Void's Psionics (11 page)

“
You live. Can’t say the
same for Deegen or Bell.” The emotion in Steven’s voice was raw.
“Slit his throat and killed her in the most dishonorable way
possible. I’ll levitate him, but we are going to the ships
immediately
.” Tapping his
ear he said “Oliver, Brother, crash the interview. I’ll take the
wounded to a med center then go back to the ship. We’ll have
investigators find what they can on the man you cut down…
Brother!”

Oliver yelled “Shut up. I’m going. I expect
you are coming with me to hunt my woman down.”

“
Goes without saying. They
killed our brother and sister. I won’t stop till I see the life
leave their eyes.”

“
So Deegen and Bell didn’t
make it?” sadness choked Oliver as he now experienced the death of
someone close, someone he could call friend. It added more weight
to his chest.

“
No, Brother, they’re gone.
Make haste. Grieve for our fallen brother later. Life matters and
right now Renee is getting further away. Get the captain to the
ship so we can move with all haste, but not go off reckless.”
Steven said as he lifted a hand over the corpses, placing Bell
curled up on Deegen’s chest and lifting together as all true
partners who die together. They moved in behind, Jessica sobbing as
she began to realize Renee was missing.

Oliver reentered the atmosphere, but aimed
not for Loke, but for the city of Warren. He found the Dorgenox
floating in the city’s lake, anchors down to not disturb too much
as the starship could do serious damage in shallow water. He aimed
the Flare for the university the conference was being held at.
Curious people were already out on the pathways looking for
firsthand views of the historic revelation.

Before reaching ten kilometers a deep male
voice commanded “Unauthorized fighter, you are in restricted
airspace for the duration of the conference. Change course or be
fired upon. You have ten seconds to comply.”

A dozen military fighters
converged on him.
I don’t have time for
this shit.
Rather than slow down and turn,
he sped up and flipped the Flare in unparalleled maneuvers the
Marines had never seen done. They hadn’t a chance in hell to target
let alone gamble that even random firing would score a lucky
hit.

Next thing they knew the ship had landed and
Marines posted to keep the peace opened fire, but Oliver jumped out
and moved too fast for them to keep track. Blaster fire could be
heard inside the expansive room filled with top scientists and
reporters. Oliver though didn’t draw his sword or shield. His speed
though let him knock out highly trained Marines before they could
blink.

On stage Jake Dorgen stood and his booming
voice didn’t require enhancement. “I’ll take care of this.” But as
the burly Scotsman took a single step the large double doors were
kicked in by the armored body of a Marine sailing through the air
by a kick to the chest from Oliver who came in covered in
reflective silver coloring his battle armor. “Lad, What…”

The crowd gasped as they had never seen a man
run so fast. He moved more like a blur. One moment he was on the
back end of the room and he next he was on stage. “She’s been
kidnapped. Deegen and Bell are dead.”

The rage from Oliver was equaled by her giant
of a father. “WHAT!”

Oliver noticed Stone instantly go livid along
with Satellite the falcon on his shoulder standing with Stephanie
and two other crew members. Behind was the fifty three canisters
found and being scanned by dozens of orbs. “We need to move. Time
is our enemy.”

Despite how Jake’s face went
red as his hair and the throbbing vein in his head to watch out for
pulsed he turned to the crowd still recording for the scientific
community as well as GNN and other news stations. “The interview is
over, Lads. Someone just stole me daughter from me. I’m coming for
blood. Whoever ye are, I hope ye be watching. Ye’ve just pissed off
the pirate king and I’ll have yer heads.” His eyes blazed green
with power unmatched in a millennia. “
Give
her back and flee for yer
miserable lives. If I have to chase ye, ye
will
die fer this. To everyone else, I
leave these canisters as agreed by Andrea Loke to distribute for
further study. Now get yer arse moving, Lad. Stone, go with the lad
and get to the ship pronto.” Jake touched his ear. “First Mate
Krabble, we’re leaving soon. Get me ship ready.”

“
Already on it, Captain.
We’ll raise anchor in fifteen minutes max.”

“
Lad, use the com to tell me
the situation.” Jake ordered in Oliver’s ear as he ran out, Stone
following with Satellite flying overhead.

Marines were sill unconscious, but fighters
seemed to have been ordered to stand down as the ships we just
beginning to remove their pointed weapons off him and the Flare.
Oliver began recounting events as he jumped in the pilot’s seat
with Stone jumping in behind with the falcon already on the back
seat as the top lowered. He spoke of all he knew and it helped
distract his unbridled anger. The line to the Dorgenox was short
lived when Jake said “One moment, Lad. Steven is trying to speak.”
He went quiet for over a minute before being reconnected to the
captain. “Lad, alter course. Drop Stone to fly Deegen’s fighter. I
can’t leave it. Steven is with the wounded right now being patched
up. Ye need to do this and transfer data of the ship’s recording of
in which direction they jumped into FTL.”

Taking those orders weren’t easy, but it
would still be minutes before the ship could lift off. He pressed a
few buttons and flashed the Flare’s video recordings to the main
starship while going back to the Tower of Loke. For another three
minutes Oliver finished recent events. “Then ye need to dock in
space. I won’t wait planet-side. “Got it?”

“
Aye aye.” Oliver said and
the coms went down.

Behind Stone at last spoke “So our brother
had his throat slit by Phantoms? And more than the four you and Ms.
Void took care of?”

“
At least a dozen more. They
were highly skilled and well equipped. I didn’t know Deegen or Bell
as long as you, but I already miss them. I’m sad they didn’t die at
least in a good fight. They were murdered… but why kidnap my
woman.”

“
Sounds to me like that was
their plan all along and to leave no witnesses… hold on.” Stone
then said “Yes, Brother, Oliver has told me. We are on the way to
pick up his fighter… Left him alive you say… Probably won’t react
to anyone other than the captain…” His tone turned colder than ice.
“You best believe it. They killed our brother and sister. They.
Will. Suffer.” He clipped.

Landing was short as Stone jumped down and
gained access to the other fighter to get in and take off with all
haste.

The Dorgenox was already waiting at the area
where the enemy ship had gone into FTL early to avoid capture.
Oliver let Stone dock first and as Oliver was coming in he noticed
around the River Skipper rather crowded. Stephanie was fussing over
Jessica with an arm in a sling right beside a naturally short woman
hovering over a one legged Jacob Wrench. Jake stood over talking
with Steven, Sparky, Rose and Jacob who’s nub of a thigh was
covered in healing gauze, obviously numbed of pain to talk. As soon
as he touched down he was there beside Stone looking over the sheet
covering Deegen and Bell.

Noise dropped with their arrival and Jake
tapped his ear. “Abdul, any likely prospects?”

“
Sir, sad news, at the same
time as Oliver saw them go into FTL there was another signature
detected by the space authority followed my another in the same
region not one minute later. They jumped too soon in the gravity
well of Havannah, but their exit signature is identical to reports
Oliver scanned. They moved further in the solar system before going
elsewhere. Without a direction, we cannot follow. These bastards
knew what they were doing so we’d lose their trail. I’d even wager
they will Jump from other locations to confuse us.”

“
Damn it!!!” Jake punched
the wall hard enough to split open his knuckles.

“
What!” Oliver was on his
feet, his helmet retracting to show the dry tear stains that had
been shed. “What happened.”

“
The dogs covered their
trail, Lad. They moved to the outer solar system to go elsewhere.”
He held his bleeding hand, the vein at the temple still pulsing.
“Without a direction recorded from behind, we cannot make a
probability of what planets that ship can travel to. It’s the
smallest craft I’ve ever seen able to slip into FTL, but its range
will be limited to this galaxy. That just narrows it down to a
hundred billion system
if
they don’t meet up with a long range craft. Now
that they are gone, I must see to their demands.” He held out the
crystal given to Jacob from the one who severed the leg.

“
Captain, I’m about to pass
out, can I…”

“
Aye, ye did yer best. Take
care of him, Lass.” The woman nodded and helped bring Jacob to the
elevator to leave.

“
Andrea, what are ye doing
here?” Oliver said as he noticed yellow adhesive covering a wound
on her forehead.

“
I’m coming. I just can’t
sit around knowing my ex-girlfriend’s daughter is missing. She
saved us at her own expense. There is no way I can face a Phantom
and she knew it. They would have killed me and I’m going to do
anything I can to get her back.”

“
Still little stubborn
Andrea.”

“
Tease me later, Jake.” Her
gaze was sharp rather than eccentric and bubbly. “I’m sore, tired
and scared. Play the damn recording.”

“
Hold on.” Jessica said and
struggled closer. “Brother, be sure to save it to your chip, but
not directly. It could have a chip breaker virus. We can do a
breakdown analysis to see if we can track down the source. While my
arm was set I found it was manufactured by a completely untraceable
Galicom processor. They used the basic package creator and filled
it with a single function that is voice commanded.”

“
Brother?” Andrea asked.
“You didn’t tell me you have a sister?”

“
We haven’t spoken in a
century, woman… bah, we will discuss it later.” Jake moved around
and everyone stepped back as he placed the small disc shard on the
deck. “Activate.” The command was accepted and a glowing, flat
circle appeared with a written message.

‘
Jake Dorgen,

We have your daughter, Renee Dorgen. Do not
try to follow. We will tell you our exact location of where she
will be held. Bring 645,883,201,776, 932 credits to coordinates
345620083X, 462991619Y, 003221881Z in the time of one full standard
year starting from this day to trade for the life of your
daughter.

Do not attempt rescue. You know this space
and even if you call all your ships, it will do you no good.

Signed,

The High Chairman’

The vein had pulsed so badly Jake turned to
the still raised docking door and threw a hand out to unleash a
psionic stream that was as tall as himself and packed so much power
it could blow apart an entire moon. The aim thankfully was out in
empty space, firing in a near straight line. His beard and hair
unraveled to fly wild as he yelled in complete outrage. The amount
of power had everyone staggering away as it could have ripped the
ship completely apart without question. His eyes burned murderous
green. The energy was hot and hair stood on end. He poured it all
into the stream. Anger, hate, hopelessness. Put it all in till he
was empty, which took a couple minutes. Enough to get everyone on
the other side of the deck.

Jake Dorgen was utterly spent as he dropped
to his knees and hands to beat his head on the ground a couple
times and leave it there. It was hardly comical that the claymore
sheathed across his back slid out onto the ground.

Seeing the giant cry was heartbreaking.

First to move was Andrea Loke and she came
over to kneel by his head. “That is a lot of credits. I have
sixteen million in my savings. You can have it all, Handsome. It
won’t be much to the nearly six hundred and forty six trillion,
but…”

“
Ye’ve always been a
kindhearted lass, Andrea, but I cannot ask it of ye.”

“
Would it make a difference
if I said yes? I never told you ‘no’ you know. You know the old
saying: Better late than never.” She smiled softly and though he
was gargantuan compared to her, her small hands held his face up by
his bearded cheek.

“
Aye, Lass, but I can’t
accept it. That bastard somehow got hold of me finances. That is
the exact amount I’ve got to me name… scattered around.”

“
Then pick yourself up, dust
yourself off and do it. We both know credits never mattered to you.
I’m now old enough to see why you were like that. I just need
access to the terran network to transfer my funds to the Dorgenox.
Every little bit will help. Why don’t you give it as a sign of good
faith to those horrible people and tell them to keep it so they
don’t send pieces of her to you… make sure they know she is bonded
to that Drake… if I assume correctly. His reactions are out of
character for his kind and they aren’t.”

“
Aye, she and Sparky are
bonded as mount and rider.”

“
Someone tell me what the
hell is going on? If you know where she is why are we still here!
Someone tell me!” Oliver shook badly, ready to snap. Even without
his front teeth, he was barely holding onto reason.