Void's Psionics

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  The Thunder Lizard’s charged body gave it heavy resistance against psionic attacks and it’s tough skin and body were stronger than leather.

  It was slow to turn, but fast as it turned its head and a buildup turned the black horn bright as it released a bolt which Oliver, with all his speed, couldn’t dodge. Instead he used the shield’s wall just in time. The discharge hit it, but as soon as the energy went wide enough to touch the ground it found a path and the bolt harmlessly went to ground, but turned the rock molten. A breath calmed and Oliver came up with a plan which relied on one main principal.

  Don’t stop.

  Legs blurred as he cycled around the Thunder Lizard, confusing the shit out of it. Slicing waves went off each time Oliver rounded on its neck. Cutting deeper down and inflicting pain. It was difficult hitting the exact same spot while running flat out. Strips of razor cut meat wounded it, but Oliver fought through the accumulating loss of energy. He began to supplement his reserves with his vambrace and it made all the difference.

  Pain, confusion and anger had the Thunder Lizard rely on its last resort and Oliver was ready after knowing what it would do.

  Electrical intensity increased and it drew lightening from the sky without a storm, but since it couldn’t hit Oliver’s speed it channeled it as it jumped up like a goat and it’s clawed feet gathered for a type of Kinetic blast. As it landed, Oliver jumped as high as he could. The Thunder Lizard connection with the ground unleashed a circular blast in every direction that cut trees down a kilometer in every direction, leveling it and creating a fire.

  But in doing so, the Thunder Lizard used up most of its built charge.

  Meaning it granted an opening.

  Oliver in the air poured all he could into the cutlass, turning most of its stars blue and expanding before focusing down to the edge to release the last slicing wave he could afford without tapping into the full reserves in his vambrace.

  The cut met the top of the neck and without the electrical resistance the wave slid through the neck and bit dozens of meters through the ground. The Thunder Lizard’s head fell and the body seized before collapsing. Oliver landed, out of breath as he sheathed his sword and gulped clean air through his helmet rather than smoke from a forest fire. It was a well earned victory and after gulping down air he got up, knowing a real treasure when seeing one.

  He moved and willed the vambrace into action. From it, it covered the head thrice Oliver’s size and began cleaning away all except brain and bone. Pulped meat and fluid was squeezed out and in little time the vambrace had done its job when the Thunder Lizard skill was bright white and polished, but left the long horn blackened. Hunger returned when the battle eased away and with the knife Oliver cut a hole from the back end of the skull rather than through the top. He popped it off and there sat his ultimate prize. Impossible to resist, his arm ripped chunks and his mask opened around the mouth as his teeth sunk in.

  Flavor exploded more than even the Fire Wyrm. The meal was so potent Oliver could taste the essence the Beast had and it was invigorating. Purple fluid poured off the skull, but he was too euphoric to care. Handful after handful disappeared into his stomach, each grab delving deeper in the cavity.

  A sense of disappointment filled him when no more was left and he looked in for any scraps, finding a piece here and there.

  After tasting that quality of essence, lesser Beasts no longer seemed appetizing.

  Realizing he had been eating close to a half hour had replenished his strength so he opened the valve and it was almost effortless, filling the lake in his mind more than any attempt earlier. With a lift of his hand the skull followed. It was too heavy to lift physically, but levitation was another matter.

  Taking it required setting down twice to recover. It was heavy, but the long walk had its own benefits.

  At the base of the cave, Oliver climbed and filled his cape with all the collected water in the tub, grabbed a scrub brush and deodorizing soap before jumping down heavily so much it stung. With water and a brush he cleaned it out and up so as to not attract scavengers since the skull was a bit more than he intended to keep.

  The meticulous work was great for keeping thoughts at bay. Eventually though he had to leave the trophy to remember the worthy Beast where it laid and climb back up to turn in. At the top, Oliver grimaced as the fire from the battle continued burning and spreading. Then he noticed purple clouds and hoped they were on the way. Thankfully they were and even from afar he noticed dozens fighting over the carcass left behind. Others would be fed very well.

  “Might as well check myself.” Oliver said to himself after a well rested sleep and sat up to turn on his egg shaped crystal tablet given by Stephanie and linked it to a medical scanner in the compact shape of a pen to turn it on and let it gain a reading from his head. It didn’t take long for his eyes to widen. Whoa! I’m a Class Eleven. The Thunder Beast made me rise three whole classes overnight. He thought as the land was completely dark, lit only by embers from the fire and a few Beasts that lured with natural bioluminescent lights.

  Now to feel comfortable doing it. He placed the scanner down and moved back in the cargo area to pull out a small tube no larger than half the size of an adult thumb. Part of research during the preparing phase was in neural chips. Inside the clear tube was a solid, clear crystal made by the vambrace after understanding how it worked. A person needed to be a middle to upper class eight to be able to receive the chip implant that is dangerous to lower classes due to mental strain and in many cases, death. Now an Eleven, Oliver extracted it, held it between his fingers and told his vambrace what to do.

  Blackness covered the chip and a spike speared painlessly through his forehead dead center. Pressure made him wince as it expanded the bone of his skin and skull just enough to let the crystal pass through. He held completely still, but as expected, instead of the implant staying whole, it got an upgrade as it shattered and the pieces integrated directly with his frontal lobe for conscious access.

  The moment the implant was in place it activated and opened Oliver’s mind to amazing sights. The Vambrace pulled from his forehead and a single drop of blood is all that came out before clotting, but he was much too stunned to see lines and graphs converge with his natural sight more clearly than imagination. He looked at places in the distance and the chip translated accurately just how far away it lay while also scanning for game trails to walk in the shortest pathway safely. Then as he stared, wanting to see the number on the far mountain, the peripheral view in his eyes blacked out and the chip enhanced natural sight to expand what he saw. The zoom was incredible and would come in handy.

  But what was beyond even his imagination was the chip connected to the Vambrace perfectly and he began to see metallic protocols he had been sensing ever since adding the Solarium cube written out like DNA code. He could see all the safety parameters and just what it could do for him as it too had particles so small in his brain too. It was how it reacted to his needs and desire. It is also how it sometimes reacted without intent, like turning the armor silver against intense heat like fire. And it could create many things more intricate than could be realized without a visual component. It spoke to him in a way, but used in conjunction with the chip, he could render and engineer privately and store ideas to return to later. He could also feel out other technology to connect to it, like his ship.

  A simple thought command had the window of the Flare close and the ship turned off standby and onto active system command. What he saw next about took his breath away.

  Through the vambrace’s abilities Oliver rendered a hologram of the Flare without the need of a holograph others could see naturally. Linked to the ship via chip, the vambrace pinpointed faulty areas that need reinforcement in one color and in red showed all places that were horribly inefficient and could be made far better.

  Wanting to give it a try was all it needed and the vambrace struck out to pass through molecules of the cockpit wall and soaked into power relays that link the powe
r store to sublight engines. With the chip he recognized the errors and the multi-tool broke it down and rebuilt it to maximum efficiency without fear of overheating.

  Since it still rained a little, Oliver had nothing else better to do so he designed much more clearly with the chip and the rendering was quicker than using the tablet. His hands moved trough thin air, but he was pulling the ship apart piece by piece in areas of most need. It did expend quite of bit from itself, but it held out after three full hours of adjusting. The most remarkable was enhancing the ship’s maximum psionic storage by four thousand and seventy eight percent. Not anywhere near what the vambrace holds, but it could now personally cross galaxies than just a few thousand light years.

  Curiosity though suddenly gave an idea once repairs were complete. I’m an eleven… wonder if I… I CAN! Oliver mentally cheered after holding up a mirror and easily opened the lever practically all the way. Inside the vibrations moved so fast they went still, but a sense of indestructibility overcame him. It was as if nothing could stand against him. The most visible change came as he look in the mirror to see his hair sticking straight up, but his eyes had gone completely gold, like two miniature suns. He saw like normal, explaining sight hadn’t been affected though outwardly others would see a great change.

  Then came the ears during the search for changes. All week they had gradually altered, but now they were angled to strong Elvin points, judging by the look in the realm of fantasy people enjoy. Unable to stop, he touched them to find sensitivity.

  The difference in recognizing them now showed he had overlooked another important aspect.

  Sounds from much further away were clear and crisp. Having already keen hearing still didn’t prepare for how acute sounds were from far away. He got up and moved to the ledge, cocking his head to narrow down sounds and looked when he found one and let his gaze zoom. It was too easy to spot a Tarantula sitting in a web silently as the wind sang through the threads in a way he never heard before. A soft thump had him look down and realize his own heartbeat made it. “Try sneaking up on me now.” He challenged the primal world wryly.

  The next day he heard the second Thunder Lizard long before it came near the camp and lured it up into a mountain so high that there were no trees. This one was smaller and faster, but with newly glowing eyes and three heavy slicing wave cuts one behind the next made it drop. He ate his fill and was as delicious as the last. Smaller Salamanders eventually scavenged and picked the carcass clean.

  On the way to his cave he brushed a hand over the horned skull that hadn’t moved, but as he was about to climb up he stopped, a hand and leg on the stone ladder.

  Three or four particles in all the air Oliver breathed is all it took for him to come to a complete stop. Turning his head into the wind, another pair of molecule hit him. It was a great distance away, weeks at the least, but the magnitude of essence on the wind had him completely enthralled. It was so faint, but the sheer concentration in those few particles translated into a power he must have at all costs.

  Losing his mind to the hunger, Oliver felt separated from himself as his body took off at a relentless pace, into the wind. Each breath had at least one minute scent more powerful than others and he was lured. Only he could not regain control of himself. Hours of running through the mountain and he still could not stop… he was scared and rightly so.

  Until the world suddenly went dark.

  Crackling fire in the next think he noticed, followed by a splitting headache. “Agh.” He groaned and sat up. “My head…”

  “Had I not, you would be dead, My Friend.”

  Oliver quickly looked and blinked several times at what he saw. A head shake didn’t make anything disappear.

  Sitting in his cave were two proud Creelin. The two were clad in gold over their natural blue-grey skin. Creelin men aren’t as broadly shouldered as Human men nor as muscular, but they were broader and thicker than their smooth women. Creelin had sloping foreheads. Males had small spikes on their head while females were completely smooth and fair. They had long black antennae resembling hair. Three long fingers and a thumb were their hands, nails thick enough to be shaped and sharpened into claws. They had no mouths nor a nose, but they had nostrils shaped like a teardrop between large eyes that constantly glowed and changed color. And right now a large male as tall as Oliver sat with a marginally shorter female.

  Recognition took a moment as he noticed an oval Creelin shield displaying the mark of a Beyleez warrior. A high ranking general in human military. Their armor was standard for Zeelin, military warriors like Marines. Both of them were, but the other shield was marked slightly less than the larger oval.

  A closer examination had Oliver sniff and he remembered that scent. “Netul?”

  The tall sitting Creelin dipped his narrow chin and telepathically spoke like all of his kind. “Yes, it is I, Oliver. And it is I who forced you to sleep so we could return you here.”

  “Huh… Why?” he asked, rubbing the base of his skull.

  “Had you continued on that path, the Beast would have crushed you. It is an X-Rank known to your peoples as a Cerberus. You completely lost yourself to the hunt bloodlust and I intervened. In that state you would be forever lost.”

  Oliver looked from Netul to the female at his side and sniffed, learning her scent as well as finding Netul’s all over her. “You must be Callier. Hello, I’m Oliver Void.”

  Surprise turned her energy misting blue eyes brighter, leaning more on the white side. “Greetings, how do you know me?”

  “After we broke out of prison,” he pointed between himself and Netul. “I contacted Grand Elder Talon for advice on how to bring those responsible for the illegal lab and for holding Netul captive. She gave me the information and happened to drop your name. She said the two of you are friends.”

  Callier’s eyes turned a darker blue, a Creelin sign of fondness. “Yes, we have fought together in many honorable battles and twice have we bore young around the same time and let them play-fight when we met. Young Vanishing Claw and my match are also bonded in combat and friendship.” Eyes went azure. “I have wanted to give my thanks for having my Match return to me. I have worried longer than at any time we have ever been apart. Hearing of what you did for him makes it an honor to meet you…” she felt like she wanted to say something, but stopped.

  Too bad for her, Oliver was much better at learning to figuratively read between the lines. He smiled though. “You mean, ‘again.’ You both knew me as Mantiv didn’t you?” The Creelin looked sharply to each other to say nothing. “I’ll take that as a yes. Was I really that bad or what? My past self is eighty three million years old… I was bound to make enemies. Were we enemies?”

  “You tread on a dangerous and delicate subject, My friend.” Netul spoke with extreme care. “Many oaths were sworn, but personally all that I can say is the man I knew as General Mantiv and I never had cause to do battle to the death. Also, you and he are entirely different in some ways and similar in others.”

  “If I slip up, which I may, I want you to know if I pester you just tell me. If you swore oaths, I trust you know better for reasons I’m ignorant of. Since you brought me back here can I assume you’ve been observing events since Creelin would keep an eye on the last Solarian?”

  “That is permissible.” Netul nodded and relaxed, leaning back on his arms. “Yes, after you saved me from unjust prison and I was reunited with my lone Match, I told the Archivers you had been found. When I no longer needed my hands to communicate with you, I read all that you know just as I did in your sleep. It was not easy.” Green eyes spoke of an attempt at humor. “So yes, when I told them my tasks from the council were to rest with Callier, our brood and people again, but my underlings reported to me on everything pertaining to you.”

  “So you also know Renee is Solarian born of humans and that she was kidnapped?” both Creelin couldn’t hold the anger in his gaze. He continued. “And you also knew I was here, but didn’t intervene till I went aft
er this… Cerberus. Why did you help me and not her… surely you…”

  “Enough, My Friend.” Netul’s eyes flashed danger red and the mist escaping the corners seemed to linger longer before dissipating. For the first time, Oliver could sense a spike in psionic energy and Netul’s was far greater than his own. That was clear immediately. The red glow gradually went to soft blue. Netul’s mental voice was precise, but understanding. “You know all three hundred Solarian laws. I can tell. One of ours is similar to the two twenty ninth. What does that one basically say?”

  “An Elder race cannot interfere with a younger that has yet to unite into a whole body by eliminating the younger one’s threats for them, even should an Elder race be captured…” Oliver breathed a long sigh. “So since Renee was taken by lawless human mercenaries you could not step in and apprehend them to get her out as it would require bloodshed?”

  “Without an allowance from the Archivers I could not… though I owe Renee as much a debt. I did request though, but was denied.”

  “I seconded it on behalf Renee’s biology as the only match to a near extinct species.” Callier added solemnly.

  “I believe you. Thank you for trying at least.” He rubbed the back of his stiff neck, calming down as he stared across the cheery fire. “Then how could you come and save me from myself?”

  “A rather vague loophole as the humans say.” Netul made an odd sound through his chest and out his nostrils that told he was laughing at his own cleverness. “You were alone so there was no chance on a younger species being influenced by our race and superior technology. As an untainted Solarian alone, you cannot be influenced by us as you are our Elders, even with memory being stripped. In the Archivers’ minds, you fall under a different category than humans. The moment word was sent to me of a change of behavior and your path was heading for the Cerberus, you had been consumed with the hunger lust without the influence of your Match. Since Beasts are not sentient we could allow an injunction to lend the service of any volunteer Zeelin warriors. The moment the Archivers’ agreed to the injunction I petitioned for an allowance to guide on the grounds the only one able to teach is your Match and she is held captive and they agreed again. With permission granted I and Callier arrived to render you unconscious and returned you here until such time as I and she see fit you aren’t a danger to yourself. What better guide than a Beyleez and a Bezlin.” Beyleez being akin to a six star general. Only one was ranked so high per galaxy. Bezlin is compared to a five star in the military. Now it made sense about the slightly smaller shield and its markings.