“Others like us—how?” Kiyanna asked.
“There’s a barrier up. I can’t sense anything further. They are purebred, though, not manufactured like the beasts.”
“So you’re saying you can’t do your mind thing with them,” Kiyanna said, displeased.
“Not unless we locate the telepath. I’ll continue to try.”
As much as it pained him, if he were going to break through the resistance, he needed assistance. Until now he wielded the power of his fallen brother and sister, Fio’tro and Fia’ra. As the hive mind to their cluster, upon their deaths, their essence continued to live on inside of him. He needed to appeal to the original triumvirate and leverage their intellect and intuition.
He focused, and allowed his consciousness to collapse inward. The light of the universe folded around him as his bodily senses eroded away. His thoughts, his sense of self, buckled, and he found himself transported, flying through a cloudy tunnel of warped light, a construct of his own mind that felt cool, and breezy. Ahead, an ominous portal spun. Home, he thought as he punched through it.
The light crashed into the dark, which blossomed into a new world around him. A blue moon cast a haunting glow upon a tormented hillside. Withered plants and rotted trees were home to hordes of demonic, glowing eyes. His mindscape reflected the core of his being, dangerous and mysterious. Unlike most, he had the pleasure of cultivating the specific way his mind understood itself and the connections of memories and thoughts that traveled through it. The darkness welcomed him home.
Fia’ra and Fio’tro stood before him, robed in simple silver outfits that fit snugly against their half-beast bodies.
“Brother,” a gentle voice said. The purest black eyes gazed lovingly at him. Long, raven hair streaked with teal flowed from under a bony skullcap with cranial protrusions that fanned backward. Aside from her unusually long clawed fingers, Fia’ra’s svelte, shapely form was still alluring. Ingots of various metals were strung in a necklace around her graceful neck.
“You grace us with your visit,” the other form snarked. Fio’tro’s dark-brown skin appeared bark-like, with plump green roots for hair and smaller versions that formed a tight goatee. His muscular limbs were thick, and sturdy. Unlike Fia’ra, Fio’tro dispersed an air of contention in every word he spoke. Not that this bothered Katen. Perhaps he too would have an unpleasant personality if trapped in a superior mind for all eternity.
“I need your assistance.”
“Of course you do. Why else would you be here?” Fio’tro said, glib.
The pair locked eyes. Perhaps his brother’s attitude was more deeply rooted than he thought. He would be dealt with in time. “We must find this empath and shut it down.”
“Like a hunt, brother?” Fia’ra asked.
“Yes, reach out, find a weakness in the empathic blocks. Touch whatever minds we can until we find the right person. Then bring them into our realm.”
Fio’tro grew rigid. “Whoever is erecting the block isn’t very good. It’s effective, but crude. We’ll find them, and be ready.”
“Then I leave it in your capable hands,” Katen said, turning to leave.
“We must speak further,” Fio’tro said.
“When our job is complete,” Katen insisted.
“Very well.”
A portal of fuzzy light appeared feet before Katen. He leaped back through, and passed back into the tunnel of light. In moments he felt back in his body. Looking to Kiyanna he said, “I will continue to try and discover the source of the barriers.”
“I can’t raise the Coalition ship,” Minea blurted.
Moments later, Bob chirped, “Affirmative—I’ve detected their communications array floating off their starboard bow.”
Una called back. “Sixty seconds until release window.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Kiyanna asked Niya.
“I want to help,” she said, gripping her staff. “And Lord Anthies will protect me.”
“Visual confirmation,” Una said. A projection of the battleground appeared before them.
“Looks like two units are drawing fire and eliminating defenses, while the other is trying to burrow their way through the hull,” Kiyanna said.
“And how’d you get all that from a few seconds’ look?” Narrik said.
“It’s what I do.” Kiyanna turned to the others. “Remember your assignments. Team one: draw the outer two Nukari beasts away from the ship.” Katen nodded, along with Decreta, Dane, Narrik, and Niya.
“Team two: Allia, Ichini, Nikko, and Speru, come with me. We’ll neutralize the third team and provide assistance to the Coalition crew.”
Una called back. “Thirty seconds!”
“Everyone to the airlock,” Kiyanna ordered.
* * * * * *
Good luck, Kiyanna thought as the first team peeled off. What she wouldn’t give to have Naijen and Mencari in the fight, much less Seigie or Osuto. Would Dane and Nikko keep their heads in the fight? Would Niya be more of a detriment fighting for the first time in space?
Dane’s purple aura flared and a summoning portal opened beside her. A horrific, meaty beast burst forth, keeping pace with her. Together with Narrik, the three dove at the closest cluster of Nukari beasts. On the opposite side, Katen, Decreta, and Niya dodged blasts from the other group of Nukari beasts. Despite her rigid-looking armor, Niya moved with supernatural grace.
“There’s the hole!” Allia said, grabbing Kiyanna’s attention.
The only person she needed to make sure didn’t get distracted was herself. “I see it,” she said back. The Nukari beasts had already breached the side of the Coalition ship, and must be inside. Since when did the beasts ever take the time to go inside a ship? They usually just tore their enemies apart. The other beasts appeared to be holding the perimeter around the ship. “Minea, tell Eyani this is the most coordinated beast attack to date. They’ve changed strategy.”
“I’m on it!”
Perhaps in the time the beasts were in hiding, an evolution took place? This was serious. Mindless creatures madly attacking in bloodlust were easy targets. If these Nukari beasts had more intelligence, similar to Katen, her strategy for this mission wouldn’t work.
Speru’s firelight sabers flared to life, and Ichini disappeared into a great ball of light. In moments, a transformed Ichini in the form of a great winged space ray emerged. Bolts of energy shot its mandibles, ready to blast enemies. Allia’s companion never ceased to amaze. Hopefully it too could adapt for the fight.
“Just shoot me into the hole,” Minea’s voice said. Kiyanna’s hand drew her pistol. Instead of bullets, she snapped in a small probe on the end of the shaft. All she had to do was aim it at the ship. Minea could then perform scans and investigate what was happening, and relay it to them without endangering one of them. For being a bunch of zeros and ones, Minea devised clever solutions. Now to see if the idea would work.
“Form up behind me,” Kiyanna said to her team. She aimed and fired, sending the small diamond-shaped device directly into the hole.
“There are only four life signs inside the ship,” Minea said. “One appears to be within some sort of stasis unit.” A projection of the ship’s interior appeared before Kiyanna. Red orbs clustered around a longer yellow one.
“There are no other life signs?” Kiyanna asked.
“Bodies, but they aren’t alive. They’re spending an awful lot of time circling that machinery.”
Not just circling, Kiyanna thought. One of the red orbs moved methodically about the interior. They’re trying to figure something out. There was still time to stop them. Kiyanna motioned to the hole. “Let’s move!”
* * * * * *
“Watch it!” Allia said, dodging a blast. Artificial gravity was minimal within the ship. Charred black streaks marred the walls. Containment doors sealed the way into the breached section of the ship. Equipment floated about like a swarm of insects.
They had yet to see the beasts, though bla
sts from the beasts were punching through the internal ship walls at them. What they needed was a clear view to their enemies. With the Coalition crew dead, there was little concern about keeping the ship intact.
She grabbed the Flower Blade from her belt and held it out. Her aura flared as energy focused into a swirling mass at the center of her weapon. With a gasp, she unleashed the power in a concentrated blast of energy. It punched through the metal walls like a fist through wet paper.
Through the newly made corridor, she spotted two figures gazing at her. They appeared to have overlapping sections of black carapace, which covered their bodies. Neither had any face to speak of, with the exceptions of tiny glowing slits for eyes and unnaturally small mouths. They looked just like the younger beast warrior that ambushed them at the abandoned Nukari asteroid base. A golden aura spread outward around one of them. For an instant, vertigo overcame her. Recovering, she looked to Ichini and yelled, “Sic ’em!”
One of the Nukari beasts snapped a ray of energy toward Ichini. Unable to dodge the speedy burst, it sliced cleanly through, splitting Ichini in two. Allia shrieked before being struck by a second attack.
She looked down at her arms, and saw deep wounds open. Red blood oozed, then gushed out. She clamped her hands down on them as lifeless chunks of Ichini’s body floated before her. Her whole body trembled; her mind unhinged. She began to scream.
* * * * * *
Katen watched Kiyanna constrain Allia and pull her to safety. “What’s wrong with her?” Kiyanna yelled. She didn’t look hurt. Her arms flailed as if reaching out in desperation to something. “She just keeps screaming!” Ichini had transformed back into the tiger beast, and circled Kiyanna and Allia.
“Some orange beam just struck us!” Nikko cried through the communicator. “I can’t feel my powers. Narrik and I can’t fly anymore.”
Things were unraveling with alarming speed. These beasts were problematic. What was it the girl saw?
He lodged his body between metal cabinets. After making sure he was protected from attacks, he channeled his power into a spectral arm, intending to reach into Allia’s mind. Before making contact, powerful images wept from her mind, and he could see what she saw. She was hemorrhaging, and a massacred Ichini floated in pieces before her. Yet, Ichini was fine and circling her feet.
Another empath was at work here. A sensation drew him toward the three beasts already inside the ship. Clever. Using mind games to disable enemies was an old favorite of his. It appeared others also understood the useful technique. He broke his link to Allia and peered around the corner.
One of the three beasts appeared to stand useless, while the other two attacked. That’s where he’d start. This time he would make sure it hurt. Channeling dark energy into the spectral hand, it flowed, unseen by others, toward his victim. It pushed through the thick carapace covering the creature’s skull, and connected without resistance. This was too good to be true. The mind he found was not only wonderfully complex, but totally unguarded! He could do a full mindwalk.
He allowed his consciousness to fold in upon itself. The world around him blurred and he flew though a tunnel of energy into the mind of the beast. He landed in a lush world with a distinct female feel. Images of three youths filled her mind. And a fourth, familiar face appeared. Speru? What was Speru doing in the mind of this Nukari beast? Katen ran into the forest for answers.
* * * * * *
The enemy is here. Kajlit’ga warned us about them. We have to get out of here, Siana thought. She sensed an enemy empath moments before an icy sensation wafted past her, toward Jeyla. In the same instant, it invaded her friend’s mind. She had to act fast. Every second that passed was hours in mindtime. Invading her friend’s mind was something Siana swore she’d never do, but there was no choice left.
Pulling Jeyla to safety, she focused her power and channeled her consciousness into a being of pure light. The golden aura that radiated from Jeyla tugged gently at this new form. The universe folded around Siana and condensed into a spectral tunnel of liquid gold. As if in a river, she allowed herself to be carried deeper into Jeyla’s willing mind. Clouds of radiant energy mushroomed before her, half-formed figures phasing in and out of billows. A rumbling sound burst into a cacophony of agonized thoughts, stunted cries, and angry conversations. Something was happening inside her mind. Was she too late?
Penetrating into the mindscape, she found herself standing before a lush and ancient forest. Birds sang in the treetops, and beams of sunlight streamed through the forest canopy. It smelled of moss and fallen leaves here. Each tree looked unique, exquisite in both color and shape. Distinct runes marked outgrowths on the trunks. Mindscapes were a visual representation of how the host understood their world, intertwined with their personality. Jeyla came from a family of archivists; the knowledge of the entire Aloan culture must be rooted here.
Movement along the forest floor drew her attention. Three dark blurs leaped in and out of the trees. They paused momentarily on each tree before leaping to the next. Were they reviewing the information held inside? What were they looking for? And three of them? Could there be more than just one empath working here? She’d never seen multiple mindwalkers working in tandem before. Or multiple mindwalkers in one mind before, of which, she was one.
She lifted into the sky, and allowed her consciousness to stretch across the mindscape. There had to be another entry point for the other mindwalkers, just as she had located one to enter. Jeyla’s mind felt boundless. Panic welled within her. Even if she found where the walkers entered, how would she get them out? She’d never done mental combat before.
There! On the edge of the forest, near a bubbling brook, a dark portal blighted the area around it. Perhaps if she subverted their access, she’d sever the link and expel all three at the same time? Homing in on the sensation, she pooled her consciousness to the blighted area. The dark portal blazed like an evil beacon. One entry point. Assuming there were no other portals, it meant only one other mindwalker. Those odds seemed better.
She reached out, hands glowing with the blue fire of her mental energies. A blazing stream spewed forth, striking the portal. Dark energy sparked in fits from the hit, but nothing else. Panic welled with the realization someone far superior to her had created this link.
If she couldn’t shut down the portal, maybe she could disrupt the mind that created it. She leaped into the portal, and found herself carried in a jarring torrent of dark energy. It felt powerful, more so than she’d ever known. Doubt plagued her mind. What was she getting herself into? Yes, she needed to save her friend, but this was being reckless—naive! Yet it seemed too late to consider the consequences.
In the distance a black portal drew near. The exit! From behind her a shadowy presence loomed. Something followed her. She cried out as she crashed into the swirling exit, and felt the willingness of a new host mind for her to enter. That sent her into a panic. Her new host wanted her there. She looked around and shuddered.
The light of a blue moon cast a haunting glow on a plagued hillside. Emaciated plants and rotten trees were home to huge clusters of demonic, glowing eyes. This was a mistake. Wherever she had arrived, it was evil.
Feelings of inadequacy crashed upon her. Turning on her heels she attempted to dive back into the black portal, but instead thumped hard into sturdy body. Recoiling, she staggered, trying to regain her footing.
“Well, this was unexpected,” the body said. “You made this far too easy.”
A tall, beast-like humanoid stood in her way. Amber, lizard-like eyes burned through her. His gnarled, clawed hands gripped a wooden staff wound with a vine of ivy.
She turned to run, but was flanked by two more half-humanoid monsters, one of them female, both dressed in simple silver outfits.
With a twisted smile, the first beast said, “Before we hurt you, we have a few questions.”
He snapped his fingers and the portal behind him blinked out. A whimper escaped her as she backed up. Looking up reveal
ed the unnerving smile of a tall, ornately dressed woman.
“Katen, be kind,” the woman said. “Can’t you smell the blood of D’mar in her veins?”
“Fia’ra, so do we,” he retorted.
“But surely, my sweet, you can tell she is not like us,” Fia’ra said gently. “She has no stink of Nukari, nor is she a genetic abomination.”
“Girl, why, when you have the blood of D’mar, do you help them?” Fio’tro said sternly.
Three? Were these the same three as the shadows inside Jeyla’s mind? How could there be three? Engrams or projections had a hollowness to them. She could tell when someone just had well-defined defenses, or had crafted avatars within their own mind. But these? These were pure entities, each of full sentience and consciousness!
A hive mind. This is a hive mind! She’d only heard about such things before. Perhaps she could’ve managed mental combat against one, but three? Queasiness overcame her. With the portal gone, it would take time to figure out how to retreat on her own, much less fight off three minds. It seemed hopeless. Would she even get out of this alive?
“Answer me,” the third one demanded.
“Fio’tro, peace,” Fia’ra said. “She’s terrified. You can sense that just as well as I.”
“As she should be,” Katen said, his tone dark.
“We desire answers, my sweet, scaring her further will not achieve our goal.”
“She doesn’t need to answer, we’ll simply pillage her mind,” Katen said, his clawed fingers outstretched.
A pink wind swirled around Siana. It seemed projected by the one called Fia’ra. Why was she protecting her? Katen snarled and backed away. While maintaining the barrier, the woman looked gently upon her.
“Now, why do you attack our allies, the Coalition?” she asked.
D'mok Revival 4: New Eden Page 23
