“Of course!” he replied, as the tray descended to the table.
I was impressed by the casual, everyday use of his powers. It made me realize how little I used my own and I resolved that instant to start using them in more mundane ways. I noticed Jezai lifted his mug up to his nose using his hands, taking a deep inhalation. “Ah, beautiful as always. Thank you, Sana,” he said to the server, who offered a bow of his head, before leaving us alone once more. My mind was still on use of power. If he wasn’t risking drinking tea with telekinesis after thousands of years of practice, I sure as shit wasn't trying that one either. See, already learning!
I lifted the mug and took a deep inhalation. I can honestly say I’d never experienced a smell quite like it. Especially from a cup of bloody tea. A powerful waft of apples and spices and hints of other scents that I couldn't put my finger on seemed to fill my brain, causing a gentle tingling sensation. “Holy guacamole, Jezai, what the fuck is this made from? It smells amazing.”
“It really does,” Ember agreed, while also taking deep breaths.
“It is a combination of leaves and dried fruit we grow here. Currently Accre’s finest export. Now please, enjoy.”
We savored the tea for a few moments in companionable silence, before Jezai spoke again. “So, on the subject of your abilities, to begin with, I would like to know what transcendence level you are both currently at, if you are able to access your Cerebral Interface.”
“I’ve no clue, but give us a minute,” Ember said, as we both quickly delved into our Mindscapes, while maintaining a presence in our Normal-State.
Ember began to recite her stats first:
“Name: Ember Davison
Age: 26 GY
Transcendence Level: 115
Strength: 82/1000
Agility: 111/1000
Speed: 101/1000
Intelligence: 49/1000
Constitution: 176/1000
Wisdom: 65/1000
Mental Resilience: 221/1000
Mental Clarity: 78%
Potential: 83%
“Oooh, there is some improvement!” declared Ember. “How about you, Shaun?”
I’d already looked through them, and I’d improved too. “Uhm, you're not gonna like this, Ember.” I winced.
“I’m fairly sure that as long as you’ve gained in some way, I’ll like it. I honestly don’t care if you’re at a higher level than me. It all increases our overall chances of success.”
“Okay, you asked for it.” I winced, before reciting the display.
“Name: Shaun Sutherland
Age: 30 GY
Transcendence Level: 118
Strength: 220/1000
Agility: 75/1000
Speed: 108/1000
Intelligence: 61/1000
Constitution: 221/1000
Wisdom: 21/1000
Mental Resilience: 122/1000
Mental Clarity: 76%
Poten…”
“Is it still the same as mine?” Ember butted in over me. “It has to be. It’s the only stat that never moves.” She laughed lamely.
I was off kilter from her interruption, but then a small part of my mind clicked into action. Don’t tell the stranger my Potential. It was most likely because of Ogun’s reaction after I’d broken the news to him. I still had to speak to him about that. I desperately wanted more information out of him now, that much was for damn sure. Bringing my mind back on track, I responded to Ember. “Uh, yeah. I’m still the same as before,” while casting an eye over to Jezai. It didn't look like we’d fooled him, but he didn't say anything, just a small flicker of curiosity crossed his face.
“That is interesting. So how long have you been transcended for?” was his only response.
“Not really sure,” Ember said, echoing my thoughts. “We’ve both aged a year, but our ages converted into galactic years when we transcended. So yeah, no clue!”
I laughed as he turned his gaze on me. I shrugged. “You know what they say, time flies when you're being hunted throughout the galaxy in constant fear for your life.”
“Who are they?” Jezai asked, seeming genuinely intrigued.
“Well… nobody, it was… well, an Earth expression, I suppose,” I half stuttered. Ember chose to help me out by laughing her ass off at my discomfort.
Jezai let it go, bringing the conversation back to the levels we’d reached. “You are both incredibly young, yet your levels are surprisingly high. Particularly for the time you have had in a transcended state. Even so, they are still nowhere near powerful enough for what you will face in the not-so-distant future.”
“We didn’t think for a minute they would be,” Ember answered. “We know we’re shit, but we’re trying our best.”
“My apologies, I intended no insult, Ember. I was merely leading into my next line of conversation.”
“Oh, right. Don’t mind me then. What have you got to say?” she asked bluntly, with a totally neutral expression. Her ability to be rude was quite special, I sometimes wondered if she even knew it herself.
Jezai gave her an odd look before carrying on. “I can show you a technique that will speed up your processing speed. Even with 100 percent Mental Clarity, it is remarkably effective. Mastering this skill will allow you to develop your mental abilities at a far faster pace. In essence, when you are in your Mindscape, time will appear to slow even further. Highly effective for high-pressure situations too.”
“Now that’s a skill I could get behind!” I practically shouted with joy.
“It is most useful, and it will help you to attain full Mental Clarity, improve Mental Resistance, and even improve your intelligence level with the right exercises. Unfortunately, physical stats and Wisdom can only be increased externally for the most part. There are minor exceptions, but not enough to be noteworthy as a form of levelling.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Ember said. “Though it sounds, from what you're saying, like we still have to spend the same amount of time doing those jobs. Just not as much time will have passed in Normal-State.”
“Yes. There is no substitute for hard work, I am afraid,” Jezai responded.
“Damn you, Jezai,” I laughed. “For a second there, I thought I’d be getting out of endless boring hours in the Mindscape.”
“Stop moaning, Shaun. It’d be an amazing boon,” Ember snapped at me, before turning back to Jezai. “Can you teach us?”
He hummed and hawed, then finally spoke again. “You see, the thing is, I—that is, the Apochros—have already put a lot of trust in you by even allowing you to land here. If we were to let you leave under a vow of secrecy, we would again be demonstrating much faith in you. Yet, you do not return the same faith.”
“What do you mean? We literally put our life in your hands by coming here,” Ember snapped.
“From what I gather, you had little option,” Jezai replied.
“So what exactly is it that you’re getting at?” Ember asked, emotions of anger and curiosity warring on her expression.
“Shaun’s Potential?” he said seriously.
We both looked at each other like dumbasses, removing all doubt that we had hidden something. “Have you read our minds somehow?” Ember responded, standing up, fists planted on the table.
Jezai laughed. “I hardly had to. Your acting skills are rather poor. To me, at least. You remember I am over eight thousand years old, my dear?”
She sat back down, face flushed. “Fine! We didn't tell you, because the only other person who does know is Ogun, and he acted weird as hell when he found out.”
“I don't understand what would cause him to react strangely, unless your Potential is somehow lower than 20% or above 95%?”
“It's above 95%,” I offered.
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow, but his expression was unreadable. “By how much? Please, don't keep me in suspense any longer.”
I looked over to Ember, once more feeling extremely uncomfortable. She just shrugged in response, so with a si
gh I told him, “My Potential is 99%.”
Despite being over eight thousand years old, his unreadable expression fled like leaves on the wind, and Jezai’s jaw dropped. “You must let me see this! It is essential to check the veracity of what you are saying,” he insisted, becoming very intense, very quickly.
“Okay, dude. That's a step too far for now. You're kinda freaking me out a bit,” I said, raising my hands in a back-the-fuck-off gesture.
“Sorry, please forgive me. Genuinely, but you do know what this means, don't you?”
“Not a fucking clue, mate. Spill the beans already, will you?”
“You have the potential to ascend! You could become of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, possibly the entire universe. No being to my knowledge has had 99 percent Potential.
“At the time of our great departing, the Fystr ruler had 95 percent, as did his second, Samire. The highest known at that time.”
“You’re fucking with me, right?” Ember asked.
“No. If what you have told me is true, Shaun may be the single most important being in the galaxy. I must leave to inform the council immediately. This changes everything!”
“Trust me, mate, I’m really not that important.”
“I assure you, that is not the case. Once I have updated the council, all thoughts of casting you back into space will be off the table. You will have to allow us to verify your potential at some point, Shaun.”
“Meh, fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? Just get it done, we’re balls deep now, whatever happens.”
Ember gave me a mocking look, while Jezai damn near jumped for joy. “Thank you. You have my word that all I will do is confirm your Potential score. Absolutely nothing more.”
I felt him enter my mind, and I quickly followed him in. He was already standing in front of my stat screen, staring intently and muttering. Ember appeared alongside me, just as he turned around. I couldn’t help but laugh when he seemed to get a shock at the sight of us.
“I can barely believe it,” he said, damn near vibrating with excitement. He clasped my hands firmly in his, staring me directly in the eye, making me feel damn uncomfortable seeing as the bastard was a good 6ft10. “Do you have any idea why you might be 99 percent?” he asked.
“As I’ve already said, I’ve not a damn clue. Sorry to ruin the moment for you, but really there isn’t anything special about me.”
“Very well. I thank you for agreeing to share your screen. I must be on my way, but I will return very soon.”
“Okay, Jezai,” I replied uneasily.
Chapter 4
Fade to Black
After Jezai left, Ember and I continued to enjoy our drinks. “So tasty, huh?” I said to break the silence that had fallen over us. Ember, who was deep in thought, looked up at me as if I’d woken her from a deep sleep.
“Oh, yeah it is. Surprisingly so. I just hope the FSU can make it.”
“It’d be a nice change from coffee… Are you okay?”
“Just thinking, you know I think you're special, right?” she said, looking at me more seriously than normal.
“Yeah, I think you are too,” I said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. She brought her hand up to cover mine.
“Not just like that, but like special, special. Like your insane luck. It's fucking weird.”
“I didn't have any luck before the game. Hell, I didn’t have any luck in the game until I met you.”
“Don't be a sappy prick,” she said, but without any heat. “You know what I mean.”
“Look, Ember. I don’t really feel like I’m that lucky. Even though I make what look like seriously dodgy decisions to everyone else, I just get a feeling, you know?”
“Not really Shaun, no,” she chuckled.
“It’s really nothing specific, just a gentle ingrained feeling that what I'm doing is right or wrong. When I follow the course of action that feels positive, no matter how ridiculous it seems, it turns out to be the right decision. Like breaking into the Mindscape that first time, or flying into the Dark Sector fleet.” I smiled.
“Wish I felt something like that, instead of just following you around like a lost fucking puppy. And worryingly, that’s about my only driving instinct,” she sulked.
“Yeah, that’d probably worry me too,” I replied and started laughing. “If it's any consolation, I didn’t pick up anything, positive or negative, about disclosing my Potential to Jezai, so hopefully there won’t be repercussions.”
“If you say so,” she said, drinking the last of the tea, and got up to leave.
“How about that walk, then?” I asked.
“Nah, I'm not in the mood anymore.”
“Okay, then we should let everyone know that Ogun was okay. I’ll get the other captains to make their way to the Uprising, rather than fucking about.”
Instead of answering me, she brought her comm to life, contacting Acclo. “Hey, do you mind organising a meeting on Uprising with the other ships’ captains? Elyek and Calegg too. We need to have a quick briefing.”
“Absolutely, Ember. I’ll get straight on it,” Acclo’s voice came back.
When she’d finished, I smirked at her. “Becoming accustomed to delegating yourself, huh?”
“Acclo will do it ten times faster than me. It’s what we’ve asked them to do. If the job was to keep you on your toes, I wouldn’t need to delegate that.”
I nodded. “Definitely one of your strengths,” I said as we left the tearoom and headed back to the ship in a comfortable silence, taking in the views.
We went straight to the captain's office for the meeting. No sooner had we sat at the long table than William arrived. He received surprised looks from us both.
“That was quick, William!” I said, impressed.
He looked like he was about to speak, before letting out a loud belch then laughing jovially. “Fuck a duck! Firsht time ‘ave been firsht to a meeting, ever!” he said drunkenly, flopping into a chair. Then he leaned forward, pointing at me. “Ah, ‘cept fer that one AA meet, cos a got the wrong bloody time!”
“Okay, so you’re drunk. Great!” Ember said. “You may as well go back to your ship, we’ll let you know what happened when you sober up, you daft arse.”
“Nope, I’m fine,” he said, slapping the table. “Anyways, a weren’t on me ship. A was ere where the good FSU is.”
I remembered this was the only place to access alcohol, so that solved the mystery of why he was early at least. I was still confused why the captain of the Flying Scotsman was so preoccupied with alcohol.
“Hey, William. Wasn’t Anatoli supposed to cure you of your addictions?” I asked, hoping to get some insight.
“Aye! An’ it totally did. A still like a sup though! Just don't develop a dependency on it anymore. A can teke it or leave it now ‘n stop when a’ve had too much!”
“Fair enough. I suppose that makes some sense,” I replied, still confused.
“Damn right it makes sense! Naebody said oot aboot teking all the fun out of life, jus’ cos a'm nae an alcoholic anymore!” He punctuated the statement with another epic belch and table slap.
Speechless, I left it at that. Opting to greet the stream of people entering the office instead. First Elyek and Calegg from the bridge, shortly followed by Wulek, Rufus and lastly Astrid. Once everyone was seated, I began our meeting. “Okay, everyone. Just a little heads up on Ogun’s condition. Putting it bluntly, he was a raving loon when he first woke up. But the Apochros medic has provided some amazing care in both settling and healing most of the damage done, both inside and out.”
“How are his hands and feet?” Rufus asked.
“Well, they’re still just stumps. They had some kind of jellylike shit that will apparently encourage and feed the growth of his new hands and feet.”
Wulek raised their hand to speak. “Should I really be present? I mean, I was only temporarily put in charge of the Photia.”
Before I could respond, Rufus spoke. “Wi
lliam was only temporary too. I’m not entirely sure what he is doing here.”
William guffawed. “Rufus, ye wee shit-for-brains. Ye din’t know yer asshole from yer elbow! If anyone doesn't belong here it’s…”
“Stop,'' I demanded, slamming my hand on the table this time to get Rufus and William’s attention. “This bickering isn’t happening in our meetings. Wulek, you’re officially the captain of the Photia. William, you’re nearly the official captain of the Flying Scotsman, providing you can keep your damn mouth in check during our discussions. Rufus, if I called William here, then that is reason enough to justify his presence. If I’ve doubts about anyone in this room, it is you!”
“Me?” he said, aghast.
“Yes, you! I don’t bloody know exactly how the fuck those Fystr came so close to us at the supply station without warning, but it was on your watch! I’d give you the benefit of the doubt, but then you offered the fuckers amnesty and a place on our damn crew, right over the top of me. Not to mention me having to take over from you because you then fucked about with the Fleet Admiral. I don’t want to think badly of you, Rufus, I really don’t, but I hope you realize, at this precise moment in time, you’re the one closest to losing your position as a captain.” I was overwhelmingly angry, but I was just as annoyed with myself for offloading in front of everyone. It should have been done in private, but I’d let it fester in me for too long. Well, it was all spewed out now.
“What!?” Rufus shouted, getting to his feet, his fists planted on his hips, face bright red. “That is my ship! I don't know who you think you are, but you do not get to make that kind of decision. Once Ogun is fit and resumes duty, we’ll see what he has to say about your handling of things.”
“Nope, not happening. It’s not your ship, Rufus, it's our ship. Uprising’s,” I said calmly but coldly.
“And,” Ember added loudly, “I must make this clear to everyone. Ogun is not in charge of Uprising. He’s more than welcome to join. He’s considered a friend with priceless knowledge, but let’s get this straight, he is not going to be back in charge.”
“That's ridiculous. We’re talking about Ogun! Astrid, are you hearing this?” Rufus said, looking pleadingly to her.
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