Subject: Grail: "The Great Brightness" - Questions (Brinn)

Athalya Anne slumped in her chair, at the captain's right hand. *And why

not play the part of the captain's right hand?* She laconicly wondered.

*We all can be one big, happy family....* She tartly remarked to herself as

she watched the others arrive. She had been the second person to arrive.

Since her 'appearance' on the bridge, Athalya Anne had found herself endowed

with an odd 'feeling' of what time it was. If asked, she could have told

you the exsact time to within five seconds. Consequently, she had picked up

the annoying habit of being persisely to minuets early for any given event.

She slumped farther down in her chair. *Yes,* Athalya Anne thought tartly,

*one big happy family.* Closing her eyes, she wondered, *Why, Time? Why

me?* Executive officer of a goddanmed starship. Executive officer of a

bunch of lunatics and criminals. *Oh, and I'm one to talk?* she wondered.

She knew that there were those who would argue that she fit right in. But

then she also knew that she was just bitching because she was cranky.

Normaly, she'd be sleeping right now.

Squirming down farther in her seat, if that's possible, Athalya Anne droped

her empathic block and 'listened' to those around her. A sence of bordeom

permated the room like a bad smell. She took a count... one....two.... near

to twenty people, in all.

"Thank you all for your attendance....." The captain began. *Huh?*

Athalya Anne wondered. Weren't they still missing Mallory and Hargen? She

opened her eyes slightly and scanned the croud. Nope. They were there.

*I guess it's true.* Athalya Anne supposed. Roumor had it that Eve Mallory

was an android. But, Hargen? According to her service record, Janice

Theora Hargen was a Terran. Terrans were not esper blind. *And why in

Terra's good name does she look so much like En Kaya?*

If Athalya Anne had any saving grace, it was her paranoia. For twenty years

of her career, she had been in direct contact with androids. She was

trained to pick them out of a substantial croud. *Two androids? On the

same ship?* Athalya Anne opened her eyes. She didn't trust androids. Not

by a long shot.

LMaj Athalya Anne Brinn