Looks like there’s a bit of warrior blood in the line of Shuveen, Candor thought. Yet at the same time he felt reasonably certain that those days were gone. The desire for war having evaporated as carbon dioxide diminished in the atmosphere, and the dire imperative to survive underground had taken hold. Global catastrophes do have a way of pulling a species together. He added silently as his eyes scanned the room.
Draped both behind and in front of the staircase, was a series of richly colored green and gold tapestries. While above him, the roof was curved into an impressive dome that was set with transparent windows, and trimmed with golden rings. Candor could see the outer dome to the city above him, and he stopped. Watching as thousands of transports moved with speed and precision through the vast complex both above and below the city.
“Bless the Goddess,” said a deep hissing baritone at the top of the stairs.
Candor looked up as a tall alien figure descended towards them. Even though he would have liked to call it a he, or a she, Candor found that he could only gawk at the creature’s strange appearance. At more than eight feet tall, and covered with gray-green skin that looked synthetic, the creature was imposing. It had an oval face that resembled a Penticorian, with long thin fingers that were nearly twice the length of Candor’s. Yet its most striking feature was that it was completely naked. And on top of that, it had nothing externally to imply any form of gender.
“Jinx,” Sador called out in greeting.
“Seiss Sador.” Replied the creature as it bowed in respect. Then, bending slightly at the waist it repeated the gesture. “Shajin Janesska, I trust that you both are well?”
“Yes Jinx.” His mother replied. She unfastened a golden clasp and removed a shawl that was draped into the folds of her gown. Handing it to Jinx she said. “Now that our son is home, we are very well indeed.”
The creature his parents called Jinx, turned to Candor. “Master Candor.” It said with an exuberant smile that Candor found unsettling. “Rejuvenated yet again, I see. Bless the Goddess that she has returned you to your parents unharmed.”
Candor wasn’t sure what to say, if anything. “Thank you, Jinx.”
Jinx canted its head slightly, as if sensing that something was wrong. “Are you well, Master Candor?”
“His memory remains, erratic.” Janesska said. “Yet we have Zyphon’s assurance that it will pass in time. Until then, Candor will need our understanding and assistance.”
Jinx straightened to a more formal posture. “I understand, Matriarch,” replied the creature.
“I am reassigning your duties. From this moment on, you will attend Candor.”
Jinx bowed once more, and Candor realized that just like human women, Penticorian females ruled the roost as well.
“It is my honor to serve,” replied Jinx.
Janesska drew Candor close, and kissed him on the forehead. “Are you recovering, little one?”
“I believe so, Mother. Although I could use some rest.”
“Of course,” Janesska said as she ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sure that today has been very stressful for you. Take Jinx, and retire. Then later we shall get together for the evening meal.”
Without realizing it, Candor leaned forward and kissed his mother’s cheek. The impulse startled him, yet he made no attempt to stop himself. It was a strange sensation. This feeling of love and attachment for his mother was both powerful and undeniable. Yet he gave in freely, immersed in her gentle gaze.
“I shall see you then, Mother.”
Janesska stroked his cheek as she smiled. “My little one, it is so good to have you home.”
Sador’s joy at having their family intact was apparent, and he nodded in approval at Candor. Then taking Janesska by the arm, Sador accompanied his wife up the grand staircase. Once they were out of sight, Candor examined Jinx once again.
What the hell are you? He asked himself for the tenth time.
“This way, Master Candor,” said the androgynous figure.
Instead of going up the stairs, Jinx led him down a long and wide corridor adjoining the lower floors of the manor to the Great Room. The hallway was illuminated at its base by a uniform recessed groove in the walls. He continued to be mesmerized by the powerful and art-filled architecture that surrounded him. Stopping every few feet to look at strange statues, or gaze at the wonders of a stone colonnade.
“To what degree has your memory been impacted, Master Candor?”
Candor shrugged. “I have some strong feelings about what I used to be, but honestly I don’t remember anything before the accident. I haven’t told my mother or father, I don’t want to worry them.”
“That is a wise and considerate decision.”
“And please, Jinx. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell them.”
“You heard it yourself, Master Candor. I am to attend you, and I would never violate that sacred trust.”
Candor wasn’t certain that those orders included keeping his confidence. But for the time being he didn’t even know his way around the manor, so he had to trust Jinx. And for some strange reason, he did.
“Excuse me, Jinx. I don’t mean to offend you, but I must ask. What are you, exactly?”
“I am not offended, Master Candor. I am the Seneschal for the house of Shuveen.”
“Okay look. First, you’re going to have to stop with all that ‘Master’ talk. Just call me Candor. And second, what’s a Seneschal?”
Jinx stopped in mid stride and regarded Candor with a confused expression. “That is a highly unusual request, but as you wish. However, please do not expect me to address you informally when in the company of others.”
Candor nodded.
“I am the overseer of the manor.” Said Jinx in answer to Candor’s second question.
“I get it, like a manager.” Candor replied as they began walking again. Jinx looked confused by the reference.
“That’s not what I was getting at though. I want to know what you are. What type of being are you? You’re not a Penticorian, I can see that much.”
“No indeed,” agreed Jinx. “I am Khefdoss, a simulacrum.”
“Simulacrum, you don’t say. So, what does that make you, a robot or something?”
“I’m sorry, but what is a robot?”
“Sorry, I sure do keep throwing out those odd terms today.” Then he waved his hand dismissively. “Oh well, can’t blame a guy for sticking to what he knows. What I mean is, are you a machine? Or maybe you recognize the term, android?”
“Android, I understand. And perhaps that would have been an accurate, although crude definition for those that were constructed centuries before me. However, I am not an android. I am a simulacrum.”
“Okay,” said Candor. “Although I still don’t know what that means?”
Jinx shot a worried glance in Candor’s direction as they turned the corner, heading down another ornately decorated wide sloped corridor. In response to Jinx’s questioning look, Candor smiled as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“For lack of terminology that you could potentially misinterpret, I was grown.”
“Really, that’s fantastic. And how is that accomplished exactly?”
“I was genetically engineered, and then grown through a combination of organic and inorganic elements using Construct Healers.”
“More Healers, that is interesting. They certainly seem to be helpful to Penticorian technology.”
Jinx looked puzzled. “They are the cornerstone of all that you see. There are many strains of Healers suited to a multitude of diverse applications.”
“So, did they grow everything that made you from head to toe?”
“No. The housing that serves as the interface for all of my sentient functions was constructed by a specialized form of Healers, known as Khefdoss.”
“Hence the name,” retorted Candor.
“Correct. The Khefdoss Healers are the pinnacle of Penticorian technology, capable of quadrillions of computa
tions per microsecond.”
Candor had no idea what Jinx was talking about. He only understood the Healers in the most simplistic terms. From his time with Zyphon, he knew that essentially, they were living microscopic machines that could build and repair at the cellular level. And he wanted to think of Jinx as something more than just a machine. Yet every time he tried to wrap his mind around the concept, one look at the tall naked figure beside him brought him back to the same conclusion.
It might be unimaginably sophisticated. Jinx might even have bones and blood for all I know, but in the end, it’s just a machine, a facsimile of a Penticorian.
“You appear to be lost in thought, Candor.”
Looking up, he decided to probe into the heart of some of his deeper questions. “What do you consider yourself? Are you a male, or a female?”
Jinx canted its head, as if it had never thought to ask the question of itself. “Interesting, Penticorian law does not dictate gender assignments upon the activation of a simulacrum.”
“So, you don’t know?”
“I am not an indigenous life form. I do not procreate. Nor do I have the same metabolism and respiration that you do. So I do not think that gender is of any consequence.”
“Wow,” replied Candor. “That’s a pretty good dodge of the question. The most articulate I’ve ever heard in fact.”
Jinx gave a short nasal laugh. “Are you certain that you remember nothing? Before your latest rejuvenation, you took a great deal of pleasure in debating other issues with me for hours on end.”
“I wish I did, Jinx, but I don’t. Nevertheless, the question still stands.”
Jinx stopped for a moment and sighed, or at least a simulacrum’s approximation of a sigh. After a brief silence, Jinx turned to Candor, the light gleaming off its silvery eyes.
“I suppose that if I had to choose, I would align myself more with the Penticorian male.”
“I thought so. And besides, it was getting really cumbersome to think of you as a genderless creature.”
“I apologize for causing you any inconvenience.”
Candor laughed, and Jinx appeared even more confused. “Tell me, Jinx. Are there any rules that prevent you from wearing clothes?”
“There are no laws forbidding it. As a simulacrum, there is simply no need for such coverings. Until now I had never given the matter any consideration. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’re creeping me out standing there naked.”
“Creeping you out?”
“Jinxy old boy, you’re making me uncomfortable.”
“It never appeared to disturb you prior to your latest rejuvenation.”
“I don’t remember anything before today. And what I do remember is nothing like what I’ve experienced since being brought back from the dead.”
“Then please, Candor. Extrapolate if you would.”
Now it was Candor’s turn to sigh. “I remember being a mammal, an oxygen breather classified as a human being. We had cities and technology, although nothing as advanced as this.” He gestured toward the massive silver ring that was embedded into the solid rock wall they were approaching at the end of the corridor.
“Fascinating,” replied Jinx. “I often ponder what it truly means to be among those endowed with a fadosh. I myself cannot remember being self-aware before my activation. Do you think that the Goddess allowed you to travel to another realm of existence while you were dead?”
“What’s a fadosh? My mother used the term earlier when talking to my father.”
“That is not surprising, as the classification is often used as a term of endearment. I am intrigued that you do not remember. The fadosh is the living energy that encompasses all that you are. Without it you are nothing more than an empty shell. Like I was, before my brain was joined with my body and then activated.”
It took Candor a moment to put the pieces together. At first, he thought it was simply the name for “brain.” But then he realized that Jinx said that he didn’t have a fadosh, which implied that it was something more.
“So, the fadosh is the spirit, soul, or the living essence?”
“Essence, indeed,” agreed Jinx. “I am unfamiliar with the term ‘spirit,’ but the context of your reply would indicate a similar function.”
“And this energy is a known entity? It can be quantified, qualified, and measured?”
“Of course,” replied Jinx as the stone inside the silver ring retreated to allow them entry. “The fadosh of a Penticorian remains with the body for three days following the termination of all life functions. After that time, the organic mind can no longer support memory and thought. The fadosh then changes forms, and is widely believed to ascend to the realm of Eos.”
The pieces of the puzzle began to align. So, that’s what Zyphon meant when he said that he got to me before the third day. They have the technology to define the soul, and can gauge its energy. Amazing! And the energy in an isolated system cannot be destroyed or created. It can only change forms, and ascend to the Penticorian version of heaven.
Candor frowned, because the concept made perfect sense. What would humans have done if they understood the soul like a Penticorian? It certainly would have made for some lively religious debates. And knowing how humans behave, a great deal more war and bloodshed. Heck, we fought over the intangibles. I can’t imagine what we would have done to each other if we’d really understood the mechanics of what made us, us.
“Are you well, Candor?”
“Everyone keeps asking me that, and it’s getting a little annoying to tell you the truth.” Shaking himself from that disturbing train of thought, Candor looked up at Jinx. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you, I’m just tired.”
It wasn’t the entire truth, but it contained enough legitimacy so that Candor didn’t feel guilty for the deception. What was really eating at him was the fact that he was still thinking like a human being, and not like a Penticorian. Were his memories only a dream? If they were, Candor realized that it could only lead to a prolonged assimilation into a culture that he was supposed to have been a part of since birth.
So, what am I? He asked himself. An alien that dreamed he was a human; or a human that is dreaming he’s an alien?
“Come then.” Jinx said as he motioned for him to enter the room beyond the corridor.
Candor stepped inside and realized that he didn’t just have a room, he had a mansion inside the manor. A large space with marble pillars and stained wooden accents ignited his senses. At the far end of the room, one entire wall adjoined the outer dome which overlooked the city. Walking across the tiled floor he approached it, and being completely transparent it gave him a spectacular view of the ocean.
“Nice digs,” he mused. “Does everyone have it this good?”
“I do not understand the question,” Jinx answered as he stood at Candor’s side. “Under normal circumstances I would not continue to iterate that which you know. However, since your memory is faulty, I will tell you that the service a Penticorian provides to society dictates their surroundings. I will also tell you that by their nature, Penticorians are communal beings.
“So, whole generations live under the same roof?”
Jinx nodded. “In some instances, family units that have bonded together as well. Penticorian’s thrive on their collective oneness. They gather strength from a sense of family, and community.”
“Yet we obviously like our space. From the looks of this place I don’t have to go out unless I choose.”
“That is an accurate assessment. Shuveen manor is comprised of four houses. Your parents occupy the main estate. And when your function in society was approved, this house was prepared for you.”
“And what about the other two houses?”
“One was the prior residence of your parents. Upon the assent to Eos by your grandparents, Sador and Janesska relocated to the main estate. The other house was constructed for your sister. However, she ascended to Eos after an accident. It was unfor
tunate, for she was very young.”
“My sister died?”
Jinx was confused, and Candor could see the question lurking in his eyes. But it didn’t matter, because it seems that whatever form life took, or how technologically advanced it became, unexpected things still happened.
“Did she suffer?” Candor whispered as he felt his grief intensify. That pain ignited intense emotions that roiled inside of him.
“All indications are that her ascension was instantaneous, Candor.”
Jinx realized that Candor was stricken with grief. For him the loss was immediate, since he remembered nothing before his rejuvenation. Reaching out, he placed a long four-fingered hand onto Candor’s shoulder and said. “She was a newly appointed research assistant, charged with innovating methods for extracting carbon dioxide from the planet. She was underground when an unexpected tectonic shift caused the cavern to collapse.”
Candor felt the tears welling up in his alien eyes. “My sister,” he said softly. “What was her name?”
Jinx wondered if Candor’s rejuvenation had left him mentally unstable, standing on the brink of a nervous breakdown. He did not wish to be the one to push Candor over the precipice. Yet looking at him, Jinx could see Candor’s unyielding determination. Candor was going to find out, whether Jinx told him or not.
“Her name was Vesspa,” Jinx said, convinced that if Candor was going to falter, then he would be the one to pull him back.
“What a pretty name,” replied Candor.
Slowly, he moved past that knowledge, taking each new piece of information and diligently storing it in his memory. Jinx admitted that there was strength of character in Candor that he had not seen before today. He was proud of him, even though the thought of wearing clothes made him uneasy.
“Did my parents try to have another child?”
“I am afraid not; your mother was too grief stricken after Vesspa’s ascension. Not to mention that it would take decades for them to be granted another attempt.”
Penticore Prime Page 6
