“You want to go to the UK,” said Fraser.

I nodded. “I want to analyze the tech captured in the battle of Liverpool. Think we can swing that?”

“I might be able to. Dr. Shapiro and his colleague Dr. Belmont have been collaborating with the Royal Air Force, and they’re scheduled to travel to Lancashire tomorrow for some research exchanges. How soon can you leave?”

“Today. I’m packed and ready.”

“And this has nothing to do with Agni’s attack?”

“I’m not running away. But if I’m the target, then it’s best I get out of the way.”

“You’ll be coming back, though.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“You're not the type to run from a fight. And Agni barely scratched you.” Fraser drummed his fingers on the desk. “Let me talk to a couple of folks.”

As I stepped out of the C-260 transport aircraft in my Nanofibre Weave armour, I turned to Colonel Goldman. “This is a bit more elaborate than I had planned.”

The officer smiled back at me. “The United States has a reputation to uphold, Belessar. And you did well at Liverpool.”

I glanced across the airfield. Two rows of Royal Marines, lined up at attention, to greet our contingent - me, Goldman, Shapiro, and Dr. Belmont. And a half dozen British officers at the other end.

“Ten-hut!” barked a noncom. “Company, pre-sent arms!”

The Marines snapped to attention.

I shook my head. “A lot of ceremony.”

“We military folks have our rituals,” Goldman said. “They help. Anyway, let’s meet our counterparts.”

We marched across to a group of British officers, led by a tall woman in Royal Air Force blue. The lady greeted us with a smile. “Welcome to RAF Warton, gentlemen. I’m Group Captain Pemberley. I trust you all had a pleasant flight across the pond?”

Colonel Goldman nodded back. “Thank you. We’re most grateful to the RAF for your hospitality. You all know our fellow officers, and I’d like to introduce Belessar.”

I shook Group Captain Pemberley’s offered hand carefully. “It’s an honor to be here."

“Allow me to introduce our colleagues. Commander David Kipling, astrophysics; Major Laura Blythe, biochemistry; Lieutenant-Commander Veda Sinclair, communications technology; and Major Edward Heath, psychology. We’re here to take you to our secure facility.”

I glanced at Major Heath. “Psychology?”

“Alien psychology,” the British officer clarified, “which we have had precious little opportunity to study until recently. I look forward to collaborating with you, Belessar.”

“Let’s continue this on base,” prompted Pemberley. “General Windsor also requests if you could join him and General Fontaine for dinner tonight, Belessar.”

“I’d be happy to.”

The secure facility was a massive underground base, built into the hollow of a mountain.

“Gragareth Station,” Captain Pemberley informed us, “is connected to an extensive underground cave network we call the Three Counties system. The base entrance is close to the village of Ireby, and we’ve kept most of the facilities buried.”

“So that the aliens can’t observe it from space?” I asked.

“Precisely. The caves can accommodate several divisions of troops and equipment, without worrying about airstrikes,” added Pemberley. “We’ve kept most of the captured equipment here, including the shield tower you disabled. Do you think you can learn anything from it?”

“I’ll have to see it to be sure.”

“And you mentioned that you’d like to see the prisoners.”

I nodded. “I might be able to learn something from them.”

Pemberley’s expression was neutral. “Edward?”

“We’ve made little progress on deciphering their language,” replied Major Heath. “So far, we’ve been able to put together the words for ‘food’, ‘water’, and ‘chair’.”

“That’s it?” I frowned.

“We’ve recorded everything they’ve said. We don’t know which are actual words, which are simply noise, and which are expletives.”

“Considering the situation, I’d wager the third category is fairly extensive,” commented Pemberley. “Belessar. Do you have technology that would make the process of translation easier?”

I thought back to the task of learning Raptor speech. “I can try.”

“Then we’ll take you to see the prisoners first. Any breakthrough there could make a world of difference.”

Dr. Shapiro spoke up. “Do we have any notes on the prisoners’ behaviour?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” chuckled Pemberley. “Major Blythe, could you share the files please?”

Major Laura Blythe wordlessly handed out a stack of folders marked TOP SECRET to each of us. I leafed through mine as we took an elevator down to the subterranean levels.

The two Raptors had been kept in separate cells, each nearly a kilometre distant, to prevent any chances of a rescue mission getting both of them out. Ration packs from the spaceships were being issued to them three times a day. The prisoners had eaten the packs with very little hesitation.

“We’re here,” announced Major Heath, as we approached a large metallic door. “The containment area for the first of the prisoners.”

The first thing we saw on entering was a solid glass wall.

On our side, four heavily armed soldiers stood guard. On the other side of the glass, a bare grey room with a bunk bed, a toilet, a table and a chair was occupied by a single Raptor Guard.

Video cameras monitored every inch of the area, especially the cell.

“Armored glass, shatterproof,” explained Blythe. “Food is lowered into the cell through a double hatch above. Air supply is through double-filtered ductwork with mesh. There’s never a moment when the prisoner doesn’t have at least one layer of sealed doors or walls between them and the external environment.”

“You don’t leave anything to chance,” I remarked.

“This is the first time the human race has taken prisoners in twenty years of war. We’re not letting this one escape on our watch.”

“How do you communicate?”

Heath gestured to a speakerphone. “We can talk to the prisoner from here, and there’s speakers and microphones in the cell.”

I stared at the Raptor Guard. It sat on the chair, ears drooping, with an expression that on a human would look miserable.

“I’d like to try talking to it,” I said.

“Feel free,” said Heath. “I warn you, though, so far this one hasn’t shown any signs of understanding a single human word.”

I nodded and thumbed the mike.

What did you say to an alien you weren’t trying to kill?

“Hello.”

The sound filled the Raptor Guard’s cell. It looked puzzled, then slumped back in a resigned posture.

Observe.

IMPRISONED RAPTOR GUARD

LEVEL 10

FACTION: SPINE OF THE HIERARCHY

CONDITIONS: DEPRESSED, INTIMIDATED, ANXIOUS

Surrounded by enemies, locked in a prison, and with no hope of escape, the Guard’s mental condition was hardly a surprise.

I wondered if I could use Compulsion on it. I hadn’t used it since its accidental discovery while trying to pump the Grunter kid for information months ago.

Couldn’t hurt.

For the first time, I pulled on my Control Points deliberately.

Getting them to move was sluggish, compared to how freely MP or AP flowed. Still, I could feel tendrils of Compulsion solidify and reach out to the alien.

YOU ARE TRYING TO PLACE A COMPULSION TO COMMUNICATE ON A RAPTOR GUARD. COST: 250 CP.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO INITIATE A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL ALSO?

… what?

Yes!

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL COST: 1 CP/SECOND.

INITIATING MINDSPEECH LINK. ONCE THE CHANNEL HAS BEEN STARTED, IT WILL LAST UNTIL STOPPED OR YOU RUN OUT OF CP. AFTER THAT THE CHANNEL MUST BE RE-INITIATED.

Threads of purple light shot out from my forehead and slammed into the Raptor Guard’s face.

YOU OVERCOME THE RAPTOR GUARD’S MENTAL RESISTANCE! RAPTOR GUARD IS COMPELLED TO COMMUNICATE!

MINDSPEECH CHANNEL ACTIVE. TIME LEFT: 00:00:14.

: Hello?

: PUPPETMASTER!

It was as if someone had screamed in my face. I flinched.

: I’m trying to help….

: NO! GET OUT OF MY MIND! OUT OUT OUT! PLEASE!

The Guard stumbled back, knocking the chair over. It hastily darted backwards, trying to distance itself from me….

To no effect. The tendrils linking me to it still held strong.

: We’re not trying to hurt you….

: LEAVE! PLEASE…..!!!!

CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.

My link collapsed.

I returned to reality - and to four soldiers pointing their guns at me.

The entire room was tense. And quiet.

Group Captain Pemberley looked me in the eye. “Belessar. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here, so I hope you have a good explanation for what just happened.”

“I can explain, Captain.” Belatedly, it struck me that perhaps I should have done so beforehand. “I managed to communicate with the alien for a few seconds.”

“Communicate. You shot some sort of purple light at him.”

“… I have a limited ability to influence the minds of others.”

Pemberley smiled. “Really. And are you doing so now?”

“The purple light is a … sort of carrier wave. To actually influence a mind, I have to reach out to them with the … carrier wave. My influence is pretty visible.”

“So you can’t, for example, mind-control the soldiers here into lowering their guns.”

“I’m afraid not. Like I said, my abilities are very limited.”

Pemberley glanced at Colonel Goldman. “This wasn’t in the dossier you shared with us.”

“It wasn’t something we knew,” explained Goldman. “We’ve accorded Belessar the right to maintain certain levels of secrecy regarding his abilities.”

Pemberley nodded. “I see. Belessar, do I have your word you have not and will not use these abilities on any British citizens?”

“You have my word, Group Captain.”

“I’ll hold you to that. Stand down, men.” The soldiers lowered their weapons as Pemberley continued. “You said you could communicate with the alien. Care to explain?”

“There’s a … channel of communication that I can initiate. Mind-to-mind communication… I can normally use it only with my colleague Nanocloud. However, it appears that the same method can be used to … reach out to the aliens.”

“Can others also communicate with the aliens using this?”

I shook my head. “The channel of communication is called Mindspeech. It needs - certain abilities of mine to power it. I had to drop the channel because I ran out of power.”

“How long could you sustain the link this time?”

“Fourteen seconds.”

“All right. What did you say that terrified the alien this badly?”

“It wasn’t me.” I thought back to the Raptor’s reaction. “He … thought I was a Puppetmaster. That panicked him.”

“I see. What’s a Puppetmaster?”

“I didn’t get that far before the link collapsed.”

Pemberley nodded gravely. “Can you re-initiate it? This time without panicking him?”

“I’ll need some time.” I mentally calculated. “Eighteen minutes.”

“You can get a few seconds of conversation with him - every eighteen minutes.”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s better than what we have so far. We’ll try again in a bit, then.”