Symarion: Call of the Void.

Reviving Hope.

Time flies by when your having fun, and Anthony certainly learned that the hard way as he heard the knocking on Kira’s door. He had spend so much time just toying with her, testing how many times she could climax, that he only had gotten an hour of sleep now.

Though he only realized how much time had actually passed when he heard Thomas’s voice at the door, calling out for Kira. Which made him groan and look at the young woman, or well, cat beast woman, laying besides him, who bit her lip sheepishly as Anthony was not going to cover up this one so quickly.

“ Occupied ! “ Anthony simply groaned out, sighing lightly as he leaned back, somewhat glad he had not been spending all this time fucking her.

Admittedly though, it wasn’t much less of a workout, forcing her to climax over and over again. But it was amusing to find out how sensitive nipples and womanhood were, and her buttocks responded quite nicely to a beating too. It actually seemed like she was getting turned on when being spanked, something he would have to repeat soon.

Though, between the previously mischievous, and at times snappy tomboy demeanor she had before, she was now pretty tame and submissive. It made him realize once again that he knew to little of their kind., something he had to somehow rectify soon.

Maybe, not allowing her to climax next time, until she told him what he wanted to know ? Amusing thought, but he could keep such a play for, other reasons.

“ Anthony ? “ Thomas called out from behind the door.

“ Yeah ? “ Anthony responded, reaching down to pinch Kira’s clitoris, only so she would make that silly sound again.

And she promptly did when a loud, “ Nyaha ! “ Made sure her presence was announced, alongside the purpose of why Anthony was in her room, alone with her.

“ Ah, I was wondering, you where not in your room. “ Thomas responded, though it was somewhat of a lie as Aria had requested him to check on Kira, but that outcry, followed by a content moan was more suggestion then he needed about her state.

“ Yeah. Got a little busy. I will head to the ships bridge in 15 minutes, just need to freshen up a bit. “ Anthony called out, smirking at Kira who actually looked like she was a little bit ashamed now, which actually, did not help her case, not at all.

“ Good, I will see you there then. “ Thomas responded, and Anthony could hear how the footsteps grew distant outside.

At that moment he would smirk even wider, leaning to get out of bed, only to grab Kira by her hips to outright yank her hindquarters towards him, leaving her bend over in bed, just so he can slam into her, and start rapidly fucking her, just because he could.

“ Moan, fuck doll ! “ He demanded off her then, slapping her right buttock hard, followed soon by another slap as he demanded her to moan louder for him, like he wanted the whole ship to know that she was his. And she would, loudly announcing her delight, until he stopped just to climax shortly after she did.

“ Good girl. Don’t bother getting dressed. “ He whispers into her ear just before he pulled out, giving her a last firm slap onto her bare rear, before getting up. And since he needed to freshen up, he would quickly use her shower.

While showering, he did kind of hope that Kira would not remain so, Docile. He found her character refreshing. And Tilly already was quite docile, quite womanly in build too, part of Kira’s allure was her petite shape, and that seemingly fiery personality, loosing that was something he would consider an actual loss.

“ Ah well “ he mutters, finishing up to get dressed, a last look cast towards Kira as she lay back in bed, licking playfully across her lips, which gave a hint of that tomboy still being there somewhere. That, come hither look of hers, was really something else.

“ Behave, go and keep Tilly some company until I am back. “ Anthony told her, and then smiled content as he left her, heading towards the bridge.

“ Interestin design. “ He heard a man utter from the bridge, and soon he could see Thomas and another man standing there.

“ Welcome back, Thomas. “ Anthony greeted, offering Thomas a handshake, which was promptly accepted.

“ Good to see you again, Anthony. “ Thomas responded, looking at Anthony with a hint of concern.

“ Everything alright ? “ Anthony asked as he noticed Thomas’s look.

“ Yeah, just. Your Energy, it changed. It looks much more stable now. By a Lot. “ Thomas responded, causing Anthony some relieve as he was nearly worried this was about Kira.

“ Anthony, this is Ludwig Meldrov, representant of the Psykers Union, and a good friend of mine. He is here to help you with your Psychic Plane. “ Thomas quickly changed the subject as he wasn’t sure what to think about this rapid change.

The consolidation of his Psychic energy was immense, to the point, it would be best for him to learn soon how to mask it, or he would be seen by Psykers all the way to Sol soon.

“ Pleasure to meet you Mister Meldrov. “ Anthony spoke, extending his hand in greeting towards the rather corpulent, if short man.

“ Da pleasure be all mine lad, just Ludwig be fine though. “ Ludwig spoke, using the Common language from Terran space, which initially confused Anthony.

Anthony was under the assumption that Ludwig must have been from Eden, unaware still of the grander picture, of the Terran Commonwealth, or the Seltran. To him, Ludwig was someone that probably must have been from some remote location on Eden, or perhaps another, nearby colony if they bothered to settle multiple worlds at once.

“ Thanks, and Anthony will do. “ Anthony assure, guessing that there must just have been Cultural influences, Same world does not always indicate same culture, though it would indicate that Eden had some time to develop, more then he expected. Which too, was an inkling to Anthony that he still knew to little of these people, and not just the Sirens.

“ So, ye be fixn da old junker there ? “ Ludwig mentioned, pointing at the Navigations console on the bridge.

“ Shouldn’t we-. “ Thomas wanted to interject, but Ludwig rose his hand to stop him.

“ No need ta be in a hurry. Looks stable, be good ta watch the lad work his magics. “ Ludwig assured, while Anthony just rose his eyebrow to look from one to the other.

“ Actually, no, I am planning to repair the AI core, if I can single it out. “ Anthony admitted.

“ Then ya havn’t done dat before me figures ? “ Ludwig inquired.

“ No. I got a good idea. Think I just recently had a sort of, realization about this ability, so, I actually have high hopes about this. “ Anthony admitted, though it was only partially true, considering he more or less, thought up the suspense in Kira’s room bit by bit.

“ It’s showing. Your stable enough now that I don’t exactly have to worry about you blowing up anymore. “ Thomas admitted, and then asked, “ Mind telling what that realization entailed? “

“ For now ? Control, or rather, tools of control. And not exactly the military kind, although that too seems part of it. I have a feeling it is not the complete picture yet, but ever since I thought of it that way, I been able to do a few more tricks. “ Anthony explained, leaving unsaid that he had this revelation only a few hours ago.

“ Hmm, if it be dat, it be good ta practicin dat. “ Ludwig muses, nodding to himself, though Anthony failed to grasp the meaning of what he said there.

“ He is saying, if it is something like control, then, enacting control, especially outside your psychic abilities, can assist in your growth. “ Thomas translated so Anthony understood.

And that got Anthony thinking, if not for long, as his mind wandered back to Kira for a moment. If his ability gave him the tools to use her like that, didn’t that mean, enjoying himself with her aided and stabilized his growth ?

It made Anthony grin subconsciously as it felt like a free pass to keep abusing her somewhere. And heck, he did enjoy that play.

“ Ya be gettin another of them idea’s ? “ Ludwig asked as he noticed Anthony’s grin.

“ Um, yeah, kinda. But that is something for later. “ Anthony uttered, only to pause, and then look a Thomas.

“ Although, may be good if someone told Queen Marianna that Kira will be, indisposed for a while. “ He admitted, feeling like, if it was control, then running away from the truth was not good either.

He has had his fun, making her scream out in lust, and now that he was here, he has been feeling too guilty to admit to it. But In his mind, control also meant responsibility to some degree, so he tried forcing himself to understand now, he could not have one without the other.

Thomas would nod, already having figured as much, as the crew quarters of the command staff was not that far away from the bridge. It wasn’t exactly hard to hear Kira screaming up a storm with her moaning.

“ So, wada ya waitn for lad ? Lead da way. “ Ludwig pressured.

“ Yeah, let’s go, Maggie should already be waiting to make the migration. “ Anthony agreed, and started to lead the way off the bridge.

“ Migration ? “ Thomas inquired.

“ Yeah. I was hoping to install a copy of her previously. But the systems are so broken down, a copy would not be able to install. If she migrates, she can feel her way in and install bit by bit. “ Anthony explained, leading them to the hatch to reach the lower levels.

“ So, can’t she just, install a copy of herself instead ? “ Thomas wondered, having assumed that he simply had to install Maggie like some Operating system.

“ No, she would come in conflict with each other. I created the Magi system with individuality in mind. Two of her would stand in conflict. Having her migrate, and remove the limiters on her learning capacity will be easier. The only reason they were all called Maggie in the past stems from ease of access for the crew, but they where different iterations of each other.“ Anthony corrected.

“ How low ta dat core thing ? “ Ludwig spoke up then, eying the Ladder with some distaste.

“ Five levels, it’s located on B5, right below the bridge. The AI room spans nearly three levels up from there. “ Anthony responded, starting the descent, only hearing a displeased grunt as Ludwig clearly wasn’t looking forward to take the ladder down there.

Soon as they reached Deck B5, it wasn’t that far to the AI Core, a rounded room that, top to bottom, held an oval shape. Rows of electronic devices placed on five different levels and at it’s center sat the core.

It was a massive metal ball of sorts, suspended on a metal rod big enough that a person could fit inside it. And that ball, it was opened on two sides, with various cables and circuit boards strewn about. It was connected by a metal bridge that led over the cooling vat, in which it would be lowered, if it were operational.

Thomas, who had seen Aria’s primary core before, found this room rather, small, and it made him wonder internally, how powerful would this Maggi AI become, if she had access to Aria’s components. It was a good reminder as to why access to Aria should remain barred for now.

“ So, dat be that core ? “ Ludwig spoke, looking at the Cooling vat with some suspicion.

“ Yup. Don’t fall in. The pumps should start working the moment Maggi starts the migration process. And honestly, I can’t wait. If this works, I can start repairing the Hope in earnest. “ Anthony admitted.

“ Well, dontcha be standing there. Get ta work, and let me watch. “ Ludwig pressured, which caused Anthony to look back at him with some suspicion.

“ Don’t mind him. He is eager, but means well. He can read the flow of Psychic energy. So, if you use your ability, he can determine part of the path you may need to take in the future. “ Thomas explained.

“ I see. “ Anthony uttered, furrowing his brow at the smaller guy, but Ludwig would just wave with both his hands, wordlessly ushering him to get to work already.

Anthony would sigh and shake his head. And looking at the core, he briefly pondered if he should try the restore function again. He did take part in the design of it and it’s components, and the code was entirely his.

But not feeling confident in it’s success, he just focused on the primary core, and then insisted for it to be repaired. This prompted multiple silver spheres to appear around him, which quickly flowed into and around the core, signaling the success of this attempts.

And since nothing else was happening to the surrounding electronics, some of who where broken as well, he felt assured at least that he indeed managed to single out the core.

“ Interestin. “ Ludwig uttered behind Anthony as he watched this happen, which now prompted Anthony to look back at him again.

“ What ? “ He asked Ludwig.

“ You be, usin that Plane of ya’s Lad. “ Ludwig shared his observation.

“ What do you mean ? “ Thomas asked then.

“ He be transportn them materials, through da plane. Them silver stuff, it be poppin right out from his plane, “ Ludwig explained to Thomas.

“ And, what does that mean ? “ Anthony asked.

“ That be meanin, ya be usin it like, some portal ? Kind of ? “ Ludwig spoke, though not seeming to be all that certain about it.

“ Ya know, like, poppin it into yer plane wherever them stuff comes from, and popping it out where ya need it be.” Ludwig tried to add.

“ Um, I am not getting it. “ Anthony admits.

“ It be meanin, “ Ludwig started, only to pause as he watched with interest how the components on the ground are broken apart, and added to the flow of liquid repairing the core.

“ It be meanin, what goes one way, be going the other too. And, ya may not need be present for it. Though ya got ta learn understand them components more intimately. It be looking like the flow be uneven. It be, feelin around, sorta. If ya know what ya workin with, ya be spending lotsa less of them energy of ya’s. “ Ludwig explained.

“ Um. “ Anthony uttered a bit confused.

“ It means, you could likely also transport matter through your plane from A to B, or repair components while not in it’s presence. And the more you know about what you repair, the less energy you expend to facilitate repairs. “ Thomas translated for Anthony.

“ Hmm, I did design the core to a large degree though, many of the components are to my specs for the Magi system. “ Anthony countered.

“ Mayhaps, but do ya know what it be build of properly ? Like, them components on them boards ? How much power flow, da composition of them. Da more ya know, da better da flow. “ Ludwig clarified.

“ Um, ok. “ Anthony mused, getting it now, but that sounded like work, a lot of work. He knew part of the components, how they worked, and the composition of some of them, he had been soldering his own components in the past.

But what Ludwig implied, projected onto the greater picture, that be a lot of work to understand every component on the Hope, for efficiency sake. Was that even possible for one man alone ?

“ Well, I will have to give it some thought. “ He muttered, and then reached to flip a larger switch up, enabling the core to be lowered into the vat, as the repairs had finally finished. And he would only know if it worked, once it went online and reachable for Maggie.

[ Maggie ? Core is lowering, try to start the Migration. Let me know if you find any problems. ] He send out through his psychic ability, and hearing, [ Acknowledged. ] from her in return.

Then, red lights started to show in the Core room, and a row of clacking and humming noises is heard as the various, still functioning components along the rooms walls where being switched on and tuned into the core’s connection.

“ Attention. System initialization. Please remain behind the Yellow lines. “The system suddenly announced, and Anthony had to turn around and Usher Ludwig to get behind the yellow warning lines, as the walkway across the vat was being retracted, and the Vat sealed behind a glass panel.

“ Initiating. “ The System announced, sealing the core up as Maggie started the progress of Migrating herself onto the Hope.

“ Migration in Progress. “ The System finally announced, and somehow, Anthony felt tears forming. He did not even know why, but this moment, it made him somehow, emotional.

“ Maggie ? “ He called out, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“ Yes Anthony ? “ Maggie responded inside the Core room.

“ Would you mind If I change your designation ? “ He asked.

“ No, what would you like my new designation to be ? “ She responded.

“ Hope. “ He instructed.

“ Designation accepted. Hello. I am Hope. “ The system announced.

“ That you are. “ Anthony spoke, closing his eyes as he tried to stop the tears from flowing.