It was a simple mission. Follow Keila’s army into battle, steal Vior’s plans for an improved antimatter reactor, and destroy the existing prototype. The stakes were high, but it was nothing Viisi wouldn’t be able to handle.
Vior’s top science base was located on a small planet with a toxic, high-oxygen atmosphere, forcing Viisi and the army he would sneak in behind to wear environment suits. Aside from each EVA suit’s black-tinted helmet, Keila’s violet, blue, and gold faction colors gave the approaching army a look akin to a glistening, approaching tidal wave.
The plan went off without a hitch, Viisi breaking into the science base and killing any Vior members within who noticed him with a swift, telekinesis-driven pebble to the skull. In a larger room within the base was the massive experimental antimatter reactor accompanied by only a single Vior scientist wearing an EVA suit. He was hunched over a computer, desperately inputting commands when Viisi entered. Moments after his entrance, a large red error message appeared on the screen.
The scientist whipped around towards Viisi and held an electric lighter up to a piece of paper. A small arc of electricity was hovering close to the paper’s edge.
“Don’t move!” the scientist yelled. “Or the blueprints are ashes before you can blink. I already purged the computers of anything else you can use. Stand back.”
Viisi was out of pebbles to use for an instakill. He could always use his telekinesis to crush the scientist’s helmet around his head, but Viisi was afraid that any delay in the scientist’s death could destroy the only remaining plans for the antimatter reactor. Viisi raised his hands in a show of surrender.
Viisi attuned his senses to the world around him. Recalling Tria’s training, he began to subconsciously read the resonant frequencies around him. He felt the resonant frequency of his EVA suit, of the floor, of the walls and the computer screen, of the scientist’s suit, and finally, the electric lighter that he wielded. Viisi used his telekinesis to vibrate the electric lighter at its resonant frequency, and in the span of a millisecond, shattered the lighter into its component pieces. Once it had crumbled in the scientist’s hand, Viisi rushed towards the shocked Vior member and slammed him to the ground, knocking the blueprints away.
His hand pinning the scientist’s chest to the ground, Viisi looked at the man’s visor. The one-way material prevented Viisi from seeing the scientist’s face. He burned with anger at the audacity of the man—if he had only handed over the blueprints quietly, Viisi would have granted him a quick and painless death. But Viisi didn’t feel like using his telekinesis anymore—he would kill this scientist with resonance.
Viisi read the resonant frequency of the man’s EVA suit, and then the body within. But as he prepared to emit the frequency that would destroy the scientist, Viisi felt another vibration—the frantic beating of a heart.
Viisi froze. He focused on the scientist’s helmet again, but only saw a reflection of his own suit. Did he really have it in him to end the person in front of him? To stop the unique frequency of his heart, forever?
The single moment in which Viisi hesitated gave the scientist an opening to grab a gun fallen on the ground nearby. Viisi guarded himself, but the gun’s barrel wasn’t trained on him. There were five loud booms, and the fallen blueprints were shot to irrecoverable pieces.
A projectile came from behind Viisi and punctured the scientist’s helmet, killing him instantly. Viisi turned to see a fellow member of Keila’s Big 5, Einer, in the doorway.
“What is the delay?” Einer asked. “The blueprints should be ours.”
Einer’s voice was accented and smooth, higher than most would predict it to be based on his short, muscular build. He was instantly recognizable even through his EVA suit.
Einer noticed the destroyed blueprints with an almost imperceptible scowl. He extended a hand towards the experimental reactor behind Viisi and, with a flash of light coming from his arm, destroyed the reactor with a massive explosion. Viisi, close to the reactor, felt a rush of heat and a shockwave, but the plasma and fire caused by the explosion did not reach him or Einer—instead, it bent and warped around the two men as if an invisible force field surrounded them, or the fire itself had enough sense to avoid them.
When the blast subsided, Einer gave Viisi one final scrutinizing look, and then walked away.
Viisi’s training room was completely dark. Only a thin sliver of light from the hallway outside broke the perfect black.
“Today’s training is going to be a bit different,” Tria said from somewhere near the doorway. “I’m going to teach you self defense again, but you have to defend against me in the dark.”
“So I have to find you using resonance?” Viisi guessed.
“Exactly. Hey, you’re picking up on this pretty quickly.”
Suddenly, Viisi’s hand was grabbed and two small and foam-like objects were placed in his palm.
“Can you guess what those are for?” Tria asked.
“So I can’t hear, either?” Viisi said, inserting an earplug into his ear.
“Correct. You must use only your ability to sense vibrations to sense the world around you. No telekinesis, either. Once your senses are fully deprived, focus all of your energy on reading the vibrations around you. Everything has its own unique resonant frequency—find it.”
Viisi put in the second earplug, and the world truly became dark.
A rough kick hit Viisi in the temple. He staggered, finding his stance, but before he could even stand up straight again, a fist slammed into his nose.
Viisi could feel faint vibrations in the ground before each attack, but never had enough time to focus on its source before he was hit again. He relied on his battle instinct to dodge, causing some of the blows Tria threw at him to weaken in intensity, but Tria, too, displayed incredible intuition that predicted every duck and sidestep he made.
Viisi had no problem reading the resonant frequencies of everything immediately around him—the floor, the walls, his earplugs—but even with the training Tria had given him, he couldn’t simply sense the structure of the room and the people within it with only his sense of touch. He was too focused on each attempt to dodge and block to have room to think.
That was it. Viisi hadn’t fully deprived his senses yet. Even Tria’s attacks had to fade into his subconscious for him to focus on reading the room’s resonance.
With a deep breath, he ignored Zero’s training which told him to focus on the battle first. Each strike Tria delivered to his body slowly descended into unimportance, and Viisi pictured himself in his training room alone. Standing here, alone, Viisi could sense the ground beneath him, the way it connected to the walls and ceiling, each piece of training equipment that rested on the floor. Every object within the room had its own unique frequency that he could read. His sensitivity grew—Viisi became aware of the room’s connections to the hallway, the rooms around it, feeling the impossibly faint vibrations every atom gave off.
Viisi realized the true nature of the resonance—anything with temperature vibrated. Each atom in every object around him oscillated at its own rate, a part of a whole that he was trained to sense. Viisi understood the location of not only his room and the things within it, but of the entire building he was in, the vibrations of the wind around it and the measured steps of the people that traversed it.
And more acutely than ever, Viisi could sense exactly where Tria was.
Viisi threw a forearm up to his head just as Tria threw a fist at it. Through the vibrations in the ground, Viisi could even sense a change in Tria’s expression—surprise. She kicked with her right leg at Viisi’s stomach, and Viisi rotated away so the attack met nothing but air. Viisi didn’t see himself in a battle he had to defend himself from—he saw himself within a room with someone else, someone whose movements had a pace to them he could now acutely read. Block after block, dodge after dodge, Tria could no longer touch Viisi. At last, her stance relaxed and she strode over towards the light switch. Viisi’s training room filled with light once more.
“How about a game of pelikor to celebrate?” Viisi heard Tria say once he removed his earplugs. “You’ve earned it.”
Midway through their pelikor game, Viisi pointed, “You had good form when I defended against you in the dark. Why don’t I ever see you in battle?” Viisi drew a card. “Keila could use your skill.”
Tria became contemplative. Her eyes briefly darted to the pendant hanging over her chest. “I don’t fight. It’s just not what I do.”
“You had a fighter’s instinct,” Viisi said.
“I don’t fight,” Tria shot, causing Viisi to flinch. Rectifying her tone, she continued, “I do recon instead.”
“What’s that like?” Viisi inquired. “Recon. What kind of missions do you do?”
Tria rolled the playing cubes. “It’s not as exciting as you might think. Usually, I just scout out battlefields or complete spy work.”
“Finding intel sounds exciting.”
“I suppose it’s better than scout work, but it’s usually all the same. It’s always ‘one faction made some technological advancement’ or ‘this faction is about to make a push to capture X and Y planets.’ Big deal—every other faction’s doing the same thing.”
Viisi chuckled. “It’s always that similar?”
“Oh, yeah. Always. Every faction thinks they’re original when they make a faster rocket engine or build a deadlier railgun. They protect that intel like it’ll make or break the war. That kind of stuff never actually gets anyone anywhere.”
“What about that thing you’re hiding?” Viisi asked. “Will that make or break the war?”
Tria froze. Her face went pale as she made eye contact with Viisi.
“How did you know?” she asked, her tone drastically darker.
“You’ve been looking like you’re hiding something since you got back from that long mission a while ago. When you started teaching me the resonance.”
Tria was silent for a moment.
“Does Zero know?” she asked.
This question surprised him. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t look like it, at least.”
“Good. I’m okay, then.”
“What’s going on? What are you hiding?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. Not for a while, at least,” Tria answered, continuing their game. “Just, when the time comes, think of me, will you?”
“Despite our failure to claim Vior’s antimatter reactor plans, the push against Vior last week has largely been a success. Several key spaceports have been successfully located and destroyed, and we have captured two of their planets. Our Vior-bordering territory has significantly increased in magnitude,” Zero announced to the table.
Another Big 5 post-op meeting was nearing its conclusion in Keila’s capital. Viisi suppressed a flinch at the mention of his failure to capture Vior’s plans intact, but he couldn’t avoid the gaze of Einer, looking at him expressionlessly from across the table.
“Zero,” Iskay, the second highest ranking member of Keila’s Big 5 started, “what actions are to be taken to counter Talo’s advance? Spine is proving to be a troublesome leader.”
“That is true,” Zero agreed. “Spine’s advance has frustrated our efforts. Without Talo’s interruption, we undoubtedly would have been able to capture the rest of the planets in Vior’s Ilks district. Countering Talo’s approach will be our next major objective. Thank you, Iskay.”
Iskay nodded. The rest of the table fell into silence.
“If nobody has anything left to report, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you for your tireless efforts,” Zero concluded with a well-timed smile.
Filing out of the meeting room, Viisi found himself walking alongside Einer. Despite being physically smaller than Viisi, he felt a profound respect for a man so high up in Keila’s chain of command. Einer was the highest ranking member of the Big 5 and second only to Zero himself—Viisi couldn’t help but feel like Einer was larger than life, no matter what his physical size was.
“Hi. You did a good job saving me last week, sir,” Viisi found himself saying. “Thank you for your help.”
Einer looked at Viisi with an unreadable expression.
“It isn’t an issue. Don’t hesitate next time,” Einer replied.
“You are a good leader, sir. I think Keila needs more leaders like you.”
Einer gave a slow nod. “Alright. I will keep that in mind.”
“Okay. Good.”
Viisi turned a corner in the hallway and separated ways from Einer, burning with embarrassment.
Later that day, Tria met Viisi in his training room. Before Tria could finish setting up a game of pelikor, Viisi asked her:
“Tria, how do I make friends?”
Tria actually chuckled, putting the shuffled cards down.
“You’re trying to make friends with Einer, right?”
Viisi hesitated. “Yes. He’s a powerful leader. You saw, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“How did I do?”
“Terribly, I won’t lie,” Tria answered, but her expression was light. “But you’re right. Nobody’s ever taught you how to socialize.”
“I didn’t know I needed to,” Viisi said. “I thought Zero taught me everything I needed to know.”
“I can assure you that he didn’t,” Tria said with a wry smile. “But I can help. Here, let’s practice. Pretend I’m Einer. What’s the first thing you would say to me?”
“Hi. You are a very-”
“Alright, I’m going to stop you there,” Tria said, holding up a hand.
“What did I do wrong? Don’t people use ‘hi’ to greet each other?”
“Yes, they do. But it’s usually better to say something more casual. Not too casual, since Einer ranks higher than you do, so use respect, but it catches people off-guard if you start with ‘hi.’ What is it you admire about Einer that makes you want to become friends with him?”
“Einer’s cool and powerful. I want to become a leader like him,” Viisi explained.
“Then start there. Start by pointing out something about him you admire. Say something like, ‘I thought you did excellently during the Tikay offense. What advice could you give me for leading armies?’ That way you keep the conversation professional, but casual. All you’re doing is asking him for tips on being a better leader, but you also get to know him better when he answers the question.”
Viisi scratched his chin and nodded.
“I thought you did excellently during the Tikay offense…” he repeated.
“You don’t have to tell him exactly what I said,” Tria explained. “Just something along those lines. Do what feels natural to you, and always be respectful, especially to your superiors.”
“Alright. Okay. I think I get it,” Viisi said after a moment’s deliberation.
“Good. Let’s try again. I’m Einer, walking down the hall. You have a chance to talk to me. What do you say?”
“I admire your performance in the Tikay offense. How did you lead your army with so much success?”
“Better! Much better,” Tria said with elation. “You still need some work, but we have time.”
“Where did you learn to socialize?” Viisi asked. “Who taught you?”
Tria’s expression sobered. “It might be hard to believe, but I had a life before I was involved in the war.”
“Really? What was it like?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Right now, I need to destroy you in a round of pelikor. Did you ever find that card we lost?”
“No. It doesn’t matter, though—I don’t need a full deck to defeat you!”
The next opportunity to talk to Einer came in the form of a shuttle off of Keila’s capital planet, Nopetu. Viisi was seated across from Einer, the two waiting patiently to leave their planet’s gravity well.
“You were very impressive in the Tikay offense,” Viisi said. “How do you lead so well?”
Unlike the uninterested look Viisi had seen on Einer’s face previously, Einer turned to Viisi with intrigue. After a moment, he answered:
“It takes experience. Years of working on the battlefield. You learn to extend your own battle prowess to others over time.”
“You control your army as if it was one large unit?” Viisi asked.
“Exactly. It is a valuable skill. If Zero permits it, I could teach you one day.”
Viisi nodded, suppressing a smile. “I would love that, sir.”
Three weeks later, Viisi entered his training room to find Zero already standing expressionlessly inside.
“Good morning, sir,” Viisi said, a bit surprised. He closed the door behind him. “Is Tria out again today? She usually teaches me this time every-”
Suddenly, Zero grabbed Viisi by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Viisi coughed as the breath was knocked out of him.
“You listen to me closely, Viisi,” Zero half-yelled, his face close to Viisi’s. “If I find you coming near my sister again, I’ll strip you of your rank, honor, and everything you hold dear. Am I clear?”
Viisi stared wide-eyed into Zero’s icy blue gaze. “Y-yes sir-”
“AM I CLEAR?!”
“YES!”
Zero relented, dropping Viisi to the floor.
“Can you explain what a playing card was doing in your training room?” Zero asked.
Viisi’s heart dropped into his chest. The missing playing card he and Tria lost during one of their numerous pelikor games ended up bringing about the end of their meetings.
“I don’t-”
“Do not lie to me! Explain, now!”
“Tria taught me how to play pelikor instead of training during some training sessions we did!” Viisi blurted.
“That wasn’t all she taught you, was it? Was she filling your mind with lies, trying to make you soft?”
“She only taught me how to make a friend!”
“Listen to me, Viisi,” Zero growled. “The things Tria tried to teach you were a distraction from the truth. Do you think that we conquered the 196 planets we did by making friends with our enemies?”
“No.”
“No! Every conqueror in history, every man and woman with their name forever engraved into Keila’s legends, culture and myths, every last person who made a difference in this war understood that Keila comes first! Everyone anyone remembers had to fight to get to where they were. To question that is to question everything you know, everything you have!”
Zero took a deep, disappointed breath. Wordlessly, it became Viisi’s turn to speak.
“Sir. With all due respect, if Tria is against Keila, why does she remain as the Big 5’s third in command?”
Zero moved to a seat by a door and sat down. “Sit,” he invited.
Viisi didn’t dare to disobey.
“My sister is soft-minded, she has been weak at heart for many years, but it wasn’t always that way. Once, she was an extraordinary strategist,” Zero explained, putting extra emphasis on “extraordinary.” “The pride of Keila once burned in her heart more than anyone else, the kind of pride you only see in this faction.
“Tria remains a key part of Keila for two reasons—one, she is my sister. However flawed her beliefs may be, she is my kin, and I cannot simply let her go. I cannot give up on her. The second reason is that she has incredible potential. She has the capability of true greatness inside of her, but has yet to act on it. I hope to bring that greatness out of her one day.”
Zero looked seriously at Viisi. Viisi remained paralyzed with the shock and embarrassment of the situation, and Zero’s freezing gaze didn’t help.
“Do you know why I founded the Big 5?” Zero asked.
“I don’t, sir.”
“I found inspiration in the five children that Teo Nora had, the children who would eventually lead each of the five factions. Five is a holy number in this universe. You are the fifth of the Big 5, not because you are weak or inexperienced, but the exact opposite—you have the potential for that holiness in you. You have more potential than anyone else in the Big 5, including Tria. You may even have more potential than me—but you are young. You have yet to realize the greatness inside of you. I know you desire to elevate yourself, to find a sense of purpose in your work. I can give you all of that, and so much more, if you just follow my lead. Can you do that for me? Will you let me help you realize the power you have?”
The paralysis Viisi had previously felt in Zero’s presence, the sense of oppression and inferiority began to melt away. What Zero offered him was all he really wanted. The idea of reaching the level of Zero—or even surpassing him—made Viisi’s heart leap.
“Absolutely, sir.”
It began with an innocent request.
One of the weights Viisi was bench-pressing suddenly slid off the pole, falling to his training room floor with a loud clatter. He set down the pole, picked the weight up again, and investigated the source of the malfunction in his equipment.
A small metal pin designed to keep the weights attached to the pole had snapped off, perhaps from extensive use over many years. This piece of equipment was one of the oldest in Viisi’s training room—it was of little surprise.
Zero had instructed Viisi to train alone that day due to business he had to attend to elsewhere in the building. Viisi expected that Zero might be attending to the complication in the meeting room—chances were, it was an issue regarding the war, and Zero would be dealing with it in the same place he always did over that holographic map of the galaxy.
Viisi exited his training room, metal pin in hand, to find Zero and have his bench press pole replaced. He wandered the corridors in Keila’s capital building, looking for his leader, when he heard familiar whispers around the corridor. Zero wasn’t in the meeting room, but it didn’t matter—he was easier to find than Viisi expected.
“-about Viisi?” he heard another voice whisper. The voice was Einer’s. Viisi froze in place, slowly, carefully poking a head around the corner.
“I cut him off from Tria,” Zero replied. “It’s difficult to believe she would try something like that behind my back. Rest assured, she won’t be able to spread her lies anymore. Viisi is under control. I never did thank you for your help finding it, by the way.”
Viisi watched the scene, perfectly still. Something colored on Einer’s person caught Viisi’s eye. It was the missing pelikor card he and Tria lost.
“Of course,” Einer said in his usual, smooth tone. “You know I always look out for you. When I heard Viisi take a sharp increase in his social skills, I knew it had to be Tria teaching him.”
“You took a risk, and it paid off. I appreciate that we nipped this in the bud.”
Viisi hid behind the wall again, trying to tame his racing heartbeat. Betrayal gripped his heart. The floor underneath him seemed to crumble and break, his world shattering before him, but nothing happened. The hallway he hid within was painfully, searingly unchanging, surrounding him from every side without a single chance of escape.
