This was the second time she'd come to speak with Rennan. The first had left them both stunned and Ayumi shy about attempting to do anything of the sort again. He had swayed her with calming words and reassurances, peppered with the allusion that he would need to speak with Mark about the matter if she continued to refuse.

"This time I figured we would go about things differently. We'll start with your glasses on while you focus on something that calms you. Can you do that for me Ta"em?" She had introduced herself as that and so he picked up the cue and politely directed her to call him just Rennan. The sessions were informal, and, for the most part, off the record.

She had reservations, especially after the first session but if she could learn control then perhaps she could remove the glasses without fear of bringing harm to those around her without intent. "Yes. Something calming." There were few things that brought her mind to calm but those few things were bright in her memory. The mountains, specifically the ones she visited as a child, Kyōdaina. Vast beyond measure for a child, and holding such majestic wonder that she never tired of just watching the world as it brightened with the sun, warmed and grew more lively, and then cooled as the sun sank behind the sky high peaks.

"Ok, Ta"em. I am going to remove the glasses. I want you to keep your eyes closed and to keep focusing on calming thoughts. Nod to indicate you are ready." His voice was surprisingly calm considering the last time they attempted this she had broken down the walls he had in place to protect his innermost thoughts within seconds and nearly knocked him out cold with the force of the mental assault.

She waited a few seconds, pushing the memory of that away and replacing it with the sparkling lake at midnight. Nested between two of the larger peaks there was a lake that reflected the light of the stars so perfectly it might as well have been a mirror. She nodded.

Rennan slowly slid a finger along the edges of the glasses, finding the release she'd shown him before and pressing down and back. The weight of the glasses lifted from her face and she fought to keep the calm wrapped tight about her thoughts. Her eyes were closed, it would be alright, nothing would happen while the darkness still fell upon her sight.

"Ta"em. I want you to speak about what keeps you calm as you open your eyes. Take your time, if you need, but make sure you steadily open your eyes." He had a soft accent, those from his planet all had the same type of lilt that made them easy to identify. The same could be said for Salgarians speaking English, she supposed, she could hear that her words did not mimic the way that Mark spoke, or any of the other Terrans.

When she began she started in Salgarian, the words flowing like the waterfalls that graced the chain of mountains she described. Rennan, not wishing to disturb her calm, did not correct her or request she use English. This was not an exercise in getting to know one another, it was about control, and using her native tongue gave her far more control than that of a language she felt clumsy using.

The lifting of her lids was slower than Rennan might have wanted, slivers of molten lava surrounded by symbols he did not understand slowly coming in view. It was like watching the volcano erupt, the river of death coming at you and all you could do was stare, it was as beautiful as it was dangerous....much like the whole of Ayumi herself, he thought.

Rennan felt the weight of her mind as her eyes opened. With her glasses on she was a blank slate to him. He knew she was there but her thoughts were so well hidden from him that he could locate her through the very lack of emotions he could sense in the place she stood. Last time he had gotten a glimpse behind those veils for a moment before he'd been overrun by whatever it was she did. This time he paid more heed to the danger, knowing it was uncontrolled chaos that took everything because it could.

Her eyes were halfway open, she was still speaking Salgarian when she faltered. "Ta"em, you are doing fine. I want you to continue thinking on things that calm you, but I also want you to pay attention to the energy you are creating. Do not shy away from it, take it in and search for how you are going about gathering the information now available to you. The thoughts you feel from me, and what other information that your senses are providing. Focus on controlling how quickly you gather information."

The symbols that encircled the flowing reds, golds and oranges gave off a glow of their own and Rennan checked to make sure they were still recording the session. He would go back later to try and determine what the symbols meant. Ayumi's breath was uneven as she fought to rein in whatever power lay within that desperately wanted out. "Your aura is dim. Not withering, just ....like a shade has been pulled down to block the sun from getting in."

Rennan nodded. "Sentient beings that possess telepathic abilities usually know how to keep their thought-chatter to a minimum. It would be difficult to focus on anything important if all the random thoughts were allowed the same voice. You keep your silence better than nearly anyone I have encountered."

Silence fell and Rennan allowed it to grow. Slowly he could pick out words from her thoughts, they were not English so he was not sure what they meant but that was a step forward. He could feel tendrils probing, seeking to know what was on his mind so he began to think about random things, calming things.

"A house, a man with grey eyes, a ....thing, small and furry?"

"That is a cat, probably my childhood pet." He hadn't been thinking of Scout, but he didn't feel alarmed by her finding the image. There was nothing that was indicative of their first session, she seemed more in control.

Her eyes were open now and he found it difficult to look away, her eyes were hypnotizing. As he thought the words he realized they might be just that, literally. "Ta"em, I need you to focus on being passive. Do not attempt to force thoughts my way. When you are comfortable we can communicate telepathically. It will probably be weeks, maybe months before you can consciously initiate such a conversation."

There was a flash of something, something dark but not threatening, it was natural for the darkness to exist there, to exist within Ayumi. It was a part of her that she was unaware of but integral. Then it was gone and her eyes were closed shut so tightly that he thought she might strain herself.

Quickly, he slid the glasses back on her face and he could feel her relax. "Gomen." The word a whisper. "Sorry. It felt ....it felt like it was slipping from my grasp."

"Ta"em, you did wonderfully. For someone completely untrained you are doing great. Honestly you are progressing far faster than I would have credited possible. Having possessed the talent so long without direction means you will have more difficulties in bringing it under control but, mark my words, Ta"em, we will bring them under control." He did not touch her, there was no comforting hand laid on her shoulder. A comforting touch was not in her emotional vocabulary, not yet. A touch meant conflict, meant war, that much had been easy to get from her thoughts during the brief periods he could read them.

"Let's meet again tomorrow. I think keeping the sessions close we can build on what we've gained. Agreed, Ta"em?"

Behind the reflective glasses again her thoughts were completely hidden from Rennan, an experience he rarely encountered. Even without reading thoughts he could usually gather intentions, or something but she kept the rest of her face so free of any hints that he could not pretend to guess how she would take his suggestion. All her emotions were there in her eyes, the others on the crew would come to appreciate her company once they could see, she was not as cold as she might appear.

"Agreed. Thank you, Rennan." She rose from the chair and performed a shallow bow. It was a sign of respect that she bowed to him at all and so he took it for what it was and bowed in return, a mirror to her own. And then, without further ado, she turned and left his quarters. Rennan would spend some of the intervening hours researching the symbols and coming up short on anything definitive. Eventually he opted to request access to Salgarian files from the Captain, the request filed with an explanation of why and an audio-free video of the afternoons session.

The coms toned in Rennan's office, a voice informing him that he had a priority data transmission. He thanked the communications officer and closed the channel, turning to the screen on his desk Rennan opened the communique. Hope flooded through him, this was from the Salgarians. Perhaps he would find the answers he sought, he was certain there was a meaning behind those strange symbols in Ayumi's eyes. Page after page he read through, symbol followed by a meaning. Some had several meanings that had changed over millennia. They were always close, but something wasn't the same. This wasn't the first time he'd seen languages where the addition or subtraction of a line could change the meaning significantly. There were so many subtleties that he often found himself pulling up extrapolated versions from his Ayumi recording and placing them one over the other. Matching symbols didn't come though. Could the two languages be linked in some way' They were so close that it seemed logical, though if he wanted pure logic on this he would have to ask T?Preea, the Vulcan Biologist. Rennan didn't let disappointment discourage him, he plodded on through page after page. There was an answer to his inquiry about other Salgarian's who might share the trait with Ayumi. This one had no data though, or at least nothing text based. A young face appeared on the screen, calling himself Dr. Shi. It was obviously prerecorded but it spoke directly to Rennan as though anticipating his questions. The universal translator converted his words from Salgarian so that Rennan could understand. Your inquiry has been noted, and logged. The information requested is classified. State the password. On the screen a timer appeared counting down. Rennan had no idea what the password was or even how to pronounce it if he did know. When the timer reached ten, the numbers turned red and the monitor emitted a beeping tone. Rennan simply watched the numbers tick down to zero. Dr. Shi's picture began to move once more. Access denied, the contents of this file will be cleansed. In a moment the entire file disappeared, there wasn't even a ghost folder with the subheading left. Nothing else was touched. Rennan tried to bring the file back but it was gone, now frustration filled him. He suspected there was much in that file that could have helped him. The loss spurred him to leave the rest of the subheadings alone. Maybe he could get some answers from Ayumi, or perhaps Mark would let him return to see Dr. Shi. He'd find the password in the man's head without him ever knowing. He shook his head and realized he was clenching his teeth. He was too emotional over the setback. There had to be another way' there simply had to be.