7
The two young Dark Eldar motioned for the medics to follow them. Duck took the lead. They walked down a glass corridor. Duck was only now beginning to realise how little she understood Dark Eldar architecture. There seemed to be worlds within worlds- they were still inside the pyramid, but she saw the stars all around her and heard the frogs croak outside as she walked down the corridor. They didn't seem to have laws of physics on planet Commoragh. She reached a door which opened to a perfectly spherical room. Stars swirled all around the room as if they were in the center of a densely crowded miniature galaxy. The Dark Eldar knelt down and bowed as they entered the room. A floating chair was positioned in the center of the room, and an old man sat in it, gazing out at the impossible stars. He was even older than the master. Duck guessed that he was at least ten thousand years old, and wiser than a human of such a lifespan would be.
"What is it?" demanded the old man.
"We bring travellers seeking enlightenment."
"Are they ready? Do they trust me?"
"I do not think so. But Jack insisted."
"Ah, Jack." the old man sounded sad.
"We trust you." said Duck.
"Who are you? Humans?"
"Medics."
"Ah. I can tell by your tone that you have forsaken all bonds to friends, family and race. You have transcended everything.That is good. "
"We were trained in the Asclepiad Temple on planet Motab-Aer!"
"Very good." the man said approvingly, "And what if I were to tell you... that you are speaking to Urien Rakarth?"
"I'd say you were telling porkies, old man. Urien Rakarth would have attempted to torture me by now. And his blood would be on my hole punch."
"The only thing that tortures us is the lie. The terrible lie." he laughed, "I am Rakarth. And I have never voluntarily harmed a man in my life."
"What do you mean, voluntarily?"
"It was so long ago, the time I found it out. But I'll never forget it." Rakarth laughed, "It was day of great scientific discovery. A day of rejoicing. When we found out where we had gone wrong."
"Dark Eldar are not like Eldar. And certainly not like humans. We never knew why or how. It so annoying... always there, just beyond the reach of our undestanding. We trained ourselves. Every man, woman and child. We became a nation of scientists, forever examining the barrier in a hope to determine why we cannot do what we should be able to do."
"What?" asked Duck.
"Heal them."
"Dark Eldar? Heal people?"
"On our own planets.... among our own kind... we are the greatest race of healers known to the darksider races." Rakarth shook his head, "But it didn't work on lightsiders. It didnt work on humans, on Eldar or Orks. When we used our healing powers... channelled our thoughs into our unsurpassable surgical skill... it hurt them. Their health grew worse."
"How terrible!" Duck gasped.
"Are you saying that you tortured people by accident?" Quack leaned against the wall.
"Indeed. But we had to know why. We could only find out if we experimented. Each time, we tried to tell ourselves that it work, this time, the patient would be healed. But all we did was cause pain."
"So what did you do?"
"We withdrew. Returned to our own planets. Studied the theory of everything- the planets, the Universe, the human mind. We became great thinkers as well as great healers. And, after a thousand years, I found the solution." Rakarth turned around and gazed deep into Duck's eyes, "We have negative numbers."
Duck stared back at him in wonder.
"That's right, little medic. Our numbers go the opposite way to yours. When we say 'two', it means 'minus two' to you. When we count up... you count down." he said in a rasping voice, almost a whisper, "That is what it means to be a darksider. We are the exact opposite of you. Our galaxy was composed of dark matter. Our computers run on power source that would delete yours. We drive on the opposite side of the road!"
"So, did you ever figure out how to heal people?"
"Oh yes. It was simple, once we understood the theory." Rakarth laughed, "We simply used techniques that would cause a Dark Eldar pain! We used downward-pointing techniques! And, because up is down, they were healed! We even learned how to bring people back from the dead!"
"What about Jack?" asked Drake.
"Jack..." Rakarth sighed, "Jack cannot use the new skill. They make him sick. Among Dark Eldar, he is a pure healer. So, he helps your people in the only way he can."
"By giving them a painless death."
"It is valuable skill. Do not hate Jack. He is a beautiful person."
"The patient would like to see his friends now."
Duck turned around. Mallard stood in the doorway, supported by Jack and the son of Rakarth, wearing a white hospital gown and totally devoid of wires. He looked slightly dazed. Duck ran over and hugged him.
"To do such a terrible thing to a fellow living thing, human society is barbaric." announced Rakarth's son.
"I agree." said Mallard weakly, "Which is why I will not let it continue."
"What do you mean?" asked Duck.
"I'm going to pull the plug on the Emperor."
The two young Dark Eldar motioned for the medics to follow them. Duck took the lead. They walked down a glass corridor. Duck was only now beginning to realise how little she understood Dark Eldar architecture. There seemed to be worlds within worlds- they were still inside the pyramid, but she saw the stars all around her and heard the frogs croak outside as she walked down the corridor. They didn't seem to have laws of physics on planet Commoragh. She reached a door which opened to a perfectly spherical room. Stars swirled all around the room as if they were in the center of a densely crowded miniature galaxy. The Dark Eldar knelt down and bowed as they entered the room. A floating chair was positioned in the center of the room, and an old man sat in it, gazing out at the impossible stars. He was even older than the master. Duck guessed that he was at least ten thousand years old, and wiser than a human of such a lifespan would be.
"What is it?" demanded the old man.
"We bring travellers seeking enlightenment."
"Are they ready? Do they trust me?"
"I do not think so. But Jack insisted."
"Ah, Jack." the old man sounded sad.
"We trust you." said Duck.
"Who are you? Humans?"
"Medics."
"Ah. I can tell by your tone that you have forsaken all bonds to friends, family and race. You have transcended everything.That is good. "
"We were trained in the Asclepiad Temple on planet Motab-Aer!"
"Very good." the man said approvingly, "And what if I were to tell you... that you are speaking to Urien Rakarth?"
"I'd say you were telling porkies, old man. Urien Rakarth would have attempted to torture me by now. And his blood would be on my hole punch."
"The only thing that tortures us is the lie. The terrible lie." he laughed, "I am Rakarth. And I have never voluntarily harmed a man in my life."
"What do you mean, voluntarily?"
"It was so long ago, the time I found it out. But I'll never forget it." Rakarth laughed, "It was day of great scientific discovery. A day of rejoicing. When we found out where we had gone wrong."
"Dark Eldar are not like Eldar. And certainly not like humans. We never knew why or how. It so annoying... always there, just beyond the reach of our undestanding. We trained ourselves. Every man, woman and child. We became a nation of scientists, forever examining the barrier in a hope to determine why we cannot do what we should be able to do."
"What?" asked Duck.
"Heal them."
"Dark Eldar? Heal people?"
"On our own planets.... among our own kind... we are the greatest race of healers known to the darksider races." Rakarth shook his head, "But it didn't work on lightsiders. It didnt work on humans, on Eldar or Orks. When we used our healing powers... channelled our thoughs into our unsurpassable surgical skill... it hurt them. Their health grew worse."
"How terrible!" Duck gasped.
"Are you saying that you tortured people by accident?" Quack leaned against the wall.
"Indeed. But we had to know why. We could only find out if we experimented. Each time, we tried to tell ourselves that it work, this time, the patient would be healed. But all we did was cause pain."
"So what did you do?"
"We withdrew. Returned to our own planets. Studied the theory of everything- the planets, the Universe, the human mind. We became great thinkers as well as great healers. And, after a thousand years, I found the solution." Rakarth turned around and gazed deep into Duck's eyes, "We have negative numbers."
Duck stared back at him in wonder.
"That's right, little medic. Our numbers go the opposite way to yours. When we say 'two', it means 'minus two' to you. When we count up... you count down." he said in a rasping voice, almost a whisper, "That is what it means to be a darksider. We are the exact opposite of you. Our galaxy was composed of dark matter. Our computers run on power source that would delete yours. We drive on the opposite side of the road!"
"So, did you ever figure out how to heal people?"
"Oh yes. It was simple, once we understood the theory." Rakarth laughed, "We simply used techniques that would cause a Dark Eldar pain! We used downward-pointing techniques! And, because up is down, they were healed! We even learned how to bring people back from the dead!"
"What about Jack?" asked Drake.
"Jack..." Rakarth sighed, "Jack cannot use the new skill. They make him sick. Among Dark Eldar, he is a pure healer. So, he helps your people in the only way he can."
"By giving them a painless death."
"It is valuable skill. Do not hate Jack. He is a beautiful person."
"The patient would like to see his friends now."
Duck turned around. Mallard stood in the doorway, supported by Jack and the son of Rakarth, wearing a white hospital gown and totally devoid of wires. He looked slightly dazed. Duck ran over and hugged him.
"To do such a terrible thing to a fellow living thing, human society is barbaric." announced Rakarth's son.
"I agree." said Mallard weakly, "Which is why I will not let it continue."
"What do you mean?" asked Duck.
"I'm going to pull the plug on the Emperor."