“But we won’t get either ship this far out. We’d need to head further inwards. Though, we still could do that while en-route to Weka Four. As long as we consistently head towards the planet we shouldn’t flag,” Calegg added.
“There are ship dealers out here that’ll stock these ships. If you know where to look. Enter these coordinates,” Elyek said, confidently.
Again, Elyek was very informative. I couldn’t help but be impressed with our newest member. Calegg did as he was asked and entered the numbers Elyek shouted out. “Those coordinates you gave me are only five days away. We can make that,” said Calegg. He looked more closely at the screen. “There’s nothing there!”
“There is. Trust me,” Elyek replied with a knowing smile. “It’s in Hixus space. They are very secretive about what they have, and what they don’t. The richer the planet, the less they want people to know about it.”
“Who are the Hixus?” I asked.
“They’re one of the five elite races in the Empire. There are fifteen races who have representatives in the Galactic Council. Five of those are known as the elites, the real ruling body of the galaxy. If they could work together they could probably fight the Fystr, but they are forever bickering and trying to undermine each other. It's less one-empire and more loosely-united group of smaller Empires,” Calegg answered.
Elyek nodded in confirmation at what was said.
“Let’s do it then,” I said, and Calegg punched in the coordinates.
“I should add,” Elyek said, “that for this first mission I should stay concealed. If any of the cameras pick me up before the transaction is made, then our cover could be blown. We would then have much less time to move on the bank.”
We grudgingly accepted their advice. If Elyek thought that was for the best, we had to agree.
We all sat back and relaxed on the bridge. I looked around at our burgeoning new team and I was happy with what I saw. All outcasts and all adding something to our future success. Not to mention, we were on our way to get a sweet, new ship. Life was looking up. Dangerous, but up.
“Okay, Elyek. Calegg, Shaun, and I really need to go train. We’ve a lot we need to do before we land so if you will excuse us,” she said, getting up from her seat.
Elyek said, “I would like to train with you both at some point if you have time. I think we should learn to work together a little and figure out each other’s styles.”
“It’s a great idea, Elyek. From tomorrow we’ll make sure one hour of each day is spent training together.”
“Excellent. I look forward to it,” they said happily.
Calegg just grunted noncommittally and focused on his screens.
“Me too,” Ember said and headed for the door.
I jumped up, “Sounds good, Elyek. Catch you guys in a bit. Sounds like I will be busy.”
I found Ember in our room. I put Havok in the corner. “So. Training, huh?”
“Yes, you have the Mental Clarity of a plankton. We need to bring you up to speed.”
“I think you’re wrong. We need to sort you out first, I have Havok, whatever my stats say. When Havok is in my hands, stats go out of the window.”
“Shaun is right, Ember. You’re underpowered for the fights ahead,” Havok helpfully added.
“Havok. You know Shaun is a vegetable who doesn’t want to do boring hard work, right?”
“Yes, also very true. I think, help Shaun for a day, then focus entirely on your training until we get to the planet. The stronger you become, the better off we all will be. Right now you are a weak link.”
I cringed as Havok spoke into both of our minds. Ember wasn’t going to take that well.
Surprisingly, she just sighed, “Fine. I can see your point. As long as we get his Mental Resilience and Clarity up a few levels, I’ll be happy to focus on me.”
“Let's do it, then,” I said, though I didn’t want to. Going into my Mindscape’s Cognition Room, I was followed instantly by Havok, who stood in the corner, and Ember, who stood hands-on-hips looking around.
“Right, Shaun. We need to clear a path to those shelves first. It all needs to go on those shelves.”
“I know, I know. I helped you with your room, remember?”
“I remember. I’m just never sure what you remember.”
After our little bickering session, we set to work, and it didn’t go too badly.
It went even better when Havok made an offer. “Hey guys. I’ve never brought this up before, only, I really like music. As long as I've heard it I can play it in my head. It helped with the centuries of extreme boredom with Jotun. Would you like to see if I can play it for you here?”
Ember and I looked at each other with mild concern. It was hard to say no though because it was a genuine heartfelt offer from Havok to entertain us.
“Sure, dude, let’s hear what you got,” I replied. I actually felt a little bit of warmth coming off him. I think he might have just smiled.
Somehow, music started playing, emanating from Havok. Apparently electronic, melodic, metal music was a thing with the Fystr. Who knew! It wasn’t actually half-bad, although all the songs seemed to focus on conquering planets and slaying foes. I guessed that may have just been Havok’s preference.
By the end of the day, my stats were looking up, and Ember seemed grudgingly-satisfied:
Name: Shaun Sutherland
Age: 29 GY
Transcendence Level 91
Strength: 200/1000
Agility: 70/1000
Speed: 105/1000
Intelligence: 45/1000
Constitution: 180/1000
Wisdom: 5/2000
Mental
