Reflections of the Day
An Earth - Final Conflict story by Tina Price
(TinaP@prodigy.net)
Preview: Sometimes memories of the events of a day can prove more than their owner can contain. They seem to take on a life of their own...swirling about the mind, depriving it of rest or peace...demanding that the one who keeps them, copy them in some fashion, so that perhaps one day, when their keeper is gone... they will live on.
!Content Warning!: I rate this story PG-13, because sexuality is briefly touched upon.
Disclaimer: Earth - Final Conflict and all characters therein are the property of the Tribune Entertainment Company.
Authors note: This story occurs sometime after the events which unfold in the episode, "Wrath of Achilles". My other stories, "Striving to Become", "The Lesser of Two Evils" and "The Outsiders" should be read first. This story is based upon my own idea of what is happening in the EFC universe. I am in no way receiving 'privileged information'. As always, advice, criticism and kudos are always welcomed. Please contact me at the above e-mail address.
Reflections of the Day
By Tina Price
William
Boone - Disk 1, Year 1
Private journal entry number three hundred thirty-five.
I add this very personal entry
to my private diary for two reasons.
The first is for myself, in the
event that, should I lose some memory when my CVI fails, I shall not completely
lose everything this day has held for me.
Secondly, I write this for
those who may come after me, so that they might understand... When my time has
passed, I wish my fellow humans to know why it is that I risked life and limb
in the pursuit of understanding between our species and the Taelons. I ask only
that those who read this keep an open mind and try to think of themselves, not
as human beings, but as impartial observers of the conflict taking place
between two different species of sentient creatures.
How can I begin this
narration? I see it so clearly in my head...but I've never been the most
articulate of men.
Let me relate the key points of
my servitude to the Taelons up to now, as a summation for those who haven't the
patience to read the rest of my journals.
I was hand-picked by the North
American Companion, Da'an, to be his second implant and the head of Security
and Interspecies Relations.
I turned him down.
My wife (then unknown to me)
was killed by Da'an's other implant, Agent Ronald Sandoval of the FBI.
Da'an once again offered me the
position. With nothing left to look forward to, and because Kate herself had
asked me to reconsider, I accepted Da'an's offer.
Before I could be fitted with
my electronic collar and leash - the cyber viral implant, I was approached by
the Liberation Movement, which was then headed up by billionaire Jonathan
Doors. I agreed to be their spy in exchange for their help in bypassing the
motivational imperative of my CVI.
Essentially, I received free
will in exchange for servitude to both sides. Da'an was never to know that his
head of security was not a true implant, and I was never to betray my role in
the resistance - on penalty of death.
Funny how things end up
working out...
Da'an quickly ferreted out my
secret. He is after all, one of the most intelligent of a very intelligent and
advanced race - It was foolish for us to think that we could keep my condition
from him for long. Also...I had a hand in revealing myself, so to speak.
You see, a funny thing happened
to the phony servant - he came to respect and actually like his would-be
master.
By the time that Da'an was
replaced by Zo'or, I ...felt for him.
I felt very strongly for him.
I empathized with him.
I could not help but confess
this to him and promise him that I would do whatever it took to get him his
position back.
I know that when I fulfilled my
promise, he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that I was no slave to his people -
and that he was glad of it.
Thus began an extraordinary and
unusual friendship and collaboration.
I serve Da'an in ways which
promotes respect for our race amongst the Taelon Synod and minimizes the
curtailing of our activities. Da'an goes out of his way to help prevent his
race from taking advantage of us.
I work for the human race - not
for the Taelons or the Resistance. My goal is to help us survive the danger
which is yet to come - a danger posed, not by the Taelons, but by an
as-yet-unknown third race. Our best chance of survival is to work with the
Taelons against this common foe.
Da'an works toward this same
goal. Our two races must be united.
He and I have strived to better
understanding each other, for we know that if a Taelon and a Human can be
friends - if they can work together and respect each other, that there is hope
for both our peoples.
Time went by. Our understanding
of each other deepened. He saved my life by hiding my nature from his
commonality, at the risk of his own peace of mind. For my sake, he risked
alienation and censure. For both our sakes he risked forging a bond with
me - a mental tie which has joined us so that we dream together...and even feel
each other's emotions. The bond has continued to deepen and grow and will
continue to do so until it has been "completed" - whatever that
means.
He also took steps to help
ensure that my assistant, Lili Marquette, who is in truth my Resistance
watch-dog, would come to know and respect him. After she disobeyed my orders
and helped Jonathan by slipping one of Augur's special viruses into the
Companion systems, she found herself marooned in the middle of the Appalachians
with my companion.
Da'an saved her life, at great
risk to himself and continued to care for her throughout their ordeal. Once
they had arrived safely back in DC, he "shared " himself with her.
That is to say that he opened
his mind to her and she to him, each learning who the other was and what they
wished. Call it a crash course in friendship. When all was said and done, they
were like human friends who have known each other for years. Da'an had procured
Lili's respect and support.
It wasn't long before Lili
realized that Da'an had learned much more from her than she had ever counted
on. She had passed along information about the resistance and...well, she
wasn't very pleased about that. She gave Da'an a hard time about it too, but in
the end, he again gained her trust and the two of them are now good friends.
I hate to admit this, but when
I finally found out about their "sharing" and what it entailed, I
was...curious.
Curious and jealous.
Wasn't I supposedly his
confidant?
With Beckette's help, I came to
realize that Da'an was intentionally avoiding such a "sharing " with
me because of the danger it posed. Such an event was sure to boost our bond,
strengthening it to the point where my own thoughts might be broadcast to the
rest of his commonality. Suffice it to say that such an event would be bad...
I'm glad that he was able to
gain Lili's trust. She's no longer entirely sure that the Liberation is always
in the right...
Less than a week ago, Zo'or
sought to overpower Da'an and invade that portion of his mind which he has cut
off from his fellows - the portion which contains his knowledge of me and my
associations. In a last effort to shield me and himself from the power-hungry
UN Representative, Da'an cut himself completely off from the commonality.
Zo'or was forced to back down...temporarily, and he instead turned his
attentions towards having me killed.
Da'an, overwhelmed by the anger
I was unintentionally broadcasting through our link, lost control of himself
once Zo'or let on that he had set me up. In a display of anger not seen in a
Taelon in millennia, he overpowered Zo'or both physically and mentally,
wresting from him all the dirty little secrets he had in turn been keeping from
the commonality.
That was several days ago.
When I finally arrived home
yesterday afternoon, it was to an uncharacteristically warm welcome from my
friend, who, I had been told by Lili, had not yet rejoined the commonality. The
reason for this was soon made clear to me.
He had borne the continued
isolation from his people - a state which Taelons find nearly unbearable - for
three additional, and quite unnecessary days, in the hopes that he and I could finally
take our relationship a step further upon my return from Ireland.
I never hesitated in my acceptance of
his offer. It was the right time - perhaps the only time - for us to finally
have that long 'Taelon talk', and... he had endured so much in the hopes that I
would accept.
What happened next seems almost
to be a dream - a strange psychedelic trip through someone else's alien life.
Even now, hours later, my CVI struggles to translate much of what I experienced
so that I can better understand it.
In an effort to show how
willing I was to meet him in this endeavor, I put an arm around his shoulders
and pulled him closer. It's a strange thing to hold a Taelon...Da'an's form
seemed to remain quite solid for the most part, but now and then it would
suddenly seem insubstantial - almost liquid. Believe me when I say that having
one's arm suddenly begin to sink down into one's companion...can be very
disconcerting.
The last thing I remember of
the real world was Da'an's soothing voice telling me not to fear him and then
suddenly I found myself living a different life, with different senses...inside
the confines of a radically different society.
I've managed to make sense of
some of what he showed me;
He is in his early prime by
Taelon standards - which is to say that he is centuries old in human terms. He
was still very young when Ma'el's first observations of our world made it back
to the Taelon home world. He relished every facet of that account in a way in
which few of his peers could understand.
It turns out that Ma'el is in
fact his parent, 'parent' being the definition for the Taelon who renders up a
large portion of his own essence in order to form a new individual whose
features seem to be a copy of his own. Apparently a second Taelon is necessary
in beginning this process, with each Taelon giving rise to their own offspring.
I guess I shouldn't be so
surprised at this revelation. I've seen the data stream of Ma'el's last
communication. He and Da'an do appear to be virtually identical. They even
sound identical, not to mention the similarities in their view of humanity. If
only Ma'el had had the time to 'birth' more offspring... perhaps we wouldn't be
having quite so much trouble with our visitors. As it is, it seems to me that
he chose to reproduce at the last moment only because he knew it would be his
final chance.
Ma'el completed the 'birthing'
- that word being a very loose term referring to the final severing off of the
new individual from it's parent's essence - of Da'an shortly before beginning
his one-way trip to our world. Fortunately for the infant, he was 'raised' by
the Taelon who had begun the reproductive process with Ma'el, alongside his own
offspring from that union. It turns out that he and Ma'el were more than just
ships passing in the night. They were what we humans would consider to be best
friends and they shared many of the same strong traits... including a sense of
individuality.
My curiosity about this Taelon
is greatly aroused, most especially by the effort that Da'an took in hiding his
name from me. In light of all that he was sharing with me, I was surprised that
he would withhold this, but I was not about to push the issue. Even if I could,
what would be the point? I suppose that I will learn more about Da'an's family
when he is ready to share again.
Even from the beginning, Da'an
followed his parent's progress with something akin to pride and he became
determined to work his way through the ranks of his fellows so that he might
win a place as part of the expedition which would surely one day be launched to
the planet called Earth.
Da'an's curiosity about the
human race knew no bounds. He wished to become a key element in the interaction
between his own people and us. His own natural abilities in this area quickly
served to land him as a member of the diplomatic cast.
One of the strongest memories
which Da'an shared with me - I believe that he was intentionally emphasizing it
- involved the day that he became aware of his parent's passage into the void.
Ma'el had not sent any information
back to his people in quite a long while and Da'an's thoughts had been turned
toward his parent for much of the day. Even as he contemplated the chance of
perhaps making it to Earth before his parent's demise, he felt the final touch
of Ma'el's mind - a farewell which he alone could comprehend. Born of the same
substance as his parent, he was able to pick up several images very clearly as
Ma'el's death rocked the commonality.
One such image was of a human
male.
Myself!
The amazement that such a thing
could occur centuries before my birth...was so shocking to me, that much of
what followed was but a blur. I understand that Da'an himself was surprised by
the image. He could not understand why his parent would show him a human who
would be long dead before his arrival on our planet.
I missed a great deal of what
came next, but I didn't miss the next important memory concerning myself.
Da'an was on our planet for
over two years when he began preparations for the announcement of the Taelon
joint venture with Doors International. Sandoval was filling him in on the key
security personnel in the area, when my image came up as the number one choice
as consultant for the security preparations.
Taelons are every bit as
capable of feeling shock as we humans are.
Within moments, Da'an had asked
for and memorized every bit of information available concerning me.
By the time he had actually
laid eyes upon me at the conference, he knew that he would have me as his
implant...but he had reservations about the motivational imperative. He felt
certain that it was not what his parent would have wished. Still, there was no
way around it - it was, for the moment, the only way to secure me. Perhaps
later he might be able to free my mind...
His frustration at my refusal
of his offer was minimal. He believed in his parent's vision - so much so, that
he knew we would be thrown in together sooner or later. He had waited centuries
- what was a few more months or even years?
Sandoval made sure that I would
reappear on his doorstep within just a few short days.
Da'an did come to realize that
his other implant had killed my Kate, but his horror at this turn of events was
such that I can no longer hold him accountable for it in any way. He was truly
grieved by my loss and the fact that he might have prevented it, had he only
realized Sandoval's zeal when it came to pleasing him.
Much of the rest of the sharing
dealt with events I already knew of - only from his point of view. The pressure
the Synod places upon him as far as succeeding in their long term goals...is
enormous.
For now, he does not share
these goals with me. It's his absolute conviction that to do so now would drive
a wedge between us and also leave me vulnerable to betrayal...although by whom,
he won't say.
He has made it clearer to me,
what it was that the human volunteers in Dublin were a part of; Experimentation
into the manipulation of human intelligence and selective control via CVI.
Genetic manipulation and engineering of fetuses as well as implantation within
the bodies of those women who were having trouble conceiving...
The whole scheme is the
brainchild of Zo'or.
Despite Zo'or's removal from
the Synod, the operation is about to be stepped up, even against Da'an's most
fervent warnings about the dangers of such manipulation. He fears greatly the
permanent injury this will deal to the relationship between our races, should
it become known to the general public.
I can't blame him.
After hearing this, I doubt
that I'll ever sleep soundly again...
As the sharing of our memories
came full circle, I ceased living Da'an's thoughts and memories from his point
of view, and instead found myself once more within my own form. I was once more
standing within his chamber in the DC Embassy, my left arm thrown over his
shoulders, my right hand clasping his left.
I was looking at him - looking
into his incredible electric blue eyes when he dropped the disguise and became
the beautiful translucent being that he truly was. Still, those eyes - now
large, elongated, phosphorescent blue patches, held my gaze. I seemed to be
pulled into them as my senses reeled and I felt Da'an - the real Da'an - in my
mind. Communicating to me, by thought alone, how much I had come to be a part
of him. He soothed me, calming the turbulent emotion which had been kicked up
by the sharing of our lives...and we touched each other...
I cannot even begin to describe
it. There is no basis in our human existences for the sensation - the
experience. Perhaps once we've died and left our solitary shell behind...I
don't know...
All I know is that the touch of
his mind was electric - erotic - blissful. And I know that he felt it too, and
in the same way.
Da'an is no longer alien. Not
to me. I know him as I will never know another. I trust him as I trust myself.
I would gladly give my life to
protect him.
As much as I need him - the
human race needs him even more.
Our entire existence depends
upon him.
Don't ask me how I know this.
I just do.
"End journal
entry." Boone removed the disk from the Taelon computer and placed it in
his shirt pocket. It would be hidden in the safest place imaginable -
Resistance HQ.
By the time anyone found it and
decoded it, his life would most likely be over.
He just hoped that there would
be a human race left to read it...
The Following passages are translated from Eunoia
Private Memory Sphere 503
Type - Private:
Coded to recipient only
Priority - Next available transport to Home world
Origin - Earth
Memory origin - Da'an
Cast - Diplomat
Status - Companion Liaison to North America as of time of
recording
Having completed the
programming of his sphere - the first one he had yet to send home, Da'an
settled himself on the rug in the center of his chamber. Crossing his legs and
relaxing his mind, he attempted to order the thoughts he wished to imprint within
the translucent sphere which rested upon the cushion before him.
Such a mental discipline was
necessary if the message was to be understandable to the one who was to receive
it, and yet Da'an found himself struggling to achieve the required calmness and
clarity of thought.
Dropping his human guise, he
balanced an arm upon each knee and tried again. Anyone watching the Taelon
diplomat would have wondered if he was, perhaps, the product of a special
effects shop. So still did he remain, that he seemed an inanimate creation,
rather than a living being.
Minutes slowly ticked by, until
finally, a delicate, blue hand reached out and gently cupping the memory
sphere, brought it slowly up to its owners chest, where the other hand helped
to enfold it.
My step-parent, so much has happened to me within the
last few months, that I now find myself compelled to send word back to you. It
must amuse you to be the recipient of such a device from the one Taelon who so
abhors them, however, I can think of no other way to convey my thoughts to you
across so large an expanse of space and time. Not to mention that this device
is the only secure way to do so. ("Not-to-mention" is the translation
of a phrase which my human friend, William Boone, uses quite often, and which I
have come to appreciate.)
You are the only other member
of my race whom I feel I can confide in. I know that you will not be shocked by
my thoughts concerning the humans, for you have so very much in common with my
parent and myself.
As we feared, the Synod now
embraces the belief that the human race must be controlled - forced into
submission, should they fail to yield themselves to us. The offspring of those
who have made so many errors of judgement in dealing with other races, now hold
sway over our Synod, ready to repeat the mistakes of their parents.
They do not or cannot see that
the humans are not like any race we have met before. These beings are proud,
intelligent and every bit as sentient as ourselves. I fear that they shall rise
up against us and that not even our superior technology will save us from their
wrath.
Your offspring, my brother, has
begun to see this as well, however his options are now few, so strong has the
power base formed by Zo'or become. Although he has removed that one from his
seat, I fear that he shall be reinstated shortly by his peers. Quo'on tries his
best to retain control, but he will be ousted himself if he does not act soon.
Perhaps you might offer him some advice in this area?
I surmise that Quo'on has
informed you of the situation I am in. I therefore will not take up the
precious memory of this sphere repeating the obvious. My entire reason for
sending this is to share my new insight into humanity with the only other
Taelon whom I know will appreciate it.
During my recent withdrawal
from the commonality, I did find enlightenment in my solitary state. Never has
my mind wandered so far and wide! My thoughts moving from topic to topic
randomly, restlessly...freely.
This must be how my parent felt
during his long exile. To think whatever one pleases...whenever one pleases. To
think thoughts which make no sense, but then after a while...they do... How
very strange an existence it is! How very quickly I found myself adjusting to
such a state!
How very often I find myself
considering withdrawing permanently from our commonality so that I might
experience the sensation...in its entirety...
The most terrifying - and
wonderful - sensation of all was the sharing I experienced with my human
friend, William Boone. I had begun to fear that we would never get such a
chance - that conditions would never favor us, or that he would be killed...
I know that I shall most likely
outlive him, and I feel myself grieving already, for he is the key to our
survival - to humanity's as well. Ma'el foresaw this and with his passing, he
ensured that I would seek out Boone once I had seen him.
Through Boone's eyes, I have
touched my parent again.
Ma'el gave humanity the gift of
telepathy, that they might one day join with us - as equals. The strongest gift
passed down through the ages to a human female named Katya Petrenko. From as
far back as she could recall, she felt compelled to seek out an individual,
whom she was destined with her dying breath, to pass her ability to.
That human being was William
Boone. As Katya completed the transfer of racial memories passed along through
the centuries to the one they were destined for, Boone saw Ma'el. He saw that
Ma'el had somehow foreseen his existance.
This is a concept which Boone
finds almost impossible to comprehend. He has so far managed to block it from
his mind, however, our sharing has shown him that I myself had a vision of his
life, also given me by Ma'el.
We were destined to meet, to
collaborate in the hopes of saving our people.
How we are to achieve this is
uncertain at this point. I do, however, know that the bonding of myself and
Boone is the first step in the correct direction. The sharing has served to
make things so much clearer to me...and to him.
How can I communicate to you
through this inadequate sphere what such a sharing was like? To suddenly find
oneself living a different life, with different senses...inside the confines of
a radically different society...was a revelation.
Human lives are so much shorter
than our own, and yet they... feel more...experience more... and do so much
more intensely than we. Accelerated senses and accelerated aging. "The
candle which glows brightest, burns out soonest" - another phrase learned
from Boone.
I have shared in the beauty of
his life... and in the grief. I have learned, through his mind, what it is to
be united with a human of the opposite sex - to love intensely, both mentally
and physically.
I wish that I could unlearn
this, for it grieves me to have tasted of that which I will now forever crave
and yet, be denied. Such a bittersweet lesson on what it is to be human!
And the grief, my step-parent!
The grief! May I never feel such agony again! Boone's loss of his mate can
never be fully comprehended by one of us, except through such a sharing as he
and I have had. It is the reason our people will be vanquished by the humans in
the end.
It is better to die fighting,
than to face the loss of one's loved ones.
Thus they believe.
Thus will they act if they
discover what the Synod is doing.
The touch of Boone's mind was a bitter reminder of all
which our race has lost, and yet I cannot describe to you the abject beauty and
love I found within his heart. He encompasses all which is best within the
human race. The pleasure I felt in our sharing will be with me always... and I
know that he felt it in me, and now understands that I understand.
He is not an alien.
He is William Boone. I know
him. I trust him as I trust myself.
I shall protect him from our
people.
For, as much as I now need him
- the Taelon race needs him even more.
Our entire existence depends
upon him.
Don't ask me how I know this.
I just do.
Da'an
slowly placed the memory sphere down upon the cushion.
He remained staring at it for some
time to come.
"May we find our
way..."he whispered.
Fin
