Terran Knights 3: Chapter 44

“Good to see you’re back Ley.”

“Yes. We have our friends the Astro Knights to thank for that.”

Ya’Cahin gave a short, tired nod toward the celestial, “The moon was a lot of hell but at the very least we could get you back. And figure out our next move.”

Ley motioned to the center of the temple as if to begin the meeting. The four Astro Knights, the six Celestial Knights, and the previous two knights were all gathered together for the first time. “We can go address the more pressing matter for us. The crystal and Legion’s threat.”

“Yeah. The parasite showed up, distracted us, and stole the crystal from under our noses,” Kathryn said. “Well that’s not fair. Cause Gen put up a hell of a fight. Sorry by the way.”

Gen waved her hand away, “I knew I was going to lose. But I had to try. And I did. But what now. Legion got what it wanted. Even blew up its ship to do it.”

“Speaking of. Where the hell is it? Did it leave the moon?” Sarah asked glancing at them.

“That’s right. In fact it left the solar system proper,” Rizier replied. “Though the explosion on the moon was meant to take us with it, it was overall meant to distract us from its true goal. But I cannot understand what that goal was.”

“I have an idea,” Ya’Cahin said folding her arms tightly. “And I think I know where the thing went.”

“We’re all ears,” Seth spread his arms.

Ya’Cahin stepped forward raising her gloved hand and her own eyes glowed. Light spread out showing the galaxyd. She threw her hand forward and scrolled through the stars at a dizzying pace. Rolling forward, her eyes darted back and forth carefully before she pointed and it paused.

Ya’Cahin zoomed in on the image and pointed at a dark planet. It looked like it was made of smoke, the kind that came from a volcano going off. Moving her fingers slowly she spun the planet around and there was a patch of white on the opposite side of it. A stark island in the sea of black.

“Where is this?” Jack asked.

“It’s called Kalcoa. Uninhabitable. Poisonous. Most don’t even know that this thing exists. But on that patch of land is like a nest. I’ve only been there once and it was with my old team. It’s where we found Legion the first time. It had set it’s hooks into a lot places but I guess this is where it called home. Or at least a base of operations.”

“And you think that’s where it’s going now?” Marco asked.

“More than that. I think that our Legion is going there to find your Legion.”

Silence blanketed the temple as they worked to understand what Ya’Cahin had said. The future mind controlling monster had taken their crystal and went to some far off edge of the galaxy to meet with it’s younger self. A hard act to follow even with their day to day lives being what they were.

Ley came forward first, “I’ve kept my eye on the Legion of this time. It is barely out of infancy. A growing hive mind sure but it hasn’t even learned that it can leave its planet. Why would the future version that you’ve encountered want anything to do with it?”

“I don’t know,” Ya’Cahin said. “But it said it was going to its beginning and that’s where it’s beginning was in my world.”

“I may have some ideas captain,” Rizier said.

The akilo came forward and motioned with their multiple arms to the lights. Green lights overlaid with the image showing the crystal. “Time isn’t linear as we’ve discovered. We are entering into a very different and very new timeline. I believe that by using the crystal Legion plans to assimilate its mind with its younger self. It is by all rights stronger a psykik and using its younger self, it will serve an amplification. To become something far more dangerous and powerful than any of us have seen.”

“It can do that?” Cal asked eyes wide.

“Potentially,” Ya’Cahin folded her arms. “We need to deal with it before that.”

“Actually, that’s been bothering me,” Sarah said. “How do we do that? Does it have like a main body?”

“Kinda,” Owen scratched his head. “When it was in my head. I could see it. Or couldn’t see it. It was in all of us but hundreds. Thousands of others.”

“A true hive mind,” Ya’Cahin said. “It can jump to another body. If we don’t kill them all it lives. Same with if we don’t capture them all.”

“So what? We can’t ever take this thing down?”

“We have a way to do it. Specifically, you do,” she pointed at Marco. “In my time, we had Rizier and me work together to overload Legion’s mind. Psykikly separate it from its hive mind and force it in one body to capture it. But Legion made a big mistake taking over your knights. Because they’re connected to you Marco. So, even if in a small way, Legion now is too. You can get into its mind that way.”

“So the psykik power I used to free my friends, I can use to trap Legion into one of its bodies?” Marco asked. “That’ll really work?”

“Being bonded to the crystal helps too. But after seeing your abilities first hand I want to believe this. Though we’re working with a lot of theory,” She made a face but set it into a hard look. “We need to beat Legion. Once and for all.”

“No one’s arguing that,” Jack said. “But what’s stopping any of us from getting possessed again,” Cal asked.

“I am,” Marco said manifesting his two stones. “I can protect my team from its influence.”

“And we’re protected from it thanks to our stones and me and Rizier working together,” Ya’Cahin gave a short nod.

Marco walked toward her slowly and held out his hand. Ya’Cahin stared at him surprised but nodded slowly. Taking his hand they shook quickly, a gentle shockwave of psykik energy wafting over them. “Well Ya’Cahin. Let’s go to work.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”