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The five members of the Psychic Knights have all suffered physical and mental stresses to last two lifetimes in the search to find the five Amuels. To complete their quest they have to dig deep once more with the ever threat of madness looming at every psychic use of the mind.

Chapter 1

   “What's happening?” shouted Roman through the now continuous noise from outside the ship.
   “Something's happening to the barrier. The intelligent particles are breaking up. The gravitational forces are going to rip us apart!” Akarn was studying the scanner the moment the noises began.
   “Guys,...you hear me?” the communicator crackled.
   “Ifor! Ifor! What's happened?” replied Roman.
   “...the Amuel, but...to have an effect...the barrier. Thorn's using...Amuel to...the ship.”
   Roman looked over at Akarn.
   “Did he say Thorn was using the Amuel?”
   “That's what it sounded like.”
   “He's gonna end up killing himself. We need to try and get this bubble started ready for when they get here. Give us some sort of protection.”
   Yilnar closed his eyes and entered Thorn's mind desperate to try and prevent a repeat of Thorn’s last experience.
   Inside, the scene was like something from a horror film. Thorn was in the centre of a field. The sky above him was a writhing mass of insect-like creatures, millions of them, wings of razor sharp knives and teeth like daggers. Each one diving down at him, slicing at his psychic image trying to flay his skin from his bones.
   Yilnar acted quickly and forced a psychic bolt of energy into the mass. He wasn't sure what effect it would have on Thorn, but didn't know what else to do. The sight of his friend being subjected to that kind of torture forced him into action without thinking. The effect was striking. The mass retreated immediately as one entity leaving the bloody mess that was Thorn on the ground.
   He ran to his side and raised a psychic shield around them.
   ‘Thorn! Thorn!’
   As he looked upon his friend he noticed the dripping blood beginning to dry up. It crusted on his skin and eventually fell away and disappeared. The deep cuts in his flesh sealed and Thorn began to rise to his feet.
   ‘Looks like you saved me again. They caught me by surprise. I wasn't prepared for them.’
   ‘What were you trying to do?’ asked Yilnar.
   ‘I was trying to join the intelligent particles together again. I had a hunch they were joined with a psychic energy. I was trying to join enough to surround the two ships.’
   Yilnar nodded his head slowly.
   ‘It makes sense. The barrier could only be penetrated by a psychic energy. Did you manage to find out for sure before you were attacked?’
   Thorn shook his head.
   ‘I need you to join with me to get rid of these things.’
   ‘OK,’ Yilnar nodded.
   The two minds merged as one that filled the entire field and engulfed the mass. The insects lashed out with their wings in a desperate action. With a mind as one, the two men psychically squeezed and crushed the creatures until they disappeared from Thorn's mind. The two psychic interpretations of their physical bodies were left in an empty field.
   ‘Have they gone?’ asked Yilnar.
   Thorn paused before nodding.
   ‘Then let's try your idea before it's too late.’
   They both wasted no more time and escaped the confines of Thorn's mind out into the chaotic space surrounding the two ships. They could see the intelligent particles breaking apart, a trillion, trillion pieces of light, sound, emotions, splintering away from one another. It almost overwhelmed Yilnar. The shear enormity of the task in front of them.
   ‘Remember, we don't need it all. Just enough to enclose both ships.’
   This put things into perspective for Yilnar and he was able to relax a little.
   The visible gravitational waves now flooding the area of the three worlds was interfering with the intelligent particles. Spreading them further apart adding to their already difficult task. Thorn's sobering words now seemed a distant memory to both men as desperation in the situation reappeared once again.
   ‘We need help, Thorn. This is too much for just the two of us.’
   Thorn's reply was instantaneous.
   ‘You're right. I'm gonna get the others.’
   Yilnar felt Thorn's psychic trace disappear and he was on his own. He continued with the task fruitlessly as each clump of intelligent particles he managed to psychically hold together, broke apart as the gravitational waves collided with it.
   Four psychic traces suddenly appeared around him. It was the rest of the Knights. He felt an exhilaration to have his friends by his side, but it was soon tempered as they succumbed to the same desperation he felt.
   ‘We can do this, guys. If there's one thing I've learnt over the years it's that there's very little we can't do as a team. No matter how enormous the task is, as a team, there's no one else I'd like to have by my side and if it's our time, I go out trying with my friends.’
   Thorn's words sunk in to Yilnar and ignited his emotions.
   ‘We all need to join our minds,’ Thorn continued.
   The positivity now flowing from the psychic forces amongst the intelligent particles eased their merging and, as one, the Psychic Knights went about their task.
   For each clump of intelligent particles that crumbled from their grip another larger group held firm until the beginning of a structure began to appear.
   ‘It’s working,’ sent Roman jubilantly.
   ‘Keep your concentration,’ warned Thorn.
   Communication went silent again as the men continued to increase the partially formed bubble while holding off the ever present risk of their minds being torn apart.
   The violent buffeting of the ships began to ease until finally, with an enormous relief on their minds, the bubble was sealed

Chapter 2

   Chorlook stirred in his psychic shackles. Ever since he was able to transcend dimensions to where the Amuels were hidden his yearning for freedom had an element of possibility attached to it. He assumed, in hindsight wrongly, that the hard bit had been done. Accessing the Amuels would be child's play compared to crossing dimensions from his current position.
   His assumption hadn’t taken into account the possibility of beings such as the Psychic Knights and the incompetence of others. It seemed the Amuels had positive psychic effects on them.
   But it wasn’t just that. No, their nature drove them to protect themselves and those close to them. Not only that, but their entire dimension.
   But what was right for them wasn’t right for Chorlook and he had to end their interference. The power they had accessed through the Amuels had to be countered or annulled. He required all of the Amuels to escape his incarceration and he wasn’t going to be denied.
   His interaction with other dimensions was limited, but there was something he could do and it was a little surprise for the one who posed the most threat. Thorn!
   Ever since Thorn had turned down what Chorlook had offered him on Ion he had steadily been getting stronger. The surprise will restrict that progress and with any luck will end his involvement altogether.
   The resting place of the final Amuel would be the final resting place of the Psychic Knights and he was going to bring all of the powerful forces he could to destroy them.
   In the short time they had occupied the Montarian’s ship it had probably seen more action than in the previous ten years. It hung in the emptiness of space, cushioned from the tumultuous gravitational forces that assaulted the hastily formed bubble they now relied on for protection.
   Porto had left Alisha forty minutes earlier. Each of the Psychic Knights were recovering from their ordeal. He didn’t pretend to know what they had done or how they had done it, but they had brought a stability to their situation that he didn’t think was possible and brought the ship and its crew back from the brink of death.
   It seemed to be holding, but having no information on what it was that was holding he felt very uneasy. It was something he had no control over until he could talk with Thorn and the others. Until then he kept his mind occupied with getting the ship repaired. Which was easier said than done.
   “Captain! We have a quarter of the crew with nothing to do. The ships systems seem to be taking care of itself. The self repair mechanisms it has in place have reduced most of the crew to mere spectators while they clear up any debris.”
   Porto had become aware of the gentle humming that reverberated around the structure of the ship as soon as the bubble outside had sealed. The first signs of the ship repairing itself.
   “What’s the time scale for completion of the repairs?” Porto replied to his first officer.
   The first officer tapped in the command to his ships communication unit he was carrying around with him and said, “To get the ship to the point where we can travel at half speed safely will take seventeen hours. Then another nineteen hours for full repairs to be complete.”
   Porto winced. Seventeen hours floating around in a bubble of unpredictability amongst a soup of gravitational effects that would rip a world apart in seconds. His stress levels rose another notch.
   “How long before we can get to a quarter speed?”
   More taps and the first officer replied,
   “Ten hours.”
   “Let me know when we’re at that point. The sooner we start moving the better I’ll feel.”
   “Yes Sir. We’ve started calculating the shortest distance to get us out of the strongest gravitational area. The thing that’s protecting us is giving us a chance of plotting a lot further ahead than we had previously. We should have the calculations finished within the hour.”
   Porto nodded.
   “Good. Inform me when you have all the details. I’m going to head back to the sick bay to see how the Knights are getting on.”
   The two Pertruans went their separate ways and Porto once again became aware of the eery noises emanating from the ship as it went about it’s repairs.
   By the time he had reached the sick bay the five men had been laid up for almost three hours, but there were signs of movement from Yilnar as soon as he entered the room.
   “I think he’s about to come to,” said Alisha as she acknowledged his presence.
   “Will he be able to talk?” asked Porto.
   “Going by past experience I’d guess only via the mind, but I’m not totally sure what went on out there. Once again their brains are seeing abnormal recovery. It’s a phenomenon I’ve never experienced before outside of this group and I’ve never read about it either. When all this is over I could retire just on documenting these accounts alone.”
   Alisha gave a weak smile that masked some of her concerns, but her face betrayed her true feelings.
   “I’m hoping to get some idea of what we’re in. How the gravitational forces are being kept at bay and if it’ll last or if we have a limited period in which to get as far away from here as possible.”
   Alisha looked at Porto, lost in the questions, with a look on her face that told him she didn’t know whether they would have the answers. He let out a sigh acknowledging the possibility of full ignorance of the situation.
   ‘Alisha! Porto! How long have I been out?’ Yilnar came through to their minds.
   “Three hours,” replied Alisha as she rose and stood beside him checking the monitor above his head. She’d studied the technology in the medical bay and found it to be complimentary to the equipment she had brought with her, but she didn’t feel confident enough to solely rely on it. However, for monitoring purposes she was happy.
   ‘I’ve reached out to the others, but they’re likely to be out for a while longer. Especially Thorn. His mind took the most punishment, but when I touch it I can feel the vibrancy. The shear stubbornness. That’s him all over. I’ve no doubt he’ll be back stronger then ever.’
   Alisha allowed herself a little smile and felt happier at the news from Yilnar.
   “Are you able to tell me anything about our situation?” asked Porto.
   ‘We’ve managed to seal a bubble of the intelligent particles that had originally surrounded the three planets.’
   “Is it likely to hold? If not how long do you think we have to get out of the gravitational forces?”
   ‘I feel your concerns, Porto. As much as I can tell the bubble should hold. It should only break apart again if it’s submitted to another psychic attack.’
   “Are there any guarantees with that.”
   A slight chuckle came through to their minds.
   ‘There are no guarantees in life other than our deaths. I’m pretty sure it won’t be from the bubble breaking up any time soon, though.’
   The features eased a little on Porto’s face as he accepted Yilnar’s confidence.
   “I will relay the positive message to the rest of the crew. We will search for the nearest habitable planet as soon as our technology allows us. Until then I wish you all a speedy recovery.”
   Porto promptly left the sick bay.
   ‘I think he’s happy,’ quipped Yilnar.
   Alisha imagined Yilnar smiling in his mind.
   ‘You go and get some rest. I’m sure Thorn will contact you when he’s recovered.’
   Again Alisha smiled as she prepared herself to leave.

Chapter 3

   The air was thin. So thin, in fact, it was a struggle to breath for most species that visited the planet. A technique called the Sarovian Pant could be employed that regulated the body and utilised the relevant elements in the air for whichever species used it, but it only lasted for ten minutes before having to perform the pant again. It was useful for emergencies only. A Breather was used in most cases.
   He pulled the mask from his face to experience the atmosphere. He liked to prepare himself in case of any emergencies. Something that had served him well on many occasions in the past.
   As he approached the tall building he unconsciously tapped his weapon reassuring himself it was to hand. He wasn’t sure how the meeting was going to go down. It was a risk leaving all of his crew behind, but that was part of the deal to make this meet happen. Although he didn’t need it. It was just there for show.
   Two Sarovians stood at the door. They towered over Shriln who was over six and a half feet tall himself. The Sarovians were a tall race of bipeds. They resembled the mythical elves from Earth. Pointy nose and chin with a grey blue hue to their skin. Their ears extended above the top of their heads and their hair flowed down their backs. They looked quite feeble being very skinny, but they somehow had immense power and their war torn life cycle trained them to be skilled killers. A property that Shriln was interested in.
   One of the Sarovians pulled something from behind her back. It was a curved, single-handed horn instrument which she began to blow into, announcing Shriln’s arrival. The two parted and the tall door glided open revealing a long, high ceilinged hallway.
   Shriln walked in to be greeted by a very plainly decorated interior. No tapestries of past conquers. No paintings of victorious battles. No statues of glorious leaders. Nothing. Instead, in its place were bare walls of cream stonework without any engravings.
   Shriln couldn’t identify with the Sarovians. His own race were a proud conquering race, but they celebrated their conquests at every opportunity they had.
   He carried on down the long hallway following the Sarovian that greeted him as he entered the building. They turned a corner and walked through a large arched entrance that took them into a small courtyard. The courtyard was filled with evergreen plants and vines that draped over two small fountains that burbled away to no one. Stone benches followed the perimeter of the courtyard.
   Through the other side of the courtyard they entered another tall hallway and stopped at an out of place looking door. Every door Shriln had seen so far was a plain dark wood that towered over anyone who stood next to it. This door was much shorter. It was arched and carved into it were vicious looking animals in various attacking scenes.
   Shriln didn’t know if they were mythical creatures or animals that roamed the planet, but they formed an imposing picture for anyone who stood before it.
   The door creaked open and warm air spilled over Shriln as he prepared himself for the audience. It wasn’t his first meeting to form an alliance, but it was his first with a different race. He followed the Sarovian in.
   The room, like the door, was in stark contrast to what Shriln had seen of the building so far. The pride of past battles that were missing from the hallways were on full display in this room. Busts of noble looking Sarovians stared into the middle of the room. Tapestries adorned the walls with scenes of battles emblazoned on them. The legs of the large table were carved into armed Sarovians ready for war.
   The source of the warm air was a large open fire directly behind the table. Again, scenes of war were carved into the stone on either side of the raging flames. Above the fireplace was the head of a large ferocious creature baring its six inch long fangs and its piercing deep red eyes looked down upon the table as if guarding it.
   Around the table sat six Sarovians. All of them were devouring meat from the large cooked carcass that lay on a plate in the middle of the table.
   “Leoneon, sit. Join us in our feast,” said one of the Sarovians.
   Shriln was about to decline when another Sarovian said,
   “We would see it as an insult if you refuse.”
   Shriln gritted his teeth. Normally he wouldn’t tolerate being dictated to, but he had to keep the Sarovians on his side. Their compliance was vital to his plans. He sat down in the only empty chair and pulled a chunk of meat from the dead animal. Tentatively he put a bit in his mouth and chewed. It was a little tough, but edible.
   He chewed for what seemed like an eternity before finally swallowing. Before he could be goaded into eating any more he spoke.
   “I’m here to enlist your help on a matter of great importance to everyone in this System. There are a number of Humans that wish to enslave the whole System. They must be stopped.”
   The Sarovians around the table all laughed at the announced threat.
   “Puny Humans enslaving the Sarovians,” one of them managed to get out between chewing and laughing. “We have heard many impressive tales of the Leoneons exploits. Were these all lies? We thought you were coming to us with a real problem.”
   “I understand your reticence. I would have had the same reaction if I didn’t know what I know now. However, these particular Humans have a power of the mind that is hard to battle against. They don’t use weapons in the traditional sense. They manipulate the environment around them.”
   The sound of the laughter began to die down.
   “And how would our alliance overcome such Humans?” asked one of the Sarovians.
   Meat was visible from his mouth as he spoke and bits flew through the air with every word.
   “You’re world has an item that they seek. If they were to claim it then it would be virtually impossible to stop them.”
   All of the Sarovians stopped eating, intrigued by the mention of the item.
   “Is this item valuable? Why have we not heard about it?”
   “It has no monetary value, but it has a quality that, wielded by certain beings, can give them great power. It was buried in your world long before anyone lived here.”
   Shriln felt the Sarovians eyes burning into him. He knew what was going through their minds. He would think the same thing in their position.
   “What’s stopping us from taking this item for ourselves and using the power for our own needs?”
   Shriln felt the mood in the room change. An aggressive air spilled around him.