Harmony of matter and energy

Acceptable differences

An encounter with human prejudice shows how much Da'an and Boone have in common.

"I don't understand why Da'an accepts him at all," Sandoval commented with his usual irritation.

Boone sized him up out of the corner of his eye.

He knew full well why Da'an had agreed to meet with Reverend John. Behind it was a simple and sincere interest in the problems of humanity and the solutions to those problems. Something Sandoval hadn't known for a long time during his service to Zo'ora and therefore was even less willing to pass that interest by Da'an without resentment.

"He's a Taelon. I'm sure he has his reasons," he replied calmly and exactly as one would expect from an obedient Implant.

Sandoval gave him a sharp look in return, but said nothing more. Partly because of his imperative, which was enough to remind him that he was a Da'an Taelon and not allow him to continue his complaints. But mostly because Da'an finally turned away from the window and strode to his control chair, signaling that he was ready to receive the Reverend.

"Please, Agent Sandoval, bring in our guest," Da'an instructed at the same time as he settled into his chair with that strange, sometimes disturbing elegance. Not just as if he didn't have bones and joints, he really didn't. He was just pure energy encased in a thin husk of skin. Powerful on the one hand, even without all of Taelon's advanced devices, but also strangely fragile and vulnerable when it came to the robust human world. Perhaps that fragility was why William's stomach lurched warningly every time Da'an was about to meet a stranger.

The first time he experienced this feeling, not unlike the care he had for Kate, it made him fear that his CVI had somehow reprogrammed itself back and the Imperative had activated. But he quickly realized that wasn't the case. One encounter with Zo'or was enough to make him as uncomfortable as he had been on the first day and he hadn't the slightest desire to protect him beyond what he had taken for granted as a simple police officer; to protect the life and health of everyone, regardless of their gender, race, religion and in this case, species.

No, this was simply about Da'an.

Perhaps as if his current musings had caught Taelon's eye, he turned slightly towards him, his thin, colourless lips lifting in a smile so slight that if William hadn't known him for some time, he would hardly have noticed. Their eyes met. Da'an's unblinking phosphorescent blue eyes glowed with an inner energy for one brief moment before he looked away from Boone and cast his gaze over his shoulder.

Boone's enhanced hearing picked up a pair of approaching footsteps that would have been barely audible to an ordinary human on the soft floor of the Taelon Embassy. He took that as his cue to move closer to the control chair, to Da'an's left, to be between the door and his Companion.

Moments later Sandoval emerged from around the corner, followed by a tall and slender black man whose build resembled exactly what he could have been; a professional basketball player. If only he hadn't chosen the church over a career in sports. Reverend John was showing his devotion to the church in particular, not only by the small wooden cross hanging under the collar of his carefully buttoned and carefully pressed light salmon shirt, but also by the small Bible he clutched in his hands along with a thick dark brown folder.

"Welcome, Reverend John Brown," Da'an greeted him with a small bow and also that ever so typical hand gesture that seemed to caress the air. It seemed like just part of the greeting, or something unintentional, but Boone suspected there was more to it. He couldn't know for sure, and he didn't dare ask, but always this small gesture gave him the idea that Da'an wanted to feel the air around every stranger he greeted with his fingertips.