Void's Psionics (29 page)

Delicately as Steven could manage, sitting in
Oliver’s blind spot directly behind and unnoticed he used some of
his Gathered energy he constantly used even in sleep. With it he
formed a kinetic blast no larger than a marble on the inside of his
curled index finger. He withheld the amperage from any lethal
results as amps killed, not volts. He wanted to make noise and
light, not destroy anything. Not yet anyway.

It made no sound Steven’s acute hearing could
detect from the compressed ball of blue-white energy. Tucking a
thumb underneath and adding a little pressure he flicked it up and
over.

One moment Oliver was kicked back in pleasant
conversation and the next he was up, armed and held a blade at
Steven’s throat, snuffing out the harmless kinetic blast. And in
that instant his clothes had just as swiftly exploded into fearsome
spiked black armor.

A bead of blood welled as Steven’s eyes
crinkled with mirth. “Well, damn. I didn’t expect that kind of
reaction. I’d say sorry, but I need to go change my underwear. I
think I pissed my pants a little… never mind. I feel wet warmth
confirming it.”

The round shield lowered from the
disconcerting mask as the cutlass pulled away. A swelled chest
deflated with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Steven. My reaction was too
severe. When I heard and sensed a compressed blast… well let me
just say Netul and Callier weren’t gentle. I was attacked in my
sleep, during casual conversations about their family and often
when I was indisposed taking a leak.”

“
I’m not mad you scared the
piss
literally
out
of me.” Steven got up with a now awake Visor quickly realizing what
his brash partner did. He hooked the now appearing sword in a clip
at his lower back to continue “I just forgot how damn fast you
move. Being hyperaware will keep you alive. Stay aboard a starship
long enough and you lose that edge. Seems mine needs some polishing
itself. After I clean up, can you meet me down on ten for some
training?”

Oliver changed attire as he put the weapons
away and turned to Stephanie shaking her head, his heightened
hearing picking up her whisper of “Seventy two years old and acts
like a twelve year old.”

“
You had a birthday,
Steven?”

“
Two months back. Brought
down a Praying Mantis who put up one hell of a fight.”

“
Damn Hunter hearing.”
Stephanie grumbled and the two men laughed along with
Visor.

“
Were we about done,
Stephanie, before the interruption?”

She looked to the larger of the men and
pursed her lips for a moment. “I’m satisfied for now. We can finish
up later. But before you go, did you look over Jess’s ideas for the
new Gravity Forge?”

“
Yes and it is promising.
The thing is I’ll need to practically fuse the two innermost cores
together for her idea to work in the long term. And my practically
I mean the crevice must be precisely leave one molecule of space
between them. I’m going to come up with ways to do such a difficult
task so let me think on it. And please inform her to wipe Davan
Took’s databanks. I don’t have time or patience to deal with him.
As we talked I used my chip to find out it was he who hacked my
fighter’s systems to get the recordings of the last
fight.”

“
Oh, really? I’ll take care
of it. Jess was pissed she couldn’t trace the source. What do you
want done to him? Jake informed the crew to leave everything
concerning you alone. Living months on a harsh planet does tend to
make a person unsettled. Your reaction moments ago proves his
point.”

“
I don’t think he meant any
harm. He didn’t try to access any earlier personal logs with Netul
and Callier, I know that much. I think he wanted to see what I did
to rescue my woman, was astounded and wanted to show everyone else
what I did. If he had tried glimpsing deeper in the recordings I
would have personally dealt with the issue. Take care.”

Stephanie waved and as the three men left she
tapped her com beneath the skin of her ear. “Babe, can you come
visit me for a…” the door cut off her next words.

Chapter 7

“
I’m piss free!” Steven
announced his arrival to find Oliver floating in a meditation
sitting arrangement above the pool of water in the tenth floor that
housed the entire level as a large training area where the crew
could exercise and hold challenges. And he wasn’t alone.

Stone floated in a mirroring position along
with a levitating Satellite as Hunter companions had telepathy and
a limited form of telekinesis to aid them for different
gravitational and atmospheric differences. Steven looked closer to
find Stone had been seen by a medic as his entire hands were
tightly wrapped in bandages that were known to adjust from ice cold
to comfortable warmth to promote healing, reduce swelling and most
of all, to make sure the injured area didn’t get worse.

Oliver opened his smoking golden eyes and
smiled with humor. “Good to know. Care to join us? Fair warning,
we’re under seven gees.”

“
Sure. You coming,
Buddy?”

“
Certainly.” Visor kicked
off and flew. Steven noticed the moment his bird entered an
isolated change in gravity as he dropped six meters in almost an
instant before he flapped his wing with more force and a surge of
psionic energy.

Steven flew up behind and the five of them
meditated in levitation while the force of gravity fought with them
to try and be sucked beneath the surface of the eight meter deep
pool of crystal clear water.

They all silently held position and their
extreme hearing picked up others coming and going, but stayed away
from whatever they were doing.

An hour later Satellite chirped “That is
plenty for today. Tell us, Oliver, with all the power you command,
is it effortless to do things with your psionics?”

“
Easy
?” Oliver barked a dry laugh. “Easy is not a word I would ever
consider to use. Even
difficult
is too light a word. It’s more demanding than when
Renee was waiting for me to Fracture by depriving
sleep.”

“
I find that hard to believe
after what I saw on the vids.” The falcon stated his personal
opinion.

“
You have no idea just how
powerful I am. I can’t be currently humanly categorized. I’m so
strong I’m scared of myself.” Oliver shook his head as they all
glided to the ground, him chipping into the gravity controls to
gradually lighten it up for the four others mostly. Ten gees were
his ideal comfort.

“
Then explain it so we may
be able to share the burden. You’re not alone anymore, Brother.”
Stone said as a truly honest person. Flint black eyes were warm
rather than cold.

“
What could I say that could
help you to understand… using half and above of my power is easy,
but below that number is like you lifting every drop of water in
this pool” He gestured to the liquid. “and sucking out a stream the
size of a pinprick under fifty gees. One minor stray thought to
concentration could end in catastrophe. I’m the heavily contained
water who wants to gush into the empty pool and can only let out
the tiniest streams. I’m like a deep breath held and you can only
let out a molecule of air at a time. I’m proficient at telekinesis
as it feels like an extension of my arm but electrical discharge
is… would you two like to see the difference between a thousandth
of one percent and
point
nine of the other percent of my strength to
compare?” they all nodded. “Then back up.”

When they were sufficiently away he carefully
created a kinetic sphere in each hand after rising off the ground.
Hands stretched out to look like a cross. One ball of light
exploded into being larger than the next inside the room. The
larger percent reached half the height of the room and the tenth of
that percent less was about two meters smaller overall. The air
hummed a low sound that could make a person’s teeth want to
vibrate.

“
That would make one hell of
an explosion… I’ve never seen a kinetic ball gather so fast so big
before.” Steven gulped as the pair made the room hum several more
seconds before Oliver absorbed the spheres back into his own body.
Had he discharged even one, the ship would not have stood a chance
of survival. The excess was funneled into the Valek.

“
No wonder you told us you
were afraid of yourself. Control must be difficult as those were
the largest I’ve ever seen a person create before my eyes.” Stone
admitted as Oliver landed again. “Is there anything we can do to
help?”

“
Yes, actually. My Creelin
friends had this game they teach their children when they first
learn to use their gifts.”

“
You talking about Zalie?”
Visor asked.

“
Indeed I am.” Oliver told
the eagle standing on nothing midair though to his glowing vision
Visor was upon a pair of discs, talons curving over the
surface.

“
Before we do it, I need
that promise fulfilled.” Steven pulled out the lance that grew to
full length as well as the flail. “Stone, you sit this one
out.”

“
I’m not going to fight you
with Star-sabers.” The largest among them made it clear.

“
Yes you are, Brother.”
Steven didn’t smile. He was completely serious about it. “The added
danger will help more than us using unbalanced training equipment.”
He threw a thumb over to the wooden weapon racks filled with every
sword, stick and blunted weapon imaginable. “And what better way to
get me accustomed to my new toys than to put them to use. Push me
and only hold back from killing blows. I doubt I’ll win, but I’ll
try my damndest to knock you on your ass.”

“
When my hands heal, I will
ask it of you too, Brother.” Stone admitted coolly.

“
Alright, but we go slow and
Steven, don’t use the flail till we gradually speed up… otherwise
I’ll not help. You know my speed and my swordsmanship has been
sharpened after learning to fight two ancient Creelin. A Beyleez
and a Bezlin to be precise. I’ll hold back as much as I can,
but…”

“
I get it. If you fuck up
and kill me I hold no regrets. It’s part of the life as a Hunter I
chose. All I ask is if I die, end Visor quickly. Neo-animals can’t
handle life without their partner. Humans can as we give a part of
our brain cells to form the mental link so we can eventually
recover. Hey can’t. Make sure he doesn’t suffer.”

“
I know the Hunter laws. And
you have my word he’ll feel nothing.” Visor gave Oliver a look of
thanks as the large man drew the curved sword and
shield.

Steven holstered the flail and readied the
lance into a firm stance, legs spread for solid balance. Small
plates around the suit collar unlocked and rearranged into a plated
helmet with only dark eyelets to see through.

Going slow as promised the spear tip came
forward without any form of shake because of steady and mastered
hands. Oliver moved slow too, reacting as he would have if done at
combat speeds. He leaned in and dropped his right shoulder to let
the tip slide right over and raised the shield to deflect the
deadly blade up while bringing around the cutlass to Steven’s
middle, the sword just as steady.

Steven brought his free left arm under the
right holding the lance being lifted and held up a stiff palm.
Oliver watched as invisible fields of psionic energy pushed from
the palm into a curved miniature barrier. The cutlass didn’t hit
the middle of the curve, but the shape funneled it into position as
it changed shape into an encircling grip, all the while Steven’s
helmet stayed locked onto Oliver’s. Some sparks flew as the sword
hit the barrier, but a minor channeling down the sword dispelled
the barrier’s grip to allow him to slide it back.

It really wasn’t a surprise because Steven
had used the same maneuver before, but now Oliver could see exactly
what happened this time. Previous sparring sessions often with
Steven ended up being disarmed. Besides, one didn’t want to get
into a brawl with Steven Metts. He was a deadly martial artist atop
of being a hundred and ninety centimeters tall and solid throughout
his body that wasn’t completely disguised by the battered
armor.

Slow exchanges gradually increased in pace,
but was still slow to Oliver. Then they got up to adequate speeds
where Oliver gave the nod to let Steven use the flail which didn’t
hesitate to join the clash of metal on metal. The flail certainly
made up for the lance’s lack of maneuverability as it was mainly a
thrusting weapon which its long shaft was ideal for blocking, but
the flail’s chains added flexibility to the exchange. The pegged
ball rained upon the shield and struck it like a tuned bell. Each
blow was surprisingly heavy while the lance was fast and precise.
Sometimes Steven would retract the lance into a shortsword to
change the tempo of the back and forth session in which neither
sustained injury, not for Steven’s lack of trying. He knew Oliver
was toying with him. Oddly it wasn’t infuriating.

The session grew to full-on battle for
Steven, but Oliver hadn’t broken a sweat nor left any openings for
his defense was uncanny because of heritage and hard work.

“
Enough, Brothers.” Stone
called and Oliver’s sword paused a fraction of a centimeter from
Steven’s wrist and Steven was about to stab through a foot.
“Steven, well done. Those weapons are much better than the
originals you’ve carried for so long. Rest and recover.”