Your Best Chance

Tam's brow creased slightly, but other than that small change, her expression remained tired and blank. "I'm here... because there was nowhere else to go, I guess. I could've gone to the Alteriians, but..." she trailed off, seeming distant for a long moment before returning to herself with a shake of her head. Her eyes cleared slightly.

"Zyria, the NSI has been defeated. Robless has been captured. I don't know what Verax plans to do with him. My brother was injured, I brought him here to recover. I... the Alteriians are the only ones left. It's... very good to see you..." She looked over to Caz, "And you, Caz. I'm just... so tired. It doesn't matter what I do, there's only so much I can do to help. I hope that the Pentad works to protect everyone. I helped design it..."

She paused, "I'm sorry. My mind is somewhat scattered. I'm just... worried, about everyone, about everything.

"So... how has everything been? I haven't spent hardly any time with either of you since..." she trailed off yet again, "Well, you know. I've been so caught up with Verax, and Archelaus, and Eris-Ell, and everyone... I've been so busy..."

Zyria held her hands to her chest, the news crashing over her in full force. "No....Robless..." She couldn't believe how badly everything had gotten since she'd arrived. Only the Alterians are left...so whatever end is coming for this...it's coming soon. It's good that we've gotten so far with the project, we just might have to go through with it soon...

Zyria took one small step closer to Tam, comfortingly. "No, don't apologize, too much has happened to you to not have an excuse to be a little scatterbrained. You're welcome to be as disconnected as you need to get through....well, this. We're all dealing with this as well as we can, and you've been dealt the worst card right now."

The Plutonian turned back to look at Caz. "As for us, well, after Caz broke the connection with his Neiede, I was taking care of him for a while. After that meeting with Verax, I was sent a message from Zeif that he had evacuated Pluto, so I came here immediately, and sent for Caz's transport here. By the time I arrived in the Custodian, everyone was here, so I set to work calming everyone down."

"After everything was settled, I went to see if I could help Caz, now that I had more time. Dreston offered to make me his Master, so I had his help, and together we found a way to send me into Caz's mind. It was risky, but worth it. When I got there, well, Caz and I figured out how to reconnect the bond, to me this time, instead of his former Neiede. It's still a little dizzying, but we needed to get here, so I could help out with the project. I just finished figuring out the key to allowing living organisms to be reconstructed successfully, actually."

It was a lot for Zyria to cover, but she felt she managed to sum everything up well enough.

Tam just nodded slowly, hearing what Zyria was saying and not understanding, but storing it so she could give it further examination later to work out everything that Zyria had been talking about.

She was also dealing with her own struggle, which was whether or not to tell them about the visions she'd had. About how she saw herself dying. It was obvious to both Zyria and Caz that there was something troubling her, but that could have just been due to recent events. She couldn't decide. She wanted them to know, to be prepared for what was going to happen, but then... Tam still didn't know it was going to happen at all. She wanted to be able to share this new burden of hers, but she also didn't want anyone to worry. At this point... death didn't sound so bad. After everything that had happened and was happening, simple sleep wasn't even enough to put her at rest any more. Sleep didn't cut it.

Maybe emptiness and nonexistence would? She didn't know.

Maybe she would tell Zyria what she'd seen later.

"Well... I'm glad to hear that things are going well here. I'm glad that you two are okay, since... there aren't very many of us left. I... I think I... might know how things are going to turn out, but... if things go... the way I think they will, then... it won't be good."

She paused, and looked down, then laid a tentative hand on Zyria's shoulder. Thinking on it, she could sense the difference in her friend--the new power that was hidden only by Zyria's inexperience with it.

"Zyria, may I speak with you when you have a moment? There is something... that I think I should share with you, to give you the chance to... prepare? for it? I don't know. But you... are one of my only friends. Things with everyone else are... too complicated. I can't tell Archelaus, and Robless is gone..." Her eyes flicked to Caz as if to make note of the fact that she couldn't tell him, either, then back to Zyria. "I just think you should know, as my friend, I... think it's something that you should get to know about."

Zyria's brows knit together as Tam continued, but the Plutonian nodded. "Of course, Tam, anything for first and closest friend."

She stepped over to Caz, grabbing his hand to give it a squeeze, and kissing his cheek. "I'll be back. Whatever Tam has to say needs to be heard, then we can go do whatever you'd like." Zyria smiled softly, knowing that they really hadn't had any time to talk, or even just be together. The checklist kept getting longer and longer; this time, though, Zyria would make sure it was the last job on the to-do list.

The Plutonian slowly let go of her Neiede's hand, and followed Tam out the door.

Tam led Zyria silently out the door, and down a couple of hallways until they reached the door to her room. She fumbled with the lock for a moment before she got it and pushed the door open. "Would you please come in? It's best to talk about it in private... I don't want rumors getting around."

She sat down on the bed, rubbing her temple to stifle the dull ache and looked up at her friend as the door swung shut behind her. She sighed slowly, and at length, and then spoke.

"Zyria, I... had a vision. While I was at Crenel, visiting my brother. It was like... something forced its way into my head. Something I was powerless to keep out, something much stronger than any mortal being, I think. And... whatever it was, it showed me things. Just flashes, and... most of it didn't make sense. I saw darkness, a lot, and I saw people I didn't recognize, and I saw people I knew, but exhausted and weak or... or... d-dead..." she choked out. "It was... so much... but... there was one thing that I was completely sure of. I... saw..."

She paused, looking up into Zyria's eyes with her own pale ones, worry and frustration on her face, and said,

"Zyria, I... I saw myself die."

Zyria sat on the bed next to Tam, and listened intently. Her shoulders drooped more and more as her friend described what she saw. Zyria didn't say anything at first; she dropped her gaze to the floor, and pushed herself further onto the bed, pulling her knees to her chest. Had it not been witnessed that this Plutonian was an ancient force to be reckoned with, she could have easily been mistaken for a helpless young woman.

After a moment, Zyria looked towards Tam slightly. "....Were you able to distinguish where you were, who was near you? You know, it doesn't matter, don't tell me." She knew that if Tam was having visions, there was a good chance everything was true. Kazesqui weren't beings to usually get visions, as far as Zyria knew, so this was serious.

Zyria realized that death was going to continuously be common among them all, and Tam was her friend, so the scientist needed to be calm about this. "So, there's a lot to prepare for. If your vision is right, a lot of lives will be at risk, in a very short time."

"But, Tam..." Zyria's forehead crumpled worriedly. "How do you feel about this? Are you going to try to stop your death? Do you want me to help? I'm here for you, whether you decide to change it, or not. If you want to just let what happens, happen, well, I'll be upset. But I'll respect your decision. If you need me to stop everyone else from stepping in, too, then, I will. It's your fate, you choose what you feel is right. I'll help you in any way that I can."

Zyria took a slightly unsteady breath. "You've been through so much, Tam. If this comes to pass, you deserve to choose whether you remain here, or move on to the next world. Don't worry about everyone else, it's not their decision to make. Do what's best for you." She began to feel as though she was repeating herself, what with all the 'it's-your-choice'-s and 'I'm-here-for-you'-s, but Zyria was still trying to get past the grief of what Tam had envisioned, she couldn't recall what she'd already said.

Tam blinked a few times, looking at Zyria, and then gave a sigh that almost sounded defeated and looked down at her hands in her lap. "I think... I think it's one of those things. Fixed... a fixed moment in time, that it has to happen and there's no way around it. Especially know... that I've seen it. And... even from what little I saw, I can guess well enough what happened, or, what will happen. I know what actions will put me in that position, where I... where I die. And I know I'll do it. I know the course of action that the vision says I'll take, and I know it is the one I'll take. I couldn't not do it."

"I... I don't know how I feel about it. I think that the only way anyone can ever be safe again is if I die, if this happens. I think it's important. It wouldn't happen if it wasn't important..." She trailed off.

"I don't know that I'm okay with it... but... if this is what's right, what will result in the best outcome for everyone, then I wouldn't try to stop it. You all... have already risked too much for me, and... it's time I return the favor."

Tam was silent for a long moment, debating whether to tell Zyria the particulars of what she saw. Eventually she settled on the fact that she might as well.

"Zyria... you are my friend, and I need no one to know about this. Not even Caz... try to hide it from him. He trusts you, and if there's something you need him not to know, he won't push you on it. But... the circumstances under which I saw myself die... I was... I was with them. Archelaus, and Verax. We all know that a duel between them is... inevitable. And what I saw...

"I was dying, and they were both there. They stopped fighting because I was hurt, because..." She took a deep breath, "And... as I died, I looked up at them, and I said: 'I love you. Both of you.' And that was all I saw."

She sighed, worried eyes finding Zyria's. "But I think I know what happened. I think... Verax must have lost control, of Shade, just for a moment. That's how I got hurt... and then... the expression on Verax's face after what I said... I think... he'll give up, after that. I think... Shade will take over. And... that's when everyone else will be in danger... I'm just worried... I'm more worried about what will happen after, than... my death itself..."

The worry in Zyria's eye deepened and deepened, until the feeling was consuming the entire forefront of her mind. Tam knew she was going to die, and while she didn't really want to die, she was accepting it inevitability, she was accepting that her death would be the best course of action. Zyria didn't think she'd be able to die like that; but, then again, she risked her life constantly so that the others could be safe. I suppose we all do. This time, though, death is ensured. Tam will be dying, for us.

The anger and sadness consuming the atmosphere was getting to Zyria. Sure, there was reason for the depressing feelings, but the Plutonian felt that dwelling on it like this wasn't comforting Tam. So, the Plutonian "So, Shade is coming. After your....vision...you say that that is when everyone will be in danger. Then, we have to find a way to better the chances."

Zyria pushed herself off the bed, and began pacing for a moment. The worry was still creased on her forehead, but now there was a determined look on her face. A lot is going to be asked of me. I need to endure this burden with Tam, help her in any way that I can. And now we have an enemy of unlimited power that is definitely coming, yet no one knows this certainty but Tam and I. Yes, a lot is being asked of me.

"Tam." Zyria stopped walking and looked at her friend. "I will gladly bear this burden of knowledge with you. I promise, I will not tell anyone of this; it is a fate that no one else will know of, not even Caz. And, now that it's certain that Shade is coming, I have to prepare, somehow, so that I can be of more help to the others. You're welcome to help me--it could be a good distraction as it is--but I know that you also have a lot to prepare for yourself."

Tam looked down again with a sigh.

"I don't know. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for it. Or... maybe if I'll never not be ready for it. It's all confused. It's like... there's this cloud, hanging over me. And I know there's something behind it. But it's hidden, and... I don't know if it's good or bad. I have this feeling--but no vision to back it up--that... somehow, my death is... essential, to eventually defeating Shade. I feel that there's a reason that I have to go, and that I have to go like that.

"But I don't know." She sighed. "It's all fuzzy, hidden. Maybe what comes after isn't as hopeful as I think... I just don't know."

Tam rubbed her arm absently and looked back up at Zyria. "I'm trying not to worry about it. I'm trying not to worry about anything. About whether or not Robless will be okay, about Archelaus, about Verax, about my daughters... about what happens after all of this. I'm trying to tell myself it's going to be okay for all of you. And it feels like I know that's true. It's like a tiny smudge of knowledge, but that damned cloud is still blocking it out just enough to make it frustrating. I don't know. Maybe it will get clearer as... as my vision gets closer. I guess we'll... just have to see."

Tam stood, shaking herself out of her thoughts, and said, "But until then, I would have no problem helping out here, unless someone needs me. I think we will be sending out a message into the Interdimension shortly, to try and pick up the survivors of the NSI, at which point we'll be lucky not to come under attack by Verax's forces. We'll have to expose ourselves, but luckily we have the complete Pentad to protect us now. As for your other work, I'm afraid to say I'm not terribly scientifically minded, but I will help as best I can.

"And... thank you, Zyria. For being here, for listening. There aren't very many people I can turn to anymore... thank you for being a friend."

Zyria comfortingly placed a hand on Tam's shoulder briefly. "It's fine, you don't have to explain it if it's too complicated. Sometimes the truest things have only a feeling for evidence." She softened her gaze. "I definitely know how much you're worrying. I think we all do, when we don't have our being on the front line to distract us. That seems to be the only way to subdue the anxiety, and even then, it sometimes doesn't work. It's one of the main reasons I have so many menial projects going on at the same time, it helps ease my mind when I worry about how everyone else is, but can't do anything about it." At Tam's thankful appreciation, Zyria smiled softly, but didn't reply--didn't need to reply--and squeezed her friend's shoulder gently.

The Plutonian then dropped her arm, and nodded slowly, an idea coming to her. "Well, there aren't many scientific projects in need of finishing, now that I think the re- and deconstruction project is nearly complete, but there is one thing that just occurred to me." An unsure, almost shy look crossed Zyria's face. "Caz probably would complicate training if I practiced these new....Neiede powers..with him, considering the strength is greater the closer I get to him. But I think I could be of more help if I learned to use this new ability. Is there any chance you wouldn't mind distracting yourself with helping me adjust to my new...spiritual side?"

Eris-Tam smiled widely. "Of course I wouldn't mind! I'd love to, in fact." She meant it. For the last few months, Tam had felt like she'd barely gotten to spend any time with the people who worked so hard to save her from the Thel-ghan'che. She felt like she hadn't had the chance to repay them for all they had done for her, and they seemed somewhat distant. Now that Robless had been captured and she would no longer have the chance to associate with him, she felt it was all she could do to put as much of her energy as possible into helping the few others that she hadn't had the chance to thank already.

"I really would love to help, Zyria. And... I suppose it could present quite the challenge, as well. Maybe... it will be a good thing to face a challenge that I know I am capable of meeting, rather than all these empty frustrations."

Tam nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I agree that having Caz try to teach you might make things more difficult. It's much better to practice when you have little chance of doing much damage before moving into having more power available to you. Besides, my Neiede bond is old and strong--the energy it grants can traverse greater distances and is a more steady energy when it comes to using it. Your bond is new, fresh. Its energy is quite possibly more unstable, and might be a little slippery to put into use in large quantities until you are more skilled."

She smiled again, and asked, "When would you like to begin, ah, shall we say, our lessons?"

Zyria grinned, happily distracted, now that Tam was as well. "We can start whenever you'd like, really. I should go get Caz, though, I'm sure he'd like to at least watch, if only from a distance. And maybe I can send for Zeif, to use as a practice dummy once I have a bit of control over everything." The Plutonian walked out with Tam following behind, and the two of them followed the Custodian's directions to a larger, more durable room, making a detour to snag Caz from the lab. Once there, Zyria did some meaningless stretching, merely because it felt jokingly proper, and asked,

"So, because I feel as though I have no idea what I'm doing, maybe you should start off easy? I'm a quick learner, but I'm absolutely clueless at the moment...."

((omg, short post, I suck))

The room that the three of them happened to be directed to was one of the unused cargo holds, which was big enough that Caz could stand on the other side of it, essentially, and have a much smaller effect on Zyria's power. Tam smiled happily.

"Of course. In fact, the first thing you need to learn is where that power is stored. There's a certain place in your mind where you will find it, and in order to use it you have to know where it is. As soon as you're ready, dig around a little and try to find that power. It shouldn't be too hard, because you should be able to feel it now, somewhere; you simply have to reach out and touch it with your mind."

Caz smiled from across the room as Tam continued, "If you need a little help finding it, I can help guide you to it, but the connection to where it is will be stronger if you locate it on your own. But since this is all very new to you, let me know if you need assistance; don't let yourself get frustrated. Keep in mind that you have more to overcome than Caz, or me, or the Alteriians ever had to face; we had these abilities available from birth, and a somewhat instinctual ability to use them. Just because you don't have that doesn't mean you can't reach the same level as us, it just means you'll have to try somewhat harder. Now, when you're ready..." She nodded her head for Zyria to continue.



((What the heck? Where were you all weekend?! At this point, the weekend's almost over and we only are going to get like three posts out!))

Zyria nodded, and placed her middle and fore-fingers against her temples. She always felt that she had control in her mind, her brain. Now, though, she needed to find that one portion that she had always ignored, that she had refused to acknowledge.

Slowly, and steadily, Zyria worked her way from the front of her mind to the dark recesses. It was tough work, sure, but Zyria had always been in charge of herself, mind, body, and soul. The back of her brain, directly above her neck seemed to grow numb, then began tingling, similar to the feeling of Caz to the Plutonian.

This had to be it. The one area of Zyria's mind that she left alone, the portion that never seemed to help her scientifically. Well, that's because it was meant for things more spiritual, like, per say, a Neiede bond. With all her might, Zyria gripped that part of her brain, trying to gain control of it. The sudden interaction, though, didn't subdue it; instead, that part of the scientist was awakened.

A jolt of new feelings overcame Zyria. The power seemed to be coursing through her mind, now. At first, it merely felt as though she was developing a major migraine. Gradually, though, the sudden pain subsided, and Zyria could sense the new bond. Although she still seemed to feel the power throughout her entire being, when she would actually try to feel for it, the Plutonian could only actually /feel/ it when she retreated back to that one location a the back of her brain.

"Uhm, I think I....found it?"

Tam smiled widely. "You did, I can tell. Very well done. Now... I suppose the next thing you should learn is how to direct that energy. You have clearly managed to grasp it enough to coax it to the surface, or, to turn it on, essentially, so that's a plus."

Caz was grinning from across the room, having settled down into a chair that someone brought for him. Tam continued, "Alright. Now, grasp that power that you've just enabled, in the same way that you just did. Pull it forward with your mind--even closer to the surface. Still holding onto it, see if you can use it as an amplifier, or a lens to look through at the room around you. You'll know it works when you can feel my mind, and Caz's. I can't really describe the feeling, but you'll be very aware of our presences, on a level which you might never have experienced, or at least in a way that you've only felt a few times.

"You will be able to extend the radius in which you can feel other people. It will be like pushing outwards, away from yourself with that power, and you'll feel like you're spreading it too thin, might even feel like it's slipping away from you, but as soon as you pull it back that feeling will go away. You'll be able to feel many of the minds on this ship. Some will be aware of your touch, others will not. I would recommend taking it slow, though; if you expand your power too quickly, you may become overwhelmed by how much you can sense and how many minds are out there."

Tam smiled reassuringly, "Try it when you're ready. Start by focusing on me; extend that power towards me. It will be difficult at first, but it should get easier as you become accustomed to it."

Zyria nodded once more, closing her eyes this time. Okay, take control of it again. ....Somehow. The Plutonian reached back again, and snagged the power, furiously trying to keep control of it. It seemed to thrash under her, in no way keeping itself under control. Zyria was not one to be deterred, though, and finally seemed to feel the resistance lessen.

Very, very, /very/ tentatively, Zyria attempted to release the bond's power. She kept her mind's eye pointed at Tam, and after some time, she finally sensed the Kazesqui. It was strange; similar to the feeling when one can see something when not looking directly at it, but it disappears directly. Zyria could sense Tam, but if she directly tried to pinpoint the other, the feeling disappeared. Okay, step one done, now I need to somehow....expand it. The Plutonian tried to focus more on sensing a larger area.

Something happened, though. Zyria can't say what she did. At first, it seemed as though the power was trying to go against her, and return to the back of her mind. Suddenly, though, as she tried to tentatively spread her power, it seemed to explode. Her senses spread rapidly, consuming the room, and then half the ship. Zyria's mind burst with the new presences around her.

The power, even in its mental state, pushed the scientist back, causing her to stumble backward, and fall to a knee. As soon as everyone was alerted to Zyria's intrusion, though, the bond's power was sucked back into the Plutonian's mind, crawling to the back of her brain again. Zyria held a hand to the side of her face, tears springing to her eyes. She opened her eyes briefly to glance up at Tam.

"S-sorry..."

But Tam was already at Zyria's side, a comforting hand on her shoulder, nearly cooing, "It's okay, don't worry. It's going to take a lot of practice." Across the room Caz had stood up in worry when Zyria collapsed, but Tam held up a reassuring hand to tell him that everything was okay. Tam smiled a little, and said quietly, "Maybe we should focus on maintaining control over it first, hm?" The tone was not condescending at all, only concerned and comforting.

Tam helped Zyria to her feet once she was steady enough, and asked, "Are you alright?" Zyria could tell, only very vaguely since the power had retreated once more, than Tam was doing a little digging of her own to check that Zyria hadn't damaged anything inside her mind.

"Don't worry, you didn't hurt anyone. Caz and I are both capable of shielding ourselves from any close range effects, and anyone else probably didn't even feel it. Since you haven't learned how to penetrate someone else's mind yet, you would've only grazed the surface of the other people aboard the ship's minds." Her hand was still resting on Zyria's shoulder.

"Now, when you think you're ready--take all the time you need--draw the power back out. I'd like to show you something, that might help. In all actuality, it takes very little power to do something like what you just attempted. It's one of the easier mental maneuvers. This time, I'd like you to try to isolate just a little bit of that power to direct it out and do the same thing; not only should it be easier to control, and more apt to bend to your will, but it also should not have that same, almost elastic-like snapback. Let me know when you're ready, and I'll sort of highlight a small bit of your power so that you know how much to use."

Zyria kept the hand on her head, trying to stop the pulsing in her mind. She needed to get this. She has this amazing new power that could help them all, but the scientist is far from learning to use it.

Tam helped the Plutonian stand, and Zyria shook her head to clear her mind, which was actually harder than it should have been. She reaches back into her head, and senses Tam there as well. Zyria tries to just use part of the power, but it won't separate. She attempts again, and again, but nothing works. She sighs, not understanding why it won't work with her.

Hmmmm....maybe I need to compromise.

The next time Zyria retreats to the back of her brain, she tries to be more gentle. As she had guessed, the Neiede bond molds around her mental touch. Of course, the power wasn't able to be cut, or torn. No, it was malleable. With this new discovery, Zyria stretches out a portion of her power, about the same size as Tam had 'highlighted'. Using the smaller part, the Plutonian stretches it out and around the presences, sensing Caz and Tam in front of her. The smaller piece--the fraction of the entire thing as it was--was surprisingly expandable, and Zyria used it to spread her power over the room, and even further.

"I-I think I'm doing it. It's sort of hard to tell, because it's not as difficult as it was with the entire portion of the bond's power."

Tam smiled, which she seemed to be doing a lot of. "Trust me, you've got it." And it became very evident to Zyria that she had got it, as she began to detect many other minds, in close areas of the ships. And there was no explosive outwards pulse as the power fought to be put to use, and no painful snapback because Zyria's control over it never failed. In smaller quantities, the energy was surprisingly pliable and willing to be put to use.

Tam nodded approvingly, and said quietly, "For most purposes, small amounts of that energy are very effective and much easier to manage. The only times when using all of it is more useful are in especially dangerous situations: when you're facing someone who is a close match to you in power, or when you're attempting something that... well, something that is probably too dangerous to attempt." Tam gave a crooked grin. "Hopefully you won't have to do that too many times."

"Would you like to learn how to see into someone's mind next? It's from there that you learn all of the good stuff." She grinned.

Zyria nodded, her head starting to rattle from all the nodding. "Sure. Less is more, unless there's a chance I die. Easy enough to remember." She tried to retract the power back into its little home in her mind, but it still seemed to snap back slightly. Zyria was prepared this time, though, so she managed to only wince a little. "Reading someone's mind, hm? Well, that in itself is interesting enough, and it opens up my options to even better choices? By all means, let's continue, then; I can take it."

Tam smiled and nodded back, then said, "I think we should take this slowly, one step at a time. First, you should learn how to touch someone's mind very lightly: enough to alert them to your presence, but not enough to actually get in their head. This can come in handy with people who are a little touchy about privacy and whatnot. Here, let me show you."

For Tam, it was a very practiced action. She didn't even have to think to extend herself forwards to gently nudge the exterior of Zyria's mind, like a curious cat reaching forwards to sniff at something new, or, to borrow a metaphor I have used previously, like a tiny leaf landing with only the slightest ripple on the surface of a pond. It was actually a little difficult to explain the step by step process of how to do all of this; it was simply instinct, natural, for someone like Eris-Tam. She had to keep in mind that not only was Zyria not born with these abilities, she was not of a race that was known for using them.

After showing Zyria what Tam meant for her to try, she withdrew and said, "I want you to do as I just showed you, using a tiny portion of that energy. Smaller even, than what you used before. Extend it forward in a controlled way; don't spread it around but instead direct it right towards me. Something that might come in handy in doing so is relying on senses other than your basic five to locate my mind. If you close your eyes and direct your mind towards that energy, you might experience something of a sixth sense--it can give you a general idea of the other minds in the room without actually extending any power. If you can manage to find that sense, you should be able to 'see' my mind with some clarity. Caz's mind might be a little hazy, due to the distance; it mostly works in short range.

"But if you can manage to use that sense, you can fully immerse yourself in relying solely on this new energy and your own mind to help you. There's an exercise we can try later," Tam smiled a little deviously, "if you're up to it, of course, that would force you to use that sense. But we'll only do it if you so desire." Tam flashed one more grin before returning to seriousness.

"In any case, try to use that sense now; direct your energy, just a teensy bit, towards my mind. You should be able to feel as you get close, and then it should feel almost like some sort of membrane, almost, when you manage to reach it. Go ahead and try, when you're ready."

Zyria concentrated. She squished the power, mashed it, and folded it, pulling away a minuscule amount of the force. With it, the Plutonian reached out, feeling for just Tam this time, instead of the entire ship. It was easy enough finding her, but Zyria had no idea how to merely alert her friend. She first tried poking the area around Tam's mind, but that was too much. It took her a few tries, but finally the Plutonian realized that she could wrap her power around the mind, almost embracing it, and Tam's mind seemed to notice Zyria, yet she wasn't intruding.

"Is..well, I think I'm doing it?"

The winged figure walked down a corridor in the Custodian. Well, 'pranced' we be a more accurate description. Zero was tip-toeing around, peering at the walls, the floor, doors, everything really. Even though he wasn't there a moment ago, it didn't matter that he was already so familiar with the ship, such things are trivial to the man. On his back was the assassin who did not make it back from Crenel. When the leaders went into the cave, Dragijh A'Lecto and his hired mercenary army were destroyed completely by the Voyager. Zero had salvage the Assassin because, well, who knows? He might end up helping later. So he had appeared here, on board the Custodian, because thats where he needed to be.

"HEEEEEELLLLoooooOOOOO?!? NEED A MEDIC HERE! I'VE GOT AN INJURED PLOT-DE...PERSON!" And he waited. He flapped his bat wings in anticipation, realizing that Zyria and Caz had finally bonded. He almost smirked, his little passing mentioning hadn't been wasted. Then he remembered he had a skull for a head, and changing his facial expression shouldn't be possible. He was more concerned with that than the fact Zyria had actually done the bonding all on her own. He still wanted to claim credit for the idea. He soon found himself scratching his head in thought, which wouldn't be too odd if he hadn't done so by taking off his left arm and using it to do the scratching.

He decided that once help arrived and Dragijh was resuscitated, he would pay a visit to Zyria. He was so eager to meet Eris-Tam! But he had to control himself this time, if he put the leaders any more off than he already had, they wouldn't accept his help when they needed it. So, his 'eyes', the orbs of condensed lightning in his eye sockets, changed from an excited and chaotic yellow to a relaxed, natural red, as he readied himself.

The Custodian was a little busy with the research and with talking to the Alteriians to respond directly to the creature standing in her hallway, carrying a body. Well, that wasn't exactly true. The Custodian could never be too busy. What was closer to the truth was that Zero gave her the creeps. She pondered it for a moment; could ships even get the creeps? Apparently, they could. So, instead of closely monitoring the strange creature, she informed a medical team of the problem.

So, with a message to report to deck seven, west wing, hall three, for a medical emergency as well as a warning that the creature they'd find there was a bit disturbing and a recommendation not to act as though that were not the case, the medics quickly wheeled their stretcher down the hall. They stopped just in front of Zero, swallowing back some discomfort, and, preferring not to speak, moved their eyes from him, to the stretcher, and back, hoping he'd get the message.

~*~

Tam grinned, "Yes, you've got it! Now, since you're already here, we're going to quickly move on to the next step. The membrane-like thing enclosing a mind is relatively fragile in most people- if you can create a tiny little hole, you can get right in. So, here's what I want you to do: take one tiny little piece of the energy surrounding my mind, and... turn it into... something like a toothpick. A little sharp end. Then, push it inwards towards my mind, until you feel that membrane break, and then spread out that little bit of energy inside. Now, once you're in I want you to treat it something like a museum, full of ancient artifacts... you can look all you want, as closely as you want, but don't touch anything. Since I'm not attempting to keep you out, meddling with things would very easily cause damage- especially considering the fact that you don't know yet what areas of the mind control what functions. So just... be careful."

Tam braced herself a little, not believing that Zyria would hurt her--intentionally or otherwise--but braced herself just in case, prepared to protect the still-sensitive parts of her mind.

"Whenever you're ready, go ahead and try."

"Yes. That is indeed a stretcher. I could turn it into a unicorn if you want!" Zero's perception of life was much more warped than other people's. It would be more acurate to say much more completed, but if only one person understood everything, then was he any different from an insane person? "Oooooh you want me to put the injured plot person..... people plot.... person people? Device people? Person device? Ah whatever, you want me to put the guy on the thing so you can take him to the place and do the thing so he keeps doing the one thing that living people do. Okay!" And he flipped Dragijh off his back on on to the stretcher, and saluted.