"Kinson! You're awake!" Kael cried, but her joy soon turned to anger. "What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I just got sucked into the death dream," He explained, apologetically.
"More importantly, you somehow survived. I received intel that several class 7s were on board as guards, but even they died," Andres said soberly.
"Probably found a closet to hide in." Luthier scowled.
Kinson looked around and found himself in the Isolation Chamber. Every save Kael, Luthier, and Andres were gone.
"How long was I out?"
"About an hour, or so. The rest should be back soon," Andres said.
"We don't have time for that," Kinson jolted upright as his memories came back to him.
"Time for what?" Andres asked, frowning.
"Anything! I found out what that ship was carrying. No one else in the alliance does now… except me," Kinson fell back into the chair. He brushed aside the sudden wave of depression and looked the others in the eye. "They found how to summon the Nightmares."
Andres froze and turned to look at him. "What?"
"The research transported on board was the culmination of a special project started shortly after Mars was destroyed. Their goal was to find out how the Nightmares appeared on Mars, and why they aren't attacking the other planets," Kinson said hurriedly.
"I haven't heard anything about this," Andres said skeptically.
"Rena said everyone involved with the process was kept isolated from the rest of the Alliance, and then placed on that ship to deliver their findings. They were concerned with information leaks. Imagine if their research fell into the wrong hands," Kinson said bitterly.
"Get to the point. What is the research?" Luthier snorted.
Kinson took a deep breath. "Nightmares have some sort of connection with the psionic dimension. Whenever mankind taps into it, they send a sort of signal that the nightmares can catch on to."
The room was silent for a bit. It was Kael, first, that spoke.
"That's crazy, right? We've been using psionic tech for a long time, right?" she asked anxiously.
"If what you say is true, then things might be worse than we think," Andres said solemnly. "Perhaps it's only a matter of time till they strike next."
Luthier chose that moment to interject his thoughts. "You really believe this guy? Didn't you see that the entire ship was destroyed? How could he have survived when those powerful psionics you mentioned couldn't?" he asked derisively.
"That's not true! They died so that we could know this! Besides, I had everything under control," Kinson barely contained his temper.
"A likely story. One that would somehow preserve what little dignity you have left," Luthier sneered. "Drop the self-righteousness. You almost caused the death of the entire team back there."
Kinson blinked in shock. "What?"
"You nearly pulled all of us into the deathdream! If Kael didn't act decisively and sever your connection, we all would have been sucked in," Luthier said.
"I… I didn't know," Kinson stammered.
"Of course not. You're much too absorbed in your own little hero fantasy to care about something like that. Did you even pause for a moment to think of what it did to her when she was forced to cut you off?"
Kinson glanced over to Kael and finally noticed her red, tear-stained eyes. She looked down, avoiding his gaze.
"I just got something in my eye," she said, rubbing it. Her hand came away wet.
"Kael… I'm so sorry," Kinson began.
Kael threw up her hands. "And that makes it better? I thought I killed you!" She cried. She stood and ran out of the room, tears streaming openly down her face. "This is why I said I didn't want to do this!"
"No, wait, Kael!" Kinson leaped to his feet to follow but was stopped by a firm hand on his arm. Andres stood calmly beside him, hand outstretched.
"Let her go. The fault was mine, for pushing her to take the mission," the man said calmly.
"Don't take away his responsibility. Without him, everything would have been fine. But now we can't even go back to check on the deathdream. That dissolved after his little charade," Luthier cut in.
"Even so, I cannot absolve myself of all blame," Andres said. "Please leave, Luthier. Kinson and I have much to discuss."
Luthier's eyes narrowed. "So you do believe him."
"That's what I'm going to find out. Now, if you please," he gestured towards the door.
Luthier glared at Kinson. "Fine, do whatever you want. I'll be here tomorrow, but I hope he won't."
"That'll be up to me."
After Luthier had left, Andres sighed, exhaustion apparent on his face. He took a seat and massaged his temples.
"Were you telling the truth?" His tone of voice was soft, but Kinson instinctively shivered.
Without hiding anything, Kinson completely narrated his experiences in the deathdream. Andres listened patiently, but kept any thoughts or questions to himself.
When he finished, Andres sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kinson. I believe you."
"Really?" Kinson's face lit up. "Then we need to…"
Andres held up a hand. "I'm afraid we are unable to do anything right now. Circumstances have been changing quickly, but not for the better. We would only end up accused or imprisoned if we spoke against psionic tech at this time."
"What? Why?" Kinson asked indignantly.
"Tensions have been high within the Alliance recently. The worlds outside the belt have just about had enough of Earth's oppression. While diplomatic attempts are underway, several threats have been made." Andres explained heavily.
"What does that have to do with the nightmares?" Kinson asked, unable to see the relevance.
"Not the nightmares, but the psionic tech. Right now, arms dealers are mass-producing every kind of weapon imaginable. Psionic Weaponry is the most powerful weapon available, so it's naturally on the top of the list. Any efforts made to slow that would be suspicious at best, and treasonous at worst."
"But wouldn't they understand that those weapons would call the nightmares to their very doorstep?" Kinson asked in disbelief.
"On what basis? According to you, all evidence, and anyone that worked with it, disappeared. The only thing we could do would appeal to the pirate organization which stole it all. I highly doubt they would be sympathetic enough to return it to us. Sell it, maybe, but never return it."
Kinson's face fell. "So we have to keep this secret for now?" he asked bitterly.
Andres nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. I wouldn't bother mentioning this to anyone, either. They likely wouldn't believe you, but it might also draw undue attention, as well."
"Then what are you going to tell the government?" Kinson asked curiously.
Andres's face went bleak. "The truth. As you said, it's much too important to hide it. The very fate of mankind might be in jeopardy. I simply said what I did so that you wouldn't get your hopes up, or do anything extreme."
"Okay," Kinson nodded to show he understood.
"Then that's settled. Now, I'm afraid I'm unable to ignore Luthier's comments this time around. Your actions, although invaluable, endangered the lives of the team. If I were to take no disciplinary action, our team would lose trust in each other. As I mentioned before, trust is instrumental to our success." Andres said sternly.
Kinson gulped. "Am I getting kicked out?" he asked anxiously.
"That depends," Andres clasped his fingers together, "did you do it on purpose?"
Time seemed to slow down around Kinson. The question lingered on his mind, reflecting around his mind over and over. Was it on purpose? Even with full honesty, he wasn't sure. Andres must have seen the conflict on his face, but he didn't probe any further, just sat and waited.
"...yes," Kinson finally whispered. "I think it was. I knew I could handle it, but I didn't think there would be any implications for anyone else."
"I see. Your shortsightedness could have led to severe consequences. As it is, Kael seems to be quite hurt. I'd look for an opportunity to apologize in the future. I also thank you for your honesty. I already suspected as much, but you could have tried to lie your way out. Because of that, I won't remove you from the team. I still believe you have much to offer. But…"
Before he could continue, Kinson interrupted him. "Why do you believe that? You said before you really knew me that I had potential. Why?"
Andres let out a deep breath, displeasure from being interrupted on his face. "It's not for you to know, and I hardly feel like explaining it now. As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm banning you from entering a deathdream with the team. Your reckless actions have broken the trust we have for you, so, until you manage to earn that trust back, I will not allow you to endanger them once more."
Kinson bowed his head. "I understand. What can I do to earn your trust again?"
Andres leaned back, a smile finally appearing on his face. "It's not mine. I'm a soldier. I get the idea of risk more than the average civilian. I'm sure Griffon, and perhaps even Rachel appreciate your effort as well. No, if you want to be allowed to enter the deathdream, you must first get Kael and Luthier to acknowledge you. Only then will you be able to take your place once more."
Kinson's mouth fell open. "What? But that's impossible. That guy hates me!"
"Does he now? Then I guess you have your work cut out for you," Andres smiled.
"..." Kinson inwardly groaned. This was much worse than he thought.
"Now, I've got some things to attend to, mostly writing another report. You've given me a lot of work, you know," Andres grumbled and left the room.