Tales of Unity - Arc I - Jaded Ether [Eteru/Iammelon] [Dropped/Recton]

With due consideration to what he had just witnessed, Algrove was clearly not in the mood at all to try and fight something of this magnitude, and so he hastily took the card and gave a nod, "Yeah, not in my job description at all. Sorry mate, you're on your own here. I'll get going. Come on Silzi!" With that, he quickly moved to leave the same way Lincoln had come in. The lockdown was still active, so he wasn't getting out of the facility, but he could at least go to the relative safety of the upper levels so long as he avoided the cafeteria that Vixgor had taken over. Silzi meanwhile delayed a bit, but she too did turn to move away. She wasn't as panicked as Algrove though, with her face remaining rather calm despite the display of strength. She did not run away, she simply walked. She was also more sneaky, and instead of going out towards the upstairs elevator she slipped into a different room, which had the door close behind it. She didn't say a word in the process, and the room itself was unmarked. It could've been another exit, but with her distinct lack of urgency it didn't seem likely. 

This did however just leave Lincoln alone, with the destroyed droids and Lana in the room. Of course, there was one other person, that being the Psion in his head. Tulam was clearly greatly amused with this development, speaking up again, "Ah, another family reunion. And this one is going swimmingly already! Square up now, vessel. Try not to die, I'd hate to have to move on so early. Oh, use some of the things I've taught you! It's a fancy suit, but you've already figured out how to hide from one monstrosity. You can do it again. Combine that with your already existing skills, and you can put up a fight. Put in some good effort and I may just intervene myself to reward you for doing your best! As an additional incentive, if you die... This sister of yours becomes my next vessel. And unlike you, this one doesn't have your fusion ability. Without that... I am in control. Don't disappoint me now! Go team!" With that, his voice faded out to leave just Lincoln and Lana.

Lincoln wasn’t able to hear the rest of Tulam’s pep talk when he noticed a shadow go over him. An iron limb slammed his back into Lana’s armored chest. Trapping him in an almost literal bone crushing hug. Blinking in bewilderment he came to his senses. Lana practically towers over him although he can sense her armor added to her height to make her look more imposing. The surface of her armor was warm against his skin.

Silence hangs in the air.

Said silence that is quickly replace with awkwardness as seconds go by.

“You’ve...been looking for me for a long time haven’t you.” He managed to stammer out.

”Mm” She affirmed in a dignified manner.

Lincoln glanced to the side sheepishly. “So...what are you going to do now?” He asks her.

For some reason he could feel her budding embarrassment underneath her chest plate. ”...I don't know, I didn't think I'd get this far.” She admits. And just like that her intimidation factor went away in a puff of smoke.

”Of course. Lana is the metaphorical equivalent to a turtle. Hard and rough on the outside yet soft on the inside. She relies on her craft to intimidate others.” Came the dry quip from Lisa.

Seconds pass before Lincoln decides to awkwardly return the hug. He could sense that Lana still doesn’t know where they go from her. It wasn’t hard to imagine that Lana had been focusing on moving from one place to the next. An inverse of thinking too much on the destination. He was brought out of his musings when Lana spoke up. ”I guess...you know who I am. You wouldn’t be this calm otherwise, right?” Lana sounded a bit afraid to let her hopes up.

“I do. You’re my sister. I don’t remember much. It was only a few days ago that I began to remember you girls when Lisa found me here.” That was a risky drop of information. He could feel her body tense up.

”Oh...She’s here?” She asks darkly.

“I-I know there are things between you and the rest of our sisters. But she’s better now. Please believe me, Lana.” He tries to assure her that Lisa means no harm to her. In a stroke of luck it seemed she believed that somewhat.

”There is stuff that I’m seeing that doesn't fit the picture of Lisa that I’ve last seen decades ago. We all do change overtime, but Lisa was more static than most…” He felt her look upward. ”But if there’s one thing I’m certain, I do know that Lisa wouldn’t be in this room.” She spoke accusingly into the empty space.

A ripple of space reveals the form of Lisa hovering in the air. Geared up in an attire he hasn't seen yet. She was wearing a glossy, black plugsuit with a circuit board design that pulsed with emerald light. Upon her back was a pair of translucent, fly-like wings, six in total, and each featuring the same circuit board design on them. Her glasses were gone as she sported a green visor over her eyes.

In a strange way she looked beautiful to Lincoln. A digital angel who watches over him. How strangely fitting. “Of course I would be. You made quite the ingress. Even ruined Lincoln's poor creations.” Lisa spoke in a dry manner. Making a lazy gesture to his poor Hoplites.

That seems to hurt Lana's defenses. ”Oh...I-I can fix them up...sorry.” She mumbled off. Evidently a bit ashamed for having rashly destroyed not JUST droids but her brother’s droids.

“Uhm this is nice and all but let’s say we all have a nice talk elsewhere?” Lincoln offers a suggestion. Lana and Lisa were busy seizing each other up. Staring at one another for a few seconds before Lana gave way first.

”Alright... I’ll trust Lisa.” She says. Letting go of her brother with noticeable reluctance. Somehow by some miracle they seem to remain cool. Relocating to the lounging room.

There was the distinct sense of disappointment from Tulam at the fact they weren't going to fight. Lincoln wasn't in danger, which was for the best, but the Psion wanted him to deal with some challenge. It was great for development after all, and the best slaves were those who were quite aware of their masters' superior strength. Made them learn respect, at least in the Psion's view. But he sighed and rolled his nonexistent spectral eyes in the mind, "Boring peaceful reunion, ugh. No excitement. But there's one of your sisters now, a techie one. Congratulations, vessel. Now time to bring this one more properly into the fold, hm? Another powerful slave! Think of the possibilities! And allow me to give a little help..." Tulam's voice faded, but he began to play on the connection with Lisa, to mess with her emotions. He felt this would be a little more interesting if he began to evoke the same memories of desire for Lincoln again, but also make the emotions slowly spread to Lana as well. He hoped for some amusement in watching how Lisa grappled being a bit more... interested in her sister. Besides, he was sure this would help the family reunion go more smoothly, time to show Lana how much Lisa had changed. What fun was there in static things after all?

Meanwhile, the three of them were able to get into the lounge room without much issue. It was like a large living room combined with a recreation center. It had many couches, TVs, some computer consoles, vending machines with drinks, and even quite oddly a massage table in a smaller room towards the back, which had some privacy. The best spot to sit down however was a set of couches in a circular fashion, in front of a large TV. The room did have some modifications, such as the vending machines actually being opened to allow just grabbing the drinks instead of paying. That was presumably an adjustment Algrove had made while he was stuck here.

There were also cameras in the room, similar to the ones before. One of them activated, and focused in on the group. The voice that came forth was a deeper female one, "Seems you're making up now. Good. I would've hated to use what I have here on somebody with spunk. Hurry up and clear up your objective with the man. As much as I appreciate a woman with a hammer and a mission, collateral damage is unwanted right now. Do control yourselves inside this facility. Its role is not yet fulfilled, so do not break it." With that the voice and camera cut off. That was presumably Silzi's voice. Regardless, it left the three siblings in privacy. Except of course for the ever present Tulam, but he of course wasn't going anywhere. The Psion was more interested in observing Lisa now that she had been given a poke, and silently tapping into Lana's mind to start poking around in there as well. He was curious about this new arrival after all. This left Lincoln to his own devices with his two sisters.

Tulam did certainly poke Lisa’s psyche but it was deafened by the surge of intellectual thinking that was pouring out of her cerebrum as it has been for several hours now. Conjuring up a storm of theorems, principles, formulas, concepts, and a slew of other matters. Never before in centuries has she experienced this rush of elation. Of finally having something interesting to ponder about. All of which stems from her dear brother. Who was now sitting on one of the couches. She and Lana on opposite sides of the room. Lana looked in her direction before feeling comfortable enough to take off her armor. The back opened up to allow her to step out of it. Leaving the armor to collapse itself into a metal briefcase. Lana was an attractive woman. Her way of life is evident in her finely toned form.

Lisa gaze onward towards her siblings with an analytical gaze. Standing on the ground with arms across her chest. Looking over to Lincoln she could see the age-old numbers in her field of vision. Graphs and diagrams coming and going. At the moment she was thinking over the nature of Lincoln’s existence. In short, what does it mean for someone to have more dimensions outside of 3-D space? Such a question begs a very old subject. What is the nature of space and time?

Before that, one must put aside all their intuitions about how time and space work. Naturally their brain would resist because it’s challenging to put aside one's understanding of the universe. So to start one must know the definition of Spacetime. It refers to whichever external reality underlines our collective experiences of the spaces between things and the time between events. This naturally brings more questions to the table. Why can't space and time be reality on their own? Why add "space-time" as an additional concept?

To explain. Suppose two observers that move relative to each other, and particles count as observers. It's a fact that those observers don’t agree how much time passes between events. It’s a fact that they don’t fully agree on how much space there is between things at any given moment. It’s a fact that they don’t even agree on the chronological order of all events. And yet, each observer measures things properly and is entirely consistent which means neither of them is wrong.

To take these discrepancies at face value and focus on what they imply about the nature of reality. Because if one thinks about it, some of the implications are staggering. Add someone who is now interwoven with it on such a fine level. What does it mean for Lincoln? Take this disagreement about sequence of events for instance. Such as Past, Present, and Future. It is severe. If two observers can’t agree on the sequence of events.

It means that at present, someone’s past is in someone else’s future. For nearby events, the event is microscopic. But so what? Any disagreement means that there is no universal division of events into past, present, and future, which opens major philosophical cans of worms for things like free will and the belief that people can change the future. So does it mean that everyone’s experience of the universe is entirely subjective? Or to phrase it in another way, if time and space are what people usually conceive of them aren’t part of objective reality then what is?

The answer is Causality. A good starting point for objective reality is universal agreements. As luck would have it, all observers do agree about this thing. The spacetime interval, or spacetime separation between two events. Even though two observers in relative motion will measure different distances and different elapsed times between the same two events, they always agree about the spacetime interval between those events. Now if everyone agrees about spacetime intervals, they must signify something.

But what? Since the interval involves subtraction, a spacetime interval can be positive, zero, or negative. When it’s positive, nothing can get from one event to the other, and there are always observers who disagree about which one happens first. When it’s zero or negative, signals or things can get from one event to the other. And everyone agrees on their sequence. Thus it would appear that the spacetime interval between two events tells one whether one event can influence the other event. In other words, even though people can’t agree about past, present, future, time, or distance, they all appear to agree about causality.

It may seem counterintuitive. Normally one thinks that time is responsible for causality but actually it’s the other way around. To the extent that people agree about temporal anything, is only because of causality. Causality is what’s real. So to touch the next question. What does causality have to do with spacetime? Turns out everything. Long ago, shortly after relativity first came out, a former math professor noticed that the spacetime interval resembles a weird version of distance formula in what’s called a non-Euclidean space. He proposed a radical idea, that perhaps reality is not a three-dimensional space that evolves in time. Instead, it’s a four dimensional non-Euclidean mathematical space that’s just there.

No evolution. No time. That 4D mathematical space is spacetime. Its points correspond to events. All events, everywhere, ever. And in this view only things that correspond to geometric relations in that 4D space are objectively real, for instance, casual relation. They correspond to spacetime intervals, which are geometric relations, a non-Euclidean version of the “distances” between points. In contrast, people’’s experiences and measurements of time and space don’t correspond to anything, per se.

They can be compared to XY grids that mathematicians use. Useful for talking about the board, but arbitrary and inherently meaningless. The board, its points and geometric facts, are simply there whether we put axis on that board or not. As is the nature of science this brings up more questions. Is a person objectively real? Well, kind of. If a person is the sequence of all the events of which they were present, then they are a geometric object in spacetime, a line segment joining the points representing the events of their birth and their death. Do they move along that line segment? No. They are the line segment. There’s no motion through spacetime. It’s not the kind of space that people are experiencing right now. It’s tense-less.

And this is where Lisa starts to reevaluate her entire life up to this point. The person's future isn't' merely predetermined, it already exists. There’s some zen in trying to express what spacetime is without being misleading, but Lisa thinks an analogy fits the flavor right.

Imagine everyone is all reading a flip book made of graph paper. They agree on the events of the story, but don’t agree where they happen on the page, on how many pages there are between events, or even the order of some of those events. And yet, they are all reading the same book. Only there’s no graph on the paper, there are no pages, and there is no book. All of that is just an imposition their brains make in order to perceive whatever “it” is.

So why do they perceive reality in such a vividly spatial and temporal way? Again, a good question. A question no one really knows. And to think this is far from understanding everything about spacetime. This mental tangent is nothing more than a loose introduction to what is called a flat spacetime. Once general relativity entered the mix, people will find that there are many possible spacetimes with different geometries, making it hard to ascertain which one this is.

Lisa broke out of her musings to notice Lana took a seat on a nearby couch. Clearly nervous for obvious reasons. She and Lincoln were talking. The latter carried the conversation. He was speaking about the general events of his life. In a sense, they were getting to know each other again. Hm. Again. That dragged her back to her thoughts. If a person is a line segment. What does it mean when Lincoln transcends that? Then it struck her.

Long ago she had dropped her research on their contractor. She had been curious why an entity so advanced, so powerful, would wipe out an entire world's worth of population and spare only them. Then proceed to shape them into tools in a constrained environment. From a perspective it was as if they were searching for something in them. Lisa goes over the scientific method and finds that it’s reasonable to assume that the entity knew something about them. Something star breaking.

Thinking about Lincoln’s role as the emotional center in their family. The more she began to consider that Lincoln was already what he was before that day. They were all a part of something even before their births. Lisa did say he was practically Almighty but she was still wrapping her head around. For one trying to define the word “God” is a moot point. There are too many possible meanings for the word “God”. Objective and arbitrary. Some of them are impossible to believe. Some of them are impossible to disbelieve. Mortals are finite beings and any opinions they might have about the possible existence of an infinite being are, at best, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Instead, Lincoln fits the definition of godlike. Very much so. Taking everything into consideration she comes to the logical conclusion that they were all connected to Lincoln. Always have been. It didn’t concern her that this invokes the problem of free will. Because most people don't make the distinction between "will" and "free will". Free from what? conditions? No, everything is based on conditions. And when you have someone that can control those conditions, the truth becomes obvious.

She was never a religious person before. But after everything she came to discover. It dawned on her that she had been ignorant of her place in Lincoln’s grand design. Her brother. Her sweet, dearest brother. An image came to Lisa. All of her other sisters surrounding Lincoln, all naked. Adoring him while he shows his love in return. From a perspective they looked like one great whole. All meant to be together. No. They were meant to be together with Lincoln. Is his everlasting care, love, and forgiveness not divine?

Lana’s voice broke Lisa out of her thoughts. She perks her head to see Lana looking at her quizzically. Biting the bottom of her lip. “Hey Lisa…” Lana begins. Lisa tilted her head to the side. “...you’ve changed since I’ve last seen you.” Gears whir in Lisa’s mind. Schematics and ideas forming with each passing second. Yes. Lisa was certain now of what she must do. “There’s a spark in your eyes. You seem more alive.” Lana continued. Meanwhile Lisa came closer. Coming around the backside of the couch. It was child play to lock down the room in an instance without Lana sensing anything. Obscuring the cameras and anything else that could see what’s happening in this room. She won’t allow any interference.

A genuine small smile appeared on her face. “It couldn't have been done without our dear brother. He may have left, shamefully by my own hand. But he never left us. You know that quite well didn’t you? Crafting an instrument to reach across the veil to find him. But what did you find instead?” She asks. Clearly setting something up but Lana couldn’t grasp what yet.

She gave a nod. Sulking out of remembrance those long stretches of years. “I made a device to look for him. But it said he was everywhere not nowhere. Then a few decades ago it sent off a notification. The readings changed but something was different. There were readings of quantum activiti-” Lana was cut off when Lisa held up a hand in a polite manner. Not wishing to get off track.

Coming around to stand next to the armrest that was next to the other couch that Lincoln was sitting on. “And because you knew that. You never lost faith did you? Stuck true to who you were while the rest of us fall into a tragedy of our own making. Because that is what Lincoln would have wanted. I, on the other hand, well that’s history. But Lincoln came back stronger. And he still has that gift of connecting us, of binding us together only now brought to its zenith. He healed me. Took away my madness.” Lisa knew she had hooked Lana’s attention. Not only was she hitting the mark but also alluding to the possibility of her twin being saved from her madness. A twin she could never been able to reach for centuries.

“Do you wish to experience it?” Lisa swiftly pressed into Lana’s defense. “You deserve this more than I did. Searching for him for all these years. While I have succumbed to my demons.” She saw Lana glance at her in pity before looking over to their dear brother. Who was awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“I don’t mind doing it if you want to. That said I do want to help you girls. Get everyone back together as the family we were.” said Lincoln. His words seem to have an effect on Lana. Largely as a result of immense satisfaction for having finally found him after so long. Lisa beckons Lincoln over. Walking back behind the couch as he watches her brother tentatively come over to sit on the cushion beside Lana. They were close now. Lana was locking eyes with Lincoln while Lisa loomed behind her. Their reunited sister gave a nod before holding hands with Lincoln.

Their prodigal sister watches from above as Lincoln partially fumes with Lana. A feat that subconsciously came to him as a result of his bond with Lisa. His hand became enshrouded in motes and bands of light. Lighting up Lana’s veins with an orange glow. She shuddered as her gaze became half-lidded.

In the cosmic mindscape a second satellite galaxy came into being around Hoshizora. Its color was a deep blue. Nebulae glyphs coming into shape at the collective wills of Tulam and Lincoln who is also being supported by his sweet angel Lisa. Lincoln brought Lisa along in going through Lana’s life. Knowing just exactly what they need, Lisa prod Lincoln to go to a certain place. Lana’s foundries under the dwarven mountains.

Lincoln was surprised by what he saw and was touched. A portion of Lana’s creations was made in his memory. Constantly making them to make her memories of him alive. She was doing it for so long that it evolved into idolization. Practically having small rooms dedicated for shrines of him. They weren’t religious in nature but spurred by Psion's touch and Lisa’s suggestion. He nudged all these memories so that they were.

Lisa sneaks in a “Truth” to interweave with Lana’s thoughts. ”You surely know that your body is a temple where his Holy Spirit lives. Your flesh, your bones, your blood, they are all his own. His Holy Spirit is in you and is a gift from the Son. You are no longer your own. As you’re his temple, it’s his right to do what he wills.” And just like that the memories took form without much help. They watch as Lana’s act of touching gestures of adding trinkets to a shrine. Is now being overshadowed by these new memories.

She would masturbate in her shrine room. Whether with phallic objects that represent her brother’s or having sex with the animunculus of her brother. Getting drunk on her pleasure induced devotion to the memory of her one and only brother. Back in reality, Lisa steps out to help Lana along. Disintegrating her clothing to leave her bare as the day she was born. Lisa thread her hand through Lana’s blond locks. Softly gripping her scalp to pull her head back. Leaning in to whisper into Lana’s ear. "The Son has all claims over our flesh. We are his wine, only poured for Him and Him alone to enjoy." That sent a pleasurable shock through Lana’s body. Lisa gave a smirk at Lincoln’s darkening gaze when he watched how Lana’s breast shook in front of him.

Lisa physically forces Lana to look at their brother. “Look my dear brother. She adores you so much. Spent so long waiting for you. We know both know it’s only right to reward such loyalty with warm love.” Her words did the trick. Spurring a storm of fiery passion in Lincoln. The same occurs within Lana. Her eyes swelling up with emotion. Panting deeply as she realized the object of her worship was not before her. Lincoln pulls Lana to him and she happily falls into his embrace. Lincoln’s attire was discarded and in an instant there were mating like animals. Their sister was shouting praises as she was rut into the couch.

All the while Lisa watches on from behind. Grinning at Lana coming to realize her role as Lincoln’s angel. Seeing her brother make Lana his woman while continuously cleaning her mind of grime made her thighs burn. She wanted to be a part of the experience. Alas she restrained herself. This was Lana’s special time. Even Lincoln knew she deserved it after doing so much for him. ”I’m going to get things ready my dear brother. I know you’ll make her feel loved.” Lisa mentally said to her dearest brother as she kissed the back of his sweaty neck. Over his shoulder she could see Lana’s gaze that was drunk on love. She hears his mental affirmation as she saunters away.

The door opens on its own to let Lisa stroll outside. With a snap the temperature in the cargo bay returned to normal. Gliding over to the piles that were the ruined Hoplites she reformed them back to shape with a small motion of her arm. It was a slight amusement to see Morris look around in confusion of what happened and what “Wanker” did him in. He and the others were confused on her gear but before they could ask she spoke up. “The enemy is detained. Lincoln is showing her his forgiveness however and she’ll be a part of our group. Till then we need every Hoplite here, even the drones.” What was strange to the droids that according to their sensors, Lisa was being tagged as Lincoln. Because of that she was speaking with his authority. A vessel for his will if you will.

Morris gave a shrug and went to grab the men. Meanwhile the rest of the Hoplites went to man the area outside the door to the lounge. Leaving Lisa to flutter in the air like a fairy. Since there wasn’t much need to go after that Valorian at the moment she went back into the lounge. Lincoln was now sitting upright. Holding Lana tightly as she sat on his lap. Vigorously grinding her hips against his own. Her tongue lolling out of her mouth that was then being sucked on by Lincoln. A sight that puts a smile on Lisa’s face.

All throughout Tulam was heavily amused by the events going on. He was disappointed before with the lack of a fight, but he did get quite a bit of enjoyment from this new development. He liked Lincoln and Lisa taking some initiative, the good old element of surprise to pounce on Lana and break her in nice and quick. As they were combined, Tulam decided to use Lana's rather distracted state of mind to start probing around for himself. As before with Lisa, he decided to establish a mental connection between her and Lincoln, which of course Tulam could tap into whenever he wanted as well. This would be useful for later, and of course he was sure Lincoln wouldn't mind the connection. But more importantly for Tulam, it let him rustle around a bit more in Lana's memories. He was looking to put together a puzzle, and each of these siblings had their part in it. He would need to investigate each of their minds to put the clues together, understand the design behind each of them. That would in turn give him a better idea of who and what had imbued them with their powers in the first place. Besides, never hurt to know what he had to work with, as each of these siblings had their unique uses. This new slave for instance had experience and skill in a forge. A good skill, as somebody needed to create the tools for use by other slaves. Be they simple farmer slaves, or more important warrior slaves. Logistics were an ever present need for a more functional domain. This one was a good template for a line of such forge slaves, once she was brought to heel and properly adjusted. Combine her with the other slave's scientific expertise, and they could perhaps make some marvelous equipment for the warriors. He still needed to wait until he found the warrior template the memories showed mention of, but always good to get started.

Once Tulam was satisfied with picking and learning Lana's skills, he decided to leave behind some little adjustments. The modifications already made were sufficient for what was needed, but as a Psion he could not leave be! As a master of the slave crafting arts, merely good was not enough. It had to be to be something mastercrafted, or at least more according to Tulam's standards. Lana was already quite compliant and loyal, and he felt the idolization was quite good at reinforcing that. He decided to add a little, and from Lana's memories he decided to remove all doubt of Lincoln being alive. No, she needed to be certain that he was alive always, and that it was always her very purpose to reunite with him and give herself to him. Otherwise, he decided to nudge around her interest in the forge. Her perfection of her craft was given an additional purpose; usefulness for whatever Lincoln needed or wanted. Cultivating the ability to make anything he needed when she found him. That would set her along the right path. Finally, cohesion was good, so he decided to trim down a bit of the memories of animosity towards Lisa. Infighting was amusing, but too much was disruptive. Only enough to maintain sense in Lana's mind and allow for the occasional moment of amusement would be needed. With that, he decided to let Lincoln handle the rest from here with his strange primal activities.

As the Droids began to gather outside in the Cargo Bay, the Psion decided to do one extra thing. Using the connection to Lisa, he formed his phantasmal avatar near her. He could not move his soul out of Lincoln, but he decided to not tell him that each of these links extended his reach. Each sister they acquired gave Tulam yet another outlet, and through them he could regain more and more bits of his true power and reach. Lisa would not be able to sense him or see his avatar, as it floated above her and grin. His hand pat her head, a look of satisifcation on his face. He made an absent comment, "You're more useful than I first pinned, well done. You'll be very useful to your brother... And me. Good slave." She of course couldn't hear him, but he decided to give her a little jolt of pleasure, and a vague sense that some greater being was happy with her. As it came through Lincoln's link, she would feel it as if it were from him, and that suited Tulam just fine. He saw the droids finish gathering up, including the flying drones. A little army was gathering now. He did look to the side however, grunting. Not everything was finished, not everyone accounted for. The human from before was no danger. But the furball was different, something was wrong with her. Perhaps he would get Lincoln to investigate, but that would be for later. For now, his form phased out, the last thing to disappear being a small smile.

Lincoln's physical eyes took in Lana’s form. Memorizing how she looked. Slowly take in her scent as he holds her close. Burying his face into the sweaty nape of her neck. Listen to how her heart pounds. Feel the texture of her skin as he caresses her. Lincoln’s cosmic eyes look down from above. Dividing his attention to also wade through Lana memories. Already he felt as if he had known Lana for countless years. All the while the more he watches his physical form make love with Lana.

Something felt off. Not a sense of wrongness per say. The sort of feeling that makes a person roll over in bed, unable to go to sleep. It wasn’t exactly boredom. He was enjoying this moment of reuniting with one of his long lost sisters. But something itches in the back of his metaphorical mind. He needed to think. But not here.

To Tulam'Run there was no sense Lincoln’s mind “moved” anywhere. Everything was where he last saw them. There was nothing to suggest him doing anything consciously. For doesn't have to want to. He doesn't have to think about it. He just does. Far away in a distance that can only be defined by the inaccessible cardinal. A second cosmic eye opens.

No matter which way he looked all he could see was the all encompassing whiteness. He could not even tell if he was standing on anything, having entered conceptual space in which his presence is a metaphor. He let out a meaningless breath. Taking in the moment of solitude in this strange space. Sitting down on a “ground” he finally forms thoughts without having to be aware of a Psion watching over his shoulder.

He stew in introspection for what felt like a good while. Trying to prod his noodles to get any sense of what is eating him up. He would make a guess that perhaps he is trying to find a sense of inner balance but can’t find the path to it. But it wasn’t the whole issue. Or rather it was one of them.

Thinking on it he came to realize that it was her sisters idolizing him with godhood that was off putting to him It didn’t feel right to claim he was God. As much it didn’t feel right to be called master. He didn’t want to be defined by the word. And then it dawned on him. How do you define God?

He imagines a perfect, all powerful being. Someone who transcends everything. Then he thought over the many faiths of Hoshizora and came to see a pattern. No, there wasn’t much that fit his definition. The Path of Equilibrium gods imply that any of those gods is under risk of being unbalanced. Thus not perfect. The Valorian gods are centered on a concept. Thus they are not all-encompassing. The Delviatu is waging cosmic war against its evil counterpart. Thus he is not all powerful.

The more he goes down the list of faiths he knows he realizes that not many of the proclaimed deities are actually God with a capital g. Some of Lisa’s pondering he overheard was right. The word God is useless. All it serves is as a designation to signify a difference of scale between two organisms.

In a sense he was still being overly sentimental and too clingy to his humanity. When he should be defining himself by his own ideals. True weight resides in his name. Not Humanity nor God. Therefore he feels he can accept being called God. It’ll just take some time getting used to. But he understood now that what is important is to be Lincoln Zvonimir.

“The past does not define us, The present is our choice and the future is given to those with the strength to take one step after another, in this endless journey.” He recites an old verse he recalled reading long ago. The symbolism of the passage was clearer to him. But he still has a ways to go to truly understand himself.
Having settled his internal issues for now. Lincoln’s second cosmic eye shut. And given time is relative. Time hardly moved when he shifted his focus back to Hoshizora. Casually watching Tulam do his own work. His physical self was still giving Lana caring attention. Their love fest now at a much lower tempo than the frantic rush at the start. Coating each other in their musky scent.

Something strange would occur that the Psion would notice. Nothing was overtly out of the ordinary but when he went to pat the top of Lisa’s head that was a ever so slightly noticeable lag to the motion of his arm. There wasn’t anything that suggested resistance. The lag was just there. This oddity continued when he sent the jolt. A whole half a second worth of delay before Lisa felt the jolt of pleasure.

Lincoln and Lana seem to have finally quenched the fire in their lions. He caressed her warm, flush face as he looked into her eyes lovingly. Exerting a tiny amount of focus to clean up her body and recreate her clothing. “I’ve missed you Lana. Let’s enjoy some more time together later. For now we have work to do. So suit back up, Lans” They shared one last deep kiss. He could sense that she adored that he remembered the old childhood nickname he gave her.

Both getting off the couch he went over to Lisa who was looking rather smug. Letting out a giggle as Lincoln came up to wrap his arms around her waist. Holding her close to his body. “You’re a stinker, you know that?” He teased. Leaving a trail of kisses across her check than ending it off with a kiss on her lips. “Let’s not pounce on all our sisters the instant we meet them okay?”

“No complaint from me.” Lisa purred as they sensually felt each other. Her elder brother gave her one last squeeze before pulling away. Willing his own clothes back on. And because he’s not a slob. Cleaned the couches as well. All of them. He and Lana are active during sex okay?

Seeing Lana come up to them back in her armor they all head outside where all twenty-one of his hoplites stand at attention. Four attack drones hovering in formation. All cosmically enhanced by his power. His angels standing at his respective side he felt a strange sense of clarity. A pep talk would be a bit pointless to make given no one here needs morale. Instead they needed orders. And he’ll give them that.

“No more breaks. No more lounging around. Today we’re going to clear out this facility and we will not stop until we do.” His order was given loud and clear. The intent is clear to all. Thus, they begin marching.

While Tulam could not quite grasp Lincoln in his more distant state, pulling out so far from reality caused something extra. Just as his cosmic eye shut, he would get a last second view of an even greater eye boring straight into him, seemingly being alerted to his presence by what he had done. But that was all he would get, the knowledge that something had seen him. What it might do was harder to tell. Tulam, while noting the lag, also got a slight jolt. That he had felt. His mind's eye looked out into the distance, and he felt something he very rarely felt; worry. He wasn't afraid, not yet. But this was too soon, far too soon. Plans might have to change, a slight change in course. He thought quietly to himself, "Maybe I'll have to give a few more lessons... More hands on. He's learning, but without focus. He'll draw it back too early. Hm. What a damnably unfun position. I don't want to raise a kid again! But I got my stake here now, and there is so much to gain if I do this right... Oh well, I have time. Best to enjoy myself while I can! Lectures can wait for a better moment." With that, he turned his attention back to the situation at hand... Damn lusty mortals made a mess, but at least it was time to make some fun.

The Psion's phantasmal form appeared next to Lincoln as he stood before his little legion of droids and siblings. He looked out in amusement as they began to march, heading through the giant hole in the bulkhead that Lana had left behind. He looked to Lincoln and spoke, "Look at you, vessel! Leading a little army like a proper little general. Good that you're taking the lead. Oh, and we'll have to have a nice chat, later. I'm not sure what you did, how you did it, or what was going through your head... But don't think this passenger is totally unaware of where you are steering this boat. And while I am inside, you better not fly us into a star! Your family seems to have chronic arrogance, and you should realize that you cannot afford such childish things when you have responsibility. Not just to me, as you are my vessel, but to your sisters there as well. You... No, no. Not the time for a lecture. We'll talk more later. Get to work, vessel." He grunted, and faded away. It was probably the first time he seemed to be a bit genuinely upset rather than merely a bit whiny. 

Regardless, the march went on, and the droids kept going. They would find themselves in the tunnels of the facility, and quickly came to a large intersection. There were four corridors, including the one they had come down. It was a rather confusing layout, with no signs. But Alek stepped forward, and spoke out, "Forward is the route the shuttle takes. It will be locked without the shuttle, so there is nothing there. However there are two more cargo bays to our left and right, split into two different sections. To our right is engineering. Droids are constructed there, as well as the experimental forge. It holds a vault of materials and components for use in the forge as well as various construction projects. It is also the location which has another tram to the command emergency bunker. As for the left... Unknown. Data is restricted. However..." Alek pointed to some marks on the ground. They were burn marks, from wheels, "Apex presence seems likely. The unknown location seems to be where the pirates have taken up residence. However it is very possible they are present in the engineering and forge sector as well. Orders?"

Lincoln cosmically blink in bafflement of having made a Psion of all people upset with him. Shockingly he felt bad about it due to how unexpected of a reaction he gave him. Yes he’s aware that Psions are an empathetic race. They aren’t permanently stuck in two modes like pop culture makes them out to be. It’s just he didn’t think he would ever see it underneath all that egocentrism.

“Hey wait, Tulam'Run, let’s talk about this.” He called out to the general direction of his consciousness in the cosmic plane. The projection of Hoshizora and the fictional satellite galaxies was between them like a table. “I-I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m sorry for making you upset.”

Given he was looking at nothing he gaze wandered over the distance galaxies. “I just needed a space to make thoughts on stuff. It was a safe place. It's hard to describe it. But it likes how our bodies naturally flinch away from dangerous things. I can feel places that tell me to stay away. Like nerves in a way. So I never went somewhere blindly.”

He crossed his arms in a huff. Looking down at Hoshizora in all her splendor. “I was debating whether or not I could accept being a “Master” as well taking on the “God” role to my sisters. Sigh. Long story short yes I’ll subscribe to the slave and master ideology.” It wasn’t something he was proud of at the moment.

With that confession of the way he felt like getting the rest of the theological stuff of his chest. “Speaking of mortality isn’t it one of the logical fallacies with Gods of certain faiths? That they need to be mortal in order for the general system to make sense and/or have a point?”

Meanwhile on the underground. Lisa had opened the rebuilt bulkhead with her ability to let them pass through. Lincoln took a glance down the north tunnel. “Just to make sure, let’s send two of the drones down there for a quick recon.” It wouldn’t take long for the drones with their energy based propulsion system. So they’ll regroup with them fairly quickly.

“Scarab Brothers, Cleansing Sunbeams, Alek and I will stay here to hold this choke point. Angels, you’re going with Arcalite Ratio. Crimson Castellans, and Lucky Coinchenns down the right tunnel to clear out the area. I’ll send the rest of the drones with you for air support. I can roughly bet that there may be an Apex presence there. They require frequent maintenance for their vehicles and I would be surprised if they didn’t send a group of mechanics to loot a forge down the tunnel from them.” His orders given they split off to carry out the mission.

Tulam's spectral image reemerged, although his positioning was seemingly rather purposeful on the galactic map. He positioned himself deliberately, in the area that was believed to be where the Psion home galaxy was, to the general south-east of Iammelon's generally accepted relative-position in such an ever moving galaxy. The Psion crossed his arms and huffed at first, but then he just sighed. He seemed to settle a bit, waving a hand at Lincoln, "The apology is accepted, vessel. I'm not that upset, but there are things you clearly still do not understand. You acted as you best knew, and so I will not slap you for that... But have you not stopped to think for just a moment? Do you even know what you are? Have you stopped to consider the strange things about you that seem to continually pile up? A central figure that all your sisters have some connection to, and a being that I, an all-powerful Psion, am unable to escape from? It's odd, I am sure you would agree. So what I am trying to tell you, vessel, is that you are blind. You trust your body and senses, but really, you should not. If you do not know yourself and what your deepest senses and instincts are sending you towards, you cannot trust them. I know, very odd to hear coming from me of all people! I love myself! But you have yet to fully come to terms with who, and more importantly what, you are. Show some caution, vessel. You aren't alone in this noggin of yours, and I think you really don't get what is going on in here. Slow yourself down. Don't dive headfirst into yourself, probe and learn. You have the tools for it, your sisters. Use them. A slave is of course defined totally by their master, but a master does yet take from the slave as well. Only the arrogant believe that they are beyond development and learning. ...Blegh! That feels so wrong on my tongue! See to it that you heed my words the first time, vessel, I cannot stand going back to dad mode! Aagh!"

After a moment of flailing his arms up, he calmed himself down again and chuckled, "Good that you're finally accepting your role! But of course the first thing you must realize is, there is no choice anymore. You are the master now, with two slaves. No going back now. Better to steel yourself for the future. Besides, going back is lame! Can't get better if you keep double guessing yourself! Now then, as for your point about Gods... Duh! Of course they need to be! What use is a God to a mortal if they cannot even relate to those mortals on any basis? Mortality is what makes us dynamic, active! And, more importantly, means they actually have a stake! The true Gods you posit are illusions entirely, vessel. There is nothing that is truly all-powerful, everything has built up to their power! If something had actually built up to that point, what possible use or interest would they have in the affairs of mortals? Perhaps they exist, but it's not like it would matter to us or them. Now, as for the faiths of mortals, it is part of what enslaves them. Willingly becoming subservient to a God in hopes of reaping their power or getting a reward, like good slaves do. Quite like Psions and our own slaves, really. But that's really just part of how most slaves think! Most people are slaves, vessel. It takes a being like a Psion to really get past the concept of Gods, accept no limitations! Worship of a God, real or no, is a self imposed limitation. You forever accept that being as your better, to toil under. Willingly enslaving themselves to the will of another being. Perhaps it is fake, perhaps it is real! What the reality of the faith is... Doesn't matter! It never does! All that matters, vessel, is the individual and whether or not they are a slave, or a master. Understand?"

The drones quickly took their mission and flew off down the northern corridor, off to investigate its situation and possible impassibility. They were speedy, so they were sure to be back soon. Otherwise, the Hoplites accepted their orders and quickly began moving down the right corridor, off to see if the forges were inhabited, although of course making sure to stay with the Angels. Nothing seemed to come from the left corridor, so Lincoln was able to wait for reports from the two split off groups of droids. The first to return was of course the drones that had gone north. Lacking the ability to speak, the drones simply played a video recording of their findings. They had found a large slope, with collapsed rock filling the corridor. A cave-in had blocked the way to the proper exit. There were signs of battle, lots of scorch marks and shrapnel. It could be guessed the battle was what caused the cave-in, blocking off that entrance and potential exit.

Meanwhile, the team that went towards the engineering section would get an interesting sight. From a distance they could hear the sounds of conflict. Guns firing, men shouting, and even a few explosions going off. One of the Crimson Castellans got the clever idea to send forward one of the drones as a scout, but first it linked up with it so it could tap into its vision. As the drone went off, the Hoplite that was connected to it began to play the video feed. This same video feed was sent back to Alek, who in turn played it for Lincoln. As the drone rounded a corner, it came across a large battle. Two groups of Apex pirates were fighting right outside another massive bulkhead door. One group seemed to be defending the door, and had taken control of its turrets to assist them as well as using a batch of Apex's Boarding Droids. The attacking group seemed to be losing, and they were the ones shouting. Words like "traitor", "car-stealer", and "backstabber" flew around, but only from the attacking group. The defending group was oddly silent. The attackers were led by an Apex Psi-Operative, whose shouting was backed up by action. His words seemed to quite literally be fire, as with each yell a burst of flame launched out. It was powerful enough to melt one of the defending droids, destroying it.

Alek commented, "It appears the pirates are undergoing some infighting. Perhaps they are fighting over who gets to repair their cars? It is difficult to tell without context. I recommend killing most, and pacifying a few for information."

It was pleasant that he managed to get him to talk again. Tulam'Run sulking in silence bothered him more than his chatter. Upon self-reflection he could see that he was unintentionally showing some prejudice. Pop culture has a way to influence someone even if they don’t even notice. “It was still a lot to me to see you getting even a bit upset. I’m still shaking off the exaggerated, preconceived notion regarding your people. The biggest revolution to me that each of you takes pride in your respective uniqueness to a high level. While the media drags a brushstroke over the entire race. Generalizing them down to only a few characteristics.” The Eskalivi were painted in the same manner as well. A scary boogeyman to tell children to stay away from things that threaten the bastion of civilization that is Iammelon. He would be lying to claim that he wasn’t influenced by the media in some way.

Listening to Tulam’Run as he spoke he found himself nodding in contemplation. It dawned on him that he was clinging to the bliss of his ignorance by disregarding other things beside a sense of identity. He knows he is Lincoln Zvonimir but that only solves the Who. Not the What. And he found himself opening up in agreement that it was something vital to understand. Thinking on it, if he knew what exactly he was he could understand himself better. “I didn’t see it like that.” He admits.

Looking over to the galaxy remembers that he is seeing it from a human level of comprehension. But what if he didn’t have to? He could learn and understand how to handle more of everything. In a way he was being overly sentimental to believe that he has to work under human limitations. Because in the end that is only lying to himself. He truly does have much to learn.

He then let out a soft scoff when he was told to stop seconding guessing himself. “Touche, but not really the can I was kicking down the street. But that aside yes I’m aware that I have slaves now. So I can’t ever escape that responsibility. Not that I planned to anyways.” He looked to the side. There was no need to hide the fact that he greatly enjoyed binding his sisters to him. The taboo of it made it all the more hotter. He can’t forget the sounds they made. The way their bodies molded perfectly to his.

Those memories felt so vivid that he partially zoned out when the Psion responded to his theology question. He caught himself midway thankfully. While he already understood what Tulam was saying since he tossed the question in the first place to hopefully make him engage in a conversation. “That’s what I thought as well. If gods were immortal what’s the point? The Eternal War wouldn’t be a war. Castriviu and other evil deities wouldn’t be a threat. Because there’s no stake when a God is all-powerful.” There was one surprising thing he got out of that. And that was Tulam'Run saying he was mortal as well instead of saying he was the only one. It seems that the trend of stereotypes continues to be broken.

They could wax the philosophy of free will all day but he got the sense they were roughly on the same wavelength. So it was better to move on to other things. “I understand that much.” He nods. Meanwhile back in the tunnels his physical self looks to the two returning drones. Learning about their findings. While the cave in would require cleaning later it does serve it uses. Mainly that nothing will come down that way. The other report was interesting but not much of a surprise. Pirates, especially Apex, are a bit volatile by nature. Infighting is to be expected when you got that sort of crowd.

Despite who they are, it still felt heavy to give his next order. “That's what we’ll do. Have the squads blitz them down.” The orders were given. His Angels felt them as well. Lana’s warhammer gave off a blue glow. The squads became safely overclocked to great heights and their cannon power cells supercharged. Lisa will protect the front line by using her gravity power to redirect enemy fire by distorting space.

Tulam smirked at Lincoln's admission putting all Psions into a box, clearly feeling smug in seeing somebody else admit their faults, but of course that was simply the way it was with Psions. On that, he did comment in a friendly fashion, "I do have emotions too, yes. Quite a few of them! I think and feel too, you know. That's not exclusive to this nebula! Now, I shall, for once, be fair to you slaves. We did come to try and conquer you, we're quite honest about that. Beings have a tendency to not like being conquered and enslaved, and this batch of slaves simply wasn't ready to accept their fate! Silly, but it is expected of naïve fools. But we are unique! So see to it you don't compare me to other Psions, especially the dregs. Not all of us are as lovely as me, you know. I'm great in that regard." After basking in his own benevolence, he then smirked even more at Lincoln also admitting he hadn't thought of the what question, "Took you a while. Think more! Don't blindly accept. Accept not merely the satisfaction of some scientific community, some group of philosophers, or whatnot. The only answer to accept, is your own! After all, what use is the view of another if it completely lacks application to yourself? So, figure out your own answer to the question of what you are, vessel. Slowly and with precision! I'm going to do my own research, of course. I'll give you the right answer when I am finished, but I do implore you to try for yourself too! Maybe you'll get close!"

With those riveting words of encouragement, Tulam let Lincoln focus on what happened next. The Hoplites moved into action quickly as they were given their orders, their upgraded forms proving quite effective. They shot with deadly precision, as opposed to the spraying of the Apex Pirates. The attacking group was taken by clear surprise as a batch of droids suddenly arrived and started gunning them down in clean, single shots with lethal consequences. The fire-yelling captain survived the first shot on him, and responded with a grand torrent of flames. Unfortunately for him, Lisa would be able to divert the flow, and protect the whole group from incineration. For even as the flames changed their course, the two sisters could physically feel the heat of the inferno, and it was nothing insubstantial. The fire breathing captain was then struck in the chest with a few precise blasts, sending him toppling. He wasn't dead, but rather just unconscious and subdued. Meanwhile, the Attack Drones showed their own worth. They flew up, and unleashed their missile pods. They were rather devastating thanks to the boost, annihilating the defense turrets of the Engineering Section bulkhead. They were reduced to rubble, and the Apex pirates that were relying on them were caught in the blast. Most of them died there, but a few were only knocked out thanks to being more distant. 

Yet, as the smoke settled from the explosive attack, it would reveal that the bulkhead door itself was unharmed. A spark from it revealed the shields covering it, surprisingly powerful given what they just endured. A camera emerged from it, and like the others it had a microphone attached. The voice that came from it was a calm, male one. The voice felt somewhat detached, somewhat like it was itself merely a speaker for another, but it was loud, "You are not expected here. Leave, the role of these pirates is not yet fulfilled. You are not of the targets, based on designs and makeup. If you are not pirate or Omnipo, turn away." With that, it simply cut off. Nothing else happened, with the door remaining shut, the shields up, and the camera just watching them in silence.

His social commentary lingers in his mind. He had to admit that Tulam'Run was very wise in this sort of stuff. Because he was right. So often do people cling to another person's viewpoint instead of critically thinking about things. All the evidence you need is simply look at social media. It also reminded him when Lisa described him as the theoretical made tangible. In that light he is beyond the science community understanding. So trying to look from their perspective will only limit him to their comprehension. He’ll truly need to explore what he is on his own terms.

”Mmm” He made a mental noise in thought. Watching over his companions from a birds eye view. Lana went over to cuff the living pirates. Creating special bindings for the one spewing flames. While she was doing that he could see Lisa not sparing even a glance at the camera. With a gesture she begins to control the very force that binds proton and Neutron together in atomic nuclei, imitating the state of nuclear fusion inside stars. Generating a globe of nuclear energy that hovers over her palm. Moving her arm she tossed it through the air. The globe expands to the size of the boulder as it plows into the bulkhead shield. A loud whine fills the air as it grinds through. The miniature star continuously rises in heat and energy.

Lincoln was awestruck by the display of awesome power. Then it transitions into musing about the things surrounding his sisters. From what he gathered from both Lisa’s and Lana’s past they lost contact to their overseer five years ago. It doesn’t take a world class detective to see that it is suspicious. Over a millennium worth of investment is not something anyone could dump in the bin so abruptly. There was a thought that the overseer could have died but that raises a question why he didn’t give them contingency orders if he had ever died? A person this meticulous would have assuredly planned ahead and built in fail safe measures in case something goes wrong.

Dread crept up his spine both physically and cosmically. Mentally swearing at his ineptitude. Tulam'Run was right. He was blind and wasting time doubting himself when there are much more pressing matters. Most significantly the fact that if the Overseer is still in the game. Then they will notice what he was doing. There was a timer counting down and he wasn’t paying attention to it. And all it would take is one command to take the rest of his sisters away from him.

Deep, forgotten emotions well up in his chest. No, it was a lie to call those maddening emotions forgotten. Because he had made a conscious effort to detach himself from that. He naively believed he could simply toss aside his grudges without any severe consequences. Now he could no longer ignore it. Not after everything he learned. He...he can’t dismiss this. People who have endured years of suffering already have plenty of coping mechanisms that allow them to 'forgive and forget' such as him ‘forgiving’ Vega, even without being saints. It's how they endure the years of suffering without killing themselves.

Yet, his coping mechanisms were failing him. Cracking from the darkness that refused to be ignored any longer. Rage does not describe his feelings. To call it rage would imply a mundane person could possibly understand the deep and blackened hatred in his soul. And the worst thing, he can only blame himself for internalizing it. It was the same surge of blackness that he had to push back whenever he had pummeled a person to near death with his fists. He was afraid of what he would have become. Because he knows deep down that for a few drops of blood spilt, he is willing spill an ocean of it. Thankfully his coping mechanisms temper that rush of hatred. But this time he didn’t push it aside and try to forget about it. Instead he let it stew in his thoughts. How could he not? He never knew that a brother’s protective instinct is a force to be reckoned with.

The shielded bulkhead was surprisingly durable, and it withstood Lisa for an unusual degree of time. If one was watching carefully, they could see the shield flickering and even slightly changing color, like it was trying to adapt. Nonetheless, it didn't last too long. For while it lived longer than it should, it was ultimately rent asunder, the shield breaking and the metal behind it was ground down. The camera went with it, so it was also destroyed.

With the bulkhead door annihilated, one could get a look inside into the Engineering Bay's hanger. It was quite like the one back in the section they were in before in terms of size and look, but it had been changed up. It was clearly converted into a makeshift garage, with large platforms for cars being present. There was only one car here right now, lifted up so one could work on its undersides, but there were four such platforms prepared. Various mechanical bits were spread across the rooms, all spare parts for cars and more. No shuttles here either however, just the singular car undergoing repairs.

Notably, the hanger was devoid of any people. It was strangely empty in here. Except for a single, small, orb-like drone. It floated to about the center of the room and started to project something, a holographic form taking shape. An armored reptilian form took its place in the center of the room. It spoke softly, and although the voice was deep and somewhat obscured by the armor, it had a distinctly feminine touch to it, indicating that it was a female, "This one believes these ones have poor hearing. Told to leave, instead went forward. Interference with the mission is not good. This one was informed that you are not Omnipo, and you clearly do not side with pirates. Civilians are not authorized here, dangerous materials present." It then looked straight at Lisa, who would feel a pulse in her mind. Shortly afterwards, Lincoln would directly get a little message in his mind, the voice the same as the armored reptile, "Highly unusual. Mind already connected here. Strange. Please identify." It was simply a message, not an active connection. But it seemed to be able to identify Lisa's connection to Lincoln, and although it seemed that it could not actually disrupt or hijack that connection, it was able to use it to send the message to Lincoln, using Lisa like a little conduit. Presumably, Lincoln could do the same, projecting a message from Lisa (or Lana), allowing for direct communication with whoever this was if he so wished.

Tulam, who of course also heard the message thanks to being in Lincoln's mind, got amused. With a chuckle he spoke to Lincoln, "Seems 'this one' is psionic! Weird though, I didn't see any of this species in your nebula. You keep up your work, vessel. Talk to it, if you like, or push on anyways. I wanna try and see if I get figure things out for myself. But from what I can sense straight off the bat... Huh. That's extra unusual. It has defenses from my probing. That's rare, most don't have that. Innate defenses too, this isn't trained. The only ones I know to have that are Psions, Psicrushers, and Psion-created entities. Or I suppose Psion-like things. Your sisters have a little bit of it, but the two you have here aren't the most stellar examples. The others, from what I have picked out, should have a bit more of that. Still, now I am curious vessel! And you know what happens when I get curious by this point, hm? I want a look at the creature!"

The fury never left him. It sat there rattling the cage. His anger now poured out from the bottle he kept shelved in the back of his mind. It burned underneath his skin. It was not just the violation of his sisters that started the fire. But the worst of society. 28 years is plenty of time to see the worst sort of people on his travels. The roughnecks, the winos, the criminals, the mentally ill that couldn’t get the help they need. Some people were sick, disgusting bastards. They are cowards, no more than swine that bathe in the muck. Gorging themselves on filth, deeming its good. Pigs that deserved nothing more than being taken out back to be shot between the eyes.

He noticed Tulam'Run didn’t seem to pay heed to his mood swing. It didn’t take long for him to realize the possible reason. He can’t do anything. This was why he pushed it aside because he doesn’t know what to do with this built up resentment. As one says when you go for revenge, dig two graves. Dishing out his frustration doesn’t do anything. Not without hurting the blameless and innocent in the crossfire. Brute force doesn’t solve anything. It just doesn’t.

Another maddening aspect to all of this was that he can’t rush out of here. It’s as Tulam’Run said. He’s blind and he needs the facility assets to help him. Otherwise he’s floundering in the wind. Taking a breath he collects himself. No longer able to hide behind the high of dopamine now that it passed. Left metaphorically shivering from the fear that now hangs above him.

Of course, the shivering turned still when he felt it. What the thing said was almost deafened by the roar of his emotion. Harmless weather fronts form over small parts of Avalantus. The air in the facility became pregnant with his loathing. A red filter seems to saturate the hanger for a brief moment. The fabric of spacetime within trembles unnoticeably from the aftershocks.

Someone touched his sister's mind. Tulam'Run gets a pass. And he was the only exception. Everyone else can get bent. Moving on sheer emotion the universe obeys. His physical body switches places with the team he sent down there. It was when he was looking at the hologram in person that he realized that once again there was no reason to vent his frustration on this thing. It was no better than getting angry at a computer. Clenching his fists he snarled at the hologram. “I’m someone who can make whoever created you regret they were born in this galaxy. Now, I’m giving you a chance here. So make sure whoever is listening to this gets the message clear. I’m securing this facility. You can either fall in line. Or I can send this drone gift wrapped to a friend of mine.” Tulam'Run’s remark made him clench his teeth. ”Do you want it flayed or in pieces?” He mentally spat at the Psion.

Tulam's voice got amused, but answered honestly, "Alive, vessel, alive. You can't get much from the dead. Living memories are far more valuable. Also, goodness vessel, you're getting into this, aren't you? Such rage! Such emotion! Excellent, excellent! You're reminding me of Vixgor, and you saw how lovely he is. Emotions are good things, restraint is a terrible thing really. Your emotions make you who you are! Don't deny them, lest you deny your true self. But do be a bit careful. Don't want to get too dominated by one emotion, unless you're into that. Vixgor was, and he ended up pretty alright."

Meanwhile, the hologram cocked its head to the side for a moment, seemingly a little confused. Then it reoriented itself and shook its head. In a flat voice, clearly unintimidated, she responded, "This one doubts such a claim. You do not have such power, or it would have utilized prior. And this one is already in line, it follows a greater authority than you. Disruption of Union Military activity will be responded to with force. And yet, the one in front of me is here, when they should not be. You interfere with mission of importance. Please cease instantly. Unless the Lincoln one wishes to help, they should depart. Omnipo leadership requires liquidation, prevention of this is unacceptable. Transfer of mission authority is also unacceptable. This one's commands over rank civilian."

Then, the creature cocked her head to the side again, seemingly confused again, "But why does this one wish for this facility? Odd location, especially to claim during war. Confederate Civilians are not to be targeted unless lethal aggression is shown. You have shown lethal capacity. This one would prefer not marking the Lincoln as hostile. Sisters are shown to be powerful, cause great delay to pacify. If claiming, not part of Confederacy. Enemies of this one and Lincoln seem to be the same, Apex and Facility. Why attack resocialized pirates? And use remade Omnipo droids? Very curious being. Who does the Lincoln work for?" The reptile did clearly know Lincoln's name, and that Lisa and Lana were his sisters, as well as powerful people. They didn't seem aggressive, although intent on whatever their mission was. They mostly seemed curious as to why Lincoln was here in this wing, of all places.

In the back of Lincoln's mind, he would feel some distinct irritation from Tulam, as he continued to try and peek into the reptile's mind, and continued to be repulsed. He muttered a bit mentally, "This shouldn't be happening... No slaves are built this way. I have to figure this out..."

As emotion clouds his eye he finds himself in an old hybrid nation of memory and dream that he knows very well. A failsafe coping mechanism that is triggered when he starts to lose himself. He was in a rickety part of a barge. Sitting on the floor as a teenager. In front of him was a rusted barrel being sat on by his once human friend Vega Orstire. Playing with a stolen police baton in his hands while staring at him as a brother would to a younger one who got himself in trouble. Despite the fact that Lincoln is the older one. He was not the same Vega either as this was planted many years ago that his memory of him is both inaccurate and out of date. Nothing more than a mental simulation.

“So.” Dream Vega started. Thumping the baton on his other hand casually. “Care to explain to me what you did wrong?” He said sardonically. Lincoln’s cheeks sting with light embarrassment. Dream Vega was made with the help of the actual Vega. Ever since he came to learn he has Psionic power he became reinvested in learning about his strange punk friend. It was actually he who taught him a great deal of self-control.

Half of which he may have forgotten in the heat of the moment. “I got too riled up.” He spoke meekly. An answer that earned him a sharp whap across his head by the baton. Wincing in phantom pain he expected it. This was the reason they set up this small space. So Vega can bust his ass in when he is not there to do it himself.

He heard Dream Vega give a scoff. “You were nothing more than a spice addicted faggot beating his meat. Are you a faggot, Lincy?” He spoke his femnine pet name that sounds cute from women but certainly not from men. Especially Vega. Lincoln shook his head which earned him another swing of the baton.

It was fairly obvious to Lincoln that Dream Vega was a bit peeved. “I get it, I really do. Someone messed with your girl and you sought retaliation. If someone were to screw with my ride I would fuck them up. But here’s the thing. We don’t act like an insecure thug getting high on an illusion of power from holding a gun for the first time. Now,” He gave Lincoln one last sharp thunk on the head. “Let’s start this from the top of what I taught you.”

Lincoln’s focus was brought back to the physical world. Hearing Dream Vega’s voice in the back of his head. ”Paradoxically, negative emotions can be a powerful catalyst for positive experiences and realizations, if we respond to them well. They can serve as a powerful weapon and even armor when you have a firm grip on them. Think of the negative emotion as fuel that you can burn on the path to creation of such an armament. Now, recede your emotions.” Focusing he collapses his fuming emotions back onto him. The weather fronts clear up. No sense of oppressive air in the facility. Bottling his rage back up was tiring but something he was used to.

”This time don’t shelve it away. Let it flow through your body like a river. Make it sharpen your senses instead of blind it.” The voice faded away. Having served its purpose. Lincoln focused his emotions onto himself. Not letting it seep out again for the snake to glean more information off of him or at least that is what he assumes what had happened for her to know that. A visible, orange aura condenses around him. A corona of power to shield himself from anymore unwanted intrusions. The world slows down somewhat thanks to Vega’s trick. Taking all the information he learned up to this point to run through them in an instant.

The snake was unlikely to be several things. Including being part of the Union Military to which he snorts at. His blue eyes luminous with held back emotion. “President Tyfrondor would be livid if he found out the Union Military is putting lives at risk for focusing on something other than a much larger threat. Proskal what is it with this nebula? The Psion Invasion was either a complete joke to the point we are comfortable putting Psion’s in a janitor’s closet and over exaggerating them for sheer propaganda value. Or we are all just incompetent, arrogant, and forgetful. Sigh. So no, I don’t believe you’re a part of the Union Military. Otherwise holy fuck I would lose so much respect for the Union if they thought fucking pirates and what’s left of Omnipo is their biggest concern.” His rant was largely run by his boiling emotions. Otherwise he would have reasonably assumed that they simply don’t know it. But as of right now he’s a bit tired that a damned Psion is being overlooked. Yes, he knows it’s inside of him but he cares about the principle!

He glanced at Tulan's mumbling. ”Could your rival, Roono be involved? He’s the only thing I can think of right now.”

Tulam was the first to respond, mentally shaking his head, "No, no, couldn't be Roono! Last I saw him, he was breaking off in a hissy fit from the rest of the invasion force. He was insufferable, even for a Psion! No wonder he was pushed out and we made more progress! But you do bring up another, more interesting possibility, vessel. The Omnipo in this facility were quite brave for slaves, they liked to interfere with Psion things, like myself and Vixgor. Who is to say they didn't interfere with other Psion works? After all, it is quite rare for a slave species to have the built in defenses needed to resist a Psion. Except, of course, if they were built with enemy Psions in mind! This may be one such instance, vessel! Now I definitely need to rummage around inside, or at the very least get a better look. Need to see them in person, this hologram connection lacks the spiritual connection I need. Get them to show themselves, vessel." It was hard to tell whether or not Tulam was aware of the mental Vega instance, as he did not comment. Either he was unaware, or he knew it had happened and agreed with the outcome.

Meanwhile, the reptile seemed surprised at Lincoln's words, but then sighed and nodded, "[i]Well, the Lincoln is correct. While it is in fact very illegal to defy Union Military Operations, this one does not actually have the authority. It is acting independently. However, this one believes the Lincoln is quite confused. The entity in the closet you speak of was a Psicrusher, not a Psion. Very similar names and origins, this one does not blame you for mixing them up. Simple mistake. Also, not janitor closet, experimental sealing room. This one does not believe the Psicrusher was intended to clean up waste. Heavy misuse of Psicrusher combat potential. Although is possible, given notable bad placement of the Psicrusher chamber nearby a cafeteria. Very foolish. As for Psion Invasion, not joke at all! Facility information is not public for that reason. But this one is indeed aware of the Psicrusher, however it is not this one's target. This one is after the science administration as well as facility overseer. Very dangerous individuals, little concept of limitation. Very bad. Continued survival may allow for more facilities such as this. Unacceptable risk. This one has thus decided to terminate the individuals that allow for such a risk. Unfortunately, are sealed in protective bunker. This one has been working to forcefully recall tram that allows entry without activation of security protocols. Progress is made, accomplishment very soon. Pirates are additional factor, quite unexpected and unrelated to mission. Their arrival was about one standard month past, this one has been utilizing them to further its own goals. Resocialized pirates give manpower, although the Lincoln has removed much of that. Is irrelevant regardless. Purpose has been served. This one and its team will soon complete mission. Although it lacks authority, this one requests that the Lincoln does not interfere. Survival of these individuals may allow for the foolishness of here to repeat. This is bad, yes? This one intends to stop such possibility, and then open up facility. Union Military and Bazaar Security may handle from there." 

It then paused, and looked over Lincoln again, "Although, now this one has concern. Questions were not answered. Why does the Lincoln want this facility? Is unusual. Potentially dangerous. Potential danger increased by lack of knowledge on the Lincoln's affiliation. Who does he serve?"

Lincoln was aware they were going on a tangent unrelated to what matters. Including self-aware that he can’t act too squeaky clean otherwise he’ll feel hypocritical. Despite all that his inner Iammelonian urges him to press into this topic. “It may be illegal. But something I came to learn in these last few years is that it’s the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority. Monrio corrupted the state because we were complacent and didn’t want to make much of a fuss. And we paid the price in the blood for it.” He then held up a finger. “Oh I wasn’t even talking about that. But since you brought it up I’m assuming you also know it’s currently out in said cafeteria. On ground level. With time it would claw through the wall and into the underground city district above us. If you didn't notify the Union to evacuate the district and bring in the proper military. You’re liable for the destruction that you could have prevented. And all the blood that is spilt. Now, to round back to what I was saying. I was talking about the fact that there was a Psion held in what may as well be the janitor closet. All that stood between it and freedom was a security card and a shiny red button. No multiple keys, no complex password, no voice recognition, nothing that would have otherwise prevented a person being influenced to walk a dozen feet to press a button smack dab on the dashboard for anyone to press.”

He shifted on his feet. The snake woman was very suspicious to him. Especially when she admitted she was here independently. “That aside. I’m doing this because I’m a concerned citizen. I would have gotten out to notify others if it weren't for the lockdown. Thankfully the Apex cars here have great internet access. So if we are both stalwart supporters of the Union. Then surely you’ll have no problem with me calling the President Tyfrondor’s office. And don’t think I can’t get a signal down here. I worked under less desirable circumstances” He gestured towards the vehicles in the room. While it sounded like a bluff he was actually being rather genuine. It’ll take time for the Union Military to get here so it was not an issue. He was already running on the clock.

The holographic image once more seemed to get confused, cocking her head to the side, "Yes, this one is good citizen. That is why this one has acted to disrupt Confederate activity as best it can during this war! It has done more than just this, yes it has. Action is taken, no complacency from this one. Although this one is unsure how the Union is to evacuate a district under Confederate rule. Or has the situation changed? This one has been quite focused on its work, and its communications have been unfunctional for... multiple months! Long time. This one intended to contact Union forces as soon as its mission was finished and Union forces had taken the planet. If this has happened, then this one must speed up progress, so the war may be won." She seemed to be rather earnest as she spoke there. She then seemed surprised, "Really? That is bad! Very insufficient security. Has Psion gotten loose? If that has happened, it must be terminated with utmost haste! Single Psion can destroy armies, annihilate fleets, and seize worlds. The Lincoln brings up a very large concern. This one was quite unaware of a full Psion's presence, that would change plans greatly. Very alarming. While this one abhors the Confederacy for its treason, it remains Iammelonian. It would be sensible for the Lincoln to contact Avalantus's rebellious government if that really is the case. Even such traitors are sure to realize a threat of that level. Has the Lincoln done so?"

The Snake Woman's tone then suddenly shifted as Lincoln's next words sunk in. At first, she just seemed to pause, and then suddenly got very excited. She clapped her hands together and made a squeal of joy one might expect of a teenager, speaking in much the same way, "The Lincoln can do that!? This one is very big supporter of Union and the Grand Drake! This one has Union Military contacts, but contacting Grand Drake is very special! This one says to do so! Tyfrondor is very intelligent, sure to have best ideas. This one avoided use of Apex communications due to Apex interception, would be very bad, but this one does not see reason to avoid contacting Grand Drake if possible!" She had put her hands together, seeming to be almost shaking with excitement at the prospect. It was impossible of course to see their face under the armor, but the rest of their body language was in line, including their tail which had begun to wag like a dog's. 

Tulam's voice appeared again, now amused, "And now you got her all excited, vessel. You can't actually contact this 'president' of yours, can you? If not, you're gonna really disappoint somebody! Hahaha! In any case, seems your president has a good slave here. Always good when a slave is excited to serve. But then again... I think you already know that. Naughty, naughty vessel enjoys his slaves a bit too much." After a chuckle, he continued, "Anyways, even if you can't contact them, seems this is a good way to at least get them to come out and talk for real. They seem a bit more friendly now."

His anger ebb away as time went on. It was always rather difficult for him to hold on to his grudge for very long. Being angry all the time is exhausting. That’s not to say he’s not irritated anymore. Simply rather it wasn’t omnipresent in his thoughts. Especially now that new questions were pushing their way to the forefront. The aura around him quell down to a small filament on his body.

“The war ended months ago. We won. Probably what had sent this facility packing trying to leave but got into trouble along the way.” He broke the news to the snakeline woman. The story felt off to him. If she was out of reach for those long months why didn’t no one come to retrieve her? It’s uncharacteristic of the union to leave someone behind.

Listening to her concern he held back a snort. Oddly enough he can’t picture Tulam'Run as doing anything else but going to the brothel first to shop for ‘breeding stock’ to begin rebuilding his work. On that thought would he? He does seem to have a more refined taste. Ick, that felt gross to think about. Although he couldn’t help but ponder the work he mentioned. He seemed used to watching people copulating. As much he hates to admit it he was curious about hearing more of Tulam'Run’s former world.

“I’m afraid so. Fortunately it appeared that whatever Omnipo did it had an effect on it. It couldn’t do much and last I saw it was in the upper levels trying to find a place to escape through. In that light I guess I can see and understand a bit why the facility felt confident to give so little security.” So she doesn’t Tulam'Run yet knows who he is and his sisters. However he does have to admit he is probably in the military database due to his association with Velocity so if she is military it checks out. But it’s still sus.

It was a shame that the bluff didn’t work but he was a man of his words. If nothing else her reaction adds more layers to this mystery. Connecting her to the watrikes a few months back he wonders if she is a Deviant. They are said to have drastic biological mutations right? That could explain her snakelike traits. Not to mention doing things independently is rather rebellious in nature. But that doesn’t explain the possible Psion element.

Pushing his theories aside he took a breath. Finally calming down. “I can call his office. Typically you send an email or post a comment online but calling is possible. I just have to check the executive site for the numbers.” It was a gamble to be friendly with her but upon reflection is was better if he has her in his sights rather than leaving her be.

Going to a nearby Apex car he walked past the hood. Sliding his hand across it to send out an orange film to encase it. Repairing it was second nature to a car mechanic like Lincoln. Opening the two doors in case the woman wants to lean in to check. He sat on the seat to put his attention on the computer screen sitting on the dash. “We got the internet. It’ll take me a few minutes to do some precautionary steps to avoid possible Apex interception. Here, I’ll get a video up about the speech that Grand Drake made.” Opening a new tab he went to a popular video hosting site. Typing in the search he clicked on the ending speech that had billions of views at this point. ”"A number of years ago, I first spoke at this podium…”

Cranking it up the volume he let it play out while he does his thing. By the end of it he felt Lana entering the room and bounding over to his side. “Oh, oh, Lincoln! I’ve overheard snippets of what's going on over here. You’re looking to contact the Grand Drake office right!?” Lana seemed as energetic as the woman had. Eager to make Lincoln happy.

“Uh yeah? I don’t have his direct phone line. Again we can only call his office.” He explained to Lana who was currently radiating an impressive level of smug energy.

“Lucky for us, I do!” She exclaims merrily much Lincoln’s complete surprise. The shock passed upon thinking about it. In hindsight it wasn’t that much of a stretch. His sister’s long life times would have presented quite a bit of opportunities for them to cross important people.

“You do?” He said incredulously. Still taken aback by her surprise appearance.

“I know him through my old mentor Xorkai. Xorkai Musthrun of Heord. The last time I’ve seen the big guy was when Xorkai called me up to help him repair Tyfrondor’s armor before he went out to confront Monrio one final time on Boetha. I gave some of my personal polishing as well. It proved to be a lot of help in the end! Anyways that said, here’s the number. I’m sure he’ll remember me.” Not being the sort to question the gift horse in the mouth they punched in the numbers.

Tulam's voice rang out again, this time quite amused, "For your information, vessel, a brothel is a rather specialized location for new slave stock. I'd only need slaves from such a location to serve specialized purposes, best suited to their skills and build. A true master of my craft takes from many sources! Still, good to see you're getting interested. I'll happily brag about my world, later. For now, give some focus. We talk later, maybe in your dreams! Dreamscaping is a fun little technique."

As for the Serpent, she clapped her hands, "Ah, that is excellent! This one has been out of loop for long time. Union victory is excellent news. This one will complete it mission regardless, as facility staff are still too large of risk to allow life." She then gave a nod, "This one, from its own searches, knows some things about the Psicrusher. It has a number of neural inhibitors in its mind, attempts at control. Omnipo lacked enough knowledge to obtain true control, but they seemed able to give basic instructions and thoughts. Their lack of total control has led to the loss of control, this one believes. However it is quite possible the inhibitors have had a general effect, prohibiting the Psicrusher from leaving a certain area. Or, at least, making it not want to leave that area. Perhaps it has taken on a patrol and protect mission? This one is just guessing, but that is what it believes."

She seemed to get a bit disappointed at the clarification, but she did take interest in what he was doing. The hologram itself didn't move, but rather the little orb projecting it did. In this way, it was able to sort of slide over, to look over Lincoln's shoulder and give the Serpent a view inside the car. She quickly got enraptured when Lincoln put on the recording, watching and listening intently to Tyfrondor's victory speech. The tail wagging notably intensified. 

As the Snake was busy watching, she didn't interrupt Lincoln or Lana as they made their call. When Lana made her call, it would wait for a bit before the other side picked up. But the voice that responded was not Tyfrondor's, rather it was a more gruff, female one. It was one Lana would also recognize, that of Tyfrondor's Head Bodyguard and one of the leaders of the Watrike; Charka. The blue Watrike seemed a bit annoyed, "The President is in a meeting right now with the Governor of Javalus, Bolina. I recognized your number, does Xorkai need something? Remind him that this line isn't supposed to be used for social calls. He cannot just call the President at any time to pitch some new product or to ask for more funding. That is what arranged meetings are for."

Lana had made her helmet retract around her head to have her voice be spoken clearly. “Charka! it’s good to hear you!” She responded animatedly with a sense of urgency laced within. Beside her, Lincoln gleaned a bit of context of their relationship by flipping through her history. For obvious reasons, Lana can’t tell her real name. Added with the fact that she has to burn bridges constantly it was a challenge to maintain some sense of a stable identity. At first she went through identities like clothing until she came across dragons. Unlike the rest of the galaxy they are biologically immortal. Meaning her tactic of outliving living memory doesn’t work with them. For a time she fooled them by changing her smell and appearance. But she got herself into a pickle when she discovered she can’t really hide the scent she gives off when she is forging something. Thus, Bolina Goldforge was born. Using the name that she used when she made her fist personal foundry in the dwarven holds to the west.

Bolina Goldforge came to Heord long before the ascension of dragonkind. Their lack of advanced technology gave her room to breath. She came across Xorkai during her travels and ended up at his apprentice. Thanks to the fact there wasn’t any other human she wouldn’t draw much suspicion to her longevity. But as a precaution she had invented mystical trinkets that keep one youthful and healthy to use as cover. Many years later she was there to witness the return of Tyfrondor with his Watrike army.

It was a bit tricky for her to help Xorkai and the newly crowned Grand Drake bringing Heord up to galactic standards. For one she is never on Heord 24/7. She physically couldn't. The story she built to explain her sudden departures was that she has a bad case of Impulse-control disorder. All her life she had been searching for a legendary stone. A one of the kind that is said to be more valuable than all of Hoshizora. More precious than the finest gems. So whenever she finds a lead she is compelled to go after it no matter how long the search will take.

Nonetheless she still managed to become an invaluable asset in the movement in her constrained schedule. One of her biggest contributions was helping the construction of the Grand Drake's Fortress-Palace. Along the lines her work caught the eyes of the Watrikes. They were pleased with her apparent devoutness to the Grand Drake and took an interest in how high quality the stuff she forges are. Expressing their desire to have her work for them on Trikorn. Given she had no reason to reject beside the obvious she accepts. Kicking off her many years of being involved with their kind. But that was a story for another day.

It would be a bit of a stretch to call Bolina and Charka friends by any means. Not that they dislike each other, rather their respective professions made it so they don’t meet all that often except for the Civil War when Lana finally had possible freedom to stick around longer. She finds the Watrike as a kindred soul after hearing what happened to her. Having made the habit of sending birthday gifts to her every year. Just last year he made her a custom sniper rifle that outperformed any other gun of its type in the galaxy by miles. Creating personal items for others wasn’t something she does much outside a very select few. Making Charka rather special in that regard. On Chakra’s end she would find Bolina an exception to her hatred towards humanity thanks to Bolina’s inhuman characteristics making her rather distinct from them. Her longevity, working in heat that would make a human’s blood literally boil, and physical durability of at least a heavy tank. Of course, she was loyal to the Grand Drake so that was an instant sign of approval in the Number One Tyf Fangirl’s book.

“Sorry for using this line but I needed to get a message out. But since you picked up I’ll just tell you! Long story short I finally tracked down the stone. It led me to that Omnipo facility under Avalantus. I thought there wouldn’t be much here but I uncovered a big threat to the city above us. An Omnipo Valorian is trying to use the facility for some purpose, Apex pirates are racing through the tunnels, An alleged union soldier is here working independently, a Psicrusher had got out of its cage, and on atop it all a Psion is loose. I thought of contacting Avalantus officials but I don’t trust them yet and I felt it was better to get this information to the top as fast as possible.” She explained. Lincoln gave her a thumbs up to indicate she was doing well.

By now he had gotten out of the car to stand near the snake woman. Looking around he could sense that they were on a more narrow time schedule now. Since he was out of range of the mic he looked to the woman before him. “You know a lot about us. So I'll bite, what’s your name and rank?” He inquires.

There was a pause on Charka's end, as she was processing the dump of information. And then, she sighed, "Well it would indeed have been a better idea to contact the Union Military Garrison on Avalantus first, but if Omnipo is playing around with Psicrushers and Psions, then that does demand special attention. The real ones are far more dangerous than their rip offs. I can't stay on the line very long, but I'll contact some of my trusted troops in the Avalantus Garrison, they can handle it. I'll monitor the situation as best I can as well. I'm going to guess you can handle Apex and the Valorian, I'll have my men focus on the Psicrusher and Psion, those two beasts can do quite a lot of damage. I'll get my people on that as quick as they can. Just make sure you leave them a way to get in, and a way to find your position. And congratulations on finding your rock. We'll have to debrief about this situation later, so you can tell me how exactly you ended up in that situation. Got it?"

Meanwhile, the Snake Woman looked back to Lincoln and cocked her head to the side, "Rank? This one has said before! Independent! Although it does suppose it is not without oversight. Leader is here as well, focused on her work. She continues the mission. Very intelligent. So this one supposes its rank is... Junior Partner of Independent Unit? Yes. As for name, is Talmia. This one was given it by adopt-mom! And yes, this one knows much, has been watching and has been informed! Resocialized individuals helpful in providing knowledge. Such as Valorian Security Guard. Made into useful ally and informant. This one has learned much from listening and being told, as well as interrogation of Apex. Lincoln was known to a few."

It wasn’t a surprise that he was known to a few. Especially when Vega made him a bit of a personal hitmen. Not a official one but more of in a manner akin to a old friend asking for a solid in the form of “Hey, by happenstance if you see this ass could you *accidentally* run over them for me my good old pal?” Then proceed to sprinkle in some dirty laundry to tickle his sense for justice. It doesn’t work all the time but boy does Vega get some bad apples that deserved a lot worse than a quick death by front bumper. He was known for other reasons. Drug camel, taxi (even when he is not being a taxi driver on that day), mechanic, and other small time things that doesn’t require him being a true member of the gang.

With that recollection he gave a nod of the head. “Alright, I’m still mad at you. But I can clench my cheeks enough to focus on the bigger thing at hand. That said, I’ll give you a chance. So if you want to work together, we need to clear out the facility, loot stuff if needed, do something about the Psicrusher, and on top of that look presentable for when the cavalry arrives.” Lincoln said while giving a mental nudge to Tulam that he would like some suggestions soon on how to move his Psicrusher to a place where they can transport it.

Meanwhile Lana was finishing up her chat with Chakra. “Yes Ma’am! I can’t wait to share the news! But more on that later, I’ll keep in touch with you. Apex are down the tunnel system so they might be getting sus when no one is coming back from this side. Goldforge out!” If everything was settled she would hang up.

Lincoln saw she was done. Giving her a smile. He was tempted to give her a kiss before she put her helmet back on but didn’t feel comfortable to do it in front of Talmia. Instead he went to create a sensual phantom stroke over her clit. Her thick armor obscured how her flesh jitter from the pleasure. “Good job Lans, can you do me a favor and get the rest of the cars here up to speed? We may very well need them to transport.” He pleasantly asks which Lana happily accepts. Being a bit giggly from Lincoln’s stimulus.

On that note he gave a mental request to Lisa on teleporting small things from their rooms to the car he’s next to. Small stuff like his notebook and their clothes. A second later he sees them pop into existence on the back seat. Because he was an equal lover he gave Lisa some attention in the form of a phantom sensation of being rubbed between her thighs. She could feel her embrace around her as if he was there hugging her in person.

He then looked over to Talmia. “I’ll be heading back up with the group to head down the tunnel. You have the choice of doing what you want. If you like you could come with to interrogate the Apex we captured earlier.”

Charka was finished, and so the line was cut. This left them alone with Talmia in the room, still as a hologram projected by the floating orb. She quickly spoke up in response to Lincoln, giving him a nod, "This one will be departing from the facility now as well. Its mission isn't fully complete yet, but this one trusts the wise Charka to do it. Drake's Executioner very good at her job. This one is certain dangerous Omnipo will face summary execution as well, accomplishing the mission! It doesn't need very much of the looting either, quite satisfied. But it supposes working together is quite fine if the Lincoln is accepted by Charka. It will come along for interrogation and exfiltration. Please wait as this one and her team arrives." With that, the little orb deactivated, making Talmia's image disappear.

While they were waiting, Tulam decided to speak up to Lincoln, first chuckling, "Look at you, vessel, already picking up well on such means of positive reinforcement. While not the kind I would use, I suppose it suits the same purpose at making the slaves more obedient. Truly, you are learning well! Not on my level, obviously, but getting closer. Now, as for Vixgor... Normally I'd be inclined to shut my lips and tell you to figure it out for yourself, as I don't want to be a cheatsheet for you. However, I do need him, and that Charka lizard seems like the sort more inclined to kill Vix outright! I suppose it's sensible, but still! He's mine! So, for that reason, I'll give you a little assistance there. Just get close to Vixgor, and I'll handle restraining him to the point you can move him. And do it alone. I wouldn't want one of your sisters hurting Vixgor, but for you, I bet you'd prefer that Vixgor didn't kill one of them! He can, I assure you. But I like your merchandise as well, I see potential. So, as a professional courtesy, I'll do the heavy lifting. Don't get too used to it though! If you want to stop being a pesky mortal, you need to be able to act on your own. Slaves are just extensions of your will and your being. Don't get any of those ideas of reliance in your head, or else it never ends. Anyways, bottom line, just leave Vixgor's restraints to me! Although as for somewhere to go... I doubt they have my ship here, so nothing you can get from me there!"

At that point, the door in the back of the hanger-turned-garage unlocked itself, and from it emerged three individuals. The first was Talmia herself, still wearing her full suit of purple and gold armor that fit her more serpent-like form. Although she had legs, and was fairly tall. Her main serpent look was in her head, which was like a hooded snake's. The second individual was another individual Lincoln would recognize, the Valorian from before; Silzi. She seemed unimpressed with Lincoln, and in fact her gaze seemed to be more on Talmia more than anything. It was the same sort of gaze anybody who knew a Valorian on the hunt had when they saw a woman of interest to them. The third individual however was somebody new, who Lincoln wouldn't recognize. It was a tall, muscular Watrike female. With some remembering, Lincoln would be able to remember that she was a member of one of the Watrike races, the Gatorao. Her muscular appearance was thus unsurprising, as the Gatorao were quite powerful, a rival to Taurus in terms of strength among the Iammelonian species. She could probably snap a normal human in two. And she was easily the tallest one in the room. The Gatorao was wearing standard Watrike Warrior armor, although she was carrying her helmet at her side instead of wearing it. She was at the front of the group, indicating that she was in fact the one in charge.

Talmia would walk up first as she approached, and then finally took off her own helmet. She was quite serpentine, although discounting her head and slightly longer tail she seemed to look like a normal Watrike. She smiled to Lincoln and then spoke up, "Hello in the persons! This one shall introduce. Valorian is Silzi, you know her. She is informant. Helped give information on you when closeby, and one to hack other systems to keep eye on you. Very good informant once resocialized. Very loyal now. And the Watrike is Alcra! Alcra is leader of group."

With a nod to Talmia, Alcra stepped forward to speak for herself, "Yes, Talmia is right, I am in charge of this little band. We're missing one member, a shame you'll never meet him. So you're Lincoln, been in here a while. Good that you're not actually Omnipo, otherwise we would've had to dispose of you. Still, while I don't work for Charka, she's got the Drake's ear and she's capable, so I'll trust her judgement. I think you should let Talmia handle any interrogations, however. She has a special skillset well built for it, as you may find out. In the meanwhile, that should give me the time to check you over for myself. And I suppose answer any questions you may have about me, Talmia, or even the Valorian."

As Alcra finished, Tulam quickly spoke up again, "Careful, vessel. This one also has the same mental defenses as the other! Although, not quite the same, they're different somehow... Keep near them, I think I can learn more. Also, be a little more wary of the snake like one. This one is big and strong, but the Valorian is a slave to the snake. Reach out and feel, her mind has been molded. In the same way your sisters are little love-slaves to you, so too is the furball to the lizard. Be wary not to fall into something like that yourself. Well, I mean, you'll be fine since you have me! I'm quite safe, and I can't have you becoming a slave. But your sisters are shown to be more pliable. Keep the snake busy until you learn more, and the nobody pirates are perfect for that."