5)

The next morning was different. Not that Kurt was more comfortable after another night spent on bare stone. It was something intangible. A vague feeling that something has changed.

He looked around. They were still in the same cave. The men who captured them… the Soldiers were lying around the now cold fire in a circle. Tarn was gone and Colonel Seath was snoring right beside Kurt.

*Wait!* It dawned on him. *I know who they are!* He sat up, trying hard to concentrate. All that Tarn man did last night was blind him with a strong beam of light and Kurt must have lost consciousness. He remembered the pain behind his eyes. And he remembered going down, hard. Now he seemed to actually remember certain details about… his past? If only he could focus…

They're the Soldiers. The Soldiers are the inner military force of the State. Their main task is to seek out and

expose enemy's intelligence. And they were going after him! No, it was Katija they were after. They rescued him… he felt the headache coming back again. 'Are you all right?' Colonel Seath had woken up and was now staring at Kurt with sincere concern.

'No…' he moaned. 'My head!'

Seath gestured for him to lie down again. 'It's gonna take a while for you to assimilate all the memories again. Don't push it too hard, it'll come to you.'

Kurt curled up next to the wall, hiding his head in his arms.

'Want some water?' The Colonel was really worried.

Kurt raised his eyes and looked at him with an effort.

'I'd prefer some answers,' he managed through clenched teeth. He felt like half of his head was just about to explode.

'As I said,' Seath replied, 'it'll come to you. The procedure we use is rather… invasive. But effective.'

'All right, people, let's move it!' Kurt heard Tarn's loud voice and everybody around him got to their feet.

'It's time,' Seath said helping him to get up.

'Time for what?'

'Our orders are to take you back to the Council House.'

'The Council!' Kurt exclaimed. 'But…' he realized that there was nothing wrong with that. He was not a rebel, after all. He needed to get back. Senator Wesley…

He begun to remember more and more with each minute. The headache was still there but bearable. He looked around. The Soldiers were getting ready to move on. He looked for Tarn, the Leader. He was standing near the fire, giving out orders.

'May I ask you something?' Kurt approached him. Tarn nodded to the Soldier and turned to face Kurt.

'Feeling better?' He asked.

'Where is that woman, Katija?' Kurt asked in return. 'What have you done to her? And why am I still tied up?'

Tarn smiled at him and shook his head.

'Unfortunately, we can't be sure how much you remember. You may still want to attack us and your questions about the alien seem to prove you are still in doubt. You haven't begun to comprehend your situation yet.'

'The Alien?!' Kurt repeated softly. 'Katija…?'

Tarn nodded. 'Genetically altered. Unrecognizable at first glance, wasn't she?'

Kurt was shocked. So much has happened to him over the last couple of days. And he had no way of telling what to believe.

'Where is she now?'

'She's escaped,' Tarn sighed. 'It's not all that easy to catch a Tarran, you know. Even an altered one.'

'Everything's ready, sir!' One of the Soldiers reported. Tarn acknowledged and turned back to Kurt.

'We've got a long way ahead. You will have plenty of time to think about all this when we get you safely on the shuttle. Now, let's get going!'

Kurt, still deep in his thoughts, only nodded and automatically moved in the direction he had been ushered. The group of Soldiers surrounded him. They were headed back to where Katija had led him from. Kurt sighed heavily at the memory of her. *Why would she lie to me?* He thought sadly.

6)

'Good news,' Tarn approached him that afternoon when the group stopped for a meal at the entrance of the caves. The view was remarkable. The mountains looked menacingly huge from the bottom where the group were standing. In front of them, seemingly endless deserts were stretched from horizon to horizon, almost gleaming with all shades of red, orange and purple under the enormous sun.

'What's that?' Kurt asked with limited curiosity. He felt so tired and confused that he only wished to be left alone.

'We've contacted the Council and they'll be sending a vessel to intercept the shuttle. You are expected back in the capital as soon as possible.'

Kurt only nodded his head and went back to eating his ration. It was tasteless but cool and moist. All one could dream of in this heat.

He now remembered most of his life. His name was Kurt Bovis. Senator Bovis. He was one of the younger senators in the Council but still very much respected. Particularly for his recent tactical project. 'The Ultimate Strike Plan' was going to finally end the three years' war with the Tarrans. End it, of course, with an unquestionable victory for humans. All the information they needed was finally back in his head. The location of the secret Tarran base, their last stand. Now they could crash the cursed aliens once and for all. If only he could go back to the Council and make the updates in time before the final attack.

*That's why this Katija must have kidnapped me.* He thought. *She wiped my memory clean so that she could feed me with all these ideas about a peaceful solution. An ingenious plan. It's a good thing that the Soldiers are not that easily toyed with…*

'How far is it to the shuttle?' He asked Tarn who was still standing there, as if expecting orders.

'Just a little over a dozen kilometers,' he replied promptly. Kurt nodded and reached out with his hands.

'Release me,' he demanded. Tarn looked at him a little suspiciously but Kurt looked into his eyes and said firmly:

'Now, Soldier!' Tarn smiled and bent over Kurt.

'Good to have you back, sir,' he said, tapping at a small mechanism on the inner side of one of the metal rings around Kurt's wrists. The cuffs opened and fell into his lap with a soft crunching sound. Kurt picked them up and looked at them thoughtfully for a while before handing them over to the Leader.

'Let's hurry up,' he said adamantly. 'I need to get back to the Council as soon as possible. I've got some new information for them, regarding…' He stopped, remembering that the man in front of him was just a Soldier. There was no need to tell him anything more than he needed to know. 'I've got some important information for them,' he finished instead. Tarn saluted him and went to rush his men.

*What a cunning little creature,* Kurt thought to himself when they were again under way. *She could have talked me into anything with that dreadful mind-dartler of hers. It would be an important asset to the State if we managed to acquire the technology…*

*You already have it,* he suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

*You're a telepath!* He thought back without even slowing down his pace. He was well trained. He knew there was no need to alarm the Soldiers yet.

*I am. And many things more,* Katija's voice replied in his mind.