Suddenly, almost all the collective started to grow angry, feeling that they had been abandoned. The attacking, advancing, power was suddenly pushed back several, thousand miles. Still pushing they felt it slip further out then it almost seemed to vanish.
A few moments later, the collective felt the entire city shake. Reaching out, they were more than surprised at what they found.
Sam, had gone back to the site of the destroyed IP space station. Shaking his head, he looked at the miles of twisted, almost unrecognizable destruction of the station.
He turned in a circle, started looking through every spectrum that he could for a recent, weak energy signature leaving the system. After a frustrating few minutes, Sam finally found what he was sure was the trail left by Triot.
Sam followed it, he felt sure that he knew where Triot was going though, he wanted to make sure.
As soon as he as he exited the wormhole, Sam knew he’d been right. They were deep within the IP homeworld system. Settling behind a moon, Sam lowered his power as he watched the battle between Triot and the IP system defenses.
Sam could only nod, as Triot decimated two different sets of defenses. It was a moment later, that he felt the collective collide with Triot.
At first it appeared that Triot was starting to overpower them. Then as he watched, he felt the collective gain more power, Sam nodded, there was a lot of emotion behind it though, as he knew that wouldn’t last that long.
Then, Triot was being pushed back faster and faster. Sam could see him struggling more and more, to just try and break away around the sides. It appeared as if the minds in control of this were making sure he didn’t get loose.
A small smile lit up Sam’s face, he hadn’t thought of doing something like that. Thinking longer, he nodded it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Keeping his power low, plus flying slow, Sam slowly made his way to the IP homeworld. This might work he thought, that was ’til he was within sight of the homeworld of the IP.
The sheer number of IP ships around the planet, had him shaking his head. Ok, this wasn’t exactly going to be easy without a lot of… Snapping his fingers, he nodded, it couldn’t be that easy could it?
Thinking about it, he had to nod yes, it was, there was no system that he could think of that, could track at that speed. It hadn’t the last time, this time couldn’t be that different.
Finally decided, Sam left the moon at tremendous speed, heading straight to the IP world. Landing with an earth shaking thud, he immediately disappeared.
I need a disguise before I am pointed out, then I’ll have the whole damn planet to worry about. Almost an hour later, Sam wasn’t sure he was going to find anything. There were no uniforms or anything else to dress in outdoors.
He went by several shops not sure he could afford anything either. Sighing, he thought, guess I’ll have to do this the hard way. He watched from what few shadows he could, looking for someone near his size. There didn’t seem to be many that were over six foot tall.
Finally thinking he was out of luck, a male came by that was perfect, thing is he had several with him. Sam thought a moment, then tried what he had before, taking over the males mind. Surprisingly, the male, told those with him he’d meet them later, then walked straight into the shadows to Sam.
Sam, moved as fast as he could, there was no telling if his little stunt had been detected. Finally ready, Sam stepped out into the light.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief, then started to walk around looking for where the council might be. Sam felt he was at his wits end; he was sure this was where they were. Turning a corner, Sam’s eyes went large as there before him was a huge, several storied, cathedral type building.
An old joke came to mind as he thought well, someone is compensating for something that’s for sure. Then, as he moved nearer, he started to feel them. He felt a small flicker of power toward him, he dropped his power to as low as he could. As the flicker moved over him, he breathed another sigh of relief as it didn’t even pause.
This was going to be far harder than he thought, I need to leave and plan more, this was stupid to think I could just march in and put them all down. No, they have far more here than just power. Taking off as fast as he could, almost every window in the city shattered as he accelerated through the atmosphere.
Sam, didn’t feel the huge power that was reaching for him as he got further from the planet. Pushing himself harder, Sam seemed to vanish as the power barely missed him.
In the council chamber, the lord doctor was cursing, how had he missed? How dare that Cliveastone bastard invade their home like that. The collective was staring at the lord doctor, with hatred and mostly envy.
The doctor turned, then roared out, “Find that bastard! He was here, outside these chambers. Not a one of you useless THINGS, felt him. You have the combined power of all seven of you. How all of you survived, I am not sure, though if you stay like you are? We all are going to perish. Get out of my sight, you weak and useless pieces of flotsam.”
The collective trembled, then vanished through the ceiling at extreme speed. The doctor shook his head, at least when they died… no, There was still a chance he just had to find them.
The doctor reached out, then he smiled when he felt the first twinges of power. Let’s see the eight here, the one he knew of, then there was one within one of the Triads? How was that even possible?
The doctor turned in a semi-circle, then he started to search around, extending his mind as far as he could go. Near the edge of the galaxy, he found another. Shaking his head, the doctor knew they were much too far away to reach mentally, at least for a few days.
The doctor was about to send out a summons for help when, he felt another mind on the same planet. Strange he thought, they were never coupled unless…
A wicked smile crossed the doctor’s face, he started to build up his power to get the message all the way out there. Now to wait, if they could, it would take at least three days to reach them. By ship, it would be another two days. If they were elite as he thought they were, then all of them here had a chance, if they could hold out.
The doctor looked at the power readings they had gotten from Triot, yes, he was very powerful now though. The doctor looked up shaking his head, Triot, was a lost cause. The amount of power he risen to, as fast as he had, seemed to completely unbalance him.
Then the doctor smiled unbalanced yes, though still very powerful. If they could somehow redirect all that power at Sam , they would get the needed reprieve that they would need, for the other two to join them. It was risky though, if they were going to survive the growing threat, they had to take it.
________________________________________________________________________
On Queen Triada’s planet, Thantas, moaned as she saw Sam standing before the glass vat. Shit! She was drowning, Sam help me, she was screaming in her mind.