“Okay, I seem to have managed that. My vision has increased dramatically.”
“Excellent, I had faith that you would do it. Are you able to adapt your field of view?”
“Yes, I can control it.”
“In that case we can focus on your basic levitation. It is a fundamental skill of our people and it will simply not do to have you lagging behind in this area.”
“Whatever you think is best,” I answered flatly. Part of me was excited though. I’d already had some big achievements today. Now I was ready to fly.
“Levitation was explained in your initial transfer, so you should understand what is entailed. Would you care to try?” Fiekela said. “Then we’ll have a baseline to assess your progress from.”
“Sure, I’ll give it a go. This might even be fun,” I replied, and then thought about the segment of the data dump I received yesterday that covered telekinesis. I was overjoyed when it all opened up in my mind. I concentrated on pushing my body away from the floor and I slowly rose into the air.
To move in any direction was simply a case of pulling or pushing, be it from the ground, a wall, or even a person. I’d begun to move towards the wall furthest away when the desire to increase my pace crept up in me. I dramatically increased the mental force that I was using against the wall behind me. It was a mistake, as I found myself suddenly hurtling through the training facility at a speed far greater than I was comfortable with, my body beginning to twist and spin uncontrollably. Panicking, I managed to decrease the force I was exerting to move forward. To my horror, my forward momentum barely changed, and I didn’t have the wherewithal to use an opposing force. Thankfully, I felt Ialos’s energy surround me, bringing me to a halt.
It was Fiekela’s voice that spoke first. “Impressive, Vakuna, very impressive.” He clapped loudly from behind. “Although it appears you like to run before you can walk. Perhaps we should practice fine control today. Adapt to those skills a little.”
“Yes, I think that’s a great idea,” I answered as I walked back over to him. “Thank you, Ialos. That was very close to being extremely painful.”
“It was my pleasure, Vakuna, though I am sure Fiekela was just about to bring you to a halt too.”
“Of course I was. Now, if you look to the ceiling,” he said, gesturing upwards, “you will see a number of rings.”
I did as I was told and looked at the rings I'd noticed earlier.
“There is a platform over there.” He pointed and I followed his finger. “That is where you should begin. Try to complete a full circuit.”
With a nod I walked over to the starting point. There were no ladders, so I slowly and ever so carefully began to levitate up toward the platform. I had to take a second to orient myself once up there. The height unexpectedly made me feel slightly queasy. Once I had brought my fear under control, I assessed the course. I could see now that the rings were set in a rough circuit around the room. Different heights and never in a straight line, but a circuit still. With a gulp, I swallowed that damn sneaky fear that had built back up, and gently lifted myself up from the platform first, before setting off through the rings before I could change my mind.
While I’d thought it might be enjoyable from the ground, as I began to move around the course, I soon found out it was a horrible experience. Having to adjust where I applied mental pressure, to move into position for each ring. Then there was the problem of the rings not being large enough to pass through in a standing up position, so I had to get the hang of crouching in midair while levitating.
It took me around ten minutes to navigate around the full circuit, but afterwards, when I touched back down on that platform, I felt incredibly positive for having successfully completed the course. Even so, it was a relief to be back on the solid platform.
Ialos gave me a light applause, which I must admit, I enjoyed a bit too much. It was shortly followed by Fiekela speaking into my mind. “Vakuna, marvelous for a first attempt. You must keep practicing and expand on your technique. Try to angle your body in such a way that you are able to pass through the rings without crouching.”
“What do you mean, angle my body?” I asked, genuinely confused. Was crouching not angling my body? Apparently not as Fiekela spoke again.
“Lean forward.”
“Will I not fall?”
“You must adapt your levitation to support your body while it moves into a different position.”
I wasn’t convinced by his words and foresaw a long fall to the ground if I followed his advice. “That sounds pretty impossible if I am honest. Do you think you could show me?” I asked.
“Of course, but bear in mind it will take a long time for you to develop the levitation skills I possess. Though it may do you good to see what is possible.” Fiekela shot to the starting platform in a heartbeat. “Pay full attention, young Vakuna!” he said before bolting away from the platform. He moved at a speed I could have never expected, flying with his body horizontal with the ground as he went. All in all, it took him around twenty seconds to navigate the room and return back to the platform.
I was filled with as much awe as I was embarrassment. To think that I had felt pride at my pathetic stagger around the circuit. “I’ve no idea how I’ll manage it, Fiekela,” I admitted. “But thank you for showing me what can be achieved.”
“I am glad to have offered some inspiration. I will now leave you under the good guidance of our physician. She is highly trained to support you, as well as heal you should any ill-advised accidents occur. In that vein, don't focus on speed, focus on form and the posture of your body. The speed will come naturally.” He levitated himself from the platform, and left with a wave to Ialos.
“What now?” I asked Ialos, who seemed more intent on watching Fiekela disappear through the room’s access.
Snapping out of her trancelike state, she looked up to me with a smile, then spoke directly to my mind. “I suggest you continue finetuning your levitation. If nothing else, it’ll prove a huge advantage were you to find yourself in any trouble. There is no reason that you can’t come close to Fiekela’s level, if we work at it.”
“Are we expecting trouble?” I replied.
“I think so, Vakuna. Injustices have been done and they will not go unanswered.”
“You mean the Fystr, right?”
“Yes, sure, the Fystr.” She turned away from me for a second, though she still spoke. “Now is not the time for those discussions. Now is the time for you to embrace your strengths and become powerful. I can’t say too much, but you must know this. Not everyone agreed.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
“Come on, Vakuna,” she said shortly, looking back up to where I stood. “Show me if you took anything from Fiekela’s demonstration.”
I was massively off balance from her switching topics so abruptly, and more than a little angry.
I set off around the course with a scowl on my face and attempted to go at more of an angle. It didn't work out as I’d hoped, and I became tangled in the rings at three different points. It took around ten minutes again, and looked even more pathetic than my first attempt. I looked down to Ialos, barely containing the frustration written all over me.
She smiled again, a peace offering of sorts but it didn’t soothe my pride. “You should keep tackling the course, Vakuna. Don’t be hard on yourself. You levitated for the first time only a few hours ago,” were her words of encouragement.
“I’ve a long way to go,” I grumbled, and set off again, spending the rest of the day floating pathetically around the course.
Chapter 7
Going Nowhere Fast
“Those dirty fucking bastards!” I repeated for the tenth time since waking.
“Ember, let go of your anger,” Ogun said without emotion, from the other bed. “It will achieve nothing. Let’s first try to ascertain what exactly has happened.”
“Don’t give me that shit, Ogun,” I retorted, rage spilling over.
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He smiled gently at me, an ocean of calm.
I began looking around the room we were trapped in... again. I’d tried the door every five minutes. By tried, I mean I booted it repeatedly until my foot hurt too much to continue. Then sat back on the bed to fume.
We had been awake for around half an hour. The last thing I could remember was standing next to Shaun on the Uprising, in the middle of a meeting, then abraca-fucking-dabra, waking up here, next to Ogun of all people, whose hands and feet were all healed up.
“We can’t ascertain jack-shit stuck in this box. Do you think we’ve been arrested for some reason? I just can't make heads nor tails of it.”
“Would you like to hear my thoughts, or would you like to keep ranting and raving?” Ogun asked.
“I dunno, ranting and raving, as you so eloquently put it, makes me feel like I'm at least doing something. I don’t know how you can just sit there cool as a cucumber, like nothing is wrong.”
He ignored my next wave of ranting and began laying out his thoughts. “The first thing of note is that I am fully healed.”
“Yes, Ogun. We’ve covered that. It's not all about you, though.”
The lanky bastard laughed at me, which didn’t help my mood.
“The Apochros physician had predicted that it would take at least a week for me to be completely restored. What I am trying to say is that we’ve been unconscious for at least a week since we last met. Even if it only feels like an hour ago.”
“That's actually some good thinking, Ogun.” I perked up, looking at him expectantly. “What else you got?”
“I can tell by the air pressure, smell, etcetera, that we are in a spaceship of some kind and no longer on the Apochros planet, or any other planet for that matter. But it’s clear to me we are also not onboard the Thoth, Seshat, or one of the Hunter ships. Could we be onboard the Uprising?” he asked.
“It’s definitely not the Uprising,” I replied with absolute certainty.
“Then we must be onboard one of the Apochros ships. The next thing I surmise, is you are in here with me because they know we have a bond. Why Shaun is not here too, I’ve yet to figure out. I am assuming they do not intend to kill us. They could have done that already if that was their aim, yet they even went so far as to continue with healing me, so they clearly have some sense for our wellbeing.”
“That’s all well and good, but as much as I respect and trust you, I’d feel a hell of a lot better if Shaun was here.”
Ogun chuckled at me again. “He really inspires confidence in you?”
“Ogun,” I said slowly, “if Shaun was here, I’d be lying back chillin’ like a villain on this bed, taking the piss out of him, while he stomped around angrily before he somehow accidentally broke the door open, took over whatever ship this is, and whatever else popped into his head as he went.”
“As we’ve sat here, I’ve given much thought to your accomplishments. You have achieved so much, and I can’t help but wonder, would you have excelled in this way if we had not parted company? Would your ability to effect change have been stifled in the safety and command structure of the Thoth? I don’t know the answer.”
“I do. The answer is no way. That's just not how Shaun works, if you hadn’t noticed. And thanks for lumping me in along with what happens around him, but seriously. I’m a passenger.”
“You do yourself a disservice, Ember. You have been by his side the entire time.”
“I wasn’t with him when he killed all those people on Xonico.”
“Perhaps not, yet you were still the catalyst. He did it for you.”
“I sometimes wish he hadn’t. I still have nightmares. All those bodies. I keep going over how he ran over to hug me after it all. Covered in the blood and guts of hundreds, and it was like he didn’t even see any of it.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“As a friend, a lover? Yes, it’s fucking terrifying. But seeing as we’re in constant fear for our lives, I’m not complaining. I should’ve been dead at least twenty times over. Literally the whole damn galaxy is hunting us, from the Fystr to the Galactic Empire, and now the fucking Apochros have turned on us. And do you know what? I almost feel sorry for them. Because somehow, I know he’s gonna find a way to fuck them all up. I’ve no idea how, but I know, without a doubt, he is.”
I’d started to tear up, talking about my real thoughts on Shaun, and struggled to make eye contact with Ogun, not wanting to see his belittling expression. They all thought they were so much better than us, but they were wrong. My eyes stopped stinging and finally settled on him. His expression was not what I expected. It was one of consternation.
“I think—even hope—you are right, Ember. He is undoubtedly an anomaly. You understand there has never been anyone in Fystr memory with his Potential? I do not even comprehend exactly what it might mean, but we’re looking at the prospect of him becoming what you might even consider a god. A Universal Lord.”
“Jezai said something along those lines when he found out about it,” I said casually. As soon as I saw Ogun’s expression, I felt stupid. “Shit,” I groaned. “They took him, didn’t they… because of his Potential?”
Ogun nodded his head sadly. “I would assume so.”
“I knew we shouldn’t have told that piece of shit!” I shouted at the ceiling, gritting my teeth in anger.
“It’s not your fault, Ember, and rest assured we’ll do everything in our power to get him back,” Ogun said soothingly.
“I’m sure Shaun will be doing everything in his power, too.”
“You must prepare for the possibility that they may have killed him. He is a dangerous entity to have roaming around the galaxy.”
“I don’t think they would, but they better fucking hope they haven't,” I said darkly. I had no idea what I could do, but I’d die trying.
Right then, the red light above the door turned to green. I wasted no time, jumping up and hitting the panel by the side of the door. A moment of uncertainty flowed to joy as the door finally hissed open. I stepped out before taking a look back, relieved to see Ogun had got to his feet and was following. We moved out into a long metallic corridor, much like what I'd come to expect from a spaceship. Relief flooded me as other crewmates emerged, just as bewildered as I was.
William was in the next closest room to us and quickly made his way over. “Wha’ the bloody 'ell’s goin’ on ‘ere?”
“We don't know, but we're working on the assumption that the Apochros have kidnapped us for some reason, but don't seem intent on hurting us.”
“The sly bastards,” he growled, giving his beard a scratch. He looked behind me. “Nice te see ye up and aboot there, Ogun. Glad yer wi’ us. Even if yer did fuck off ‘n leave us all in the lurch.”
“Yes, William, I’m happy to be back with you all too. And, while I owe you all an apology and explanation, it must wait until we have a clearer understanding of our current predicament, and when we have everyone together. It won’t do to keep repeating myself to everyone we meet.”
“Aye, whatever’s best, just dinnae drop us in the shite again, if ye can help it.”
“I promise I won't, if I can help it,” Ogun answered, adding emphasis on the last few words.
“Okay, enough of that crap for now,” I interrupted. “We need to find Shaun first. If he's here.”
“Why would’n he be?” William asked.
“Again, an explanation best saved for later. We need to look for him, and round up everyone else as we go,” I instructed, before tromping with purpose down the corridor with Ogun and William in my wake. There were questioning looks as we went, but I just repeated the same line: “If you know anything important, tell me, otherwise follow. We don't have time for the same conversation 200 times!”
Some dumb bastards still tried to ask me what was going on. I offered my best scowl and continued.
The corridor had a slight curve to it, giving no indication as to how long it went on for. We moved down it for what f
elt like an eternity, with the odd crewmate joining us at regular intervals. Astrid, Rufus, Mick, and Gus were all now accounted for, falling in alongside us at the head of the growing column. What did worry me was the lack of Veiletian and Torax members who were still nowhere to be seen.
We just kept moving down the endless corridor until it eventually opened into a wide-domed metallic hall. It was huge and awe-inspiring. I turned to Ogun and the captains. “This is some fucking-sized spaceship we’re on!”
“I’m beginning to fear we’ve merely scratched the surface,” Ogun replied.
“Ye wonder if we’re on one o’ their fancy outposts?” William offered.
“They did say they had a ton of them, and they’re unmanned. Could be a good place to dump us,” I replied.
“It would seem more likely than a spaceship or even a prison at this point,” Ogun added.
“Shit, that's a scary thought though. Let’s shelve it until we’ve at least found Shaun and the rest of the crew. If they’re even here.”
“As they are not of Fystr ancestry, the Apochros may have let them go free,” Ogun said.
“It’s beginning to look that way, or they’ve segregated us. For all they claim to be all holier than thou, we didn’t come across other races on their home planet. They could be up their own asses, like all other Fystr we know about,” I replied.
There was clearly no one in the large hall, so we made our way across the vast hall to another corridor. A few hundred meters along this next section, we heard voices. I stopped, holding my hand up to halt everyone and listen. We’d just been walking blindly so far, which was pretty fucking stupid. The place appeared empty, but it was still a big assumption to make that there were no hostiles in here with us.
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