With the help of the Guardians, social stability was gradually restored and a subtle change was seen to manifest in the hearts of people everywhere. It was as if recent events had somehow served as a catalyst, a determining stimulus to a larger balance which now sought to achieve its rightful equilibrium by bringing the truly important things into focus.
During that time, the Guardians didn’t make the slightest reference to past mistakes in an effort to remind survivors of their gravest error. Not once did they ever raise a wagging finger and pontificate to a shamefaced populace, “We told you so!”
Instead, they went to great lengths to put mankind at ease and demonstrate they recognized previous public concerns and were working to rectify them.
The beginning of April witnessed a press conference, whereby the Lord Marshal of the Guardians sponsored the advancement of a Universal Psychic Law and Order Bill. Such legislation—he reasoned—was intended to provide a platform for acceptable guidelines to be introduced regarding the use of psychoenergetic abilities.
He stressed the proposal would prove the Guardians recognized the concerns of the majority within society who were not gifted, while making a framework available in which the rights and freedoms of citizens everywhere were protected.
As an added guarantee, the Lord Marshal revealed that the latest versions of their thought reading device—the Wave Reader—were nearing completion and would soon be made available to the numerous justice departments and intelligence communities around the globe. Priority access to such apparatus would be given to the highest courts within each nation to ensure a clear message was sent: no one, be they a state or individual, was beyond the reach of due process. The Guardians also disclosed that in future, those devices would be produced under the oversight of the world’s top scientific and legal experts, to ensure the strictest standards of impartiality and objectivity were adhered to.
When the case of Luigi Espasito, the elementally endowed crime boss who had instigated the nuclear missile attacks was highlighted, a specific clause was added to the Bill.
It was widely accepted that such a character would be very difficult to arrest, interrogate, and keep incarcerated by normal means. Clearly, their talents would be hard to manage unless someone equally as skilled was there to negate the threat they posed. Those employed to administer such countermeasures would need to follow guidelines provided by statute. Planning accordingly, an amendment pertaining to extremist acts was included within the draft detailing the appointment of civilian psychic prosecutors. It decreed that if a transnational act of terrorism occurred, the perpetrators must be subject to the jurisdiction of a court convened at the behest of those nations directly targeted.
The court would be chaired by a legal expert chosen from a neutral country who, in turn, would be assisted by two examiners picked from a list of registered telepaths; one, a Guardian Inquisitor, the other a state appointed attorney. That panel would conduct all necessary proceedings against the accused and be empowered to pass judgment.
As with the bill itself, this clause was readily accepted and given enthusiastic support.
During this same period, the Guardians dramatically increased their involvement with many of the national, federal, and specialist law enforcement agencies around the world. Their actions appeared to harmonize with previous statements from the Lord Conciliator’s office that international organized crime would be the priority as they began their integration into society. As those initial weeks passed, results were quick to materialize, and it didn’t take criminals long to learn a hard truth: no matter where they were or how widespread their influence—insurgents, arms dealers, drug peddlers, and human traffickers alike were all as equally helpless to prevent the total disruption of their activities.
So great was the impact targeted assistance made, that many voices began calling for January 5th to be memorialized as “Guardians’ Day”. A call that was taken up with greater vigor, by more and more people as time went by. Needless to say, this call was tactfully ignored by the Guardians themselves, who went about business as usual.
*
As deserving of praise as these issues were, not all made the headlines due to a number of revolutionary breakthroughs in the areas of science and medicine.
The first came only a few months after the conferences in Switzerland.
Maxwell Small, an engineer studying the effects of thunderstorms hit upon the idea of using the energy produced by those storms against themselves. He’d noted how the Guardians used microwave emitters during the incident in Texas, to warm up the cold air at the trailing edge of the tornado to rob it of power. Then he’d remembered that they had hinted a similar strategy would assist in the development of mitigator technology.
Using his corporation’s Regional Atmospheric Modeling System—RAMS—Maxwell perceived how, amongst other things, supercells generated acoustic vibrations known as Rossby Waves.
Rossby Waves emanate from giant areas of turbulence within high altitude vortices which twist and turn so alarmingly, they have a major influence on weather within the cell itself. The stronger the gusts, the more pronounced the conflicting currents of volatile air; the greater the divergence, the more powerful the production of acoustic vibrations.
Initially, Maxwell only managed to reproduce those waves in simple thunderstorms. Nevertheless, he was able to ascertain the infrasound emissions radiated within a very specific range. The exact frequency depended upon the intensity of the winds. By measuring those wavelengths precisely and bouncing them back at the source, he was amazed to discover the radical fluctuations produced during such an event were drastically moderated–or “mitigated.” Not only that, but the becalmed area would actually spread throughout the rest of the storm’s cloud mass.
Breakthrough!
Since then, Maxwell had not only gone on to construct the basic patented model of his mitigator—which was proven to protect structures and machinery within the generated field under laboratory conditions—but had also made a televised live-time demonstration of a full scale mock-up during an actual tornado.
The implications of his discovery for long-term weather control and modification were enormous and unanimously welcomed.
Other popular studies focused on what was being labeled artificial tree and lung technology and bio-reclamation projects. Researchers had high hopes of manufacturing viable working models of atmosphere scrubbers, purification plants, and soil regenerators within the next two to four years if current innovation continued. A promising start.
Elsewhere analysts had taken some of the pointers from the Lake Genève Conference and modified previous attempts to utilize good old “H2O” as a fuel source, something that had eluded many a great mind for decades.
Zara Gill, a leading physicist from Canada, had thought of introducing a counter polarized bolt of electricity through water contained in a restricted pressurized capsule. Doing so allowed her to weaken the force holding the hydrogen and oxygen elements together and split them into two different components entirely, a method which proved more energy efficient than electrolysis.
Gill was then able to store the separated components in a fuel cell that remained cool to the touch no matter how long it was kept in operation. By introducing another oppositely polarized charge, she was then able to recombine the liquid derived hydrogen with one part oxygen to create a distinctive electric current. It was discovered that current was potent enough to drive a motor and the only by product was pure water.
So far, she had produced viable options for use in automobile engines and industrial converters. Her team was currently working on a cost effective way of reducing the size of the special batteries used, so they could be incorporated into everyday consumer goods such as clocks, torches, scroll phones, remote controls, and the like.
Researchers for another company had also begun delving into this lucrative form of energy production. Although no real advancement had been made so far, they were nevertheless pleased at their slow progress, as their particular efforts were focused on using the most abundant compound on the planet as the fuel source: sea water.
Needless to say, results in that area would have earth changing consequences. However, the scientific community was still waiting for data on the subject to be published because, as usual, all information surrounding the trials had been patented and highly restricted.
Perhaps the most innovative breakthrough—and certainly the most celebrated—was a revelation from one of the world’s most respected medical specialists, Dr. Peter Dyer.
A known expert in Computer Sciences and Advanced Artificial Intelligence applications, he was also a leader in the field of forging those applications into various human genome projects. Such programs employed theoretical “Cognitive Micro-Technology” which recognized and removed recessive genes, so they could be modified and reintroduced into candidates’ bodies.
Dr. Dyer had also attended the conference in Switzerland and had come away inspired. So much so, that he had returned to his laboratories in the USA and immediately spliced two major areas of active research together—those regarding a contemporary multi-wave holographic bio-scanner and another investigating nanobot distribution methods within the cardiovascular system.
Within months, he had overseen the construction of an incredible new piece of technology. Christened the HaSP—the Holographic Scanning Platform—it was a high resolution multi-wave reader and emitter, able to map the human body to varying depths, dependent upon the modulation of the wave form. The HaSP could then project a real-time, dynamic three-dimensional rendering of the patient onto a high-resolution LCD screen, or directly into the air, allowing surgeons to zoom in on a specific problem to determine the best course of action in each case.
Dr. Dyer was optimistic of being able to devise a full body bio-bed version of the HaSP before the turn of the year. By then he hoped to have incorporated all new micro-optic targeting nodes equipped with state-of-the-art laser and sonic delivery systems into the framework, his intention being to produce a regimen capable of a non-invasive, yet aggressive response strategy.
His published findings revealed the HaSP was already patented, as were the results of any future programs related to its evolution.
The article resulted in a flood of enquiries from teaching hospitals around the world keen to be amongst the first to include his discovery in their curriculums.
At the time, nobody noticed that in all but a few cases, most of the technological leaps had been spearheaded by various subsidiaries of the Yeung Corporation. Perhaps that was fortuitous for them, because closer scrutiny would have revealed hitherto unknown aspects regarding a number of their more “inspired” employees.
*
Those same months saw the Council arriving at an extraordinary decision in an effort to safeguard its future.
Always cautious and perceptive, Boss Yeung knew without a doubt that unless the Council adjusted its goals and aspirations, they would not survive the coming years. The Guardians were back, they were firmly entrenched in people’s hearts and minds and they were digging ever deeper into areas that would bring both organizations into direct conflict with each other.
They way the Guardians had helped rebuild the global infrastructure so quickly, revealed a depth and understanding of sciences far beyond what even the Council had access to. And, after viewing the footage of the defenses they had employed against the asteroid, he had no doubts that the Guardians had a psychic capability his most talented assets could never hope to match . . . yet!
But he was working on that.
His foresight and vigilance when it came to making plans was legendary and these qualities had helped him arrive at a perfect twofold solution to their predicament.
Firstly, he realized that the warning so bluntly delivered to them via Angelika indicated the gloves were off! The Guardians would now answer any confrontation with force. So, while the Council now had to avoid such a scenario, there might still be a way they could fulfill their aspirations without engendering friction in the first place.
On the pretext of visiting the site of one of the meteorite strikes in the Adachi ward of Tokyo along with some of his top scientists, Yeung set up a chance meeting with some old associates who also happened to be in the area, enjoying an elaborate tea party following the birth of a child into the White Tiger family.
Yeung had managed to find himself a seat next to the Oyabun—or Father of the clan—Tamotso Hearn. Hearn was close in age to Yeung and during the course of the evening as they reminisced on old times and on how things were changing for the worse, Yeung had used his gifts to subliminally influence the gang leader’s mind. Something he had done on many occasions, to many Japanese crime lords, over the years.
As was their way, traditional gangs liked to show strength, power, and daring in the face of impossible odds. Such posturing enhanced their own standing amongst other Yakuza bands and increased their influence within the districts they governed. Using his arts, Yeung planted the seeds of an elaborate scheme to do just that in the mind of Boss Hearn as the evening went by.
With those seeds planted, Yeung left them to sprout while setting about initiating the second phase of his reorganization: he ordered the cessation of any and all overt forms of criminality by the Council’s assets.
During an extraordinary conclave held at the end of spring, he stressed that survival was dependent upon change. While he foresaw no real problems from maintaining ties to gambling, pornography and licensed prostitution, he insisted these aspects of the Council’s dealings be financially and administratively recategorized under a totally separate set of new shadow companies. Once instituted, they were to be headed by non-gifted executives who were to ensure any and all current legislative red tape was adhered to.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Yeung also suggested their cybercrime activities be adapted to patented cyber security, an area they should excel in because of their obvious edge in that field.
When a few members of the Council expressed their reservations about these changes, Yeung highlighted, as an example, the recent successful patenting of several new Guardian inspired projects being pursued by their parent company, Yeung Technologies. This open door to legitimization would now be the way forward, as the Council would be in a stronger position than any other corporation on the planet to gain access to the secrets needed to stay ahead in the new techno-industrial race.
While he agreed that it was an entirely new way to go, he reminded them that such a path would nevertheless generate a great deal of revenue, along with prestige, privilege and influence. It would also ensure they retained the insidious grip on the power they had worked so hard to achieve over the years and guarantee their continued freedom to exploit such discoveries for their own advantage in the future.
When he went on to reveal a hint of what such exploitation might achieve, his proposals were met with renewed enthusiasm by all.
A unanimous vote quickly set the Council to putting their affairs in order, everyone appreciating that any loss suffered now would only be temporary and more than recuperated by future profits. Change would not be easy, but it was crucial, especially if it deflected Guardian scrutiny for the foreseeable future!
*
Anatt also discovered that change wasn’t as easy as she’d first imagined it would be.
Her initial enchantment at being boosted into a transcended state faster and with greater strength than previous candidates didn’t last.
It wasn’t that the constant distractions annoyed her so much anymore. Her iron resolve and self-discipline had quickly helped her overcome the tendency to become absorbed in absolutely everything within an unprecedented matter of weeks. No! It was the fact that even now, several months later, something as simple as dust motes swirling in the sunlight, could catch her unawares.
Recently a small crowd of students at the academy had turned a corner to find the new Lord Designate standing like a statue—with her head kinked over to one side—in the middle of an empty corridor. On that occasion, the strangest smile graced her countenance as she was entertained by delights only her senses could appreciate fully.
Repeated reminders from both Andrew and Victoria that she was doing far better at coping with her transition than anyone else they knew did little to ease her agitation. Be that as it may, their assurances that she would soon find her own equilibrium spurred her to grit her teeth and throw herself into her work.
And fortunately, there was plenty of work to go round.
Unfortunately, that merely highlighted another downside to the transcended condition: she could absorb information at an alarmingly accelerated rate.
Working with the Lords of each division, Anatt was delighted to discover she could subsume knowledge of the specifics of each of their specialties with relative ease. She only needed to experience something once to ingest almost all of its nuances and applications as demonstrated, before intuitively progressing that material into further novel uses. Sadly, this resulted in her learning all she could from each department after three and a half months.
Keen to stay occupied, Anatt turned her attention to the new compressor concept for emerging Ultra candidates. The Overlord had revealed the anticipated program during the late spring and Anatt not only devoured the program itself, but went on to extend its applications in mere weeks.
As such, August loomed with her thirst for fresh stimuli reaching new heights. Then, much to everyone’s relief, the Overlord had stepped in to help, in a most unconventional, roundabout way.
*
The Overlord had been spending an unprecedented amount of time in and around the Headquarters environs, working in tandem with Andrew on the selection and training of the relatively few Guardians they had handpicked as possible candidates to serve on the newly expanded Shadow Operations branch. The people chosen were markedly distinctive, either in the range and flexibility of their psychic abilities, their outstanding physical and educational attributes, or their expertise in certain psientific disciplines.
It had taken Naomi, one of those elite few, quite a few months to get over the astonishment of discovering just who Andrew was . . . and even more so when she considered his ancient origins. A month spent personally with Andrew, Victoria and the Overlord following the Transcension Ceremony—enhancing and fine tuning her skills—had done nothing to alleviate the awe she felt in their company. Even now, she couldn’t get past the fact that she was in the presence of the Gods of old, actual myth and legend come to life in the flesh. And they were family!
The Overlord himself had later worked exclusively with her for over a week, giving her new programs and mental exercises to absorb that would strengthen her burgeoning mind and accelerate her psychic maturation. And strengthen her it did. In a frighteningly wonderful way, Naomi felt something deep within her sprouting, flowering, growing . . .
Into what, she didn’t know yet.
During all that time, not once did the Overlord make reference to what she now knew and needed to keep secret. To Naomi that implied a level of confidence and trust in her integrity that greatly moved her. And as those weeks passed by and turned into months, her awe turned into a deep abiding respect.
The gradually waning class size only served to strengthen that bond, as decreasing numbers entailed ever more time spent in each Lord’s company, being trained to form a nucleus of talent for the remarkable assignment before them. Naomi knew what this involved, of course, but wasn’t aware what information the other candidates were privy to. As such, she was determined to prove her worth and remained tightlipped about the subject.
The list of studies appeared endless:
Survival training in a multitude of environments, including deep space; hunting and tracking; unarmed and armed aggressive and defensive tactics; language and syntax recognition drills; floral and faunal identification and husbandry; terrestrial, extraterrestrial, and hybrid DNA isolation and categorization; and of all things, pilot training.
Endless tutorials, repeated seminars and compressor sleep-induction, turned every day of every week into one long extended lesson that she reveled in. Then, on a hot and sticky August afternoon, something totally unexpected happened during one of their regular combat sessions.
Naomi and her classmates had been attempting to defeat a tag team comprised of Andrew and Victoria by taking it in turns to attack them with plasma staffs set to sparring mode. Their efforts were being closely monitored by the entire Council of Lords, who were keen to see what strategy this peerless group of students might devise.
Trying out her boosted staff properly for the first time, Naomi had initially felt quite confident. Two grueling hours and one set of deadened limbs later, and she had drastically changed her opinion. Neither she nor her classmates had come close to achieving success. Nor could they hardly stand! What made it worse was the fact that their two super-ninja opponents—who had teased them mercilessly throughout the ordeal—had hardly broken a sweat.
Icing her bruises and taking a much needed breather, Naomi had been surprised to catch sight of her former boss entering the arena. The bored look on her face and lethargic gait announced to one and all that the Lord Designate was agitated and obviously looking for something to do.
In between large gulps of air, Naomi suggested to the Overlord that perhaps he should offer the latest addition to the transcended ranks an opportunity to give her weapon a test run, as to their knowledge; Anatt hadn’t yet tested the scope of its new power crystal.
To everyone’s surprise, the Overlord agreed. Rising from his seat, he removed his cloak and outer tunic—revealing a finely muscled torso partially hidden beneath a vest top—and then casually walked out onto the combat area, twirling his baton between his fingers. The hush was palpable. Even some of the Lords had never seen him use it before.
After broadcasting an invitation loud enough for everyone to hear, he activated his staff. Instead of bursting into life as expected, it merely rippled from end to end and lengthened to form a five-foot long smooth pole very similar in appearance to a blackened martial art cane. Once extended, he remained still, watchful for his opponent’s response.
Anatt seemed distracted, at first by something on the back of her sleeve; secondly by a sound only she could hear; and finally, by certain aspects of the Overlord himself.
She blinked and her demeanor changed, as if registering for the first time the challenge just extended. A sly smile crept across her face. Maintaining eye contact with the Overlord, she unbuttoned her jacket and let it drop to the floor. Then she broke into a flat-out run—straight at him.
Overcoming their shock, the select crowd watched in amazement as she brandished her own baton at the last moment. Its dual blades sang as they activated, leaving sizzling golden arcs in the air where the Overlord had been standing just a split second before. Realizing she had missed, Anatt wheeled round into a combat ready position, hunting for her target.
The Overlord had gamboled three yards to one side to where he now stood in a relaxed manner with his staff tucked neatly under one arm. Wiggling his eyebrows, he smirked, and motioned with the fingers of his other hand that she should try again.
And she did.
Everyone was spellbound. Given something to wholly concentrate on, Anatt began to pound away at the Overlord’s resistance with an increasingly ferocious assault that made the air throb in sympathy.
At first, the Overlord was content to either block her attack and disengage, or melt away just out of reach. Each time he evaded her, he would deliver a stinging rap across her back, legs, arms—or in one case—the cheeks of her backside.
Anatt refused to become flustered, and from Naomi’s perspective, channeled whatever she might be feeling into applying ever more speed and finesse to her own technique.
At last, a living branch of coruscating purple and silver lightning appeared in the Overlord’s hands. This time he held his ground, moving with a liquid grace and precision that countered every attempt to land a blow against him: overhead and underhand; slashing and sweeping; complex combinations and blunt ripostes. Nothing Anatt did was able to penetrate the sweeps, parries and outright slamming rebuttals of a perfect defense.
But Anatt was relentless. Circling the Overlord she dodged and feinted—left and right—searching for a chink in the armor, an opening between the blades, any tell she could exploit. Silent except for the sizzling play of plasma on plasma, she was soon breathing heavily and panting for breath.
The pressure mounted. No one dared blink in case they miss the sudden resolution they felt was sure to come. And when it did, twenty minutes into the duel, it left them breathless and the memory of it was still emblazoned across Naomi’s memory.
Anatt had been advancing along the Overlord’s centerline, employing a series of engagements and breakaways in a clear effort to force a mistake. Somehow, the Overlord must have spotted a pattern to her movements, for no sooner had he repulsed a particularly vicious overhead chop to his weak side—thereby knocking his attacker off balance—than he surprised everyone by deactivating his staff. Maintaining his rate of spin in toward Anatt, he used the space this gave him to his advantage by sheathing his weapon and pivoting fully behind her. Anatt reacted instinctively, stepping back in an effort to regain her footing. In doing so, she fell into the waiting trap.
Synchronizing to Anatt’s movements, the Overlord thrust his left palm down into the small of her back whilst simultaneously cupping her chin with his opposite hand and tipping her head toward him.
The result was instantaneous. She was upended on the spot!
But the Overlord hadn’t finished. Dropping to one knee, he followed her to the floor and caught her head in the crook of his left arm. Even more remarkable, he was able to snatch her baton into his grasp with his opposite hand at the same time, extinguishing the blades as he did so.
Everyone held their breath, and for a moment, even the Moon seemed to pause in its orbit. Then a thunderous burst of applause set time in motion again.
Naomi watched with interest as the victor helped the vanquished to her feet and handed back her staff. The ether buzzed as a telepathic exchange took place, to which Anatt retorted, “I look forward to it . . . Sir. Next time I’ll kick your illustrious ass, and in front of witnesses too, so you can’t deny it.” Then she spun on her heel and strode from the arena without looking back, serenaded all the way by the Overlord’s good-natured laughter.
After taking his seat, Naomi couldn’t help but notice how the Overlord continued staring at the exit, deep in thought, for some considerable time.
The upshot of his musings became apparent the following day when it was publicly announced that, as Anatt Yasin would be heading the project anyway, now would be a good time for her to join in with the rest of the classes. Such a move would not only help to keep her occupied and physically and mentally in shape for the trip ahead, but the team would have the opportunity to become accustomed to her unique style of leadership.
Thus was the problem of the new Lord Designate solved!
*
The end of August also saw an additional bonus, with the unveiling of a new ultra-range, teleportation program for all transcended Guardians. It appeared fortuitous in its timing, as this same period witnessed the final selection of those qualifying to join Shadow Operations.
High Grand Master Trudy Bevin, a former resident of Alice Springs, Australia, was appointed as Deputy Shadow Master. An elemental tigress with a no-nonsense attitude, she was the perfect choice to ensure discipline would never be an issue.
Her two Divisional Heads, Grand Masters Guillermo Agia and Pascal Theriault, were Ultrasense veterans with over three hundred years active service between them. Their sound experience would prove an essential calming factor for the people serving under them, four much younger Master Class Section Heads and twenty-eight Guardians.
There were two promotions amongst the selected crew: Jack Parker, a twenty-five-year-old telepathic weather elemental from the UK, was granted his Master Class diploma; and Naomi, who received her Grand Master Designate commission.
Although shocked to be considered in the same year as her appointment to Guardian Master, it was pointed out to Naomi that a lot of pressure would be placed on her shoulders in the very near future. Fortunately, the accelerated training she had received would allow her to keep pace with her expanding powers, ensuring both her suitability and capabilities remained sufficient for the task ahead.
A timely reminder, for then came the news they had all been waiting for.
It was a shock to most of the contingent to discover they would be taking part in an extensive terraforming project on a preselected alien world: Kalliste. Their objective would be the selection of a viable Alpha Site, along with the compilation of detailed final ground surveys to confirm the planet’s viability for global colonization.
Once this had been accomplished, three-quarters of the team would be replaced by mission specific analysts—or psientists—who would devote their particular skills to ensuring the success of the transformation process. They would also be responsible for completing more detailed inspections of floral and faunal diversity, and the danger represented by the larger of the indigenous predators native to two of Kalliste’s three major continents.
In all, four Shadow Sections would rotate on a monthly active basis, and divide their duties between Kalliste and Earth. The unavoidable consequence of such a schedule was that half of their downtime would be spent ferrying equipment and essential supplies to and from the Pegasus Dwarf Galaxy.
As tedious as the prospect of that might be, the revelation was still exciting. However, it was somewhat tempered by the details of how they would arrive at that brave new world:
Up until now, the Guardians had employed starships using Slip-Sheath accelerators. Such engines allowed them to fly at velocities approaching the speed of light by cancelling the resistance incurred by vessels fording the interstellar medium. While they had teleport technology, this was impractical over vast distances, as the “pain-to-focus” threshold multiplied exponentially the farther the distance involved.
But no longer!
As trailblazers, the advance party would be travelling by means of a brand-new Explorer Class frigate, the Proteus. Equipped with the very latest faster than light drive engines—termed FaD’s—the Proteus had just completed final trials. Not only would she get them to their destination in just under two weeks, but her design specs were a precursor to the Prometheus, the first of the new Explorer Class carriers earmarked to carry colonists and their possessions en-masse.
And the surprises didn’t stop there, for the crew was then informed of a team of specialists who would be accompanying them on their very first outing.
Experts in the construction of jump gates—a variation of the technology used in the T-rings which allowed the virtually instantaneous translocation of a subject between two distant points—their initial task would be the establishment of a viable travel hub situated in close planetary orbit. A necessary precaution, as Kalliste’s two moons, Callistran and Theron, created powerful gravity fluctuations. That, together with ambient solar radiation and system wide plasma winds, required an eyes-on/hands-on assessment.
Once suitability was confirmed, the techs would begin construction of two Hyper- Jump Portals, powered by a pair of specially attuned psitronic crystal shards. Naturalized to local ionization at both ends, their sympathetically shared harmonics would ensure the gates remained locked on to each other, regardless of galactic drifting. In turn, that would guarantee communication between worlds was always maintained.
As Naomi finished packing her bags in preparation for departure, she stared into the mirror and noticed the changes the past months had wrought. She wore a crisp new uniform, complete with Guardian insignia on the shoulders and a silver band at the end of both sleeves.
To her mind, she appeared older. And truth be told, she felt it too. Her increasing responsibilities seemed etched into her face in defiance of her self-healing capacity. Leaning closer, she peered into the depths of her eyes. They looked harder somehow, possessing a steely caste that wasn’t there before, along with an intensity that had begun to catch people’s attention.
She couldn’t help but feel a little scared at where all these changes might lead. Will I be up to it?
Shaking away her negative mood, she turned to more urgent concerns. I’ve just got time to make a call to Mom and Dad. Then I’d better get myself over to the assembly point. I don’t want to be late on my first day as a Grand Master Designate!