Mind

                                    

                                          
     The gleam of the white shuttle craft contrasted starkly to the profusion of green colors from the forest and grassland it rested upon.   Fayala thought that she had never seen the color white displayed in this way. Not in the clouds,  or the clothes worn by her humans, not even the wild flowers could match it's brilliance. 
    Focusing on the craft helped her forget, if for just a moment, the desolation that was the human villages she had travelled through.   She wanted to put that all behind her and felt the only way was to be completely dissociated from this world.   Perhaps she was being selfish and some might even see her action as cowardly but Fayala felt that she had given all she had to this planet and in the end it wanted to be rid of her.        
           She saw the three Miorpeans standing outside the craft as she strode towards them. They were all looking in her direction and seemed rather stiff to her. She psychically reached out to them in greeting, and was received, but she did not sense the openness of her first meeting with Melete.  The one called Aphaea seemed very apprehensive about her approach and the male, Ceraon, was completely closed off to her. 
     Fayala's desire to leave the planet and its troubles overrode her instinctive sense of cautiousness and she continued to approach the trio unabated. When she was but a few steps from them she opened her mind as a sign of trust.  She waved her hand, palm facing away from her and pointed her thumbs back at her then moved her hands toward the Miorpeans in a thumb up position.  
          Fayala was surprised that the Miorpean she knew as Melete did not respond but instead ignored the greeting she had just signed. Fayala thought back to their first meeting and how she had taught an enthusiastic Melete sign language to help them breech their communication differences.   
    For her part Sativia thought Fayala's hand movements were strange but quickly sensed Fayala's confusion then understood that a response of some type was expected from her. 
Ceraon picking up on the dilemma and knowing Fayala would detect any attempt to contact Sativia psychically, spoke in Miorpean. "It is called sign language, search your memory core, the protocols are stored there."
           Within moments Sativia had accessed the stored memory and all that Melete had learned about sign language was made available to her. She smiled broadly to Fayala and responded with the appropriate sign. The tension eased as Fayala smiled back and continued conversing in sign. Sativa repeated her request for Fayala to join them and return with her to their main ship in orbit around Earth.
 Fayala raised her eyes to sky and sighed heavily, she then looked around  letting her gaze rest upon the trees, fields, mountains and rivers. This has been her home for hundreds of passing seasons and suddenly the prospect of leaving was unsettling. She also saw the faint remnants of smoke from the brunt villages still rising in the sky above the trees and the memory of all the dead bodies flooded into her.  
        Feeling that the deception was working Sativa once again invited Fayala into the shuttlecraft. Fayala relented and placed her foot on the platform that led up into the craft. Then she noticed something laying in the grass, a shiny, grey colored container.  Sativa, who had already entered the shuttle stopped and watched as Fayala bent at the waist and picked something up. Sativia was becoming more adept with the process of accessing specific data in her brains memory core and a remembrance of the item and its contents was quickly retrieved. 
           Sativia hurried down the ramp took the container from Fayala's hands and awkwardly signed that she dropped it earlier.  Fayala hesitated, then signed,  "well, perhaps we should take it to Ohas as you intended, that box does contain the bodies of her family and you were going to deliver them to her personally ... is that not correct ... Melete."
 Sativia stood on the ramp, the box held tightly in her hands, there was only one way Fayala could have known what was in the box and what Melete intentions had been. Sativia had failed to shield Fayala from reading her mind. 
"You know don't you," Sativia transmitted her message psychically.  
          Fayala stepped up onto the ramp, "yes, Sativia, I suspected as much as soon as we met but when you accessed your, Melete's, memory core you let your psychic block drop for a moment and all was revealed." 
Sativia slowly moved down the ramp until she was but a step away from Fayala, "join me,"  she stated emphatically, "together we can take control of their ship and go to places, other planets, we can be Goddesses again."  Sativia placed her hand on Fayala's arm, "I know you want to leave this planet as much as I if not more, come with me, together there is nothing we cannot do and  no one to stop us."  
         Fayala thought of the possibilities, if Sativia had overcome Melete than her psychic power was equal to her own.  The other Spirit Priestess was weak but with time and training would become formidable in her own right.  The male, Ceraon, would provide the knowledge they would need to master Miorpean technology.  Now that all pretenses had been dropped Fayala also sensed that while dissimilar in essence,  Idiyanale and Ceraon both shared a reverence for Sativia and were completely devoted her.  Yes, she concluded, Sativa was right, there was nothing to stop them. 
           Her thoughts were interrupted by Sativia, "we have visitors." 
Fayala followed Sativia's gaze to the field behind her.  A small crowd of humans was approaching led by Ohas and Mira.  While most humans had become accustomed to being around one giantess, the sight of four powerful gods imperiously looking down on them coupled with the enormous strange looking craft was overwhelming.  Feeling relatively insignificant in comparison they kept their distance. Only Ohas and Mira warily ventured closer. Sensing their trepidation Fayala approached her friends, knelt and sat back on her haunches.  
          As this was to be last time they would be together Fayala decided to use the moment to do something she loved. She would create the shared psychic linking as it allowed her to become intimate with all of her humans. She reached out with her mind and brought all into a communion of thought and awareness.  
     Gesturing towards Sativia, Mira looked up at Fayala, "Is that what I think it is, a Spirit Priestess," she asked her voice trembling. 
 "Yes, replied Fayala, "I am afraid so, and the other female as well." 
"How," exclaimed Ohas, "I thought they were all killed." 
Fayala hushed, "be calm my friend, they will leave with me, you will be safe from them." 
 "Will we see you again?" Asked Ohas who was near to tears. 
 "No my old friend, I think not," Fayala replied sadly. "Humanity does not need me anymore. You must find your spiritual strength through your interconnections with each other."  
        Fayala leaned forward her face hovering above them, "you see the strength of the Spirit Priestess was their psychic union through the Circle of Ten. Individually they were manageable but linked together their power increased tenfold.  You must also learn to draw strength from your innate humanity, use your skills and minds to encourage virtue, tolerance and community."  
     She reached down and took Mira and Ohas into her hands. She brought them up to her face, they leaned forward and kissed her cheeks, tears mixed with tears ...  Fayala looked into their eyes, "watch the sky my dear friends, you will see me there."