“I have to swallow or ingest your soul somehow?”
“You do not actually devour or consume such. Absorbing it and keeping it whole and intact within you is perhaps a better description. I will become part of you for a brief time.”
“Sounds like a fun ride. And once you have access to a physical body, you think you can locate Baeven?”
“Yes. If he is here, my abilities will locate him.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because, Baeven is a part of me, and I am a part of him. The two of us became as one, a long time ago.”
Naero really needed to hear that story too.
Again, who and what was Jia?
“Then let’s do this,” Naero said. “Tell me what to do.”
Now I’m questioning whether this is a good idea or not, Naero. We do not fully know this entity called Jia, or her motives. Is it wise to give her access to our minds, our current form, our abilities, and the KDM?
I’m sure you’ll be able to keep our secrets safe from her, Om. Right now, it is vital that we do this, to locate Baeven.
Very well. I will protect our secrets and monitor the situation very carefully.
You do that, Om. I know you will.
“I am ready,” Jia said.
A medbed emerged from the floor of The Shadow Fox’s open landing bay. Naero climbed up and laid down on it.
She gasped somewhat, as the neural sensors and connections writhed like a nest of snakes over her face and head, zapping her slightly at times with impulse tests to neural net links and connections as they formed.
“Hey, that stings,” she finally complained.
Our minds are being linked with and accessed. Is this an attack?
Wait, Om. Don’t do anything.
“My apologies for any discomfort,” Jia said, “but the links must be made quickly and precisely. The transfer from machine mode back to a bio-mechanical mode is much more difficult than a simple transfer from one bioform to another.”
Now Naero was curious. The process was easier with bioforms…in what way?
“So,” Naero observed, studying and recording the dizzying array of techniques at work with both her teknomancy and biomancy skills. “Transferring or absorbing a soul essence from another bioform would be a lot simpler?”
“Indeed. Going back the other way, from bioform to machine mode is also much more difficult. The interface the essence must travel through is twice as complex, between two completely different modes. Yet any such transfer becomes much easier after the initial process.”
“Yeah, I get that. The first time for anything can often be a pain. This is all extremely fascinating, Jia.”
“Links established. I will begin the transfer. As I warned you, there will be surges of pain as I transfer my essence within you. Focus on making a safe place for me within your mind. Inform the Kexxian neural defense entity within you–the one calling himself Om–that I am joining you as a guest, not as an attacking invader. I am very curious to meet with him on this level, and discuss many matters–including the KDM.”
“I’m sure he feels the same way about you, Jia. It should be a very interesting meeting of the minds.”
“Try to relax, Naero. I’m restraining you somewhat as the transfer begins, keeping your motor functions in stasis. You must remain still.”
Naero’s eyes went wide and her mouth gasped in breathless torment, as the first rush of pain rippled through her.
Haisha! Someone was pulverizing her bones.
“Hold still. I feel it through you as well. Transfer nearly complete. Almost there.”
Naero ground her teeth and swallowed another scream. She was sweating hard by now.
Now it was like plasma borers shooting up through her body and out her head.
Then the pain of the transfer suddenly ceased.
Naero blinked, sweating and trembling on the medbed as it sank back into the landing bay floor.
She staggered back up to her feet.
Naero looked around her.
“Jia,” she called out?
I’m here Naero. Transfer complete. I’m in your mind, my essence is part of you for now. Thank you for trusting me.
Om called out to her the next instant.
Welcome Jia. Amazing. You are…a Driathan, in fact. I see it clearly now. Accessing all Kexxian data on Driathans, and their creators, the Drians. Now I know that we shall have much to discuss, you and I.
Agreed, Om. I cannot hide my nature in this form any more than you can being Kexxian. Both of our creators were once mighty allies, and did great things together. May we do so as well. Yet, they were also mysteries to each other, just as we remain.
Naero spoke to them both directly through their internal link, sitting cross-legged on the loading bay, closing her eyes to concentrate and keep their intellects separate.
So, absorbing a soul from another physical lifeform is much easier than this was Jia? I sure hope so. That was supposed to be a little pain?
I’m sorry, Naero. You can never say how it will be on the first attempt. The soul and mind are astral and physical reflections of each other, two halves of the same coin as humans used to say. Together they form our basic essence. What makes us who and what we are.
What is a coin again?
Naero laughed. Om, a coin was a physical form of money used in ancient times. Much like we use digital credits now for trade. Small disks of various semi-precious metals, often stamped with images or words on either side. Hence the expression Jia used–two sides of the same coin.
From her place within their mind, they experienced Jia’s presence as a warm glowing light within them–a bright star.
For several long minutes they discussed the ramifications of minds and souls. How to absorb, protect, and control them, once merged with them.
But Jia also warned them.
There have been and most likely will always be beings who are able to mount mind and soul attacks on other entities. Such attacks are both psyonic and astral in nature, allowing the attacker to take over the mind and soul of another and inflict their will over the other entity–even to the point of controlling their physical body, or even damaging or destroying a person’s own essence in the process.
Naero shared her contest with Danner, how he had been able to take over Janner, and even switch minds and souls with him somehow.
In their ancient war with the G’lothc, both the Kexx and the Drians learned all too well how the great enemy were both shape-shifters, and soul killers. The G’lothc used such abilities and attacks with ruthless impunity, to inflict great damage.
Om added quickly, Yes, and those were among many reasons that their foul kind were all hunted down and eradicated.
Naero thought of Danner again. What would or could she do if he took over Janner again, or even herself?
I’m curious. The Spacer Mystics taught us how to shield our minds, but how would you defend against such a direct attack? What if another entity did force itself into your mind and try to take control?
Jia answered. Usually a strong mindshield is sufficient, Naero. Always remember that within your own mind, your will is supreme. You can do anything. If you discipline your mind and force of will enough, no outside power–no matter how strong–can force you to do anything against your will. The trick is not to let fear defeat you. Fear and strong emotions weaken your force of will and your ability to resist, or even control yourself. Try it with me. I will lift your right hand up.
Jia did so. Naero’s hand rose up, but Naero did not do it.
That felt…weird, Jia. I couldn’t stop you.
You were not prepared to or actively trying stop me. You were unfocused. Now, concentrate. I will try to lift the same arm again. Don’t allow me to do so, this time.
Naero felt the intense pressure between them. Yet this time, she easily shielded herself from Jia’s thoughts, and incredible force of will.
Her hand did not even twitch.
See?
I can do nothing if you do not allow me the freedom to do so. And if another entity tries to attack or invade your mind, you could use your own force of will to punish and even harm them.
Look out, Danner. Knowing that made her feel a little better now.
Naero had another insight. Could this work to help her control her Dark Beast? Or would it not, because the creepy thing was in fact, a part of her already? How could you defend yourself against yourself?
Did that even make any sense?
Both Naero and Jia could sense Om’s burning curiosity.
Yet how was this possible, Jia. My access files from the KDM state that the G’lothc could not only tear souls out of others, but also feed on soul energies–even devour and destroy them.
Jia sighed very deeply. That is true, the G’lothc wielded a very great and terrible power over those whose minds they conquered and overcame–but they did so first through fear or strong emotion. It is an inherently evil thing to destroy and nourish oneself on the souls and essences of others. Doing so stains, taints, and poisons the devourer, and twists their own existence for all time. Another reason, among many, why the voracious and opportunistic G’lothc had to be eliminated. Yet in the end, the cost of winning such a horrific war led both the Kexx and the Drians to question greatly, how much they themselves had been tainted and corrupted by the extent of such a long, terrible conflict.
Naero put in. I know only a little about the Kexx, and I have only heard mention of their allies, the Drians. The Drians created the Driathans, did they not? And you are a Driathan, Jia. What, then, are the Drians to you? Something akin to gods?
For a moment Jia let her own guard down, just for an instant.
In that bright flash of insight, Naero and Om sensed the overwhelming grief, loss, and despair that all Driathans endured–even millions of years later–at their sundering from their beloved creators.
My kind can barely speak of what the Drians meant to us, Naero. To us–their beloved children–they were indeed part gods, part beloved parents, part guides and mentors. We adored them, for they would not let us worship them, nor would they let the destruction of their great war touch us. They did their best to protect us–for one of the things the G’lothc desired above all else, was to take us over and control us. It was said that our fate was at the heart of the war–the very cause of it. And like any parent, the Drians fought with all their might and wisdom to protect their beloved children from being subjugated, tormented, and enslaved by such hideous and foul beings as the G’lothc–who corrupted and destroyed all that they touched.
Yet in the end, we all paid a great price for that conflict as well–even in victory.
With Jia’s soul inside her, Naero was moved to great sadness, and felt herself weeping. Just the memory of such loss was an intense burden, and Jia and her people had felt the full force of such grief for a very long time.
At the Great Sundering–when the Drians said farewell and left us to stand upon our own–our sorrow at losing the shining light of their love and wisdom was nearly more than we could bear. All of this universe still mourns the loss of their light and knowledge, and their immense beauty and wisdom. The Driathans remain a pale reflection of the Drians, made in their radiant image, to leave some fragment of them behind as a gift to all of Creation. We are but pale shadows of their inspiring awe and wonder.
Naero did not really have much of a concept of what a real god must be like, but she knew that her friend Tarim still worshipped one with great reverence. Some remnants of the Old Earth religions survived among the miners and others who were once downtrodden in various corners of the known systems. But just from sensing Jia’s deep, heart-wracking emotions, Naero had a new insight into what having and believing in gods and creators had to be like.
She thought of the poor Thanes on Thanor-4 with renewed respect.
She felt great remorse and sorrow for Jia and her people. To have had such very real entities be an every day part of life–whom all had loved and adored–and then to lose them. Nay, even worse, to suddenly be abandoned by them–had to be a very terrible ordeal indeed.
Within moments Jia’s strong emotions had Naero sobbing and weeping even harder.
Naero struggled to regain control over herself and wiped her eyes.
Hey. Jia. Om. I’m sorry I distracted us. We can talk ancient history and compare notes a lot later. Right now, we have a job to do. Let’s get to it. Jia. Do what you need to do and go where you need to go to find Baeven.
Jia agreed, and concentrated her force of will and her considerable psyonic abilities through both Naero and Om.
Within seconds Jia in fact located Baeven somewhat, as if zeroing in on a part of herself that had been torn away from her and was missing.
And in that instant of relief and joy, Naero sensed the furious and passionate love and longing that existed between Jia and the mysterious outcast who called himself Baeven.
Jia was right. The two of them were one with each other in many intimate ways, that Naero could only in part sense, glimpse, and still feel slightly embarrassed about. Such feelings were far too strong–and intimate.
Somehow, Jia and Baeven were in fact, two halves of the same actual coin. They had become one together.
He’s alive, Naero, but he’s growing weaker. I don’t understand this. He’s trapped within the actual Intel base somehow. He merged with it, while trying to phaze through its walls to investigate. Some kind of strange feedback energy trapped him within those walls. He can’t get out on his own, and if he doesn’t, his physical form will eventually perish. We must get inside to free him.
Naero activated her gravwing, still in stealth mode.
Lead on, Jia. Take us to him. We’ll get him out, somehow. But we can’t allow ourselves to get trapped in the same way he did. Then we’ll be stuck, too.
They approached the enemy base from within a series of ancient volcanic lava tubes and caves, some of them now submerged by dangerously contaminated mountain streams and aquifers that pooled and then ran off from within to the lower elevations below.
With her gravwing Naero flitted above the toxic pools and past a few underground security check points, guarded by heavily armored Ejjai and Dakkur troops, either in sealed armor or lab suits.
At last they reached a hidden landing and loading bay, filled with several factory and processing ships, humming along and working at full capacity production mode.
They passed further within several separate, sealed areas. Naero took a moment to have her fixer cloud decontaminate her, to help avoid detection.
As a bio-weapons facility, Naero worried about what kind of lethal military grade agents their enemies could be producing, in such vast quantities. And to what end?
Clearly their foes were preparing to wage a large scale biological war. Against Spacers? The Gigacorps? All of humanity?
Loaders and movers sent guards, teks, and researchers into and out of the main facility. Hundreds of Ejjai worked like fiends just within this one area. To Naero, it looked more like a hive of very determined, industrious insects.
Panels and doors opened and closed routinely, admitting and taking in the flowing traffic of more personnel.
Naero zipped into a big storage area or warehouse with plenty of maneuver room. She didn’t want to bump into anyone. To be even safer, she hovered above and moved about up in the air, virtually invisible, but not quite immaterial.
She wasn’t about to attempt to phaze through any of the strange walls yet.
Especially not after whatever had happened to Baeven.
They followed several section leaders around, trying to learn the layout of the facility, until they managed to secrete themselves into some kind of immense launching bay.
No starships, however. Just thousands more of those mobile launching tubes for some kind of missile, probe, or strike drone. Very similar to, but slightly more advanced than the enemy batteries they had located in that immense planetoid field.
The
n Naero noted that there were in fact starships. These launchers were packed in cluster units, and were definitely mobile. They had AI’s of their own, and could even jump and operate independently.
I’m registering that these dispersal drones can perform jump-7, Naero.
Equal to our best warships, Om. Not good.
Hundreds and thousands of these compact launcher vessels, each launching tube in each cluster about the size of a normal person. Each delivery vessel bristled with almost a hundred such launch tubes.
The enemy was mass-producing these weapons and delivery systems on a daily basis.
Jia and Om spoke up at the same time.
This is a massive bio-weapons program, Jia observed.
Analysis: These drones will deliver replicating bio-toxins over a wide interstellar area, N. They are designed for planet-wide assaults–to destroy entire populations quickly, with fast acting biowar agents.
Even Naero was aghast at the scope of it all.
The enemy never did anything in a small way.
Om went on. No mistake Naero. Most of these devices are already filled with the actual toxins. Only a small percentage remain empty. Estimate project completion in less than one standard week.
Jia joined in. From scanning their navigation, fleets of these droneships will be towed or transported in bulk ships to their launch areas under the cover of common mining and merchant vessels, already cleared and waiting for these false shipments. The coordinates and their dispersal patterns are already pre-programmed.
What are their target destinations, Jia?
Mass attacks on every known populated world in the Gigacorps Sector. Based on these estimates, over ninety-seven percent of the human race and other sentients could be wiped out within a few standard months. Spacers in a few months more.
Naero herself despised the Corps who still clung to their empires of hundreds of systems.
Yet all of those countless, innocent people who did not have a choice. Even the duped landers of the Gigacorps did not deserve to be slaughtered like this.
Spacer Clans Adventure 3: Naero's Fury Page 28
