<<Watch yourself. Suggestion + result + one post = >:C ))

>>20822
Tyka smiles, although it's hard to see.
good. good. maybe you will be ready...

The push increses tenfold.

<<I don't really get what you mean. =/ >>

>>20825
The supported wedge collapses with a nearly audible *pop*. That's when I fell over.

I'm sure it's not very dignified moaning on the ground holding your head, but dammit there are some situations where it's entirely appropriate.

>>20852
The girl stands over you.
this will take a while.
she mumbles something to herself.

>>20861
"You gotta... start off slow..." My voice is as quiet as a whisper at this point. Why are those damn lights so bright? I massage my temples with a hand as I sit up.

"It's like gaining another limb and not knowing how to use it. I'm sure it's second nature for you, but I feel like I need some lessons or something."

>>20886
that's what i'm giving you. we don't have a whole lot of time... and i need to be certain of our power before we destroy achilles, lest he simply return again.

>>20892
"I... I don't think I can-"

this is all so much this is insane there is not enough time i just started this is no lesson there is nothing to learn i have no practice

"I thought we were going to-"

i have done enough my part is over i have elaine i should be able to leave

i should... i... I? I can't just think about myself. There's Meiko, who's given her all just to get me here. There's Elaine, who's unwavering love and faith I can feel even without psychic abilities. There's Larry, who... umm... forget Larry.

It's so easy to focus on myself, on the negative, on the failures. But there's more at stake than that. This isn't about me, this is about us. Humans and Altans, working together. Achilles has to be stopped, before any of us are safe. And if I'm the one in the position to stop him, then who am I to refuse my assistance?

"Alright..." I get up slowly and take a cleansing breath to clear my mind and calm my body. "Let me try again."

>>20934
Tyka seems pleased.
good. the reason i am training you rather than facing achilles myself is because there would be no result, a zero sum. but with you...

The push comes again, harder this time, against your whole body.

you will stay with me and meiko if you wish, but your daughter will be taken to safety elsewhere, under our care.

>>20938
I couldn't manage a response.

As soon as the force came, my entire body tensed up. The pressure was staggering, muscle weakening, bone aching... Pushing against it would be more futile than climbing a waterfall. So I didn't even try it.

It's hard to describe, but I let my body relax. I reached out and took back the part of my brain tensing all my muscles. I knew I would fall over as soon as I did, but I managed to avoid caring. Instead, I accepted the pressure, the energy, and I took it, and I let it float my mind to a higher level. My body, the satellite, my friends and family, they all faded away into nothingness.

I let the force fill me until I felt ready to burst. Then... I pushed. If I had to describe it, it would be like inhaling till my lungs were full and then exhaling in one strong burst. I redirected all of that energy and added in some of my own, projected in a blunt spike right up the center of the stream. I pushed and pushed, without stress or strain or worry of inadequacy, just exhaling as strongly as I could.

I kept it up until a severe sensation of drowsiness slowed down my thoughts and dragged me back to my body. The first thing I noticed were the black spots in my vision, then the pain in my chest, and a horrible sinking feeling in my gut. I coughed and gasped for air, at which point my concentration failed completely. I dropped to one knee and grunted under the onslaught. This wouldn't work. I couldn't just abandon my body when I wanted to use my mind. I had to use them together... somehow...

>>20984
close, you're almost there! dig deeper, think harder! you're the only one who could do this, psychic altans have to give up body to use their mind, but you don't!

>>20986
Agreement of mind and body. I unclenched my teeth and stood back to my feet.

Unity of the mental and the physical. My limbs shivered as psychic energy bounced off them.

Harmony in thought and in action. My lungs kept working, in short, steady bursts.

Cooperation between the ethereal and corporeal. I looked Tyka in the eyes and pushed with all my being.

>>21012
She flinches.
almost but not quite. remember how you stunned achilles? remember how scared he was? why would that be? he could have crushed your mind like a grape, pinkie!

but he could not.

why?

>>21031
he couldn't win, because that would mean death for elaine.

and i can't. let. that. HAPPEN!!!

>>21040
Tyka giggles in your head, even as she takes a few steps back.

mind and body, pinkie. force of mind and force of body. remember? remember the look in his eyes as you fought back? come on, it's what you've always done, this last bit!

I kept my thoughts on Elaine. That's really all I can say about what happened next. I focused on Elaine and Achilles' frantic command to kill her... and everything went red. I might have passed out, or maybe something in me was unlocked and took over my mind, kicking the rational part out.

All I know is that I'll never forget the sight that awaited me when I regained awareness, my muscles burning in protestation and my eyes clouded with tears.

>>21050
Tyka suddenly moves close.
your body is strong. use it.

She looks up at him, grinning.
don't you get it, pinkie? you won because you grabbed his neck. it wasn't your family or anything like that, although they certainly helped.
no, it was your physical might that knocked him off balance!

<<Hey, I never said he didn't use it his body. I just said he didn't remember what happened next. I was hoping you'd fill in that part. =P >>

>>21054
"Ugh... I don't know how I'm supposed to push and walk at the same time... I can barely stand up at the same time, heh."

I sat down to rest for a moment. "Besides, I didn't wanna start throttling you. I thought the point of this training was to work my mind; I'm already pretty good at choking people out." I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

>>21071
Tyka laughs, and uses her normal voice. It's clear she's not really a full Altan.
"Don't worry! When things get really tough, you'll learn everything. For now, try to carry things with your mind. Once you can do that, you can use your mind to attack with your body... like... um..." she thinks for a moment. "Oh, right, ki."

>>21072
"Lifting things with my mind now? Man, this day keeps getting weirder and weirder. Okay, let's give that a shot."

I pulled out my pistol and ejected the clip, laying the gun on the ground. Then I placed the clip in my outstretched hand. I looked at it carefully, and then took a second look. A look more of emotion than data. I could feel the cold of the metal, both in my palm and my mind.

Using the same technique as before, only much less, I pushed against the clip. It twitched in my hand, and I almost laughed. I nudged it again, and again it moved. Then I decided to lift it, and put all of my effort into pushing upward until I overcame the tremendous force of gravity!

The clip flew out of my hand, only stopping when bounced off the ceiling. Unfortunately, the straight upward trajectory lent itself to a straight downward ballistic path, and the danged thing clunked me in the elbow. Good thing I had hid my head under my arms...

>>21128
Tyka giggles.
"Well, you won't need that much control anyway." she says, reloading the gun and sliding it into your holster.
"Nova will be leading Achilles into our home. That is our next destination."

>>21131
"Oh man... I'm ready to take a nap, heh." I stood up wearily from sitting. "Alright, let's do this. Meiko? Are you coming with us, or would you rather go with Elaine?"

>>21138
Tyka looks at Meiko, and there's silence.

"Too dangerous." Meiko says at last. "Listen..." she pulls a small figurine from her pocket. It's a little boy with a striped shirt, baseball cap, and hat. "Bring this back to me and come back alive, okay?"
She almost turns to leave, then hugs you and kisses your lips, briefly. "I'll see you on Mars." she says with a smile, leaving the room.

Tyka's a little annoyed.
let's get moving, then.

>>21147
...
Why did we get a Ness figure?

>>21154
Because we just gained PK Fiyah!!!

>>21147
Wow... that's quite the good luck charm. And the figurine is pretty nice gift too.

I give Elaine a goodbye hug (assuming she's still in the room) and then head out after Tyka. "Sorry for the delay."

>>21160
"I apologize for my ire. My ability to use power came with stunted growth. I'll look ten until the end of my days." she walks down the hall to
Recreation.

>>21163
"Oh... ohh." Well shit, now I feel like an asshole. "I'm sorry," I offer feebly.

I'm not looking forward to heading into Recreation. It's so foreign looking... alien.

My pace falters. "Hey, Lyka... how come the Recreation area was changed so much? Nova told me the Altans can only change themselves, not their surroundings."

>>21176
"This stuff?" she asks, poking a rather alive-looking wall, "It is Altan. Literally, just a big one that made itself into a home." she reaches into the folds of that big cloak, and tosses something into one of many mouths. "And don't worry. Most folks don't understand anyway."

>>21179
"Wow! So... we're going inside of a giant Altan? That's amazing. And... a bit weird, haha. Altans seem far more diversified than humans. I'm sure we can learn a whole lot from each other once this is all over... I sure hope we can come to a peaceful agreement..."

>>21187
"Assuming Nova survives and is allowed to speak at the UN, everything will turn out all right. He does well with crowds." she speaks slightly differently about Nova.

>>21189
Odd that she knows about the UN, but okay.

"Well then let's do our best to make sure he survives."

I gotta admit, the scenery and our approaching battle is making me nervous. I take a few deep breaths to calm down.

"Indeed." she replies.
"He's coming. Prepare your mind, he won't waste time with chat."

>>21215
Mind... and body. I picture Elaine, and Meiko. Actually I try not to picture Meiko too much.

But I can do this for Elaine. I bounce in place to limber up and continue breathing deeply.

>>21227
You do so, When a sudden force pushes harshly against your brain. Just as strong as Tyka, but with none of the suppresion of 'training'.

SILLY HUMAN
SILLY PINKIE SILLY
SHOULD HAVE LEFT SHOULD HAVE RAN
NOW YOUR DAUGHTER WILL BE AN ORPHAN
YOU WILL DIE HERE LIKE YOUR WIFE

>>21434
FFFFFFF-

No, he wants me angry- ugh this hurts- well he can't have... it.

I relaxed my screaming muscles and lifted my chin to look forward. Every joint in my body felt gummed, and the pressure on my chest made even breathing difficult. All of my mental energy was going into just diverting the force, and it still wasn't enough.

this is too much what was i thinking i cant fight this and win

At least... not with just my mind. I took a tortured step forward, and then another. Don't fight it, accept it, use it, wield it. I let the energy fill my mind, its overwhelming volume quickly threatening to tear my thoughts asunder. And then it's out, pushing forward, taking a few more treacherous steps.

This is taking far too much out of me. I need to distract him. Let's see how he feels if I turn the tables.

that's it?! that's all you got? you're an outcast amongst the outcasts, achilles. you're a leader of an army of none. you have no home and no hope, and you're trash talking me because my wife died? you're not even worth a witty comeback.

>>21523
EEEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEH
I KNOW YOU DID IT. I KNOW
I KNOW.
SHE WENT BEHIND YOUR BACK BACK
AND YOU YOU TOOK HER LIFE IN ANGER
ANGER ANGER
THE LITTLE RED MONSTER! EEEEHEHEH!
The strain grows, then lessens.
Tyka stands between you and the monster. He has warped your senses, seeming bigger than is.

>>21527
My convenient AMNESIA keeps me from knowing what the fuck he's talking about and therefore getting enraged and/or depressed. However I'm still pretty pissed about that killing-my-daughter thing...

Oh thank god Tyka's here. Okay, physical... that monster likes to hear himself talk? Let's see how he does when he can't hear at all.

I pulled a sonic grenade from my pocket and activated it. Ignoring the protests from my muscles, I chucked that thing as hard as I can in Achilles' direction, then diverted all my psychic attention into pushing it at him. As soon as I did so I began to fall over, but I figured a few bruises would be work it once he's bleeding from his ears.

>>21541
There is a pause, and a -
A nothing.
You can't hear anything. Assumably, none of you can, and Tyka and Achilles are matching minds.

>>21545
Dammit, forgot about the psychic noise dampening. Another crippling blow against physics.

Fine, up close and personal it is. I got up and half-ran/half-crawled forward and to the side, staying out of the middle area between the two. Along the way I added my meager psychic strength to Lyka's considerable repertoire; no need for this to turn into a stalemate before I even make it to Achilles.

>>21557
Achilles flinches, taking a step back. Tyka steps forth, and glances at you.

justlikethefirsttime

>>21560
I nod. The first time. The time when Achilles yelled out to his evil bug minions to kill Elaine. Loving, sweet Elaine who'd never hurt a bug. And he wanted to kill her. No. Fucking. Way.

I bum-rushed Achilles, fists flailing madly, seeking alien flesh to crunch. A part of me knows this is idiotic, but I don't care. I'm taking this motherfucker with me.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/02(Sun)23:01 No. 21584 ID: 6faa8c
File 124927927435.jpg - (128.25KB , 1079x525 , 1249243241307.jpg )

>>21571
Achilles is taken by complete surprise. bones snap, muscles bruise, eyes pop with ease, but...
But he's laughing. His mouth is wide open, his chest shaking, you can't hear a word, but you know he is laughing.

Something is deeply wrong.
He throws you back with sudden force, your defenses crumbling like paper.
He's floating in the air in front of you.

I'LL BREAK YOU NOW
NOTHING NOTHING WILL REMAIN
NO MEMORIES
NO EMOTIONS
NO NOTHING
A SHELL A SHELL
YOU WILL DIE ALONE, AND FORGOTTEN.

Tyka stands in his way. An immense, barely visible blast rockets at her, and she skids along the ground towards you. She grunts, both audibly, and mentally. Her ears begin to bleed.
Her hair pins zing off, flying into the flesh of the walls. Her cloak is ripped away, revealing simple clothing from when she was found.
Memories flood into you.

A farm
A light
strange creatures
talents you never had
far away lands
war
war
so much pain
love
unknown love
and now...
loss.

You can feel it in your bones, she's going to die here.

Iwillsendhimaway
faraway
prepare
beready
andtellNova
TellNovaIalwayslikedhim

There's a flash of brilliant light, and both Achilles and Tyka vanish, her clothes, of 1920's make, flutter to the ground quietly.

I stand, slowly. My clothes ripple as I meticulously brush the dust off. I should be feeling some emotion. I should be feeling something.

So why aren't I? It's simple math. Anti-matter and matter. No one sheds a tear for the proton. And yet a part of me is drowning in sorrow. But I stopped being that part a long time ago. Or maybe now is a long time ago and I will be that part later. Or maybe it doesn't fucking matter.

I walk away from the battle site without a glance back. Another notch in a long list of such lonely walks. Something in my screams at me angrily and I shrug. As I leave, I repeat the phrase that's kept me going for so long: 'c'est la guerre.'

C'est la guerre.

>>21596
You make your way back to the HUB and then the Ports with ease. Meiko and Elaine hug you, and Nova approaches you.

Where is Tyka? he asks.

>>21598

"Tyka's gone," I informed him flatly. "She died sending Achilles 'faraway.' She said to tell you she liked you."

Even as my mouth worked, my thoughts despised the words. shes always been dead but you already knew that how can you be so cruel kindness is weakness

"Something happened..." The words jumped out before I could stop them. A part of me took the excuse of needing to finish the sentence and ran with it, "to me back there. I... remembered... I don't know what. I'm not sure who I am anymore."

>>21743
A watcher walked up to Nova, and he touched its back. It then skittered on to Elaine you swept it into her arms, giggling.

"Achilles was destroying her mind." Nova said, emotion heavy. "Her memories, her emotions, flowed into you... out of her. I suppose that explains how you feel right now, as well..."

Meiko looks... worried.

>>21744
>you swept
>who swept

dyerp

<<oops, I think I interpreted that one wrong...>>

>>21744
Meiko worried? I don't want to worry Meiko, but I can't remember why. Elaine, so innocent, in need of protection. Ugh... but why should I care? Why do I care? I do care... I care very much.

"This is so confusing. I just... need some time. I'm sorry... about Tyka. I don't get what happened. I got to him, I made contact... but it's like it didn't even matter. They just canceled out anyway. I thought... I thought my presence was supposed to tip the balance."

oh god tyka im sorry

>>21747
"But you did." Nova said. "Normally, the two of them would be against one another and tied, neither making nay headway. But with your help, she managed to have a victory."

>>21748
"Some victory..." I shuddered and shook my head. "What now? If we're done here, I think we oughta get off this satellite."

Elaine nods and walks up to you, taking your hand... and then Meiko's.

"Yeah, daddy. Let's go home."

You walk with Nova onto a ship, bound for Mars.

AGE ONE COMPLETE