: Stephen Goldin
: Mindflight
: Parsina Press
: 9781452419862
: 1
: CHF 3.60
:
: Science Fiction
: English
: 224
: kein Kopierschutz
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

Earth uses telepathic spies in its cold war with its former colony worlds. But what even the spies don't know is that, once they reach their late thirties, they begin exhibiting mental instability and must be eliminated. Alain Cheney is one of Earth's best telepaths, but this only makes him more susceptible. He has to battle both his physical condition and his own agency in order to survive.

Chapter 1


 

Alain Cheney sat quietly in the spaceliner’s passenger lounge, face buried in his hands. He caressed his forehead delicately with his fingers, as though by massaging the skin outside his skull he could ease the pulsing pain growing within it. His eyes were closed against the bright light of the room, and he had intentionally slowed his breathing down to a steady, rhythmic pattern to help him cope with the pain.

There was a presence approaching him. With a minimum of mental exertion, Alain could read that it was a ship’s steward who had noticed this one passenger left sitting in the lounge. As the man came nearer, a picture of conflicting emotions grew sharper in Alain’s mind. The steward was concerned because the passenger was not looking well; he was also annoyed because he’d hoped to leave the ship early, and this complication could conceivably delay his departure.

As he came within what he considered acceptable limits, the steward spoke aloud. “Are you all right, sir?”

Alain lifted his head and opened his eyes. He looked straight into the man’s face and tried to project both confidence and normality. “Yes, fine, thank you.”

“Almost everyone else has disembarked, sir.” Assured now that the passenger was not ill, the steward’s mood shifted subtly over to impatience. As an afterthought he added, “Were you needing any further services?”

“No, I… I just wanted a few last moments here in the lounge before leaving. It was such a nice trip I wanted to store up my memories of it by sitting here a while longer. I hope I’m not inconveniencing you.”

“Oh no, sir, not at all,” the steward said, while all his thoughts contradicted his words. This was an inconvenience, and the sooner the passenger left, the better the steward would like it.

“I was just about finished anyway,” Alain said, standing up. The calm of the room had been shattered for him; the steward would now be hovering over him constantly with subtle hints he should be on his way. The mental oppressiveness would only make his condition worse. He might as well leave and face the inevitable crush outside.