And so, with a sigh, she took out the knife she’d stolen, tightened her hands into fists, her jaw set in weary tension, as she crept closer to the make-shift home. She stopped part of the way there though and listened more. Watched. Then something occurred to her, and she closed her eyes and focused her concentration inwardly, trying to extend her telepathic senses outward around her, towards the house. She’d never done something like that before on purpose, but she knew that she often just seemed to know that people were where she was heading. Especially with her friends or family, she could sense them from some distance away sometimes. Not their thoughts, just… a feeling.

As her senses settled in to try this new task she had set for them, impressions did indeed start to form. There were two people inside… no, three. A woman and… the little girl, and a male, but young, only a child. And… they were all so weak, in pain… They were dying! As soon as she realized that, she was on her feet, putting away the knife, and heading towards the house. No matter what the people of this race had tried to do to her, this woman was innocent as far as she knew, and certainly, she could never bring herself to simply walk away and let two children die. She would never forgive herself for doing something like that. Never.

She entered the house and saw the young woman she’d sensed from afar sitting on a cot and holding a young girl in her arms. The girl, who looked only maybe three or four months old, was still crying, but softly. The woman, who looked maybe half a year older than Kes if that (young to have had two children) was trying to comfort her. There was a second cot by the door to the left of her and the boy, who looked more than a half a year old (maybe eight or nine months even?), was laying on it, sweating and in pain, only half awake. The woman turned to her and spoke. Kes understood her to be asking who was there and telling her that they had nothing of value.

Kes was struck speechless by the scene and the hopelessness and sorrow she sensed from the woman. Her heart went out to this woman and her child, and she immediately felt foolish for having thought her own situation so dire at times. After a moment though, she moved her feet into the room. –I mean no harm– she spoke softly, gently to the woman, mind to mind. She knelt down next to her. –And some people are woefully misinformed about what value really is…–