Kaleidoscope I

The Glass Veil

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Luxor, Neo Egypt

Yangu-Grurra System, Planet Vasily (YG-4)

11:21, 35/2/1, 15 XP

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What is this place and why is it so cold? Mime extended his arm and testingly bent his fingers in a wavelike motion. I'm not sure I can keep moving much longer, Vydr.

My mom said it would be chilly but I didn't expect this out of the local summer. Void reeled back his control over Mime's movements and zipped up his jacket to aid the Mimic. After making a pair of fists and finding Mime truly lagging in response he turned around to look in the back of his offroad vehicle. "So it really doesn't get any warmer than this?"

"Last year it was a bit warmer, but not by much. It's nothing for us otters though." Iolvin pulled his twin sister closer, the poor otter trying her best to quell her fear of wheeled vehicles. "It'll probably be warmer tomorrow. A cold front is passing through from the mainland today."

"Oh, well that's good. Mime isn't taking well to the cold at all." Void turned to Ria in the front passenger seat and set his false paw on her shoulder. "What about you, Ria? Regretting that dress yet?"

"Eek!" Ria resisted the touch at first, slowly becoming accustomed to Mime's cold touch. "I was until you froze my neck, silly. I'll be fine; hares are just as good in the cold as otters."

Ari squeezed her brother's arm as the buggy hit a pothole in the dirt road. "Voi, could you please keep your eyes on the road?"

"S'all jolly, Ottah. Our boy's handling this quite well considering the poor state of the carriageway." Robyn latched onto her much larger otter and cuddled her side. "We're close, yeah son?"

"Yeah, mum. Our hotel is just over there." Void rounded a corner as he pointed, then sighed and lowered his arm at the sight of a utility truck in the hotel driveway. "Well blast. I guess that's twenty quid gone."

"My pops has these roads memorized by now, son. He drives out regularly to get a taste o' his ottah." Robby pulled herself higher to get a glimpse of their rival vehicle. "The fact he beat us with so many people on board makes it that much more impressive. That's my pops for ya."

"Now what about the greeting party?" Yoyo also sat upright, bringing his sister with him as he leaned out the buggy for a clear view. "A chariot, huh. Siamun must be here for Q and Diya. Talk about the royal treatment..."

"Well they are royalty, dummy. Huh, I never thought about that though... Our sister is a princess." Ari crawled over her brother to find purchase on solid ground once the buggy came to a full stop. "Does that make you and me...?"

"They're goddesses, technically. Not sure if that makes us the same or not though. Demigods, maybe?" Yoyo quickly hopped out the vehicle and held out two paws for Zoë in the rear bay of the buggy. "Sitting above that engine wasn't too uncomfortable, was it? If I'd have known I'd have--"

"You needed to help your sister. I didn't need to tag along in the same car. It was my choice, hubby." The human took one of those paws and clambered out of the cargo tray she used as a rough seat. "Okay, now it's cold without the engine. Could we...?"

"I'll grab your hoodie, Kiddo. Why don't you go find Adri while I grab the luggage from the other truck." Yoyo headed over to do just as he said, yet a set of handsome young humans were already moving everyone's luggage. "Or not. What's the deal, guys?"

"Damnit, father..." Qesis reluctantly accepted a helping hand from one of the servants as she exited the large vehicle. "<Thank you. You... honor your goddess.>"

"Ah!..." Nadiya stiffened as she hopped out the transport behind her wife and found her paw snatched up by the same boy. "O-Oh... I'm ...honored?"

"Sorry, honey. Our God King promised me a minimal reception. I question his sense of minimalism." Qes nodded politely to the servant and then stole back her wife's paw. "<Leave us. Tend to your duties. Your goddesses desire their privacy.>"

"<As you wish, my goddess.>

Yoyo grinned as he approached his sisters. "The royal treatment? Does that include scantily-clad harems, by chance?"

"If the direct lineage wills it, sure. I could order all the young women and men you need to meet your every sexual desire. That's not my style, though." Qes gave her mate a hug while she gained her bearings. "My fa--damned routines. My King is very old fashioned, though I've been shaping him for the better. If you really want the full experience I... don't have the right to deny his orders..."

"Ouch. Just a joke, Qutie. Sounds like you had an interesting time growing up here though." Yoyo grinned even wider as he noticed contrails in the clear sky above. "The party's almost here. Anything we should know about before we see Big Daddy?"

"Yeah. First, drop the nicknames for us. I know you love them, but... guards can harm or even kill you outright for saying the wrong things on grounds of blasphemy. More than you might assume also know English thanks to the neighboring Vaiinu, so careful." By now Qes heard the engines of the incoming craft and turned to stare up with Yoyo. "Other than that, there's hierarchy. Gods beat humans, and humans sadly beat outsiders like the Vaiinu. The only exception is a god's priest or priestess, being on par in certain decisions and... having full authority over that god's children..."

"Well I happen to agree in this case, what with Siamun's priestess also being your--"

Qesis leaped up and slapped Iolvin hard against his muzzle, only to follow the showing with a whisper of concern. "Don't! That detail is secret. Not only will they kill your for revealing it, but me and Nadi as well. Officially my mother is--"

"The Queen, right? I get the hint and I'll spread the word to the others." Yoyo watched as a familiar, large exoskeletal mech slowly descended and landed on its two legs with a hefty crunch of the rock beneath the asphalt. "So she finally got that big guy running again? Damn, it's good to see Ex again."

"~Holy shit~. Is that Ex?" Ilaria ran up to the repaired machine and gave him a slap on the cockpit. "Carbon, get your tail out here so I can hug you to death."

"Please, no." The cockpit slowly opened to reveal both Carbon and Sydney adjusting the fit of their respiration masks. "I figured Cat might appreciate seeing her husband's loyal guardian after so much time rusting away above her."

"She'll love him. Welcome back, Ex." Ari used her height to help the two out of the walking tank, giving Sydney a friendly tap of their thick tails. "That bodysuit looks great on you, Cid. You shouldn't cover it up so much."

"Well Eve insisted my uniform was a bit bulky if we were cramming the both of us inside that machine." Sydney took a moment to inspect her rudder tail and ass showing very clearly through the tight material. "I feel a lot better hearing that from you though. Thanks, Ari."

"No problem, silly. Speaking of, where exactly is Eve?"

"Oh, that's an interesting one. They convinced your kids to show off for their grandma too." Carbon panned her gaze across the sky and pointed to a twinkling set of blips. "That's her right there. We might want to clear some space, actually."

"Huh?" The blips gained definition on their approach and Ari started waving away a few servants to clear the road. "Just how many of these things are you bringing? That's practically a whole wing, Carbon."

"It's just your kids. Don't tell me you've never seen those fancy exoskeletons they use." The confused expression the hybrid got in answer only made Carbon sigh and shake her head. "Your triplets designed their own with your twins. Dare I say they're more advanced than Ex here, though I suppose at the expense of specializing."

"Rhy mentioned Pepper used one, but I thought it was just an EVA rig or something. They have their own death-tanks?" Flynt floated down and dropped Evelyn near the ground, who dug nearly a foot into the dirt from her surprising weight. Soon after three smaller, humanoid-shaped rigs landed much softer on the paved road. "They're not like Ex at all. They're more like suits than vehicles."

"That's how they use them, yeah. Salt and Pepper move like normal, and it's smaller than mine but Paprika's can deploy extra legs. She needed that for her testing, though." Carbon threw out her paw as Paprika deployed the front legs so she could rest prone, allowing her to slide out the back easily. "See? They're very specialized but they're quite impressive. Mik and Chelle have gotten really skilled with that ætir of theirs."

"I... can see that. Huh." Ari started moving toward her children once the dust settled, but Rhyme had already blindly rushed to hug Rika. "Well someone's eager."

"I haven't seen this young lady in months. Shush." Rhy smothered her daughter with kisses, then rushed to tackle Salt before she could flee the affection. "I wouldn't have to ~embarass~ you two if you called once in a while like your brother."

"Agh... ~Mom...~" Salt used her larger size and build to feign ignoring her mother latched to her arm, pulling her until she hanged from it while tapping a control on her exosuit. "Can you at least let me finish shutting this down first?"

"No. Hugs don't wait." Rhy pulled herself higher and pecked a single kiss on Salt's cheek. "There. Now it's your turn, Pepper."

"You got it, mom." The ottanuki hybrid hopped out of his engineering frame and casually gave his mother a kiss. Then he returned his focus to his exosuit and the second person that hopped off it from the side. "Oh, shit. Mom, this is Index. We're sharing a flat now."

"Oh..."

Indy threw out her arms and gave Rhy a hearty hug, immediately relieving the tension in the tanuki's stance. "Nice to meet you, ma'am! Peppy's always talking about how great his mom is."

"He...?" Rhy finished her hug, then broke away and shot her daughters glares. "See? At least one of you knows how to treat a mother."

"Come, now. They're bright kids, yeah?" Robyn moved in for a quick hug from the kids, making it quick and painless by comparison. "I fancy the 'bots, guys. Might I take a closer gander after we settle into our rooms?"

"Sure. You've seen mine before though." Rika tapped a hologram on the side of her suit and it closed and stood upright. "So we're staying in this hotel? It looks expensive. I hope you got a bulk deal, mom."

"Actually, you've been summoned to the palace. The King wishes to honor his daughters properly." Viola snuck behind her daughter and scared the life out of her with a tap and her words. "Sorry, Qesis. I tried my best to keep things low-key but you know your father."

"I hate when you do that." Qes shook out the tension caused by her mother and took a deep breath. "Just how far does he plan to take this? I specifically wanted to avoid the palace."

"My family doesn't care that you're royalty, sweetie." Nadi nuzzled her wife and pecked a few kisses on her neck. "I'd rather embrace it than spend the effort hiding it. That effort could be better placed elsewhere, after all."

"Well we'll have a better bed for all that fun, at least. I... guess we can give it a try." Qes slumped into her mate, then perked up in surprise as Vi joined the embrace. "Right. You can't do this much in the palace, huh?"

"What about my mom?" Nadi turned to meet Patrick's eyes as he finished helping unload his truck. "My mom is the leader of the Vaiinu. Can she stay in the palace? And can Pat join her?"

"Sure. They'll be offered the same general amenities as us. The Vaiinu are friends of the Ancients, and your Raft Mother is essentially your royalty equivalent." Qes nudged her chin to Yoyo. "Think of it like your brother doing his ambassador work. The difference is that we've sort of joined our societies together when we became mates."

"Political marriage used to work out well at one point in the past. I'd say it was a smart move for you two, but you're just too cute together to tarnish what you've got with politics." Yoyo gave his sister a kiss on her forehead, avoiding the others out of uncertainty in the gazes of the nearby servants. "Let's get this show on the road. I can't wait to be pampered."

"I wouldn't turn down a nice massage, actually. If only Cass was--" Ari rolled her false arm around its socket, slowing as she realized her words. "Oh. Sorry, Yoyo. I didn't mean to--"

"No, it's fine. I could use a back rub myself. Just a shame I can't get the best in the galaxy anymore." Iolvin reached out and started kneading his sister's shoulders as they walked. "Let's see if we can't find a luxurious bed. Maybe I picked up a bit of Sandy over the years."

Ilaria shut her eyes and cooed into the neck massage, but soon broke free to find Zoë and Adrian. "No. You're not making love to me while you think of her. Let your mates help, Yoyo. They deserve to share that much with you."

"Is something wrong?" Without hesitation, Dee ran over to his husband and snuggled against his chest. "Yoyo, don't try to be a tough guy. What's wrong? How can we help?"

"Something's got you down? Oh, no." Zoë joined the hug blindly. "Tell us about it. Did Arty start ignoring you again? You're a great dad."

"No... It's nothing that bad, guys." Iolvin gazed down at his mates and their emissive concern, then looked up to mildly smile for his sister. "Thanks, Lulu. Guys, let's go find somewhere warm and soft to talk about it."

---

The Grand Palace, Luxor, Neo Egypt

Yangu-Grurra System, Planet Vasily (YG-4)

12:39, 35/2/1, 15 XP

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"<All praise King Siamun Nebpehtire Ahmose Aakheperu Tutmesut Tjestawy in all his majesty.>"

"<Thank you, Leo. You may leave us now.>" Siamun held his composure from the seat of his golden throne, then loosened up with a smile as the last of the guards left the throneroom. "Don't look at me like that. I'm sure he'd rather spend the afternoon with his wife than yawning over our fun."

"You are as wise as you are handsome, father." Qesis politely bowed for her father, unsure if he wanted to keep formalities going further or not. "We have answered your summons. What do you wish of us?"

"Come now, Qesis. I haven't laid eyes upon you since you were married! Come give me a kiss."

"Yes, father..."

Siamun rolled his eyes and stood with his arms outstretched. "Enough of the formalities, Qesis. You've become a fine woman. In my eyes you this makes you my equal in many ways."

"Being left alone must be screwing with your head. You're never this rational." Qesis stepped into a hug, shutting her eyes before her father probed her mouth with his tongue. "There's the father I left behind. Please don't act so... lewd with my mate present."

"I'm sorry, daughter. Seeing you gets my heart racing, after all." Siamun stood tall and adjusted his hooded crown. "I welcome you to my kindgom, Neo Egypt. All of you will be given the greatest of care and shall be left wanting not of more. Enjoy your stay at my palace, especially my new daughter. I only ask that you do not abuse my holy servants; they are well regarded under my care in respect for their devotion."

"So they're..." Rose stepped forward and reassigned her gaze away from the various servants at the perimeter. "They aren't slaves then? They're free?"

"It is their choice to serve, yes. In return they receive exceptional benefits in line with their holy service." Siamun noticed a scantily-clad girl covering a cough and clapped for her to rise to attention. "<Nesuna, are you feeling ill? You may take a few days to rest if you aren't feeling well.>"

"<No, your majesty. I... tasted the wine and choked.>"

"<I appreciate your honesty, Nesuna. Never sneak or steal in my presence again, please.>" The King grinned anew and clapped loudly for all of the present harem of young girls to rise. "<You probably are misbehaving because you're all bored today. I can agree, what with your Queen and I cancelling our business for the afternoon. Let's find something a bit more fun to try.>" He gestured a hand toward the large family before him and that smile widened. "<Please, feel free to tend to my guests. You may be as... liberal with their needs as you deem fit. Ah, and please try to speak English around my guests.>"

"<Yes, my King.>" Nesuna led the girls toward the men of the group, slowly and seductively peeling away her sheer top as she sauntered. "The sun is high. Perhaps we might offer a cool massage in the outdoor baths?"

"Fuck... Yes, plea--"

Adrian jabbed his husband in the ribs. "Perhaps another time. Maybe we should see our rooms?"

"Your lodging is the whole of the western wing. We also have tents available in the gardens if you prefer the cool night air." Nesuna noticed the eyes upon her small chest and strutted about proudly, making sure to pull the skirt drapes of her open dress just enough to let the secrets beneath peek teasingly. "I happen to enjoy the chill of this season, especially with warm company. Might I recommend sharing a tent with me tonight?"

"At least you're honest with your desires." Zoë clung to her husbands possessively and nodded to the darker-skinned human. "There might be room, provided you play nice."

"Ah, you... are married?" Nesuna took a moment to gauge the mates and resumed her now-redirected seductions. "I would enjoy that, yes. If I might help you love each other more, I would be honored. It's a long while until night, however."

"I'd like to get a little work done later, actually." Paprika nudged her snout to her exosuit in the courtyard and a long device mounted to its back shoulder. "I can't safely test that in space and there's basically nothing north of Luxor on this planet, right?"

"There is farmland, but beyond the mountain there is nothing yet. Our focus is research and infrastructure rather than expansion at the moment." Queen Ana walked into the large room with a well-dressed aide at her rear. "If your test is dangerous, I would suggest heading beyond the ridges. Unfortunately we have few spare transports due to a new mining operation underway."

"My Queen." Siamun latched onto his Queen and pulled her into a kiss. "You still focus on work? Come. Enjoy some time with your family."

"Not all of us can take the day off, Siamun. Cancelling meetings is one thing, but the kingdom still runs like a machine." Ana noticed her husband's hands roaming about her frame and sighed. "Not now, my King. Enjoy your day while I deal with our duties. Just know that after this evening neither of us will have the strength to stand."

"Ugh..." Qesis shook her head and returned to hold her wife. "Can we all stop talking about sex, please? Rika, why don't you show us this thing you're testing?"

"Really? Cool. Nobody likes to geek out with me over guns."

"Guns? That's huge for a gun, baby girl." Ilaria held back her wives as both tried to jog over and inspect it. "What are you even testing that for? We're at peace with everyone."

"Well we came up with some new stuff in the lab and I tried to find a way to test all of it at once. A gun just seemed like a fun way to do that." Rika noticed her more curious mothers chomping at the bit and nodded to Ari. "The thing's unloaded, and solid state actually. It's safe if you want to inspect it first."

"Have at it, you two." Ari released her mates and they ran off feeling a year younger with each bounding step to the article in question. "I'm actually curious now. It's been a while since I've had time to play with my own guns."

"You have my curiosity as well." Siamun perked up and gave his wife another kiss. "We'll be back for dinner, dear."

"Go have your fun, Siamun. I'll try to join you tomorrow for some rest." Ana shuffled a few documents in her arm and headed off, pausing for Viola along the way. "Your god seems a bit pent up and he truly favors your muzzle. Perhaps you could do us both a favor and tend your priestly duties on the ride out?"

"Absolutely, my Queen." Vi licked her chops as she turned to face Siamun. "I yearn to please my god in all ways."

---

The Barrens, Neo Egypt

Vasily (YG-4)

13:26, 35/2/1, 15 XP

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"Oh yes... You've somehow gotten even better at that, darling." King Siamun rolled his head backward and shut his eyes as his hands stroked through Viola's hair in his lap. "Remind me to thank you properly tonight, Vi."

The African wild dog licked her lips as she finished her bout of fun, then tipped her mate's head forward for a kiss. "I love you, Siamun."

"And I love you, my dear." The King honored Vi's habit of nuzzling after a kiss, then nudged his chin toward Qesis practicing her magic on a fallen tree. "How could I not adore the mother of our captivating daughter?"

"We must have done something right there if she's found love so young. She's quite the looker, but those two go deeper than that." Vi turned her head to match her mate's view and smiled with a faint sigh. "I do have my reservations on the face tattoo though. Did she really need to get that mark on her eye?"

"One does not choose to bear an eye of Horus. Horus chooses his bearers." Siamun felt the smooth skin of his right cheek and sighed with his mistress. "That's the story, anyway. For appearances my bloodline must pass down the right eye of Horus. It had to be done, darling."

"At least hers isn't a showy as yours." Vi tucked her mate's manhood into his robes and climbed out of their private seat of his carriage. "Black doesn't show as much on that dark skin as that gold of yours."

"Actually... one day she too will bear the enlightenment of Horus. It signals the passing of his blessing." Again the leader felt his marking, now remembering how painful it felt to obtain it. "Since she isn't around her people very much, perhaps we could spare her the gilding and just apply paint as needed."

"Anything to keep our daughter unscarred and unhurt is in my favor. Perhaps... she is old enough to choose for herself, however."

"I would prefer that. She should choose her own terms in life. Thus is the nature of a goddess, after all." The King gave his mistress another soft kiss as he slipped out of the vehicle himself. "So, where's this weapon we're testing? It should be constructed by now, yes?"

"Sort of?" Rhyme tapped a wrench against her head as she contemplated an issue. "We've got this baby built, but we can't find a good way to mount it. Rika's Exosuit only has a few compatible mounts, but all of them are off balance."

"Correction, mom. The mounts work fine when there's no gravity." Paprika took that wrench and loosened a mounting bolt on her weapon. "We might be able to hook this thing up to one of the other vehicles."

"No go. We're pretty far out and I'd rather not destroy our transportation." Ilaria gave her daughter a pat on the shoulder. Does it need the underside clear? Dee and I ran into this now and then and we just stacked up sandbags."

"The whole thing is solid state, but that makes heat dissipation an issue. I'm afraid to block the lower heat diffusers." Rika reached an arm into her mech and lifted the weapon with the matching robotic arm. "Maybe I can just hold it like this?"

Robyn shook her head as she pulled the large arm downward with only a portion of her weight. "Nah, love. The servos are overloaded and I'm not letting you use two arms. That places the core next to your vitals, yeah?"

"Hm. Well we could--"

"Can I give it a try? I'm getting a bit bored of waiting." Vydr stepped up to the mech and simply grabbed the long weapon--or rather, Mime took the entire load for him. "This doesn't seem too bad. What do I need to do?"

"How the actual fuck...?" Rika hopped out the back of her exosuit and gave her brother's calm stance a closer inspection. "That weighs almost a ton. What...?"

"I'm now offering gym memberships on my ship?" Void dug in his false leg and braced for fire. "I'll show you later when we have more privacy, sis. Just tell me what I need to know about this thing."

"Sure, but that's a promise. Let's see... Power's good... Ammo..." Rika swiveled around the underside of the weapon a few times and then stood tall with a nod. "Well it's ready to fire. The goal is to launch a beam of plasma forward, which shouldn't have too much recoil since it's a microscopic amount." She popped open a tubular magazine and slid out a cartridge that appeared softer than metal, like ceramic. "These are the questionable part. The plasma is formed by these shaped charges and if we release too much out the front--"

"I go flying back. Gotcha."

"Exactly. I've got it set to a conservative output, but that might make a bit too much energy in the vulkanium so it'll get pretty hot to the touch. Maybe you should use some gloves...?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Thanks, sis."

"Wait, hold up a second. Vulkanium?" Ilaria immediately shot her gaze to her most ambitious twins. "You girls came up with some sort of new element? It's not radioactive, is it?"

"No, and no. I formulated vulkanium on my own and this is the first test use." Rika replaced the cartridge and then popped open a maintenance hatch on the top of the receiver. "There's a funnel of it here that catches the hot gas of the explosives. Vulkanium converts heat and pressure into electricity and drives the rest of the system."

Iolvin stepped over and peeked into the access hole. "So you're using explosives in place of batteries? Why not use capacitor cells like my railgun?"

"Does your railgun push out 2000 coulombs in a split second?" Rika snapped the weapon shut with a smile. "No? Because that's just the lowest setting on this baby."

"Is that more or less?"

"That's craploads more, Yoyo." Ari crouched down to eye level and sighed for her daughter. "And just what have you made that could ever use so much power? Voi, you might want to put that down before it kills you."

Void shook his head and hoisted the weapon in a ready position. "Nah, I got this. I kind of like the idea of a lightning gun."

"That's... not what it's supposed to be. Lightning may be plasma but it's not the intent here. The bulk of the power is used to make hard light containment fields--"

"Just let the man fire it already. Might put some fur on his chest." Yoyo reeled Robyn back from the deadly end of the weapon and scooted a few paces back. "You've got this, son."

"Oh... Thanks, dad." Vydr gave the smaller details of the device a closer look, making sure his paws weren't in close proximity to a few rough edges in the build. You sure you can handle this thing? I'm not ashamed to hand it back to my sis.

Yeah, this is pretty light actually. As long as I can touch the ground I can hoist a lot of weight. Mime shifted the weight of the device until it was slightly forward of his center of gravity. This should be enough. Do you want to pull the trigger or should I?

All you, Mime. You deserve the honor for doing my bidding in this cold.

What I deserve is a way to stay warm like you furred mammals. Mime adjusted his grip to settle the weapon's handle more surely then he pulled the trigger. It didn't work. You better figure this out or I'm seeking a warm bath without you.

"Sis? No go. Think it was a misfire?"

"Oh, sorry. The magazine is a bit finicky and primitive." Rika sauntered over and slapped the tube magazine forward until it clicked into place. "The cartridges are pulled magnetically so it needs to align straight. Looks... Yeah, looks good."

"Doing wonders for my confidence, sis." After a slight delay and a barely audible whine, the first explosive snapped forward into the weapon's odd action. That sounds a lot more like it. Fire away, Mime.

You got it. Mime again pulled the trigger, generating a heavy, loud explosion similar to that of a small autocannon. Instead of a slug firing out the muzzle however, a triangular rod of hard light projected forth. Just before the beam ended, a stream of plasma filled the hardened tube of light and bounced around its new confines. A second later the energetic assembly crashed and shattered against a tree, completely shredding it with an invisible explosion that sent a tactile pressure wave back to the onlookers a moment after. Oh, I like this. It's mine now.

I'll have to ask Rika to make one for you. You seem like you could use an outlet for some frustration, Mime. Void commanded Mime to lift the weapon skyward for an iota of safety. "Sis, what the hell was that? It looked cool, but we're not gonna glow in the dark or anything...?"

"No, idiot. We're fine." Rika grabbed a stick and tapped open a stuck cover that was supposed to reveal a heat sink. "That worked splendidly. Void, you just fired the universe's first fusion cannon."

Ari stepped closer and eyed the heat distortion coming from the muzzle. "Fusion? I thought it fired plasma."

"So that's what it does!" Adrian joined Robyn in approaching the impact point. "So the plasma collides to create a controlled fusion blast."

"What's the control mechanism? Magnetism?" Robyn crouched near the steaming tree stump with ponderous glee painted over her artificial face. "How do you create a magnetic field so far from the weapon? Is that what that container vessel is for?"

"Not exactly. That was hard light Pillow, like the twins use."

"Ah..."

"Mom's right. A lot of the energy from the blast is converted to hard light to contain the plasma with gravitation." Paprika started smiling as the weapon cooled down safely as planned. "Some is used to melt fuel material from a metal block. The rest is left as raw positrons, which appear to ease the fusion upon impact."

"Wait, positrons?" Evelyn joined the conversation with a sudden expression of concern. "You're talking antiparticles. Does that mean the end product is antimatter?"

"From the look of it, yeah. I wasn't sure if that would be the case or not, just that there would be a somewhat contained blast."

"I'm surprised you managed to generate positive energy at all." Flynt touched a cold flaming hand to the weapon's muzzle and probed inside the triangular bore. "I see. Vulkanium absorbs energy and emits positrons using localized gravitons locked inside. That's a clever approach."

"Thank you." Rika checked the magazine, slapping it back into place after the first shot misaligned it again. "We easily could convert more heat into positrons though. Let me set this to vent less of the gas and see if we get a more controlled explosion. The hard light was supposed to contain it entirely to concentrate the damage in one place."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Rika." Eve spied the exploded tree and noticed a certain detail. "The initial impact point doesn't exist anymore. The antimatter destroyed that matter of the tree. This could get dangerous quickly."

"The intent is to destroy a volume the size of a fist. I plan on refining this into a mining tool for hardened materials, not a weapon." Rika finished adjusting a few physical dials hidden beneath a cover panel. "Okay, it's cranked up to the intended specs. Just... maybe hit something a bit further away this time?"

"Will do. Guys, get clear. I'm aiming for those boulders over yonder." Void nudged his snout to a group of craggy rocks poking out the crest of a hill. Think you can hit that?

Sure. It's only five times as far. Why would I have an issue with that? Mime gave up on sarcasm and lined up the shot, a particularly difficult one considering the lack of sights on the prototype weapon. Firing. Just hope I don't miss and hit a stray ship or something.

The weapon once again spooled up the magnetic loading gate and primed a round. This time a much more subdued explosion hissed from the heat vents, lending a better control over the recoil. The same hard light column shot forth, bringing with it a searing stream of plasma and positrons. The grouping smashed into the very top of a rock, barely justifying any claim to accuracy Mime could boast.

The result of this test was different, however. The shards of hard light seemingly turned liquid and reformed into a sphere about a meter in diameter. Inside that container, all matter was simply obliterated. The fusion reaction didn't end with an explosion though. Instead it collapsed to a bright, infinitely small point. Light around the sphere distorted much like a soapy bubble. All that remained of the fusion reaction was an odd field of light with a tiny speck of black in the center.

Again Void lifted the weapon upward for safety. "This one's taking its time exploding, sis."

"Actually, I think the hard light is just keeping a vacuum inside it. Maybe vacuum force is enough to keep it from shattering again?" Rika tapped her uncle's holster. "Uncle Yoyo? Think you could shoot it with that? It could take hours for the hard light to dissipate and it's not safe to approach when it might shatter."

"Sure, I could try. Matilda here could use some love in any case." Yoyo pulled out his familiar pistol and clicked the holster into place as a stock. "Just keep going until it breaks?"

"Yeah, that--"

"No! Don't shoot it!" Eve waved her arms as her gut told her what she was observing felt like herself. "That shield is all that's keeping us safe. Everyone needs to get away, now."

"Uh, guys...?" Flynt grabbed the various hovering pieces of Gimbal as they slowly started pulling into the sphere. "Don't argue. This thing's sucking us inside."

"Shit... That's a miniature black hole." Carbon grabbed Sydney and tossed her into Ex's cockpit. "We need to fall back and figure out..." The mammoth robot began to slide over the ground, prompting the hybrid to join his mate by the controls. "Go! Run!"

"Shit. Art! Get--"

Ilaria slammed her brother's side and forced him to move. "He's probably still in the jeep. Get your mates out of here, Yoyo."

"But--"

"Ah!" Before anyone expected, the gravity field of the singularity started pulling Zoë hard enough to knock her over and into a sideways roll. "Help!"

Again Ari stopped her brother. "Don't. You'll only get pulled in yourself. We need..." She created a tendril out of nanites and sent it to the toppled human. "Grab it! We'll pull you out!"

"Y-Yeah."

"Hold on, Zoë. We've got you." The twins dug in their hindpaws and pulled on the makeshift rope while the others escaped. However the augmented strength of the two cyborg siblings meant nothing once their footing started to slide away. "Hurry, Lulu! Gods, we need to--"

"No... I can't watch you die as well." Zoë started lifting off the ground as the pull increased. "I love you, Iolvin." With that, the human released her lifeline and flew flew backward toward her doom.

"Zoë! No!" Yoyo slipped onto his ass in disbelief, only to be pulled back up by his twin sister. "Yeah. L-Let's go..."

"Fight now; cry later." The courage of her father resurging inside her, Ilaria yanked her brother with all her might and the two started slowly moving out of the gravity well's influence. "It's still expanding. We need to drive--"

"Oops!" Vydr appeared just ahead of the two out of thin air carrying Zoë in his arms. He set the woman down and looked back toward the black hole. "Run, mom. I thought I saw someone else back there."

"You can teleport in all this? You're a lifesaver, Voi." Ari gave her son a pat on the shoulder as she passed and helped Zoë start moving. "Be careful. We'll get everyone moving."

"Thanks, mom. Get mom and dad out of here. I'll be right behind you." Void shook his head as he reoriented himself. He blinked back to where he had just left, scouring the treeline whilst falling sideways through the air. "Come on... I saw a glow..."

"Pull!" Sure enough, Cherenkov latched onto the far side of a thick tree and held Artemis on the opposite side. "I can't hold you if you don't pull closer, Master!"

Dangling by his wrists and fluttering his eyes to fight blacking out Arty groaned, "My a-arms are o-on fire..."

"Crap. Found you guys." A quick blink later and Void was dangling from his brother, causing the two to fall free. "Hold tight."

"Wh...!?"

Another blink and the two teleported to safety nearly two klicks south. "Arty, who else is back there? Just that blue lass? What about your lady friend?"

"N-No... Just Cher."

"Right. The others should drive this way soon. I'll head back for Blue." Void eased his brother down to the ground, then took a few steps away to safely teleport back to Cheren. The world warped around the otter, but something felt different as he returned to the damsel in distress. "Hey, Blue. Take my paw. We're getting the hell out of here."

"Is Master safe!?"

"Yeah. He's practically halfway to town, so I think he's safe." Somewhat uncomfortable at both the unusual translucency of the djinn and the way holding her close pressed her chest against his own, Void pulled Cheren even closer and focused on the same spot where he left his brother. "I'm having trouble concentrating. Hold tight and we'll see how near I can get."

"Wait... Something feels weird. I don't--"

A thinner tree further out bent a bit too far and snapped free, soaring directly toward the duo. "Nope!" Void folded space and time around the two and began a blink... only this occurrence took several seconds and left the two tingling on the ground beside Arty. "Fuck... What the hell was that?"

Cheren groaned while she stood and brushed dirt from her arms and legs. "I'm not sure. Is that what's supposed to happen when you do that?"

"It felt strange, but at least we... made it..." Void tried to pick himself up, but quickly ran into a snag when he noticed Mime wasn't anywhere in sight. "Shit. Please tell me Mime isn't stuck back there."

"I think he's fine. Look." Cheren nudged her muzzle to the north. "The wind that black hole was making is gone. With any luck he didn't get sucked inside before it ended."

"Maybe you're right. I'd check, but that last blink took more effort than I'd deem safe." Void rocked onto his good side and shimmied to his hindpaw. "Hey Art, let's get moving. We can meet the others and then hitch a ride back. I'd like to find Mime before we lose too much light."

"As long as it's safe, sure. Master, are you okay to walk?" Cheren walked over to Arty lying on the ground and reached to get his attention--only she slipped right through the panthott and crumpled on the dirt beside him. "M-Master?" Again she tried to nudge Arty, her paw passing through his shoulder with only the slightest of resistance. "Master, what...?"

"What's wrong?" Void hopped over bit by bit, standing over his brother with sudden concern about the paw moving clear through him. "Okay, that's not normal. Art? Can you hear me?"

"How can I even do this?"

Arty slowly sat himself upright and sighed, apparently unaware of his present company. "How far did he take me? They better not leave me out here."

"Master..."

"This doesn't look good." Vydr passed his own paw through his brother's head, taking note of a shimmering chromatic aberration of light around Arty where he made contact. "This definitely doesn't look good."

"Can you fix it? Maybe we can--"

"No. We need more information first. I don't want to make things worse." Void noticed an oddity with his footsteps, leading him to ease himself down and grab a fistful of dirt. strangely he managed to hold up a large pawful of the terrain, whilst simultaneously leaving a rainbow-fringed patch of dirt behind untouched. "Hm... We can't interact with anything. Let's go find the others. I don't think we can do much by ourselves."

"However you think we should proceed..." Cheren caught up to her master and tried to console him with an intangible paw through his shoulder. "I'll come back to you, Master. Just wait for me."