by Vic Davis
“Right, let’s do this,” interrupted Pilgrim before the two could get going. Pilgrim hovered forward climbing the dune then cresting it. The group followed its lead. The distance was not far. The last dune was surmounted; the scene below revealed an abandoned source fountain excavation. A modest crater had been hollowed into the flowscape; debris lay everywhere around the encampment: tools, flow scraps, and even a small mountain of bandit’s loot.
Pilgrim accelerated its processing to get a better picture of what they were facing; the flow of time seemed to stop. Pilgrim knew that it was an illusion, that it was only thinking at an accelerated rate, but it was extremely useful in identifying threats and solving tactical problems. Combined with its new ability to accelerate its movement, Pilgrim felt that it could dominate a battlefield while there was energy to do so. Well, perhaps it shouldn’t be quite so overconfident, thought Pilgrim.
The scene below was just as the scout had relayed: an Omega, two ovoids and as far as Pilgrim could tell, unless they were expertly camouflaged, no one else. Simple enough, thought Pilgrim; its perceived passage of time returned to normal. The inhabitants of the encampment were surprised to see Pilgrim charging toward them. The Omega did not stir. It was de-energized to the point of lethargy. The two ovoids resting nearby did not shift into battle forms. One hovered up and away trying to take shelter behind the large form of the Omega; the other much smaller ovoid held its ground in front of the obviously disabled monster in an almost casual stance of calm defiance. This one must be the Alpha, thought Pilgrim as it conjured its Fibonacci lash, then unleashed it in a hissing unraveling through the ether.
The diminutive ovoid grew suddenly in size, disappeared behind a wall of flow of every conceivable type: chunks from the excavation, slabs that had served once as shelter, abandoned tools and instruments, even an eclectic assortment of bandit loot. The barrier shattered under the impact of the lash but absorbed or diverted enough of its destructive energy to protect those behind it.
The supposed Alpha, now much larger, as if it had expanded itself with ether, remained hovering in place. Pilgrim was so transfixed on its opponent that it almost did not see the two converging piles of debris attempting to blindside it from the flanks. A quick darting movement backward allowed Pilgrim to avoid serious harm; the piles smashed into each other and fell to the ground.
Breaker, Stinky and Zuur now arrived on the scene followed by the column of Hegemon Commandos, which immediately fanned out behind them, long lances leveled at the beast in case it should make a charge at them; it did not. Instead it let out a groan that was a sad parody of its tell-tale shriek.
Pilgrim sized up its opponent. The inflated ovoid was acting oddly for an Alpha, but it was clearly defending the Omega. Pilgrim summoned a surge of energy, faux teleported forward, formed an energized tendril for a decohering blow. Somehow its opponent had anticipated its move, or simply sought to form another barrier of defense. An avalanche of debris struck Pilgrim on both sides sending it flailing backward, disorientated but unharmed.
Zuur advanced with the large piece of statuary that it had found in Privil’s Landing, again turned into a club. The Hegemon Commandos encircled the crippled Omega. Breaker ordered the attack. “Finish this! Now. Quickly.”
An ovoid shape hustled around and almost over the flank of the Omega. “No! Breaker! Stop! It’s me, Humble.”
Breaker raised a quickly formed tendril. “Hold! Humble? What in the Hidden Nodes is going on here?”
“It’s wounded Breaker and it’s really not that bad a source creature when you get to know it. Their Alphas drive them crazy with their conditioning and manipulation. They are practically designed to be hair trigger weapons and dominated easily.” Humble motioned a tendril towards the distressed Omega and its protector. “These two here stumbled on my little sanctuary and I’ve been helping them out. This one here is Mong or Ong or something along the lines of ‘it who moves the flow.’ It doesn’t really signal but I can read its moods and get impressions. We can communicate surprisingly well. And the big one there is, well, best as I can figure it: ‘special project something or other.’ Still working on it. But—”
Stinky had come forward. “Where is the Alpha?”
“Ah yes, well, the Omega ate it I think.”
“What? You witnessed this,” asked Breaker trying to make sense of Humble’s story.
“No, but I saw it spit out the core. It eventually went back to the ether a while ago. The little guy emerged from special project whatever’s maw. It seems it talked the Omega into to letting it go and there was a dispute about that.”
“Wait,” signaled Breaker. “You mean the Omega was carrying that source-being inside it, and it managed to not be digested and then convince it to turn on its master? I don’t believe it.”
“Well, they were both inside it actually. Apparently, they are designed to do that and suppress any Talents except domination. So, the Alpha was riding inside the Omega trying to get back to Instrumentality, or at least to some Council troops but like I said, there was an argument: a fatal one. Except the Alpha managed to do some damage. I’m not sure what but I’ve been trying to coax it into a better mood. I don’t think it’s a problem with its core. It’s more of a mental thing if you know what I mean.”
“Simply incredible,” signaled Breaker giving the Omega a serious appraisal. Breaker hesitated a moment then signaled, “Okay Humble I trust you. Store your weapons. Stand down.”
Lances were raised to the ceiling; battle forms vanished. All complied but Zuur. It hovered up next to Pilgrim. “We remember this one. It was with you at my tavern. It’s got the taint of the Dominators on it.”
“Good grief Zuur. Mesmers aren’t inherently evil,” signaled Stinky. “Don’t let your grudge against Codex and ancient history cloud your judgement.”
“I was there. We know the truth,” countered Zuur with a growing sense of anger. “This one is nosy. It’s playing games too. Those are the worst kind.”
Stinky’s remonstration was quick. “Enough Zuur. This Mesmer here is part of the True Path. It’s only a half Talent at that, I’m pretty sure. No offense intended.”
“None taken,” mumbled Humble. “But I’m pretty good at what I do.”
“I can vouch for Humble,” signaled Pilgrim. “I’d have it fighting by my side any cycle.” Zuur grumbled but did not seek to provoke any further argument.
“But it does beg the question,” signaled Breaker with a slightly accusatory tone. “Where have you been Humble? You just disappeared.”
Humble seemed to fidget in an embarrassed manner. “Well, I’ve been trying to figure things out. Put things back in place. My sanity was a tower of flow blocks tilting for a fall. Now I look at you Pilgrim, hovering right there, and I know that I haven’t gone off the deep end. I know it’s really you. You are as opaque as ever. But they said you were gone. Poof into thin ether. Most likely decohered. I saw something back in Privil’s Landing not long ago: an ovoid completely opaque like you, with an imprint of your alien patterns, as if it had consumed some part of you. I started questioning my hold on reality. But I’m looking right at you now. We are signaling in Hegemonic code. That must mean that I am a lot better.”
“It’s me Humble. And I’ve got a lot to tell you. For—”
“Let’s hear the rest of Humble’s story first,” interrupted Breaker politely. “What have you been doing out here and what is all this about?” Breaker swept a tendril to indicate Mong and the Omega.
“Well, it’s like I told you. After my little encounter with that opaque source-being that threw me into a funk, I came out here to put myself back together. I remembered this trickle of a flow fountain and thought I could use some contemplation alone where I didn’t have to get bombarded by everyone’s feelings and emotions. Plus, there is always the temptation to push or nudge and I was frankly sick of it. I’ve always been afraid of it. So, I took a vacation.”
“In the middle of a war? Without telling us
?” signaled Breaker dumbfounded.
“I’m sorry. I can’t explain it. It’s weird. Maybe I was hearing something in my transom. I just got this feeling I needed a break. But I’m back now. This Mong or Ong fellow is a good sort and pretty handy in fight. Special Project is a good-natured fellow really and once it gets some nourishment it will be fine. I’ve tuned its— well, its psyche you might say. It’s really not a monster. Just like you are not a monster Pilgrim. And we could use the help in the True Path.”
“Humble, there was a fight in Privil’s Landing. The True Path is down to you, me, Pilgrim, Bleaks, Lacks, Steadfast, Freaks, and Charge, who isn’t really in any shape to do much of anything. Havoc is gone too except for a dozen or so Heavies.”
“I see,” signaled Humble truly disconsolate.
“Master Breaker,” interrupted Stinky politely, “this can all wait until later. We should be on our way back to the column and the slip point.”
“Yes, but first we need to decide what we are going to do with the Omega and this other one,” replied Breaker.
The tone of Breaker’s symbols gave Pilgrim a bad feeling. “I hope you aren’t suggesting that we decohere them?”
“I think it needs to be considered. That Omega is a liability. If Humble can’t keep it pacified, then it will eat whatever it can get its tentacles on. We have seen that time and again, have we not?”
“Now wait just a moment,” signaled Humble angrily. “I won’t let you do harm to either of these two. You have my word as a member of the True Path that they are not a threat.”
Zuur grunted. “Perhaps, we should remove the Mesmer too?”
“Not helpful Zuur,” signaled Pilgrim. “This is silly. I trust Humble with my coherence. We should take them with us and see if they could be useful. The Omega destroyed its Alpha. That’s a good sign that—”
“That it was hungry,” interrupted Breaker.
“Let’s not bicker and argue about who ate who,” soothed Stinky. “We have better things to do and frankly we could use all the help that we can get. But we’ll keep a close watch on our new ‘friends’ here. The council isn’t one for such convoluted plots even if they are masters at subversion and domination with their Alphas.”
“Fine, but there is one thing that you are forgetting Chief Engineer,” countered Breaker seemingly very pleased with itself.
“And what is that?”
“There is a good chance that a Council Alpha is embedded in our little army and tagging along until it can work more mischief. What happens if it decides to take control of this Omega at the wrong time and turn it on us? Perhaps in the middle of a battle for instance.”
Stinky scratched a tendril on its crown in an act of habit from its previous existence in another world. “Well, I hadn’t thought about that actually. You do have a point.”
“I’ve got an idea,” interjected Pilgrim. “I’m surprised that you haven’t thought of it yourself Breaker.”
“The student dares to challenge the master!” joked Breaker deflating the tension. “Please do elucidate your plan.”
“Well, I think we should set a trap. Something like this—"
Chapter 7
Hidden Truths and Secret Lies
“Captain, I’m not so sure we should trust this Codex. We wait mindlessly, while it makes the rounds visiting its so-called friends. I have surreptitiously observed it do this ritual. Its friends are pillars of solid flow. If they communicate, I cannot detect it.”
“Groz, has the right of it, captain,” agreed Block. “Not that I am complaining mind you. The source here that you summon from the ether is sweet and more refreshing than any raw source I have ever ingested. Even unworked and devoid of any patterns it is sublime in its simplicity. It would not harm us to compose ourselves here for a further while. We might even realize that we could change our plans, head back to the Free Cities, and make ourselves, uh, I mean you Captain Xodd, King of the Free Cities. I have started training our new recruits—”
Xodd had heard enough. “Your opinion on anything other than the readiness of our combat troops is unwelcome, Sergeant Block. If you persist in regaling us with your fantasies, then— you are welcome to head back on your own. Until that time, I lead this company. And it is I alone who will decide its fate. Is that understood?”
Block snapped a perfunctory salute that Xodd knew meant absolutely nothing. The sergeant would be back to its needling ways in no time. Xodd wondered briefly why it did not consider just smashing a war club over the sergeant’s crown. Such an action would have been the natural response in the past but now Xodd was somehow reluctant. Why? Was its authority not as absolute? Perhaps it was that resources were limited and even an annoying Sergeant Block was valuable?
Before Xodd could finish the internal disquisition, Malador broke into one of its excoriations. “I have reminded Sergeant Block of its duty to follow orders and cease with the constant questioning of the company’s goals. The results have been less than satisfactory.”
“Now wait just a fraction of a sub cycle lieutenant,” signaled Block in a huff. “I have been working my form walls off trying to get this rabble in shape. You can see the results yourself. They might not all have weapons just yet but when they do get them, they will be marginally competent which is a lot more than they were before.
“As for my expressions of concern about our impending trip to Instrumentality, well it’s just that I am honestly a little bit nervous. It seems overly ambitious. I don’t think Voor is the best judge of—”
“Enough!” signaled Xodd. The mention of Voor had set off suspicions and thoughts that Xodd knew were unhelpful. The parasite was always uncharacteristically quiet when such matters were broached, and this only set Xodd further on edge. “I have been to the Endarchs’ great six-sided chamber. I have heard the servants and acolytes whisper of the holy of holies deep below.” Xodd wondered how much of those memories were actually real but dismissed the thought. Such pursuits would only lead to agonizing self-doubt and paralysis. Action was needed even if it was based on lies. Xodd continued, “I recall that Baloris had a resting spot signifying its authority in one of the six alcoves of the great hexagon. I do not trust Voor but its claim that the Endarchs derive their power from some ancient artifact is plausible. Even if we find no such device, the pleasure of decohering each of those manipulating self-styled demi-gods will be worth the effort”
There was an awkward silence. Xodd stirred from its fevered imaginations of revenge. “Where is Voor?”
“Off ministering to the rabble, uh, I mean our, your company,” reported Block.
“Who gave it such permission?”
“Well, nobody sir. It just sort of did it. Although, I have to say it seems to be working quit well in unifying them. Not that it helps them be better soldiers. And Voor is quite complimentary of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Voor seems convinced that you are some type of epic hero, a servant of the Ancients, and that you will deliver them all from the clutches of the Old Enemies. The recruits are eating it all up. You haven’t noticed that when you were inspecting them sir?”
“No. I can barely stand to look at them. We might as well be fielding an army of source farming peasants.”
“They are getting better,” asserted Block a little insulted that its efforts were not being fully appreciated.
“Yes, I am sure sergeant. You are doing a fine job. Now we just need to figure out the best way to get to Instrumentality. But in this place, we are completely dependent on Voor and this Codex. I cannot help but feel like a prisoner, since I have no way to leave or lead you all away from here on my own.” The admission stung; Xodd stifled a laugh at the realization that they were indeed prisoners in these Empty Nodes. “So, until then, we will prepare and train. And speaking of preparations, where are the old geezer and Grivil? Why are they not here?”
“Ah, I have sent them off to examine some of the rare flow deposits,” answered Malador. “We
are working on several promising projects.”
“Good. Perhaps some use will come of our extended stay here. We must all be diligent and make the best of it. You are dismissed.”
Xodd departed to find Voor and Codex; it came upon them in the middle of a sermon at the first ring of encampments. Everywhere Xodd went it was greeted by a hushed awe as it passed. Many of the former slaves, artisans and menial workers lowered their energy states and set themselves down upon the hard surface of the flow. Xodd recalled the salutes its soldiers had rendered when it was the general of a Council army. No, thought Xodd, that was different. That was conditioned obedience. This seemed more like worship. Xodd smiled pleased at the turn of events. Now these creatures would find fulfillment serving Xodd, helping to achieve Xodd’s paramount ambition: revenge.
Out on the periphery Xodd spotted the Old Alchemist and Grivil taking samples from some of the smaller flow formations. An idea occurred to Xodd; it approached carefully hoping vainly to discern what they were discussing, if anything, before they noticed its presence.
Grivil rotated as Xodd drew near, a sly expression dancing on its form walls. “You are not as sneaky as your young ward, captain. I could sense you half a node away,” taunted the singleton master Channeler.
“No doubt. Now turn your skills to my service. I need to find Voor and our host. They are on some type of farewell tour. I grow tired of waiting.”
Grivil could not suppress its rankling at Xodd exerting its presumed authority. But it realized that the captain was a dangerous, unpredictable quantity. Grivil made an exaggerated placating motion with two tendrils. “Yes, of course Captain Xodd: my colleague and I were almost finished here.”
“The geezer can stay and finish whatever it is you are doing. I need to find Voor and Codex now.”
The Old Alchemist packed up its satchel. “I’m done. And I think you will be pleased. Malador will find this very interesting. We must send a crew here to excavate some of this flow. We will have to first dig below, into the softer flow to remove this formation. Then with the proper treat—”
