Nightmare journey

satisfied?
    Yes.
    If it wants more than to just impart a message? If it won't pick up its invisible skirts and go back where it came from?
    She 'pathed, Then we kill it.
    With our amplified esp power?
    Yes. And as Chaney said before, no moralizing. This thing will be the death of us unless we act against it.
    No argument, he 'pathed. And I think you really have something here.
    Do you really?
    It's the only hope we have, in fact.
    You don't sound very excited, she 'pathed.
    I don't have the energy for excitement, he replied.
    When Chaney and Kiera came onto the bridge to take their turn at watch, Jask sent the wolf-man to bring Tedesco into the small, instrument-crammed cabin. When they were all assembled, Melopina repeated her suggestion and opened the floor for discussion.
    It sounds good to me-Kiera.
    Maybe-Chaney.
    Kiera leaned toward him and 'pathed, Have you got any better ideas, Captain?
    Chaney-I'd still like to claw it and get my fangs in its neck.
    His bushy tail whipped back and forth at that thought.
    In effect that's what you'll be doing, Jask said. Only we'll substitute the esp power for claws and teeth if necessary.
    Tedesco? Chaney had come to respect the bruin's opinions on most all matters.
    I think it's worth a try, but…
    But?-Jask.
    Practically speaking, the bruin 'pathed, how do we go about establishing this mesh of our talents, this consolidation of forces?
    They looked at Melopina.
    She bit her blue lip, tossed her black hair away from her face, setting up a sympathetic vibration in her neck membranes.
    She 'pathed, First, we ought to have all our attention on the problem. That will mean shutting down the ship and losing some travel time.
    Right-Kiera.
    We'll lose much more travel time if we don't solve this situation, Tedesco 'pathed. What else?
    Melopina thought a moment, and said, Perhaps we should begin by forming a meditation circle, like they do in some religions.
    That's an ancient means of focusing concentration, Tedesco said. It sounds like a worthy enough beginning to me.
    They sat in a close circle on the main deck, forward of the bridge, while the Maiden rocked gently back and forth. They held hands and looked sheepishly at one another, embarrassed by this childish ritual but not certain how else to begin.
    Now, Melopina 'pathed, leading them, we've first got to compress all of our perceptions, esp and otherwise, into a single entity. It seems to me that the best way to handle that is to start with only two of us. Jask and I will touch each other's minds, meld into one as we have often done in the last few weeks.
    Then?-Tedesco.
    When Jask and I have accomplished this, you, Tedesco, can attempt to meld with the two of us and form a tricornered personality- something we do casually all the time but which we 've never tried to this degree. If that is successful, then Kiera will join us. Then Chaney. Psychically, we will be a single being. Whether or not our telepathic and destructive esp powers can then be disciplined as a single force, I do not know. But we'll find out.
    I'm ready, Jask 'pathed.
    I can feel that damned-thing again! Kiera 'pathed. Let's not waste any more time.
    They could all sense the invisible creature's nearness, an urgent psychic force that hung above them like a rain-laden cloud.
    Okay, Melopina said.
    Jask reached out, psychically, and touched the shell of her mind, caressed it and slowly began to meld with her.
    She touched him at the same instant.
    In a few seconds they were seeing through each other's eyes as well as through their own. Jask saw Melopina's face straight-on, through his own eyes, saw his face straight-on through her eyes.
    They felt with two sets of nerves. Melopina felt her hand lying in his, his hand lying under hers; his heartbeat and her own; the wind on her skin and on his; a hair tickling his ear, her own hair blowing out behind her in the salty air; felt both female and male between her legs; felt flat-chested and breasted like a woman…
    They tasted as one.
    They heard sounds as one.
    When the physical match was perfect, they swept into each other's minds, until they held no secrets, until, with an imperceptible lightening of the burden of life, they meshed perfectly together.
    Now, Tedesco! Melopina/Jask 'pathed.
    The bruin touched them hesitantly, moved carefully, but soon completed the meshing as easily as the lovers had.
    Kiera! Melopina/Jask/Tedesco said.
    Kiera came among them quickly, with no hesitation.
    Chaney…
    In half an