"First up, we will have introductions. To avoid any chaos, I'll go ahead and give them for each of you. Our team's pretty small, so do your best to remember who you'll be working with. At least, just remember their names, alright? Okay then, let's start with Rachel," Andres, almost pleading.
Andres waved at an elderly woman. She was definitely the oldest member gathered here, with sunken eyes and wrinkled skin. She was rather frail looking, and lightly shook periodically. She must have felt his face, because she turned to him and smiled. Immediately, Kinson's this change. Her motherly smile conveyed all the feelings her degrading body could not.
"Rachel has been with the BPI for forty, no fifty, years. She transferred most recently from the medical department, and is a class 6 Aura Manipulator. She will be in charge of team safety and medical responsibilities. If she says something, take it as from me," Andres instructed.
Kinson took another look at the older woman. An Aura Manipulator was a class of psionic ability that described one who could see and interact with the aura emitted by psionists. That aura was closely related to their power level, physical and mental health, as well as their individual capabilities. They were the go to specialists in any sort of research, as they could quickly diagnose problems and often provide treatment on a psionists soul. They weren't as effective against physical ailments, but could heal most psionically caused injuries. The fact that Rachel was class 6 was a bit absurd though. The one operating in the deathdream department of the Universe was only a class 4, which was already impressive. The university was the most prestigious school in the Alliance, after all. Perhaps Rachel would be able to help him, where the university had failed.
"Next up is Luthier," Andres said, pointing to a man only a few years older than Kinson.
His first impression of Luthier was that he projected confidence. Long dark hair framed a powerful looking face. Cold and an overbearing smile completed the look, making him look like some sort of wealthy heir.
"Luthier is a class 5 empath, a deathdreamer. He holds the record for the longest time spent in a deathdream, and was transferred here last week from Terra," Andres said.
Kinson nodded. He was the same as him. Empaths were psionists who could interact with the human mind or soul in some way. Whether it be telepathy, manipulating dreams, or deathdreaming, like their situation. Personally, he was only a class 1 empath, but mostly because he had been almost completely unable to use his ability. He wasn't even able to instigate a deathdream on his own.
Putting those thoughts aside, it seemed Andres had just begun to share most of that with everyone.
"Kinson is currently a student at the University of Psionics, here on titan. Due to some unique circumstances, he is joining our team in place of an Advanced Learning program, which I am sure most of you are familiar with. While his current power level is extremely weak, there is a high chance he will grow rapidly and achieve a his potential," Kinson lowered his head in embarrassment as his talent was described.
Kinson couldn't help but wonder if he really had that sort of potential. Perhaps he was like the short-leaf pine of Terra, only able to grow in the right conditions. Filled with a hopeful optimism, he almost missed the last group member's introduction. He looked over at the girl being described.
The girl, named Kael, was one of the most attractive girls Kinson had seen, easily comparable to Celeste. She was perhaps a little shorter than himself, and looked about the same age. Long brown hair flowed over slender shoulders in lustrous waves. Her eyes were an ordinary brown color, but they seemed to glow with an inner light. A light look of scorn flashed over her face as she glanced over and met his gaze. Kinson looked away, a little caught off guard, but just in time to hear the rest of what Andres described.
"... for about 5 years. She is considered a peerless genius, and the second person to ever survive walking in the death dream. Naturally, this proves her ability, which falls around class 7. Kael was transferred from Luna last week, as well," Andres finished.
Kinson sucked in a breath. There was actually someone the same age as himself at class 7! Anyone that strong was basically a legend, living or otherwise. They were literal dragons among men, numbering less than one in ten thousand.
"Almost done here, but the next one is Griffon," Andres said.
Griffon was a tall, strong looking man, maybe 30 in age, with a build similar to Winston's. He wore his BPI uniform like he was in the military. The man had even shined his boots. Griffon had piercing blue eyes that seemed to notice every detail. He met Kinson's gaze evenly, and his lips curved into a small smile for some reason.Overall, he felt very strong and reliable.
"Griffon chose to retire from the AAF in order to enter this team. He was a special forces class 8 psionic, having the ability of elemental manipulation, as well as awakening as a superhuman. His specialty elements are fire and electricity. Along with BPI security Winston, Griffon will be ensuring both workplace and personal safety. If you ever feel unsure about something, even if it's just someone watching you, let him know.
Kinson took a double take, carefully observing the handsome man once more, something that he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Elemental Manipulators were psionics commonly known as the strongest psionists when it came to battle. Combined with being a superhuman, a psionist capable of literally strengthening or changing their actual body, he was a powerhouse to reckon with. With his stunning power level, he wouldn't have too many problems leveling a small city by himself.
"Well, I suppose I'll finish off with a little about myself, I am Lieutenant Cur Andres. Class 3 psionic, with dual abilities Empath and Aura Manipulator. That's about all you need to know about me," Andres said plainly.
Kinson frowned, thinking quickly. He was only a class 3, yet was supposed to lead the team? As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter. He was only class 1 after all. But would a class 8 really stoop to obey a class 3? Well, nothing to do but wait and see. Andres began talking again, his voice breaking the silence which had fallen over the office.
"Now, I'll go ahead and brief you on our project and mission. This is considered classified information, and I've verified you've each signed nondisclosure agreements. I know that most of what is considered classified in the BPI is a joke, but I assure you: this is not. You will be charged with serious crimes and potentially executed or imprisoned for life depending on the severity of the violation," Andres' voice was unsurprisingly sober.
"The deathdream department is a rather special existence. While we are technically under the supervision of the BPI, this team was directly commissioned by the AAF, also known as the Alliance Armed Forces, for those that are unaware," Andres explained.
Kinson ducked his head a bit as everyone instinctively looked at him. He knew what that meant! He lived in the alliance, after all.… His silent protest was interrupted by the Lieutenant, who continued expositioning.
"We have been commissioned to explore the little known realm of deathdreams. While it is important to us to better understand the nature of the deathdream, as well as the phenomena concerning it, our main focus is to discover and refine ways we can utilize it to train military troops."
Gasps escaped from several of the other team members. Kinson had already suspected this development, as he would have had to be an idiot not to after all the hints Andres dropped in their interview. Still, the reactions of the others surprised him. Wasn't it natural to weaponize Psionics?
"Hold up. If I wanted to use my ability for war, I would have signed up for the military! I joined the BPI because it was a civilian organization, focused on improving civilian life," Kael interrupted with a scowl.
"I'm sure Andres is aware of that. Most of your passionate opinions are on record, after all," Rachel said soothingly.
"While I understand your concern, there is something that you must first understand. There are no civilians, when it comes to the Nightmares," Andres said solemnly, "This footage was recorded four weeks ago, which prompted the creation of this department."
Andres raised a hand, and a glowing wall of energy appeared before them. The white energy was essentially a large TV screen. Kinson felt a twinge of envy. Now that was a cool ability! He watched in interest as a video slowly appeared, and began to play. His face tightened as a red planet was displayed, recorded from a spaceship in low orbit. Darkness covered the entire planet, with only a few mountain peaks showing the signature red martian ground. As they watched, a black line appeared within space before the ship, visible only by the countless stars it obscured. It slowly widened, and a dark mist began to leak out.
"A Rend," Kinson whispered in shock.
It was the same as had been recorded on Mars. The very same that brought the Nightmares in the first place. How could it appear in space?
"Watch closely," Andres encouraged.
The recording continued and a shadowy tendrils reached out of the rend, stretching towards the viewer. Kinson found himself instinctively sinking further back into his chair. Catching himself, he intentionally stiffened his spine. Fortunately, no one had noticed.
The tendrils extended outward, passing beyond their field of sight. Then, the recording began to shake, making it hard to make out what was going on. Kinson focused, and began to make out a horrifying scene. Massive metal chunks were being torn from the Spaceship and dragged into the rend. The scale of the rend was made known as enormous stretches of armor, weapon systems, and sensory arrays were dwarfed within its gaping maw. Upon entering the tear, objects almost instantly disappeared. Suddenly, the viewpoint began to shift. The rend moved sideways in their vision, and another ship entered from the side.
Kinson gasped, and wasn't alone in doing so, as it became apparent what was going on. The entire ship had been ripped in half, with each half being dragged separately towards the rend. Frozen corpses and debris filled the space between them, tiny dots in the face of the looming cataclysm. The tendrils wrapped around the far half of the ship, which had once been nearly two thousand feet long, ripping it into more pieces. Aware the same was happening to their piece of the ship, the other half completely broke up, fragmenting into scraps. Naturally, the recording ended at that.
"Wh-what was that?" Kael asked with wife eyes, her self-righteous expression replaced by one of shock and fear.
"That was war. And it's coming to us whether we want to or not," Andres said gravely.
"I know I sing have much of a say, but that was above Mars, right? Haven't the Nightmares already taken that planet?" Kinson asked in confusion.