(Throne Room, Aurum Throni, Terran Orbit)
I felt the presence before we even landed on the cityship. It was an intense pressure, wild and tempestuous, like standing in the middle of a hurricane. I wasn’t the only one feeling it, either. Sheila looked as though she was on a ship on stormy seas as we approached one of the docking ports in the Inner Throne. Only Raven, being an AI in a machine body, was unaffected. I’d never envied her before this moment.
“What is causing this? This can’t be my sister, can it?”
I looked over to Sheila, and sighed. “From what I know, before all this happened the Empress, if she had psy abilities at all, was not in the habit of using them. Now, thanks to the rift, she’s clearly gained psy powers. Also, it seems that belief somehow affects the strength of powers. There’s a reason why most of those who were incapacitated for a long time were leaders and other important people. They are focal points for the belief of those under them.”
Raven nodded. “And, in Sol System, to say nothing of the Empire, there are few people who can come close to rivaling the importance of the Empress. Yes, that would be logical. From the readings I’m getting from the sensors, and the information we gleaned from the Enrichment Center, we can assume that there is a good likelihood that this is due to the Empress gaining new power in an instant.”
Sheila frowned, and looked at me. “But you got a bunch of power, too, right? You’re basically a head of state now, like Merida is, and have a lot of people who follow your every whim. You’re not putting out pressure like this!”
I grimaced. “True enough, but there are a couple key differences. First, I’m a Nomad, which means the rules for me might not be the same as they are for locals. Second, I have training in using and controlling my psy powers, even before I got this power-up. More importantly, I have a lot of practice in suppressing my aura, to keep people from instantly recognizing me, or suspecting me of being a threat. Even now, people still underestimate me from time to time because of that, thinking that all the rumors just be propaganda.”
There was a subtle shift in the gravity as we touched down in one of the hangers on the upper spires. Lucio was already waiting for us as we stepped off the ramp, along with a detachment of the Royal Guard. Clearly, he wanted us to get wherever we were going as quickly as possible. The fact that he, too, was looking vaguely ill only made that more obvious.
He smiled wryly as we clasped hands. “Well, Admiral, I can safely say that you are in equal parts one of the most loved and hated people in the Sol System at the moment.” I raised an eyebrow at that, and he continued, while we started walking through the halls. “Only the most gullible and naïve souls in the Empire now think that it was simply a ‘coincidence’ that your ships were on ‘training exercises’ with the fleet at just the right moment to help fight off the invaders from the Rift. Especially since there are too many people in the Imperial Navy who are saying that there were no plans for exercises until literally just before you showed up. Especially when the news began reporting that your ships were ALSO on ‘exercises’ near Coldana, just in time to help with a rift that formed there, at exactly the right time.”
I merely shrugged. “Well, there was no way to avoid that, unless I delayed coming until the bureaucracy could be dealt with. And we all know that would have been months, at least, if not a year or more. Which would have been less than helpful for Sol System, or Coldana. So, loved and hated, hmm?”
Lucio nodded. “Yes, you’re loved precisely because the people who have any knowledge at all realized that you rushed the better part of your fleet here to help the Empire when it needed it most, yet again. The Navy, especially, is very appreciative, since even the most die-hard partisans have to admit that the numbers would not have been in our favor without the Black Star Navy acting as reinforcements, after people ‘just so happened’ to get put on an alert, meaning that they were as ready as possible for the attack. You certainly won some praise with the military because of that.”
The Empress’s advisor chuckled. “As for being hated? Well, people also have come to the obvious conclusion that you knew things that they did not, at least long enough in advance to move ships into position. That has rankled a few people, I’m sure you can imagine, as a group in another arm of the galaxy somehow knows more about what is going on in Sol as they do. There’s even been some whispers that you are actually responsible for the Rift, using the confusion for your own nefarious ends. The standard conspiracy stuff, to be honest.”
I had to stifle my laughter. Another pulse of psychic pressure made it easier than I would expect. Right, to business. “So, the Empress woke up after the wave, and suddenly was super-powerful?”
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“Not exactly. The pressure waves began almost twelve hours ago. But otherwise, yes, it would seem so. At any rate, if she had this kind of power beforehand, she’s never displayed it before now. We’ve still got a lot of solid metal between us and her right now, so the effects are somewhat muted. I’m told you can barely feel it on the periphery of the Outer Throne. Unfortunately, much of the Inner Throne is in chaos at the moment, as people are trying to manage, but it is like suddenly stepping into a high-grav environment without support. Frankly, even the Royal Guard, who have resistance training, can’t stay in her presence too long without issues. They’re having to rotate out every four hours. And no one is able to stay in the same room with her long enough to try and get a handle on her mental state.”
I winced. “And I can just imagine what that level of power would be doing to the children.” I waved off the look of concern Lucio gave me. “Because of my… heritage, the kids will have very adaptive blood. If the mother is sending off psychic waves like this, while they’re still in the womb, then they’re going to adapt. How they adapt will be another question entirely, and one I have no way of answering.”
“No, for the moment our concern must be for the Empress. Maybe a bit less for everyone in the Inner Throne, but helping the Empress will remove the source of their problems, as well. Since it seems that I am the next to last to come out of my little power-up coma, I take it you wanted to see if I could do anything to help the situation?”
Lucio nodded. “Yes. I know people have been wondering, and I can tell you for certain that Merida had no psychic abilities before this wave-front hit. Meaning that she has no controls, no barriers, no defenses. You, on the other hand, have extensive experience with psychic abilities, especially mental ones, if our reports are true. This makes you the best, and perhaps only, one to go in and find a way to get the Empress under control, before people start dying from simply being near her.”
I nodded slowly, considering the situation. “I can help shield one, maybe two people, with the abilities I’ve gained. I still haven’t figured out the full extent of them, or how taxing they’ll end up being, but that should allow you and Sheila to accompany me as we go see to the Empress. Raven, being an android, is unaffected by the mental pressure, which means she will be fine as well. That is the best I can do, and I might not be able to keep it up if something unexpected happens.”
Lucio simply nodded once. “There are four Royal Guards on station, and they’re almost at the end of their rotation. We’ll go in with their group. How long do you think it will take?”
“That depends on what is going on. If we’re lucky, it is basically her just being overwhelmed by everything, now that she has this kind of power. You know those old stories about telepaths having to learn to shut down their powers, because everyone around them is basically shouting their thoughts all the time? It is the same thing if someone has powerful psy powers. And the Empress is now incredibly powerful, without any training. Best case, I can help build enough of a barrier that she’ll be able to do the rest of the work on her own. Worst case, we’ll have to sedate her, and I’ll have to dive into her head to start working on things while she’s unconscious. At least then she won’t be able to actively use her powers if, say, someone startles or upsets her.”
Lucio grunted. “So, basically like someone who was completely unaugmented suddenly waking up after the operation with top of the line combat mods installed, and no training on how to use them. New recruits to the Royal Guard have to be trained not to hurt themselves or others just opening a jar, much less anything physical. And even then, they were soldiers first, and probably had mods of some kind to begin with. They usually get the mods turned on in stages, to help with acclimatization.”
“I will say this only because I don’t want anyone to accuse me of lying. It might be possible for me to seal or lock down some of the Empress’s power temporarily, and allow her to grow into it, as it were. It is basically the same process you use for restricting a psy user who you need alive and conscious, but would rather not have them throwing fireballs around. But that is neither quick nor easy, and it would require me to go much deeper into her mind, and do a lot more… invasive work than simply guiding her in initial training. And then there’s the fact that I’d have to get back in her head at intervals to release the blocks. Obviously, I would recommend that we try anything and everything else before getting into that territory, as it would cause political problems like you wouldn’t believe.”
Raven nodded. “The level of penetration required for such a venture would be equivalent to that used in the Stepford slave collars, or the Hundeherstellar Nanites. You are, after all, essentially going into someone’s mind and turning parts of it off or changing it to suit your needs. The intent and morality of it is different, but they are more similar than most people would be comfortable with.”
Lucio groaned. “Yes, well, let’s say that is the plan we use only if the Empress looks like she’s about to collapse the Aurum Throni into a miniature black hole. Anything short of that, we’ll go with something else. If word of it got out, the very idea would destabilize the Empire, and things are already unstable enough. Especially with the new rumors about you.”
My reply was cut off as we reached the doors to the throne room. Two Royal Guards stood outside the doors, on duty, and four more were formed up, ready to enter the room. The pressure on the other side of the door was overwhelming.
I took a deep breath, and focused on my power, shaping it. I needed protections, like the ones I used on my own mind, but to shield Lucio and Sheila. They didn’t need to be complex, just sturdy. I envisioned a barrier, a shield wall in the ‘mindscape’, wrapping around the two. I could already feel the impacts of the pressure against my shields, but I could hold it, for now.
“Let’s go.”
The doors to the throne room opened, and the four Guards entered ahead of us. The Guards who were on duty inside waited only long enough for us to enter the room, before they left, and sealed the doors behind us. I didn’t blame them, given the pressure that increased tenfold inside the room.
At the other end of the throne room, was the Empress. But she did not look like the woman I’d known before. It was almost impossible to pin down her looks. She appeared young and old, fair skinned and tanned, blonde haired and black, short hair and long. All of that and none of it at the same time, like trying to look at a four-dimensional object with three-dimensional eyes. But the glow, that was there for sure. She hung in the air, glowing like the pictures of saints of old, wreathed in light, her eyes shining like miniature suns, her hands outstretched, her mouth open in a silent scream.
“Time to go to work.”