Fear tightened like a belt around Yen’s chest. The exertion of his power last night had left him drained, emotionally, physically, and mentally. What worried him more, however, was that last night had acted like a catalyst, driving the power free from his body. He watched as the tendrils, each the width of his leg, groped their way through the small bathroom. Shaking his head, Yen knew that he didn’t stand a chance at containing the power in his present state. Taking advantage of his weakness, the air around him whipped chaotically, shimmering and blurring the world around him. Standing, he wiped the blood from his mouth and nose with a tissue before turning and walking back into the bedroom. As he entered, he heard objects dislodge from on top of the dresser and shatter on the floor below. A drawer blew free of the nightstand, crashing onto the floor, its contents erupting into the room like snowfall. Yen staggered to the bed, his head throbbing as the power parasitically drew more and more power from his body, the tendrils now lashing out aggressively toward the few standing objects in the room. Collapsing into bed, he pulled the pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the sound of destruction being caused by his wayward psychic energy.
Yen groaned and threw the pillow across the room as the pain refused to subside, echoing in metal spikes rocketing back and forth within his skull. Snarling in a hollow gesture, he pushed himself into a seated position. Crossing his legs, Yen closed his eyes and tried to block out the scraping of his power running its tendrils across the far walls. Instead, he let his mind sink into itself, imagining a calming and empty plain of white. He took deep breaths, practicing a meditation technique that he had used since the initial onset of his powers during puberty. Wordlessly, he mouthed the same words over and over, a mantra to relax his body and mind. He continued his mantra, straining his concentration against the growing pain in his head. Slowly, the sound of his power’s destructive rage subsided. His body shuddered, the pressure of maintaining his powers inside growing exponentially. The world settled once more, no longer shimmering as though his body were exuding extreme heat. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he began his meditation, but he truly didn’t care, knowing that it was safer for everyone if he regained some semblance of control before leaving his room. He knew, however, that he would need to leave soon if he were to make his meeting on the bridge.
Throwing on his uniform, Yen paused at the dinning room table, staring at a half-filled glass that he never cleared from the night before. Opening his hand and placing it on the far side of the table from the glass, Yen concentrated, focusing his wayward power on pulling the glass to him. The simple action should have been thoughtless, especially after the impressive display of power earlier, but as a few minutes passed Yen had managed to do no more than rattle the glass in place. Gritting his teeth, he tried again, straining to pull the glass across the slick table. Rocking back the forth, the glass responded to his power but refused to move. Yen clenched his hand into a fist. His vision narrowing, Yen stared at the glass; the veins at his temples and on his forehead pulsed with the exertion. The glass began rattling, rolling dangerously on its edge but not tipping or spilling the remnants of the wine within. Darkness crept into the edges of Yen’s vision and his breathing became labored as consciousness threatened to leave him. Straining still, Yen leapt backward as the glass shot from the table, flying across the room before shattering into the cupboards within the kitchen. Where the fragile glass had struck, the wood was splintered from the explosive impact. Yen stared in surprise at the unleashed power, cursing himself for still lacking the control he desired. Absently, he used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood that seeped from his nostril as he felt the pain in his head swelling once more.
Knowing he was already late, Yen shuffled into the hall outside his quarters, squinting against the harsh light. As he moved to the elevator that would take him to the bridge, he passed Crewmen in the halls, catching snippets of thoughts as his power reached involuntarily into their minds. Shaking his head, he slammed his fist into the call button for the elevator, urging it to hurry to his floor. As the doors opened, he slipped into the relative coolness and darkness of the waiting lift. Glancing over, he noticed a Crewman First Class standing rigidly with his arms behind his back, having not been told to relax in front of a superior officer.
“At ease,” Yen mumbled to him. Though he visibly relaxed, he still kept his eyes directly ahead. He said nothing, but his thoughts were an open book to Yen, who continued to scan the minds of those around him.
He looks terrible, the Crewman thought. Having access to the Officer’s Mess must also include access to their stores of liquor. He…
Yen growled to himself, shaking the thoughts free from him mind. He glared at the Crewman, who glanced over and nodded respectfully to the Squadron Commander. As the door opened onto the bridge, Yen quickly exited the elevator and covered his eyes against the harsh light. He quickly noticed that other officers on the bridge sat around in obvious disdain and impatience. Nearly an hour late, Yen could understand their frustrations.
“So glad you could finally join us,” Merric said sarcastically from his seat at the Tactical Station. Yen felt his words slice into his mind, Merric’s voice continuing to grate on his nerves.
“Enough, Eminent,” the Captain chided from the helm. “Regardless of the delays, we still have a very important business to discuss. In less than a month, we’ll be engaging the rear vanguard of the Terran Fleet. They are already moving to intercept, which means that they will be firmly into position…” She looked inquisitively toward Merric, who looked down to examine his data.
“Less than a week, ma’am,” Merric finally answered.
“…less than a week before we arrive,” she finished. “Still, that means that they will be firmly entrenched, using the cover of the orbiting planets to their advantage while we, having pulled hard gravities the entire two months, will enter the system defenseless and exhausted from the travel. We will be at the disadvantage, which will lead to even further delays in our attempt to protect the Alliance capital on Arcendor.”
Captain Hodge leaned forward, her pale wings pulled in tightly against her back. “What I need is ideas and lots of them. I need a way to turn their advantage into ours. I need a way to decimate their significant vanguard while taking few if any losses to our own Fleet. You all are my premier officers on board, my tacticians. Give me ideas.”
As the group was prone to do, a silence ensued as they wordlessly jockeyed for position. No one wanted to voice their opinion first for fear of being overshadowed by another shortly thereafter. Instead, they all sat in silence and reanalyzed their own strategies, ensuring no loophole existed that could be exploited by a rival officer. To Yen, the world suddenly turned into an explosion of sound as voices and ideas overlapped into a hazy grey of background noise. Occasional voices rose to the forefront and Yen grasped at the fractured ideas like life rafts in the rising flood of thoughts.