806.M30: Personal Diary Cpt. Maxil Celest of the Astral Adventurer
After many years of traveling with one of the aliens called the Eldar (She prefers to be called an Outcast with a capital O for some reason, but since the word looks rather lonely to me, I have decided against using it as much as possible.), I have finally gained enough trust to receive one of the red and black crystals she always carries with her she calls Spirit Stones. (As always, I cannot mention her name in any official or unofficial documents, as that was our agreement when she boarded, but it is the same woman as always.)
Of course, it was made very clear to me that they were not to be pawned off like the other contraband I often deal with, but I assured her that I would never part with such a fascinating specimen. Besides being beautiful to look at, there is a distinct sense of calm that falls over me when I stare into it, like that drowsy sensation one gets just before falling asleep.
There were a number of restrictions I had to agree with before she handed me these Spirit Stones, and she made it very clear that this was an exceptional event. Her exact words were, "It is only because your fate and mine are intertwined for the foreseeable future that I even allow you to touch them."
Naturally, I asked her if this was some roundabout way of proposal by her species. Her answer was an annoyed glare followed by a pinch to the nose, a kick to the shins, and a twisting of both my nipples in opposite directions as I hopped on one leg while holding my face.
The restrictions she gave me were threefold.
1. Do not damage the Spirit Stone in any way.
Apparently, these crystals already contain a small amount of psychic energy, and disrupting the "psychoactive crystalline data matrix" could result in all of that energy being released. I asked how big the explosion would be, and she told me it would be big enough that I would have nothing to worry about any more. (I have taken to interpret this phrase as meaning I will be dead. Of course, this phrase has also been used whenever I ask too many personal questions, so it can also be interpreted that whatever answer I will get will be meaningless because she will murder me afterwards. In this case, I'm not sure whether it's the explosion that will kill me, or the Eldar as recompense for being careless with her gift.)
2. Do not sell or show the Spirit Stone to anyone.
The process of collecting the raw materials to make one of these is quite hazardous, according to her. The Eldar have to travel near the Eye of Terror and recover shards of these crystals from "Crone Worlds", or "the skies suffused with the suffering of billions". After that, they have to refine and fuse smaller fragments and crystalline dust together in order to grow the crystal to the appropriate size. Finally, certain spells are in-laid within the crystal in order for it to passively "draw in the song of the mind and the whispers of the heart." They are priceless to her and her people, and it is only because the ones I have are "empty" that she can provide them to me without being turned into a pariah among her people. (I pointed out that she already calls herself an Outcast, and she tried to pinch my nose again. I guarded my face this time, so she instead had to satisfy herself by twisting my ears. They are still sore, several hours later.)
3. Keep the Spirit Stone on my person as often as possible, even when I am asleep.
This was the final restriction she gave me, and I had to try very hard not to ask again if this was some roundabout marital custom amongst her people. According to her, "the time of our shared travels as aliens to each other is coming to an end." and she wants to "keep a memento of the times shared as Outcasts of our respective people." I asked her if she planned to leave soon, but she simply shook her head and said that she could "afford to wait until the last minute."
My ship, my crew, and myself have been saved by her foresight numerous times, so I'm not sure how to interpret her last restriction. We could be approaching a danger she cannot prevent, or it might be that she has simply decided to move on. It has been 50 years since I first met her, and I have not seen her act maliciously against me during that time. If it is the former that is coming, then I would prefer not to know when or how the end will come. Some of my crew have had the misfortune of pestering the Eldar about their future, and when she does finally lose her patience and tell them what they want to know, it never ends well for them.
Perhaps that is the reason for her coming departure. Some of the crew have tried to converse with me in private about their worries about the Eldar. They think she makes her prophecies in such a way it dooms whoever hears them, convincing them to do things they wouldn't have had she not spoken of them.
I have done my best to assuage their fears, but there is a definite tension in the air. I can feel it from their minds, and that niggling voice that's always been in the back of my head has begun to whisper to me again of danger.
I see the same image over and over again in my mind, the flashing barrel of a gun firing at my face. I get these visions from time to time. Sometimes they come true, sometimes they don't.
I've written these same words in this diary like a madman every few pages. 'Sometimes they come true, sometimes they don't.' I guess it's my way of coping with this patchy vision of the future. Nothing is worse than thinking things can't change, and the mere thought of fatalism often makes the image self-fulfilling.
I have talked to the Eldar many times regarding my visions, but perhaps that was the first time I ever saw her laugh when I spoke to her of that.
"You see into the Othersea, of course your belief in the outcome affects the results. But, you're not wrong to find that thought to be quixotic. Afterall, how can you intentionally disbelieve something you've seen if you've seen it and believed it could happen in the first place? Even other Eldar struggle with that concept."
A weight lifted off my shoulders when I heard that. Even her supposedly all-knowing species struggled with the future. It might not have been an answer, but it was heartwarming to know that there were others who struggled just as I did.
We talked about random things after that. Despite the Eldar's extreme age, she enjoys reading human fairytales and travel novels. She said something about adventure being what kept her on the path of the Outcast. As an attempt to show thankfulness for her words, I shared my digital anthology of ancient human literature with her (A copy scavenged from a dead STC core we once found.). She has taken a particular interest in 'Gulliver's Travels' for some reason. "A surprising coincidence, or perhaps another insight from the Othersea." I heard her muttering to herself as she skimmed through it.
As always, I feel like I both understand and don't understand her at the same time.
—-
809.M30: Bounty Report: X11T134FZD
Target: Maxil Celest
Crime: Espionage on behalf of Xenos (Class: Eldar)
Report: Informant provided travel plans for the Astral Adventurer and the ship was intercepted in space outside of any regional planet's sovereignty.
All defenses were shut-off thanks to internal collaborators, and boarding proceeded smoothly. Target was found in his room, and executed via a shot to the forehead. Death confirmed at 08:11:15 XZT.
No sign of the Eldar was found onboard, and none of the informants or crew had knowledge of where it went. Personal artifacts of the target were searched, but no evidence of Xenos artifacts could be found. Additionally, all personal and operational logs of the ship were wiped. It appears that the target had some sort of unknown augmetic that linked his biosigns to the ship's main cogitator and his personal terminal.
Due to the sensitive nature of the target's crime, all informants and remaining witnesses have been liquidated as requested and the Astral Adventurer has been vented of all atmosphere and fuel before being left adrift.
As the primary objective of the bounty has been satisfied, we expect full payment within 3 standard weeks. Your offer for the recovery of the Xenos and whatever artifacts it carried has been considered, but due to the dangers associated with following the Eldar beyond ex-federation space, we will not continue to pursue the secondary bounty regardless of the payment offered.
We hope to continue working with you in the future.
Kind regards,
XXXXXXXXX
—-
"H-w is y-u- ne- b-d-, Maxil?"
A gentle voice cut in and out as I floated in something. Everything was cold, deathly cold. Yet, I could not shiver to warm myself.
"It w-ll b- d-scomf-rt-ng f-r a wh-le, b-t th-s is on-y a t-mp-rary one."
Slowly, sight returned to me. Everything was cloudy and out of focus, as if looking through eyes clogged with eyesand.
Suddenly, I felt something gigantic poking my head.
"There…" An Eldar woman said as she looked down at me. "That should make things clearer."
Slowly, I looked up. It was a familiar face I saw, but much larger than I remembered. She chuckled as I looked around at my surroundings; confused. Everything was much much larger than it was supposed to be.
"It must be disconcerting, to suddenly realize what it feels like to be a Lilliputian." She laughed as she poked my head again with a giant finger.
No, it was myself that was much smaller than I remembered. I looked down at myself, and instead of my clothes or pink skin everything was replaced by smooth bonelike material.
"As I said, that Wraithdoll is only a temporary vessel." She said as she turned away. "I was waiting for you to wake up to confirm your mind and heart were stable enough before going to Commorragh. Your story can restart there."
The name of the place she was taking me to darkened my mind. I should know what that name meant, but my drowsy thoughts were fogged and slow to form. However, I could tell that I did not want to go there.
"Do not worry. You will be safe with me. The copies of Astral Adventurer's flight logs and your personal terminal I took before I left should be enough to cover the costs for safe passage and your body. Information is an important commodity in the Dark City." A bone white arch materialized out of thin air, and a thin sheet of rippling white light began to shine within it. "It will not be too expensive. Everything I wanted of you is here with me, so all we need is everything I will want of you in the future."
She reached out and picked up my body with a single hand from the table I had been lying on. We were in a white small spherical room with no windows, and the only furniture was an armor rack, desk, and hammock.
"Your life has ended, just as you foresaw it." She said as she smiled softly. "But, there are new possibilities beyond being just human. I've had the opportunity to talk to a certain Ael Wyntor while traveling through the Webway. He is an impressive work of gene-sculpting." She paused as she pulled out a small gem that glowed briefly before dulling as she returned it to a pocket underneath her armor. "In return for my reports on the Dark City, I've received some of the science required to recreate that merging between human and fey." Her hand lifted me up to eye level, and I could see the small doll-like figure my soul inhabited reflected in her eyes. "Your mind is beautiful to me and your heart is warm, but your body was not to my liking." She brushed a finger over my teardrop shaped head gently. "It may take time, but we have enough. Your fate and mine are intertwined for the foreseeable future. Of course, that is from my perspective, and my life will last for a very very long time."
My foggy brain slowed as an immense sense of drowsiness overtook me. There were questions in my mind, but there was no fear or panic. I was too sleepy to feel anything at the moment.
"Rest, Maxil. We have many adventures ahead of us."
