“Hello, my dear.” He smiled at her. “I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion but I have limited time and resources. I cannot wait forever for you to get over your anger with me.”
“I…what do you want?” Becca pulled her robe even closer together. “Why did you bring us here and make us do…what we did?”
“I did not make you do anything. You came up with the idea to merge your bodies all on your own,” Vashtar reminded her gravely. “In fact, I believe it was you, my dear Becca, who first submitted the idea.”
“I…you…” Becca felt her whole face getting hot. “I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t threatened us with being dissolved in the slime! How else were we supposed to pull together and get out of there?”
“There was no other way—you did exactly what you were meant to do,” the little man said. “A sexual merger was the only way to heal your triumvirate and initiate the three-way unity that my people call the OneMind.”
“But why?” Becca persisted. “Why trick us by promising a solution to our problem just to get us out here and play Interstellar Cupid? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense if you look at it from my point of view,” Vashtar said mildly. “What I told you about my society being based on threes was true. And what I showed you of the holding tanks and the nutrient slime…”
“Also true?” Truth raised an eyebrow at him.
The little man nodded. “Even the Mindscape was based in reality. Though you never actually entered it, it was the way that most of my people chose to survive when Orthanx was flung out of orbit.”
“You said was,” Far said quietly. “Is it no more?”
“It is…significantly less populated now than it was when we first entered our tanks. In fact…I am the last.” A single tear slipped from Vashtar’s ruby red third eye. “I get lonely, my dear,” he said earnestly to Becca. “And since the eye gives me the ability to project my consciousness, the only pleasure I have left is in bringing people together.”
“Seriously?” Becca said blankly. “So you really did bring us out here to play matchmaker?”
Vashtar nodded proudly. “And I succeeded. Your case was incredibly complicated but I knew that if I could allow you to share your memories, I could draw the three of you together.”
“Well, it certainly worked,” Truth said dryly. “Although what you put us through was so real we had doubts as to whether they were memories or if we had somehow stepped back in time.”
“Back in time? Oh, my no. That would be quite beyond my power!” Vashtar protested, but Becca couldn’t help noticing that his third eye was blinking very slowly, almost like someone nodding up and down. The dichotomy gave her a headache somehow and she tried not to look at it.
“Well either way, you really put us through some awful things,” she said sharply. “Things none of us wanted to relive.”
“You had to see those things, my dear,” the little man said gently. “You had to empathize with each other. Feeling the pain of the others brought you closer.”
“It did,” Far said, nodding. “Though Becca is right—it was agonizing to go through the worst experiences of our lives all over again.”
“I would pay the price again if there was no other way—for myself, I mean,” Truth said. “I wouldn’t wish it on Far or Becca. But to me, the cost was cheap considering what I gained.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, Truth.” Vashtar nodded gravely. “It was you I worried about the most. But I knew if you could be brought into harmony with your brother you would not retreat.” He looked at Becca. “And I knew that you were the only one who could bring these two into harmony, my dear.”
Becca didn’t know what to say. “I wanted to bring them together I just…I never thought…” She cleared her throat. “I guess I imagined doing it some…some other way.”
“You brought them together in the only way possible,” Vashtar assured her. “Nothing short of giving yourself to both of them at once would have healed their bond.”
“I am grateful for your healing, Becca” Far said quietly. “You did what I thought was impossible—you brought my brother back to me.” He looked at Vashtar. “I should be angry that you manipulated us but…I can’t be. Not with this result.”
“Yes, well Vashtar might have gotten the two of you back where you belong, but he still didn’t do was what he promised.” Becca was still irritated by how neatly they’d all been maneuvered and it was even more aggravating that neither Far nor Truth seemed very upset about it.
“How so, my dear?” Vashtar asked, raising an eyebrow—the one above his third eye—at her.
“You swore you’d give us a cure for the warriors that are possessed by the demons of the Black Planet if we came out to Orthanx to see you,” she said, frowning. “Instead, you’ve been playing mind games with us and probably watching while we…” Her cheeks began to get hot. “While we all…connected.”
“As for your joining, I would never presume to view such private things,” Vashtar said gravely.
“You didn’t?” Becca really hoped he was telling the truth. The idea that the rotund little man might have been hovering, invisible but watching somewhere in the room while she and her men went to town made her feel ill and vaguely violated.
“I didn’t,” Vashtar promised. “As soon as it became apparent you were going to, eh-hem, merge, I ‘tuned out’ and did not return until I was certain you were finished. And as for my other promise, I am more than prepared to keep it.”
“You are? How?” Becca asked.
“Is the cure for the possessed warriors somewhere on Orthanx after all?” Truth rumbled.
“Oh, no, my dear Truth—it left our planet long ago. Along with those few of my people who chose to leave the slime tanks and try life outside the Mindscape.”
“Well what is it?” Far asked
“And where in the Seven Hells can we find it?” Truth growled.
“Why, right on your own home planet, Truth—on Pax.” Vashtar smiled widely. “Remember I said that some of my people chose to leave the slime tanks? Well, that was after Orthanx had settled into orbit around your sun. And Pax, being the closest habitable planet, was where they went.”
The dark twin frowned. “But…there are no other people than the Rai’ku and a few Kindred on Pax.”
“And who do you think are the ancestors of the Rai’ku?” Vashtar said.
“No, that can’t be,” Truth said firmly. “There is evidence of primitive civilizations that date before the time before your planet came to rest in orbit around our sun.”
“Primitive being the key word,” Vashtar emphasized. “Primitive but with the potential to be more—much more than what they were. My people interbred with them in an attempt to civilize and tame them—but not to change them. The Rai’ku still retain their ability to shift to a second, animal self when they so desire.”
“A deeply important ability to my people,” Truth said, nodding. “Though I do not possess it myself, my half-blood Rai’ku brothers do.”
“Check your records—you will see that true civilization began when my people arrived,” Vashtar said proudly. “Before that the Rai’ku were living in trees, spending more time in their animal forms than as thinking, conscious individuals.”
“Why are they not a society of three as your own society on Orthanx was, then?” Far asked.
“It has to do with their second or animal nature,” Vashtar explained. “The Rai’ku mate for life and they are extremely territorial about their mates. A third party cannot be introduced, no matter how hard we tried.” He smiled sadly. “Did I mention that it was mainly the unmated among my people that chose to make the move to Pax?”
“I am not surprised,” Truth muttered. “None among my people would share a female.” He cleared his throat. “Unlike…”
“The Twin Kindred,” Far finished for him. “Unlike us, Brother.”
“Yes.” Truth nodded. “Unlike us.”
“Ok
ay, so that’s all well and good but what about the cure?” Becca said. “Sorry, but we seem to keep getting off track.”
“Ah, yes—the cure.” Vashtar rubbed his hands together, making absolutely no sound. Probably because he was a hologram or whatever you called a mind projection, Becca thought.
“Yes, the cure,” she said pointedly. “Where is it? How do we get it? How do we use it?”
“In order to understand the cure, you must understand the disease,” the little man said, his voice assuming a lecturing tone. “For that is what this possession is—a disease. An infection. And the agent which carries this particular infection—the vector if you will—is the shadow stone from the Black Planet.”
“Yes, the human scientist who used to be Maggie’s fiancé dumped a lot of shadow stone dust into the air vents in the Unmated Males area,” Far said. “It circulated through the entire area, allowing the Kindred who had no bond with a female to be possessed.”
“Exactly.” Vashtar nodded.
Truth frowned. “So are you saying we should simply wash off those that have been infected or possessed? Would that drive the demons out?”
“I’m afraid it isn’t that easy. The shadow stone must be neutralized and only one substance can do that—truthonium.”
“Truthonium? What’s truthonium?” Becca asked blankly.
“A very rare element,” Far said, frowning. “Made only in the heart of the hottest supernovas. And only then in infinitesimal quantities. It’s incredibly hard to find—some say the rarest element in the known universe.”
“It is that,” Vashtar acknowledged. “Its purity is honed in the blazing inferno that is the death of a star. Only truthonium can neutralize the impure and corrupted essence of the Black Planet—which is what the shadow stone is.”
“And you say your people had some of this element and they brought it with them to Pax?” Far asked. “In quantities large enough to counteract the vast quantities of shadow stone which were used on the unmated males?”
“Gracious, no!” Vashtar exclaimed. “It took us ages to gather even a tiny amount and that was shaped by our master craftsmen into a pendant which may be worn around the neck.”
“One pendant? That’s your solution?” Becca demanded. “We have hundreds of possessed males back on the Mother Ship. Maybe more than a thousand. How can one necklace help all of them?”
“Do let me finish, my dear,” Vashtar said quietly. “The pendant’s qualities are transferable to a liquid medium. Were you to submerge it in a large quantity of say, water, you would be able to make an antiseptic, if you will. Something to fight the infection.”
“So we use this thruthonium pendant to make a kind of…of holy water?” Becca asked, frowning.
“Oh, nothing quite so mystical as that.” Vashtar laughed. “As I said, the truthonium water will act as an antiseptic. It will wash the infection clean. And as it does, the demons within the possessed men will feel the effects upon their skin like acid. They cannot stand its purity. It will drive them out. When that happens, be certain you have quite a large chunk of the shadow stone to trap them in. When all are imprisoned within it, simply eject it into space and…” He spread his hands. “Your problem is solved.”
“Sounds remarkably simple,” Far said.
“Don’t say that yet, Brother,” Truth growled. “We still haven’t heard where this mystical pendant is to be found.”
“It is buried in a cache under the roots of one of the elder trees in your home forest, Truth,” Vashtar said. “I can give you coordinates though the cache may have shifted some over the past two thousand years. You will probably have to do some digging.”
“Digging is simple. Going back to my home forest may not be.” The dark twin frowned.
“What? Why?” Becca asked—she could feel his anxiety loud and clear. “Did you leave under, uh, bad circumstances?”
“No, but I will be returning under them,” Truth muttered.
“He’s talking about bringing us—me specifically,” Far said quietly. “His people don’t believe in the kind of relationship we have. The Twin bond we share will seem like the worst kind of perversion to them.”
“That’s true enough, Brother.” Truth sighed. “But it can’t be helped.”
“Yes, it can,” Becca objected. “You go alone and Far and I will stay on the ship. Or else you and I can go and pose as a couple.”
“That won’t work, I’m afraid,” Vashtar said. “The cache can only be found by a bonded triumvirate. Only the OneMind can locate it.”
“Well, then…we can just keep a low profile,” Becca said. “I mean, there’s no reason we have to rub people’s noses in the fact that we all…you know.”
“That we all made love together, you mean?” Far raised an eye brow at her.
“Exactly,” Becca said and cleared her throat. “Truth can just introduce us as his brother and his girl friend and leave it at that.”
“That would work very well if it weren’t for the Rai’ku sense of smell,” Truth said. “It is incredibly sensitive—even more so than a Kindred’s which is saying something." He gave a bitter laugh. "What did you say—we don't have to 'rub their noses in it?'"
"Well, yes—"
"But that is exactly what we will be doing. The minute we walk into my home forest, everyone within a fifty click radius will be able to tell that the three of us have fucked just from our scent. Apologies—made love.”
“Oh, my!” Becca put a hand to her mouth. The idea that everyone in Truth’s home town would be able to tell she’d been having three way sex just by smelling her was awful. “We could…take a shower?” she suggested weakly.
Truth shook his head. “Some scents linger. Far and I marked you very thoroughly. The evidence will not fade for a solar month, at minimum. And we do not have that time to spare. They need this cure on the Mother Ship as soon as possible.”
“I’m sorry for this, Brother,” Far said. “I do not wish to cause you trouble. Especially since our bond is still so new.”
“The fault is not yours or mine or Rebecca’s.” Truth lifted his chin. “We have done nothing wrong. And just because our bond is new does not mean it isn’t strong. This will be a good test of it.”
Far sighed and Becca could feel his unhappiness and worry. “I wish it didn’t have to be tested quite so soon,” he murmured. “We just…found our way back to each other.”
“And we’ll stay together,” Truth promised. His eyes flashed fiercely. “I refuse to hide what I am or who I love. I am not ashamed of myself or either of you. I hope you feel the same.”
Becca bit her lip. Truth really was amazing. He had fought every step of the way to keep from having anything to do with his brother but now that their bond was forged, he was completely committed to it and willing to do anything to defend it—even publicly defy everyone in his home town.
I wish I could be that brave, she thought, watching the defiant tilt of his chin and the dangerous glint of his pale gray eyes. I wish I could do exactly what I wanted without worrying about what anyone else would say. Without disappointing my family.
She had a sudden mental image of herself talking to her shocked parents. “Guess what, Mom and Dad? Not only am I never going to become a nun—I’ve also decided to marry two guys at once and neither of them are Catholic. What do you think of that?”
What they would probably think was that she was either crazy or morally bankrupt. And neither of them would ever talk to her again.
I’d be disowned, she thought sadly. I’d never be able to see anyone in my family again. I—
“Well, I must be going now.” Vashtar’s projection was beginning to fade in that Cheshire cat-like way of his. “I will send you the coordinates for the cache. Oh, and be certain to follow the instructions included with the pendant for activating it. Otherwise it will do you no good.”
“Activating it?” Far said. “I thought it was just a matter of dipping the thing in water and then spraying down
the unmated males who have become possessed.”
“There’s a bit more than that to it, I’m afraid.” Vashtar was completely transparent by now. “But never fear—read the instructions and follow them and you’ll figure it out. It isn’t hard.”
“But—” Becca started, but Vashtar had vanished completely by now, leaving only his third eye to hang in the center of the room for a moment before it also disappeared and there was nothing left of him.
Nothing at all.
* * * * *
“You did what?” Kat stared at her in obvious disbelief.
“Shh!” Becca hissed at the viewscreen, putting a finger to her lips. “I formed a partial bond with them. Or, I think I did, anyway. It was by accident, though. I didn’t think we were really doing what we were doing.”
Kat raised one auburn eyebrow. “That’s kind of hard to follow. How can you not know when you’re—”
“It’s a long story,” Becca said miserably. “Look, can you just give me some advice quick? The guys are getting ready to go down to Pax right now and I’m supposed to be getting ready too.”
Kat sighed. “Well, the first thing you’re going to need to do is keep in contact with both of them. Touch them a lot—and I do mean a lot—or you’re going to start getting sick.”
“What? But I can’t,” Becca protested. “That’s what got me into this in the first place. And besides, every time I touch them, especially together, I keep wanting to…to…” She broke off, blushing.
“Get down and dirty again?” Kat said sympathetically. “Yeah, I get it. Your body wants the full bonding experience. In fact, that’s probably what you ought to do.”
“I don’t want to,” Becca said stubbornly. “I mean, Truth is on board with it and Far has always wanted the three of us together. But what happens when I have to tell my parents?”
“Ask yourself this—who would you rather spend the rest of your life with?” Kat said. “Your parents or your guys? If you’d really rather move back home and never see Truth and Far again…”
“No, I…” Becca put a hand to her throat. “I couldn’t. That…that would be awful.”