Chapter Thirty-Four: War and Peace Pt. I
August 23rd, 5231 CE or 2000 S.C | Milagre, Lusitania
One month. Eleven resided on Lusitania for one month as she tried to discover a way home. Every night she focused on her occlumency, attempting to project her Aiúa to Harry and wherever he was in the Multiverse. But every day for a month she woke up alone, the fear that she had been lost and left behind growing with every minute. Yet even with the fear growing inside her, Eleven found herself enjoying the company offered by the citizens of Milagre. Andrew Wiggin and his family were very nice, despite the death of his step-son Quim driving a wedge into Andrew's marriage with Novinha Wiggin nee von Hesse. Quim had died the year before on an exhibition to a few Pequeninos forests on the other side of the planet. He had been held against his will by the Pequeninos there, and eventually died at the hands of the Descolada.
It also didn't help that Novinha was jealous of Andrew's relationships with both Jane - the computer program in the Ansible philotic connections - and his sister Valentine. The three were very close. Some said Andrew and Jane were like lovers who were unable to touch. While Andrew and Valentine were said to be so close that some questioned if they shared the same soul. Harry would be able to find out when he got to her. But despite all of the things happening in Andrew's life, he still seemed to find a way to continue helping in the Descolada research. And when Valentine Wiggin and her family arrived along with the disabled Miro Ribeira, he was quick to help integrate them into the new and improved Lusitania.
Out of everyone she had met on Lusitania, Valentine and Miro were the most strange. Valentine was direct and fearless like Harry, uncaring if you were hurt by their words if they held no respect for you. Valentine watched Eleven carefully, no doubt questioning her place in this entire rebellion. Something that Eleven couldn't answer. She finally understood how Harry had felt all those years ago when they were children. The feeling of being an outsider. Residing so far outside of the bubble that everything inside was lost to you. It didn't make sense. This was how she felt. There was an entire history to Lusitania, the Pequeninos, the Formics, Humanity, Andrew and Valentine, and the entire universe that was completely lost to her. She knew nothing but what had been described to her.
But Miro. He seemed as lost as her. As afraid to ask questions. He had left Lusitania thirty years before at the age of twenty. And here he was thirty years later at the same age. Displaced through time. He had been the oldest of the Ribeira children and was now the youngest. Eleven witnessed the pained expressions on his deformed face every time he saw members of his family. The loss in his eyes each time he heard about Quim and Novinha. His mother had refused to come to see him arrive on the planet, no doubt because Andrew would be there. Eleven couldn't judge though. She didn't know Novinha and her past. Only that she was a xenobiologist and the granddaughter of the great Os Venerados.
On Eleven's thirty-second day on Lusitania, the plan to get rid of the Descolada began. The Formics had created a simple metal box with a row of chairs against each wall. The mission would be simple. Andrew, Miro, and Ela would take the box into the Outside. Jane would use her philotic bonds with Andrew and Miro to hold the box, while Ela focused on the pattern of a new virus the xenobiologists had named the 'Recolada'. The virus would remove all of the negative effects of the Descolada, ensuring that it only affected the Pequeninos and their life cycle. They went through three different types of metamorphosis.
Their 'First Life' was within the darkness of a Pequenino Mothertree. After feasting on the body of their mother, tiny 'Piggies' would feed on the sap of the tree, growing to a large enough size to enter their 'Second Life'. In the Second Life, the Pequeninos would roam the massive forests of the planet, living within the small villages that made up their tribes. The Female Pequeninos had two purposes in life. Govern over the tribes and birth new male Pequeninos. As for the males, they served under the females, led females to Fathertrees, and eventually became Fathertrees in their 'Third Life'. After the death of a Pequenino, a small sapling would be planted in their corpse which would then grow into the massive trees that made up the Pequeninos.
According to Andrew, the male Pequeninos' Aiúa would remain after death. It would reside in the male's new tree, allowing the male to keep his intelligence and mind in the Third Life. It was a truly beautiful process shown to her by Olhado - one of Andrew's step-sons - whose mechanical eyes allowed him to record anything he witnessed. He had been there the night Andrew and Human signed the Treaty. And he had been there when Andrew finalized the treaty with the death of Human. But it hadn't been a death. Merely a passing into the Third Life. Eleven visited Human's tree quite often, conversing with it quietly. There was no privacy with the Fathertrees. If you chose to use the sticks offered to beat on the bark of the tree, the Males would come running to join you.
But the process of moving through the First, Second, and Third Lives was powered by the Descolada. Without it, the Pequeninos would die and would not enter the next life. They would be like humans. Their Aiúa's lost in the Outside to be recycled. So the Recolada would keep the functions that allowed the Pequeninos to enter the next life while removing all of its negative effects. Eleven was looking forward to seeing how that would work, and the positive effects the Recolada would have on Lusitania and its wildlife. Everyone was there. The entire Ribeira family, Valentine's family, Andrew's former student Plikt, and of course Andrew, Miro, and Ela. Novinha was the only one not present, which wasn't surprising.
The crew - Andrew, Miro, and Ela - shuffled into the tiny box, ducking down to ensure they got in safety. When the sliding door closed behind them, Eleven and the others watched with interest. Nothing happened. After a minute of complete silence and suspense, Eleven was tempted to ask if something had gone wrong. But then the box disappeared, gone from view. A few people in the crowd gasped but were cut off when the box reappeared. It was so sudden that if Eleven had blinked she might have missed it. "That was...fast," Grego commented, summing up Eleven's thoughts. The door slid open after a minute, and Grego rushed forward to greet Ela. She was holding to vials, both filled with liquid. She appeared distressed, but her determination drove her away from the crowd and towards the Zenador Station where she would run tests.
"There's six of them now," Grego whispered to Olhado and Quara. Eleven overheard and raised an eyebrow. Her eyes turned back to the box. Miro exited next, but it wasn't the same Miro that had entered. There was no sluggish walk, no clubbed hands, or slurred speech. This Miro was strong, tall, confident, and looked ready to burst into song. He was handsome and full. The Miro that everyone but Eleven and Valentine remembered from before the accident. Miro strode towards them, pulling his tearful siblings into a hug. Many were calling it a miracle. And it was. Only Harry Potter had done such a thing. According to Eleven, it was almost impossible. But despite her warnings, Miro had succeeded in constructing a new body. He was complete again.
And then Andrew stepped out, his hand closed around the hand of a young blonde girl. She was beautiful, but she wore a very worried expression across her face. A young man followed close behind, ducking out of the box with a massive grin. Andrew looked shameful and embarrassed as Valentine approached the three. She spoke lightly in a faint whisper, but Eleven was close enough to hear. "Ender," She said. "Dear sweet tormented boy, is this what you create when you go to a place where you can make anything you want?" Valentine reached out, cupping the young girl's cheek with a sad smile. The girl looked terrified. "So beautiful," She said. "I was never this beautiful, Ender. She's perfect. She's all I ever wanted to be but never was,"
Eleven's eyes widened. The young girl was Valentine? That was impossible. She couldn't be a young version of Valentine. Her eyes turned to the man. It was Peter. Peter Wiggin. The last Hegemon of Earth. Andrew and Valentine's long-dead brother when he was a young man. Another individual stepped out of the box. He caught everyone's eye immediately. So while Andrew, Valentine, Peter, and the Young-Valentine spoke, everyone else was watching the newest arrival. The sixth person. A man dressed in a black tactical suit with a medallion centered on his torso. The helmet on his head showed bright green eyes, but the eyes went dark when he peeled the helmet off. It was Harry.
Harry Potter disappeared from Raccoon City in a flash of blue light, his feet rising off of the ground as the familiar bright blue tunnel appeared. The hands he felt on his shoulders and arms disappeared as he flew through the Outside. And before he knew it his ass hit the ground and he let out a pained groan. Two women screamed and he felt the weight of the floor shift as two others stepped away from him. Harry wasn't entirely sure where he was, but he wasn't on land. When he opened his eyes, Harry found himself in the middle of a grey metal box. There were three chairs on either side of the square box, but only five of them were filled. Three to his right, one to his left, and one in front of him.
The man to his left had stood up at once and was ready to fight. The woman in front of him was strapped into her seat with two filled vials in hand, she looked terrified. And to his right were three individuals. An old man with a head of balding grey hair, a younger man who looked like the older man only four decades younger, and a young girl no older than fourteen. The girl seemed terrified like the woman in front of him, the young man looked ready to fight, and the old man looked very confused. Harry lost his focus on them. He was still in the Outside. How was that possible? He pushed himself from his body for what felt like the millionth time, ensuring that he was anchored. And then he saw it.
There were millions of bonds moving in and out of the box. All connected to the four people to Harry's left and right. The woman in front of him was only connected to the older man and the young man to Harry's left. No bond, only two connections. The sight amazed Harry. He'd never seen so many bonds in one place before. It was beautiful. But something caught his eye. Everyone's Aiúa was blue in the box, with the exception of the old man and the young man to his left. They held hints of pink. But what was even weirder was that the Aiúa's within the three individuals to his right were all the same. The same Aiúa patterns and the same shade of blue. That was very odd. Some sort of universal glitch?
"Help me" A voice called out. Harry's frowned. He received flashbacks of Will and their battle against The Shadow. But this was different. This voice was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was in the philotic bonds. Harry reached out to it, calling it. The bonds all reacted at once, and Harry's Aiúa was attacked. Tendrils of philotic twining flew into him at high speed, wrapping around him tightly. Harry tried to fight it but was calmed when the voice spoke. "Help. I don't have the strength to go back. Take us back. Please," The image of a planet appeared in Harry's mind. Lusitania was its name. And with it came six distinct patterns of everyone in the box. Andrew Wiggin, Valentine Wiggin, Peter Wiggin, Miro Ribeira, Ela Ribeira, and Harry Potter. And along with them was a stowaway. A sentient program named Jane.
"I will," Harry replied. And then he pulled. Pulled all of the patterns through the Outside back to Lusitania. And then they were there. Harry opened his eyes and found that the door had already opened. He was alone in the box. What the hell? Had he lost them? Or had he lost a moment in the Outside? Shaking his head, Harry got to his feet and exited the box. He couldn't feel Echo Squad anymore, and he was worried that something might have happened to them. Taking a step outside, Harry was amazed by what he saw. A massive field covered in pink and green grass. A forest with trees as large as skyscrapers. And...a group of people watching him. One of which was Eleven herself. She was safe.
Harry pulled off his helmet, dropping it to the ground as Eleven rushed towards him. He met her halfway, scooping her waist into his arms while hers wrapped around his neck. "You're safe," She whispered, fear and relief evident in her voice.
"I am. Are you ok?" Harry asked, setting her down on the ground with a smile.
"I'm a lot better now that you're here," said Eleven.
"Good. That's good," Harry glanced down at the medallion around his torso. "We missed a runic sequence in the southern hemisphere of the interior. I had to resketch the runic array and create a new medallion from scratch, but I was able to finish it in a week,"
El raised an eyebrow. "A week? I've been here for a month,"
"A month...I would like to say I'm surprised, but I always assumed a time difference was possible. I'm sorry I left you waiting for so long,"
"It's alright. I've met the natives and they're quite nice. We're three thousand years in the future...of a different universe. No Harry Potter. No Hawkins. Nothing," Eleven explained.
"That's fun. I ended up in Raccoon City. The one I left behind,"
"Are you ok?"
Harry shrugged. "Yeah. But Echo Squad got lost in the jump. I can't feel them anymore. Any news on Papa Squad?"
"According to the Fathertrees, they were taken in by a Pequenino tribe on the other side of the world. But without medicine, the Descolada killed them in days. The entire squad was buried there," Eleven replied. At Harry's confused expression, she launched into the history of this universe. The Formic's presence in this universe, the wars that ended in their near-extinction, and the expansion of the human race across the galaxy. Then she spoke of Lusitania, one of the youngest human colonies. It was the native planet to the Pequeninos, pig-like creatures that were in the Sixth Tier of a civilization. The Industrial Age. Something they had only achieved thanks to the humans of Lusitania. Before the humans' intervention, they had been a Tier 7 civilization. Very young.
Eleven told him about the Descolada, and the effects it had on humans, Pequeninos, and the wildlife of the planet. The Recolada had been created to function like the Descolada for the Pequeninos while removing all of the negative effects it had on humans and wildlife. Now all they had to do was disperse the virus across the planet and then that would be it. The Descolada would die out and the Recolada would remain. Harry listened patiently as they walked with the small group back to the Zenador Station. Once she was done, Harry left her alone to speak with the young man Miro and his siblings Quara, Grego, and Olhado. Harry stepped up behind the Young-Valentine, tapping her shoulder gently.
Valentine left out a surprised yelp, spinning around to face him. But then she saw him and visibly calmed. He had gotten out of his suit and was now wearing a transfigured black t-shirt and jeans, the shrunken suit and medallion in his pocket. Peter - who had been walking beside her - laughed at her reaction, doubling over slightly as he stumbled forward. Andrew Wiggin looked embarrassed and murderous towards Peter but nonetheless turned to greet Harry. "Harry Potter. Eleven told us a lot about you before you arrived,"
"She did?"
"She said you would come for her eventually. That you were her friend and boss. And that you could see and manipulate Aiúa's at will," Andrew replied.
"All of those things were correct,"
"I wouldn't suppose you know how to get rid of them do you?" Andrew asked, motioning to Peter and Valentine. Peter smiled brightly at the comment, while Valentine didn't react. But Harry could hear her heartbeat in his ear. He could feel the heat on her skin. She was hurt by the comment. She was embarrassed. Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair as he addressed Andrew directly. "I wanted to talk with you about that. You see, I see Aiúa's, philotes, philotic patterns, philotic connections, and philotic bonds whenever I close my eyes and focus. It just so happens that when I closed my eyes in the box, I was met with a bit of a surprise," He motioned to Peter and Valentine.
"A surprise,"
"Valentine and Peter don't have their own souls. They have yours," said Harry, ripping off the bandaid.
Andrew stopped, being unphased when Peter slammed into his back muttering 'ow' under his breath. Valentine stopped, her eyes widening as she looked up at Harry. "They have my soul. What does that mean?"
"You're Aiúa. It's split into three pieces. The main piece is in you, and the other two are in them. When you created them in the Outside, you didn't create two new people. You created two new versions of yourself, each with different personalities. One is your evil and ambitious side-" Harry motioned to Peter, who smiled once again. "-and the other is your caring side," He motioned to Valentine.
"How do we reverse it?" asked Andrew, who continued to walk alongside Harry.
"Well, we have a few options. We pull the fragments back to your body, killing them. Their bodies will fall apart into dust, leaving nothing behind. We could leave it as it is, but eventually, the strain will be too much and one of the three bodies will die, most likely yours," Harry pointed to Andrew. "We cut off the bonds between your bodies, leaving three individual yet identical Aiúa's. Or, I can do something I've never done before,"
"Which is..."
"I can call new Aiúa's from the Outside, and merge those Aiúa's with the philotic patterns you created in the Outside. It would create new Aiúa's identical to Peter's and Valentine's. But it will take some time. I have to meet the older Valentine and get her memories and such. That will help me a lot with young Valentine here. As for Peter, that's going to be a lot more difficult. With the original Peter dead and his Aiúa long gone, I'll have to improvise. Perhaps sprinkling a bit of Valentine's personality in there might make him less of a dick,"
"I like you. You're a lot of fun compared to old Ender," Peter spoke.
Andrew ignored Peter. "Is that possible? Giving them their own Aiúa's?"
"It should be. I've absorbed Aiúa's from the Outside myself. And I've placed Aiúa's in bodies before. The only problem will be fusing the new Aiúa's with the remnants of your own. I'll start with Peter first because I'm sure no one will miss him if it goes wrong, and then I'll go to Valentine. If it works on Peter, it will be a lot easier for me to do on Valentine," Harry explained.
"And what if we don't want this experimental treatment?" asked Peter. "I happen to love myself just the way I am,"
Andrew groaned in annoyance but Harry smiled. "Of course, you love yourself, Peter. That's why you'll do it. Because no one will want you to lead them if you're a dick. But with a bit of empathy and compassion, you'll find that people will start to like you, which will lead to people following you. Are you following along or do I need to repeat myself?"
"He makes a good point," Andrew agreed. "Colonel Graff once said I was the mixture of Peter and Valentine. Filled with equal compassion and hatred. He said it was why I led so well. I was able to understand my comrades so well that it was easy for them to like me. I became a commander earlier than most. And I understood my enemies so well that when I truly understood them I was able to crush them to dust. The only thing that set me apart from Peter later in his life was ambition. He wanted to make the world better. I just wanted to rest,"
Peter chuckled. "You were such a fool. You were an Admiral. A decorated officer. You could have done so much with your power if you got off of your itty-bitty butt and did some work. Instead, you left me to do all of it," Harry and Andrew ignored Peter, listening as Valentine told the young man to shut up. He surprisingly did so, leaving them with silence as they moved into the Zenador Station. Harry and Andrew separated, with Harry moving to debrief Eleven on what he had discussed with Andrew while Andrew moved to do the same with Valentine. It wouldn't be for a few hours of waiting for the initial test results to read positive effect that they would meet again in Andrew's home.
Harry duplicated the living room couch and conjured some chairs for himself and Eleven, something that forced the two to explain the concept of Harry's magic and shadowmancy. This seemed to shock the occupants of the room - Andrew, Valentine, Young-Valentine, Peter, and Miro - but Harry informed them that due to the time differences universes and the fact that Alyssa was still lost in the Multiverse, they could not stay there for long. The group conceded and fell silent. The older Valentine was watching Harry carefully. As if she was sizing him up. "You think you can give Peter and the young me their own Aiúa's,"
"Yes,"
"How?"
"Well, it's complicated. But I've put quite a bit of thought into it. For Young-Valentine, I would scan your memories, philotic structure, and such and then transfer that into the new Aiúa I would call from the Outside. The new Aiúa would then remember being you, but she wouldn't be able to function. She would have to relearn everything. How to walk, talk, live. This is why I'll leave a sliver of Andrew's Aiúa behind. I'd cut it off from the main Aiúa with Andrew, ensuring that he doesn't overstress itself. But the memories and functionality of his Aiúa will transfer onto the new one. She'll remember how to walk, talk, fight, live. All because Andrew remembers how to do all of those things,"
"So she'll be Andrew and I's...child," Valentine concluded.
Harry raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought of it like that. "Essentially, yes. But no. She would be an asexual copy of you with your memories, Andrew's functionality, and her own Aiúa. She'll be her own person,"
"We're just giving her a headstart with our memories and functionality," said Andrew.
"Exactly," Harry replied.
"And Peter?"
"Well, that's the hard part. All of the same pieces are there for Peter like Valentine, except for the original Peter's memory and base philotic structure. I can use the one Andrew created, but the memories are the hard part. The memories given to both of them were plucked right from Andrew's unconscious mind. They remember events as if they were there, but it's probably different. Like they're seeing it from a third-person perspective, or from Andrew's eyes. And some things they may remember never happened, and were made up to explain something that Andrew learned elsewhere,"
"I remember everything from your point of view," Young-Valentine motioned to Older-Valentine. "But it feels different. Like I'm not there. Like I wasn't in control,"
"Exactly. So those memories - while adequate for these clones - will not suffice when creating an entirely brand new Peter. The most I can do is give Peter Andrew's memories and create a new Andrew in Peter's body. Or keep him the way he is while adding bits and pieces of Young-Valentine's personality throughout his Aiúa. Either works for me,"
"I'd rather not have a little me running around. Do the second option," Andrew answered.
Harry nodded. "Keep him the way he is but with bits of compassion and empathy sprinkled in. Got it,"
"Don't they get a say in this?" Miro asked, motioning to Peter and Valentine.
Peter shook his head. "Yeah, don't we?" Young-Valentine didn't move.
"No. As far as Andrew is concerned Miro, Peter and Valentine are the corpses you left behind in that box. Only they have yet to fade away. Despite their personalities, their memories, and their appearance, they're nothing but imitations. Shadows of their former selves," Harry explained. Peter's smile disappeared and Young-Valentine slid further into the couch, clearly hurt by what he had said. "But when I'm done with their Aiúa's, they'll still remember everything from their birth in the box to when I do it. They'll still be the same people. Only they won't be ruled by Andrew's subconscious telling them how to act. They'll be able to make choices based on their own beliefs and feelings. They'll be able to think for themselves,"
"They'll be more alive than they are now," Miro realized.
"Exactly," Harry confirmed.
"Do it now," Young-Valentine spoke. She looked very sad and was clearly not thinking clearly. Emotions were crossing over her features every second, making it hard for Harry to focus.
He shook his head. "I can't do that. Not now. I need at least a day or two to prepare. I need to understand Andrew and Valentine's philotic structures and Aiúa's perfectly. As well as yours and Peter's. If I don't memorize them perfectly then there's a chance I could screw something up. I did that once before," His gaze fell on Eleven. She smiled as if to tell him that she had long forgiven him for the differences she had long since learned to deal with.
"You've done this before on Eleven?" Andrew asked.
"No. Nothing like this. It was different. Her body was dying due to a curse. It had been my fault. I was young, stupid, and confused. A moment of inaction lead to her death, something that I had to quicken. I met the Hive Queen of my own universe and she taught me how to manipulate Aiúa's. I use what I learned to save Eleven. I created a new body for her within the InBetween, and was able to transfer her Aiúa to the new body before it passed onto the Outside," Harry explained. By the looks given to him by those in the room, he had only brought forth more questions.
Andrew spoke first. "You have the Formics in your universe?"
"Yes. When I died and my Aiúa tried to pass on, she pulled me into the Outside. She helped my Aiúa heal and we connected. We spoke for months through our philotic connection before I met her in person on her homeworld,"
"What's the InBetween?" asked Miro.
Harry answered. "The section of reality between the Outside and the Inside - your universe - that is the home to philotic connections and Aiúa's. Or at least where you can see them. I can see the InBetween when I close my eyes and focus. With the Hive Queen's help, I learned how to manipulate Aiúa's and philotes well enough to create a new body for myself and Eleven. I've called Aiúa's from the Outside too. One resides in the medallion I wore around my torso,"
Frowning, Valentine leaned forward. "What are the requirements for doing all of that? Calling an Aiúa, creating a body..."
"Usually it doesn't require anything. Calling an Aiúa and manipulating philotic structures is quite easy. It's when I'm creating a brand new philotic structure or copying one that it gets difficult. I have to memorize the structure in my mind and I used to make mistakes. It wasn't until I'd done it a thousand times that creating a new philotic structure became easy. Now it's just the copying that's rough," Harry explained.
"You said you need to memorize our Aiúa's and philotic structures before doing the procedure. How do you do that?" Young-Valentine spoke.
"Well, it's a bit strange. But I need to stare at you with my eyes closed. For a long time. I'll memorize your Aiúa's and philotic structures, and only then can I do it safely. I'll memorize Andrew and Peter's first. And then I'll do you after," Harry replied. Young-Valentine blushed slightly, ducking her head with a muttered 'thank you'. Harry raised an eyebrow but turned his attention back to Andrew and Valentine. "While I do my staring, I'm going to try and find Echo Squad. Is there anywhere I could stay while we wait for results?"
"You can stay with me," Eleven spoke. "I've been living in Andrew's old house down in the Capim fields where the first settlers lived. There's room for both of us there,"
"Great. That settles it," Harry replied, clapping his hands together as he got to his feet. "Andrew, Peter. Care to tag along so I can...you know..."
"Stare at us with your eyes closed? Why not?" Peter asked, jumping to his feet as he headed for the door. Andrew sighed, getting to his feet at a slower pace as he followed Peter out the door. Harry bid his goodbye to the two Valentine's and Miro and followed Eleven out the front door. He closed his eyes, his focus on Andrew and Peter's philotic structures. He took in every detail, trying his best to commit everything to memory. Harry felt El's fingers intertwine with his own, with her leading him through the fields and down to the small huts she had described. Harry took a deep breath. They were going to be here for a while.
