Chapter 8, A New Partner

Dustin sat back in his chair, the cushions moulding around him for the most optimal comfort. He raised his arms, stretching as his lower back protested at him for sitting so long. A hologram of a jump gate hung in front of him, displayed in three d from his comm. This image was the size of his desk. He could turn and zoom in on specific features by focusing on their individual parts.

The Ra had called Dustin crazy when he had suggested this bridge idea to her nearly five years ago, but he was going to prove her wrong. If he altered the pathways of the gate and input specific coordinations, he might be able to set a destination without actually going there.

So far, his theory of a bridge had failed. Dustin sighed. He could do a lot with the Positive art, but he was realizing he needed a specialist in the negative art. That power, and his power, they worked so well together. In his studies, he had discovered that the negative art pulled and the positive art pushed. That wasn't a breakthrough in and of itself. The jump gate itself utilised the negative art and the positive art in tandem, folding space upon itself.

For this very reason, Dustin had tried to learn the negative art on his own, but he was like a child playing with toys compared to the Secari.

Dustin chewed his lower lip, the stubble on his jaw tickling his sensitive upper lip. If only those Secari prisoners weren't so angry at him. If he could convince one of them to work with him. Dustin sighed. Who was he kidding? They were highly trained assassins. They would lie right to his face until he lowered his guard before thrusting a fork into his eye socket. Dustin shuddered. He hadn't even thought that had been possible until the recent escape attempt. Now one soldier was dead and the last instructor was in a puddle of her own blood in her cell.

How she had gotten out of her cuffs and bindings was still a mystery. Now he only had three. At this rate, they would all be dead before they even made it to trial. The two trainees were too young to know much. Now all he had was the older one, Peyton. The young mans value to Dustin had gone from high to holy shit valuable over night. Dustin clasped his sweaty palms in front of him, shifting and adjusting his knife from where it was chafing against his hip.

After last night, Dustin had placed five soldiers inside with the prisoners at all hours, giving them no privacy. He couldn't have more escape attempts. Dustin examined the lines threading in a webbed pattern throughout the jump gate, once again, taking deep calming breaths.

He found that throwing himself into this problem when he was frustrated or outright angry helped calm himself.

The ship jostled slightly, and a voice came over the speakers.

" We have arrived in Berdant, departure to Valia in one hour!" Said the ship's captain. Dustin reclined in his chair. He would need to deliver the prisoners to a black site for holding, then he could get what information he could while he waited for the trial. The faint drone of footsteps on metal planking drifted from the other side of the door. The door swung open and in strode a dower woman dressed in casual civilian clothing. Her hair was bound in a ponytail, her dark tinted glasses hiding the hardness in her eyes.

"Cal Dustin." Said the woman, nodding her head respectfully.

" What can I do for you Cal Jasmin?" Asked Dustin, eying the woman who had been pretending to be a navy captain on Etria.

" I'm here to relieve you of the prisoners." Said Jasmin bluntly.

Anger welled in Dustin's chest, and he had to force it down. He needed to pick his battles carefully.

"I have been tasked with questioning them here on Berdant. The Ra has a new task for you." Said Jasmin.

" Well, give it to me. If the mission is so important, I want to get started right away." Said Dustin.

Jasmin reached into her light silken pants and pulled out a small white fingernail sized chip. Dustin took the chip and Jasmin whirled on her heel, leaving the room as quickly as she had come.

Dustin scowled at the woman's retreating figure. All of his work gone just like that. Without him, none of them would have been captured in the first place. The Ra had wanted to simply kill them all, but Dustin had talked her out of it. Then he had needed to secure the prisoners and bring them back. Dustin wanted to yell in frustration. He needed that negative art. He felt like if he understood that power better, then he could unravel this mystery of the bridge.

Dustin focused his art on the small chip in his hand. The chip crumbled as Dustin's fingers tingled.

The door to Dustin's cabin clicked, unlocking and swinging open. A short, athletic figure in dark combat gear strode inside like she owned the place. She pushed up her clear face plate and smiled.

Dustin quickly schooled his face from frustration to calm nonchalance.

" Big brother, what's wrong? You seem unusually tense?" Asked the young woman.

" Nico Taniya, what bad news do you bring?" Asked Dustin, frowning at his little sister's casual behaviour.

"Why do you always suspect I bring bad news? I'm your little sister. Maybe I just came to see my workaholic older brother?" Said Taniya, her face lighting up with amusement.

" I really need to get a partner. Then I can post them outside of my door, so people stop barging in." Grumbled Dustin. Dusting glanced at his bag leaning against his desk. He remembered the present he had purchased for her.

"Don't be like that. This is the only way I can see you. You are always busy." Said Taniya her face scrunching in annoyance. She shifted in front of his desk, seeming unsure of herself.

Dustin sighed, just because it frustrated him didn't mean he should take it out on his only sibling.

" I am sorry for snapping at you. It's just been a stressful few days." Said Dustin, slumping his shoulders. Dustin reached into his bag, his fingers touched leather and he pulled the belt from the bag.

Dustin set the tooled leather belt out on his desk. The belt was brown with black stitching in the shape of a rose right next to the clasp.

Taniya stare at the belt in confusion, her mouth falling open slightly. Dustin strode across the room and offered the single holster gun belt to her in an outstretched palm.

" It's beautiful." Said Taniya, dumbfounded, stroking the smooth leather.

Dustin watched as Taniya turned the belt and examined the holster.

" I hope you are still using your custom p5." Said Dustin.

Taniya drew her gun and slid it into the leather holster. The matt black pistol fit perfectly, sliding in the holster smoothly. The leather smelled of oil and foam lining. Taniya unclamped her issued gun belt and wrapped the leather around her waist. She clasped the buckle and adjusted the holster.

Dusting smiled. The brown leather offset the sleek dark black armour, but he thought it added to the look.

" It looks great. The officers who see that are going to lose their shit." Said Dustin, cracking a wan smile.

Taniya unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Dustin and squeezed him hard. He smiled and embraced her in return.

" You have grown again, you're almost as tall as me now." Said Dustin, ruffling her hair. The top of her head pressed against his nose as he held her tightly.

" Hey stop that I'm seventeen now. I am not a child anymore." Said Taniya, batting away the hand ruffling her hair.

" So what did you come to tell me?" Asked Dustin, back on topic.

"The Ra wanted me to tell you that your new task is to hunt down these Secari that escaped. She says with the Slax making waves we need to capture or kill these remaining Secari as soon as possible." Said Taniya.

" Do we have any information about where they docked?" Asked Dustin.

" All we know so far is they docked a falcon class jet in the terminal, at bay thirteen thousand and five." Said Taniya.

" Has anyone been over the ship already?" Asked Dustin.

" Nope, the Ra ordered everyone to keep their hands off. She wanted to keep the trail fresh. If you ask me, I would tell you it's a waste of time. Other than the remnants of a few terminal security guards, you won't find any traces of their escape. " Said Taniya, shrugging helplessly.

" That may be so. But I will go down tomorrow and look, anyway. With some of our tech guys, we might be able to get some good data." said Dustin.

" But you are our tech guy." said Taniya, winking slyly.

"I know you refused already, but come work under me? I need a competent partner." Said Dustin, smiling fondly.. Taniya laughed and waved him off.

" Don't be absurd! If I work under you, then you will get all the credit." Said Taniya.

" Worth a shot." Said Dustin, smiling..

Taniya wander toward the door and waved over her shoulder farewell. She held her spare holster like a bag of potatoes. While the dark brown leather belt stood out against the dark composite armour of setting her p5, giving her a dangerous appearance.

" Don't forget to get off the ship. It's leaving in twenty minutes." Said Taniya, before stepping out her hard shelled armour, brushing the doorframe with a clank. He couldn't help but chuckle. She always seemed to cheer him up.

Dustin's comm beeped. He tapped the new file and read it. His eyebrows rose as he read. On the bottom, he scrolled to see who sent the file. It was colonel Herbert MacNair. That man was not one to exaggerate someone's skills. Dustin carefully read the file. There were a few discrepancies, but that wasn't unusual.

He decided to do an interview. If this Callie Mairia did well, then Dustin would consider hiring her on. Dustin headed to the naval base dressed in civilian clothes. The woven fabric clinging lightly to his athletic frame. After presenting his fake id to the gate guards, Dustin moved to a random officers barrack and sent a message to the assigning officer. With his code, he entered the mostly barren room and placed his bag on the floor. Dustin coded the door to his comm, and changed the entry password.

He searched the closet, under his bed, and the bathroom.

With the ID he gave the assigning officer, they would only know a low-ranking officer was staying here. But Dustin hadn't made it to the rank of Cal by being careless. It was late, nearly 12pm. He yawned, stretching.

Dustin showered relieved the day's sweat was removed before laying down in his bed, sighing at the soft pillow and cushioned mattress.

His eyes snapped open, and Dustin pulled up his comm, turning off his blaring alarm. His display read five in the morning. Dustin groaned and sat up. He still had four hours until he met his potential new partner, but Dustin wanted to get out and exercise.

He yawned and quickly dressed in light woolen pants and a silk shirt. He faciend a belt around his waist, tucking his ceramic knife in the small of his back. Slipping the star denoting a captain's rank into his pocket, Dustin slipped on his heavy boots.

He changed the windows from opaque to transparent with his comm. The room lit up in a green hue. Here in the cities of Proxima, there was no day-night cycle. It was always bright out, the shimmering dome of positive energy protecting the cities from the harsh vacuum of space and lighting up the city.

Dustin headed for the gym, passing dozens of soldiers going about their business. Him not being in uniform, none of them saluted as he passed. That was how he liked it. Being a spy required people not to notice him. Shielding himself with his art, Dustin enter through the back door of the extensive building currently being used as a gym. The warehouse sized building could fit several hundred people training at once. Dustin moved towards the fighting rings. They could suffuse each ring with the art, allowing Artists to practice without fear of damaging everyone else. Like the barrier protecting Berdant, but on a much smaller scale.

Today he wanted to practice his art in hand to hand combat. Cushioning blows was possible if the application of his art was done correctly. This was still a skill he was working on, as well as speeding up his body. It was easy to block strikes with brute power, which was costly, but in Dustin's opinion, cushioning the attack was far more difficult.

Dustin glanced over at the soldiers going through their morning training. He approached one ring, eying a group of ten soldiers cheering. Two were in the ring. They held dulled knives. The entire ring glowed lightly from above and below as the near invisible barrier separated them from the onlookers.

One soldier slashed her knife across the other's leg as the man tried to kick her. The soldier retreated, stumbling away. The man breathed heavily and a bright red mark appeared on his inner thigh. Not losing a moment, the woman darted in, catching the man in the chest with a thrust that had to hurt even through the protective gear. The man grimaced and fell on his back, gasping for breath.

Dustin watched the woman as she walked away from her downed opponent, never fully turning her back to the man. She was young and surprisingly tall. Her lythe athletic body spoke of hundreds of hours of training.

" Winner!" shouted one soldier, pointing to the tall young woman.

" Anyone else wanna take her on?" asked a woman, her short cropped red hair mussed and her clothes already soaked with sweat.

Each of the two were dressed in formfitting black suits. The outfits were lined with metal links that would lock up when struck, imitating an actual wound. If the fighter received too much damage, the entire outfit would lock up. Dustin spied an officer among the lookers on and approached the man. He slipped his captain's badge from his pocket and put the patch on his chest. The man was a lieutenant, and judging by his green star, he was an artist.

" Lieutenant, would you mind?" asked Dustin, nodding at the ring.

" You want me to fight her?" asked the lieutenant saluting.

" I want to see how she fares against an artist." said Dustin.

" I'm only a one star artist, Captain." said Gyle sheepishly.

" That is alright, i doubt she is higher than a one star." said Dustin.

Lieutenant Gyle grinned and strode towards the ring. The barrier fell, and he entered and waved away the man who was still laying on the floor catching his breath.

Dustin hadn't expected Callie to be here so early. But now that she was, he could watch her without her knowing. If her file was correct, the lieutenant getting in that ring with her was going to have a bad day. He did not know how she was already a three star artist, but he couldn't wait to find out if that was the truth. That was one rank below Dustin, who was a four-star artist.

In quick form, he watched Callie's black suit shimmer. The greenish hue surrounding her as she faced off with lieutenant Gyle. Seeming sluggish in comparison, Gyles' body shimmered, surrounded in his own green barrier.

" Whoever breaks through the others' defence wins?" asked Callie, her voice calm. The woman's face was stony. Despite the previous fight, she breathed evenly as though just warmed up. Her hair dripped sweat, but she kept on as though it was just a normal session.

Gyle nodded his head and the watching soldiers quieted down.

Callie's body blurred forwards. She struck lightning quick; her fist sneaking past Gyles' guard and catching him in the gut with a loud crack. Gyles' barrier sputtered, and he stumbled back, winded. Callie then threw her dull knife towards Gyles' face. He raised his arms to block, but the knife slammed into his arms, cracking his barrier with unnatural force. Callie's leg shrouded in green energy, connecting hard with Gyles' thigh. The mans green protective barrier shattered, breaking like glass before vanishing as Gyle fell down.

Dustin nodded his head as Gyle rolled to his feet, wincing as he put weight on his leg.

" That was a good throw. It was the perfect distraction!" said Gyle, shaking out his leg.

Dustin's feet hit the soft mats of the ring as he stepped through the ropes into the fighting ring. The crowd of soldiers cheered.

"Good attempt Lieutenant." said one soldier.

" She got lucky." said another.

" Damn, she can kick!" said one

Alot of the soldiers had something to say after the swift defeat of the lieutenant, but Dustin toned them out. Callie eyed from him across the ring. Dustin smiled, watching her tense posture.

"What are the terms of the fight?" Asked Callie. Gyle offered her knife back to her, receiving a stunning smile for his efforts. Callie's dark black, neck length hair was tied in a ponytail. She stood tall, her knees bent slightly, her arms held loosely to her sides. The knife held in a reverse grip.

Dustin took Gyles' spare knife, stretching his back. He watched Callies, shoulders and feet, waiting for attack.

" Shall we fight until submission?" Said Dustin. The transparent barrier reformed after Gyle exited, enclosing him and Callie in the ring.

Callie nodded her head. Dustin tapped his reservoir and a calming sensation washed over him. He pushed energy throughout his body and in a moment; he spanned the gap. Everything felt as though it were in slow motion, but that wasn't the case. He had simply augmented his senses and body with his positive energy. His knife struck towards Callie's unguarded chest. At the last moment, just before his knife struck her shimmering barrier, Callie's knife darted in, blocking his attack. His arm vibrated and Dustin gritted his teeth, dodging back.

The woman's block felt like hitting a brick wall. Undaunted, Callie stood her ground. Her body tensed, and Dustin blinked. One second she was five paces away and the next her foot caught him in the gut.

His breath left him in a whoosh. Luckily, the kick was blunted by his shimmering barrier. Dustin funneled more energy from his reservoir and his shield brightened. This time, when Callie attacked him, he pushed. His barrier shot away from him, knocking Callie back head over heels across the matt. She rolled gracefully several times and ended back on her feet.

Several strands of hair fell from her ponytail falling around her sharp jaw. Callie actually smiled at him as though enjoying this. Dustin swallowed. He had just devoted nearly half of his reservoir to that attack and destroyed his shield in the process. Green wisps of energy formed in Callie's right hand as she gripped her knife in her left. His senses tingled, and Dustin rushed forward.

Focusing intently, Dustin dispersed a quarter of his remaining power into his body. His senses heightened and everything slowed further. From Callie's right hand, a net of green, sparkling energy launched towards Dustin.

Held together, the white lines of the net connected to sparkling green stars that widen as the net spanned around him.

Dustin desperately cut at the net with an art enhanced slash of his knife. This was a mistake. The knife didn't cut, its force simply was absorbed by the net. His knife hit the shimmering net, feeling like he was swinging while under water. The net enveloped him, closing tightly around him and pulling him hard face first to the matted floor.

Stuck to the floor by the deceptively heavy net, Dustin gasped for breath. He struggle as the net bound him to the ground, unable to move. He felt her footstep on the soft floor of the ring near his head. Through the net, he could see where the green links of energy touched the ground. Like glue, they were gripping him in place. With the remaining energy in his reservoir nearly empty, Dustin mumbled into the floor.

" I submit." said Dustin. After several seconds, the net flashed and turned to motes of light that drifted in the air glinting before dissipating. Shaking out his arm, Dustin pushed to his feet and faced Callie. Had Dustin wanted to, he could have used the last of his power to blast the net away. But he really didn't want to deal with the resulting headache.

Dustin climbed out of the ring to the catcalls and jeers of the soldiers. He grinned, scratching his head sheepishly. He received several good nature pats on the back. Dustin couldn't wait to ask her about that net. Utilising her art like that was sheer brilliance. He couldn't wait to fight her again, to see what else she had left up her sleeve. Next time, he was going to challenge her to range fighting. Close up really wasn't his strong suit.

" Dont worry cap, she kicked our asses too." said Gyle laughing.

" You almost got her!" said the other.