Skin Strength = 73

  Blood Capacity = 65

  Healing Speed = 73

  Overall Personal Level = 360

  Strength = 98

  Dexterity = 16

  Constitution = 159

  Intelligence = 87

  Wisdom = 33

  Charisma = 14

  Luck = 28

  Quick Points = 2

  Mech Warrior Operational Level = 94

  Battle Mage - Rank 28

  Mech Pilot - Rank 24

  Nanite Engineer - Rank 42

  Nanite Factory – Rank 78

  Human/Machine Interface - Rank 46

  Mech Merge - Rank 32

  Mech Remote Control - Rank 8

  Molecular Insight - Rank 33

  Molecular Manipulation - Rank 29

  Molecular Acceleration/Deceleration - Rank 36

  Combustion - Rank 10

  Reversion - Rank 7

  Vrolsh Coding Learned

  CAD Tech - Rank 21

  Kiain Language - Rank 6

  Emaxyol Language - Rank 1

  Shuttle Operator - Rank 17

  Freighter Operator - Rank 13

  Computer Science - Rank 12

  Electronics and Communication - Rank 15

  Electrical Engineering - Rank 18

  Mechanical Engineering - Rank 21

  Information Technology - Rank 24

  Foot Soldier - Rank 31

  Merc - Rank 21

  Sniper - Rank 19

  Gun Smith - Rank 17

  Shadow Awareness - Maxed Out

  Future Insight - Rank 10

  Negotiator - Rank 32

  Deception - Rank 34

  Reconstruction Expertise - Rank 25

  Muscle Healing - Rank 24

  Viral Fighting - Rank 15

  Poison Resistance - Rank 19

  Night Sight - Rank 18

  Sword Play - Rank 45

  Animal Handling - Rank 15

  Null Gravity Management – Rank 13

  Detective - Rank 8

  Space Politics - Rank 9

  Special Traits Awarded x 3 – Any extras here do not show on your Stat Sheet Totals.

  Healer = Internal AI Chip X Class – Crystalline and Silver metal chip with integrated healer nanites led by Xe.

  Intelligence = Internal prototype AI Chip, inserted on 17th birthday, with consciousness of Hiroto.

  Shade Brain – One in a million, you managed to not only keep your memories, but you can also hide them. Your character sheet is elusive to even the strongest of will. UPGRADED - No one can penetrate your Shade now!

  Spells - Active - Minor Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 5

  Spells - Active - Medium Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 20

  Spells - Active - Intensive Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 50

  Spell - Active - Lightning Fury – Requires Kenosi of Rank 20 – Damage increased by 50%

  Particle projectile cannon

  Uses energy direct from mana reserves

  Can store within battery compartments to aid when needed

  Special attributes – when inside a mech it will enlarge to the size needed by its soul bonded owner

  Familiar - Separated - Penalties induced

  Debt to Darkness - Owed - He will not forget

  I knew I’d grown a fair bit, and this showed everything I had evolved in. There were even some extra skills. Negotiation and detective had increased the most, but my kenosi was improving in leaps and bounds at the moment. I had learned control on things I didn’t think possible. Molecular Insight and its movement skills increased too.

  I saw the hole, though, where Yun was, and wished I could fill it. Get him back. Soon, I thought. Soon. I wasn’t going to let them hurt him for long. They were in trouble, lots of it.

  Chapter Twelve

  The bridge sparked my focus again as Tyto began to move us away from Vitya’s ship and the others. It was pretty amazing to see, two other species coming together for one goal, to go and rescue—or, more so, protect—the orphans’ planet.

  Jai had gone, and Tyto sat in his seat. When I stirred, he said, “Welcome back. Thought I’d lost you for good there for a while.”

  “Sorry, I had a few more things I needed to get sorted.”

  “That was obvious. You’ve been through a lot, takes some time to process and look after new skills.”

  “It does. What are we doing next?” I asked. “We need to get moving to Flaoer, right?”

  “We do. Denn’s saying she’s not sure the engines can take it, but we’ve got to try at some point.”

  “I should go talk to her,” I said and moved to stand.

  “No,” Tyto said. “You are going back to Shion’s quarters. I’ll come get you before we leave and head back to the Razor, okay? Then we’ll see about getting this fleet on the move.”

  “Okay,” I said, my hand covering my mouth in a yawn. I left the bridge, and I went back towards her quarters. She wasn’t there when I climbed into her bed. But her smell around me was more than enough to get me to go back to sleep.

  I think this time when I woke, I felt at peace once again. Yet I was alone. It seemed dark, but it was just the lights of the room. I pushed the cover back and got up. Making myself a drink, the machine barked at me. “Kyle Ranz, you are severely undernourished. Please report to the mess hall as soon as possible.”

  Damn, I was always getting told off for not eating enough. These bodies burnt a ton more energy than I was used to.

  Approximately a few thousand calories more when in kenosi. If you’re not taking from the energy itself or the surrounding area, it will leech off you some of the things it needs.

  I had started to learn with the more I was eating, the more Xe or Nus were asking for. This time I went straight for the mess hall though, and the foods I loved. I knew Latife wasn’t here, but her other chefs were good, the food laid out, just as tempting. I helped myself to a chocolate pudding, and when I got to the end for them to assign it to me, I got one strange look.

  “I know it’s rationed,” I said with a sigh.

  “I haven’t just done all that training you probably have,” the chef said and put another pot of chocolate on my tray with a wink.

  “Hey,” I said. “We’re all doing the best with what we have.”

  “I’m under orders, and not to deny you, Kyle. I just wanted you to know, whatever you wish, you only need to ask. Latife has left us all instructions to make sure you have things you need or want. No matter the cost or the rations.”

  I tried to smile back, but it didn’t feel right. I mean, getting special treatment was something that should have been for Jai, not me. It felt too odd.

  You know it’s just your brain telling you shit, Hiroto said.

  I cringed. Took my tray and went to hide in the corner to eat it. Jai found me a few minutes later, slurping up pudding as usual. “I swear sometimes all you do is catch me stuffing my face.”

  “Well, that and saving some poor waif or stray.”

  I laughed. “How’s things?”

  “Vitya’s back on his way, we’ve moved back to the Razor’s side. The Cristanna’s requesting we sort and split the crew. I think that’s a bit of a daunting task, but if you think it’s worth doing?”

  I looked into the bottom of the second pudding pot, disappointed.

  “I think they’re right. We need to make sure we all have experts in all areas. The wolves are damned smart. Cristanna’s not stupid; they know with the help of their staff, she’ll be able to upgrade.”

  “That’s what all of us want. Who can sort that amount of people and staff out?” I asked.

  “I’d say Rei.” Jai said. “As much as he’s a nut for training and doing things, he’s also one of the only other ones I’d trust with the task.”

  “Fine by me. I think some swapping of crew, equipment, and resources while underway will keep us all on our toes.” I replied and finally gave up on the pudding pot, placing it down. “In fact, it’s probably going to be really good that we do rotate everyone. No better way to get to know each other than by working alongside each other, right?”

  “I’ll get it organised. I think Tyto will be ready for when you need to get back to the Razor.” Jai raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I’m full, I’m charged.” I patted my rounding belly once. “Yep, ready to go hit the real training and start to see what these mechs can actually do.”

  “Have you accepted Motaki’s challenge yet?”

  I hadn’t formally done it, but I brought up the system message that had accompanied it. “No, do you think I should? It will just tell him we’re coming?”

  “I think they know that already.” Jai said. “This is just a formality; they’ll need to process the timing.”

  I read over it, saw nothing hidden inside its wording, and then hit accept.

  YOU HAVE ACCEPTED MOTAKI’S CHALLENGE TO FIGHT. YOU AREN’T POWERFUL ENOUGH YET. BETTER GET TRAINING.

  It was telling me things I already knew, so I stood. “You’re sticking with us, right?”

  “This ship’s going nowhere you aren’t, so yes. We’re here for the duration. Gotta level up as well, you know. Aust’s put me in charge of all the battleships coming to join us, and I believe there’s quite a few more on the way, he’s just monitoring from above, giving me wider information so that I can see the field in full.”

  “He’s smart, just like you all are,” I said. “Glad you have our backs.”

  “Do you think you have the right mech crews?”

  I pushed my tray away, picking up my glass and downing some of the fruity liquid. I was already full, but I needed and wanted the fluids. “I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “I know Hiroto’s been working as usual with the Razor to see what kind of training we can do. We’ll run everyone through it as we can, all day, all night. Every test, we’ll sort through who will be on the first team. And they’ll have standby people. That will make sure that there’s others around if things go wrong.”

  “You going to allow M-Wolves in our mechs?”

  “Yes,” I said. “They’re some of the fittest fighters I’ve ever seen. I don’t see why they shouldn’t get a chance to defend.”

  “Their own mech?”

  “I already know one person who wants to try for it...”

  Jai laughed. “Yeah, Tyto’s not going to let that one slip away. If he can get anywhere near it, he will.”

  “There’s only one way we’d ever get in those wolf-mechs,” I said. “And that’s something I’m not sure they’re going to like. Co-pilot, like we did to get our mech off Trilak.”

  “You’d share the cockpit with someone?”

  “If it got me inside the wolf-mech in the first place, yes?”

  “I’d like to see that,” Jai said. “Will you let me know when you’re going to even try it?”

  “I need to look at the stats of the different mechs they have, see if Tyto and I even come close, or even if Tyto and Rytin do.”

  “Okay, just keep me posted. If you can do it, I wonder if anyone can, or if it’s just a skill you have?”

  “We’ll have to try with others too,” I admitted. “And no, I don’t think it’s something only I have. But we won’t know for sure till we do test it.”

  “It’s no good putting you and Rytin in there together,” Jai said. “You’re both too big. I don’t think you’d fit. It was quite a tight fit for Tyto and myself. A little too close for comfort.”

  “Heh,” I chuckled. “I’m not worried about rubbing up against even Rytin, as long as we got the job done.”

  I liked that he could laugh over certain things. I missed Xirob for that; he would take the mickey out of me for even thinking some of my thoughts. They were as I was, a little juvenile, showed my inexperience of being in the midst of a war zone.

  But, I said to Hiroto, I am fighting things. If I feel an emotion, I don’t let it ruin what I’m trying to do.

  You’re doing very well, Kyle. You’ve come a long, long way. You know this. Your stats show this.

  I grinned. Gotta push myself further.

  “Would you get in with a wolf?” Jai asked as we almost reached the hangar bay. I hadn’t realised we’d walked that far while talking.

  “Whatever it takes, Jai.” I never hesitated. “I mean that. Even if it were the stinkiest and most repugnant wolf I’d ever seen, I would do it if it meant I had an arching control over something that big.”

  “Give me a few days,” he said. “Set the mechs going, start the real training one on one. I have a few ideas. I think Los and you will make the right team, but I need to bring Oron around. I want that wolf-mech on standby, because if we can circumvent a few rules, sneak around a few things, I have a plan.”

  I liked where he was thinking. Really liked it. I had thought the wolf-mech could do us some good, but I didn’t think it would be allowed in the arena.

  Hiroto said to us both, “Chances are it wouldn’t, but if Motaki breaks some rules, which we both know he will, then I think we’d be within our rights to have a second mech to bring to the table.”

  “We can destroy his, and him mine, then he’d bring in a number two, knowing I technically might not have one.” I pondered my thoughts even though I’d said them aloud.

  “Yes. When he tries to destroy you with those intentions, you might still be able to fight, you can’t. He’s got to beat your mech right down.” Hiroto said.

  I knew he was right but orchestrating that lead up would be difficult. “I don’t think that would work.” I said. “But there’s something that might. Team Two has to go to the denti home world. Then we need to smuggle the mech-wolf’s mechs through with their team.”

  I knew exactly how I was going to do it.

  “So sneaky, the Vamire Storage device?” Jai said. “That will make a huge difference if you only have one back up, though.”

  “I only need one,” I grinned. “Cause that one is gonna floor anything they think they have that’s above me. I don’t think the rules will let two be inside it though, unless we can find a way around that, I really want to keep this on the low. Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Got it.” Jai stopped walking. “I’ll bid you well. Get over there, get things going. We’ll do everything here too.”

  “The pods?”

  “Miquel and Imehia are sure with the tech from the Razor and their loss of pods that we’ll have the materials we need to kit ours out and some more. We might even have the souls to start them.”

  I frowned at that. “We don’t have the capabilities to do that?”

  “Imehia’s doing something for us that I think even Xirob would be proud of.”

  I knew Tyto didn’t need to know this either. “She’s giving her young?”

  “She’s willing to test the one thing out that you know is true. That the joining of two minds can happen. She’s allowing some of her embryos out into the new pods, they’re going to be brought to fruition, and they’ll be sitting in wait for anyone of our crew that doesn’t make it.”

  “Just our crew?”

  “She’s been very specific. Only our immediate crew, yes. There’re pods we can use for others, like they did to Dylan. Unless this is sorted, she wants only us to take her young’s lives. If it works out, and the mind joining works, she said she would think about giving more. Shion and Faith also agreed.”

  I sighed. “I don’t know if I like this idea? The young don’t get a say in it...it doesn’t seem right.”

  “They knew that something was changing. There’s less and less space for them in this world. There’s a lot of them that do want that space. They’re aware, and Imehia says they also know the risks.”,

  I would have to speak with Imehia on this, but I didn’t have time. The door opened and Tyto’s face greeted me. Shion too. “I wanted to see you off,” she said. “I wish I could come with you.”

  “I don’t need you kicking my ass this time. I can pretty much do it myself.”

  The others laughed and Tyto said. “He can, yes. But I’ll put you on rotation, so you get to train with him.”

  “I’d like to try and pilot a mech, if you think I could.” Shion said.

  “You’re training for other reasons,” Jai said. “Full Kenosi Master?” She nodded. “Then I believe you have your own list and skills you need to push. I’d like you to realise this first. There’s more than enough mech-trained to help Kyle and us out.”

  She lowered her head, and I knew she felt bad. Feeling bad and wanting to be with me were two different things. “Don’t fret, my love,” I said. “We will see each other often.”

  I glanced to Jai, who nodded. “Keep me posted on all progress. And if you don’t, I’ll be poking Hiroto.”

  I laughed. You’ve got a lot of eyes and ears about. I hope you can keep up.

  Hell yeah, you know I can, Hiroto said.

  Good. I took Shion’s hand and moved inside the bay with her and Tyto. “Shuttle’s ready to leave when you are.” He motioned to my hand and turned and left us for a few moments.

  I brought Shion close to me. Kissed her deeply, my loins on fire. “I have to ask,” I said. “Donating embryos—is that something you really want to do?”

  She looked away. “If it meant you came back to me in a different way again, yes. For others, I’m not so sure. I would, because my babies deserve a chance, and the people here are special. But I’m worried it won’t work.”

  “There’s only one way we’re going to find out,” I said sadly.

  “I know.”

  “What about children for us. Would you want...” I seemed to stutter out the last part. She pushed me back, her hand trailing down my navel.

  “Of course, I would. I want so many.” She laughed, and it was more than music to my ears.

  I swallowed and kissed her again, feeling myself pressing into her, needing her so badly. Hiroto wasn’t stopping these emotions, and I kind of hated him for it.

  When she pushed me away, I couldn’t move, and she knew it. “I will see you very soon, love.”