If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don't like mistakes.

Also feel free to ask for more background information on the world. I am somehow running out of interesting points regarding the small comments at the beginning of the chapters.

###############################################################

“

It takes just a pebble, but once set in motion it is hard to stop the avalanche.

”

-Unknown

***Sol, Aether***

***Gideon***

The recorded memory ends and the woman who brought us the news switches off the screen. She is the leader of the five mind-medics who were called in after our doctor admitted that mental damage is outside his field of expertise. The mind-medic, Raina Frebu, had to us take us through a painfully long explanation of what she is intending to do to Sadina and how. Apparently messing with someone's mind is a very delicate matter and causes a lot of legal issues.

Even so, I didn't expect that several telepaths working together have that much potential. Even recording a memory that old for everyone to watch like a movie. Admittedly. The small things were a little hazy around the edges, like having a very detailed dream.

As I understood it they are working with so many people to ensure that their combined will is stronger than the patient's and to act as a witness for each other.

In the end Sadina's parents, Melan and Hedeon, had to sign twelve papers which mainly protected the mind-medics from legal repercussions for interfering with Sadina's mind. Though all they have done so far is exploring her memories and mental faculties.

“So that's her current state.” Raina concludes. “We've practically two minds of sentient status inside Sadina's body. In addition both minds are native to that very same body with various degrees of fault for certain crimes. To be honest, I am not sure of what to do.

Since you requested absolute secrecy and this is obviously a serious crime, no less committed by one of our elders, I am walking on very thin ice for not making this public right away.”

I rub my temples and think of my own time in isolation. In a certain way Sadina shared the same fate as me, just worse. She had no internet! I can't imagine such an existence. It was hell when Melan cut my internet access when I was a child. The months right after my rescue from Earth were the most boring time of my life. All she could do was watch the actions of her twisted persona.

“What about the caged personality?” Ed asks with serious concern.

The mind-medic scratches her head. “She is quite insane at this point, though if you allow us drastic measures we might be able to restore her to a working state. Thirty years in isolation did her no good. Maybe we can detach the memories which are most stressful from her emotions and turn them to pure data. It's the least invasive measure. As I see it you have three choices.”

She raises a first finger. “We could wipe her completely and try to install a new manufactured version by using the two originals as a base... buuut I see on your faces that you don't like that one.”

A second finger comes up. “We could try to integrate both personalities into each other, which would make their legal status completely unclear. I am against that one since it would be punishing the resulting personality for crimes she didn't really commit.”

A third finger is raised. “We could make a backup of either personality and delete it completely. Then we try to repair the other one.”

I raise both eyebrows. “If mental medical-techniques are that powerful, then why do we go through all the trouble of raising young techno-mages that carefully? Can't we just correct them as we wish?”

Raina looks at me like I am an imbecile. “The personalities of children aren't fully formed. You can't influence what isn't there. We would end up with a lot of very similar personalities without diverseness.”

I raise both hands to signal defeat. I am a hacker. A code-geek! My first attempts at interfering with others' minds ended in their utter obliteration. “Sorry for asking.”

She winces and turns around to take a look at her four colleagues who assisted her in assessing Sadina's condition. Then she turns back to us and looks especially at me. “I think I speak for my whole team if I tell you that we aren't happy about being pulled into this mess. Even if we are just confidants.”

Her four colleagues nod in unison and I frown. Do they have some kind of mind-sharing going on? What happens to you if you work in unison with five people to mess with a person's mind? Isn't that worse than what Cyla and I are sharing if you think about the long term effects?

“We are often dealing with legal issues and hold pride in our discreetness. That comes with the job. But this is several leagues above our heads. Mental manipulation, genetic manipulation, conspiracy within the government, most likely causing the extinction of an entire race, murder and removal of witnesses, death of innocent bystanders. Just one of those crimes can earn a mental death sentence and installation of a new personality.” Her eyes wander to Ed.

Ed clicks with his tongue. “I'll have to speak to my superiors and come clean with them. This is too big, even for me. Are you at least sure that Sanguin doesn't know that we know what's going on?”

She stands straighter. “Don't insult us. We scanned her memories very thoroughly and she isn't some kind of remote controlled robot. Sanguin's influence only went as far as giving small commands over a secure line. He tried very hard to cut any loose ends which could lead towards him. She is even equipped with a suicide wish once she is in danger of being captured. Though that safety line was thwarted by the fact that she was taken out almost instantly.” The medic's eyes wander to Cyla. “I am afraid that we have nothing aside from her memories to connect her to Sanguin.”

Cyla's expression immediately lights up. “So I saved her life then?”

Raina winces. “You could have stopped after the first hit. Her memory of waking up afterwards wasn't a pleasurable experience.”

“Good.” Cyla answers without hesitation.

Ed takes a deep sigh. “The question is what to do next?” He pulls out his mobile phone and walks towards the door. “You all stay here. This information doesn't leave the room. I have to call my superiors.” He leaves and closes the door behind him.

With that Cyla, Melan, Hedeon and I are alone with the six doctors. My cousins left before the mind-medics arrived.

Hedeon walks over and strokes Sadina's hair. “What are the chances to save the imprisoned personality? If I understood you correctly, then the personality which ruled Sadina's actions from the day of the accident is just a twisted copy?”

Raina shrugs her shoulders. “Wording it like that is way too easy and self deceiving. She is Sadina, a Sadina with different priorities than the one you knew before that.”

“Wait.” I raise a hand. “I am not that good with this mind-stuff.” Aside from leeching off of someone's memories and leaving them as a broken wreck. Maybe I should gain some knowledge in the field. But I will leave that to later. “But it sounded very much like the Sadina I know and the original are very different persons.”

The medic takes a deep breath. “That's exactly why I would like to have a full wagon-load of lawyers behind me right this moment. They are the same person and yet they aren't. I am not sure that there is any legal precedent to what happened to Sadina. The original is certainly to blame for performing dangerous research on school grounds. If the accident is actually her fault has yet to be determined. The reconstructed version of Sadina is to blame for everything she did afterwards. But in a certain way she did those things only because of Sanguin's influence. If we look at it that way she is as much as the offender as the victim. As I said, I would like to call a lawyer.”

Hedeon ruffles his hair. “How did that bastard even get that skilled at mind manipulation? You guys are working with five people. He was alone!”

Raina tilts her head. “It could be his mutation. Though he went to great lengths to create a situation in which Sadina would lower her guard. As I said, we have no proof that he caused the explosion, but everything which happened afterwards is much too organized.”

“He is also very old and that comes with a lot of experience. Maybe he worked as a mind-medic at some point in his life. Nonetheless his work was flawed. He didn't manage to wipe her memories completely and she managed to trick him to a certain extent. Given that I had a lot time to prepare myself I could have done the same in his situation, though it would have taken me much longer. We work as a team to ensure that such mistakes don't happen.”

That's when Ed returns. “I've sent word up the chain of command.” He seats himself on a close-by chair. “This is one unholy, fucking mess I don't want to deal with when an alien alliance is pulling at our arms while a flock of killer hamsters is gnawing at our feet.”

“What can we do against Sanguin?” I ask. No matter what happens to her,” I gesture at Sadina, “this Sanguin fellow is someone I don't want to have as my elder. How do we get rid of him? I still believe that he chose Sadina for this nasty stunt because she threatened his position.”

That may mean that I am next! “Can we simply walk up to him and pull it out of his memories?”

“No!” Ed grasps the armrest of his chair. “We have just one person's memories! No hard evidence. They'll say that Sadina's memories were edited. That's not enough to make it stick against an elder. Sanguin is one of the more influential ones on top. We have to do this in a way that doesn't allow him an escape.”

“New elections are taken every ten years. It will take some time to replace him the normal way.” Cyla mumbles and reaches for her chin. “I doubt that the system will choose him again after being involved in such an accusation. His career is finished either way. No matter what he does.”

Ed shakes his head and answers with a viscous voice. “I don't want his career. I want him! You have no idea how long I hunted Sadina, how many sleepless nights I had because of this! And now I learn that the one whom I once loved was mentally raped like this!”

“Challenge him.” Melan grumbles. “Search Sadina's memories for her hidey-hole, get the messages he sent to influence her. Then openly accuse him of violating his office. We don't need proof. We just need someone who can prove that Sanguin is unfit for his job! Once he is out of his office we can order a full mental scan.”

“Challenge?” I ask, not liking where this is going. “Why does this sound like some medieval duel to prove who is strongest and whoever wins is in the right?”

“It's not really a duel.” Cyla takes my hand and locks her fingers with mine. “It's just a way to ensure that the system isn't corrupt. An elder should be the most skilled individual of his trait and have certain objectives. Like the protection of his society.”

She turns to lock eyes with me. “You are a governor. That's just one rank under being an elder. If you doubt Sanguin's qualifications in public you can request a direct comparison of your skills and ambitions.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, please. What would that accomplish? I already took the test to get a job and that made me a governor. What does it help if I beat him in skill without having the needed psych-evaluation?”

“Are you sure that your ambitions are still the same as when you and Cyla didn't have someone to care for?” Hedeon points at Cyla's belly. “Maybe something changed inside that stubborn head of yours?”

“Now you grasp at straws!” I shake my head. “I may care for my family and close friends. I care for Aether because I live here. Society itself is of no concern to me as long as it doesn't affect one of the former.”

Raina raises her hand. “Having Sanguin as an elder suddenly sounds very undesirable to me and my team. If concern for his society is all he needs we could arrange that. It just requires a little nudging and twisting of his priorities. Not too much of a manipulation. Many people who are depressed because of their personality request such small adjustments from us. He has to sign a few papers and pay us, then it's a done deal.

Such small things are not much more than a face-lifting. Ambitions and priorities change naturally over time if they aren't forced upon the psyche. Many people do it.”

All eyes turn to me.

“No.” I shake my head. “I am sane! Saner than sane. I won't let somebody mess with my head. That's an absolute no!”

The medic tilts her head. “I promise it won't hurt at all. My team and I are the best at what we do. You won't even notice that you are a little different. We can reverse the change afterwards, no problem. We never got to take a good look into a governor's head. People in government positions normally have immunity against mental interrogation.”

Good to know! Then as long as I stay governor nobody can legally take a look at my memories.

Melan gets up and walks closer, making sure that she has eye-contact. “Gideon? That person hurt Sadina and in retrospect he also hurt me. A lot! Do you really want to let someone like that go without punishing him yourself?”

Cyla joins her. “Because of him Aurelia was in danger! We have to rip off his limbs and feed them to him bit by bit!” Several eyes switch to Cyla.

Is everyone against me!? Aw... Fuck it! If it is Melan I can't say no. I turn to the medic. “Just make it so that I barely pass the psych-evalution. Don't change anything else! I am not interested in becoming some kind of messiah.”

.