The hivemind is conquering for me?

”Are you ok? You just paused.” I asked as the man just went silent for a long time. Not too long after I asked, I got my response.

*Achoo!*

”Oh forgive me, I couldn’t get it out. Someone must be talking about me. Now, where was I? Of course! The other reason I brought you here is quite simple. Every so often. Irregulars, those with abundance of power at a young age, or those with high Psionic knowledge that hadn’t been learnt at our college, turn up here at the college. Most of the time, the intentions are well and good and we determine this by simply asking some questions. Do you mind if I ask you some questions, young man? Don’t worry, I promise you are allowed to refuse answering any question you wish.”

”Thats it?” I couldn’t help asking a little let down.

”Are you against the request?” Maximus asked. I promptly shook my head and explained.

”No, not against it, just I have been questioned quite a lot recently, most recently by the Praetorian Phoebe. But very well, I am aware that I am, in general, stronger than my peer group and that will naturally drudge up questions. Feel free to do so then, ask away.” I then leant back in my chair enjoying the fruity smoke.

”Ah yes, Phoebe... Beautiful creature isn’t she? Though Nerissa is equally beautiful, I prefer Phoebe’s darker skin tone compared to Nerissa’s green skin though. Still, to receive a blessing from a Nymph... What did you do to have the honour of such a reward? Forgive me, this isn’t an official question, more so a branch due to curiosity.”

I wasn’t surprised that Maximus knew this secret and I shrugged it off. ”I didn’t really do anything. I just asked and she granted it to me. It was nice. Though I would wager being honest with her and not treating her with hostility when she showed me her appearance probably helped.”

”I see, I see.” Maximus muttered to himself and wrote something down with another tool I had yet to see. A quill and ink.

He then had a few puffs of his own pipe, seemingly thinking something over before looking back at me. ”Very well, thank you. Now, let’s get to business. First things first, pretty simple. From observations and second hand accounts, you already have a keen aptitude for Psionics both in meditation and more complex tasks such as Juggling multiple Psionics at once. So, what are your aspirations for the duration of your time here? As from what I have seen here, you have opted into some of the more basic classes aimed towards novices.”

A fair question that I had a fair answer for. ” I am looking to solidify my roots. My foundation. My teacher’s teachings were a bit... Unorthodox compared to what I have come to know. Most of what I have learnt has been more instinctual.”

”Unorthodox you say? Interesting word choice... Ok. You mentioned this teacher of yours, Jewel correct? Anything you are willing to tell me about her? I find it interesting when I learn of a Psionic individual in the empire I don’t know about, one who is most likely much older than I am.”

I smiled politely at Maximus and what I said next wasn’t a threat, but a fact. ”Don’t go looking for her. Don’t attempt anything to find her. It will end badly for you. Jewel likes her privacy. Her thoughts on the empire are basically nothing. She cares for no one outside a select few and she likes it that way. I can tell you are strong, but she is stronger. So don’t.”

Maximus went silent as he began scribbling things down for close to five minutes, once he was done, he looked up at me and continued. ” I see you joined up for a multitude of expeditions, over three quarters of which are classified as combat expeditions. Why have you done this? And have you considered joining the military if you are signing up for such missions?”

I shook my head vehemently. ”No, I will not sign up for military service. I find the idea of being ordered around and having my freedoms limited to be... Lets just say if I was forced, I wouldn’t go quietly. Now for the expeditions, yes I have signed up for a lot of them. The reasoning for this is I have found combat expedites my Psionic growth. So while at the college I will be building my foundation and then out on expeditions, I will be focusing on raising myself up, keeping with the metaphor. I also enjoy the challenge.”

Maximus smiled hearing this. ”Yes, I believe you when you say that. Just quickly, I have a small video I would like you to see. Can you tell me about that challenge? Do not worry, you aren’t in any trouble for what the video is.

I watched the video and immediately sighed. It was the war report of me bullying Fianna, only by sheer luck it made it look like I had murdered a creature that almost killed a god. I then sighed and went into the fabricated backstory, that was partially the truth.

”My teacher was aware of the fact that the Coalition were going to be fighting against a fleet of the swarm. She sent me there, not as an ally, but as training for me, as she knew the world would be lost. I have a particular set of advantages against the bugs. One that allowed me to get onto the planet and back off in one piece. That is all I will say on the subject.”

Maximus leaned forward and rested his hands on his desk. ”You entered enemy space Apollo, intentions good or bad, this is still quite serious. What if you get branded a traitor to the empire?”

”I won’t.” I replied calmly. ”Or the slot to dub me as such has passed. Taking an educated guess here. But if you have that, that means someone else above you has also seen that. Someone of importance and considering your age and stature, there aren’t many. Off the top of my head, I would wager a king? And since we have two and this is a military thing. I assume, for whatever reason, King Sigismund decided not to brand me a traitor. Now, not to be rude, but merry-go-round questions drive my patience a little thin. I am rather straightforward and would appreciate simpler questions that aren’t laced with intrigue.”

Maximus hummed at my reaction and muttered. ”Kept himself calm, composed and set boundaries... Stable.” He then nodded and continued on.

”Keeping things straightforward, as you requested. How goes your dispensation? Were you aware both King Sigismund and Dickon agreed to this dispensation? What are you working on? As promised, your lab is fully discreet. I know nothing about your projects, but I am curious, this is a field I know nothing about after all.”

I smiled, moving onto a more pleasant topic. ”My dispensation is going well. My volunteers are all very nice. As for what I am working on, dispensation wise? I thought I would start in the shallow end and work on a temporary ’limiter enhancer’ for the military. Basically, an individual would take this shot, supplement, pill. I haven’t decided on the end product yet. Anyway, they would take this and for a short amount of time, perhaps a few hours, the individual would have elevated capabilities. Such as having access to increased strength, speed and cognitive awareness. In simple terms, a combat stim. I have a feeling that would go over well for whoever checks on my dispensations progress to something more... Gross.”

”Fascinating.” Maximus said. ”Please, do go on. How do you plan on achieving this goal? Oh and please, If there are any trade secrets you don’t want to spill, please feel no need to tell me about them.”

I nodded, in appreciation at the man trying to respect boundaries after my previous comment.

...

The man hadn’t told me to shut up or looked bored so I began ranting for quite some time about my science, my craft. He even had insights that I thought inspired for a man who claimed to know nothing about the field. ’Though I suppose being as old as he is, he has quite a gallery of information in that Mindspace of his.’

After my ranting, we then went back and forth a little bit about a few other things, such as my duel with Nerissa the other day, it turned out he was present for the end of the fight as he felt some energy close by and came to investigate.

After that, we got onto the subject of Valeric and her compulsion to spout off about me to anyone in proximity among staff.

”Yes, yes. I must say, the last time I saw Valerica Hyllus before she applied for her current position, she was looking for a cure for a particular side effect of her family technique. She told me you cured her with a massage technique?”

I nodded my head. ”Yes, what about it?”

Maximus, the headteacher of this college. A powerful Psionic wielder then looked at me with quite the coy look and asked.

”Apparently there are some side effects to this technique? A certain stimulation for the receiver? I was wondering, perhaps, if it is not a secret, you could teach it to me?”