14. Chapter 14
As arranged, Dare returned to the colony deck to meet with Administrator Vida. They met at her office just after lunch. After sitting and exchanging greetings, Dare wasted no time getting to the heart of why he was there.
”I met with Chance yesterday. He allowed me to scan him to discover his Mindset level and gave me permission to tell you. He is a Mindset Two, and will be of great assistance to this colony, both here and on the planet. Before doing so, I shared my true level with him and now wish to tell you as well. I am a Mindset One. I left Earth before I was found to hold that rating after spending years pretending to be only a Three. I did not wish to be locked away, experimented on, or used as a weapon.”
The empath heard Vida”s indrawn gasp, before meeting her startled gaze. ”I”m sorry if I have shocked you, but I could no longer keep it a secret. Before you ask, the captain and Chance know, as does one other. I plan on letting this information out soon. I will tell my clients first, then share this with my friends here.” He smiled faintly. ”I think that will assure that my secret will be disseminated throughout the ship very quickly.” He paused, giving the Administrator a searching look. ”I know that some will fear me but be assured that my ethics and conscience are unbreakable, as are my shields. I wish to spend my life helping others, not forcing them to my will.”
Dare bowed his head, closing his eyes. ”If you feel I am too big of a risk to the colony, I ask only to finish Chance”s training before I leave. I believe his formal training will be complete within six months, then he will need to be supervised by a therapist for another six months before he may carry his own caseload. I want to ensure that he has every tool he needs to assist those he cares for, and to make sure he can do so without causing himself harm. I don”t need an answer today, if you wish to think about this before deciding.”
Vida stared at him for several minutes, then shook her head. ”Forgive me if I made you think I was frightened of you. It was more of a gasp of astonishment. I never thought to meet a Mindset One, much less work with an empath of that rating. That said, there will be those who are leery of you once this information spreads throughout the colony.” She gave Dare a warm smile. ”I think you will be an immense asset to us, as will Chance. I believe it would be a good idea to have Chance with you when you tell others your ”secret”. He has felt you in his mind and can attest that you did no harm, and, in fact, helped him. Shall I schedule a town hall event for you? We do not have quite the gossip chain that the Gambit has, so this would be the quickest way to release your information. What do you think?”
The empath sat back in his chair, sighing in relief as he gave Vida a pleased smile. ”Thank you for your acceptance of my gift. If you think a town hall is the best way to do this, then I”m willing. I will answer any questions then, too.”
The older woman bowed her head in respect before grinning. ”I will set this up as soon as I can. I”m pretty sure those within the colony will accept you as you are. Thank you, Dare, for sharing your secret with me.”
The empath nodded. ”It was finally time to do it. It was a heavy burden to bear. Now I can let it go and be who I”ve always been.”
Vida gave him an understanding nod, then stood. ”I”ve got another meeting to attend–that”s how my days are spent. I”ll message you as soon as the town hall is set up. I know you”ve got clients to see. Take care, and I”ll speak with you soon.”
”I will, Vida, you do the same. See you soon.”
They parted to go separate directions at the doorway. Dare headed for the exit, greeting colonists as he did so. No matter how this played out, he was relieved and glad he”d told Vida about his rating. No matter what happened now, he no longer had to hide who he was.
The empath began telling his clients about his true Mindset rating that day, dispensing the information as gently as he could. Most of them did not know what a One could do, and so had no fear of him, even when he tried to explain. A few were nervous and said they would think about continuing with him. Overall, telling them had been a positive experience. With that in mind, he decided to have dinner with Riis the following night, and ”come out” to him, figuring he would be the most accepting of his ship friends.
Ready to meet Riis as he got off shift in the mess, Dare found him already seated at a table, talking to Mike at another table. ”I”m sure Dare won”t mind if you join us. C”mon, Mike, I haven”t talked to you in ages.”
Mike rolled his eyes. ”Since when is ”ages”, the day before yesterday? Talk about hyperbole. That should be your middle name.”
Riis grimaced. ”My middle name is Sven, and I”m not exaggerating. I feel like we haven”t really had a conversation for a while.” He put on a sad expression. ”But if you don”t want to, then I can”t force you, now, can I?”
Mike sighed, looking over at Riis and seeing Dare. ”Dare, do you mind if I join you and poor, sad Riis for dinner? He”s pining for my company.”
The empath grinned. ”Please join us, if only so Riis will stop looking constipated. That will put me off my meal.”
The young assistant huffed, turning back in his chair to face Dare as Mike sat down next to him. ”You”re both dicks. I have no idea why I”m here with you.”
Mike snorted. ”You”re here because you know we”ll listen to you, no matter how full of shit you are. You poor baby.”
Dare chuckled at them both. ”Actually, Riis is here because I asked him to have dinner with me. I”ve got something to say, and I may as well say it to both of you and save some time. Let”s get some food, and I”ll make the big reveal.”
Nodding agreeably, the three men went over and filled their trays with food, Mike and Riis grabbing beers since they were all off duty. Dare still had some clients to see, so he had a soda for the sugar and caffeine.
Settling back at their table, they ate for a few minutes before Riis put down his fork and stared at the empath. ”You”re going to tell us you”re gay.”
Dare choked on his food and started coughing. Mike jabbed Riis in the ribs. ”Where are your manners, you clumsy Viking? You don”t tell someone, you ask.”
Riis gave them both a critical stare. ”You mean, I should say ”please tell me if you”re gay?” instead? I was guessing, Mike, not telling.”
The empath held up a hand, stopping the conversation as he recovered his breath. ”Really, Riis? For your information, I am gay, not that it”s had much bearing on my love life. That isn”t what I wanted to tell you, though.”
Riis grinned broadly. ”I knew it! My gaydar never fails me. You know, I am, too, right?”
Mike laughed. ”Everyone on this ship knows that. You”re not exactly subtle, you know.”
Riis batted his hand like he was fending off a bug. ”Bite me, Mike.” The blond man gave his friend a flirty look, ”or you can let me bite you.”
”Oh, hell no. I know where you”ve been and who you”ve been with. How about a kiss instead?”
Riis” eyes widened as Mike leaned over, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Riis blushed, suddenly mute.
Mike turned to Dare, eyes twinkling with laughter. ”Now that he”s quiet, please tell us whatever you want to.”
Dare returned the gazes of his two friends, then swallowed. ”I wanted to let you know that I”m not a Mindset Three. I”m actually a One. I escaped Earth just before they could put me away for it. The captain knows, so does Jason Stravetta and my trainee, Chance. I told Vida on the colony deck and we”re going to meet with everyone there. Some of my clients know as well–I had to tell them first. I”ve been holding that secret for so long–I couldn”t do it any longer. You…you don”t have to worry about what I might do because I won”t. Do anything to anybody, I mean.”
Mike breathed out a ”wow” before turning to Riis. The assistant”s expression was one of wonder and surprise. He reached out a hand, taking one of Dare”s in his. ”You don”t have to worry about me,” he glanced at Mike, ”or Mike. We both trust and like you, no matter what party tricks you can do. I think it”s great that you”re gay and a mythical Mindset. Go for our team, you know?”
Mike smiled gently at Dare, then turned to Riis with a snort. ”He”s our Mindset, not just yours. I”m cis, so what if you”re both gay–I mean, who cares about that shit?” He turned back to meet the empath”s eyes. ”I”m glad you told us, and it makes no difference to me either. Do you want us to pass it on through the ship? You know how the gossip is around here. A whisper of information, and soon everyone knows.”
Dare closed his eyes in relief for a moment, feeling the acceptance emanating from them both. ”I”m not keeping it a secret anymore, but I don”t want somebody to freak out and try to kill me, either. If you mention it, just do it casually with the people you know. If anyone has questions, tell them to call me. Gaia, I”m so happy both of you are okay with this.”
Riis shook himself, then laughed softly. ”We may be ship rats, but we”re educated, tolerant ones. We”re friends, and that means we stick together. We”ve got more than a year to go on this trip, and I”m glad you”ll be able to be who you really are.” His expression became gleeful. ”I need to set you up on some dates. You trust me to choose good guys for you, right?”
Dare”s mouth opened, but nothing came out. Riis nodded, eyes glinting in the light.
”I knew you did, but I had to ask.”
Mike rolled his eyes, giving the empath a commiserating glance. ”Good luck, Mindset. You”re in for a ride you don”t want to take.”