A human has the ability to be frighteningly accurate when they make predictions of the future. It comes to them in their dreams. They agree to wear a device to read brain waves to find out how they're able to do that. -- Anon Guest
[AN: Dream viewing technology is still in its infancy here and now. Give it some time and we might be able to do this]
It began with two words, "Deja vu." It was an explanation, a warning, a shorthand, and an annoyance all at once. Trader T'si had had enough of it after five repetitions.
Even saving his life could get annoying after the fifth damn time.
T'si found a nice tea palace to sit Human Lei down for a solid discussion regarding her gifts, and her annoying habit of minimalist explanation. "All right," he sighed once tea and cakes arrived. "You and deja vu. What the flakk is up with that?"
"Oh right. Yeah. Uhm. Before you picked me up from Detritus Station[1] I kind of... had these dreams. They're not always of stuff that will happen? But it's stuff that might happen and... since I'm your Security, I can't let a chance go by."
"That's... strange. Even for a Human."
"Thank you, I think," deadpanned Human Lei. "I tried to make money out of it back home, but... this is better. One, it's really reliable, and two - I'm doing some good. Feels nice."
Trader T'si had a suspicion about what this might be. They had a way of popping up now and again. Espers. Humans who, without any other means of knowing, had perceptions that could prove advantageous.
Twin telepathy was just the start.
"I would like to see you into some extended sleep studies. They won't hurt, but they may be a little invasive."
"Colander or tinfoil on my head?"
"Deja vu?" asked Trader T'si.
"Yeah. In my dream, you said it resembled a bathing cap with bits on."
"It... rather does. There's other technological aspects, but they've been working on making it even more comfortable." Trader T'si showed his Human the device. "The B'Nari keep wanting to install chips in everyone's brains, and we have to keep explaining what 'invasive' means. This is the compromise."
"Okay," said Human Lei. "One question. When they find out what's wrong with me, will they have a cure?"
Trader T'si had to drink a lot of the tea to calm down about that. He would have to patiently explain all about how some things were not the curse they initially seemed to be.
[1] There's generally two ways a name like Detritus could go for a station. Either it's run by blatant Terry Pratchett fans, or made entirely out of debris. In the Edge Territories, where Human Lei came from, it's both.
[Image by Yeshi Kangrang on Unsplash]
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