Nan, this is scary. Does the special cloth limit the crystal's power? Does it attack even non-psychics? Are its effects irreversible?
When is Mark going to realize that the commander's daughter (good hostage, BTW) is a psychic? (That 18-year-old-who-looks-like-a-13-year-old is a pretty sure giveaway.)
Most importantly, when are you posting the next part?