Mindworms Part 2: Search For Power
Chapter 1
The New Arrivals
Manifold harmonic fields: within: the true nature of the world becomes apparent. Layers: within layers. Worlds: within worlds. Inside: The heart of everything opens, and everything opens to it.
-Caretaker Lular H'minee
Resonance: Power
Those who join us need give up only half of their humanity. The illogical, ill tempered, and disordered half commonly thought of as right brain function. In exchange, the left brain capacities are increased to undreamed potential. The tendency of biologicals to cling instead to their individual personalities can only be attributed to archaic evolutionary tendencies.
-Prime Function, Aki Zeta 5,
Convergence
My life just kept getting weirder and weirder. If you'd go in order on this journal of sorts, this would be filler, but some people are crazy and try to learn about me while understanding the future before they grasp the past. Yes, I've become philosophical. Anyway, if you followed my recent journeys, flash forwards a year. Ever since we Psi Talents ran for our lives from The Hermitage, we'd lived here in relative comfort at a Terran forest hidden deep in Cybernetic territory. It wasn't really that bad down there in Cybernetic territory, except for the occasional storm, passing Cybernetic, or the fact that the Usurpers, new alien arrivals that came through the storm that was brewing on the day of our escape, had decided that the Cybernetic was in the way of them and their dreams of conquest. At the moment, I was meditating at the ridge where the forest abrubtly changed into a vast xenofungus field. I stretched my mind, feeling the edges of both the forest and the field shift as the lifeforms constantly edged forward in their ever-constant quest for supremacy. It was slow, but if you were patient, you could tell that Planet had the upper hand. I reached into my mental pocket of control and stopped the xenofungus which effectively stopped both sides. We needed this forest for our cover, and xenofungus, although great for cover, wasn't exactly all that safe. After that little chore was complete, I headed towards home base.
Home base was really a collection of buildings we had cobbled together over time for shelter. It was actually quite homy, albeit primitive, but when you have nothing, you make do with it. For us, our chances were very low of surving through the year, so we grasped at every 'nothing' out there. After all, we would die if we didn't. We've been training here for the past year, building up our powers, training the younger ones, watching for new Psi Manuals, etc. Also, we would wander to the xenofungus fields and look for pockets of mindworms. I had actually built up my force of personal mindworms to around six thousand. I walked into the main hall, a fairly large room, considering that we only had the cargo loaded onto Svensgard's laser cruiser. Luckily, that and the mindworms under our command were enough to create our housing. Amazingly, we even found some basic partical impactor turrets and loaded them onto the field outside the house for defense. As for supplies, that wasn't too hard. Using some holographic progection hardware on the cruiser, normally used for communication, we modified it to change our appearance and make us look like a Cybernetic. With a tad of vocal training, we could match their vocal tones, mannerisms, and attitudes of the Cybernetics, so we could then obtain supplies. I walked across the hall to the board where the schedule was located. As I walked, I noticed an occasial person use a convenient datapad to shield their eyes from me. Whether they did it knowingly or not didn't matter. Ever since I defended them from the three Elite Empaths, my display of power still made some people fearful of me, even if I hadn't shown any such power of that magnitude for the year we'd been hiding. I got to the schedule and checked who's turn it was to get supplies. It was mine. Only the Elders went on the missions, so my chance was 1 in ten that I was going to get picked. I sighed, and pulled out the holographic imager all of the Elders kept with them, along with a copy of one of the two Psi Manuals that we had collected (I kind of cheated on that rule and kept both a copy of the first, and the original of the second). I walked outside and headed out to the jeep.
As I entered into the city through the left side, the direction of Domai's faction, I decided supplies I would get first. There were two ways of getting supplies. First, we sold our services as Psi Talents, acting as freelance Psi Talents from the Planet Cult faction that resided in Domai's territory. It wasn't too hard a lie to tell because it was half true. Then, after we had gained a sizable amount of cash, and collected some information on current politics, we would head into an inn, and then switch into our guise as Cybernetic traders heading into Domai's territory. Strangely, the people don't seem to care that after a night, a Cultist Psi Talent becomes a Cybernetic trader. Either it didn't matter in their sophisticated, logical mind, or they were too distracted. I guessed the former. After all, none of them had social lives to distract them. Anyways, I was approaching the entrance, so there was no more time for chatter. As I was about to ride in, I was approached by the guard sentry, as usual. I provided my forged clearance, not so hard to make when you have a year to copy the original ones, and then I went through. The first place I checked was the local government office. There may not have been a beuracracy in a world as efficient as theirs, but the government was still eager for information, and knowledge about surviving on this cruel planet. As I got to the door, I was still amazed at how domineering it was. It was an cerulean pyramid engraved with cryptographs with the Cybernetic symbol, forty yards by forty yards built into the side. Calling it a building wouldn't begin to describe it. Maybe an edifice, or a complex to simplify it, but 'building' didn't begin to describe.
For all their psychobabble about straining the emotions from the consciousness, I was sure I felt annoyance in the Cybernetics that passed me as I stared at the HQ. Outside, I was marvelling in the edifice's brilliance. Inside, I was laughing at them for thinking of me as some stupid tourist. I finally got to the huge entrance and walked in. Instantly, I was followed by laser sentries/cameras. It was normal for all outsiders to be watched carefully. I walked up to the nearest data access terminal and jacked a datapad into it. On the screen flashed a collection of data on the makeup of the building. I didn't need to look at this. I had already seen the complete and hidden schematics through Svensgard's datalinks, but I had to check and see. Then, I felt an arm on my shoulder.
In a flash, I turned to face this intruder, particle impactor in my fist. With my mind, I telekinetically locked up the sentries. I knew it was a truly devoted Cybernetic because I senses no startlement or fear. I focused on my opponent, a stoic look on my face, to see the last person I ever expected to see. I had seen her in photos, documentaries, on-air speeches to non-Cybernetics, etc. but I had never seen her in person. It was the Consciousness herself, Aki Zeta 5!
Quickly, after she deactivated the sentries, and after I had put my impactor back in its secret holster, she guided me to the elevator. I was ever vigilant for deceit, but I detected none in her mind as we went up the high-tech elevator. It was a minute-long ride, which led me to believe that we were going to her personal office. This was probably one of the most exciting and horrifying days of my entire career, and yet it was the most important event of my life. It was said by others that the key to my life was formed in a day, and Aki Zeta 5 had shown me the door. I don't know about that, but it was pretty close. When we entered into her office, I was surprised at what it was. Absolutely nothing. There was no furniture, no hangings, nothing that would distinguish that room from a metallic box. She snapped her fingers and a chair melded through the floor, which I had now learned was heated underneath, so as to make it instantly liquid for, say, passing chair. The chair passed upwards through the floor, was sprayed with liquid nitrogen to cool it down, and then Aki Zeta 5 directed me to sit. I smiled and agreed, and then telepathically, for fun, I said,
I don't know whether you know it or not, Zeta 5, but you're making me look up at you. If that was part of your plan, I congratulate you on your political mastery.
Aki Zeta 5 seemed to listen to the message, then nod.
"For a non-cybernetic, you are very composed, Rol'in."
I was surprised that she knew my name, though I didn't show it. Again, I communicated telepathically.
First, nice touch on the chair. I never knew that could be done. Second, I thank you, though I would like to get onto business.
Again, she appeared to listen and then nod.
"I have been watching you."
And what have you learned?
"I know about you."
That gave me pause. What was it that she knew. Was it that I pretended to be a Cybernetic, or my past history with Cha Dawn.
What do you know?
She seemed to look at me for a second and then she said,
"One standard year ago, you battled and took over a Pirate cruiser through a procedure considered unconventional by many. For the past year, you have come nine times for supplies, and have broken the law on every one of those occasions by impersonating a Cybernetic."
Ouch. She knew more about me that I though she did. You have to give her credit for her attitude, though, and it seemed as if she was going to let me go, but at what price?
What do you want with me?
She didn't go for glamour, but came out immediately. She reached into some part of her suit and pulled out a thousand energy units.
"Describe the history of the Psi Talents."
I frowned. Part of it was going to be opinionated, of course, but for the cash available, I'd say it was a worthy investment. If I played my way correctly, she might be impressed, if Cybernetics could be impressed.
"As you know, within the first mission year, the Gaians, the Peacekeepers, and the Spartans were dissolved, leaving the Morgans, the Academicians, the Fundamentalists, the Hive, the Planet Cult, the Drones, and the Pirates, the last three having rose up in the place of the place of the departed. Shortly aftwer the arrival of the aliens, the Academicians, the Morgans, the Fundamentalists, and the Hive were dissolved, and the Cybernetics and the Datajacks rose up to fill the hole. Back in Gaian times, there was a woman, Lindley, a servant of Lady Deirdre Skye herself. On an attack of Gaia's Landing, she strangely repelled the mindworms, and they didn't attack her. From this, there came the first Psi Talent. After practice, her power was refined, and she taught others how to do what she did, if they had the genetic qualities required."
Aki Zeta 5 simply nodded for me to go on. I had to stop for a moment, because I had to piece the two legacies for Psi Talents, the legacy of Lindley, who nearly lost her mind and almost became one with Planet, or the Legacy of Cha Dawn where Psi Talents learn together, protecting each others' minds from Planet if it ever tried to encroach on their psyche.
"Then, when the aliens arrived, she was killed by a Morganite laser scouter that was retreating from the landing site, a xenofungus field that she was meditating in. When Prophet Cha Dawn came into the picture, he had a genetic link to Planet greater than that of any other human. As he studied in his sanctuary, a mindworm came in. It is said that the mindworm spoke to him, and from that he learned of his power, though that is mostly myth. Anyways, he started trying to understand Planet, and with his natural powers, he quickly surpassed Lindley's accomplishments. He trained forty who spread his teachings. To the top ten, he gave the ten Psi Manuals, his private learnings that he was afraid to give to anyone else. Over time, the Psi Manuals spread out, and that is where we are now."
Zeta 5 calmly passed me the energy capsule containing the thousand energy units. Then, she pulled out another one containing five hundred.
"Describe your power."
I was eager to oblige.
"We Psi Talents start out as telepaths who constrain our talking to mindworms. First, they link with us, and through the link back, we learn how to talk to and gain control over. Then, we expand our new telepathic abilities to humans if that may be our bidding. There is also a little bit of telekinesis to be done, but it is so difficult to focus enough psychic power into a physical form that we normally don't bother."
Again, she passed the cube, but her form changed. She relaxed, but she became businesslike, much like a con man before he makes a deal. Strangely, though, she registered no emotions. Then again, why was that strange? There wasn't really any surprise there. Then, there was the big deal. She pulled out a canister containing 2000 energy units.
"Demonstrate your power."
Suddenly, the floor dropped out from under us, or did it? Actually, it seemed as though the room was simply one big elevator, and that elevator was going down in a free fall. Zeta 5 was calm, as usual, considering she was hanging in midair from the zero gee. Then, it slowed down. Aki Zeta Five reestablished herself, as well as me, though I was holding tightly to my chair the entire time. When we stopped, the wall behind me melted and outside appeared a vast indoor xenofungus field, and a fungal tower! I nearly fainted, but kept myself up somehow. If there was a fungal tower here, then there were lots of mindworms, and from the look she gave me, Aki Zeta 5 wanted me to defeat the tower. I hoped against hope that it was a fungal tower devoted to the side that supported me, but my luck finally ran out. It was devoted to Cha Dawn, and that meant a fight. For a second, I let the fungal tower simply sit there. For a second, I wanted to ask Zeta 5 if I could summon my mindworms, but I didn't think she would appreciate that weakness. To her, it would have been a sign of weakness. I had to do what I hadn't done in a year, call upon the power of Planet itself to fight with me.
I calmed my breath, and walked outside. My pace was brisk as I walked towards the fungal tower. There was one known way for a Psi Talent to defeat a fungal tower on his own. It was a task accomplished by Cha Dawn where the wielder of the power mentally fought off the mindworms while he walked to the fungal tower. Then, at the base, he would physically rip it apart with telekinesis or some other form of manipulation. It wasn't long before I encountered the first wave of mindworms. In my mind, I felt the roiling conflict of the two sides of Planet. I planted my thoughts firmly on my side, entering the battle like a general guiding his mighty forces. Suddenly, a wave of power hit my mind from Planet, at the exact same time that a wave of fear hit me from the enemy mindworms. I opened my eyes and looked at my body, saw blood everywhere. In my mind, I heard a whisper.
Not real, Earthrol'in.
I blinked, echoing Planet's words throughout my body, then looked again. I was fine! I smiled. At the next blast, I simply smiled and erected a mental shield. The blast didn't even touch the recesses of my mind. I reached out and grabbed each one of them. All of them, every single slimy one of them, rose up into the air and slammed into the wall, splattering. I continued walking, but everywhere I stepped, there was a small explosion. The mind attacks weren't effecting me, and the mindworms coulnd't touch me. When they got close, like a giant wave, they suddenly were blown backwards, as though hit by a giant sledge hammer. Then, I reached the tower itself. It was an edifice, a living monument to Planet's power, and it was about to be destroyed. I reached for the surface of it, blowing away or blowing apart any of the tentacles that tried to thrash me. I located the core of the plant, animal, or whatever it was. The spore chamber. I reached with my mind, feeling Planet's weak control over these explosive xenofungus spores. I smiled a wide smile, then reached into the thing with all my power. A rip in the fabric that was inside the tower, and the spores spread out throughout the tower. I almost felt sorry for the tower as I reached in with my mind.
3...2...1... goodbye
I thought as I detonated the spores. The tower blew apart into thousands of parts that spread out across the room. I just knelt there, unaffected. After a couple of breaths, I got up, a look of solemn victory on my face. Through my mind, I found Aki Zeta 5.
Is that a complete enough demonstration, Prime Function Aki Zeta 5?
Across the room, she nodded, smiling. For the first time I had ever seen, she was smiling.
Chapter 2:
Mission for Zeta 5
Missile attack on Zeta 5: humans activate. First: defense successful. Afterwards: danger posed by innovation suddenly clear.
Usurper Judah Marr,
Human: Nature
We welcome you, earthdeirdre and earthwheat and earthtree as honored guests, for you add great power to our ancient song. Planetfungus and planetworm and planetmind sing and play here, and you are welcome among us.
-Lady Deirdre Skye,
Conversations with Planet
As I retreated back up the elevator, Aki Zeta 5 was silent, and she had gotten rid of that smile I had seen on her face and was back to business. I knew, somehow, that she would never smile again. When we hit the top, I realized that there was no longer any metallic furniture. Instead, it was barren, empty, solemn. When I raised an eyebrow at this, Aki Zeta 5 didn't seem to notice. I didn't press any further and simply stood still there for almost a full 5 minutes. Finally, she spoke.
"There is a reason I asked for that demonstration."
For a second, I just stood there. When she didn't say anything, I swore to myself and said telepathetically,
Enlighten me, if you will. I'd be delighted to hear of this reason.
For a second, her mind stirred. Apparently, she hadn't ever heard wit, and it was just beginning to stir up any emotions she might have had buried that optical implant. However, I was proved wrong when it all suddenly disappeared.
"Very well. For a short period of two months, you will be Cybernetic Psi Talent Aki Alpha One, our forerunner and most powerful Psi Talent."
I wasn't seeing where this was going, so I just listened.
"As you know, we are under attack."
No crap, Sherlock.
I said telepathically.
"The Usurpers use a language we don't understand, and they have sensibilities beyond ours."
What does that have to do with me.
"For two months, I will personally go into the Usurper's territory in a lone armored truck."
That's suicide.
"No."
Yes it is.
"Not with you as my bodyguard."
I paused for a second. Unfortunately, she didn't.
"Stealth is of the essence. Sending a regiment of impactor-equipped garrisons will not fit in this mission. I need a sole defender. A Neo-Legionaire was my first choice, but a Psi Talent would be more useful in the xenofungus where we will be traveling."
I shook my head and finally decided to talk to her outside of telepathy.
"Aki Zeta Five. The mission intrigues me, but there are two holes in this."
"And they are?"
"One, why is this so important?"
"That is not a hole."
"It is for me."
"Very well. I will personally attempt to communicate with them, and I need to go to their newfound fortress, Tusks and Mantle, in order to find a lone Usurper to speak to."
"Hole two is a problem with your choice of Psi Talent."
She paused for a moment, the first break in this entire conversation. I was surprised, but I guess I shouldn't have been. After all, there was no way she could possibly have known about my war with Cha Dawn.
"And that would be?"
"Cha Dawn."
"What about the child?"
I sighed and tried to explain it in a way she could understand. She wasn't a Psi Talent and she didn't have Planet stuck in her mind.
"Planet itself, at the moment, is split into two... factions. One melded around my thoughts, and one built around the thoughts of The Prophet. We may be discovered if the majority of the mindworms in the fields are flooded with mindworms that can be guided by The Prophet."
She seemed to stare into the space around me, behind me, beside me, but never at me. It was almost as though she was thinking in another place, another time. Finally, she looked up at me.
"It is an acceptable risk. Get all your things ready and come to gate Lamba Zeta."
I had turned around when she said something that made me turn back around to face her.
"Take this, and keep your companions far away from Alpha Prime."
She tossed me a two hundred credit chip and I accepted it. I smiled when I turned around, though. If she thought that all of us were that powerful, she was dead wrong. It didn't matter, though, because I had over three thousand five units to send back to 'home base,' and I was bound to earn some more cash as her personal defender.
I sent the energy units with my mindworms, attaching them to their backs. Being energy, the only thing that weighed was the case, which was made of transplastic, so it was absurdly light and small. After sending them, I sent a telepathic message, loaded with images and emotions, over to the Psi Talents at home. In it, I explained the situation, and where I was going. Also, I sent a secret message only the the Elders. I heard a couple of assurances, and strangely, some happiness at the resurrgence of my power. That surprised me because there were only two voices that echoed that, and one of the mental signatures that showed it was Taik, someone who never had really liked me, and who almost seemed to dislike me more BECAUSE of my power. The system of luck that determined who got which Psi Manual copies landed him the Psi Manual of Planet, the Psi Manual that taught me how to wield the massive power I used. Strangely, none of the others could get the matrix of thoughts to fuse with them like it did me. It always rejected them, like a body throwing out a virus. There was nothing else I could do, so I did as Aki Zeta 5 had instructed me and went to the exit gate.
For a single stealth vehicle, Aki Zeta 5 probably had the best one on Planet. When I got to the gate, I was amazed at how small the vehicle was, how diminuitive. It looked like pictures of old Lamborghinis back on Earth. However, when I got in the... vehicle, it was an amazing array of features, from a particle cannon on the top, to heat reflective/absorbent panels on either side, to the latest armor layered over and over. That wasn't the most fascinating thing, though. The things that struck me as most fascinating were the controls on the inside inside. In the vehicle, there was a blinding array of controls that changed everything from air conditioning to weapons targeting to a communique signal with Alpha Prime. This woman drove in style. She calmly got into the 'car' and I did as well. Then, to my surprise, a small wire came out of her neural implant, and she grabbed it and plugged it into the dashboard. For a second, I was surprised. I had never seen that happen. Then again, I probably shouldn't have been. After all, now that I looked, there was no joystick or wheel for her to use. That would also explain why I wasn't the one who was told to drive. When the cord plugged in, I saw her get rigid and she didn't seem to receive any input, and she did very little else but sit there. In fact, I could barely even see her breathe. Suddenly, like a child knowing that he can do anything while his parents are gone, I seemed to feel the datalinks and the Psi Manuals weighing heavier in my pockets. All logic told me that I shouldn't look at any of them because I didn't know the depth of Aki Zeta 5's electronic-induced trance. If I spoke something that she found telling in some way, or if she even realized I had the Svensgard datalinks, I would be knee deep in xenoslime, and that was no sarcasm. Then again... there was a way that I could look at it and not be caught. As I pulled a Visor out of the pocket to my right, I closed my eyes, sighed, and hoped I was right about this thing.
In front of me, there appeared a vast world of information, just like my previous visit into the datalinks. I said to the Visor,
"Keyboard."
Suddenly, in my hands, a keyboard seemed to appear. I couldn't feel it, as I was in looking into a Visor, a device that did not come equipped with a neuro-spectral stimulator. Whenever I wanted to enter in a command, I just typed it on the keyboard.
Access all data on the Cybernetic faction.
The computer interpreted the data and a large part of the world around me vanished. Amazingly, I noticed that the data centers looked very much like Cybernetic buildings.
Access all data on the Cybernetic faction, subsection Usurper connection.
Again, the computer took a short time in interpreting the data, and then it removed a huge section of the Cybernetic faction information, leaving only a skyscraper. I decided to walk into it, accessing the data contained within. As I entered it, I saw a number of propoganda files littering the database. Apparently, even Cybernetics could be coerced by mass deception. I accessed the data on the war, the battles, the strategy, the resources, everything I could find out about the Usurpers. A listing hovered above me,
Usurper Victories:
Mission year 19.7.14
Mission year 19.7.28
Mission year 19.8.13
Mission year 19. 9.21
Mission year 20.1.20
Mission year 20.2.12
Mission year 20.3.1
Mission year 20.4.23
Mission year 20.5.2
Mission year 20.5.14
Mission year 20.6.28
Mission year 20.7.15
Cybernetic Victories:
19.8.26
As I looked down the list, I realized something very quickly, the Cybernetics were doomed if they didn't come up with a few allies or some serious solution before long. I clicked on the the last Usurper victory to see where, when, and how it was fought. As I looked down the list, I was astonished at the skill of the Usurpers. They had a 1-3 death rate, they had greater numbers, and after I pulled out the information on the one Cybernetic victory, it was impossible to ambush them. That attack was designed to be an ambush, and it was well thought out, but somehow, when the Cybernetics came out of the xenofungus, the Usurpers already had their guns pointed. It was only through a freak lightning storm that the Cybernetics, who could not be startled, were able to destroy the Usurpers. I opened all of the files, read through them in detail, and closed my eyes. I knew that Cybernetic battle analyzers had probably looked through the list left and right and found nothing, but I wasn't going to look at it through the eyes of a human. I tapped into that little corner of my mind that was held by Planet, that corner that was slowly but surely trying to take over my mind. In many ways, it reminded me of the xenofungus at the edge of our forest, but I couldn't control it. I allowed all of the shapes and numbers fly through my mind. I tapped my power and launched my consciousness into the depths of the Planetary Consciousness. I tried to read the memories of Planet, trying to go back to the points of the battles, to see them, to see what happened, to see if there was a pattern I could use somehow. Somehow, my own thoughts of the battles melded with Planet and suddenly, Planet seemed to roil with fear, or distaste, whatever it was. Suddenly, I heard a voice seem to talk to me.
You... earthro'lin. To defeat them... learn... learn from the resonance...
It seemed to cut off there, and I tried to bring it back, but it didn't work.
Planet!
I screamed in my mind, hoping it would come back to me, but it never did. Suddenly, like a host announcing that a party is over, I was thrown out of the vision. I was sweating profusely, and after I ripped off my Visor, I saw that Aki Zeta 5 was looking at me. She didn't show it on her face, but I was pretty sure she thought I was psychotic.
It was an hour after the incident before she even bothered to discuss the incident.
"You screamed."
She said to me, after what I found to be an awkward silence. The sudden voice startled me.
"What did you say?"
"You screamed."
I really didn't know what the hell she was talking about, so I tried to ask her like a Cybernetic would.
"Elaborate."
"Approximately one hour and fourteen minutes ago, when my connection with this vehicle was broken, it was disturbed, it was because you screamed."
I didn't understand, so I tried to get her to elaborate.
"How did a scream force you out of your connection? Is the connection sensitive to sound?"
If it was, I made a wise choice in using the keyboard rather than vocalizing the commands.
"No. Your scream was not audible."
"Repeat?"
"I will repeat. Your scream did not emit any notable vibrations."
"Then how did it affect your connection?"
For a second, she seemed to ponder how she was going to answer me.
"While you were in a trance of some kind, you vocalized, 'You, earthro'lin, to defeat them... learn... learn from the resonance.' Then, the vehicle shook from a electro-magnetic force that originated from you. Also, there was a certain amount of damage done to the electronics due to an unidentified power excretion. Can you explain?"
This was all weird enough for me as well as her, so I answered her the only way I knew how.
"I have no idea."
Right after I said this, a red dot appeared on the radar screen. Aki Zeta 5 instantly went to work identifying the target. It didn't even take me half as long, as I could sense it's mind over a mile away. It was so different from ours, but so similar, that it could only be one thing.
"It's a Usurper. I assume in a vehicle."
"Yes. Specification is being attempted."
I sometimes wondered why she spoke in the passive voice, but at this point, it was moot since the situation didn't warrant a question. Suddenly, she looked at me.
"It is a personal vehicle. It is unarmed and contains no communications device."
I smiled, and then Aki Zeta 5 activated another weapon which popped up from the top of the car. An electro magnetic pulse. I hoped she new what she was doing, because if she didn't, our own electronics would be fried. The device was almost like a grenade launcher which launched a weapons device that contained a slow-leak EMP pulse. When the vehicle came in range, I just hoped that Aki Zeta 5 had some good aim. When the grenade went through the wind-deflector, into the passenger seat, yet missed the pilot, I realized that she did. The vehicle suddenly jerked to a stop, and a startled passenger escaped out the passenger side. Aki Zeta 5 exited the car and spoke to me.
"Remember your assignment."
"To protect you."
"Good."
She walked up to the alien which was now cowering in fright. She spoke to it almost softly.
"State your name."
The creature seemed to stare at her, then it talked to her, but it didn't say anything, really. It just altered her statement. It repeated it, but twisted it as to sound almost garbled. I followed Aki Zeta 5 and then walked past her to get to the vehicle as she continued speaking to the alien. As I analyzed it, I found something interesting. Inside, I saw a small screen with a number of sounds coming from it. However, the sounds were odd, because they seemed to be different sounds of a base beep of sorts. After looking at it, I realized that it was the speaker that was voicing the different variations. I took out the TV set, including the cables and communication antennae, and took it back to the vehicle. By that time, Aki Zeta 5 was finished, and was already in the car.
"It is time to return to Alpha Prime."
Chapter 3:
The Next Step
And I stood before him, and I sang unto her, and it appeared to listen. His very countenance rippled like the sea, and the sound of my own voice came back to me, distorted. For a moment, I thought she was mocking me, or it was non-sapient, and mimicking me. Then I understood, the sounds were not important, it was how I affected his sounds, and how he affected mine, that transmitted the message.
-Prime Function Aki Zeta 5,
One Future
The first thing I could even dream of doing after a mission like that was simple, I packed. Literally. Though, this time, I wasn't just loaded with clothes or other necessities. Very carefully, I placed my unit containment device, loaded with over ten thousand energy units, into my bag. Then, after packing my other necessities, I took one last trip to Aki Zeta 5's domain.
As I entered the building, I walked slowly, carefully, so as not to make a spectacle of myself. Then, suddenly, every Cybernetic, every guard, and every armed security monitor, faced me. I raised my hand slowly, and suddenly, a voice echoed over the loudspeaker.
"You've gotten what you want, Ro'lin. I advise you vacate the premises."
"Not yet, Zeta 5!"
Suddenly, every Cybernetic there pulled out a laser handgun, and a mass of red dots appeared on my forehead, almost all of them on the exact same point. I smiled and said,
"Do you really think you can kill me, Aki Zeta 5?!"
I yelled out.
"Think logically, Ro'lin. How many of my troops do you think you can destroy before our enhanced reflexes react and reduce you to superheated carbon?"
"I will not leave until I get the last thing that I want."
"So be it."
I heard the distinct whine of every blaster in the room charging up. I smiled and said to the loudspeaker,
"Yes. So be it."
Suddenly, a great wave of potential fear echoed throughout the room, the power of over three thousand mindworms. All of the Cybernetics looked at themselves in fear. Depending on which of them was affected by which mindworms, they would be susceptible to the individual taste of pain in each one of the Elders. Burning, freezing, melting, all of the Cybernetics were being thrown into the Elders' worst fantasies, and there was screaming. Apparently, the Cybernetics were not un-emotional after all, they were just self buried. It took barely a second for me to destroy every electronic security monitor in the room. I single telekinetic blast dismantled every one of them in seconds. I walked to the elevator, and then turned around, smiling as the other Elders came to join me. Taik led the pack and as he came up to me, he smiled and said,
"Ro'lin, even if you are insane, you are really good at it."
Although I was surprised at the compliment, I smiled and pressed the elevator release button. When it didn't open, I closed my eye, focused my mind, and blew the doors open.
"Open sesame."
Even without a door, the elevator shot up to the top floor when directed. It took about a minute before it finally stopped, and then, I found a nearly empty room. Nearly empty. On the other side of the room was a single chair facing the other direction.
"Aki Zeta 5."
The chair turned around and she faced us, slowly. Surprisingly, she had no weapon, no guard, simply a datapad.
"Ro'lin."
She looked at the others who were with me who had since poured out of the elevator.
"I see you've brought reinforcements."
"Aki Zeta 5."
"I thought you were going to defeat me single-handedly."
"Aki Zeta 5."
"Yes?"
"You know what I want."
"Of course I know."
She stood up, her silverish clothing shimmering as she moved towards me. She gave me the datapad that was in her hands and looked at me. Hard.
"These are the complete contents of my research on that trip."
I smiled and laughed.
"You know me too well, Aki Zeta 5."
"You are a worthy opponent, Ro'lin. We will meet again."
As I was leaving, I looked at the cover of the datapad. As a title, the document had an inscription. I pressed a button on it, which made it echo a sound. Then, after the apparent tuning, it voiced it's title, "One Future."
Eternity lies ahead of us, and behind.
Have you drunk your fill?
-Lady Deirdre Skye,
Conversations with Planet
Chapter 1
The New Arrivals
Manifold harmonic fields: within: the true nature of the world becomes apparent. Layers: within layers. Worlds: within worlds. Inside: The heart of everything opens, and everything opens to it.
-Caretaker Lular H'minee
Resonance: Power
Those who join us need give up only half of their humanity. The illogical, ill tempered, and disordered half commonly thought of as right brain function. In exchange, the left brain capacities are increased to undreamed potential. The tendency of biologicals to cling instead to their individual personalities can only be attributed to archaic evolutionary tendencies.
-Prime Function, Aki Zeta 5,
Convergence
My life just kept getting weirder and weirder. If you'd go in order on this journal of sorts, this would be filler, but some people are crazy and try to learn about me while understanding the future before they grasp the past. Yes, I've become philosophical. Anyway, if you followed my recent journeys, flash forwards a year. Ever since we Psi Talents ran for our lives from The Hermitage, we'd lived here in relative comfort at a Terran forest hidden deep in Cybernetic territory. It wasn't really that bad down there in Cybernetic territory, except for the occasional storm, passing Cybernetic, or the fact that the Usurpers, new alien arrivals that came through the storm that was brewing on the day of our escape, had decided that the Cybernetic was in the way of them and their dreams of conquest. At the moment, I was meditating at the ridge where the forest abrubtly changed into a vast xenofungus field. I stretched my mind, feeling the edges of both the forest and the field shift as the lifeforms constantly edged forward in their ever-constant quest for supremacy. It was slow, but if you were patient, you could tell that Planet had the upper hand. I reached into my mental pocket of control and stopped the xenofungus which effectively stopped both sides. We needed this forest for our cover, and xenofungus, although great for cover, wasn't exactly all that safe. After that little chore was complete, I headed towards home base.
Home base was really a collection of buildings we had cobbled together over time for shelter. It was actually quite homy, albeit primitive, but when you have nothing, you make do with it. For us, our chances were very low of surving through the year, so we grasped at every 'nothing' out there. After all, we would die if we didn't. We've been training here for the past year, building up our powers, training the younger ones, watching for new Psi Manuals, etc. Also, we would wander to the xenofungus fields and look for pockets of mindworms. I had actually built up my force of personal mindworms to around six thousand. I walked into the main hall, a fairly large room, considering that we only had the cargo loaded onto Svensgard's laser cruiser. Luckily, that and the mindworms under our command were enough to create our housing. Amazingly, we even found some basic partical impactor turrets and loaded them onto the field outside the house for defense. As for supplies, that wasn't too hard. Using some holographic progection hardware on the cruiser, normally used for communication, we modified it to change our appearance and make us look like a Cybernetic. With a tad of vocal training, we could match their vocal tones, mannerisms, and attitudes of the Cybernetics, so we could then obtain supplies. I walked across the hall to the board where the schedule was located. As I walked, I noticed an occasial person use a convenient datapad to shield their eyes from me. Whether they did it knowingly or not didn't matter. Ever since I defended them from the three Elite Empaths, my display of power still made some people fearful of me, even if I hadn't shown any such power of that magnitude for the year we'd been hiding. I got to the schedule and checked who's turn it was to get supplies. It was mine. Only the Elders went on the missions, so my chance was 1 in ten that I was going to get picked. I sighed, and pulled out the holographic imager all of the Elders kept with them, along with a copy of one of the two Psi Manuals that we had collected (I kind of cheated on that rule and kept both a copy of the first, and the original of the second). I walked outside and headed out to the jeep.
As I entered into the city through the left side, the direction of Domai's faction, I decided supplies I would get first. There were two ways of getting supplies. First, we sold our services as Psi Talents, acting as freelance Psi Talents from the Planet Cult faction that resided in Domai's territory. It wasn't too hard a lie to tell because it was half true. Then, after we had gained a sizable amount of cash, and collected some information on current politics, we would head into an inn, and then switch into our guise as Cybernetic traders heading into Domai's territory. Strangely, the people don't seem to care that after a night, a Cultist Psi Talent becomes a Cybernetic trader. Either it didn't matter in their sophisticated, logical mind, or they were too distracted. I guessed the former. After all, none of them had social lives to distract them. Anyways, I was approaching the entrance, so there was no more time for chatter. As I was about to ride in, I was approached by the guard sentry, as usual. I provided my forged clearance, not so hard to make when you have a year to copy the original ones, and then I went through. The first place I checked was the local government office. There may not have been a beuracracy in a world as efficient as theirs, but the government was still eager for information, and knowledge about surviving on this cruel planet. As I got to the door, I was still amazed at how domineering it was. It was an cerulean pyramid engraved with cryptographs with the Cybernetic symbol, forty yards by forty yards built into the side. Calling it a building wouldn't begin to describe it. Maybe an edifice, or a complex to simplify it, but 'building' didn't begin to describe.
For all their psychobabble about straining the emotions from the consciousness, I was sure I felt annoyance in the Cybernetics that passed me as I stared at the HQ. Outside, I was marvelling in the edifice's brilliance. Inside, I was laughing at them for thinking of me as some stupid tourist. I finally got to the huge entrance and walked in. Instantly, I was followed by laser sentries/cameras. It was normal for all outsiders to be watched carefully. I walked up to the nearest data access terminal and jacked a datapad into it. On the screen flashed a collection of data on the makeup of the building. I didn't need to look at this. I had already seen the complete and hidden schematics through Svensgard's datalinks, but I had to check and see. Then, I felt an arm on my shoulder.
In a flash, I turned to face this intruder, particle impactor in my fist. With my mind, I telekinetically locked up the sentries. I knew it was a truly devoted Cybernetic because I senses no startlement or fear. I focused on my opponent, a stoic look on my face, to see the last person I ever expected to see. I had seen her in photos, documentaries, on-air speeches to non-Cybernetics, etc. but I had never seen her in person. It was the Consciousness herself, Aki Zeta 5!
Quickly, after she deactivated the sentries, and after I had put my impactor back in its secret holster, she guided me to the elevator. I was ever vigilant for deceit, but I detected none in her mind as we went up the high-tech elevator. It was a minute-long ride, which led me to believe that we were going to her personal office. This was probably one of the most exciting and horrifying days of my entire career, and yet it was the most important event of my life. It was said by others that the key to my life was formed in a day, and Aki Zeta 5 had shown me the door. I don't know about that, but it was pretty close. When we entered into her office, I was surprised at what it was. Absolutely nothing. There was no furniture, no hangings, nothing that would distinguish that room from a metallic box. She snapped her fingers and a chair melded through the floor, which I had now learned was heated underneath, so as to make it instantly liquid for, say, passing chair. The chair passed upwards through the floor, was sprayed with liquid nitrogen to cool it down, and then Aki Zeta 5 directed me to sit. I smiled and agreed, and then telepathically, for fun, I said,
I don't know whether you know it or not, Zeta 5, but you're making me look up at you. If that was part of your plan, I congratulate you on your political mastery.
Aki Zeta 5 seemed to listen to the message, then nod.
"For a non-cybernetic, you are very composed, Rol'in."
I was surprised that she knew my name, though I didn't show it. Again, I communicated telepathically.
First, nice touch on the chair. I never knew that could be done. Second, I thank you, though I would like to get onto business.
Again, she appeared to listen and then nod.
"I have been watching you."
And what have you learned?
"I know about you."
That gave me pause. What was it that she knew. Was it that I pretended to be a Cybernetic, or my past history with Cha Dawn.
What do you know?
She seemed to look at me for a second and then she said,
"One standard year ago, you battled and took over a Pirate cruiser through a procedure considered unconventional by many. For the past year, you have come nine times for supplies, and have broken the law on every one of those occasions by impersonating a Cybernetic."
Ouch. She knew more about me that I though she did. You have to give her credit for her attitude, though, and it seemed as if she was going to let me go, but at what price?
What do you want with me?
She didn't go for glamour, but came out immediately. She reached into some part of her suit and pulled out a thousand energy units.
"Describe the history of the Psi Talents."
I frowned. Part of it was going to be opinionated, of course, but for the cash available, I'd say it was a worthy investment. If I played my way correctly, she might be impressed, if Cybernetics could be impressed.
"As you know, within the first mission year, the Gaians, the Peacekeepers, and the Spartans were dissolved, leaving the Morgans, the Academicians, the Fundamentalists, the Hive, the Planet Cult, the Drones, and the Pirates, the last three having rose up in the place of the place of the departed. Shortly aftwer the arrival of the aliens, the Academicians, the Morgans, the Fundamentalists, and the Hive were dissolved, and the Cybernetics and the Datajacks rose up to fill the hole. Back in Gaian times, there was a woman, Lindley, a servant of Lady Deirdre Skye herself. On an attack of Gaia's Landing, she strangely repelled the mindworms, and they didn't attack her. From this, there came the first Psi Talent. After practice, her power was refined, and she taught others how to do what she did, if they had the genetic qualities required."
Aki Zeta 5 simply nodded for me to go on. I had to stop for a moment, because I had to piece the two legacies for Psi Talents, the legacy of Lindley, who nearly lost her mind and almost became one with Planet, or the Legacy of Cha Dawn where Psi Talents learn together, protecting each others' minds from Planet if it ever tried to encroach on their psyche.
"Then, when the aliens arrived, she was killed by a Morganite laser scouter that was retreating from the landing site, a xenofungus field that she was meditating in. When Prophet Cha Dawn came into the picture, he had a genetic link to Planet greater than that of any other human. As he studied in his sanctuary, a mindworm came in. It is said that the mindworm spoke to him, and from that he learned of his power, though that is mostly myth. Anyways, he started trying to understand Planet, and with his natural powers, he quickly surpassed Lindley's accomplishments. He trained forty who spread his teachings. To the top ten, he gave the ten Psi Manuals, his private learnings that he was afraid to give to anyone else. Over time, the Psi Manuals spread out, and that is where we are now."
Zeta 5 calmly passed me the energy capsule containing the thousand energy units. Then, she pulled out another one containing five hundred.
"Describe your power."
I was eager to oblige.
"We Psi Talents start out as telepaths who constrain our talking to mindworms. First, they link with us, and through the link back, we learn how to talk to and gain control over. Then, we expand our new telepathic abilities to humans if that may be our bidding. There is also a little bit of telekinesis to be done, but it is so difficult to focus enough psychic power into a physical form that we normally don't bother."
Again, she passed the cube, but her form changed. She relaxed, but she became businesslike, much like a con man before he makes a deal. Strangely, though, she registered no emotions. Then again, why was that strange? There wasn't really any surprise there. Then, there was the big deal. She pulled out a canister containing 2000 energy units.
"Demonstrate your power."
Suddenly, the floor dropped out from under us, or did it? Actually, it seemed as though the room was simply one big elevator, and that elevator was going down in a free fall. Zeta 5 was calm, as usual, considering she was hanging in midair from the zero gee. Then, it slowed down. Aki Zeta Five reestablished herself, as well as me, though I was holding tightly to my chair the entire time. When we stopped, the wall behind me melted and outside appeared a vast indoor xenofungus field, and a fungal tower! I nearly fainted, but kept myself up somehow. If there was a fungal tower here, then there were lots of mindworms, and from the look she gave me, Aki Zeta 5 wanted me to defeat the tower. I hoped against hope that it was a fungal tower devoted to the side that supported me, but my luck finally ran out. It was devoted to Cha Dawn, and that meant a fight. For a second, I let the fungal tower simply sit there. For a second, I wanted to ask Zeta 5 if I could summon my mindworms, but I didn't think she would appreciate that weakness. To her, it would have been a sign of weakness. I had to do what I hadn't done in a year, call upon the power of Planet itself to fight with me.
I calmed my breath, and walked outside. My pace was brisk as I walked towards the fungal tower. There was one known way for a Psi Talent to defeat a fungal tower on his own. It was a task accomplished by Cha Dawn where the wielder of the power mentally fought off the mindworms while he walked to the fungal tower. Then, at the base, he would physically rip it apart with telekinesis or some other form of manipulation. It wasn't long before I encountered the first wave of mindworms. In my mind, I felt the roiling conflict of the two sides of Planet. I planted my thoughts firmly on my side, entering the battle like a general guiding his mighty forces. Suddenly, a wave of power hit my mind from Planet, at the exact same time that a wave of fear hit me from the enemy mindworms. I opened my eyes and looked at my body, saw blood everywhere. In my mind, I heard a whisper.
Not real, Earthrol'in.
I blinked, echoing Planet's words throughout my body, then looked again. I was fine! I smiled. At the next blast, I simply smiled and erected a mental shield. The blast didn't even touch the recesses of my mind. I reached out and grabbed each one of them. All of them, every single slimy one of them, rose up into the air and slammed into the wall, splattering. I continued walking, but everywhere I stepped, there was a small explosion. The mind attacks weren't effecting me, and the mindworms coulnd't touch me. When they got close, like a giant wave, they suddenly were blown backwards, as though hit by a giant sledge hammer. Then, I reached the tower itself. It was an edifice, a living monument to Planet's power, and it was about to be destroyed. I reached for the surface of it, blowing away or blowing apart any of the tentacles that tried to thrash me. I located the core of the plant, animal, or whatever it was. The spore chamber. I reached with my mind, feeling Planet's weak control over these explosive xenofungus spores. I smiled a wide smile, then reached into the thing with all my power. A rip in the fabric that was inside the tower, and the spores spread out throughout the tower. I almost felt sorry for the tower as I reached in with my mind.
3...2...1... goodbye
I thought as I detonated the spores. The tower blew apart into thousands of parts that spread out across the room. I just knelt there, unaffected. After a couple of breaths, I got up, a look of solemn victory on my face. Through my mind, I found Aki Zeta 5.
Is that a complete enough demonstration, Prime Function Aki Zeta 5?
Across the room, she nodded, smiling. For the first time I had ever seen, she was smiling.
Chapter 2:
Mission for Zeta 5
Missile attack on Zeta 5: humans activate. First: defense successful. Afterwards: danger posed by innovation suddenly clear.
Usurper Judah Marr,
Human: Nature
We welcome you, earthdeirdre and earthwheat and earthtree as honored guests, for you add great power to our ancient song. Planetfungus and planetworm and planetmind sing and play here, and you are welcome among us.
-Lady Deirdre Skye,
Conversations with Planet
As I retreated back up the elevator, Aki Zeta 5 was silent, and she had gotten rid of that smile I had seen on her face and was back to business. I knew, somehow, that she would never smile again. When we hit the top, I realized that there was no longer any metallic furniture. Instead, it was barren, empty, solemn. When I raised an eyebrow at this, Aki Zeta 5 didn't seem to notice. I didn't press any further and simply stood still there for almost a full 5 minutes. Finally, she spoke.
"There is a reason I asked for that demonstration."
For a second, I just stood there. When she didn't say anything, I swore to myself and said telepathetically,
Enlighten me, if you will. I'd be delighted to hear of this reason.
For a second, her mind stirred. Apparently, she hadn't ever heard wit, and it was just beginning to stir up any emotions she might have had buried that optical implant. However, I was proved wrong when it all suddenly disappeared.
"Very well. For a short period of two months, you will be Cybernetic Psi Talent Aki Alpha One, our forerunner and most powerful Psi Talent."
I wasn't seeing where this was going, so I just listened.
"As you know, we are under attack."
No crap, Sherlock.
I said telepathically.
"The Usurpers use a language we don't understand, and they have sensibilities beyond ours."
What does that have to do with me.
"For two months, I will personally go into the Usurper's territory in a lone armored truck."
That's suicide.
"No."
Yes it is.
"Not with you as my bodyguard."
I paused for a second. Unfortunately, she didn't.
"Stealth is of the essence. Sending a regiment of impactor-equipped garrisons will not fit in this mission. I need a sole defender. A Neo-Legionaire was my first choice, but a Psi Talent would be more useful in the xenofungus where we will be traveling."
I shook my head and finally decided to talk to her outside of telepathy.
"Aki Zeta Five. The mission intrigues me, but there are two holes in this."
"And they are?"
"One, why is this so important?"
"That is not a hole."
"It is for me."
"Very well. I will personally attempt to communicate with them, and I need to go to their newfound fortress, Tusks and Mantle, in order to find a lone Usurper to speak to."
"Hole two is a problem with your choice of Psi Talent."
She paused for a moment, the first break in this entire conversation. I was surprised, but I guess I shouldn't have been. After all, there was no way she could possibly have known about my war with Cha Dawn.
"And that would be?"
"Cha Dawn."
"What about the child?"
I sighed and tried to explain it in a way she could understand. She wasn't a Psi Talent and she didn't have Planet stuck in her mind.
"Planet itself, at the moment, is split into two... factions. One melded around my thoughts, and one built around the thoughts of The Prophet. We may be discovered if the majority of the mindworms in the fields are flooded with mindworms that can be guided by The Prophet."
She seemed to stare into the space around me, behind me, beside me, but never at me. It was almost as though she was thinking in another place, another time. Finally, she looked up at me.
"It is an acceptable risk. Get all your things ready and come to gate Lamba Zeta."
I had turned around when she said something that made me turn back around to face her.
"Take this, and keep your companions far away from Alpha Prime."
She tossed me a two hundred credit chip and I accepted it. I smiled when I turned around, though. If she thought that all of us were that powerful, she was dead wrong. It didn't matter, though, because I had over three thousand five units to send back to 'home base,' and I was bound to earn some more cash as her personal defender.
I sent the energy units with my mindworms, attaching them to their backs. Being energy, the only thing that weighed was the case, which was made of transplastic, so it was absurdly light and small. After sending them, I sent a telepathic message, loaded with images and emotions, over to the Psi Talents at home. In it, I explained the situation, and where I was going. Also, I sent a secret message only the the Elders. I heard a couple of assurances, and strangely, some happiness at the resurrgence of my power. That surprised me because there were only two voices that echoed that, and one of the mental signatures that showed it was Taik, someone who never had really liked me, and who almost seemed to dislike me more BECAUSE of my power. The system of luck that determined who got which Psi Manual copies landed him the Psi Manual of Planet, the Psi Manual that taught me how to wield the massive power I used. Strangely, none of the others could get the matrix of thoughts to fuse with them like it did me. It always rejected them, like a body throwing out a virus. There was nothing else I could do, so I did as Aki Zeta 5 had instructed me and went to the exit gate.
For a single stealth vehicle, Aki Zeta 5 probably had the best one on Planet. When I got to the gate, I was amazed at how small the vehicle was, how diminuitive. It looked like pictures of old Lamborghinis back on Earth. However, when I got in the... vehicle, it was an amazing array of features, from a particle cannon on the top, to heat reflective/absorbent panels on either side, to the latest armor layered over and over. That wasn't the most fascinating thing, though. The things that struck me as most fascinating were the controls on the inside inside. In the vehicle, there was a blinding array of controls that changed everything from air conditioning to weapons targeting to a communique signal with Alpha Prime. This woman drove in style. She calmly got into the 'car' and I did as well. Then, to my surprise, a small wire came out of her neural implant, and she grabbed it and plugged it into the dashboard. For a second, I was surprised. I had never seen that happen. Then again, I probably shouldn't have been. After all, now that I looked, there was no joystick or wheel for her to use. That would also explain why I wasn't the one who was told to drive. When the cord plugged in, I saw her get rigid and she didn't seem to receive any input, and she did very little else but sit there. In fact, I could barely even see her breathe. Suddenly, like a child knowing that he can do anything while his parents are gone, I seemed to feel the datalinks and the Psi Manuals weighing heavier in my pockets. All logic told me that I shouldn't look at any of them because I didn't know the depth of Aki Zeta 5's electronic-induced trance. If I spoke something that she found telling in some way, or if she even realized I had the Svensgard datalinks, I would be knee deep in xenoslime, and that was no sarcasm. Then again... there was a way that I could look at it and not be caught. As I pulled a Visor out of the pocket to my right, I closed my eyes, sighed, and hoped I was right about this thing.
In front of me, there appeared a vast world of information, just like my previous visit into the datalinks. I said to the Visor,
"Keyboard."
Suddenly, in my hands, a keyboard seemed to appear. I couldn't feel it, as I was in looking into a Visor, a device that did not come equipped with a neuro-spectral stimulator. Whenever I wanted to enter in a command, I just typed it on the keyboard.
Access all data on the Cybernetic faction.
The computer interpreted the data and a large part of the world around me vanished. Amazingly, I noticed that the data centers looked very much like Cybernetic buildings.
Access all data on the Cybernetic faction, subsection Usurper connection.
Again, the computer took a short time in interpreting the data, and then it removed a huge section of the Cybernetic faction information, leaving only a skyscraper. I decided to walk into it, accessing the data contained within. As I entered it, I saw a number of propoganda files littering the database. Apparently, even Cybernetics could be coerced by mass deception. I accessed the data on the war, the battles, the strategy, the resources, everything I could find out about the Usurpers. A listing hovered above me,
Usurper Victories:
Mission year 19.7.14
Mission year 19.7.28
Mission year 19.8.13
Mission year 19. 9.21
Mission year 20.1.20
Mission year 20.2.12
Mission year 20.3.1
Mission year 20.4.23
Mission year 20.5.2
Mission year 20.5.14
Mission year 20.6.28
Mission year 20.7.15
Cybernetic Victories:
19.8.26
As I looked down the list, I realized something very quickly, the Cybernetics were doomed if they didn't come up with a few allies or some serious solution before long. I clicked on the the last Usurper victory to see where, when, and how it was fought. As I looked down the list, I was astonished at the skill of the Usurpers. They had a 1-3 death rate, they had greater numbers, and after I pulled out the information on the one Cybernetic victory, it was impossible to ambush them. That attack was designed to be an ambush, and it was well thought out, but somehow, when the Cybernetics came out of the xenofungus, the Usurpers already had their guns pointed. It was only through a freak lightning storm that the Cybernetics, who could not be startled, were able to destroy the Usurpers. I opened all of the files, read through them in detail, and closed my eyes. I knew that Cybernetic battle analyzers had probably looked through the list left and right and found nothing, but I wasn't going to look at it through the eyes of a human. I tapped into that little corner of my mind that was held by Planet, that corner that was slowly but surely trying to take over my mind. In many ways, it reminded me of the xenofungus at the edge of our forest, but I couldn't control it. I allowed all of the shapes and numbers fly through my mind. I tapped my power and launched my consciousness into the depths of the Planetary Consciousness. I tried to read the memories of Planet, trying to go back to the points of the battles, to see them, to see what happened, to see if there was a pattern I could use somehow. Somehow, my own thoughts of the battles melded with Planet and suddenly, Planet seemed to roil with fear, or distaste, whatever it was. Suddenly, I heard a voice seem to talk to me.
You... earthro'lin. To defeat them... learn... learn from the resonance...
It seemed to cut off there, and I tried to bring it back, but it didn't work.
Planet!
I screamed in my mind, hoping it would come back to me, but it never did. Suddenly, like a host announcing that a party is over, I was thrown out of the vision. I was sweating profusely, and after I ripped off my Visor, I saw that Aki Zeta 5 was looking at me. She didn't show it on her face, but I was pretty sure she thought I was psychotic.
It was an hour after the incident before she even bothered to discuss the incident.
"You screamed."
She said to me, after what I found to be an awkward silence. The sudden voice startled me.
"What did you say?"
"You screamed."
I really didn't know what the hell she was talking about, so I tried to ask her like a Cybernetic would.
"Elaborate."
"Approximately one hour and fourteen minutes ago, when my connection with this vehicle was broken, it was disturbed, it was because you screamed."
I didn't understand, so I tried to get her to elaborate.
"How did a scream force you out of your connection? Is the connection sensitive to sound?"
If it was, I made a wise choice in using the keyboard rather than vocalizing the commands.
"No. Your scream was not audible."
"Repeat?"
"I will repeat. Your scream did not emit any notable vibrations."
"Then how did it affect your connection?"
For a second, she seemed to ponder how she was going to answer me.
"While you were in a trance of some kind, you vocalized, 'You, earthro'lin, to defeat them... learn... learn from the resonance.' Then, the vehicle shook from a electro-magnetic force that originated from you. Also, there was a certain amount of damage done to the electronics due to an unidentified power excretion. Can you explain?"
This was all weird enough for me as well as her, so I answered her the only way I knew how.
"I have no idea."
Right after I said this, a red dot appeared on the radar screen. Aki Zeta 5 instantly went to work identifying the target. It didn't even take me half as long, as I could sense it's mind over a mile away. It was so different from ours, but so similar, that it could only be one thing.
"It's a Usurper. I assume in a vehicle."
"Yes. Specification is being attempted."
I sometimes wondered why she spoke in the passive voice, but at this point, it was moot since the situation didn't warrant a question. Suddenly, she looked at me.
"It is a personal vehicle. It is unarmed and contains no communications device."
I smiled, and then Aki Zeta 5 activated another weapon which popped up from the top of the car. An electro magnetic pulse. I hoped she new what she was doing, because if she didn't, our own electronics would be fried. The device was almost like a grenade launcher which launched a weapons device that contained a slow-leak EMP pulse. When the vehicle came in range, I just hoped that Aki Zeta 5 had some good aim. When the grenade went through the wind-deflector, into the passenger seat, yet missed the pilot, I realized that she did. The vehicle suddenly jerked to a stop, and a startled passenger escaped out the passenger side. Aki Zeta 5 exited the car and spoke to me.
"Remember your assignment."
"To protect you."
"Good."
She walked up to the alien which was now cowering in fright. She spoke to it almost softly.
"State your name."
The creature seemed to stare at her, then it talked to her, but it didn't say anything, really. It just altered her statement. It repeated it, but twisted it as to sound almost garbled. I followed Aki Zeta 5 and then walked past her to get to the vehicle as she continued speaking to the alien. As I analyzed it, I found something interesting. Inside, I saw a small screen with a number of sounds coming from it. However, the sounds were odd, because they seemed to be different sounds of a base beep of sorts. After looking at it, I realized that it was the speaker that was voicing the different variations. I took out the TV set, including the cables and communication antennae, and took it back to the vehicle. By that time, Aki Zeta 5 was finished, and was already in the car.
"It is time to return to Alpha Prime."
Chapter 3:
The Next Step
And I stood before him, and I sang unto her, and it appeared to listen. His very countenance rippled like the sea, and the sound of my own voice came back to me, distorted. For a moment, I thought she was mocking me, or it was non-sapient, and mimicking me. Then I understood, the sounds were not important, it was how I affected his sounds, and how he affected mine, that transmitted the message.
-Prime Function Aki Zeta 5,
One Future
The first thing I could even dream of doing after a mission like that was simple, I packed. Literally. Though, this time, I wasn't just loaded with clothes or other necessities. Very carefully, I placed my unit containment device, loaded with over ten thousand energy units, into my bag. Then, after packing my other necessities, I took one last trip to Aki Zeta 5's domain.
As I entered the building, I walked slowly, carefully, so as not to make a spectacle of myself. Then, suddenly, every Cybernetic, every guard, and every armed security monitor, faced me. I raised my hand slowly, and suddenly, a voice echoed over the loudspeaker.
"You've gotten what you want, Ro'lin. I advise you vacate the premises."
"Not yet, Zeta 5!"
Suddenly, every Cybernetic there pulled out a laser handgun, and a mass of red dots appeared on my forehead, almost all of them on the exact same point. I smiled and said,
"Do you really think you can kill me, Aki Zeta 5?!"
I yelled out.
"Think logically, Ro'lin. How many of my troops do you think you can destroy before our enhanced reflexes react and reduce you to superheated carbon?"
"I will not leave until I get the last thing that I want."
"So be it."
I heard the distinct whine of every blaster in the room charging up. I smiled and said to the loudspeaker,
"Yes. So be it."
Suddenly, a great wave of potential fear echoed throughout the room, the power of over three thousand mindworms. All of the Cybernetics looked at themselves in fear. Depending on which of them was affected by which mindworms, they would be susceptible to the individual taste of pain in each one of the Elders. Burning, freezing, melting, all of the Cybernetics were being thrown into the Elders' worst fantasies, and there was screaming. Apparently, the Cybernetics were not un-emotional after all, they were just self buried. It took barely a second for me to destroy every electronic security monitor in the room. I single telekinetic blast dismantled every one of them in seconds. I walked to the elevator, and then turned around, smiling as the other Elders came to join me. Taik led the pack and as he came up to me, he smiled and said,
"Ro'lin, even if you are insane, you are really good at it."
Although I was surprised at the compliment, I smiled and pressed the elevator release button. When it didn't open, I closed my eye, focused my mind, and blew the doors open.
"Open sesame."
Even without a door, the elevator shot up to the top floor when directed. It took about a minute before it finally stopped, and then, I found a nearly empty room. Nearly empty. On the other side of the room was a single chair facing the other direction.
"Aki Zeta 5."
The chair turned around and she faced us, slowly. Surprisingly, she had no weapon, no guard, simply a datapad.
"Ro'lin."
She looked at the others who were with me who had since poured out of the elevator.
"I see you've brought reinforcements."
"Aki Zeta 5."
"I thought you were going to defeat me single-handedly."
"Aki Zeta 5."
"Yes?"
"You know what I want."
"Of course I know."
She stood up, her silverish clothing shimmering as she moved towards me. She gave me the datapad that was in her hands and looked at me. Hard.
"These are the complete contents of my research on that trip."
I smiled and laughed.
"You know me too well, Aki Zeta 5."
"You are a worthy opponent, Ro'lin. We will meet again."
As I was leaving, I looked at the cover of the datapad. As a title, the document had an inscription. I pressed a button on it, which made it echo a sound. Then, after the apparent tuning, it voiced it's title, "One Future."
Eternity lies ahead of us, and behind.
Have you drunk your fill?
-Lady Deirdre Skye,
Conversations with Planet