Book 6, chapter 8

Commander Kunic languished in a lavish suite aboard his flagship, sipping on fine Jaris, and enjoying the tranquil view. An illusory display lit up one wall, showing an image of the swirling green and yellow storm of the gas giant in the distance. Beside him on a soft couch, his com crystal lit up in a mottled green hue.

The disturbance immediately soured his good mood. Annoyed, he stood, walking over to pick up the crystal.

"This better be good, or someone is going to lose their head," Kunic snapped icily.

The panicked voice of his second in command echoed from the crystal. 

"Commander, we are under attack!" Lonston shouted.

Kunic's antenna twitched in annoyance at the words.

"Don't get so riled up Lonston... Any attacker will break on our array network," Kunic said.

There was a long pause, where his second, that cowardly beetle got up the courage to say something. It was at a time like this that Kunic wished he selected a second for competence and not for subservience. He could hear Lonston's mandibles clacking together, nervously as he spoke. 

"That is not the case commander. I don't know what happened, but all the outer array networks and weapons have been disabled. The enemy has already entered the inner star system," Lonston said, panic in his voice.

Kunic dropped his glass filled with amber liquid, and it shatter on his thick carpets.

"What?! How many attackers are there, and where are they?" Kunic demanded.

"Seventeen warships of the Lorocan imperial navy have just entered the inner star system," Lonston said in a frantic voice.

Kunic's ichor ran cold. "What about the inner defenses?" Kunic asked.

"I sent word to activate them, but most have already been destroyed by an all-out barrage from the Lorocan fleet," Lonston said.

Kunics's aura exploded out of him, fury coursing through his veins.

"Mobilize the fleet! We must protect the shipyard at all costs," Kunic said.

Just then, the illusory display on the wall lit up in a bright angry red as nearly two dozen warships gated in practically on top of his fleet. The Lorocan warships had shields active, weapons blazing with power as they appeared in flashes of light. Kunic's eyes widened.

The Blood Gorger battle group was caught completely unprepared, their shields on low power, and their weapons cold.

It was going to be a slaughter. A full broadside from seventeen warships of the Lorocan navy ripped into the blood-gorger fleet. Tungsten slugs, plasma bursts, and dampening pulses assaulted the blood-gorger fleet. It created an area of space so unstable it would be suicide to try and gate out.

Several blood gorger ships tried anyway and were ripped apart by their own jump arrays overloading. There was no mercy, as the gunners targeted the vital arrays on the enemy ships.

Violent explosions rocked the shipyard, which was caught up in the collateral. With only a fraction of their number remaining after the first salvo, the Blood Gorgers tried to mount a counterattack, but it was hopeless.

In only ten minutes, the entire blood-gorger battle group was crushed. Much to everyone's surprise, the shipyard never fired a single shot at the invading battle group, making the battle even more one-sided.

With Kunic and his fleet turned to clouds of debris, the ones in charge of the shipyard surrendered, and it was seized by General Danma. Both the shipyard and a full complement of Kul A Var warships with two-star carriers were seized as well.

The attack would go down as the most one-sided victory in Lorocan history. They had lost only thirty soldiers, and in return, had captured a shipyard and fifteen advanced warships.

And after all that, they hadn't lost a single ship. Only three of the imperial warships were severely damaged and had to be powered down. And even then, they could be brought back to full fighting force after a week of field repairs.

Normally, with such damage, they would need to be dragged back to the empire, but not this time. After all, they had a newly acquired shipyard stocked full of the rare components needed to fix the damage. 

Sitting up on a bed in the infirmary, Zee read the reports, stunned at just how effective their attack had been. She was still a bit spotty on how she got back aboard The Fist. Things were hazy after she passed out, and when she woke up she was sleeping in her bed. 

From what the others said, they tried to perform some field repairs on their crashed drop ship, but it had been futile. They ended up getting Steel squad, and their much more intact ship to carry them back aboard the ship once the major battle was over.

Zee still couldn't believe she had missed such a large-scale battle because she was out of it. It wasn't every day that sort of thing happened. She felt a bit left out.

That's what she got for channeling the storm. Speaking of which, she focused inward, on her fragment, and grimaced. Her body was mostly healed, but things on the inside were not going well.

The ritual she had constructed with the help of a supreme natural treasure back in the death chasms was undone. Faint cracks were already spreading along her fragment.

She didn't have much time to wait. With every passing day, the damage would get worse, and her task would be even more difficult.

She had to evolve her inner world, and by proxy her soul soon. Zee had wanted to turn her fragment into a shard before taking this step, but it appeared that was a pipe dream.

After that harrowing battle with the earth cultivator, she would have to take the risk sooner than later. Zee grimaced, tossing the reports down on the bed. As if waiting for its moment, the living book, which had been flying around her room, swooped down and gobbled the papers up.

Zee didn't mind, having expected the pest to do something like that. Pushing the looming threat to the back of her mind, she pushed aside her covers. Just as she did so, Bastion pushed open the door, his eyes disapproving.

"What do you think you are doing?" He asked, eying her legs halfway out of the bed.

She gave him a sheepish smile.

"I was getting up," Zee said.

"Uh-huh. I am pretty sure the medics gave strict instructions to stay in bed for at least another day," Bastion said.

"But I'm fine," Zee grumbled.

He cracked an amused smile. "You still need rest. Surely you can sit still for a few more days?" Bastion asked, pausing with a tray next to her bed.

"This is lizard shit," she grumbled to herself, tucking her legs back under the covers. He had a point. Her body ached all over, the pain bone-deep, a side effect of channeling so much power. Her fingers tapped a partially melted necklace in her pocket.

It wasn't all bad. The earth cultivator had quite a few interesting things in its spatial storage, some of which could help her upcoming soul evolution. Bastion noticed her fidgeting and eyed the necklace.

"It must have been quite the battle you fought. Your squad won't stop talking about it. The way Tag tells it, you might as well be in the Celestial grade," Bastion said.

Zee let out a tired sigh, resting her head back on her pillow.

"Don't listen to him. Tag is prone to exaggerating. It was nothing so impressive. If he saw real celestials in combat, he would change his tune real quickly," Zee said.

Bastion laughed, sitting on a chair beside her bed, and taking her hand in his.

"Are you alright? You look worried," Bastion said.

Her expression twisted into a grimace.

"I am a bit concerned. In order to defeat that earth cultivator, I had to break the ritual on my inner world," Zee said.

Bastion's eyes widened. They had talked about this before, and he was well aware of the ramifications of what she had done.

"But you are not ready to take that next step," Bastion said, his grip tightening on her hand.

She gave him a tight smile.

"I have been preparing for this for a while now. It might be sooner than expected, but I will be fine," Zee said. She sounded confident, but on the inside, she was far from it.

"If you need anything, and I mean anything, just let me know," Bastion said.

Zee smiled over at him.

"I have been craving something more palatable than galley gruel," Zee said.

Bastion laughed. "I can arrange something. I have a bunch of top quality ingredients I have stashed away for just this emergency. It will take a few hours to prepare, and a favor to use the kitchen in the galley, but I should have a meal to fit a queen by dinner," Bastion said.

She brightened. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Zee said.

He grinned and kissed her. "On occasion. So, when are you planning on evolving your soul, and inner world?" Bastion asked

"From what I have learned, that's basically the same thing. And I can't wait much longer. A week is pushing it. I would like to get it over with before we leave the Orren star system. I might ask the captain to let me leave the ship, just in case there is an unfortunate accident," Zee said.

His eye twitched at that statement, but he didn't say anything about her potentially blowing herself up. Releasing her hand, he stood. 

"Glad to see you are doing well, but i best get going. I sort of snuck away from our squad's mandatory fun time, and our doofus of an officer is probably looking for me," Bastion said.

"What about that dinner you promised?" Zee asked.

He grinned, a bottle appearing in his hand from thin air. "I have a plan for that. Draveroc won't have time to bother me if he is so deep in his cups he can't walk straight," Bastion said.

Zee laughed. "You are hilarious. I will see you later," Zee waved.

Bastion sauntered out of the small infirmary ward. "What's up Taylor? How are you doing, I haven't seen you in weeks. I thought were dead or something," Bastion said, his voice echoing back into the room.

Zee could hear Taylor's tired sigh. "It's been very busy. I haven't had time to sleep, much less time for recreation," Taylor replied.

The sound of a meaty hand slapping onto a back echoed into the room.

"Cheer up. When you finally get some time off, hit me up, and we will get a drink," Bastion said.

Taylor sighed.

"Like that is going to happen! My instructor says I will have time off once I'm dead," Taylor said.

Bastion laughed. "Don't look so glum, you're a healer, I hear that's a rough occupation," Bastion said.

"You have no idea," Taylor grumbled. "Anyway, good to see you Bas, I best get to my patient before I'm noticed slacking off," Taylor said.

"Later, don't be a stranger now," Bastion said.

"See ya Bas," Taylor said.

A few seconds later, Taylor pushed open the door to her small room. He looked tired, but a smile still tugged at his lips as he eyed her lying on the bed. Taylor walked over beside her bed and held up his clipboard, humming thoughtfully.

"Let's do a few tests. I want to see if there are any improvements since yesterday," Taylor said.

"You aren't going to poke me with more needles, are you?" Zee asked with a sidelong glance.

Taylor only smiled. "Just give me your hand," Taylor said.

She did so, and he grabbed her wrist. She felt a gentle pulse of energy course up her arm as he activated a skill.

He hummed to himself "Everything is looking better than before. There is still some muscle and tendon damage, but at least there is no longer cracks in your bones. With a couple more doses of life binder roots, you should be good as new in a few days." Fast as a viper, Taylor pulled a syringe from his coat pocket and stabbed it into her shoulder. 

"Ouch! You ass," Zee swore, glaring up at him.

He grinned unapologetically. "There you are. You can only blame yourself for overcharging your body. At your current grade, your body is not strong enough to channel that much power without severe internal damage. And since you channeled way more than your body could handle, you're going to sit in this bed for at least two more days. I will be back later to administer your next dose," Taylor said. Humming to himself, he sauntered out of the room, clipboard in hand.

She sighed. What a pain. She wasn't looking forward to two more days in this stuffy room, lying in this uncomfortable bed. On the bright side, she would have time to plan out her upcoming soul evolution. She also went through the spatial necklace of the earth cultivator she killed.

There were some good things in there, namely a large stockpile of array components that Dern was excited about. What drew her eye the most was four boxes covered in etchings, each containing something incredibly valuable.

One in particular drew her attention. It was a large box, the size of her head, covering in twice as much etching as the rest. It was also wrapped in a chain that had ritual markings engraved into its links. 

Trying to probe that box with her Spatial Ripple skill gave her the shivers. Whatever was in it was a natural treasure of incredible power. Unfortunately, the former owner didn't see fit to label the boxes. Zee had to go by the energy emanations she sensed leaking through the box.

It was quite a hodgepodge of stuff crammed in that necklace. A few thousand Ether crystals were a welcome find. 

There was also a bunch of other stuff she had no use for, like a sofa fit for a bug. Or a whole winery's worth of spirits that smelled and tasted like floor cleaner. No human in their right mind would drink that foul stuff, not even Greg would touch it. There were a bunch of boxes of dried meat that tasted like sawdust, which she tucked away.

Zee might not enjoy the stuff, but having several month's worth of nonperishable food was a good idea. It went right next to the crates of dried lizard jerky in her own spatial necklace. More exciting were a few ritual components tucked away in a crate.

The earth cultivator clearly hadn't been a ritualist, but the few items she found were valuable. The living book flapped by above her, and she reached up, snatching it from the air.

It struggled for a second before settling down, as she opened it up. Most of the time, she ignored its antics, but right now, she infused her desire into the pages. A smile tugged at her lips as a ritual appeared on the pages.

It was exactly like she hoped. One of the components she found in the earth cultivators necklace was exactly what she needed to perform this ritual.

It was like the cosmos was telling her something. The ritual created an ascension sphere, an area that gathered high quantities of energy. 

Given they were in the void of space, that would mostly be spatial energy. This would go a long way in helping evolve her inner world.

Excited, she got a pencil, paper, and set to altering the ritual. She didn't have all the specified components to perform the eight tier ritual, but she could adjust it, and use ones she did have.

The ritual wouldn't be as potent or efficient as the original, but it would still do its job. For the next two days, she rested, and planned.

Over that time, she had a pleasant dinner with Bastion, and most of her squad stopped by to visit. 

They were also stopping by the infirmary to visit other friends who were in as well.

Brick was in charge while she was recovering, and she had no doubt the large man had everything in hand.

Not wanting to cause a fuss during her soul evolution, Zee contacted Captain Tanra. She explained her predicament, but was surprised when he refused her request to leave the ship.

Instead, he directed her to a special chamber aboard the ship.

"Are you sure it will be fine if I evolve my inner world in here?" Zee asked, eying the chamber with a raised brow.

Tanra slapped a scaled hand on the thick door frame.

"Of course it is! If an E grade brat like you can break this chamber, I will eat my claws. I personally helped design this chamber to help members of my crew cultivate without fear of breaking the ship," Tanra said.

Zee had to conceded.

"I was hoping to set up an ascension ritual to aid me in the process. Is it alright to set up a ritual there? '' Zee asked.

Tanra snorted in derision. "Do you think I am a cheapskate? Take a closer look. This room has an ascension ritual woven into the walls, floor, and ceiling," Tanra said.

Zee glanced back to the room. It was plain, a small box, with the walls made of dark metal. And carved into that metal was an intricate diagram. Come to think of it, that ritual diagram looked a lot like the one she had been studying for the past four days. 

Zee smiled as she realized that the ascension ritual in the room was much better than any she could create. Well, at least all that effort wasn't a complete waste. Having the components for an ascension ritual was bound to be useful in the future.

Turning to the stroud captain she gave him a nervous smile. "Thank you. This should help a lot. But are you sure it's a wise idea for me to stay inside the ship?" Zee asked.

Tanra hissed in annoyance. "Don't worry about it. You may have an inner world like celestials, but you are not a celestial cultivator. You are an E grade brat, and your inner world is lacking in size and power. But If it makes you feel any better, I will watch over the process. Who knows, If you blow yourself up, it might brighten up my day," Tanra hissed.

"Your concern for my well being is comforting," Zee grumbled.

He let out a hissing laugh, his crocodilian face locked in a wide smile.

"It's the little things that make life exciting. Anyways, I'm a busy man. Get in there, and let's get this over with," Tanra said.

Was it just Zee's imagination, or were all these old cultivators crazy? Was it some hidden drawback to ranking up to the C grade, or did their long lives drive them nuts? 

Everyone from Tanra, to Julian, the emperor and even Tarnival all had a few screws loose.

Was it gaining that much power that drove them nuts, or did it take a certain level of crazy to get that far?

Probably a bit of both. It was one of the great mysteries of the cosmos. Well, at least she wasn't that screwed up. She was a completely normal person. A sane individual.

Inside her head, Dern snickered.

"You hear that Kur Zul? Zee is sane," Dern said.

A hint of amusement from the ghost filled her mind.

"Oh yes, completely sane," Kur Zul replied.

Zee rolled her eyes, walking inside and shutting the door of the chamber.

"If I'm crazy and you live in my head, what does that make you two?" Zee asked.

"We are the voice of reason," Dern said.

Zee took a seat on the soft cushion in the center of the room.

"Right…" she drawled. "Say's the guy who charged a swarm of blood gorgers head on, shrieking like a possessed banshee," 

"Sound doesn't even travel in a vacuum. There is no way you heard me screeching," Dern said defensively.

She laughed nervously, the idle banter unable to distract her from her upcoming trial. 

"It was just a guess, but now it's confirmed," Zee said.

Dern muttered an obscenity under his breath.

Zee took a deep, calming breath.

"Alright, I'm ready. What about you two?" Zee asked.

"I'm ready, mistress. Let me know when you want me to activate the tower," Kur Zul replied.

"I really wish we wouldn't risk our lives like this, but I concede that there is nothing to do about it," Dern said.

"Well, then, let's get started," Zee said, anxiety welling in her chest.