[Cal]
The time was now, and Cal knew it. He craved these times. Times when he didn't have to pretend to be something else. Times when he did not have to deal with the emotions that others found so important but he found so useless. He paused as he strolled to the combat bays of the ship. Nyla was following behind him.
"Nyla," Cal said, "I need to warn you."
"About what?" She asked.
"I am not..." He searched for the most apt word, "I am not normal. A human psychologist would say that I lack empathy to a certain degree and that violence comes easily to me. I just want you to know that..."
"I know," Nyla said with a smile, "I have seen it come out a couple times. It changes nothing for me."
Cal paused for a moment. He knew that he had let his proverbial mask slip a couple of times, but he was somewhat surprised at Nyla's response. "It really doesn't?"
"Nope, and I know that Pinetil has expressed some feelings to you as well."
"Very Well. I will prepare, if you would return to sit with Pinetil and her mother it would be appreciated." Cal said and Nyla offered no resistance, turning to walk back the way they came. Cal banished all thoughts other than the thoughts of battle. His mind falling into an almost trancelike state.
[Ix'Grom]
Ix'Grom was ready. He knew that the starlight blocking technology was what he needed to prevent being deployed. As he thought this a Jix Priest stepped forward. "The new drone systems have been activated and are deploying. It appears that the heretics are following suit."
Ix'Grom could feel the human ship divulging a number of drones that should not fit in their hangars. He nodded with confidence, "Yes, prepare a boarding party and initiate the attack."
Suddenly, every Jix and their slaves froze. Ix'Grom heard a voice he immediately recognized.
"Why don't you and I settle this," Cal said using his psionic abilities, "Afterall, you are a god are you not. Defeating a mere mortal such as myself should be no issue."
Ix'Grom roared through the mental link that Cal had established and began clashing against Cal's will.
[Nyla]
Nyla watched the drones that were on screen. The Jix were fielding drones that seemed almost childish compared to the brutal machines that the humans were deploying. She was sure that there should have been other things happening.
"Artie," Nyla said quietly, "if you are not busy, why is there not something more..."
Nyla struggled to search for the words she wanted, but Artie understood. "I am not busy, and the answer that you are looking for is Cal. He has isolated the Jix and their slaves and is essentially holding Ix'Grom in place with only his psionic abilities."
"Interesting," Nyla thoguht for a moment, "Artie can Cal get Ix'Grom out of his ship. Then maybe Pinetil and I can get the ship with the disabled Jix out of here."
"Stand by," Artie said, going silent for several minutes. "Cal says that he will attempt to pull Ix'Grom into direct combat. You should get Pinetil and her mother to the ship. In a moment, Cal will render all the Jix and their slaves unconscious."
[Cal and Ix'Grom]
As Ix'Grom struggled against the insane power that Cal was bringing to bear against him. A sudden pulse from Cal rendered all of his priests, slaves, and every other person on his ship unconscious.
"Can't risk keeping up that level of power expenditure, can you, silly human." Ix'Grom sneered.
"Something like that," Cal said noncommittally.
"Even in a battle you choose, you rely on what are essentially parlor tricks. In a fair fight, you would not last a moment before submitting or dying."
"Care to put that to the test, Ix'Grom?" Cal asked.
"Of course. I am a god; no mortal can beat me!" Ix'Grom shouted, despite his gut churning at the idea of facing the human again.
"Alright, well then lets settle this once and for all. Ill be out in a moment." Cal said breaking the telepathic connection. Ix'Grom felt a wave of power wash over the battle field an all the Jix drones were crushed flat. The human drones turned and returned to the ship.
Ix'Grom was terrified, but he knew that this was his only option. As long as he could prevent the deployment of the strange blackhole tech that the humans seemed to have, then he should be able to come out ahead.
A few moments later, Ix'Grom and Cal faced off in the vacuum of space.
[Nyla, Pinetil, Empress Axshram]
"Okay, it looks like Cal is distracting him," Nyla said, and Pinetil began piloting the simple shuttle that Artie had guided them to.
"Why did you come to help us?" Pinetil asked.
Nyla chuckled, "you know, you would think that after the several months that we have spent together you would know that this is just the way I do things. Besides, you are my friend Pinetil, I think that I should help you, even though I know that you may not like me at all."
[Cal and Ix'Grom]
The psionic energies that are pulsing and thrashing reality between Cal and Ix'Grom are astounding. Both of them seem at ease. Out of the corner of his eye, Ix'Grom catches sight of a shuttle.
"Ah, do we have interlopers. Can't have that." He starts sending threads of willpower out to thrash at the shuttle, and Cal shuts them down.
"Welp, guess you want the full effect then," Cal said, signaling Artie to deploy the Sworb.
The Sworb comes flying out of a hold in the human ship, and Ix'Grom grimaces at it. With a muttered curse, Ix'Grom redoubles his efforts, lashing out at all three targets in front of him. "The stars in this galaxy have no masters, so they strengthen me. I will use this strength to crush you and your entire race."
Cal smiles and plays defense, putting himself between Ix'Grom and the shuttle. Artie pilots the Sworb to be in between Cal and the shuttle as well. "I think that you might be underestimating me Ix'Grom."
At that moment, Ix'Grom does something that feels like a bomb being set off in the psionic plane. He channels all of the resulting energy into a strike directed at the shuttle, and Cal bodily gets in front of it.
In the shuttle, Nyla draws in a panicked breath as Cal's head snaps back. In the shuttle and in the strangely altered pocket of space outside, complete silence reigns until Cal begins to pull his head back down to stare at Ix'Grom.
Cal's next words, devoid of emotion, frighten Ix'Grom: "My turn."
