Kara submitted her report to the council and she wasn't surprised that they didn't ask her about losing the two Order members, three squads of guards, two assault shuttles, and all of the weapons on a dreadnought class space ship. They weren't even curious about how it had happened so quickly. She shook her head and lifted Kralish from the middle of the floor with the Levitation technique.

“What are you doing?” The head of the council asked.

“I have been granted an audience with The Wise One and he needs to see this.” Kara said as she turned around and walked towards the doors.

“We need to discuss what to do about him.” One of the other council members said.

“He doesn't need to be here for that.” Kara said. “I'll bring him to the medical building after my appointment.”

“We also need to discuss your behaviour.”

“I don't need to be here for that, either.” Kara said. “You can take the cost of the shield emitter out of my next pay.”

The Order council members exchanged looks, because everyone knew they didn't get paid.

Kara left the council chamber and made her way over to The Wise One's office. The secretary there just waved her by and Kara nodded to her. She entered the office and The Wise One sat on the floor behind his desk.

“This is very troubling.” The Wise One said as his segmented eyes beheld the twitching and squirming torso of the scaly alien.

“Whatever Hunter did to him, he can't regenerate or sleep.” Kara said and put Kralish on the floor near the door, as if he was an ornamental doorstop. “I'm pretty sure he's gone completely crazy by now.”

“I wasn't talking about that.” The Wise One said. “Can you not feel it?”

“Feel what?” Kara asked.

“Exactly.” The Wise One said. “I don't feel Kralish's immense Presence anymore.”

Kara took in a sharp breath and turned to look at the torso. “I didn't even... I've been blocking out everything from him since...” She shook her head and concentrated on him. She only felt a slight Presence and it wasn't regenerating or cycling through his body like it should have been. “Oh, Goddess.”

“He didn't absorb it, did he?” The Wise One asked and Kara shook her head.

“No, I would have felt any kind of transfer, considering Hunter's Presence was very strong. Much stronger than the last time I felt him.” Kara said. “In fact, I met...” She swallowed audibly. “...his wife.”

The Wise One let out an uncharacteristic buzzing sound, one that he had worked very hard for decades to suppress. It surprised Kara to hear just as much as it surprised The Wise One to make that sound.

“Please tell me, in your own words, what transpired that day.” The Wise One said and his Presence filled the room to encompass both Kara and Kralish.

Kara took a deep breath and began to speak.

*

I slept with Noma that night and quickly knocked her out. She had fought her smile as much as she could and then she relented and fell unconscious with it plastered on her face.

She really doesn't want to be happy so soon after losing Hailey. Simone said into my mind from her room next door.

I know. Neither do I. I responded. I just feel so...

Empty? Drained of emotion? Full of blinding rage over her death? Simone thought back. You're not the only one, Hunter. Not even close.

I sighed and fought the tears that threatened to overwhelm my eyes.

Come here. Simone commanded and I slipped out of bed, pulled on my nightgown, then left my room and went to Simone. I entered her room and walked over to her bed to see Gleas curled up beside her. Her face was tear streaked and there were scratch marks all over her forearms and her thighs. Some were bright red and fresh and others were weeks old.

Why didn't she say anything to me? I asked and carefully caressed her arms and thighs as I used Presence Heal on her to make them disappear.

We all can't let loose like you and destroy part of a countryside. Simone thought with both amusement and accusation. We can only deal with it in our own ways.

I already told you that I didn't know I could do that. I said and climbed into the bed and laid down behind Gleas, then hugged her from behind.

“No... Simone... I said no.”

“Shh.” I whispered in her ear and Gleas took in a sharp breath and woke up instantly.

“Hunter!” Gleas said and turned her head to look at me.

“I have my nightgown on, so you can relax.” I said. “Nothing kills a sexual mood like seeing a handsome man embarrass himself in a nightgown.”

Gleas took a breath and closed her eyes as tears popped out. “Please, don't make me laugh or try to comfort me. I can't take it right now.”

“I'll be the judge of that.” Simone said and touched her forehead. “Let us hold you and care for you.”

Gleas' forehead tingled. She didn't fight against whatever Simone was doing and accepted it.

“I'm only helping you relax.” Simone said. “I agree with Hunter. Messing with someone's head against what they intend, would cause more problems than it would solve.”

Gleas nodded and she felt the tension in her body melt away, as if she had just spent a few hours soaking in a tub. “Thank you.”

Simone and I hugged her and she cried silently as her tears continued to flow. Since we could do nothing to soothe her besides being there and holding her tenderly, that's what we did. We were also fairly well acquainted with her mind and we could feel that she trusted us implicitly. She wouldn't be anywhere near Simone's bed if she thought she would be taken advantage of.

I gave Gleas a quick kiss on the lips. It lasted for barely a moment and she put her arms around me and kept crying. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and looked at me.

“She didn't finish her promise, did she?” Gleas asked, barely above a whisper.

“We just passed a thousand kisses.” I whispered back. “She still owes me another nine hundred.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Gleas nodded slightly. “Then I'll finish it for her.” She said and gave me a light kiss. “Please, let me do this for her.”

“Did you know she loved it that you cared so much for her that you rigged the impromptu beauty contest we had?”

Gleas caught her breath as she remembered telling me that after I saw everyone walk down the stairs, even her in her skin tight pants, that if I didn't choose Hailey, she would kill me.

“Yes, that one.” I said. “I know Hailey would be happy to have you complete her promise to me.”

Gleas let out a sob and started to give me soft and tender kisses that lasted for only a second. She did this for quite some time, turning her head slightly for each one so that it wasn't quite exactly the same kiss each time, then she reached a hundred and stopped.

“Only eight hundred more to go.” Gleas said. Her tears had stopped at some point and then dissolved.

“I look forward to each and every one.” I said. “Although, there was only seventy three that were Hailey's.”

Gleas' face flushed red and she tried to turn her head away.

I caught her chin and had her look at me. “Gleas, it's okay. You didn't hear me complain, did you?”

“But...”

“It's just going to take you a little longer to complete Hailey's promise.” I said and gave her a kiss. “I said I was looking forward to each one, not just Hailey's.”

Gleas gave me a nod and closed her eyes. We stayed there for several more minutes in silence and then Gleas spoke. “Now I can't sleep.”

“I know a quick way to help.” Simone said, mischievously.

Gleas sighed. “Simone...”

“Hunter? Help her.” Simone said and I put Gleas to sleep instantly.

“That was a little mean.” I said and she leaned over Gleas to kiss me.

“It's not my fault she assumed having sex with us would tire her out.” Simone said. Okay, yes it is. She thought and laughed mentally.

I shook my head at her and she put her head down on the pillow beside Gleas, then I filled her psychic quota in an instant.

“Mmm.” Simone moaned a little and fell right to sleep.

I entered my half-meditation half-sleep state and rested as well.

*

Kara finished her interview with a very concerned and worried Wise One, dropped Kralish off at the medical building, then went to her residence. She greeted her old guardian with a hug and a promise to fill her in later, and went to her room. When she stepped inside, a four foot tall pink skinned pixie-like alien floated in the middle of the room. Her long white hair was done up in a ponytail and it wagged behind her like a tail.

“Tell me everything.” Lashina demanded.

“At least let me change first.” Kara said.

Lashina nodded and waited, quite impatiently, for Kara to change out of her formal robes and into her sleep clothes. She floated over to the bed and sat down on the middle of it in a Lotus position and Kara climbed onto the bed and copied her pose.

“You can tell, can't you?” Kara asked and Lashina nodded.

“He's coming for me first.” Lashina said.

“He didn't say when.” Kara responded.

“He'll come when he's ready.” Lashina said and put a hand over her heart and closed her eyes. “He has... important work to do... and...” She gasped and opened her eyes. “Oh, no.”

“You saw Kralish?” Kara asked.

“No.” Lashina said. “I saw what he's going to do.”

“What is it?” Kara asked. “I think I know some of what he...”

“You have no idea.” Lashina said and took out a datapad. “The Order sent a scout ship to the same system and this is what they found.”

Kara took the datapad and saw the devastation on the planet's surface. “How did he do this? Even orbital strikes from space wouldn't cause this.”

“I have some idea; but, that's not the only thing he's going to do.” Lashina said. “He's going to develop a horrible new weapon that's going to devastate everything.”

Kara thought about Kralish's barrier that had killed Hunter's wife and Hunter thanking him for giving him the means to destroy The Order.

“HUNTER'S WIFE?!?” Lashina yelled and Presence shot out from her and wrecked everything in the room.

Kara glanced at the room and sighed at losing everything again. “I was as surprised as you when I found out.” She said. “I guess you didn't answer his messages, either.”

“What messages?!?” Lashina asked and she started to glow. “You will tell me right now what has been going on.” She commanded and Kara felt the compulsion hit her as hard as being punched, then the feeling faded away. The compulsion was still there; but, she could choose to ignore it if she wanted to.

“If you would calm down and stop interrupting me, I'll do that.” Kara said and held a hand out to her.

Lashina stopped glowing and accepted the hand, then Kara told her everything and she 'saw' it in her mind. It didn't take long for her to get the entire story, including all of the messages Kara had intentionally ignored.

“You stupid fool!” Lashina exclaimed. “He reached out to you and you ignored him? How could you do that?!?”

“You ignored him, too.” Kara said.

“I didn't receive any messages!” Lashina said loudly, anger filling her voice and emotions. Why didn't he message me, too? She asked herself and her Presence flared.

“I think you need to visit...” Kara started to say when Lashina disappeared and half of her bedroom wall disappeared with her and was smashed out into the courtyard. “...the communications center.” Kara finished. “I knew I should have taken her outside.” She said and used Presence to gathered as many of the larger pieces as possible and put them back into place.

*

The communications center didn't know what hit them.

A meteorite? A missile? A whirlwind tornado? None of them could make sense of what had happened in the last few seconds. A glowing being floated in front of the console and she had her hand out and the entire wall of consoles glowed with the same intensity.

After nearly a full minute and everyone started to recover from the explosion, the glow around the consoles increased and then they imploded like air being sucked out of a plastic bottle. The glowing being looked at the workers and she knew they were responsible for her not receiving her messages, the very important and universe altering messages, and that it had been ordered by both the council and The Wise One.

“You are lucky that I am not ruthless and that I won't KILL YOU ALL for keeping my PERSONAL messages from me.” Lashina said and then smiled. “Don't worry, though. Hunter is coming for you all and he will end you for me.”

She disappeared back out the side of the building that she had crashed through and left everyone there completely terrified.

*

“Open all the doors.” The Wise One said over the intercom when he felt Lashina approach. He knew she couldn't smash through all of the walls between his office and the outside of the building, so he gave her an easy route to take instead. After a minute, she appeared in front of him, her anger palatable.

“Why?” Lashina asked as her Presence tried to lash out at The Wise One, which he easily deflected.

“This was why.” The Wise One said and motioned to her. “You have let your personal feelings affect you and you have been acting rashly every time something happens that concerns him.”

“You kept me from helping him when he needed me!” Lashina said loudly.

“I stopped you from ruining your reputation by helping a declared rogue.” The Wise One said and tried to keep up the pretense.

Lashina laughed. “You let him be sent to prison on false charges! He went there because you asked him to! He helped The Order clean up its messes by taking on the attention himself! He is no more a rogue to The Order than I am!”

“He accepted...”

“He is not a member of The Order, which he has reminded everyone of several times. He cannot be a rogue of an organization that he is not even a part of!” Lashina spat.

“He destroyed an entire planetary sacred site.” The Wise One said.

“Yes, and he showed you how ridiculously easy it would be to do, didn't he?” Lashina said. “How many new safety measures have you come up with to protect the sites since then?”

The Wise One sighed.

“Have you seen the things that he did to the sacred site were he was imprisoned?” Lashina asked and he didn't respond. “Do you know how many requests I've had for people wanting to be sent to prison? Do you?”

“Yes.” The Wise One said.

“Of course you do. You've been getting my messages and only sending me the ones you wanted me to see.” Lashina said and glared at him. “If I thought for one second that I could have a chance to kill you, I would!”

“I know.” The Wise One said. “That's why I have done what I have done all these years. You are too dangerous to be left to your own devices or to see the whole picture. The Goddess herself said that you needed to be watched and cared for. You needed to be coddled and kept from seeing things that will do... this... to you.” He said and waved at her glowing form. “How many people have you harmed over the years by doing things like this?”

“NONE, you sanctimonious insect!” Lashina said. “No one was hurt from any of my tantrums!”

“What about mentally?” The Wise One asked. “How many people have you terrified with this behavior?”

Lashina's bluster faded slightly and her Presence glow reduced and almost disappeared as she landed softly on the floor.

“I believe you have some apologizing to do.” The Wise One said.

Lashina lifted her head and glared defiantly at him. “I'm sorry that you are manipulative and deceitful. I'm sorry that you successfully kept me from Hunter all these years. I'm very sorry that Hunter isn't here right now to erase you from existence.”

“Are you finished?” The Wise One asked.

“Yes, oh Wise One.” Lashina said sarcastically. “I am finished. I will no longer listen to your calls. I will no longer do your bidding. I will no longer help people that come to me for help.”

“That is harsh for you to say.” The Wise One said. “I understand not dealing with me; but, why would you deny helping others?”

“Because it's a waste of time.” Lashina said and turned to walk away. “Why would I bother helping people that will be dead in the very near future?”

The Wise One stood there and watched the pixie-like alien walk away. One of his forelegs trembled slightly, because the Presence hadn't wavered while she was talking. Not even a little.