Alcyone still felt somewhat miserable, but she had been sure that she would feel a lot worse if she let Keller interrogate the Liraxan’s on his own. And she had been correct.  They had been questioning the students for more than an hour now, and not gotten much further. Not because they weren’t say anything, but because they were exceedingly eager to accuse each other. 

Keller, with his already frayed emotions, was teetering on the edge. Brennan could see it in his eyes – he was seconds away from losing his composure and joining the yelling. His fists clenched at his sides, muscles tensing, as if preparing to swing.

“I saw Nira kneel down near the artefact while you were distracted.”, argued Vorel, which was met with immediate counter-arguments from Trevan. Jara, who had tried to keep the group together, and who had worked with these people for more than a year, simply sat in the corner, trying not to cry. 

“And that’s exactly why there will never be peace.”, hissed the accused Nira. “Because I don’t know if you are lying or not. Words mean nothing!” 

Brennan rubbed her temples, finding the assessment accurate, and sharing in the frustration. If she could only hear beyond the spoken words…

Maybe she could try. 

She hadn’t tried for years. The last time she did, it had been one with her Betazoid colleagues. It had barely worked for more than a few seconds, and not been pleasant for either of them. Then again, a few seconds was all she needed. And surely her telepathy was less unpleasant than getting punched by Keller. 

She fixated on the group, gradually letting down the barriers she had erected over the years. And one by one, the silence of her own thoughts was replaced by fragments of those around her. She sensed emotions too – the conscious registration of ones emotion rather than the feeling itself. Keller was angry. The Liraxans were scared. The Security Officer standing by was bored. The men and woman outside were entertained by a story Alcyone had no access to. And beyond that-… 

No, focus. This was the exact thing that had gotten her into trouble before, most notably when she had let the thoughts and impressions confuse her to the extent that she had failed the first attempt on her final exam. 

Focus. Maybe all she needed were a few seconds. 

For a brief, terrifying moment, it seemed like she just wasn’t able to do it. That all her telepathy was good for was being a nuisance and an obstacle. But then something shifted in Brennan.

She felt it. A soft flicker of something at the edge of her consciousness. A connection, faint but unmistakable. She reached out instinctively, her mind touching the edges of both the thoughts and the roiling emotions of the others.

“What-…”, started Trevan, but quickly fell silent. His eyes however stayed wide open, and he looked at Brennan. Then at the others.

“… I can sense you.”

Brennan squeezed her eyes shut, trying to draw her telepathy inward again. She didn’t want to cause pain. 

“I can sense you. All of you…”, said Jana through the discomfort, and not to Brennan. The others nodded slowly, and evidently struggling to deal with this wholly new sensation. The tribes hadn’t been able to communicate for centuries, and they had never experienced a time when it was still possible.

It wasn’t a full connection, and it lasted mere moments. But it was enough. Anger,  frustration, resentment, fear and helplessness all mingled together.  And beneath it all, something darker. Something deliberate.

An intention, twisted and sharp.

It came from Vorel Syn. 

“Vorel!”, screamed Jana, and shrill sound of her voice severed the final remnants of the connection.  l

“What?” Vorel’s face was a mask of innocence, not a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “What do you want?”

“You destroyed it,” Jara hissed, standing slowly. “You sabotaged the artefact.”

Trevan’s eyes widened in disbelief, his fists still clenched as he took a step back. Jara’s gaze hardened, while Nira looked utterly confused.

“You have no proof,” Vorel shot back, but there was something in his tone. Something defensive.

“I don’t need proof,” Jana hissed. “I could feel it.”

Brennan noticed Keller, who had been on the verge of losing control, looking at her, his eyes searching her face. “What was that?”, he asked as calmly as possible. 

“I reached out.”, Brennan explained as good as he could. “And I agree with Jana. There… was something dark in his thoughts. An intention.”

“I see.”, replied Keller coldly. He was displeased, but it remained unclear if he was displaced with Brennan or Vorel. “Let me handle this.”

As Keller approached, the energy field keeping the Liraxan’s contained, was disabled long enough for him to step inside, and for Jara, Nira and Trevan to hurry out of the holding cell. He halted  a few feet from Vorel Syn, his muscles tight and fists clenched. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Brennan, but he trusted her when she said that the man had something to do with what had happened. And he was going to find out what, and why.

Vorel seemed unnervingly calm despite everything that had just happened. The others had already back, watching from a distance, giving Keller space for the interrogation. No one spoke, but the tension was suffocating.

The almost smug expression grated on Keller’s nerves, and for the first time since he was a young man and who didn’t know how to channel his energy, he felt like he was about to lose his professionalism. Every fibre of his body screamed at him to grab the man and throw him into the wall, make him confess through the sheer force of anger, let out the pent-up frustration that had been building for weeks.

But he held back. Barely. His hands itched to lash out, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t. That wasn’t who he was. But damn, it was tempting.

“Vorel,” Keller said. His voice was low and controlled, though it took everything he had not to snarl. “It seems we need to talk.”

“About what?” Vorel’s tone was infuriatingly casual, as if none of this mattered. “You going to accuse me of something? I already told you and the others: the artefact was old, it couldn’t handle the stress.”

“Stop playing games,” Keller growled. “We all know what you did.”

Vorel crossed his arms, his expression quickly turning into feigned confusion. “I didn’t do anything. The thing was already falling apart. You’re just looking for someone to blame because Starfleet couldn’t fix it.”

Keller’s knuckles turned white. Every word out of Vorel’s mouth made it harder to keep control. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, pounding louder and louder as the seconds ticked by. He forced himself to breathe. 

“You seem to be awfully okay with it, considering it is your hard work that was destroyed. And your way to bring peace to your people.” Keller growled, stepping closer. By now, his face only inches from Vorel’s. He could see the flicker of unease in Vorel’s eyes now, the tiniest crack in his armor. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Keller’s patience snapped. He grabbed the front of Vorel’s jacket, yanking him forward so fast the man stumbled, nearly losing his footing. He could hear Brennan inhale sharply, but paid no attention to the woman. 

“I think it’s about profit.”, said Nira. “His family isn’t wealthy. We were always wondering how he even affords attending university.” 

“Is that true?”, Keller almost shouted at Vorel. “War’s good business. Peace isn’t.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Vorel’s cocky facade began to crack, his eyes darting to the sides, searching for an escape. But there was none. 

“You-.. you have no proof,” Vorel spat, trying to pull away, but Keller didn’t let go.

“Proof? I don’t need proof. I know your type. You’d sell out anyone if it meant lining your pockets. And destroying the artefact? Definitely keeps the tribes at war, keep the assets flowing.”

Vorel opened his mouth and closed it again. But he didn’t deny the accusation.

Keller’s grip loosened slightly, though every instinct in his body screamed to punch the man’s lights out right then and there. He wanted to. He really wanted to. But Ricarda would be so mad if he did.

So instead he shoved Vorel back, and the man stumbled into the wall.

Vorel sneered. “Are you stupid enough to think peace is going to actually happen? The tribes have been killing each other for centuries. They don’t want peace. And your Starfleet doesn’t have jurisdiction on Liraxa. I have friends in higher places than you could imagine, I will get out of this-… “

Keller didn’t hear the rest. He only heard his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and felt his muscles tensing. His fist raising to swing… and hit the wall right next to Vorel’s face.