When he became proficient in harnessing his inner power Netul began kicking his ass time after time. He let out his Psi Blades, energy swords that extend from the armaments, the thin space that rounded over the wrist. The twin Creelin close range blades were more than a match against the sharpness of the cutlass.
Physical sparring evolved into fighting with mind, levitation and projected blasts or streams.
Netul proved himself to be nigh unbeatable due to experience and countless skirmishes, battles and wars won and lost. When asked, Callier proved herself capable of also kicking his ass ruthlessly. She seemed to rather enjoy it, especially cracking through mental defenses and forcing him to dance like a fool against his will.
When not doing battle he could now sense another mind and get a feel for it to know who it was and could choose to block or let in.
Yesterday the last X-Rank no longer had his gut clenching or mouth drooling and was told his power had at last reached its zenith.
And now Oliver delivered a blow to Netul’s abdomen after kicking the shield aside and blocked the sword with his own to plant a foot in his chest. A barrier at his back kept from slamming into the wall, but it had made him lose air. A motion deflected the Psi Blade to lay the cutlass edge at the golden helmet’s vulnerable throat.
“Fifty to fifty one, match goes to Oliver.” Callier refereed.
Netul turned his head, the Cultio containing his hair and protecting it as the helmet of gold crept down like the liquid metal of Oliver’s own armor. “Callier, what say you?”
She turned her eyes to Oliver and thought “It is time. He has attained mastery and will not be an individual unable to control himself. He is ready and no longer a danger to himself or others unless forced. His raw power again exceeds our people individually. We have accomplished our orders in full.”
“One second.” Oliver looked up at the ceiling of the cave, but his mind touched another, hundreds of solar systems away. “We’ve yet to meet, Archiver. I’m Oliver Void. It is a pleasure to meet you. Might I ask your name?”
“Greetings and warm welcome.” A feminine voice returned the telepathy kindly, but only to speak. He could learn nothing else and prying open an Archiver was punishable by death because they’d kill the interloper. “I am Archiver Lilithn. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I was wondering if it would be at all possible to visit Jaffalibn one day after I rescue my Match and find out what happened to my people? I do not wish to be killed by your planetary defenses just to visit your fair planet and visit Netul and Callier. I know my Match and she will want to also personally like to tell them and your companions thank you for sending them to save my life as well as in training me. Will I be permitted?”
“I will return once a decision is made.” The link cut and the three stood in patient silence for less than five minutes before she returned. “By unanimous decision based on what we’ve observed, you are honorable enough to be extended probationary trust to visit our fair world. Hold out your hand.” He did and a sudden flash of light dropped a gold marble. “Integrate it with your suit and the metal will be absorbed. It will allow us to know you are allowed to pass so long as you answer if entering our space. Should you be unworthy the allowance will be stained and our defenses will attack the moment it locks on. Is this acceptable?”
“Thank you, Archiver Lilithn. Send my thank you to the others as well.”
“So I shall. Farewell and my personal hope is you recover your Match. Know that she remains alive. I’m observing her as well.”
“How badly have they hurt her?”
“Enough I would personally lay waste myself had our laws not bound us. I will not go into detail, but I will say only the seventy three locked away near her location are also innocents. Do you catch my meaning?”
Oliver gave an evil smile. “Oh yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they are safe while the planet is cleansed of its filth.”
“Then that is all I can offer, Oliver Void.” She left again.
Turning to the two he said “I can’t possibly say thank you enough. I’m glad to call you friend.”
“The pleasure has been ours.” Callier bowed and Netul did as well. Oliver followed smiling. “You will get her back. I wish to meet her just as much. Farewell.”
The two Creelin grabbed their shields and looked up with eyes closed. A silent flash followed and they were gone. Scent vanished too as Oliver tested the air.
“Now to get going.” Oliver looked down the cliff and lifted ten trophies to always remember the best now a part of him. He checked the cave and no supplies laid around. Only some wood and a small fire littered and so he moved to the Flare turning it on before climbing in. Everything was set except he hadn’t powered the reserves and a simple touch on the stick and the percentage filled to full in a few easy seconds. Everything was set and the lid sealed before lifting off and flying out. A simple thread of power brought the trophies that would not fit in the storage area. The ascent soon brought the Flare deep into space where he hit a button to lock onto the skulls and a line wrapped them into a net to hold it up under the ship.
“Where are you… there!” Oliver called out, having the Flare pick up on the Dorgenox’s signal he placed secretly to find it anywhere. “Two and half days. You’ve been busy, Captain. Here I come!” leaving the gravity wells he hit the FTL drive and was away.
Sirens went off on the bridge and Jake Dorgen came charging out of the bedroom, Andrea hot on his heels. His chip linked to his ship as he burst through the door onto the bridge. “REPORT!”
The ship’s automated warning was of the voice of his late wife and she only spoke under major problems. “Unidentified wave-form detected. Psionic emanations… unclassifiable. Heading 336 X, 21.62 Y, 211 Z.”
“Clarify ‘unclassifiable.’” Jake said as Abdul turned the ship’s wheel.
“Readings greatly exceed all known historical parameters.”
“What the hell could…”
“Incoming contact! It’s… By the Stars! It’s the… the Flare!” A person below yelled.
Jake Dorgen’s smile split his face. “Open a communication with her.”
“Aye aye!”
A screen popped up on the bridge as Oliver allowed it and jaws dropped. It was rather comical. They noticed he was much more fierce and calm than any had ever remembered. Jake Dorgen said “Lad, ye are a sight for this old man’s eyes. Good to see ye alive and well! Don’t know how ye found us, but I’m glad for it.”
“It is good to hear a familiar voice too, Captain. I calculate the Dorgenox is six hours FTL from the assholes who took my woman. Right outside their subspace radar range.”
“Aye, Lad.”
“Good, I’m done waiting. How many medics do you have aboard?”
“Fifteen answered my private call.”
“Tell them to expect seventy three captives. Open up the dock. I have trophies I need to drop off… then you are going to follow me after five minutes. By the time you arrive it’ll all be over. I take it you can’t read me by your expression. Know I can destroy small stars if I give everything I have into a single kinetic blast.”
“Quite a boast lad.”
“No it isn’t. The Creelin calculated it five days ago when my sphere reached eight hundred and fifty three kilometers across. My stream is about half the sphere.” His self assured tone had the crew go dumbstruck. “I’m five hours out so ask your questions.”
“Lad, why don’t ye tell us what ye have done, but wait till those close to ye arrive.” Apparently the call for a few close friends eventually filled the bridge. First reactions had him chuckle. When no more could fit, but Stone, Satellite, Steven, Visor, Stephanie, Jessica, Jacob who’s leg had grown back, Davan Took and other close, stood with Jake. “Shaddup!” the captain yelled. “No more can fit. I’m sending elevators back. Go, Lad.”
Hours were spent mostly for the crew listening, many times scaring them in the story. Questions were asked, when they
didn’t believe, he passed an asteroid the size of the Dorgenox and the crew watched in awe and fear as it was crushed by a telekinetic squeeze no human could pull off. Eventually he said “Captain, are you willing to follow me once I drop off my package?”
“A fantastic story, Lad, but in this I’m glad ye are on me side. Get me daughter back no matter the cost, but if ye can also save the chairman for me to have my way with… we won’t have an issue with ye telling me what to do this time.”
“No promises. I’m in the mood to shatter the planet for being away from her for so long. They fucked up and I’m not taking prisoners. If that changes I’ll try to leave you a bone to chew on.”
“Understandable, Lad. I’ll personally look over the skulls after making sure no pathogens are dangerous. Renee’s safety is yer only goal. We agree on that much. Saving me a piece will have to wait. I know the wrath burning in yer belly all too well.”
“I’m making my approach. Ten minutes.”
“Out of me way, Ye Dogs!” Jake stood and moved to the elevator followed only by the Hunters. Option one. Get trampled by a two hundred and thirty centimeter tall Scotsman or option two, get the hell out of dodge. The crew wisely moved.
Inside the elevator Satellite chirped “He has eyes like the Creelin. They smoke. And I got the impression he wasn’t doing it on purpose.”
“Same here.” Steven said with a bit of a grin. “Poor bastards took the wrong woman.”
“The lad let us sense him.”
“Captain?” Stone asked.
“Me ship’s sensors detected him near five hours the speed of light away and its sensors still couldn’t get a read. He wasn’t disguising his psionic reach like I must do to keep ye lads from itching yerselves to death. He let us know he was coming. Before we entered the elevator me link to the ship showed Oliver shielding us from his power. He wanted us to… nay, he wanted me to understand just how powerful he had become and know he alone has more power within than me entire pirate fleet put together. He wanted me to see he can get me daughter home safe.”
“Well I can’t wait to see the Cerberus skeleton. Those Beasts are impossible to fight face to face. They attack faster than human reactions can… well react. I’ve only ever seen one undamaged skeleton.” Admitted Stone crossing his arms.
During the elevator travel Jake tapped his com. “Medics, prepare to aid Seventy three potential injured bodies in approximately six hours and take Sparky out of the induced coma. By the time we arrive the problem will be resolved.” The fifteen confirmed the order.
Just as the elevator door opened they could see the Flare slowly entering the guiding lights from the Dorgenox. Being out in deep space made it a requirement. Too dark otherwise. The golden glint of the fighter grew and beneath was the filled net glinting with polished white bones. Jake surrounded himself with an airtight barrier while the Hunters did the same since the quarantined planet had dangerous bacteria and viruses that make humans violently ill. Oliver’s immune system was robust in comparison.
The Flare slid right in and carefully lowered the pile of bones of varying size, the Thunder Lizard’s being the largest of them all. A sharp and controlled telepathic mind entered theirs and they saw Oliver’s gaze upon them. “I’m off.”
“Best of luck to ye.” Jake thought back. “We’ll be right behind.”
Oliver spun the ship around and left the dock. Barely had he left the hull that he entered FTL. Jake tapped his ear. “Abdul, you know what to do.”
“Aye aye!” as the hull/docking gate lowered, the men saw bright colors telling them the Dorgenox was on the way.
White mist seeped out vents to clean everything. The mist being organic microbes specifically engineered to seek out dangerous or harmful particles, combine and render them harmless in little time.
When the mist was finished and cleared the three men went to the pile and were dumbstruck. Stone removed the gauntlet to lay his hands on the three pristine Cerberus skulls. “Amazing. They are still frightening after being turned into this.”
“These cuts definitely came from our brother. The bones are cut cleanly without psionic burns. I only know of his cutlass able to cut bone so cleanly and not leave splinters or grooves.” Steven said as he lifted another vicious looking skull. It took a moment before his eyes bugged. “Uh, Stone, please tell me I’m mistaken and am not holding a Joint Ape…”
“I thought they were an old Hunter’s myth!” Stone came over to see an apelike skull, but its bones were more like scale mesh able to move around and fit through the narrowest of places like an octopus. “But it has to be… How did Oliver kill it? It’s said they are indestructible.”
“We need to put them away before someone gets any funny ideas.” Steven admitted with a devilish grin.
“Doubt anyone has balls big enough to steal from the lad after seeing how different he has become and the boast of his power. Stone, how about ye go up to the forest and cut down a dying tree to make mounts to hold these skulls up for proper display. Ye have six hours to kill. Steven, ye help me to arrange them properly and take measurements Stone needs.” They got to it.
What would take six hours on the Dorgenox took the Flare little over two minutes. He dropped out into a unique system home to a rare triple star system and had just five planets, only one being habitable and small with a single moon keeping it oriented. The planet was ideal for all means of people, having half standard gravity for those being space born. On the planet surface supported a massive outlaw city, but was in fact a major fortress ninety kilometers across and very deep. Thousands of starships were parked around its perimeter with more holding orbit. Hundreds of millions of enormous orbital defense systems surrounded the planet so it had no blind spots for infiltration.
Down in the fortress command center one mercenary took his feet off the deck as an alert came up. He yelled “Hey Jimbo! I’ve got an unidentified fighter inbound. I’m not reading any codes of ours.”
“Hail it.” The other man grunted.
Oliver smirked, deciding on a simpler course of action when receiving an incoming video. He answered, but put on his helmet first. The helmet hid the glowing and smoking eyes. “Hello boys.”
“Identify yourself.” One demanded.
“It won’t matter. You took the most irreplaceable person from me in this universe and are going to pay the ultimate price for it.”
The two men in the control room looked at each other and burst out laughing. “It’s one of those idiots yet again… eh Jimbo?”
“Yeah… this’ll be fun to watch. Blow him apart.”
A dozen defenses were turned and locked onto the Flare. When all were trained to the point of a pinhead the man at the console hit the button and opened fire. Ten defenses held enough piercing power to cut through the strongest of starship shields. Two more would just be sure to look really amazing. The two men grinned to kick back and watch the show.
Oliver though didn’t bother flipping out of the path as he easily could have. Instead he raised the palm of his hand to create a sharply pointed pyramid out front. Netting of energy so tight and condensed it could punch through planets. He could literally see pathways of power was made perfectly and yet remained invisible to human and technology eyes. Holding enough power to not buckle in the slightest.
The barrier was hit at the speed of light by the twelve precise beams, but the four angles of the pyramid barrier deflected the incoming assault like child play. “My turn.”
The two men lost all color in their faces as they didn’t get any satisfaction of an explosion or so much as a scream. Oliver’s intimidating helmet never left their screens as they watched the fighter turn up over itself as his hand aimed straight up for a better angle when the Flare’s cabin opened to pure vacuum. His suit allowed him to breathe and without the cockpit lid in the way, a clear line of sight was made without obstruction.
Using telepathy, Oliver precisely located the two most terrified men inside the fortress as well as every sing
le of the six million and a half minds below. The chip and telepathy worked in tandem to precisely fix the aim till he made the minute corrections to perfect his own pinpoint aim. “Bye, Boys.” They couldn’t hear him without air to be received in the microphone. A twenty meter wide kinetic stream blew out from Oliver’s palm. It destroyed a satellite and two ships before shooting down on the fortress and vaporized everything inside the diameter of the stream. Driving a hole halfway down to the planet’s cold core. The two men hadn’t a chance.
It took about fifteen seconds, fifteen seconds too long for the warning to get out the outlaws were under attack and to go out and defend. Brigand ships brought weapons to lock onto a single fighter that ripped their defenses apart without even trying. Great beams of plasma cut through starship and battleship shields, through reinforced hulls like butter and returned fire was effortlessly blocked by a surrounding barrier. Some made short FTL jumps to attack from behind, but Oliver cut them down too. Crushed under telekinesis.
The fortress’s deflector shields were up and ion cannons fired into space, but a telekinetic hand plucked out the heavy artillery likes blades of grass. Ripped right out of thick concrete roofs and foundations.
During the battle Oliver at last found her. His heart soared and all the pressure that had laid a suffocating weight on his chest for near eight months had lifted and the first real breath taken was bliss.
Renee, alone in a deep dark hole felt a mind of immense power slide right into hers like nothing she felt before and rather than be afraid the enemy had at last broken into her mental defenses, she could feel so much love and joy from the mind she breathed one name. “Olly.”
“Red, I’m coming for you. Just hold on.”
She thought back with a soaring heart, knowing that mind anywhere. She had been inside it more than any man’s she knew. Second only to Sparky. “Oh Olly. I knew you would come get me. All the noise and sirens I hear must be you! Only my man can turn this place upside down. Be careful. There are others in the same area as me, but I want you to kill them all. Oliver… they motherfucking raped me!”
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