Talk about blanks

“I thought you said sanity was required to wield psychic abilities?” Breyn asked, her voice echoing into the room.

She startled Jueqel, causing him to jump where he sat. She had teleported in without him sensing anything.

“I, also, thought you were psychic,” she played.

Jueqel flushed, a little embarrassed at being caught off guard. That seemed to be happening far too often this night.

“So, this sanity is...?” She paused for an answer.

“It is required, yes. The insane cannot grasp reality enough to tap that part of their mind. That and depression will also keep someone from using their abilities,” Jueqel answered her. “Insanity and psychics don't mix. The brain just doesn't work that way. That's why we need to connect with others, some kind of center in our lives to give us meaning. Have friends. Keep us happy. Keep us sane.”

This puzzled her. “Then why did this monster do what it did? How could it?”

“I have been wondering about that myself. I can only assume he must not be insane.”

“How can you say that what it did was not insane?”

“Insane by who's standards?” He was not trying to sound aloof, but it came out that way.

“By any decent human beings standards. Look, I know you guys like to study this stuff, but I'm beginning to think you're all just a bunch of obsessed know-it-alls.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean it come out that way,” Jueqel corrected himself. “I meant by what standards, we at this house, judge sanity.”

“Oh, so, what you are saying is that this thing is sane and just plain evil?”

Dru answered her. “Yes, I think that's what Jueqel is saying.”

Jueqel nodded, “that said, there may be the possibility that some insanity may not play by the rules. Maybe it was the drugs we'd given him.”

“That's a lot of maybes,” Breyn said.

The Yogans asked her if the Oragwains would do them a favor and be the transport for a team of Yogans. “The Yogans want to move against the monster right away.”

“Let me guess,” Jueqel said knowingly.

“You'd guess right. See, I knew you were psychic.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” said Jueqel. “They want the Oragwains to teleport them in? Are they mad? This guy would eat them alive.”

“They don't seem to think so,” she said.

“What about the blanks? They'll be exposing us all to the blanks,” Jueqel said, sounding a little afraid of what that would mean.

According to House Thero, Blanks were people without psychic abilities. Nearly all blanks knew nothing about psychics, except from the “friends network” and that Cleo. While it did help protect the psychic community by setting up scapegoats, it had the additional effect of giving real psychics a bad name. Faith healers, the religious ones at least, were another scapegoat. Religion and psychic activity mix like oil and water, and unfortunately, the more religious a psychic became, the harder it was for them to use their abilities. This was about all Breyn wanted to know about the science of psionics.

“Let the Blanks find out about us. What can they do?”

Jueqel was shaking his head, “we've been over this.”

“Yes, and I'm still not convinced.”

Dru spoke up again, “Jueqel, Breyn, please. My head still hurts.”

“There are far too many blanks with their own agendas,” Jueqel explained, ignoring Dru's request. “They fear us. They would put us in confinement or even worse, exterminate us. The precogs have seen it will happen, if we just let it go. The death toll will be far greater than a single hospital. We don't want a war to be waged against psychics.”

Breyn spoke to Dru, “for you, Dru. I do not wish to make your head ache.” Her head was still stinging a little from her trip to the visit the Yogan. They didn't want her coming to House Thero, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. They weren't interested in helping or having to anything to do with this place.

Jueqel was startled, again. And with a horrid look on his face he asked, “Cheshin and Nepal, where are they?”