The hivemind is conquering for me?

Chapter 846: Apollo likes Trees?

After getting the all clear that I had not carried a weapon of mass destruction into the base, we walked back over to the rest of the group where this time we saw more familiar faces."Tamara!" Francesca shouted, running up to her friend and hugging her tightly. I saw for a moment Tamara smile as she embraced Francesca, before pulling back.

"Hi Francesca. Been having a good time without me?" Tamara asked, but Francesca wasn’t even listening as she began to inspect her friend up and down, looking for injuries. Upon finding none she sighed in relief and hugged her again.

"Thank goodness you are alright. I’ve been worried something dreadful." Francesca then noticed me out of the corner of her eye and gave me a scowl before walking over to me, catching me off guard.

"You!" She then began to swat me fearlessly. "I told you to bring me as medical support! What if one of you got hurt! I’ve been worried sick! Waiting to see the remains of you and my friend at the lead of a Drakoshi assault. Next time you are bringing me along if you like it or not. Understood?"

I raised my hands in defeat as the swatting continued. "Ok. I will make it so that the next operation we undertake, we all participate? Is that ok?" I offered, knowing that was the plan anyway.

Francesca then stopped her swatting and looked me up and down with narrowed eyes before nodding. "Ok then..."

I was about to change the subject, but then she hugged me as tightly as she could and began crying.

"I was so worried about you all. Thank you Apollo. Thank you for keeping them all safe."

’Uh oh...’ I thought and looked around as the female continued to cry on me.

"Um... It’s ok? I was just doing what I was supposed to do and-"

"-And he didn’t keep me safe. No one person did. We kept each other safe. And we fucked shit up." Tamara declared, pulling Francesca off me and giving me a nod.

I then noticed everyone else also gave a silent nod to which I replied in kind.

I then clapped my hands together. "Right then. I am sure you have seen my ugly mug for too long at this point. So these two days, enjoy your time off. I’m going to go for a walk. Oh Rhapso, can you actually join me for a second? There is something we need to discuss."

...

Everyone then watched as Apollo began to walk away, at which point Rhapso silently followed.

Watching them walk away from the outpost towards the cliffs, Morrgan spoke out. "Fuck me, if he is calling himself ugly, what does that make us?"

"Well you are ugly, no?" Sithrik commented, revealing herself now that there were little to no phalanx around.

"Ouch. You got snaked." Willow added, prompting everyone to laugh, at which point Francesca spoke up.

"Oh you survived... Great." She then turned to Morrgan and smiled. "Sorry, I don’t think we had a chance to speak before, it’s Morrgan if I recall correctly? Ignore the snake, she doesn’t understand human appearance."

Sithrik then stuck out her tongue towards Francesca and hissed. "Hush man face. I know what is beauty and what isn’t."

"Alright. Enough banter." Gabrielle spoke up, acting as the voice of reason. "Francesca, ignore our slithering friend. She just speaks her mind. The more interesting topic right now is what do you think they are talking about?"

She then pointed towards Apollo and Rhapso in the distance who were still moving away.

"They are probably talking about combat tactics. They do work quite well together when teamed up and Apollo even though he wants us to rest, he won’t be. He’s that type of leader." Rhea said, looking towards her ’step dad’ and subtly biting her bottom lip.

"What do you think Ness? You are always around him the most after all." Willow asked, sitting down and resting against Rhea’s shoulder.

Nerissa looked ahead towards Apollo, her mind blank. "It’s probably nothing."

"Pretty much." A voice suddenly spoke out from nowhere before appearing next to Francesca.

"Eep!" Francesca screamed in a way that was going to cost her in a few moments, but Onyx then moved into the group and took a seat herself.

"Apollo is just asking about the locally grown trees. It was going to be boring so I stopped following them."

"Trees? Really?" Morrgan asked, seeming utterly disappointed that it wasn’t juicer.

"Yeah, he was asking about Psionic trees and how they could grow. Do you know anything about that, Nerissa? I’m sure he could have asked you that as well, but I mean I guess it takes only one person who is interested in trees."

Nerissa turned from Apollo and Rhapso for the first time since they began walking away and glanced at Onyx, who was smiling widely at Nerissa. Knowing something the others don’t. Locally grown trees...

’What is her angle here?’ Nerissa couldn’t help thinking as she brought up that little secret that no one else knew about.

"I suppose it makes sense though if that’s what he is talking about. Rhapso is always going on about the local plant life. I just didn’t take Apollo for a dendrologist." Tamara said, prompting everyone to look at her.

"What? Dendrology is the study of trees. Fuck you all! I know shit!" She yelled, getting a little aggrieved by the surprised looks before everyone began to laugh.

Nerissa turned back and continued to watch Apollo until he was out of sight. She felt a sudden urge to follow the duo, but as he was about to take a step forward, a voice in the back of her head said something that stopped her in her tracks, prompting her to mumble something under her breath with a pout.

"I am not jelly..."

...

Rhapso walked for a few miles in silence. As we continued to walk I could begin to smell the ocean and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the large cliff line. I then immediately gulped at what I saw. Ocean.

Endless ocean.

There was very little land fauna on this planet due to the gravity, but I just knew some fucked up shit was in that stuff.

Getting the shakes, I brushed the thought aside before sitting on the cliff edge and I pointed to the spot next to me. "Come, sit." I said kindly and Rhapso walked to my side and sat beside me without question.

The Nymph sat down and remained silent, unmoving for a few seconds before I spoke.

"It’s ok."

Immediately, she latched onto me and began squeezing me hard, yet tenderly. Her silence instantly was replaced by gleeful squeals of pure delight as she began to shake me unintentionally.

"Apollo~ You are so good to me. Giving me time to be with you. We have had so little alone time since my trial of faith. Would you like something from me? Would you like me to service you again like in the glade? You need only say the word and I am yours, my g- My Apollo."

I chuckled at her offer. "Sorry, tonight is Sol’s turn. She’s been a good girl keeping her flame burning low while I have been out in the field. She deserves a good reward for that. No, I came to ask you something serious and I really need you to think about it, ok?"

Rhapso became serious again in a heartbeat, looking at me through her helmet, I could feel her grim determination.

"Ok. So do you remember what I told you happened during your near death experience?"

Rhapso nodded, I had told her about Thanatos, she wouldn’t report it to her order due to me after all.

"Well apparently, a piece of his domain got snagged on my Mindspace. When I got back earlier, Skaja or rather ,Artemis told me I reeked of death energy. She thought it might have been a Psionic phenomenon, something random. But I was inside his domain after all. Have you ever heard of anything like this before? Artemis told me there was nothing to worry about, but I would rather trust a more reliable source."

I then placed my hand on her thigh armour and smiled at her. I could feel her urge to look down at my hand, but she kept herself together as she thought.

Her thought became quite intense as after a few moments she did not respond. I just allowed her to think as I observed the scenery. What dwelled beneath aside, the view of the ocean itself was quite pleasant. The waves here were not turbulent and the jagged rocks below had a sort of dangerous beauty to them that I could appreciate. Like how I found Orchid’s original bio form beautiful before falling in love and having my sexual preferences changed for life.

After looking around for a few more minutes, I felt Rhapso’s body language change, turning back to her and she instantly began to speak.

"Ok, I think I know what’s happened. Basically..."