Three: History Lesson

Paul discuses his past and reveals interesting insight about the world in which he lives.

“Well then, perhaps you should tell me the whole story. I’ll listen quietly, I promise.”

“I damn well think I should, but before I do, I have some questions of my own.”

“That is fine, so long as they have nothing to do with the revelation of my identity.”

“They don’t. First of all, why are you using an outdated device like that for these interviews? I’d think that the Bureau would provide more up to date technology.”

“A fair question. I have my reasons for using audio cassette, but know that I will not divulge them. Next?”

“What do I call you?”

“I suppose my codename will suffice. Call me Fat Cat.”

“That fits all right.”

“My lifestyle choices have little to do with this interview, next question?”

“Yeah, where do you want me to begin?”

“At the beginning, of course. Why did you join the Bureau of Psionic Regulation?”

“Because of the war. The alliance between the Unified Colonies and Drakistan didn’t sit well with Romania, and I was determined to let the Psiren Company know on no uncertain terms that it was none of their business. The Sultan has every right to protect his nation and their interests.”

“And how did you come by this Classified Information?”

“Cethin Garnok is my uncle, and he needed recruits. It wasn’t so classified as far as he was concerned, because he believed we should know what we were getting ourselves into before hand.  What you need to understand is that we Psions are in high demand with little supply, so we can afford to be picky. My Uncle Garnok knew that at the time, being a Psion himself.”

“Did the Prime Minister know that we were about to go to war?”

“Jeff Kennedy Jr. did, yes. But when Laura Bush was elected she wanted nothing to do with the BPR, and almost had us disbanded.  When she realized how much she needed us, we were allowed to do what we wanted as long as it was kept classified and had nothing to do with her.”

“I see. You may begin your tale whenever you are ready; I will only ask you to pause when a change of tape is needed.”

“Ok, well I think I’ll begin at about five years old. My father’s sister, Kay, was married to Cethin Garnok. Aunt Kay used to tell me that her full name was Kilren, but as I grew older I realized that Kilren was her nickname. 

“It was Uncle Garnok who fascinated me, though. For the record, I’ll describe what he looks like. His retinas are blood red, his skin is pale, and his ears are pointy. Being around him is strange, there’s a sort of pulsing energy about him, and being the curious little child I was, I asked him about it. That’s when he began my training with Psionics. 

“He’d been a part of the Bureau of Psionic Regulation for quite some time, about ten years I believe. If I couldn’t sleep at night, he’d come visit with Aunt Kay, and they’d tell me bedtime stories about some of their really weird cases. When I was thirteen, they left the case stories behind and began telling me about the years during the Psionic Revolution. 

“I know what you’re thinking, that either myself or my parents called them up to get me to sleep. We didn’t. As Uncle Garnok trained me, we became more in tune with each other’s mental patterns. Passive Telepathy, which is telepathy at the subconscious level of both the sender and receiver, told him when I needed him.”