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The speed at which the circling objects now flew began to create a strong wind. Jillian’s hair started dancing around her face, whipping at it hard enough to sting slightly. She ducked as the cyclone of floating objects expanded outward and several dishes came close to striking her. In that same instant a blue field of energy surrounded her, deflecting one of the cooking pots. She felt herself being firmly, but gently pushed towards the entrance of the living area, back and out into the large combination workshop and hangar.

Turning she saw the Outlander, also surrounded by a protective bubble of energy. He stood firm raising both arms, his palms open, towards the youngling.

He began yelling, “Yolaja… Tueklic kula! Tueklik abala wau-xan c’ala!”

Jillian looked at the smaller Kerachaw. The girl’s eyes were still locked wide-open and unfocused. The trickle of blood from her eyes, ears and mouth had increased and were beginning to stain her fur a light crimson.

“Bob… I think she’s sleepwalking. She isn’t in control of what’s happening.”

The alien glanced quickly at her and nodded once, acknowledging the message. “Yolaja!!! TUEKLIC KULA!” He switched to English repeating the command even as he broadcast it telepathically_. “YOLAJA…WAKE UP!”_ The very air seemed to tremor before him. The youngling’s eyes blinked in confusion and shifted towards the sound of his voice.

“Uncle? Where? What?” The objects circling her abruptly lost momentum and fell to the floor. Several of them struck the blind girl violently, confusing her even more. She dropped her visor and reached out with both hands. “Uncle? Dr. Strat’ern… Where are you? J’ama… J’AMA!” She abruptly reached up and put her hands on both sides of her head, doubling over and screaming. This lasted for only a moment before she collapsed. Bob caught her within a field of energy before she could hit her head on the floor.

The Kerachaw gently moved Yolaja over to the couch and set her down, sliding several pillows under her neck and head. He was quickly joined by Jillian.

“What’s happened?” she asked.

He looked at the human and shook his head. “I don’t know.” Bob began working at the bindings and locks of the youngling’s armor. “Here… help me get this off her.”

The two of them worked quietly removing the protective shell piece by piece. As they worked Jillian began to notice three large patches of freshly bruised skin just under the girl’s fur.

“The bruises on her arm and thigh are from being hit by the flying objects she was manipulating. The big one on her left side…I don’t see any kind of abrasion that might have caused it.”

The Kerachaw nodded. “I think this is internal bleeding.” He pressed his hands gently on the large bruise. “It feels like there’s something solid underneath it.”

“A tumor perhaps?”

His face took on a grim expression. “No… something else. Something that shouldn’t be here.”

They finished removing the girl’s armor and Bob quickly checked the other two sections of bruised skin. As he worked the alien began cursing softly in his own language… something Jillian rarely ever heard him do.

“What’s wrong?”

“I am a fool. I should have immediately checked Yolaja with my ship’s medical scanners. Instead, I gave into the emotions of the moment… of discovering one of my own family still alive. I decided to follow my heart and not my head. Now, she may pay the price.”

“What price?” asked the human.

“One she shouldn’t have to pay, especially for someone else’s folly.” He stood and walked over to a nearby linen closet from which he collected several sheets. The Kerachaw wrapped them around his niece, then gently lifted her in his arms and carried her out into the hangar.

“Would you get Yolaja’s visor?”

Jillian stood and went over to where it lay on the floor, picking it up and following Bob to his ship.

A crisp mental command was issued and a hatch opened in the side of the ship. The Outlander quickly carried his niece up a set of steps that floated just outside the hatch. The human followed.

Dr. Strathern looked about. The interior was small, but efficient and not excessively cluttered. A bed unfolded from one bulkhead. Drops of crimson spackled the bed as Bob set the youngling down on it. Several scanning devices lit up even as he placed a curved instrument across the girl’s forehead. It beeped, then produced a soft amber light. A thin, plexiglas like cover slid out from the wall and sealed Yolaja away from the world.

The Kerachaw began studying several readouts that now were being projected onto the interior of the bed’s cover. They were not unlike the heads-up display Jillian had seen on modern day cars and aircraft. Small mechanical instruments unfolded from the bed and began taking samples of the younglings skin, blood and saliva.

“How’s her pulse and respiration?” the human asked.

“Higher than it should be, especially for someone who still appears to be sleeping,” Bob responded.

“If she were a horse, I would suspect she was suffering from epistaxis.”

“Epistaxis?”

“Bleeding often caused by pulmonary trauma. It could be injury caused by excessive stress or physical pressure from exercise or a foreign agent infecting the pulmonary system. But as she’s not a horse, I can’t be sure,” Jillian admitted.

“As I’ve said before, your intuition and guesses are often more correct than you know.” The Kerachaw punched several buttons on one of the display screens. It zoomed into a close up of Yolaja’s lungs. Small, alien looking particles seemed to be literally bouncing off the walls of her lung tissue.

“What am I looking at?” the human asked.

“A foreign agent, flooding my niece’s body. One that should not be there. Not without a doctor’s intervention.”

“What kind of foreign agent? Viral or bacterial?”

“Nanite,” he replied. The Kerachaw changed the scan set-up, focusing on the bruised area of the youngling’s body. There he discovered a small, cylindrical object, about the size of a gland. From it streamed a large number of nanites, spreading outwards into the girl’s cardio-pulmonary system.

Jillian studied the image for several long seconds. “Is that like one of your own nanite factory implants?”

“Not just like… it’s identical in size and design. I did not have my own implanted until I had at least four years of intensive training. Someone was either too stupid, or too desperate to understand what they were doing.”

“Who would have done this, and when?”

Bob shook his head. “I don’t know. But it might explain why Yolaja was placed in stasis, and not just in hibernation.” He looked down at his niece, his brows knit together in concern and more than a little anger. He manipulated the displays of the bed. The bleeding began to slow down significantly and the readouts appeared to be stabilizing. Even as he watched, the production of nanites began slowing to not much more than a trickle.

“I’m going back to the stasis tube and give it a thorough examination. Internal instruments may contain readouts and information I need.” He looked across at Jillian. “Can you watch her for a short while. Keep her asleep if necessary?”

“How?”

He pointed to a particular readout and swiped a hand along it. It enlarged into a much simpler display. “As long as this indicator is green, she will sleep quietly. If it begins to turn amber, simply tap this twice…” He took her hand and guided it to a keypad, pressing her finger on it. “The system will now respond to your fingerprint. Pressing it twice will extend the sleep cycle to keep her in what you’d call REM sleep, though you probably won’t see any eye movement. Understand?”

“Yes,” she replied, trying to sound confident.

He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I won’t be too long.” He rose and exited the spacecraft, leaving the access hatch open. Jillian turned away from the hatch and focused once more on the youngling. She didn’t know many details on how the Kerachaw’s nanotech worked, but she did know that implants had not been available to the population at large. Bob’s were specifically designed for his physiology and were responsible for many of his greatly enhanced powers.

The young Kerachaw looked quite peaceful in sleep. As she watched a light, greenish tinted mist faintly filled the chamber. Jillian knew from past experience that it was a medicated vapor intended to clear and heal damage to the youngling’s pulmonary system. She also knew from talking with Bob that the medical chamber never introduced anything containing nanites, unless specifically directed to by the operator. The safeguard was to prevent one set of nano-machines from interfering with another.

Reaching up, Jillian placed a sympathetic hand on the plexiglas-like cover of the chamber. The poor girl had been through much in her short life. She didn’t need this additional complication.

Bob could sense the human’s feeling in the back of his mind as he studied the internal readouts and control functions of the stasis tube. He realized that with the thought inhibitor off, the youngling could probably, very dimly, sense Jillian’s thoughts as well, but he didn’t worry. They were comforting, caring ones and would do no harm to the sleeping girl. His greater concern was finding some clue as to what had happened during Yolaja’s last days on the World ship.

It took several long minutes of study, but the Kerachaw was able to eventually piece together the internal control systems’ operation. After that it was simple to find the data recorder. He transferred this onto a handheld drive, then plugged it into his own main computer. That was when he found a recording made by Vor’Taca Delantu, the shuttle pilot who’d helped rescue Yolaja. Bob watched it several times, not quite believing what he discovered.

“ Ship’s log: Cycle 20: The youngling princess is still exhibiting signs of psychological stress as her power expands. When awake, she does not seem to be aware of her potential, demonstrating only the simplest of telekinesis skills. However for the past three sleep cycles she has shown an uncontrolled expansion of that power. It is particularly strong during and shortly after she has a nightmare about the attack on our home. I have repeatedly confronted Ral’an Coulana, her personal physician, about this. He still resists giving me anything more than platitudes and speculation about Yolaja. He insists that because she is the presumptive heir, he has a responsibility to keep all matters regarding her health private. I know he is lying.”

_ “ Ship’s log: Cycle 23: Yolaja had been quiet for the last two cycles, but that came to an abrupt end shortly after she had yet another horrible dream. It was strong enough to awaken half the crew, leaving most of them emotionally overwrought and in need of help themselves. Additionally her powers have begun affecting the ship’s systems. The lighting in every compartment starting blinking on and off, almost like a heartbeat. It continued for some time, until she exited deep sleep. Coulana still insists that everything is alright. I have come to the conclusion that I must go behind the court physician’s back and initiate a baseline medical scan the next time our presumptive heir sleeps.”_

_ “ Ship’s log: Cycle 27: I have completed the medical scan and found Ral’an Coulana’s records concerning our princess. He is the worst kind of fool, one who does not care for consequences save those he himself desires. His status as court physician gave him access to information about Yolaja that no one else, aside from her mother, had. The youngling had been tested for her latent powers as a Yu-Theel and her potential was nearly off the chart. It is not surprising considering who her uncle is. Such ability is often tied to heredity. All things being the same, she would have been introduced to the training and tested when she matured a bit more. The Destroyers altered that. Their first attack on the world ship eliminated almost the entire ruling government, killing everyone except Yolaja who was badly injured. _

_ By the end of the fifth day, the World ship had been completely overrun and our thoughts had turned to escape rather than defense. It was at some point during this time that Ral’an Coulana decided to graft nano-factory implants into the youngling, without any of the prerequisite training such a procedure required. He apparently hoped she would develop her abilities quickly enough to fight back against the Destroyers. Without the necessary preparation and training, Yolaja is rapidly developing into a threat that may kill everyone onboard the ship. The nanites, undirected and uncontrolled are slowly developing into an independent hive mind which takes control of the girl when she sleeps. So far, she is unaware of this… possession._

_ I confronted Ral’an Coulana and he quickly fell into babbling that she was our only hope. At the moment, I have confined him in an airlock with the internal controls disabled. Whether or not I actually blow him out the airlock depends on whether we can get a handle on this situation quickly.”_

_ “ Ship’s Log: Cycle 28: I have found a temporary solution to Yolaja’s condition. The court physician had a stasis chamber loaded into our transport shuttle’s cargo hold. In it, we found numerous medical supplies, equipment and food which I and the other members of the crew can use. Once it is cleared out, I intend to repurpose the chamber so we can place the youngling inside and negate, at least for a while, the effects of her illegal and immoral modification. I will also place a copy of these records, along with as much medical data as I can parse out, in order that someone in the future may be able to help the princess. Untreated, it is only a matter of perhaps twenty or so cycles until she is subsumed by the hive mind growing within her. The chamber will extend that limit indefinitely. May the spirits of the Xan-o’katcha yaro protect her, for I have done all I can under the circumstances.”_

Bob leaned back in his chair, finally understanding what had happened. He silently cursed himself for not looking for this information as soon as the chamber had been opened. In hindsight, he realized that there wasn’t much he could have done, considering how complicated the actual opening of the stasis chamber had become. Still it would have been better had he known this before awaking Yolaja.

Standing, the Kerachaw walked over to a second display and began searching for known side-effects of nano poisoning, particularly as related to the creation of hive-minds. Much of what he studied reflected on his early training. Once a permanent nano-factory was implanted in a host, its guidance and function were mentally controlled by the Vu-Theel who could increase or decrease its rate of production as needed as well as direct how the nanites were used. They were programed to respond to directed thought. Without such direction, they would began working to create a control nexus, or hive mind. The actions of this hive mind were often random and unpredictable. Uncontrolled, it would eventually take over the host’s body and execute whatever program it deemed necessary for survival. His niece lacked any and all training necessary to direct the implants.

The Outlander frowned deeply. He knew long term external control of Yolaja’s implant was not possible. He could temporarily override its program, but to make a major functional and control change he would have to literally direct it from within the youngling’s own mind. It was far too late to attempt to remove the implant. By now it was thoroughly imbedded within the youngling’s physiology. Cutting it out would kill her.

Reflecting on what the court physician had done to his niece was enough to make Bob wish he could have five human minutes alone with Ral’an Coulana, just to teach him the error of his thinking. He dismissed the thought. The doctor was dead, and dwelling on it was a waste of energy. The Kerachaw secured the computer and shut down all input to it as well as back-up power and transmission sources. He wasn’t absolutely sure of the hive-mind’s capabilities, but he wanted to leave nothing to chance. He then turned and walked back to his own ship, thinking of what could be done to help Yolaja. The solution he came up with might be dangerous, but it appeared to be the only one that could work.

He entered and moved over towards Jillian who was still maintaining a close watch on the youngling. Seeing him, she started to speak but stopped when the Outlander silently pressed a finger to his lips. He then stepped forward and switched on the human’s suppression collar before gesturing for her to follow.

He led her out of the ship even as he blocked his own telepathy, then spoke directly to Jillian. “I don’t want to chance Yolaja reading either of our minds.”

“Have you discovered the problem?”

Bob nodded then explained the situation to her.

Jillian simply shook her head in disbelief. “A hive mind? And she has no control

over it?”

“No,” he replied. “Left untreated, it will eventually take over her own body and mind, either killing her outright or becoming a threat not only to us, but potentially the Earth.”

“I take it you have a plan.”

“Part of one,” the Kerachaw replied

“How much of a plan? And if you say twelve percent I’m going to kick you in the ankle.”

Bob couldn’t help but to smile tightly. Jillian always knew how to break the tension on any situation.

“Considerably more than that,” he replied. “Unfortunately, it isn’t without risks.”

“And since when has that ever stopped you from doing the right thing?” the

human responded.

“Rarely… but in this case I am going to require your help.”

“Let me guess, you need a therapist for your niece?”

The Kerachaw nodded. “She responds well to you. You are sympathetic to her situation and that counts for much. Besides, we have done something like this before.”

Jillian sighed. “Let me get my aspirin first. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”