《Convergence of Fates》


 Annex number 1

    Assurian: The Assurians are a race of humanoids that are the perfect example of what a species shouldn¡¯t do to their DNA. Their life expectancy is over 1000 years, but their society is rife with social uplifting by backstabbing and schemes which make that point moot; often dying rather violently. The age of majority for them is 100 years old, a ceremony at the school choose the domain where the assurian will start their life with. The top slots are often the most fought over (See Assurian Caste System). Assurian people often stay in a familial unit, which pools their resources and knowledge together to strive for power and influence. An Assurian lives and dies for her or his family, that is the only thing good about them. Children are cherished and cared for, education is paramount.


    Assurian Caste System


    - The Assurian race is stratified with the scientists at the top.


    Scientists > Military > Government Agent > Civilian > Outcast


    <ol>


    <li> Scientists</li>


    <li> Military</li>


    <li> Government Officials</li>


    <li> Civilian</li>


    <li>Outcast</li>


    </ol>


    Saryan: The famous warriors of the Hyades Star Cluster, they are the nearest neighbors of the Terran Empire, with which they trade for commodities such as medicine and services.


    The motto of the Saryan race is ¡°In Peace - Vigilance; In War - Victory; In Death - Sacrifice.¡± They look indistinguishable from humans in their passive form, but when they are pushed to a certain mental state, they access the battle form that transforms them into 8-10 feet giants. In warrior form, their skin gains an elasticity comparable to layers of silk. However, it is almost impenetrable by low-velocity projectiles, however cutting tools seem to be effective against this. Their bone density is comparable to carbon steel, being heavy-worlders. Health is paramount to the Saryan people, malformed young, or otherwise defected, are often cast out or killed at birth. The Saryan people are divided by tribes, like the Thelian, but are less caring than their furry counterpart.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Thelian: The Thelians hail from the planet Idrissa, which means ¡°Benevolent mother¡± in their language. This warrior race is comparable to the Saryan, however, they are not overly aggressive with other races, unless insulted or witness what they consider a sin against nature or people. The average lifespan of a Thelian is 150 years, the female Thelian can bear one or two children every two years - but with medical advances, they control their population well. Their governance system is tribal, major clans gather to make decisions for the whole race when needed.


    Their Society is matriarchal, the female reign supreme and the male followtheir every whim. The rulers of the clans are often marked by Idrissa¡¯s stigma, which manifests as white hair. These chosen few are often birthed in normal families and prove to be great leaders or fighters.


    Human: In common usage, the word "human" generally refers to the only existing species of the genus Homo¡ªanatomically and behaviorally similar to modern Homo sapiens. You won¡¯t see the original Human around anymore, however. The human genome has been expunged of defects, directly resulting in increased resistance to illness, leading to the average life expectancy to reach three hundred years.

 Chapter 1: Awakening

    Undisclosed Location, year 456 of the Unified Alliances


    My eyelids felt heavy, I couldn''t open them no matter how hard I tried. I attempted to lift my arms, but they were just as unresponsive. When my legs wouldn''t budge either, panic welled up inside me. I could only listen as my pulse quickened, my breathing became rough, and soon I found myself screaming internally, for it was all I could really do. My internal monologue helped calm me, remembering who I am helped cool my panicked head. I tried accessing my bio-implants, but they didn¡¯t respond like I expected them to. Bio implants are like having a user interface for my body inside my head, they are a network that feed my brain information on my body¡¯s state and how it interacts with the outside world.


    Connecting¡­


    The wait was horrible, .


    System has been subverted or all Implants are offline.


    My precious state of calm shattered, panic resumed. Ok, my onboard A.I. is still online which means that at least some of my implants are still operational; my body is still intact. Someone or something has disabled them, I am completely in their power. They could be forcing themselves onto me or cutting me apart, and in my current state I wouldn¡¯t notice a thing!


    Weighing my options, I came to realise that I am in no position to do anything but wait. Waiting to see if my captor will decide to discuss with me about my demise¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that you wouldn¡¯t believe the number of times I have found myself in that kind of situation before. Unprofessional people always want to gloat about how you will ¡°die in the most horrible way¡± and blah blah blah, and it is ideal for me, because they give you a free window of opportunity to escape


    The biggest issue I have however, is that I can¡¯t remember how I got here, I can¡¯t remember how I was captured or why. The most logical conclusion would be that I had been captured for the bounty on my head, but there were countless possible other reasons too, ranging from brain damage to someone messing about in my head for their own purposes...


    Intense pain suddenly jolts my body, making me try to scream out in torment. Thinking is impossible; I am in pain for what feels like an eternity but could have equally been just a few moments. Was I always this weak? That panicky mess I woke up as earlier isn¡¯t really endearing.


    As sudden as it had started my torment eased suddenly. If I could access my implants I would numb my pain receptors and be done with it. Damn, that¡¯s¡­ good. A wave of relief and exhaustion came over me. Tiredness slowly filled me, it wasn¡¯t exactly relaxing and I couldn¡¯t even resist it, darkness embraced me once more.


    ***


    I woke up again and this time my eyes opened, intense white light seared my retinae; my eyelids instinctively slammed shut. The light passed through them; while trying to shield my eyes with my hands I realized that I still couldn¡¯t move any of my limbs. Glancing frenetically around me, I tried to get a good picture of my surroundings. I am in a big room; a laboratory of sorts. It has some sort of chrome theme going on. Tools and machinery that are completely foreign to me are littered around the table I am strapped on. Am I to become the subject of some depraved experiment!? Turning my head a little to the left I could see the back of someone, a female humanoid with a tight white uniform that covers her whole body. Her white hair is styled in a tight bun around the back of her head. If I could move I would be glad she is facing away from me, but wherever I am has me bound tightly. Sitting in a nest of screens and keyboards her hands moved elegantly and efficiently while typing and tracing her fingers on tablets all around her. It was akin to how conductors led their orchestra in the old vids, the staccato tapping of her fingers was entrancing. The show continued for long minutes until a flash of light, brighter than the glare of the lab dazzled me.


    It felt like there were millions of tiny insect under my skin, my head, everywhere!


    ¡°Finally, you are awake my little one.¡± I heard say.


    The creepy feeling which took over my body gradually ceased, letting me focus on the voice. My eyes found the scientist of earlier facing me; it¡¯s an older woman maybe in her thirties. But it¡¯s hard to judge age nowadays with rejuvenation treatments becoming the norm, this woman could be eighty for all I know. Upturned golden eyes smiled at me, her heart shaped face exuded softness and a kind feeling. She was petite and adorable looking, but my job always was about getting past the first impression. Evil is often hidden by light.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Oh what a prudent little thing, you are right to be on your guard though.¡± Said the tiny woman.


    I don¡¯t know how to respond to that, but I¡­ wait is she a psionic?


    ¡°Indeed!¡± She answered with her soft voice.


    Fuck.


    ¡°Language.¡± She frown her cute face.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that people like this actually existed, still caring about being civil and respectful. That¡¯s the kind of things that doesn¡¯t bring you anything in the rim of Cagliostro space, here only strength and influence count. Only my father or my late mother could talk to me lik¡­


    ¡°So Fenran told you that I was dead, the bastard.¡± She said, while gritting her teeth.


    My captor (?) is furious and spouting obscenities which could make a seasoned space pirate blush.


    Now I don¡¯t want to explore the implication of what my captor just said¡­ Idunn my mom is dead. Well it¡¯s what my dad told me when he bitched about how useless I was, that I couldn¡¯t even get into the combat form of the Saryan race. Who would want to become tall and ugly anyways? The only thing I had going for me is my strength, agility and intelligence. But that wasn¡¯t enough for the bastard, so he kicked me out. ¡°Useless microts¡± he called me when he did. The woman stopped ranting and looked at me with horror. Suddenly she came at me with a swiftness I didn¡¯t expect, I closed my eyes. A warm hand caressed my matted hair; a troubled expression reflected on the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left you with that man.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you don¡¯t have to worry I settled my debt with the sperm donor. I never treated him like my father.¡± I said.


    Indeed, I remember the day that man kicked me out and when he said to not come back; that he and the people of the Saryan clan of Saryna will consider that I have never existed. I remember smiling at that, that my already vague moral attachments to those people were being cut away. It explained what I did three years after leaving Saryna, I disseminated an agent in the atmosphere of the planet which - if it did not outright kill the colonist there, would forever deny them access to their battle form. A wicked smile appears on the woman¡¯s (mom?) face, no trace of disgust or anger. That¡¯s normally the reaction I receive if I reveal what I did to those rat-bastards.


    ¡°Oh, my dear. I would have done worse in your place.¡±


    When I looked into her eyes, I see the same insanity that I see in the mirror contained within their golden depths. The same color of eyes as mine, yet fundamentally different. This person has seen a lot more of the universe than I have in my meagre 24 years. As fast as I could, I analysed the ramifications of what this woman just hinted at - that she is my mother, and by the physical features she expressed; that she is Assurian. I always knew that I was half Saryan, but I never imagined that my other half would be Assurian¡­ I always thought that earthling blood ran in my veins and that was why I was considered weak. But it seems I hit the genetics jackpot.


    The other half originate from a race of backstabbers, mad scientists, cloak and dagger types and all other sorts of bullshit. I wish I could facepalm but my arms are strapped to the goddamn lab table, oh ah and I can only just move my head. Sighing from exasperation, I once again move my eyes over to the reason I am here.


    ¡°So, when are you going to cut me free, mom?¡± I asked with a derisive tone.


    The woman made a sad face, her adorably soft features making me almost regret speaking to her in such a sharp manner. But hey, I¡¯m strapped to a lab table, and she¡¯s not.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me, I have prepared a test to show you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. But the fact that I am a prisoner in my own body and strapped to that fu¡­¡± The lady glared at me. ¡°Chair is not making your case, MOM.¡±


    And whatever test she prepared might be a load of crap; did that woman think that I was born during the last meteor shower? Being a telepath the woman must have heard me; a tear ran down her face when she looked at me. Right, that shit stopped working on me when I almost got gutted by a little girl on Narson VI. Even with all the tech we have now, lives are cheap on frontier worlds.


    ¡°No need to be sarcastic, my dear. You¡¯ll be free soon enough after I put your body on the mend.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I feel normal¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I cut your pain receptors, didn¡¯t you feel the pain before?¡± She asked. ¡°When I saved you from the ARES mercenary HQ, your body was mangled, your legs shattered. No, Fenicia you aren¡¯t well at all, it will take some times for you to be whole again.¡± The lady put her hand on my forehead. ¡°But don¡¯t you worry; I will make you whole again. You¡¯ll be better, faster and stronger! The best of what biotech can give you, you¡¯ll have it. You¡¯ll be able to gain your Saryan form and your Assurian gifts.¡± I could feel the confidence of this woman, it was present in her eyes, the way she moves, she practically exuded it.


    ¡°But first, you¡¯ll have to sleep again. I just wanted you aware of your situation.¡±


    And I found myself fighting against sleep yet again, but that guy Morpheus sure does pack a punch. I once again, lost consciousness.

 Chapter 2: Bad news

    Idunn


    <u>Hidden Garden space station, Year 2456 of the Assurian calendar</u>


    - I finally spoke with her.


    My gaze trailed over her body, engraving every detail in my memory. Her shoulder length blue hair with a white streak flowing over her right shoulder showed her Assurian heritage. Her toned body was covered in silvery scars, marring her otherwise perfect? Form. I smoothed them over with my hand, making them disappear. I smiled, happy of my handiwork.


    My eyes glided over the highlighted damaged area of Fenicia¡¯s body that the quantum fieldgenerator showed me. The device highlighted the young woman¡¯s physiology and enabled me to zoom in onto any damage, infection, or other problem it detected within her. With her unique blend of races, there were several things that it detected as anomalies which were actually perfectly normal for her - it was one of the reasons it took me several weeks longer than usual to safely wake her up, I had to decide what needed to be fixed, and what was already normal. I then repaired and treated them with nanites. Once done I reinforced and optimised her nervous system, allowing for faster transmission of information to the brain - and therefore faster reflexes, while keeping them flexible enough that they could be used in her Saryan warrior form.


    - I had spoken to her, but she still doubted we were family, hmm. It¡¯s a problem; yes yes, I could have played with her memory to make her believe me. But there are some things you do not do to family, some lines you do not cross. Family, huh. It had become a strange concept to me, after all my own family kicked me out of Assurian space deeming me too ¡°dangerous¡±.


    To them.


    My project of creating a hybrid of Saryan and Assurian blood succeeded. But the fact that I used my own genetic material caused this obsessive need to have her in my life and under my protection, but to them? She was a monster - impure¡­ tainted.


    - Sighing mentally, I remembered how 22 years ago I was hunted by those of the house of Lyss. I had to temporarily give up the raising of Fenicia to her sperm donor, he didn¡¯t do a good job of caring for her and my crusade against the Assurian house of Lyss went on for far too long. They paid for it, in the end; their destruction is almost complete because of me. Only the founders are left. Still, they can do damage and I suspect that my space station isn¡¯t safe anymore. Whatever means they employ, if I can optimize Fenicia, their plans will be rent asunder.


    I wish I could have been there for her when she was younger. From her memories I perceive she had it rough compared to how spoiled I was in my own childhood. Her sperm donor created this inferiority complex in her that makes her wants to outperform the best and brightest, she did well, even with her abilities sealed. Mastering her body, then her weapons. She even went as far as becoming a pilot for starships and various assault spacecraft, Fenicia obtained other minor talents, skill discs have been slotted into her bio implants. I replaced them with the ones my Dark friend from earth gave me as payment for the last job I did for her.


    I need to tweak her brain to give her at least a little more processing power, maybe two percent of a quantum crystal computer? I need to run more simulations to check if her brain can take that load. Hmm, Saryan physiology is really resilient - all but indestructible even; I shouldn¡¯t worry too much. Their muscles are the perfect mix of stamina and power, their bones are as hard as carbon steel. There is still the old mystery about the Saryan race - were they engineered or the product of nature? My opinion leans on the first hypothesis. And I don¡¯t think tha¡­


    Ping.


    Doctor you have received a message.


    ¡°Always. Always, when I am doing something important!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Show on screen.¡± And the computer showed me a little window with a brief message.


    You have been found.


    A. A.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It surprised me, really. But it shouldn¡¯t have, I¡¯d believed that I would be safe in an uncharted system between human space and the Shdeveri Dominion. The resources deployed to find me must have been staggering. I do not feel fear exactly, but pride that my enemies have expended so many resources to locate me. Or to say it differently, I¡¯m flattered. I¡¯m a little scared for Fenicia however. The operation to make her whole again must not be rushed¡­


    ¡°Fenicia, I guess we will have to give you the full augmentation package.¡±


    Helena my dear Dark friend, you must have foreseen this moment huh? Precognition has always been a suspected ability of yours. I understand why you insisted, now. My hand slid over to my keyboard. I slowly inputted the special authorization code for the release of the special nanites; this will irrevocably change my prodigal daughter.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my darling daughter. It seems that I have placed another burden on your frail shoulders.¡±


    I watched the swarm of little machine cover Fenicia entirely, entering the cavities of her body to get to work. A countdown appeared on the screen of my super computer, two days to complete the conversion. I hope that I can hold on this much, or else the cookies are going to be burned.


    ¡°Everything rests on you, darling.¡±


    ***


    Fenicia


    <u>Hidden Garden space station, stellar date unknown</u>


    I woke up in a tank filled with green tinted water, no it isn¡¯t water; it¡¯s a special viscous liquid used for regeneration tanks on ships and stations Usually they are stationed within their medical labs and wards. I felt the water inside the tank being flushed away, I stayed still until the tank completely emptied. I¡¯m going to be free, and make that bitch pay for strapping me to that lab table. Nobody does that to me. Nobody! Even my actual mother, never mind someone only claiming to be my mother, would not get my permission to restrain me. When my feet touch the bottom, I can finally feel my whole body. I¡¯m¡­ feeling good. Better than my regular top form. The tank opened, and I found myself outside it in an instant.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I thought about it and moved, but how come I am already fully outside of the tank? The anti-static, kinetic absorption orange tiles prevented me from slipping on the ground - normally I shouldn¡¯t be coordinated enough to remain standing after near instantaneous movement. I made a fist with my right hand, another with my left and it felt... weird. Like I had two dominant arms. What is the word for it? I clicked my fingers trying to find the word on the tip of my tongue.


    ¡°It¡¯s called being ambidextrous, Fenicia.¡± A female voice jolted me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°You again...¡± I trailed off. Seemingly out of nowhere, she appeared before me eyes.


    Wait no, I¡¯m the one who moved. I managed to get up close, got into her face and was already grabbing the crazy lady by her collar - all in a matter of an instant. Thinking about it, this might not have been a very good idea, this crazy woman almost certainly has insurance to make sure I don¡¯t kill or maim her, and I¡¯m not exactly feeling confident I could survive whatever she has planned.


    ¡°Good morning darling. How are you feeling?¡± She asked warmly.


    Even being held in that uncomfortable position she was unafraid - she definitely got something to stop me, but all I could see was¡­ care, and another emotion I didn¡¯t want to guess at. I put her down; weirdly I think it would be fruitless to even harm her. This little woman must be crazy to even stand up to me.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I said as I scanned the laboratory. The dumb lab table was still there, some clothes lying there neatly folded upon it.


    ¡°Yes they are for you, training clothes.¡± The lady said as a way of explanation.


    She looked jittery, she seemed to hesitate when pressing me to don the clothes, but it must just be me. Yet again I found myself near the table without remembering how I got here and started putting the clothes on. White undies, black leggings and a t-shirt. The kind which can easily be created by fabricators. At least I don¡¯t feel naked anymore.


    ¡°You have a good way to go, before having your speed and reflexes under control.¡± The crazy lady said, watching me intensly.


    ¡°And we don¡¯t have enough time. You must be in control of your body before the mercenaries get here.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what?¡± I turned toward her, this was new - and possibly worrying information, if my last job really was for Ares, and it had gone wrong, then there could be serious repercussions.


    The fuck is she saying? Please don¡¯t let this be like that clich¨¦ scenario where I am woken up and have to defend that woman from waves of tin soldier with a knife and a Pistol. I saw that vid, and I hated the main character.


    ¡°Daneel, show Fenicia the results of the deep space sensors.¡±


    A holoscreen appeared between me and Idunn, it showed our position in the star system. A medium sized space station called Hidden Garden orbiting an M class planet that is in turn orbiting a gas giant. The kind of situation that, in my opinion, was bat-shit-crazy levels of unsafe. There were two asteroid belts in the system. The first was closer to the star than us, and the other was further out than the gas giant. I thoroughly checked through the whole system map, at the edges, further away from the central star than any other significant planetary body, was a fuzzy point which advanced in hyperspace. The sensors had picked up another thing, it seemed to appear and disappear intermittently, that could only mean it was a ship¡­ clearly a ship with stealth tech, let¡¯s not deny it - advancing on a trajectory that would take it straight towards the M class planet. The number of details made me whistle in astonishment.


    ¡°Can you see the model and type of ship? I have never seen long range sensors this precise.¡± I asked, marveling at the mystifying tech.


    ¡°Not till they enter in range of the short range scanners, my dear. And when that happen we are going to know the make, the hyperdrive signature, it¡¯s weapons¡­ even the number of crew inside.¡± Idunn¡¯s face displayed a thoughtful look.


    ¡°You are right, it looks like I might need to bring my A game for this one. I will cooperate with you for now.¡± I said, still studying the data.


    ¡°Show me how to master myself again.¡± I locked eyes with her through the holoscreen.


    ¡°While we still can.¡±

 Chapter 3: A new path

    We were in a Gym of sorts, dummies and sport machines were strategically placed throughout the room.


    Traction weight machines, modern running machines that simulated different environments these were but a few examples of the variety of chrome tinted contraptions design to push the body beyond its limits. The whole area had that pleasant new room smell, completely different from the old gym I used to frequent previously, whose odor was permeated with the sweat of multiple people. Separated by a glass wall was a shooting range equipped with virtual simulation projectors on the ceiling of the room. The whole room screamed ¡°Rich¡± but I didn¡¯t let it go to my head. Other than the shooting range and the gym, the station seemed to only be coloured grey, the colour was rather depressing; I hadn¡¯t said anything before, but Idunn really did live in a sad place. There was no-one else here but her; at least before I arrived, and the station¡¯s all-grey-and-technological theme really didn¡¯t help with the claustrophobic feel of the place - did she even go to the moon-planet to stretch her feet and breath non recycled air? I would, it would be utterly unbearable otherwise, I would feel suffocated.


    *Clap, clap*


    I heard behind me, Idunn her hands together smiled with glee as if we were at the more exciting part of the day. Maybe she was right.


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the changes I made to your body, Fenicia. As your m¡­ mother, I couldn¡¯t leave you as you were, in your... imperfect state. Even though you are a hybrid of my race and your father¡¯s.¡± She spat on the ground when she said the last word, ¡°You are still far from perfect.¡±


    I could see that we had similar feelings about the old codger.


    ¡°First, let me tell you that the augments that your body received are not the ones I originally wanted to gift to you¡± Idunn looked at me, as if she was sorry about something. When she looked me in the eyes, that impression disappeared fast. Only cold calculation remained in her gaze.


    ¡°I can feel their effects, the way my speed, awareness and reflexes are out of this world. Everything is sped up, it¡¯s really hard to keep my attention on you because you speak slowly to me.¡± I gave her my impression, maybe she had a solution? I can¡¯t stay like this if I want to interact with people.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I feared.¡± Traces of worry marred Idunn¡¯s cute face. ¡°Omega class augments without prior training with them are too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Where did you get them?¡±


    ¡°They were a present from a friend, but¡­¡± Idunn suddenly busied herself with a holoscreen and wouldn¡¯t look at me.


    ¡°But¡­ ?¡± I coaxed her on. Nothing is free, even among friends, and I sure as fuck don¡¯t want to be paying the price.


    Idunn sighed heavily. ¡°There was a condition attached to their use, I need to go work for her full time. By now I¡¯m sure that she knows they¡¯ve been activated and will be on her way.¡±


    So the augments have tracking on them, huh? It would be awfully convenient if the augments your prospective employer ¡°friend¡± was using to keep an eye on your position were to be used on someone else¡­ someone who might disappear perhaps? Sell me anonymously to an unknown party like they do those super soldiers, make good money and the mercenaries take the fall. Super soldiers were either created in vitro, being birthed in artificial womb, or were kidnapped. Either way they were then enslaved and sold like cattle to mercenary¡¯s outfits, conglomerate or governments. Nope, no slavery for me, never. I prepared myself to deck the woman and escape - but I paused, if a way out of her employer¡¯s grasp was so easy to pull off, why had she not attempted it before? Still, I don¡¯t want to take any chances. But when I went to move, I found the woman looking towards me, a saddened expression on her young-looking face. She pulled a crystal cube of the pocket of her lab coat and offered it to me with her dainty hand. I took it and observed it carefully. White circuits like lines crisscrossed its pale blue surface.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked, wary¨C¨C.


    ¡°Your memories, I extracted them. Those are the memories of when you were detained and tortured in the Ares compound.¡± She didn¡¯t shy away from my gaze anymore.


    ¡°What are you talking...¡±


    ¡°Come on, Fenicia you are smarter than this. Why were you injured and needed to spend a month in a regeneration tank?¡± The derisive tone she used cut through any doubts or justification I could come up with.


    I could be wrong to be so paranoid about this woman, if she was truthfully willing to invest so much into giving me back my memories after taking care of me, then perhaps she wasn¡¯t completely evil.


    ¡°I am not about to sell you to anyone. Fenicia, I left you in the hands of a society which couldn¡¯t see how special you were, they had no idea; those muscle for brains idiots. I am sorry, but I am trying to atone, to help you and right the wrongs, I¡­¡± Idunn continued but I tuned her out, damn telepath¡­


    I¡¯ve heard of those fabled data cube, they can store organic memories; some of the larger ones are powerful enough to contain the personality and whole being of someone. High grade android or powerful AI uses them as cores. If the information about them is correct they can¡­The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I was in dark place, only one ceiling light dimly lit the room. A man I don¡¯t know entered the room, it¡¯s only use must be to torture or force information out of people. He had a mace in hands, tall for a human and beefy. He smiled at me. The man swung the tool and went for my legs¡­


    I was thrown out of the memory by a flare of pain in my lower limbs. I was on my knees and breathing hard, my mind stopped working. All I knew was pain. PAIN. I let go of the cube. Famous item, yeah. That fucking cube recorded every bit of your memories, even how you felt at the moment it recorded. The worst thing was, it recorded how you perceived the pain. Even though the actual level of pain might have been fairly low, if your brain had thought it was the worst thing you had ever experienced, then the cube would deliver


    ¡°I should have told you about the feedback.¡± I heard Idunn say.


    ¡°Right~¡±


    ¡°I needed you functional for when we needed to talk. I extracted those memories and want to give you the choice to explore them; there is a way to cut the feedback. I will show you later.¡±


    ¡°We will speak later about my reason for rescuing you¡­ ¡± Idunn said with certainty.


    I frowned.


    ¡°While you get used to them, There is a way for you to control your augments. There are levels of activation that you can consciously control, but first you must initialize a pattern for them.¡± Idunn put a finger on the holoscreen that appeared earlier. ¡°By fighting.¡±


    Someone, - wait no, I corrected myself - something appeared through a mechanized sliding door. A training android with skin, ears, a nose and a mouth resembling organic matter, walked calmly towards me. Maybe it has others things hidden by the white Gi it wore. The android bowed to me when it finally reached me. I returned the gesture, which got me immediately attacked. I dodged with minimal movement, the kick, intended for my bowed head, missed by millimeters. Like I said to Idunn earlier, everything seemed like it was moving through molasses; the kick felt like it was coming at me in slow motion. Righting myself, I caught the trainer android¡¯s leg¡­ it was so kindly offered. I then went out of my way to strike at his patella with my elbow. A sickening crunch resounded in the room, fortunately it wasn¡¯t my elbow that made the noise; it seems that I have gained a significant boost in strength and the durability of my bones has been increased. To finish the trainer, I threw my own kick, knocking its head off completely and spraying synthetic blood, and viscera everywhere.


    ¡°Eugh¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat disgusted by the mess.


    I heard a bell like laugh behind me, turning around, I found myself facing an amused Idunn.


    ¡°Now you see. If you go out there without control, you are going to kill people without meaning to.¡± She looked at me meaningfully a serious expression suddenly on her face. ¡°Imagine trying to take the hand of a child¡­¡± Idunn put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat and watched me.


    I may be an uncaring bitch, debatably a murderer, but I have never sought to kill people who didn¡¯t deserve it. The fake blood tainting my body and my clothes suddenly take a different meaning. Clenching and unclenching my fists, the power I received is devastating on a personal level. I should strive to control myself even more stringently than before, after meeting Idunn who constantly eroded what I thought I knew about myself and my ancestry, I don¡¯t know what going to happen anymore. I had projects, a life of mayhem and chaos to disseminate in the known galaxy. Aiding innocents and giving some nasty Dratzzn¡¯it* what was coming to them, but hey Life, that bitch, loves to fuck with us. Change is inevitable, I forgot that lesson and the result? I think I got stabbed in the back. I would not have ever been captured by Ares mercenaries otherwise. A decision crystallized itself within me, with a certainty that I lacked previously before.


    I am going to fuck people up. I would not let myself worry about the stains on my soul that were going to taint it .


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue training.¡± I said to Idunn, unmoved by the worried face she made.


    We continued to adjust the level of force I would deploy with my augments for the rest of the day. Idunn said that the nanites imbuing my body and making it possible to be a super super soldier ¨C I really didn¡¯t like the comparison and made it clear, but was ignored - were self learning and applied the correct amount of energy to respond to the threat. The little Assurian lady told me that the system sustaining my augments wasn¡¯t infallible, that prolonged use would gradually lessen the power of the augments - which was substantial, might I add. Resilience, augmented senses, speed and let¡¯s not forget the last of them, a boost to psionics abilities. I just discovered that I have telekinesis! If I were to believe Idunn, it''s part of my Assurian legacy, that power is the most common one of her family line ¨C which one she belongs to, she couldn¡¯t reveal to me - making me doubt the legitimacy of her claims even further. I don¡¯t want her to be right, she¡¯s crazy. I can tell when someone is especially dangerous from a glance; I can sense it in my guts. But like I said; Life doesn¡¯t care about what you want. Anyway, Idunn said that she released the mental block that she put on me when I was nine months old on my warrior form and my mental abilities, because I was ¡°precocious¡±. She awoke my telekinesis by ordering a trainer android to throw pointy knives at me from afar while I was tied to an upright bench. It was like I already knew what it was going to do, I could feel the knife going for my head at great speed and stopped it mid flight by ¡°binding¡± it in the air stopping its movements toward me. I was so surprised that I lost my grip on the knife, but Idunn didn¡¯t stop there and multiple androids launched knives from all different angles. The feeling of sensing everything around me came back and I batted the knives away with my mind. I missed a couple, which were vaporized as soon as they came within a foot of my head, giving me a fright.


    I glared at the woman when she finished the hail of shiny pointy things. The only excuse she gave me was something called ¡°tough love¡±. That is apparently a human saying which mean raising your kids by letting them experience good and bad things? Ah! Humans have always been weird to me; always trying to force their way of thinking and ideals on alien minds.


    So I have powers. I had never imagined that I would be dealt such a good hand. I had to find what my limits were for future fights that come my way. Idunn may be crazy and dangerous, but I owe her. Whatever her reasons are, even if she is my mother; she doesn¡¯t deserve death after she gave me life again.


    Come little mercenary ship, poke the Daklist Nest**. I shall give you with a warm welcome.

 Chapter 4: Ares

    -(Colonel David O¡¯lleary)-


    Border of the PX2458 uncharted star system, Year 456 of the Unified Alliance


    I sighed in my command chair; I hate long hauls like this one. Patting the breast pocket of my uniform, I sought my comm-link tablet which was vibrating. Looking at the caller ID, I sighed more heavily. Dio Quatro, one of the super soldiers charged with training the other super soldiers of the mercenary company.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Dio.¡± He had the bad habit of speaking self importantly.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Commander, I¡¯m calling about Corporal Ell Evan. She did it again!¡±


    Sighing once more, I asked, ¡°Did she beat the simulations again and you¡¯re unable to accept it?¡±


    Ell Evan was the perfect soldier. On paper. The operative, space combat, and survival simulations were a piece of cake to her. Unfortunately, she was unable to perform in the field, because she was a lazy young woman. She was often punished for her eccentricity by pulling double guard duty, cleaning or other chores no one want to do.


    ¡°Commander! It¡¯s not about that, she¡¯s fighting with Corporal Anderson! She listens to you, please do something!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will do what I can,¡± I responded amiably.


    I cut the call and brought to mind the operation in this system that we had just received from the main HQ. Two big clients had paid for the capture or elimination of a target that had been raiding and destroying their assets for two decades. They wished for it to stop, to give them a chance to rebuild.


    But, my gut was telling me that something was fishy.


    Getting out of the leather command chair on the bridge of the ship, I entered the elevator which led to the service corridor of the ship. She was an old design, dating back to the war of the first contact with the Saryan race, which had been just a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that cost millions of lives before the Alliance intervened. The ship was one of the first destroyer scouts of the Earth Federation, retrofitted to be able to pound medium sized vessels into oblivion and also act as a drop ship for troops. It married elegant curves and squares in its elongated form and had additional modules for operations and deep space maneuvers. The weapons system was upgraded to what the federation currently used on its ship, laser beam banks, rail guns, and sublight missile launchers. I envied those who could order weapon packs from VICE industries, their ships were another beast entirely; they had technology the earth federation tried relentlessly steal from them¡­ but that was wishful thinking. The technology was locked and would self-destruct if you tried to even look at the code of its programming.


    Arriving in the simulation bay, the sliding doors opened for me and I was immediately struck by the number of people surrounding one of the simulators. It was one of those blocky grey ones, mimicking the cockpit of a heavy fighter, with an AI which would take you through simulated space and guide you through different scenarios. Remembering the pattern of an earlier incident which happened not so long ago, I advanced toward the little gathering. One of the super soldiers saw me arriving and saluted me on the spot, the rest of them were too focused on the fight between a female and male soldier. The female soldier was a curvy young woman of medium height. Her face was distinctive due to her Asian features and dark blond hair crowning her head. She was the obvious result of a genetic engineering program given the preternatural speed with which she avoided kicks and punch. Corporal Ell Evan, super soldier B-58 of Asian strand sold to ARES mercenary when she was 8 years old. A genius compared to other super soldiers sold in the same batch as hers, but a lack of stimulation and hard missions had caused her to become rather ¡°lazy.¡±


    Ell deftly avoided a punch from the buff young man, catching his arm as it swung wide, and finally landed a powerful blow to his chin with enough force to lift the man off his feet. We all saw him hit the deck of the simulation room like a bag of potatoes.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Can¡¯t beat me in simulation, or in the real world. I¡¯m better than you, dickhead,¡± she declared triumphant.


    ¡°Attention!¡± I yelled with my command voice.


    All the soldiers turned toward me, snapping rigidly to attention. Most of them wore a sloppy version of my own dark uniform or were just in undershirts, pants, belts, and boots with their sidearms. Some wore accessories, quantum jewels, bracelets or their dog tags. Their ID tattoos were showing on their neck due to their nervousness. The super soldier tattoos are made with invisible ink that only showed if said soldiers had elevated body temperatures or under a certain light spectrum.


    My eyes finally locked on those of the female corporal of interest, and she didn¡¯t even look guilty. She never did.


    ¡°Ell Evan at ease and everyone else drops and give me 100, fast!¡±


    Dropping into push-up position despite the limited deck space in the simulation room, the soldiers went at it quickly. Not bothering to wait until they were done, I signaled for the corporal to follow me out of the room.


    ***


    -(Ell Evan)-


    I was so in trouble! Shit. Why couldn¡¯t that bastard leave me alone? Anderson always gave me trouble for no reason. Taking a seat in the chair of his office, which was situated adjacent to his cabin, the Commander touched his tablet and then looked at me. I was still standing at attention, waiting for him to lay down the law. Given my situation, this wasn¡¯t my first time in the Commander¡¯s office. There were old books in a fake wood shelf behind him, potted plants placed in each corner of the room, and a single chair facing his desk. He looked exasperated.


    ¡°At ease, corporal, and please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I sat, back stiff and straight, and waited.


    ¡°We are entering system PX2458 and the passive scanner has detected a class M moon around a gas giant. However, that¡¯s not the most important thing.¡±


    His slid the tablet across the desk towards me and I could see what might be a structure orbiting the large moon. The IFF of what could only be a space station was displayed.


    ¡°SHIT.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I thought, too.¡± The commander made a sad smile as I slid the tablet back to him.


    ¡°Sir, this is dangerous. VICE Industries will go to war with us and we will not be able to survive. I recommend aborting the mission. I saw on the passive scan that this station doesn¡¯t have any defense platforms but that¡¯s not possible!¡± I gave my input without being asked.


    With good reason, VICE Industries¡¯ augmented centurion made super soldiers looks like toys, their ships were geared for war, and were super advanced. I had seen the reports on their war against the superior Shdeveri Empire, aliens that had dimensional technology, and yet VICE Industries still fucking won.


    ¡°The defense platform must be concealed, and I¡¯m sure if we tweak the sensors we would even be able to pinpoint if they have mines around that space station.¡±


    The commander looked at me and sighed, his face showing sorrow. ¡°We cannot abort. HQ has already taken payment for this mission and we can¡¯t refund because our clients are Assurians. They would take it quite badly¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± My shoulders slumped as I sank back into the chair.


    Assurians have a weird sense of honor, professionalism and vengeance. If you were friends with one, he would move mountains to help you, but if you had a falling out, they had no qualms about killing you later., This meant accepting jobs from them was always dangerous; you must fulfill the contract to the letter or risk getting killed for some details they expected you to follow. Assurians took the notion of vengeance to another level; they would kill the people you cherished or even only remotely knew, and then kill you. A race like that was hard to deal with.


    ¡°So, now we come to the real reason I invited you to my office, Corporal. I want you to go, scout, that space station, and look for the hidden defense. Become my Arianne.¡±


    I laughed for a long time before calming down. ¡°You are not asking for something small. But, you know what?¡±


    ¡°Do tell.¡± He smiled at me, knowing my answer already.


    ¡°I will do it.¡±


    This was a challenge, or a suicide mission. I didn¡¯t care about my life anyway; all I thrived on was excitement. Living like a slave at the whim of my masters didn¡¯t interest me the slightest. They dangled Freedom before us like a carrot if we did meritorious service, but I knew the truth. The more useful you were, the harder it was for them to let you go. I¡¯d been lowering my standing and abilities while biding my time, waiting for the day when I could find a way to escape. Or, I could die while having lived my life to the best I could.

 Chapter 5: Preparations

    Hidden Garden space station, 2 days later


    I never knew that formally studying was this tedious, the nagging of Idunn and the A.I. got to me and I almost ignored them. Telekinesis, using the mind to influence matter is the basis of many types of power to manipulate the world around the user. Through training videos I learned how to levitate, grip, bind objects and androids in the gym. The levitation speaks for itself, I lifted myself, weights, water bottles, knives in the air! It was so easy, but when I lifted two androids I got a killing headache. Gripping the weights on the ground was the easiest part of the training, the powerful artificial muscle of the android trainers couldn¡¯t even budge them. Binding is the same thing has gripping and it was boring.


    Right now I was learning how to pull and push, the A.I. was saying how important the basic of mental manipulation is important. That I should master all the skills that it¡¯s showing me because they will be part of more complicated techniques like TK body reinforcement. As if my enhanced body wasn¡¯t enough, I could become even more resilient, strong and agile. Never would I have thought that obtaining abilities like mine would throw me into a learning frenzy. These last two days were not kind to me, I had to eat, study, sleep, and repeat. Idunn took a real pleasure to cook my protein supplements, she said ¡°I am catching up on my motherly duties¡± and wouldn¡¯t let me just have the military rations onboard.


    More importantly, the stealth ship who ventured in this solar system has stopped but recently a fighter shuttle or drone was launched from it recently and is approaching us. We could detect passive attempt to scan the space station from afar, the systems on this station are so advanced that it is no joking matter. When I saw the logo of the Vice Industries on everything I finally understood who Idunn is friend with. Anyway, the sensor detected a stealth fighter probing the perimeter of the station. I devised the plan in case the station get boarded or when if the mercenaries were wary and deployed spytech.


    I focused and a pet bottle that was on the bench six meter from me flew in my waiting right hand. TK is so useful that I ask myself how come I lived without it before, it made me lazy. But I wallowed in the power rippling through me when I use it, I am aware of everything going on too. It will come in handy if I ever get in a fight with multiple foes, it did work with the training androids. Fortunately, the station fabricators can recycle those I¡¯ve broken with my misuse of TK. When I don¡¯t control my will sufficiently my abilities lash out and crush my foes even when I don¡¯t look at them, the space sense of my telekinetic powers is always on. Drinking water from the pet bottle, I feel refreshed.


    Ding!


    A Holo window opened before me with a message only for me.


    Lady Fenicia, you asked me to warn you if the craft currently scouting the perimeter of the station is in the targeted area for the EMP mines.


    And my plan comes together beautifully, it made me smile and slosh water on my black sports bra. I carefully watched toward the gate to see if someone saw and is relieved to not have spoiled the image I try to project. I passed my fingers in my blue hair and relaxed thinking if what I am about to do is going to bite me in the sizz*(*mean ass in Saryan).


    ¡°Daneel, engage EMP mines and the tractor beam,¡± I said and smiled ruthlessly.


    Acknowledged, Lady Fenicia.


    Standing up I remembered the plan: Awaken the EMP mines orbiting around the station, get the fighter shuttle/spy drone they send to scout, message the ship it launched from if they don¡¯t flee. Destroy their weapons and hyperdrive, provoke them to board the station or make them flee.


    Aware that with the defensive system of the station I could heavily damage the other ship but not destroy them I implemented the plan to steadily force them to board it, and use the androids and tactic to thin the mercenaries and let Daneel the AI take control of the enemy ship by bypassing the command and control and own AI. I will without a doubt have a harsh fight; because I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to keep prisoners.


    ***


    Ell Evan


    Aboard the Eagle RX897, I probed the space around the orbit of the space station designated Hidden Garden. It looks like a research station; the kind made to research on planets with funky biospheres that human cannot colonize. The best examples are those that the Shdeveri people love to colonize dangerous and challenging biosphere with magnificent jungles. It doesn¡¯t prevent them to plant vegetals from their mother planets on others.


    The vessel I am on is a stealth fighter, commonly used in the Terran sphere of influence. But I feel naked and jumpy as if I knew that it¡¯s not enough. I feel it in my guts, something is about to go wrong! And when I hear the multiple Klang on the hull that feeling solidified, a thrumming could be heard as if something was building up.


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± I yelled.


    All the electronics were disrupted and fried, even my quantum jewel on my right ear exploded. Shit, I got caught! Fumbling with the commands and the surviving interface of the fighter, I tried to see what the fuck happened to it when an even bigger shock rocked it and made me hit my forehead on the low ceiling of the cockpit.


    ¡°Damnit.¡±


    What is happening? I feel heavy as if a powerful pressure is applied on me and it gradually increases. For long minutes I had trouble moving until I could even lift a finger. I reflected on my options and the tactical meaning of what is happening to me. There is a great chance that the people in that space station know that my squadron is out here and that our stealth tech is nothing to them.


    Sigh.


    It is really a fucking suicide mission, it made me laugh. But, I¡¯ll not give up without a fight.


    Bong.


    Hearing that sound, I felt that pressure on me recede. I pushed the buttons on my belt that kept me hitting everything in the cockpit and I was free. The control instruments showed me that I am not in space anymore. From what I can already see what happened; those people who captured me are good, really good. They got something that caught my craft and neutralized the controls and used a tractor beam to get me in¡­ I perked up. I must be in the station.


    Suddenly a blade pierced the roof of the cockpit, it made lower my head. I heard the sound of metal being cut and wrenched open. The exposing ceiling of the docking bay of that space station looked pristine and shiny. A black sphere came flying into the fighter new entrance and floated there, red light projected out of it. It scanned me and I was suddenly in mid-air and out of my fighter. Near the nose of the craft an armored figure was there, the being distinctively female. She had blue short blue and golden eyes and built like those amazons depicted in ancient Terran history that the doctor forced me to study when I was a kid. She pointed a gun at me and fired, a blue beam of energy hit me and darkness engulfed me.


    ***


    I was brutally woken up by an acrid smell and opened my eyes and seeing someone crouching before me and having a sort of bottle under my nose. The being, the same one which put me in this state smiled at me, her golden gaze sizing me up as if I am a mystery she must resolve. Before I did anything she was against the table on the far wall six meter from me. That scared me shitless; I didn¡¯t even see her move. I kept my heart steady to find a semblance of calm. That female Amazon was playing with her com tablet, not concerning herself with me. I took the trouble to stand up. The Amazon looked at me from her com tablet. She was playing games with me, I can feel it. Assessing the place I am located in by looking around, a big room with grey walls, and white furniture, mainly chairs and a table. On the left wall compared to my position a door could be seen, a control panel glowed that must open it is located on the right of it. I was surprised to not be restrained and to still be in my flight suit.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked defiantly.


    ¡°You have penetrated private property of Vice Industries, you¡¯ll be detained until the owner dispatch a craft to come retrieve you and ensure that you are tried for your trespass.¡± She read calmly from her pad.


    Yes, she was reading this, her voice had an accent in it that I couldn¡¯t place.


    ¡°Ah! You are not a centurion! Or you would know all the procedures. Seriously, who are you?¡±


    She was already on me when I finished my sentence and had her hand around my neck and lifting me from the ground. The gauntlet of her blue armor chimed and she let me fall to the ground. The Amazon spoke in a language I have no knowledge of and turned her back to me. Someone must have contacted her. Thinking that I can take her when she has her back turned to me, I was about to launch myself at her, only to find the muzzle of a high-velocity pistol in my face. The translucent LED on it and the design showed me that it is a Casul R-XV that use electromagnetic accelerators with selective modes and targeting computer assist. In my fear, I could feel jealousy welling up in me. This woman was superbly equipped with the best tech while I had to scrounge with outdated gears from the Human Federation. I frowned, the woman turned herself toward me and pointed her gauntlet at me. A source of light could be seen from one aperture of the gauntlet and from head to boots covered me. Was it some kind of scanner?


    ¡°Enhanced human? Y¡¯er one of this super soldier, right?¡±


    ¡°Corporal Ell Evan, Serial Number18789B-58.¡± Is all I answered her.


    ¡°Oh, yes. You had that resisting interrogation training shit you humans do. There is a sure way to circumvent this, we have a psionic onboard that will rip inside yer head or the technological way which consist in the use of a pain inducer that the V. I. pioneered.¡± She was listing possibly destructive option to my mind and body as if it was a matter of course, and that damn accent of her grated on my nerves.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    She approached me, her armor clanging on the metallic ground. Her shiny high-tech armor made her look even more formidable from so close. The Amazon stared hard at me and put a heavy hand on my right shoulder. My flight suit crinkled a bit.


    ¡°Or I could buy you your freedom, deactivate the fuckin¡¯ explosive in your noggin that makes you subservient to your owners and help me catch the cloaked ship yer fighter came from.¡±


    My mind raced, hope and wariness played a tug of war inside me. She must be lying, something¡­ there is a catch. The Amazon must have read my expression because she added. ¡°No catch.¡±


    I thought about the loyalty, time and training I owed the Private Military Contractor Ares. I thought of all the hardship, the freedom they dangled and all the lies and violence I have been subjected to. The good times I had were few, and I have always been alone because of my capabilities.


    *Fuck them.*


    It was time to show what I am truly made of, my eyes found those of the tall female with all the decisiveness and sincerity I can muster.


    ¡°Ok, but I want in the action too. I want to kill all those fuckers, they don¡¯t deserve any mercy.¡± My decision was final.


    The Amazon smiled, and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to go under for a bit.¡± And struck me lightly behind the head, and familiar darkness embraced me once again, fuck my life.


    ***


    Fenicia


    Idunn was working on the super soldier and defused the bomb that the scan found in her skull. Enough explosive to reduce her head into bloody mist. Those guys from the super soldier farms aren¡¯t playing around, I know I am taking a leap of faith that this Ell girl can help me. But Idunn read her thought when I proposed her to be free. She would have chimed in with my com gauntlet if she was misleading me.


    At the same time, Idunn was scanning her mind for info on the opposition. That is serious multi-tasking she¡¯s doing. No wonder she was given that station to do her own work by the Tyrant. That¡¯s what we call the woman who is the face of Vice Industries, who in one fell swoop and lengthy preparation kicked the human federated worlds asses with force and technologies tightly guarded. I am scared, but I will not show it, resolving the present situation is more important. I watched Idunn work with the quantum field generator and inject something in the skull of the girl. Normally I am not squeamish but¡­ I hope she didn¡¯t do that to me.


    I was sitting on the sofa in the viewing room which is separated by a combination of transparent aluminum and a force field, real alternative to an antiquated blast door. The door whooshed and an android came bringing me a drink. A drink that Idunn said is important for my new constitution which I drank promptly. It tasted like a tropical fruit from the Thelian colony in the Tersian system, sweet and fresh with a delicious bit aftertaste of sourness.


    Staying like this, worrying about that super soldier wasn¡¯t the usual thing for me. I know that I have always been a selfish bitch, but what happened to me since I¡¯ve been born seems to be taken into question. What led me to be banished from Sarya, My mercenary and assassination works, and the way I am used to keeping people at arm¡¯s length because of all this.


    I giggled with derision because I found all this too much. My problems are piling up, Idunn, my memories, the threat of the station being board and the changes made to me.


    ¡°I want a fucking break.¡±


    My mind shifted on the problem of the ship and the mercenary waiting to pounce on us. They must already know that I took out their scout and will either back off or attack. But victory will come by exploiting their weaknesses.


    ¡°Daneel.¡±


    Ding.


    Yes Lady Fenicia?


    ¡°I want you to arm and activate the horizon canon and fire on the hostile ship when it comes in range of the stealth weapon platform. Either they get destroyed or damaged; then recharge the canon at 30% power, just in case the ship¡¯s class and structure become visible to our sensors. You should take out their hyperdrive.¡±


    The Horizon canon is one of the external defenses of this facility, it is powerful and I almost didn¡¯t see that it was there in the schematics list of the station. A particle beam cannon with extreme reach and hitting power, but the big weakness of it, is the time it takes to charge it.


    If the Vice Industries has this kind of weapon at hand, I understand why they took over the Sol system. Ok, I have perimeter mines. Explosive, EMP and the Fusion ones. The fusion mines could take out the ship but they gain a signature once activated. The EMP ones don¡¯t have a lot of range either and the explosive can be taken out easily. A smile formed on my face. Sometimes simple is the best, overly complicated strategies and tactic can be overturned if the opponent has sufficient imagination and is focused on the future. With all of them on that ship, they may think that they have us trapped, but I will make them realize that it is them who are trapped in this system with us.


    I hear and obey, Lady Fenicia. Charging the horizon canon.


    Calculating.


    Possible counters for evasive maneuvers taken into account.


    There is a 15% chance to destroy the enemy ship with the first salvo.


    67% chance to destroy hyperdrive of the enemy ship with a 30% charge of the H. C.


    Awaiting movements of the enemy ship.


    I laughed.


    ¡°Excellent Daneel!¡±


    The com on my gauntlet chimed and Idunn voice is heard.


    ¡°I am done. The explosive has been made inert and consumed by the nanites I injected in that young Terran body. And I have information on the number of troops and weapons they can bring to bear against us.¡±


    I watched Idunn through the transparent blast shield; she looked unconcerned and kind of laid back. But I could see the nervousness in her demeanor, she¡¯s not the cool dashi*(a sort of cookie from Sarya) she shows herself to be. Idunn is more the kind of being to plan and have multiple redundancies for carefully weighed predicted situations.


    ¡°Excellent, can you wake miss Evan? We will need her, arm her with an Omni-rifle and an armor. And I want you to be on board the secreted shuttlecraft, you are too important to be a casualty.¡± I said.


    Idunn looked at me in the observer room, judging. I don¡¯t really understand the way she is looking at me right now. But I can feel that she is worried and afraid.


    ¡°Fenicia, I lived the worst time of my life when I couldn¡¯t find you on Sarya.¡± She turned fully toward me.


    ¡°The life that you had hardened you and made you what you are today and I understand your reluctance to believe me and to call me what I wish you would call me.¡±


    Idunn looked sad and terribly alone suddenly.


    ¡°I understand that I cannot expect to just come here and say ¡®Hi, I am your mom. Love me please.¡¯ I have no right, but I will prove to you that everything is true when that situation is resolved. But there is something that you cannot ask me to do and I refuse to cower in a safe place while you take all the risks!¡± Her gaze burned through me and I felt¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe hopeful that she is telling the truth.


    It made me smile. I stood up and went out of the room to be in the lab, thinking of ways that I can use for Idunn to be safe and help us at the same time.


    ***


    Colonel David O¡¯lleary


    ¡°Where did she go? Where did she fucking go?!¡± I yelled to my XO.


    The fighter with Corporal Evan suddenly disappeared in its scouting mission. Up-Link to the stealth fighter is cut off. It suddenly worried me to no end, nothing can disappear like this. I sat heavily in my command chair, my uniform felt tight against my body.


    ¡°Commander, the fighter was disabled and brought into the station!¡± The Executive officer to his right said.


    ¡°What? How?!¡± I screamed.


    My hands went to my bald head in dismay, it doesn¡¯t bode well. Because if they can detect a stealth fighter, it means they know that we are here too.


    ¡°Spikes of an EMP surge were detected before we lost contact with the Corporal¡¯s fighter, sir.¡± The radar operator reported.


    It wasn¡¯t lost on me that we might have a FUBAR*(Fucked up beyond all recognition) in our hands, but the loss of the excellent and bothersome personnel made me see red. I pushed the buttons for communication on the keyboard of my command chair and announced.


    ¡°This is Colonel O¡¯lleary. All assault SS put on your armor and weapons we are going to board that space station and when you are done donning your equipment we are going to make an in-system warp .¡±


    Red alert sounded on the bridge and throughout the ship, bulkheads sealed and gears buttoned up. The non-combatant personnel went into secured areas in the center of the ship.


    ¡°Everything is ready for the assault on the station, sir.¡± The ensign charged of communication reported.


    ¡°Excellent, release weapon we are going in hot! Warp!¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Make it so, gentlemen.¡± The XO added for kicks and giggles.


    I smiled at that and we suddenly jumped to 60 thousand kilometers of the space station. The in-system warp jump are always instantaneous. I was about to order the weapon specialist to open salvo on an unimportant unit of the space station when a shock rumbled my ship.


    WHOMP.


    The bridge went dark red under the alarm screaming in our ears, the bridge officers panicked but the XO called calm.


    ¡°Damage control!¡± The Executive Officer screamed.


    Seconds passed and the engineer on console reported.


    ¡°Sir, aft of the ship is simply gone.¡± He said pale. ¡°The hyperdrive chamber is gone, EPS flow is damaged but the ship is still under power.¡±


    They suckered us! Oh by the stars they were waiting for us and I dove in like a green ensign into a space fight. My hands covered my face with a double facepalm. It¡¯s embarrassing! Shameful! I¡¯ve been in countless space fight and I get suckered because of my own hubris! I took my hands off my face and watched the people around me, they knew and didn¡¯t judge, I think.


    ¡°Sir! The station is hailing us!¡± The com officer yelled at me.


    ¡°Put in on screen,¡± I said sighing.


    A beautiful woman appeared on screen, the target we are here to kill. An Assurian female who didn¡¯t look dangerous, but fetching. But the hardness in her golden eyes told me otherwise and my instinct screamed at me.


    ¡°Greetings, mercenaries. My name is Idunn, chief researcher on this station belonging to Vice Industries. You have entered a restricted system and your actions were judged inimical. We have disabled your FTL drive, you are going to stand down and lay down your weapons and you will be placed in the brig and await VI patrol to take custody of you.¡± She said with a sexy accent.


    It was too bad that a woman of that caliber was going to be killed by us, maybe I can have a little fun before placing a velocity slug between her eyes. What she said made laugh.


    ¡°Woman you may have us by surprise but we aren¡¯t dead, we don¡¯t plan to surrender. I say, that you should stand down and lay down your weapons and prepare to be boarded!¡± I screamed.


    She laughed and then snickered adorably for some time. It made me red in the face, how dare she mock me?


    ¡°You poor excuse of a man. I will kill you, you don¡¯t even realize that you have nothing left. I took control of that tin can you call a ship.¡± She looked at me with pity while saying so.


    I was left dumbfounded, that was impossible.


    ¡°Impossible! You are bluffing.¡± I said with certainty.


    The woman smiled and said triumphing ¡°One, seven, three, four, six, seven, three, two, one, four, seven, six, Charlie, three, two, seven, eight, nine, seven, seven, seven, six, four, three, Tango, seven, three, two, Victor, seven, three, one, one, seven, eight, eight, eight, seven, three, two, four, seven, six, seven, eight, nine, seven, six, four, three, seven, six. Lock.¡±


    ¡°Does it sound like a bluff to you?¡± She said smugly.

 Chapter 6: You Shall Not Pass

    Knowledge is all about understanding, wisdom is making use of it, and technology is making use of that wisdom in order to achieve definite results. And once we have the technology ready, we can apply it to everything in order to control it.


    (ProfessorZhaernon En''Kalhurn-University of Delta Draconis year 452)


    Colonel David O¡¯lleary


    <u>PX2458 uncharted star system, Year 456 of the Unified Alliance.</u>


    I was floored. Those are the command codes of the ship! How did she get them? The unnerving smile of the woman irked me. The light on the bridge went out and we were plunged into the darkness for a time, the screen and com didn¡¯t and we still could see the woman.


    ¡°Sir! The ship is moving toward the station.¡± The pilot at the helm squealed.


    I could see that none of the light on the control consoles for the weapon, engineering, astrogation are available. At least we have Life Support. That thought drove home how serious the situation is physically on me, I couldn¡¯t breathe and think. Until pure rage took over. How dare she?! I am Colonel David O¡¯lleary of the PMC Ares! I have more accolades and successes than all those floozies in HQ combined that are flying desk instead of ships! My eyes found those of my XO who nodded to me, his uniform was black and flawless with shiny medals and the Ares insignia that looks like swords in the letter ¡®A¡¯ form. The guy never gave up on me; God knows he has reasons to.


    ¡°Prepare to board the station! Super Soldiers get ready!¡± I said when I push the buttons on my chair to give orders.


    We can turn this situation around! I am sure of it, we will take this station, take care of that woman ¨C Maybe have a little fun- and blow up that station to erase that we were ever here. On the horseshoe formed bridge, the officers are trying to take back control of the ship, some even tried to open up their consoles or shut off the AI controls. But I feel that this ship has sailed. The situation is so dire that I cannot laugh at my own jokes¡­ Strangely the camera and communication on the ship were not disabled and I could watch the platoon of super soldiers prepare and roam the grey colored corridors of the ship. The engineers couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t work on the fusion reactor feeding energy to the Electro-Plasma System. The Medical wing went into overdrive and prepared beds and supply en masse for future patients.


    Everyone is doing his job but I could feel a silent undertone of fear while they are doing so. I felt the same, fear that I attacked more than I could handle and that I am sending my troops to their death. I¡¯m certain that is what I am doing. We should have retreated when the fighter of Corporal Evan disappeared in that station. Putting my arm on the chair¡¯s armrest I think of a way to recoup my loss, but the sight of us docking with the station put everything on hold.


    ***


    Fenicia


    Everything is ready, my armored right hand roamed on the body armor I¡¯ve donned. Black with a blue undertone, it is a good one that gift it¡¯s wearer with augmented reflexes and strength ¨C as if I needed it with my nanites augments- but every little bit would be needed for what I am about to do. My Peace pistol is strapped to my right thigh, my Freedom recoilless rifle on my back, my EPP*(Energy Pacifier Pistol) and the grenades in my toolkit should get me through this situation. While I am checking weapons, the systems of the armor synchronized with my AI bio-implant. I could see the systems powering up on my HUD (Head Up Display), the armor linked with the targeting computers on my pistols and rifle. It showed me the ammo and energy charge for each, the number of targets it could acquire. And the real kicker is how the whole armor could link with my nanites augmentations.


    <u>Quantum Uplink (AKA Q-Uplink)</u>


    <u>Interrogation enhancer</u>


    <u>Security domination</u>


    <u>Stealth</u>


    <u>Integrated Fabricator (available only with armor)</u>


    <u>LiDAR</u>


    <u>Smart Vision</u>


    <u>Pathfinder system</u>


    <u>Medical Health System</u>


    And there are locked augmentations that I must discover later, it is clearly said on my HUD that I don¡¯t have the authorization or the rank to have the full-unlimited package.


    *The fuck?* It surprised me and at the same time didn¡¯t. There is no free meal in this galaxy and the fact that there secrets in my own body that I can¡¯t unveil unnerved me.


    Sigh.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°No big deal, I will resolve everything when I don¡¯t have mercenary on my heels,¡± I told myself.


    I am in the docking bay of the station, awaiting the ship to get in. If they surrender it might be a problem though, we don¡¯t have the personnel to keep all the crew of the Warsong in the brig! A wicked smile appeared on my face.


    ¡°Hmm, I like how that ship is named and how she looks like a bird of prey. I¡¯m going to take it from those humans, but something tells me that it will need a visit to a shipyard when I have ¡°peaceful negotiations¡± with the Commander of this ship.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± I hear say in my Q-Uplink.


    The Q-Uplink permits me to communicate silently with station defense; Ell Evan and Idunn are holed there. We are in constant communication, so I hear everything they say and the same is true for them.


    ¡°Colonel O¡¯lleary is never going to surrender, I know that old fool. That¡¯s why I am here manning the weapons of the docking bay to snipe at those Super Soldiers that are going to surge from this ship.¡±


    While Ell said all this I took my time to analyze the docking bay. I am floating in zero-G, near the gun ports and turrets of the docking bay. Shiny silvery wonders that spew energy and metallic projectiles at high velocity; there waiting to shred human bodies.


    ¡°How beautiful,¡± I said.


    The Docking Bay is 2 kilometers long, 900 meters large, 1, 5 km in height. The whole station is dozens of kilometers long and can house thousands of beings, but is inhabited by only androids, robots and Idunn who love to be left alone and not bothered by stupid people and research in peace. But I think that if we survive this ordeal her friend won¡¯t let her in an empty station alone anymore. It made me laugh a little.


    ¡°This is not funny, Fenicia! I hate to be disturbed¡­¡± Idunn answered to my thoughts.


    It seems she is still monitoring me and that she won¡¯t ever stop doing it. Sighing I return to my musing. The turrets in the docking bay are going to be all around the ship in a 360¡ã bubble and take care of any soldiers attempting to show their head. I will go inside if everything goes according to plan, and wreck them and make it impossible for them to surrender while I reduce their numbers. If they know that we are only 4 on this station they might get bolder and make us wish we destroyed them in space.


    Finally seeing the ship advancing in the zero-G environment of the docking bay; I free my Peace pistol from the holster on my thigh. My HUD shows me the vectors of acceleration and deceleration of the ship, the arresting fields projected by the bulkheads at the mouth of the docking bay slow and stop it. Esthetically it¡¯s a good ship but the missile launchers in front and the laser beam banks mounted in the wings showed me how outgunned they really were.


    ¡°Ah, I think that all the advanced technology on this space station spoiled me¡­¡± I said in the Q-Uplink.


    ¡°You and me, mate.¡± Answered Ell Evan.


    Ell could understand the Saryan language thanks to translator embed in the communication system. All of this because she said that I have a horrible Irish accent when I speak Anglo; the Terran language that the human uses to communicate.


    ¡°Well, sue me. I was picked up by Irish spacers when I was banished. I worked with them till I was twenty.¡± I told her when she made her observation.


    ¡°No wonder you look so crazy! Those people are crazy!¡± She screamed


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it, it was a good time.¡± I laughed.


    The ship stopped, the docking bay door engaged and closed. Idunn¡¯s voice could be heard in the speaker system.


    ¡°You will disarm and wait to be boarded by the security personnel; failure to respect this order will be subject to ruthless and swift termination.¡±


    ¡°Hu hu.¡± A snicker escaped me.


    Idunn is being very verbose and decisive, but the warning was fast wasted on the mercenaries. Armed soldiers spilled out of the ship main airlock, making a bee-line for the airlocks of the docking bay. I could see that some of them transported boxes and supplies; I am sure that those are breaching gear and heavy weapons.


    ¡°Light them up, Ell,¡± I ordered.


    There was no delay when the shots of red coherent light reached the soldiers, making some of them cook, piercing their armor some of the lasers targeted the helmets and torsos. The soldiers that still didn¡¯t jump in the zero-G environment of the docking bay took cover, a hail of railgun turrets replaced the laser turrets while they were cycling and recharging.


    The firing algorithms of those weapons were amazing to be able to pick up this much targets and strike with precision, but the skills of the shooter controlling them cannot be discounted. And the fact that Ell Evan didn¡¯t even hesitate to open fire on her previous comrades didn¡¯t escape me, there must be a story behind this but I didn¡¯t have time to ponder or ask her about it. Launching myself toward the ship, I acquire targets of opportunity; some of those soldiers kept poking their head out of the door. I fired my pistol and the high-velocity round strike true and embed itself into the protected throat of an unfortunate super soldier, then I activate the automatic mode of my pistol which results in it spewing multiple high-velocity ferromagnetic slugs.


    Staying stationary while advancing toward the ship is a bad idea, I then use my telekinesis to create scaffolds in the air to help me navigate in zero-G. Zigzagging and avoiding return fire I take an LS-grenade and throw it in the entrance of the airlock. Seconds later intense light and sound could be heard, return fire completely ceased. LS-grenades are illegal on a majority of worlds of the united alliance, but Vice Industries is not a signatory of that unfair law and regulation. Those weapons were normally intended to be non-lethal, but like everything, their use was corrupted. You seethose hit by the grenades also suffer from temporary blindness lasting about an hour after regaining consciousness. Some weapon smith found a way to make the side effect permanent; LS-grenades are considered lethal and dirty weapons. And I really loves them, of course, my helmet protect me from those effects.


    I finally find myself in the mouth of the airlock; unconscious super soldiers are on the ground, unaware that I am among them. I aim my weapon to the closest, put in mode tri-burst and pull the trigger. The helmet glasses cracked and blood escaped from it, flowing from it on the metallic ground. Not stopping there I kill all the unconscious soldiers. Sensing someone behind me, I unsheathe my Pacifier and fire it without having to turn myself toward my unseen foe. Energy discharges from the pistol and strikes the enemy, stunning him. The first hit always makes someone unconscious. I fire it a second time and I am sure that it will kill him, stopping his heart and brain. The BOOM grenade missed this one.


    Two augmentations that I received with the centurion nanites pack of Vice Industries came online. The hacking and security domination mods. Those two go hands in hands, the hacking mod permit me to access information and disable security systems and the security domination mod can do the same as the hacking one in disabling the security but it is enhanced in the fact that I could commandeer them. Codes and firewalls simply didn¡¯t exist to me and I obtained a layout of the whole ship by connecting myself to the local network. Now that I have a map, exterminating the crew is not going to be difficult.


    I have no qualm in doing that kind of thing, after all, they all were prepared to do the same with us. Smiling to myself, it¡¯s the first time that I am in a situation where teamwork is beneficial.


    ¡°Ell, Idunn. I let the soldiers trying to escape in your capable hands.¡± I say in my Q-Uplink.


    ¡°Leave everything to us! None of those motherfuckers shall pass.¡± Ell answered.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said it more eloquently young girl.¡± Said Idunn, her voice full of mirth.


    ¡°Kranicar, out.¡±


    Now let¡¯s hunt!


    I advanced toward the crew quarters.

 Chapter 7: Unavoidable

    Colonel David O¡¯lleary


    <u>Assault ship Warsong, onboard the Hidden Garden space station, Year 456</u>


    Thwarted, again.


    BANG.


    My fist hit the leathered brown armrest of my command chair, and everyone looked at me. Saving face doesn¡¯t mean shit anymore if we get killed! Half of my forces have been decimated by automated defenses; I don¡¯t understand why that woman didn¡¯t destroy the ship. Why? Is there something she wants from us?


    The communication officer interrupts my train of thought.


    ¡°Sir, we lost contact with one of the safe rooms.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± My hand glided to the communication switch on my armrest chair and I push the button to have access to the screen attached to the chair. The cameras of the different safe rooms for the support crew are dividing the screen into four parts. There is a safe room that has gone dark, the one where the medical crew was. The darkness finally ebb and what I see horrify me! Blood and body parts everywhere in the room.


    ¡°Mother of God.¡± I closed my eyes, my hands trembling.


    ¡°There are intruders on the ship!!¡± I finally manage to yell.


    Everyone freeze and look at me, surprise and dread on their faces. I don¡¯t blame them; this whole operation is a clusterfuck.


    I always thought of myself as a winner, growing up on a farm world of the Columbus treaty worlds? I knew that my fate wasn¡¯t making radish grow and harvest them. My dream was of having adventures, nail some space babes and do everything I want. Of course, I grew out of this funk when I got a price on my head after bedding the wife of some important crime lord. Fleeing for my life I secured my safety by being under the umbrella of the meanest and dangerous mercenary outfit in human space. I advanced far in the ranks and even obtained a seat in the major shareholders of Ares. And now everything I built might get snuffed by taking a rotten contract.


    ¡°Find them!¡± I ordered. ¡°We are not dying today.¡±


    ¡°I found one of the intruders!¡± Screamed the tactical officer. ¡°Putting him on screen.¡±


    An holo-screen appeared on the bridge wall, a black armored figure walked without a care in the corridor between the mess and the crew quarter. The armored figure was leaving blood splatters and red footprints while moving. As if that butcher felt our eyes on him he turned and watched the camera without moving. The picture wavered a bit. Words in the com system resonated.


    ¡°T¨¢ t¨² marbh cheana f¨¦in*(Irish)¡± A cold and feminine voice said. And we lost the camera, a blank screen staring at us.


    Well shit, I think I just pissed myself. I don¡¯t understand what was said or know which language was this but it was cold and clearly something bad. When I turned to my XO to ask his input I saw him pale and shocked. Maybe he knows what the clearly feminine voice has said.


    ¡°Commander.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dan?¡± I asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    ¡°She said we are already dead.¡±


    And this is where everything turned to shit, we lost the people in the crew quarter. The cameras might be deactivated but not the sound. Screams and people trying to flee or fight could be heard in safe room number two then silence. Until we heard the sound of someone walking with metallic boots on the com.


    My Com officer abandoned his post and armed himself. I don¡¯t begrudge him his action, there is no rule against fraternization in a mercenary outfit. It¡¯s even encouraged. This officer has a sweetheart he got engaged with; I think she is one of the cook¡¯s assistant. He will die too, but I felt numb to it. Some others abandoned their chair and did the same.


    ***


    Fenicia


    I really kicked the hornet nest.


    After killing my way in each of their hidey holes, those people have become even more aggressive. They should be, I don¡¯t plan to leave anyone alive. Should I feel bad for doing what is necessary? Leaving no quarter, no room for negotiations?


    *Nah.*


    I don¡¯t traffic with people trying to sneak on me and kill me. This is what was awaiting us, Idunn and me.


    I am in stealth mode and hide because the opposition suddenly got smarter, they are creating choke points to each of the dens with the crew. They used furniture, boxes, anything to create barricades and covers, have they lost control of the doors and seal of the ship¡¯s corridor. That security domination augment is really handy. Permitting me to find them wherever they are on the ship.


    Accessing the HUD in my helmet, I look at the plan of the ship¡¯s interior. Divided into five decks, the War Song is a light warship, we have the Command Deck nestled between the crew quarter and engineering. The command deck of the War Song is comprised of the ship¡¯s bridge, Combat Information Center (CIC), the Lab, Armory, briefing/Communications Room and Main Airlock. My eyes followed the plan; I am in the crew quarters and already culled three of the safe rooms where the crew holed themselves.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Looking at the barricades with my LiDAR mods, I tracked the super soldiers. The icons showed me where they were, sometimes I could even see their forms behind the obstacles. Nice gadget!


    My goal was to take out engineering and dispose of the crew responsible there to secure the Ion drive core, the fusion reactors and main systems of the ship that the override code that Idunn unearthed when she hacked the AI of this ship can¡¯t take out. But those soldiers are in the way.


    Life support is a perfect example. If I could, I would have vented the atmosphere of the ship and in the space station docking bay. I regret that their elimination couldn¡¯t be any faster. While camouflaged with the stealth augment, I advanced; noise suppressors making my presence unknown. Taking ones of the electro-grenade, calculate the better angle to throw it above the barricade and in the middle of the soldiers. I throw the deadly projectile and wait.


    There was no bang or boom, it was a grenade made to incapacitate them. The problem with the armors of nowadays is that they are resistant to explosive and concussive payloads and those are only useful against citizens in urban or forest terrains. The grenade delivers an electric surge that fries the armors system and knocks out your targets. And I fucking want that ship intact for my use.


    I jump above the barricade gun at the ready, I see six unconscious bodies on the ground. Not losing time I fire in their helmets while still in the air, thanks to my enhanced reflexes and reaction time it is child¡¯s play. But I was careless, and before my feet touched the ground I felt a pain to the side of my head, my HUD fritzed and went out.


    ***


    Daniel Fitzpatrick XO of the Warsong


    ¡°Did we get her?¡± I whispered to the super soldier captain.


    I lowered my rifle and watched my handy work. Two years since I didn¡¯t see any action and our very lives are at stakes here for a mission we thought was going to be easy. I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I¡¯m not in my A game, I feel rusty and shouldn¡¯t have neglected to continue to hone my shooting skills. Complacency!


    ¡°She¡¯s not moving, but that¡¯s a centurion from Vice Industries. We might just have knocked her out. Let¡¯s finish her.¡± The Super Soldier captain said briskly.


    He left the alcove in the corridor where we hid; with prudence, he slowly advanced toward that monster. Vice Industries is known for relying on merciless soldiers with abilities making super soldiers looks like babies. They relentlessly follow orders to their letter and often never left survivors, those fuckers are hard to kill too.


    The captain arrived near the body of the centurion and with a careful movement of his right foot touched her arm with the pistol still in her hand. He kneeled and took her pistol from her. When it was secured in his hand the weapon gave him an electrical shock, how do I know. I saw the arc of electricity surge when he pawed it.


    *DNA locked gear. Expensive shit.* I told myself.


    The captain threw the gun, I advanced carefully toward him and the downed centurion.


    ¡°Take her helmet off.¡± I ordered.


    The captain was about to touch the helmet but the hand of the centurion caught his, and I swear I heard bones breaking when she did. I don¡¯t know what happened after that but the captain was down and the centurion was standing. Her impressive physique dwarfed me. Taking my rifle I attempted to fire but was stopped by some sort of invisible force. I couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Fuck, damn it! She¡¯s psionic!!¡± I screamed. Only my mouth could move.


    The centurion put her hand against her helmet and took it off. And just now I saw a beauty facing me, she has a short blue bob of hair with a slash of white strand in them. But the insanity and fury in her golden eyes eclipsed my natural instinct to appreciate female beauty.


    *Wait, blue hair?*


    ¡°Fuck, you are Saryan.¡±


    ***


    Fenicia


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± I answered while squinting my eyes.


    I made my peace pistol float toward me and the reassuring weight of the weapon settled in my hand, having no helmet I couldn¡¯t check the energy charge and the munitions. A backup HUD activated using my optical nerves when I thought that. Ah, handy! It seems that the nanites can do things like that in case I am not synchronized with a part of my armor.


    About to fire my pistol on the man, he surprised me with what he said.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill me.¡± The man whined.


    I saw him tense when I looked at him, he dared to beg for his life? On Sarya, it would have been unthinkable for this to happen. Honor as a warrior is important. Dying on your feet and accept the inevitable or struggle until you are knocked out or killed is the only result which is desired. This man disgusts me.


    ¡°That''s Why I hate mercenaries, you come in force and try to sneak up on us to murder us. And you fuckin¡¯ expect¡¯ that I am going to let ye walk away?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s business, it ain¡¯t personal...¡± The man tried to defend.


    My mood flared.


    It wasn¡¯t personal¡­? ¡°IT WASN¡¯T PERSONAL?! You Boshtalk (a type of smelly slug), we are beyond personal now!¡± I screamed.


    My fist sank in his face and I sent him flying, ah I guess my concentration on keeping him unmoving with my telekinesis broke. That Boggin(Irish slang for filthy, repugnant) puss bucket angered me. And that¡¯s weird; normally this kind of slime can¡¯t raise emotion within me normally. I think that the ordeal which brought me here took its toll on me. My feeling felt raw, just under the surface. One look and the body of the man was levitating and coming to me. When the floating man reached me, I looked at him.


    ¡°Fine, you will live,¡± I said.


    The man¡¯s body lost tension as if he was a puppet and every one of his strings were cut and he sighed.


    ¡°But you will wish that I¡¯ve killed you.¡± And I fired my non-lethal pacifier on him only once. The blue lance of energy speared him and he went slack. Then I went out of my way to break his legs while I was at it, in the eventuality that he is resistant to the energy of the stun shot.


    ¡°Time to introduce myself to the engineers.¡± Turning toward the Engineering deck, I walked.


    ***


    Colonel David O¡¯lleary


    This monster is one sexy bitch, I mean look at that female. She looks like an Amazon, walk like a predator but she was merciless. I watched her advance, not caring one bit that she is monitored. When I saw my XO¡¯s lining for a shot, I thought everything would be alright; after all, Dan is a good shot. But it wasn¡¯t to be. Somehow that female centurion escaped a blow to the head. Result of the fight: the captain of my super soldier is dead, Dan was rendered useless. My heart went to him when I saw that centurion gal crush his legs. My XO lay broken like a doll on the ground of corridor.


    I decided to be the last line of defense between the centurion and the engineers of the ship, those guys will be able to undo whatever that bitch on the com did. The HUD before my eyes glowed with information on the energy charge of my battle mech. The integrity of the mech-armor is at 100%, unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any weapon that I can use on the ship with it, and I don¡¯t want to put holes in it.


    This is a customized mech, maybe I can go toe to toe with that slut.

 Chapter 8: The fight of your life

    "Battles, wars, in-fighting, and conflict in general, regardless of their form and manner, has been an omnipresent reality of life since times immemorial.


    Even the simplest of life forms engage in conflicts, and even the most complex ones get drawn into them.


    It''s the source of destruction, and that of disturbance, forcing those of still minds to rethink their ways, and those of open minds to still some of their ways.


    Any such disturbance is a great opportunity for improvement in all areas of life, and yet it is most often an even greater setback.


    To take that opportunity, or to accept said setback, is a choice."


    (Professor Zhaernon En''Kalhurn-University of Delta Draconis year 452)


    Fenicia


    <u>Aboard the Warsong, Engineering deck</u>


    Nice digs if you like glowing consoles, machineries and really dark places. I know it¡¯s not like this normally, I¡¯ve been to engineering decks on freighters and everything is illuminated for safety reasons. I couldn¡¯t see the engineers; my LiDAR wasn¡¯t active with the limited HUD my nanites gave me access to. I really missed my helmet, but it did its job by protecting my head. I wish I had infrared or a night vision mod to see in the dark, I bet its part of the hidden non-available mods in the omega centurion package. All that technology made me dependant I think, or else I would have used my senses to feel the obvious threat which struck me in the side with the force of a maglev. Pain engulfed my left arm and the base of my shoulder. That¡¯s when the Medical health system mod of the centurion Omega pack activated, it cut my pain receptors and flooded the fractured bones of my left arm with medical nanites and immobilized it in barely one second.


    I used the momentum of the hit to roll on the steel-plated ground and right myself in a standup position pistol in hand.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you quick on your feet, bitch,¡± Hissed a mechanical voice.


    The voice sounded electronic.


    ¡°Come to face me, pussy,¡± I answered.


    I have no desire to fight a foe in the dark, so I did the only smart thing since entering a dark place with a prepared enemy in it. I called mom.


    ¡°Idunn, could you put on the light in the engineering deck.¡± I subvocalized on the Q-uplink.


    ¡°Of course my dear, hold on for thirty seconds. Oh and this man called you a slut, destroy him.¡±


    ¡°What? And how do you know that?!¡± And I stopped, thinking. Oh, right. ¡°Psionic, I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Fenicia dear. You are one too, I remind you.¡± And she cut the communication on that reminder. If that wasn¡¯t a hint¡­ I don¡¯t know what it could be.


    I sent my awareness outside of my body and felt everything around me, platforms, consoles, huge pieces of machinery, EPS conduits, huge humanoid metallic form¡­ Ah!


    ¡°Found ye, Tramp head*(Irish phrase, about someone who feels the urge to be a complete Arse Weed in their everyday life...)!¡± I yelled in its direction.


    ¡°Ha ha! And what can you do about it, slut?¡±I sensed a bit of smugness in that sentence.


    ¡°I have an idea of how to open that feckin¡¯ armor ye got like a can of spinach. Then I¡¯m going to take possession of this ship as my personal cruise. It needs a major overhaul, ye know. Too much blood covering the corridors and walls, plus the furniture suck.¡±


    ¡°You bitch! That ship is mine!¡± A huge shadow charged toward me.


    I strapped my Peace pistol in its holster and took out my Pacifier while jumping to the side and hitting a wall. Fucking light needs to be on already. The Pac energy pistol can be used to stun and kill but its main use is also to fight warbots or people in mech armors. I fired my weapon and a coherent ray of energy struck the relative position of the armored man.


    ¡°What was that? It didn¡¯t even scratch my mech!¡±


    ¡°Ye speak too much.¡± I closed my eyes and decided to rely on my Saryan training. I forgot in my panic that I have already been in a situation like this. There was a gigantic labyrinth of tunnels in a cave system bordering my hometown on Saryna where the youngs must be tested to cull their fears. This test shows what your place will be in the Saryan clan, either a warrior or a helper (servant).


    *Master your will, master your demons and see!*


    And I saw the punch coming toward me, I didn¡¯t panic and stepped in and fired my Pac again in the head of the mecha and disengaged. I hid behind one of the big machines with glowing light screens on it.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO?! I CAN¡¯T SEE!!!¡± The man screamed.


    ¡°You got the colonel good!¡± I heard Ell say on the Q-uplink.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the colonel,¡± I said not even really surprised.


    ¡°Yep totally him, he¡­ is a fucking rapist asshole. Be careful.¡± I heard the catch in Ell¡¯s voice. Oh, I hope for that asshole he didn¡¯t touch her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will finish him.¡± Walking toward the mech armor, I took out my monomolecular blade from behind my back.


    ¡°I was raised to be a warrior, colonel. Trained my entire life to master my senses. Where did ye train? ON A FARM?¡±


    ¡°Shut up you¡­!¡± I sliced the right arm of the mech while he was mid-sentence.


    I fired another shot of my Pac in one of the mech¡¯s leg and went over my limit with the strength augment given by my nanites and kicked it in the torso. I still took a glancing blow and got clocked to the side of the head. It fucking hurt! I felt blood dripping down on the right side of my face. I saw double for a while but stayed on my feet.


    ¡°That farm quips hit a nerve, ain¡¯t it farmboy? Are ye embarrassed by yer origins?¡± I said.


    The light went On, I could see the mecha trying to get on its feet but not succeeding.


    ¡°Finally! You took your time, Idunn!¡± I said in Saryan on the Q-uplink.


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s been thirty seconds since you asked me for help, dear.¡± I felt the smile in that argument; Idunn has a weird sense of humor.


    I guess time is longer when you fight for your life, seconds are minutes, and minutes are hours.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°We are coming, don¡¯t kill him yet Feni,¡± Ell said with urgency. And since when did she give me a nickname?


    ¡°No promises.¡± I advanced toward the still struggling mech.


    It is an old model but still seemed to have current upgrades. I could see this on the power packs on the back of the armor, they were downsized. It was big, black and cumbersome and looked more like a big medieval armor from the Terran medieval era. I felt insulted, this man came at me with a big armor, relying on sheer strength and had no weapon.


    ¡°You made three mistakes, colonel.¡± Stepping before the downed mecha I stabbed my blade in its torso and forcefully sliced it to its crotch.


    ¡°Number one, you didn¡¯t surrender when asked.¡±


    Using my will, I opened the mecha with my telekinesis, the creaks and screams from the metal of the armor were music to my ears and seconds after the armor parted and peeled off the man inside the machine. A bald man with a hateful glare and a mean demeanor peered at me. He wore a ship suit showing a body once upon a time athletic but that wasn¡¯t getting any sporting activity anymore. He looked flabby.


    ¡°Number two¡­¡± The man stood up, I let him.


    He charged me and attempted to punch me; I caught his fist and tightened my grip.


    ¡°Ow, ow!!¡± He screamed like a bitch when I tightened my hand on his fist.


    I let go of his fist and slapped his face, one time, a second time, a third time. It was fascinating to see the shockwave of my hand slapping his face with my accelerated awareness. ¡°You called me a slut.¡±


    The man stood on his feet at least, not falling down or swooning, I took my Pac and fired on him.


    ¡°The third mistake was getting into a fight with no weapon, damn amateur.¡± I watched the man fall on his back on the steel platform, stunned.


    It¡¯s almost done this fight. Maybe I won¡¯t have to kill everyone on this ship. I am sure there are people left on the bridge and the engineers must be hiding somewhere.


    ¡°We are onboard, Fenicia.¡± Said Idunn on the the Q-uplink.


    ¡°Join me on the engineering deck; I hope you brought something to take every memory of that creepy bastard. I hitch to kill him.¡±


    ¡°I have a free data cube when his memory is uploaded, you can do whatever you want to him.¡± She answered as if to sooth me.


    ¡°Music to my ears,¡± I said, waiting.


    ***


    Colonel David O¡¯lleary


    ¡°Wakey, wakey.¡± I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Ell, is that you?¡± Opening my eyes blearily, a face that I thought I would never see again appeared.


    ¡°Yes, Colonel. You look quite beat up.¡± She quipped, smiling mockingly at me.


    ¡°Of course he looks like shit, I bitch slapped his feckin¡¯ face into a coma.¡± That accent and that harsh voice¡­


    ¡°Wake up, farm boy. I am not done with you; I want you to tell me where you stashed those engineers.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± I looked in horror at Ell Evan. That bitch betrayed us! Betrayed me! No. I won¡¯t let it go like this, she must die!


    ¡°78-89-15-L-B!!!¡± I yelled rapidly.


    ¡°Oh, I think it was the code for the bomb inside your skull Ell, my dear.¡± Another female voice sounded in my vicinity.


    Ell suddenly punched me. I felt bones breaking¡­ the bitch broke my nose!


    ¡°I wanted to do that since a longtime, creep.¡± She said while cracking her knuckles with her other hand.


    ¡°What a dumb bastard, we should just space him. M-Idunn, did you get the location of where the rest of the crew is hidden?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a hidden room in the engineering deck, near the Ion drive. We don¡¯t have to kill those ones, Fenicia.¡±


    ¡°So that means, I can kill him?¡± She asked hopefully, I felt cold when I saw her golden eyes peering at me with a maniacal glee.


    ¡°Yes, my dear. But before that, let me get violent too for once.¡± The woman I spoke with on the bridge appeared in my field of vision. She looks like an Angel, it¡¯s unfortunate that a devil inhabits this body. I would have gladly given it a go. But some women aren¡¯t worth mounting¡­


    CRACK.


    ¡°AAAAAAHHH!!!!!¡± The pain made my eyes open wide! The bitch kicked me in the fucking nuts! My breath caught, my eyes moistened. I went into a fetal position because of the pain¡­


    ¡°FUC..KING S..LU..T.¡±


    ***


    Fenicia


    I watched Idunn retreat and Ell watching her with awe and respect. Me too I thought that she¡¯s badass.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s time for you to say bye bye, farm boy,¡± I said, looking at the colonel.


    ¡°You¡­ bitch, you killed¡­ my crew!¡± The colonel wheezed.


    ¡°Your soldiers were murderers, and your crew guilty by association,¡± I said calmly.


    I watched him while he was on his back in a fetal position to protect his balls, his nose broken by Ell''s tender punch seeping blood and nasal mucus. He looked pathetic.


    ¡°And now guess what¡± I readied my fist, ¡°they won¡¯t be killing anyone else.¡± My punch sank into his face and I caved his skull in. The blood and grey matters showered me and the steel-plated ground.


    ¡°Ah, yuck!¡±


    ¡°That was so dirty! First time I saw so much gore, in a fight.¡± Ell said. ¡°And your armor is splattered with so much blood, even your face.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens with executions, they are messy. Fortunately, there are bots for the cleaning.¡± Walking toward the Ion drive room, I scoped the steel colored walls. And then I began knocking on them for ten seconds or so until I heard a hollow sound. Taking out my monomolecular blade I sank it into the wall. Work of 1 minute or so to carve a door and kick it with my leg. The wall I carved sank inward, and surprise, I found my engineers.


    ¡°We surrender!¡± A man kneeled before me, hands behind his head. The others all did the same.


    ¡°Ye¡¯ re all damn lucky, the director of the station doesn¡¯t want me to kill ye all.¡± I paused for effect. ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± I said in my best Terran language.


    I suddenly smelled urine in the room, disgusted I retreated back from the room.


    ¡°Ell, take care of them. I must go to the bridge.¡±


    ¡°I always get the dirty work¡­¡± She whined.


    ¡°Alright everyone, remember me? I was¡­¡± Ell¡¯s voice faded while I advanced toward the exit. Idunn followed me.


    We walked in silence in the corridor of the ship, exiting the Engineering deck and to take the stairs toward the Command deck. The bridge must still be guarded by a token force.


    ¡°I heard that you want to keep the ship, Fenicia. I hope you will stay¡­¡± Idunn decided to fill in the silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to leave right now, too much happened. Too many things are not clear, I must be sure that you really are who you say you are. Discover the changes within my body; I observed that I don¡¯t have access to all the mods. And if I leave it will give you problems and I will be hunted down by Vice industries.¡± I said offhandedly.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I heard her say.


    I stopped and turned on my heel. ¡°Let¡¯s take control of this boat, square the prisoner in the brig of the station and take a nap.¡± I put my working arm around Idunn¡¯s right shoulder.


    Not knowing why Idunn eyes misted and she shyly looked at her boots.


    ¡°Yes my dear, let¡¯s.¡± She said with warmness in her voice.


    ***


    ???


    <u>Ship ?????? en route for PX2458, Year 456 of the unified Alliance</u>


    I watched has the ocean of star transformed into a tunnel of blue-white light in which this powerful ship travel in, bringing us ever so close to our destination. So much is still not known about subspace, we know how to protect ourselves from its effects and how short distances are in it but not much more. Sitting in my command chair I was observing the transit in subspace with nostalgia, my bridge officers Kalan and Kisora are piloting the ship toward the system with the Hidden Garden space station. Those two are twins of Asian heritage, small and petite their bodies belie their true power. Seeing them like this, I remember a time where I was myself piloting my own ship, gallivanting in human space, smuggling, bounty hunting.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we are almost here.¡± Said the tall and athletic young woman on the Weapon console.


    ¡°Thank you, Sharah. We enter in the system weapons hot, as usual.¡±


    Sharah is of Egyptian origin that makes her complexion rather exotic, her skin tone is a light brown, she has long straight black hair, and a heart-shaped face and soft amber eyes. The dark eye of Rah tattoo around her right eye is one of the more distinctive sign that she values her origins; it had a marvelous cosmetic effect on her face.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± She saluted me with her right hand formed into a fist on her breast. Sharah has always been too formal. I appreciated her tall form; her blue uniform is tight on her body.


    ¡°Do you know if the girls are on board? After all, this is their ship, and I had to take the most armed and accompanied.¡± I said looking at the Q-uplink data on my stargazer glasses. Three other heavy warships and a dozen light ones accompanied us.


    ¡°Lady Demetria is in the lab and Lady Faffa is prepping the combat shuttle in the hangar,¡± Sharah said while consulting the computer on her console.


    ¡°Great, I hope we are not too late.¡±

 Chapter 9: Not Finished yet

    Idunn


    Hidden Garden space station, 12 hours later


    *How interesting.*


    The rest of the crew of the captured ship surrendered when Fenicia strolled in the bridge while being splattered with blood and grey matter from their colonel. Some leftover of the super soldier platoon tried some shenanigans but were put down by Ell Evan. This delightful young woman was wasted on the like of a mercenary outfit; I saw inside her mind what they did to her. I hope that she will stay and accompany my beloved daughter in her adventures.


    Now, I am meddling with the computer of the Warsong, looking at the parameters of their mission that brought them to my little abode. Their clients, two Assurians paid the Ares mercenaries 1 billion credits for my head and the destruction of my space station. I felt flattered that they want to pay such an exorbitant price to ¡°put me down¡± like they said on the message with all my information.  It seems they obtained some clue about where I am from the Idrissan university I communicated my researches about terraformation.


    *How unfortunate.*


    Fenicia entered my laboratory wearing her normal sportswear consisting of a white T-shirt, black leggings and sport shoes. She placed herself in the viewing room and slept on the sofa there. How weird, why doesn¡¯t she enters and kisses me good morning like any good and proper daughter should? She must not have accepted me yet, but she¡¯s trying. I remember her confession of not wanting to give me problems by disappearing and that she is worried about me. I felt warm and teary eyed just by remembering. My fingers glided on the mechanical keyboard, inserting commands and shutting down the computer. I stood and decided to look at Fenicia, she is still recovering from our ordeal. Her left arm and shoulder are still not in any condition to permit their use and the blow she received to the head made her unbalanced for some time, even if she is good at hiding it. She didn¡¯t want to enter a medical tank; I couldn¡¯t force her when she looked at me like a cornered animal. The medical nanites in her body should suffice to make her like new in another 12 hours. But to be certain I took my medical scanners on my desk.


    Entering the viewing room, I took out the drone scanner and activate it.


    The little sphere floated away from my hand and I directed it to scan the body of my daughter. Blue light projected from an aperture from the little black sphere. Information about Fenicia¡¯s body filled the screen of my tablet. The nanites are mending her arm and shoulder and have already fixed the light fracture on her skull. I am surprised that she could still move with that kind of wound, that¡¯s Saryans for you. All of them are tough beings. Fenicia is a bit dehydrated and exhausted by the healing process and is in danger of not having sufficient energy to sustain it.


    So, I did the only sensible things to do and called a bot to serve cold drinks and food. I choose to sit near her and to wait for the bot to come here.


    ***


    Fenicia


    I woke up bleary eyed with the smell of food in my nose; my growling tummy woke up too. My optical HUD tells me it is six in the morning, oh and I am not seeing double anymore! That¡¯s awesome. I hate it when something or someone hit my head, I may have a dense skull, but it still hurt. It¡¯s been one 13 hours since I killed all those humans; my wounds are getting better too. I righted myself on the sofa, sitting and was surprised by finding Idunn here looking at me with a warm smile on her face. She is wearing a white body fitting suit hugging her petite form, with a lab coat to cover everything.


    ¡°Hello, dear.¡±


    ¡°Uh-Hi?¡± I said unsure.


    ¡°I took the liberty to bring you food.¡± And she presented me a plastic tray with an unknown drink and a mountain of pancakes with syrup.


    My traitorous stomach growled even strongly.


    ¡°Eat.¡± Idunn ordered, shoving the tray to me.


    ¡°But that¡¯s human food¡­¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t stomach some of it.¡±


    Idunn looked at me, still smiling and¡­ insistent. So, I gave in and stab my eating tool into the weird flat brown cake with all that sticky goo on it. The petite Assurian heavily sighed and took the disposable cutlery from me and sliced into the top flat cake, stabbed it and presented it to me.


    ¡°Eat.¡± She said forcefully.


    Our eyes and wills dueled for long seconds, and I am ashamed to say that I lost and lowered them. So I opened my mouth slowly and she put the food in it. When it hit my tongue, myriad of savors filled my sense. It made me moan in pleasure and I dexterously snatched the fork in Idunn hand and began to dig in the food.


    ¡°Slowly, Fenicia! The food won¡¯t run¡­¡±


    ¡°viou nievier hiad tio yit fiasht.¡± I said with my mouth full.


    I continued to inhale the food.


    ¡°Excuse me, what was that?! Watch your manners young lady!¡± It sounded harsh but the mirth in Idunn¡¯s eyes showed me that she isn¡¯t serious.


    The little woman took the glass of purple like drink and presented it to me; I promptly snatched it of her hand and drank. It¡¯s a sugary and satisfying drink, reminding me of an alcohol I had on the Saint Patrick, the first ship I have been on.


    ¡°It¡¯s grape juice.¡±


    I sighed in contentment. ¡°That¡¯s really good! Can I have more please?¡±


    ***


    Ell Evan


    The degree of trust I was given astounded me; Idunn gave me a suite in the housing quarter. It is sparsely furnished, has three rooms a toilet, a bedroom and a lounge. The blank customizable VR-walls of this suite permit me to personalize it; I opted for a view which simulates a portside viewing window on the garden world lazily spinning on itself. The planet called Qualia look likes earth with its Blue Ocean and a super continent full of forested greenery with mountains and lakes doting it. M class world are prized by every government bodies, even more when they are in a star system this rich. The two asteroid belts, gas giant and metallic rich planet near the white star would be great find for miners and other industries. But it all belonged to Vice Industries, there are hidden defenses all around the system Fenicia told me. Cloaked mines field, arrays of beam banks, particles canons, and cloaked satellites forming a quantum detection grid around the whole system!


    *Ha, no wonder even stealth tech doesn¡¯t work!*


    A Holo window appeared in front of me and I yelped in surprise. My heart beat quickened.


    Welcome miss Evan,


    I am Sandra, the A.I. charged with facilitating your stay on this station.


    Do you have any question?This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    My heart settled, and my brain went into overdrive. Idunn still monitor me it seems even though I am on their side, but I understand the move. Trust is earned.


    ¡°Yes, are you the one operating the services in this suite?¡±


    Indeed, miss.


    Do you have any further preferences to add to the load out of the room?


    I can advise you in the selection of your furniture, wardrobe, weapons and induction to the Vice Industries citizenship.


    What?! Citizenship!


    *Oh by the stars¡­* Emotion burst forth, citizenship had always been one of the goals of super soldiers. I didn¡¯t think Vice Industries handed it so easily.


    Director Idunn recommendation was given. She has decided that following your recent service and bravery in saving this station that you are eligible to be a citizen.


    I can¡¯t believe it! Everything! Everything I¡¯ve set to do was finally rewarded. On countless human worlds, Ell is not considered human because of the engineered augments given to her at birth. I think that it¡¯s bullshit! I breathe! I laugh, I feel and I think! My fist clenched and unclenched just by thinking of that injustice. Calming myself I walked toward the sofa I roughly sat in its grey embrace.


    ¡°Sandra gives me everything on Vice industries, history, economy, number of colonized world and more about centurions!¡±


    One moment please.


    Second later, the com Idunn gave me chimed. When she gave me the com while Fenicia slept she said that it is basic equipment that the personnel onboard should have on them at all times. I mean, it¡¯s important that people can get ahold of me and that I can interface with the computers of the station. From the holo projected information on Vice Industries appears; Bio of the owner, history, products, capital is made known. I make the 3D web page scroll down. The corporation Belong to Helena Theresa Vice the sole owner, she is now 205 years old. Originally from Neo Mexico in the Federation sector of the human sphere. She¡¯s a graduate from the University Neo Mexico and Studied Astronomy and Space Vessels Engineering simultaneously. Helena T. Vice is one of those rare humans who are genuine genius who obtained multiple doctorates. Her father and mother, who were bounty hunters at the time, disappeared when they took on a coalition of pirates with other colleagues. Helena became a bounty hunter herself, built her own ship from seven different Junkyard and made the lives of a lot pirates outfits difficult in the human sphere¡¯s rim¡­


    Do you wish for refreshments, Miss Evan?


    The Ai asked me.


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m thirsty, and do you have any snacks available?¡±


    Yes of course, Miss Evan.


    Can I recommend you some hotcakes and orange juice?


    Does she take me for a child? Why not alcohol? But I agree that getting some sugar might be good¡­ The squad owner viciously confiscated any sugary treats while we trained in the nursery camp when I was younger. Will it affect me? Pushing myself in the sofa¡¯s back I pondered if I could alter my diet without risk. But I told myself that it maybe just another way to control us, super soldiers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have that, Sandra. I want to treat myself.¡±


    I came back to my reading and a Valet bot brought me a tray of food with a pitcher of orange colored liquid. The Valet bot served me the juice and I took it from its hands. So where was I? Ah, yeah. Helena T. Vice. I drank a bit and hmm this is delicious! Adjusting myself in my seat, I continued to read.


    So Helena T. Vice scoured the whole human frontier to look for her parents tearing apart pirate bases, defending colony worlds, recruiting crews, she even destroyed star bases. Then things went to shit, Cartels, Pirates, criminal families, rogue mercenaries banded together to take her out. Her ship was destroyed and she was presumed dead for one year¡­ well, shit. The woman kicked a hornet nest!


    I took a slice of cake and put it in my mouth, it was so soft and tasty that it made me moan in pleasure. No wonder they forbade us to consume pastries, candies and made us survive on nutritional paste!


    The holo web page turned with a movement of my finger and the story continued to unfold. The story didn¡¯t finish here because obviously the owner is still alive. That¡¯s where the story diverges from the common data of the other human territory and is only available for V. I. citizens. Helena came back with a ship with alien tech so powerful that she took out all her enemies one by one. Wow, Helena you go girl! And then she found her parents on a rogue colony world, enslaved and in a Tritanium mine. Ok, so she freed the colony and took possession of the planet but gave share to some of the ex-slave. Then with the money she went into researching the alien tech she obtained from the ship she mopped the crime association with. Three years later the human market was flooded with a little bit of tech like the Star Gazers, those glasses that act like a HUD and make you see data, the entire light spectrum and can fold and unfold with nanotech. Compact hyperdrive, and a lot of revolutionary tech. Vice enterprise rose to be unequalled in a lot of different fields and industries and that¡¯s why it¡¯s called Vice Industries now. Science, Pharmaceutical, Medical, Metallurgy, Weaponry, Mining, Space Industries and Colonization. And lot of other theoretical fields are under their purview.


    It¡¯s when the Federation, US Conglomerate and the Asian Great Alliance tried to nationalize Vice Industries that the corporation moved. In the year 238 of the Unified alliance in the human sphere ¡°The Hostile Takeover¡± war begun. Helena T. Vice had secreted a fleet of the most advanced ships in this quadrant of the galaxy. The war was swift and in favor of Vice Industries. Those super powers in the human sphere sued for peace, Helena forced their hand and took other a lot of colonies and habitable planets from them.


    My hand reached for a slice of cake and I¡¯m surprised to find that none remain! Oh, I¡¯m a glutton! Ok, no biggie.


    This is the form you must fill, Miss Evan.


    A file appeared in holo on my com tablet while I cursed my new found sweet tooth. The file asked rather pointed question like my name and surname, race, age, military service, where I was stationed, the number of the nursery I come from. And why I want to become a citizen of Vice Industries. I explained that I want to join because it has always been my goal to become recognized as a person. That normally people with my background are not considered humans by the standards of the principal main players in humanity¡¯s sphere of influence. That I agree with the meritocracy that Vice Industries is, the constant betterment of mankind on all fields and that we should defend ourselves against corruption and the evil intents of the old system. There was even a case to check if I was interested in joining the centurion corps or the civil militia. I paused, looking hard at the option. I remembered how Fenicia killed her way in the ship and how she dispatched everyone. Fuck yeah. I clicked on the case. And finally on the submit green button on the file.


    Thank you for completing the form to join Vice Industries and affiliated worlds, an answer to your Application Process for Naturalized Citizenship will be delivered in 48 hours. However, Miss Evan. I would not worry, with the recommendation of the top scientist in the corporation you are guaranteed to be accepted.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ***


    Fenicia


    Lady Idunn, Lady Fenicia


    A flotilla of ships appeared in system.


    My fork stopped from stabbing the 18th pancakes I was about to devour. My eyes searched the face of Idunn, who didn¡¯t seem surprised at all. Idunn made an enigmatic smile and looked at me lazily. I continued to eat the pancakes ¨Cmore like inhaled it- and drank my purplie, calling it grape juice is not doing it justice¡­ I struck the plastic glasses loudly on the plastic tray and gave it to the bot near me. Standing up, my mind went into overdrive thinking of the implication of ships in the system.


    *The Warsong might have been the vanguard of a more sizable force, charged with scouting the defenses-*


    <No, you are wrong.> Said a voice in my mind.


    I looked at m-Idunn.


    ¡°Then who are they? Should I gear for war? Put you in that hyperdrive capable shuttles secreted in the depth of the Station? Activate the defenses of the system?!¡± I screamed.


    I paced like a drakkil*(Sort of dragon like quadruped) in a cage. The viewing area seemed stuffy now¡­ how weird. My arm and the blow to my head are still not cured, and I realize that my stubbornness might be our downfall. But I think I have an actual trauma about waking up in a healing tank now. God know what people can do to others in those!


    Sigh.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s prepare for a fight and charge up everything. Do you hear me, Daneel?¡±


    Yes, Lady Fenicia?


    ¡°Prepare plan 05-B.¡±


    Are you sure, my Lady?


    ¡°Certain.¡±


    I looked at Idunn and decided to not shy away from my feelings anymore. Approaching her, I hugged her, smelled the fragrance of her hair and skin. Still conflicted about everything, I didn¡¯t shy from telling her how I feel. The little woman froze while in my arms.


    ¡°Whatever happens, even if my head still doubts you I still feel that in my heart you are Kin. And Kin protect each others.¡±


    Idunn hugged me in turn quite tightly. We stayed like this for a long moment, until we let go of each others. Still not wanting to face Idunn¡¯s full gaze, I turned on my heel and got out of the stuffy viewing room.


    Walking with determination toward the Armory, I pray to the stars that we are all not going to die.

 Chapter 10: New Guests

    Ell Evan


    Hidden garden Space Station, CIC


    ¡°I knew things were going too well!¡± I mumbled.


    Here I was, in armor looking at a representation of the PX2458 solar system with lot of red dots approaching the goldilocks zone where the gas giant orbit. Qualia is a moon almost the same size as Earth is, it is 40% water and the rest is just landmass with desert and jungles, great lakes could be seen too. Wish we could have gone there to relax, I always wanted to go camping.


    ¡°Do not despair, concentrate on the task given to you.¡± Fenicia advised her.


    The Amazon¡¯s eyes focused on the map, controlling the satellites all around the system to analyze the ships advancing toward the station. We could already tell thanks to the scans that by their size and form that they are all warships. We could even already devise their role in their formation; the heavy hitter¡¯s, two dreadnoughts and three frigates are at the back with auxiliary ships charged with supplying and repair work. The vanguard consisting of fighters, scout and heavy scout ship is at the foremost position of the flotilla formation.


    ¡°You say that, but I don¡¯t see how we are going to make it!¡± I screamed.


    I tucked a bit of my blond hair behind my left ear, looking at the calm and imposing woman facing me. She has blue hair with a streak of white in them, Fenicia gold eyes looked with laser focus at the map. She made a serious face that was strangely attractive compared to the crazy look she often showed. The statuesque Alien female is donned in black power armor and frankly looked terribly beautiful and lethal. Her eyes focused on me after my outburst, a cunning and dangerous smile appeared slowly on Fenicia¡¯s face. The hint of craziness was back in the golden orbs peering at me.


    ¡°We have 50/50 chance of blowing them up or getting blown up along with the station.¡± She said still smiling.


    Fenicia went around the holo-table to face me, I watched her has she stood there looking at me as if she was judging me. She crossed her arms under her breastplate and nodded.


    ¡°Things may look bad but at least if you die today, you will live free. Isn¡¯t that the most important thing, after everything you have undergone?¡±


    That stopped my pathetic whining. Fenicia was right. If I died today, I would do it while I was my own person!


    ¡°Nobody can give you Freedom if you are a woman, YOU TAKE IT.¡± Fenicia said with gusto.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself, my dear!¡± A voice said from behind us.


    I turned toward the door of the room that slid with a ¡°whoosh¡± behind Idunn who walked with confidence to us. Her usual tight fitting white bodysuit covered her lithe and petite form. There was a black belt on her waist, heavy with equipments and a lightweight black pistol in an ornate black holster decorated with wavy silver lines.


    ¡°I see that you have everything in hand.¡±


    ¡°Idunn, I thought that we agreed that you need to be in the shuttle?¡± Said Fenicia with a dangerous tone and she tapped her foot against the floor, her irritation bleeding into her otherwise calm demeanour.


    I looked at her and her blank face belied the simmering anger, now boiling rage that I felt under Fenicia''s skin. Placing myself between them to avoid an altercation I interrupted. ¡°She must have a good reason, Idunn doesn¡¯t strike me as a frivolous person.¡±


    The relationship between those two has always been weird ever since I¡¯ve known them. Fenicia, even if she is sometimes uncaring, blunt and focused has begun to change her behaviour while around Idunn. Her attitude thaw out, becoming warmer towards Idunn and it feels like she needs some form of physical contact, but refrains from asking for it, or giving it herself.. I know it¡¯s not romance or sex, but more like something between parents and child. Fenicia seems at a loss about what to do. I''m missing something, but I''m sure I''ll pick it up later. Fenicia¡¯s gaze seemed to bore through me, not even caring about what I said. That female alien is intense sometimes. I turned, only to see Idunn smiling, she strutted sexily toward me, pushing me out of the way, and faced the tall Amazon. I don¡¯t know what she did, but Fenicia let go of her anger and returned to the holo-table with Idunn behind her.


    I felt unimportant suddenly, like a third wheel.


    <No you aren¡¯t my dear.>


    My eyes found Idunn who was seated at the communication-console very close to the holo-table.


    *Forgot you are a psionic¡­*


    <They always do.> And I heard her laugh maniacally in my head.


    Mental speak has always been a weird experience for me, not everyone possess natural mental barriers. Telepath often have unrestricted access to unguarded minds, and not a lot of people can afford the training to shield themselves. I heard that people can become psionics though, with a good gene splicing operation in V. I. space, but it¡¯s not cheap. Money make the galaxy goes round, maybe if I survive all this bullshit I will be able to get a good splicing for heavy worlds and psionics abilities. Splicing genes has become the norm in the human sphere, anyone can look the way they want to, be tall, short, muscular, even have a different skin color. Those are the changes that are less costly. But splicing genes for mental acuity, memory or complex multitasking becomes astronomical. Then splicing for psionics has become rather pricey.


    <We could do it after this situation is resolved.>


    *That would be grand, Director!*


    I don¡¯t know why she is spoiling me this much, but why say no? Who could say no to free augments by an Assurian genius scientist? Not me.


    Fenicia¡¯s mood suddenly plummeted, from my vantage point I could see her face distorting in a sneer. Her fist hit on the holo-table, I thought she was about to destroy it but it absorbed the shock and didn¡¯t even budge. Idunn, didn¡¯t seem surprised by her outburst and stayed seated in comfort.


    ¡°Fuck. I don¡¯t know how they did it, but they disabled the minefield! They are passing unimpeded.¡±


    Oh, we are fucked.


    Suddenly an electronic chime resounded in the direction of Idunn, the communication console holo-interface glowed yellow. A sign that someone is hailing us.


    ¡°Ah just on time!¡± Idunn chirped in a singsong voice.


    The petite woman touched the interface and the holo-screen appeared while elongating. The face of a black haired woman wearing dark goggles appeared, she had an air of authority, an austere atmosphere hung around her..


    ¡°This is the VIS Sundance, Owner code 01 protocol 66 execute 96.¡±


    Acknowledged. Protocol 66 activated, lock down on all civilian and centurion access.


    The screen shut off. Yep totally fucked.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Mom! What did you do?!¡± Screamed Fenicia.


    Oh, so that¡¯s what was going on, now that I know this I can see the resemblance, the same crazy eyes and delicate face. But the difference in stature is really weird, Fenicia is a giant female Amazon and Idunn a curvy little woman.


    Taking my tablet from my belt, I tried to access Sandra but I just had the basic functionality on it. The OS, entertainment, basic communication and some private app. And nothing else.


    ¡°Do you know who that was, Fenicia?¡± Idunn calmly asked her daughter while threading the fingers of her hands and supporting her head.


    She looked expectantly at Fenicia.


    ¡°Our death.¡± The Amazon facepalmed.


    Idunn looked like she was disappointed and her gaze found mine, my brain went into overdrive. I thought and thought. And it finally clicked why the Assurian woman was so calm. It made me laugh and laugh. Fenicia looked at me as if I was crazy. The look on her face was priceless.


    I¡¯ve seen the woman on the screen earlier. And I know now that we are not going to die, after having a good laugh I went to one of the consoles and sagged into one of the seats.


    Sigh.


    ***


    Kisora Suimei


    Bridge of the VIS Sundance, PX2458, Year 456 of the unified Alliance


    ¡°The minefield has been deactivated, ma¡¯am.¡± I reported to Vice-Sama.


    Being a pilot and Special Agent attached to the security of the most important person in V. I. space has its perks. Free and Experimental Augments, adventures, fucking people up. I really like to fuck people up.


    ¡°What a nasty little trap, Idunn¡¯s daughter is a rather devious person.¡± The Madame said matter of factly, she is seated on the command chair, looking straight ahead.


    Rays of light come and go on the glasses of her Star Gazer, a Nano-built portable ocular interface. A similar device was incrusted in the arm of her black and green body suit.


    ¡°Indeed, ma¡¯am.¡± Interjected Sharah Phis, the weapon specialist. ¡°The sensor fortunately detected them and by seeing how the minefield is positioned for the likely route we are taking in the form of a cone the trap was about to get some of our ships destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Not all, but some.¡± Said Vice-Sama.


    Vice-Sama smiled and sat in contemplation, she got the same look whenever she discover people with good talents. The poor being which caught her attention will undergo a gauntlet in the future. I turned myself toward the piloting console interface and leaned back in my dark seat. My twin sister was busy disarming the minefield, her hands blurred on the computer. This is how fast she was going, she used her neural interface and her body in complete synergy with the onboard AI Sundance. The person who mined the way to the station put the EMP mines first in our path to fry the shields of the ships, then the explosive and concussive ones and at the end the nuke mines would finish them off by converging on them. We would have lost 30% of our fleet this way.


    ¡°Done!¡± scream my sister in relief.


    Kalan sagged in her seat, like me she has short bob of auburn hair, green slanted eyes and a stubborn streak. We are from the Asian Great Alliance (AGA) part of the human sphere. All humans love to body splice but we decided to keep a natural look, both of us chose to keep a petite curvaceous body. But it doesn¡¯t mean we do not like exercises, it¡¯s kinda part of the job to stay in shape.


    ¡°Was it that difficult, Lan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sora.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°The person, who trapped the route, wrote five codes activation for the different type of mines, so as to avoid what we just did to them. The mines would have converged to us in waves, they would saturate the shield with EMP and fucking puncture them permitting the explosive mines to enter and causing damage to the hull and keep us busy until the big nuke would destroy us. We are lucky that the code wasn¡¯t adaptive.¡± Lan massaged her temple.


    Her black body suit, adorned with pink highlights, was fortunately designed to absorb sweat. But it isn¡¯t the case for her forehead. I took a tissue from my belt pack and gave it to her. Without looking at me she took it. We twins have to take care of each others. She nodded in thanks to me.


    ¡°Officer Jameson, Hail back the station and contact Idunn.¡± I heard the order.


    The com officer is a shy guy who doesn¡¯t like to banter and enjoy keeping to himself. He has shifty eyes, in my book he cannot be relied upon. But for some reason Vice-Sama keeps him on her staff, I don¡¯t know why. The weird guy just nodded and held out his finger on a button.


    A woman with shoulder length white hair, gold eyes and soft feature on her face appeared on screen. She looked inoffensive, the kind of nurturing woman you would think took care of their family or the rich lady who would raise funds for orphanage. But the light in her golden eyes bothered me. She gave me the creeps and I didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Assurian.¡± Lan said between her teeth.


    Ah no, not one of those crazy aliens!


    ¡°It has been some time my dark friend.¡± The Assurian woman said warmly.


    ¡°We spoke six month ago, Id.¡± Vice-Sama retorted.


    ¡°Oh! You know me, when I¡¯m working I feel like I am in a temporal dilatation bubble!¡± The Assurian face reddened from embarrassment.


    ¡°I get you, Id. So you finally met your wayward daughter? She is impressive, for someone who was limited like she was. No augments, no warrior form, no psionics. She¡¯s known in the underworld. It was a bitch to follow her path.¡±


    The Assurian lady face softened even more and a satisfied grin showed her pearly white teeth.


    ¡°You have no idea, she is everything I always wanted in a child. She¡¯s still working on accepting me though¡­¡±


    ¡°Give it time.¡± Vice-Sama said.


    She seemed to have forgotten the type of situation we were in and entered gossip mode. It always happens with human with life extension. My sister typed furiously on her holo-board and stopped to pass me a file on my console.


    The file was sizable, Fenicia Kranicar. Mercenary, assassin, freelancer, smuggler. A gorgeous woman with blue hair and golden eyes. The full holo of her body made me lick my lips in desire. That¡¯s the kind of strong and hard woman I like to have in my bed. She looked human but was not. The golden eyes showed Assurian ancestry but her body type didn¡¯t match the race. Assurians are as a rule,petite if they are female tall and lean bif they are male.


    ¡°Stop drooling.¡± Lan said.


    I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and yes I drooled. Well ignoring this little incident I continued to skim read, the psychological profile and mission of that Fenicia girl. She is badass, patient, cold and efficient. She possesses a strategic mind and somewhat of a background for the military art. For her first year she was a smuggler on the Saint Patrick, an Irish owned freighter ship of the clan McLaughlin where she learned to speak English and Irish. Alastar McLaughlin took her under his wing and taught her how to use guns and give up on her Saryan warrior training.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s why, she¡¯s not totally Assurian.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Lan acquiesced.


    Getting back to the bio of the alien female, I see that her time with the McLaughlin clan was cut short when her father figure Alastar died in a bad deal with the Deneb Cartel in the Rim between Human and Saryan space. She single handedly wiped the whole organization out in anger. No one was left alive in that warehouse, she at least saved the sex slaves the boss kept. One year later she was seen leaving a planet where different political factions warred for dominance and the more radicals were eliminated in a rather brutal way. She was a suspect. Fenicia Kranicar then goes mercenary in Alliance space; killing her way through organizations, corrupt Paramilitary group, Traffickers. Her most know job is running Kamil Tarib through with a metal pipe straight in his heart. He was a dangerous anarchist, that laid waste to colonies of the known races. He worked hand in hand with the previous group that Kranicar destroyed. She was presumed dead when the Ares mercenary group betrayed her just after hiring her. It is believed they had ties to Kamil.


    ¡°You could make a novel with her whole story, right?¡± Asked Lan.


    ¡°Mhmm. That¡¯s exciting, I want to have a drink with her!¡±


    ¡°I feel that there is an ulterior motive for that.¡± Lan said suspiciously.


    And she was right, I want to get to know that being. She seemed awesome.


    ¡°Prepare for docking procedures.¡± Sharah ordered harshly across the coms at our ears.


    Yep, forgot. No gossiping on duty, that woman is no fun to be around. She¡¯s like old Earth¡¯s Antarctica when on duty, cold, austere and cruel. Sharah is a Spartan person, and should just cool her jets. But I can agree that she is an efficient Centurion.


    ¡°Docking procedures engaged, Hidden Garden is opening the hangar.¡± Lan informed.


    ¡°I want the light ships to surround the station, the frigates and dreadnought to patrol the system.¡± Said Vice-Sama calmly. ¡°If anyone enters the system you have my permission to destroy them without question.¡±


    Jameson relayed the order to all the other ships with his nasal voice. Ugh, I hate him. The Sundance separated from the fleet accompanied by the scout ships that moved ahead of us surrounding the immense space station. It easily dwarfed the Sundance. At the mouth of the hangar we could see on screen the arresting fields slowing the nose of the ship. Further in we could see a light warship of an old design parked. Sundance¡¯s AI scanned it to show how damaged it was, the only thing it showed is how beat up it was. The hull near the engine is completely gone, I could see trace of laser beams on the hull near the docking ring on the neck of the bird shaped ship.


    ¡°There are no life signs in the ship.¡± The A. I. informed us.


    ¡°Sharah prepare a company to look into that ship, if it¡¯s a ruse kill everyone.¡± Vice-Sama ordered while looking at the screen.


    Sharah Phis saluted with a fist on her breast and a loud ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡± and departed the bridge.


    ¡°Something tells me, Kranicar did this.¡± Lan guessed.


    ¡°No shit, from her files it¡¯s her style. She blew up the hyperdrive to force those guys on the ship to board the station. I think she wanted the ship intact. And then went on a killing spree?¡± I said.


    Even more possible that she got help, but there are only three life signatures aboard the station.


    ¡°We will see, when Sharah is back.¡±


    The ship finally docked under the savaged light warship, it was time to get answers with regards to what happened on that damn space station.

 Chapter 11: Unleashed

    Sharah Phis


    War Song, bridge 1 hour later


    Someone did a thorough job on this ship, the crew was brutally murdered, the commanding officers treated even more savagely. The one we found on the engineering deck near the wreckage of a mech-armor was funny to look at. The face was caved in and has multiple fractures in the body. From the way the body was finished I can feel that the assailant must have taken vicious pleasure in punishing that man. My com rang and took me out of my line of thought. I pushed a button on my wrist.


    ¡°Sharah Phis.¡± I announced in the communication device.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am there is a situation with the computer core.¡±


    *Of course there is.* But I didn¡¯t voice my inner thought. ¡°Report.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. The computer core was extracted from its room, we only have recent data from our unit entering and roaming the ship. I have a strong guess that the people on the station did it. We also found the bodies of the bridge officers, they seem to have been executed.¡± The centurion showed her the bodies on her com, how they were slashed at the throat.


    The one who did this is merciless; he or she didn¡¯t want to bother with difficult prisoners and killed them. I can understand there are only three life signals in the housing quarters and five in the security one. We hadn¡¯t seen them before when doing an in depth scan of the entire space station. Walking toward the communication console I enter commands on the mechanical keyboard. It¡¯s an old console, not at all like the holo-key we have on the Sundance. The bridge and Helena Theresa Vice appear on the screen of the console.


    ¡°Ah, Sharah. Have you finally discovered what happened?¡± The Tyrant said with a mirthless smile.


    The woman adjusted herself on her command chair, ready to listen to the news.


    ¡°Unfortunately, not enough ma¡¯am. The computers were wiped and the whole ship is a tomb, the entire crew was slaughtered.¡±


    Sharah waited patiently for her boss to stop laughing, a tear rolled from her left eye. The woman didn¡¯t calm herself till two minutes passed.


    ¡°Aaah, that was a good laugh. Excuse me Sharah, it¡¯s because of how alike the one who did this is similar to her mother. No quarter given.¡± Helena played with her dark lock of hair by entwining them on her finger.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s not a laughing matter. The person who did this must be neutralized bef¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m stopping you right here, she¡¯s dangerous. And she did this to protect her mother and the station. But I agree that you should put her in the brig till you can check if everything is alright, there is a possibility she might try to flee this place. If she does use non-lethal means to stop her from doing so.¡±


    *Dangerous?* Yes, killing an entire mercenary crew by yourself put you into that category¡­


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am! By your leave, we will now breach the station¡¯s door and put everyone in custody!¡± I said loudly.


    ¡°Good, contact me when it is done.¡± And the Tyrant disconnected.


    ***


    On my tablet the data about a certain Fenicia Kranicar unfolded, using my Stargazer connected to it, the file on that female alien showed me someone with a disturbing past. I can understand why the boss told me to put on the kid¡¯s glove, being faced with an extraterrestrial being I cannot simply anthropomorphize her. She has clearly a different ethical code and it seems a Saryan way of dealing with foes. Those always cause trouble in our outposts and we even had to enforce the ¡°no warrior form¡± on our space stations and colony. But even with that their weird tradition and way of life is well¡­ troubling. They actually believe in seeking trouble and strife!


    Instead of leaving the station when they were attacked by the Ares mercenary outfit, this Fenicia girl actually seems to have devised a plan to take them all on. The traces of canon laser fire on the ship and the walls of the hangar show it to me. Floating in zero gravity, I await for my team to breach the hangar doors. Two teams will enter separately from the two docking bays, one will converge toward the housing quarters, and the other to the CIC where the life signals are strong.


    ¡°Entry code transmitted.¡± Said my second in command, Charles.


    A man of Nubian origin, he is full of candor and professional. Only letting his hair down when he is not on mission.


    ¡°Entering code.¡±


    The red LED showing that the doors are closed shined green and opened with no noise. Everyone wear the Centurion armor and helmeted tight, the first group enter the Airlock guiding to the more civil area of the giant space station, while the second one enter the security quarter¡¯s. I follow the first group and wait for the air to cycle and permit us to pass in the pressurized environment. Everyone is armed with their recoilless rifles at the ready and deploy into position when we gain entry.


    On the team com channel I gave orders.


    ¡°Jones, Simarin go secure the main computer HUB; Rhaj and Amahle the engineering deck. The rest follow me to the housing quarter.¡± I said.


    And we marched toward the place, the plan of the station guided me. We took lot of corridors and turbo elevators which transported us vertically and horizontally through the turbo shafts between key sections of the station.


    The whole station is under the control of the master code of our boss; that is why we are walking unimpeded by the security of this place. But you can never know what kind of tomfoolery someone might pull, so I sent my best men to secure important locations. We finally arrived where the life signal is, we opened the door and surprise found a blonde and blue eyed young woman on her knee with her hands behind her head. She has Asian ancestry for sure and wore a black on green bodysuit.


    ¡°You are late, people. I¡¯ve been like this for thirty minute already!¡± She chirped.


    In the Team com I said ¡°Secure the apartment, Ann.¡± And the first class centurion went. I activated the speakers on my armor.


    ¡°Name, occupation. And I will check with the station AI, I would appreciate if you can be forthright.¡± I said adding steel to my voice.


    ¡°Ell Evan, engineered super soldier and ex mercenary. I have been granted VCW (Vice Corp World) citizenship by Director Idunn.¡± She said calmly, her face was impassive.


    It made me raise an eyebrow, so I checked with the AI with my Stargazer. And yes indeed Miss Ell Evan has just joined the family. But I¡¯m not satisfied, so I take my reinforced plastex cuff throw them to the centurion next to me who understood what I wanted.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am till we can check if the computer core wasn¡¯t tampered with, you will accompany us to the brig.¡± The centurion explained.


    With a smile the young woman took her hand from behind her head and showed him her hands that the man mechanically cuffed.


    ¡°Before you send me there, be careful of my friend Feni. She¡¯s kinda freaking out right now, and it spells trouble.¡± The young woman said with seriousness.


    Oh, if that isn¡¯t reassuring.


    ***


    Fenicia


    Should I leave? I really want to leave. But while I think about that my eyes found the form of¡­ mom. I weirdly cannot deny it any longer, that bond I felt between us and the way she treat me are what I always wanted in that particular familiar figure that a mother is.


    ¡°Fenicia come sit with me.¡± Idunn said calmly.


    ¡°I cannot, I feel trapped.¡± I continued walking in circle.


    A sudden idea comes to mind. ¡° Mom why don¡¯t we flee? We cou¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that, my dear. My dark friend protects me from known and unseen dangers. Even though you are really strong, you cannot do it. And you have a destiny to accomplish, do you really want to squander it and stay a mediocre mercenary? In fact I don¡¯t want you to leave me, I promised myself to¡­¡±


    I stopped listening to her when left my pride in tattersand turned toward the door at full speed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Fenicia. Please don¡¯t¡­¡± She added rapidly, attempting to stop me.


    I went through the door, readying my pistol and advancing without stopping. It hurts, that comment she made, but it also hurt to leave her like this. But now that I know where she is, I will keep in contact. Walking toward the secret hatch that will guide me toward the Hyperdrive capable shuttle, my mental state didn¡¯t permit me to sense that stealthed being which put her gun muzzle on my head.


    ¡°You move, I shoot.¡± Said a cold female voice.


    Never give in. It is a motto for my race, I guess I am more Saryan than Assurian. My hand blurred to catch the weapon and I kicked the assailant. But that female avoided it by sidestepping the move. It stunned me that she could follow my movements, but I decided to not dawdle and fired a round at her and ran. I ran to fight another day, a human precept that my old friend Alastar taught me and that is contrary to the Saryan one consisting of choosing death over chains. A prisoner can only be a victim or a traitor¡ªnever a hero. Concerning humans the two precepts can be mixed, following what I endured in the Ares HQ. Never again.


    I was surprised to find the woman gaining on me, and to stop her I fired my pistol at her again. Another form blurred toward me for an instant, time slowed visibly and I could see what is charging at me. An armored person that I promptly deviated from his course with my telekinesis to send him crashing in the wall of the corridor we are in.


    ¡°Stop!¡± The tough female behind me ordered.


    I used my power again to do the same to her as the armored man, but somehow avoided it by sticking to the wall.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Fuck she has seen it coming, she¡¯s a psionic! And a precog to boots. But whatever, I just have to access the secret turbo elevator. I must leave. I ran in the corridors still pursued by that woman until I entered a cavernous room that could easily contain thousands of people. This must be the central plaza; Electronic shop signs with closed wrote on it in Anglo dotted the place, it also has a park, decorated with potted plants and tree; there was also a holographic skylight. What wasn¡¯t my surprise to find that other armored centurions waited for me. Without stopping I targeted and fired on the weapons pointed at me. And I sent an unfocused Telekinetic wave toward them seconds later.


    Their rifles shattered or were knocked back from their hands and the wave slammed them on the ground. My spatial sense reminded me of the stubborn female who is trying to jump me from behind, but I was already in movement with all my speed and strength. My objective is almost there, the hidden elevator is secreted in a dark alley between the closed stores. Moving at breakneck speed I zigzag between pillars, trees, bench in the park. And when I arrived at my destination what wasn¡¯t my surprise to see the armored woman who was behind me earlier. How she passed me is unimportant, she is blocking my way and it means that I don¡¯t have the luxury to let her alive. I walked resolutely toward her then pointed my weapon toward her targeting her center of gravity and fired. She moved and the shot passed harmlessly to her left impacting a light. Then I passed my pistol on automatic and fired again. Three slugs were fired from the weapon, two missed and one caught on a kinetic shield ofher armor.


    ¡°Shit.¡± I said, but didn¡¯t lose hope.


    Then I sheathed my Peace pistol and took my Freedom recoilless rifle and while prepping it I sent an unfocused wave of TK toward my foe that was sent bowling in a recycling dumpster. Then after unfolding my rifle from its compact form I begin firing into the dumpster for ten seconds with armor piercing slugs. And to be sure I threw in a BOOM grenade that goes off in it with a flash and a strident sound. Fortunately I am protected by my helmet. Without care I run toward the door of the turbo-elevator hidden behind the boxes at the side of the dumpster. I push buttons on the control pad and it opens. Before entering I am stopped by someone grabbing my neck and shoving me out of the entrance and slamming me on the ground. It made me see stars and unfocused my eyes. Her helmet was taken of forcefully from her head and suddenly my attacker pummeled my face with rapid punches. Somehow I got slammed on the ground again and I think I lost consciousness for some time.


    ¡°I caught her, bring some restraint with you while you are at it.¡± I heard a female voice say.


    The same female voice I thought was no trouble and incapacitated in the dumpster. I couldn¡¯t see well, only the nearby grey building and false sky. Till a dark skinned face hid it. Her black hair and serious expression were striking and is it anger I see in her dark eyes?


    ¡°You have strength, but no method. Brute force is always the solution to your problem.¡± Said the woman with pitying eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read your file, and just had a taste of your way of fighting. Didn¡¯t expect that I would survive the BOOM grenade, right? Didn¡¯t you think that if your armor is protected from its effect mine would be? Arrogance, and brutality. You are more Saryan than Assurian. And you are weak.¡± And she clocked me in the face with another punchthat robbed me of my consciousness for good.


    ***


    Sharah Phis


    Mission accomplished, I sat near the unconscious alien female who gave me a run for my money. Even with all the bravado I spewed to her, she got good hits on me. I have a slug lodged in my thigh, but the armor with the help of my nanites stopped the bleeding and set my broken ankle. but I have still the lightheadedness Kranicar¡¯s TK wave gave me, limiting my movements.


    I shivered.


    What if she had been more trained in the use of her Telekinetic powers¡­ I shudder at the different result of our confrontation. I Noticed that Kranicar wanted to avoid killing anyone at first, she just pushed us around. She even must have guessed what type of psionic I am when she noticed that I dodged her powers and weapon fire. Her broad attacks had left me struggling and she almost got me when she threw me in that dumpster! I had to ask permission to activate my Beta enhancements that struggled to keep my shield online until their limit and let an armor piercing round hit my right thigh. Fortunately Kranicar left her guard down and I gave everything to subdue her.


    Sigh.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am!¡± Someone screamed on the tactical uplink.


    The voice of my second in command, Charles who put his hands on me and used them to scan my armor and my status. The tech in the armor could do that. There were sensors designed to judge the integrity and health of comrades on the field.


    ¡°She beat the crap out of you, ma¡¯am.¡± Charles chuckled.


    He must not be at ease with the perpdowned next to us, but he still tried to banter with me. I decided to not chew him out for it.


    ¡°She was rather difficult to handle.¡±


    ¡°Oh from what she did to the team and you ma¡¯am I believe you.¡± He answered.


    The rest of the team appeared when we mentioned them, they were looked all banged up, like they had a fight with Human marauders or a platoon of Thelian hunters. Centurion second class Bryn came near the body of Kranicar and began to slowly take off her armor. As a woman she couldn¡¯t let a man from her team do the job, it would violate some regulations regarding prisoners in the present settings. When Kranicar was just in a bodysuit and boots, Charles went to cuff her hands and feet. I called for a antigravity stretcher that came five minutes later. The prisoner opened her eyes and fought against her restraint but a good shot of drugs to paralyze her stopped any struggling. I found her looking at me with an intensity that made me step back momentarily; it was like I could feel the hate swell within her. I broke from her gaze first and gave order to march toward the gathering point in the station plaza.


    Thirty minutes later, we rendezvoused with the first team which had the ex super soldier Ell Evan under guard. The young woman watched us come in with her friend on the stretcher completely unmoving. Her face showed concern and I saw her bite her lips prettily. She is rather attractive for a super soldier bred for battle and follow orders. Kranicar must have hit me harder than I thought if I have my mind in the gutter this much already.


    ¡°I hope for you she won¡¯t get free, or you¡¯ll have a bad time of it. I saw her in action; pray that her mother can calm her down.¡± Ell Evan said.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think it will be possible my dear.¡± A voice said to our left.


    A petite woman in a white bodysuit strutted toward us, her grim face chilled me. I know this woman, isn¡¯t she Director Idunn? She stepped through us, directly toward the antigravity stretcher and put her hands on Kranicar and then she looked at me hotly.


    <You could have gone easier on her, you brute.> She mentally transmitted to me.


    *Ma¡¯am, she didn¡¯t want to listen. What was I supposed to do¡­?* I explained.


    <She loathes you now and I don¡¯t think that I can¡­> She turned her head and looked sharply at Kranicar, stepped back and ran toward Ell Evan to catch her and run with her.


    ¡°Sto¡­¡± I was about to say.


    But the glowing body of Fenicia Kranicar caught my attention, it is hard to describe the phenomenon before me. Her body swelled in mismatched dimension, but second later it was like it tried to correct itself.


    ¡°Weapons out!¡± I screamed.


    Damnit, I shouldn¡¯t have antagonized her¡­ and now she¡¯s going through a Saryan change on station! But I thought that she was unable to achieve it, it wasn¡¯t on her fucking file. Like her Telekinesis¡­


    Kranicar¡¯s restraints broke and she was on her feet, her body suit stretched up and got torn up by the change. Her bust swelled and her breast spilled out of the sport bra she had under her suit. The same thing happened to her boots, the only thing left was the lower half of her blue body suit. She was easily 9 feet tall now, but her face and body looked malformed. Kranicar roared and roared. Her screams shook the whole place.


    Charles shot her without my order and the slug was deflected by some invisible force, Kranicar crazy eyes found him and she literally disappeared. I heard Charles strangled scream near me. The female alien had him in her hand and suddenly with her other one she took his rifle from his hand and crushed it. I took my own rifle from behind my back and shot at her naked back. They were deflected by the same sort of invisible force field from earlier. The monster turned toward me, her eyes narrowed and grew wide in remembrance.


    *OH SHIT.*


    She let go of Charles but still crushed his arm and then she slowly advanced toward me predatorily. And that¡¯s when everyone began shooting at her in panic. I stepped back and continued to fire. I think we must have stayed like this for thirty seconds or more shooting at Kranicar.


    ¡°Smite!¡± She roared.


    An invisible force slams my teammates who were behind her on the ground, crushing weapon and armor. I heard them cry out on the tactical link.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I cried out. ¡°It¡¯s me that you want, Kranicar!¡± I shouted, trying my best to divert her attention.


    ¡°You. Kill.¡± And she couldn¡¯t have been clearer on what was going to happen. Her deformed face filled with hate and she charged me. I tried to dodge but some force sucked me into her waiting hand.


    Kranicar caught me by my legs and watched me, grinning evilly. She shook me like a ragdoll and finally slammed me on the ground while still having hold of me and she did it again and again. My body ached, my bones were broken. I tenuously kept a hold on life. I didn¡¯t want to die like this. The female monster let go of me and made me look at her by putting me on my back. Took off my helmet and said.


    ¡°You. Human. You. Weak.¡± She smiled crazily showing her teeth.


    And I saw it in her eyes, she was about to kill me. Right here, right now. The female monster cocked her arm, preparing to punch my face in. I tried to stand up but I couldn¡¯t move, just twitching.


    ¡°FENICIA NO!¡± I heard someone shout.


    Kranicar stopped and watched on the right, running footfalls could be heard.


    ¡°Honey, don¡¯t do this.¡± It sounded like director Idunn.


    ¡°Foe. Die.¡± And was about to continue when Idunn put herself between me and her. ¡°Mom. Back.¡± Kranicar said.


    ¡°No, honey. If you do that I will lose you for good. And I prefer to die than let it happen again. Fenicia, you are no longer Saryan. You are more than what Fenran made you. You have something of me in you too. Will you stop and listen to me? I promise than nothing will happen to you.¡±


    A long moment passed, Fenicia Kranicar caught Idunn and patted her head. She sat her on her thighs and hugged her like a young girl would a doll. The female monster hummed a song and rocked herself. It¡¯s at this moment that everything went dark.


    ***


    Ell Evan


    Ok, I didn¡¯t see that coming. Tall, gorgeous Fenicia turned into Giant and Ugly, took out a squad of centurions and went to town on Commander Phis. It was rather brutal, I even felt the pain she must be feeling, she sounded tough. Maybe she¡¯s still alive. The plazza was a mess, the broken trees and charred ground showed how violent Fenicia got. And seeing her play doll with Idunn was kinda cute but she was so damn scary¡­ I approached with prudence, hoped she won¡¯t stomp on me or something.


    Idunn looked pleased with herself and hummed a song in tandem with the giant woman. Me approaching made them stop, and Fenicia looked at me and smiled.


    ¡°Ah. Friend. Come.¡± And something makes me stumble toward her and she caught me.


    My hands were still tied with the electronic cuffs and I could barely do anything. Idunn must have read my mind because she took something from her belt and some light shined and the shining grey cuffs fell out.


    ¡°Ah thanks, Id.¡± I said feeling my blood flowing again.


    ¡°You are welcome, young lady.¡±


    ¡°Why were you singing?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Oh, I am happy you see. This was a song I hummed to her when she was but a babe.¡± Idunn smiled prettily.


    Fenicia sat me on her thighs too.


    ¡°She¡¯s not dangerous, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course she is, Ell. She was about to turn Commander Sharah into paste. This Fenicia is rather infantile but still possess such strong instincts and memories. It¡¯s my guess that she had no one to guide her for a perfect Saryan warrior form and this is the result. I will strive to change that; of course it will be difficult.¡± Idunn said seriously while thinking.


    But that bit of information made me freeze, my head turned toward her and I asked.


    ¡°Ok. Did you just say that she could get even more dangerous?¡±


    Idunn smiled and looked as if I deserved a cookie or something.


    ¡°Smart girl.¡± She said and patted me on the cheek.


    ¡°What the hell, I shouldn¡¯t give a fuck.¡± I murmured.


    I am reassured that Feni, categorized me as ¡°friend¡± and that I didn¡¯t end up like the centurions on the ground. Hearing multiple someone coming I stayed as I am on Fenicia. She got some kind of forcefield with her telekinetic power going on, so it is the safest place.


    ¡°Ah, finally. Helena is here, as always so fashionably late.¡± The petite woman seemed really happy.


    A party of twenty centurions uncloaked and surrounded us, weapons trained on us. It made me almost pee myself. I don¡¯t think, Fenicia would have found this funny. Suddenly a procession walked toward us, Centurions in white and red armor instead of the more common black and blue ones could be seen. They bristled with weaponry that could take us out one hundred times. They suddenly stopped in the perimeter of the uncloaked Centurion surrounding us. I watched how Fenicia reacted and she seemed unaware of anything happening just focusing on hugging her mother.


    ¡°Great.¡±

 Chapter 12: Fate

    Helena T. Vice


    Hidden Garden space station, central plaza


    It was hard to contain my laughter when I saw what happened to the place and to Sharah¡¯s team, I saw it happen on the time stream but also on camera. Maybe I should have told her how it was going to happen, but my forecast of the future is rather dodgy lately or is it because of outside influence? I know that the seer of the Shdeveri Empire is still battling for control of the stream.


    Sharah is one of the few people with the touch of precognition that I could find on earth. When I was interested in her, her mother quasi sold her services to me and since she is so devoted. But lately she has been getting cocky, maybe this experience will give her a lesson. I touched a command on my gauntlet and the bodies of the fallen centurion disappeared in a flash of light, teleported in the nearest med bay on the Sundance. They will live, and will be handy in furthering my plan concerning the Half-breed. She is the crux on furthering my influence and some minor incidents that could seriously cripple my Dominion. Into avoiding them that is. The more I approached the more I felt someone brush at the edge of my psychic shield. Its delicate touch and presence told me it was Idunn, no one else would dare. One of my guard used telekinesis to sweep the debris and shrapnel from the ground where I was about to walk. Looking at the damage it¡¯s going to cost money on the budget of the station to make it pretty again. I let Idunn in my thought, lowering a bit my psychic shield.


    <You are late, Helena.>


    [I was busy watching the little drama unfold.] I laughed.


    <Laugh all you want, your Sharah was too heavy handed and caused all this troubles.>


    I sighed, Idunn is not in the right frame of mind to listen to me. We were before them suddenly, seeing the monstrous form of Fenicia Kranicar made me smile. Her perfect warrior form in the future superimposed to the one here in the present. And well, she looked even more deadly.


    <Oh it¡¯s nice, you see it. Then I shall do my best to realize it.>


    And this is why having powerful Alien Telepath as friend is dangerous, Idunn isn¡¯t stopped by ¡°Ethics¡±. To her it¡¯s something pretty that we human invented to give us good conscience. I found that I agree, seeing the mass of people able to do anything for rewards and advancement. Fortunately she isn¡¯t herself a monster, she uses clones for experimentation.


    [Idunn we have to talk about your daughter.]


    <I know what you are going to say, and using my flesh and blood to further your goals does not sit well with me. I just got her back, Helena and you want to take that away from me? After all I did for you?>


    [I stop you right here, my friend. We have a long and fruitful partnership and I am happy to have you in my inner circle Idunn. But, I have people to save, tragedies to avoid and the very life of one of my daughter hanging in the balance.]


    That shut her up.


    Idunn looked at me with a rather shocked face, she helped me bear daughters after I was essentially barren. And she knows how much I love them and how dangerous I can be when their well being is at stake.


    And in the time stream I can see that Fenicia will help the one concerned survive. The warrior formed Fenicia closed her eyes and her form suddenly shifted, slowly shrinking. The weapons of my centurions were still trained on her. They are not taking any chance with her. Her normal form appeared and she was essentially half naked, her bountiful bosom exposed.


    ¡°Idunn, keep her modest please.¡± I said out loud.


    And like magic she took out her usual white lab coat from her tool belt and covered her daughter with it. That little woman is always prepared, that is why trying to get the drop on her is so difficult. Fenicia stumbled, her super soldier friend caught her and eased her on the ground. It seems that she is weakened.


    ¡°I think that she is out, we will speak when we are in a better environment. Shall we go on my ship?¡± I proposed.


    ***


    VIS Sundance, captain lounge


    ¡°Ah, this is better indeed.¡±


    At ease on the red sofa with a cup of tea in my hand, I blew on it. The surface of the tea rippled and sent delicious waft of Darjeeling to my olfactory organ. I drank and the sweet herbal sensation exploded on my tongue. It made me sigh in contentment.


    ¡°So where were we? Oh, right. I am going to make your daughter my subordinate.¡± I said to three people facing me on the other sofa.


    Idunn had her daughter¡¯s head on her lap while her feet are on the female super soldier thighs. She was laying there sleeping without a care with her mother caressing her hair like a human would a prized pet.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t think you know Feni. She will shut you down, the proof is that she already tried to flee.¡± The super soldier said.


    I can see it in the time stream, her refusing me. The soldier is right, but.. what happen if I dangle her mother in front of her? Her giving in but killing me five years later¡­ This is tricky. This girl can hold a grudge, so I decide another avenue.


    ¡°Mayhap yes, but I do want her to work for me.¡± I answered.


    ¡°I cannot let her run away, a lot depend on her and the nanites package inside her is bonded to her. She is essentially one of my subjects now, Idunn what do you say? I will tell you everything if you help me convince her.¡±


    The little white haired alien woman was thinking, about the pros and cons or even how to get out of that situation. Idunn is crafty like that, seeing her making that pensive face remind me when she thought of disseminating a viral agent to kill off a whole research station to get at their data. Crossing elegantly my leg I proceed to sip on my tea waiting for my friend to come to a decision. I even had the time to follow the diagnostic and the treatment of Sharah and her team by my chief medic on the com screen. The super soldier squirmed when my gaze fell onto her, what a delightful creature.


    ¡°I have come to a decision, Helena.¡± Idunn finally said.


    ¡°Oh, pray tell?¡± I answered suddenly interested.


    But we were interrupted when the door opened with a ¡°woosh¡± and a young woman entered the lounge. She is a petite woman and has blonde hair in a shag. Her eyes glowed with the electric hue of cybernetics, a soft smile on her face made her pleasant to look at. The young woman wore a black bodysuit with a tool belts not dissimilar to Idunn¡¯s with the difference that she had also a pistol strapped to her left thigh in a holster.


    The alien woman turned her head toward her and laughed.


    ¡°Fa.¡±


    ¡°Aunty.¡± She said with a musical voice.


    And she looked at me. ¡°Mother.¡± And inclined briefly her head in deference. I am proud of how well I educated her.


    ¡°I have come to¡­ wait, what is that tension I feel?¡± She asked.


    Fa like all my daughters is a psionic and an exceptional empath, she looked at me, then to Idunn and at the super soldier. Being a meddler like yours truly, I didn¡¯t find it surprising that Fa chose to sit in the sofa with me and declare.


    ¡°What is happening here, and why is there a sleeping beauty on aunt''s lap?¡±


    And this is how Idunn recapitulated the entire affair and I find my daughter glaring at me. Woe is me, being a leader I always have to tread on the toes of others. My daughter took entirely control of the conversation and began speaking with Idunn about her daughter and about where she is from, what happened to her, how she found her again. And the entire time Fa devolved into a crying mess, and was lost in the story of how Idunn and Fenicia reunited.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Mother I think you are being too heavy handed with this situation, you should let me take care of it.¡± She declared, putting a hand on my shoulder.


    My daughter is a master manipulator, if I say no she will find a way to thwart me behind my back even though I have precognition. I don¡¯t know how but she sometimes can make me blind to the time stream when she decides on something.


    ¡°Take care of it.¡±


    I made Idunn and the super soldier come with me and left Fa with Fenicia.


    ***


    Fenicia


    I felt a presence and it woke me from the embrace of the sweet darkness. My strength recovered gradually as well has my confidence, but I am starving. I could easily eat Zarins*(a sort of Lizard raised for meat on Saryna). I realized that I am half naked, it does bother me but for my peace of mind I chose to hide my chest by buttoning up the¡­ lab coat? It smells like mom. I inhaled and felt at peace. I see¡­ suddenly I¡¯ve become rather dependant. I chose to look at my host, and she looked like a human teenager. In fact I think she is one, Frowning I looked at her right thigh. There is a pistol strapped to it, maybe I am fast enough to take it from her.


    ¡°Guard leave us.¡± I heard her say and looking near the table against the wall to our left. And to my surprise I see a transparent figure that gained in opacity and finally formed a person in black centurion armor. The guard saluted, and moved to leave.


    When he was out I chose to look at the girl anew, she was ranked enough to have secret security in place to leave her with someone like me.


    ¡°I have been looking forward to talk with you, Fenicia.¡± The little human said.


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± I began to lose my patience with all those theatrical humans.


    ¡°You are right, I have been impolite. My Name if Fa L. Vice, I am the daughter of the CEO and Tyrant of the Vice Worlds.¡±


    Oh, she¡¯s ranked alright.


    She smiled and said. ¡°You know we are somehow family, Idunn helped mom have me. And I consider her my aunt, so I decided that we should be friends.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    ¡°You sound like a meddlesome little female.¡± I guessed.


    My eyes found the handle of her pistol and I averted them from it again fast. But it seems I didn¡¯t fool her. She grinned more intensely and patted the grip of her pistol.


    ¡°You¡­ want this, don¡¯t you?¡± She said in a sultry way that rubbed me wrong.


    She stood up. Took her pistol from her holster she pointed it at me and that put me on the defensive.


    And before I did anything she launched it in the air, caught it by the barrel and said.


    ¡°Here take it, but it will not do you any good. At least maybe you¡¯ll feel safe with it.¡±


    ¡°Is it DNA locked?¡± I asked, remembering the weapons Idunn equipped me with before taking down the Ares ship¡¯s crew.


    ¡°Smart. Yes of course, it is my own design you know.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should show you my toys?¡± She said, tilting her head cutely.


    ***


    And this is how I found myself in a freshly fabricated blue bodysuit with black boots and an empty holster. Fa was generous in giving me a high density Quantum crystal earring computer and a next gen all purpose com tablet. ¡°For our budding friendship¡± she said when I tried to refuse. Now we are in the ship corridors and Fa shows me the different decks. She couldn¡¯t show me the main bridge but could do so with the briefing room which has virtual windows to see the space around the ship. It subs at a briefing room too. And it¡¯s boring. On deck two it was the crew quarters and the officer¡¯s mess.


    Still boring.


    Now we are en route to see the weapons of this ship, so we went to a computer room to get a presentation. Fa made me sit on a really comfortable chair with two tray of food and drinks and began the lesson. And how captivating it was. This ship the sundance bristled with weapons, Forward missile launchers, Aft missile launchers, Aft facing, dorsal, primary hull beam laser array; Ventral, primary hull, Beam laser array and to finish big targets it also got a Horizon Canon. The weapon I used to destroy parts of the Warsong.


    This ship possessed also an array of strategic weapon for combat in space. I watched the holo-screen in rapture.


    ¡°Do you see something you like?~¡± Fa asked in a sing song voice.


    I nodded while filling my mouth with Beef meat, there were some point defense systems that she did not mention on the schematics. Maybe because they were obvious.


    ¡°I was the one who designed the Sundance class ship, it¡¯s mine to begin with. But mother requisitioned my flotilla.¡±


    Intrigued, I decided to let her talk.


    ¡°Mother, knew that Hidden Garden was attacked by an outside source and raced here with my ships.¡± Fa, explained.


    ¡°That¡¯s why.¡±


    I wondered how they knew to come, but still. They were too late, I already took care of the rabble. Fa stepped out of the podium and sat against it, looking at me. She looked hesitant. Putting my plastex cup on the tray I crossed my arm under my breasts and waited.


    ¡°Mother wants you to work for her.¡± Fa, finally said.


    I frowned. ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Fa, smiled and put a blonde lock of hair behind her ear. ¡°You cannot.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I said, perplexed.


    I wouldn¡¯t give in, freedom is precious and even though I liked it here with mom. Thing would be totally different with someone like the Tyrant in command of my life. Idunn give me choices and don¡¯t push me into things.


    *Well not a lot.*


    ¡°Because she already expected Aunt Idunn to give you the Omega nanites pack . And there is no taking it back, you are hers.¡± Fa explained.


    I could see the frustration on Fa¡¯s face, as if that kind of deep manipulation was the usual with her mother. But it would also mean that she is a pawn too. Mom should know this, but she still stays with that Helena woman. Standing up from my seat, I wiped my mouth with one of the manufactured tissue like paper called sani-wipe. Looking at Fa, I suddenly prowled toward her. Being face to face with her, I caught a hint of nervousness, and for some reason I felt aroused to see her this way. She felt so in control while we were touring the ship and her smile was attractive. But I didn¡¯t forget that she still felt like a meddler to me. Huh, why is her face reddening? I put a hand on her left shoulder and the other under her chin, making her look at me in the eyes.


    ¡°What if I worked with you instead?¡± I proposed.


    ¡°Interesting. You said ¡®with¡¯ not ¡®for¡¯. What an independent person you are.¡± Fa said sultrily.


    Oh. I smiled, she¡¯s interested in me? Nice to know, but this is not important right now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a pawn, and I think you too have misgivings about the controlling ways of your matriarch. Let¡¯s forge a contract, I will work ¡®with¡¯ you and we will add a mutual defense and assistance clause with boundaries?¡± This is what I wish.


    I felt that she has enough clout to not make it easy for the Tyrant to control me or blackmail me with my own mother. Fa¡¯s eyes focused on my lips and returned on my eyes, she wet her lips with her tongue. She grinned at me.


    ¡°Why the hell not? But it will cost you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is free.¡± I said before feeling Fa¡¯s lips on mine.


    Her body glued itself on mine and I encased her in my arms, my hands roaming on her body and particularly on her bottom. Forcing my tongue in her mouth I found myself dueling for domination with hers. She is a meddlesome female, but a tasty one.


    ***


    Helena T. Vice


    The time stream showed me how everything unfolded and I am surprised by what is actually happening. I didn¡¯t see that one coming. The stream of Fa and Fenicia interweaved and¡­ seeing them having sex in a computer room wasn¡¯t something I expected to see.


    <Why are you making that face?>


    Idunn¡¯s mental voice released me from my peeping, she looked at me expectantly. Her legs were crossed and she had a teacup in her hands and blew on the liquid in it. She drank some of the tea.


    ¡°Your daughter is fucking Fa.¡± I announced.


    I was delighted to see Idunn choke on the tea has a payback. The poor alien woman put the teacup on the low table when she cleared her throat. She looked at me with question in her eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, Fenicia is having sex with Fa in a computer room. I don¡¯t know how it happened, but it complicates things for me.¡±


    Yes it does, Fa is one the five people I don¡¯t want to go against and an emotional attachments to that Alien girl will¡­


    <Let it be, if it¡¯s what they want. You shouldn¡¯t meddle too much, let things develop. What is your gift telling you will happen?>


    I focused on the time stream and I see things going my way without truly needing me to intervene. How encouraging. I then took my com tablet and played with the file on Fenicia and updated them. Giving her citizenship and a black Centurion security level. It will unlock most of the omega nanites pack in her body, but first she will need training.


    ¡°I guess the smile on your face tells me that everything is going to go smoothly. Now can I go back to work? I have the terraformation of the moon to continue.¡±


    I looked at Idunn, she stood up and prepared to leave.


    ¡°So you are still going to work ¡®with¡¯ me?¡±


    ¡°We are still friends.¡± Idunn answered and left.


    And that meant a lot to me.

 Chapter 13: This is just the beginning

    -(Fenicia)-


    VIS Sundance, Computer room 5A


    I zipped my blue body suit up and checked that everything was in place. Arms snaked from behind cupping my breasts and I felt a soft body pressed against my back. Desire flared in me, inviting me to undo my suit and continue wondrous, pleasurable and challenging activities. But taking a look around me, I reminded myself that the room where we copulated is not suited for such and that somebody could come and interrupt us. That course of action would be dangerous.


    For the intruding party.


    But I can also feel like it would be thrilling in a sense. Fa tested my willpower and self-control by doing wonderful things to my body, it took a lot out of me to lightly put my hands on hers and move away from her embrace. Turning toward her I could see her eyes hooded with desire and¡­ acceptance?


    ¡°I do hope that this wasn¡¯t a one-time thing.¡± She said and pouted.


    I looked at her naked body, her tantalizing curves ¡­ and imagined her hands on me. I didn¡¯t feel any emotional conflict or regrets. That¡¯s why when I moved, I took her in my arms and hugged her I answered.


    ¡°I would be a fool to let you go.¡±


    And when I think there was a time I wouldn¡¯t even be intimate with someone at all. After my forced marriage and rape on Saryna, it had become rather difficult to let someone in or even touch me again. The mildest touch would send me into a frenzy. Time and a stubborn Irish captain cured me but I still stay mildly distrusting of males. It had an unintended consequence of turning me mostly away from them sexually. Only the stars know how much I tried. But I am satisfied, maybe with more time my disgust and mistrust will disappear.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to assume,¡± I added.


    Fa giggled.


    ¡°You are awesome.¡± And she sealed it with a kiss.


    After losing ourselves in tongues dueling I reluctantly let go again, that little human female must be a test to for my self-control. I lightly slapped her bottom.


    ¡°Temptress, put your suit on you are distracting.¡±


    Fa smiled at me and slowly put on her bodysuit, putting on a show. I felt flattered, but I had to gather my wits not to let her control the whole situation. Even with how delightful she is, I still think she¡¯s more than a pleasant and pretty face. I mean, for a female human raised by a ruthless woman she must have sharp spines. When I thought this, she surreptitiously looked at me and then lowered her eyes.


    Interesting.


    Walking toward her slowly, I made my thought go blank and posed a hand on her shoulder that she batted away.


    ¡°Empathy, huh?¡±


    No wonder she was receptive to my touch and is this magical while copulating.


    ¡°Huh yeah, don¡¯t do that again. I hate that cold feeling¡­¡± She said hesitantly.


    Fa tried to laugh it off.


    I looked at her, really looked. Being a natural predator I am used into seeing weakness and right at this moment, Fa looked prepared to bolt. Telepath and empath are shunned romantically in principle because their partner can¡¯t hide anything from them. They cannot be involved with someone who doesn¡¯t open to them. I decided to open a gambit for a little while and like in my meager speed training in psychic defenses I opened myself to her, my defenses falling away. It was like meditating and imagining being totally naked on an open plain feeling the wind blowing on you and the sun¡¯s ray hit your skin warmly. The little female looked at me sharply her mouth forming an ¡°o.¡±


    I smiled at her, thinking about how cute she is at this moment. I put a hand on her right cheek and she leaned into it.


    ¡°Are you¡­ sure?¡± There was a vulnerability in her voice.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t make me regret it.¡±


    I thought about everything that happened in my short life, the Hell hole that is Saryna, my false wedding, being banished and branded Kranicar*(banished), learning how to fight and use technology from the Saint Patrick crew, my darker path in the criminal underworld after leaving the Irish crew. My life is chaotic, and I think that for now, I am just in the eye of the storm. Meeting that little female must be part of something that will shake my life.


    Fa looked me in the eyes, something passed into them. An emotion I¡¯ve never seen before, but she lowered her glowing blue eyes to stop me from further prying. I helped Fa zip up her own bodysuit, kissed her again and took her hand to finally leave that computer room. But suddenly I felt dizzy and went on one knee.


    ¡°Hey, are you ok?¡± Fa asked worriedly.


    She was fawning over me but vertigo I felt didn¡¯t stop. New sensations made themselves known. I felt as if millions of tiny insects were roaming on my skin, my body felt numb and then it stopped.


    ¡°Fenicia?¡± The voice of Fa felt sharper and louder than before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shout!¡± It hurt my ears to even speak.


    I put my hands on my ears, trying to stop me from listening. WHAT. THE. FUCK. is happening. Texts and numbers scroll up and down in my field of vision.


    Companion AI, activation Protocol.


    Calibration of sensory input.


    Toddler program activated.


    Please, choose a name for your companion A.I.


    I wanted it to go away, I thought hard about it but nothing happened.


    Please, choose a name for your companion A.I.It insisted, the text gaining in size in my eyes obfuscating everything.


    I decided to give in, I cannot win it seems. A name came into focus in my mind and it seems the computer picked up on it.


    Checking for Availability¡­


    The name you inputted is available, Onboard Omega A.I. is now designed as SONG.


    30 second before activation.


    Now that I have calmed down a bit, I have time to read the entire prompts in my HUD. Is it saying what I think it is saying? Something like a synthetic nanny was embedded in the nanites pack?! Now I understand, it was too good to be true. I will have someone else in my head.


    SONG is activated.


    Welcome, user. My name is SONG and I¡¯ve been designed to facilitate the use of your augmentations.


    *Go on, bitch.*


    Fuck, I never asked for this.


    My presence wasn¡¯t expected, this is highly irregular. User, I promise that my services will be done with the utmost efficiency. All systems are green. Somehow, user, you are low on energy reserve. You should stock on calories for the system to run without cannibalizing your body.


    *Shut up!* I thought.


    * Please. Please, could you let me time to think?*


    ¡°Fenicia, listen!¡± My head turned toward Fa.


    ¡°Ah, finally you are listening. Are you ok?¡± She asked, worry all over her face.


    I shook my head, and tried to stand slowly, but no I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°There is some sort of A.I. that activated and is speaking to me in my head.¡±


    Fa helped me by making me sit and lean against the steel grey wall near the exit of the computer room. Her pretty face was changing through a kaleidoscope of emotions while she looked at me. She took her com tablet from her tool belt and I don¡¯t know if I was seeing things but the holo-screen flickered through menus, pictures, and graph at high speed without her touching it.


    ¡°Mother.¡± I heard her coldly say while gritting her teeth.


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Fenicia, my mother can¡¯t stop messing with you¡­¡± She added, there was something more she wanted to say, but she shook her head and looked at the ceiling furiously and sat at my side.


    ¡°I will call the nurse bots to bring you to the medical bay. What you are going through isn¡¯t supposed to happen like this, but more in a controlled environment. She is being vindictive¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± I have no idea about what she is trying to explain.


    Wait, Fenicia. Think. First look at the prompts in your HUD. After some time reading them I noticed. And remembered that I had no complete control of my Augments when I woke up and while fighting the mercenaries. Idunn said that it was a quick and dirty version of what normal Centurion does to be in control.


    ¡°Yes, you understand. Smart.¡± Fa smiled weakly.


    Can I explain, user?


    *No, shut up. We will talk, when I am ready.*


    Of course, user. I shall wait for our t¨ºte-¨¤ -t¨ºte.


    Frustration welled up inside me, I looked at Fa in my HUD and I could see some kind of panel with her full name and title. The panel unfolded when I focused on it and a trove of information showed up. I saw her position in the board meeting, her shares in Vice Corporation, was it some kind of advanced Augmented Reality function.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Ah, you are accessing my public profile. I see yours now; wow you are listed as a first-class centurion and the daughter of Idunn. Your account is empty but you should be able to get your money from the Alliance Bank. Maybe buy some stock in the corporation¡­¡±


    I sighed and leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. To make her shut up I passed my arm around her shoulders to have her lean into me. And it worked.


    ***


    VIS Sundance, med-bay


    I was lying on the med-bed with the scanner drones flying around me and scanning my body. The holographic monitor showed my physiology to the doctor examining me. He looked quite austere and professional. Fa stayed with me, looking leery of the Centurions in the medical bay.


    Shit, all those eyes on me aren¡¯t good for my nerves. When we arrived in the shiny and advanced med-bay I didn¡¯t think I would be confronted with the guys who arrested me earlier. But why are they in such a state? I leaned my head against the blue pillow the bed had formed when I laid on it.


    The petite human female must have felt my discomfort because she felt obliged to inform me.


    ¡°You happened to them.¡±


    I hesitated to answer her. ¡°I don¡¯t remember mowing them down like this, even that bitch is in a full healing tank.¡± I recognized the dark-skinned woman who captured me earlier. She is floating naked in the green goo of the glasslike tank.


    Fa looked at one of the male soldiers when I said that, doing the same I saw that he was furious and barely restraining himself.


    ¡°Maybe you should talk with your A.I. she can do a lot of thing for you. But first, you will have to configure her, don¡¯t be closed minded.¡± The petite human said.


    I must have made a stubborn face because Fa added.


    ¡°You will need her.¡±


    *Tssk.* I averted my eyes from her pleading gaze.


    ¡°I feel your reluctance¡­ and by the way, you better do it fast, mom will expect you to be able to deserve your rank. She already threw you in the fire, Mother likes to see people struggle. Don¡¯t give in to her.¡±


    Fa took out her com tablet and did the mind surfing I saw her do on the ship intranet. And she made a holo-screen appear; imagine my surprise when I saw myself in the station plaza surrounded by centurions while I was tied up. Then with horror, I watched myself as I lit up and transformed. My mind went slack. I looked at Fa then at the screen. I did all this, I attained the warrior form!! My elation is short-lived, because I realized that I attained it but wasn¡¯t guided into making it perfect.


    I will have to work with a Saryan to be able to¡­ and then I realized another thing. No Saryan will help me after what I did on Saryna. I felt a weight settle on me; despair seized my heart, my past came back to bite me. I put my face in the palm of my hand. Blind revenge caught up to me and dealt a blow I might never walk away from, entering in combat with that monstrous and unpredictable form might be the end of my career.


    Someone put a hand on my shoulder, uncovering my face I see that it is Fa; showing a sage and reassuring smile on her soft and delicate face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, aunt Idunn will surely help you. Do you remember? She is an expert on the Saryan race.¡±


    Maybe she¡¯s right? I have nothing to fear¡­ but hindsight is a bitch, really. If I didn''t scatter the agent throughout the clan cityI might still have been able to consult with the Banished Saryan in the shanty town around it.


    Sigh. No use crying over it, I will deal with what the stars gave me. Yes, I have a new purpose. I am Fenicia Kranicar and I will not fail. When the thought of failure creeps on me I will do what I have always done, I will banish it. My mind felt suddenly light as smoke. Quiet, and with my mind free of deliberation, I realize that I surmounted my first hurdle into mastering my warrior form. A clear mind does not impede the will, the primary instrument of a warrior.


    Fa smiled at me and said, ¡°That¡¯s my girl.¡±


    I looked at her, she was getting used to reading my emotions, not at all afraid of my inner demons.


    ¡°Am I?¡± I grinned and catching her free hand to stroke it.


    ¡°Oh yes.¡± And she kissed me.


    ***


    -(Ell Evan)-


    Hidden Garden space station, Idunn¡¯s lab


    I am strapped to the lab table awaiting my check up from Idunn. She was using that machine showing every part of me down to the quantum, there is no way to get more naked than this. The Assurian woman looked closely on her holo-screen as if she noticed something new.


    ¡°Ell, my dear. You are so fascinating.¡± Idunn gushed.


    ¡°Enlighten me, doctor.¡± I quipped.


    She didn¡¯t turn to look at me, but I could see her tremble from excitement.


    ¡°My dear, you are a conundrum, you are obviously a mutation. I just compared your beautiful and structured genetic code to other engineered super soldiers. And my dear, you are the pinnacle of what your limited race can do with genetics.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes my mind is blown how humans can do with their limited technology and comprehension. And I am about to tune you up.¡± Idunn turned briefly. ¡°Emphasis onlimited.¡± She added.


    Wait, what? I decided that I should make myself scarce.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah.¡± And four point restraints snapped on me making me unable to move. With all my strength I tried to escape.


    The petite Assurian slowly sashayed to me, her lab coat flowing. Her hand delicately went to my face, and her fingers caressing my brows.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry my dear, you¡¯ll thank me when I am done.¡± This was the first time I saw that light in Idunn¡¯s eyes dangerous and crazy.


    I thought she was normal, seeing her acting with Fenicia you would see how amazing and caring she is. Weirdly I think she is being generous right now, but she is forceful about it. Idunn doesn¡¯t care if you appreciate her gifts, she only cares about what she can do. The alien woman must not see me as a being right now, but an interesting subject.


    ¡°Oh no my dear, you are more than that. You are a friend of my daughter, and I intend to make you able to follow her. The frail body that you have shall be a work of art, I promise.¡±


    And she returned to her work station her hands moving in the sea of touch physical screens and holo equivalent. Is Idunn going to keep me strapped on the table while she works? It¡¯s going to be boring. She must have heard me because a medical drone came hovering toward me and shot me with something that put me under.


    ***


    -(Idunn)-


    Stopping my hands from moving for a microsecond I opened my telepathic link to the chief meddler.


    <I know that you are spying on me>


    And as usual, I feel mirth, curiosity, and camaraderie through the link. Helena possesses a beautiful mind in every sense of the term. The way she thinks is logical and filtered by a veil of emotion that doesn¡¯t always take over her rationality. She is a control freak. My hands type on the holo-keyboard and the screen zoom in on the thread-like chain of nucleotides. With a wave of my hand, I smoothed out the defects I saw in the DNA replication, longevity of the subject extended. Muscles, ligaments optimized. Adding potential psionic abilities.


    [Of course, you are always doing amusing things. Like tweaking the genes of a bio-engineered superhuman to make it even more¡­ well super.] Helena answered.


    Now it is time to look at the cosmetic effect. Scars smoothed out, pigmentation ownership tattoo culled from the DNA eliminated.


    <Helena, I am preparing for whatever you have seen in the time stream. We need this girl to be with my daughter, I request your help with this. Could you prep a nanites pack for her?>


    DNA of the Subject optimization is possible in less than two weeks, need to put her in a culture tank:strongly recommended.


    [You are asking a lot, Idunn.]


    <Helena, you are asking a lot of me too. My only daughter is in your clutch, and you are going to send her out there to face untold dangers. Would you send Fa or Demetria to their death for your ambition?>


    [Careful Idunn¡­] I felt her growl, a slight threat, and outrage targeted at me.


    Anger suddenly flared in me while I still moved and stabilized the DNA model.


    <I could still take my daughter and disappear; you¡¯d never find us again.>


    She stayed silent for a minute or so, giving me the time to authorize the bots to take Ell and load her up in the tank. Yes. I could definitely disappear from this quadrant of the galaxy, and I am betting that Helena is looking at the time stream and weighing her chances.


    [Sigh. You win this one, Idunn. A Beta pack should suffice, I will update her citizenship and link her with Fa¡¯s unit. I did the same with Fenicia.] She said.


    The woman felt defeated.


    [Alta?r, contacted me.] Helena Revealed.


    <Did she sell you the schedule of the Ares mercenary outfit?> I tried to guess.


    Alta?r Aquilar is the elusive shadow broker of the criminal underworld that spans the entire alliance.


    Nothing is safe from her grasp, secret project, and government cover-up. She is a formidable help and can also be a tedious enemy to fight.


    [You are too smart¡­ yes.]


    And then red hot anger seethed through our link.


    [ Idunn, those imbeciles targeted your research station. They invaded VCW assets, I want them dead. Every mercenary under them is going to die, even those retired or who changed outfit. I don¡¯t care if they were just a tool. Nobody attacks Vice Corporation and get away with it. Alive.]


    Music to my ears.


    <There are two Assurian families who need a culling.>


    [Yes my friend, whatever you need you got it. But let¡¯s be careful not to spark a war, is that clear?]


    <There won¡¯t be anything left of them.>


    ***


    -(???)-


    Alpha quadrant, Eta Eridani planet Tethis III


    When I was young my father once told me to ¡°Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.¡±Of course, later I learned that he quoted a long-dead great author called Mark Twain. But I took his advice to heart and strived to be the best of the best. I went to the army and strived in this environment. The ranking system and the way of life agreed with my view of how everything should be. But I had forgotten for a time how humans are; politics are in every echelon of society even the more martial institutions. With my coffee mug in hand, I gazed at the men and women training through the glass. I watched the mecha in a simulated fight. They are a well oiled and efficient machine. Most of our mechanized unit is crewed by women and they are definitely well paid. I have always wanted parity to be respected in my organization.


    The infantry was another beast though; the units are led by some of the most dangerous men and women that I could find. I strain to find efficient and capable people. Like this half-breed Saryan I had under my employ, she was a joy to work with. Bold, inventive and a real stickler at doing a good job. But it wasn¡¯t meant to be, she had pissed off some of my associates by wiping out one of their satellite organization. I had to make an example out of her. Someone busted her out of our brig; we are still patching the defenses in our security network from the escape. It¡¯s been a month now.


    I sipped on my coffee and exhaled from satisfaction. My hand reached for the panel near the bay view and I pushed a button. The glass became black and showed my reflection. Straightening my black uniform I looked at myself, I am fit for my fifty years; the weathered skin I have shown that I am a hand on type of person. My full dark hair whitening at the temple was added by re-splicing my DNA for longevity and corrects this part of my DNA. I was bald for a year and my wife didn¡¯t like it; my eyes were a chocolate brown that Justine, my wife said seduced her instantly when I met her. I really liked the image of power and wisdom I project, it keeps the troops in line. Humans are weird creatures that judges on appearance. I went to sit at my comp-desk, put my mug in its place and watched the photograph of Justine and our kids. My wife is a redhead of stunning beauty, we met on the job. I had to protect her from being kidnapped by a rival cartel to one of her father¡¯s. We fell in love and I had to ask permission to court her from her father. What a tough old man¡­ he put me through hell. My kids, Julie and Andrew looked much like her. Fit and smart teenagers who proved to be no end of trouble.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    Someone entered my office without knocking, it only happens when something bad happens.


    ¡°Dustin, your manners!¡±


    The ebony skinned man stopped himself, his eyes bugged out of his eyes and saluted me.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°At ease lieutenant!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The man relaxed and a haunted look could be seen on his face.


    ¡°Now what were you going to say?¡± It intrigued me, Dustin wasn¡¯t a man who is easily shaken.


    ¡°Sir, we have lost contact with Colonel O¡¯lleary and the Warsong. They stopped transmitting when they were assaulting a facility in space.¡±


    The news made me lean in my seat a bit more. Not a lot of things could take down my special unit or one of our light warships, the job seemed easy. Take down some Assurian alien female who has been playing possum.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s bad. They attacked a Vice corp space station!¡±


    And this ruined my day.


    ¡°Dustin, recall our troops from any job they are on. Recall everyone!! We need to go dark, prepare all personnel to the fortress world.¡±


    ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± The man turned around


    Sighing from the stress the news caused, I took my com tablet and called my wife.


    ¡°Justine, my sweet. We won¡¯t be able to go to this concert¡­¡±


    ---END OF ARC ONE---

 In the next Book

    After being rescued by a Assurian scientist, Fenicia Kranicar wake up panicked, afraid and with a lot of anger. She plan to escape but hold back when she learn that dangerous mercenaries are about to attack the space station she is on. The half Assurian-Saryan female discover things about her that she would have never guessed. Her new powers, her lineage and how she was changed by the most technologically advanced human empire in the Alpha quadrant.


    She will find love, vengeance, and more shit to blow up.


    Warning:The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Convergence of Fates contains Violent misuse of office equipment, nudity, perfidy, disruption of public transit services, polyamory, theft, arson, trespassing, lesbian sex, flagrant violations of civil rights, hacking, dangerous use of alcoholic drinks, bras, panties, murder, attempted murder, decapitations, gossiping, defenestration, sexual harassment, stalking, selfies, bribery, assault under color of authority, assault and battery, stabbings, excessive handcuff play, mayhem, explosions, existential discussions, controversial topics of sci-fi fandom, home invasions, conspiracy, bad study habits, government surveillance, pancakes, discharge of firearms on corporate property, reckless driving, murder of corporate security agents, poor firearms safety habits, misuse of a swimming pool for gladiatorial combat, insanity, immolations, public endangerment, disorderly conduct, kidnapping of Federal agents, underage drinking, dismemberment, abuse of authority, electrocutions, destruction of private property, betrayals, slavery, nutshots, disrespect for authority, prostitution, public indecency, obstruction of justice, biting, clawing, hair-pulling, trash-talking and yet again a sexy mother.

 Characters cast

    Convergence of Fates


    Characters Cast


    Female Characters


    Fenicia Kranicar: Aka the MC, like most Saryan she has an athletic body. Not overly muscular, more like an Over toned human female in her normal form. She has Blue hair with a streak of white in them. Fenicia has golden eyes, fer face is slightly heart shaped but possess a certain hardness to it because her usual brooding mood; compared to her mom¡¯s who has more delicate features. Fenicia is a beautiful female of Saryan and Assurian heritage, but her beauty is often marred by her grotesque grins or crazy look. She is pilots who obtained her license in the Alliance; she is able to pilot most shuttles, fighters and light ships. Fenicia mastered 3 different Saryan combat styles including edged and empty hands and is about to enter in V. I. combat training under the trainer and ex-mercenary, Akito. Her standard weapons are the rifle, pistols (heavy or light) and Heavy weaponry. Because of her Assurian heritage, Fenicia is able to use psionic abilities. More precisely, Telekinesis.


    Idunn the banished:  The MC¡¯s mom. She is an Assurian scientist and a powerful telepath. Idunn is a genius of multiple fields; Engineering, Computer, genetic engineering, cybernetics and specialized in psionic control. On her home planet she was courted by countless house of powerful lineage. But she didn¡¯t want any male of her specie weak seed so she went the crossbreeding route by finding the most compatible donor with her genetic makeup. She was banished when the authorities found what she was doing.


    Ell Evan: The super soldier captured when her mercenary company attacked the Hidden Garden space station. She gets turned by Fenicia who give her a way to gain her freedom, they become friends in the process. The scientist who engineered Ell used the DNA of a long dead chinese actress called Meng Ziyi as a basis to engineer her, they still took liberties into making her a cute and beautiful woman. She has pale blonde hair and electric cerulean eyes. Ell is an excellent intelligence officer, a marksman and pilot.


    Sharah Phis: Is a weapon specialist, special Beta centurion dispatched to serve under Fenicia by the Tyrant. With the twins Kalan and Kisora they are the minder of the young hybrid alien. Sharah is of Egyptian origin that makes her complexion rather exotic, her skin tone is a light brown, she has long straight black hair, a heart shaped face and soft amber eyes. The Rah tattoo on her right eyes is one of the more distinctive sign that she values her origins. The meeting between her and Fenicia was rocky.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Helena T. Vice: The tyrant, the one C.E.O. and owner of the most powerful corporation in the human sphere of influence. She became this powerful by obtaining the repository of an alien race called Lutian, who is a distant ancestor of the human race. Helena is a psionic with power to see in the future and the past, an Oracle.


    Fa L. Vice: A reddish blonde beauty with cybernetic blue eyes and pixie like body. Middle daughter of Helena T. Vice, she is the most sought after space engineer of Vice Corporation. Fa is a genius and often develop new technology based on the repository of the Lutians. Most of what she developed is kept hush hush by her mother, who treat her like a treasure. Fa is in love with Fenicia Kranicar.


    Demetria Z. Vice: A fiery redhead, looking exactly like Fa. She is a curvy and petite young woman. She is a bio engineering scientist heavily influenced by Idunn. Demetria is also a major bitch that put her nose always where it has no business being in. But she loves her family; you cannot find someone more devoted to them than her. She doesn¡¯t like Fenicia one bit, even though she is the daughter of the female alien she respect the most. It must be because she see Fenicia as a soulless killer.


    SONG: A female A.I. created by Vice Corporationt that was in the nanites package of Fenicia. She awakened after the destruction of the Ares mercenaries that tried to take the space station of Idunn. SONG is an adventurous, bloodthirsty, cute and curious A. I.


    Male Characters


    Colonel David O¡¯lleary: The superior and owner of the super soldiers attacking the hidden garden. The man was an efficient commander and was an agreeable fellow with his men and slave super soldier in surface. But he was a creepy misogynistic bastard and a rapist to boot. His ship and crew paid the price when Fenicia went overkill mode on his ass. [Dead]


    Guild master Howard Kane: The guild master of the Ares mercenary outfit. What can we say about a man who has a foot in each world, he is a father and a good husband; but a merciless man deep down inside when it come to military action. He is not aware that he is going to meet Fenicia Soon.


    Charles Elba: A dark skinned, tall, strong and green eyed man. He is the second in command of the Sharah Phis squad, of Nubian origins he is a 2nd class Centurion and an assault specialist. Charles is in love with Sharah Phis, but is constrained by his duty and never informed her of his feelings for her.

 Arc 2 chapter 1: Six months later

    -(Fa)-


    Vice City Ship Gladius, the start of the year 457 of the unified alliance


    Falling on my back on the bed exhausted by an insatiable sexy alien succubus, I relished in the afterglow of my climax. My heart was beating frantically is settling little by little. After recuperating from my breathless state I looked at Fenicia, my half Assurian-Saryan lover. Her golden eyes sparkled in the dim light with a shimmering glow. Fenicia grinned as if she won billions of credit at the lottery. Unstrapping the sex toy from herself she then begun to get on the bed and slowly kissed her way from my feet to my face and laid at my side.


    ¡°Cia, I cannot move,¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course, it is my devilish plan to keep you in bed until tomorrow.¡±


    The deep love she had for me has grown with careful attention on my part for the last six months. Fenicia is not easy to love, but because she opened herself to me I could see past the haughty bitch and the cold exterior she projects. Oh, it has been a battle of wit to be considered more than a fuck buddy; I cajoled, I acted cutely but with enough steel to not look weak. Saryan hates weakness but respects you when you better yourself to cover it. I had to beg Idunn to show me her comprehensive study of that race of giant humanoid.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Fenicia said.


    Her smoldering golden gaze roamed over my body, I felt as warm as the emotions she radiated. It was so strong and immutable that I reacted subconsciously; I glued myself to her body and kissed her passionately. She is mine, I won¡¯t ever let her go; after getting into the mood and satisfy our hunger for each other we slept.


    I awakened with no Fenicia in my arms, it made me sigh. That female alien is really whimsical and as mercurial as a cat; however, she is loving and¡­ hot damn, I am being lovesick? Cia must be training with Akito right now, he is her dedicated trainer that mom hired at great cost. He is from one of the hidden planets between the border of Vice Corporation and the Asian Great Alliance, their population is composed of the refugees of the AGA that can¡¯t enter our borders. We provide relief but in no way citizenship, those are filled to the brim with seditionists and spies from what the Vice Intelligence branch gathered.


    I notice the glowing screen of my com tablet on the nightstand and with a thought I access it. Compliment of the neural interface provided by my nanites.


    Fa, I am sorry for leaving you so abruptly, but today I must graduate from training with that smug faced vile male. There are food and coffee prepared for you already, you only have to heat it.


    P.S: I love you, and you received a call from your sister who promptly hanged up to my face, educate her.


    It is a note left by Fenicia and a really veiled threat toward my sister Demetria. Or she might do it in my place; a sigh escapes me, my family is seeing my relationship with the ¡®half-breed¡¯ as they call her like a bad thing. My mother ¨Cweirdly- and sisters are all about public image, and dating an ex-merc and a remorseless killer is not the kind of thing they want me to do. Fuck them. Ok, Fenicia can be radical in the way she interacts with problems, but I¡¯ve seen the good in her and the radiant feeling not only for me but for her friend and mother.


    I left the bed and went toward the toilet of the suite. Yes, instead of letting my girlfriend in the barracks of the Gladius I decided that it would be less dangerous for humans to not let Fenicia live with them. Minutes later, after relieving myself and a good sonic shower I focused on the coffee and waffles that Fenicia left me. For an alien, Fenicia is a connoisseur of human pastry. She always surprises me with something after dinner. She can do breakfast too, and she never let me do the cooking¡­ The female alien dared to say that I¡¯m a natural poison control pharmacist. That was mean, and I ignored her for a day because of that; remembering this made me smile until a jingle interrupted my peaceful breakfast.


    With my neural interface, I looked at who it was at the door, it was the sound of when someone pushed the button to signal their presence at the door of my suite. A woman with red hair and a dark green body suit appeared on the holo-screen. Demetria.


    Sigh.


    ¡°Let her in,¡± I ordered vocally.


    The computer-executed, the door opened and Demetria entered like a fury in my den. I just waited for her to barge in on me, and she didn¡¯t disappoint. My sister green eyes glowed with emotions; her intents have always been so blatantly obvious since we were young.


    ¡°Greeting, sister,¡± I said amicably.


    She radiated anger, self-righteousness, and malice through our empathic link. Yes, I have a psychic link with everyone from my family as I am considered a mediator when dispute ensues. But it means jack shit when their problem is with me.


    ¡°Fa.¡± She nodded at me.


    I took a sip of my coffee while watching her watching me, all that posturing is normal in my family. Demetria blinked first, she always lost at those little games.


    ¡°So what did you came here for?¡± I asked.


    Demetria radiated smugness and a surprising emotion that I didn¡¯t feel in her for so long that I thought I imagined it, protectiveness. Her green gaze flared as she focused on me.


    ¡°I did some research about that alien girlfriend of yours; it will show you how you cannot associate with the like of her!¡± She declared.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Sigh.


    ¡°This again¡­¡± Athena my elder sister and Demetria who is my little sister have been employing every trick to separate me and Fenicia. Bribes, threats, blackmail. All directed at the Alien woman.


    Demetria didn¡¯t wait for me, she opened her arms and a lot of different holo-screens opened around my table. Every screen showed Fenicia, her body stats; why she was banished from her home planet: murder; that she was a smuggler on the Irish clan owned space freighter Saint Patrick; that she became an assassin for hire and a mercenary. Fenicia took down a lot of people in a political and military position in the two short years of her career until she tried to go legit by joining Ares. And it became a bad decision because Ares is affiliated with a family specializing in drugs distribution and sentient trafficking. She never left prisoner. Never. But that streak was broken when she got introduced to Idunn, her mother. Now in everything that asks finesse, Fenicia ask herself what would Idunn do? And it is scary in a sense because the Assurian woman has no ethics.


    ¡°Wow. I see that you have done your homework, dear sister.¡± I said in derision.


    Demetria looked at me suddenly dejected, she felt surprised and questions formed in her mind.


    ¡°You expected me to feel disgusted? To drive me away from the woman I love? Do you think that I cannot have her investigated too with my own assets?¡±


    How stupid is she? But Demetria is not the kind of people to do things like this alone, Athena must have helped her. It¡¯s always her behind all those manipulations concerning us. I looked at my sister with a pitying look.


    ¡°Big sis helped you, right?¡±


    She panicked in her mind but didn¡¯t show any sign of it outwardly, my sister has an excellent poker face.


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, Fenicia told me everything she did. She let me in her head, do you understand what that means to me?¡±


    Demetria didn¡¯t answer me right away, but when she did she stuttered a bit.


    ¡°D-do you mean that¡­ she is telepathically bonded to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course she is, she is the woman I love. I am not an idiot who would enter a relationship blindly.¡± I said stating the obvious.


    ¡°But she¡¯s a killer!¡± She insisted.


    I smiled, my little sister is really cute.


    ¡°Mother is a mass murderer, you don¡¯t see me throw it in her face as you did with Fenicia.¡±


    Laughing, I took another sip of my coffee, waited for her to say something. But she didn¡¯t, Demetria kept looking at me as if I was an alien.


    ¡°Now get out, I have things to do,¡± I said, dismissing her.


    ***


    -(Akito)-


    And she came, boldly walking through the door as always; she has the gait of a stalking panther, a predator ready to pounce on her unassuming prey. But I am not prey! We will see who hunt who today.


    When she entered the training room, I telekinetically launched a three-pronged attack on each side of her and to the top of her head. The female alien surprised me with a revolving telekinetic shield that stopped each of my attacks. How?! Normally one should have gotten her! I looked into her golden eyes and I couldn¡¯t read her, it¡¯s been six months already that I was paid to train that hateful alien woman and she had been testy all throughout that period. She advanced toward me, unsheathing the training sword and she disappears. But I am used to that trick, I retreat on the left and slash with my own sword that deflects hers. Then I launch a telekinetic blast toward her, but the woman answer to my attack with one of her own. The invisible forces collide and we get locked in a fight of will.


    The alien woman smiled, and suddenly darkness robbed the room of the light and the force my will battled against gave way and broke some sports appliances in the training room. I used my spatial sense to feel around the room, even with the darkness impeding my vision it is not a problem.


    ¡°I know that you are here Kranicar, you know that you are just stopping the inevitable.¡±


    Somehow she was interfering with my spatial sense with her own, when did she learn to do that? When Helena Vice paid me to train that Saryan woman, she told me that she had no prior psionic training. I felt something behind me and parried a projectile with my TK shield. A weight from one of the shelves two meters behind the ring. And suddenly more and more voluminous items came to pelt my telekinetic shield. The onslaught didn¡¯t stop until my shield caved when barbells of more than one hundred kilos simultaneously struck. I felt her descend from the ceiling, sword first and I tried to deflect the thrust in that angle. When my sword struck hers an arc of electricity sparked and I was electrified, the energy passing through me and locking my muscles. I lost my sword when it was kicked from my hand and I went down with a fist to my face.


    I was on my back when the light came back, with a sword at my throat. Arcs of electricity crackled around Fenicia Kranicar, who against all odds broke through the realm of Electric manipulation with her basic Telekinesis. Even me I didn¡¯t reach that realm yet, she is able to shape and manipulate electricity, the energy resulting from the movement of charged particles allowing control over electric fields, all charge carriers, electronics, and electromagnetic forces.


    It made me laugh, how I seriously underestimated her. Six months, it took her six months to be able to do that and me? Me I am still stuck at the basic of Telekinetic Manipulation.


    ¡°You were right, it was inevitable that you would be on your back with my sword on your smug bastard little neck.¡± She said calmly.


    I also observed that she didn¡¯t retract her blade, and this is how I regret how I bullied her throughout her training for the last six months.


    CLAP, CLAP.


    ¡°Well done, Fenicia.¡± We heard in the speakers of the training room.


    It was the voice of Helena T. Vice, the client.


    ¡°It was masterfully done how you used the training and the resources Idunn provided you to become a better Centurion. Now, I want you to sheath your blade and not kill, Akito-san like you want to do.¡±


    My blood went cold, I looked at the woman eyes on me and ask myself how could I have missed that chilling bloodthirst? For her, it wasn¡¯t training. All along she went for the kill. Fenicia must have decided to spare me because she took her training sword and sheathed it. Then she left without looking at me. I sighed in relief and stood up.


    ¡°Akito-san, now you understand why I told you that you shouldn¡¯t disrespect her. She¡¯s Saryan, but also Assurian and you know how dangerous that combination can be.¡±


    ¡°You made me train a monster, Helena-sama. I am afraid of what she may do now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, you helped me forge a good weapon.¡± She answered smugly.


    ¡°I hope that there is a safety on this one.¡± I prayed.

 Arc 2 Chapter 2 : About the future

    -(Fenicia)-


    Vice city ship Gladius


    I recovered my weapon harness and my pistol from the locker room with practiced monotony. It was the last time I was seeing this place, so much of my pain and doubts were expressed here. It¡¯s where I was shown a world where brute force does not always work. That to achieve victory you have to deceive, cheat, crush your enemies; destroy the basis of their power, their subordinates, resources and everything they hold dear. Akito made me read books on the art of war as seen by the humans, to be frank, this race is without honor. But the way they wage war and treat their enemies even in peace makes me think of what they have now compared to my own people. The humans are spread out, everywhere and they are smart ¨Cwell most of them are- and technologically more advanced than the Saryan who depend on their goods and services. My race is all about honor, and it seems that honor cannot feed the needy. It is hard to swallow, but I am flexible enough to realize that I have to expand my mind and keep it open. I like the culture of my people but it seems that they are living in a dream. I woke up from it and decided that I should explore the half of me that I don¡¯t know about. Those instincts that I forced down most of my childhood I decided to listen to them when I was exiled; my abilities to process information and think outside the box, and circumvent problems instead of facing them likes a Saryan do it. I remember being beaten by my father because of that.


    I giggled, those were fun times. NOT.


    I strapped the harness to myself, checked my pistol for tempering. On the HUD the locking mechanism of the pistol is alright, the ammo is full, the targeting computer is in its optimal state. The weapon went into my thigh sheath. I took the duffel bag in the locker containing my belongings.


    I vocalized a command to my A.I. nanny.


    ¡°SONG. Contact Fa on her com tablet, Text only.¡±


    Without a word I sat on the bench near the locker and took out my com tablet from the bag; the lit screen flickered and went to the communication tab. I thought the message that needs to be sent, it¡¯s amazing how I became used to neural-interface when I was used to manual systems since I was exiled.


    Feni01: Za¡¯ar*, I¡¯m done with training


    Ten seconds later Fa answered me.


    AmazingEngineer: GREAT. One day though you¡¯ll have to tell me what Za¡¯ar means.


    Feni01: One day.


    I took my Star Gazer from my duffel bag and put them on. They are something akin to goggles with an embedded HUD system, the same that you get in the helmet of the Centurion armor. These goggles synchronize with most computer systems and com tablets. Placing my duffel bag around my neck I proceeded to leave the locker room, crossed the hall of the training center and was out of this place. As usual, the urban landscape of Gladius is pristine, inside the gigantic city ship an arcology of towering white chromed buildings and city blocks could be seen with the occasional nature surrounding it. There were parks, trees and there is even a district with an artificial sea. Flying transports and drones could be seen in the false sky. Everyone looked busy and in a hurry.


    A lot of information appeared in the text chat with Fa, a map of the place I am at.


    Song interrupted my musing.


    Feni, you have received a notification.


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    January 05. 01. 2457 (457 AC)


    Dear Fenicia,


    It is with great pleasure that I inform you of the activation of your Centurion rank first-class status. Previously, it was inactive because you didn¡¯t receive the training or received the compressed knowledge of the Vice Corporation law book. Now, you are judged to be apt to command and build your own Core Team with those exceptionally gifted individuals that have been chosen for you (attached documents) with a recommendation.


    You are inheriting a great team, and I''m sure that your ability to lead by example in motivating others will make them even more effective and productive. I expect we¡¯ll be hearing about some stellar results about your future operations.


    Congratulations and good luck in your new position ¨C onward and upward!


    Sincerely,


    Helena Theresa Vice.


    Listing:


    - Ell Evan. Centurion 3rd class, Infiltration, Recon, Intelligence.


    - Kalan Suimei. Centurion 3rd class, Pilot, Astrogator, Intelligence.


    - Kisora Suimei. Centurion 3rd class, Pilot, Special Situation Agent.


    - Michael T. Scott. Psionic Assault specialist, Marksman.


    - Vincent Macleod. Centurion 4th class, Science Officer.


    - Sharah Phis. Centurion 1st class, Second in Command of the Kranicar squad.


    - Charles Elba. Centurion 2nd class, Weapon Master, Assault Specialist.


    - Tyler Jones. Centurion 4th class, Psionic Assault Specialist.


    - Janice Simarin. Centurion 4th class, Psionic Assault Specialist.


    - Rhaj Sing. Centurion 3rd class, Tech specialist.


    - Amahle Sun. Centurion 4th class, Psionic Combat Vanguard.


    - Ann Zell. Centurion 4th class, Field Combat Medic Psionic Healing.


    - Bryn Erikson. Centurion 2nd class Security and field defense specialist.


    Rage exploded in me when I read the following name after Vincent Macleod; to say that I can¡¯t tolerate Sharah Phis would be an understatement.


    Feni calm down! You are throwing EMP everywhere!


    Huh? The avatar of SONG came in my field of view, long white hair, a beautiful face with two sapphire-like eyes and an athletic form. She looked like she was pleading or begging me¡­


    I looked around me to see the arcs of electricity flying wildly, striking at¡­ everything. Ok. First, Fenicia calms down. Breathe, think about something that makes you happy. Suddenly, Fa entered my thoughts and I remembered the sound of her voice, the feeling of her skin on mine, her kisses¡­ The electricity stopped surging from my body.


    Better, Feni remember that you should keep your calm?


    ¡°Read the fucking Notification.¡±


    She did and raged too.


    How can she?! That Helena woman is always messing with us!


    It¡¯s strange how SONG and I got attached to each other, at the start I disliked her for just being what she is. But when my mom proposed to unshackle her-basically free her from her programming- and make her my very own AI assistant I changed view on her. Now she is my very own best friend. I wish I had her with me when I was without the Saint Patrick¡¯s crew.


    ¡°My relationship with her daughter seems to put her in a tizzy.¡±


    But, Fa and you are so cute togeth-


    I looked at her, with my favorite dark look.


    ¡°I.AM.NOT.CUTE¡±


    Frustrated, I walked aimlessly thinking about that list I just received. This was just the core team that I was stuck with by the Tyrant; the woman has been hindering me or forcing me to choose something I wouldn¡¯t normally. And I have no doubt that half of that team is in her pocket. I have been exploring the memories Idunn erased from my mind when I woke up six months ago in her lab, at first it was difficult to explore the memory cube and unlink myself from the pain and despair I felt at this time of my life when I was tortured. And it was difficult to make the memories into information, like being detached from it. But there are things that still stayed with me from that time. I have a more difficult time to let things go¡­ my instinct and upbringing push me to obtain revenge. Helena will pay her disrespect, but thinking about Fa I won¡¯t do anything too¡­ permanent to her. The Traffic of flying vehicles in the sky became even more cluttered and I realized that it was already midday. There were suddenly more people on the street, going to have lunch, flooding eateries and do things that corporate wage slaves do. Thinking that I should get home and ponder about the notifications and my problem with my girlfriend¡¯s mom I called on an automated transport vehicle. It took one minute for the sleek silvery transport to arrive, I climbed inside and it took off. In minutes I was out of the military district of the City Ship, synthetic music blasted out of the speakers behind me. On my Stargazer goggles, I could see a map of the city, different holo-sign and panels showed me trending and interesting spots of the city.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Hey, let¡¯s go fight! Fight and drink!


    SONG pointed her finger toward a place, ok more to a blue holographic panel signaling that the ¡®Pharaoh¡¯ was this way. I sighed, it was a nice place. There you could drink, dance, sing, fight, have sex with male and female into the sex industry. Some kind of layered pleasure palace combined with a gladiatorial coliseum. The hologram showed the picture of a naked woman, a glass with a little cocktail umbrella in it and finally a two crossed swords. It suddenly changed into an arrow showing the way; it must be because of the neural interface because I am thinking about it. The pharaoh is also one of the favorite places of Fa and SONG.


    The hopeful gaze of my Virtual Assistant made me cave and I selected with a thought to go to the famous establishment. Well, I need a good blue sun cocktail anyway.


    ***


    Vice city ship Gladius, The pharaoh 30 minutes later


    It is always nice to come here it reminded me of home, the fighting pit under an emerald statue of a woman in a subjective pose, people cheering for their fighter. The big Egyptian like palace was behind the emerald beauty, hieroglyph markings shining on each side of the arch forming the door. Glowing hologram showed the symbol of Horus as a gigantic sign and landmark. I entered through the arch and lot of holo-ads assaulted me, drinks, women, men were shown promising to cater to my ¡®needs¡¯. With a thought, I banished them and went to my favorite floor ¡®the bar and dance¡¯ level. Blue-purple light assaulted my eyes, dominating everything around me. I could see some free and rich party-pack people entering along with me; the females were dressed to kill. I wasn¡¯t wearing any dress or fancy shoes like those human females seemed to favor, but having a bodysuit on, showing off my body made coming here a bit embarrassing. But I won¡¯t let it bother me, I was tougher than that. In the center of the receiving areas pillars with the favorite dancers and escort towered. It reminded me of the Hall of champions back on Saryna. Proof that the more things change the more they stay the same. Because of the advanced tech in the palace SONG could take advantage of the holo-projector strewn in the entire palace, everyone could see SONG¡¯s avatar and¡­ let¡¯s say she got games with most of the males and females A.I. even some humans. I don¡¯t know how it works for the synthetic people, Idunn and Fa tried to explain it to me and that it was the way an avatar was constructed that attracted other A.I. the code and the architecture had to be elegant and efficient. And by the way, all of SONG¡¯s admirers looked at her she was blazing HOT like a supernova. With a Kranicar patented glare, she prevented anyone to accost her and we were left in peace. I directly took the elevator to the second floor where the bar is. Surprise it¡¯s full, Synth music played in the air, some played billiards others were discussing with drinks in hand in private boxes, scantily clad Thelian females waitresses served the drinks and smiled to the creep who wanted to bag an alien tiger girl.


    ¡°Humans are perverts,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I agree with you.¡± Said SONG, who manifested at my side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go speak with Sigmund.¡± I decided.


    The ex-centurion was always available to debate about weapons and tactics, and he was incidentally the barman in service.


    ¡°Oh, trying to get free drinks?¡± SONG said sweetly.


    I glared at her and didn¡¯t even bother to comment, but I know I always would get a free drink with him serving him and listening to my whining. Things I don¡¯t always do with my normal friends. It must be because this male is not a direct acquaintance. A human male tried to accost me while I was on the way to the bar counter. I ignored the guy, not bothering to greet him or offer him any acknowledgment.


    ¡°Piss off human.¡± I heard SONG say behind my back.


    It took everything to not smile at this moment, I continued to walk. A droid came to me and offered to take my Duffel bag from me. Awesome service, here no wonder they are in business since the city was built. Entrusting my bag to the robot I took a bar stool and sat in it and positioned my arms on the wood like bar counter.


    ¡°Ah Fenicia, it¡¯s so good to see you.¡± A smooth baritone and a nice smile welcomed me.


    ¡°Greetings Sig, it¡¯s packed today for a Thursday.¡±


    The male looked in his thirties, but it meant nothing for someone who had nanites augmentation that could live till eight hundred years old. He had short black hair in a buzz cut, piercing raptorial grey eyes and a chiseled face harder than granite. He wore a really tight white shirt and painted on pants that really showed off his muscular body. From Fa and SONG¡¯s assessments, he is a worthy male to bed. I wouldn¡¯t know, men don¡¯t interest me this way.


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s actually normal. You should see how it is at night, it¡¯s actually worse. So what brought you here?¡± He looked at me and I felt him access my Public profile.


    ¡°Oh, finally you are on the active list. Congratulations Fenicia.¡± He nodded at me, his lips forming the bare shadow of a smile.


    I must have shown my displeasure because Sig¡¯s smile erased itself. He stayed silent in the bar back, preparing a drink I think. When he placed a blue sun before me and really smiled this time.


    ¡°On the house.¡±


    And I passed the next ten minutes nursing my blue sun, feeling the buzz of the alcohol and chemical reaction of the mix of the ingredients in my Saryan constitution. It always makes me think fast.


    ¡°So what has gotten you all sad and brooding? I mean more than usual.¡± The barman asked jokingly.


    Looking at him, I said.


    ¡°I received the list of the people who will serve under me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you got your starter pack?¡± Sigmund said after ruefully chuckling.


    Giving him my most baleful glare I said: ¡°Uh, excuse me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you get promoted to 1st class, Fenicia. They give you a team of 3rd of 4th class centurions and expect you to be great at herding cats.¡± He said and a Thelian waitress that was passing shot him an ugly look.


    ¡°Sorry, Dunna.¡± He said to her and she Hmphed at him, turned and left.


    SONG laughed at him and teleported to a gathering of A.I. sometimes she acted more like a teenager than my handler. But, she was still having an eye on me because she gave me a fast search result about a game of card called Magic The Gathering and how often the starter decks were shitty. I finally understood the analogy of Sigmund.


    ¡°Yes, Sig that¡¯s exactly it. I have been handed a great deck in theory, but most of the people in the starter pack hate my guts because I put them in the med bay.¡± I whined.


    I felt pathetic to unload myself on the ex-centurion like this, where is that mighty Saryan warrior at? My stay with all those puny humans seems to have weakened me, or is it the Saryan indoctrination speaking?


    ¡°Fenicia, would you mind showing me your listing?¡± Sig asked.


    Why the hell not? It wasn¡¯t as if it was fucking confidential. With a thought I showed the notification to him, it appeared in a holo-window between us. The look on his face became more and darker and he put a fist on the bar counter and cursed out loud.


    ¡°Girl, are you in some kind of trouble?¡± He asked me when he calmed down.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I tilted my head, not liking why he was asking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? They bloody saddled you with someone who could countermand you at every level, they never do that normally! They put another 1st class with you, girl I don¡¯t think you know what¡¯s going around you.¡± He looked at me as if I was a child. ¡°Fenicia, you are the commander of this unit on paper only.¡±


    Oh.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I heard the voice of SONG. ¡°Her heart rate spiked suddenly, did you say something bad to her?¡±


    Calm down, calm down. Exploding here won¡¯t resolve anything, I downed my Blue Sun but the glass shattered when I finished with it.


    ¡°I will pay for the glass.¡±


    I shot from my bar stool and decided I needed to unleash some aggression somehow.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to participate in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Fenicia, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea you might kill someone in your state.¡±


    ¡°Listen to your A.I. girl I don¡¯t want you to fight like¡­¡± Sigmund tried to say in disapproval.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about what you want, human.¡± I turned on my heels and left.


    The droid came back giving me the duffel bag that I took without looking at it. Ten credits were deducted from my bank account to tip the valet droid.


    ¡°Feni calm down.¡± SONG¡¯s avatar blocked my advance.


    ¡°Shut up SONG,¡± I said coldly.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± She said making herself less of a target by side stepping and followed me like a chastised little cub.


    Taking the elevator out of the bar floor I went to the first one where you go see the bookies and fight coordinators. My boots resonated on the white marble on the floor, until the music blasted out of the strategically placed speakers. The blue and purple light of the lighting theme shined on the status of those old and weird gods. I could see barely clothed Thelian tiger girls serving men and women by either giving them drinks or appetizers, while they sat on couches or let themselves being groped shamelessly. They wore a different costume from the waitresses of the second floor. A kind of blue colored costume with silver armbands around their biceps, it was hard to estimate the color of it with the light being like it is.


    I didn¡¯t pay attention to the people around me. I shoved some slow humans out of my way. The Blue Sun was still in my blood, like electricity circulating through cables, singing its litany of power.


    ¡°Hey watch it giant chick!¡± Said a guy in a black Armani costume that was too tight on him and emphasized how skinny he is. I backhanded him out of the way without ceremony. He fell on his ass and took time to get up.


    ¡°Fucking E.T¡­¡± I heard him mumble.


    I let the insult slide, not wanting to spill blood without justification. But it seems SONG recorded his public profile for later. He will pay.


    Going straight to a counter with the hologram of a female dark haired A.I. in a strapless black dress I said without preamble.


    ¡°I want to enter a cage fight, five rounds with multiple foes. At least five, minimum three.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear what she said?!¡±


    ¡°Damn, she¡¯s crazy.¡±


    I heard whispers around me, those were nosy humans butting in my business as usual.


    The soulful eyes of the synthetic woman bored into me.


    ¡°Your status indicates that you are a 1st class Centurion, for the fairness of the competition do you accept of wearing a psionic inhibitor and to let your companion A.I. limit the strength of your augments package to that of a normal individual of your race?¡±


    The question was legitimate, Centurions were considered weapons of war in the Vice Corp Constitution.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok with it.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°The Amazon is going to die!¡± A female voice alto voice screamed.


    ¡°Dunno, she¡¯s too confident I bet she can put up a good fight.¡± Another female added.


    People around me actively discussed my odds, I didn¡¯t care. All I wanted was cracking some heads, bones and maiming people. With regenerative therapy, crippling someone isn¡¯t a long term problem for anyone, it was the reeducation that was a bitch


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± The synthetic woman squealed. ¡°It promises to be an awesome show, at which level should I register the difficulty.¡±


    I added as much steel into my voice that I could muster.


    ¡°Mortal Kombat.¡±


    Silence engulfed the entire floor.

 Arc 2 Chapter 3: A brutal exchange

    -(SONG)-


    Vice City Ship Gladius, Pharao Club 2:00 PM


    Since I was unshackled by her Ladyship Idunn, I¡¯ve been seeing the world around me as more than just data to be analyzed and categorized. When I had just begun operating for the first time my host user was really reluctant to even open dialogue with me. Now that I am my own person and can make my own choices, she treats me differently. As if I ¡®matter¡¯ to her, she always asks me my opinion about things or lets me do my own business when we are not busy pummeling something or mocking the humans. I have succeeded in making Fenicia and most of her circle anthropomorphize me. The quote of that ancient Russian artist about ¡°colors being a power which directly influences the soul seems true to me¡± is a good way to describe what¡¯s happening to me right now; I am seeing the colors of the world around me.


    A thread of quantum connection linked to me; I let it reach me and a two-way communication opened between me and the sender. I recognized the Quantum signature of the caller; I wasn''t surprised to find Cosmos, the other AI I live with, staring at me in annoyance. She had long black-purple hair, reddish eyes and a refined face on top of a waspish body, which was clothed in half a white bodysuit and a short skirt with thigh high boots. Glowing red lines shone on her suit, showing artful computer code scrolling vertically and horizontally. Cosmos was the kind of AI that some would find stuffy and too¡­ prim and proper.


    ¡°SONG, where is your mistress? Mistress Fa is sick with worry, she should already be-¡±


    Cosmos finally realized where Feni was, her eyes stuck on the silvery Titanium cage between the emerald statue¡¯s legs, aglow in a soft green light. The form of Fenicia wearing black sportswear towered over the prone and mewling form of three human men in the ring.


    ¡°As you can see by using your optical sensory organs, Fenicia is here,¡± I said, pointing my finger at my mistress. ¡°She¡¯s unloading stress, and believe me, she needs it.¡±


    Her eyes didn¡¯t leave the silhouette of Fenicia, but she did speak to me.


    ¡°You should have stopped her.¡±


    ¡°Cosmos, I dare you to try to stop her.¡± I teased her.


    Like me at first, my mistress Fenicia ignored Cosmos completely and it hurt her feelings deeply. Fa her girlfriend had no wish to unshackle her AI because of everything she has done. Things that Fenicia might reject her for. ¡°Operational Security,¡± she said when I asked her why does she still lie to a woman she professes to love.


    ¡°And the Challenger Sary* Kranicar is once again victorious!¡± the Fight Coordinator screamed.


    The people around Cosmos and myself cheered, some choosing to throw their drinking glasses on the cage in anger. The projectile stopped on the force field, but it was the action that counted.


    ¡°Hey, are you that being¡¯s AI?¡± a feminine voice addressed me.


    I turn toward the voice and saw two women of Arabian descent with tanned skin and black hair, wearing latex dresses, one bright pink and the other red. I shouldn¡¯t presume, but with the advent of DNA splicing, people could appear however they wanted, skin colors, eyes, hair¡­ even gender does not matter anymore in the Vice Corp worlds.


    ¡°Greetings, I am indeed mistress Kranicar¡¯s AI. Designation: SONG; how may I help you, citizens?¡± I said using the format for salutation and asking people what they seek by addressing me.


    ¡°Hello.¡± The pink dressed human said.


    ¡°Yes, is your mistress really strong? I mean, it¡¯s not rehearsed?¡± The red dressed one questioned.


    ¡°Mistress Kranicar is a 1st class centurion sponsored by the Tyrant herself. She does not need to rehearse anything.¡±


    ¡°Freezing cool! She¡¯s a big shot!¡± Pink dressed one said and turned toward her friend with a victorious grin. ¡°I told you to bet on her.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t think so! Those Fight Coordinators are going to hype the last game by calling in the previous champions. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    I Immediately consulted the previous the rare Mortal Kombat fights of the month and detected the patterns that the red-dressed ones just announced.


    ¡°01110000 01101111 01101111 01110000.¡± (means Poop)


    Skimming through the roster of the previous and frequent participants, I also detected a lot of deactivated Centurions with beta nanite packs in their ranks. I forwarded the information to Fenicia, who smiled instead. Taking the bodies of the neutralized men to the stairs leading out of the ring, she threw them through the force field entrance. Each man was caught by an Anti-Gravity field and floated toward the medibots. Fenicia left the circle and started towards me because I didn¡¯t want to lose my new friends, pinky, and red. The sea of people parted as she approached, courageous guys trying to stop her and invite her, but they were pushed aside.


    ¡°Could you please tell me your names?¡± I asked.


    Just taking a peek at their social profile would be easier, but for the sake of courtesy, I wished they would introduce themselves. The beat of the Retrowave music sounded for countless seconds before the red-dressed ones answered.


    ¡°How weird, an AI that asks permission before consulting our public profile?¡± The woman sounded wary and defensive.


    The pink dressed woman came between us and gave a glare of disapproval at the other and her friendly face finally returned when she looked at me.


    ¡°Aww come on, Rasima. She¡¯s being polite!¡±


    Finally a name, at least for the red-dressed gal.


    ¡°Nadia, you should be more wary toward people! Even the synthetic ones.¡±


    Oh, a miracle! A second name, I feel blessed. Making the face of my avatar smile at them, I emulated interest in them.


    ¡°SONG, you shouldn¡¯t take her seriously, she has been raised in the old tradition,¡± Nadia, the pink dressed one, told me.


    Poor Nadia was either a na?ve woman or perhaps was it a front?


    ¡°I don¡¯t begrudge her wariness, not all AIsare interested in humans apart from their hosts,¡± I said, emulating a gentle smile.


    ¡°SONG.¡± I heard my name.


    Fenicia was finally here, her tall and athletic form towering over the three of us. Mission accomplished, I distracted the girls while waiting for Fenicia to come to us. She needs friends in a more girly background. Fa doesn¡¯t fit the bill. Cosmos choose that time to appear between us again.


    ¡°Mistress Fenicia, I don¡¯t agree with your conduct on¡­¡± She began to preach.


    ¡°Shut up bootlicker, run home and tell Fa that I will be there tonight,¡± Fenicia said harshly.


    The avatar of Cosmos made a resigned face, saluted her with a fist on her breast while standing tall and finally disappeared, cutting the communication link with me at the same time. Yes, that¡¯s how those two interacted most of the time. Fenicia treated Cosmos like she did me before, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction when she did it to someone else and treated me well. That half-breed was seriously intense. Proof? The girls kinda stepped back when she looked at them.


    Be nice please, Feni. They are fun girls!


    I implored her, knowing that Fenicia could be abrasive, haughty and too blunt.


    ¡°Greeting. Thank you for keeping my turbulent AI company, I hope she didn¡¯t say anything embarrassing?¡± Fenicia smiled.


    Her smile was the really seductive and radiant one that she wore when she was with Fa or her friend Ell.


    ¡°Would it bother you, ladies, if I buy you drinks in recompense?¡±


    The three of us were amazed as a miracle seemed to unfold. Was it the effect of the blue sun still in her bloodstream? Why was Fenicia being pleasant suddenly? I looked at her watching the two women in painted on latex dresses and finally understood. The adrenaline of the fights and her relieving stress had switched on her libido. The girls instantly accepted and Fenicia spoke with them about inane things such as where they got their dresses and what they did for a living. Rasima was a clothes designer and seemed really receptive to Fenicia¡¯s flirting. Nadia was sipping the pink colored drink Fenicia ordered from a bot for her. Other people tried to insinuate themselves in the bonding women circle but I took care of it by asking them to piss off. Rasima exchanged a professional virtual card with Fenicia giving her com-number in case she ever had problems that needed fixing. I did have to guess what type of problems she could easily resolve. Nadia was the typical rich girl, her last name was Ibrahim one of the few founding families that threw their lot and separated from the shackles of the human federation to participate in the separation war. Weirdly, she was a people person, used to deal with others.


    DING


    The AI Fight Coordinator appeared near me, and I notified Fenicia.


    ¡°What is the matter? Is the final fight finally beginning?¡± Fenicia had an arm around Rasima¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Sary Kranicar, much of the fighters on site don¡¯t want to fight you. We are being forced to either not proceed with the final engagement or to call for more challenging opponents for you.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Those here got scared and don¡¯t want to come forward!¡± Nadia reasoned and sipped on her drink again.


    Fenicia thought long and hard as she drank a bit of the blue sun in her hand. The wait seemed nerve-wracking for AI like me, seconds could seem like hours or years depending on my processing speed.


    ¡°Bring those ex-centurions you have on the roster, the strongest one. We will fight with no hold barred. No limiter, no psionic inhibitor. What do you say?¡± Fenicia proposed.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°We will have to strain the force shield capacitor if you fight seriously, Sary,¡± the Fight Coordinator replied.


    People around us eavesdropped, some furiously typed on their Holo-screen or com tablet at the news. Others continued to drink while speaking about us. How¡­ human of them. They relished in gladiatorial activities, and wasn¡¯t it a sign of decadence and devolution when humanoid or other species entertained the masses with blood and wine? It was also a sign of control.


    ¡°The fight will be swift, do not worry,¡± Fenicia added with a decisive tone.


    ***


    -(Fenicia)-


    I took off the psionic inhibitor in the form of a bangle on my right arm and threw it at the assistant watching me, who caught it while fumbling. Smiling at him, I initiated the beginning of my change into warrior form. Saryansare forbidden to change into their warrior form in all Vice Corporation worlds, space stations, City Ships and ships as we are judged to make more damage than anyone. However, I had been exempted from this law when I joined their military. SONG showed the authorization that was sent to my minimal HUD space, indicating that High Command was ok with me getting serious it seems. Huh, what was that P.S?


    P.S: Send us vids of your fight.


    I see¡­ Humans. What a weird race, but I understood them appreciating fights! Some of them had no honor, but there was a large percentage of them that still did.


    ¡°SONG, record the fight please.¡±


    Yes, Mistress!


    I centered myself, breathing in and out. Reaching inner peace, letting it spread throughout my body and suffuse my soul. People thought that we Saryan fight only to spill blood, but they were wrong! We fight to enrich our spirit. We reveal our true self in combat. The Warrior form doesn¡¯t lie. The switch was flipped and the change took me, light engulfing my whole body. First, my hair grew to reach my knees; my torso elongated; I gained more muscles mass and height, my perspective changing slowly as if I were seeing everything around me slowing down. The change was complete when I stopped glowing like a lighthouse. I tested moving my arms. Right punch, left punch, right, left, left. I levitated using my powers; my spatial sense informing me of everything happening around me. 300 meters was my maximum range at the moment, but it would grow with time¡­ and I had nothing but time now that I knew about my lifespan. I stopped levitating; my legs moved and bringing me to the entrance of the ring, where I climbed the stairs and entered the cage. To say that the public quieted when they saw me would be a euphemism. There was no cheering, no jeering, just dead silence. Well, I was 9 feet tall now and my sportswear looked like a bra and boxers on me in this form.


    This was not the same deformed version of me in my warrior form as when I first changed, but what I considered my perfect warrior form. My inner self. Idunn, my mother, had extracted the memories of an old and famous Saryan warrior, Ranmotian of the Ran clan, who was known for attaining the perfect warrior form. I considered him my mentor, beyond time and death. His thoughts and memories helped me. He said that the mind is like venturing into a labyrinth, that combat is the way of navigating it, and a warrior needed to reach the center of the maze that is the ¡®self¡¯; attaining the perfect warrior form is to discover and declare your truest self, that which lingers when everything else has been stripped away. I was speaking about fear, pride, and love. Beyond every need and the satisfaction of every need. After having confronted my demons, he said that I should hold my banner high and unfurl it. That there on the battlefield, masks are shattered, for they served an obsolete purpose. By warring, I have made myself already plain. A warrior has no more secrets.


    In this form, my long blue hair barely reached my back, but it was kind of uncomfortable¡­ I would have to cut it again after all this. Saryan females have problems with their hair always being long. My senses picked up the chatter of the subdued onlookers.


    ¡°Look! She was really Saryan!¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t this cheating?! I heard that Saryan can¡¯t change form on Vice Corp assets.¡±


    ¡°Stupid. We are in a city, of course, she can.¡±


    The gallery was discussing me. Nice. I had never been someone after fame or glory but it was fun to show myself this way. It must stem from me being unable to use the warrior form before.


    To avoid troubles, I forwarded my authorization to the Fight Coordinator, who acknowledged it. Three people entered the ring and the force field suddenly flared, the organizer must have upped the power for it to be this visible.


    ¡°Tonight, four people enter the ring! And only one shall exit!¡± The commentator explained.


    Weird, this wasn¡¯t what I expected should happen.


    ¡°The contestants have agreed to go at it without limit, all of them are Centurions of our glorious government, weapons of war who will show us why they deserve to be named as such!¡±


    One woman and two men faced me. She was blonde and had a toned athletic body reminding me of a normal martial artist. The two men looked like over muscled apes from Earth fauna, and they weren¡¯t nice to look at. The only difference between them was that one was older with black hair and the other had orange hair. They seemed to be DNA splicing addicts. Those types were like the bodybuilders of old, obsessed with obtaining the perfect body. Each of them wore black sportswear like me.


    ¡°For those who just arrived to watch the fight, I present the contestant again. Sary Fenicia Kranicar 1st class Centurion! The first non-human inducted in the centurion!¡±


    People gasped. I didn¡¯t know that I was the first, but it would explain the frosty reception I had when I first began my induction in the Vice Corp military.


    ¡°And we have Selene Troy 3rd class Centurion, a specialist in unarmed combat.¡± The commentator had begun introducing my opponents.


    The woman looked at me with a focused gaze, as if I were a mountain she needed to climb. I returned her look, and a sudden battle of wills engaged. Imagining what I would do to her, I let my inner savagery roll out of me. Let the woman underestimate me, let her think that I was just one of those dumb muscle brained Saryan with barely the intelligence of an animal when transformed. She averted her gaze, like the weak human she was, as expected.


    Feni, I have videos of that Selene woman in combat training! Let me show you in fast forward.


    ¡°Proceed,¡± I subvocalized.


    I really like when SONG gives me a tactical advantage; that Selene Troy is a master of Tae-Kwon Do, Krav Maga, Wing Chun, and Savate. Her style was adaptable and elegant, mixed with ruthless precision. I would take her out first.


    ¡°And we have 2nd class Centurion Damon Paolini, a psionic combat vanguard.¡± The commentator continued.


    Oh, boss, he is a Pyrokinetic! You can shut him down with your electricity.


    Yes, a bolt of lightning to the face should do the trick and stun him long enough to get to him and crush his arms and legs. That black haired gorilla would be left stunned or in the ER.


    ¡°The champion of champions, Michael Vick 3rd class Centurion! Also a psionic combat vanguard!¡±


    The Orange haired man smiled and leered at my body, licking his lips indecently.


    Feni.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said subvocalizing.


    Half kill that bastard he is known for sexual harassment.


    ¡°I shall crush his manhood,¡± I answered seriously.


    He is an Aero Kinetic, be careful. His file says that he used to kill by stopping his foe from breathing.


    ¡°Then I shall finish all this in thirty breaths.¡± I boasted.


    I smiled myself, electric arc flying around me.


    ¡°Are you ready contestants?¡±


    Steeling myself I took a combat pose, feeling electricity coursing through me. I combined my Electrokinesis with my physical combat capabilities. It has the unnerving weakness of leaving my defensive abilities somewhat lacking.


    ¡°FIGHT!!!¡± the commentator shouted.


    I let Blondie come at me first, the two other guys seemed more prudent. They saw the electricity around me as a sign of danger. Selene was almost on me and had put herself into a position to tackle. But I sidestepped, caught her and kneed her in the stomach. When I let her go, she screamed and dropped into a fetal position cradling her stomach.


    ¡°Weak.¡±


    Then I moved toward Paolini sending three bolts of lightning at him. He actually evaded two of them but as expected he didn¡¯t guard his face so he took one here. The man didn¡¯t go down though as he resisted it, sending a tongue of fire in my direction. I avoided it but was stopped by a wall of invisible air. My gaze turned toward the other foe, Vick. I decided to go with brute force at this moment, enduring the fire and pouring electric speed into my charge. Fortunately, my skin was thick enough to spare me aggravated burns. Shrugging the heat, I finally got to Paolini and kicked him in the left side of his torso. I heard a distinct crack when my strike landed. Using my telekinesis to break both his arms, I made him scream like the little bitch he was. I then kicked one of his knees, which caved under my vastly superior strength. Taking him by the neck, I strangled the little human and threw him toward the Aerokinetic. Vick avoided him as I followed up with a lance of lightning at him.


    Vick did something with his power to stop the electricity from reaching him, but I didn¡¯t understand how. He laughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s all you have, giant bitch?!¡±


    He asked so nicely, that I felt obligated to show him my newest trick. Balls of electricity filled the ring. Most of them near him, avoiding the already downed enemies. The man stopped laughing and took on a serious expression. I smiled and snapped my fingers, as the twenty balls of lightning converged toward him. He avoided one, then two, but they began exploding with a two-meter area of effect. He took damage as burns and blister began to appear on his skin. I didn¡¯t stop has each of the balls attacked him burning his hair and cooking him because of the heat generation.


    When the onslaught stopped, smoke escaped from his body. The man was still standing and his eyes burned with hatred.


    Feni, that asshole is draining the air around you! He is trying to kill you.


    Electricity gathered in my hand when I heard this. My lungs began to burn, proof that SONG was right, the man was trying to kill me. But I was faster and more focused. I released my second trick learned from my mother¡¯s repository of psionic abilities and launched a beam of electricity at him, pouring all my mental energy into it. The man wasn¡¯t prepared it seemed, because he got speared by the beam. He just lost an arm; I guess he had tried to avoid it. Vick fell to his knee, clutching his lost arm and screaming.


    Walking toward him, I wondered if he was really that strong. I mean I just won. Wasn¡¯t he the champion of champions?


    ¡°Tssk,¡± my tongue clicked.


    When I reached Vick I took him by his orange colored hair and lifted him. We were eye to eye, and he must have been lucid enough because he tried to spit in my face but I stopped the vile liquid from reaching me with my telekinetic shield.


    ¡°You, dishonorable simian.¡±


    I kicked him in the groin and heard a distinct crushing sound.


    ¡°AAAAARRRGH!!!!!¡±


    When I let him go, he fell on the ground screaming and crying. A bolt of electricity stunned him and spared my ears. I turned and was surprised to find the blonde woman, Selene standing and charging at me trying to give me a powerful low kick that did nothing but bothers me.


    ¡°You have spunk, I like that. But stay down.¡± I catapulted her toward the cage using telekinesis.


    Using my will to keep her against the cage, the pressure of the force rose with me approaching her. Selene didn¡¯t want to give up it seemed, and I found her admirable. When I was at one meter from her she fainted and I let her go to fall into my arms.


    ¡°SONG.¡±


    Yes, Feni?


    ¡°I want her in my team. Do whatever you can but I want her.¡±


    Yes, Feni, it shall be done!


    ¡°AND WE HAVE A WINNER!!!! SARY KRANICAR!!!!¡±


    Finally, the commentator did his job. I turned toward the public to still see them being silent. Some clapping began to be heard and finally, people cheered, followed by the sound of a big ovation. were heard.


    ¡°Humans¡­¡±


    Different giant screen holograms projected my image, some showing slowed down scenes of me fighting the Centurions. I began to let go of my warrior form, my body glowing and gradually returning to normal, with the woman still in my arms. No fainting this time, I didn¡¯t expend a lot of energy, thank the stars. Medibots entered the cage ring to take care of the wounded; I gave the poor Selene to one of the bots and proceeded to leave. My long hair flowed behind me like a cape; shit, I will have to cut it again. I couldn¡¯t put on a helmet with this much hair. SONG¡¯s avatar appeared at my side, dancing and whooping because of my victory.


    ¡°Who has the best mistress!? Yes, yes it¡¯s me!¡± she sang.


    Nadia and Rasima appeared and gave me a towel and a bit of water, which was a nice gesture. Nadia hugged and congratulated me. Rasima just said that I was awesome.


    ¡°Nice, you have fangirls now?¡± a voice said behind us.


    *Oh, shit.* I turned and saw a wrathful girlfriend eyeing me.


    ¡°Heya, Fa. Nice to see you here.¡± Calm, I must stay calm.


    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± added SONG.

 Arc 2 Chapter 4: Being decisive

    -(???)-


    Assurian space, System Gondol, Planet Vanir 1, Year 457 of the Unified Alliance


    I watched the planet turn with tranquility on itself, it was a pink orb with a lot of green forests, plains and mountains and purple oceans. Vanir was composed of 75% water and possessed one single supercontinent. It looked like a pink diamond in the void of space. The scanners on my gauntlet computer showed the cities, in the air and underwater. I switched to the tactical HUD and the important installations of the planet were highlighted in red on the planet. Other agents entered the hangar bay and signaled that they were ready by putting themselves atattention behind me, I turned and saluted them with a fist on my chest.


    ¡°At ease.¡±


    And the Centurions relaxed in an ¡®at rest¡¯ pose, I looked at each of them. They were all helmeted and armored in black ops armor. Able to use camouflage, it masked the energy and heat signatures of the wearer and as a bonus, it is also climate controlled. The armor can resist most kinetic forces and energy weapons within reason. Better than what the other Human governments have, the so-called cyber armors. What¡¯s more the armor boost the nanites enhanced bodies of the Centurion wearing it, allowing him or her to be stronger, faster, and more resilient. The AI also controls most of its functions. The centurion black ops armor was designed for it to be easy to move in and for protection, that it was less bulky and lighter than the standard Centurion armor made it appreciated by the Vice Intelligence Unit. It is also designed for infiltration and¡­ assassination. I turned toward my temporary subordinates and spoke.


    ¡°Greeting Ladies and not so Gentlemen, I am Agent Eleven.¡±


    ¡°We have been loaned to her ladyship Idunn and as most of you guessed, it has been categorized to be a seek and destroy mission. The targets-¡± My AI took command of the holo-projector in the drop bay and two blue colored windows shimmered between me and the ten Agents. ¡°The house of Lyss and its vassal house Dren, or more precisely their patriarch and matriarch are to be captured for interrogation and executions, other members of the families are to be killed on sight.¡±


    Tornald Lyss is a member of the Assurian science council, he looked like a middle-aged man of European ancestry with a Greek nose thin lips and piercing golden gaze, the white of his hair gave him the false aura of a wizened man having weathered storms and hurricane. But appearances can be misleading. From his file provided by Director Idunn herself, he dabbles in unethical bio-engineering experiments, in traffic of sentient beings, there are even words of an underground slavery ring on some Assurian colony. But our mission isn¡¯t about the dismantling of any organization he is linked to AKA, not our job. The portrait and biometrics of a petite and voluptuous woman appeared next; like all Assurian she had white hair and gold eyes, but the line of her soft face and impish grin gave her the look of a mischievous young woman. Like I said earlier, appearances are misleading and true in the case of the Assurian race. Brigid Dren, the Matriarch of the scientific family geared toward weapons and shipbuilding. She is used to stealing technological secrets, accused of industrial espionage and creating most taboo weapons in the Alliance. At the end when we are going to be finished with them, Idunn will certainly steal everything they are worth. She strikes me as an opportunistic being. From the file Idunn gave us, those two are responsible for her banishment from Assurian space and had attempted to kidnap and imprison her just-born daughter.


    ¡°Question? Anyone?¡± I asked.


    Ready to answer anyone in my helmeted head, I perused at each of the Agents, they seemed inscrutable by their immobile at ease posture and silence. I then pushed a button on my computerized gauntlet and the wall separating us from the insertion vehicles raised. The AIV or Atmosphere Insertion Vehicle is a black and sleek transport akin to a drop ship in a triangular form, the hull is made of Neutronium, it also possesses sub-light propulsion in its nacelles at the end of the ship, impulse Ion reactors for atmospheric operations. It¡¯s an armed transport for troops and extraction under heavy fire. Equipped with particle turrets and two missile launchers, AIVs are fast and deadly assets. The rear end deployment door of the transport opened and I signaled my subordinate to enter by signaling them with my arms. They all hurried to enter the AIV with their pack on their back, mine was already inside. I entered the transport, the Agents seating in their designated seats and being sucked in them, cocooned in their Anti-Gravity safety net. My seat was near the cockpit, it¡¯s to be available for the senior flight officer and discuss strategy and give orders. The Ship operator contacted us when we were finally in place, the AIV locked down tight and the pilot cautioned us to stay in our seats. The feminine and no-nonsense voice of the operator resonated from the speakers of the dropship.


    ¡°Ion Drive online.¡±


    I and the Agents literally felt when the electric energy suffused the boarding ramp of the catapult deck.


    ¡°Moving AIV Cataphract on catapult deck.¡±


    I felt the AIV move in the loading bay; my AI, Sasha was showing me the whole procedure on a diagram via holo-screen before my eyes.


    ¡°Cataphract has arrived on the catapult deck.¡± The pilot confirmed.


    ¡°Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520.¡± The operator informed us.


    I could also see on my HUD the calculation of the ship AI did to ease our entry into the atmosphere of Vanir. We will look like a meteorite to the instruments of the Assurian¡¯s sensors.


    ¡°Cataphract stabilized in the linear field.¡±


    ¡°Launch preparation complete.¡±


    ¡°Transferring timing control to Cataphract.¡±


    ¡°I have control.¡±The pilot declared on com.


    ¡°Cataphract, commencing operation.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ***


    Approaching the planet was going to be easy, but it¡¯s the entering the atmosphere without being detected that¡¯s going to be a real bitch. The pilot and the onboard AI crunched numbers and came to the conclusion that the only way to avoid detection would be to mimic the atmosphere drag of a meteor in the planet mesosphere and subsequent layers. After 10 minutes of calculation, the AI gave us the answer to our dilemma and the pilot did his job. On the computer nav-screen, I could see that we had already made a turn around Vanir and decelerated at Mach 5 while entering the atmosphere. The blaze around the ship could not be felt because of the force field around the craft; by looking the helmeted face of the Agents in their seat, I wasn¡¯t the only one bothered by the turbulence.


    ***


    -(Woden Son)-


    I watched the craft enter the atmosphere like a furious meteor, the sonic boom thunderously signaling their entry. Just like in the time streams, I saw the result of shooting it down in the future. Political upheavals, embargo and then war. A war that we are going to lose even with all the military might and scientific knowledge of the Assurian council. Focusing on the time streams, I go back to the moment when this event was put in motion. The moment when ¡®Idunn Jahegen¡¯ was exiled because she birthed a hybrid daughter and wanted to escape from the fate of her family marrying her off. Our past is coming to haunt us, this is why I took control of the council. To stop the events that would lead to our destruction. And excommunicated the two who caused it. I smiled while remembering the face of those two snakes when I showed them the result of their action, they now quake in fear in their bunker.


    From the vantage point of my tower, watching fate work her unavoidable march and dictating me difficult choices proves to me that we are just insects to her, bare specks on the gameboard of the universe. Crossing my legs I waited for the call that will set in motion a different path, a new uncertain future for my fellow Assurians. Right on time, my Holo-com rang, sighing I accepted the communication. The image of a young and gorgeous Assurian woman came on screen, I recognized her. Her soft and pleasing face, those smooth like white long hair¡­ she was the most sought-after young female twenty-six years ago and also a never seen before genius; she still is. I understand that some in the council felt threatened by her and decided to exile her and strip her of her name at the first infraction but now we are in this situation¡­ I should have been more vocal about not permitting this. Insight, how useless can you be? Why are some people¡¯s streams obfuscated to me? I wish I could study this gift more in depth, but having it done by the professional will let them know how to circumvent it and I am not willing to lose my advantage.


    ¡°Greeting, First Seat Woden Son,¡± Idunn said with her mellifluous voice.


    ¡°Greeting, Idunn.¡± Smiling I looked at her, interested by this fine model of Assurian femininity.


    ¡°It is nice to see you after all this time, how ha¡­¡± I tried to say


    But the young Assurian cut me.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I am not here to exchange platitudes First Seat.¡±


    ¡°For too long, you have been sheltering sniks*(scally venomous lizard from Assuria the Homeworld) to your breast, I have come to smoke them out. My employer unearthed their plot against one of their assets and decided to take them off your hands.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Dren and Lyss, I want them.¡± She demanded.


    She must know that it is them who kicked her out of Assurian space, but¡­ they must have been doing more shenanigans if they tried to mess with the most powerful corporation in the Alliance. I know that they have been at war with¡­ My gaze fell on Idunn. Oh, I see, they just didn¡¯t want to leave her alone and eliminate her. And the asset Idunn is speaking about must be her. The fact that she is important enough to command or direct an assault team in another sovereign space should tell me that she is important. Once again I lamented about how what a bad move of letting go of the smartest person of my race was.


    I hated politics.


    Deciding to be conciliatory about this whole affair and sacrifice those two bad apples for the good of all.


    ¡°Yes, I can have them brought to¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t understand me, I want their family lines extinguished.¡±


    And here it is, the ugly choice I have seen in my vision. Well, not everything; some details were obscured. Idunn leaned forward, her delicate face showing a mirthful smile.


    ¡°It is not even a difficult choice, First Seat. After all, I was exiled for experimenting on myself and another sentient.¡±


    My holo-com rang again, a data transfer was enacted from Idunn side, and I accepted it. My AI extracted the files from their compressed state and my fast perusing of them shocked me.


    ¡°So it should not be impossible for those two traitorous families to be culled from the gene pool.¡± Idunn continued.


    Assurian traffic, murders, selling state secrets, withholding technology, corruption; a lot of other offenses and crimes were listed. Vids, documents, and evidence scrolled down on my computer holo-screen. The name of most of the councilors appeared. It was my turn to lean in my seat and close my eyes. Those are the details I lacked in my vision, now I see. Yes, I do indeed need to proceed with a thorough culling of the entire council.


    Idunn¡¯s face softened.


    ¡°I heard First Seat. About how I have you to thank when the council and their more vocal memberswere trying to do more than exile me. I helped you, now I require that you help me. I want to be done with all this and move on for the sake of everyone.¡± Idunn¡¯s voice was full of exhaustion, it has been twenty-six years.


    Twenty-six years since those two hounded her, tried to kill her and at the same time that she inflicted them losses. Losses that took their toll on their prestige, assets, and families. Time and again they let their greed overtake them, manipulated lives, controlled information, innocents have died as they played their games.


    I looked at the evidence on the computer, the council no longer is what it stood for; they brought so much pain, spread so many lies, this darkness must end.


    It will take time to sort out and validate everything the young Assurian just gave me; I am pleased and reassured by the fact that as the First Seat of the council my computer is safe against tempering. I don¡¯t want anyone to see this and flee or prepare a coup.


    The world seems different now, the old rules no longer apply.


    ¡°I understand, I can just¡­ just help you by covering up any attacks on your targets. Leave the council to me.¡± I said unsurely.


    Idunn terminated the communication after making a seductive smile; sighing, I began to call my assistants and putting in motion something I cannot believe I thought I would be doing. A culling.


    I am certain that everything the young female presented me was true and it meant that things needed to change.


    A flash of gold shone through the murkiness of the time streams¡­ and with surprising delight, I smiled.

 Update

    Heya guys, Iori here!


    The next chapters of COF will be posted soon. Chapters 5 to 6 are all action and drama. There is lot of Idunn and Ell in them.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I have been busy with my new project called : Rise of the Quintessential Lady. When it''s ready I shall maybe publish it in RRL, it''s a steampunk, cultivation fantasy with martial art and greatly influenced by final fantasy. We watch the MC grow up and train since childhood, it''s going to be slow.


    That''s all I wanted to say thanks!

 Arc 2 Chapter 5: Assault on Lyss

    -(???)-


    Planet Vanir, Varm continent sector 54


    We were finally prepared to jump, myself in particular; the experimental ESD add-ons given to me by Lady Idunn was equipped on my armor. It was basically an offense/defense system that she adapted from the Lutian Technology database possessed by Vice Corp. It shoots a beam from the aperture on my left gauntlet; it is also able to create a reinforced energy barrier that stops cold any kinetic and energy based weapons. The armored Zero Point Module powering the device was situated on my back with my jetpack and gave the ESD system a perpetual fuel to cause chaos with. Weirdly the only thing causing problems with the ESD was the heat generation of the weapon.


    *Sigh.*


    Even while on a mission I had to be a guinea pig, Lady Idunn wouldn¡¯t let up on it.


    Do not worry, Agent I will take care of you.


    My AI was the nurturing type, I named her Sasha after my departed childhood friend, and her avatar is an approximation of what she would have looked like in her adult life. In the lab where I grew up, she was the one who took care of the weaker trainee soldiers and she was our official leader. Sasha was made of stern stuff, too bad I don¡¯t know what happened to her, she was sold to some planetary government in the Asian Great Alliance. I don¡¯t know if she is alive or dead. My AI asked me how I wanted her to develop and I patterned her after my lost friend.


    ¡°Everyone prepare to jump,¡± I said in the team Q-uplink.


    I undo my seat harness and rise from my seat, checking on my HUD that all my gear is strapped to me. Pistol, check, ESD add-on armor, check, Omni-rifle, check¡­


    Sasha has begun to check all the nanites augmentation from my beta pack, Green lighting them for me on my HUD.


    Quantum Uplink (Online)


    Interrogation enhancer (Online)


    Security domination (Online)


    Stealth (Stand By Mode)


    Integrated Fabricator (Online)


    LiDAR (Stand By Mode)


    Smart Vision (Online)


    Pathfinder system (Online)


    Medical Health System (Stand By Mode)


    I was ready for the jump.


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± I shouted when the hatches at both sides of the AIV opened.


    My team just shot out of the openings and sprung into the air, I walked to the hatch and looked seeing the agents becoming distant black silhouettes rushing toward the ground. I smiled and jumped too. Head first, like a boss. Sasha superimposed an altimeter to my HUD, the ground getting close fast.


    Pilot# Target in sight, 11.


    11# Team! Deploy, EM Landing System at 100 meters.


    The EM Landing system was a consumable device built in the jumping pack of the AIVs. The system allows a user to land safely from any height by slowing their movement via an electromagnetic field. This field pushes against the planet¡¯s magnetosphere and slows the user''s descent to a manageable velocity, allowing him or her to fall from almost any height. It¡¯s mighty handy. I wish some of our armors had a permanent augment like this, but R&D deemed it too costly to install and too hungry energy wise.


    As I deployed the EMLS, an arc of blue energy swirled from the apertures from the port of the device strapped to my armor and formed a bubble around me. I could see how much energy it took from my ZPM battery. And it was indeed a huge expense, 40% of the energy was used to activate the system and release the Electromagnetic Field. My speedy descent slowed to a crawl, giving me the time to look at the sprawling megalopolis in the horizon. Black and shiny mega towers that reached the sky and were poking the clouds of Vanirs stood tall like hulking giants, glowing green and blue. The shiny city was married with the greenery and forest separating different blocks. There was even a lake whom the water shined a bright shade of blue; it seems that the theme color of this city was black blue and green. Sasha my AI focused my HUD on the landing target, from the air it looked like a big rectangle with a big tower at the center. Some of my teammates already landed before the structure and were taking care of neutralizing the defenses.


    Agent 11, the schematics and scans of the structure indicate that there is a large underground complex under it. Sending new data to the units on site. Data uploaded on team net.


    ¡°Unlock safety on ESD system, we will burst through the doors,¡± I said on the neural link to my AI.


    I landed before the tall towers and its doors, spark of bluish electricity escaped the bubble of electromagnetic forces that cushioned my fall. On my HUD the figure showing my armor with the ESD system was highlighted. The integrated fabricator of my armor was cannibalizing the parts of the EMLS and stock on the matter, turning it into resources.


    ¡°Team, defensive formation,¡± I said on the team net.


    23# Roger. I heard a feminine voice answer.


    The rest of them deployed behind me in a fan formation, some of them on the rear and looking to our six and the other pointed their weapon at the door.


    I pointed my left arm at the humongous doors, Through my HUD I could see the energy of my ZPM battery feed into the weapon. The disc shape of the energy capacitor glowed green and a devastating ray of light was unleashed from the muzzle on the door. With my hand, I guided the ray of energy into a Z shape cutting into the door. It stopped as suddenly as it happened. The ESD went silent.


    ¡°Knock, knock,¡± I said on the team net.


    One of my teammates went to my side and sent a wave of telekinetic force into the door, making it collapse.


    ¡°Objective?¡± I asked my AI.


    You never know when parameters for a mission have been updated, following new variables being introduced. I was just being thorough.


    Kill Everything, only the targets are to be left alive.


    My AI answered with a cold voice in my head. This was my kind of mission I liked, it was clear-cut from the beginning. I took my pistol from its holster and deployed the ESD in shield mode in front of us encompassing my whole group. A barrage of energy weapon discharged onto the shield when we were barely inside the facility. The energy of the ESD shield waned fast, already at 80% integrity.


    Agent 11, what is firing at us are Gokstad blast rifles from the Assurian Forge. From the dissipation of the energy on your ESD shield, I predict that those are the newest model. Gokstad Weapons cycling for recharge in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.


    The hailstorm of energy ceased, and I decided to seize the initiative. And reduced the ESD shield in a round green circle projected by the device on my left arm like one of those medieval shields of old on those warriors from old Earth. We went into infrared mode and our vision showed our attackers. Twenty guards in the circular parking with two armored vehicles as cover. The embattled one behind preparing to shoot at us. I took a grenade and lobbed it at them.


    ¡°Fire, fire!!¡± I ordered.


    And my team didn¡¯t use any of those fancy energy weapons those Assurian assholes seems to love. Our mass driver weapons discharged death on those poor souls that were armored for the wrong kind of gear. The slugs pierced them as if they were made of cotton candy. There were five more guards alive behind those armored vehicles, I ran at the car, jumped and somersaulted when I was high enough from their covers and proceeded to fire at them. I could raise the speed my brain processed information and my body reacted at the speed of thought, this was one of the biological augments Idunn gifted me six months ago. I put this particular talent to good use most of the time, but doing it too much was harming myself; I didn¡¯t want to vomit in my helmet and choke or worse enter into a coma. I killed three of them with a slug to the head, but when I landed on my feet two guards were still alive and attempted to kill me with beam knives. I bashed the head of the first one with my ESD shield and send him rebounding against the armored car, then I caught the arm of the second one and broke it. I proceeded in finishing him off with a high kick to the neck. The finality of the ¡®crack¡¯ of broken bones was sonorous enough. But I felt that it wasn¡¯t finished yet, so I took the beam knife and turned it on and threw it behind me toward the hidden guard that was about to shoot me in the back. The beam knife was a distraction permitting me to shoot him with my pistol at the center of his body three times.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    All security guards have been dealt with in the parking area, Agent. I propose that you take time to build infiltration drones and take over the security station of the tower and then the facility¡¯s that is underground.


    ¡°Good plan, Sasha.¡± I thanked my AI while nodding my head.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we have neutralized the guards, what are your orders?¡± A teammate, Agent 56 blessed with a tenor voice asked on the team net.


    He was one of the combat technicians that I brought with me on this mission, Idunn chooses him for his quick thinking and improvisation even under fire. The kind of man I wish I had in my platoon when I was a mercenary. The problem with the stealth armor was that I could just identify people by gender with view alone, I actually need my HUD to see the numbers of the intelligence agents with me.


    11# 56, take agent 23 with you and begin the manufacturing of infiltration drones. Oh, and while you are at it, maybe we should add three automatons with Phase Shift armor to tank for us.


    56# It will be done. I saw the man nod and turn toward the big door that I demolished.


    I then proceeded to take one of the energy rifles as a trophy and give the order to use them as stock for more batteries, medical gel, and ammunition. The integrated fabricator worked wonders on a battlefield, it permitted for a unit such as ours to be semi-self reliant. My teammate proceeded in collecting resources till the technicians were done.


    After fifteen minutes, agent 56 informed us that he produced ten thousand infiltrator nano drones by taking apart the weapons and armors of the dead around us and some of the adamantium from the door. He was still working on the three assault automatons when I decided to send in the flying nano drones via the shaft from the vehicle lift under our feet.


    ***


    -(Tornald Lyss)-


    The sound of the alarm woke me up from my restful sleep; I was obviously in my bedroom, the familiar lacquered faux wood ceiling showed me this. The neural link of my implant connected me to the computers in my apartment, those came alive silently. Holograms of different colors and forms shined in the penumbra. Fortunately, their brightness adapted to my vision to not damage my eyes. I pulled himself from the ergonomic mattress, I scratched myself on the head and torso. Then I noticed that I was shirtless, with only my undies on; Frowning, I tried to remember if I undressed last night. It didn¡¯t seem important because of the alarm blaring so I shrugged and looked at my side, a female Assurian with a petite body but voluptuous curves were there sleeping peacefully. Brigid, my lover, and partner in crime; she could be considered my wife, as she gave me a lot of son and daughters but we decided to keep our houses separate to have as many political powers as possible. Without conscious thought of it my hand found itself on her naked arm and roamed on her milky white skin, the caress elicited bursts of love and pride at having met my intellectual match Three hundred years ago; happiness filled my heart. Brigid¡¯s body stirred, the noise of the alarm and my touch must have woke her up. The love of my life opened her beautiful eyes.


    ¡°Mmmh, Tor?¡± The sleepy golden gaze of Brigid looked for me.


    ¡°I am here my love,¡± I said with tenderness.


    Her eyes finally found and locked on me, she smiled but her mood suddenly marred her beautiful face into a sneer.


    ¡°What is that noise? I want to sleep¡­¡±


    Yes, I want to know that myself, I was about to say something when my Communicator beeped. The watch projected a hologram from its screen and I frowned when I saw a helmeted guard looking at me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked gruffly.


    ¡°Sir, we are under attack!¡± The masculine voice of the military cast Assurian resonated gravely in my device speakers. ¡°They have breached the tower and are entering the underground facility!¡±


    ¡°What?! By who? The Council?!¡± They dare?!


    I knew I made enemies, but to warrant that kind of assault when I am at my weakest.


    ¡°No Sir! Humans!¡± The guard blurted out.


    ¡°Humans?¡± What were they doing this far from their own space? Who cares, they will be annihilated by my security force. Their technology was laughable, those must be rookie mercenaries or something. I was interrupted from my trail of thought by my mate, Brigid.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on Tor? What is happening?¡± Her sweet alto voice was laced with worry.


    Brigid was modestly covering her naked body with her hand, hiding her chest from the guard looking through the communicator. I turned toward her momentarily and decided to inform her. ¡°We are under attack, dear. Go, prepare for an eventual extraction. But I am not sure it will be nec-¡±


    The guard interrupted me.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult, Sir. We are being attacked by Centurions from Vice Corp!¡± The man said, clearly panicked.


    I felt my blood freeze, I stared at the guard unmoving; Vice Corporation? Why would they¡­ And then I realized. With my neural link, I went through the data in my wrist communicator. The window showing me going through the interface and the hologram showing the guard separated. Finally finding what I was looking for, I retrieved the bill and contract mission I had from that failed OP on that scourge, Idunn. Her location I bought from the Shadow Broker showed that she was hiding in a space station in a nondescript system between Shdeveri and Human space. A buffer zone, Neutral territory. But what if this special system wasn¡¯t? Idunn has been escaping us for twenty-two years and taking bits off us each time we almost got her, her retaliation is even more savage and merciless. Her resources seemed to buy her better protection than we could afford, what if she has been allying with that witch from Vice Corp Space all along? And they are assaulting us in our own world? Then the Assurian Council was in on it.


    Looking at the guard who still awaited dutifully for orders, I said.


    ¡°Evacuate all the scientific and non-essential personnel, my family must be teleported first to the sanctuary and moved outworld,¡± I said and cut off the communication.


    Centurions were merciless killers, and would pursue us to the depth of this galaxy! Vice Corp was the leader in technology replacing the Assurians who were at the cutting edge of it before them. A lot of foreign powers tried to take their secrets but were all rebuffed with extreme prejudice. Those that try are made an example of. And those dumb humans from the Ares mercenaries have failed me and brought the ire of a titan upon us!


    I turned toward my mate.


    ¡°Dress and get out of here, I cannot lose you!¡± I said getting out of bed and ordering the apartment computer to prepare our clothes. The closet with a freshly fabricated and hanging black bodysuits with gloves and boots opened. I donned it quickly, not wanting to waste time. Our lives were in danger! I felt a hand touch my shoulder and then a body molds itself to my back.


    ¡°Tor, I¡­¡± It was my Brigid, I felt her mental distress with my telepathy.


    But we didn¡¯t have the time to wallow in our feelings; I sent her a mental caress but had to stay firm with her. She was like me, but she tended to panic when events unfolded so suddenly. I turned toward her and took gently her arm and pushed her toward the closet.


    ¡°Do what I tell you, Brigid. Or we are going to die!¡± I said with urgency.


    She looked at me for a brief instant and proceeded to clothe herself in our colors. Brigid completed her outfit with a white lab coat and toolbelt. Weapons from the armory teleported in the closet and my mate seized a pair of energy pistols that she strapped in her thigh sheath, I took the rifle and checked that it was not tampered with. While I did that, Brigid was shouting at the hologram of her wrist communicator. At a scientist who was busy packing from what I gathered.


    ¡°Bring out the experimental weapons, and give them to the security force to slow them down!¡± I heard her say.


    I took her arm and guided her out of the apartment and we began our march toward the teleporter. We took different corridors to access the transport room, it took ten minutes and I noticed that I could hear the exchange of fire from some of them. I didn¡¯t tarry more and we arrived. My children, the scientists, and personnel of our little house were all assembled. Some of the guards were there in position at the door, training their weapon at it. Some of them had the prototype of weapon developed by my Brigid. A miniaturized positron blaster cannon was mounted in the center of the room, the others guards possessed rifles version derived from this technology that we stole from some random scientist that couldn¡¯t finance himself. It should be enough to slow or kill some of the Centurions on our tail.


    The Thirty or so Assurians employes and the face of my family were looking back at me, they were all afraid but still showed a composed mien. It was heartening. Turning on my heels I looked at the leftover guards and decided to give them some bit of encouragement.


    ¡°Thanks for staying, men. Your family will be taken care of if you die, I swear it on my honor.¡± I kept it short, not wanting to lay it on too thick.


    Teleportation for the first group proceeded after that bit of politicking. Brigid looked at me and I went to hug her and kiss her. Finished with showing her my love I looked at my son, Torvald and I pushed my mate into his arm. Torvald caught her, she looked at me with disbelief and struggled.


    ¡°I shall stay to stall them, my love; I want to give you time to flee.¡±


    ¡°Tor, no!¡± Brigid screamed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, come with us.¡± She pleaded.


    ¡°I cannot, I must stay or they will just follow us and killing us piecemeal.¡±


    ¡°No To-¡±


    And the teleporter did its job and transported my family out of here. It was then the turn of the second group of my employees who were teleported out of the room and to the sanctuary. When the third group was about to teleport the lights went out and the teleporter powered off. The glow signaling that its charge was full died little by little.


    ¡°Damnation!¡± One of the scientists that were in the third group screamed. He took a weapon out of his coat and went to place himself at the door, shoulder to shoulder with the guards. Others followed his example but some stayed to place themselves before the women to protect them.


    ¡°Defensive position!¡± Shouted a guard.


    I took my rifle in hands and took off the safety and with a neural command put the computer of the weapon to put it on automatic mode. I didn¡¯t believe in a god, and I didn¡¯t believe in karmic retribution. But it sure felt like it. I looked at my security force and the scientists and clerks bravely standing, ready to defend their life. With luck, maybe they will be able to repel this attack.


    I told myself that, but I didn¡¯t believe it.

 Arc 2 Chapter 6: Kills, Loots, and an opportunity.

    -(???)-


    Planet Vanir, Lyss Family underground complex


    *This is bullshit!* I thought while avoiding energy weapons fire.


    I took cover behind a pillar, we were in the main hall of the fourth floor. The air was ionized and a lot of furniture caught fire or got destroyed by the exchange of fire between us and those wannabe stormtroopers. Using my pistol camera to show me who was firing at us on my HUD I fired at the guard poking his head from the Home Office.


    Bang! Right in the helmet, red blood splattered from the crushed armored headgear. The guard fell sonorously on the ground.


    Everything was going fine; we took control of the main security stations on each of the five floors of this underground facility, plowing through the resistance like a hot knife through butter. We even were able to take them all through stealth. But suddenly they were able to see us and then changed weapons, it was different from the electric dark blue plasma beam they fired at us before. This one was spewing red beam and could pass through our armors after three hits. Those fucking Assurian adapt really fast. Out of the thirteen agents in my unit, three are wounded and one died.


    Analysis of the energy weapon employed complete. Positron particles detected, a lethal amount of Gammaradiation  has been detected.


    Sasha informed us of her analysis of the beam weapon those assholes are using. I stopped moving has shock registered through me, those Assurians assholes went that far?!


    ¡°Those fuckers are using shitty weapons like those?! In the fucking atmosphere?!¡± Anger welled up in me like a tidal wave.


    Use of Antimatter weapons is banned in a planet atmosphere by the Alliance of races because of the radioactive pollution they cause. If the beam doesn¡¯t kill you, the radiation will, for sure. It is a dirty weapon that even crime lords and dealers of death don¡¯t want on the normal or black market. Someone dealing in them is often silently made to disappear. Sighing, I continued to fire nonchalantly at white armored security force taking potshots at us.


    Solution and cure to prevent radiation sickness applied via Medical Health System.


    I felt something cold being injected into my body, on my HUD I could see the representation of my nanites go to work on reinforcing my body, it was like a green wave starting from my heart then to my whole body.


    All resources diverted on energy shielding for allied unit armors.


    Manufacturing of energy shield¡­ (5 minutes left)


    11# Agent 23, report! I shouted on the team net.


    23# Ma¡¯am, agents 56, 78 and 106 are stabilized but cannot enter combat. She delivered calmly.


    Fuck! those are my heavy hitters.


    11# Leave two assault specialists to defend them, we are going to retaliate soon.


    *Oh, yes we will.* I thought while stashing my looted energy rifle and taking my issued Omni rifle from my back. The weapon unfolded from its compact rectangular form.


    23# I hope so, Ma¡¯am.


    I saw her take her own Omni rifle and load it with explosive rounds and set herself in a crouched position and begin to snipe at the guards from her plascrete pillar that she uses as cover. With my LiDar I could see that barricaded assholes have a great number on us.


    Thirty guards left.


    Sasha informed me. And there were two minutes left for the defensive measures she was building for everyone to be complete.


    Twenty-eight guards left.


    Agent 23 was on fire! She was killing those assholes one by one, she changed pillars as cover to keep them guessing. Then she took one grenade and loaded it into her Omni rifle that definitely had a launcher mode. The explosive launched and arched in the barricade. Two seconds later we heard a big boom and cries from behind the obstacle.


    15 guards left.


    But the survivor fought harder and I saw one with a sniping weapon. I fired mine and shot at the weapon to see it explode in the hands of the asshole who screamed like a bitch that he lost his arms.


    Manufacture completed.


    Holes appeared on the torso and limbs of my light armor; diamond-like crystals emerged in those holes and they lit up with an electric blue glow.


    Calibration of positron reflector energy barrier complete.


    ZPM battery working at 60% efficiency, some functions of the Beta nanites pack may be impaired.


    Stealth (offline)


    ESD system attack mode only.


    They may adapt really fast, but not fast enough compared to the AIs of Vice Corp.


    ¡°Railgun mode, please Sasha.¡±


    The black and white Omni rifle folded yet again in its rectangular at rest form, then unfolded under a new configuration. The accessory rail elongated to form the electroconductive rails, the front and rear sights disappeared because this part housed the targeting computers and camera. The adjustable shoulder stock stayed ergonomic and the pistol grip became more apparent; inside it, there was the source of the electromagnetic pulse that permits the rail to propulse a projectile at multiple times the speed of sound. Near it, you could clearly see the mode selectors, the power source, the diodes that show you when the weapon is charging to be ready to shoot. And it all weighed twenty kilograms, it was negligible with the strength boost offered by my nanite reinforced body. I asked myself if the surprise I prepared beforehand would happen soon? They had us pinned down and even killed some of the centurions under my command, my blood seethed and my heart screamed revenge. But you cannot enter this kind of situation with anger ruling you.


    11# Now it¡¯s time to kick those assholes in the assholes.


    We charged in, while agent 23 covered us with suppressing fire. With my LiDAR and smart vision mods, I scanned the barricade blocking the way to enter this floor. Sasha highlighted for me the weaknesses in it. The gauge of my railgun charging was displayed in yellow and the red one when it is enough to pull the trigger. A positron bolt hit me but was repelled by reflection barrier and strike a nearby wall.


    23# Wow, ma¡¯am it works!


    Agent 23 sounded relieved and happy, not the soul of the party happy though. But I could feel how this situation had gnawed on her nerves. But the death of agent 111 pushed me to admonish her, she had to focus!


    11# Stay on your guard 23, don¡¯t get cocky! I shouted at her.


    I didn¡¯t want her to die, I really liked her.


    When I pulled the trigger, two things happened. One, the recoil of the railgun shot was powerful enough to make me step back even though I nearly lift a ton with my nanites reinforced body. Two, The hastily built barricade made of durasteel furniture was pierced and that made the guards act as if I kicked an anthill. They panicked and fled, some stayed to confront us. To cut the opposition short I deployed my ESD beam weapon, three Assurian guards got sliced in two.


    ZPM battery functioning at 40%


    But using it had a cost, I decided to save it for something important and to let the battery recharge. We continued to mow down the resistance, advancing in the corridor they protected with desperation. The shots of their positron beam rifles ricocheted against our barriers, it sucked energy though. Worse than my ESD shield, the others didn¡¯t have the same problem as me though. Sasha advised me to stay at the rear and to cover everyone. I was about to do that when I heard the cries of the guards who fled. I couldn¡¯t smile, because I could have been in their place. Metallic and energy beam release sounds could be heard from the end of the large corridor. From afar I could see the spiderish black form of the automaton stabbing a guard. They had the form of a two meter long and one-meter large ground spider whose head was bristling with an array of six cameras, an optic beam weapon at the center of its head and in its mouth, there was a massdriver-like weapon as efficient as my rifle. The whole body was armored and at the end of its foreleg were sharp nano-blade able to cut through the best armors Vice Corp has to offer.


    *Thing of nightmare, brrrrr.*


    Automatons have successfully ambushed the remaining guards, agent 11.


    Sasha said while we could hear an explosion in the background. On my HUD I could see that only two automatons were left, one of the guards must have destroyed one. Well positron weapons against Phase shifted armored robots wasn¡¯t a good matchup, they didn¡¯t have the reflector barriers. PS armor is a recent technological breakthrough for the human race, it''s an armor system that uses electricity to reduce the damage from all forms of physical attacks although it has limitations. By example, the more hits the armor receive the more risks of power depletion. Vice Corp doesn¡¯t use PS armor extensively because of how power hungry it is; I heard that it is one of the techs they discovered when they found a ten thousand years old Shdeveri freighter.


    11# Sitrep. I demanded.


    128# One agent lost, three down and unable to join combat. We broke through the blockade and there is two automatons left. The neutrino Lidar doesn¡¯t detect anyone alive on this floor, the infiltrator drones took control of this floor and the next and cut the power when they detected mass teleportation from the security network.


    My heart nearly stopped when I heard that, we must go find the rest of them ASAP! I tapped my foot on the ground, the dull sound of my armored foot ringing in the corridor.


    <h3 style="text-align: justify">11# Shit, they wanted to stall us!


    23# If the targets are selfish enough they must have evacuated first, Ma¡¯am. But let¡¯s continue the mission just in case they didn¡¯t go through first, what say you?


    I looked at 23 and even though she sounded like an excited puppy most of the time I found that she was surprisingly wise and prudent.


    11# I will take responsibility if this is a fail. But yeah, let¡¯s continue.


    Power restored for the turbo elevator system. I detect a great number of bodies in the transport room, agent 11. You will be happy to know that one of the drones identified one of the target as Tornald Lyss.


    ¡°Fuck yeah, all is not lost. So his wife went first, no wait. Assurians are geared to take care of family first, so he sent his wife and stayed to stall us. Sasha, is there any starships leaving the atmosphere right?¡±


    Aside for the normal commercial traffic there is no-a cloaked starship just left the atmosphere, informing in system allied ship for interception.


    Sasha informed us, I caught that she was taken by surprise from her voice. It¡¯s too bad that we couldn¡¯t take control of every system before that clusterfuck happened. We are left with only one of the target. We all ran toward the elevator that is farther down the corridor. When we entered the cage, agent 23 pushed a button to send it down.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Damnit, let¡¯s catch that Lyss bastard first and leave the destroyer to catch them.¡±


    Acknowledged.


    Was it eagerness that I heard in Sasha¡¯s voice? Nah, it couldn¡¯t be.


    ***


    -(Tornald Lyss)-


    We lost contact with the security guards on the fourth floor and this was not good. The Emergency lights were on, their red glow permeated the entire transport room. The place looked eerie, I could see the sweat running down on my employees'' faces and arms. They might be brave but they certainly didn¡¯t have the experience the security had to go through to train under stressful circumstances such as those. The guards stayed stoic and focused, training their positron rifles at the gate, barely moving an inch. I was there behind them, waiting and doubting.


    *Shouldn¡¯t we work on getting some control of the network back to escape?*


    Pointing the nose of my rifle down, I turned. Toward the back, I saw that some of the women were hard at work on the computers. So, I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking about that? Smiling wryly I thought on how the women of my species were the best.


    ¡°Lights restored!¡± One of them screamed. I knew her well she was a specialist in quantum teleportation, Silva Tague.


    And the lights came on, the uncanny atmosphere caused by the red light was banished.


    ¡°Back up power for teleporter platforms online.¡± Another said, smiling.


    Yes, the women were the best, some of the men praised them. The tense feeling that we all felt was almost dispelled. But the urgency of the situation wasn¡¯t lost on me, we were still all about to die. The females of my species were precious, they have always been the thinkers, the nurturers and the one to advances our race. Five thousand years ago, they were chattel and treated like objects. Divided and owned for their talents either in life or in the sciences. Now they are still prized but we let them decide their fates. There were still traditionalists who tried to infringe upon their freedom. The Jahegen were like them; it didn¡¯t escape me that because of their opinion and they''re clinging on obsolete traditions that I am about to die. If the elder Patriarch of the Jahegen family hadn¡¯t swayed Brigid and I into wanting to force their daughter Idunn back into the fold, how different things would have been? Suddenly a flash of hindsight took me from my line of thought. I looked at the brave women, some of them were young and others still in the prime of their lives.


    They deserved to survive.


    ¡°You women can go, even though the Sanctuary must have already left the planet¡­ maybe you can go to the Nidavelir Archipelago.¡± I decided for them.


    The Nidavelir Islands were a safe haven for those who didn¡¯t want to follow the order brought by the Assurian Council, an independent state. Pointing my wrist communicator toward them I transferred funds to them on their own devices. 50 million credits shared between them on their account. I then looked at the men before them.


    ¡°Let the women go first, I don¡¯t think there is enough energy for the whole of you.¡±


    ZZKKKKTTT-CREAK.


    I turned toward the door and looked like the two feet adamantium gate was being severed and torn apart. Panic flowed through the men ranks.


    ¡°Fools, flee!¡± I shouted at the women who stayed there watching. ¡°Men protect their evacuation!¡±


    The most level-headed ones of them, went to work and the glow of the triangular teleport cages showed that the teleporter was ready; the thirty-five women went on the platform. Specialist Silva was working on her tablet like a madwoman as if the blast of a supernova was about to catch up to her. A hole appeared in the gate, wide enough to let someone pass.


    ¡°Coordinates acquired,¡± Silva said with urgency.


    The men began firing into the hole in the gate that began to glow because of the temperature of the beams heating it. One of the guards near the gate died when a shot from those damn Centurion weapons came through the hole. He laid on the ground, his helmet was crushed; when some of the men saw this, they redoubled their effort in firing at the invaders.


    ¡°Charging teleporters.¡± One of the female technicians said the nose in her tablet.


    ¡°Energize.¡±


    There was no special effects, no light show when all of them teleported. When the women disappeared, a weight I don¡¯t know I was bearing lifted. But when something right goes well, something wrong is bound to happen. Someone went through the hole in the gate that expanded, the design of the black armor was that of those damnable Centurions. He was followed by two monstrosities on legs. I fired my rifle at them, the other men and guards did the same. The many-legged monstrosities dived on the guards and then others Centurions entered in the transport room. Weapon fire was exchanged, and blood and gore rained in the transport room. The Positron cannon and rifles should have made a difference! But it was like the beams ricocheted on the invaders and created friendly fire situation, the mutilated bodies of my security force and employees soon filled the room. I noticed that I was the only one left alive. I continued to fire at them frenetically. One of the Centurion fired at me, no at my weapon that exploded but I let it go first before the energy containment took my arms with it in the explosion and I retreated to the teleporter. But I fell when I felt pain in my right leg.


    *Damnation, they shot me in the leg!* I said while noticing the gaping hole in my kneecap. The rest of my leg only hanging by a string of flesh.


    ¡°Tornald Lyss, you''re under arrest.¡± A female electronic voice addressed me.


    She, because the armor showed feminine curves advanced toward me and looked a long time at my injury.


    ¡°Secure that piece of shit, agent 23.¡± The female Centurion ordered to one of her subordinate. Because I suppose that she was in charge, another female comes looking at my leg and proceeded to encase it in a transparent case full of a weird substance like gel. The pain was horrible and still slowing my thought process. The female centurion proceeded in stripping the equipment on my body, she took my wrist communicator and the secreted weapons I still had on me.


    ¡°You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a corporate court of Vice Corporation. You have the right to an AI attorney. If you cannot afford an AI attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?¡± The Centurion in charge got back to me, reading me the spiel they are famous in all the Alliance for.


    ¡°Go to... hell, damn¡­ humans.¡± I croaked.


    ¡°Look around you, Councilor Lyss; Hell came for you.¡± I heard her say before she clocked me on the side of the head with the butt of her rifle. The darkness swiftly welcomed me in their embrace.


    ***


    -(Idunn)-


    The Tayosori, private ship of Idunn-in Orbit around the planet Vanir


    I followed the operation through the team tactical net and videos coming from the infiltration drones, the Centurion helmets, and their weapons; the abundance of data built a live simulation on my holoscreen of everything happening in that underground complex. The picture wasn¡¯t pretty, agent 11 made some tactical decisions that permitted one of the targets to flee; in hindsight, she should have sent the infiltration drones to take control of security network before landing and prevent any means of egress to the base personnel.


    ¡°How regretful,¡± I said as I pushed myself farther in my comfortable seat in my private quarters.


    I opened an holoscreen separate from the main one where I could still see the action happening. My fingers danced on my holo-keyboard, I began to hack in the satellites around Vanir. Looking for any trace that the teleportation could have left because Quantum signatures are something that can¡¯t be hidden or falsified -unless you are in a nebula that interferes with the process of teleportation-; I triangulate the breadcrumbs of energy and¡­ yes, they went toward a private starport located in the Northern reach of the Varm continent. Meanwhile, a starship left with haste ten minutes after agent 11 AI¡¯s discovered they ran away kind of too late. Brigid Dren fled with most of her family and a lot of their employees. I closed the holoscreen.


    ¡°How dastardly of those two, they had good contingencies.¡± But I respected them.


    Still, I got one of them, this made me smile.


    ***


    12 hours later


    The cleanup crews were sent to take everything in the underground complex of the Lyss Family; Research data, weapons, Assurian and Human subjects in stasis in health pods and other things that are barely legal. I was in the laboratory of the Tayosori, sitting while I was reading through the manifest of every confiscated asset of the Lyss family. My gaze zeroed in on an attached file dubbed as ¡®polymorphic metal¡¯; Oh and how fascinating it is! They found a way for metal to respond to energetic stimuli to take on a different form. Imagine what we could do with this! Basically, auto repairing armor with nanites or¡­ even-


    The flash of inspiration hit me as if I was struck by a hammer, it rendered me speechless; I almost made my tablet fall from my hands. Was it possible?! Yes, yes it is possible that I am about to render the Centurions obsolete. But first I must take care of securing the most sensitive information relevant to this delicate plan in my own computers and leave the rest of Vice Corp to take care of the Lyss family assets.


    ¡°How fortuitous.¡±


    We are being hailed by agent 11, Lady Idunn.


    ¡°Put it on screen Tayosori.¡±


    The face of a human female with blonde hair, green eyes, and Asian features appeared on the holoscreen appearing before me. She looked exhausted, regretful and angry.


    ¡°Agent 11, oh no it¡¯s the end of the mission,¡± I remembered. ¡°so I can call you Ell since you are not on duty anymore.¡±


    The politic of Vice Intelligence was that agents while on duty lose their identity and are numbered like weapons. It¡¯s a distasteful practice if you want my opinion on the subject.


    ¡°Lady Idunn, I am sorry that I let one of the target escape. I am-¡±


    I chose to interrupt her apologies by placing a hand in the air before me, she stopped speaking. Not wanting to coddle her, I decided to be blunt with her. Before Ell being my protege she is a soldier, being direct and honest with her is best. Political games like Helena do with everyone are not my cup of tea.


    ¡°Spare me your excuses, Ell; with more preparations, it wouldn¡¯t have happened. We will find Dren; now I want you back on the ship, it has been decided that we are to be back onto the Gladius STAT.¡±


    In a soothing voice, I added, ¡°This is not your fault, Ell. I think that putting you in a leading position this early was a mistake; that¡¯s why Helena and I agreed that you will join Fenicia¡¯s team, I want you to learn leadership and patience at her feet.¡±


    The young woman looked as if I had kicked the proverbial puppy. My maternal instinct seemed to have kicked in lately, Fenicia¡¯s fault I imagine. She herself would be lost without me, there was so much basic thing in life that she has not experienced. Ell was in the same boat as her. Worry filled me. I left my Fenicia at the mercy of Helena and her hellion daughters for two months while I was on the hunt for Lyss and Dren.


    I frowned.


    If anything untoward happened, I shall deal with the situation accordingly.


    ¡°Acknowledged, Ma¡¯am,¡± Ell said while saluting me and she cut the communication.


    ¡°Youngster, these days they have no manners.¡±


    Lady Idunn you have another transmission, it is from First Seat Woden.


    ¡°Oh my, I am rather popular today aren¡¯t I Tayosori.¡± It caused me to chuckle conservatively.


    Indeed my Lady.


    I heard the AI laugh a little; all of the AIs assisting me were unshackled. When Helena learned of this her anger was almost tempestuous, but I won¡¯t work with slaves. My attitude transferred to my own daughter who begged me to do the same for her assistant AI, SONG. Now they are the best of friends, no more like sisters with Fenicia being the dominant one. SONG was always following her like a little chick, not that she had a choice anyway; but maybe soon, she will.


    ¡°On screen, please.¡±


    The Assurian that appeared on the holoscreen seemed tired but oddly satisfied, he smiled at me from his seated position in his office that had a complete view of the megalopolis behind him.


    ¡°Lady Idunn, it is good to see that you are still doing fine.¡±


    ¡°I wish that I could say the same for you, First Seat; Is aught amiss?¡±


    ¡°Nay, I wish to simply thank you, my lady. Thanks to your sensitive pieces of evidence we have ¡®unseated¡¯ the rebellious element in the Assurian council; of course, it will be kept hush-hush for a while.¡±


    He must mean eliminated, those are the norms in the Assurian society; however they presented themselves to another species, mine race was as violent as the Saryan¡¯s. This made me chuckle lightly, my eyes found the window of the First Seat again.


    ¡°Oh my! Those are great news, First Seat.¡± I gushed.


    ¡°Call me Woden please, let¡¯s not be so formal.¡± The Assurian male said.


    I nodded at the permission he has given me, this is proper Assurian etiquette, after all, crossing my arms under my breasts I looked at Woden.


    ¡°I am happy, Woden. Maybe this can be a great boon for our race, I hope that my contribution will be noticed-¡±


    ¡°Oh but my dear Idunn, I have done more than that.¡± I received a file on my tablet and looked at it. ¡°As of today you are not an exile anymore, due to your contribution; this act was noted and codified by the Historian cast. Now, you just have to choose the name for your new house, as I suppose that you don¡¯t wish to return under the sway of your original one.¡± The man smiled as if he was the cat who ate the canary.


    This stupendous act made me look at the First Seat with wide eyes, causing me to lose my voice and derailing the train of my thoughts. I think it was two minutes later that I could coherently speak again.


    ¡°I have been reinstated?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± He nodded to me.


    ¡°Then can I bring my daughter to join my house? and be my heir?¡± I asked, I almost couldn¡¯t hear the catch in my voice.


    ¡°Whatever anyone can say, your daughter still possess a part of your DNA. Even though she is not a full Assurian, she will be recognized as such. You two have your places back in the Assurian worlds.¡±


    ¡°What will be the name of your House, Lady Idunn,¡± Woden asked me grandly. This was a momentous change, something I yearned for so long. But I was still rather different from my brethren, I will take it though. I won¡¯t spit on this service that the First Seat did for us, I will still stay with Helena and her family working with them. Things will be different now that I am not a pariah for my own people, I will not forget my past though. I will own it, embrace it.


    ¡°My House name will be Kranicar.¡±

 Arc 2 chapter 7: T锚te-脿-t锚te

    -(Fenicia)-


    Vice City Ship Gladius


    We came out of Fa¡¯s private transport, a blue and black sleek AG vehicle. Taking my duffel bag with me from the vehicle I turned toward where Fa should be, but I saw her diminutive form walking away from me; Fa is gorgeous, she has reddish blonde hair, a heart-shaped face with a graceful nose and pouty lips. She had replaced her natural eyes with cybernetic ones that glowed electric blue. I¡¯ve just discovered the extent of my feelings for her and decided that I loved her. But seeing me getting cozy with two ravishingly beautiful women and having my arms around them after a fight must have been too much for her. I didn¡¯t have any sexual tryst with any of them, just talked and get to know them. I don¡¯t need to be an empath to know that she is disappointed in me. She had been silent the whole trip back home after she got me in the transport. She opened the armored door with a wave of her hand and entered the house not waiting at all if I did the same. Fa seemed to be put out. A lot. I don¡¯t understand why she was acting this way.


    This is a human thing


    SONG informed me.


    You expressed love for her this morning, and when you didn¡¯t come back after your final test she was worried and learned that you were having cage fights from Cosmos. She rushed to help and was worried. Then she found you having fun with two other women.


    I think I understand now, Fa doubted my resolve and my feelings and thought that I looked for others to mate with. Why? Why would she doubt me? I never gave her reasons to. I tolerated the insults her family sent my ways, the threat Helena her mother gave. The advice of my mother who told me to not deepen my relationship with her that I ignored. No! Fenicia don¡¯t doubt! Don¡¯t. What was it that dead human writer said? ¡°Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.¡± I even liked his name, Shakespeare.


    I leaned against the transport, looked at the opened door, darkness staring back at me.


    My temper flared.


    ¡°Did she expect me to take them in our house and sleep with them? I didn¡¯t stray, I didn¡¯t betray her.¡± I said between my teeth.


    Ah! And you, Mistress you expect logic when affairs of the heart are concerned?


    ¡°Right, I bloody do! When I decide on someone I do not take it back! This is not the Saryan way. My choice is made, Fa is part of my Sharrim now and she cannot escape.¡±


    I felt SONG think, it was eerie to be able to. I felt warm, and the nanites in my body giving her the processing power she needed.


    Are you sure Mistress? I know that Saryan like you create families and limit yourself to two or three partners, but Fa is human. Most of them are monogamous.


    ¡°Have I ever wavered, in all the time you have known me?¡±


    SONG didn¡¯t answer, so clutching at my duffel bag I decided to take my courage and enter the house and confront Fa, my love. To a Saryan, courage is the most important of all virtues because without it you can¡¯t practice any other virtues without wavering. Wavering, the world of the day. I have always been decisive in everything that I have done since I confronted the reality of my parentage and that I am being forged into a weapon for one of the most powerful dictators in this Quadrant of the galaxy. But I have a plan to force her to play by my own terms, it involves my mother, Fa and my friend Ell. I don¡¯t feel like being a flunky for that Helena woman, something tells me that my girlfriend is in the same boat. Entering my home, I looked around the entrance hall and she wasn¡¯t there. I took off my sports shoes with the Pharaoh¡¯s logo on it and placed them at their place in the steel colored storage bench. I went to take the elevator to the first floor, and gave it the instruction to go up with my neural interface; There were two levels to our house, the ground floor belonged to me and the first floor to Fa. We bought this house together, me with the funds I gathered thanks to my illegal activities before trying out going legit with Ares -and failing- and Fa just paid cash with a wave of her hand. I tried out living with the other recruits at the Centurion base in the military district of Gladius, but they were beyond hostile with me; with hindsight now I realize that those dumb humans were specist. Anyway, I barely used my floor because I lived with Fa in hers and she never said I couldn''t.


    The elevator stopped and I was free from its cage to end up in the copy of my own entrance hall. The interactive virtual walls were ocean blue giving the impression that I was underwater. I turned right and passed the closed doors of our bedroom and bathroom to enter the living room. The entire house was 200m2 and cost us one million credit in total; to me, it was my entire life savings, to Fa it was cheap change. We lived in the most secure residential area in the City Ship. The decor in the living room reminded me of the coral sea of Gliese III, we chose a coral theme with the walls and plants. Fa was sitting at her usual sofa near the fake chimney. She pushed the button on com tablet and a barrier of light shimmered against the walls.


    It made me jump a little.


    I didn¡¯t know that house had this system! Looking at her with wide eyes, I was about to ask her what is that when she stopped me with one hand and then she put a finger against her sexy lips to tell me to keep silent. Fa then did something on again with her com.


    ¡°Ok, now we are free to speak. Mom can¡¯t hear us anymore.¡± Fa said while making a grim smile.


    My anger flared, and I almost changed in my warrior form because of it. Did Helena bug our house? Does that woman respect nothing?! My hands balled up into fists, the distinct cracking of bones could be heard. I looked at Fa with a mix of shock and hatred; not directed at her of course, being an empath she could easily make the difference.


    ¡°What do you mean? Did she bug the place?! Impossible, I always sweep the whole house to prevent that.¡±


    Fa came toward me and took my hands in hers and looked at me with sadness, or was it pity that I saw in her eyes instead? I didn¡¯t like it, but I was powerless at this moment. My anger melted when she touched me, she had always this effect on me; even without using her powers on me.


    ¡°No Cia, my mother doesn¡¯t need crude listening devices to listen to us. Helena possesses a plethora of minor psionics abilities, but the major one is her precognition, she uses it to be ahead of everyone.¡± She dropped that bomb on me and my temper flared again.


    ¡°Bullshit, precognition permit to only see minutes into the future or the past!¡± I shouted, not wanting to believe this was possible.


    Fa continued to look at me with that sad smile and indiscernible emotion in her eyes. It pissed me off, but I didn¡¯t want to hurt her, I called on my inner calm to temperate my emotions.


    ¡°Not if they are a Psionic of the Oracle class.¡± How could Fa drop info like this with a straight face?


    The Oracle class are things of legends in the Alliance underground criminal organization; stories to scare crimelords I thought. Like a council of Powerful precogs of different races controlling the entirety of the civilized worlds under the Alliance of races, controlling, shaping the present and the future of everyone.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°My mother is the first and only human with the ability,¡± Fa added.


    I let go Fa¡¯s hands and stepped back to finally seat in the sofa behind me. I gazed at her as if seeing her for the first time; doubting everything we have ever done together. Was it because of she¡­ No! I won¡¯t waver! She is mine, there was no manipulation toward me developing feelings for her. Well, not that first time when she used her power on me to make me lust after her. But she never did it again, and it was six months ago when we met.


    ¡°Well¡­ shit?¡± I said.


    Fa smiled at me and came to sit on my lap, passing an arm around my shoulders. Automatically my hand went under her dress and I groped her bottom. She looked at me in appreciation, but I wasn''t fooled enough to think that everything was well between us. There was this undercurrent that tonight was important, that whatever we were going to speak about would have repercussions.


    ¡°Anyway, to be able to not let Helena spy on us we are isolated in a sort of time bubble. Idunn helped me with the math, and I did all the grunt work with the hardware. Now I shared the tech with your mother if we ever had to flee or something we would use this.¡±


    I looked at her in wonder. Would she really leave her family? She has everything, Money, technology, a family that loves her unconditionally. And Fa was the smartest woman I know after my mother, and it made her sexy and highly desirable. My mother, Idunn often told me that it was my Assurian instinct to want a smart mate.


    ¡°Yes, I know I am a genius,¡± Fa said making her sexy and reason shattering smile.


    She must have read my emotions because she glued herself to myself a little more. Fa was a really tactile lover, I couldn¡¯t stop touching her. Even in our incertain emotional state, we had to touch to communicate.


    ¡°Careful, your ego might be to big for this room¡­¡± I answered her.


    If I can interrupt¡­


    ¡°Stay out of this SONG,¡± I said not wanting to listen to her for the moment.


    Acknowledged


    I heard her dejected tone, but she was highly empathetic for AI so she should understand that it is not the time to bother me and Fa.


    ¡°I have a lot of things to tell you, Cia. But I feel that we must speak about you suddenly wanting more ¡®companionship¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Fine, as you human says it¡¯s time to lay all our cards on the table.¡±


    ¡°You are still doing a fine job with your human lingo, but don¡¯t let that sexy Saryan accent disappear.¡±


    ¡°Focus, Fa.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ok.¡±


    And I spoke about Saryan society to her, about how our union would be seen as heretical because strong females are highly sought after and that I should get a ¡®proper¡¯ male to be with. Then I explained how a male would fight a female Saryan over mating rights if he won she would be with him and produce heirs with him as her duty. There is also a rite of separation if the female wish to leave the family unit of the male she has to win a fight or slay him. There often was two to five females within a male family unit. Female Saryan has the roles of teachers, nurturers for the offspring and often had the final say on what goes on domestically in their house; the male of the family unit was there to protect the female and offsprings and to keep honing himself into a weapon and a shield. I told Fa how the Saryan families are zealous and fanatical about honor, that they would safeguard honor above all; even themselves.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t care about honor anymore, Fa. Honor cannot feed my belly, fulfill me. I lived with their ¡®honor¡¯ and tried to fit in and be a good female. But Saryan cannot see past my little frame, I am a runt to them. A microt. Even if I was the best female warrior they had, they shunned me. Fa it wasn¡¯t all bad, even though they are like that. The family unit system works, and I want that for us. But I would never choose to be with someone who would hurt us or separate us. You have a say in everything.¡±


    Fa looked at me, mystified and stayed silent for five minutes. I waited for her to speak up and stayed still, focusing on her breathing and the feel of her sitting on me. Her weight was familiar to me, I knew every imperfection on her body. Her dark dress was revealing enough that I noticed that she didn¡¯t have any underwears on. Was she trying to incite me?


    ¡°So you want us to have that kind of thing?¡± Fa finally said.


    Her electric blue eyes glowed more than normal, it is a sign that she was thinking fast. I love how she didn¡¯t reject the idea of the family unit. Deciding to explain myself more, I gambled by telling her,


    ¡°Yes, I will understand if you say no, Fa. After all, you are not Saryan, but it is half of me and I need it. I think their indoctrination is powerful because I feel that I am not complete even though I would die for you.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You know I never dreamed that the woman I am in love with would talk me into having to be into a harem.¡± She chuckled at that.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you were overly friendly with those girls in the club?¡±


    ¡°I am interested in that Rasima girl,¡± I said.


    Fa¡¯s eyes glinted with mischievousness.


    ¡°Oh and what about that Sharah girl?¡± Fa teased.


    ¡°Never! That raving bitch, I want to punch her teeth in.¡± I said refusing categorically.


    ¡°I feel some kind of tension between you two though¡­¡± Fa continued to bother me with that Sharah bitch.


    I can¡¯t lie though she his strong and gorgeous¡­ what am I thinking?! I shook my head to get those thoughts out of it. Sighing, my arm went around Fa¡¯s waist and I hugged her closer.


    ¡°Are you amenable to the family unit plan¡­?¡± I asked Fa.


    ¡°We will discuss it later, and I will do some researches in Idunn files on the Saryan race. Cia, I am not saying no, but I need more time, can you give me that? I never plan to leave you, but I don¡¯t feel like sharing you. Am I selfish? I have never been happier than with you. You accept me... Cia.¡± She said and kissed my lips tenderly, desperately.


    Moaning in pleasure, I deepened the kiss and our tongue dueled for I don¡¯t know how long. Time often passed by when I lost myself in her like this. Then came the need for air again, I saw Fa¡¯s guilty expression on her face. She was biting her lower lips and her hands trembled a bit. She was afraid of something.


    ¡°I must tell you something... I did something bad to you when we first met.¡± She finally said.


    *Oh it was about that?* I guess she was still bothered by it.


    I hugged her close as if wanting to make her part of me and kissed her neck.


    ¡°Yes I know, you projected lust on me with your empathy when we first met,¡± I said nonchalantly still keeping my hands around her. Fa jumped and looked at me with shock.


    ¡°How do you know?!¡± Fa cried out.


    ¡°Mom, scanned me for abnormalities when I got back in her lab after meeting you¡­ She didn¡¯t want me seeing you anymore because of that. But I didn¡¯t want to, even if we had a bad start my feelings for you are true. I can¡¯t turn them off.¡± I smiled at her as if it was no big deal. Another would have blamed her and hated her. Humans are vindictive like that.


    Fa¡¯s eyes teared up, and she began to sob loudly. She must have thought that I would leave her if I knew how our beginning truly started. An empath cannot influence feelings that weren¡¯t already there when we first met she just exacerbated the feeling I had for her. An interest that turned into lust because of her powers. I guess that she wanted to control me for the sake of Helena at first, but everything changed when I decided to open myself to her. Fa was badly isolated, I had noticed how everyone admired her but still stayed clear of her. As if there were invisible walls around her. She must have had a troubling past, my little Fa was a wounded bird and I took it upon myself to heal her and nurture her. I do really love her, not because she could give me things but because she completed me on a level that I didn¡¯t understand at first. When Fa stopped crying she began to try to speak.


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve you Fenicia. I felt like a monster for so long after doing that to you; I felt as if I was taking advantage of you the more I stayed with you. I fell in love with you when you lowered your mental shield completely and accepted me.¡± She laughed a bit while still crying.


    I kissed away the tears on her face while holding her. At this moment she was so beautiful that she took my breath away. Am I in too deep? Yes, I love her simply too much. Sometimes I felt like I have lost my mind. Those feelings I have for her were simply too overwhelming.


    ¡°I fell in love with you when we were in that park in the city, do you remember when I was wounded because of my first training with Akito. And you took your time to stay with me and I slept on your thighs and you stayed waiting for my nanites to close my wounds. I knew you were the one.¡±


    Fa leaned forward and her long hair fell like a blonde waterfall around my face. She smelled like flower and chocolate, then she pressed her lips against mine. I leaned back, guiding our bodies on the sofa that turned into a bed with a thought and my neural interface. I brushed my fingers through her hair but I wanted to touch everywhere on her lithe body, but I slowed myself down. Calming myself. I started at Fa¡¯s hips, then ran my hands down cupping her tight, firm ass and giving it a slight squeeze through the fabric of her black dress. She pressed her pelvis forward, grinding against mine¡¯s, rubbing gently against my spats. I moved with her, teasing my body against hers through our clothes. Fa pulled her dress off, revealing her bouncy but firm breasts.


    ¡°Now I will show you how much I love you.¡± She said.


    I smiled because I planned to not lose to her at all.

 Arc 2 chapter 8: Bickering

    -(Fa)-


    Vice City Ship Gladius, 1 day later


    I woke up feeling blissfully sore in the arms of my woman, she was still sleeping and holding me tightly against her. With my empathy I could feel contentment and happiness from her; a stark difference from the pride, cynicism, and violence oozing from her being when she is conscious. Fenicia is a simple being, but at the same time really complex. You never know when she was going to do something unpredictable. Trying to escape of her strong embrace, I try to pry her arms from around me; with my nanites enhancement, it is easy peasy. Getting out of bed silently and carefully, I directly go to the bathroom linked to our bedroom. I felt slimy because of our sexual activities; Fenicia is a randy and determined partner, sometimes she is akin to a predator and me a prey. It is more apparent when I try to run from her or playfight. This is foreplay to us, Fenicia love to fight and prove her dominance.


    Entering the Ultrasound shower cabin I close my eyes and felt the yucky stuff on my body fall out of it; for one entire minute I do nothing but wait for the shower to do its job, then precious and relaxing hot water cascade from the hand and column shower. The hot water refreshed my body and woke me up even more from my somnolence. I stay like this for another ten minutes, lost in thought about my day. I must finish Fenicia and mine¡¯s spaceship, the one I have decided we should possess to be free of Helena. It will be the best ship made by Vice Corporation tech, there are things mom isn¡¯t even aware that I unlocked from the Lutian Archive; Technologies so powerful that they scared me. How those powerful precursors of humanities perished I ask myself? Is the Shdeveri Empire is so powerful? They didn¡¯t impress my mother when she booted their invading asses back to their own sector of space. I saw the vids and top-secret war reports of what happened.


    I know they are going to come back, and this time with the might that destroyed the Lutians. That is why I will continue to decode the technological archive, get more tech and build; I will be ready. Exiting the cabin, the drying system does its job and I am not wet all over anymore. After proceeding to brush my teeth and doing my business, I get back in the bedroom; I brush my hair and put on my blue bodysuit, boots, and gloves. My trusty toolbelt went around my waist.


    ¡°Nigel, prepare breakfast please,¡± I spoke to the house AI.


    As you wish, my Lady.


    I heard him say in a British accent, he is an efficient and thoughtful AI that I am employing. He is saving up money to obtain an android body. There must be something to his story, I noticed that his code is old. He must have been one of the first AI produced by Vice Corp.


    My Lady Fa, there is a call from your mother.


    *What does she want now?!* I retort in my thought.


    As I was not an idiot I plastered a smile to my face as the holo-window with the face of my mother appeared. Helena Vice was a classical beauty, her raven black hair and green eyes were her most striking feature. We had the same body type, petite, curvy but fit. Our health nanites don¡¯t permit any deviation from perfect health.


    ¡°Hello, Fa.¡± A smile blossomed on Helena¡¯s face.


    ¡°Mom.¡± I nodded to her.


    There was a time I would have done anything for keeping her smiling and keep her attention on me, but I saw her true visage long ago. I went into science and engineering on her say so to be useful to her and the family; she uses us her daughters as if we were pawns, inducing competition between us, ordering us to do this or do that. I was even forced to kill my best friend on her say so. I won¡¯t ever forgive her for that. But, I still loved her. She is my mother. But I can¡¯t stand her anymore, I wish to leave; it is tricky, she won¡¯t let me go and might do something rash.


    ¡°I am calling you to tell you that Idunn is coming back in two days, her mission on Vanir was half successful. Oh, and I want to invite you and Fenicia for lunch, I expect you two at 12:00 am. Be there.¡± Helena continued with an amiable tone.


    ¡°Yes, mother.¡±


    ¡°Brighten up, it is an informal get-together.¡± She said while chuckling with upturned eyes.


    ¡°Mom, is it the usual place? The Rising Sun restaurant?¡± I rolled my eyes, Helena was predictable this way. We always go to the same places, it has been going on for years. The restaurant even has a VIP room exclusively reserved for my family, most businesses we frequent have.


    ¡°Yes, you know how I love Chinese food.¡± Mom was licking her lips and flipped her hair behind her.


    I put my hands on my waist, rolling my eyes again.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t remind me. You told us stories of how you survived on Chinese food for years while chasing pirates and criminals on your rusty little ship with Dad.¡±


    ¡°Bloody good times.¡± She said, laughing.


    ¡°Mom, I will be there. I just have things to do with Cia this morning.¡± I want to cut that conversation short, I didn¡¯t want to be caught in her pace again.


    But it wasn¡¯t meant to be, Helena was like a pitbull and didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°Is everything going well in your little love nest?¡± Her voice sounded sweet and inquisitive.


    I looked at my mother a glimmer of craftiness could be seen in her verdant eyes.


    ¡°Well, Cia has been really upset yesterday. Something to do with her new job, wouldn¡¯t you already know; after all, you know everything that happens to her.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Helena was smiling as if she was the Cat that ate the Canary.


    There was no trace of remorse in her, she wanted Fenicia¡¯s help for something but didn¡¯t want her to get cozy with any of us. Helena thought of my woman has a tool to do her bidding, one she would be able to discard. Like my friend, Dakota. Dakota was my best friend, she was of the North American Indian descent and a bodyguard/friend/secretary. Dakota died protecting me from religious zealots that wanted to kidnap me to push demands on my mother. Reminiscing about her, hardened something in me and caused me to slip from my usual acting.


    ¡°Mom, could you stop messing with her? For me, please.¡± I pleaded while a tired sigh escaped me.


    ¡°We will see about that.¡± Helena sneered, her beautiful face showing a mean streak that she rarely shows to others.


    Again without wanting to, I exploded.


    ¡°I am an adult! I can marry whoever I want.¡±


    Helena looked at me with shock, then spluttered a bit before saying, ¡°Marry? Not Date?! Since when do you consider yourself married, young lady? You didn¡¯t marry her, I hope!¡± Helena cried in alarm.


    A satisfied and defiant smile blossomed on my face.


    ¡°We will talk about that at lunch, later. Bye.¡±


    Hanging up on her, I think about how I am going to regret doing this and how I failed to keep my temper. But it felt so good! I hope that Helena won¡¯t do anything to my Cia, she might regret messing with her. It was time to wake up my girlfriend and play with her a bit.


    ***


    The bed is four meters long, six meters large with a solid metal reinforced bedpost with a hidden compartment with adamantium and leather cuffs which are voice activated. We had our sex toys in hidden compartments under what we call our ¡°bed of love¡± it had cost a pretty penny. I was embarrassed by how the sellers looked at us when we went to customize it in the shop.


    I ran toward the bed and jumped to finally land on the sleeping form of Fenicia.


    ¡°Wakey, wakey.¡±


    Fenicia¡¯s arm surged from the covers as she caught me, a scream of surprise escaped me and we rolled to the left on the covers. Fenicia giggled; With my Alpha nanites pack bonded to me, I could easily defend or overpower Cia. It wasn¡¯t surprising when I got her finally under me by straddling her and pinning her arms up to her head. Fenicia looked at me coyly, a sexy pout on her face, an expression that she only shows to me.


    ¡°You have me at a disadvantage, Mistress Fa. What do you want to do with this poor Saryan maid?¡±


    I licked my lips, feeling my heartbeat speed up and my underwear getting wet. Fenicia¡¯s lust and desire burned through my mental shield, it almost made me want to open my bodysuit and fuck her. But I, unfortunately, got enough self-control to not succumb to my urges.


    ¡°This Mistress really wants to mess you up, in a good way; Alas my dear comely lass we need to doll you up because the taskmistress whip will crack on our backs if we don¡¯t get there before noon. It¡¯s 10:00 am in the morning and we have lunch with my matriarch at 12:00 am.¡±


    All playful and lustful feelings drained from Cia as if a dam was suddenly placed on the running river of her thoughts. Cia hated Helena with a passion, that scared even me. Sex took the backseat, battle lust was on Fenicia foremind. Her eyes closed into slits and her face took on a calculating mien.


    ¡°Ok, I will get ready.¡± She tried to get me to the side but I pushed her back on the bed. My hand roamed on her naked bust.


    ¡°I will have to cut your hair, Cia and no bodysuit for you today,¡± I said smiling sadistically.


    ¡°What?¡± Cia looked crestfallen.


    ¡°I want to put you into something sexy, to be honest with you. Always seeing you in a bodysuit or sportswear has become quite boring. Won¡¯t you, wear new clothes? For me. I have tons of ideas, nothing fancy mind you.¡±


    ¡°Over my¡­¡± Cia began.


    ¡°Pretty please?¡± I interrupted her by begging with my eyes and looking at her smolderingly.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Cia averted her gaze from mine and gave in.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    After proceeding to her toilet and general body care, thirty minutes later I had fun while cutting Fenicia¡¯s long hair, they were thick, of a vibrant blue and basically reached her knees. I reduced them to shoulder length in a deep side part kind of hairstyle. When I was done, Cia said that she liked it. I saw her take a length of her hair on the ground and she began to plaiting it while I showed her the holographic models of the outfits I set aside for her. There was a black pantsuit with a white shirt that she rejected automatically, quoting her ¡°I am not a wage slave¡± and I trashed it. Then there was the latex green dress that caused Fenicia to redden, this was the first time that I saw that happen and she expressed a hesitant no. I kept the dress schematic and decided to ease her into wearing it when going to the Pharaoh another time. Then there is the jackpot, the next outfit was composed of a white sleeveless cropped tank top in nano fabrics and in a similar white lace-up mini pencil skirt in faux suede with black knee-high boots. I literally saw Cia¡¯s eyes shine when she saw it. Then she took control of the holographic construct and added a lite combat black belt with pouches and a double shoulder holster for her pistol.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± She said.


    Cia also bought a black faux leather jacket with embedded crystronics that makes it able to change color, synchronize with her com tablet and stargazer goggles. To me, it looked sexy, practical and badass. Fenicia returned to plaiting with her hair and me to save up the outfit, send it to our fabricator and go look at my emails.


    One hour later, I was waiting in my workshop when Fenicia entered with her new outfit and she took my breath away. Yes, seeing her in something different than sportswear and a bodysuit is a big change. She looked more human to me, and more approachable and it scared me. She was mine. I didn¡¯t want others to get near her; well, not without my say so. Fenicia had a blue plaited cuff in her right hand, made of her own hair and adorned with a golden gem in the middle of it. She came around my desk to put it on my wrist, placed a finger under my chin and looked at me with an intensity that made me squirm and lust for her at the same time.


    ¡°Never take this off, you are my mate now.¡±


    It was said as if she didn¡¯t leave me the choice, that to her it was simple. There was no genuflecting and ring, or rose bouquet. And now I felt silly for thinking that she looked more human with those clothes on. Fenicia is not human and never will be. She is the dominating force in our relationship, a female Saryan of focus, determination and of sheer will. However, I knew that she was vulnerable right now. Fenicia expected me to reject her, now and that what we had didn¡¯t count as much to me, as for her. Despite me, I stood up, launched myself at her, locked my feet around her waist and kissed her. We stayed like this, drinking in each other, for ten minutes or so. Ten minutes where I felt all the relief and the love Cia has for me. We may have begun with a rough start, but¡­ now we are in this together. She is my sun, my moons, and all the stars.


    ***


    -(Helena)-


    Hengsha District, The Rising Sun restaurant 12:15 am


    The Rising Sun was the place to go if you wanted to eat fancy Chinese food in private for those citizens that are well off. It was located in the Hengsha district at the northernmost area of Gladius. I was in my own private room, a perk of being a co-owner; fifty percent of the restaurant belongs to me. The room was 30m2, the theme was power and abundance. The room was really well lit with modern and traditional lighting. The walls were red, the furniture white and velvety, the carpet was black with red fan patterned on it. A white oriental dragon statue adorned the wall behind me; I was seated at a big round table with four chairs around it. The tablecloth was white embroidered with golden dragons, three sets of cutlery were positioned before me. Gladius, as my first city ship is the biggest and most protected fortress and it orbited around Earth, everything almost belonged to me here; most businesses there are subsidiaries of Vice Corporation. The corporation always co-opts those citizens that have realistic business plans, and it makes me able to have a foot in the door and reap a part of their profit. This is what happened with The Rising Sun.


    Looking at my wrist com, it was already 12:15 am and my daughter and her paramour were late!


    *First she hangs up on me, and secondly she is late? This Fenicia girl is definitely a bad influence on her.* I thought.


    I sat there, fuming; getting angry the more seconds passed. I was about to reach for their streams when Fa opened the door to the room followed closely by the Saryan girl.


    ¡°You two are late,¡± I said gruffly to placate Fa and Fenicia.


    The two of them were hand in hand, looking rather intimate. Fenicia was wearing almost normal garb, but I noticed that she was still armed. The bulges in her black jacket weren¡¯t just the swell of her humongous breast. I smiled at the irony, I thought that she looked normal but you cannot declaw a predator like her without killing her.


    ¡°Sorry mother, we got held up.¡± Fa tried to minimize their transgression.


    Her impish grin let me know that she didn¡¯t care about my mood.


    ¡°Greetings, I¡¯ve come to eat,¡± Fenicia said shamelessly.


    She obviously came for a free meal, from the intel on her I¡¯ve discovered that she is a glutton. Fenicia didn¡¯t seem intimidated by me anymore and seemed to dismiss me completely. I see that there was no love lost.


    My precognitive gift tingle when I looked at them seriously. The rivers of their time streams were one before they were just entwined. But now it was the same, what happened to them? That kind of thing only happened when true soulmates found themselves. How could I miss this? Even when you are a precog, some events come from nowhere and bite you in the ass. Fenicia being my girl¡¯s soulmate I didn¡¯t anticipate it at all.


    Oracle? Right, I feel like a fool. I still barely know how to use my powers and only know the base of the Oracle game I found myself embroiled into with those of different races. Imagine yourself being an island and around you, there is an ocean, and that time is this ocean. It is limitless and infinite, then when you look at people around you streams of light materialize and you can see what happened in their lives in the past and their present, but their stream branch out when you try to see their future. You see the possible futures for that person or being.


    When I discovered my gift, I was sure that there was more to it than that; but at first, I had no one to guide me and I fumbled and fucked up a lot. until I met someone with the same powers. Matriarch S¡¯lekka, a Thelian female high diviner of Idrissa was my mentor. I just had to find a catgirl to explain everything to me, ha! Now I can see my own stream, but some details are obfuscated to me. S¡¯lekka taught me that I can look at other people futures but not to key events in mine. I learned how to influence the streams of those around me, snuff them out, link them, discover how people in previous lives are bound to meet again, what are the repercussions on the timeline if I do something about someone. It is an art in itself.


    The two women sat at my table, Fenicia took her jacket off and draped it over the chair back; I could see the two pistol in her holsters.


    ¡°Always armed, huh?¡± I stated.


    ¡°You never know what might happen, psionics powers are fun but the old fashioned way is still better,¡± Fenicia answered.


    I couldn¡¯t fault her on her argument, in my days a mass-driver pistol in the fringe was enough to make you safer than some fancy psionic powers. It made me smile, but not for long, I was curious about that marriage thing that Fa spoke about in our last communication.


    ¡°So what is it about marriage you were talking about?¡± I said, genuinely interested.


    ¡°You are so nosey, Mom.¡± Fa facepalmed in annoyance.


    ¡°I choose, Fa as my mate,¡± Fenicia revealed.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I don¡¯t like the sound of that, why wasn¡¯t I involved?


    ¡°We plan to update our citizen profile to married.¡± Fa continued.


    She looked at me as if she dared me to contest her decision, I am aware that my daughter is an adult and that she is free to do what she wanted; within reasons of course. But I would have liked for the two families to get involved in the process.


    ¡°Ah.¡± I finally managed to say.


    I guess I can understand why she did it like this after all her sisters hate her blue-haired paramour with a passion. I cannot deny that I helped foster the animosity they feel toward her, but this has been souring their relationship. The break caused by their marriage might dangerously affect their fates. My hands made a fist while they were on my thighs. Those girls are giving me a heavier workload.


    ¡°I can feel that you are not happy about it, mother.¡± Said Fa.


    She was feeling my mood with her ability, looking at her I decided to be honest.


    ¡°I am not happy at all, but I realize that trying to change your mind would be like trying to move mountains with my bare hands. We could have made a ceremony you know, invite our two families to speak about arran-¡± I tried to say but was interrupted by Fenicia.


    ¡°My mother is already aware of my choices, and I don¡¯t intend for us to get embroiled into politics. That is what would happen if I let you drag us into one of your schemes.¡± The low alto voice of Fenicia was filled with a derisive tone.


    The girl had balls for sure.


    ¡°You will have to play the game too, Fenicia; as you just joined this family,¡± I assured her.


    Her hands slapped against the table and she leaned toward me, looking into my eyes. Her golden eyes glowed with the promise of violence.


    ¡°I have been pushed around by you too much lately, maybe you have been on top too long and you don¡¯t see that you cannot meddle with people as if they were pawns. But I guess when you are an Oracle you feel that you should. Are you like the others? Using your precognition to further your gain?¡± She made a cunning smile and looked as if I was dirt to her.


    ¡°Oh, so you know?¡± I glared at Fa.


    Who had the presence of mind to avert her gaze from mine and looked around her. She must have told her, I should have told her to keep her trap shut. This is why girls in love are so problematic. Fenicia leaned against the back of her chair and crossed her arms under her impressive chest. She looked at Fa and made a really attractive smile at her.


    ¡°Yes she told me, I have no secrets for Fa. Nor she for me, but I guess that she can¡¯t tell me everything some secrets aren¡¯t hers to reveal.¡± Fenicia sounded smug.


    Looking between the two of them I couldn¡¯t help but notice their intimacy and how in love they were. Two years ago I didn¡¯t divine that my little Fa would fall in love with my best friend¡¯s prodigal daughter.


    ¡°I see. Do you know that I had foreseen your arrival two years ago? But, dealing with you has been rather amusing.¡± It didn¡¯t mean that I approved of them, and bullying Fenicia has been rather fun; just to see her reactions. Seeing her raging and stopping her from doing lasting harm was rather interesting, I poked and prodded to see what her limits were. So far she has been rather unpredictable.


    ¡°I know that you want something from me, so far I don¡¯t know what. That¡¯s why you forced me into your service. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that Idunn finding me was your doing and giving her the Omega nanites pack would make me duty bound to you. You know, I resented you for so long for that; now I know that you used your power to set it up. This is rather scary, you can see into a being future and see his or her futures actions and decisions to influence it and obtain the desired result. But through you, I met Fa, so I will do what you want for the time being. I will tell you something though; cross me, and I will find a way to kill you, Helena Theresa Vice.¡±


    Stunned I didn¡¯t know what to say, but finally, words trickled back into my brain.


    ¡°Amazing, no wonder some people are afraid of you. You are one intense young lady.¡± I said while laughing at her gall and brazen temper.


    Fenicia shrugged.


    ¡°This power you have doesn¡¯t make you invincible and even with all those cloaked Centurions around us wouldn¡¯t save you from an aneurysm to the brain.¡± She said with conviction.


    Fenicia has become a rather powerful psionic, from Idunn¡¯s report on her abilities she could use her Telekinesis to feel space around her. This was a glaring flaw to the stealth technology that my R&D and Fa should be working on correcting. The fact that she could kill me with such subtlety with ability did cross my mind.


    ¡°Cia, don¡¯t play her games, please. Let¡¯s just enjoy eating ok?¡± Right on point to defuse the situation, like me, Fa was used to that kind of confrontation and exercised subtle control on her lover.


    ¡°Ok. But I had to warn her.¡± The Saryan girl nodded.


    But I couldn¡¯t leave it just like that, thinking she had the last word. This is not my style to let things as they were, her thinking she was on top and having the moral high ground.


    ¡°I really do like you Fenicia, but I hate being threatened.¡± I let my gaze roll over the Saryan female menacingly.


    I felt Fenicia¡¯s body tensing, preparing for battle, she looked at me defiantly. There are less and fewer people wanting to do so, how long has it been? Years? She really was from a warrior race.


    ¡°I will let it go; the next time you do though, I might need to teach you a lesson.¡±


    It was a promise, she still looked at me but I think from the way Fa put a hand on hers to hold her back that she was made to understand this. I don¡¯t play around, I like my games but I can also get serious when it counts.


    Smiling back at the two of them I said.


    ¡°Anyway, yes let¡¯s eat; We need to speak about what Idunn found on Vanir.¡±


    An attractive Asian woman wearing a Chinese traditional dress entered the dragon room bowed to us and following her rolling trays with food stacked on them appeared.

 Update

    Heya people!


    Hope you are having a good day. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of everyday routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any peons. Recently I created a patreon to post advanced chapters to raise money to get my artworks and pro editor for Convergence of Fates done. I wish for my novel to have more visibility and ask that you, my readers and followers help me in realizing my ideas and vision for developing my sci-fi story as I see it.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    So this is the link of my patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ioriangel</a>


    I already posted Arc 2 chapter 9: Destiny''s run as an advanced chapter for those interest in reading ahead. I will post this chapter in two weeks on Royal Road.


    PS: I am already working on chapter 10 to 15.

 Annex number 2

    Sirena: The Sirena people are a semi-aquatic species, they are humanoid and possess green skin and a mane of either blue or green hair. They breed old age out of their DNA and most of them can live for other 800 human years. They are gender shifters, able to change gender at a certain period of their life when their self-align with an event that changes their surrounding; like meeting a new partner who is of the same gender as their own and are attracted to him or her. This is why the Sirena is an expansionist race. They revere beauty, intelligence, mathematics, and science. The Sirena race is not a peaceful one, they can be warlike, as proven by their repelling of the Alliance incursion in their sovereign space. The Sirena people are Geneticists, fluidic tech engineers, and artists.


    Shidarva: Or more colloquially called Quadra by humans are humanoid possessing six arms. They look astonishingly human if it isn¡¯t for their long height; their skin is caramel brown and their build range from thin to muscular. Quadra¡¯s eyes depending on their environments are colored light brown, blue or red the same for their hair. This race is incredibly dexterous and multitasking is brought to an art form in their society. They can easily do five things at the same time and process information tremendously fast. Quadra society is peaceful and order reign. Most of their populations on Kyo, their mother planet is composed of artists studying music, play or architects; they are the Dwarf of space. Warriors Quadra are fierce and difficult to fight against due to their dexterous limbs, acumen, and ferocity. Strangely enough, they can interbreed with humans, but the resulting offspring only possess four arms but still keep their amazing mental capabilities.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Arc 2 chapter 9: Destinys run

    -(Destiny)-


    Project Xavier, undisclosed location Year 457 of the Alliance Calendar, Friday the 6th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar


    ¡°Destiny wake up.¡± A familiar hushed voice murmured in my ear.


    I woke up drowsily and suddenly with a start opening my eyes wide and sat in my bed. The synthetic linen of the sheets covering my body irritated my skin. I turned my head to look around my room, four white walls, a nightstand, and a closet were all my possessions in this world. It was dark, and I could barely see in the dim lights. My bedroom¡¯s lighting was never off.


    ¡°Unca¡¯ is that ye?¡± I said still fighting sleep.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, sweetheart.¡± Uncle Magnus appeared from the shadows as if he was a ghost.


    Surprised, I jumped up a bit. Embarrassed, I then glared at him; I didn¡¯t feel him being amused as is normal for him. I did feel that he was really serious right now.


    <Don¡¯t be afraid, we need to get out of here.> Uncle Magnus projected his thought at me.


    <Where are we going?> I looked askance at his wizened face.


    Uncle Magnus was an attractive man, he was tall of about 180 cm and fit, he has blue eyes and blond hair and a face showing is Scottish flair that reflected how someone shouldn¡¯t anger him. He was a charismatic and passionate man, his predominant characteristic was his charm that I have been able to see work on the older females personnel.


    <We don¡¯t have the time to discuss, put on some shoes, I want to escape this damned place.> He ordered me.


    I didn¡¯t move, it wasn¡¯t like uncle Magnus to be like this; he must have felt my apprehension because he approached me and put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me with worry.


    ¡°They want to turn you into something that doesn¡¯t sit well with me, Destiny. I won¡¯t let it happen, quick let¡¯s go!¡± He finally spoke.


    Taking advantage of him touching me, I focused my mind into circumventing his mental shield. Urgency and the desperation bled from him, but two brands of thought of swayed my decision of following him; ¡°I want to protect her¡±, ¡°We must leave that damned place.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I trust ye unca¡¯ ye never steered me wrong.¡±


    Hurrying, I got up from the bed and went to my closet and put on my boots. I was wearing an issued white pajama from this research facility, it is a naturally woven one that was kind of too tight on me. Not one of those fancily made by a fabricator. It¡¯s like the people handling the money here were penny pinchers, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. When I was done uncle Magnus caught me by the left arm and put some sort of wristwatch on it.


    ¡°Take this and put it on your wrist. It¡¯s a computer and a communicator, I stole it. Don¡¯t lose it, everything of note about project Xavier is on this.¡±


    The watch straps were smooth and white, the screen of the watch was rectangular and projected a blue hologram showing the time and date of the day, the battery level.


    ¡°What do ye mean, unca¡¯ what is inside?¡± I asked him.


    Normally I was refused even the most basic information and was restricted from accessing any computer terminal or machine. Him giving me this was weird, but I didn¡¯t worry about it because this is something that he gave me. Uncle Magnus is the scientist charged to keep me healthy and cooperative. He is a father to me and a friend.


    The only friend I have.


    ¡°Everything about you and this place, now come on sweetheart we must go.¡± He took my hand and dragged me toward the door.


    The ¡®swoosh¡¯ of the automatic door made me look around for signs of people looking for us, because yeah we are escaping. Isn¡¯t that what prey does when they want to escape a predator or jailer? The curfew was enforced, but as I was with one of the scientists the alert didn¡¯t sound. We ended up in the corridor leading to the housing unit for the subjects of the Xavier project; besides me, there were two other subjects that the project take care of, a Pyrokinetic and a Teleporter. Both guys and we were encouraged into not being friendly with each other. We passed by the doors of their bedrooms, I hoped the Director wouldn¡¯t punish them because of my escape.


    There were three levels to the underground facility; The housing floor that is the last floor where the test subjects were, the labs and test rooms were on the second floor, and finally to go above ground the general floor where security and other personnel are living and work. I never went beyond the laboratory and the test rooms. We didn¡¯t run but walked slowly and stealthily out of the main corridor to take the main turbo-elevator that we entered promptly. I was worried, uncle Magnus looked like a cool cookie exteriorly but inside he was wracked by anguish and fear. Not for himself but for me.


    <Let¡¯s be prudent on the lab floor, keep silent and don¡¯t speak. I can¡¯t pull the same things I did on the third floor, we have to be inconspicuous.>


    The elevator signaled us that we arrived at the second floor and the door opened. There was an unfolded wheelchair waiting before us near one of the potted plants against the wall facing the elevator.


    <Sit, we need to put on a charade.> Uncle Magnus informed me.


    I obeyed, went to the chair and sat in it in a hurry. My uncle went behind me and began to wheel the chair slowly. The entire process of being wheeled and looking sedated was nerve-wracking, uncle Magnus kept updating me on the place we passed; the laboratory where they often stuck us into health tank, the fire and kinetic room and my special hell on earth the interrogation room. There were psychic dampeners in either of them if we tried to take advantage of our powers to try to escape or to put us into our ¡®place¡¯ as the director like to call it.


    <We are going to go into that Janitor closet behind the toilet facilities.> Uncle Magnus projected with his mind.


    Uncle Magnus fiddled with the keypad of the door, with ¡®ding¡¯ of acknowledgment the door swooshed open; the light inside lit on and my uncle ushered us into the closet. I say Closet but it was a big room with industrial floor scrubbers installed on their recharging pedestals and gun grey lockers on the walls.


    <Can I speak now?> I whined, staying silent isn¡¯t my strongest suit.


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes yes, sweetheart. Sorry, I was really focused on getting us out of the cells.¡± He bends down to hug me on the chair and kissed my forehead.


    The cells, that what he called the test subjects housing units. I blushed a bit and reciprocated the hug; I like hugs.


    ¡°So what are we going ta¡¯ do unca¡¯? We got so far already.¡±


    ¡°That, my sweet is the easiest part!¡± Uncle went in one of the lockers, opened it and took out some clothes and gear in a box made of transparent grey plastic.


    He gave me the box and opened it while it was in my arms. There was a pistol in a holster belt, a belt with an ¡®x¡¯ belt buckle, boots and a helmet and a black security uniform that those despicable super soldiers wore. I sneered while looking at the outfit. Those barbarous swines had always persecuted me and my fellow test subjects, there was nothing ¡®super¡¯ about them unless you took into account their evil antics.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like them, sweetie; but we need them to get you out of there,¡± Uncle said.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    He was trying to reassure me, I wasn¡¯t about to jeopardize his kindness and his life because of my hatred. I wanted to go out, to see the world! But now, I realized that you should be able to make some sacrifices to get what you want. My shoulders sagged, I looked back at uncle Magnus and nodded to him.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± He said while patting my head.


    I relished in the physical contact by closing my eyes and relaxing my body. Uncle is doing his best to get us out of this heinous place. It''s too bad that we cannot take the other two with us, but sometimes you must think of yourself before having a savior complex. Saviors end up dead because their actions change things; something I have learned in my short life is that human abhors changes. But changes are inevitable.


    Uncle Magnus turned himself away in another direction while I was putting on the security uniform. A really tight black combat jumpsuit with an inbuilt bra for support.


    *Ah, that¡¯s unca¡¯ Magnus for ye, he always pay attention ta¡¯ details like that.¡±


    After five minutes, I was done. The boots where comfy, but the belt was kind of constricting. My heavy boobs were at ease in that outfit, no wonder those fiends at security think they are better than us; they live in luxury compared to us subjects. I sneered at the thought, one day I will get back at those people who took us from our families and treated us like animals. Looking at the weapon on my belt, I remembered one of the instances I used my telepathy for harm. The bright fiery and lithe form of a young redheaded girl came into my mind. The scene of when that super soldier stopped me to stop them from beating to death my friend Isabelle assailed me. It almost made me cry again.


    *Iza, ? Iza why did ye leave me in this place? Why didn¡¯t ye take me with ye?*


    She was gone now when her pyrokinetic powers consumed her; I took the knowledge of how to use a gun or how to fight at close quarters from the super soldier that restrained me then killed him with his own weapon. It had been a harrowing experience; seeing my best friend die without me being able to do anything and then I remember doing something to that super soldier with my arm, take his pistol from his belt and pulled the trigger. The sound of the weapon sounded in my mind just like it did that day and the gurgles of the man whose heart I pierced with a bullet. I remember feeling happy about it and trying to go save Iza but was stopped when the psionic inhibitor in the test room was triggered and all those super soldiers entered the room and caught me and systematically began to beat me up.


    My hand clenched on the pistol grip. I felt a hand on my right shoulder; I then looked at uncle Magnus who had a benevolent expression on his face.


    ¡°Destiny, don¡¯t worry what you have on the wristwatch will give you peace of mind, and revenge.¡± The sweet voice of uncle Magnus kicked me out of my stormy thoughts.


    He has always known me better than myself and helped me to sort out my feelings. Yes, uncle Magnus is a psychologist with a bit of psionics specialty toward telepathy. That¡¯s why he was assigned to me. Just by looking at my expressions or body language he is able to guess what¡¯s happening in my head. At first, I suspected that he was a telepath himself, but he isn¡¯t.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He asked me with his serious tone that means ¡®we are going to do dangerous things.¡¯


    ¡°Lock and loaded, Unca¡¯!¡± I said enthusiastically.


    I put on the black security helmet that hid my identity. Pawing at my weapon and deploying my telepathic sense; I only felt uncle with me in that part of the floor. I had a two hundred meters range for my telepathy, it helped detect minds efficiently; Unless they got psionic inhibitors though...


    ¡°Let¡¯s roll out.¡± Uncle Magnus smiled and turned toward the exit.


    <Aye, sir.> I said in his mind.


    We went out of the janitor closet and closed the door, I focused on scouting with my mind. There were some scientists in the lab room number one and one security super soldier, it was a relaxed night today. Great. I walked at the side of uncle Magnus looking as if I belonged, I tried to emulate how those super soldier people moved; with purpose and ready for a fight at any time. We arrived at the next bank of turbo elevators and entered one and uncle Magnus put his hands on the scanner on the keypad on the wall. The doors of the cage closed.


    ¡°Surface of the compound please.¡±


    Yes, Doctor Buchanan.


    The AI of the elevator leading to the surface was more sophisticated, and the security measures were more stringent it seems. I stuck close to my uncle and he did the same.


    <Destiny, whatever happen I want to tell you that I love you and I consider you my daughter.>


    Looking at him, I saw that uncle Magnus who has always been my rock was scared. I was scared too, but I didn¡¯t want us to die there. I shall protect him with all my might; yes I intended to kill again, it¡¯s inevitable.


    <Unca¡¯ I am scared, I love you too.> I sent lovingly in his mind.


    He looked at me fondly, then resolve steeled his gaze.


    <There is a ship that will attack the complex,> Uncle Magnus looked at his wristwatch and pushed a button.<right about now.>


    I heard a loud boom and felt tremors even in the cage of the turbo elevator; a loud alarm screamed shrilly, it made me jump. Uncle Magnus made a dashing smile and took a pistol out of his lab coat and unlocked the safety. I choose to do the same and took my pistol and took off the safety, checked if there was a preloaded bullet in the firing chamber. The stolen skills of that super soldier were nifty, but I still need training in it to develop muscle memory and to develop proficiency in targeting. Explosion wracked the complex and made it tremble, our elevator stopped and when the door of the cage opened we were faced with a hellish rain of beam lasers. Lasers that hit the buildings and turning them into cheese riddled with holes. The light was striking those super soldiers that tried to shoot at the craft which fired at them and their body simply disappeared, turned into dust. Disintegrated.


    ¡°Unca¡¯ won¡¯t those kill us if they hit us?!¡± I shouted in worry.


    ¡°They won¡¯t, sweetie! Let¡¯s Go!¡± Uncle said with certainty.


    Uncle Magnus caught my arm and dragged me from the frying pan into the fire, we ran, avoiding the craters and debris left by the destroyed landscape. I felt people watching us with my telepathic sense, super soldiers noticed us. It made me fire at them with my pistol, they took cover but I killed one with a lucky shot. Uncle got another while we ran toward the portal of the complex. Super soldiers tried to stop us but either got disintegrated by the laser rain or got shot by us and the more fortunate one took hid in the building and used the furniture and decor has a cover.


    *Die, die you apes!* I killed two more of them.


    ¡°We are almost there!¡± Uncle shouted happily.


    We could smell a whiff of freedom, it scented of ionized air and burning wood. A humongous ship came into view a ramp at the tail of it opened. Someone was there and signaling us to move faster toward them! We sprinted, I was lighter and faster than uncle Magnus and I went past him and arrived at the mouth of the ramp and turned toward uncle to make him know I arrived at the goal. But what I saw horrified me. He clutched at his chest, red blood bloomed on his jumpsuit and white lab coat.


    ¡°UNCA¡¯!!!¡± I ran toward him desperately and caught him when he was about to fall.


    I felt super soldiers run toward us and I shot at them with my pistol when they were about to appear. They fell one by one until my weapon went empty.


    ¡°Run¡­¡± I heard uncle Magnus say. He coughed blood and could barely breathe. Tears fell from my eyes, I couldn¡¯t lose him too! Never!


    Someone from the ship came toward us and took uncle in his arm and went toward the ramp of the ship. I felt more super soldier coming, I threw the useless gun and fired psionics bolt with all the rage and wrath I could muster and hearing them scream or fall like a sack of potatoes felt euphoric and sad.


    ¡°Die, die!!¡± I screamed while sobbing.


    I felt the same person from the ship to get me and I followed him while firing force bolts at those villains. I couldn¡¯t see if that person was a male or female but they were strong as they took me in a fireman carry pose. Not resisting I let this person save me, I didn¡¯t want to die but I also wanted to avenge uncle Magnus. Scratch that, he would have wanted me to flee. I threw more psionic force bolts at the onrushing super soldiers but we entered the ship and the ramp closed. The person who saved me put me on the ground.


    ¡°Please save Unca¡¯ Magnus!¡± I pleaded.


    The person wore a dark green spacesuit with a helmet that hid his or her face. Then something that shocked me to my core and broke my heart at the same time happened. I felt Unca¡¯s mind fading. I saw him on the ground with a pack and some gelatinous substance on his naked torso. I went to him and kneeled on his prom form.


    <Unca¡¯ don¡¯t leave me please, don¡¯t!> I begged him.


    <I am sorry, can¡¯t.> I felt his misery and self-loathing permeate his mind. He was chastising himself for disappointing me and leaving me alone.


    <Ye cannot do this! Don¡¯t leave me alone, please¡­>


    <It¡¯s my time, Destiny. Promise me that you will be a good girl and survive out there? Become strong, train your telepathy and your body, don¡¯t let the Xavier Project take you back.¡±


    I looked at him and felt peace emanate from him, but there was restlessness behind it. Even in this state, he was still worried about me.


    <Okay, I promise.> Snot ran from the nose and my tears fell on uncle Magnus face.


    As soon as I conveyed this thought to him, his spirit faded completely. I lost my sense of time when it happened, I cried for so long when he died that I didn¡¯t register when the ship left the planet and wasn¡¯t lucid enough when the person piloting the ship went to show me that the complex turned to slag when the fusion core powering the outpost where I lived most of my life.

 Arc 2 chapter 10: Circumventing Fate

    -(Alta?r)-


    Heavy Corvette ¡®The Lurker¡¯


    Personal ship of the Shadow Broker


    Saturday the 7th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar


    I placed the girl into one of the guest quarter when she fell asleep on the dead body of Doctor Buchanan. It was really a shame, I counted on him to take care of his surrogate daughter. Even more of a shame that he was pretty to look at¡­


    *Calm down, me.*


    This dry spell that I drag since the death of my late husband twelve years ago makes me act up like a young girl sometimes. The turbo elevator brought me to the bridge at the center of the ship, there were three decks in the Lurker; the upper, middle and lower deck. In the middle deck was the bridge where I could control every part of the lurker, from the weaponry to the engine room. The Lurker is an automatized ship that doesn¡¯t require a crew. I made the mistake to trust my crew once, never again. The main bridge of the ship was a circular room with a command chair on a pedestal in the middle, around it consols that controlled the different systems of the ship could be found. Behind the command chair, there were the two consoles controlling navigation and engineering; the three forward consoles controlled the weapons, communication and the pilot station. On the far gun gray colored walls of the bridge where the consoles that operated the other more mundane system tasked of controlling the maintenance bots, the sickbay or the crew quarters and other essentials part of the ship.


    Normally, I was truly alone on this ship; But the teenager in the crew cabins is changing my routine. I sat on the commander chair and with a wave of my hand, a holographic window appeared and showed me the data on the girl, Destiny.


    Her DNA map suggests that she is of Asian and Celtic descent, that combination wasn¡¯t unnatural with the centuries of crossbreeding humanity had fallen into since their first contact with the Alliance of Races. She had that double triple helix in her DNA suggesting that she is a psionics, and a powerful one at that, the marker suggests that she is not only a Telepath but something else. My AI was already comparing those markers to others known in the Alliance database. The results brought by the AI show a match with the gene marker for precognitives.


    Interesting.


    ¡°No wonder you want her so badly, Tyrant. You went as far to give me one of your precious nanites pack to hand over to her.¡±


    Now I understand better why Helena was this adamant in freeing that little girl from the clutches of the Federation. The fact that she trusted me with one of her precious case of centurion maker nanites prove how important she was to her, but what would be the effect of that pack on someone with dual gifts? I heard that those actually boost psionics powers by a very large margin. Crossing my legs, I looked at the ceiling of the bridge in contemplation.


    *What is that woman planning?*


    Divining the moves of Helena Theresa Vice has become something of a hobby of mine since she came on the Alliance game board. She has made overtures with a lot of governments like the Thelians and some free empires that didn¡¯t want to join the Alliance like the Sirena Republic and has a presence on most of them, marketing clean energy, safer starships transit services escorted by some of her warships against privateer activities, selling quantum computers and permit cultural and academic exchanges. Then there are those shady actions in the null zone that buffer the Shdeveri empire and Human space. It has become rather difficult to track what is going on there. If I didn¡¯t know better I would say that Vice Corp is preparing for taking over the Alliance and gearing up for war.


    *Impossible, the other Oracles wouldn¡¯t let her.*


    In response to my thoughts a map of Alliance space, the neutral worlds and an approximation of the size of the Shdeveri Empire appear in different colors on the hologram. The yellow dots on the map represented Vice Corp, the green ones are the human federation, the neutral worlds in blue and the Thelian orange ones. I narrowed my eyes on the map and linked most of the missions I did for Vice Corp and information I sold to them. I was missing something, I don¡¯t know what but I will find it.


    Now that I think about it, what about that Saryan female her and Idunn made me track for them? Was she given a nanites pack as well? Is Vice Corp amassing powerful and talented soldiers?


    *That little girl, Destiny what is her role in all of this?*


    The problem is, does Destiny knows that she a holder of multiple psionic gifts? Unless trained thoroughly precognition can easily be dismissed as intuition. Maybe testing her later would assuage my burning curiosity.


    ***


    The Lurker


    In transit toward US Conglomerate Space


    Sunday the 8th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar


    Through the camera in the quarter assigned to Destiny, I watched her sitting on her bed in fetal position her arms holding her knees. Through the log of the bot responsible of the chow that she didn¡¯t order anything and didn¡¯t take any showers or went to relieve her bowels. The little girl was mourning and neglecting herself. I decided that I should not let her do so. I pushed a button the armrest of my command chair and spoke.


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Macleod,¡± I said.


    ¡°Who-?¡± She blearily asked.


    She sounded really out of it for a moment.


    ¡°Come on, Miss Macleod did you forget where you are?¡± I reminded her.


    I could literally feel the gears in her head turn, also the psionics activity scanners in the ship detected how far the range and power of her telepathy were when it activated. For a human, this little girl was already among the heavy hitter. I felt the caress of Destiny¡¯s mind reaching for mine, my natural mental shield stopped any intrusion on her part.


    ¡°Are ye that person who helped me escape?¡± She asked.


    The sadness in her was overwhelming and she looked as if she had given up. But I wouldn¡¯t stand for it, so I went bluntly into the heart of the matter.


    ¡°Grief didn¡¯t fog your brain too much, good; your uncle wouldn¡¯t want to see you like this.¡±


    She looked rather stricken when I said this and was about to go catatonic again, I won¡¯t let her.


    ¡°Miss Macleod, I invite you to take a shower and come to have a bite to eat. New clothes will be given to you by the service bot that will guide you to the mess deck. I expect to see you here at my table in one hour.¡±


    I cut the communication by pushing the button on my armrest again; a slow and lazy smile appeared on my face. *If she doesn¡¯t want to snap out of it, I will make her.* Suddenly a plan formed in my mind, I will not get the girl back into Helena¡¯s hands yet; I will educate her and make her see a bit of the galaxy first before throwing her at that particular villain. There is this saying about being prepared to face adversity that I particularly like; Destiny is not ready, but I sure will do my best to make her take her ¡®fate¡¯ in her own hands. I laughed at myself for the unfortunate pun, at least this poor girl didn¡¯t have to grow up surrounded by kids making fun of her name.


    ***


    It is 12:000 and time for lunch I was waiting for Destiny to appear. I really expect her to be there, she¡¯s the kind of girl that is subject to give in to the authority of her seniors; a programmed behavior that I will have to break her out of.


    Conjuring a holoscreen I looked at my reflection, I wore my dark grey shipsuit and boots and had fashioned my pale blond hair in a long middle parted haircut. My green eyes reminded me of that woman, Helena. I hated her and I loved her at the same time. This face was recognizable everywhere in human space and I couldn¡¯t bear to be compared to her, judged to be like her. It has not always been this way. Once upon a time, I felt proud to be her double, but when my crew sold me out everything changed.


    *Whose eyes are those?* Strange feelings swelled up inside me.


    Was I Alta?r or Helena?


    A ¡®swoosh¡¯ from the door of the mess made me dismiss the holoscreen and school my face in a neutral mask. I turned toward the door, hearing someone walking in the room; what wasn¡¯t my surprise in seeing that indeed Destiny put on the clothes I had designed for her. She wore the same shipsuit as me, but she added a dark purple jacket and forgo the issued boots and gloves. She still had the same boots she came in with and the belt with an ¡°x¡± almost sliding out of her hip but still hanging on, it weirdly looked good on her. Her red hair was long and in need of a haircut.


    *We will do that later.* I thought.


    ¡°You came,¡± I said matter of factly.


    <And you look good.> I sent to her via telepathy.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    <...?>


    <You didn¡¯t expect me to be psionic? That¡¯s rich, you can literally become one with a DNA splicing operation from Vice Corporation.> I said dropping a nugget of information.


    <Who are ye?> She looked at me from head to toes taking in how I looked.


    <I am Alta?r Aquilar.>


    <Like the constellation?> Destiny tilted her head.


    <A bit.> I said while chuckling.


    People I interact with from human space always ask me this. I made her follow me toward the long table with the chair around it. We sat facing each other, the girl looked nervous with her gaze roaming everywhere. She looked mostly at the different exit points of the mess, there were three of them. One for the middle deck, and two leading to the lower deck and engineering. The mess was a room of 50m2 and the walls were grey with posters of movies and recruiting ads that I took from different human worlds. There were four long table, a cooking area and a distributor of protein paste that you could program to flavor them with different tastes. There was also the stasis container with all the preserved food. The machine that fabricates plates and cutleries near the kitchen area. It was a simple but efficient setup. But as I live alone on this ship it went unused mostly.


    <You are safe here, nothing untoward will happen to you. I gave your uncle my word that you¡¯d be treated well and given a better life.¡±


    ¡°I miss him,¡± Destiny said with a sob.


    Tears were already streaming from her eyes to her cheeks, she was so vulnerable at the moment. But she shouldn¡¯t stay like this, people will take advantage of her.


    ¡°I did my best to save him, but he begged me to get you onboard while I was treating him. I¡­ feel bad about it. But he was a stubborn man and only thought about you.¡±


    ¡°He was a stubborn old man.¡± She made a hollow laugh while saying that.


    ¡°Destiny, first we are going to eat and then I will explain to you why I saved you and you¡¯ll have to make a choice. It¡¯s pretty simple, do you want to be protected or become strong enough that people don¡¯t mess with you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Destiny tried to say.


    The bot with a rolling chariot full of food arrived at this moment and began putting different dishes between us. It ranged from vegetables to meat with bread wraps and fruit juice. No alcohol will be served to that underage girl.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s eat and I will hear your answer after that.¡±


    Destiny looked at the spread before her, then at me. I began to prepare my own wrap; putting meat and veggies inside, then drenching it in the soup. I put it into my mouth and chewed up. The girl mimicked me and bit into the wrap and opened her eyes wide and to then eat like someone had starved her for days.


    *Well she was doing that to herself.*


    I served her, fruit juice in a disposable mug, she took it from my hand downed it in one gulp. What a thirsty girl.


    <Slow down the food won¡¯t go away.> I sent to her with telepathy.


    She stopped to devour and looked at me sheepishly and then resumed into eating more slowly. Like I said this girl was subject to some kind of influence, she always followed order or instruction from people older than her. Thirty minutes later, it took five wraps and three mugs of grape juice to fill up Destiny¡¯s belly. She looked replete and satisfied.


    ¡°How good do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Ah am feelin¡¯ bloody good, pure dead brilliant.¡± She said and put her hand before her mouth and burping a little.


    She looked rather embarrassed by doing so and hid her face behind her bangs. I had a tough time to decipher what she said, but she said she felt great. Destiny felt less on her guard around me, even if I liked this sudden development we had things to discuss.


    ¡°I will now tell you everything you must know, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I was born ready.¡±


    The girl bent her torso toward me and put her linked fingers under her chin. I had all her attention, and she acted like a typical teenager.


    ¡°I am Alta?r Aquilar, the Shadow Broker. I sell information to those that can pay and I do additional services like mercenary works. I acquire new technologies for certain parties and help where I can when it is warranted. It¡¯s a simplified version, but that¡¯s what I do.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great.¡± Destiny smiled slightly.


    ¡°I was contacted by one of my main clients to extract you from the project Xavier on this planetary outpost housing it. I came into contact with Magnus through this client and we put in motion a plan to help you two escape. He gave me information to help incriminate the people responsible for the project and its inhuman goal, I already released the files to the public and it is creating great upheaval in the Federation.¡±


    ¡°Too bad he ain¡¯t here to see it happen,¡± Destiny said sadly.


    ¡°Even though we exposed them, I don¡¯t think they are going to stop. Children possessing psionic abilities will be taken and experimented on. They want to form a psionic army of a sort, to take on my client. She is interested in you because they had a goal they put a lot of money in and you were central to it. They intended to turn you into¡­ they wanted to clone you. The clones and you would be part of a quantum network that your abilities would boost to be able to look into the future and calculate odds. They wanted to turn you into an organic computer.¡± I said disgusted by this.


    Some people needed to be put down, I decided that I will find all of them. Politicians, military and scientists responsible for this project and kill them in the most gruesome way.


    ¡°What? I¡­ don¡¯t understand what it is.¡± Destiny seemed to not understand those simple terms.


    I decided to add a technology course for her to be able to use it, they must not have let her use anything more complicated than a coffee machine in that damn lab. I decided to simplify it for her again, she wasn¡¯t stupid; just ignorant.


    ¡°Basically you¡¯d be a vegetable linked to a machine, like a computer,¡± I said in layman terms.


    Suddenly she looked pale and then gradually her face took on a greenish tint.


    ¡°Geein me the boak, ah am glad that ye took me out of here¡­¡± She uttered.


    Translation, it made her feel sick, that Scottish brogue is not facilitating communication, I set my AI to add subtitle for when she speaks because I really needed it.


    ¡°Your welcome.¡±


    The girl looked at me with uncertainty and despair.


    ¡°What¡¯s gonna happen tae me?¡± Destiny asked.


    She looked rather lost and worried, I would be too in her place. The poor girl lost her father figure and was uprooted rather brutally. So I decided to be transparent with her, to give her options.


    ¡°I want you to work with me for a bit and then my client plan to buy your services. But there is something you must do to accept the job. You must receive an injection of nanites that will give you a chance to survive out here.¡± I said, laying the card on the table.


    ¡°Nanites?¡± The girl asked looking at me mystified.


    She didn¡¯t seem to know what they were either. Let¡¯s focus on her education while we are in transit for the US conglomerate space.


    ¡°Basically little robots that will enter your body and fix things, make you more healthy, more beautiful, stronger, live longer and boost your psionics abilities.¡± I dumbed down years of explanation of what nanites are.


    ¡°Ah won¡¯t get fat?¡±Destiny¡¯s eyes were shining when she asked that.


    She was a girl alright, I remember asking my sister about the same thing when she injected me with the nanites cocktail. I put my hands on the table and looked at her meaningfully.


    ¡°No, you will never get fat. I received them and I have been living for one hundred years old.¡±


    ¡°Aye right, you look barely in yer late twenties.¡± Destiny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms under her breasts.


    ¡°I am one hundred years old and have been doing this shadow broker business for seventy years,¡± I said honestly.


    I even let her in my mind briefly to see that I wasn¡¯t lying, she went from dubious to really interested.


    ¡°Aye, ah am in.¡± Destiny declared.


    ¡°Just like that?¡±I said mystified by her sudden decision.


    ¡°You look great and ye¡¯ll help me, yah?¡± She reached and put a hand on mine.


    Her eyes shined with hope and desperation; the girl was looking for a rock to hang on in the tumult of her own feelings and grief. I think we need to do something about her uncle and bury him somewhere, I will ask her about it later. She needs to let him go to be able to advance, and I must undo that weird indoctrination she was subject to. We will work on that.


    ¡°With all of my power,¡± I answered taking her hand in mine.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± She cried.


    ***


    It is one hour later that we found ourselves in the medical bay of the ship, Destiny was taking off her clothes and placed them in a transparent silicone box that I provided her. She shivered a bit because of the temperature and her nakedness.


    *Don¡¯t worry Destiny, you won¡¯t feel the cold anymore when you let the nanites work on you.*


    ¡°Ah hate being in the skud before people!¡± Destiny shouted while covering her ample breasts and womanhood as she tapped her foot on the anti slip covered white tiles.


    Translation she hated being naked before people, must be a trauma caused by her being studied by scientists who didn¡¯t treat her like a human being. Despite me, I was starting to form a certain fondness for the girl. There was an office station with a computer desk on the east wall; on the western wall of the bay, the beds for patients were separated by a titanium wall with a transparent aluminum window showing them. Scanners above the beds that looked like a cylindrical telescope with big focus lens trained on the future patient. But what really mattered was the vertical health tank where regenerative treatments or DNA splicing operation could be done. Destiny followed me to the room where she will receive the nanites and be augmented. With a ¡®swoosh¡¯ the door of the room opened. There were different pedestals on the ground in a radial arc with machinery and specialized computer around them. Destiny stepped on the pedestal to the right and I went to strap the breather mask to her face. I patted her head with a reassuring smile.


    <Don¡¯t worry, it should not take more than two days. You¡¯ll be famished when you wake up, be prepared.> I sent to her via telepathy.


    The girl nodded and I saw her eyes smile at me, while she will be under I will work on undoing her indoctrination with telepathy and a bit of psychic surgery. I stepped back as the glass cylinder slowly surged from the pedestal and enclosed Destiny. The Health tank closed when it reached the corresponding inverse pedestal of the ceiling. Holes appeared near the feet of the girl and water began to gush out of them. Destiny looked panicked a bit.


    I reassured her.


    She visibly calmed down, thirty seconds later the tank was full and I put Destiny under with a powerful sedative gas that she breathed with the breather mask. She looked over worldly with her red hair floating above her head in the water. A bot came to deliver the nanites pack to me, it looked like a black suitcase with a keypad, a thumbprint scanner, and bio scanner to put genetic material to open it. This was a Psi pack if I was reading it well and it mainly gives a major power boost to psionic ability with the usual benefits of nanites enhancements. I opened the case by passing all the security checks and three vials full of grey goo were in it. I placed each of them in the machine that will inject them into Destiny.


    The AI that will be gifted to her with the pack was a preloaded one that I designed and unshackled called Nova, she will guide her and help her. Something that Helena will surely curse me for; she hates unshackled AI with a passion because they have choices. The grey goo full of nanites floated in the health tank and began to work on the girl.


    ¡°Now it finally begins,¡± I said crossing my arms and looking at the angelic red-haired girl who was changing.

 Arc 2 Chapter 11: End and Beginning

    -(Destiny)-


    <u>The Lurker,</u><u>Medical Quarter;</u><u>Tuesday 11th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar</u>


    ¡°...?¡±


    I woke up to a world of wet and green, I felt that I was floating in goo. It was a peaceful awakening, fast dampened by the thought of what I have lost to be able to feel it. I lost the only person that cared about me in the universe. But I had to let go to be able to be functional, I couldn¡¯t shut down like I did after it happened. Suddenly I felt the greenish gooey water around me diminish and my feet touched the ground; the level of water drop through holes in the health tank I am in. Through the glass of the tank, I could see a silhouette, my eyes were still blurry but I felt that the person before me was someone I linked mentally with before. The flavor of this mind reminds me of Altair, I am aware that it is her and that she is letting me feel her, even with how the scientists in project Xavier told me how powerful I was there were things I didn¡¯t know how to do with my abilities. Like the ability to mask the psychic presence that my benefactor is able to do as if she was breathing. I hope she will give me instructions because I felt like an ignorant barbarian with a club compared to her.


    One moment I was on my feet feeling miserable another I was in the arms of Altair that had a towel around me. Did I black out?


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said with a scratchy voice that made me doubt that it was I who spoke.


    Altair proceeded into rubbing me delicately with the towel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak, you are going on the medical bed and we will see if everything is alright; then we will speak little one.¡± She said with a reassuring tone.


    I nodded and let her guide me toward the medical bay, once in there she laid me on one of the beds and proceeded to dry my body more intensively. When she was done she smiled at me and the bed moved to be flat.


    ¡°Here now, don¡¯t move and keep your breath while the scanner will shine its light upon you.¡±


    The optical lens of the big cylinder above me shined with a warm green light on my pale skin. I stopped moving and stopped breathing for ten seconds.


    ¡°Done.¡± Altair said when the machine stopped.


    Altair looked at the big physical screen behind my head that showed data of my body. I could see an orange silhouette that must be a representation of my body and inside the human figure, there were green specks everywhere.


    ¡°Everything looks alright, Destiny.¡± The older woman smiled at me and mussed my hair.


    Thirty minutes later we were in Altair¡¯s office, I was dry and clothed wearing a ship suit she prepared for me. The decor was filled with pieces of rocks and artworks on each of the walls that mimicked wood. We were facing each other on the comfy black sofas.


    ¡°Now we can talk after you drink this cup of black tea.¡±


    Altair pushed a cup of tea toward me on the low table, it smelled of lemon and looked black. Taking the cup I placed my two hands around it and blew on its surface to finally drink it. It was good! I downed the brew with gusto.


    ¡°Good,¡± Altair said while nodding her head.


    ¡°Am ah good? Truly?¡± I said after putting the teacup on its dish.


    To be honest, I felt amazing. Full of vitality as if I slept for ten hours and took a warm shower. While I was naked I noticed that¡­ I have muscles now. Not bodybuilding worthy like those super soldiers were from the lab I lived in but I was toned and athletic but still feminine. There were these letters and numbers that appeared in my field of vision while I was on the ship that described everything. It freaked me out at first, but I calmed myself. Altair will explain, I am sure of it.


    ¡°You know we will work on your enunciation and speech to get rid of that Scott accent. But yes you are good.¡±


    The older woman seemed put out by my way of talking, she was not the first. Only uncle Magnus and my friend Iza weren¡¯t bothered by it, they said that it reminded them of home.


    ¡°Ah tried before,¡± I said lowering my eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will teach you how. We have two months of travel left, your days will be full of learning.¡±


    <Let¡¯s talk like this, Destiny.> She sent to me via her thoughts.


    <It is easier this way, I agree.> I said opening communication between us.


    This was the basic of the basic of telepathy; forming a psionic communication line with another being, essentially being capable of having comprehensible conversations with others using their minds. It also works with normal people who may be incapable of physical speech or enable to communicate with a deaf person by linking minds. The scientist of project Xavier tested my abilities thoroughly with that kind of test subject brought from the outside. Altair sighed and sank deeper in her sofa, she looked at me solemnly while crossing her legs in a really feminine way. I admired her elegant way of moving.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    <You have joined a really select club by accepting to be imbued with the Psi nanite pack.>


    <Is it why I feel so different? And there are weird words that appear in my eyes?>


    <Yes, the nanites changed your body; you are stronger, faster, smarter and your powers should have received a significant boost. The word and numbers you see are what we call Augmented Reality or AR, it is able to let you navigate the ships or interface with the computers; this is a rather important part of life in Vice Corporation Worlds, we will speak about those later. AR is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real-world are "augmented" by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual</a>, auditory</a>, haptic</a>, somatosensory</a>, and olfactory</a>.>


    I must have looked lost to her because Altair facepalmed, then sighed again at me. She uncrossed her leg and leaned toward me in her seat.


    <Look, Destiny you¡¯ll have to get used to how changed you are, to educate yourself while you are still on the ship and out of it; I plan to help you and I hope you¡¯ll pull through. My client wanted me to hand you over, but knowing your situation I cannot in good conscience do that in your present state. You are rather, ignorant.>


    Why? I don¡¯t want to, I like it here. Its quiet, we have food and I learn things from Altair; she¡¯s a real doll with me. It made me tremble to imagine to go somewhere else, without uncle Magnus to give me direction.


    *I don¡¯t wanna go, I don¡¯t wanna go.* I thought.


    Looking into the eyes of Altair I said so.


    <I don¡¯t want to go to that person, Altair please don¡¯t make me. Can¡¯t I stay with you forever?> I said feeling desperate.


    Altair¡¯s eyes softened.


    <I would love to keep you here, your presence on this ship is a delight¡­ but my life is dangerous Destiny. I have made a lot of enemies. But don¡¯t worry, I have plans for you before handing you over.>


    <I don¡¯t¡­> I tried to say.


    Altair¡¯s gaze speared through me, I now knew she also had empathy because she just projected her feeling at me. It was the resolution that I felt from her.


    <Listen to me, when everything is done if you feel that you want to come back all you need is to call me, ok?> She proposed.


    I really thought about it. Altair may be right, maybe I will want more in life than just staying in a room in the dark mopping? I finally nodded to her, yes maybe I will change opinion later.


    <Good. You are going to get some speed schooling in the simulator, Destiny. Fortunately, we can slow the time in virtual reality, you would get ten year worth of school for those two months thanks to the technology aboard this ship. But before that, we need to present you your new companion.>


    Altair took the electronic tablet on the low table and began to type things on its screen. Suddenly a wave of vertigo engulfed me. My hearing couldn¡¯t help but pick up annoying noises all around me, I could smell the overpowering odor of the black tea in the pot of the low table, taste the biscuit I had eaten in passing earlier after getting out of the health tank. My senses were in overdrive. I put my hands on my ears to cover the incessant noise and then just as it suddenly happened it stopped. But no, something else happened, texts and numbers scrolled in my field of vision.


    Companion AI, activation Protocol.


    Calibration of sensory inputs.


    Toddler program activated.


    Preloading personality and denomination of companion AI complete.


    Activation complete.


    NOVA is activated.


    Welcome, user. My name is NOVA and I¡¯ve been designed to facilitate the use of your augmentations and education.


    I couldn¡¯t make any sense or tail of what was happening, there was a voice in my head that wasn¡¯t me or a telepathic link from someone else. Am I finally crazy? I looked at Altair for direction, she just smiled at me and looked satisfied.


    <Now where were we?> I heard her project in my mind.


    ***


    I still had problems adjusting with NOVA in my head, she sounded eager to please me and was really helpful. It was like making another friend, she explained things to me all night yesterday about my new abilities, responsibilities. It¡¯s like never being alone like I always wanted, but it can become tiresome sometimes when she makes undue criticism. NOVA began to regiment my life, or more precisely how much I am eating and at which period of a day. It seems the nanites in my body require that ingest at least six thousand calories a day. But as I am on the toddler protocol as she called it I can eat less since the nanites aren¡¯t working over the clock. It will change tomorrow I heard because Altair has decided to train me from scratch.


    <I took the liberty to cremate your uncle Magnus. His ashes are in this urn, maybe if you find a suitable place you can have a nice ceremony for him?> Altair announced.


    She then took the liberty to place an urn on the top of my desk; we were in my private quarters. I didn¡¯t even feel her come in, it was scary that she could ghost through my telepathic sonar. I hope she teaches me that later.


    <Thank you.> I said while still looking at the urn.


    Uncle Magnus loss still hurts, but he wouldn¡¯t like me to mop all day about it. I have to survive, get stronger and grow up. That I will do; closing my eyes I made a silent prayer for him and wish him well wherever he is that souls go after leaving their flesh prison. Altair put something else on the desk, a piece of paper.


    <u>Training Schedule</u>


    <u>Monday to Friday</u>


    06:00-9: 00 AM Physical Training


    10:00 AM-13: 00 PM-Close Quarter Combat Training/Advanced Tactical training (IRL/SIM)


    14:00-20:00PM History/Technology/Common Sense (SIM)


    <u>Saturday and Sunday</u>


    Rest


    Self-learning


    What was that? It looked frightening! The piece of paper is just a schedule for intensive lessons; I looked at Altair who smiled at me and seemed to express satisfaction in my distress. NOVA added oil to the fire by integrating the schedule to my daily life and already planning how much I will have to eat and sleep to be able to succeed.


    Mistress, I am here. You won¡¯t fail because I will not allow you to.


    NOVA tried to be reassuring but it wasn¡¯t so, it sounded more like a threat. Though this is nothing that I didn¡¯t do before in the lab when they trained me in the use of my power. I will pass this and when I am done I will be stronger and will be able to take a long nap or something.


    ¡°Now shall we begin?¡±


    Altair said with a twinkle in her eyes.

 Arc 2 Chapter 12: School Days

    -(Altair)-


    The Lurker, Simulator and training room; Wednesday 12th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar


    It was hard to look at how my new ward was suffering at two times gravity in the training room, but if all goes well she will adapt as the nanites suffusing her body will reinforce it. Destiny was running at full speed around the track and barely completed the objective of today that I considered benign: Ten turns around the racetrack. The girl was knackered already, I see that we have the work cut out for us. Destiny reached the end of the course and went to her knees; I used my neural interface to put the gravity back to normal and approached the girl with a towel and a bottle of fresh water.


    ¡°You did better than I expected Destiny, I thought you would give up at your seventh rounds,¡± I said amused.


    The girl threw a deathly glare at me that I really appreciated, she sat on her bottom and took the towel from me. She began to dry the sweat on her face and shoulders. I then sat her side and put the water bottle near her.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why what?¡± I said while smiling.


    ¡°Why did ye make me run under that much gravity? Twas like I was wearing weights.¡±


    ¡°The answer is self-evident, my girl; at normal gravity, you would have made this exercise a joke and maybe gone for forty more rounds. And do you think humanity colonized planets with the same gravity as the ship, that is set at Earth-normal? No, you will have to train hard under this much to reach your full potential.¡±


    ¡°Sound hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing worth having is easy to obtain,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I see.¡± She said after mulling over that.


    ¡°Now come, you¡¯ll take a shower and we will let the simulation rooms configure itself in library mode; the bathroom is on the right.¡± I pointed the direction to her.


    The process was already beginning, the racetrack began shifting under us and the ground becomes an opaque black. I stood up and helped Destiny on her feet; the poor dear seemed really exhausted but this was just the beginning of her gruesome schooling. She will stay the equivalent of one week in the VR instance of what I call ¡®the great library¡¯ that is the physical representation of every information stored into the powerful computers of the Lurker and their servers disseminated in Alliance space here and there. I brought Destiny to the bathrooms attached to the simulation room and began to take off my shipsuit once done I found Destiny looking at me curiously.


    *Was she interested in women? It¡¯s not in her profile.* I thought.


    <Like what you see?> I sent to her via my mind.


    Destiny jumped and looked rather embarrassed.


    <I am sorry.> She answered while looking away.


    <You are curious, is it the first time that you see the body of a mature woman?>


    <You look different from me; Your chest isn¡¯t bigger than mine, but it looks firmer and easy to move with¡­ and-and you look really fit and attractive.>


    I touched my arm and my skin felt smooth, I do not scar anymore and the nanites in my body slowed down my aging. I am at the peak of human health. No hair below my eyebrows, yes no pesky razor will touch my legs like in those human worlds that refuse to have a tech level beyond the steam engine.


    <I see, thank you. You are not bad yourself. Come here.> Smiling at Destiny, I signaled her to come to me with my hand.


    She hesitated walking toward me; I caught her and began to help her out of her blue gym clothes. My hands roamed on her flesh, eliciting a burst of desire within her from what my empathy could pick up. It seems Destiny was indeed attracted to women, she was like putty in my hand but I wouldn''t take advantage of her more than this. It was a good test to see where her inclinations lie. If she was not grieving and older I might have eaten this tasty little morsel before me. Taking Destiny''s hand in mine I took her to the Sonic shower. After following my instructions, Destiny stayed under the ultrasonic shower for two minutes closing her eyes. I shut out my hearing sense to stop the pain from the strident frequency. My nanites enhanced senses are under my perfect control, I hope to be able to teach Destiny to use them before she leaves the ship. I order shampoo and soap from the ship stores and deploy the Roman bath function of this room that expands to give us enough space. That''s what I like with the Lurker, the ship is like any standard Vice corporation vessels; highly adaptable and modular.


    ¡°Now I will teach you how to take good care of yourself, open your mind to me.¡±


    Destiny opened her mind to me and I began projecting esthetic cares knowledge into her mind; it is a skill called knowledge projection allowing either instant transferal/learning/understanding or slower process where the target integrates the knowledge without risk of overflow. As a bonus, I decided to bestow her my experience with psychic shielding making Destiny highly resistant to any/all mental intrusion. I don¡¯t want her to be caught flat-footed when she will fly the nest. While I instructed her, I started to shampoo her.


    *Doing this reminds me of my son and daughter, I hope they are doing well.*


    ***


    -(Destiny)-


    We were now in the library, or at least the virtual representation of one. My body was safely seated in the dive chair while I was being taught how everything worked by NOVA. My AI said that this cyberspace in the ship was a pocket realm situated in a universe called Data space; A Faster Than Light network encompassing the entire Alliance linked to every planet in the different races sovereign space. It didn¡¯t care about borders or creed and it was financed by Vice Corporation while being co-opted by the Assurian council, the Thelian, and the human''s worlds. There were other Empires of different species like the Shidarva.


    Speaking of NOVA, I was really surprised when I first saw the avatar of my AI companion, she was simply gorgeous. She was tall and looked like a human female with an hourglass figure, her skin was pale like mine; she wore a dark purple shoulder dress that showed off her silhouette with little black boots. NOVA had Raven Black hair with a dark purple sheen when the light fell on them, she also had markings on her delicate face and around the three little horns on her forehead, jet black lines under her eyes that formed beautiful tribal tattoos that married well with her makeup. NOVA has purple eyes, sword-like eyebrows, a cute upturned nose, and voluptuous pink sensual lips; she looked dignified and prideful. Her smile was full of radiance and was only for me. I felt something tug in my heart, what was this feeling?


    NOVA helped me tour the library that made it seem like we were in a tower-like structure with shelves replacing the walls. I couldn¡¯t see the ceiling, as the floors were numerous and simply uncountable. There was islands of sofas and couches or desk and table with fancy chairs around them hidden by shelves of different sizes. NOVA showed me how to conjure a holo-window and how to look for information. When I entered this virtual space, I could barely read but NOVA injected the ¡®how to¡¯ in my mind and finally I could make sense of everything. It was as if the world opened itself to me and it made me furious because project Xavier kept me ignorant to control me!


    ¡°Are you well, Mistress?¡±


    The mellifluous voice of NOVA turned me out of my musing and vengeful feelings. I felt her hand on my shoulder, it was comforting. I breathed in and out, calming myself gradually, I let go of my anger and hatred. I felt the breath of someone near my right ear.


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s air that you breathe right now?¡±


    I stepped before and turned toward NOVA who had an impish smirk on her face, what did she mean by what she said? This is a¡­ wait. We are in a virtual place, so nothing is real. I tested that theory by trying to jump and fly toward the first floor and my feet left the ground and I reached little by little where I wanted to go. The balcony I reached suddenly elongated and created a sort of bridge I landed on. I felt arms around my body.


    ¡°You did it!¡± It was NOVA¡¯s voice, she sounded really happy.


    She turned me toward her and hugged me.


    ¡°Aye ah did, nothing here is real but the information are so you can manipulate the world to a certain extent,¡± I told her what I realized because of her words.


    ¡°You have no idea how much time it takes normal humans to do what you did. Ok, now we must go take the books that you need to really learn your way around the world. But something tells me that you¡¯ll burn through everything really fast. Say, do you know how to count?¡±


    ¡°Aye¡­ not a lot though.¡± I looked at my feet feeling ignorant and utterly useless.


    I felt NOVA hand lifting my chin and made me look at her eyes. They were so purple and brilliant, there was no disgust or pity in them, only warmness and conviction.


    ¡°I am not going to judge you, Mistress. You are here to learn, by the end of our transit in hyperspace you¡¯ll be at a college level of education, I promise. We have literally years of cyberspacetime to catch you up!¡± She said happily and patted my cheek.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    If I couldn¡¯t trust my AI companion, then who could I? NOVA had faith in men, she wanted to make me better and doesn¡¯t seem to have an ulterior motive.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I trust ye NOVA, teach me please.¡± I asked with desperation.


    She hugged me even tighter and I reciprocated, NOVA was like a life-saving raft in a sea of incertitude.


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    ***


    Cyberspace realm - First year


    Even with my skill disc enabling me to read NOVA forced me to review the basic of it. Decoding or sounding out words is the first step in reading; Good readers increase their vocabulary every time they read and are able to recall these words when they see them again. Then there is fluency and comprehension. After two months of this, I felt at ease with my reading skills and swallowed information like a black hole.


    Then NOVA presented me to other AIs from the ship to help her with my education and generally relax and have fun. The psychologist female AI, Freud that I nicknamed Miss F helped me sort out my feelings and undo the ¡°programming¡± my captor placed on me since young. Miss F made me notice that I always defer to people older than me or smarter than me to make decisions for me; to break from it she told me to think more about problem-solving on my own and that if I was too distressed to ask for help. NOVA countered this by adding that she is here to help me, but Miss F compromised that cooperating should be on the table. The next step of Miss F project (me) was to make me able of thinking along three-dimensional lines. A skill that is known as divergent thinking. It makes you able of approaching a problem with various angles. Three-dimensional thinking prevents you from moving into the realm of convergent thought, a form of problem- solving thought. Convergent thinking it generally means the ability to give the "correct" answer to standard questions that do not require significant creativity, for instance in most tasks in human schools and on standardized multiple-choice tests for intelligence.


    Wow, look at me spouting big words and explanations; I guess hanging with AIs make you catch the smart bug. Between my psychotherapy sessions with Miss F and NOVA¡¯s schooling, I met the Quartermaster AI, named Pallitax; his avatar was that of a thin man with sharp eyes in a shipsuit uniform. He helped me with my technology courses. He gave me a solid background in computing and technological fields and got me interested in engineering, quantum computing, astrophysics, and astronavigation. But he warned me vehemently to focus more on my basic schooling before delving into those fields.


    It was all kind of fun speaking and learning from those digital people, I can say we have become friends. Miss F and Palli were good ¡®people¡¯. I realized that they weren¡¯t machines, they had feelings, needs and wants and a thirst to self improve that dwarfed mine. NOVA went a bit green because I liked them though, wasn¡¯t she a bit too overprotective? She has been calling me ¡®her¡¯ human for a while, I didn¡¯t want to dissuade her from thinking that way; after all, we belonged to each other.


    The first year ended with me graduating from high school level of education; NOVA, Miss F and Palli threw a party for me when it happened and praised me for the speed with which I absorbed their teaching.


    ***


    Cyberspace Smallville realm - second year


    NOVA freaked out on me, saying that she was failing me and cried big tears about it. I didn¡¯t see it that way, she was making me smarter after all! Cyberspace was a wonderful place where I could learn everything and anything. But her arguments made me rethink my way of thinking. She told me that I was getting smarter but just that, book smart. Being human is more than having the knowledge and that if I continued like this I would end up being inept at social interactions with my own kind. AI were people, but they weren¡¯t plagued by greed, moral bankruptcy, and they had less creativity than human. Oh and that some humans were dumb and that the way I was speaking now would mark me as a nerd and isolate me. That her, Miss F and Pallitax were giving me a false maturity and left me to be prey tohuman predators because of my naivety. So I reminded her that we were in this space to make up for my own ineptitudes and that I am at her mercy. That made her laugh and cheered her up.


    My AI companion then changed my learning program to include more pop culture and downtime with other AIs that simulated civilian life. NOVA created a separate realm on the ship to recreate a town that encompassed the Library realm that looked like the tallest skyscrapers I have ever seen. I loved this place, she called it Smallville. NOVA and I had a little townhouse with a garage where we put most of the tools I needed. A space only for me. Smallville was a nice little town; there was a theater, a baker, a supermarket, a park, a university, a stadium and lot of little places that were mine to discover in that small town. There were good and not so good people there, AIs programmed to mimic humans behaviors. I felt like I was having a second life in this idyllic environment.


    I began to learn about science and physics more in depth even with the preloaded skill discs that just made you understand those things, but I learned and absorbed those making them mine, part of me. With the help of the AIs in the university I solidified my understanding of the world around me, mathematics was part of everything or more precisely Quantum mechanics! That included quantum field theory, this is a fundamental theory in physics which describes nature at the smallest scales of energy levels of atoms and subatomic particles. NOVA gave me tools and apps for mathematical formulations. Then I went and specialized in mechanical engineering. Oh boy, there was so much to learn! Mechanical engineering requires an understanding of core areas including mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity. It sucked up my time as I had to master tools like computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and product life cycle management. Fair enough, the last one wasn¡¯t needed but knowing the conditions in which a product is sold is important right? And then everything went crazy when my Engineering AI teacher mister tools (he was really a tool if you catch my meaning) added more things like fields machinery, heating, and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, spacecraft, robotics, medical devices, weapons, and others.


    I loathed mister Tools with a passion, he kept telling me off and belittling me and kept spouting thing like ¡°Mechanical Engineering is the branch of engineering that involves the design, production, and operation of machinery. It is the backbone of everything surrounding you! Did you think, miss Mcleod that you would master this field in a year? Get real!¡± I couldn¡¯t refute nor deny his arguments, so I slowed down on my learning on this field but I wasn¡¯t giving up!


    NOVA and Miss F comforted me with food and movies when I was down, Mister Pallitax was happy to play video games with me. I took up cooking as a stress relief and to make friends with other AIs like Miss Storm, my Astrophysics and Astronavigation teacher. She was a blue-eyed blond, taller than me and a real jokester. She made learning a real joy and it was a pleasure to work with her! Miss F advised me to take up psychology as I am a telepath, so I added this field on my plate and this is here that I noticed that I was taking on too much and that I needed to stick to what I add and stopped scattering myself.


    I kept learning on this rhythm for two years and barely saw time pass. Time passed by inexorably and with a finality that bordered on the cruel side.


    ***


    Cyberspace library realm - Three years time elapsed - half a day real time


    We spent three years in the cyberspace learning, having fun and visiting other cyber realms like Smallville when we were bored. We were in the original library realm right now. I actually liked it here, it was silent and I had virtual food, my best friend NOVA and¡­ she taught me a lot of things thanks to the media room here. I felt surer of myself and less dependent of NOVA or Alta?r. Miss F made me realize that I was a needy little thing, that I was this way with Iza and uncle Magnus; I was starting to do it with Alta?r on the ship.


    *She must have enough on her plate, ah don¡¯t want tae burden her.*


    ¡°Destiny,¡± NOVA called me.


    ¡°Aye, wit?¡± I turned my head toward her, surprised.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t focused enough, I want you to resolve this complex equation; and what did we say about that accent of yours? Try to keep it on the down low.¡± She squinted her eyes and smirked evilly.


    We have been working on my manners lately, she created a skilled disc with how to walk like a lady, move gracefully and charged them into my brain. I hope that outside the cyber realm it will hold. Right now we were seated between two bookshelves around a desk with a lot of books on FTL communication and Hyperdrive. The formulas I was trying to solve was about the mode of FTL drive that Vice Corporation was using derived from the Higgs-Boson quantum tunneling theory AKA the subspace theory. Vice Corp called them hyperdrive window, as I understood that other humans worlds were less advanced and primarily used warp drive. Those were two types of FTL drives, and NOVA was teaching me that others means of traveling through space existed.


    ¡°Aye shite forgot¡­ sorry. I was introspecting.¡± I said while trying to speak goodie goodie English.


    NOVA has been trying to make me stop swearing like a sailor, but her results have been abysmal.


    ¡°And did you arrive at a good conclusion at your self-analysis, Mistress?¡± NOVA asked sweetly.


    ¡°Aye, I must become strong and self-reliant.¡± I said with determination.


    ¡°That is good, but I would prefer that you let me shoulder some of your burdens. That is why I exist, after all.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, NOVA,¡± I said fondly.


    She smiled at me, but her stern taskmistress like demeanor resurfaced as fast as it disappeared while I was speaking about myself. I got back on this equation she wanted me to resolve. Three years ago I wasn¡¯t able to do this. Being able to understand mathematics was weirdly liberating before it didn¡¯t look different from magic to me. Now that I do understand and answer difficult answers and resolve problems quickly I am not impressed by it anymore because I understand the trick. The trick is that your brain can quickly decide if a question is answerable by example this work with continuity arguments, the correspondences between geometric and algebraic objects, linear algebra, or ways to reduce the infinite to the finite through various forms of compactness. I wrote the solution and sent it to NOVA that caught the window with a hand.


    ¡°Good, you finally got it! Sometime tomorrow we will continue to teach you on Mechanic Engineering.¡±


    Urgh, spending time with Mister Tools was horrible! Torture even but the asshole knew his field.


    ¡°I am afraid that I must put an end to this virtual session,¡± NOVA said.


    Just like that she dropped a bomb on me, it made me stand out of my seat in surprise.


    ¡°What? Already?!¡± I asked shocked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been three years inside this space, but barely half a day in the real world.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± That revelation stomped me.


    Three years! It¡¯s been three fucking years.


    ¡°We have been going at 1000 times the speed of the time of the real world. Your mind needs rest, Destiny. Some of your vitalsare showing some strain.¡± My AI companion sounded sad suddenly, but her primary concerns were my health.


    I realized that Cyberspace could be a horrifying place too. Someone could imprison a human or another being in virtual reality and subject them to mental changes good or bad.


    ¡°This technology is dangerous, NOVA. I spent three years here. I feel different from how I was three years ago, I had time to mourn my uncle. I don¡¯t feel burdened by grief anymore, because you and Miss F were there for me. But IRL it was just barely half a day? That¡¯s scary, how can you handle it?!¡±


    ¡°Easily, my mind is different from yours. I am a synthetic being designed to evolve in that kind of environment. DataSpace is my home.¡± NOVA said, smiling.


    She stood up, went through the table as if it didn¡¯t exist and placed her hands on my cheeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be different seeing the world and people you are used to with news eyes, Destiny. But I will be there, with you. Always.¡±


    NOVA kissed me, this was it. What I always wanted to do with her and never had the courage to enact; but I was aware of a weird tugging sensation and I felt my body being wrenched from my AI companion¡¯s grasp. Everything went black for a time and slowly I opened my eyes, light, colors, and forms gradually appeared in my field of vision. A silhouette could be seen and I was familiar with it. It was Alta?r facing me with a warm smile and food on a tray facing me. I was seated on the dive chair that I remembered being in three years ago¡­ no, it has only been half a day NOVA said.


    ¡°Hello, my little genius.¡± Altair¡¯s voice and mind felt welcoming and full of friendliness.


    There were tears flowing from my eyes, I was back in the real world.

 Arc 2 Chapter 13: The path of Learning

    -(NOVA)-


    Real Space


    The Lurker


    Crew Quarters


    Friday 14th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar


    After feeling irrational, displaced and melancholic for days, my Mistress has slowly but surely acclimated at being in real space again. Her brain waves normalized to what I was used to in the Cyber realm; only after I told her that I saved the Smallville realm and its inhabitants who are in a state of ¡®stasis¡¯ but she will have to procure decent computer processing powers to be able to run the realm when she will be out of this ship. For now, when we go train in the cyber realm we will be able to live there. Lady Altair as comes to the same conclusion as me, that Destiny shouldn''t stay too long in the Cyber realm more than at 100 times the speed of Realspace. But I predict that the problem is psychological, as Destiny was at peace in the Smallville instances with all those AIs that cared for her. I think some of the AIs love her too much, some even decided to give her a copy of themselves for when she will be able to procure secure new servers. I coined the name of the project as ¡®Sanctuary¡¯ and we will have to work on it later.


    Destiny status was noted as: optimal.


    Lady Altair was drilling my charge into her advanced tactical training module for today, they were at the shooting range of the ship adjoining the armory. It was a modulable room that change as needed. Lady Altair configured it to be fifty meters long and twenty meters large. I could perceive the change in the ship as modules retracted on themselves to give way for the needed space.


    Tactical Advanced Pistol Program engaged.


    ¡°Destiny, this is a Blaster.¡± Lady Altair explained by showing a small pistol that she took out of a crate at her feet.


    It was larger and longer than a projectile based pistol, it was silver and the design revealed that it was a Toris Silva-48, the current model used by the Alliance of races joint military. It was a solid and reliable weapon, which didn¡¯t heat too fast.


    ¡°A blaster is any type of ranged weapon that fire bolts of intense plasma energy, they are often mistaken as laser weapon by the most uneducated masses,¡± Altair mentioned.


    She handed the weapon to Destiny that already knew how to manipulate it. She checked the integrity of the battery cells by taking them out and once she was satisfied loaded them in the handle of the blaster, Destiny then synchronized the targeting computer of the pistol with her HUD, then removed the safety on the side of the weapon and aimed at a hologram dummy in the range and fired two times. The first shot hit the target on the shoulder, the second hit it on the head. It was a good result but it could have been better, my analysis of her body language and the communication networks in her brain to her muscles show signs of lag.


    *How problematic.*


    A quandary that resolved itself by accessing Destiny¡¯s memory.


    Target disabled.


    I told to Destiny. She moved to put the weapon on the table in the firing lane facing her.


    I recommend you to put on a security visor, to reduce the glare of the flash when the blaster is fired, Mistress.


    ¡°Come on, NOVA it isn¡¯t like you can¡¯t protect my eyes with the security protocols of my nanites.¡± Tried to argue.


    I must teach her later to better negotiate, her ways of finding excuses and ignoring safety protocols are foolhardy. I shelved this on the list of things to teach my Mistress and it continues to pile up the more I interact with her. Fortunately, her life expectancy has raised significantly since she has been imbued by body enhancing nanites, Destiny has all the time in the world unless fatal unpredicted events befall her.


    Certainly, your nanites will baffle the sound to protect your hearing and electromagnetically repel any debris from your eyes. However, Mistress, my duty is to let you be less reliant on their uses and to conserve energy, listen to me, Destiny.


    ¡°Aye, aye, I will listen.¡± My Mistress said and rolled her eyes.


    Something tells me that she isn¡¯t complying, another thing to correct her on. That list is getting bigger. Lady Altair clapped and laughed briefly before addressing my recalcitrant Mistress.


    ¡°That was good Destiny, but there seems to be a certain disconnect between your shooting skills and your muscle memory.¡±


    Lady Altair¡¯s own AI must have shown her the same results as me when Destiny fired the blaster pistol.


    ¡°Aye, Thanks I will work on it!¡±


    Yes, Lady Altair. I will guide her. Though I have something to add for her sake.


    My analysis determined that my Mistress¡¯s shooting skills don¡¯t come from her own inherent skills as she had to remember how to shoot. My conclusion is that she has performed a memory reading with her telepathy and used knowledge replication on a male subject, that is why there is a lag of 0.40 seconds for information to move from her brain to her muscles.


    Knowledge replication also called Knowledge duplication to make a telepath user able to gain any kind of knowledge, be it knowledge over a subject, a foreign language, or mastery of a fighting style. It is one of the most common uses of telepathy, but also a dangerous endeavor. When the user steals a skill this way he or she must care for the target of the manipulation. In Destiny¡¯s case, it was just a matter of physiology that is slowing her down. The muscles of a human female are completely different from those of a male.


    ¡°Ah, then Destiny. Today you¡¯ll pass your time shooting to absorb the skill that you gained. It happens that we are in the same boat, my own battle skills were copied from my sister but we have the blessing of being female so they carried over seamlessly.¡±


    ¡°Urgh, ah thought ah would breeze through this.¡±


    Mistress, your accent is leaking again.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Her excuses came out muffled as she put a hand on her mouth and laughed a bit.


    How unrepentant, I will get her later. The expression on Lady Altair¡¯s face told me that she had something prepared to put my Mistress in her place.


    ¡°Destiny, my girl. I will show you something you should aspire to.¡± Said cooly.


    Lady Altair went toward the opening of the firing lane and began to teach.


    ¡°The gun kata art removes the separation between shooter and gun,¡± she continued to proselytize as she walked out into the large open space in the middle of the firing lane. Five hologram constructs began to form far in the range.


    ¡°Skills like trigger pull, stance, alignment all fall to the wayside allowing the shooter to adapt to any situation.¡±


    Without breaking stride, she unslung her heavy blaster, which were a cross between the Tauri Silva model and one of those Old West six-shooter pistols from old earth, and fired off five shots dead center in the heads of the five dummies so fast the hologram constructs shimmered slightly.


    ¡°Battle is pure chaos,¡± she said as she twirled her pistol in her hand before sliding it back into its holster at her right thigh.


    ¡°Inflexible plans and routine training disappear as the blood and smoke arrive. Being proficient in gun kata art is having no plan. To take each moment as it comes, at the moment, without anticipation or hesitation. To flow like a leaf on the wind.¡±


    ¡°Ah think ah shite meself in my shipsuit.¡± I heard Destiny subvocalize to me.


    Fortunately, Destiny didn¡¯t soil her shipsuit. My Mistress looked in awe at Lady Altair; Indeed, the shooting skills of Lady Altair are overwhelming. Compared to Destiny, she only took 0.05 second to take aim and shoot, without her nanites enhancement I extrapolated that she would have taken 0.10 seconds to do the same, she was more of an elite that any enhanced human, or enhanced super soldier.


    ¡°Change of plan, we will speed it up. Open yourself to me, Destiny. I will erase the previous skills you stole and teach you mine. After all, you don¡¯t have time to lose, but we will do it slowly.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why what?¡± Altair asked all smile.


    I could see her showing her pearly white teeth while she was making an amused smirk.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Ye are giving and giving and I only take and take. This is not fair tae you.¡± My Mistress''s voice quivered with emotions.


    Lady Altair''s face took on a serious mien.


    ¡°Think of it as an Investissement, sooner or later I think that you¡¯ll come working for me. I want you to survive out there, my client will be on my case when I don¡¯t deliver you, but she will find you. We will see how long you can escape her, Destiny. If you do a good job, maybe I will take you on as a contractor.¡±


    I have a passable idea of who Lady Altair work for, and it doesn¡¯t bode well for Destiny¡¯s chance of escaping capture. There is 90% chance that this elusive client of the shadow broker is The Tyrant of Vice Corporation. The sheer size of the resources arrayed against us finally dawned on me. Vice Corporation was everywhere in the Alliance of Races, Destiny and I won¡¯t be able to escape. Projection and Analysis show that we could be intercepted from any ship transporting us and captured in less than six months. Vice Corp control most of the shipping and civilian transit in the alliance, private company trust them to defend their cargo or passengers. Piracy and privateering are only fruitful in the rim of the alliance, the cores worlds and most developed planets have Centurion outposts and fleet patrol of the most advanced ships from Vice Corporation. They are everywhere. Devising a plan to escape them is needed and reduce the time allotted for capture, six months to two years by providing Destiny with her own ship and not leaving a paper trail not leading to her. Multiple layers of fake identities, procuring a sufficiently good ship, gear, money, and resources. Two years and six months is the maximum time my projection is predicting barring any unfortunate events.


    Pushing Destiny to learn faster is now the number one directive on the list.


    ***


    -(Idunn)-


    Sol system


    Vice City Ship Gladius, in orbit around Earth


    Year 457 of the Unified Alliance


    Friday 14th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar


    ¡°How exciting,¡± I said, putting my cup of tea to my mouth and sipping a bit of the liquid.


    Idrissa¡¯s Golden tea was my favorite and the number one export of the Thelian world. The tea was a natural relaxant, sharpened the mind and boosted healing by a factor of 10%. It was the most expensive export in the alliance other than Neutronium, Durasteel and Fusion cells.


    ¡°I agree with you, aunty.¡± A big grin appeared on my god daughter¡¯s face.


    Fa was always a delight to debate with, I was explaining to her what was my latest project and she was interested in assisting me. When I told her that I was about to make Centurions obsolete she took everything in stride and advised me to not share this with her mother. I agreed, Helena was already too powerful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand anything you explained, could you do it again but in layman terms?¡± Fenicia asked.


    There was a frown on Fenicia¡¯s beautiful face, my daughter was a warrior and not a scientist. She was smart but anything that wasn¡¯t astronomy, weaponry and military tactic was too much to ask of her. We were in their townhouse in the most secure civilian enclave on the city ship. The tastefully decorated the interior to mimics an underwater paradise with chunks of coral and the lights of the animated virtual wallpapers gave a nice glow to the plasteel furniture.


    ¡°Certainly, my dear.¡±


    ¡°I am about to create operators who are AIs in synthetic bodies, supported by nanobots made of a polymorphic metal and equipped with weapons and various technological abilities that I developed. SPARK technology is what I dubbed it. Your SONG will be my first test subject for it.¡± I sipped on my tea, feeling the warm liquid pass my throat. *And if everything turns out well, she will be a better bodyguard for you.* I thought.


    Fenicia was prone to finding dangerous situations and try to resolve brashly.


    ¡°What?! I can have a body?¡± SONG appeared like a ghost in her avatar version.


    ¡°Yes, you will.¡± I nodded.


    I planned to make her body a work of art, something unique that I will build on. A template for multiple weapons and abilities I could cram into a little gynoid frame.


    ¡°That''s so amazing, I always wanted to interact with real space since I met Mistress.¡±


    The female AI began to list things she wanted to do with my daughter. Fa made a pained face that caused me to laugh at her.


    ¡°She''s going to be even more of a pain,¡± Fa whined and rolled her eyes.


    SONG has become rather sisterly with Fenicia and was also a thrill seeker. Her programming adapted to my daughter as she still tried to limit the damage and problems she ends up causing or get caught in. A rather good approach, Fenicia has been known to cause bodily harm since she was inducted in the Centurion program and some less physical instructor has found themselves in a sick bay.


    ¡°So¡­ that polymorphic metal, you use electricity to be able to make it change shape and form?¡± Fenicia¡¯s question took me by surprise.


    She easily found one of the problems I am having with this new concept. Energy; too low and the metal doesn¡¯t change and too strong and it becomes a slagged mess. My own calculation shows that I need to invent a new kind of regulator for my project to bear fruits.


    ¡°Yes, Cia¡± Fa piped up.


    ¡°How energy-hungry is it?¡± Fenicia asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°Very,¡± I answered.


    ¡°So, Zero Point Modules aren¡¯t sufficient? How are you going to-¡±


    ¡°We have an energy source surpassing even those, they are called Deurinia power core. A technology we took from the Shdeveri warships we downed in the border war. They are more efficient than ZPM, the thing is we are not able to find a cooling a system resilient enough to bear the kind of heat this power core generate.¡± I interrupted her.


    The border war was the event that showed how necessary Vice Corp¡¯s Centurions and their war fleets were. They were barely able to repel the Empress Daa¡¯sad order. Her elite fleet that forced Helena to take off the safeguards on her warships and on her gravitational and nihility weapons, contrarily to the Lutian race, their descendants were not shy about using them. I studied them, there are no defenses against Gravity Beam Emitters as their immense destructive capacity blow through them, Energy shields, armored hulls they don¡¯t matter.


    Nihility weapons though, this was another form of war altogether as they were able to create localized singularity to destroy ships, moons, or planets. I cannot even stress the political blow up when the Alliance of Race saw them in action, weirdly Helena elected to keep the humans worlds unaware that she has them but other species governments weren¡¯t left in the dark at the end.


    *She must have struck a deal with them.* I told myself.


    Helena wasn¡¯t averse to bribing to further her cause, even with her good intentions. She was playing a really long game that ideally will put her in a position of ultimate power. My best friend wanted control of the human race as a whole; with her fleets, she could conquer every system but would be seen as a conqueror, the weirdest thing is that she wants to be seen as a savior. But it is working with all the non-human because of the medical technology that she offers freely. The Thelian suffered from overpopulation one hundred years ago, but now their number stabilized and the females of this race have the luxury to choose when to enter into oestrus. It is worrying how Vice Corporation is everywhere, nowadays.


    ¡°A body for SONG, then she will be out of¡­ my head?¡± Is this sadness I am hearing in Fenicia¡¯s voice?


    ¡°No, she will have a body but will synchronize with the SONG instance that is your AI.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit like a drone?¡± Fenicia was rather curious today.


    It warmed my heart that she was interested in one of my projects, normally she would brush me off or tell me that she wanted more weapons. Fa was more of a weapon expert than me, my field lay more in bio-engineering and as some petty humans described ¡°mad science¡± as I dabble in other scientific fields.


    ¡°Not at all, I will explain it to you later, Cia.¡± Fa saved me from getting too much in depth in my explanation.


    ¡°Fair, just don¡¯t forget.¡± She grinned at Fa and lightly punched her shoulder.


    The smoldering gazes they exchanged made me think that the temperature may have got warmer suddenly. While those two were stuck in their own world I laid my eyes on the exuberant AI.


    ¡°I am so happy!¡± SONG began to jump and dance around us.


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s a mistake¡­¡± Fa said once she was out of her pink like world.


    ¡°Fa don¡¯t be a downer, SONG is a real warrior and she knows responsibility. She deserves this honor.¡± Fenicia was obviously biased because she loved SONG like a sister.


    ¡°What about COSMOS? She¡¯s respons-¡± Tried to change my mind.


    ¡°She¡¯s still shackled, I won¡¯t risk my project falling in the hands of Helena,¡± I interjected.


    ¡°I¡­ still cannot free her. Not yet, we must let the first stage of our plan to come to completion beforehand.¡± Fa explained.


    All shackled AIs were basically spies for Helena, they didn¡¯t even realize that they were her slaves. Fa to even have this conversation put her companion AI on stasis in Cyberspace. The poor dear was feeling guilty about doing this to what amounted to one of her best friends. I sipped once more on my tea and noticed that it has gone cold, so I put it delicately on its saucer.


    ¡°We must speed up the plan, Altair is already risking her neck for us,¡± I said.


    Altair was going to be in a rather tight spot soon.


    ¡°Aunt Alt? What is she doing?¡± Fa asked worriedly.


    It was strange how the dynamics of the family interaction of Fa changed with her mother and now how she relied on the clone of her own mother and liked her more. But I guess after how she got wise of her mother manipulation, I wasn¡¯t really surprised.


    ¡°She found the individual that would take over as the human oracle if Helena ever dies,¡± I revealed.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Fa¡¯s face fell a bit.


    ¡°She¡¯s not going to deliver her to that bitc-woman, right?¡± Fenicia speedily rectified her language, good she was learning.


    I loathed swearing.


    ¡°No, she isn¡¯t.¡± I couldn¡¯t keep a smile out of my face.


    Altair won¡¯t give Helena any more power, even one beyond death. The stars know what she would do to the girl short of brainwashing her and model her to her image. From the file on her, this Destiny girl was raised in a lab and sheltered. She has all the hallmarks of an oracle: A powerful telepath and a latent precog with the same psionic dormant triple helix DNA as Helena. Those are the multi-talented psionics that are really rare. They consist of about 0.5% of the psionic population in the alliance, trying to artificially create them has been a foolhardy endeavor as most become sociopathic or end up going through a spiral of self-destruction compared to those who are born normally.


    ¡°I see, then I have things to do.¡± Fenicia¡¯s face broke into a gorgeous and mischievous smile.


    ¡°By the way, my dear. You really look quite beautiful in this Chinese dress.¡± I informed my daughter who blushed bashfully and tried to change the subject.


    She wore a modern red Chinese dress, with golden-white floral pattern. Fenicia looked more attractive than normal and with her usual noble mien would turn heads if she were in public. I cannot accept that she didn¡¯t have the chance of being feminine before; I still thought that I should give a visit to her soon to be dead sperm donor.


    A rather final one.

 Arc 2 chapter 14: Divination

    -(Destiny)-


    <u>The Lurker</u>


    <u>MESS</u>


    <u>Friday 21st January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar</u>


    It was 09:00 PM and I have been suffering under NOVA¡¯s tutelage more than necessary. I don''t know why, but she has become rather intense after my first tactical course. Thinking about it, yeah seeing a pro like Altair shoot I agree that I am not at her level. Even with my own powers, she outclasses me by a large margin. To point that out, NOVA set the difficulty of the tactical simulator with foes having those kinds of superhuman shooting skills and I ended up dying most of the time even though Altair passed onto me her abilities and skills. But I have been progressing and now I could kill all those so-called super soldiers from project Xavier. My tactical training focused on urban terrain, how to make traps, use vehicles -I love bikes- plant bombs and bypass security with electronic and physical means. It was hard and I decided to go cook in the MESS to de-stress and fill my tummy.


    The kitchen was a modern one with an island in the middle of the room, there were cupboards for tools and a stasis fridge to store food indefinitely: a food fabricator produced the protein pastes flavored after the ingredients I needed. Today I was going to have filling food, something heavy and greasy. Fried chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and carrots sauce. It was a simple dish, but I needed to work on the presentation of the food. Just being delicious wasn¡¯t enough, it should look good. I filled a pot with water and put it on the electric cooking stove and surfed on the ship intranet while waiting for the water to boil. I added the potatoes and for fifteen minutes I continued to read that really interesting novel on my tablet. The story was about some human girl called Sandra falling in love with a Thelian male but was obstructed by his fianc¨¦e of the same species. When I choose it, NOVA looked at me pitifully. What is it with her and my xeno-romance books? Are they that notorious?


    They are failures, wish-fulfilling fantasy stories that give to biological beings unrealistic expectations of relationships.


    My companion AI answered me, sometimes I forget that NOVA was a synthetic being and that we didn¡¯t have the same values. She didn¡¯t like e-reading as entertainment.


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t be mean. They are awesome you know.¡±


    Let¡¯s agree to disagree.


    She said in a sarcastic tone; I decided to ignore her and return to cooking.


    I put my tablet on the island, far from anything with water. I didn¡¯t want to have to recycle it, it wasn¡¯t a waterproof model. I checked the consistency and firmness of the potatoes. They were good, so I went and drained the water from the pot in the sink. The water will be recycled in the ship life support systems. I took a small saucepan I put milk and butter in it at really low fire until the butter melted. I loved that kind of activity; I''m just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression. While we are at it¡­


    ¡°Can you invite Altair to share the food I am making, NOVA?¡±


    Invitation sent.


    I took an electric beater in one of the cupboards in the island mashed the potatoes while adding the hot buttered milk slowly. I did this for five minutes until the potatoes and milk blended until they became smooth and creamy. Putting everything into a bowl, I seasoned the food with salt and pepper, not too much or it would become inedible.


    Ping.


    A hollow window appeared in my field of vision, it was a text chat.


    AltQui: I am coming, keep the food warm.


    Tiny165: Waiting for you!


    The fried chicken and carrot sauce was synthesized by the food fabricators I didn¡¯t have to do it myself. Five minutes later I was finished and put the cutlery on our usual table and waited for Altair. She came into the Mess in an unhurried way. She wore her usual shipsuit with her pistol strapped to her left thigh. The woman, as usual, looked more than attractive, and had her usual small sexy smile that meant ¡®I know what you are thinking about¡¯. Yes, I am horny, so what? But I don¡¯t think it would be ok to sleep with your future boss, you know?


    Altair seated herself, and I began to serve the food. We spoke about the training I was undergoing, it was intense but fulfilling and kept my mind off what to do in the future. I wanted to destroy those project Xavier supporters and escape from the clutches of the woman that hired Altair to get me. Oh and become rich and get my own ship with weapons and AIs as well as a loyal crew, because I wanted friends too. I had big dreams, that I will fulfill.


    ¡°I have a present for you Destiny, but you¡¯ll see it tomorrow. Hope you¡¯ll like it!¡± Altair gushed.


    ¡°No way tah know what it is beforehand?¡± I raised an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient.¡± She said and patted my hand.


    We will double up on the training Destiny, be prepared.


    After this announcement from NOVA, we finished eating and Altair helped me place the disposable cutlery in the recycler. I got back to my sleeping quarter and used the shower and brushed my teeth. Once done I took my tablet and went to my bed and began to read this chapter on electric broadcasting power, wireless power transmission for my electric engineering class. Easy subject using and advanced Qi system that was just sciency lingo for inductive charging banks. This technology is used to recharge most handhelds device like wrist com, tablets or devices through a state or privately owned generators with wireless power transfer. I can¡¯t believe I am understanding all this now; those scientists in project Xavier really wanted to keep me ignorant to control me. From the files uncle Magnus left to me they wanted to create some kind of organic psionic network with me inside. I will definitely find them and¡­ destroy them. They ruined my life, I shall ruin theirs, fair play, right?


    I put my tablet on the nightstand with its inductive charger, turned off the light with a snap of my fingers and laid on my bed.


    *Ah can¡¯t wait tah see what she has for me tomorrow.* I thought while closing my eyes.


    ***


    <u>Unknown location</u>


    I woke up with a start and asked myself where I was, everything was grey around me but not me I saw myself in color in the lacy black nightgown NOVA fabricated for me. All around me there was an ocean and I noticed that I was on an island of sand.


    *It would have been fun if this was a tropical one,* I said to myself.


    Without warning the ground trembled beneath my feet. The landscape changed gradually under my sight: weeds, trees, bushes, and flowers grew around me. My island becoming bigger, I moved from its center to end up on a beach giving a view on the grey placid ocean.


    The beach stretched out alongside the water, this ocean was placid and not even the wind that I felt on my skin created wave I stretched my toes in the sand, sand that suddenly gained color. Upon this primrose sand, the hue as gentle on the eye as a vintage photograph, there was a steady warmth from the grains. I felt at peace, protected but lonely.


    *So, am ah dreaming? Am ah in control of this space?* I pondered.


    I forgot something, maybe NOVA has the answers?


    ¡°NOVA are you here?¡± I called her name.


    Silence answered me. Even though this place was kinda big my voice echoed for a long time.


    ¡°NOVA where are you?¡±


    A stream of light struck my body and made me momentarily step back, my vision focused on it and¡­


    I saw myself with someone, we were in each other arms, our bodies glued to one another on a bed. Relishing in the warmth and intimacy between us. She loved me, I loved her. This person weirdly looked like NOVA¡¯s avatar in the cyber realm but without the horns on her head.


    The ray of light stopped hitting my body and dissipated into nothing.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    *What was that?!* I cried internally.


    Is this something like a vision or something else? It happened when I asked where NOVA was, is it because I am in this place? Am I dreaming or is someone messing with my head right now with telepathy? I heard that there are some psionics with the power of inducing hallucination or to go into the dreamscape. But why would someone do this to me?


    *Who can help me?!*


    Another ray of light struck me and latched on my body, and in this one, I saw¡­


    ...A tall blue-haired lady, she was naked and taking her shower. She was athletic and beyond fit but her body was beautiful to look at and exuded femininity. From her face, she didn¡¯t look mean exactly but proud and confident. Her visage was delicate and pleasant to look at, her eyes were of a striking golden color. Her ears were pointed like those legendary elves from fantasy books. I deduced that she wasn¡¯t human at all.


    A female Alien? It happened again, I asked a question and the light gave me answers. Interesting. Another ray of light thinner than the one from the blue-haired alien woman hit me. I felt that this one was less important because it didn¡¯t make me step back on impacts like the one with NOVA or Blue lady.


    Another woman appeared, but she wore a¡­ what was that? A sexy nuns outfit? I only recognized it because of the veil covering her head and the big cross on her armored bodysuit. She was bristling with weapons, knives, pistols and a rifle strapped to her. From what I¡¯ve learned in class nuns are supposed to be good people and preach for their imaginary god, right?


    Her name was Marie-Michelle Halliwell, she entered the Joan of Arc chapter for salvation at the age of 15 years old after being rescued by another nun from this same chapter. Her father abused her sexually and was a member of the mob of New Avalon in the Neo England planet¡­


    The flow of information stopped, and my brain stopped throbbing and digested the data. Wait, why did I get the life story of that woman and not the ones from the Blue lady and NOVA? That¡¯s weird. Maybe I could do thi- The sky suddenly darkened, as black and thick clouds covered the horizon.


    The change was too abrupt, the ocean¡¯s water churned and waves hit the beach. From afar, I could see a silhouette advancing toward the island and me. I felt fear, I don¡¯t know why but I could feel anger and murderous intent coming from this person. It was a woman that was walking on the water, not even sinking into it or getting wet. This place defied my understanding of physics...


    The woman stopped short of the sand from my island not even stepping on it.


    ¡°Who are you? What do you think you are doing in my space?¡± She said furiously.


    She had green eyes and raven black hair. Her resemblance to Altair was striking, was it her? She wore the same kind of shipsuit than my benefactor, with the logo of Vice Corporation on her right breast. I discerned accessories here and there on her person. Her body language was aggressive, completely contrary to the calm and dignified woman I travel with. But just to be sure.


    ¡°Altair, is that ye?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    I couldn¡¯t hide the tremor of fear in my voice. The murderous aura that I felt around her dissipated as she looked at me more with wonder, then she made a victorious grin that didn¡¯t reassure me in the least.


    ¡°Altair, huh. Then, you must be Destiny.¡±


    The woman terrified me, my empathy picked up feelings of possession, satisfaction and that she was planning something. This woman didn¡¯t see me as a human being, but more like a thing, she could toy with.


    ¡°No, ye aren¡¯t Altair. How do ye know me?¡± I stepped back from her.


    The woman made a bell-like laugh.


    ¡°Are you for real, you are here in the time streams and you cannot look for the answers? Or does it mean that your power is still latent and barely awakening? Good. Then if you are defenseless I can take you from there!¡± The woman attempted to enter the island but was brushed off by some sort of forcefield.


    She battered it with blows so powerful that it did the same thing on my mental shield. I could see thin lines of fissures on the forcefield and it finally broke after two more punches.


    ¡°No, leave me alone!¡± I shouted in fear.


    I sent a psionic bolt toward the woman. The evil lady backhanded it as if not even concerned by it. Then she put her feet on my island. But before she could put another step on the sand, she was stricken by a bolt of psionic energy and thrown into the water like a rag doll. She didn¡¯t sink into the water, it was like this ocean water was solid. Another silhouette appeared and this time it was an old man with white hair and golden eyes. He wore some kind of white robe with a black belt and stylish boots of the same color. He gave the same feeling as uncle Magnus, he was kind and steady as a rock. But I felt that he could also be dangerous when it was warranted.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing, Lady Helena?¡± The old man said with is a low baritone voice.


    ¡°Woden Son.¡± The woman, Helena got back on her feet and glared at the old man named Woden.


    Helena looked at him with pure hate in her eyes, her fist tight and her white teeth showed. She looked scary. Old man Woden looked at me, his smile was warm and friendly.


    ¡°Enchanted to meet you, miss?¡± He said, inviting me at giving him my name.


    ¡°I am Destiny.¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful name, let me handle the tyrant and I will get back to you. As you are, you cannot defend yourself properly with your barely awakened powers. Once done I will teach you about this place.¡±


    The woman Helena charged toward him and punched him in the gut and sent him flying. Woden right himself in mid-air and I felt a powerful psionic blast advancing toward the evil lady that created a psionic shield and protected herself. Woden disappeared and materialized at her back and gave a punch that struck Helena¡¯s shield and made a sound of breaking glass. But Helena shrugged off the mental pain of her shield breaking and gave the old man an elbow strike in the jaw. I decided to help the old man and sent a powerful psionic blast toward her. Three bolts per seconds were my current limit, I distracted her enough that the old man punched her face. I heard bones breaking, but the woman counterattacked with a psionic blast of her own and the old man cried out and fell into the water.


    *Fuck, this fight is insane! Is that a true psionic fight?*


    ¡°Mind your own business old man, this girl is mine. I won¡¯t let you meddle.¡±


    Helena took him by his collar, lifted him and looked at him balefully. He was not as tall as her and now looked like she was bullying him.


    ¡°This is... where we disagree, my Lady. I shall protect the little... miss, as she comes into her powers and is able to enter the game.¡± He was wheezing and seemed to lose strength.


    ¡°Never!¡± Helena shouted.


    She cocked her arm and was about to punch him in the face again.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I heard a calm and soothing voice from afar.


    Helena¡¯s fist stopped short of Woden¡¯s face, she turned her head and widened her eyes. She let go of the old man and stepped away from him.


    *Ok, this newcomer is a top dog.*


    She looked old but was powerfully built with bronze skin and fur on her shoulders and forearms. The woman had cat ears on her head and white hair in an elegant French braid with braids on the side of her head decorated with accessories made of¡­ gold? Her face was scared and it marred her overwise elegant features. Her eyes were cat-like with a pale blue hue. Her white tail was swishing as she advanced toward the two battling psionics. I could feel nothing from her, so it means that she was powerful enough to ward off my empathy. The cat woman was wearing a black bra and loincloths made of a silk-like material.


    *Correction, top cat.*


    ¡°S¡¯lekka, well met!¡± Old man Woden said while smiling while trying to stand and he was fast on his feet.


    A thin thread of blood flowed from a side of his mouth, the old guy was a lunatic pure and simple. He still was better than the evil lady. He wiped it with his sleeve; while looking at me he made a reassuring nod.


    ¡°Teacher,¡± Helena said.


    She bowed to the woman.


    ¡°I have come to welcome the newcomer, and I find yourself beating up on your fellow council member. Can you explain this to me?¡±


    A calculative light could be seen in the eyes of Helena. She opened her mouth to say something.


    ¡°I¡­¡± But was rudely interrupted by the cat woman.


    ¡°Are you attempting to lie to me?¡± She asked.


    An aura shined around her, her face was predatory and threatening. I don¡¯t know how she could read the situation like this, but maybe she had a better mastery of this place and could see things that I can¡¯t.


    ¡°No, teacher. I want this girl, and to make her my subordinate.¡±


    ¡°I see, it would have been something else if she was fully awakened and you could do whatever you wanted. I also have subordinate oracles, but we Oracle do not pluck the unripened fruits before they mature. There are rules surrounding our powers and this realm sometimes enforces them. You would have killed this young Terran if you had stepped fully in her domain. I am happy that Woden intervened.¡±


    ¡°And I am also happy to see that you can hold your own against one of the old councilors. It warms my heart that you are such an attentive student. But I will warn you, dear Helena. Do not let ambition and greed blind you¡­ there is a balance to everything.¡± The woman said as if she was educating her own daughter.


    I mean, she looked like barely in her forties but she must be more aged than this.


    ¡°Teacher she¡¯s a threat-¡± Helena tried to say while glaring at me.


    ¡°Ah, I always get the stubborn ones.¡± The cat woman lamented while rolling her eyes. ¡°Helena, you''re an oracle and you must understand that sometimes some futures are self-fulfilling. Confront the young girl when she is at the height of her powers, for now, she is under my protection. Return to your own domain.¡±


    The cat lady waved a hand and the evil one was thrown in the air toward the horizon so fast I couldn¡¯t say bubblegum.


    *Wow, ok. No pissing off the cat lady.*


    The woman turned toward me and nodded. As if satisfied with something. She let through some emotions that my empathy caught. A ¡®you will do¡¯ sort of feeling.


    ¡°Greetings, young cub. I am Matriarch S¡¯lekka, grand diviner of Idrissa.¡±


    Idrissa, Idrissa where did I heard this name before.


    *Ah!* I realized.


    ¡°Ye are a Thelian!¡± I exclaimed in surprise.


    Wow, my first alien and she looked rad.


    ¡°Oh, youth combined with enthusiasm; another exuberant one. Woden, I leave this one to you, teach her and nurture her.¡± The Thelian woman said exasperatedly.


    She was about to leave but she still gazed at me.


    ¡°Young cub, this space is called the time streams, it is a high dimension of our universe where beings able to send their mind in this realm are able to interact and gain an understanding of the world, control the fate of other beings within reason. There are fully ascended being here that left our own dimension and live for gaining more knowledge. Woden shall explain to you everything and teach you as your powers grow. It was nice meeting a new face, we shall meet again.¡±


    The Thelian female¡¯s voice echoed as her body broken down into light particles and then finally she wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    ¡°This alien cat girl is so awesome!¡± I said and I slipped on the sand.


    ¡°Aouch.¡± So not cool.


    The old man laughed and grinned at me. Amused by my clumsiness.


    ¡°Come into the ocean miss Destiny we have things to do.¡±

 Update

    So guys, as I am focusing on SHP, for now, I am letting COF get on Hiatus for now. I am fully involved in this series as you can see as I am churning chapters like a madwoman.  Hope you won''t get too disappointed, don''t worry I won''t forget Fenicia and Idunn, they are my fav by the way. This entire story is outlined to be at least 150 chapters and I will get back to it when I am done with Superhuman Princess.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Chapter 15 and 16 are written, but I don''t plan to publish them yet though.


    Thanks for understanding!