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| - Set noticed that Salvaje's telepathic output had started to surge and pulse in the way that Set had previously seen it do when Salvaje was interacting with his daughter. Now Set could again detect the approach of Amethyst...yes, her pattern of T-particle output was distinctive. In order not to cue Salvaje to Amethyst's location, Set was careful not to look in the direction of her approach, but again Salvaje looked in that direction. Salvaje said, "Now, it is time to introduce you to the rest of the community here." Amethyst entered Salvaje's work room through a back door and made her way towards her father through a clutter of equipment and work stations. She nodded to Set and said to her father, "Everyone is gathering. Mort and Bjainy are still on their way in; they were out working on the collector array." Salvaje turned to his daughter and hugged her, "Thank you for letting me know." He turned back to Set and said, "Come, Set, it is time." When Salvaje and Amethyst touched, Set thought he saw an orange glow, almost like a large slow-motion spark radiating from between them. Set wiped some sweat off of his brow and rubbed his eyes. Set wondered: what did I just see? It was uncomfortably warm inside this base, and Set had to admit that it felt even warmer when Amethyst was in the room, bouncing around in the low gravity, but otherwise he felt fine. Set wondered: if I'm not hallucinating, then are these strange colors near Salvaje and Amethyst related to their high levels of telepathic emissions? Set had no idea why Salvaje thought it was important that he meet others from this little community, but he hoped it might lead to some more useful revelations about the history of the Haldus Order. Set followed Amethyst and Salvaje down a long hallway and into a large chamber full of plants, butterflies and birds. Salvaje slowed his pace and let Set enjoy the flowers and colorful insects. Amethyst said, rather bitterly, "All of Earth used to be like this, before it was destroyed." She held out a hand and one of the birds landed, holding on to her finger. "Unfortunately the birds are only robotic imitations." Set had grown up on Sakkara with a rich ecosystem and he wondered what it would be like to exist here on the Moon in such an artificial environment. Watching Amethyst, he could see that she took great pleasure from watching the movements of the insects and robotic birds. Set thought it would be fun to take her to a world like Sakkara where she could see animals in a natural environment. Salvaje said, "My dream is that some day the galaxy will recognize that Earth was purposefully infested with the green goo and that will stimulate discovery of a way to cleanse Earth of that scourge. We should stop raiding Earth for water and start working to return Earth to its rightful condition: a living world." They emerged from the far end of the chamber into a wider and longer hallway that was designed to resemble a particular alley in a city of Earth, as it existed over three hundred years earlier. Salvaje opened a door to what looked like an old beer hall and gestured for Set to pass through. Set found himself inside a replica of a cafe of ancient Earth. Nearly the entire population of the Shackleton crater community was there, laughing and talking. When the residents noticed Set they all fell silent. Amethyst took Set's hand and led him to a small table near the stage. Salvaje, Amethyst and Set sat down and were waited on by a robotic server. Soon the occupants of the room returned to their former state of boisterous good cheer and banter. Salvaje said, "Two of our community members have yet to arrive. They do most of the work of coordinating the robots who are extending our solar energy collecting array to keep up with our growing population. They'll be down from the surface soon." Set looked upwards and tried to detect approaching sources of T-particles. He was suddenly feeling dizzy from the flood of telepathic signals in the room. The robotic waiter returned to the table with their drinks. When Set reached for his mug, his hand touched Amethyst's arm where it rested on the table. He clearly saw a glow at the point of contact. He placed his hand on her's and marvelled at the resulting swirl of color that enveloped their hands. He gasped, "There is something strange going on here." Amethyst turned her hand over and squeezed Set's hand. "Wait until this crew gets a few more drinks in their bellies. They'll sing, dance and carry on in a remarkable way." Set held up their clasped hands, "You don't see anything?" Both Amethyst and Salvaje expressed puzzlement. Set decided that he was the only one who could see the colors and there was no point in trying to describe color to the blind. Could he explain it to himself? These strange "colors" did not seem normal since they did not really correspond to visible objects. They were roughly related to body parts but they seemed to move up into the air and have a life of their own. He wondered: what can it mean that I see these "colors" when people touch? He looked around the room and now, where ever two people were touching, Set could see clouds of sparks and color. And now he could see a new source of T-particles above. Was that a late-arriving member of the community? Set felt not: this new source of T-particles was not like the telepathic emissions coming from the other members of this community. It was steady and strangely featureless. The more Set focused his attention on the T-particle source from above the brighter it became. Now it became blindingly bright. He reflexively placed his arm over his eyes and called out, "Ow!" Amethyst jumped up as Set pulled her hand. She asked, "What is wrong?" Set let go of her hand and the blinding white light faded away, leaving a kind of afterimage in his mind. What had he seen? He put a hand on Amethyst's hip and the bright light from above returned. With his other hand he took hold of Salvaje's arm. Their bodies seemed to function like an antenna array, and the odd source of T-particles came into better focus for Set. He pointed and asked, "Can either of you see that? It is the brightest source of T-particles I've ever seen." Amethyst asked, "What are 'T-particles'?" Amethyst and Salvaje looked in the direction of Set's pointing finger, but they both shook their heads. Salvaje said, "This is something you've never seen before?" Set had a fear in the back of his mind. What if this community of high-powered telepaths was used by the Haldus Order like fly paper? Now that Set had been attracted, would the Haldus Order telepaths close in on Set? He wondered: am I trapped in a den of mental masters? This bright source of T-particles struck fear into Set. He wiped sweat off of his face and tried to calm down. "Sorry, I'm okay. It seems that exposure to the high levels of T-particles here is having a strange effect on my telepathic senses." Salvaje suggested, "Amethyst, please refrain from touching Set until he gets accustomed to this environment." Amethyst took her hand off of Set's shoulder and sat down again. She asked her father, "He can see the Light?" Mort and Bjainy came into the room and were greeted by the others. Salvaje nodded to Amethyst, but he said nothing. Salvaje got up from the table and went up on the small stage at the back end of the room. Everyone in the room quieted down. Salvaje said, "Friends, let me tell you why I called you here today. Or, rather, let my great-grandmother tell you." He pointed to the wall which came alive with the image of an old woman. The woman seemed to gaze out into the audience while she spoke, "Hello to you in the future. A day will come when someone not of the light will see the light. This outsider will become the tool of darkness. I have prepared a great pyre that will attract the outsider like a moth to a flame. Welcome the outsider and rejoice because the tool of darkness can be turned against the darkness. Open your hearts to the outsider and you can transform the tool of darkness into a flower of hope." The woman pressed together the first two fingers from both of her hands and her thumbs to make a complex gesture and then her image faded from the wall. Salvaje spoke, "Here is the outsider!" He pointed to Set. There was a gasp of disbelief from everyone watching, including Amethyst. Salvaje continued, "His name is 'Set'. Welcome him!" There was an uncertain and weak chorus of welcomes. Amethyst stood up and spoke to her father, "How do you know he is the one?" Salvaje replied, "I have tested him. He can see the light. It was our light that brought him here today, as my great-grandmother predicted." In a hushed voice, Amethyst asked Set, "Are you truly the tool of darkness?" Set had been trying to understand what Salvaje and his great-grandmother meant by "the light" and "darkness". He stood up and replied, "I am unfamiliar with your customs and uncertain about how to answer. What do you mean by 'darkness'?" Amethyst looked towards her father, but all he did was nod to her. Amethyst explained, "It is the same across the galaxy and on every world known to humans. Darkness is death, pain, suffering and confusion." Set tried to assure her, "I am from Sakkara where we suffered death and pain." Set addressed the whole community, "Have you heard of the space elevators disaster? I suffered...a personal loss. There is still confusion about who destroyed the space elevators on Sakkara. I have been trying to work through this darkness." Salvaje replied to Set's question. "We are a small and isolated community, but we are not ignorant of outside events. We know of the great disaster on Sakkara and all people of the Light grieve for Sakkara. But, Set, have you not turned to the methods of darkness?" Set replied uneasily, "Sometimes justice is remote. I have taken justice into my own hands. I have given myself the goal of finding those who destroyed the space elevators." Amethyst asked quietly, "Have you killed in the name of the justice you seek?" Set nodded, "I have done what must be done. Call me a tool of darkness if you like, but I have no shame for what I have done." Salvaje said, "We have not brought you here to judge you. You came here following the Light. Our hearts are open to you. Now you will change. You have seen the Light and you will do what is right." Set was not sure what to say. He looked around the room and felt dizzy under the glare of the powerful telepathic impulses flooding his mind. At that moment he realized that the telepathic flood was like a floodlight. He had seen the light when he detected the telepathic signal generated by these people and that had led him to the Moon. And he recalled his "meeting" with Ketar. They had remained apart, in their own spaceships, but Set had reached out with his telepathic sense and found...nothing. Total darkness. And Set realized that he was in danger of becoming the tool of Ketar, but he would not let that happen. Salvaje said, "It is time for you to go. Come with me." Salvaje led Set back to the airlock where he had entered the underground base. Amethyst followed along and Salvaje spoke the entire way except when they were in the water-filled tunnels. "Here is our deal. I will give you the T-particle detector. It will allow you to find the Haldus Order Temple on Earth." Set asked, "And what do you expect in return?" "Back in the days of my great-grandmother, all the evidence concerning how Earth was destroyed was put away in a kind of time capsule. We knew the day would come when someone like you would have the power to act on that evidence and bring justice to those who destroyed Earth. That is your end of the deal." Set was doubtful that he could satisfy Salvaje's dream of justice. "I cannot even win justice for myself in the case of last year's elevators disaster. What makes you think I can bring the justice you want...justice that has been unattainable for decades?" Salvaje replied, "Do not fear. Do not doubt. You will do fine." They had reached the elevator to the surface. A robot waited for them there, holding the T-particle detector and Set's clothing. Salvaje said, "Take the detector, it will reveal the hidden Temple on Earth." Salvaje made the same six-fingered gesture that his grandmother had made in her video recording. "Now, go." Set pulled on his jumpsuit and took the detector from the robot. He got into the elevator and as he closed the elevator door, Set looked back at Amethyst. For the first time he was able to detect some information content in her telepathic impulses: it all came in a flash. Set sensed her revulsion at the idea that Set had killed for revenge, but she also longed for her own revenge against those who has destroyed Earth and the Temple at Shackleton crater. Set could also sense that she was thinking about Set's future and the idea that he might return to the Moon and that he and Amethyst would build a future together. The door of the elevator clanged shut and Set slumped back into the small elevator compartment. The tone and force of the telepathic impulses from Amethyst reminded Set of those he had received from Katherine in her dying moment. Set also experienced a brief memory from his old dream, the dream he had the night before the elevators disaster. He asked himself: how could I have dreamed about Amethyst months before ever knowing that she existed? When the elevator car lifted away towards the surface, Salvaje ordered the robot follow Set to the surface and detach the docking tunnel from Set's spaceship. Salvaje turned and started towards his workshop, but then he turned back towards the elevator. Amethyst had not moved and remained in place, staring at the door of the elevator shaft. Salvaje didn't trust the structural integrity of these old outer tunnels during spaceship landings and departures. He said, "Let's go back inside." Amethyst turned her head and seemed to look right through her father. "I felt, I saw..I saw the Light." Salvaje immediately wished he had the T-particle detector. Had Amethyst established a conscious telepathic connection with Set? Salvaje said, "It is all coming to pass, just as Tabitha predicted." Amethyst was confused about what she had just felt. Had she only imagined being inside Set's mind for a moment? She had the strange feeling that Set would return...it felt like déjà vu, but some kind of déjà vu from the future. In Set's mind, she had seen an image of him holding their daughter. Amethyst asked, "Could Tabitha see the future?" Salvaje shrugged, "I always assumed she was only able to predict the future course of events. It was not a surprising prediction back when she made her recording and said that we, here in the future, should expect someone from out side the Haldus Order to eventually develop telepathy. Set is just that person." Amethyst was not sure that it was as simple as Salvaje thought. The elevator car returned and the robot got in. Amethyst finally turned from the elevator and started walking with her father back towards the inner core of the base. Amethyst tried to sort through the swirl of images that had suddenly filled her thoughts at the moment when Set departed. She was uncertain about what she had seen, but she was left wishing that she had gone with him. She felt that Set was in danger. In her thoughts she sent out a wish to Set: Take care!
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