Void's Psionics (2 page)

“
Nah, let him sleep,
Steven.”

“
You said he’s been asleep
for thirty hours straight, Mrs. Void.” Came the male voice of
Steven Metts. Hunter and explosive fanatic
extraordinaire.

“
So would you if all you had
was twenty three hours sleep in a three
month
timeframe.” She retorted. “Let
him sleep some more.”

“
Too late for that.” Oliver
groaned in a bit of stiffness and pain.

He opened his eyes straight up into a wonder
of wonders. From his position sprawled the great Sapphire Nebula,
the unofficial home of the Dorgenox mostly as it traveled through
space. Dust and gas made the nebula have a varying blue color from
light baby blue to dark purple. It was aptly named for a stellar
nursery that would become another star system in fifty million
years if all goes well. Right now it was so stunningly beautiful
and peppered with further starlight behind. It’s soft color
contrasted with the blackness of space perfectly and was a very
welcome sight to behold.

Then he thought
Wait, why can I see so much?
To turn his head and see the largest of the masts jutting up
through the deck. He sat up in nothing but a pair of boxers that
hid his prized jewels to ask “What am I doing out here?”

Amber eyes turned as he followed movement of
Renee in a pair of sinfully tight jeans and a skin tight white
shirt beside Steven Metts and his Golden Eagle called Visor,
perched on his shoulder. Steven was hardly a small man being a
hundred and ninety centimeters tall, but next to Oliver’s two
sixteen, he was short. The man stood taller than Renee’s one sixty
seven point six. He also wore standard Hunter armor that was top of
the line in human technology protection, but like a badge of honor,
it had scars and markings from many deadly fights since humans no
longer scar. Thanks to a program though it was shiny silver. The
program was made based of his own armor’s ability to clean itself.
The man was seventy one and still looked around Oliver’s age. In
his right hand was a simple spear that could collapse, but normally
he used it as a walking staff. Hung on his left hip though was a
flail, a metal handle upon a shaft and spiked ball connected
together by a chain of rings. He was tan, had lighter brown hair
than Oliver, often had a smile on his face and was always ready for
action though he lazed around when things were boring. And right
now the man was smirking. “Brother, what do you last remember?”

“
Uh, hold that thought, got
to take a leak.” In an instant Oliver was standing, using natural
inhuman ligaments to do so. In the lower gravity environment he
found the nearest access hatch in three bounds, lifted the lid and
moved down a stairwell to go a level down.

Level three of the ship held a lush forest
underneath the deck and as soon as Oliver could leap over the
spiraling hand railing he did. He dropped fifty meters and landed
lightly before diving into the brush, whipped it out and let the
pressure-pain loose. ‘Ha’ he breathed in total relief to help water
the forest, passing the nearest toilet over a kilometer away. Since
urine is recycled like all waste aboard anyway, Oliver simple
skipped a step and watered the forest directly.

When the final drops were gone he sniffed and
wrinkled his brow. Heightened smell allowed him to realize just how
bad he smelled and tapped a communication crystal imbedded just
underneath the skin in the soft area behind the ear canal. “Renee,
I’m going to our room for a much needed shower. Tell Steven I’ll
meet up with him to apologize for leaving so rudely.”

“
We’re actually outside the
bushes, Idiot.” She said loud enough to be heard and Steven added
“I feel bad for the tree he just drowned in piss.” She snorted a
small laugh.

Oliver looked down and willed a set of pants
and a long sleeved shirt from within the vambrace attached to his
whole right forearm. Rippling like warm water, armor was extracted
and grew over his body to change. Boots clad his large feet and
suddenly realized “My sword!” and bulled through the brush.

“
Must have been an
emergency.” Steven spoke, holding said blade. “Here, Brother.”
Brother being a term Hunters call one another or Sister if female.
All others are called by last name.

The thick handled cutlass fit perfectly in
Oliver’s dominant left hand, but the moment it touched the warmth
it always gave off, its dull blackness flared to life with
thousands of twinkling stars throughout the blade and hilt. It
wasn’t too bright, but when it gets too dark to see by it gives off
plenty to navigate safely. From the belt rippled and grew a curved
sheathe which is the only housing the star-saber could be held in.
When the sword is alight it is sharp enough to cut through any
material by separating the very molecules it passes through. And as
a safety feature it cannot cut the wiElder. When dull and untouched
be the owner it creates a barrier only the most accurate and minute
scans can detect it. As a special function it also adjusts its own
gravity so the weight remains the same no matter the environment.
He sheathed the perfectly balanced cutlass saying “Thank you and
sorry for leaving like that.”

“
Not needed.” Visor the
regal eagle clicked his beak. “We all have forgotten things
when
those
particular priorities make us a slave.”

“
Except when you crap
intentionally on someone.” Steven chuckled to his companion, a
neutrally enhanced animal bound to one individual.

“
Don’t blame me! Your baby
sister scared it out of me. How was I supposed to know she would
open her mouth at that moment I was aiming for the top of her head
and…” Visor could not hold back anymore as the memory sent him into
a fit of feather shaking laughter. It was infectious and the three
people joined it, Renee wiping a teary eye.

When it settled Steven leaned on his spear to
ask again “So what do you remember last, Brother?”

Oliver brushed his hair back with thick
fingers taking a moment to think. “I remember… Renee bringing me
more coffee and went to the deck. I remember thinking I saw Sparky
having three heads while singing opera…”

“
Opera? Three heads? Oh, new
ammo.” Steven and Sparky had some rivalry going on for over
nineteen months since he was put on the Dorgenox. They fought
constantly, but rarely did it get serious.

Renee backhanded Steven’s metallic armored
stomach, adding a bit of a shock to inflict appropriate pain which
kicked the wind from his chest. “No you won’t. Keep pissing my
Drake off or even mention opera and you may not live to regret it.
Sparky loathes that music style fiercely and is one of the few hot
buttons that will make him as ornery as a Keptl sitting right in
front of him.”

“
Oh, please!”

“
Oops, he already knows, too
bad.” Renee said without a trace of remorse.

In Steven’s head the old
Drake thought
“If you wish to keep that ass
you are so proud of from my teeth leaving an impression for the
next few months you better keep opera to your damn
self.”

“
Spoilsports… ugh, fine. You
two take the fun out of everything.” Steven threw up his hands.
Sparky mentally snorted and left his mind.

“
What else, Olly?” Renee
prompted.

“
Other than a few disjointed
images… nothing. I’m drawling a total blank.”

“
Then I’m happy to inform
you that you finally Fractured.” She practically glowed.

“
I did? Really? … so that is
why you let me finally get some shuteye.” He realized.

“
Here, give it a try.” Renee
pulled the cube that he loathed with every fiber of his being, but
took it and widened the valve to stare in complete relief as he
began to pull it apart with relative ease and keep them afloat
without so much as a shake. “Amazing.”

“
Sorry it nearly killed you,
Brother, but at least now you can catch up on sleep again. The
hardest part is over…”

“
But now comes the most mind
numbing and tedious part.” Renee cut in. “At every spare chance,
your task is to pull it apart and reassemble it within fifteen
seconds. Maximum.”

“
Wait… what?” he was
dumbfounded, but didn’t let any part fall as they gathered in a
mass between his hands.

“
She’s right, Brother.”
Steven wrinkled his nose, remembering it too when he was younger.
“They say it helps us to figure things out more logically. I feel
bad for you because my puzzle cube had only eighty pieces and yours
is practically double. I spent months trying to complete the
deadline.”

“
But I like puzzles… except
for this contraption. It’s too simple though. Remember how I fixed
up Stephanie and Jessica’s wedding data crystal? My mind is made
for figuring thing out. Watch. Uh, Red, time me.”

She arched one delicate strawberry brow but
said “My chip’s ready to go.”

To say Steven, Visor and Renee were
flabbergasted would be an understatement. Oliver closed his eyes
and levitated the pieces, his mind working furiously in putting the
parts together in mental simulation a nanosecond before it
translated into reality as metal clanked together, disassembled and
put back again in less than two seconds.

“
Stars!” the three cursed
simultaneously. It was Renee who sighed “Tricky bastard. It takes
months to Fracture and an instant to beat my own record by eight
seconds. Took me a year to get that good. Alright, fine, we’ll get
to the next lesson later tonight.”

“
And that would entail?” He
rolled a hand to learn more.

“
Later. You said something
about a bath… and Steven needs to have a chat… oh, and hold onto
the cube to wash it too. You’ve not washed your hands after going
to the bathroom.” She turned to the nearest path to lead to the
closest elevator.

The two burly men and bird followed. Renee
knew Oliver was staring at her peach shaped backside in tight jeans
for his viewing pleasure. She also heard a bit of a groan to know
he just smelled her increased arousal wetting her panties a little.
She almost doubled over with a fit of giggles as he tried to take
his mind off her scent. “So what do you need of me?”

Steven’s spear thumped the ground with each
few steps to say “Mrs. Menann actually needs your help finding a
few things out after Mrs. Void, your evil mistress in front of us,
told her you finally broke the mental barrier that holds all of us
back. Now that you aren’t about to keel over every few seconds she
needs your undivided help since you do seem to have a knack for
unlocking secrets.”

“
Why send you and not call
me on my com? They still work inside the ship at least since the
captain made it impossible from the outside doing so. Blackout
protocol and all.”

“
She said we were getting on
her nerves. Can you believe she said
we
were giving her a headache?” Steven
touched his breast innocently.

Oliver’s eyes didn’t roll half as much as
Renee’s. “Not you.” The latter bantered.

“
Well, she sent us to go
collect you and go bring her some food.”

“
Then go do it and tell her
I’ll be over there after a shower. She’s still in her second
research lab right?” Both man and bird nodded. “I’ll be there
soon.”

Steven and Visor parted with the two at the
elevator. One pair going to the mess to gather food and the other
traveling down six levels to speed down the length of the ship,
near the rear. The doors opened on level nine nearest the med bay
and joined to it is Oliver’s and Renee’s cozy adjoining
bedroom.

White barren walls, a white desk, chair and
one plant that gives off a clean citrus aroma greets people to the
med bay. It is large and deceivingly empty. It is deceiving because
within the walls are comfortable gel covered beds that can slide
out under the command of Renee when she uses an implanted chip
within her brain to link to the ship’s systems. Soft lights in the
ceiling don’t hurt sensitive eyes and also store several medical
drone orb scanners that can peer throughout the body in little
time. Also up there are extra seats and surgical gear when Renee
must fall back on what she calls ‘medieval’ methods in which she
must resort to cutting someone open, but those surgeries are a last
resort. With nanites and innate regeneration, the body can heal
itself from near everything given time. With her chemical knowledge
she can create biological solutions for healing literally within
herself now. She may be stubborn and blunt, but she is a healer at
heart. She hates death as a result of a mother she never got to
know. Leading from the room are three other doors. One leads to a
scrubbing room that joins to an emergency docking bay. Another goes
to the restrooms and showers and the final steel door leads to
their bedroom.

Soft steps faintly echoed
the two of them towards the bedroom before Renee suddenly stopped
and tapped behind her ear. “Yeah? Shit! I’ll be right there!” She
tapped her ear again and used the nearest wall as a platform to
launch herself out the room in a blink. Oliver was about to follow
when Sparky’s voice suddenly filled his mind.
“Renee asked me to tell you Vanessa’s baby Taylor is having a
mild seizure, but not to worry. She told Vanessa there was a chance
it would happen. Renee didn’t want to correct it in event Taylor
could overcome it naturally. She can correct the imbalance in no
time, but it will make Taylor fussy for several months as the
imbalance that causes the seizures stabilizes is
uncomfortable.”