Dream Walkers

Chapter 3

Allison found wearing a robe a strange experience. It rubbed her every time she breathed, or shifted position. It was early, not long after the breakfast yee ceremony, and the sapphire coloured robe reached down to her bare feet. She stared at them, Furless! This change is difficult to get used to, that and being allowed into the control room, as a pre adult. It feels so scary. This is the place decisions are made for the Eight Star Systems! I barely dare touch anything. All the communications rely on this room! She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, shivered and her skin rippled. If she still had fur it would be bristling.

Her father seemed completely unconcerned by how much she was over awed. He was waiting patiently to continue demonstrating the communication system from a chair to her right. She took several deep breaths. Feeling slightly calmer, Allison opened her eyes and rested her hands on the straight side of the large semicircular table. It won't bit me.

The table dominated the centre of the communications room: the same room in which Khy'Jol had the meeting with the Allig only two days before. Around the walls seven communication screens were arranged to face the curved side of the table.

Khy'Jol, seeing her attention had returned to the room, started calmly explaining how the equipment operated, "The communication screens are used when more than two Allig members are communicating with The Reelig. Each screen is controlled using a crystal that has been sensitised with the core personality of an Allig member; who is then able to operate it remotely by a telepathic pathway that is linked to the crystal. Have you worked with these?"

"Yes. Master Khy'Den has explained their use. Just pin the end of a pathway to the crystal. Is it true that just one crystal can cope with an infinite number of pathways?"

"Yes it is. Now, when the screens are being used, they show the Allig member without a time delay, no matter where they are." He pointed to a dome in the centre of the table. Allison could see the communication crystal encased within it.

"That is the place reserved for the crystal that is used by The Reelig to access this communications room remotely. That one I have sensitised for my use. Using a crystal to access other crystals when I could not see it was the hardest task I had to master before I became The Reelig. Like you I find constructing telepathic pathways undemanding."

Khy'Jol turned away from the screens to look at his daughter. "Allison, I have to warn you that it is unlikely that I will be able to contact you telepathically while you are on Earth. You are still growing and changing mentally and you will only have to change a small amount for me to fail to reach your mind."

"Why?" She sat up and looked at him. "You said last cool day that I was like a mind twin, so why not?"

"Think Allison. How do you contact someone telepathically?"

"Oh!" She sat back in surprise. "I visualize the person I want to speak to."

"Exactly! You are going to Earth on your coming of age task. That alone will make you change, but you are also going to be my eyes and ears on Earth. These things will compel you to grow up very fast and change your surface personality. Without knowing these changes I will be unable to contact you. Yet your core personality will stay the same.

"It is very unfortunate that you are not yet ready to personalise a crystal." He sighed, "Only adults can attempt level five ligta, as that needs to be done with your core personality, you will not know yourself truly till after your coming of age. I would have been able to use the crystal to contact you. Therefore, you must try to contact me as often as possible once you are on Earth. It will be impossible for you to contact me while travelling on the starship, except at the beginning and end of the journey as you will be in a different space-time when travelling faster than the speed of light." He shrugged his shoulders, as if this had to be accepted.