set on my feet.
"We never had to go
to
academy because all of their joint knowledge was automatically imparted
to us. They had expected the offspring to have even greater mental
powers than the parents, but only a few did. My sister, Janna, was one
of them. Others inherited abilities equal to their parents. Some
acquired none at all."
Shara asked the question that had been
on her
mind since Ferrine first mentioned his birthplace. "And what abilities
did you inherit?"
Gabriel gave her a sly smile. If he truly
wanted
to gain the upper hand with her, he could let her wonder
indefinitely—worrying that he could hear her every thought whether she
directed it at him or not, fearing that he could send thoughts or
suggestions without ever touching her, and she'd never be the wiser.
Reminding himself that he wanted to gain her cooperation, he revealed
the truth.
"Some of the skills developed within Parson's
Colony were
so powerful that outsiders began to fear that the colonists might
misuse their abilities. The group finally broke up due to the pressure
of those frightened outsiders. Your reaction to where I was raised was
one of intellectual curiosity, but I assure you it is much more common
for someone to become immediately distrustful of what I might be
capable of doing to them.
"Just so you know you have nothing
to fear from me, I'm going to tell you something I usually keep secret.
I didn't inherit any of my parents' extraordinary talents. Unlike most
Noronians, I can't even direct specific thoughts to you if I touch your
temple. Unfortunately, I also lack the ability to block out other
people's thoughts. I'm what they call an open receiver."
"Are
you
telling me that you hear what I'm thinking all the time?" Shara's
stomach knotted at the possibility, and his laughter did little to calm
her.
"No, your privacy is intact." She didn't need to know
that once
he figured out the color key to her moods, her eyes would tell him all
he needed to know without hearing her thoughts. "You mentioned that the
offspring had problems. Imagine what it would be like to have
twenty-three other people in your head at all times. That's how many
open minds there were after each couple had two children.
"There
were other open receivers like myself, who could never block anyone or
sort out the individual voices. As children, we never knew a moment of
quiet, let alone privacy. Before the group disbanded, they invented a
jammer for the less fortunate minds." He pointed to the plain gold cuff
on his left earlobe. "With this on, my reception is effectively jammed,
and I'm protected against any unscrupulous person trying to invade my
mind without my knowledge or permission."
The last he added as
a
warning, in case she should get the idea that she could manipulate him.
Already having broken at least two laws that he knew of, she could be
capable of more.
Though she still didn't trust him and would
rather
not have to deal with him professionally, Shara felt deep sympathy for
him and those other children. It was
impossible for her to imagine growing up without ever having time to
herself, the chance to dream private dreams, or to keep special secrets
that only one or two dear friends shared. No wonder Gabriel spent most
of his adult life alone and journeying to civilizations where they had
no telepathic abilities. He was making up for lost years.
"Any
other questions?" he asked without looking at her.
She
had plenty, but if the answer to a simple question about his birthplace
could cause her to want to reach out to him, she was afraid of what
might happen to her good sense if she learned anything else. "Not at
the moment."
As they strolled along, she contemplated his
account of
his childhood. She wasn't sure he was being completely truthful about
his lack of skills. After all, it would be to his advantage to keep her
in the dark about that. At least she now knew why she hadn't been able
to get through to him
"We never had to go
to
academy because all of their joint knowledge was automatically imparted
to us. They had expected the offspring to have even greater mental
powers than the parents, but only a few did. My sister, Janna, was one
of them. Others inherited abilities equal to their parents. Some
acquired none at all."
Shara asked the question that had been
on her
mind since Ferrine first mentioned his birthplace. "And what abilities
did you inherit?"
Gabriel gave her a sly smile. If he truly
wanted
to gain the upper hand with her, he could let her wonder
indefinitely—worrying that he could hear her every thought whether she
directed it at him or not, fearing that he could send thoughts or
suggestions without ever touching her, and she'd never be the wiser.
Reminding himself that he wanted to gain her cooperation, he revealed
the truth.
"Some of the skills developed within Parson's
Colony were
so powerful that outsiders began to fear that the colonists might
misuse their abilities. The group finally broke up due to the pressure
of those frightened outsiders. Your reaction to where I was raised was
one of intellectual curiosity, but I assure you it is much more common
for someone to become immediately distrustful of what I might be
capable of doing to them.
"Just so you know you have nothing
to fear from me, I'm going to tell you something I usually keep secret.
I didn't inherit any of my parents' extraordinary talents. Unlike most
Noronians, I can't even direct specific thoughts to you if I touch your
temple. Unfortunately, I also lack the ability to block out other
people's thoughts. I'm what they call an open receiver."
"Are
you
telling me that you hear what I'm thinking all the time?" Shara's
stomach knotted at the possibility, and his laughter did little to calm
her.
"No, your privacy is intact." She didn't need to know
that once
he figured out the color key to her moods, her eyes would tell him all
he needed to know without hearing her thoughts. "You mentioned that the
offspring had problems. Imagine what it would be like to have
twenty-three other people in your head at all times. That's how many
open minds there were after each couple had two children.
"There
were other open receivers like myself, who could never block anyone or
sort out the individual voices. As children, we never knew a moment of
quiet, let alone privacy. Before the group disbanded, they invented a
jammer for the less fortunate minds." He pointed to the plain gold cuff
on his left earlobe. "With this on, my reception is effectively jammed,
and I'm protected against any unscrupulous person trying to invade my
mind without my knowledge or permission."
The last he added as
a
warning, in case she should get the idea that she could manipulate him.
Already having broken at least two laws that he knew of, she could be
capable of more.
Though she still didn't trust him and would
rather
not have to deal with him professionally, Shara felt deep sympathy for
him and those other children. It was
impossible for her to imagine growing up without ever having time to
herself, the chance to dream private dreams, or to keep special secrets
that only one or two dear friends shared. No wonder Gabriel spent most
of his adult life alone and journeying to civilizations where they had
no telepathic abilities. He was making up for lost years.
"Any
other questions?" he asked without looking at her.
She
had plenty, but if the answer to a simple question about his birthplace
could cause her to want to reach out to him, she was afraid of what
might happen to her good sense if she learned anything else. "Not at
the moment."
As they strolled along, she contemplated his
account of
his childhood. She wasn't sure he was being completely truthful about
his lack of skills. After all, it would be to his advantage to keep her
in the dark about that. At least she now knew why she hadn't been able
to get through to him
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