Season 3, Episode 2: Mindwalkers

by Simon-F. Laflamme

When Carlson and Ta’Ren retreat to Narn to recoup from their ordeal on Shambah III, the Narn trader learns the consequences of his life amongst the stars and his abduction: Ta’Ren is regarded a pariah among his people, and his former associate Mark Baggett has seemingly let MarTar fall entirely in the hands of its main competitor, BrakEarth. At the suggestion of Va’Nur, a preeminent leader of Ta’Var Cartel, Ta’Ren’s soul searching brings him and Carlson to the headquarters of the Kana Rituk, a civilian Narn ecological organization dedicated to the restoration of Nar’Shal, whose leader is Ta’Chunq, an anthropological geneticist specialized in telepathy. Ta’Ren is surprised by the fact that half of her staff is composed of Humans, and Carlson astonished to learn that they are all telepaths. Avis Ames’ visit to the Kana Rituk’s compound makes the situation clear: the Rituk had a deal with Psi Corps to study captive Rogue Telepaths in their efforts to restore the telepathic gene to the Narn pool; along the way, the Narns turned the table on the Corps and used this agreement to ferry as many rogues as possible to a secret telepath colony they founded on the remote world of G’Quan’Ri. Now the Corps has learned of this and wants them all back. With the help of Va’Nur, Carlson and Ta’Ren escape with Rogue Telepaths to Gortha, the City of Dead, and orchestrate the Psi Corps’ downfall. Summoned by the Ta’Var Cartel, a Narn harass group meets and destroys the Psi Corps mothership Apophis in a battle in orbit around G’Quan’Ri. While Carlson lives out a brief idyll with Eliane Castronovo, the leader of the Human telepaths on Narn, Ta’Ren strengthens his ties to Ta’Var Cartel. Beyond arranging for the secret construction of a new ship for Carlson and Ta’Ren to use in their quest, Va’Nur also evokes the Forbidden City of Thenothk, where a “man in-between” is rumored to have the answers to every question.