the survival of your people, and mine have taken action to protect their people.”
Halcylon took a deep breath and sighed, “I had hoped to keep this civil. You have answers that I need. The very lives of the remaining Hythariam I'm sworn to protect are at stake.”
The halo on Aaron’s head buzzed to life, and he dropped to his knees.
Halcylon squatted down so he was eye level with him, “I have an abundance of patience. One way or another I will get the answers I seek.”
Aaron struggled to push the halo off his head. His fingers numbly grasped it, and he pushed. The halo scraped away his skin as it came off his head. He slammed it onto the ground, and the halo bounced away. A plasma blast scorched the ground next to him. Aaron looked up into the barrel of the pistol pointed directly at his face. He felt a strange tingling at the back of his head, and the golden holo display sprang back to life.
“Are we online?” Halcylon asked.
“Yes, we should be able to disseminate his thoughts now. It took a bit longer to calibrate to human physiology, but it did require that he be conscious. I would advise caution though. This one is not like the others,” Ronan said.
Halcylon tilted his head inquisitively again studying Aaron, “Still, only human.”
Halcylon’s cold, dead eyes slid away from him. Aaron tried to get to his feet, but found that his limbs wouldn’t work right. His head swam, and the blood drained from his face as he felt something pulling along the edges of his mind. He tried to summon the bladesong, but it remained stubbornly out of reach. He needed a clear head in order to summon the energy within. Aaron blinked slowly as he glanced up at the display above him. Images passed as if from a movie. The breath caught in his throat as his mother and father figured prominently on the screen.
Protect your sister. His father’s dying words echoed in the recesses of his mind.
“What is this place? This is not Safanar,” Halcylon said to Ronan.
The two Hythariam were preoccupied with the holo display to pay him any mind, but the soldier in the room watched him intently.
Aaron glanced back at the display, which now was a multitude of images from his own life. He saw Sarah’s face, her golden hair shimmered along the display for a moment, and his pulse quickened.
What wouldn’t you do... The last words spoken by his grandmother, who had fallen victim to the Drake, whispered in his mind. Aaron closed his eyes and breathed slowly, calming himself. True mastery came from a focused mind. He pulled together the pieces of his consciousness unaffected by the Nanites and ignored the rest. A translucent form of the barrier coalesce in his mind.
“Why is there interference?” Halcylon asked.
“I don’t know,” Ronan said, his hands waving through the interface like the conductor of an artificial symphony.
Aaron fed the barrier in his mind, and he felt the skin along the tattoo of the Dragon upon his chest begin to stir.
“It’s him, sir.”
Halcylon's eyes flashed toward Aaron and narrowed. Then he nodded back to Ronan.
Ronan brought up a miniaturization of Aaron’s head upon the display. His hand flicked through the options beneath and then turned expectantly to Aaron.
The sensation of the Nanites felt strange, like tiny beads of light invading his vision as they attempted to wrest control of his mind. The barrier held, and Aaron pushed outward. The holo display went dark.
“What happened?”
Ronan’s eyes lifted in shock, “He’s resisting the Nanites somehow.”
Aaron struggled to his feet, glaring at Halcylon as he stood. His legs shook with effort. “I’ll never submit to you.”
Halcylon grabbed Aaron by his hair, pulling him upright, “I don’t need your submission, human. What was that other place we saw?”
Aaron met his gaze and smirked silently.
“If you love Safanar so much, perhaps we can go to this other place instead.”
Just then, the display came back online,
Halcylon took a deep breath and sighed, “I had hoped to keep this civil. You have answers that I need. The very lives of the remaining Hythariam I'm sworn to protect are at stake.”
The halo on Aaron’s head buzzed to life, and he dropped to his knees.
Halcylon squatted down so he was eye level with him, “I have an abundance of patience. One way or another I will get the answers I seek.”
Aaron struggled to push the halo off his head. His fingers numbly grasped it, and he pushed. The halo scraped away his skin as it came off his head. He slammed it onto the ground, and the halo bounced away. A plasma blast scorched the ground next to him. Aaron looked up into the barrel of the pistol pointed directly at his face. He felt a strange tingling at the back of his head, and the golden holo display sprang back to life.
“Are we online?” Halcylon asked.
“Yes, we should be able to disseminate his thoughts now. It took a bit longer to calibrate to human physiology, but it did require that he be conscious. I would advise caution though. This one is not like the others,” Ronan said.
Halcylon tilted his head inquisitively again studying Aaron, “Still, only human.”
Halcylon’s cold, dead eyes slid away from him. Aaron tried to get to his feet, but found that his limbs wouldn’t work right. His head swam, and the blood drained from his face as he felt something pulling along the edges of his mind. He tried to summon the bladesong, but it remained stubbornly out of reach. He needed a clear head in order to summon the energy within. Aaron blinked slowly as he glanced up at the display above him. Images passed as if from a movie. The breath caught in his throat as his mother and father figured prominently on the screen.
Protect your sister. His father’s dying words echoed in the recesses of his mind.
“What is this place? This is not Safanar,” Halcylon said to Ronan.
The two Hythariam were preoccupied with the holo display to pay him any mind, but the soldier in the room watched him intently.
Aaron glanced back at the display, which now was a multitude of images from his own life. He saw Sarah’s face, her golden hair shimmered along the display for a moment, and his pulse quickened.
What wouldn’t you do... The last words spoken by his grandmother, who had fallen victim to the Drake, whispered in his mind. Aaron closed his eyes and breathed slowly, calming himself. True mastery came from a focused mind. He pulled together the pieces of his consciousness unaffected by the Nanites and ignored the rest. A translucent form of the barrier coalesce in his mind.
“Why is there interference?” Halcylon asked.
“I don’t know,” Ronan said, his hands waving through the interface like the conductor of an artificial symphony.
Aaron fed the barrier in his mind, and he felt the skin along the tattoo of the Dragon upon his chest begin to stir.
“It’s him, sir.”
Halcylon's eyes flashed toward Aaron and narrowed. Then he nodded back to Ronan.
Ronan brought up a miniaturization of Aaron’s head upon the display. His hand flicked through the options beneath and then turned expectantly to Aaron.
The sensation of the Nanites felt strange, like tiny beads of light invading his vision as they attempted to wrest control of his mind. The barrier held, and Aaron pushed outward. The holo display went dark.
“What happened?”
Ronan’s eyes lifted in shock, “He’s resisting the Nanites somehow.”
Aaron struggled to his feet, glaring at Halcylon as he stood. His legs shook with effort. “I’ll never submit to you.”
Halcylon grabbed Aaron by his hair, pulling him upright, “I don’t need your submission, human. What was that other place we saw?”
Aaron met his gaze and smirked silently.
“If you love Safanar so much, perhaps we can go to this other place instead.”
Just then, the display came back online,
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