Gondo began to advance towards the newcomer’s location as it began moving again, faster and further than before. The chase was on. He struggled to advance his speed until he was pacing it. Stars zoomed by his peripheral vision as he moved faster than the speed of light, the trajectory constantly changing as the entity dodged about the cosmos. Each time Gondo would correct course and focus towards its new direction.

  The process demanded his utter concentration, his focus entirely bent towards catching the newcomer.

  As he gained some initial comfort with the movement, he started pushing himself further. The newcomer was a carrot hanging from a stick, drifting tantalizingly out of reach, and Gondo was the donkey, struggling to reach it.

  His focus was so bolstered by the Moonshield that while pushing his entire spirit towards the chase, he could still perceive the larger space around him. Past the zipping stars were floating nebula, breeding grounds for new stars. He could sense the larger atmosphere of the galaxy, and other bizarre phenomena that he was surely the first to behold.

  His heart sang.

  Eventually, miraculously, he started gaining. Bit by bit he was getting nearer the traveler.

  “I’ve got you now...” he said to himself.

  The traveler's movements became more erratic, more changes in direction than before. If this was one of the old historical automobile races it would be called cornering. Even still he was advancing towards it incrementally.

  The traveler altered from its rapid juking to break into a straight line and then pushed up its speed. Gondo struggled to follow.

  In the meticulous slow motion of his focus, he noticed a sudden almost imperceptible change in the newcomer’s course, just a blip before it jumped back on track.

  Suddenly, Gondo remembered the dark fate of his Caster tail days before. He stopped dead in his tracks.

  Before him, in a straight line between him and the quickly distancing traveler, was a yawning gulf of pure and utter blackness. It stretched across his entire vision, distorting reality as it was in turn gobbled into its core. A black hole.

  Had he continued there is no telling what would have happened to him. Undoubtably a fate much darker than being mowed down by a hyper-hauler. Black holes consumed all matter, what’s to say they wouldn’t consume his astral body? And if that happened what would become of his corporeal form, lying an incomprehensible distance away on his casting table?

  He could feel the tug of oblivion as he was drawn towards it. A feeling much different than the Pull. This was the siren song of the void, lulling him to peaceful endless night.

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  The traveler had tricked him.

  ...

  Hours later Gondo sat at the meeting table in his robe, yawning over a cup of coffee. In addition to strengthening his powers, the Moonshield seemed to reduce the amount of recovery time he needed after a cast. Instead of feeling like he had just come off a week-long bender, Gondo felt like he had only gone out for a few drinks with friends.

  Lowell and Ignasius sat (and hovered) across from him, the latter having finally emerged from his workshop humming to himself and bopping about joyfully. No word of his labors.

  His hacker friend was smiling ear to ear. “Glad to see you back on your feet so quickly Gondo! This cast was truly remarkable, not only was this first contact it was also controlled FTL travel. Today marks one of the greatest days in scientific and explorative history.”

  "Indeed Gondo! A landmark worthy of great celebration!” Ignasius exclaimed. “Yet that revelry must come at a later day. Right now, we have much to do, and many questions left unanswered.”

  As the strong coffee blissfully sank into Gondo’s brain the crew got to work.

  Lowell began. “While you’ve been out, we’ve been studying this Newcomer, as you have so aptly named him, and trying to ascertain his motives.”

  “We began by mapping the areas the Newcomer was investigating when you first encountered it,” continued Ignasius. “We found no special criteria concerning them, but we are assuming that much like a Caster, this entity is searching for something. I’m conducting further in-depth research on the local planet and asteroid composition as we speak, and will alert you both if I’m able to uncover a commonality.”

  “Which brings us to our next question,” Lowell said. “Obviously, it was trying to communicate with you in some way, but what was it saying? Its kind must use an ability akin to telepathy, but its language is related to geometry. I’ve been extrapolating the data we collected from your consciousness and will work on piecing together something useful before your next cast.”

  “Finally,” Ignasius resumed, “why would the Newcomer attempt to guide you into a black hole that would most assuredly have ground your atoms to nothingness? It seemed quite friendly from the start, all bobbing around and glowing.”

  “We have a lot to uncover here,” Lowell laughed, “but there is another issue that I have been noticing that I think needs our attention. Ignasius has poo-pooed me, but I think it must be stated.”

  “Gondo, ever since your first experiment with the Moonshield I find your empathy to be waxing, and your recklessness at an all-time high. Reviewing that battle footage, you flew through a man. And then laughed about it. Just hours ago, you were so bent on your task that you almost dove face first into a black hole!”

  “I know you are a hard-boiled battle psychic, but I’m worried that this power might get out of control. And I just urge you to be cognizant of it, and to acknowledge it. I’m worried about you.” they finished.

  Come to think of it, he had noticed a bit of a wild hair starting to emerge in himself. Like a gambler pushing the pot for that one big score. Lowell was right. It was dangerous.

  “I hear you, Lowell. In addition to our research on the Newcomer we should also keep tempering the Moonshield. I want to make sure I come back next time.” Gondo said.

  “We appreciate that Gondo.” Lowell said.

  “Now let’s try and figure out why an astral space sphere that talks in triangles tried to murder you.”