“Yes,” Behlen said. “And to answer your next question, I’ll be honest and say that none of them worked out. They couldn’t synch with the Machine I’ve mentioned and while one of them did go on to pilot another Machine, the others became Royal Guards. All three are alive and well and from what I understand, quite happy. But frankly, they’re not really in my orbit anymore because they’re not involved with the Hyper Battle Machine I originally intended them for.”
“It almost sounds like you’ve thrown them to the side,” Paress’ father said.
“Frankly, that’s a fair assessment,” Behlen answered. “But it was better for all parties. Once it became obvious they wouldn’t be working with the Machine I had in mind, there was no point in keeping myself engaged with them. So they started to work with Academy staff better suited to their needs and I went back into my hole in the ground, only poking my head out when I thought it important. I can assure you, all involved are quite happy with the situation.”
“This Hyper Battle Machine, what’s so special about it?” Paress asked.
“I’ve been asking him the same thing,” Casten said.
“Lets just say that it was the masterpiece creation of someone I very much admire,” Behlen answered.
“And that’s the same thing he told me,” Casten answered.
“You really can’t tell us anymore?” Paress' father asked.
“Only a little,” Behlen answered. “As stated, this Machine has sat dormant for sixty years. Nobody has been able to become its pilot. We haven’t even been able to find a decent test pilot for it, much less a permanent pilot. It always has been something of a mystery to all of us. The rest of the Academy has all but given up on it, but I keep hope alive that someday I’ll find someone fit for the job.”
“You said it was built by someone you admired,” Paress said. “What happened to him?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. He might be dead, he may be hiding, I don’t know,” Behlen said. “And that’s all I really am allowed to say about that to any non-Academy people.”
Behlen said that last part with such finality that it was a few moments before anybody spoke again.
“Listen,” Behlen started up, “I know that I’m making this whole thing sound like it hinges on whether you can synch with this super secret Hyper Battle Machine. And as far as my involvement is concerned, it does. But the fact is, you have an amazing set of powers that are only going to get stronger. We’ve managed to find an excellent match for you in a Companion. We think you two guys could be really good friends and do a lot of really great stuff together.
“And even if you don’t synch with the Machine I’m thinking of, there’s a really good chance you can still synch with another Machine. In which case, you would simply move over to another staff member, like changing a class in school.”
He smiled. “But I want to reiterate that even if you don’t become a full Space Knight, you and Casten can still go on and do other great things in the service of the Empire and lead wonderful lives. Some would even say better lives because it’s not such a rough and tumble existence like what Space Knights have to deal with.”
“I understand,” Paress said.
“When I was last here, I said I felt like maybe I would lose out on having you with us because of how tight you are with your family,” Behlen said. “Now I’m not so sure and I’m hoping that maybe you’ll surprise me and come to the Academy. But either way, I want you to know that Casten here will stay with you. Your family will receive a stipend from the government for his housing and care. Along with being your Companion, he’ll also act as your bodyguard.”
Paress looked at the sleek boy and Casten grinned as he flexed a skinny arm like he was showing off a muscle.
“Well geez, how lame will I look if I have a skinny kid following me around being my bodyguard?” Paress asked.
“Nah, it’ll just make you seem more important,” Casten said. “Let’s act like you’re a rock star’s kid or something. It’ll be cool.”
Paress laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. Problem is, everybody around here knows my family, so they’ll know I’m not the son of a rock star.”
“We’ll get something figured out,” Casten said.
“So,” Belen said. “It’s decision time. By Imperial Edict, I’m not allowed to pressure you one way or the other in your choice. A Space Knight must come to his decision of his own accord and without coercion. I can only ask you to please consider the amazing things that I believe you to be capable of and how special it would be to truly awaken the potential of a masterpiece Hyper Battle Machine for the first time.”
Paress wanted to stall. He’d had quite a few conversations with his family during the week about this choice that would change his life and none of the conclusions he came to felt satisfactory.
“Well,” he finally said, “I think I’m gonna stay here with my family.”
Behlen paused for a long moment. “Yes, I’ve felt that you would,” he finally said. “I held out hope that I’d be wrong.”
“It’s just that my life here is pretty good, I think. I’m happy. And I’m really still just a kid. Traveling around in deep space and fighting pirates and monsters and stuff sounds cool to hear about…but that stuff is really scary.” Paress sighed. “Maybe I’m a coward or something.”
“No, of course not,” Behlen said. “That stuff is scary. I get worried about those things and I’m an adult. So I can’t blame you.” He laid a hand on Paress’ shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, really. It’s okay.” He stood up. “But unfortunately, I’m on a tight schedule and have to get back to the Academy. The ship leaves in two hours, so we need to get some important stuff done.”
He reached down and took a small box out of his pocket. He took from it a small device on a strap that looked almost like a watch. “You’ll have to put this on. It’s the suppressor. Hold out your right hand.”
“Paress,” Mrs. Handrel said, “Are you sure? Remember what it’ll do to you.”
“I know, but at least I’ll get to stay here with you guys.”
“But your life…” Tears formed in her eyes.
“It’s okay, Mom.” Paress put his hand out to Behlen in an almost defiant gesture.
Behlen looked at him and Paress nodded. Behlen put the strap around Paress’ wrist and locked the clasp. The suppressor’s strap adjusted automatically and the device glowed red for a moment before going dark again.
As soon as the last bit of red faded, Paress suddenly felt very sleepy. He swayed gently and Behlen helped him to sit back down. As Paress looked around the room at the concerned faces, he waved his hand and said thickly, “I’m okay. I just feel super tired.”
“He sounds drugged,” Paress’ father said. “Is that normal? You didn’t say he would be almost comatose.” As he spoke, his voice sounded angrier.
“Don’t worry,” Behlen said. “The effect should wear off in about an hour or so as the suppressor communicates with Paress’ nanites, brain, and bodily functions. After it synchronizes, he’ll mostly be back to normal– or as normal as possible. We can’t have him walking around in a stupor for the rest of his life and do something like wander into traffic.”
“No problem, I”ll keep that from happening,” Casten said earnestly.
Behlen smiled, “I know you will.” He turned back to Paress and the family. “The suppressor is water-proof, shock-proof, chemical-proof, and proofed against extreme temperatures. Basically, Paress' body would be destroyed before the suppressor, so don’t worry about breaking it. You can’t remove it so don’t try. By law I have to let you know that if somehow you do get it off, you’ll be considered a danger to the public and a signal will automatically be sent to local police giving them the authorization to use deadly force. So in that eventuality, your best bet is to lay face-down on the ground with arms outstretched when they arrive.”
At the expressions of horror on Paress’ family’s faces, Behlen said, “I’m sorry, but like I said, I
’m required by law to tell you. But also like I said, the suppressor’s really tough, so the chances of it coming off without an associate of the Academy taking it off are basically nonexistent.” He turned back to Paress, “Do you understand, Paress? Are you okay with this?”
It took Paress a moment to focus, but after some concentration, he said, “Yes Doctor, I understand.”
Behlen leaned over and looked Paress directly in the eyes. Paress’ mind had already started to wander back to thoughts of sleep, but Behlen’s stare brought him back. “Paress, if you decide to change your mind, you only have one year to do so before the suppressor starts altering your physiology permanently. After that, we won’t be able to get you into the Academy no matter how much we might want to.”
Paress nodded, “Okay, I’ll remember.” And then he immediately had to fight the thickness in his mind to remember what he’d just agreed to.
Perhaps sensing this, Behlen turned to the rest of the family. “Do you all understand? He has one year from today. If it looks like he wants to change his mind and get the suppressor off, call me right away. The timing is everything.
“You can call anytime day or night, I’ve included my personal number in the pamphlets I’m leaving. Speaking of which, everybody study those pamphlets carefully. They have a lot of good information in them that could make all the difference in Paress’ life should it come to that.”
Behlen produced a couple of papers for Paress and his parents to sign. Even through the fog in his head, Paress could see the signature and seal of the Emperor on one of the pages. “Hey, did the Emperor actually sign this?” he asked in a half-mumble.
“He did indeed,” Behlen said. “Space Knights are a division of the Imperial Household’s Royal Forces and the Emperor is always made aware of a potential candidate. By law the Emperor has to sign off on the candidate, whatever the candidate’s choice.”
“Huh, I hope he’s not gonna be disappointed,” Paress said worriedly.
“Don’t worry,” Behen said with a smile. “I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“That’s good. He’s a…good…guy,” Paress said thickly before suddenly and without preamble leaning back into the couch and dropping off into a deep sleep.
Chapter Three
Paress suddenly woke up. He was in his bed and and the room was dark except for the light from the small lamp at his desk. Casten was sitting there, reading one of Paress’ comic books.
“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Casten asked. “Are you here to stay, or just checking in for a minute?”
“Huh?”
“Ever since you fell asleep this morning, you’ve been out the rest of the day except here and there you wake up for a minute and say something weird, then you’re back to sleep. This is the fifth time I’ve explained this, as a matter of fact.”
“Ah, yeah, I’ve been told I do that sometimes,” Paress said.
“Okay, you’re not speaking in gibberish about skinny girls with purple hair and toy soldiers with flying swords, so does that mean this time you’re really awake?” Casten asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m really awake.”
“Cool, I’ll go tell your mom. She was hanging around for a while, but I told her I’d watch you so she could take care of your sisters or whatever.”
Casten walked out the door and Paress laid back in his bed. He felt mostly like himself again and was glad the weird haze from earlier seemed to be almost gone.
His family rushed in an gathered around his bed.
“Paress, are you okay?” his mother asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“That damn Behlen,” his father said. “You pretty much collapsed and he acted like it was nothing to worry about. I could’ve hit the smug asshole.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t since you’re here and not in jail?” Paress asked.
His father’s eyes widened and then he laughed, “Well, no. He just seemed so damn sure you’d be fine. Business as usual. And Casten didn’t seem worried.”
“Yeah, it’s all good,” Casten said. “I mean, Dr. Behlen could go to a pretty bad jail if he hurt a potential Space Knight. The Emperor doesn’t like it when bad things like that happen. So if Dr. Behlen seemed sure, you can bet he knew what was up.”
Paress’ mother waved away the conversation, “Enough about that. How are you feeling, Paress?”
He sat up slowly and swung his legs out from under the covers and sat on the edge of his bed. “I feel okay. It was really weird earlier, but I feel the same as I did before all this.” He looked at the suppressor. It sat on his wrist innocently, without sound or any kind of visual clue that it was working. Paress got an idea.
“I’m gonna try my telekinesis on something,” he warned. “So just in case this thing zaps me to death or something, you’ll know why.” He tried to extend his mind out and move a small toy car sitting on his nightstand. He flinched the entire time, waiting for some kind of electric shock from the suppressor to curb his powers. But nothing happened– the car didn’t move and he didn’t feel any sort of discomfort. Knowing that he’d be safe, he tried to move the car, putting far more concentration into the act than he ever had to before, and still nothing.
He finally let out a sigh, “Well, that proves that this thing is working. I can’t do anything...” And then he thought of something. “Hey, I just thought the suppressor would take away my– I dunno– ‘super-telekinesis’. I didn’t know it would take away everything. I’m worse off now than I was before.”
“At least you’ll keep your strength and toughness,” Casten offered.
“Yeah, but still…” As he sat there and thought about it, Paress found himself feeling sad that a part of him that he’d always known was gone. As he thought about it, he realized that his telekinesis wasn’t just an ability that allowed him to move things, but added to how he perceived the world around him. Subconsciously he had been feeling his surroundings with his mind for as long as he could remember, and in conjunction with those feelings, he was able to move things with his mind.
“It’s like maybe my fingertips are missing,” he said to his family. “The rest of the hand’s still there with most of the fingers— but without the fingertips, I’m really missing the uh…the little things, y’know?”
“The nuance,” his mother said.
“Yeah, that’s it!” Paress said. “If I really sit and think about it, it drives me a little crazy.”
“Paress,” his mother said, “Are you sure about this? Because I’m not. Having your senses feeling like something’s missing, the overall shortening of your life. I’m glad you won’t be leaving, but the trade-off to have you stay…”
“I’m sure, mom. Losing my telekinesis is bad and it’ll be a long time before I get used to it, but at least I get to stay here with you guys.” He looked over at his new Companion. “And hey, Casten’s here too.”
“I’m with ya no matter what,” Casten confirmed.
“Hey, are you making meatloaf?” Paress suddenly asked his mom.
“It looks like your sense of smell’s still pretty good,” his father laughed.
“Yeah, I think after everything today, you deserve one of your favorite meals,” his mother said.
“Well, the day’s getting better,” Paress said.
“Okay then if you promise you’re all right, I’ll get back to it,” his mother said before leaving with his father. Jane left with them after giving Paress a hug, but Casten and his youngest sister, Iona, stayed behind.
Iona had always been very shy and was more so with Casten nearby. “Do you want me to leave for a minute, Iona?” Casten asked and she nodded quietly.
“Okay, don’t worry,” he said with a gentle smile and he walked out of the room.
“What’s going on, Iona?” Paress asked.
“I don’t want you to die,” she said quietly.
“What? I’m not gonna die,” he said. It figures, all of the stuff that’s been talked abo
ut and she fixates on the part where my life is shortened. Little kids…
“Promise? You’ll never die?”
“Well, I’m gonna die someday, you know. But it won’t be for a long, long time.”
“How long?”
“Well, you’ll be a grandma,” Paress said, quickly doing the math in his head and figured it was sound for Iona to be a young grandmother by the time the effects of the suppressor would take him.
“Promise?” the little girl repeated, her face buried in his chest.
He patted her back. “I promise.”
She looked up at him for a moment and he nodded, smiling. She gave a small nod in return and ran from the room.
Casten poked his head back in. “All clear? Good for me to come back in?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, cool.” As Casten sat down, he took a 2.5D photo out and handed it to Paress. “Dr. Behlen wanted you to have this. He made me promise to give it to you when no one else was around.”
Paress was about to ask why until he looked at the photo. In it was Lindee Linx wearing nothing but a very tiny G-String bathing suit. She was crouching down with her legs spread and as Paress moved the photo, the perspective changed like he was looking into a small window with Lindee inside. There was a small green icon on the lower right which meant that this photo actually had a video recording.
Paress looked at Casten, who grinned and shrugged. “It’s yours. None of my business to play it. So, uh, you want me to leave again?”
“No, no, if anything else, my family’ll know something’s up,” Paress said. “Here, let’s see…” He pressed the button.
The miniature Lindee in the photo licked her lips and then traced her finger from between her legs and back up to her mouth where she sucked her finger. “Paress, I’m waiting for you. Come join me. I have a thing for younger guys.” She pushed her hand inside her swimsuit bottoms and moaned softly while fingering herself. The video stopped and returned to its original image.
Space Dragon Allepexxis Page 10
