Terab came over to Krinata and addressed the now-reconvened Oliat through her. "Everything is ready as Jindigar's requested."
Cyrus maintained his vigilance beside Krinata, having seen that she was wrapped in an extra cloak for work in the chilly cave. Jindigar felt the human male's protectiveness and barriered himself against the sexual overtones Cyrus couldn't suppress.
Surveying the cave one last time, Jindigar used Oliat perceptions, not vision, for the only lighting was a yellow flame. The committees' representatives were clustered around the sun-bright cave mouth—upper-class Cassrians with carapaces engraved and inlaid with precious gems and a few Lehiroh, humans, and Holot who might once have been aristocrats or tradesmen.
Apart from them stood a group of Dushau who had volunteered to interact with the colony's government. Trinarvil, their head of medical services, was not among them. Her health was too fragile for her to become involved. But Threntisn, their chief Archivist, was there recording the event into the great memory pattern passed from Historian to Historian down the ages from the dawn of Dushau history. Jindigar himself had carried that particular Archive, sealed and entrusted to Jindigar at death by Grisnilter. The seal had broken, but Jindigar had delivered the Archive intact to Threntisn, who was trained to handle it safely.
Threntisn and the other non-Oliat Dushau wore photo-multiplier filters to see by firelight. Jindigar felt the Historian's recording gaze settle upon him as he responded to Terab's report through his Outreach. "//Thank you, Terab. Cy, you may close access now.//"
They had all seen the Oliat or its subforms working in the settlement. They knew that during this operation there could be no information exchange with the Oliat. The Outriders would see that the officers remained undisturbed.
Cyrus signaled, and the other Outriders came to attention. Before reconvening and balancing, Jindigar had explained to the Outriders that they were now more vulnerable to distractions. He had not told them of Eithlarin's episode or that Darllanyu had wanted to use pensone on herself while Krinata had flatly refused to be a party to it. The others had supported their human zunre, saying that if Darllanyu felt she couldn't do this undrugged, then they'd better Dissolve.
As the intensity of her current hormonal surge had abated, Darllanyu had agreed to work drugless, but Jindigar had resolved to keep his attention away from Krinata as much as possible while timing this operation for the natural trough in Dar's cycle. They had all agreed, knowing the risks, for he had explained it, telling them plainly, "If we ever reestablish contact with Dushaun, I'll be brought up on charges for allowing this."
So Jindigar was not surprised when the Oliat trembled nervously in his grasp, balance among them and attunement with the world around them eluding him. He felt Krinata's heart leap with apprehension and shut down the open channel to her awareness lest it upset everyone else. Krinata turned to him, alarmed. //Jindigar– don't. I can do it.//
//Relax,// advised Jindigar. //Only the Outreach can do this first part of the operation. But let me set it up for you.// He focused on Zannesu, his Inrecach, whose job it was to hold the balance among the linkages once Jindigar had set it. //Do you want to try to reinforce Center's pattern?//
Zannesu had never done this maneuver before, but he tackled it with a calm professionalism. Jindigar felt his strength supporting his own and gradually developing the pattern they had chosen, wide-open to Krinata and the Receptor, Venlagar, but closed to the others, protecting their most vulnerable officers. Jindigar was prepared to proceed without seeking the shaleiliu hum, but it came as he and Zannesu worked together.
He wasted not a moment basking in it but, rather, turned directly to Krinata.
With the link to her wide-open, Jindigar caught her oddly human conception of the linkages—transparent tubes that connected the officers to Jindigar and among themselves. The tubes carried colored fluid from one to the other, representing the information flow. Sometimes the fluids glowed brightly in wide tubes, and sometimes the tubes were constricted, the fluids diffuse or bubbling with turbulence. At the moment, the links from Center to Inreach, and through Inreach to Outreach, as well as the Center-Receptor link, glowed bright rainbows, while the others were dulled.
In Krinata's mind, she was now on another plane of existence, as in a dream, holding on to her link while high pressure fluid spewed out, battering her mercilessly. She hung on with all her courage, unable to absorb even the relatively small amount of data she was getting from the Receptor. Jindigar wanted to cut down the amplitude to her, but knew he could help only by making this brief. The Oliat operations which lost touch with contiguous reality often turned to nightmare for her, for she did not yet grasp where the Oliat existed and worked.
With them barely stabilized, he told her, //All right, Krinata, go.//
She turned, Cyrus at her right, and went to the Holot mother, hands out to take the infant. Jindigar braced to soak up the shock for Eithlarin, reminding her, //Protector, this is not a break-in. We need to read the child.//
Ill know!// she snapped, then apologized, adding, //The poor little thing is starving.//
//Don't think about it,// advised Jindigar, //focus on how well Holot protect themselves.// He turned to Llistyien for her Emulation of Holot characteristics. Grasping the essence of Holot motherhood, Jindigar did his best to bring those elements up in Krinata, despite her lack of Emulator's experience. Handling the Holot infant, whose sharp claws and teeth could rend human flesh and whose xenophobia was irritated by hunger, Krinata now welcomed every clue Jindigar could give her.
She touched the infant in just the right places, soothed with the right strokes, reassured with the right sounds, ignoring the raw throat the gutturals gave her. Lacking a second pair of arms, she did her best to cradle the small body against her. Soon the infant quieted.
Now came the dangerous part, for through Krinata's nurturing touch, the awareness of infant, small striving potential of life, was throbbing through the Oliat. Definitely not the operation to hand an Oliat on the brink of Renewal. Swallowing the taste of his own fear, Jindigar prompted Krinata, //Now Venlagar must touch her too.//
Venlagar shivered—even Venlagar, the farthest from Renewal. But they couldn't afford to stop now. //You must open to her, Receptor.//
Venlagar's deep indigo eyes searched Jindigar while his Receptor's sense examined the Oliat's balance, but a Receptor didn't judge the Oliat's internal condition. It was his business to keep the Oliat sensitive to the environment.
Venlagar cupped his arms around the squirming, fretting form in Krinata's embrace. The feel of four supporting arms calmed the infant even as the Receptor focused on the voracious hunger within.
Krinata kept her own grip firm, having no trouble now concentrating on the baby. Jindigar got the distinct impression that this was the first time she'd ever held such a young child, and for her, the enhancing Emulation of motherhood was a journey of self-discovery. For Darllanyu it was no first. Her arms ached to hold the young thing, and memories fought to claim her attention. //Steady, Dar. I'll make this quick.//
Jindigar let Venlagar's Reception of the infant's incessant hunger flood through them. Her needs, her burgeoning growth, her striving for life became a part of them. Through the baby's senses her mother's love and growing fright for her child's life also became a part of them. The pressure of the life force, binding them all, surged through the open Receptor and possessed the Oliat.
Jindigar signaled Zannesu. //Now—to Llistyien.//