Hugh paused as he enetered his home, feeling the scurry of minds and the hastiness of an amateur telepath attempt to hide thm from him. He frowned and continued inside. There should only be one other person here: his slave girl.
"Girl!" he called.
A blonde-haired woman about his age hurried out of the kitchen towards him.
"Yes Master?" she inquired.
Hugh frowned.
"Who else is here?" he demanded, sensing the other minds leave.
"N-no one..." she stammered.
"Liar. There were other people here," Hugh considered. "Gone now, but... who were there?"
"I... I don't know..."
Hugh closed his eyes and sighed. Nick no doubt. Despite his 'rescue', Nick remained suspicious of him. There was no point in trying to change Nick's opinion of him - Nick had spent his entire life charming people, and would see through any attempt of Hugh's to befriend him. So Hugh did what he could through his actions, rather than sucking up. Of course, he had to make sure that Nick only saw the action he wanted him to see, not the ones involving reeducating the next generation.
Since his arrival back in the SPM, Hugh sort out the files that they had saved from the colony ship. This he had to do discreetly, as officially he didn't have access. Nevertheless, he had found amongst the cultural records a number of old legends. A couple he remembered being told as a child, but there was a startling number of legends which he'd never heard. Tales, which if publisied, would certainly cause people to question what the SPM told them.
Hugh was deeply angered by the deliberate deciet, albiet curious to know why they hadn't simply deleted them. But that was not the issue. He arranged for copies to be made, and was now storing them at home. But if Nick or his people had found them... Hugh reached out his mind to touch his slaves' mind. Until now, he had had no particular interest in going through her head. She was a slave, nothing more. But he knew other people had been here, and for some reason she was too afraid to tell him.
They both gasped simutaneously. She, recognising the intrusion of her mind, and he realising that she had been the amateur telepath. The other visitors... they had been other slaves? They had been meeting... she knew about the old stories. They were planning/catching up/sharing intel.
*Get out of my head!* she screamed at him.
Hugh was flooded with images/feelings/thoughts. She was violated. Her mind was her last santuary and he had violated that too. Wasn't enough to violate her body. Get out. Get Out. Get Out!
*But you're a slave!* Hugh objected.
He was confused/perplexed/uncertain. She pushed at him violently Out of my head! Get Out of My Head!
Hugh left, not because of her pushing, which was akin to an ant trying to push a boulder, but because of his own efforts to try and asimulate this new information. The two stared at each other, a defiant cast to her face.
"I suppose you're going to have me killed now."
Hugh was silent as he regailed her.
"No," he said finally. "Why would I do that?"
"Because I'm a half-breed. You kill all the half breeds. They had to hide me when I was a babe until I could control my telepathy so that you," she spat, "wouldn't find out and kill me."
Hugh paused. He heard about that. They of course, needed the humans to breed so they'd have more slaves, but every now and then a hybrid would slip through. The babies were always killed. Hugh caught her eyes.
"You were meeting with other slaves."
"What of it?"
"It's nice to see you've found your tounge," Hugh said sharply. "I was finding your stammering inceasantly annoying."
"Good. Serves you right."
Hugh reached out and caught her face, noting the wince as he did so.
"I appologise," he said finally.
The girl stared.
"You... what?"
"Back to stammering again I see," and he turned from her. "I see I have made a grave error. They tried to tell me, btu I didn't listen. Didn't want to listen. Doesn't stop it from being true. Tell me, how many half-breed are there?"
"What? So you can hunt them down and kill them too?"
"If I wanted to, I could riffle through your mind and take the information I am seeking."
"There are enough."
Hugh nodded and headed into the kitchen, gesturing for her to follow.
"You have seen my research."
"Yes."
"And you've shared it with them."
"Not just the half-breeds. All the slaves. We're especially interested in the stories about Galherz," she said pointedly.
Hugh laughed.
"Of course, of course you would be," he said, grinning. "I should have... but I was more interested in other stories, Hayley."
Hayley started at the use of her name, and Hugh reach out his hand.
"In public, of course, you will continue to be 'Girl'," he warned her. "But in private, you may call me Hugh."
"What do you want?" Hayley demanded.
"Ultimately? Your forgiveness, and your trust. But for now I will settle for your help and co-operation."
"You have to be kidding me."
"No, I don't think so. You see, I'm planning a revolution here, Hayley, as you may have noticed. I can't do it alone, and in all my planning I... overlooked something verfy important."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"Slaves are people too."
Hayley snorted.
"You're just saying that. You want to use me, just like every other Sem."
"An exchange then?" Hugh suggested. "Your help and in payment, I will teach you how to use your telepathy properly. Your shielding attempt before was very clumsy."
"I know how to use my power."
"No, you know how to control your power so that the average telepath won't notice your own telepathy," Hugh corrected. "You're very good at it, as long as you're not actually using your power for anything else."
Hayley pursed her lips.
"No, I don't believe you. You can't just change your attitudes towards slaves overnight."
"No, you can't," Hugh agreed. *May I?*
*Asking permission? There's a first.*
Hugh showed her. He showed her all the things he'd been longing to share with someone. His time on the space station. How much he enjoyed wood crafts and how much he wished he continue doing them now. Some of his memories of his favourite pieces. Friends he had made. Arguments he had had. Revelations about how their leaders had deceived them. Hayley gasped from the flood of information.
*There,* Hugh said. *Now you know everything. You could go dob me in -*
*Ha! Not without incriminating myself, and you know it!*
*Indeed. So it seems we are at an impasse.* Hugh paused, then showed her something else: how he had seen her over the last few month.
Hayley stared at him as she absorbed his confusion/desire/frustration/anguish/want. Then she glared.
"Yet you still did it. It doesn't matter how often."
Hugh pulled back and shrugged.
"And it won't stop none either," Hayley objected. "You can't afford to. Not if you want to maintain your credibility."
Hugh looked away.
"I know," he said softly.
There was silence.
"I want something," Hayley said abruptly.
"Name it."
"Will you be so quick, once you know what it is?"
"I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to make this work," Hugh said firmly.
"Good. I want a collar."
Hugh raised his eyebrows.
"You serious?"
"Deadly."
"That's what I'm afraid of. You realised that if I get caught, you will share my punishment. Which will likely be death."
"Ha! I've been facing a death sentance since I was born," Hayley scorned. "A collar means I will be head of your household - not that it's all that much at the moment - I can choose my own wardrobe, buy supplies without needing your written authority for every stupid little item, and most importantly: no one - bar you - may touch me."
Hugh's frown relaxed, catching a glimpse of a few unpleasant memories at the marketplace.
"Or are you worried that if I get caught, you'll have to share my punishment. Which will most likely be death."
Hugh grinned.
"Done!" He said. "It's too late now, but we'll hit the registry office as soon as it opens."
Hayley stared.
"You serious?" she asked, surprised.
"Of course," Hugh nodded. "Of course, some might think it's unusual after only three months -"
"Ha! I knew it!"
"- but it has been known to happen," Hugh went on like she didn't say anything. "Just watch out for Nick's people okay? They'll probably be gunning for you. And it might be a good idea to switch to telepathy for talking about sensitive topics."
Hayley regarded him seriously.
"Okay," she said. "Okay."