by Aer-ki Jyr
“Damn, we’ve got a halo track here?” she said with a laugh, knowing those were only for individuals too fast to use a standard one. Jyra zoomed in and out on the map, wondering how the hell they had built this place without tearing up the forest above. Remembering what the man had said, she moved around the schematic until she found the landlines, which were buried cables stretching out in three directions from the facility all the way across the forest to the bordering cities.
Which meant someone had dug tiny tunnels across hundreds of miles in order to keep this place off the map. And now that she looked at it, the upper coating of the facility was made of sensor dampening armor, meaning it would be very difficult for orbit or aerial scans to detect the difference between this place and the bedrock it had been carved out of.
“They certainly threw in all the bells and whistles on this one,” she said, disconnecting her helmet and tossing it onto a nearby couch, then thought twice and decided to shed all her armor before she started to have a look around. The pieces of it ended up on the seat cushions as well, then Jyra found one of two other entrance/exits to the commons room and began walking the corridors in her casual uniform, wondering if anyone else was here.
It wasn’t until a few hours later, when she started to rifle through the more than ample food stores that she found the ‘welcome button,’ for that’s literally what it was labeled on the wall behind the holographic Star Wars battle. It was oddly hidden there, for she only saw it during a few sequences where there were gaps to see through.
She poked her head behind the active hologram, then saw a few sentences explaining what it was for. Press the button and a signal would go out through the entire facility letting them know someone had just arrived, so she did just that and decided to hang out here until someone came to her. That said, she knew there were only a few hundred Arc Commandos, so she wasn’t sure how many there would be stationed here for training.
As she walked over and sat down on the couch, pulling up the vid feeds from the cities and finding a movie to watch she realized her speeder was parked up top…and she hadn’t seen any others. With a frown she walked over to a terminal in the room and began going through the database she had found earlier looking for some type of hangar, or at least a protocol for what she should do with it.
When she couldn’t find anything in the search function she went back over to the hologram and tried there, rifling through the pages of instructions that seemed to be for newbs like her. They weren’t indexed, so she had to go through them line by line and decided to make an event out of it, for everything she came across seemed to be of importance.
Before she found out about ‘parking’ she came to a section that indicated they had to check in and out of the facility for it was rarely used. If someone was here a small orb would appear at the top of the hologram. Jyra let it go back to the Star Wars sequence just to be sure, but there were no floating orbs on top of it, meaning that she was here alone.
She read a bit more, then found the command that would log her in. It was another hidden switch underneath the ‘doorbell,’ and when she flicked it with her Lachka a single orb popped up above the hologram no matter what setting she was using. Another switch over the doorbell would log her out and she tried it just to make sure it worked, then logged herself back in, with it only being a presence indicator rather than an ID. No logs were kept as to who was here or not, given that this was a clandestine facility.
“Well then,” she said, thinking about what to do next. There were no instructions about that, and it seemed like she was on her own from here on out. She decided to finish reading the instructions until she came across he query, then went back topside to move her speeder inside a concealment canopy situated half a mile off. Once it was tucked away she headed back down, closed the hatch behind her, then stripped down to her underware, grabbed some sugar sticks from the pantry, and laid out on one of the couches and decided to make a movie night of it…both as a chance to take a rare off day, and to test the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was still being watched and evaluated.
She didn’t think it was true, but being totally off the grid and without assignment seemed so odd she needed to poke it with a stick to make sure it was truly her imagination…and an imitation of laziness would be the best way to draw a reaction.
In the meantime she’d just visibly chill, while trying to work through in her head what her next move would be. If she really was alone and free to do whatever, then she needed a plan and a damn good one. All throughout her training she’d been goaded into figuring things out on her own, and it seemed like this was now going to be put to practical use. She had to learn to use her psionics and turn them into both weapons and tools…and how she did that was totally up to her.
But first things first. Pretend to be a lazy twit and do all sorts of things a soldier/warrior would never do and get a feel for this newfound freedom by being a bit stupid, then if she was still left alone, get to work on developing the skills that she never thought she’d have. Superpowers were for Archons, and they’d deemed her worthy enough to share.
Jyra wasn’t totally sure what that meant going forward, but she expected it to be something big…though getting to that point seemed to be another challenge without a clear cut path. One thing she knew was that whatever she did, she needed to do it her way from here on out.
Now she just needed to figure out what her way was…
9
November 22, 2897
Epsilon Eridani System
Corneria
Jyra stood in one of the training chambers in the Nest, this one tailored for some wild Lachka work that she was nowhere near ready to try, but it also had some novice settings and the one she was using now had a small thud suspended in an IDF field three meters in front of her. Where she stood was outside the field, with the transition being invisible to the eye but noticeable in her Pefbar. It was a thin barrier, but the energy made a small ripple in her spherical vision, which at this point she’d learned to focus into a cone to get greater range.
Thanks the IDF, there was no gravity effect on the thud and it floated aimlessly with her tugging on it with her telekinesis. One of the first tricks she’d learned from the Archons’ notes was that she could tie the mental commands to a physical stimulus, and Jyra had been relying on that heavily in her early training as both her skill and raw power grew. Now she was trying to undo that handicap, for her mind didn’t want to use her Lachka without the physical commands.
That too had been detailed by those who had developed these powers before her, but oddly enough it was virtually unmentioned in the Archons’ notes. Rather it was in a much smaller collection of data compiled by other Arc Commandos, and to which she would be adding when she learned anything of merit. Apparently they had encountered the same problem, in which their mind had developed a ‘thinking’ mode and an ‘acting’ mode with the Lachka. The physical theatrics separated the two, and they had also had to unlearn the distinction early on, for a few that didn’t had a world of trouble figuring out how to do things without having a hand or twitching an eyebrow to get it to engage.
Getting it to engage was the problem, for as Jyra made the little thud move ever so slightly away from her she intended to curve it to the right also…but the command never executed. Instead the mashable marble continued towards the back of the cylinder where the edge of the IDF was. When it got there it would pass through and fall to the ground, so Jyra reluctantly raised her right arm and motioned for it to return. Her Lachka engaged without fail and brought it back, allowing her to spin it around in a corkscrew without too much trouble. It was amazing how much control she had by using her arm, despite the fact that it was purely for theatrics. The tissues in her mind were emitting the Lachka field, and she’d wished she started learning to control it directly from the beginning.
It had been so difficult to just get a twitch that using the physical coordination had been recommended by the Archons, bu
t they hadn’t said anything about untraining it later. Maybe they didn’t have this issue or maybe it just wasn’t a big deal for them. They were Archons after all, and Arc Commando or not, they were still far beyond her in multiple disciplines. Perhaps all that intellect they sported made this easy, but for her it had become a pain in the ass.
When she steadied the thud inside the field she let her arm drop back to her side and focused only with her mind, missing the first 3 times before the fourth finally took and started it floating towards her. She tried to get it to move to the right into a crude, box-like corkscrew but couldn’t get it again until the third try. After that it took six tries to make the next turn, then four for the next with the thud getting closer and close to the edge as it spun outward.
But at least she was able to do it every now and then, even if it wasn’t reliable at this point. That meant she could train it, and in time it would get easier…or so the other Arc Commandos had noted.
Just as Jyra was about to use her arm to keep it from flying out again a tone sounded in the chamber that spooked her enough that she lost her lock on the little thud. She glanced up, pondering what the sound was as the thud dropped out of the invisible field and fell towards the floor.
The Arc Commando reacted instantly, reaching a hand towards it and pulling it towards her just in time to avoid it hitting the ground. It flew up into her palm and she clamped down on it tightly with her hand, smirking with the realization that that was both the fastest and strongest pull she’d managed to date, and all on instinct. Maybe her problem was she was overthinking this too much.
But to the sound her mind returned, with one possibility rising to the forefront. She knew there was a ‘doorbell’ but she’d never heard what it sounded like. If that was the case that meant someone else had arrived, which would be her first guest since she’d arrived at the Nest 6 months ago.
Jyra chucked the thud off to the side of the chamber where it would eventually roll into a collection moat, then hit the ‘off’ controls on the way out before accelerating into a jog and heading back through the huge facility to the commons room to find an armored figure looking at the hologram with the introductory data and one tiny orb floating about it indicating her presence here, though she doubted he knew that if he was also a newb.
“Hello?” she said as she stepped inside, prompting him to turn around and stare at her through his solid helmet that gave no clue as to his identity. If she’d been wearing her armor it would have identified him, but on most days she was in casual or training gear, with today being the later.
“Hello,” he mimicked, though his voice was a bit altered by the speakers to give it that telltale Commando tinge.
“You fresh out of training or one of the vets?”
“Just got back from Antarctica.”
“Well then, take your armor off and have a seat,” she said, pointing to a couch while she jumped over the edge of another and laid down with her feet up. “I’ll fill you in on what I can. I’m about 6 months ahead of you.”
A pop sounded as he disconnected his helmet and pulled it off, revealing short black hair and pale skin, but a face she wasn’t familiar with. “You’re Jyra?”
“That’s right. Have we met?”
“Not exactly,” he said, pulling apart his armor and stacking it in a neat pile on the floor. “I saw you a few times in the hallways and other people mentioned you.”
“Sorry, I should remember you, but my mind’s not clicking.”
“That’s alright. It’s not like we were there to socialize. What am I here for?”
“To chart our own course, apparently,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking him over. “Nobody was here when I arrived and I’ve been alone ever since. Training and learning, mostly.”
“Is there anything else?”
“There can be,” she said ambiguously. “It seems this facility is completely unmonitored. I did some crazy stuff early on just to test that theory and nobody came to give me a lecture.”
“Six months alone?”
“Yeah. I thought there’d be more Arc Commandos popping in and out, but nada so far.”
“Is that what this place is for?”
“It’s called the Nest and is a huge training facility reserved explicitly for us. I haven’t received a single order since I arrived, and I don’t think I will until I figure out how to use my psionics and the other stuff they have here.”
“What stuff?” the man asked, finally free of his armor and sitting down on the couch.
“A lot of cool toys I’ve never seen before, and a list of codes that will make your head hurt. The ones we got in training were the small ones, it seems. These are very high access and extremely hush hush. Do you have a name?”
“Oh, sorry. My bad. I’m Linty. Linty Innon.”
“Jyra Hemman, if you didn’t catch my last name.”
“No I didn’t. So Jyra, what kind of crazy stuff were you talking about?”
She shrugged innocently. “The kind of stuff you don’t have to explain when no one is watching.”
“So me being here is going to crimp your style, then?”
“Unless you want to join in.”
“Hmmn, I feel obligated to ask what we’re supposed to be doing first.”
“Did you come alone?”
“Yes.”
“Speeder?”
He nodded.
“There’s a hidden parking lot nearby. I’ll show you where in a moment, but for now you need to trust me.”
“Ok…”
“Stand up,” she said, doing likewise.
“And?” he said, looking at her and seeing that they were spot on the same height.
“Take off your clothes.”
“What?”
“Trust me,” she said in all seriousness.
He eyed her for a moment, then decided to just go with it, suspecting some sort of test. When he pulled his shirt off Jyra did the same, mimicking his disrobing until both of them were standing there in the nude.
“How do you feel now?” she asked.
“Odd. What’s this about?”
“Turn around and walk to the edge of the couch.”
“An explanation would be good.”
“Walk,” she insisted.
He sighed, then turned around with Jyra moving in a flash as soon as his eyes were off her. She headed the other way, grabbed two throw pillows off another couch, and winged one at him.
It hit him in the head, spinning him around on instinct. “What is this?”
“Defend yourself,” she said, winging the other one at him then grabbing for more elsewhere in the room.
“Are you serious?” he said in a laugh.
“Defend or be pummeled,” she said, picking up a pair and, instead of throwing them at him, ran towards him and whacked him across the face with one melee style. He ducked the next slash and dove onto the couch, grabbing one of his own before stepping into the throw pillow fight with both of them hitting each other with more accurate and skilled attacks than any sleepover could hope to imagine.
“Is that the best you’ve got, rookie!” she yelled, bringing both in front of her and using them as a battering ram to knock him back onto the couch, then she stood over him and whacked him multiple times before he leg swept her and she fell onto the floor giving him enough time to roll over the back of the couch and escape.
He laughed uncontrollably. “I don’t know what this is about, but I’m really starting to like you.”
“Good,” she said, chucking another pillow his way. This time he caught it out of the air and added it to his own arsenal as Jyra backtracked and went to find more ammunition. When she came back to him the pillow fighting got more serious, with her trying to take him down and him noticeably resisting. She feigned an opening, let him knock her legs out from under her with a pillow whack to the thigh, then she did a somersault curl around his legs to half get behind them, then she knocked his left slightly askew wi
th a pillow hit before snaking her arms through and around his ankles enough to dump him backwards onto the not so soft floor.
A moment later she was on top of him and wresting to pin his arms to the ground, but the best she could do was get them over his chest. She locked him up there, then stared him down.
“How do you feel now?”
“Very confused,” he said with a smile.
“This isn’t all play, I promise.”
“Then what is it?”
“A shortcut.”
“To what, pregnancy?”
Jyra snorted. “Hell no. Besides, we’ve both had our genes reworked so that isn’t possible.”
“You said something about trust earlier. Or is this just the result of you spending 6 months alone and going stir crazy?”
“Maybe a little, but you know damn well we’re training to operate solo for as long as necessary.”
“So then why are we inches away from making magic?”
“Like I said, it’s a shortcut. I’ll admit, it’s a very odd shortcut, but then again that’s the point. I never would have considered anything like this before, but it all comes back to trust. What did San tell you about our mandate?”
“Are we really going to have this conversation like this?”
“Yes, and you’re going to like it. Now answer my question.”
“He said a lot of stuff, actually.”
“What did he tell you about trust?”
Linty frowned, trying to draw a connection and think this through, whereas a normal person would have been just happy to have a hot, nude chick on top of him.