Other Stuff

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This was originally an introduction to the first book, The Morgos Incident, until I realized it gave way too much away right away.
:)
Elizabeth's take on herself:

                It was never in my plans to be living and working aboard a starship. I was not a child who aspired to be a traveler, much less a space traveler. I was born on a Colony. Unit Twelve, it was called. A huge cylinder, filled with people, in high orbit around Earth. At least that’s how it felt to those of us unlucky enough to have had to live there. My parents had been born there, and it was not easy to find a way off, either to a Colony on a planet or down to Earth. You were stuck where you were unless you could figure a way to save credits enough to buy your way off. That was also before they were allowing “regular” people to move to the Colonies on the Discovered Planets. The aliens who occupied those planets probably knew nothing of the Earth Government’s rules for emigration, but there it was. The old Units are not used anymore, except for scientific experiments run by Oldtimer researchers who can’t get grants to work in labs here on planet. They were decommissioned only a few years after we left Unit Twelve. My folks moved us down to Earth as soon as they were able to, and never looked back. It took some doing, I know, they had to work long and hard hours in the recycling plant. They had to give up any and all comforts for themselves to get enough credits for the trip down. Then they had to buy their way in to a living unit on planet. I know they did it mostly for me, their only child, so that I could have a good life, and I have never been able to express my overwhelming gratitude and love for them.

                Luckily for me, their names were drawn for a living unit up in Northern Province, an area which used to be called Northern California and Oregon. I grew up in and around the most beautiful hills and mountains on Earth. Clean air, friendly people, work aplenty for those who were able-bodied and willing. Probably the last such clean place left on the planet. And a good place for one such as me with my special certain abilities. Not so crowded as the Cities were in those days. Not so many people.

                I am what is known as an Alpha One Sympath. That means I can feel other people’s feelings. Not just in the way of the usual empath who can sense feelings and perhaps know if someone is lying or whatnot. I can literally feel what people are feeling, especially if it’s directed at me, and if I want to I can direct my feelings at them as well. This may sound like a great thing, fun, but it can be overwhelming. As a Sympath one has to learn at a young age to filter what one receives, or else it can literally drive you mad. I heard about a Sympath who went mad a while back. He blew up a Station because he couldn’t stand the pressure of all the people aboard. My folks were shocked that I turned out to be Alpha, neither of them are. But it’s in my family somewhere I guess, so here I am. I haven’t had a chance to do any research on that yet.

               

     When we moved to the Province it was such a relief for me. The sheer number of people aboard the Colony was like a pressure in my mind at all times. I had to pay attention and filter or else it would come crashing in on me. Once in the Province, I didn’t have to be on guard all the time. I could concentrate more on what I was interested in. Which turned out, to everyone’s surprise including my own, to be plants.

                Yes, plants. All plants. Big one, little ones, tall ones, short ones, even the bad smelling ones. I grew a food-plant garden. I grew a decorative plant garden. I planted trees. I took seminars at the Cooperative. I dragged my best friend to every seminar, and made her help me with my experiments and labwork for school. She was quite patient with me, I have to say, she never complained. I guess I was a bit forceful when it came to my interests. I graduated with honors from the local school and was given a scholarship to the University. The University is in Central Province, very near where the Headquarters of the Federation Alliance is located. They do a lot of their recruiting from there, both for the Naval Fleet Crew and Officers, and for civilian workers as well.

                There, with a lot of hard work, and support from my family and friends, I became Elizabeth Thorne, Doctor of Botanical Immunological and Virological Development.

                That’s what the Diploma on my office wall says. What it means is that I am a plant doctor. A darn good one, too, if I do say so myself.

                And all because my parents had the strength and will and ability to get us off that horrid Unit Twelve. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

                I still had absolutely no intention of going off planet. But I took a position at a lab in the Headquarters of the Federation Alliance. The Galactic Federation Alliance is the controlling organization for all the Allied Worlds, and the Earth Colonies. They are the Government, the Military, the Fleet, and the hub for the major Research and Development in mostly every field. I had no idea that anything I was doing would ever become so important as to require my presence anywhere but in my lab. I didn’t think that way, I just wanted to do my research and work with my gardens. My team and I worked to develop antivirals and inoculations for Earth, the Colonies, and the Allies. Earth had a few Colonies still, and we were friendly with many of the member worlds of the Alliance. So I was requested to help when they ran into a blight, or an infestation, or anything that threatened their crops. Or even their flower fields. It was a fun job for me. I worked with great people, they were mostly brilliant, and fun, and I didn’t have too many run-ins with negative emotions. We developed treatments and systems for protecting the planets’ plant life, and water, and the production of Oxygen for those planets that required that as well. It was a very rewarding job.

                In addition, that was where and how I learned how to really control and filter my psychic receptors, so to speak. The facility was attached to the huge Headquarters building. I probably ran into or was exposed to hundreds of people every day. It was great practice. Practice for something I never expected, nor thought I ever wanted. I learned how to not only filter others’ feelings, but to direct my own.

                I dated a bit over the years, but it was hard to meet men, busy as I was. When I finally thought I was in love, we were married within a few months. It lasted a few years, but I was never completely satisfied. I never felt the comfort or warmth that I thought I should as a woman in love. And if I couldn’t feel my own, likewise I couldn’t feel any of that from him. So our relationship fizzled out, and we filed for a divorce. It was almost amicable, but there is still some resentment on both sides. It was a mistake that neither of us should have made, we should have known better. Love should be something that fills you up and spills out. Whether you are Sympath or not. There can be no half-measures.

                So I threw myself into my work more than usual, and after a few more years was given the ultimate promotion. I was made the Head of Research and Development for Botanics and Agrics. Head of the Lab. A team of researchers all working to the goal of making life better for folks on the Colonies and on a multitude of other planets. I was happy as could be for many years. Working with my team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Still dating on and off, mostly off. Nothing serious, nothing except my job.

And then everything changed.