That had been over ten years ago. Jennifer Sweet had successfully completed her training as a Queller, and was now working as an ambassador, trade negotiator, and mediator between disputes.
Elder Jabeth had been her teacher, and even now, they remained close, with the elder being like the father she should have had.
Now, she was returning from her latest mission for a relaxing break in Safe Haven. Back to her apartment, still reserved for her after all these years. Back to the precocious town of Adala where Elder Jabeth resided in the training grounds. Back to breathe the fresh, unpolluted air, cherishing the safety that Safe Haven was well known for.
Ah! It would be a wonderful vacation. Jennifer was very much looking forward to it. But instead of being greeted by a warm, welcoming smile, when she entered Elder Jabeth's office, she was met with a sad, perplexed look.
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.
"Jennifer," there was a little smile, but only that. "I'm glad you've come." But he didn't seem like it. "Much, I'm afraid," he added. Then he beckoned her in and indicated for her to sit. "Jennifer," he began again. "The Jenar."
"Again." This time, there was no revulsion, or fear. Just acceptance.
"Yes, but this is much worse, Jen. Much worse. There have been rumors that an all-out war is just waiting to erupt. And if that should happen..."
"Disaster," Jen finished.
Jabeth nodded. "Yes. That's why I've invited some Jenar to come here."
"What?" Though it was just a whisper, it might as well have been a piercing shriek. "You're letting a Jenar set foot on Safe Haven?" Though Jen kept control of her voice, there was no doubt she was quite disturbed by what her surrogate father had said.
"Jennifer, you must understand. We need to keep the peace, and the only way to do that is to hold a conference for negotiations. In light of the recent trend of arrests and deceptions on the Perluries part, the Jenar are extremely wary of even meeting with the Peluri.
"They only agreed to meet on a neutral planet, and the only planet even remotely meeting that description would be Safe Haven. Now, the ambassadors have agreed to wear inhibitors, and surrender their weapons. We should all be perfectly safe.
"Now, Jen. I'm going to assign you as the Queller ambassador, representing our interests, since you have some experience with Jenar. Do you have a problem with that?"
Jennifer reflected on how some years back she had requested to visit a Jenar planet. She had barely escaped alive, wouldn't have in fact, if it hadn't been for that one Jenar... Him again. How long had that been? Four, five years ago? It been a while since she thought of him, that's for sure. If only all Jenar were like him, then maybe things wouldn't be so bad.
Stop it, she chided. That was a long time ago and many light years away. You'll most likely never see him again, and nobody else would ever dare to think so differently like he did.
"No. It won't be a problem. I'll do my best," Jennifer promised.
"Good. That's all I can ask. Be careful, Jen. Of what you say, what you do. We don't want to upset them."
"I know, Elder." She briefly looked away, staring at the various certificates and medals hung on the wall.
Jabeth gently reached over and took her hand. "I'm sorry about this. I know you came here for a vacation, but after this negotiation, you'll get the full amount delegated, I promise."
"Thank you, Elder. When do I report?"
"Tomorrow morning."
So soon! But it can't be helped. "I'll be here."
"May God be with you."
"And with you."
***
As Jennifer entered the foyer where various ambassadors were talking amongst themselves, she scanned the room casually searching for the Jenar ambassadors, and spotted them in one corner of the room, conversing.
They wore inhibitors, green tubes bent in the shape of a semi-circle looped around the back of their necks, with their circular ends attached to their skin. Jenny knew that it was nearly impossible to remove it without causing serious brain damage. Her eyes settled on one Jenar in particular, and he looked strangely familiar to her.
The Jenar looked up, sensing her presence.
And Jenny got the shock of her life.
It was him: the Jenar who had saved her life, who had shown her kindness instead of arrogance. It was him. The typical green scales instead of normal skin. The coffee-colored hair. The blue eyes. He smiled at her, causing her heart to quicken. Did he even remember her, or was he just being polite?
But by the look on his face, he recognized her! Oh that smile! So contagious!
Immediately, Jenny felt awkward. She had no idea how to behave around him. Part of her was drawn to him, but part of her was still afraid. She felt vulnerable; the Jenar made her uneasy, even him. Especially him, though she couldn't understand why.
Maybe it was because he was different.
Reluctantly and yet eagerly, Jennifer allowed those long forgotten memories of their first meeting to rush to her mind. For a moment, she felt she was there all over again.
A siege had been laid around Tadara, one of those disputed planets in the outer realm that both Peluri and Jenar laid claim to. "I want to go there, Elder," Jennifer had declared, standing in her mentor's office.
"It's too dangerous. The Jenar takeover could occur any day now."
"You're already sending an envoy, let me tag along. It'd be perfect chance to use my negotiating skills. Please Elder. I'm not a child anymore," she had begged.
He regarded her silently. "No, you're not," he admitted. "You may go, but you are there to observe, only. You do whatever Mira tells you, you understand me?"
She nodded. "Thank you, Elder."
Jennifer now winced as she remembered that conversation. Had she really acted like that at nineteen years old? I'm not a child anymore. If she had known what would happen to her, she never would have spoken those words so boldly, nor even spoken them at all. How could she have been so naive? To think she could go to a disputed planet ready to be taken over by the Jenar at any moment?
It had taken a week to arrive, since the Jenar had destroyed the octagonal rings that allowed wormholes to form from one space station to another. As soon as their transport reached sensors and communications range, they received a warning to leave.
"May I?" Jenny requested.
Ambassador Mira nodded.
"This is Jennifer Sweet, speaking on behalf of Amabassador Mira Williams. Requesting permission to land in order to commence negotiations." They were granted permission all right, but little did they know the take over had all ready occured.
An involuntary shudder ran through Jennifer as she dreaded what she knew would happen next. But she persisted in her memory, feeling compelled to remember.
As the transport descended into the atmosphere, several energy beams struck its hull, causing the dozen occupants to lose their balance. It had only been equipped with minor shields since this was a diplomatic mission, not a military one. Several more shots caused the pilots to lose control and the ship plummeted towards the ground in a nose dive. The pilots were able to regain control enough to level the ship, but were incapable of preventing the crash altogether.
Several hours later, Jennifer awoke to the shouting of Jenar warriors as they descended upon the wreck, miles away from civilization. She scrambled toward the still unconscious Mira, trying to rouse her. The ambassador moaned as she regained consciousness; she was still very weak.
"Jenny? What?" Then she heard the Jenar. "They're coming. Jennifer, listen to me. We weren't here to negotiate. We were here to rescue the governor and his household. You must give him the coordinates to the Invizi."
"The Invizi?" She quickly recalled that while an Invizi transport was invisible and undetectable by scanners, it was unable to broadcast any communiqués. "You were able to smuggle an Invizi here?"
"Yes." Then Mira whispered in her ear, two sets of coordinates, the location of the governor's hiding place, and the location of the Invizi.
"Why can't you tell them?"
"Survive, Jennifer, if you can. Survive. You're the strongest Queller left." As the Jenar grew closer, Mira's sense of urgency increased. "Put... put a memory block on yourself. They can't know about the In..."
"You're not dying! Ambassador?" Her voice quivered. "Ambassador?"
But Mira was gone.
"No!"
Then Jennifer heard the Jenar burst through the docking port. She took a deep breath and then focused inward. A memory block formed, beginning with when Mira said, "They're coming..." and ending with the present moment.
Just then the Jenar warriors entered the bridge. Immediately, Jennifer and three other survivers were pinned against the bulkhead, by the telekinesis powers of the Jenar.
"Which one of you is Ambassador Mira?"
Jennifer looked down at the body, and gasped. "She's dead!" she exclaimed, genuinely surprised. She tried to move, but found herself unable to. The guard glanced down at the body and then back up to Jennifer.
"Why are you here?"
"We're a diplomatic envoy. We received permission to land, and then we were shot down."
"Yeah. Well you're too late, Peluri scum. Tadara is ours again."
Jennifer suddenly found herself unable to breathe, as an invisible force started choking her. Then she passed out.
***
The next thing Jennifer knew, she was inside a prison cell, with a force field taking the place of one wall. She was alive.
Jenny struggled to make sense of what had happened. Then it all came to her. She had been talking to the ambassador one minute, and then... the Jenar appeared and Mira was dead. Then she felt the memory block in her mind which only confused her even more.
What could have happened in a few short moments that would require something as drastic as a memory block? She was tempted to remove it and find out... but only for a few seconds.
No. There was a reason for it.
Then Jennifer heard approaching footsteps. Two Jenar guards came into view and turned the force field off. They took a hold of her and marched her down the palace halls to a spacious but largely empty room.
Save for seven men and women, sitting in a semi circle around a table of the same shape. She was standing before the council. The council! She couldn't hardly believe it.
"We are the praetors of Tadara," a voice declared. "I am Madame Blair. You claim you were here on a diplomatic mission, but we have reasons to believe otherwise. The former governor is still at large. Why did you come here?"
When Jennifer refused to answer, she felt a pricking sensation, and realized that the woman speaking was attempting to access her mind.
Madame Blair soon discovered that she could not, prevented by the barrier around Jennifer's mind. She pushed deeper, but her efforts were futile. Angered that she was unable to penetrate it, she summoned her colleagues to her aid.
Suddenly, the probe was joined by six others. Jennifer pressed her hands against her head in pain. "Stop!" she pleaded. She tried to push them away, but it was all she could do to keep herself from passing out. "Stop! Please! You're hurting me!" Jenny sobbed.
"Stop!" a new voice called, and immediately, the gale force ceased. Jen collapsed to the floor and the Jenar who had spoken ran to her, and helped her sit up. "Are you all right?"
Jen started at him in surprise.
"Are you all right?" he repeated.
"Yes."
"Madame Blair, you ought to know better than to use gale force on the Peluri. You could've killed her and then we would know nothing." He turned to Jennifer. "I need you to let me access your mind."
Jen quickly shook her head in fear, and scrambled away from him, still in shock.
"I need to know if you're telling the truth. I promise I won't hurt you."
Jenny glanced at the council.
"They will not even approach you." He gave them a pointed glance. "You will not be harmed."
Could she trust him? He seemed sincere. Hesitantly, she lowered her mental shield.
She felt the others approaching, but before she could react, they shrank away from her, and Jenny felt the echoes of a whiplash. She looked into the Jenar's eyes: filled with anger. She guessed he was berating them through a mental link she couldn't detect.
Then Jennifer felt him approach. Cautiously, carefully, soothing. He dove into her mind, scanning her recent memories. Her anxiety grew when she felt him approach her memory block, afraid that any moment he would reveal what she had done... whatever that was.
One word, no, one thought, from him, and they would converge, forcing her to remove it.
But he said nothing. Relief washed over her, as he merely left her mind, and Jennifer re-erected the mental barrier. But not before she caught his name: Kyle.
"She speaks the truth. She doesn't know," he announced, more for her benefit then for theirs.
Know what?
He glanced at her, and Jenny knew he caught her confusion, but he didn't respond as she hoped.
"Very well," Blair conceeded. "Guards, take her back to her cell."
***
Jennifer sat alone in her cell for several hours, wondering what they were going to do with her. She vacillated between meditating on Scripture and praying to keep herself calm.
"Ms. Sweet."
She looked up to see the compassionate Jenar she'd met earlier: Kyle. Uncertainty clouded her face. "Yes?"
"Come with me." He switched the field off and gently grabbed her arm, taking her down the hall.
"What's going on?"
"Allow me access."
"What?"
"Do it!"
A pause, and then she heard his thoughts.
I am trying to save you, Ms. Sweet.
"What?"
Don't speak! I can hear your thoughts! he chided.
Sorry.
They're planning on killing you. And I can't let that happen. I'm taking you to an transport hangar. There you'll board a class C13 pod. It's not much, but it'll take you to where you need to go.
Wait! Jennifer protested. What about the others?
You were strong. The others were shred to pieces instantly. Nothing remains of their minds. I'm sorry.
They used a descender to reach the bottom level where the transport hangar was located. The lights came on as soon as they entered and the outer door started rolling up. Jenny quickly realized that Kyle was using telekinesis. The C13 ship that Kyle referred to lifted from the ground and floated outside.
"Go," he urged her out loud.
Jennifer immediately jogged outside and opened the hatch to the pod. She spun around to see that Kyle had followed her.
"Why are you doing this?" Jennifer asked, completely bewildered.
"You are a servant of the One. So am I." Which that, he shut the hatch in front of her and ran away, the mental link between them dissolved.
As the pod took off and gained altitude, Jennifer decided it would be safe to remove the memory block. She sat perfectly still as the recent memories unspooled themselves in her mind. She remembered everything.
Would the com system work? She checked the controls; they were operational. Of course. How else would she be able to contact Safe Haven, to identify herself? Quickly entering the first set of the coordinates the deceased ambassador had given her, she transmitted the second set.
Well the Jenar didn't know it, but he'd done more than save her life. He saved the very enemies his people were looking for.
I thank you, Kyle, she had privately thought to herself.
And you are most welcome, Jennifer, a voice replied, though not without a bit of irony and humor. Jennifer immediately snapped back to the present, and saw that Kyle was staring at her with a bemused smile on his face.
A realization hit her. He'd been relieving the memory with her! Embarassment washed over her, followed by anger. How could he have slipped into her mind unnoticed?
Then suddenly, Kyle withdrew, leaving behind vestiges of an apology.
But that didn't satisfy Jennifer. She made her way throught the crowd, right up to him. "Why me? Why are you so interested in me?"
"We're more alike than you think."
"How did you get inside my mind?" she demanded. "What about your inhibitor?"
"Believe me, Jennifer, if I didn't wear this inhibitor, you'd know it."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You opened your mind to me without meaning to. But when you became aware of my presence, you cut me off. I only had enough time to apologize."
Jennifer stared at him stunned. "I cut you off?"
He nodded.
"But you're a Jenar. I only... "
"The memory we shared together was a pivotal moment in both of our lives. My conception of the Peluri was radically altered when I met you, and I know the same concerning the Jenar was true of you."
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