother and father were together. And a Senthiensabbatical means privacy.”
“Whatdoes that mean exactly?”
“Ona sabbatical, Senthiens have six years with no obligation to gather anyinformation that could induce Visions. And that also means no access to the Unicomputer interface or holo communication.”
“Hmm—soby taking the sabbatical, he made sure no one knew what was happening to him,and whoever was with him, at the time.”
“That’sright.”
“Butweren’t there other people on this planet? Someone else who could, I don’tknow, inform the Zlathars about the two—well, three of you?”
“Sabbaticalsare really supposed to be a solitary period with limited interaction with othercitizens. All the residences on sabbatical worlds are quite isolated to ensurethis privacy. So I didn’t meet anyone else during those six years.”
“Whatabout food and all the other things your family needed?”
“Allof that was automated.”
Jwrinkled his eyebrows, thinking, the dying fire coloring his face. “But howabout transportation?”
“Youdon’t need to go anywhere once you are on the sabbatical world.”
“No,I
