Marked Effect (AFF Edition)

Chapter 54 - Answers

Thursday 23rd February 2017

-----

"I am sorry to not be up earlier you two but I hope you have a good day at work." Adastra walking down the stairs as Kate and Fosanta were just about to leave the house.

"Are you ok this morning Adastra?"

"Yes just tired Kate. I need answers as I did not have the best of nights."



"We hope you get them this morning Adastra and we will see you both when we get back this evening." Adastra nods before Kate and Fosanta leave.



-----



"Good morning Omepha. I received a message this morning saying that the transport was ready but it did not say in which hanger it is."



"I will have a look for you Sam." She searches through the database on the console to find the hanger. "It is in hanger fourteen Sam. It is also scheduled for painting over the weekend just for your information."



"I appreciate that, also that is good as I am busy doing other things tomorrow. I hope to see you later." Omepha nods with a smile as the five of them walk through the double doors to head to hanger fourteen.



-----



Seliha, Adastra, Imphaya and Aumarva walk through the doors of the clinic to see a white waiting room with blue upholstered seats and a few green potted plants decorating the space, a 'd' shaped reception desk to their left hand side.



"I guess you must be Seliha?" A purple Asari questioning from the reception desk. She was waiting on their side of the desk and had obviously been talking to the receptionist moments earlier.



"I am." Seliha not sounding overly enthusiastic at the prospect of what was to come.



"A pleasure to meet you, I am Doctor Lamisa. If you would like to follow me then it would be appreciated." The four of them follow her down a corridor at the back of reception and in through a door on the right. "Please excuse the machinery as it is for individuals other than yourselves. I do hope you can be comfortable in here."



"I am sure we will all be fine but I am not sure Seliha is even impressed about being here so it could be a tough ask for her to be comfortable."



"I guess you are Adastra." She nods. "I have heard many things about you from various individuals in this profession but I will not say today what they are."



"I appreciate that as it is something I am not pleased about."



"That is understandable. Could I ask who you two are?"



"I am Aumarva and the individual next to me is Imphaya Lamisa. We are technically for Adastra's protection but if you would like us to leave then it is no problem."



"Would you like them to leave Seliha?"



"I would ideally like you all to do so but I have a feeling that is not going to happen."

"We will wait outside the door." Lamisa and Adastra nod before the two of them leave.



"I got a very basic reason yesterday as to why you are here but would you be willing to explain to me what is happening in more detail Seliha?" She shakes her head.



"Seliha has admitted to being diagnosed with duality syndrome and while it has caused a couple of problems in the last month or so she has not caused any lingering issues. Yesterday however she threw a desk through a wall at work which seemed to surprise everyone. I was informed Armali did not know that she had duality syndrome as she has been in her recessive personality since joining them nearly two hundred years ago. I hope you do not mind me asking Doctor Lamisa but, could you explain to me exactly what this is in a bit more depth as it seems more complex than two personalities?"



"I will explain in a few minutes Adastra." She nods as Lamisa seems to mull over what Adastra had said for a couple of seconds. "Can I ask why you threw the desk through the wall Seliha?"



"I do not know. I can only remember seeing a hole through the wall. It is rather scary and I was hoping that it was not me."



"Has this happened before, recently?"



"I was told that I was a little rough with Kate, I nearly dislocated Sam's arms and choked Amistathya. It was over two hundred years ago before I knew I had done something and not remembered doing so."



"It would be best if I could talk with you Seliha and not your recessive personality as you are hiding."



"I cannot make the switch myself Lamisa."



"She has said before that she was trained to live in her recessive personality if that helps."



"It does Adastra. Do you know if there been any large changes in her life in the last, approximately three months?"



"She only really started to exhibit some strangeness when Sam was on Thessia helping Athya and it was quite sudden and surprising. She after that had some interaction with Kate, Sam and Athya which seemed to cause a little anxiety amongst everyone as it was obvious her dominant personality was hiding things. More recently after a little fun last weekend in Eternity she agreed to try and be friendlier towards us all and go back to a more recessive state. Do you think it was that decision to be friendlier that caused the desk to be sent through the wall?"



"Did you meet Adastra, Sam, Kate and I presume Amistathya at about the same time Seliha?"



"No Athya was later."



"I presume Sam chose Amistathya as his bondmate and Kate already has her choice?" Seliha nods.



"I think Seliha quite liked the idea of Sam being her bondmate in the same way as I did. I am not sure she was all that happy at being turned down by Sam and then him becoming bondmates with Athya but he seems really happy with his choice."



"I was expecting you to say something like that Adastra as takes something big to cause the dominant personality to manifest itself if an individual has been trained. Are you bondmates with Seliha? I am just curious."



"I would like to think so Lamisa but I really want to get to know her a little better before I would feel happy to officially document it."



"I entirely understand that Adastra as you now have a mixed personality to get to know. You asked me what duality was earlier so I shall explain. It is essentially the manifestation of two personalities one of which is generally stronger than the second. The stronger of the two controls memories and switching but generally they work together and take it in turns to be the expressed personality. I assume that you have noticed when you have melded with her that she can control what you see." Adastra nods.



"If they generally work together then why is Seliha being so strange lately?"



"I may be incorrect but it could be the fact that Seliha has been trained to live in her recessive personality coupled with the fact that I think she may be trying to make an agreement with herself. Typically individuals who have duality syndrome do this as they dislike one of their two personalities and wish to make an effort to stay with one personality more often than the other. It is however usually something we attempt to prevent as it can create a fractious mind."



"What do you mean by that Lamisa?"



"A mixed personality is the following, Seliha will think with her recessive personality as that is what she was trained to prefer initially and now seems to prefer on her own. The dominant personality essentially owns the body so food preferences, partner preferences, environmental preferences will all belong to this dominant personality. This mix if it is volatile can create effects where Seliha may walk off mid conversation to go to the toilet or she may suddenly loose what she was thinking or speaking about because of seeing something which catches her dominant personalities attention for just a couple of examples. These may still happen for a short period of time even if she is to settle into a mixed personality." 



"Is there a way of stopping the mixing of the personalities Lamisa as you make it sound like a bad idea or can you help in another way?"



"It is Seliha's decision and it unfortunately is best if the personalities are now allowed to mix. I may be able to help further if her personalities settle a little. You can however do more to help Seliha than I can Adastra."



"I can help more than you can?" Adastra sounding a little surprised given she had no idea how and that was one of the reasons why they came.



"Seliha's dominant personality would likely see me as trying to defend her submissive personality and not trying to help them both. I know this sounds simple and I know it will not be but keep her as happy as you can, comfort her when she needs it and discourage any behaviour you do not want. If you can do that then you can help."



"I apologise but I did not get much sleep last night. What exactly do you mean by discourage?"



"It depends on her personalities Adastra. A verbal disapproval is enough for some; physical consequences are unfortunately the best for others. I know you are bondmates and you may not wish to have heard that but this needs a quick resolution for Seliha's mental wellbeing. I must however say that giving her comfort when she needs it, keeping her happy and yet disapproving of some behaviours may lead to her hurting you. It would not be something she would consciously do as she would likely approve of your actions but it could happen. It is a very frightening, upsetting and unpleasant experience to see yourself do and say things to individuals you care about without your intention. It is this reason this needs mixing process needs a quick resolution."



"You explain it as if you have experienced it before Lamisa."



"I experienced a day as a mixed duality sufferer in a controlled setting Adastra and I understand why they only offer it to specialists who are on the watch list already. Seliha I do apologise if you feel that you are being slowly ripped apart inside, I know how much it hurts."



"Did you feel that way last night?" She nods to Adastra as a tear rolls down her face. Adastra moves her chair closer and puts her arms around her. "I guess you just wanted to say what was happening to reassure me but you just could not do so?" She nods again before climbing on Adastra's knee and drying her eyes on her shoulder.



"I guess this whole conversation has been rather close to reality for Seliha and I do feel an empathetic sorrow. There is at least one good piece of news however and that is that Seliha must really like you Adastra and that her dominant personality feels empathy. That gives some hope that they may be able to come to some mutually beneficial agreement."



"I suppose that is good news but it could be just that she is trying to appear a better individual in front of you Lamisa. I say that as she would not let me anywhere near her last night when she was crying in the bathroom. It was difficult for me to leave her like that but she threatened to hurt me."



"You may have a valid point Adastra but the fact that her dominant personality has even allowed her to seek comfort is a very promising start. Most individuals I see only get as far as putting their hand around their partner which also makes me think that Seliha has been trying to create this mix for a number of weeks now. Just ensure you express your disapproval to any threats or behaviour that is not normal."



"I understand that. Would it be likely that Seliha may always be so unpredictable day to day or would she settle into a more normal individual with one personality?"



"Seliha will never have one personality Adastra as you cannot just remove one. Think of this mixing as an Omni-tool with two different processing elements, both of which process the data using different instructions. In the past one was the dominant element and controlled if the recessive element could display its output. The mixing process allows both to run and if they both give the same answer then the problem was deemed to have been shared whereas previously it would have been the output from one or the other. If the answers disagree then there will be a lookup to see which output should be the one to be given. It is this lookup which takes time and effort to build."



"So using that analogy again as it seems to make everything clearer, what did the act of training her to be in her submissive personality do?"



"It essentially made the recessive element the only one which could output anything. When the dominant element needed to exert control it essentially manipulates the data input into the recessive element to do as it wishes. Do remember that from the perspective of the recessive element everything seems normal as it still has to ask for data from the dominant element as that is where the memory is stored."



"I guess this mixing is undoing the training in a way then?"



"No it is essentially adding more code and making everything more complex Adastra. The submissive element is still the only one to be able to output anything hence adhering to the training. It is just that it will ask for the dominant elements output and compares the two before sending the output. The act of disapproving behaviours you do not want promotes the dominant element into making a case for accepting its output rather than it manipulating the data input into the recessive element."



"I guess that means it is likely that she will always be slightly changing?"



"Seliha should settle and become predictable when faced with common problems. If she went somewhere unknown or was in an unknown situation she may become unsettled for a short time while she learns what she needs to do. I cannot really describe anything any better than I have Adastra but I hope it helped."



"It has as I was under some strange illusion that duality was essentially two voices in your head all the time."



"It is only one at a time fortunately. It is just that usually it is either one or the other."



"Is there anything that Armali and I could do to help stop them having to repair more walls or have any more negative interactions?"



"Have Seliha do at least two hours a day, at least one of which during work hours, of solving a physical puzzle of some kind. It is best to be done in three blocks of forty minutes if possible or four of thirty if not. It needs to be fairly simple to avoid stress and frustration but not too easy that boredom sets in."



"How would that help and do you have any suggestions as to what kind of puzzles?"



"The physical puzzles mean the brain has to concentrate on something external to the body and both personalities have to work together to be able to complete the task. I am not sure what Seliha would find boring but cooking, drawing what she can see, stacking boxes in a warehouse and building something can all be suggestions. I hope that you can find something that Seliha enjoys but please try to avoid situations with people as Seliha may become annoyed if they cannot agree with her or only treating her as having one opinion."



"I think we would be able to think of something together Lamisa. I just have one last question that is on my mind about someone else, if you do not mind me asking that is?"



"I may not be able to be specific but you can ask."



"I know an Asari who seems to be naturally quiet and shy but likes being mean and in control at times. She says it is her past but I do not quite believe that."



"That is not very specific as some individuals can feel a greater self-confidence in certain situations and yet they are entirely normal. Do you know if this only happens in certain situations?"



"I can say she never really asks for the situations but when they appear she seems to see them instantly. It does seem to be when there are very few individuals around."



"By mean do you mean that she is a tease or difficult?"



"I would guess both but I do not know for certain. She has given us all a few surprises which really do not fit her personality."



"It sounds like she could be type two recessive variant A. Type two is a genetic mutation and there are three variants, A can be either recessive or dominant, B is always recessive. Please do inform this individual that she should be tested at sometime as we should keep records of type two individuals."



"Can I ask why?"



"Type two individuals can cause mental distress to others and so the Asari Republics prefer to know who such individuals are. It has no grading system for severity because even although there are distinct differences between individuals, all of them can very wildly depending upon the situation and the individuals around them. If you could kindly inform her to be tested to see if she is a type two recessive variant A individual then it would be appreciated."



"What do you mean by mental distress?"



"The typical complaints from individuals close to a type two variant A individual are anxiety, paranoia and confusion but I have seen almost everything including hallucinations and nightmares as well."



"I will make a recommendation to her Lamisa but I would hate to do so if that is not what she has."



"If she says yes to struggling to meld then that can be a good indicator. Asking anyone around her if she has caused them problems would get you the best confirmation however."



"I will ask her when I next see her."



"Do inform her that it is in no way going to harm her if she decides not to be tested. Some people become stressed and worried when they need to be tested which is not what we want."



"I will do that." She nods. "I appreciate the help this morning Lamisa as it has helped me answer a number of questions and hopefully I can help Seliha a little better now." Adastra gets herself and Seliha up from the chair in one go.



"I understand and it was really no problem Adastra. I hope you have learnt a little from this morning as well Seliha. I know it has been more about you than for you but there is little advice I can give you other than try your best to find a good balance." The three of them walk towards the door.



"I am sure that Seliha will be thankful of this morning eventually and I hope you have a good day as well." Adastra and Seliha walk out of the room and back down the corridor to the reception area where Imphaya and Aumarva were waiting. "I apologise for being so long but I had a number of questions I wanted answering."



"That is no problem Adastra as that is why these individuals are here. Would you be willing to say what happened?" Aumarva looks to Seliha who shakes her head as she puts an arm around Adastra.



"It is not easy to describe Imphaya. The best I can say for the moment is that Seliha should settle into something that outwardly seems more normal in situations she is used to."



"That is a bit confusing but I am sure Aumarva and I can talk to you both over some lunch."



"I can do that but do not expect Seliha to say much as I do not think she likes being reminded of her problems."



"We will not ask too many questions. I do hope that you eventually feel happier Seliha as you do not look to happy at the moment." She nods to Aumarva as they walk out of the building and begin to make their way to find some lunch in Nos Astra.



-----



"Ok the ship is rather grey but it does look fairly solid."



"I am just hoping it is good to work in. I see materials have already left the cable ready for us to use." Silana pointing to several reels standing by the back wall.



"I am surprised you have not been rushing to look inside Sam."



"I am rushing now Hymara." Sam laughing at Hymara's sigh as the five of them walk up the scaffold style steps to reach the door. "Can I ask how we get in?" Silana pushes the door inwards and slides it to her right. "I guess the door opens inwards because generally the inside is pressurised compared to outside?"



"That and it allows simpler enclosed walkways to the ship as it does not need to allow room for the door to open."



"I guess the doors are automatic once the power is on."



"They are once you have wired it all up with the wire from outside."



"Thank you for reminding me that I will have to go crawling through small ducts with Ami around Lianta."



"I am just glad it is not me." Lianta talking as Silana pushes the outer door closed before pushing the inner one open. Everyone walks forward out of the small airlock and peers around. "Well it is small compared to our apartment but it looks good." Sam takes a few paces to the left and looks through the doorway.



"Ooh, this cockpit looks rather nice with all these transparent surfaces." Silana squeezes next to Sam to have a look.



"It actually looks better than I thought it would. I hope it flies well."



"I am sure it will." She nods before they go and join the other three who were making use of the seats in the living area. "I see they gave us ten seats and instead of a table we get something similar to a breakfast bar. I think we should leave the protective covering on them for a while though while we work."



"I agree but I thought it was eight seats and a table on the design."



"It was Ami but I actually like this arrangement as I can see it working ok for us." Sam walking towards the kitchen area while speaking. "It is actually a nicely adequate kitchen area. I can see it being a bit of a pain to plumb and wire though." Sam noting that everything seems to be fitted already."



"Most of the appliances will already be plumbed or wired as far as going through the floor of the deck Sam. We just need to extend the tubes and wires to their correct places in the space below."



"Fair enough. I am going to continue down here to look at everything else." The three of them get up and Silana walks over to join Sam walking down the narrow corridor on the left hand side of the ship as they look towards the back. Sam peers in the first room to see a small wardrobe with a set of shelves next to it, then a desk with a console on, a double bed adorning the other side of the room. "Well it is a bit of a squeeze in a three metre square room but it is usable."



"You were lucky on the Enlighten to have an extra metre on each dimension Sam. At least it is not a bunk room."



"I would not mind that too much actually Hymara but it is that bit better when you can sleep together." Amistathya squeezes her way through the door to jump on the bare mattress. "Are you claiming this one or something Ami? I thought you may have wanted one a little further down the hallway, nearer to the shower."



"You have a point Sam." She gets off the bed and the five of them continue down the hall looking in each of the next three identical bedrooms before getting to the toilet. "Why did you not make a large bathroom?"



"It is a ship not a palace Ami. I thought it was more beneficial that someone can have a shower while leaving the toilet free."



"I am just waiting to see how much space there is at the back but everything looks nice if compact in here." Sam nods before walking through the door at the end of the corridor into the engineering area only to be confronted by the two thrusters. "Ok that is better than I expected."



"I was not expecting them to be quite this big to be honest Silana but I guess it is easy enough to get past them. I guess this door is where we go down then?" Sam pointing to a metal floor panel with a recessed handle.



"It is Sam. Should we get the wire from outside and start to do something?"



"Well it is not going to wire itself so we may as well." The five of them make their way back to the airlock down the person and a bit wide corridor. "What do you two think?"



"It is compact but it has a bed so you are less likely to be annoying."



"I should not bother asking as it is obvious you see the ship as a necessary utility and not something you can care about."



"I apologise Sam but when you have been in so many rooms and ships over your life then you only see the essential parts. It is not a big ship and if it had three bedrooms rather than four it may have felt a little more spacious."



"It would have been more spacious if it was using ion drives as well Hymara." Sam looks again at the hull as he walks down the temporary stairs. "It will look so much better if it was not light grey."



"You could have a look on Monday before starting work."



"I think I may Silana. You will have to say what wire we need as I have no real idea." She nods as they walk towards the pile of materials.



-----



"It is a bit strange not having Adastra or Seliha here at lunch time."



"I agree but I guess you are finding it a little strange as you have been here with Adastra on your own a couple of times lately."



"I have and with Sam not being around she has been willing to help me discuss a few things. One was that being a father to a daughter would feel unintuitive."



"What did Adastra suggest or should I not ask that?"



"I suggested perhaps her having two mothers would be a workable solution. She felt it was but it may get confusing for the child. I still think as I have said to you previously that I may get used to the idea eventually."



"I am glad to hear that as it would have caused some confusion. Did you discuss anything else Kate?"



"That Adastra would like a daughter named Yaira. Do you have a name that you would like?"



"Aphisa Kate. I like that it flows well, it sounds quite a nice name for a small cute daughter and is not overused either. I would however like to hear if you have one."



"I do and Adastra said that I should change it a little to be easier to pronounce and write in Asari. I thought Helayna but I am unsure what you would think of using a name a little more common to my species."



"I think I would have to see how I feel during the pregnancy as that is the best time to settle on a name." 



"I understand that Fosanta." Kate looks at her Omni-tool. "All this talking has taken longer than I expected so I must unfortunately leave. I hope you have a good afternoon."



"I hope that you do as well Kate." She gives Fosanta a short hug before leaving.



-----



Amistathya, Sam, Silana, Hymara and Lianta take a seat at one of the normal tables in the middle of the room. "I think some of the other individuals are either confused or surprised we are sitting down here today."



"That does not help our job Sam but at least it is a table near the edge."



"I feel happier to be considered normal Lianta. I also must thank you both for the help in moving the cabling this morning."



"It was no problem really Sam as I know yourself and Athya cannot lift anything heavy."



"I am still confused as to how this blowing is meant to work."



"On the end of the duct is a small adaptor which allows compressed air to flow between the cable and the duct. The high pressure prevents the cable touching the wall of the duct as it is pushed in and once the compressed air reaches the end of the cable it should also provide a slight pulling force as it expands. I built the adaptor into the end of each duct so the only effort would be in feeding the cable into the duct."



"Can I watch at the other end?"



"Of course Ami. We will need someone there to know when the cable comes out of the other end. Do tell us if it is too noisy though as the air may make some noise." She nods to Sam as she sees an Asari approaching their table.



"Excuse me, do you at all mind if I sat with you? There are not many others left that I can see."



"Of course you may have a seat." Sam gesturing the green skinned purple marked Asari to take one of the two spare seats. "I assume that you are wondering the same thing as everyone else in here?" Sam questioning after she had settles down with her food.



"If you mean that I am wondering why you are sat here then I am. You are of course welcome to sit where you wish but I cannot remember a non-servant ever doing so before."



"Liphanya and Olissa can have their own table but I would rather feel like I am as normal as you or anyone else in this room. I know that is not strictly true as we have a different serving area and no real queues but a table and a chair is a table and a chair. It does not bother me where it is particularly." The green collared Asari nods.



"Does the air not come back out of the hole you are trying to feed the cable into Sam?"



"It will a little Silana but it should be less than the other end and as long as there is enough pressure to keep the cable from bumping into the side of the duct then it should be easy."



"I am sure I will understand after I have seen it work." Sam nods. "I am good to leave when you are then."



"That is ok for those of us who are not answering questions all the time Silana. I will have finished in a minute." Sam finishes off the last of his lunch taking his time a little just because he can.



"Are you being deliberately slow Sam?"



"Of course I am Hymara as it is my day off, or at least it is meant to be. Why should I rush if I am not being paid?" Sam eats the last of his lunch. "Have a good day." Sam gets a smile and a nod off the Asari who sat with them as they all leave her to finish her lunch.



-----



"I am torn about you taking me to see someone Adastra."



"You did not say too much, looked confused and cried Seliha. Is what Lamisa said roughly correct that you are trying to create an agreement because you do not like your dominant personality?"



"I hate to admit it but yes. Please would you keep questions like that to a minimum however as the struggle to answer is not easy for me."



"I will try not do to so for a while Seliha but you know I have an inability to resist if I am curious. How has this week been for you feeling wise as you rarely say much, even to me?"



"I have just had a tough week Adastra. It becomes difficult to do anything when you cannot concentrate at all. An afternoon of doing something simple and half a day at work tomorrow sounds like a good idea to me."



"Are you sure you do not want tomorrow off? I am sure Usarta would understand."



"I would rather go to work and not do too much hard work than sit around doing nothing at home. It also means if we end up sitting around at Sam's then I have not had a boring day."



"That sounds like a reasonable and well thought out idea. Do you have any ideas for this afternoon though?"



"I would quite like to cook something a bit different for a change."



"What do you think of a challenge then Seliha? You can only use the ingredients we have in the kitchen."



"I was not going to go into Nos Astra to get anything else. I do not feel in the mood to talk to people much to be honest." Adastra nods and the two of them go into the kitchen.



-----



Kate and Fosanta smell an appealing whiff as they open the front door and enter the house. The two of them quickly go to find the source. "Can I ask what is happening and how you have both got on today?"



"Our visit to Doctor Lamisa was rather insightful to be honest, at least for me Kate. She essentially recommended that Seliha does something physical to help rest her mind. She also said that I needed to discourage certain actions if I can."



"Physical action to rest sounds a little counter intuitive to me."



"It makes sense when I explain fully Kate. As you know Seliha has two personalities but Seliha as we knew her when we first met her is ashamed of her dominant personality, the one which has started to bubble to the surface after a long dormant period. She therefore is trying to make an agreement on how to interact with people but trying to get compromise out of her dominant personality is, I am guessing, not easy. The physical interaction makes the two personalities work together towards a common goal."



"Do you mind us talking about you like this Seliha?"



"No Kate."



"So will Seliha eventually have one personality if they are trying to agree?"



"Doctor Lamisa called it a mixed personality Fosanta. She said that it may mean that Seliha will do things she does not wish to do, at least in the short term or if she is in an unknown situation or environment."



"Seliha, could I ask then if you meant to attack Kate or hurt Sam and Amistathya?" She looks up from stirring the pan.



"Those incidents are what shamed me into trying to do something Fosanta." She turns back to the pot. "Lamisa is correct in that this is not pleasant." Adastra gets up from the table and puts her arm around her.



"What do you mean by that?"



"I will answer Seliha." She nods. "Because Seliha has been trained she is her recessive personality and consciously thinks with that personality. If her dominant personality wishes to do something, it may do what it thinks without switching personalities or asking for permission to do so. This may lead to Seliha thinking about say stirring a pot with a spoon even if she is trying to choke someone with it."



"Ok I can imagine how arduous that could become if it happened often."



"Would someone look after this for a short while?"



"I will Seliha." Adastra carefully taking the spoon from her as she leaves the kitchen.



"I hope I did not say anything to upset her."



"I think she really does not want reminding about her mind Kate. Lamisa also mentioned to me that she way randomly walk off in the middle of a conversation as well but that needs discouraging somehow. I also think I should take this time to say that you should both be a little careful if she looks unhappy but do try to show empathy."



"Could Lamisa not do anything to help her?"



"She said she may be able to once her personality mix has stabilised Kate, but she also said I could do more to help as Seliha seems to trust me. I felt awful last night watching her crying in the bathroom; she would not let me anywhere near her though."



"Do you know how difficult this is for her?"



"Lamisa was not elaborating on that point even though she mentioned she had experienced it herself. I think Seliha would want to hurt me if I asked at the moment but perhaps after she has had chance to calm for a while." Seliha walks back in and takes over stirring the pot. Fosanta puts her arm around Seliha and looks over at the pot. "Can I ask what you are making Seliha?"



"I am not sure but it smells ok."



"I agree. I apologise for myself and Kate not understanding fully what you are going through but you do not say much and we are unlikely to experience what you are experiencing ourselves. I hope you can understand that Seliha." She moves out of Fosanta's arm to stand at the end of the table leaving the pan to itself for a moment.



"I feel I need to say this whether my dominant other dislikes it or not. It frightened me so much when I found out that I had attacked you Kate and felt very ashamed especially after I supposedly hurt Athya. I felt ill from the fact I could have even done such things to anyone let alone friendly individuals. I need to eliminate the switch for most circumstances but she is making me realise I am nothing but a separate neural pattern wherever possible. Can I ask you all to please try to comfort me if I am upset? I know I may seem to make threats or actually try to harm you but I need people who cannot be controlled by my dominant others ways." Seliha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.



"I think we will all do that for you Seliha." Adastra looks to Fosanta and Kate who nod. "I also hope you realise that I will be there to help you whenever you wish."



"Thank you, it means a lot to me. Would everyone like some of this that I made?" Seliha goes over to the pot on the cooker.



"If it is as good as it smells then yes." She nods to Kate and goes to pick out four bowls from the cupboard. Adastra finishes sending a message before helping.



-----



"I said blowing cables through pipes was easy." Sam musing to the four others at the table who were eating.



"I liked the hissing noise it made at the end." Amistathya seemed to be perfectly entertained while she was in the ducts watching them come through earlier.



"It was not that much quicker but it was much easier I admit."



"It was not that much quicker Silana only because we had to wait for an air compressor. That and we fed the cables in manually and not by machine which could have quickened the process as it may have only taken a minute a duct in that case. I do however understand why labour intensive is popular on Illium as it is almost free. I was sure however that since we have to finish off that ship ourselves I was to let something else so as much of the work as possible."



"That seems a fair reason Sam and it was true that we did have to wait a while and did hand feed the ducts." He nods to Silana before jumping a little as his omni-tool beeps much to Hymara's evident amusement.



"I know I am entertaining Hymara, even if it is just being a cheap source of laughs but nearly having a heart attack is not funny." Sam looks down and begins to read the message.



"My apologies Sam but it was amusing watching you jump."



Sam,



I feel it would be best to explain what happened today in person tomorrow as it is quite difficult to fully explain. I hope that is ok with you.



Adastra



"Well at least I know that Adastra and Seliha will definitely be appearing tomorrow. I think Adastra may just want some moral support more than anything else but we shall see."



"Are we to keep our eye on Seliha Sam?"



"The only issue I had with her really was that I turned her down as a bondmate. I think that upset is essentially what caused her to hurt me a little. Perhaps along the same line of thought she hurt you more than necessary Ami because she was jealous of you taking me away from her."



"That sounds reasonable on reflection even though I was rather upset at the time."



"So the answer is no then?"



"Yes you can do what you wish, go shooting with Aumarva and Imphaya again if you want. I think there are enough of us around to keep a lid on potential problems. I will message you if there are any and you do wish to do something though." Lianta looks to Hymara who seems to think for a few moments.



"Ok we may arrange something then but please do not do anything quite as shocking as the other evening."



"I will not do so Hymara." She does not seem convinced given Amistathya's warm smile but sees this as an opportunity to show trust and so nods in acknowledgement.



"I will do my best to keep everything reasonable Hymara but as you know that does not always work but I will try. I think however that sky blue needs an early night as I hear bioamp testing is tiring."



"Also I think Pheinova will be here early as well Sam so that is something else to consider." Sam nods to Silana as he eats the last of his food.



-----



"I guess I must be a little empathetic towards Seliha's position as it would probably make me commit suicide if what I did was not what I intended and people got the wrong idea."



"I can see now why she could not be a commando. Having that battle of the mind in the heat of the moment would not be good." Fosanta gets into bed and shuffles up to Kate.



"I hope she is better tomorrow as she said she was to propose a ritual to Adastra if I remember correctly."



"You do but if you remember back to what happened in Eternity last weekend and how happy she was afterwards I have a feeling tomorrow will not be a problem." Kate smiles before yawning.



"I think you are right but I would really like to get some sleep Fosanta so I do not end up like Seliha."



"I agree as I would quite like a sane bondmate and I am not sure you would suit a crazy personality. I hope you sleep well." Fosanta gives Kate a kiss.



"I may suit a crazy personality as it would match having a naughty partner." Kate laughs as the purple tinge on Fosanta's face. "I find you are slightly embarrassed about that and not much else amusing. I apologise."



"I think you need some sleep Kate or I can see tomorrow being the last day that you are not embarrassed this week." Kate puts her head down on the pillow with a smile and Fosanta joins her.



-----



"I know you would rather not talk Seliha but if you could listen I would appreciate it." She nods. "I know that you were not happy about me making that appointment but I needed some answers. By that I mean the only things I knew earlier was the fact that when I meld you can control what I see of your memories and you have two personalities, both of which seemed mutually exclusive. I now however understand that it was a particularly ill-informed and naive view of you and I apologise for not working it out myself."



"I hope you do not hate me for asking but could we go to sleep and talk about this tomorrow Adastra? I am rather tired and would rather sleep at the moment."



"I could not hate you if you stay friendly Seliha, even if you have some occasional strange moments. I do hope you sleep better than last night as I am tired as well." She nods before turning the light off.



-----



"I believe I owe you an explanation Sam as I unfortunately forgot last night. I do apologise for that oversight." Amistathya drying herself in a slightly seductive manner after the two of them had finished a shower.



"If you owe me it then you may as well say and not tease me Ami."



"You seem confused as to how I can get you to do things you would rather not do, so I will explain. I know you get agitated and paranoid quickly if nothing happens but you expect something to do so. I also know that you cannot think properly when I have you pinned down. I learnt that from the markers when I suggested I was to mark your face, neck and hands and you agreed with no real reluctance. I used the relief from the paranoia and the fact you were a little aroused to propose something which I know you would not have agreed to, at least at such short notice."



"Damn. At least I am aware of what is happening now though."



"It will make no real difference whether you know or not Sam. I also like manipulating your environment to get you to do certain things, for example interacting with Silana more. She could barely stop talking to me about how much she enjoyed that night while you were terminating all of those fibre optics in the cockpit yesterday Sam. She is very much a physical individual."



"I feel taken advantage of and almost like a toy to entertain you."



"That is not my intention Sam and for that I apologise. It is just the only way I really know to show how much you mean to me. Why else would I spend so much time trying to protect you from others, thinking of ways to keep both you and I entertained and spend so much of my time close to you?"



"Because you find it fun Ami. I know the actual answer by now."



"I will try to show my appreciation tomorrow Sam."



"As long as it does not mean drowning me in the bath or hanging me from the railings then I will think about it." She gives Sam a hug. "We should get to bed as you have a busy day tomorrow." She nods and the two of them leave the bathroom to go to sleep.



------



Notes.



A day late I know. The chapter was shorter than I expected and so it needed some padding. It also needed a rewrite in certain areas as it was either excessively confusing or just made little sense. I hope it is all good now and I hope to get chapter 55 done and posted on the 5th of January.



Reviews and ratings are appreciated and you can find replies to all the reviews at the following link. http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/35940-unrealuniverses-review-reply-thread/

I hope you all have a happy new year and all the best for 2013.