The Isolation Chamber was dimly lit, and everyone sat in chairs surrounding a closed coffin. Kinson smiled ruefully as he took a seat. They kind of looked like a cult.
"Ready?" Andres asked, "I'm going to link your souls."
They gasped as a cold shock went through them. This time, Kinson clearly felt his soul tingle, and then felt the presence of those next to him. As before, his soul was dwarfed by the immense presence of Kael and Griffon. Luthier's presence was large, but the gaps between the classes got larger the more powerful one got, so his wasn't nearly as noticeable.
"Okay, everyone feel that?" Kael looked around the room.
"Nope! But I'd be curious to experience it myself," Rachel fastened her eyes on Andres.
Andres coughed lightly. "Then go ahead and begin. Allow Kael to initiate," he instructed.
Kael closed her eyes, and Kinson soon felt a gentle tug on his soul. He didn't resist, allowing himself to be caught up in the psionic stream. Darkness overtook him, severing all senses except his connection to the other's souls.
Just as they were about to fully enter the Soul Space, he felt the connection between Griffon and the rest disappear. Kael severed the deathdream, and light began to appear around them. A few seconds later, they had completely left the deathdream behind.
"What happened?" Andres asked as they returned.
"Griffon fell out of the link," Kael replied.
"Sorry, I think that was my fault. I felt a slightly uncomfortable sensation in my soul and unconsciously suppressed it. It was a slight tug, but nothing more," Griffon admitted.
"Really? I always feel dragged along," Kinson said.
"Perhaps your soul is simply too powerful, making it difficult to drag along," Luthier thought out loud.
"Then should we try it with Rachel? She's not nearly as powerful," Kael asked, looking at the eager old woman.
"Might as well," Andres sighed. "I had wanted Griffon to go, in case you ended up walking, but that's a small chance anyway."
They initiated the link, this time with Rachel as opposed to Griffon. "Don't fight it," Kael cautioned Rachel.
"Of course. I'm an expert with the soul," Rachel nodded.
Kael began the deathdream once more, pulling them all in. This time, the link remained strong, and they fully entered the Soul Space.
Utter darkness enshrouded existence. Souls were present as small, pulsing stars of light, slowly circling a nebula of swirling possibilities: the deathdream. A gravitational force began to draw upon the souls, bringing them into the deathdream. The largest, brightest star shone with power, and anchored the rest in their orbit, at least, until one, the dimmest one, broke away and began to fall into the deathdream. The invisible tie binding their souls together drew taut, and even the brightest star began to give ground. Slowly, but surely, their fate was sealed.
Kael panicked, and severed her connection with the deathdream, dragging herself, and those attached, loose. As their souls faded away, the dimmest star hesitated a moment. It was at that critical time that it passed the threshold of the deathdream, entering a field of attraction of no escape. The invisible ties strained, and then shattered, releasing the soul into the nebula of light.
Kael jolted awake, jumping to her feet. "Is everyone here?"
Groans erupted from the team, but everyone staggered to their feet.
"Now that was unpleasant," Rachel complained loudly. Although she hid it well, a feint tremble coursed through her body once, before it was gone.
"What happened?" Andres asked, concern flashing in his eyes.
"It was Kinson, of course," Luthier all but spat.
Kael nodded, turning to the offender. "Yeah, he… Kinson? Kinson! Kinson, wake up!"
As much as the frenzied girl shook him, Kinson remained unaware. He looked about the soul space and found himself alone. The attraction in his soul intensified, and he soon experienced the familiar sensation of entering the soul of a deathdream. Memories began to appear and orbit about him, and some power attempted to overwrite them. Kinson struggled with all his power, which had all but doubled since his last attempt. New memories began to materialize along with his own, showing a life he had not lived. In one, he saw a young girl, maybe five or six, with short dark hair. She smiled widely and sat upon the shoulders of an indistinct man, running about a meadow. For some reason, he was certain it was his father.
Indecision filled him. That couldn't be his father. They didn't have those clear blue skies on Mars, or the beautiful gray and brown rocks. But that was definitely his, no wait, her father.
Something inside Kinson felt like panicking, but something else told it off. Just wait, he thought.
As the last of his memories dissipated, one last thought appeared. Sure enough, it was two, glowing red eyes. Immediately, the deathdream froze, and the very space about his soul trembled. A fear so wretched and horrid consumed every part of both his mind, and the deathdream. But, at the same time, Kinson felt a sort of fondness, feeling much like a child for their abusive parents.
As before, the deathdream retreated, releasing its grip upon his soul. His identity restored, Kinson awaited, almost eagerly, for the deathdream to spin its world. He was not the same ignorant kid who had fallen into the Pirate's lair. Although only a month or so had gone by, Kinson felt confident in his knowledge and abilities. Although he was slightly nervous to enter the deathdream once more, that had mostly been absolved when he saw no one had been dragged in after him.
Light began to materialize about him, appearing as a shapeless mist. It swirled unpredictably but soon, shapes began to take form. Time was meaningless to Kinson now, but it felt as though an eternity had passed. Eventually, he found himself opening his eyes and staring at the white paneled roof of a cargo ship. He looked around and found the room filled with people. Some wore lab coats, others laborer coveralls. A few children ran around and laughed loudly, only to be scolded by their mothers, who looked themselves to be out of a regular neighborhood.
Kinson frowned. Wasn't this supposed to be a top-secret transport? It looked more like a regular civilian passenger ship. Large windows opened out into the vastness of space, showing their immediate surroundings filled with large asteroids. They didn't appear to be in any planet's rings, so it must be in the asteroid belt, as he'd heard. The floor was clean, and the exterior, where he was, was lined with solid-looking chairs. Passengers moved about and conversed freely in the center, clustered around tables or vending machines. Overall, there must have been 30 or so people in the room. As he scanned the faces, there didn't appear to be anyone like a steward, or another authoritative figure. He could see a door which was labeled "cargo," and another one "living quarters." At the front of the room, another door was marked "cockpit."
He nearly jumped as a girl on his right turned and said, "What's wrong Kinson? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
She was a little shorter than he was, with brown curls and a sprinkle of freckles. Her blue eyes looked weighed down by mascara, the eyelashes much to think for his taste.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," he answered, before returning to scanning the room. It seemed all the tables and chairs were bolted to the floor, but that was fairly normal.
"Don't be like that!" the girl cried. "We've been friends for like…like… you know, forever!"
Kinson smiled and shrugged. "I guess I've just got a bad feeling."
"Why now? We've been traveling for like a week now. The captain's report said everything was fine, remember?"
"Oh, yeah," Kinson sighed. "How far away from Titan are we now?"
"Titan? The girl raised an eyebrow, "I don't know, like forever? We're not even headed there, so why would I know?"
Kinson sucked in a cold breath. "What?! Oh, I mean, obviously," he tried to recover.
"You're sure acting strange. Did you get amnesia?" she asked suspiciously.
Kinson froze, then an odd smile crossed his lips. "Uh, maybe? I don't remember much right now. The last thing I knew was that we were at the station. But everyone's faces are fuzzy, and I just can't remember names."
"No way, there's just no way," she gasped. "Wait… you don't remember my name?"
"Sorry?" Kinson shrugged an apology.
'But we've been dating for years!" she cried out, half sobbing.
Kinson blinked in shock, his mouth hanging open. He hadn't thought the deathdream would go that far in fabricating a new identity for him. But finally! He had a girlfriend!
"Just kidding," the girl said, cackling. "We met just a few months ago. Uh, I think. Honestly, I don't remember," she looked at him in confusion. "When did you get to the station?"
"Maybe I'm not the only one with amnesia," Kinson joked, nudging her with his elbow. "Why don't we both restart? I'm Kinson," he said, smiling brightly.
"Hehe, okay. I'm…"
The ship suddenly jerked violently, throwing everyone off their feet. Fortunately, Kinson was seated, but he found the brown-haired girl thrown into his arms. Red lights flashed from the ceiling, and alarms blared. A hidden intercom cracked to life, asking everyone to return to their rooms or seats and fasten their seatbelts. An unknown ship had emerged from the asteroid belt.
Lights flashed through the windows, drawing everyone's attention. Kinson gently pushed the girl out of his arms into her seat, then jumped and looked for himself.
Outside, a familiar ship appeared. It looked exactly like the one he had once helped commandeer in the pirate lair. To say he helped might be a stretch, but he at least participated. His eyes narrowed. Perhaps things would be getting personal.
As he observed it longer, he noticed the ship appeared damaged. Large dents and scratches dotted the hull and a few of the windows were cracked. If anything, it looked like it had gotten in a fight with the asteroid belt, and lost. It was a disguise to have fooled anyone. Kninson nearly jumped when an armed guard entered the room, shouting to get attention.
"It appears another ship has been traveling through the belt. They claim the navigation array was damaged in some way, causing their ship to take catastrophic damage in the belt. Their ship is on the verge of losing life support systems, so they have requested assistance. Our captain has obliged and made a few changes to the schedule. We will stop at Titan in about a week to drop them off before continuing to Shadow Keep. Please return to your rooms until the relocation is complete. Their crew will be staying in the cargo bay."
Kinson's eyes narrowed at the new information, and he filed away Shadow Keep for later. Although the name was unfamiliar, it was their original destination.
Many of the folks milled about in confusion, raising voices filled with questions and complaints. At the urging of the guard, they eventually settled down and began to return to their rooms.
"If you want, you can come to my room," the girl whispered, blushing a bit. "It's boring there with just my mom and I."
Kinson nodded, intending to follow along for now. Perhaps there would be an opportunity for more information later, and perhaps a little vengeance. He was slightly worried he hadn't seen the protagonist yet, but that was hardly on his mind.
It soon became apparent that was a necessity though. As he walked through the doorway leading to the passenger's quarters, the deathdream began to dissolve around him, drawing on his life force to sustain itself. Panic surfaced in his mind and he abruptly stopped, taking the brown-haired girl by surprise.
"Aren't you coming?" She turned to look at him.
"In a bit. I have something I forgot back there," Kinsno said, gesturing back to the big white room, which he now assumed was a sort of commons.
"I'll come with you!" she offered.
"No!" he started. "I mean, I'll be right back. What room number are you?"
"You don't even remember that?" she pouted. "18."
'I'll meet you there," he said, turning around and backtracking before he passed out. The sap of his energy immediately disappeared, but he was left pale and covered in sweat.
Suddenly, a surge of power flowed through his body, reinvigorating him. He smiled. It paid to have friends in high places. He wondered with a smile if perhaps a better metaphor was that they were more like angels in heaven, watching over him. Still, it was better not to test the limits.
The commons quickly emptied of people, and even the guard disappeared somewhere. Kinson glanced out the window and saw the pirate's cargo ship aligning itself with their own, maneuvering themselves into docking position.
"Trojan donkey, was it?" Kinson asked aloud. No, definitely not a donkey. Maybe a camel?
"What did you say?" a cold voice cut through the air, spinning Kinson about on his heels.
A large, heavily muscled man in a bulging uniform stood inside the doorway leading to the cockpit. He radiated a sort of power unique to superhuman psionics, but not nearly as potent as Griffon. He was flanked on either side by two other guards, one man of similar stature to the first, and the second a slender woman. She seemed rather out of place beside the others, but something about her drew his eye. It wasn't her beauty, as she wasn't much to speak of, but something in her soul. The protagonist, he thought confidently. It was time to take a gamble.
Kinson pointed at the ship outside, which was just beginning docking procedures. "That's not a cargo ship. I saw that same ship at a new resort. Apparently, it went missing a while ago. That's why I mentioned the Trojan Camel- that thing from Terra's history?"
The woman's hand flew to her mouth, hiding a giggle. "Horse. It's a Trojan Horse."
"Oh," Kinson scratched his head. Although his memories of the woman had mostly faded, he recalled her name was Rena.
"That's a serious accusation, but not an allegation that can be ignored. Come with us to the cargo bay," the leader said sternly.
Kinson blinked. Wasn't that a bit too easy? "You believe me?"
The man snorted and glanced at Rena, who nodded. "Naturally. It would be difficult for you to hide anything from Rena. Besides, we're all part of the same machine. Cogs need to work together."
With that, they walked past Kinson. He followed while trying to puzzle out the meaning there. A few seconds later, he shook his head.
"Can I borrow a gun?" he asked, eying the pistols the guards had belted on their hips.
Among the three, the guard captain had the widest eyes. Kinson almost smiled at the comical display of bulging eyes and open mouths arrayed before him.
"What?" the chief asked dumbly.
"Yeah, you know, in case it gets dangerous," Kinson tried to play it cool.
"No, definitely not. I can't risk a civilian handling a weapon," the large man shook his head fiercely.
"But you just asked me to follow you into the bay. There might be pirates there, and a firefighter might ensue. You're asking me to go unarmed?" Kinson asked, trying his best to appear genuinely shocked, instead of mocking.
The chief hesitated. "Just stay close to me. If the need arises, I can pass something on to you. Can you actually fire a gun though?"
Kinson nodded somberly, barely suppressing a grin as he lied through his teeth. "Of course. My uncle taught me. He was ex-military, so he knew how to shoot."
"Very well. Let's hope your worries are unfounded, though."
With that, the guards moved again, hustling to the cargo bay. Kinson had to jog to keep up with their pace and ended up arriving right behind them.
The cargo bay was massive, measuring a couple of hundred feet wide and fifty feet tall. Countless heavy metal shelving units converted every free bit of space, arrayed in lines with wide hallways between them, likely spaced for the loading equipment. Large crates stacked the shelves floor to ceiling, strapped onto the shelves with impressive ratchet straps. Many more crates and boxes filled in empty spaces in the nooks and crannies of the bay. A heavy security door sealed off an extra room to the side, undoubtedly where the secret cargo was stored. On the wall, a heavy metal blast door, dozens of feet wide, was bolted tightly together. A smaller exterior access hatch was set beside it. A large space had been cleared around it for ease of access.
A few people milled about the access hatch, waiting for the damaged cargo ship to dock. The chief, who Kinson learned was named Konga, led their small party to join them. Kinson received a few odd looks, but no one mentioned anything to him. Kinson took the opportunity to look around the cargo bay, mostly keeping an eye out for hiding places and suitable cover if a fight broke out.