Because Charlie had prioritized speed and stealth in the Leviathan's evolution, the enormous insect—large enough to rival a battlecruiser—had no main guns. Instead, its body bristled with hundreds of horns capable of firing energy beams, each with only destroyer-class firepower. So, despite facing only a few pirate ships and a secondhand repair platform, it had taken an awfully long time to finish them off.
Even destroyer-class firepower, though, was more than the two psions could bear. The torrent of beams arrived in an instant, engulfing Silverhand and Calamity Flame. They vanished from sight at once.
Don't blame Charlie for fighting dirty. Silverhand and Calamity Flame were both senior operatives with codenames of their own, two of the Snake organization's top enforcers. Whether they were any good with their heads was beside the point; their fighting prowess was beyond question.
After following the Ravager fleet through the stargate, Charlie had broken through to the fourth ring. Her control over the swarm, her understanding of the Leviathan's Nest, and her own raw strength had all improved by leaps and bounds. Even so, she had no confidence she could beat either operative in a one-on-one fight.
Fortunately, she suddenly remembered something. She was the mighty Swarm Overlord, after all—a woman with influence, an army, and warships!
In the past, she might really have jumped down to trade blows with the two of them, just to hone her combat skills. But over the past few years, while she hadn't been beaten up head-on by many powerful psions, she'd been blasted by warships more than a few times. She'd long since awakened some special traits.
"I've taken enough losses that even a paramecium should have learned something. If I ever get the chance, I'll prove to the entire universe that psions are meaningless in the