Josh's Interface pinged.

New Spacetime Attunement Skill Acquired:

Translocation: Invest 1000 units of Essence with the Intent to relocate yourself within the range of your Event Sphere. Attempting to Translocate other Spirit beings of greater Cultivation strength and Attunement will have variable results. Increase your Cultivation to increase this Spacetime Attuned Skill.

Check your status for details.

Josh barely had a neuron to spare for the implications of his new skill. Instead, he was focused on the unique problems associated with having the front half of his skin and muscles vaporized in a nuclear explosion. If, for example, a certain lawyer somehow managed to survive that disaster, the next issue would be that the front half of the clothes the lawyer was wearing most likely did not. Josh had to admit that this was something he had never considered... but currently he was quite acutely aware of it.

He had appeared precisely where intended, ten feet from and within sight of Sabrina and Lobo. Unfortunately, six other space marines were standing guard over twenty kneeling prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs. As fate would have it, none of them had their backs to Josh's full sun as it dawned in a soft pop along with the rest of his birthday suit. Of course, all the prisoners also turned Josh’s way just in time to witness the back half of his clothes fall into a rigid, grit-filled pile behind him...

...As all men who commit tragic social faux pas do, Josh's brain immediately went into massive denial. The psychological morphine of self-serving lies was injected directly into his consciousness.

Well... we're all professionals here. Everyone knows I've been in a massive explosion. The prisoners even knew it was a triple nuclear detonation. No clothes could have possibly survived! How can I be expected to still have clothing on? I'm sure they all understand!

Without wasting a second, Josh purposely opened his Aspect Facet and pulled out the only clothes he still had. He was eternally grateful he still had them. His arms moved with triple Attunement speed. No muss, no fuss!

Halfway through getting the dusty but still serviceable chlamys Gaia had given him on, Josh froze mid-pant leg as the catcalls and wolf whistles started. A sharp smile plastered on his face as he hurriedly finished pulling the britches on and draped the cape over his bare shoulders. The cheering only increased as Josh's face made its best impression of a boiled lobster.

“Alright, alright,” Josh scowled half-heartedly. “Show’s over. There’s still a war on, people.”

After Josh had reached a state of minimum-safe dress, Lobo walked over with an unblinking gaze and managed to choke out. “Nice... um... battle kilt... your Eminence.”

Before he was forced to turn his head and snort out a series of strangled hyena’s barking laughs. When he was able to return to standing staunchly at attention, his lips constantly tried to pull back into a smile. Still, with obvious and great attempts at motor control, he was able to get out.

"Do I understand that Heir Marztanak has also survived, sir?" A tight doggy grin took control of his lupine snout as he lost the war against the raging humor within him. Deep peals of laughter started the whole camp into a cacophony of guffaws that Josh was sure they could hear in orbit on the Brigantine.

Josh dryly eyed Lobo’s rocking form. "Yes... Heir Marztanak is just fine. I'm going back to send him up now..." Josh lowered his forehead and looked out at everyone from below his raised brows as he gave them all the finger. "...When you least expect it... There will be payback!"

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Then, Josh's new Spacetime skill, supported by his immensely effective Stellar Atlas, activated in what could only be the next best thing to instantaneously. Still, it wasn't fast enough to save him from the tidal wave of laughter that erupted from the nearby space marines, prisoners with their hands on their heads, and a much larger crowd he hadn't even noticed standing directly behind him.

A single thought went through his head. A thought that he had told his criminal defense clients hundreds of times...

...There is going to be a video... There’s always video...

Josh reappeared inside Sen's shield. Sen wisely didn't say a word. He just prepared for the stone-faced Josh, in his dusty white chlamys, to use his Tetrahedral hybrid power and directly teach him the Translocation skill. Then he blinked out after patting his brother silently on the back.

Of course, Sen could pick up feelings and emotions that strong through the Bond. Was Josh's only thought as he Translocated back to where he felt Sen was.

"Fuzzy-Wuzzy. Primary objective confirmed. Storm Sword and Mighty Mouth are completely functional and have been recovered. Howler out."

Lobo finished as Josh appeared back in almost exactly the same spot he had left from. Sen must have picked up the location through their Bond, or saw Josh with his Event Sphere while waiting... Another possibly was simply that Karma and Reality just really hated Josh.

The laughter had ebbed, and everyone was now sneaking looks in his direction out of the corner of their eyes and trying to keep from smiling too widely. Josh could live with that. After all, despite the little boy screaming in the back of his head, ‘It’s not my fault,’ he was the one that had bomb-flashed the camp—

Lobo suddenly pulled the massive, scarred gray-metal gun off his back and pointed it directly at Josh, shouting in a more serious tone than Josh had ever heard from him, "Hold! Any movement will be met with lethal force!"

Ten of the twelve soldiers guarding the prisoners responded a beat later and pointed their guns in a direction Josh could finally tell was over his left shoulder. He drew his sword with a ring to see Sen holding his arms out and signaling the soldiers to lower their weapons.

The massive battle-mech had appeared, most likely the same way he and Sen had, via Translocation. Its four upper graspers were held out, signaling it intended no harm. But Josh knew that could well be a feint. The thing had Terminator-style, liquid-metal capabilities, after all. No matter what, it was always going to be a threat! Then the young male voice spoke from its dome, and Josh had to rethink his last internal statement...

"Uncle Sen'ak! Sophie's dad! You're still alive?! I'm so glad I don't have to tell her that you died!"

Josh looked at Sen. Sen looked back with raised eyebrows and an impish smile. ~Looks political.~ The man snorted and turned to walk away, waving daily over one shoulder. ~Good luck!~

Knowing the fight was lost with Sen, even though it was a ten-foot-tall death machine, Josh turned back to the AI mechanical. "How do you—" Then Josh corrected himself from going off half-cocked again. "We need to talk." Josh turned his head from side to side and looked around. "Maybe someplace a little more private—"

A holographic image of Intelligence with a stern expression on its lithe micro-avatar sprang up from multiple small digital emitters affixed to the shoulder straps of the troopers in the area. "A wise decision, young Cultivator." The image blinked out and appeared directly between Josh and the black metal giant to speak again, "Board the shuttle to your immediate left and return to the Brigantine. I will join you in your questions." Intelligence turned its head to include the AI mechanical and spoke in a tone rich with discipline. "Out in the open is no place for... any of us."

In an almost childlike manner, the tilt of the battle mech’s large oval dome lowered, and its shoulders wilted in shame at Intelligence's words. It reminded Josh of nothing so much as Sophie when she was caught trying to sneak into the snack cabinet before dinner. The AI mechanical silently nodded its large, armored top-dish to Intelligence's hologram and marched off between four guards to the shuttle's rear ramp. Intelligence turned back to Josh and Sen. "There is much to discuss. Return with haste." Then blinked out.

Josh looked to Sen with raised brows. ~You feel that?~

Tight nod. ~Yes, brother. I also feel the resonance of Karma’s strings tightening. It’s upon us again.~