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“Yes. If you see more than four of her memories, you are too deep and got lost. She’s going to try and show you a lot. You must not get too curious.”
“Okay. Any other tips?”
“The goddesses are guiding you, Sem. I’ll be monitoring you from here.”
I nod and then take the human woman’s small hands in my own. I close my eyes to concentrate and try to find her baseline. I feel like I’m pushing myself down through water with no end in sight. Slowly, I go down and down. It’s dark and silent. I almost wonder if I’m no longer telepathic, as I’m getting nowhere. But then I feel a spark. I keep falling. It’s easier as I get closer to her baseline. Once I’m there, I feel quite comfortable, but I know I’m outside her mind. I try to break into her mind but can’t seem to get there. Then, I concentrate on my own memories. I show her Ash and I playing games together as boys.
The carefree fun only children know. She doesn’t open up to me. Then I share with her the memory of Ash and I both being assigned to the Alliance Force and how happy I felt to be able to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Then, without stopping myself, I share with her the honor I felt being selected to protect humanity. Then, I share my memory of finding her on the Octopod ship. Finally, she opens up her mind to me. I reach her and let her know she’s been mostly healed so that she can relax until we reach the base.
Like the junior doctor said, she is trying to share her memories with me, and I can’t resist watching. She shows me her home, but it’s terrible. Her mother is also dead. I feel so much grief for her, as I know exactly how that feels. I forget myself and lose track of all the memories she’s shown me.
I don’t know how to pull myself out of her mind. I’m trying to stay calm, but I don’t know which way is the way out.
I try to remember my training. What do you do when you’re lost? Think of the last important thing you were doing before this. It’s difficult for me to remember because she’s still showing me memories and asking me for mine. And I have the urge to share my soul with this woman.
Just one more memory.
* * *
“Sem.” I hear my name, but I ignore it.
“Sem, come back.”
I open my eyes. I’m in the medical center. I look down and let go of the human woman’s hands immediately. I look at the junior doctor. “How long?”
“Three hours. I thought I’d never get you out. But you managed to accomplish your goal.”
I’m still too dazed to think straight. We exchanged so many memories. I feel like we’ve known each other for years.
“She should be fine now. Make sure you give her food and water every day manually. It’s good for her to see you now that you’ve made such a strong connection. She may lose interest in life if she’s unconscious for the entire time back to the base.”
“Okay, anything else?”
“According to Alliance law, we will wipe her memories from you when you arrive on the base.”
“I understand,” I reply, but secretly thinking, Not if I can help it.
* * *
Back on base, I quickly carry Ivy, who is now dangerously unconscious in my arms, to the medical center. The doctor doesn’t question why I have brought her myself. He doesn’t care how patients arrive; he does his best to treat their injuries.
The human nurse, Caroline, finds a free medical bed for her but gives me a suspicious look. “Did you find her after Ash already left?”
“No.” I know this answer won’t be enough for Caroline. She plays the role of all of our mothers on the base despite the fact she’s human with brown skin instead of grey. “She requested to stay with me, and I couldn’t refuse her.”
“Do you know her from before?”
“Our souls know each other from the beginning,” I answer in Alliance. This is a direct quote from a proverb about finding your other half.
“I see,” Caroline replies in English, giving me a skeptical look. “But if you’ve not met before, her memory will have to be erased, and she’ll be returned to her life on Earth. She won’t remember ever meeting you now. And the memories she shared with you will be erased.”
“I’m going to speak with Commander Fox about it now,” I say. “Don’t erase her memory until Commander Fox has made his decision about this. She’s almost past the window to be legally returned to Earth.”
Caroline nods and ushers me to leave with her hand in the human way. The medical center is busy with some of my crew, and I’m the only one in the way here. I give my other half one last look. I touch her cheek with the back of my hand and then begin to leave. I stop after a few steps, “Caroline, can you at least find out her name so that you can tell me if they erase her from my memory? Just in case Commander Fox doesn’t agree.”
Caroline gives me a sympathetic look and nods. She knows as well as I do that this is against Alliance and GC laws. Unless we know an abductee from before, we aren’t allowed to find out anything about them.
I quickly walk through the corridors to Commander Fox’s officer. He’s in the middle of an RVM with an Agnorrian GC representative. They’re discussing the Dulu problem. There’s always a Dulu problem, but the Agnorrians are unlikely to do anything to help as it’s never any of their citizens being affected, and they care nothing for humans except to say humans are a primitive yet attractive species.
