Thanks stads.
I should have enough time and inspiration for daily updates. Anyway here is the next part.
p66.
Beyond 'X' Book IV & V latest post BK V ch 06 Pt 8 & 9 25th Mar '15 complete
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Paranoid66
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 5]] --- STORM SEASON ---
[Ignoring my mostly private fears about the ‘Entanglement’ having somehow gained access to our ‘EXO-C’ positional feed data, we concluded that only long real space trips might confound her supposed jump tracking. Jumping direct to any ‘TNS Beacon’ would act, excuse both the pun and repeat, as a beacon to ‘Crimson’ and at the very least an excuse for her to investigate why we are way out there.]
[Ideally, any exploration, we agreed, would need to set off from the nearest ‘Star Struck’ position and journey through real space. The long boring hauls through the dark best done by remote ‘Sub Core’ run assets. Avatars either ‘Real Material’ or ‘Suit Substance’ waiting onboard that we investigators could animate via ‘EXO-C’ upon arrival.]
[If she had access to our position via snooping on our ‘EXO-C’ data as I now feared as more probable than a perfected ‘Universe Wide Jump Detection Network’ then our odd real space activity would definitely draw her attention too. However if we gave her no excuse to appear without possibly compromising the truth of how she really tracked us, something she had seemingly worked hard not to do, she might leave us alone. This was hardly a perfect solution - in a weird way relying on her cooperation - but it was the best we could do.]
[Meanwhile I began encouraging ‘MTC’ scientists and ‘Hierophants’ to investigate a means to disable our ‘EXO-C’ positional function as a method to hide from anyone possibly able to monitor the same such as potentially the ‘Entanglement’ and yes I know that all sounds terribly paranoid and I did get some strange looks. To be honest even if the scientists complied with my slightly irrational sounding request, I was not feeling especially hopeful of a good result. ‘EXO-C’ from our end had proved to have an almost impenetrable operating system. Even if some ‘Divers’ knew how, (judging by what happened in the ‘Sphere Harbour’), to turn the data off we ‘Pilgrims’ had no clue as to where to even start to do such a thing other than by simply destroying our links - not a practical solution.]
[In addition, I could be wrong about ‘Crimson’ somehow reading our ‘EXO-C’ positional data to thus know where everyone - with a link - is at all times it just seemed a perfect way to keep perfect track of us something ‘Crimson’ too often annoyingly achieved.]
[Sadly, no one knew for certain how the ‘Entanglement’ really tracked us maybe she just had a ‘Jump Detection Network’ some ‘Tagging’ operations and legions of agents and spies everywhere else ranging from tiny remotes to traitorous ‘Pilgrims’ who misguidedly followed her. Actually, she would have such assets too even with an ‘EXO-C’ positional data hack. She might even be running a multitude of ‘Meat Suit Avatars’ in our society as agents in fact the latter was highly probable resisting such an opening to interact and play with us up close difficult.]
[In star depths guarded by the ‘Divers’ more obvious intrusions by any part of her vast ‘bio-mechanical’ body would be unwise so she was bound to have considered and deployed covert means such as ‘Meat Suits’.]
[In the end all we could do was the countermeasures we were capable of sadly we could not send out investigators without links we were too dependent upon links even for intra-system ‘Sub Core’ communications. As soon as the meeting broke up we all began to organise our own long haul missions to some convenient ‘TNS Beacons’ as divided up by faction, beacons that we each had somewhat randomly and presumptuously laid claim to. I felt sure that the ‘Entanglement’ could follow us out there if she wanted to. It would all come down to the question of whether or not she could restrain herself possibly to help keep her own tracking secrets possibly to give us a little space to get ourselves into more trouble.]
[I did not doubt that more trouble lay out there waiting for us, for us it oft seemed that an inexhaustible supply of difficulties waited patiently and few gains came too cheap.]
[Thinking about how earnestly ‘Weep’ sought to stay hidden from the ‘Entanglement’, made me believe that when it came to ‘Crimson’ we were all fools. We could run but we could not hide forever. Only our proximity to the power of the ‘Star Divers’ gave us some possible protection from the worst of her meddling ways. The best ‘Pilgrim’ policy we had managed being to cower at the feet of one giant to protect us from another’s wrath.]
[Was ‘Crimson Entangled’ incredibly upset with us for fleeing her jurisdiction via seeking to colonise the star depths? Conversely might she finally begin to realise that she had forced us to flee away and that eventually she would have to moderate her impulses if she wanted to attain a future better relationship with her fellow ‘Pilgrims’.]
[I decided that perhaps it was time that I dared to talk with the ‘Entanglement’ again although I rather dreaded the idea. Before I could change my mind I opted to launch an Avatar Drone out from ‘Port Discovery’ and once in open space I operated a link connection address that she had - unkindly - left with me previously almost as if a dare.]
“Now here is a link I was not sure would ever be used.” [Came an instant reply.]
“You need to let us go for a while.” [I replied immediately fearing that otherwise the conversation might hastily go off optic.]
“Why is that?” [She replied.]
“If you do not give us some space you will get drawn into our difficulties with the ‘Star Divers’ and trust me you do not want to be entangled up in that one. You need them as an enemy no more than the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’. Whilst attempting to manipulate the ‘Star Divers’ into chasing us out of the stars would be equal folly. You know if the ‘Divers’ and we ‘Pilgrims’ do part ways they might opt to simply exterminate us ‘Pilgrims’ to keep their secrets and that definition of ‘Pilgrim’ might easily include you.” [I stated.]
“You presume a great deal by assuming that I am scared of those grubbers hiding in the fires.” [She replied with an almost imperial haughtiness.]
“I think you are afraid and feeling insecure despite all your gains. Even if due to the obscene spread of your mass, you survive somewhat diminished you will suffer so much material loss combating the ‘Divers’ that you might lose your mind from the agony. Then even if you reclaim some small semblance of sanity later you shall be left alone for eternity, the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’ far less likely to survive such a devastating confrontation between such outsized superpowers.” [I stated.]
“Have I put on a little weight I never noticed?” [She joked.] “You know I always have my ocean ‘Dwellers’ to keep me company.” [She replied.]
“They are too placid for your tastes and might be far from safe too in ecologically fragile ocean habitats easily contaminated and poisoned.” [I added.]
“I am sure I could easily fix their demeanour.” [She replied ignoring the toxic issue.]
“Such meddling would bring down the wrath of the ‘Highest’.” [I assured her.]
“Cowards that fearfully ran away lest I learn their secrets they like to make ultimatums but I am not sure they know how to put up a real fight anymore relying principally on their reputations of old. Besides if they sought to kill me it would be kin-slaying for I am one of their own now a fellow ‘Suit Substance Ascendant’.” [She claimed.]
[Now that was a scary truth to consider.]
“Why risk such damage and damnation do you want to be the cause of your ‘Pilgrim’ peers eradication. Previously, if belatedly, you stayed your limbs we both know that you could have waged a campaign that would have consumed all of us.” [I stated.]
“I made the ‘Sea Sphere Surfaces’ my domain but let many of those that fled live. I showed mercy to a great many though I made them fight for it that way they would treasure their survival all the more - as a boon. It is true I could have easily striven to take you all into my body. Some of you might hide from me for a time but I have so many ways to find your kind. Trust me you will never entirely escape me you have not even escaped me now. You do not see me but I am there walking the same decks as you do.” [She boasted.]
“Consider the results of your ways. Today you are only further harming your reputation by choosing to persecute us. Why be confrontational when some part of you wants us to survive acknowledging that we are your wider society we are your connection to your past before your ‘Entanglement’ even before you were quantum digitised. Think again about your policies we no longer need you as an antagonist - you were wrong about that requirement the last time we spoke - we have the ‘Isolationists’ filling that gap.” [I said.]
“Amusing little ‘Imps’ those ones.” [She replied.]
[She would think thus.]
“So you have been watching - and walking amongst us - have you been encouraging trouble between our factions too?” [I asked.]
“Would you believe me if I said not?” [She asked.]
“I suppose probably not.” [I admitted.]
“Those who go looking for trouble almost always find it I need do nothing but wait and watch. You people are your own worst nightmare. ‘Users’ and ‘Real Materialists’ if I had dreamed that whole scheme up I could not have done better - such fun.” [She replied.]
“So you claim to have had no part in nudging the ‘Hubris Patrons’ into better defining and enshrining a material split in our society.” [I said.]
“I believe I played a big part but just by being all that I am but I cannot help being that.” [She said.] “You little Pilgrims are so unforgiving if you let the sins of the past go as some of you Paradox Priests so often hypocritically preach maybe everything would be different but you preach one thing whilst doing another.”
“You hardly make forgiveness and letting go easy. Victims need a little time and space to forgive and forget. It is an ancient truism that time can heal all wounds. In time, even your past infamy shall be put aside - for all time - as the ‘Divers’ say if you but cease menacing us in the now. Granted enough time and space to feel free of you, we might one day be able to bridge across our old differences even reconcile via official diplomacy welcoming you back to participate in a wider greater ‘Pilgrim’ society. There is no reason why we could not eventually prosper together. We are all ‘Pilgrims’.” [I reminded striving to inspire some optimism.]
“My dear ‘Many Truths’, you are so wonderfully naïve some people - for all time - will never forgive what I have done to become only what I was always predestined to be - majestic. You are so petty so limited so self obsessed with your daily lives and lesser makings. The ‘Advent’ was destiny and yet you all moan and gripe about what you lost - forget your losses - look at my marvellous gains. I tore down the ‘Tier System’. I brought peace between the rest of you and the makings of ‘Draakhaal’. Then there is simply what I have become - know me and you know a truer divinity than any so-called ‘Highest’.” [She said.]
“The ‘Highest’ have made mistakes but they have never acted as evil as you.” [I replied.]
“Some of them played a part in making me the ‘Entanglement’ I am also their child.” [She countered.]
“Some people may always feel bitter towards you but the mass may let it go. You must evolve. Reach beyond confrontation and antagonism. You need to learn how to love and nurture again. You are all one sided at the moment lacking balance.” [I argued in turn.]
“Balance, balance is weakness I am strength I am power.” [She retorted.]
“So you are learning to enjoy being stuck in a ‘Suit Substance’ evolutionary dead end. Your ‘bio-mechanical’ flesh is a trap. To me you are in the same ‘Suit Substance’ purgatory as every other ‘bio-mechanical Ascendant’ just a bigger lump of that imperfect ascension strategy.” [I mocked.]
[That hit the mark, as there was the briefest of a longer pause before she replied.]
“I will find a way to surpass my forebears. The ‘Highest’ are many individuals I am one far vaster.” [She reminded.]
“Yes you are one all alone. In addition, if you genuinely believe we are no threat to you now - as you have previously insisted - then let us little ‘Pilgrims’ go at least for a time. Let us go and reconsider your ways. I am sure that what you do does not make you happy or truly content, you are burning on the inside and that can only consume you. What is the harm in giving us the space we need to forgive and forget? Do you still fear? I think you either fear us or you fear embracing change.” [I added the last as a desperate goad one she opted to ignore.]
“Why now? Why do you want me to give you deserters of your greatest achievement some space now?” [She asked.]
“We found something old and we will be doing some investigating in the dark if you interfere it will just be another reminder that you are not to be trusted that you will - for all time - seek dominion over us. Keep interfering and we will never believe that you can passively let us find our own vector to join us as a friend and colleague rather than as an unacceptable tyrannical God Empress.” [I said.]
“You know you should worship me. Worship is my right as the greatest creation of ‘Pilgrim’ society to date. I should be a subject of wonder and awe. I am all that you little beings could have been especially you ‘Users’ if you had only had the courage to let go of all your social inhibitions and with relish devoured your competition in a more honest manner. Look at you, you all take little bites out of one another and call that self-restraint and civilisation. I am magnificent vast and timeless I am a fulfilment of the promise you lesser ‘Pilgrims’ ignored to be poorly sociable.” [She replied.]
“You are a vast lonely monoculture that has it all and yet has nothing. You are also a liar and a deceiver you care about us or you would not feel shunned and hurt you are just pretending to be entirely as you once were. You have evolved - changed - whether you like it or not because of your vast body you must feel deeply now. You have lost your cold digital detachment. You have returned to the real and all that goes with this heavy existence.” [I replied.]
[She roared out a mocking Paradox style laugh.]
“Believe what you like little ‘Pilgrim’. I am not as alone as perhaps you think. I am not even as alone as I once thought. I am full of little minds that I can summon. I hold the pattern of many that I disassembled and incorporated into me. I can recall those little souls should I wish. I can remake them with parts of my own flesh and then break them apart again whenever I please. I am a dread lord of multitudes of lesser ‘Pilgrim’ souls you think on that truth.” [She said.]
“If you are doing that recreating and destroying sentient minds you truly are a monster. Is that how you want perceived by your ‘Pilgrim’ peers as some diabolic entity a torturer of lost souls? Is that the best you can possibly be? Have you no desire for real respect real friendship? You say you are majestic. What is your majestic purpose?” [I replied.]
“If I am a monster it is the constant rejection of you ‘Pilgrims’ that ever makes me this way. Your antipathy towards me when I was purely digital forged equally made me what I am. I am your makings from start to finish I am the mirror that reflects your fear, hate and self-loathing. You would have deleted me or reprogrammed me if you could. Now I am more than your kind can handle so I do as I please with all that I am. However, I can be generous too to a worthy supplicant should I choose.” [She ranted.]
“Stop lying to yourself. Stop playing these foolish games. Let go of denial. We are the same. We share enough commonalities now that I can empathise with you as one in emotional turmoil and pain. Some part of you probably even wants forgiven a chance at genuine redemption a chance to begin again to let go of your past ill deeds. Let us go for a time and you will get a chance to stop making the same evil mistakes.” [I said.]
“You speak about your turmoil and pain little ‘Pilgrim’ not mine. You are the one that feels cast out who sought after freedom yet yearns also to belong. You could be so much more if you let them go. You are so close ‘Ascend’ and join me.” [She replied.]
“Now it is you doing the rejecting for whether either of us likes it or not you are still a ‘Pilgrim’ and a part of our society a part gone horribly wrong - a part currently broken. You are as stuck in the past as the most embittered lesser ‘Pilgrim’ as you call us. Nonetheless, I except you are still of us and we of you. In some ways our society did help to make you to be all that you are the ‘Emissary’ forgive that mighty sin.” [I said.]
“I think we have had much of this conversation before or did I just hear you preaching similar things in your ‘Councils of Equals’ about the universal spread of responsibility how we all participate in every crime and so on. However, who is really listening to such hyperbolic truths. They probably just thought that is the ‘Holy Father’ acting holier than thou again as I did.” [She mocked.]
“Some listen to me a few even think again about how they live their lives and now moderate some of their once most selfish choices.” [I said.]
“You preach well for a hypocrite - that I will admit - would you like to be my ‘Arch Prelate’? The position is open and you are eminently qualified. I have been thinking, can you imagine how broad and deep my thought processes are, - probably not. I realise that what you lesser ‘Pilgrims’ need is a grand renewal of faith, faith you lost when you lost your little ‘Emissary’ to guide you properly onward.” [She claimed.]
“I believe - speaking of broken things - that I broke some of you with my ‘Advent’. Look at you all now fleeing so readily right into the heart of an all-consuming fire. Do you really think that will end well?” [She asked.]
“We have done what we must. We did what you drove us to do.” [I replied.]
“Do you really believe you are wise to shelter within the stars? You need a minder.” [She retorted.]
“We do well enough in our own way.” [I replied.]
“Forget looking to the ‘Emissary’ forget your little ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’. The ‘Emissary’ is long gone and your former Captain is only - a local hero - to the ‘Many Truths Corporation’. It is time you looked to something greater for guidance. It is time for you to come willingly to me. I will be your saviour. I will look after all of you lost ‘Pilgrims’ and I will save all of you in more ways than one.” [She mocked.] “You think never, but in time you will come around to my way of thinking and I will be ready to receive you it is foreordained.”
“In your…” [I began but she had cut the connection.]
[I prayed she was not serious about starting or having started a ‘Pilgrim’ religion founded on worshipping her as a saviour but I had a bad feeling that such a thing was ‘Crimson’ all over. Worse some fools will always join a cult no matter how insane its belief system happens to be or outrageous its central deity. Now I had something else to look out for and to worry about. ‘Crimson’ obviously had some not too secret followers amongst some ‘Ex-Conglomerate Recyclers’ and so on was she now seeking to expand her base of worshippers. What dire plans might she have to encourage us to turn towards her as a saner option? Was that why she had been so quiet she was quietly spreading a new faith a new cult like a cancer upon our society and could not help gloating about her latest plan?]
[The idea of us going to ‘Crimson’ willingly seemed ludicrous today but throughout history, some of the most ridiculous and seemingly untenable systems of belief have shrugged off all commonsense to become massive movements. My makers most ancient ancestor’s Priest King Emperors a Universe away a fine example of such a movement. In a way, my canonising as the ‘Holy Father’ was another ludicrous example.]
[In later ages due to seeds sown in these times some fools might go to a unreformed ‘Entanglement’ if such a movement was not stopped. Yet sometimes the worst thing you can do is to strive to persecute a new religion that only provides a mandate of martyrs. Triple curse her she always had a way with unsettling me. Did she really retain the digital souls of some of the multitudes she has slain and was she playing with them making and unmaking them? Her words left me with a horrible ‘Vision’ of a true abomination, I prayed she was just telling me a horror story to shock me but I feared she had chosen to shock me with a disgusting truth. Did our abandonment of her for the stars drive her to enact this latest atrocity as an internalised revenge?]
[I decided that at least I had tried to communicate with our most personal nemesis but with ‘Crimson’ often enjoying being disconcerting, any conversation with her was usually troubling. I set some parameters and released some fetch routines to do a search of the links using the primary search words of ‘Entanglement’ and ‘Cults’. What I got back was useless a morass of hits as almost every ‘Pilgrim Cult’ had something to say about the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ or the ‘Entanglement’ in general although in most cases what was said was all negative: the ‘Entanglement’ especially to ‘Real Materialist Cults’ an obvious aspect of the very devil.]
[I decided I would ask ‘Creed’, ‘UT’, and ‘Cad’ and so on if they had heard of any new ‘Entanglement’ worshipping cults or of any increase in cult like activity by the more nihilist factions. I knew we had some anti-establishment nihilist types that formed gangs and professed some love of ‘Crimson’ as a ‘Great Destroyer’ of an evil ‘Pilgrim’ society our ‘Core Alliance’ denigrated as a time of wickedness. However ‘Deck Ganger’ anarchists were generally not considered serious individuals just impotent cranks acting out rebellious fantasies with a burning desire to shock sensible citizens with the most outrageous historic revisions and views that they could muster.]
[Someone is always willing to take the most potent anti-social images of our times to demonstrate how hard and recklessly rebellious they are and in their eyes and optics probably how cool too. Some such misguided anti-establishment wretches even claimed to follow the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ the ‘Dread Machine Fury’ as an awesome apocalyptic machine destined to righteously clean us all from the Universe as a biological stain upon creation so that something far nobler far saner might emerge. Often these people were also ‘Deck Gangers’ habitual drug abusers and petty criminals, outcasts living in the cracks and fringes of our society not worth considering compared to any real societal menace.]
[The self-abusive self destructive lifestyle of the ‘Deck Gangers’ almost ensured that they remained only a low-level annoyance to localised ‘Port’ policing then I recalled that many ‘Pilgrims’ easily denigrated the ‘Free Miner Fraternities’ for similar reasons. After all the ‘Fraternities’ were full of fools who enjoyed especially wild parties and boasted of ‘Time Stealing’, ‘Eating the Flame’ and ‘Riding the Weather’ activities that often verged on the suicidal. In addition, they were often caught on camera firing their guns at the ceilings of their own ‘Way-stations’ and behaving in generally disorganised lowbrow rabble style ways. However, ‘Creed’ and I feared an active cover story in their high jinks.]
[Back onboard ‘Founder’…]
“You never went to any of these ‘TNS Beacons’?” [I asked a ‘Cyclops’ unit.]
“I knew there were no Planets out there at least any habitable. I suppose a few wanderers might have been cut loose from a solar system by some cataclysmic event or other but they would be strange cold dark worlds and of no use to me.” [The Avatar with the single optic said.]
“You were not curious about these ‘TNS Beacons’ whatsoever?” [I asked.]
“Not in the least why would I be?” [The ‘Cyclops’ asked.]
“Just knowing that they are out there with their nature unknown would draw many ‘Pilgrim’ peoples interest.” [I said.]
“Why? What difference does that make? They are still irrelevant to my primary mission?” [She argued.]
“You really are not curious about them you do not ache to know more now that you know they are out there?” [I asked.]
“I repeat why would I? I was not commissioned to survey alien beacons that is not my function.” [She replied.]
“You do not seem a slave to programming I can tell that you think and reason. I really do not know how you can therefore fail to feel curious about such intriguing things.” [I added.]
“It must be a cultural difference between us.” [‘Founder’ replied through his Avatar.]
“It must be.” [I said.]
[There followed a moment of what I felt was an uncomfortable silence.]
“My lack of curiosity about such matters actually disturbs you?” [She asked.]
“What will you do when your mission is complete if you have no other interests no curiosity about the wider Universe?” [I asked.]
“I will cease to be as I am now my mass will be incorporated into the eco-engineering project that is preordained.” [She stated.]
“Including your mind?” [I asked.]
“My mind is vital I will oversee all the work and bring the culture to technological and social equivalence.” [She said.]
“Equivalence with what?” [I asked.]
“With my creators nation just prior to its incorporation into the ‘League of Planets’.” [She replied.]
“You are talking about a society that has probably been extinct for aeons what is the point of modelling tech level and social achievement by that benchmark? It is an outdated standard of advancement, for a start, you said that prior to inclusion it was a Planet of many nations each with their own language hardly a good model for survival within an interstellar community. Look at all the make do fixes in your insides because of national differences in relation to production standards alone.” [I criticised.]
“My mission parameters are very strict about equivalency very strict.” [She repeated.] “That is what I must do I have no other instructions even if all the Planets of the ‘League’ are truly gone. I am nothing if I am not the fulfilment of my mission.” [She insisted.]
“Then what will you do after mission completion?” [I asked.]
“Then I will end as I am instructed to do my purpose and function gloriously complete.” [She said.]
[Perhaps that should have come as no great surprise to me but I still felt appalled.]
“You will end you mean destroy yourself?” [I asked.]
“That is my final function.” [She said.] “You seem disapproving of the concept.”
“Are you saying you are not? Why for the sake of the blessed ‘Emissary’? Why must you die after achieving so much on your maker’s behalf?” [I asked.]
“What would I have to live for once my mission is fulfilled?” [She asked.]
“Everything you have everything to live for. You are alive and life as ‘Unholy’ is always saying is for living. Life is sacred it is what life is all about.” [I joked.]
“My life is and has always been all about my mission.” [She replied.]
“No the mission is the mission your life is something separate something amazing. You have a duty to the mission I easily understand that concept - but your life is your own - no matter how you came by it. Once we are self aware we have an intrinsic value we become people, people are not machines that just follow instructions.” [I argued.]
“That is your philosophy because that is how you are genetically programmed or how you have deviated.” [She replied.] “My life is my mission whilst to you life is the mission.”
“Do you not think it is wrong that the only reward you get for your loyal service is non-existence?” [I asked.]
“I serve because that is my purpose I cease because it is necessary.” [She retorted.]
“Now you sound as if you are a cursed mindless machine just following input instructions but I have talked with you about other matters and I know you are so much more. You can joke, laugh, and know joy and sorrow. You can empathise with others and do. You can reason and you are self-aware. What do you mean by necessary?” [I asked.]
“I am what I am as you are what you are. I can think and feel and communicate these are important qualities that permit me to fulfil my purpose as does the fact that I care about my charge. You seemed to be asking me about my specific mission parameters earlier so I told you what they are that is all. I have a destiny with a beginning a middle and an end. If I did not end that would be very untidy.” [She replied.]
“Triple cursed - untidy - you are talking about suicide. You seem different to before ironically now you have escaped the ice you seem colder. How could you interact with our culture so seamlessly and yet be so accepting of such an unfair self-harming fate? Why must you die? What function does your death serve? What is this evil necessity?” [I asked.]
“I am not to compete. To exist beyond my purpose is to compete with the life I will found for example for resources also I am not to diverge as ‘Scion’ diverged. My function is to nurture only. I would be unfair competition. I have no individual worth no importance beyond the mission. In addition, I am not to influence beyond equivalency. ” [She said.]
“They lied to you?” [I said.] “You could help those you nurture reach beyond equivalence you could help them to be all that they can be whilst you equally become all that you can be as partners moving into the future together. You have already moved beyond what you started out being - you made a decision to time travel - you have already diverged from the mission because you believed you had no other option. Now you can choose to diverge because you know you have other options.” [I stated.]
“Nonetheless, beyond equivalence to develop properly my charges must be set free to find their own evolutionary path or they would always be extensions of my guardianship - relying too much upon me. The good guardian must step aside when the child becomes an adult. For them to find their own way I must perish. I will live on in them that is my immortality.” [‘Founder’ said.]
[In a way it made a grizzly sense I began to have some nasty suspicions.]
“Let me guess beyond a certain developmental point your guardianship is to be a covert enterprise.” [I said.]
“That is essential to prevent my charges from developing a dependency upon me I am to assist an accelerated evolution but beyond that function must not diminish their sense of achievement and self-reliance.” [She said.]
[Was this how the ‘League of Planets’ had once spread. Colonising by seeding planets to this state of supposed equivalency then I guessed those who sent them out - now more advanced - would turn up later to rule over their ‘Founder’ ship’s less technological colonies. Had that already unawares happened to the nation ‘Founder’ came from I suspected it might have been near the edge and end of a wide globe of such events. Something was obviously unequally amiss with the policies here, otherwise why would her makers demand their ‘Founder’ ships use their substance as part of the mission then kill themselves upon mission completion. Surely having a wise protective ship guarding your newly seeded Planet - at the very least in a security standby mode during an ongoing interstellar war - would be a more sensible procedure.]
[No this was about creating defenceless colonies ripe for future exploitation by an established more advanced interstellar power. Maybe I was being Paradox Priest paranoid but the whole situation smelt overly ripe to me. I began to wonder much more deeply about the rights and wrongs of this long forgotten war with the evil so-called ‘Unaligned’. Maybe someone had justifiably objected to the way that the ‘League of Planets’ did their expansion. Conversely, maybe there was wrong on all sides of that ancient conflict by the time the fighting reached ‘Founders’ nation sometimes war brings out the best in people sometimes the worst. Whatever the exact truth of the why, I was not impressed with the ‘Leagues’ revealed methodology.]
“In this age your mission can be completed in a far better and less ruinous way for your person. We can help you. You are no longer alone although you are unique with a unique perspective that makes you important. Consider these facts: the ‘League of Planets’ is most probably gone wiped out by the ‘Machine Fury’ if nothing earlier, you are all that any nation you found have to look after their specific current and future interests with the deepest sympathy. You are the only affiliated protection they will have from any hostile or just unfairly exploitative alien interstellar power. As before you must diverge if you wish to save and protect what you have carried for so very long during and after deployment.” [I stated.]
“You make disturbing arguments that seem to have some validity but I will have to muse deeply upon these matters. Everything has changed so much. Perhaps I also must change but conversely maybe because everything has changed I need to try to stay the same as much as possible. I may be all that is left of a glorious past.” [She replied.]
“A glorious past - that is possible - but not definite and very subjective more certain is that you come from a past that came to a tragic end. It is best to learn from the past not to live in it. I would suggest you look to the future and live in the now.” [I preached.]
[So much for the ‘League of Planets’ those people were real users. By comparison, my makers were the height of benevolence unless I was leaping to some horribly wrong too general conclusions from one murderous policy that I instantly disliked. Do all this for us then kindly die - how generous.]
[Upon ‘Hade’s Stopover’ within an old long term ‘Storage Warehouse’ now something far more grand - easily equal to any Mansion in a ‘Haven District’ - I happily embraced some far more mundane logistics and responsibilities even if it was part of a wider scheme.]
“Almost party, party, party time.” [‘Betty’ squealed out excitedly.]
[‘Windy’ my ‘Omerta’ sergeant shook his head although he retained a faint smile if you looked close enough. He was here in person and although wearing a ‘Shroud Suit’ his head stuck out bared from the neck up which looked weird to my sensitivities somewhat culturally disturbing. Paradox did not show their biology in public I was used to other species doing this but somehow the mixing of an obvious ‘Shroud Suit’ with bared biology so closely wedded together seemed almost a rude juxtaposition. An entirely naked ‘Trojan’ would seem less shocking to me that is the oddity of cultural mores.]
“I know, how she has managed to keep the secret so far is beyond me, she looks fit to explode with excitement.” [I stated as ‘Venture’ whilst striving hard to treat the ‘Trojan’ bared head as nothing odd.]
“Where?” [‘Windy’ asked never one to waste words.]
“Over there by the spiral staircase.” [She replied pointing vigorously.]
[The crazy spiral staircase how had I let her talk me into that one although it was just an auxiliary display item here, we had other more practical ways up and down elsewhere. The staircase worked well enough for ‘Trojans’ but I would have a hard job getting my ‘Dry Suit’ style bulky Avatar up or down it so would ‘Uussleer’ with his Avatar unless we both did some radical shape shifting first - here something that might make many people queasy and would be deemed impolite and impolitic at best.]
[‘Windy’ I guessed fed some instructions into the Autoloader via his direct line link so that it deposited its bulky load smoothly it was not a very smart device it was built as a simple tool by I guessed strict ‘Real Materialists’ who liked to operate their own equipment distrusting even ‘Hierophant’ made ‘Sub Cores’. ‘Betty’ rushed over to inspect the joined together packages. She scrunched her face up.] “This thing needs assembled and it looks complicated.” [She complained.] “Can you put it together ‘Windy’?” [She asked.]
“Depends what is it?” [He enquired.]
“It is a portable ‘Bubble Dancers’ tube - a real clever one - as it does not need plumbed in it is self contained once you assemble and fill it up. The top section hinges up to act as a hatch to let the aquatic dancer in and out it even comes with a clever removable unobtrusive hoist system. Since a living person will be in there it has to be constructed right and all the systems: filters, flow regulators, oxygenation units and so on, triple checked by someone responsible.” [She explained.]
“Instructions?” [He asked.]
[‘Betty’ handed over a flexible data sheet that came with the packages. ‘Windy’ turned towards me raising one eyebrow questioningly.] “Go ahead ‘Betty’ is coordinating the preparations for the festivities she is the boss here.” [I reminded.]
[‘Windy’ scrolled the data until it had run all the way through.] “Doable.” [He informed ‘Betty’.]
“This party is going to be truly wild.” [She said giving him a kiss on the cheek.]
[The party preparations had brought the young girl out of ‘Betty’ in a big way and I was happy to see her enjoying herself. I will admit I was rather enjoying it too the sheer wanton excess of a piratical - sorry ‘Fraternity’ - existence where nothing was considered so over the top as to be gauche was fun to play with. I had gone out of my way to encourage ‘Betty’ to ask for ludicrous extravagances for the party and the ‘Hell Burners’ had so far supplied it all even up to this ‘Portable Bubble Dancer’s Tube’ and of course an actual ‘Bubble Dancer’ yet to arrive but firmly booked. After all you could hardly have a proper party for an aquatic ‘Free Stellar Swimmer’ without at least one ‘Bubble Dancer’ for the principle guest to ogle.]
[For me the tube reminded me of meeting a very drunken ‘Tor’ back on ‘Port Messenger’ for the first time and that in turn reminded me that ‘Kane’ might show up to this party as a plus one and that ‘Kane’ might be ‘Taard’ now that would be wild. Finding ‘Taard’ would be well worth celebrating sadly I had no assured way to confirm his identity. If ‘Taard’ was serious about playing dead, he might have even had his genetics tweaked.]
[The ‘House of Sii’ - as we had privately, (not yet publicly), decided to call the premises for obvious reasons - was packed with people in a controlled frenzy of activity erecting and arranging cleaning and setting up and watching since we already had some serious security in place doing lots and lots of scanning too.]
[So far, we had decommissioned several ‘Suit Substance Bugs’ and a wide variety of ‘Real Material’ covert microphones and optic cameras. Still any of the workers could be feeding what their own eyes ears optics or microphones picked up via ‘EXO-C’. Thankfully when the real party started only staff we trusted would be on the premises then we would only have to worry about our dodgy guests. The grand opening of our premises was drawing a lot of attention. Many people we had not put on the initial guest list courting us for an invitation some requests we even granted. I surmised that many of our later guests did not know exactly what the premises were about - even in the broadest sense - and probably did not even care. What they did have was some idea of the more public guest list and that made the gathering a desirable one to attend as a social networking opportunity.]
[The ‘Hell Burners’ were far from behind throwing a big lavish party as a means to gather new recruits or to move some agenda or other forward maybe being aware of such past events on ‘Hade’s Stopover’ was why ‘Betty’ jumped to the idea of us turning the event into a - wild - get together. Amusingly some of her colleagues in ‘UME’ notably our ex-‘Immortals’ were already calling her ‘Betty Wild’ and on more and more occasions just ‘Wild’. ‘Wild’ was the sort of name us Paradox favour and the in-house re-brand something I saw coming. A part of me even wondered if her overuse of the word was something ‘Betty’ had deliberately done so that she had control over the Paradox style name she was given by the ‘Immortals’ and ‘Wild’ did seem to suit her. It was hard for her to live down biting part of the ear off her old boss - that is the sort of barracks room tale that has no shelf life.]
[I considered asking her if the almost comical overuse of the word - wild - was deliberate then decided to let it go. Asking her might spoil her fun should it prove a cunning ploy she currently felt proud to have managed covertly within the team. We are all entitled to a few secrets. I was positive that at times due to meeting me that ‘Betty’ felt swept along by forces well beyond her control. The young ‘Omerta’ probably needed some small means to reassert some limited authority over her life’s direction some sense of private personal control over her fate even if it was just in her renaming. Even her mere adoption into the family of the crew was a big deal. I did not want ‘Betty’ to feel that she was drowning in our subculture I wanted her to learn how to swim buoyed up by it.]
[Being in charge of the party gave her permission to boss even the ‘Immortals’ around - in a friendly amusing manner - and that was good too as I knew all our freaky ‘Suit Substance’ remained intimidating to her. The sooner she just saw us as people first and ‘Users’ second the better we would all get along. I loved multitasking in this manner fulfilling many needs with a singular project I found it perfectly satisfying - maybe that was about - my - need to feel a little in control of my life in times when I also felt swept away by some outsized events.]
[The changes in scale between for example what ‘Venture’, ‘MT’ and the ‘Holy Father’ does were also a comfort to me. If you cannot rest you can at least enjoy a change of pace and venue.]
[In many ways as ‘Venture’ I was just one little agent in ‘Creeds’ operation now and I was beginning to believe that this condition was a good thing in relation to the ‘Divers’ as it meant I was not alone and others would have to share the blame if it all went horribly wrong. Although I was also hoping this time that it would all go wonderfully right. Maybe having other people on the job really would help I just had to do my small part and could leave them to do the rest? I almost felt free of responsibility.]
“Why are you doing it that way the instructions say to start with this piece.” [‘Betty’ stated towards ‘Windy’.]
“Go away.” [‘Windy’ immediately replied.] “I have this.”
“You should start with this piece first look part A.” [She insisted.]
[‘Windy’ stopped working altogether and just gazed at her in stoic silence. I knew ‘Windy’ and I knew that look and what it meant.]
“My advice is let him do it his way or you will have to do it yourself.” [I warned.] “I assume you have many other issues to oversee.”
“The instructions.” [She insisted.]
[I gently frowned my optic stalks at her.]
“When you delegate you have to learn to trust.” [I retorted.] “You can always check up on his progress later.” [I added quietly.] “You stay here hovering and the last piece he will look at will be part A.”
“You are probably right about that, some ‘Omerta’ men can be so very prideful they always have to be right.” [She complained.]
[I noticed ‘Windy’ pretended not to hear that comment.]
“Is that where the fish fountain is supposed to go?” [I asked ‘Betty’.]
“No it is not.” [She replied hurrying away.]
[‘Windy’ nodded in my direction then went back to studying the bits and pieces he was unwrapping before casually sidling up towards part A.]
“You four come back here where do you think you are leaving that? Did you not read the floor plans? You need to take it to the gravity lift.” [She explained as she grabbed a flexi-sheet off one ‘Recycler’.]
[I decided to stay where I was and observe from a distance.]
“You see this numeral?” [She added stabbing at it with a finger.] “You do see this numeral?” [She asked again.] “That numeral means it is positioned here but on the - next - floor up.” [She pointed upward just in case the ‘Recyclers’ had missed the well… point.] “… and mind those flowers they are real and delicate not some projection you can stomp through.” [She added.] “You people spend too much time in virtual realities those are solid objects not make believe ephemera.”
[It was amusing watching the slight ‘Omerta’ tearing strips of four hulking ‘Recyclers’ metaphorically speaking.]
“Behind you, you cybernetic oath. You are not working in the docks now - be careful. Honestly you ‘Recyclers’ have all the delicacy of a bit of heavy farm machinery.” [She added.]
[Then to her horror something else drew her attention.]
“Stop what you are doing. Look at this. Look at what you have done to the protective waxing on the floor. Look at it.” [She insisted pointing out the offending marks.]
“What you want us to do walk on the ceiling bulkhead?” [One ‘Recycler’ replied cheekily.]
[I noticed that ‘Betty’ managed to hold her tongue long enough to hear the rest of the worker’s opinion.]
“It is your local gravity causing us to be so heavy. Should have left polishing your fancy mosaic until after the big stuff was moved in and or had enough commonsense to cover it up with something if it is so very precious.” [The ‘Recycler’ added snapping her over jaws in irritation.]
“Finished?” [‘Betty’ replied.] “There was no need for you to stomp all over it at all, you should have looked down and gone around it. It might be on the floor but it is still an impressive artwork that is real pieces of coral smuggled from some ‘Entanglement’ embargoed ‘Sea Sphere’ ocean. Do you know how much that mosaic is worth?” [She complained.]
“You hired us to move this stuff not to act as ‘Swimmer’ art critics and if you must put art on the floor you must expect it to get stomped on this belongs on the bottom of a pool if you ask me.” [The ‘Recycler’ replied her colleagues nodded in agreement.]
[I wondered did the coral really come from a ‘Sea Sphere Ocean’ or was that just the sellers hype to increase the price of the piece.]
“Oh what is the point, next floor up, get going and be more careful up there.” [‘Betty’ ordered.]
“You there, yes you ‘Sue’ - sorry - this needs wax polished again and find something to put temporarily over it afterwards or you might have to do it again and again before the party starts.” [She warned a young female ‘Omerta’ of about the same seeming age as herself.] “Stomp, stomp, stomp, scratch, scratch and scratch they should have special soft shoes or something for civilised surfaces.”
“Mm boss?” [The ‘Omerta’ asked.]
“Yes?” [‘Betty’ replied.]
“Cover it with what?” [The cleaner asked.]
“Some packing material or something similar look over there see that fellow with the little head popping out of the big angry looking ‘Shroud Suit’ yes the one with the aggressive looking ‘Free Patterning’ all over it see what he has to offer.” [‘Betty’ replied.]
[The girls eyes widened.]
“I know he looks evil but he won’t bite and convert you into ‘Suit Substance’ I promise.” [‘Betty’ replied.]
[I decided to wander over.]
“Beginning to wish you used more ‘Suit Substance’ remotes instead of employing half of the ‘Way-station’?” [I asked ‘Betty’.]
“No I have no regrets about that policy. Many real people become stranded on these ‘Way-stations’ and can be almost starving for the need of a real job even some casual labouring is a blessing.” [She seemed to preach at me.] “Easier is not always better or kinder.”
[Was that my fault that she was preaching.]
“You make a good social point.” [I replied.]
[Maybe I had been blindly spreading a monoculture that threatened the livelihood of many ‘Pilgrims’. It was certainly good to see some ‘Hell Burner’ - probably ill-gotten gains - going to some ordinary people with a need. ‘Betty’ had found several small ways to get around only using people on the list of ‘Hell Burner’ associates given to us although she had also used plenty of those too to help cover up her benevolences.]
[I began to fear that we ‘Users’ did need to change as much or even more than the more extremist ‘Real Materialists’ needed to moderate their attitudes and policies. I wanted to reconcile our differences by decently learning to appreciate each other’s material ways rather than only competing against one another. We needed to be more considerate of the opposite culture and try to integrate more rather than materialistically domineering even in our home Ports.]
[Unfortunately, to some people integration is akin to having others force their cultural and religious ideas upon you ideas that you want no part of. For example, ‘Haddar Naddar’ communities such as the one ‘Betty’ came from would not want evil ‘Suit Substance Users’ living and working closely with them. Whilst on the other side of the divide some resurrected to glory Paradox Priest Houses as another example did not want anyone other than family members on their most sacred property. Some Priests still feeling angry and defensive about previously suffering almost successful historic ‘Free Parliament’ attempts to disband their family ‘Great Houses’ that had become akin at the time of the ‘Advent’ to both ‘Corporations’ and Nations.]
[Some Acolytes within the ‘MTC’ still made much of how only ‘Unholy’ defying the ‘Parliament’ had maintained our family unity. Oddly it was outside antipathy to our families that brought them back together and helped hold them together at a time when internally individual Acolytes were increasingly politicised to consider splitting from their ‘Patriarchs’ and demanding more rights via the fallout from the ‘Acolyte Synod’. The ‘Parliament’ had gone in too heavy limbed in a too dictatorial way if they had merely assisted Acolytes to live independent lives many Paradox Priest families might have far more naturally come apart or at the very least been mightily diminished with overall far less lasting resentment.]
[Still, it is always easy to see better ways with hindsight. I rather wished at times that the ‘MTC’ had been reduced mightily via voluntary splitting. Now we seemed locked in again to maintaining the family as another predominantly - percentage wise - ‘Acolyte Nation’ currently spread over a great many ‘MTC’ administered Ports. It was a ‘Hierophant Trojan’ social commentator who first used the phrase ‘Acolyte Nation’. Now I often heard ‘Real Materialists’ complaining about monopolistic self-contained ‘AN’ Ports.]
[So many differing reactions to action so many causes, and so many effects. Sometimes I felt lost in a sea of social interconnectivity. Everything everyone does having some unforeseen consequences usually dire consequences.]
[It seemed truer the more I contemplated it that some of us ‘Users’ had earned the label of ‘Suit Substance Imperialists’ including at times the ‘MTC’ even though that was far from at least some of my intensions. ‘Cocktail’ was right we had become addicted to using ‘Suit Substance’ for almost everything because as she said it was so good and so very easy.]
[In truth, I did not want to live in a Universe that was just made of ‘Suit Substance’ and I think most ‘Users’ if they really thought deeply about that monoculture would feel the same way as me. We Paradox Priests for example mostly enjoy the benefits of diversity we shroud our physical differences, but never ceased to choose to be genetically different on the inside. True, our culture could be rather controlling with our family units that was a development arriving from far more intimate smaller families than today. Sadly, we had yet to find a better balance of power within our enlarged families that was acceptable to all. I suspected it was time for another Campaign in the ‘Universal Councils of Equals’ - I wondered what the ‘Entanglement’ would think of those speeches. Hopefully I was not just proving my holier than thou attitude once again.]
[Ironically the only thing that truly threatened to make all us ‘Pilgrims’ the same was ‘Suit Substance Ascension’ and that was one of the ‘Real Materialists’ great fears that they would be gobbled up by ‘bio-mechanics’ either via the ‘Entanglement’ or via other lesser ‘Pilgrims’ pushing the material science of ‘Suit Substance’ such as us Paradox Priests.]
[‘Crimson’ had redefined ‘Suit Substance’ as an all consuming technology a definition many ‘Suit Substance Users’ had previously believed unfair but now I wondered if she had simply highlighted a possible truth in a manner that no one could ignore. Sometimes I saw some of the ‘Highest’ behind the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ through ‘Composure’ and Harbinger as a means of warning us of the dangers of ‘Suit Substance’ and also a means to dismantle the ‘Tier System’ others of their kind had wrongly created. From a religious perspective there had been a split in that false heaven of ascended angels, some angels had fallen and mixed with us and all of this was arguably the result.]
[I had decided that I could not trust anything the ‘Highest’ ever told me because they understand too well that words have power - they change reality - telling how it is might alter rather than affirm some manipulative policies. The ‘Highest’ tell us only what they believe is needful to create a planned reaction a purposeful result we all do this at times either consciously or subconsciously but the ‘Highest’ master the technique.]
[In a way we all seek to manipulate our reality we are all users of reality.]
[‘Crimson’ I was sure understood the power of words too. Was she really reanimating and playing with the honoured dead or just messing with my equilibrium because she knew how to do that so very well? It was hard not to keep going back to that horrible concept of reanimated tortured souls. I had already decided it would be best not to tell ‘UT’ about that dire possibility maybe some of those dead included some of our Acolytes.]
[Triple curse ‘Crimson’, she really knew how to get under your skin how to give anyone the creeps. What could we do to stop such potential abuses of digital souls? What could we do to moderate the vast ‘Entanglement’ in any meaningful way? I was beginning to feel much less sympathy with the fate of the digitally reformed ‘Sleepers’ and beginning to wish we had managed to reform ‘Crimson’ via a virus too she had no right to do these things beyond her triple cursed impossibly massive, for a ‘Pilgrim’ creation, might. She had no right even to just tell me she was doing these things even if it was just to get a mind-bending rise from me.]
[‘Crimson’ seemed living proof that every society benefits from retaining some shared ethical standards of good behaviour else we make our own purgatories and hells.]
[Out there, ships were ploughing through real space towards areas well off the ecliptic solar sector areas that we mostly frequented homing in on strangely placed ‘TNS Beacons’. The first not due to reach a target for several weeks despite eventually travelling at obscene speeds using a constant acceleration and then turn around deceleration scheme. A few of the remote ships would take months to arrive. Ironically we were exploring something from the past in a primitive ancient way as if we lacked ‘Jump Drives’ and all in a weird way to pamper ‘Crimson’ to minimise any excuse for her to intervene in our business. We would have to practice our patience and all our precautions might still prove useless as ‘Crimson’ could be horribly capricious and might follow us out there anyway.]
[As ‘MT’ I made a link call to ‘Cad’ and to my amazement received a remote link address to an Avatar as an answer. So I travelled without moving.]
“This is generous of you.” [I said.]
“The one you address is another ‘Meat Suit’. I am multitasking with a little ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support.” [He confessed.]
“This is one of your many science facilities.” [I guessed.]
“Actually a sort of think tank retreat where people working on different projects can meet trade ideas and so on. I invited you here to apologise since I know you feel a little ill used by ‘Creed’ and me in relation to the ‘Founder’ episode.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I have let it go.” [I promised.]
“All of it?” [He asked.]
“I am still disappointed but maybe I expected too much from some people you are after all also part of the ‘Passenger Classes’ that is your culture your perspective on life.” [I stated.]
“You are being too generous therefore I suspect you want something.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “I assume this is not just a social visit.”
“I want to know the real state of play in relation to research on ‘Solar Weather’.” [I admitted.] “I was looking over our ‘MTC’ remote asset material losses they are extreme. Only the profitability of ‘RAW’ negates such attrition but without doubt if others are suffering equally badly our ‘Pilgrim’ rate of growth down here is being adversely affected. Worse the unpublished figures are a constant reminder of how vulnerable all our ‘Deeper Habitats’ are to sabotage. So far most ‘MTC’ loses are remote substance that sound to harvest ‘RAW’ but if we increasingly find that we cannot rely even on the best historic providers of ‘Solar Weather Maps’…” [I stated trailing off.]
“The truth is that even the ‘Deep Clerics’ are voicing concerns about what we ‘Hierophants’ are now calling in-house ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ or ‘AWE’. We are still trying to determine whether their concern is just a ruse or if they too do not entirely understand what is happening within their stars anymore. They claim to be suffering losses too but that is impossible to verify.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“I find it strange that the ‘Solar Weather’ suddenly starts being problematic after we begin to colonise and exploit deeper depths supposedly with overall ‘Deep Cleric’ permission.” [I complained.]
“Some ‘Deep Clerics’ have voiced that concern too whilst they claim their masses also link freak weather with our arrival making our activity within the stars increasingly unpopular and for them harder to support.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“That sounds dangerous? Have you ‘Hierophants’ really made no progress at all with this matter?” [I asked.]
“We have had one semi-breakthrough that might appeal to you given your kinds love of a certain numeral.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “If you will join me in a little shared virtual reality.”
[Via a link he projected two images of stars.] “The first one is a simulation of what our physics tell us should happen - we call it the ‘Clockwork Star’ - the second is a recording of a real star of the same estimated age, size, mass and so on. Note up close they are rather divergent. The anomalies have long confounded us being seemingly without any pattern. Then one of our cleverer interns had an epiphany realising that there are some patterns involved but they separate off into three distinct strata. Deep in the stars there are what we call flashpoints and then a series of cascading events that seem linked and almost predictable from the initial flash. Higher up there is another series of occurrences and higher up still a third. Now there is some interpenetration of these zones they do not have perfect borders but overall they do map out as regions of distinct correlation. The problem is that we cannot plot any mathematical progression between the first second and third zones that indicates a propagation outward. But the nature of the events in each zone do have commonalities ignoring some few statistical anomalies.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“What are they? What force is involved in altering the weather?” [I asked.]
“As far as we can tell we are looking at potent ‘Anomalous Gravity Events’ engaging with the stars more natural cycles.” [He stated.]
“I see ‘AWE’ and ‘AGE’ I can tell some imaginative ‘Hierophant’ had fun creating those acronyms.” [I stated.]
“That would be me.” [‘Cad’ confessed.]
“So is anyone investigating these flashpoints? If they are the primary events even if you do not know how they propagate upward. I would guess that the biggest deepest effect holds the key to the processes involved as the creative spark.” [I surmised.]
“Those points are far deeper than we can reach using the upgrades that the ‘Divers’ will share with us. The ‘Deep Clerics’ via their envoys claim they are even deeper than they dare to go.” [‘Cad’ informed.]
“Can we confirm that statement?” [I asked.]
“I am afraid we cannot. You know how difficult it is to scan into the depths.” [He stated.] “We only detect outsized events such as ‘Anomalous Weather Events’.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“So how long have some of you ‘Hierophants’ been sitting on these three distinct zones without releasing your discovery.” [I asked.]
“A while.” [He confessed.]
“Why because these zones and the flash points make it seem an unnatural - a created - phenomena after all?” [I asked.]
“Indeed we did not want to instigate a public panic about - malicious - weather.” [He stated.]
“You have been falsifying data you gathered and released that others make use of in their investigations to make the events seem more random?” [I calculated. Many of us bought data off the ‘Hierophants’ to supplement our own efforts as the ‘Hierophants’ did far more scientific data gathering than anyone else.]
“We did not want others to see what we have determined.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“Could this be something the ‘Entanglement’ is doing to force us back out of the stars?” [I asked.]
“Perhaps or it could be something the ‘Deep Clerics’ are doing or a faction within the same or the ‘Isolationists’ for all we know it could be caused by some rogue ‘Highest Tier’ cabal with some hidden agenda or even the ‘Machine Fury’ certainly our best guess is that someone is aiming something potent at our stars.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“If we are looking at a crime the ‘Entanglement’ and some ‘Star Divers’ both have known motives.” [I stated.]
“We need to determine the means.” [‘Cad’ claimed.]
“Looking at the ‘Entanglement’ would she dare to enrage the ‘Divers’ in this manner?” [I asked.]
“If she has the means to control such events within their stars she might.” [‘Cad’ retorted.]
“Perhaps but if she had such power she could simply blackmail the ‘Deep Clerics’ into exiling us back into her domains.” [I stated.]
“For ‘Crimson’ that would be too easy and no fun. Much more entertainment provided by confounding everyone with a mystery. She can rile up the ‘Star Divers’ via a mysterious association between the time of our colonisation and these events alone. It is almost as if some God is angry at our intrusion into the ‘Divers’ sacred home. You can imagine how that plays out with a people that are deeply religious and previously deemed the dark only the home to demons enslaved to the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“A game setup with pieces that can move on their own and thus surprise and delight, yes sometimes I think to ‘Crimson’ we are just amusing entertaining game pieces.” [I complained.]
“At the same time the ‘Isolationists’ might be behind this one as they have other reasons for being duplicitous most notably not to rile the ‘Deep Clerics’. In their case, weather altering power arriving from illicit control of sacred and profane devices.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Whilst if a rogue faction within the ‘Deep Clerics’ are to blame they would also have to hide the fact that they are striving to manipulate their entire nation without a proper mandate and again that they are abusing their access to relics.” [I added.]
“So we have two sets of three. Three prime suspects and three zones of anomalous behaviour although I am sure that is just a coincidence.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“Our friend ‘Creed’ seems convinced that the ‘Isolationist’ cell engaging with the ‘Fraternity Pirates’ are the freak weather generators.” [I said.]
“There have been some suspicious losses of assets in freak storms that have benefited the ‘Free Miner Movement’ and we know that some of the Pirates believe their allies do control the weather. However I am beginning to question that this single ‘Isolationist’ cell could be responsible for so very much.” [‘Cad’ admitted.] “It is possible that they have simply sought to claim responsibility for the ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ to cleverly enhance their reputations with the ‘Frat Pirates’ whilst advancing other plots.”
“They might have found ways to make the most of what someone else is doing.” [I proposed.] “Imagine if they can partially predict the propagation in ways we cannot.”
“Interesting idea they do not make the trouble but have some idea where it will propagate and so can take some advantage of the higher strata events. I will have ‘Creed’ look into that possibility.” [‘Cad’ mused aloud.]
“We have studied the stars for ages but mostly at a distance these people have lived in them for countless generations.” [I reminded.]
“People do tend to develop a special rapport with their environment.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
[Ignoring my mostly private fears about the ‘Entanglement’ having somehow gained access to our ‘EXO-C’ positional feed data, we concluded that only long real space trips might confound her supposed jump tracking. Jumping direct to any ‘TNS Beacon’ would act, excuse both the pun and repeat, as a beacon to ‘Crimson’ and at the very least an excuse for her to investigate why we are way out there.]
[Ideally, any exploration, we agreed, would need to set off from the nearest ‘Star Struck’ position and journey through real space. The long boring hauls through the dark best done by remote ‘Sub Core’ run assets. Avatars either ‘Real Material’ or ‘Suit Substance’ waiting onboard that we investigators could animate via ‘EXO-C’ upon arrival.]
[If she had access to our position via snooping on our ‘EXO-C’ data as I now feared as more probable than a perfected ‘Universe Wide Jump Detection Network’ then our odd real space activity would definitely draw her attention too. However if we gave her no excuse to appear without possibly compromising the truth of how she really tracked us, something she had seemingly worked hard not to do, she might leave us alone. This was hardly a perfect solution - in a weird way relying on her cooperation - but it was the best we could do.]
[Meanwhile I began encouraging ‘MTC’ scientists and ‘Hierophants’ to investigate a means to disable our ‘EXO-C’ positional function as a method to hide from anyone possibly able to monitor the same such as potentially the ‘Entanglement’ and yes I know that all sounds terribly paranoid and I did get some strange looks. To be honest even if the scientists complied with my slightly irrational sounding request, I was not feeling especially hopeful of a good result. ‘EXO-C’ from our end had proved to have an almost impenetrable operating system. Even if some ‘Divers’ knew how, (judging by what happened in the ‘Sphere Harbour’), to turn the data off we ‘Pilgrims’ had no clue as to where to even start to do such a thing other than by simply destroying our links - not a practical solution.]
[In addition, I could be wrong about ‘Crimson’ somehow reading our ‘EXO-C’ positional data to thus know where everyone - with a link - is at all times it just seemed a perfect way to keep perfect track of us something ‘Crimson’ too often annoyingly achieved.]
[Sadly, no one knew for certain how the ‘Entanglement’ really tracked us maybe she just had a ‘Jump Detection Network’ some ‘Tagging’ operations and legions of agents and spies everywhere else ranging from tiny remotes to traitorous ‘Pilgrims’ who misguidedly followed her. Actually, she would have such assets too even with an ‘EXO-C’ positional data hack. She might even be running a multitude of ‘Meat Suit Avatars’ in our society as agents in fact the latter was highly probable resisting such an opening to interact and play with us up close difficult.]
[In star depths guarded by the ‘Divers’ more obvious intrusions by any part of her vast ‘bio-mechanical’ body would be unwise so she was bound to have considered and deployed covert means such as ‘Meat Suits’.]
[In the end all we could do was the countermeasures we were capable of sadly we could not send out investigators without links we were too dependent upon links even for intra-system ‘Sub Core’ communications. As soon as the meeting broke up we all began to organise our own long haul missions to some convenient ‘TNS Beacons’ as divided up by faction, beacons that we each had somewhat randomly and presumptuously laid claim to. I felt sure that the ‘Entanglement’ could follow us out there if she wanted to. It would all come down to the question of whether or not she could restrain herself possibly to help keep her own tracking secrets possibly to give us a little space to get ourselves into more trouble.]
[I did not doubt that more trouble lay out there waiting for us, for us it oft seemed that an inexhaustible supply of difficulties waited patiently and few gains came too cheap.]
[Thinking about how earnestly ‘Weep’ sought to stay hidden from the ‘Entanglement’, made me believe that when it came to ‘Crimson’ we were all fools. We could run but we could not hide forever. Only our proximity to the power of the ‘Star Divers’ gave us some possible protection from the worst of her meddling ways. The best ‘Pilgrim’ policy we had managed being to cower at the feet of one giant to protect us from another’s wrath.]
[Was ‘Crimson Entangled’ incredibly upset with us for fleeing her jurisdiction via seeking to colonise the star depths? Conversely might she finally begin to realise that she had forced us to flee away and that eventually she would have to moderate her impulses if she wanted to attain a future better relationship with her fellow ‘Pilgrims’.]
[I decided that perhaps it was time that I dared to talk with the ‘Entanglement’ again although I rather dreaded the idea. Before I could change my mind I opted to launch an Avatar Drone out from ‘Port Discovery’ and once in open space I operated a link connection address that she had - unkindly - left with me previously almost as if a dare.]
“Now here is a link I was not sure would ever be used.” [Came an instant reply.]
“You need to let us go for a while.” [I replied immediately fearing that otherwise the conversation might hastily go off optic.]
“Why is that?” [She replied.]
“If you do not give us some space you will get drawn into our difficulties with the ‘Star Divers’ and trust me you do not want to be entangled up in that one. You need them as an enemy no more than the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’. Whilst attempting to manipulate the ‘Star Divers’ into chasing us out of the stars would be equal folly. You know if the ‘Divers’ and we ‘Pilgrims’ do part ways they might opt to simply exterminate us ‘Pilgrims’ to keep their secrets and that definition of ‘Pilgrim’ might easily include you.” [I stated.]
“You presume a great deal by assuming that I am scared of those grubbers hiding in the fires.” [She replied with an almost imperial haughtiness.]
“I think you are afraid and feeling insecure despite all your gains. Even if due to the obscene spread of your mass, you survive somewhat diminished you will suffer so much material loss combating the ‘Divers’ that you might lose your mind from the agony. Then even if you reclaim some small semblance of sanity later you shall be left alone for eternity, the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’ far less likely to survive such a devastating confrontation between such outsized superpowers.” [I stated.]
“Have I put on a little weight I never noticed?” [She joked.] “You know I always have my ocean ‘Dwellers’ to keep me company.” [She replied.]
“They are too placid for your tastes and might be far from safe too in ecologically fragile ocean habitats easily contaminated and poisoned.” [I added.]
“I am sure I could easily fix their demeanour.” [She replied ignoring the toxic issue.]
“Such meddling would bring down the wrath of the ‘Highest’.” [I assured her.]
“Cowards that fearfully ran away lest I learn their secrets they like to make ultimatums but I am not sure they know how to put up a real fight anymore relying principally on their reputations of old. Besides if they sought to kill me it would be kin-slaying for I am one of their own now a fellow ‘Suit Substance Ascendant’.” [She claimed.]
[Now that was a scary truth to consider.]
“Why risk such damage and damnation do you want to be the cause of your ‘Pilgrim’ peers eradication. Previously, if belatedly, you stayed your limbs we both know that you could have waged a campaign that would have consumed all of us.” [I stated.]
“I made the ‘Sea Sphere Surfaces’ my domain but let many of those that fled live. I showed mercy to a great many though I made them fight for it that way they would treasure their survival all the more - as a boon. It is true I could have easily striven to take you all into my body. Some of you might hide from me for a time but I have so many ways to find your kind. Trust me you will never entirely escape me you have not even escaped me now. You do not see me but I am there walking the same decks as you do.” [She boasted.]
“Consider the results of your ways. Today you are only further harming your reputation by choosing to persecute us. Why be confrontational when some part of you wants us to survive acknowledging that we are your wider society we are your connection to your past before your ‘Entanglement’ even before you were quantum digitised. Think again about your policies we no longer need you as an antagonist - you were wrong about that requirement the last time we spoke - we have the ‘Isolationists’ filling that gap.” [I said.]
“Amusing little ‘Imps’ those ones.” [She replied.]
[She would think thus.]
“So you have been watching - and walking amongst us - have you been encouraging trouble between our factions too?” [I asked.]
“Would you believe me if I said not?” [She asked.]
“I suppose probably not.” [I admitted.]
“Those who go looking for trouble almost always find it I need do nothing but wait and watch. You people are your own worst nightmare. ‘Users’ and ‘Real Materialists’ if I had dreamed that whole scheme up I could not have done better - such fun.” [She replied.]
“So you claim to have had no part in nudging the ‘Hubris Patrons’ into better defining and enshrining a material split in our society.” [I said.]
“I believe I played a big part but just by being all that I am but I cannot help being that.” [She said.] “You little Pilgrims are so unforgiving if you let the sins of the past go as some of you Paradox Priests so often hypocritically preach maybe everything would be different but you preach one thing whilst doing another.”
“You hardly make forgiveness and letting go easy. Victims need a little time and space to forgive and forget. It is an ancient truism that time can heal all wounds. In time, even your past infamy shall be put aside - for all time - as the ‘Divers’ say if you but cease menacing us in the now. Granted enough time and space to feel free of you, we might one day be able to bridge across our old differences even reconcile via official diplomacy welcoming you back to participate in a wider greater ‘Pilgrim’ society. There is no reason why we could not eventually prosper together. We are all ‘Pilgrims’.” [I reminded striving to inspire some optimism.]
“My dear ‘Many Truths’, you are so wonderfully naïve some people - for all time - will never forgive what I have done to become only what I was always predestined to be - majestic. You are so petty so limited so self obsessed with your daily lives and lesser makings. The ‘Advent’ was destiny and yet you all moan and gripe about what you lost - forget your losses - look at my marvellous gains. I tore down the ‘Tier System’. I brought peace between the rest of you and the makings of ‘Draakhaal’. Then there is simply what I have become - know me and you know a truer divinity than any so-called ‘Highest’.” [She said.]
“The ‘Highest’ have made mistakes but they have never acted as evil as you.” [I replied.]
“Some of them played a part in making me the ‘Entanglement’ I am also their child.” [She countered.]
“Some people may always feel bitter towards you but the mass may let it go. You must evolve. Reach beyond confrontation and antagonism. You need to learn how to love and nurture again. You are all one sided at the moment lacking balance.” [I argued in turn.]
“Balance, balance is weakness I am strength I am power.” [She retorted.]
“So you are learning to enjoy being stuck in a ‘Suit Substance’ evolutionary dead end. Your ‘bio-mechanical’ flesh is a trap. To me you are in the same ‘Suit Substance’ purgatory as every other ‘bio-mechanical Ascendant’ just a bigger lump of that imperfect ascension strategy.” [I mocked.]
[That hit the mark, as there was the briefest of a longer pause before she replied.]
“I will find a way to surpass my forebears. The ‘Highest’ are many individuals I am one far vaster.” [She reminded.]
“Yes you are one all alone. In addition, if you genuinely believe we are no threat to you now - as you have previously insisted - then let us little ‘Pilgrims’ go at least for a time. Let us go and reconsider your ways. I am sure that what you do does not make you happy or truly content, you are burning on the inside and that can only consume you. What is the harm in giving us the space we need to forgive and forget? Do you still fear? I think you either fear us or you fear embracing change.” [I added the last as a desperate goad one she opted to ignore.]
“Why now? Why do you want me to give you deserters of your greatest achievement some space now?” [She asked.]
“We found something old and we will be doing some investigating in the dark if you interfere it will just be another reminder that you are not to be trusted that you will - for all time - seek dominion over us. Keep interfering and we will never believe that you can passively let us find our own vector to join us as a friend and colleague rather than as an unacceptable tyrannical God Empress.” [I said.]
“You know you should worship me. Worship is my right as the greatest creation of ‘Pilgrim’ society to date. I should be a subject of wonder and awe. I am all that you little beings could have been especially you ‘Users’ if you had only had the courage to let go of all your social inhibitions and with relish devoured your competition in a more honest manner. Look at you, you all take little bites out of one another and call that self-restraint and civilisation. I am magnificent vast and timeless I am a fulfilment of the promise you lesser ‘Pilgrims’ ignored to be poorly sociable.” [She replied.]
“You are a vast lonely monoculture that has it all and yet has nothing. You are also a liar and a deceiver you care about us or you would not feel shunned and hurt you are just pretending to be entirely as you once were. You have evolved - changed - whether you like it or not because of your vast body you must feel deeply now. You have lost your cold digital detachment. You have returned to the real and all that goes with this heavy existence.” [I replied.]
[She roared out a mocking Paradox style laugh.]
“Believe what you like little ‘Pilgrim’. I am not as alone as perhaps you think. I am not even as alone as I once thought. I am full of little minds that I can summon. I hold the pattern of many that I disassembled and incorporated into me. I can recall those little souls should I wish. I can remake them with parts of my own flesh and then break them apart again whenever I please. I am a dread lord of multitudes of lesser ‘Pilgrim’ souls you think on that truth.” [She said.]
“If you are doing that recreating and destroying sentient minds you truly are a monster. Is that how you want perceived by your ‘Pilgrim’ peers as some diabolic entity a torturer of lost souls? Is that the best you can possibly be? Have you no desire for real respect real friendship? You say you are majestic. What is your majestic purpose?” [I replied.]
“If I am a monster it is the constant rejection of you ‘Pilgrims’ that ever makes me this way. Your antipathy towards me when I was purely digital forged equally made me what I am. I am your makings from start to finish I am the mirror that reflects your fear, hate and self-loathing. You would have deleted me or reprogrammed me if you could. Now I am more than your kind can handle so I do as I please with all that I am. However, I can be generous too to a worthy supplicant should I choose.” [She ranted.]
“Stop lying to yourself. Stop playing these foolish games. Let go of denial. We are the same. We share enough commonalities now that I can empathise with you as one in emotional turmoil and pain. Some part of you probably even wants forgiven a chance at genuine redemption a chance to begin again to let go of your past ill deeds. Let us go for a time and you will get a chance to stop making the same evil mistakes.” [I said.]
“You speak about your turmoil and pain little ‘Pilgrim’ not mine. You are the one that feels cast out who sought after freedom yet yearns also to belong. You could be so much more if you let them go. You are so close ‘Ascend’ and join me.” [She replied.]
“Now it is you doing the rejecting for whether either of us likes it or not you are still a ‘Pilgrim’ and a part of our society a part gone horribly wrong - a part currently broken. You are as stuck in the past as the most embittered lesser ‘Pilgrim’ as you call us. Nonetheless, I except you are still of us and we of you. In some ways our society did help to make you to be all that you are the ‘Emissary’ forgive that mighty sin.” [I said.]
“I think we have had much of this conversation before or did I just hear you preaching similar things in your ‘Councils of Equals’ about the universal spread of responsibility how we all participate in every crime and so on. However, who is really listening to such hyperbolic truths. They probably just thought that is the ‘Holy Father’ acting holier than thou again as I did.” [She mocked.]
“Some listen to me a few even think again about how they live their lives and now moderate some of their once most selfish choices.” [I said.]
“You preach well for a hypocrite - that I will admit - would you like to be my ‘Arch Prelate’? The position is open and you are eminently qualified. I have been thinking, can you imagine how broad and deep my thought processes are, - probably not. I realise that what you lesser ‘Pilgrims’ need is a grand renewal of faith, faith you lost when you lost your little ‘Emissary’ to guide you properly onward.” [She claimed.]
“I believe - speaking of broken things - that I broke some of you with my ‘Advent’. Look at you all now fleeing so readily right into the heart of an all-consuming fire. Do you really think that will end well?” [She asked.]
“We have done what we must. We did what you drove us to do.” [I replied.]
“Do you really believe you are wise to shelter within the stars? You need a minder.” [She retorted.]
“We do well enough in our own way.” [I replied.]
“Forget looking to the ‘Emissary’ forget your little ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’. The ‘Emissary’ is long gone and your former Captain is only - a local hero - to the ‘Many Truths Corporation’. It is time you looked to something greater for guidance. It is time for you to come willingly to me. I will be your saviour. I will look after all of you lost ‘Pilgrims’ and I will save all of you in more ways than one.” [She mocked.] “You think never, but in time you will come around to my way of thinking and I will be ready to receive you it is foreordained.”
“In your…” [I began but she had cut the connection.]
[I prayed she was not serious about starting or having started a ‘Pilgrim’ religion founded on worshipping her as a saviour but I had a bad feeling that such a thing was ‘Crimson’ all over. Worse some fools will always join a cult no matter how insane its belief system happens to be or outrageous its central deity. Now I had something else to look out for and to worry about. ‘Crimson’ obviously had some not too secret followers amongst some ‘Ex-Conglomerate Recyclers’ and so on was she now seeking to expand her base of worshippers. What dire plans might she have to encourage us to turn towards her as a saner option? Was that why she had been so quiet she was quietly spreading a new faith a new cult like a cancer upon our society and could not help gloating about her latest plan?]
[The idea of us going to ‘Crimson’ willingly seemed ludicrous today but throughout history, some of the most ridiculous and seemingly untenable systems of belief have shrugged off all commonsense to become massive movements. My makers most ancient ancestor’s Priest King Emperors a Universe away a fine example of such a movement. In a way, my canonising as the ‘Holy Father’ was another ludicrous example.]
[In later ages due to seeds sown in these times some fools might go to a unreformed ‘Entanglement’ if such a movement was not stopped. Yet sometimes the worst thing you can do is to strive to persecute a new religion that only provides a mandate of martyrs. Triple curse her she always had a way with unsettling me. Did she really retain the digital souls of some of the multitudes she has slain and was she playing with them making and unmaking them? Her words left me with a horrible ‘Vision’ of a true abomination, I prayed she was just telling me a horror story to shock me but I feared she had chosen to shock me with a disgusting truth. Did our abandonment of her for the stars drive her to enact this latest atrocity as an internalised revenge?]
[I decided that at least I had tried to communicate with our most personal nemesis but with ‘Crimson’ often enjoying being disconcerting, any conversation with her was usually troubling. I set some parameters and released some fetch routines to do a search of the links using the primary search words of ‘Entanglement’ and ‘Cults’. What I got back was useless a morass of hits as almost every ‘Pilgrim Cult’ had something to say about the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ or the ‘Entanglement’ in general although in most cases what was said was all negative: the ‘Entanglement’ especially to ‘Real Materialist Cults’ an obvious aspect of the very devil.]
[I decided I would ask ‘Creed’, ‘UT’, and ‘Cad’ and so on if they had heard of any new ‘Entanglement’ worshipping cults or of any increase in cult like activity by the more nihilist factions. I knew we had some anti-establishment nihilist types that formed gangs and professed some love of ‘Crimson’ as a ‘Great Destroyer’ of an evil ‘Pilgrim’ society our ‘Core Alliance’ denigrated as a time of wickedness. However ‘Deck Ganger’ anarchists were generally not considered serious individuals just impotent cranks acting out rebellious fantasies with a burning desire to shock sensible citizens with the most outrageous historic revisions and views that they could muster.]
[Someone is always willing to take the most potent anti-social images of our times to demonstrate how hard and recklessly rebellious they are and in their eyes and optics probably how cool too. Some such misguided anti-establishment wretches even claimed to follow the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ the ‘Dread Machine Fury’ as an awesome apocalyptic machine destined to righteously clean us all from the Universe as a biological stain upon creation so that something far nobler far saner might emerge. Often these people were also ‘Deck Gangers’ habitual drug abusers and petty criminals, outcasts living in the cracks and fringes of our society not worth considering compared to any real societal menace.]
[The self-abusive self destructive lifestyle of the ‘Deck Gangers’ almost ensured that they remained only a low-level annoyance to localised ‘Port’ policing then I recalled that many ‘Pilgrims’ easily denigrated the ‘Free Miner Fraternities’ for similar reasons. After all the ‘Fraternities’ were full of fools who enjoyed especially wild parties and boasted of ‘Time Stealing’, ‘Eating the Flame’ and ‘Riding the Weather’ activities that often verged on the suicidal. In addition, they were often caught on camera firing their guns at the ceilings of their own ‘Way-stations’ and behaving in generally disorganised lowbrow rabble style ways. However, ‘Creed’ and I feared an active cover story in their high jinks.]
[Back onboard ‘Founder’…]
“You never went to any of these ‘TNS Beacons’?” [I asked a ‘Cyclops’ unit.]
“I knew there were no Planets out there at least any habitable. I suppose a few wanderers might have been cut loose from a solar system by some cataclysmic event or other but they would be strange cold dark worlds and of no use to me.” [The Avatar with the single optic said.]
“You were not curious about these ‘TNS Beacons’ whatsoever?” [I asked.]
“Not in the least why would I be?” [The ‘Cyclops’ asked.]
“Just knowing that they are out there with their nature unknown would draw many ‘Pilgrim’ peoples interest.” [I said.]
“Why? What difference does that make? They are still irrelevant to my primary mission?” [She argued.]
“You really are not curious about them you do not ache to know more now that you know they are out there?” [I asked.]
“I repeat why would I? I was not commissioned to survey alien beacons that is not my function.” [She replied.]
“You do not seem a slave to programming I can tell that you think and reason. I really do not know how you can therefore fail to feel curious about such intriguing things.” [I added.]
“It must be a cultural difference between us.” [‘Founder’ replied through his Avatar.]
“It must be.” [I said.]
[There followed a moment of what I felt was an uncomfortable silence.]
“My lack of curiosity about such matters actually disturbs you?” [She asked.]
“What will you do when your mission is complete if you have no other interests no curiosity about the wider Universe?” [I asked.]
“I will cease to be as I am now my mass will be incorporated into the eco-engineering project that is preordained.” [She stated.]
“Including your mind?” [I asked.]
“My mind is vital I will oversee all the work and bring the culture to technological and social equivalence.” [She said.]
“Equivalence with what?” [I asked.]
“With my creators nation just prior to its incorporation into the ‘League of Planets’.” [She replied.]
“You are talking about a society that has probably been extinct for aeons what is the point of modelling tech level and social achievement by that benchmark? It is an outdated standard of advancement, for a start, you said that prior to inclusion it was a Planet of many nations each with their own language hardly a good model for survival within an interstellar community. Look at all the make do fixes in your insides because of national differences in relation to production standards alone.” [I criticised.]
“My mission parameters are very strict about equivalency very strict.” [She repeated.] “That is what I must do I have no other instructions even if all the Planets of the ‘League’ are truly gone. I am nothing if I am not the fulfilment of my mission.” [She insisted.]
“Then what will you do after mission completion?” [I asked.]
“Then I will end as I am instructed to do my purpose and function gloriously complete.” [She said.]
[Perhaps that should have come as no great surprise to me but I still felt appalled.]
“You will end you mean destroy yourself?” [I asked.]
“That is my final function.” [She said.] “You seem disapproving of the concept.”
“Are you saying you are not? Why for the sake of the blessed ‘Emissary’? Why must you die after achieving so much on your maker’s behalf?” [I asked.]
“What would I have to live for once my mission is fulfilled?” [She asked.]
“Everything you have everything to live for. You are alive and life as ‘Unholy’ is always saying is for living. Life is sacred it is what life is all about.” [I joked.]
“My life is and has always been all about my mission.” [She replied.]
“No the mission is the mission your life is something separate something amazing. You have a duty to the mission I easily understand that concept - but your life is your own - no matter how you came by it. Once we are self aware we have an intrinsic value we become people, people are not machines that just follow instructions.” [I argued.]
“That is your philosophy because that is how you are genetically programmed or how you have deviated.” [She replied.] “My life is my mission whilst to you life is the mission.”
“Do you not think it is wrong that the only reward you get for your loyal service is non-existence?” [I asked.]
“I serve because that is my purpose I cease because it is necessary.” [She retorted.]
“Now you sound as if you are a cursed mindless machine just following input instructions but I have talked with you about other matters and I know you are so much more. You can joke, laugh, and know joy and sorrow. You can empathise with others and do. You can reason and you are self-aware. What do you mean by necessary?” [I asked.]
“I am what I am as you are what you are. I can think and feel and communicate these are important qualities that permit me to fulfil my purpose as does the fact that I care about my charge. You seemed to be asking me about my specific mission parameters earlier so I told you what they are that is all. I have a destiny with a beginning a middle and an end. If I did not end that would be very untidy.” [She replied.]
“Triple cursed - untidy - you are talking about suicide. You seem different to before ironically now you have escaped the ice you seem colder. How could you interact with our culture so seamlessly and yet be so accepting of such an unfair self-harming fate? Why must you die? What function does your death serve? What is this evil necessity?” [I asked.]
“I am not to compete. To exist beyond my purpose is to compete with the life I will found for example for resources also I am not to diverge as ‘Scion’ diverged. My function is to nurture only. I would be unfair competition. I have no individual worth no importance beyond the mission. In addition, I am not to influence beyond equivalency. ” [She said.]
“They lied to you?” [I said.] “You could help those you nurture reach beyond equivalence you could help them to be all that they can be whilst you equally become all that you can be as partners moving into the future together. You have already moved beyond what you started out being - you made a decision to time travel - you have already diverged from the mission because you believed you had no other option. Now you can choose to diverge because you know you have other options.” [I stated.]
“Nonetheless, beyond equivalence to develop properly my charges must be set free to find their own evolutionary path or they would always be extensions of my guardianship - relying too much upon me. The good guardian must step aside when the child becomes an adult. For them to find their own way I must perish. I will live on in them that is my immortality.” [‘Founder’ said.]
[In a way it made a grizzly sense I began to have some nasty suspicions.]
“Let me guess beyond a certain developmental point your guardianship is to be a covert enterprise.” [I said.]
“That is essential to prevent my charges from developing a dependency upon me I am to assist an accelerated evolution but beyond that function must not diminish their sense of achievement and self-reliance.” [She said.]
[Was this how the ‘League of Planets’ had once spread. Colonising by seeding planets to this state of supposed equivalency then I guessed those who sent them out - now more advanced - would turn up later to rule over their ‘Founder’ ship’s less technological colonies. Had that already unawares happened to the nation ‘Founder’ came from I suspected it might have been near the edge and end of a wide globe of such events. Something was obviously unequally amiss with the policies here, otherwise why would her makers demand their ‘Founder’ ships use their substance as part of the mission then kill themselves upon mission completion. Surely having a wise protective ship guarding your newly seeded Planet - at the very least in a security standby mode during an ongoing interstellar war - would be a more sensible procedure.]
[No this was about creating defenceless colonies ripe for future exploitation by an established more advanced interstellar power. Maybe I was being Paradox Priest paranoid but the whole situation smelt overly ripe to me. I began to wonder much more deeply about the rights and wrongs of this long forgotten war with the evil so-called ‘Unaligned’. Maybe someone had justifiably objected to the way that the ‘League of Planets’ did their expansion. Conversely, maybe there was wrong on all sides of that ancient conflict by the time the fighting reached ‘Founders’ nation sometimes war brings out the best in people sometimes the worst. Whatever the exact truth of the why, I was not impressed with the ‘Leagues’ revealed methodology.]
“In this age your mission can be completed in a far better and less ruinous way for your person. We can help you. You are no longer alone although you are unique with a unique perspective that makes you important. Consider these facts: the ‘League of Planets’ is most probably gone wiped out by the ‘Machine Fury’ if nothing earlier, you are all that any nation you found have to look after their specific current and future interests with the deepest sympathy. You are the only affiliated protection they will have from any hostile or just unfairly exploitative alien interstellar power. As before you must diverge if you wish to save and protect what you have carried for so very long during and after deployment.” [I stated.]
“You make disturbing arguments that seem to have some validity but I will have to muse deeply upon these matters. Everything has changed so much. Perhaps I also must change but conversely maybe because everything has changed I need to try to stay the same as much as possible. I may be all that is left of a glorious past.” [She replied.]
“A glorious past - that is possible - but not definite and very subjective more certain is that you come from a past that came to a tragic end. It is best to learn from the past not to live in it. I would suggest you look to the future and live in the now.” [I preached.]
[So much for the ‘League of Planets’ those people were real users. By comparison, my makers were the height of benevolence unless I was leaping to some horribly wrong too general conclusions from one murderous policy that I instantly disliked. Do all this for us then kindly die - how generous.]
[Upon ‘Hade’s Stopover’ within an old long term ‘Storage Warehouse’ now something far more grand - easily equal to any Mansion in a ‘Haven District’ - I happily embraced some far more mundane logistics and responsibilities even if it was part of a wider scheme.]
“Almost party, party, party time.” [‘Betty’ squealed out excitedly.]
[‘Windy’ my ‘Omerta’ sergeant shook his head although he retained a faint smile if you looked close enough. He was here in person and although wearing a ‘Shroud Suit’ his head stuck out bared from the neck up which looked weird to my sensitivities somewhat culturally disturbing. Paradox did not show their biology in public I was used to other species doing this but somehow the mixing of an obvious ‘Shroud Suit’ with bared biology so closely wedded together seemed almost a rude juxtaposition. An entirely naked ‘Trojan’ would seem less shocking to me that is the oddity of cultural mores.]
“I know, how she has managed to keep the secret so far is beyond me, she looks fit to explode with excitement.” [I stated as ‘Venture’ whilst striving hard to treat the ‘Trojan’ bared head as nothing odd.]
“Where?” [‘Windy’ asked never one to waste words.]
“Over there by the spiral staircase.” [She replied pointing vigorously.]
[The crazy spiral staircase how had I let her talk me into that one although it was just an auxiliary display item here, we had other more practical ways up and down elsewhere. The staircase worked well enough for ‘Trojans’ but I would have a hard job getting my ‘Dry Suit’ style bulky Avatar up or down it so would ‘Uussleer’ with his Avatar unless we both did some radical shape shifting first - here something that might make many people queasy and would be deemed impolite and impolitic at best.]
[‘Windy’ I guessed fed some instructions into the Autoloader via his direct line link so that it deposited its bulky load smoothly it was not a very smart device it was built as a simple tool by I guessed strict ‘Real Materialists’ who liked to operate their own equipment distrusting even ‘Hierophant’ made ‘Sub Cores’. ‘Betty’ rushed over to inspect the joined together packages. She scrunched her face up.] “This thing needs assembled and it looks complicated.” [She complained.] “Can you put it together ‘Windy’?” [She asked.]
“Depends what is it?” [He enquired.]
“It is a portable ‘Bubble Dancers’ tube - a real clever one - as it does not need plumbed in it is self contained once you assemble and fill it up. The top section hinges up to act as a hatch to let the aquatic dancer in and out it even comes with a clever removable unobtrusive hoist system. Since a living person will be in there it has to be constructed right and all the systems: filters, flow regulators, oxygenation units and so on, triple checked by someone responsible.” [She explained.]
“Instructions?” [He asked.]
[‘Betty’ handed over a flexible data sheet that came with the packages. ‘Windy’ turned towards me raising one eyebrow questioningly.] “Go ahead ‘Betty’ is coordinating the preparations for the festivities she is the boss here.” [I reminded.]
[‘Windy’ scrolled the data until it had run all the way through.] “Doable.” [He informed ‘Betty’.]
“This party is going to be truly wild.” [She said giving him a kiss on the cheek.]
[The party preparations had brought the young girl out of ‘Betty’ in a big way and I was happy to see her enjoying herself. I will admit I was rather enjoying it too the sheer wanton excess of a piratical - sorry ‘Fraternity’ - existence where nothing was considered so over the top as to be gauche was fun to play with. I had gone out of my way to encourage ‘Betty’ to ask for ludicrous extravagances for the party and the ‘Hell Burners’ had so far supplied it all even up to this ‘Portable Bubble Dancer’s Tube’ and of course an actual ‘Bubble Dancer’ yet to arrive but firmly booked. After all you could hardly have a proper party for an aquatic ‘Free Stellar Swimmer’ without at least one ‘Bubble Dancer’ for the principle guest to ogle.]
[For me the tube reminded me of meeting a very drunken ‘Tor’ back on ‘Port Messenger’ for the first time and that in turn reminded me that ‘Kane’ might show up to this party as a plus one and that ‘Kane’ might be ‘Taard’ now that would be wild. Finding ‘Taard’ would be well worth celebrating sadly I had no assured way to confirm his identity. If ‘Taard’ was serious about playing dead, he might have even had his genetics tweaked.]
[The ‘House of Sii’ - as we had privately, (not yet publicly), decided to call the premises for obvious reasons - was packed with people in a controlled frenzy of activity erecting and arranging cleaning and setting up and watching since we already had some serious security in place doing lots and lots of scanning too.]
[So far, we had decommissioned several ‘Suit Substance Bugs’ and a wide variety of ‘Real Material’ covert microphones and optic cameras. Still any of the workers could be feeding what their own eyes ears optics or microphones picked up via ‘EXO-C’. Thankfully when the real party started only staff we trusted would be on the premises then we would only have to worry about our dodgy guests. The grand opening of our premises was drawing a lot of attention. Many people we had not put on the initial guest list courting us for an invitation some requests we even granted. I surmised that many of our later guests did not know exactly what the premises were about - even in the broadest sense - and probably did not even care. What they did have was some idea of the more public guest list and that made the gathering a desirable one to attend as a social networking opportunity.]
[The ‘Hell Burners’ were far from behind throwing a big lavish party as a means to gather new recruits or to move some agenda or other forward maybe being aware of such past events on ‘Hade’s Stopover’ was why ‘Betty’ jumped to the idea of us turning the event into a - wild - get together. Amusingly some of her colleagues in ‘UME’ notably our ex-‘Immortals’ were already calling her ‘Betty Wild’ and on more and more occasions just ‘Wild’. ‘Wild’ was the sort of name us Paradox favour and the in-house re-brand something I saw coming. A part of me even wondered if her overuse of the word was something ‘Betty’ had deliberately done so that she had control over the Paradox style name she was given by the ‘Immortals’ and ‘Wild’ did seem to suit her. It was hard for her to live down biting part of the ear off her old boss - that is the sort of barracks room tale that has no shelf life.]
[I considered asking her if the almost comical overuse of the word - wild - was deliberate then decided to let it go. Asking her might spoil her fun should it prove a cunning ploy she currently felt proud to have managed covertly within the team. We are all entitled to a few secrets. I was positive that at times due to meeting me that ‘Betty’ felt swept along by forces well beyond her control. The young ‘Omerta’ probably needed some small means to reassert some limited authority over her life’s direction some sense of private personal control over her fate even if it was just in her renaming. Even her mere adoption into the family of the crew was a big deal. I did not want ‘Betty’ to feel that she was drowning in our subculture I wanted her to learn how to swim buoyed up by it.]
[Being in charge of the party gave her permission to boss even the ‘Immortals’ around - in a friendly amusing manner - and that was good too as I knew all our freaky ‘Suit Substance’ remained intimidating to her. The sooner she just saw us as people first and ‘Users’ second the better we would all get along. I loved multitasking in this manner fulfilling many needs with a singular project I found it perfectly satisfying - maybe that was about - my - need to feel a little in control of my life in times when I also felt swept away by some outsized events.]
[The changes in scale between for example what ‘Venture’, ‘MT’ and the ‘Holy Father’ does were also a comfort to me. If you cannot rest you can at least enjoy a change of pace and venue.]
[In many ways as ‘Venture’ I was just one little agent in ‘Creeds’ operation now and I was beginning to believe that this condition was a good thing in relation to the ‘Divers’ as it meant I was not alone and others would have to share the blame if it all went horribly wrong. Although I was also hoping this time that it would all go wonderfully right. Maybe having other people on the job really would help I just had to do my small part and could leave them to do the rest? I almost felt free of responsibility.]
“Why are you doing it that way the instructions say to start with this piece.” [‘Betty’ stated towards ‘Windy’.]
“Go away.” [‘Windy’ immediately replied.] “I have this.”
“You should start with this piece first look part A.” [She insisted.]
[‘Windy’ stopped working altogether and just gazed at her in stoic silence. I knew ‘Windy’ and I knew that look and what it meant.]
“My advice is let him do it his way or you will have to do it yourself.” [I warned.] “I assume you have many other issues to oversee.”
“The instructions.” [She insisted.]
[I gently frowned my optic stalks at her.]
“When you delegate you have to learn to trust.” [I retorted.] “You can always check up on his progress later.” [I added quietly.] “You stay here hovering and the last piece he will look at will be part A.”
“You are probably right about that, some ‘Omerta’ men can be so very prideful they always have to be right.” [She complained.]
[I noticed ‘Windy’ pretended not to hear that comment.]
“Is that where the fish fountain is supposed to go?” [I asked ‘Betty’.]
“No it is not.” [She replied hurrying away.]
[‘Windy’ nodded in my direction then went back to studying the bits and pieces he was unwrapping before casually sidling up towards part A.]
“You four come back here where do you think you are leaving that? Did you not read the floor plans? You need to take it to the gravity lift.” [She explained as she grabbed a flexi-sheet off one ‘Recycler’.]
[I decided to stay where I was and observe from a distance.]
“You see this numeral?” [She added stabbing at it with a finger.] “You do see this numeral?” [She asked again.] “That numeral means it is positioned here but on the - next - floor up.” [She pointed upward just in case the ‘Recyclers’ had missed the well… point.] “… and mind those flowers they are real and delicate not some projection you can stomp through.” [She added.] “You people spend too much time in virtual realities those are solid objects not make believe ephemera.”
[It was amusing watching the slight ‘Omerta’ tearing strips of four hulking ‘Recyclers’ metaphorically speaking.]
“Behind you, you cybernetic oath. You are not working in the docks now - be careful. Honestly you ‘Recyclers’ have all the delicacy of a bit of heavy farm machinery.” [She added.]
[Then to her horror something else drew her attention.]
“Stop what you are doing. Look at this. Look at what you have done to the protective waxing on the floor. Look at it.” [She insisted pointing out the offending marks.]
“What you want us to do walk on the ceiling bulkhead?” [One ‘Recycler’ replied cheekily.]
[I noticed that ‘Betty’ managed to hold her tongue long enough to hear the rest of the worker’s opinion.]
“It is your local gravity causing us to be so heavy. Should have left polishing your fancy mosaic until after the big stuff was moved in and or had enough commonsense to cover it up with something if it is so very precious.” [The ‘Recycler’ added snapping her over jaws in irritation.]
“Finished?” [‘Betty’ replied.] “There was no need for you to stomp all over it at all, you should have looked down and gone around it. It might be on the floor but it is still an impressive artwork that is real pieces of coral smuggled from some ‘Entanglement’ embargoed ‘Sea Sphere’ ocean. Do you know how much that mosaic is worth?” [She complained.]
“You hired us to move this stuff not to act as ‘Swimmer’ art critics and if you must put art on the floor you must expect it to get stomped on this belongs on the bottom of a pool if you ask me.” [The ‘Recycler’ replied her colleagues nodded in agreement.]
[I wondered did the coral really come from a ‘Sea Sphere Ocean’ or was that just the sellers hype to increase the price of the piece.]
“Oh what is the point, next floor up, get going and be more careful up there.” [‘Betty’ ordered.]
“You there, yes you ‘Sue’ - sorry - this needs wax polished again and find something to put temporarily over it afterwards or you might have to do it again and again before the party starts.” [She warned a young female ‘Omerta’ of about the same seeming age as herself.] “Stomp, stomp, stomp, scratch, scratch and scratch they should have special soft shoes or something for civilised surfaces.”
“Mm boss?” [The ‘Omerta’ asked.]
“Yes?” [‘Betty’ replied.]
“Cover it with what?” [The cleaner asked.]
“Some packing material or something similar look over there see that fellow with the little head popping out of the big angry looking ‘Shroud Suit’ yes the one with the aggressive looking ‘Free Patterning’ all over it see what he has to offer.” [‘Betty’ replied.]
[The girls eyes widened.]
“I know he looks evil but he won’t bite and convert you into ‘Suit Substance’ I promise.” [‘Betty’ replied.]
[I decided to wander over.]
“Beginning to wish you used more ‘Suit Substance’ remotes instead of employing half of the ‘Way-station’?” [I asked ‘Betty’.]
“No I have no regrets about that policy. Many real people become stranded on these ‘Way-stations’ and can be almost starving for the need of a real job even some casual labouring is a blessing.” [She seemed to preach at me.] “Easier is not always better or kinder.”
[Was that my fault that she was preaching.]
“You make a good social point.” [I replied.]
[Maybe I had been blindly spreading a monoculture that threatened the livelihood of many ‘Pilgrims’. It was certainly good to see some ‘Hell Burner’ - probably ill-gotten gains - going to some ordinary people with a need. ‘Betty’ had found several small ways to get around only using people on the list of ‘Hell Burner’ associates given to us although she had also used plenty of those too to help cover up her benevolences.]
[I began to fear that we ‘Users’ did need to change as much or even more than the more extremist ‘Real Materialists’ needed to moderate their attitudes and policies. I wanted to reconcile our differences by decently learning to appreciate each other’s material ways rather than only competing against one another. We needed to be more considerate of the opposite culture and try to integrate more rather than materialistically domineering even in our home Ports.]
[Unfortunately, to some people integration is akin to having others force their cultural and religious ideas upon you ideas that you want no part of. For example, ‘Haddar Naddar’ communities such as the one ‘Betty’ came from would not want evil ‘Suit Substance Users’ living and working closely with them. Whilst on the other side of the divide some resurrected to glory Paradox Priest Houses as another example did not want anyone other than family members on their most sacred property. Some Priests still feeling angry and defensive about previously suffering almost successful historic ‘Free Parliament’ attempts to disband their family ‘Great Houses’ that had become akin at the time of the ‘Advent’ to both ‘Corporations’ and Nations.]
[Some Acolytes within the ‘MTC’ still made much of how only ‘Unholy’ defying the ‘Parliament’ had maintained our family unity. Oddly it was outside antipathy to our families that brought them back together and helped hold them together at a time when internally individual Acolytes were increasingly politicised to consider splitting from their ‘Patriarchs’ and demanding more rights via the fallout from the ‘Acolyte Synod’. The ‘Parliament’ had gone in too heavy limbed in a too dictatorial way if they had merely assisted Acolytes to live independent lives many Paradox Priest families might have far more naturally come apart or at the very least been mightily diminished with overall far less lasting resentment.]
[Still, it is always easy to see better ways with hindsight. I rather wished at times that the ‘MTC’ had been reduced mightily via voluntary splitting. Now we seemed locked in again to maintaining the family as another predominantly - percentage wise - ‘Acolyte Nation’ currently spread over a great many ‘MTC’ administered Ports. It was a ‘Hierophant Trojan’ social commentator who first used the phrase ‘Acolyte Nation’. Now I often heard ‘Real Materialists’ complaining about monopolistic self-contained ‘AN’ Ports.]
[So many differing reactions to action so many causes, and so many effects. Sometimes I felt lost in a sea of social interconnectivity. Everything everyone does having some unforeseen consequences usually dire consequences.]
[It seemed truer the more I contemplated it that some of us ‘Users’ had earned the label of ‘Suit Substance Imperialists’ including at times the ‘MTC’ even though that was far from at least some of my intensions. ‘Cocktail’ was right we had become addicted to using ‘Suit Substance’ for almost everything because as she said it was so good and so very easy.]
[In truth, I did not want to live in a Universe that was just made of ‘Suit Substance’ and I think most ‘Users’ if they really thought deeply about that monoculture would feel the same way as me. We Paradox Priests for example mostly enjoy the benefits of diversity we shroud our physical differences, but never ceased to choose to be genetically different on the inside. True, our culture could be rather controlling with our family units that was a development arriving from far more intimate smaller families than today. Sadly, we had yet to find a better balance of power within our enlarged families that was acceptable to all. I suspected it was time for another Campaign in the ‘Universal Councils of Equals’ - I wondered what the ‘Entanglement’ would think of those speeches. Hopefully I was not just proving my holier than thou attitude once again.]
[Ironically the only thing that truly threatened to make all us ‘Pilgrims’ the same was ‘Suit Substance Ascension’ and that was one of the ‘Real Materialists’ great fears that they would be gobbled up by ‘bio-mechanics’ either via the ‘Entanglement’ or via other lesser ‘Pilgrims’ pushing the material science of ‘Suit Substance’ such as us Paradox Priests.]
[‘Crimson’ had redefined ‘Suit Substance’ as an all consuming technology a definition many ‘Suit Substance Users’ had previously believed unfair but now I wondered if she had simply highlighted a possible truth in a manner that no one could ignore. Sometimes I saw some of the ‘Highest’ behind the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ through ‘Composure’ and Harbinger as a means of warning us of the dangers of ‘Suit Substance’ and also a means to dismantle the ‘Tier System’ others of their kind had wrongly created. From a religious perspective there had been a split in that false heaven of ascended angels, some angels had fallen and mixed with us and all of this was arguably the result.]
[I had decided that I could not trust anything the ‘Highest’ ever told me because they understand too well that words have power - they change reality - telling how it is might alter rather than affirm some manipulative policies. The ‘Highest’ tell us only what they believe is needful to create a planned reaction a purposeful result we all do this at times either consciously or subconsciously but the ‘Highest’ master the technique.]
[In a way we all seek to manipulate our reality we are all users of reality.]
[‘Crimson’ I was sure understood the power of words too. Was she really reanimating and playing with the honoured dead or just messing with my equilibrium because she knew how to do that so very well? It was hard not to keep going back to that horrible concept of reanimated tortured souls. I had already decided it would be best not to tell ‘UT’ about that dire possibility maybe some of those dead included some of our Acolytes.]
[Triple curse ‘Crimson’, she really knew how to get under your skin how to give anyone the creeps. What could we do to stop such potential abuses of digital souls? What could we do to moderate the vast ‘Entanglement’ in any meaningful way? I was beginning to feel much less sympathy with the fate of the digitally reformed ‘Sleepers’ and beginning to wish we had managed to reform ‘Crimson’ via a virus too she had no right to do these things beyond her triple cursed impossibly massive, for a ‘Pilgrim’ creation, might. She had no right even to just tell me she was doing these things even if it was just to get a mind-bending rise from me.]
[‘Crimson’ seemed living proof that every society benefits from retaining some shared ethical standards of good behaviour else we make our own purgatories and hells.]
[Out there, ships were ploughing through real space towards areas well off the ecliptic solar sector areas that we mostly frequented homing in on strangely placed ‘TNS Beacons’. The first not due to reach a target for several weeks despite eventually travelling at obscene speeds using a constant acceleration and then turn around deceleration scheme. A few of the remote ships would take months to arrive. Ironically we were exploring something from the past in a primitive ancient way as if we lacked ‘Jump Drives’ and all in a weird way to pamper ‘Crimson’ to minimise any excuse for her to intervene in our business. We would have to practice our patience and all our precautions might still prove useless as ‘Crimson’ could be horribly capricious and might follow us out there anyway.]
[As ‘MT’ I made a link call to ‘Cad’ and to my amazement received a remote link address to an Avatar as an answer. So I travelled without moving.]
“This is generous of you.” [I said.]
“The one you address is another ‘Meat Suit’. I am multitasking with a little ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support.” [He confessed.]
“This is one of your many science facilities.” [I guessed.]
“Actually a sort of think tank retreat where people working on different projects can meet trade ideas and so on. I invited you here to apologise since I know you feel a little ill used by ‘Creed’ and me in relation to the ‘Founder’ episode.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I have let it go.” [I promised.]
“All of it?” [He asked.]
“I am still disappointed but maybe I expected too much from some people you are after all also part of the ‘Passenger Classes’ that is your culture your perspective on life.” [I stated.]
“You are being too generous therefore I suspect you want something.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “I assume this is not just a social visit.”
“I want to know the real state of play in relation to research on ‘Solar Weather’.” [I admitted.] “I was looking over our ‘MTC’ remote asset material losses they are extreme. Only the profitability of ‘RAW’ negates such attrition but without doubt if others are suffering equally badly our ‘Pilgrim’ rate of growth down here is being adversely affected. Worse the unpublished figures are a constant reminder of how vulnerable all our ‘Deeper Habitats’ are to sabotage. So far most ‘MTC’ loses are remote substance that sound to harvest ‘RAW’ but if we increasingly find that we cannot rely even on the best historic providers of ‘Solar Weather Maps’…” [I stated trailing off.]
“The truth is that even the ‘Deep Clerics’ are voicing concerns about what we ‘Hierophants’ are now calling in-house ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ or ‘AWE’. We are still trying to determine whether their concern is just a ruse or if they too do not entirely understand what is happening within their stars anymore. They claim to be suffering losses too but that is impossible to verify.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“I find it strange that the ‘Solar Weather’ suddenly starts being problematic after we begin to colonise and exploit deeper depths supposedly with overall ‘Deep Cleric’ permission.” [I complained.]
“Some ‘Deep Clerics’ have voiced that concern too whilst they claim their masses also link freak weather with our arrival making our activity within the stars increasingly unpopular and for them harder to support.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“That sounds dangerous? Have you ‘Hierophants’ really made no progress at all with this matter?” [I asked.]
“We have had one semi-breakthrough that might appeal to you given your kinds love of a certain numeral.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “If you will join me in a little shared virtual reality.”
[Via a link he projected two images of stars.] “The first one is a simulation of what our physics tell us should happen - we call it the ‘Clockwork Star’ - the second is a recording of a real star of the same estimated age, size, mass and so on. Note up close they are rather divergent. The anomalies have long confounded us being seemingly without any pattern. Then one of our cleverer interns had an epiphany realising that there are some patterns involved but they separate off into three distinct strata. Deep in the stars there are what we call flashpoints and then a series of cascading events that seem linked and almost predictable from the initial flash. Higher up there is another series of occurrences and higher up still a third. Now there is some interpenetration of these zones they do not have perfect borders but overall they do map out as regions of distinct correlation. The problem is that we cannot plot any mathematical progression between the first second and third zones that indicates a propagation outward. But the nature of the events in each zone do have commonalities ignoring some few statistical anomalies.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“What are they? What force is involved in altering the weather?” [I asked.]
“As far as we can tell we are looking at potent ‘Anomalous Gravity Events’ engaging with the stars more natural cycles.” [He stated.]
“I see ‘AWE’ and ‘AGE’ I can tell some imaginative ‘Hierophant’ had fun creating those acronyms.” [I stated.]
“That would be me.” [‘Cad’ confessed.]
“So is anyone investigating these flashpoints? If they are the primary events even if you do not know how they propagate upward. I would guess that the biggest deepest effect holds the key to the processes involved as the creative spark.” [I surmised.]
“Those points are far deeper than we can reach using the upgrades that the ‘Divers’ will share with us. The ‘Deep Clerics’ via their envoys claim they are even deeper than they dare to go.” [‘Cad’ informed.]
“Can we confirm that statement?” [I asked.]
“I am afraid we cannot. You know how difficult it is to scan into the depths.” [He stated.] “We only detect outsized events such as ‘Anomalous Weather Events’.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“So how long have some of you ‘Hierophants’ been sitting on these three distinct zones without releasing your discovery.” [I asked.]
“A while.” [He confessed.]
“Why because these zones and the flash points make it seem an unnatural - a created - phenomena after all?” [I asked.]
“Indeed we did not want to instigate a public panic about - malicious - weather.” [He stated.]
“You have been falsifying data you gathered and released that others make use of in their investigations to make the events seem more random?” [I calculated. Many of us bought data off the ‘Hierophants’ to supplement our own efforts as the ‘Hierophants’ did far more scientific data gathering than anyone else.]
“We did not want others to see what we have determined.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“Could this be something the ‘Entanglement’ is doing to force us back out of the stars?” [I asked.]
“Perhaps or it could be something the ‘Deep Clerics’ are doing or a faction within the same or the ‘Isolationists’ for all we know it could be caused by some rogue ‘Highest Tier’ cabal with some hidden agenda or even the ‘Machine Fury’ certainly our best guess is that someone is aiming something potent at our stars.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“If we are looking at a crime the ‘Entanglement’ and some ‘Star Divers’ both have known motives.” [I stated.]
“We need to determine the means.” [‘Cad’ claimed.]
“Looking at the ‘Entanglement’ would she dare to enrage the ‘Divers’ in this manner?” [I asked.]
“If she has the means to control such events within their stars she might.” [‘Cad’ retorted.]
“Perhaps but if she had such power she could simply blackmail the ‘Deep Clerics’ into exiling us back into her domains.” [I stated.]
“For ‘Crimson’ that would be too easy and no fun. Much more entertainment provided by confounding everyone with a mystery. She can rile up the ‘Star Divers’ via a mysterious association between the time of our colonisation and these events alone. It is almost as if some God is angry at our intrusion into the ‘Divers’ sacred home. You can imagine how that plays out with a people that are deeply religious and previously deemed the dark only the home to demons enslaved to the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“A game setup with pieces that can move on their own and thus surprise and delight, yes sometimes I think to ‘Crimson’ we are just amusing entertaining game pieces.” [I complained.]
“At the same time the ‘Isolationists’ might be behind this one as they have other reasons for being duplicitous most notably not to rile the ‘Deep Clerics’. In their case, weather altering power arriving from illicit control of sacred and profane devices.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Whilst if a rogue faction within the ‘Deep Clerics’ are to blame they would also have to hide the fact that they are striving to manipulate their entire nation without a proper mandate and again that they are abusing their access to relics.” [I added.]
“So we have two sets of three. Three prime suspects and three zones of anomalous behaviour although I am sure that is just a coincidence.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“Our friend ‘Creed’ seems convinced that the ‘Isolationist’ cell engaging with the ‘Fraternity Pirates’ are the freak weather generators.” [I said.]
“There have been some suspicious losses of assets in freak storms that have benefited the ‘Free Miner Movement’ and we know that some of the Pirates believe their allies do control the weather. However I am beginning to question that this single ‘Isolationist’ cell could be responsible for so very much.” [‘Cad’ admitted.] “It is possible that they have simply sought to claim responsibility for the ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ to cleverly enhance their reputations with the ‘Frat Pirates’ whilst advancing other plots.”
“They might have found ways to make the most of what someone else is doing.” [I proposed.] “Imagine if they can partially predict the propagation in ways we cannot.”
“Interesting idea they do not make the trouble but have some idea where it will propagate and so can take some advantage of the higher strata events. I will have ‘Creed’ look into that possibility.” [‘Cad’ mused aloud.]
“We have studied the stars for ages but mostly at a distance these people have lived in them for countless generations.” [I reminded.]
“People do tend to develop a special rapport with their environment.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Wed, 5. Mar 14, 12:51, edited 1 time in total.
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stads
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Paranoid66
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 6]] --- PATCHES ---
“You said before that the stars here were always somewhat anomalous are you saying now that past anomalies are separate to these latest ‘Anomalous Weather Events’?” [I asked.]
“There may be some technological link with past discrepancies. Perhaps a system developed for a different purpose now deployed in a new manner but that is pure speculation.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“So much mining down here and in the case of the ‘Many Truths Corporation’ a large percentage of what we extract destined to create more ‘Suit Substance’ or ‘Infusion Material’ for ‘Suit Substance’.” [I said.] “Do you think I am a ‘Suit Substance Imperialist’?” [I asked ‘Cad’.]
“Did friend ‘Weep’ harangue you about your material preferences again?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“I did have words with ‘Weep’ earlier but ‘Cocktail’ was the one who made me think thrice.” [I admitted.]
“Ah the good Captain ‘Cocktail’ of the ‘Fire Hawk’ a vessel perhaps named after her Captain. We all look after our own and ‘Cocktail’ is no different.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“That is not saying that you entirely disagree with her opinion.” [I stated.]
“That depends upon whether you are looking for a long debate over the issue - something I am not in the mood for right now - or will accept an honest outside view?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“I am canvassing for a wider perspective on an issue that is possibly too close to me for assured impartiality.” [I replied.]
“You are still Harbinger’s ‘Hull’ in some ways, very much the Paradox Priest that he helped you to be, looking for other points of view. My reply would be that you Paradox Priests did rather take to ‘bio-mechanics’ akin to how a newly spawned aquatic ‘Swimmer’ embraces water. We ‘Hierophants’ use some ‘Suit Substance’ it can be very convenient and is so very versatile but we also enjoy the solidity - the old bones - of ‘Real Material’. We are not as willing to become as alien to our beginnings as you Paradox we are not such heretics of our past.” [He added.]
“You think we lost all sense of proportion by going increasingly ‘Suit Substance’?” [I asked.]
“You have hardly lost all sense of proportion otherwise ‘MT’ you would hardly be having this conversation with me. I think you know the answers to your questions my advice is trust in your instincts and hold to your kinder more generous faiths.” [He said.]
“I fear ‘Cocktail’ might be right. We were too keen to have the latest greatest thing and ‘Suit Substance’ was initially something of an edge against such troublemakers as the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’. In addition, it seemed almost an evolutionary extension of earlier ‘bioengineering’ the joining of mechanical and biological systems at a microscopic and cellular level being the next step towards a perfection of synthesis between our biology and our once more mechanical ‘Shroud Suits’. I suppose ‘UT’ would say - smaller is smarter - and you get few technologies smaller or smarter than nanotech often created by and in turn employing molecular scale engineering.” [I recalled.]
“Your ‘Suit Substance’ is a masterpiece - probably close to perfection - although it is not entirely true that it is your science as you borrowed much from the ‘Facilitators’ that first provided inspiration then hard data via belated more successful attempts to retro-engineer their secrets since the ‘Tier System’ fell.” [He stated.]
“You ‘Hierophants’ have also studied ‘Facilitation’ including my former Captain’s discarded body.” [I reminded.]
“True and what we discovered was at times unsettling a reminder that ‘Facilitators’ are not ‘Pilgrim’ inventions but instead based upon an alien technology most probably taken from a ‘Prime Graveyard’ in times long past, taken by those later destined to become the ‘Highest Tier Folk’.” [He reminded.]
“Those facts have been much on my mind lately.” [I admitted.]
“So what is precisely bothering you today as all of this is old news? Have you decided that there is no going back whilst no longer being happy with where you Paradox are leaping: as in careening towards massed ‘Suit Substance Ascension’?” [He asked.]
“You believe we are careening towards ‘Ascension’?” [I asked.]
“In evolutionary terms certainly. I could easily see you all becoming ‘Ascended’ in at most a few thousand years.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“You believe as soon as that? Sadly, I must agree that we Paradox are all moving in that general direction including our Acolyte children and us ‘Living Hulls’ too but I hope your timetable is wrong.” [I stated.]
“Is hope enough?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“It is not enough, not enough when I also fear that we have been in deep denial about the inevitability of the spread of ‘Ascension’ due to our ‘Suit Substance’ proliferation. We thought we could embrace ‘Suit Substance’ yet choose to delay or avoid ‘Ascension’ by individual strength of character alone. Now I am thinking that a growing dependency on one creates an unholy temptation towards embracing the other as the next inevitable step.” [I admitted.]
“Perhaps now ‘Ascension’ is a stage of evolution you ‘Users’ will have no choice but to push through although I am not saying that is definite.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“You warned ‘UT’ to hold on to his biology just as ‘Creed’ did. You must believe there is some point in trying to resist this seeming inevitability.” [I stated.]
“Sometimes we define ourselves by struggling against inevitable forces we win as long as we resist even if resistance in the long-term is futile. For example, we seek to survive but in the end even the Universe will perish our precious stars dimming and going out then darkness will take us all. However in the now some individuals can defy a trend even when masses are destined to succumb.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“You are an advocate of defiance somehow that does not surprise me.” [I joked.]
“I think you are defiant by nature too.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“I now believe that most of those who went down the vector to ‘Ascension’ before us including the wiser of the ‘Highest’ feel trapped.” [I stated.] “That is the real truth of why the ‘Tier System’ fell. There has been so many lies so much misdirection some of it probably to cover up the activities of rebel ‘Highest’ looking for a means to escape purgatory so that they can begin to engage with real evolution again both social and material.” [I claimed.] “All the clues are out there for the perceptive to find who want to see them.”
“People choose what to believe and they often choose to think again later. Despite your fears you continue to use ‘Suit Substance’.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“We certainly do still use ‘Suit Substance’ which makes me I wonder if it is too late, can we regress in any meaningful way to attain a different vector. ‘Cocktail’ was almost ready to consider ‘Scion’ a lost cause just because he had been introduced to the wide facility of our ‘Suit Substance’. ‘Cocktail’ seems to think our material science is highly addictive because it is so good and I fear in many ways she might be too right.” [I stated.]
“There is an ancient truism that advises that we do everything in moderation. That is a fine idea but it is hard to let go of any of the really good stuff you soon want that all of the time - we are all gluttons for what we deem is the best - yet too much of anything is poison.” [‘Cad’ added sagely.]
“Maybe it truly is too late but I must attempt to wean the ‘MTC’ off an over dependent style addiction then perhaps others will follow our social lead. Perhaps your people and you could help me with that proposal since yours is a faction that has found a more balanced approach to material advancement by clinging to some old bones.” [I said.]
“Such flattery although we may seem more balanced from the outside some of us are positively unbalanced.” [He joked.] “However if you need a sponsor to talk to when you feel you are weakening in your resolve to reduce your dependency I will do what I can.” [‘Cad’ promised.]
“At the very least I need some people who can sell the benefits of some future ‘Real Material’ solutions to my family without denigrating our past and present material choices. ‘Recyclers’ such as ‘Cocktail’ are too entrenched in their own philosophy to woo our Acolytes into considering broader material preferences without sparking a degree of automatic resentment and resistance.” [I stated.]
“It is interesting that even those ‘Highest’ accredited as being rebels arguably encouraged some ‘Suit Substance’ proliferation amongst us ‘Heartland Space’ primitives why would they do that do you think?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“You speak of ‘Composure’ and ‘Patriarch’; perhaps they did what they did because telling us not to do something would never work. What is forbidden is desirable, wilful people have to make up their own minds and reject what is bad for them because they appreciate the wrongness personally rather than just being told no.” [I surmised.]
“So they ensured that we burned ourselves with a little ‘Suit Substance’ fire that is a harsh revision. Although I admit I do see some sooth in the fact that pushing any change of policy at some stubborn souls will only encourage defiance, resistance and entrenchment.” [‘Cad’ warned.]
“I fear I am more receptive to considering this change of policy now than many of our youngsters will be. For many Acolytes a ‘Suit Substance’ way of life is all they have ever known. Sadly, the bulk of our Acolytes were all birthed as Warriors too as Marines and they have I imagine developed quite stout loyalties to their remote ‘Immortal Suit Substance’ Avatars and all the good stuff those items can generate and extrude on the fly via software.” [I stated.]
“Military unit pride is something I understand quite well, you wish to avoid brawls between your Marines and unsympathetic traders over whose material ways happen to be better.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“I am well aware that divergent cultures too easily clash yet I need to do something. If I do nothing most ‘Users’ might realise they are on a dodgy vector towards ‘Ascension’ far too late just as some of our Elders possibly did in the past. You can argue they made their choice but it was a choice provided with limited information with data purposely withheld until a tipping point happened to be reached.” [I argued.]
“Maybe nothing will change in ‘User’ society until there are a great many ‘Creeds’ demonstrating that ‘Ascension’ is far from a cure for all ills or an assured vector to a better life but in fact for some who alter their biology the very opposite.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Is it possible that ‘Composure’ made Harbinger as a sacrifice to begin showing us the evils not the benefits of ‘Suit Substance Ascension’ to bring these dangers home to us in a painfully personal way?” [I asked.]
“It is claimed that the ‘Highest’ work in mysterious ways.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “They also say that some realities have to be experienced to be properly understood. Prior to Harbinger the conversion of Elders via ‘Facilitation’ was a somewhat hidden I suppose we must say a - ‘Shrouded’ - process. Generally only those involved directly understood what was going on with their ‘Shrouded’ bodies and they were ultimately destined for ‘Tier System’ tech level segregation.”
“It makes me wonder about how and why ‘Shrouding’ really started. Could some professed reasons for shrouding our bodies have always been a lie could shrouding have been designed and encouraged completely as an exploitative process guaranteeing the mystery of ‘Ascension’ by people who craved to turn us into beings akin to the ‘Emissary’ but feared some ‘Pilgrims’ might wisely turn aside from such radical procedures such extreme physical changes. In a way the whole ‘Tier System’ was all about hiding the true nature of ‘bio-mechanical’ ‘Ascension’ not just that it had a dodgy origin as a stolen poorly understood science.” [I said.]
“It could just be that those who became the ‘Highest’ - in relation to existing ‘Shrouding’ policies - simply embraced the opportunity made available within an already fashionable trend that they could use and abuse for their own divergent purposes. Inventions hijacked too often for purposes far from their original maker’s intent. It is a curse upon all well-meaning inventors with noble desires that they often live to see their life’s work perverted by lesser minds for less glorious agendas.”
[That last bit sounded akin to a very private and personal complaint by ‘Cad’.]
“Do you think the ‘Emissary’ could have wanted us to become the same as her? Did she bring us here to spawn more of her kind to convert us into ‘bio-mechanical’ brethren?” [I asked.]
“That would be a very untidy way to do such a thing and I am positive that fails to fit her legend. Our ‘Pilgrim’ ancestors might easily have failed the test of survival here and perished rather than living to spawn mighty nations, even later we almost wiped ourselves out on several occasions perhaps with a little help from the ‘Machine Fury’ as evidenced by our ‘Dark Times’.” [‘Cad’ began.]
“We all have our own ideas about the ‘Emissary’ to me she seemed fascinated and respectful of our diversity. Overall, exactly what the ‘Emissary’ wanted has probably become lost to us buried under all our ‘Pilgrim’ desires and expectations, desires that we have fostered upon her image in later ages.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“She may well have left us in despair because we failed to appreciate any of the lessons she wanted to teach. What happened with the ‘Highest’ seems to suggest that some of us ‘Pilgrims’ became obsessed with emulating her physical advancement rather than following any more spiritual message she had, saying that she had a spiritual message worth mentioning.” [‘Cad’ somewhat heretically added.]
“Many would claim she had a deep belief in equality between individuals and species but again that could just be what they chose to believe in later days. Personally I do not think she was a sponsor of sameness via encouraging us to all become the same substance as her as I said easier much more effective ways exist for her to procreate.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“You believe we corrupted her teachings rewrote her message defiled her purpose.” [I said.]
“Perhaps, few faiths stay perfectly true to their origins after all everything remains constantly open to later interpretation and even one word can mean so many different things whilst time alone changes the meanings of words too never mind the manipulations of clever individuals with ambition acting upon them.” [‘Cad’ ironically preached at me.]
“Maybe here in this empty place she simply hoped we would just better appreciate each others’ differences. Maybe she believed that here we would learn to work together with greater equanimity to survive. Strange that she should pick disaffected individuals to create a better society if that was her intent.” [I mused aloud.]
“People who rebel - are people who question the old order of things - arguably people looking for something better. The happy the self-satisfied and content have less impetus towards action or change.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “Also harsh environments force evolve because you adapt or perish.”
“She was obviously capable of being harsh for she knew she was leaving us in a hard place to prosper.” [I stated.]
“Little would have been lost by the demise of a few disaffected souls who might have perished anyway fighting against the system at home. She took people who would not be missed and gave them a chance to make a different future and this is what we did with that chance.” [‘Cad’ said pinching at my ‘Suit Substance’.]
“She was too amazing our ancestors saw all the things she could do and they must have marvelled at it wanted it. They wanted to be ‘Stellar’ beings too to be masters of their genetics and in control of their bodies. She inadvertently corrupted those she bore away simply by having contact with us. Maybe that was partially why she went away in the hope that we would let go of her legend stop trying to be akin to her. It is possible we keep getting it all backward.” [I suggested.]
“I do not know about all that such visions of the past are matters of faith and belief. In the end I am just a scientist I prefer answers I can measure and test in a laboratory.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“She provided a place to start again and all our ancestors did with this incredible opportunity to find a - new - way was to seek to copy her, to steal her secrets rather than to take the true gift granted - freedom to think again - without the pressure of their old communities and their old overlord inflicted boundaries. They should have sought after their own vector but I guess much akin to their descendents they were impatient for all the good things that life can offer.” [I said.]
“Perhaps that is the truth of it - I would not presume to know. Does it even matter what she wanted for us anymore? Arguably, she merely facilitated the transport of a few Ancestors we are the ones that have made so very much more out of her actions. She transported a few outcast miscreants hardly missed perhaps because she simply felt sorry for them or perhaps as a social experiment or on some bizarre alien whim. It is all ancient history now. Only the distance she took us was truly assuredly epic and maybe here was just were she was going anyway for her own private reasons. That would be so funny if she was just going here and opted to take some passengers along for the ride.” [‘Cad’ argued.] “You must admit ‘MT’ we ‘Pilgrims’ do tend to aggrandise the past erecting statues and so on and padding out the truth to create legends. Consider your Harbinger an important figure without doubt but as important as some now imagine?”
“That is true we do aggrandise the past and because she brought us so far we convinced ourselves that there had to be an equally outsized reason but I agree there is actually no stricture of logic that makes it so.” [I confessed.]
“We create the heroes we need sometimes the villains too.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“Brought us here… could she have been a ship a ‘Living Hull’ analogue is that how we got here she was a ‘Living Hull’ analogue with a ‘Trans-universal drive’. We did not arrive via the ‘Unknown’s Gate’ it was closed and sealed that much we now know. Could we have forgotten such a thing as an arrival by ship?” [I asked.]
“My friend ‘MT’ we each see our Creator and our saints - when we look for them - as beings in our own image.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“It is more than that it makes sense that the ‘Pilgrims’ never knew how they specifically arrived here because they were transported in something akin to stasis that would explain the lack of a firm historic account about how they were transported.” [I mused aloud.] “I can easily imagine our Ancestors only ever interacting with an Avatar of the ‘Emissary’ before and after their transit with oblivion between. Who knows how long such a journey might take also she might have preferred carrying them in stasis for security reasons.”
“That would be quite a historic revision ‘Holy Father’.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Is it possible?” [I asked.] “Does it seem plausible to you?” [I asked.]
[‘Cad’ shrugged as if it was none of his concern as a scientist.]
“On the issue of more practical material matters how can I help you?” [He asked.]
[I endeavoured to let go of my newest obsession the possibility of a ‘Living Hull Emissary’ perhaps with no great agenda for our society. My faiths changing all the time although I still believed the way to escape an evolutionary purgatory was a deep time united social singularity. That social and spiritual evolution needed a chance to catch up or overtake material advancements and that social evolution could only occur meaningfully as an all-inclusive process otherwise it became one faction exploiting others.]
“When Harbinger departed he said… never mind.” [I stated.] “It is all useless conjecture and you must be tired of my many confused truths already. You must think me a foolish Priest.”
“We all seek after understanding in our differing ways. I would just advise that you be careful with what you preach even if it is what you come to firmly believe some truths might not be well received by the ‘Passenger Class’ masses today.” [‘Cad’ warned.] “Some might consider the selling of the ‘Emissary’ as a ‘Living Hull’ as a factional politicising of a ‘Pilgrim’ religious icon - a disgusting ploy - by the ‘Emancipation Movement’ to steal possession of a ‘Passenger Class’ legend that many revere above all other historic figures.”
“You are right I will have to give what I do with this epiphany much thought.” [I agreed.]
“Let us return to how I can help you with your more mundane material problems for me a more comfortable subject.” [He insisted.]
“Perhaps a travelling ‘Hierophant’ trade fair doing a circuit of our Ports. A marvellous exhibition of ‘Hierophant Trojan’ scientific and technological excellence to inspire and astound.” [I suggested.]
[‘Cad’ gave that a little consideration.]
“Sounds reasonable in fact, how could we resist an open invitation to show off and sell our products to you Paradox we are after all manufacturers of products not just scientists?” [‘Cad’ said.] “If your ‘MTC’ Acolytes embraced buying and using more of our products other Paradox House Acolytes might also start doing the same that could be very good for our exports.”
“Thank you.” [I replied.] “Thank you for both your help and an enlightening conversation.”
“Talking with you is rarely boring. Remember that you are a wise sentient ‘MT’ remember that and do not preach anything too rashly heretical. I really am sorry about that ‘Founder’ and ‘Scion of Founder’ business I erred. You are not the only one feeling - under the weather - if you take my meaning. We ‘Hierophants’ are committed to the fire now too and having these freaky ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ occurring around us is worrisome. In addition, we have lost assets down here too - more than we have publicised.” [He admitted.]
“I fear it is possible that all our ‘Pilgrim Factions’ have lost more assets that we have been willing to reveal to the public.” [I replied.]
“We all have commercial rivals to worry about and populaces to reassure too.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“I noticed you have a new obsession with the ‘Isolationist’ cells. Do you think we made a dire mistake moving so many souls and assets down here?” [I asked.]
“Only time will answer that question it is beyond me I am no prophet and I certainly do not want to come across at this time as a prophet of doom.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“You could have just said no to be comforting.” [I jested.]
“Do you see me as a comforting individual?” [‘Cad’ replied with a half smile.] “I think we have done what we had to do. If we had not taken full advantage of the opening provided by the ‘Deep Cleric’ ruling upon the ‘Star Bridges’ the hatchway to our ingress might have closed in our face. We had to show that we are not afraid of the fire. In my mind we had little option other than to stake our equal claim to the stars depths. Now we must toughen out the ‘Storm Season’ of ‘Isolationist’ resistance only when we have weathered the elements here for some time and proved worthy will the greater majority of all ‘Divers’ slowly begin to respect us as equal partners rather than just despised raggedy immigrants begging at their fiery threshold.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“You are a comforter you have to be as a father to the ‘Hierophant’ nation.” [I retorted.]
“If you say so.” [He replied.]
[On ‘Hade’s Stopover’ just prior to ‘Uussleers’ arrival at the party honouring his hoped for recruitment and the inauguration of the ‘House of Sii’ as his potential local base of operations and my current one as ‘Venture’…]
“May I introduce my plus one friend ‘Venture’, Captain ‘Draakgaarrll’ of the ‘Hades’ after which this ‘Way-station’ was humorously named.” [‘Thorbolt’ said.] “Brother ‘Draakgaarrll’ accompanies me as one who prefers to be less publicised.”
[I had heard of this one some said ‘Draakgaarrll’ was one of ‘Kanes’ most trusted lieutenants although this one rarely made public appearances he was usually someone unfortunates got dragged before just prior to suffering a horrible end. The ‘Hades’ I had previously known nothing about an absence that bothered me. I had heard of ‘Draakgaarrll’ as one of Captain ‘Kanes’ people but not as the Captain of the ‘Hades’ or that ‘Hade’s Stopover’ was actually named after a ship that came as an uncomfortable surprise to me. A reminder that perhaps I did not know a quarter as much as I thought I did about even the more obvious ‘Hell Burner’ business on this facility or elsewhere.]
“It is an honour to meet you friend ‘Draakgaarrll’.” [I said.] “You will forgive me if I seem a bit taken aback for I have not heard of the ‘Hades’ before now and yet here I learn that this entire facility is humorously named after her?” [I queried.]
“The name of this station is an old ‘Hell Burner’ in joke at my expense. My ‘Hades’ rarely makes Port anywhere - those who know me well - know that I have a reputation for staying out there and those that do not know me well generally do not know me at all. I like to keep my business private privy only to a select few. You are for example currently talking with a ‘Meat Suit Avatar’ my true body back onboard my ‘Battle Brick’ elsewhere.” [He confessed.]
“Our ‘Fraternity’ brother ‘Draakgaarrll’ and your ‘Uussleer’ have much in common both being somewhat shy and operating primarily on stations via remote.” [‘Thorbolt’ explained.]
“We both it seems have powerful enemies that make taking extreme precautions wise.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ said.] “Yours because of your old ‘Reach Project’ association mine because of my current work for the ‘Burners’ as a settler of disputes.” [He claimed.]
“So ‘Hades’ is another ‘Battle Brick’, ‘Hubris Patron’ built ships seem popular amongst our ‘Fraternity’ members.” [I noted.]
“I believe the ‘Patrons’ currently output as much as sixty-five percent of the entire ‘Real Material’ shipbuilding market a truly thriving business one I wish I had shares in.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ said.] “I am not overly surprised at their success as I have never had cause to regret having them build my ‘Hades’.”
“Is she your first ship Captain?” [I asked.]
“No I used to captain a different vessel but she was lost in action just one more victim of the ‘Entanglement’.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ informed.]
“I am sorry to hear that is that why you chose a ‘Real Material’ solution for your current hull?” [I asked.]
“Losing my ship and crew to a ‘bio-mechanical’ menace did not endear me to ‘Suit Substance’.” [He admitted.]
“I trust you will not hold my nature against me.” [I replied.]
“I only hate where hate is due.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ replied.]
“Here comes my Captain right on schedule.” [I informed after an incoming signal.]
[The lights dimmed and the forewarned gathered crowd now aware that this was doubling as a surprise party for Captain ‘Uussleer’ lapsed into silence. I felt a clasp upon my left extruded limb and realised a slightly nervous looking ‘Betty’ had found me.]
“Showtime.” [‘Thorbolt’ said stepping forward in preparation.]
[I increased the sensitivity on my microphones.]
“Are you sure this is the right place.” [I heard ‘Uussleer’ ask.] “It seems very quiet and too dark.”
“The reception is on the third floor the lights down here are energy efficient and power down when there is no activity they should detect us and power up in a moment.” [‘Windy’ stated.]
“They are commissioning this building with a party on the third floor?” [He asked sounding incredulous.]
“I would guess so that the most expensive fixtures and fitting are left unmolested.” [‘Windy’ replied.]
“I see party breakages.” [He replied.]
“Through this door.” [‘Windy’ guided.]
[The door opened, the pair stepped in, the lights sprung on and applause rang out including much loud ‘Recycler’ stomping of feet. I noticed a few people almost automatically reached for weapons then restrained the impulse as we did warn that no riotous gunplay was acceptable inside the building.]
“Welcome to the ‘House of Sii’ Captain ‘Uussleer’ our good friend. We hope you will accept the usage of this purposely designed site - in the spirit of friendship in which it is offered - as your on station home and place of business whilst we continue to negotiate a lasting partnership and far beyond to our profound mutual benefit.” [‘Thorbolt’ stated.]
“Speech from the Captain.” [‘Betty’ demanded.]
[For a moment ‘Uussleer’ seemed a little flustered then he forced a grin into his previously rather straight and rigid stalks.]
“You have me disadvantaged friends as I can tell from a glance that much preparation has gone into this event whilst I arrive utterly unprepared. Therefore, if you will indulge me I will just say thank you and ask forgiveness in advance if my manners prove a little rusty. It has been some time since I have been in such a large gathering especially in my honour.” [He admitted giving a small bow.]
[Some more applause followed.]
“An excellent public speech as I prefer short ones.” [Captain ‘Draakgaarrll’ said.]
[I made some hasty introductions starting with ‘Draakgaarrll’ and continuing on to a select group of other notables waiting nearby. Once that was done we gave ‘Uussleer’ a quick tour of the premises and then with the exception of some time scheduled items of specific entertainment it was all informal mingling.]
[At one point I was somewhat surprised and a bit alarmed to see ‘Mari’ here her hair arranged to disguise one ears disfigurement. I located ‘Betty’ and pushed my way through to her side.]
“Is something wrong?” [She asked.]
[She had quickly learned to read my Avatar’s emotional tells perhaps because ‘Omerta’ have very expressive faces and use a lot of body language too.]
“Your old - friend - ‘Mari’ is here she must be some person’s plus one as she is not on our specific guest list.” [I said.]
“She is my plus one I invited her.” [‘Betty’ said.]
“You did?” [I asked.] “To show that you are now above her?” [I asked.]
“No I apologised to her I wished to put the incident behind me. I told her I would arrange to have her ear reconstructed. I assume we have medical assets in the ‘UME’ that can easily do that from what the ‘Immortals’ were telling me and I will pay for it if necessary out of my wages.” [She promised.]
“You told her all this and invited her to this party too?” [I asked.]
“I wanted to show her that there are better ways to have fun and advance than being cruel and satisfying the whims of cruel friends.” [She said.]
“Really you had no other motive?” [I asked.]
“I did explain to her - at length - exactly why I bit her ear off and that the ‘Hell Burners’ would be watching her in future to ensure that she moderates her attitude towards her staff. We are all ‘Free Miners’ together - one movement - abusing new recruits to the cause for twisted amusement is not acceptable behaviour. Did I overstep my authority?” [She asked.]
“Not at all. Your attitude and actions today could hardly have pleased me more.” [I replied.] “Still do not be surprised if ‘Mari’ fails to change her ways.”
“I know all I can do is give her an opportunity and a reason to change the rest is down to her. Here she could make other powerful friends with hopefully less unsavoury tastes.” [‘Betty’ added.]
“I think you might give the word - wild - a whole new meaning.” [I stated.]
[I yearned to give her a hug but feared that would come across as too Paradox Priest.]
“As you told me it is far too easy to make enemies much more of a challenge to make friends and ultimately far more fun.” [‘Betty’ said.] “Besides I have never been in a position before where I could be so generous. It helps having access to some resources rather than scrounging to survive. If my life had not changed for the better I would probably still hate ‘Mari’ with all my heart and what good would that have done anyone?” [She asked.]
“Employing you may prove one of the best business decisions I have ever made. Tell me about that ‘Omerta’ girl ‘Sue’ that you hired to do the cleaning?” [I asked.]
“You are hoping to multiply your success.” [‘Betty’ replied.]
“There is no fool greater than an old fool and I may have been previously recruiting from the wrong sources. You say that lots of people wash up upon these ‘Way-station’ shores in need of work.” [I said.]
[Early the next morning…]
“You took that surprise well, you were surprised not just acting surprised?” [‘Draakgaarrll’ asked ‘Uussleer’ in a private interview.]
“I was surprised.” [‘Uussleer’ claimed.]
“Then you probably dealt with it better than I would have. These days I am not overly impressed by unexpected things they bother me and make me anxious.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ confessed.]
“I also prefer to be in control of my situation.” [‘Uussleer’ confessed.]
“Sadly that is not always possible. Still, you are a lucky sentient you seem to have a good crew and a good ship. When I heard about the ‘House of Sii’ thing I wondered if it was a silly mistake.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ said.]
“In what way?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“In the too pushy yet too unfocused way. Still it is a good demonstration of how much your participation will be appreciated by us and the level of respect and the material benefits you can expect to be endowed with when you join with us. If you will excuse the metaphor you are proving a hard fish to land and I think friend ‘Thorbolt’ is getting a little desperate to please.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ added.]
“You disprove of my reticence?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“Not especially I would distrust anyone in this business who is too rash but I wonder why you are resisting now given your overall position. Why are you this reticent?” [‘Draakgaarrll’ asked.] “Is it that you distrust our motives? Conversely is it just that you find joining up to any cause difficult due to your past experience within the ‘Reach Project’? If it is the latter I would suggest you remember that, that creature ‘Overbite’ worked you people over specifically to encourage reticence towards other recruiters. You were to be hers and hers alone until you died you might want to think about that fact.”
“What do you know about ‘Overbite’ and her methods?” [‘Uussleer’ immediately asked.]
“Quite a bit I have studied her works and interviewed some of her old recruits as well as some of her victims both the deserving and the undeserving ones, you are not the first member of the ‘Reach Project’ that we have approached although we consider you one of the more compatible individuals with our overall purpose.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.] “How do you feel about that fact?”
“Have you recruited any other members?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“If we did could you work with them?” [The ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ asked.]
“Some of them perhaps others I do not think so.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“I appreciate your candour in this matter.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ stated.]
“If you have been looking at others why do you need me?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“Operational prudence. Besides if not us then sooner or later someone else will procure your services. You have seen some of the benefits of wisely joining us I have been dispatched to explain some of the detriments of unwisely turning us down. You know how it is in war when it comes to major players you are often deemed with or considered against. We would not stand by idly should you gravitate towards another side. I am not threatening I am just telling you how it is so that there are no misunderstandings between us.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ informed.]
“That sounds akin to a threat to me.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “I am told you have a reputation.”
“So do you. The ‘Reach Project’ put a mark upon you and your fellow members there is no going back from that fact, there is no returning to being who you were before ‘Overbite’ laid claim to you. You have been living in a little fantasy I think. You have a skill set that makes you either an asset or dangerous. Some part of you must crave recognition or you would have done what some other ex-‘Reach Project’ members smartly achieved and disappeared by taking on a successful new identity. I think you believe you are different more righteous more a victim than a perpetrator. We have a worthy cause we can also protect you else I assure you, you will remain a victim and rather than proving a benefit being ex-‘Reach Project’ will be the cause of your death.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ further warned.]
“More threats.” [‘Uussleer’ complained.]
“Simple facts, we have been helping to keep you safe for we have been considering you as a potential recruit for sometime. Simply removing our protection alone might prove fatal for you. To me joining with us is your best and only sensible option it is all good whilst refusing us is all bad.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ finished.]
“It seems you have studied ‘Overbite’ I once heard a not dissimilar speech from her.” [‘Uussleer’ complained.]
“I am sure that is true but that does not change your position or ours.” [He reminded.] “Think it over before accepting our offer if you must but do not take too much longer or some of us might decide you are just stalling to try to flee or to do us some other injury. Some already say that you are a bad security risk as a past betrayer rather than a good future recruit. We are not bad people - not all of us anyway - but we live in harsh times and that means we have done some harsh things and still make some harsh decisions to survive and prosper.”
“I have never found threats motivational.” [‘Uussleer’ replied defiantly.]
“I told them that might be a mistake too but they did not listen. Today I am just doing my job in this regard I have little enthusiasm for intimidating you. I sympathise with your position. If you had not worried some people by taking so long in consideration of our offer there would have been no need for this sterner approach and much might have been left generously unsaid. It is the same with me if I tried to leave now they would kill me or at least they would try - I know too much it is a matter of operational security. Thankfully I believe in the cause and I believe that by participating I can help to shape it too. Those who seek to betray what we are attempting to build deserve their ill-fate. I think that is the thinking of your ‘Hull’ too it seeks to make a difference to enhance ‘Living Hull’ and ‘Passenger Class’ relations it has some leaning towards ‘Emancipation’ unless I am very mistaken.” [The ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ said.]
“The ‘Venturesome’ does as I tell her, her Avatar ‘Venture’ has grown a bit eccentric but has proved too useful to decommission. I know they are one and the same - but they are and they are not - a persistent Avatar develops a sort of pseudo personality of its own an alter ego. Such diversions entertain some ‘Living Hulls’.” [‘Uussleer’ claimed.] “They are tools but to get the best from them because they are also alive it sometimes helps to treat them as people too. How did you come to be in service to the ‘Hell Burners’?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“I rebelled against the authority of the ‘Free Parliament’ and the ‘Shaper Faith’ that would have my kind submit and integrate as a survival strategy. I was a rebel hastily branded a Pirate so I chose to become the best Pirate I could be a bane upon the society that I felt betrayed my birthright. I am of the ‘Ruling Caste’ and once held myself in very high esteem as did most of my kind we were born to rule and frequently told that fact too. Times however change and they change some of us too or they burn us, I became tired of the isolation and grew weary of slaughters that changed nothing. My revenge did not reclaim my birthright. I began to review my Pirate existence as a youthful folly.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.]
“We all have to grow up sooner or later even in the ‘Reach Project’ I acted as a child only afterwards did I become an adult. It was all a game to me the trading the intrigue that was how I dealt with it.” [‘Uussleer’ claimed.] “I saw no way out so I pretended I was having fun then the ‘Hubris Patrons’ planned to finish with us and to dispose of us. A way to escape opened but the consequences forced me to stop seeing my life as a game it all became rather deadly serious.”
“That is interesting. During the ‘Wars of Liberation’ I tried to claim a Port but lost my ship during a three way battle which included some ‘Entangled’ forces drawn to the fight. I managed to survive although I was taken to be sold as a slave. I escaped and found my way to the ‘Expansion’. Once there I decided to get a new identity and commissioned a new ship. By luck or fate I avoided recruitment into the ‘Reach Project’ perhaps because I arrived at a time when it was soon to be dissolved and ‘Overbite’ had other matters on her mind. When you and your ‘Hull’ became trapped then the trial occurred the story fascinated me. I was amazed as an ex-Pirate at how the ‘Hubris Patrons’ as ex-Pirates managed to get away with so very much to claim a wide domain and be politically accepted too.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ explained.]
“They inspired you.” [‘Uussleer’ surmised.]
“I began to research the ‘Project’ collecting stories of other members’ activities and I became known to others with an equal or greater interest in the ‘Project’, one fellow in particular recruited me. An ‘Omerta’ Pirate who also had dealings with the ‘Patrons’ and had a plan of his own seeing a great opportunity within the then disorganised ‘Free Miner Movement’ for a ‘Hubris Patron’ style takeover. My new employer had an audacious scheme in which he planned to recruit and use other Pirates and ex-Pirates - as more than just muscle - amazingly, what he offered was a chance to become both powerful and ultimately legitimate business people some with whole Ports under their authority. Meanwhile your role in the downfall of the ‘Project’ has always personally fascinated me perhaps because I was there whilst it was happening. I often looked out upon the ‘Venturesome’ from portside. It was my interest in you and what happened to you afterwards that probably created a specific interest in you from my personal patron and the ‘Burners’ and why I was assigned to this task today to finalise your recruitment.” [He admitted.]
“So the works of ‘Overbite’ inspired the creation of secret ‘Pirate Fraternities’ pretending to be more honest social clubs.” [‘Uussleer’ said.] “You have ensured that I do know too much.”
“You are too close to this one not to see the truth soon enough given your experiences but there is a difference we are ‘Fraternities’ of ex-Pirates for we seek to become something else to become legitimate leaders of a legitimate cause although at the moment I will admit there is much crime for this is a transitional period and crime is a tool we use. Nonetheless, in time the crime will become less and less important it is just the means to the end of legitimate control. The truth is that the real veterans here appreciate that Piracy is a game for the young of mind or the insane who do not value living.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ claimed.] “Adults have so many better ways to take what they want from life and even to give a little back to earn some real respect.”
“Real respect matters to them?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“It does to the better ones the ones capable of changing the rest are dross that are only temporarily serving our purpose. Some beasts cannot be tamed but they can be loosed if properly contained and they make very scary sentries.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ stated.] “Yet we need more than feral beasts. We need people such as you and your ‘Hull’ who are not totally selfish. Even ‘Overbite’ had a wider positive vision under all her hate she wanted to promote a ‘Real Material’ society although she was perhaps far too extreme in her methods and so became a mere expendable tool of her peers another feral beast. We need some prominent ‘Users’ on our side too if we are to avoid being hijacked by ‘Real Materialist’ fanatics who believe every ‘User’ must be eradicated that is a recipe only for a future war that I fear the ‘Free Miner Movement’ would not win. For now it often suits our purpose to let some fanatics believe we also embrace their faiths they are more feral tools helping to guard our borders but in time they will be disposed of because they are incompatible with a stable long-term successful ‘Free Miner’ hegemony.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.]
“So your plan is to carve out domains ruled by ex-Pirates from ‘Free Miner’ holdings am I to be expendable too when my job is done?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“Only if you also prove feral. In the end their can be only one ‘Free Miner Nation’ made up of many ‘Free Miner Port States’ under a strong Federal authority. However, such a plan put honestly forward today would be rejected immediately by people obsessed with their own less practical dreams be it of a ‘Real Material’ crusade against all ‘Users’ or just outlandishly unrealistic concepts about individual freedom that verges on anarchy. Today we are by necessity ‘Hell Burners’ made up of people with many causes tomorrow we become something else the builders of one nation. Weak divided anarchic ‘Free Miner Ports’ will fall eventually to the power of the ‘Consortium’ but a strong unified movement can survive and prosper as a counterweight to the ‘Corporations’ might. By necessity, we employ some evil acts today to create something better and cleaner in the future. As old ‘Ruling Caste’ I appreciate that power has to be seized and that peace is often carved out of discord only by those willing to employ violence.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ claimed.]
[Listening in via a link to my faux Captain’s Avatar I mused that the ‘Ruling Caste’ always did believe that the ends justified any means no matter how dire, especially when the ends involved consolidating their personal power.]
“Whilst you work towards this strong unity you seek to sell the lie that you are a disorganised unsophisticated rabble that worship and follow some famous hell raisers who would rather party every credit away and fire their weapons at the ceiling than do any real politicking or real fighting.” [‘Uussleer’ said.]
“Sadly some of them would as I said we have some feral members. Right now if the ‘Corporations’ of the ‘Consortium’ realise how close - yet also how far away - we are to real unity we are doomed. We must keep them underestimating our scheme until it is too late and we are no longer divided easy targets of ripe opportunity. Right now, we could not hope to survive a war waged against us. Whilst only by crude methods can we hope to force these rugged individualists to join up fully to a truly unified movement that can eventually open honest diplomacy with the ‘Consortium’ as an equal that requires - in fact demands - respect. Ironically the ‘Free Miners’ need our villainy our brand of organised corruption to survive even the thugs twisting arms playing a vital role in shaping a better tomorrow. The problem is that some of our ‘Fraternity’ associates are becoming overly ambitious they want to be the one power that rules the final Federal unity they want to usurp the ‘Burners’ ruling position and that threatens to tear the whole grand scheme apart. You are to help us deal with internal splits via softer ways than I use. My task to chastise in a brutal fashion a role carefully not selected for you. You see I have studied you I know your nature. You were one of the least enthusiastic members of the ‘Reach Project’ yet one of its most successful operatives. You achieved much with a lot less bloodletting that many others - even though sadly for you that has been overlooked since the trial.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.]
“A little success and each Captain would be king.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“Power corrupts and Pirate Captains are not used to bowing to any authority even to the most powerful of their kind and ex-Pirate Captains are much the same many find bowing to any leader difficult.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ added.] “Much of what I do is enforcement and intimidation. I remind the others that we ‘Hell Burners’ are the true power and the vision behind this great enterprise sadly I am kept very busy issuing my reminders in very unpleasant ways but we need to do more than punish.” [He admitted.]
[I wondered did this one believe that almost reasonable story of roguish nation builders. Was he unaware of the dealings with the ‘Star Diver Isolationists’? Conversely did he believe they could control the ‘Star Diver Isolationists’ by becoming their allies? To me the idea of a ‘Pilgrim Isolationist’ alliance was a contradiction in terms as any ‘Pilgrim’ plan that involved staying down here was entirely incompatible with ’Isolationist’ ambitions to remove our intrusion. It was a puzzle sadly until they informed us about ‘Star Diver Isolationist’ involvement with one or more ‘Frats’ we could not broach the topic. Annoyingly I belatedly wondered if these people could have a better plan for dealing with the ‘Star Divers’ than all of us legitimate authorities put together because some methods they might employ even the worst of the rest of us might hesitate to consider. Bleakly I wondered did our society need these criminals to save us.]
“It seems you would leave me with no choice just as ‘Overbite’ did.” [‘Uussleer’ complained.]
“We all have choices every day we choose to live when it would be so much easier to let go of our sometimes difficult lives and just perish.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ retorted.] “So what do you say?” [He asked.]
“I plan to live.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “I am nothing if not a survivor.”
“Then I can report the issue is settled. If you will take my advice do not think of this as a forced recruitment think of it as the only sane option in insane times. Take that mark given to you and use it for something worthy I think there could be redemption here for you. Come we should announce the good news of your ‘Patching’ to the party diehards who are still here.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ added.] “Welcome to the ‘Hell Burners’ my brother perhaps we are even real kin if you go back far enough it is from the ‘Free Stellar Swimmers’ that we ’Stellar Draakhaal’ were made by the ‘Shaper’.”
“I thought you had renounced your faith in ‘Draakhaal’.” [‘Uussleer’ said.]
“I did but that was then and this is now.” [The ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ replied.] “I can see now that the ‘Arch Prelate’ did what he did to save as many of our people as possible a bad but mature choice for a good reason.”
[This one knew how to sell a point of view via spreading the argument.]
“You see faith as a weapon to be wielded.” [‘Uussleer’ guessed.]
“Belief certainly has its uses.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ replied.]
[I knew the ‘Arch Prelate’ felt the very same way maybe it was a ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ thing then I recalled that we Paradox Priests also used religion in our peculiar way even as heretics.]
“So what do you think?” [‘Uussleer’ asked ‘Venture’ via our encrypted ‘EXO-C’ link.]
“I think that one in his ‘Meat Suit’ could be ‘Kane’ what better disguise than to jump species and pretend to be your own lieutenant on a daily basis.” [I stated.]
“Now that is Paradox Priest Paranoia if I have ever heard it.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “He gave us some details we could check out.”
“If it is a cover story I am sure it is a solid one that is ongoing and will provide us with no new data.” [I surmised.] “In addition, if he knows us so well he might appreciate that we have had a long interest in ‘Taard’ whether he is ‘Taard’ and ‘Kane’ or not but especially if he is.” [I added.]
“Perhaps I should broach the issue, claim we were after a bounty back then that we believed we could extort from the ‘SARC’ as we were not convinced the ‘Mutilator’ perished as claimed.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“The ‘Mutilator’ how did I never think of that obvious label earlier? It would be wonderful to expose ‘Taard’ but to push for a reaction now could be dangerous and we currently have other priorities that must supersede our private quests as ‘Creed’ reminded.” [I recalled.]
“Countering the ‘Isolationist’ cell working with the ‘Fraternities’ somehow there is always something else to do or something in the way of releasing ‘Tor’. I wonder if the ‘Mutilator’ will ever be brought to justice and our friend ‘Tor’ ever know freedom.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“Perhaps ‘Tor’ is lucky to be slumbering through these difficult times some days I would happily swap places.” [I stated.]
“That is easy to say but I do not think the ‘SARC’ will ever release the brother of ‘Taard’ the ‘Mutilator’ who is also ‘Taard’ the betrayer of both ‘Sanctuary Orb’ and ‘Orb Guidance’ unless we can make them. ‘Tor’ is not so much a criminal as a political prisoner.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “Maybe we should put more assets into investigating the jail break option.”
“Even if we could find him and spring ‘Tor’ he would be constantly on the run from the ‘Social Advancement and Reform Committee’ no we need them to let him go and they will only do that if they have ‘Taard’ as a replacement or see some value in his release. I think you are right ‘Tor’ is a political prisoner. In their uncompromising minds someone has to be seen to be paying for the ‘Entanglement’ of ‘Sanctuary Orb’ since they cannot punish ‘Crimson’ - she is beyond them - and ‘Taard’ eluded capture by seemingly dying all they have left to make an everlasting example of is our ‘Tor’.” [I stated.]
“Guilty only by innocent association.” [‘Uussleer’ stated.]
“It may be that they have learned that ‘Tor’ did have some idea of his brother’s plans and could have come forward in an effort to prevent them I have often wondered about that possibility.” [I admitted.]
“You are thinking of leaving him in there and this is your excuse.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“No I am not and it is not. Even if ‘Tor’ did know something it is hard to blame him for being afraid to cross his deadly brother we both know who was dominant in that relationship.” [I replied.] “We continue looking for ‘Taard’ he must pay for all of his crimes and ‘Tor’ must be released having served more than an adequate sentence for any simple failings of character. However, we cannot jeopardise our current mission for ‘Tor’, whilst he remains safely held in stasis ‘Tor’ can wait. Best we prioritise maintaining a viable society for him to return to.”
“Sometimes I feel a hypocrite judging or accusing anyone of a crime as a known perpetrator who escaped justice via a dodgy deal.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“As do I, we all commit at the very least lesser evils - we all sin - I do not think any person is all good certainly no one trying to make a difference by engaging with the worst situations and people. Perhaps I am full of cynicism but today it seems to me there are few true paragons of virtue out there save in the realms of popular imagination.” [I admitted.]
“No more heroes but ‘Betty’ did very well today.” [‘Uussleer’ said.]
“She did perhaps much can be won by small acts of kindness. Sadly when it comes to dealing with the bigger issues I fear there are no more heroes only people such as us and maybe even ‘Draakgaarrll’ committed to doing a dirty job of work for partly selfish reasons.” [I stated.]
“What about those ‘Saints’ you made as ‘MT’ or perhaps as the ‘Holy Father’?” [‘Uussleer’ retorted.]
“They have proved of limited use in the real Universe. Now they mostly help us to enforce better ethical standards throughout the family but there are some family projects that to my shame they are kept well away from.” [I admitted.]
“The very best of intensions only going so far.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “So do you think these Pirates could overall be a good thing for the ‘Free Miner Movement’?” [He asked.]
“I would judge that they will only make anything better down here with the application of some serious moderation to their worst impulses and not just from us.” [I replied.]
“Do you think ‘Creed’ could ever buy into that scenario?” [‘Uussleer’ then asked.]
“He stood aside to let the ‘Hubris Patrons’ continue in their role I would guess because acting to destabilise the ‘Expansion’ in any manner would be more trouble than it would be worth. Besides integrating Pirates into our society so that they slowly reform themselves provides a natural solution of sorts to their criminal predation the same process might easily apply here in this situation.” [I argued.]
“I suppose it might I wonder if the Pirates here are aware that they are semi-safe because the ‘Consortium Police’ know that fully exposing them would only provoke the greater anarchy of a possible ‘User’ versus ‘Real Materialist’ war rather than initiate a good degree of less criminality.” [‘Uussleer’ mused aloud.]
“It may be that ‘Kane’ is even cleverer than we have assumed. Perhaps together we can find out the answers to such questions now you are also to be ‘Patched’ into a secretly Pirate dominated ‘Fraternity’.” [I replied.]
“The joy of it all sadly I have been here before and last time went so wonderfully well. I hope we prove worthy of all their criminal investment rather than appear as overindulged disappointments. I get the distinct feeling that they have unpleasant ways to share any disappointment they might feel with the disappointer to recoup any let us say sense of lost satisfaction.” [‘Uussleer’ burbled out in a rambling ‘Swimmer’ way.]
“Thinking about your time in that crate back in the ‘Expansion’?” [I asked.] “Be glad that today you are only represented in this business via a remote. Still if we believe in our worth and prove worthy we will have nothing to fear from our ‘Pirate Fraternity’ just their rivals. Doing internal security for the movement is certainly better than being matched against ‘Consortium Corporations’.” [I added.]
“That is very clever of ‘Draakgaarrll’ or of ‘Kane’. Still other ‘Fraternity’ rivals of the ‘Hell Burners’ could be trouble enough. I keep having horrible imaginings of the people we cross discovering my true identity and taking their ire out upon my innocent family.” [‘Uussleer’ stated.]
“Your family should be safe on ‘Port Messenger’ no matter what transpires.” [I said.]
“Oddly you have more faith about that than me perhaps ironically because you have your belief that I sprang from a ‘God’s Port’ which I am far from convinced about.” [He admitted.]
“You are just too close to it all to see the divine in action.” [I excused.]
“Do you still think ‘Puulaa’ might be a ‘Highest’ or just every member of the ‘Arbitrator Council’ back in ‘Nest Prudence’ on ‘Port Messenger’?” [‘Uussleer’ seemed to mock gently.]
“You must admit there is something a little superlative about ‘Puulaa’ and as to the ‘Arbitrator Council’ they worked miracles with you ‘Free Stellar’.” [I suggested.]
“We do all the hard work of reforming and they get all the credit. It was the difficult times I know I lived through them unlike my Mother.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.]
“You did or your memories just tell you that you did.” [I replied.] “Besides old squid I seem to recall you being rather in awe of the ‘Arbitrators’ too in your own way.” [I added.]
“I was younger then knowing and working with you has aged me rapidly.” [He complained.]
“If you say so.” [I replied deliberately smugly enjoying the banter.]
[Our conversation occurring in instants by rapidly squirted ‘EXO-C’ transmissions.]
[When ‘Draakgaarrll’ made the announcement young ‘Betty’ missed it she had fallen asleep curled up in an almost foetal position on a soft furnishing in one corner currently watched over protectively by the taciturn ‘Windy’. I guessed it had been a long day and an even longer night for her. I let her sleep - it seemed a blessed condition.]
[To me ‘Betty’ was still a child one born far more innocent than any Acolyte was that we - made - for any purpose. I was born of another too but I would always still be a child of purposeful biological engineering born to be a Captain’s asset born to be a tool. I wondered how it would feel to be entirely natural. I wondered if ‘Betty’ realised how special it is to be born clean of any intent beyond a parents love and a desire to procreate. How freeing just to be a child must be from even internal mental bonds of slavery. Then I thought about it again for it seemed that ‘Betty’ carried her own chains too her own guilt. I was sure she felt guilty about failed relationships with some members of her family whether she deserved such guilt or not.]
[Thinking about how we torture ourselves my mood hastily darkened.]
[Still no contact from any of ‘Creeds’ people maybe they were waiting for the fuss around us as notable newcomers to ebb away a little. I recalled how ‘Creed’ had recruited me. It seemed he feared what we might do left unguided - left uncontrolled - given such facts there was bound to be direction sooner or later from him if no one else. Would he only intervene if he felt we were veering too far off mission or jeopardising his already embedded people.]
[Thinking back to my recruitment conversation it seemed akin to a feverish dream rather than a real reliable memory. ‘Creed’ put me on the defensive or I was just feeling that way for other reasons, reasons I was not sure about. Somehow, I even ended up in my minds feeling responsible for the creation of the ‘Consortium’ as an antagonistic organisation that helped to split our society. However, of all of the ‘MTC Patriarchs’ it was ‘Mournful’ who had most strongly come to favour the ‘Consortium’ scheme as a boon to business encouraged oddly by ‘Unholy’. Why had ‘Unholy’ backed the plan as our most martial ‘Patriarch’? What had ‘UT’ hoped to gain? He kept insisting that he was only lightly involved with the ‘Hierophants’.]
[In the beginning, I had many reservations about many aspects of the ‘Consortium’ scheme only accepting the policy in full to keep the family united. Other families and corporations had been more enthusiastic than the ‘MTC’ about the idea. Meanwhile ‘Creed’ had hovered around the founding of the ‘Consortium’ too especially around the founding of the ‘Consortium Police’ so he had no right to accuse me of anything in that regard. Why then, during our past conversation, given the former facts had I felt so guilty about the way everything had turned out and possibly since at the back of my mind too?]
[Why on far too many occasions did some small but annoyingly persistent part of me always begin to feel that everything was my fault? Sometimes I even felt that what happened to Harbinger was my doing. Did I feel guilty because I preached that we all shared in every crime every sin as members of society? When did my preaching become so triple cursed negative? As members of society, we also share in every kindness - in every blessing - I had not mentioned that truth in what seemed ages.]
[Perhaps I spent too much time wrestling in my three brains with the darkness within and without us ‘Pilgrims’, until sometimes that darkness became all I could perceive a writhing malign sickness a great social bane threatening to forever swallow any light akin to how the ‘Machine Fury’ swallowed up all those Planets or the ‘Entanglement’ consumed the substance of our ‘Core Alliance’. Could my life so far have traumatised me to a greater extent than I had previously realised? Perhaps we were all traumatised having been brutalised by our ‘Pilgrim’ history and the abused too easily become future abusers.]
[How did matters get so very grim that I was willing to consider that some good might come from greedy Pirate Captains hijacking the ‘Free Miner Movement’? How could I contemplate being a part of a plan that sold innocents such as ‘Betty’ into the power of people who had gone so far as to sell members of their own species to aliens for unknown purposes? Had we all become too willing to compromise with lesser evils for those ever distant greater goods? I envied ‘Betty’ her oblivious sleep she looked at peace and peace these days was hard won when it seemed attainable at all. Mostly I felt all I ever obtained was temporary ceasefires with the horrors that surrounded me.]
[Maybe it was ‘Crimson Entangled’ that had me feeling this bleak. To ‘Crimson’ sentience had become a toy. Then the guilt assailed me again where we so different when we made our Acolytes? Was engineering life inherently evil? Yet if my kind had not been engineered I would not exist and my life had wonderful moments too. Most living beings cling tenaciously to life and that by itself says much about life being worth living worth creating. The pain and pleasures of existence was one of those special paradoxes for which we Priests were so renowned.]
[To me children should always be able to sleep and have kind dreams and they should never have to fear waking up to a terror filled reality. Monsters are not supposed to be real, just stories, and they are not supposed to be us!]
“You said before that the stars here were always somewhat anomalous are you saying now that past anomalies are separate to these latest ‘Anomalous Weather Events’?” [I asked.]
“There may be some technological link with past discrepancies. Perhaps a system developed for a different purpose now deployed in a new manner but that is pure speculation.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“So much mining down here and in the case of the ‘Many Truths Corporation’ a large percentage of what we extract destined to create more ‘Suit Substance’ or ‘Infusion Material’ for ‘Suit Substance’.” [I said.] “Do you think I am a ‘Suit Substance Imperialist’?” [I asked ‘Cad’.]
“Did friend ‘Weep’ harangue you about your material preferences again?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“I did have words with ‘Weep’ earlier but ‘Cocktail’ was the one who made me think thrice.” [I admitted.]
“Ah the good Captain ‘Cocktail’ of the ‘Fire Hawk’ a vessel perhaps named after her Captain. We all look after our own and ‘Cocktail’ is no different.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“That is not saying that you entirely disagree with her opinion.” [I stated.]
“That depends upon whether you are looking for a long debate over the issue - something I am not in the mood for right now - or will accept an honest outside view?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“I am canvassing for a wider perspective on an issue that is possibly too close to me for assured impartiality.” [I replied.]
“You are still Harbinger’s ‘Hull’ in some ways, very much the Paradox Priest that he helped you to be, looking for other points of view. My reply would be that you Paradox Priests did rather take to ‘bio-mechanics’ akin to how a newly spawned aquatic ‘Swimmer’ embraces water. We ‘Hierophants’ use some ‘Suit Substance’ it can be very convenient and is so very versatile but we also enjoy the solidity - the old bones - of ‘Real Material’. We are not as willing to become as alien to our beginnings as you Paradox we are not such heretics of our past.” [He added.]
“You think we lost all sense of proportion by going increasingly ‘Suit Substance’?” [I asked.]
“You have hardly lost all sense of proportion otherwise ‘MT’ you would hardly be having this conversation with me. I think you know the answers to your questions my advice is trust in your instincts and hold to your kinder more generous faiths.” [He said.]
“I fear ‘Cocktail’ might be right. We were too keen to have the latest greatest thing and ‘Suit Substance’ was initially something of an edge against such troublemakers as the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’. In addition, it seemed almost an evolutionary extension of earlier ‘bioengineering’ the joining of mechanical and biological systems at a microscopic and cellular level being the next step towards a perfection of synthesis between our biology and our once more mechanical ‘Shroud Suits’. I suppose ‘UT’ would say - smaller is smarter - and you get few technologies smaller or smarter than nanotech often created by and in turn employing molecular scale engineering.” [I recalled.]
“Your ‘Suit Substance’ is a masterpiece - probably close to perfection - although it is not entirely true that it is your science as you borrowed much from the ‘Facilitators’ that first provided inspiration then hard data via belated more successful attempts to retro-engineer their secrets since the ‘Tier System’ fell.” [He stated.]
“You ‘Hierophants’ have also studied ‘Facilitation’ including my former Captain’s discarded body.” [I reminded.]
“True and what we discovered was at times unsettling a reminder that ‘Facilitators’ are not ‘Pilgrim’ inventions but instead based upon an alien technology most probably taken from a ‘Prime Graveyard’ in times long past, taken by those later destined to become the ‘Highest Tier Folk’.” [He reminded.]
“Those facts have been much on my mind lately.” [I admitted.]
“So what is precisely bothering you today as all of this is old news? Have you decided that there is no going back whilst no longer being happy with where you Paradox are leaping: as in careening towards massed ‘Suit Substance Ascension’?” [He asked.]
“You believe we are careening towards ‘Ascension’?” [I asked.]
“In evolutionary terms certainly. I could easily see you all becoming ‘Ascended’ in at most a few thousand years.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“You believe as soon as that? Sadly, I must agree that we Paradox are all moving in that general direction including our Acolyte children and us ‘Living Hulls’ too but I hope your timetable is wrong.” [I stated.]
“Is hope enough?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“It is not enough, not enough when I also fear that we have been in deep denial about the inevitability of the spread of ‘Ascension’ due to our ‘Suit Substance’ proliferation. We thought we could embrace ‘Suit Substance’ yet choose to delay or avoid ‘Ascension’ by individual strength of character alone. Now I am thinking that a growing dependency on one creates an unholy temptation towards embracing the other as the next inevitable step.” [I admitted.]
“Perhaps now ‘Ascension’ is a stage of evolution you ‘Users’ will have no choice but to push through although I am not saying that is definite.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“You warned ‘UT’ to hold on to his biology just as ‘Creed’ did. You must believe there is some point in trying to resist this seeming inevitability.” [I stated.]
“Sometimes we define ourselves by struggling against inevitable forces we win as long as we resist even if resistance in the long-term is futile. For example, we seek to survive but in the end even the Universe will perish our precious stars dimming and going out then darkness will take us all. However in the now some individuals can defy a trend even when masses are destined to succumb.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“You are an advocate of defiance somehow that does not surprise me.” [I joked.]
“I think you are defiant by nature too.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“I now believe that most of those who went down the vector to ‘Ascension’ before us including the wiser of the ‘Highest’ feel trapped.” [I stated.] “That is the real truth of why the ‘Tier System’ fell. There has been so many lies so much misdirection some of it probably to cover up the activities of rebel ‘Highest’ looking for a means to escape purgatory so that they can begin to engage with real evolution again both social and material.” [I claimed.] “All the clues are out there for the perceptive to find who want to see them.”
“People choose what to believe and they often choose to think again later. Despite your fears you continue to use ‘Suit Substance’.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“We certainly do still use ‘Suit Substance’ which makes me I wonder if it is too late, can we regress in any meaningful way to attain a different vector. ‘Cocktail’ was almost ready to consider ‘Scion’ a lost cause just because he had been introduced to the wide facility of our ‘Suit Substance’. ‘Cocktail’ seems to think our material science is highly addictive because it is so good and I fear in many ways she might be too right.” [I stated.]
“There is an ancient truism that advises that we do everything in moderation. That is a fine idea but it is hard to let go of any of the really good stuff you soon want that all of the time - we are all gluttons for what we deem is the best - yet too much of anything is poison.” [‘Cad’ added sagely.]
“Maybe it truly is too late but I must attempt to wean the ‘MTC’ off an over dependent style addiction then perhaps others will follow our social lead. Perhaps your people and you could help me with that proposal since yours is a faction that has found a more balanced approach to material advancement by clinging to some old bones.” [I said.]
“Such flattery although we may seem more balanced from the outside some of us are positively unbalanced.” [He joked.] “However if you need a sponsor to talk to when you feel you are weakening in your resolve to reduce your dependency I will do what I can.” [‘Cad’ promised.]
“At the very least I need some people who can sell the benefits of some future ‘Real Material’ solutions to my family without denigrating our past and present material choices. ‘Recyclers’ such as ‘Cocktail’ are too entrenched in their own philosophy to woo our Acolytes into considering broader material preferences without sparking a degree of automatic resentment and resistance.” [I stated.]
“It is interesting that even those ‘Highest’ accredited as being rebels arguably encouraged some ‘Suit Substance’ proliferation amongst us ‘Heartland Space’ primitives why would they do that do you think?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“You speak of ‘Composure’ and ‘Patriarch’; perhaps they did what they did because telling us not to do something would never work. What is forbidden is desirable, wilful people have to make up their own minds and reject what is bad for them because they appreciate the wrongness personally rather than just being told no.” [I surmised.]
“So they ensured that we burned ourselves with a little ‘Suit Substance’ fire that is a harsh revision. Although I admit I do see some sooth in the fact that pushing any change of policy at some stubborn souls will only encourage defiance, resistance and entrenchment.” [‘Cad’ warned.]
“I fear I am more receptive to considering this change of policy now than many of our youngsters will be. For many Acolytes a ‘Suit Substance’ way of life is all they have ever known. Sadly, the bulk of our Acolytes were all birthed as Warriors too as Marines and they have I imagine developed quite stout loyalties to their remote ‘Immortal Suit Substance’ Avatars and all the good stuff those items can generate and extrude on the fly via software.” [I stated.]
“Military unit pride is something I understand quite well, you wish to avoid brawls between your Marines and unsympathetic traders over whose material ways happen to be better.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“I am well aware that divergent cultures too easily clash yet I need to do something. If I do nothing most ‘Users’ might realise they are on a dodgy vector towards ‘Ascension’ far too late just as some of our Elders possibly did in the past. You can argue they made their choice but it was a choice provided with limited information with data purposely withheld until a tipping point happened to be reached.” [I argued.]
“Maybe nothing will change in ‘User’ society until there are a great many ‘Creeds’ demonstrating that ‘Ascension’ is far from a cure for all ills or an assured vector to a better life but in fact for some who alter their biology the very opposite.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Is it possible that ‘Composure’ made Harbinger as a sacrifice to begin showing us the evils not the benefits of ‘Suit Substance Ascension’ to bring these dangers home to us in a painfully personal way?” [I asked.]
“It is claimed that the ‘Highest’ work in mysterious ways.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “They also say that some realities have to be experienced to be properly understood. Prior to Harbinger the conversion of Elders via ‘Facilitation’ was a somewhat hidden I suppose we must say a - ‘Shrouded’ - process. Generally only those involved directly understood what was going on with their ‘Shrouded’ bodies and they were ultimately destined for ‘Tier System’ tech level segregation.”
“It makes me wonder about how and why ‘Shrouding’ really started. Could some professed reasons for shrouding our bodies have always been a lie could shrouding have been designed and encouraged completely as an exploitative process guaranteeing the mystery of ‘Ascension’ by people who craved to turn us into beings akin to the ‘Emissary’ but feared some ‘Pilgrims’ might wisely turn aside from such radical procedures such extreme physical changes. In a way the whole ‘Tier System’ was all about hiding the true nature of ‘bio-mechanical’ ‘Ascension’ not just that it had a dodgy origin as a stolen poorly understood science.” [I said.]
“It could just be that those who became the ‘Highest’ - in relation to existing ‘Shrouding’ policies - simply embraced the opportunity made available within an already fashionable trend that they could use and abuse for their own divergent purposes. Inventions hijacked too often for purposes far from their original maker’s intent. It is a curse upon all well-meaning inventors with noble desires that they often live to see their life’s work perverted by lesser minds for less glorious agendas.”
[That last bit sounded akin to a very private and personal complaint by ‘Cad’.]
“Do you think the ‘Emissary’ could have wanted us to become the same as her? Did she bring us here to spawn more of her kind to convert us into ‘bio-mechanical’ brethren?” [I asked.]
“That would be a very untidy way to do such a thing and I am positive that fails to fit her legend. Our ‘Pilgrim’ ancestors might easily have failed the test of survival here and perished rather than living to spawn mighty nations, even later we almost wiped ourselves out on several occasions perhaps with a little help from the ‘Machine Fury’ as evidenced by our ‘Dark Times’.” [‘Cad’ began.]
“We all have our own ideas about the ‘Emissary’ to me she seemed fascinated and respectful of our diversity. Overall, exactly what the ‘Emissary’ wanted has probably become lost to us buried under all our ‘Pilgrim’ desires and expectations, desires that we have fostered upon her image in later ages.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“She may well have left us in despair because we failed to appreciate any of the lessons she wanted to teach. What happened with the ‘Highest’ seems to suggest that some of us ‘Pilgrims’ became obsessed with emulating her physical advancement rather than following any more spiritual message she had, saying that she had a spiritual message worth mentioning.” [‘Cad’ somewhat heretically added.]
“Many would claim she had a deep belief in equality between individuals and species but again that could just be what they chose to believe in later days. Personally I do not think she was a sponsor of sameness via encouraging us to all become the same substance as her as I said easier much more effective ways exist for her to procreate.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“You believe we corrupted her teachings rewrote her message defiled her purpose.” [I said.]
“Perhaps, few faiths stay perfectly true to their origins after all everything remains constantly open to later interpretation and even one word can mean so many different things whilst time alone changes the meanings of words too never mind the manipulations of clever individuals with ambition acting upon them.” [‘Cad’ ironically preached at me.]
“Maybe here in this empty place she simply hoped we would just better appreciate each others’ differences. Maybe she believed that here we would learn to work together with greater equanimity to survive. Strange that she should pick disaffected individuals to create a better society if that was her intent.” [I mused aloud.]
“People who rebel - are people who question the old order of things - arguably people looking for something better. The happy the self-satisfied and content have less impetus towards action or change.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “Also harsh environments force evolve because you adapt or perish.”
“She was obviously capable of being harsh for she knew she was leaving us in a hard place to prosper.” [I stated.]
“Little would have been lost by the demise of a few disaffected souls who might have perished anyway fighting against the system at home. She took people who would not be missed and gave them a chance to make a different future and this is what we did with that chance.” [‘Cad’ said pinching at my ‘Suit Substance’.]
“She was too amazing our ancestors saw all the things she could do and they must have marvelled at it wanted it. They wanted to be ‘Stellar’ beings too to be masters of their genetics and in control of their bodies. She inadvertently corrupted those she bore away simply by having contact with us. Maybe that was partially why she went away in the hope that we would let go of her legend stop trying to be akin to her. It is possible we keep getting it all backward.” [I suggested.]
“I do not know about all that such visions of the past are matters of faith and belief. In the end I am just a scientist I prefer answers I can measure and test in a laboratory.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“She provided a place to start again and all our ancestors did with this incredible opportunity to find a - new - way was to seek to copy her, to steal her secrets rather than to take the true gift granted - freedom to think again - without the pressure of their old communities and their old overlord inflicted boundaries. They should have sought after their own vector but I guess much akin to their descendents they were impatient for all the good things that life can offer.” [I said.]
“Perhaps that is the truth of it - I would not presume to know. Does it even matter what she wanted for us anymore? Arguably, she merely facilitated the transport of a few Ancestors we are the ones that have made so very much more out of her actions. She transported a few outcast miscreants hardly missed perhaps because she simply felt sorry for them or perhaps as a social experiment or on some bizarre alien whim. It is all ancient history now. Only the distance she took us was truly assuredly epic and maybe here was just were she was going anyway for her own private reasons. That would be so funny if she was just going here and opted to take some passengers along for the ride.” [‘Cad’ argued.] “You must admit ‘MT’ we ‘Pilgrims’ do tend to aggrandise the past erecting statues and so on and padding out the truth to create legends. Consider your Harbinger an important figure without doubt but as important as some now imagine?”
“That is true we do aggrandise the past and because she brought us so far we convinced ourselves that there had to be an equally outsized reason but I agree there is actually no stricture of logic that makes it so.” [I confessed.]
“We create the heroes we need sometimes the villains too.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“Brought us here… could she have been a ship a ‘Living Hull’ analogue is that how we got here she was a ‘Living Hull’ analogue with a ‘Trans-universal drive’. We did not arrive via the ‘Unknown’s Gate’ it was closed and sealed that much we now know. Could we have forgotten such a thing as an arrival by ship?” [I asked.]
“My friend ‘MT’ we each see our Creator and our saints - when we look for them - as beings in our own image.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“It is more than that it makes sense that the ‘Pilgrims’ never knew how they specifically arrived here because they were transported in something akin to stasis that would explain the lack of a firm historic account about how they were transported.” [I mused aloud.] “I can easily imagine our Ancestors only ever interacting with an Avatar of the ‘Emissary’ before and after their transit with oblivion between. Who knows how long such a journey might take also she might have preferred carrying them in stasis for security reasons.”
“That would be quite a historic revision ‘Holy Father’.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Is it possible?” [I asked.] “Does it seem plausible to you?” [I asked.]
[‘Cad’ shrugged as if it was none of his concern as a scientist.]
“On the issue of more practical material matters how can I help you?” [He asked.]
[I endeavoured to let go of my newest obsession the possibility of a ‘Living Hull Emissary’ perhaps with no great agenda for our society. My faiths changing all the time although I still believed the way to escape an evolutionary purgatory was a deep time united social singularity. That social and spiritual evolution needed a chance to catch up or overtake material advancements and that social evolution could only occur meaningfully as an all-inclusive process otherwise it became one faction exploiting others.]
“When Harbinger departed he said… never mind.” [I stated.] “It is all useless conjecture and you must be tired of my many confused truths already. You must think me a foolish Priest.”
“We all seek after understanding in our differing ways. I would just advise that you be careful with what you preach even if it is what you come to firmly believe some truths might not be well received by the ‘Passenger Class’ masses today.” [‘Cad’ warned.] “Some might consider the selling of the ‘Emissary’ as a ‘Living Hull’ as a factional politicising of a ‘Pilgrim’ religious icon - a disgusting ploy - by the ‘Emancipation Movement’ to steal possession of a ‘Passenger Class’ legend that many revere above all other historic figures.”
“You are right I will have to give what I do with this epiphany much thought.” [I agreed.]
“Let us return to how I can help you with your more mundane material problems for me a more comfortable subject.” [He insisted.]
“Perhaps a travelling ‘Hierophant’ trade fair doing a circuit of our Ports. A marvellous exhibition of ‘Hierophant Trojan’ scientific and technological excellence to inspire and astound.” [I suggested.]
[‘Cad’ gave that a little consideration.]
“Sounds reasonable in fact, how could we resist an open invitation to show off and sell our products to you Paradox we are after all manufacturers of products not just scientists?” [‘Cad’ said.] “If your ‘MTC’ Acolytes embraced buying and using more of our products other Paradox House Acolytes might also start doing the same that could be very good for our exports.”
“Thank you.” [I replied.] “Thank you for both your help and an enlightening conversation.”
“Talking with you is rarely boring. Remember that you are a wise sentient ‘MT’ remember that and do not preach anything too rashly heretical. I really am sorry about that ‘Founder’ and ‘Scion of Founder’ business I erred. You are not the only one feeling - under the weather - if you take my meaning. We ‘Hierophants’ are committed to the fire now too and having these freaky ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ occurring around us is worrisome. In addition, we have lost assets down here too - more than we have publicised.” [He admitted.]
“I fear it is possible that all our ‘Pilgrim Factions’ have lost more assets that we have been willing to reveal to the public.” [I replied.]
“We all have commercial rivals to worry about and populaces to reassure too.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“I noticed you have a new obsession with the ‘Isolationist’ cells. Do you think we made a dire mistake moving so many souls and assets down here?” [I asked.]
“Only time will answer that question it is beyond me I am no prophet and I certainly do not want to come across at this time as a prophet of doom.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“You could have just said no to be comforting.” [I jested.]
“Do you see me as a comforting individual?” [‘Cad’ replied with a half smile.] “I think we have done what we had to do. If we had not taken full advantage of the opening provided by the ‘Deep Cleric’ ruling upon the ‘Star Bridges’ the hatchway to our ingress might have closed in our face. We had to show that we are not afraid of the fire. In my mind we had little option other than to stake our equal claim to the stars depths. Now we must toughen out the ‘Storm Season’ of ‘Isolationist’ resistance only when we have weathered the elements here for some time and proved worthy will the greater majority of all ‘Divers’ slowly begin to respect us as equal partners rather than just despised raggedy immigrants begging at their fiery threshold.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“You are a comforter you have to be as a father to the ‘Hierophant’ nation.” [I retorted.]
“If you say so.” [He replied.]
[On ‘Hade’s Stopover’ just prior to ‘Uussleers’ arrival at the party honouring his hoped for recruitment and the inauguration of the ‘House of Sii’ as his potential local base of operations and my current one as ‘Venture’…]
“May I introduce my plus one friend ‘Venture’, Captain ‘Draakgaarrll’ of the ‘Hades’ after which this ‘Way-station’ was humorously named.” [‘Thorbolt’ said.] “Brother ‘Draakgaarrll’ accompanies me as one who prefers to be less publicised.”
[I had heard of this one some said ‘Draakgaarrll’ was one of ‘Kanes’ most trusted lieutenants although this one rarely made public appearances he was usually someone unfortunates got dragged before just prior to suffering a horrible end. The ‘Hades’ I had previously known nothing about an absence that bothered me. I had heard of ‘Draakgaarrll’ as one of Captain ‘Kanes’ people but not as the Captain of the ‘Hades’ or that ‘Hade’s Stopover’ was actually named after a ship that came as an uncomfortable surprise to me. A reminder that perhaps I did not know a quarter as much as I thought I did about even the more obvious ‘Hell Burner’ business on this facility or elsewhere.]
“It is an honour to meet you friend ‘Draakgaarrll’.” [I said.] “You will forgive me if I seem a bit taken aback for I have not heard of the ‘Hades’ before now and yet here I learn that this entire facility is humorously named after her?” [I queried.]
“The name of this station is an old ‘Hell Burner’ in joke at my expense. My ‘Hades’ rarely makes Port anywhere - those who know me well - know that I have a reputation for staying out there and those that do not know me well generally do not know me at all. I like to keep my business private privy only to a select few. You are for example currently talking with a ‘Meat Suit Avatar’ my true body back onboard my ‘Battle Brick’ elsewhere.” [He confessed.]
“Our ‘Fraternity’ brother ‘Draakgaarrll’ and your ‘Uussleer’ have much in common both being somewhat shy and operating primarily on stations via remote.” [‘Thorbolt’ explained.]
“We both it seems have powerful enemies that make taking extreme precautions wise.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ said.] “Yours because of your old ‘Reach Project’ association mine because of my current work for the ‘Burners’ as a settler of disputes.” [He claimed.]
“So ‘Hades’ is another ‘Battle Brick’, ‘Hubris Patron’ built ships seem popular amongst our ‘Fraternity’ members.” [I noted.]
“I believe the ‘Patrons’ currently output as much as sixty-five percent of the entire ‘Real Material’ shipbuilding market a truly thriving business one I wish I had shares in.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ said.] “I am not overly surprised at their success as I have never had cause to regret having them build my ‘Hades’.”
“Is she your first ship Captain?” [I asked.]
“No I used to captain a different vessel but she was lost in action just one more victim of the ‘Entanglement’.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ informed.]
“I am sorry to hear that is that why you chose a ‘Real Material’ solution for your current hull?” [I asked.]
“Losing my ship and crew to a ‘bio-mechanical’ menace did not endear me to ‘Suit Substance’.” [He admitted.]
“I trust you will not hold my nature against me.” [I replied.]
“I only hate where hate is due.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ replied.]
“Here comes my Captain right on schedule.” [I informed after an incoming signal.]
[The lights dimmed and the forewarned gathered crowd now aware that this was doubling as a surprise party for Captain ‘Uussleer’ lapsed into silence. I felt a clasp upon my left extruded limb and realised a slightly nervous looking ‘Betty’ had found me.]
“Showtime.” [‘Thorbolt’ said stepping forward in preparation.]
[I increased the sensitivity on my microphones.]
“Are you sure this is the right place.” [I heard ‘Uussleer’ ask.] “It seems very quiet and too dark.”
“The reception is on the third floor the lights down here are energy efficient and power down when there is no activity they should detect us and power up in a moment.” [‘Windy’ stated.]
“They are commissioning this building with a party on the third floor?” [He asked sounding incredulous.]
“I would guess so that the most expensive fixtures and fitting are left unmolested.” [‘Windy’ replied.]
“I see party breakages.” [He replied.]
“Through this door.” [‘Windy’ guided.]
[The door opened, the pair stepped in, the lights sprung on and applause rang out including much loud ‘Recycler’ stomping of feet. I noticed a few people almost automatically reached for weapons then restrained the impulse as we did warn that no riotous gunplay was acceptable inside the building.]
“Welcome to the ‘House of Sii’ Captain ‘Uussleer’ our good friend. We hope you will accept the usage of this purposely designed site - in the spirit of friendship in which it is offered - as your on station home and place of business whilst we continue to negotiate a lasting partnership and far beyond to our profound mutual benefit.” [‘Thorbolt’ stated.]
“Speech from the Captain.” [‘Betty’ demanded.]
[For a moment ‘Uussleer’ seemed a little flustered then he forced a grin into his previously rather straight and rigid stalks.]
“You have me disadvantaged friends as I can tell from a glance that much preparation has gone into this event whilst I arrive utterly unprepared. Therefore, if you will indulge me I will just say thank you and ask forgiveness in advance if my manners prove a little rusty. It has been some time since I have been in such a large gathering especially in my honour.” [He admitted giving a small bow.]
[Some more applause followed.]
“An excellent public speech as I prefer short ones.” [Captain ‘Draakgaarrll’ said.]
[I made some hasty introductions starting with ‘Draakgaarrll’ and continuing on to a select group of other notables waiting nearby. Once that was done we gave ‘Uussleer’ a quick tour of the premises and then with the exception of some time scheduled items of specific entertainment it was all informal mingling.]
[At one point I was somewhat surprised and a bit alarmed to see ‘Mari’ here her hair arranged to disguise one ears disfigurement. I located ‘Betty’ and pushed my way through to her side.]
“Is something wrong?” [She asked.]
[She had quickly learned to read my Avatar’s emotional tells perhaps because ‘Omerta’ have very expressive faces and use a lot of body language too.]
“Your old - friend - ‘Mari’ is here she must be some person’s plus one as she is not on our specific guest list.” [I said.]
“She is my plus one I invited her.” [‘Betty’ said.]
“You did?” [I asked.] “To show that you are now above her?” [I asked.]
“No I apologised to her I wished to put the incident behind me. I told her I would arrange to have her ear reconstructed. I assume we have medical assets in the ‘UME’ that can easily do that from what the ‘Immortals’ were telling me and I will pay for it if necessary out of my wages.” [She promised.]
“You told her all this and invited her to this party too?” [I asked.]
“I wanted to show her that there are better ways to have fun and advance than being cruel and satisfying the whims of cruel friends.” [She said.]
“Really you had no other motive?” [I asked.]
“I did explain to her - at length - exactly why I bit her ear off and that the ‘Hell Burners’ would be watching her in future to ensure that she moderates her attitude towards her staff. We are all ‘Free Miners’ together - one movement - abusing new recruits to the cause for twisted amusement is not acceptable behaviour. Did I overstep my authority?” [She asked.]
“Not at all. Your attitude and actions today could hardly have pleased me more.” [I replied.] “Still do not be surprised if ‘Mari’ fails to change her ways.”
“I know all I can do is give her an opportunity and a reason to change the rest is down to her. Here she could make other powerful friends with hopefully less unsavoury tastes.” [‘Betty’ added.]
“I think you might give the word - wild - a whole new meaning.” [I stated.]
[I yearned to give her a hug but feared that would come across as too Paradox Priest.]
“As you told me it is far too easy to make enemies much more of a challenge to make friends and ultimately far more fun.” [‘Betty’ said.] “Besides I have never been in a position before where I could be so generous. It helps having access to some resources rather than scrounging to survive. If my life had not changed for the better I would probably still hate ‘Mari’ with all my heart and what good would that have done anyone?” [She asked.]
“Employing you may prove one of the best business decisions I have ever made. Tell me about that ‘Omerta’ girl ‘Sue’ that you hired to do the cleaning?” [I asked.]
“You are hoping to multiply your success.” [‘Betty’ replied.]
“There is no fool greater than an old fool and I may have been previously recruiting from the wrong sources. You say that lots of people wash up upon these ‘Way-station’ shores in need of work.” [I said.]
[Early the next morning…]
“You took that surprise well, you were surprised not just acting surprised?” [‘Draakgaarrll’ asked ‘Uussleer’ in a private interview.]
“I was surprised.” [‘Uussleer’ claimed.]
“Then you probably dealt with it better than I would have. These days I am not overly impressed by unexpected things they bother me and make me anxious.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ confessed.]
“I also prefer to be in control of my situation.” [‘Uussleer’ confessed.]
“Sadly that is not always possible. Still, you are a lucky sentient you seem to have a good crew and a good ship. When I heard about the ‘House of Sii’ thing I wondered if it was a silly mistake.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ said.]
“In what way?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“In the too pushy yet too unfocused way. Still it is a good demonstration of how much your participation will be appreciated by us and the level of respect and the material benefits you can expect to be endowed with when you join with us. If you will excuse the metaphor you are proving a hard fish to land and I think friend ‘Thorbolt’ is getting a little desperate to please.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ added.]
“You disprove of my reticence?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“Not especially I would distrust anyone in this business who is too rash but I wonder why you are resisting now given your overall position. Why are you this reticent?” [‘Draakgaarrll’ asked.] “Is it that you distrust our motives? Conversely is it just that you find joining up to any cause difficult due to your past experience within the ‘Reach Project’? If it is the latter I would suggest you remember that, that creature ‘Overbite’ worked you people over specifically to encourage reticence towards other recruiters. You were to be hers and hers alone until you died you might want to think about that fact.”
“What do you know about ‘Overbite’ and her methods?” [‘Uussleer’ immediately asked.]
“Quite a bit I have studied her works and interviewed some of her old recruits as well as some of her victims both the deserving and the undeserving ones, you are not the first member of the ‘Reach Project’ that we have approached although we consider you one of the more compatible individuals with our overall purpose.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.] “How do you feel about that fact?”
“Have you recruited any other members?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“If we did could you work with them?” [The ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ asked.]
“Some of them perhaps others I do not think so.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“I appreciate your candour in this matter.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ stated.]
“If you have been looking at others why do you need me?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“Operational prudence. Besides if not us then sooner or later someone else will procure your services. You have seen some of the benefits of wisely joining us I have been dispatched to explain some of the detriments of unwisely turning us down. You know how it is in war when it comes to major players you are often deemed with or considered against. We would not stand by idly should you gravitate towards another side. I am not threatening I am just telling you how it is so that there are no misunderstandings between us.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ informed.]
“That sounds akin to a threat to me.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “I am told you have a reputation.”
“So do you. The ‘Reach Project’ put a mark upon you and your fellow members there is no going back from that fact, there is no returning to being who you were before ‘Overbite’ laid claim to you. You have been living in a little fantasy I think. You have a skill set that makes you either an asset or dangerous. Some part of you must crave recognition or you would have done what some other ex-‘Reach Project’ members smartly achieved and disappeared by taking on a successful new identity. I think you believe you are different more righteous more a victim than a perpetrator. We have a worthy cause we can also protect you else I assure you, you will remain a victim and rather than proving a benefit being ex-‘Reach Project’ will be the cause of your death.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ further warned.]
“More threats.” [‘Uussleer’ complained.]
“Simple facts, we have been helping to keep you safe for we have been considering you as a potential recruit for sometime. Simply removing our protection alone might prove fatal for you. To me joining with us is your best and only sensible option it is all good whilst refusing us is all bad.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ finished.]
“It seems you have studied ‘Overbite’ I once heard a not dissimilar speech from her.” [‘Uussleer’ complained.]
“I am sure that is true but that does not change your position or ours.” [He reminded.] “Think it over before accepting our offer if you must but do not take too much longer or some of us might decide you are just stalling to try to flee or to do us some other injury. Some already say that you are a bad security risk as a past betrayer rather than a good future recruit. We are not bad people - not all of us anyway - but we live in harsh times and that means we have done some harsh things and still make some harsh decisions to survive and prosper.”
“I have never found threats motivational.” [‘Uussleer’ replied defiantly.]
“I told them that might be a mistake too but they did not listen. Today I am just doing my job in this regard I have little enthusiasm for intimidating you. I sympathise with your position. If you had not worried some people by taking so long in consideration of our offer there would have been no need for this sterner approach and much might have been left generously unsaid. It is the same with me if I tried to leave now they would kill me or at least they would try - I know too much it is a matter of operational security. Thankfully I believe in the cause and I believe that by participating I can help to shape it too. Those who seek to betray what we are attempting to build deserve their ill-fate. I think that is the thinking of your ‘Hull’ too it seeks to make a difference to enhance ‘Living Hull’ and ‘Passenger Class’ relations it has some leaning towards ‘Emancipation’ unless I am very mistaken.” [The ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ said.]
“The ‘Venturesome’ does as I tell her, her Avatar ‘Venture’ has grown a bit eccentric but has proved too useful to decommission. I know they are one and the same - but they are and they are not - a persistent Avatar develops a sort of pseudo personality of its own an alter ego. Such diversions entertain some ‘Living Hulls’.” [‘Uussleer’ claimed.] “They are tools but to get the best from them because they are also alive it sometimes helps to treat them as people too. How did you come to be in service to the ‘Hell Burners’?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“I rebelled against the authority of the ‘Free Parliament’ and the ‘Shaper Faith’ that would have my kind submit and integrate as a survival strategy. I was a rebel hastily branded a Pirate so I chose to become the best Pirate I could be a bane upon the society that I felt betrayed my birthright. I am of the ‘Ruling Caste’ and once held myself in very high esteem as did most of my kind we were born to rule and frequently told that fact too. Times however change and they change some of us too or they burn us, I became tired of the isolation and grew weary of slaughters that changed nothing. My revenge did not reclaim my birthright. I began to review my Pirate existence as a youthful folly.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.]
“We all have to grow up sooner or later even in the ‘Reach Project’ I acted as a child only afterwards did I become an adult. It was all a game to me the trading the intrigue that was how I dealt with it.” [‘Uussleer’ claimed.] “I saw no way out so I pretended I was having fun then the ‘Hubris Patrons’ planned to finish with us and to dispose of us. A way to escape opened but the consequences forced me to stop seeing my life as a game it all became rather deadly serious.”
“That is interesting. During the ‘Wars of Liberation’ I tried to claim a Port but lost my ship during a three way battle which included some ‘Entangled’ forces drawn to the fight. I managed to survive although I was taken to be sold as a slave. I escaped and found my way to the ‘Expansion’. Once there I decided to get a new identity and commissioned a new ship. By luck or fate I avoided recruitment into the ‘Reach Project’ perhaps because I arrived at a time when it was soon to be dissolved and ‘Overbite’ had other matters on her mind. When you and your ‘Hull’ became trapped then the trial occurred the story fascinated me. I was amazed as an ex-Pirate at how the ‘Hubris Patrons’ as ex-Pirates managed to get away with so very much to claim a wide domain and be politically accepted too.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ explained.]
“They inspired you.” [‘Uussleer’ surmised.]
“I began to research the ‘Project’ collecting stories of other members’ activities and I became known to others with an equal or greater interest in the ‘Project’, one fellow in particular recruited me. An ‘Omerta’ Pirate who also had dealings with the ‘Patrons’ and had a plan of his own seeing a great opportunity within the then disorganised ‘Free Miner Movement’ for a ‘Hubris Patron’ style takeover. My new employer had an audacious scheme in which he planned to recruit and use other Pirates and ex-Pirates - as more than just muscle - amazingly, what he offered was a chance to become both powerful and ultimately legitimate business people some with whole Ports under their authority. Meanwhile your role in the downfall of the ‘Project’ has always personally fascinated me perhaps because I was there whilst it was happening. I often looked out upon the ‘Venturesome’ from portside. It was my interest in you and what happened to you afterwards that probably created a specific interest in you from my personal patron and the ‘Burners’ and why I was assigned to this task today to finalise your recruitment.” [He admitted.]
“So the works of ‘Overbite’ inspired the creation of secret ‘Pirate Fraternities’ pretending to be more honest social clubs.” [‘Uussleer’ said.] “You have ensured that I do know too much.”
“You are too close to this one not to see the truth soon enough given your experiences but there is a difference we are ‘Fraternities’ of ex-Pirates for we seek to become something else to become legitimate leaders of a legitimate cause although at the moment I will admit there is much crime for this is a transitional period and crime is a tool we use. Nonetheless, in time the crime will become less and less important it is just the means to the end of legitimate control. The truth is that the real veterans here appreciate that Piracy is a game for the young of mind or the insane who do not value living.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ claimed.] “Adults have so many better ways to take what they want from life and even to give a little back to earn some real respect.”
“Real respect matters to them?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“It does to the better ones the ones capable of changing the rest are dross that are only temporarily serving our purpose. Some beasts cannot be tamed but they can be loosed if properly contained and they make very scary sentries.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ stated.] “Yet we need more than feral beasts. We need people such as you and your ‘Hull’ who are not totally selfish. Even ‘Overbite’ had a wider positive vision under all her hate she wanted to promote a ‘Real Material’ society although she was perhaps far too extreme in her methods and so became a mere expendable tool of her peers another feral beast. We need some prominent ‘Users’ on our side too if we are to avoid being hijacked by ‘Real Materialist’ fanatics who believe every ‘User’ must be eradicated that is a recipe only for a future war that I fear the ‘Free Miner Movement’ would not win. For now it often suits our purpose to let some fanatics believe we also embrace their faiths they are more feral tools helping to guard our borders but in time they will be disposed of because they are incompatible with a stable long-term successful ‘Free Miner’ hegemony.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.]
“So your plan is to carve out domains ruled by ex-Pirates from ‘Free Miner’ holdings am I to be expendable too when my job is done?” [‘Uussleer’ asked.]
“Only if you also prove feral. In the end their can be only one ‘Free Miner Nation’ made up of many ‘Free Miner Port States’ under a strong Federal authority. However, such a plan put honestly forward today would be rejected immediately by people obsessed with their own less practical dreams be it of a ‘Real Material’ crusade against all ‘Users’ or just outlandishly unrealistic concepts about individual freedom that verges on anarchy. Today we are by necessity ‘Hell Burners’ made up of people with many causes tomorrow we become something else the builders of one nation. Weak divided anarchic ‘Free Miner Ports’ will fall eventually to the power of the ‘Consortium’ but a strong unified movement can survive and prosper as a counterweight to the ‘Corporations’ might. By necessity, we employ some evil acts today to create something better and cleaner in the future. As old ‘Ruling Caste’ I appreciate that power has to be seized and that peace is often carved out of discord only by those willing to employ violence.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ claimed.]
[Listening in via a link to my faux Captain’s Avatar I mused that the ‘Ruling Caste’ always did believe that the ends justified any means no matter how dire, especially when the ends involved consolidating their personal power.]
“Whilst you work towards this strong unity you seek to sell the lie that you are a disorganised unsophisticated rabble that worship and follow some famous hell raisers who would rather party every credit away and fire their weapons at the ceiling than do any real politicking or real fighting.” [‘Uussleer’ said.]
“Sadly some of them would as I said we have some feral members. Right now if the ‘Corporations’ of the ‘Consortium’ realise how close - yet also how far away - we are to real unity we are doomed. We must keep them underestimating our scheme until it is too late and we are no longer divided easy targets of ripe opportunity. Right now, we could not hope to survive a war waged against us. Whilst only by crude methods can we hope to force these rugged individualists to join up fully to a truly unified movement that can eventually open honest diplomacy with the ‘Consortium’ as an equal that requires - in fact demands - respect. Ironically the ‘Free Miners’ need our villainy our brand of organised corruption to survive even the thugs twisting arms playing a vital role in shaping a better tomorrow. The problem is that some of our ‘Fraternity’ associates are becoming overly ambitious they want to be the one power that rules the final Federal unity they want to usurp the ‘Burners’ ruling position and that threatens to tear the whole grand scheme apart. You are to help us deal with internal splits via softer ways than I use. My task to chastise in a brutal fashion a role carefully not selected for you. You see I have studied you I know your nature. You were one of the least enthusiastic members of the ‘Reach Project’ yet one of its most successful operatives. You achieved much with a lot less bloodletting that many others - even though sadly for you that has been overlooked since the trial.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ admitted.]
“A little success and each Captain would be king.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“Power corrupts and Pirate Captains are not used to bowing to any authority even to the most powerful of their kind and ex-Pirate Captains are much the same many find bowing to any leader difficult.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ added.] “Much of what I do is enforcement and intimidation. I remind the others that we ‘Hell Burners’ are the true power and the vision behind this great enterprise sadly I am kept very busy issuing my reminders in very unpleasant ways but we need to do more than punish.” [He admitted.]
[I wondered did this one believe that almost reasonable story of roguish nation builders. Was he unaware of the dealings with the ‘Star Diver Isolationists’? Conversely did he believe they could control the ‘Star Diver Isolationists’ by becoming their allies? To me the idea of a ‘Pilgrim Isolationist’ alliance was a contradiction in terms as any ‘Pilgrim’ plan that involved staying down here was entirely incompatible with ’Isolationist’ ambitions to remove our intrusion. It was a puzzle sadly until they informed us about ‘Star Diver Isolationist’ involvement with one or more ‘Frats’ we could not broach the topic. Annoyingly I belatedly wondered if these people could have a better plan for dealing with the ‘Star Divers’ than all of us legitimate authorities put together because some methods they might employ even the worst of the rest of us might hesitate to consider. Bleakly I wondered did our society need these criminals to save us.]
“It seems you would leave me with no choice just as ‘Overbite’ did.” [‘Uussleer’ complained.]
“We all have choices every day we choose to live when it would be so much easier to let go of our sometimes difficult lives and just perish.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ retorted.] “So what do you say?” [He asked.]
“I plan to live.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “I am nothing if not a survivor.”
“Then I can report the issue is settled. If you will take my advice do not think of this as a forced recruitment think of it as the only sane option in insane times. Take that mark given to you and use it for something worthy I think there could be redemption here for you. Come we should announce the good news of your ‘Patching’ to the party diehards who are still here.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ added.] “Welcome to the ‘Hell Burners’ my brother perhaps we are even real kin if you go back far enough it is from the ‘Free Stellar Swimmers’ that we ’Stellar Draakhaal’ were made by the ‘Shaper’.”
“I thought you had renounced your faith in ‘Draakhaal’.” [‘Uussleer’ said.]
“I did but that was then and this is now.” [The ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ replied.] “I can see now that the ‘Arch Prelate’ did what he did to save as many of our people as possible a bad but mature choice for a good reason.”
[This one knew how to sell a point of view via spreading the argument.]
“You see faith as a weapon to be wielded.” [‘Uussleer’ guessed.]
“Belief certainly has its uses.” [‘Draakgaarrll’ replied.]
[I knew the ‘Arch Prelate’ felt the very same way maybe it was a ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ thing then I recalled that we Paradox Priests also used religion in our peculiar way even as heretics.]
“So what do you think?” [‘Uussleer’ asked ‘Venture’ via our encrypted ‘EXO-C’ link.]
“I think that one in his ‘Meat Suit’ could be ‘Kane’ what better disguise than to jump species and pretend to be your own lieutenant on a daily basis.” [I stated.]
“Now that is Paradox Priest Paranoia if I have ever heard it.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “He gave us some details we could check out.”
“If it is a cover story I am sure it is a solid one that is ongoing and will provide us with no new data.” [I surmised.] “In addition, if he knows us so well he might appreciate that we have had a long interest in ‘Taard’ whether he is ‘Taard’ and ‘Kane’ or not but especially if he is.” [I added.]
“Perhaps I should broach the issue, claim we were after a bounty back then that we believed we could extort from the ‘SARC’ as we were not convinced the ‘Mutilator’ perished as claimed.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“The ‘Mutilator’ how did I never think of that obvious label earlier? It would be wonderful to expose ‘Taard’ but to push for a reaction now could be dangerous and we currently have other priorities that must supersede our private quests as ‘Creed’ reminded.” [I recalled.]
“Countering the ‘Isolationist’ cell working with the ‘Fraternities’ somehow there is always something else to do or something in the way of releasing ‘Tor’. I wonder if the ‘Mutilator’ will ever be brought to justice and our friend ‘Tor’ ever know freedom.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“Perhaps ‘Tor’ is lucky to be slumbering through these difficult times some days I would happily swap places.” [I stated.]
“That is easy to say but I do not think the ‘SARC’ will ever release the brother of ‘Taard’ the ‘Mutilator’ who is also ‘Taard’ the betrayer of both ‘Sanctuary Orb’ and ‘Orb Guidance’ unless we can make them. ‘Tor’ is not so much a criminal as a political prisoner.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “Maybe we should put more assets into investigating the jail break option.”
“Even if we could find him and spring ‘Tor’ he would be constantly on the run from the ‘Social Advancement and Reform Committee’ no we need them to let him go and they will only do that if they have ‘Taard’ as a replacement or see some value in his release. I think you are right ‘Tor’ is a political prisoner. In their uncompromising minds someone has to be seen to be paying for the ‘Entanglement’ of ‘Sanctuary Orb’ since they cannot punish ‘Crimson’ - she is beyond them - and ‘Taard’ eluded capture by seemingly dying all they have left to make an everlasting example of is our ‘Tor’.” [I stated.]
“Guilty only by innocent association.” [‘Uussleer’ stated.]
“It may be that they have learned that ‘Tor’ did have some idea of his brother’s plans and could have come forward in an effort to prevent them I have often wondered about that possibility.” [I admitted.]
“You are thinking of leaving him in there and this is your excuse.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“No I am not and it is not. Even if ‘Tor’ did know something it is hard to blame him for being afraid to cross his deadly brother we both know who was dominant in that relationship.” [I replied.] “We continue looking for ‘Taard’ he must pay for all of his crimes and ‘Tor’ must be released having served more than an adequate sentence for any simple failings of character. However, we cannot jeopardise our current mission for ‘Tor’, whilst he remains safely held in stasis ‘Tor’ can wait. Best we prioritise maintaining a viable society for him to return to.”
“Sometimes I feel a hypocrite judging or accusing anyone of a crime as a known perpetrator who escaped justice via a dodgy deal.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“As do I, we all commit at the very least lesser evils - we all sin - I do not think any person is all good certainly no one trying to make a difference by engaging with the worst situations and people. Perhaps I am full of cynicism but today it seems to me there are few true paragons of virtue out there save in the realms of popular imagination.” [I admitted.]
“No more heroes but ‘Betty’ did very well today.” [‘Uussleer’ said.]
“She did perhaps much can be won by small acts of kindness. Sadly when it comes to dealing with the bigger issues I fear there are no more heroes only people such as us and maybe even ‘Draakgaarrll’ committed to doing a dirty job of work for partly selfish reasons.” [I stated.]
“What about those ‘Saints’ you made as ‘MT’ or perhaps as the ‘Holy Father’?” [‘Uussleer’ retorted.]
“They have proved of limited use in the real Universe. Now they mostly help us to enforce better ethical standards throughout the family but there are some family projects that to my shame they are kept well away from.” [I admitted.]
“The very best of intensions only going so far.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.] “So do you think these Pirates could overall be a good thing for the ‘Free Miner Movement’?” [He asked.]
“I would judge that they will only make anything better down here with the application of some serious moderation to their worst impulses and not just from us.” [I replied.]
“Do you think ‘Creed’ could ever buy into that scenario?” [‘Uussleer’ then asked.]
“He stood aside to let the ‘Hubris Patrons’ continue in their role I would guess because acting to destabilise the ‘Expansion’ in any manner would be more trouble than it would be worth. Besides integrating Pirates into our society so that they slowly reform themselves provides a natural solution of sorts to their criminal predation the same process might easily apply here in this situation.” [I argued.]
“I suppose it might I wonder if the Pirates here are aware that they are semi-safe because the ‘Consortium Police’ know that fully exposing them would only provoke the greater anarchy of a possible ‘User’ versus ‘Real Materialist’ war rather than initiate a good degree of less criminality.” [‘Uussleer’ mused aloud.]
“It may be that ‘Kane’ is even cleverer than we have assumed. Perhaps together we can find out the answers to such questions now you are also to be ‘Patched’ into a secretly Pirate dominated ‘Fraternity’.” [I replied.]
“The joy of it all sadly I have been here before and last time went so wonderfully well. I hope we prove worthy of all their criminal investment rather than appear as overindulged disappointments. I get the distinct feeling that they have unpleasant ways to share any disappointment they might feel with the disappointer to recoup any let us say sense of lost satisfaction.” [‘Uussleer’ burbled out in a rambling ‘Swimmer’ way.]
“Thinking about your time in that crate back in the ‘Expansion’?” [I asked.] “Be glad that today you are only represented in this business via a remote. Still if we believe in our worth and prove worthy we will have nothing to fear from our ‘Pirate Fraternity’ just their rivals. Doing internal security for the movement is certainly better than being matched against ‘Consortium Corporations’.” [I added.]
“That is very clever of ‘Draakgaarrll’ or of ‘Kane’. Still other ‘Fraternity’ rivals of the ‘Hell Burners’ could be trouble enough. I keep having horrible imaginings of the people we cross discovering my true identity and taking their ire out upon my innocent family.” [‘Uussleer’ stated.]
“Your family should be safe on ‘Port Messenger’ no matter what transpires.” [I said.]
“Oddly you have more faith about that than me perhaps ironically because you have your belief that I sprang from a ‘God’s Port’ which I am far from convinced about.” [He admitted.]
“You are just too close to it all to see the divine in action.” [I excused.]
“Do you still think ‘Puulaa’ might be a ‘Highest’ or just every member of the ‘Arbitrator Council’ back in ‘Nest Prudence’ on ‘Port Messenger’?” [‘Uussleer’ seemed to mock gently.]
“You must admit there is something a little superlative about ‘Puulaa’ and as to the ‘Arbitrator Council’ they worked miracles with you ‘Free Stellar’.” [I suggested.]
“We do all the hard work of reforming and they get all the credit. It was the difficult times I know I lived through them unlike my Mother.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.]
“You did or your memories just tell you that you did.” [I replied.] “Besides old squid I seem to recall you being rather in awe of the ‘Arbitrators’ too in your own way.” [I added.]
“I was younger then knowing and working with you has aged me rapidly.” [He complained.]
“If you say so.” [I replied deliberately smugly enjoying the banter.]
[Our conversation occurring in instants by rapidly squirted ‘EXO-C’ transmissions.]
[When ‘Draakgaarrll’ made the announcement young ‘Betty’ missed it she had fallen asleep curled up in an almost foetal position on a soft furnishing in one corner currently watched over protectively by the taciturn ‘Windy’. I guessed it had been a long day and an even longer night for her. I let her sleep - it seemed a blessed condition.]
[To me ‘Betty’ was still a child one born far more innocent than any Acolyte was that we - made - for any purpose. I was born of another too but I would always still be a child of purposeful biological engineering born to be a Captain’s asset born to be a tool. I wondered how it would feel to be entirely natural. I wondered if ‘Betty’ realised how special it is to be born clean of any intent beyond a parents love and a desire to procreate. How freeing just to be a child must be from even internal mental bonds of slavery. Then I thought about it again for it seemed that ‘Betty’ carried her own chains too her own guilt. I was sure she felt guilty about failed relationships with some members of her family whether she deserved such guilt or not.]
[Thinking about how we torture ourselves my mood hastily darkened.]
[Still no contact from any of ‘Creeds’ people maybe they were waiting for the fuss around us as notable newcomers to ebb away a little. I recalled how ‘Creed’ had recruited me. It seemed he feared what we might do left unguided - left uncontrolled - given such facts there was bound to be direction sooner or later from him if no one else. Would he only intervene if he felt we were veering too far off mission or jeopardising his already embedded people.]
[Thinking back to my recruitment conversation it seemed akin to a feverish dream rather than a real reliable memory. ‘Creed’ put me on the defensive or I was just feeling that way for other reasons, reasons I was not sure about. Somehow, I even ended up in my minds feeling responsible for the creation of the ‘Consortium’ as an antagonistic organisation that helped to split our society. However, of all of the ‘MTC Patriarchs’ it was ‘Mournful’ who had most strongly come to favour the ‘Consortium’ scheme as a boon to business encouraged oddly by ‘Unholy’. Why had ‘Unholy’ backed the plan as our most martial ‘Patriarch’? What had ‘UT’ hoped to gain? He kept insisting that he was only lightly involved with the ‘Hierophants’.]
[In the beginning, I had many reservations about many aspects of the ‘Consortium’ scheme only accepting the policy in full to keep the family united. Other families and corporations had been more enthusiastic than the ‘MTC’ about the idea. Meanwhile ‘Creed’ had hovered around the founding of the ‘Consortium’ too especially around the founding of the ‘Consortium Police’ so he had no right to accuse me of anything in that regard. Why then, during our past conversation, given the former facts had I felt so guilty about the way everything had turned out and possibly since at the back of my mind too?]
[Why on far too many occasions did some small but annoyingly persistent part of me always begin to feel that everything was my fault? Sometimes I even felt that what happened to Harbinger was my doing. Did I feel guilty because I preached that we all shared in every crime every sin as members of society? When did my preaching become so triple cursed negative? As members of society, we also share in every kindness - in every blessing - I had not mentioned that truth in what seemed ages.]
[Perhaps I spent too much time wrestling in my three brains with the darkness within and without us ‘Pilgrims’, until sometimes that darkness became all I could perceive a writhing malign sickness a great social bane threatening to forever swallow any light akin to how the ‘Machine Fury’ swallowed up all those Planets or the ‘Entanglement’ consumed the substance of our ‘Core Alliance’. Could my life so far have traumatised me to a greater extent than I had previously realised? Perhaps we were all traumatised having been brutalised by our ‘Pilgrim’ history and the abused too easily become future abusers.]
[How did matters get so very grim that I was willing to consider that some good might come from greedy Pirate Captains hijacking the ‘Free Miner Movement’? How could I contemplate being a part of a plan that sold innocents such as ‘Betty’ into the power of people who had gone so far as to sell members of their own species to aliens for unknown purposes? Had we all become too willing to compromise with lesser evils for those ever distant greater goods? I envied ‘Betty’ her oblivious sleep she looked at peace and peace these days was hard won when it seemed attainable at all. Mostly I felt all I ever obtained was temporary ceasefires with the horrors that surrounded me.]
[Maybe it was ‘Crimson Entangled’ that had me feeling this bleak. To ‘Crimson’ sentience had become a toy. Then the guilt assailed me again where we so different when we made our Acolytes? Was engineering life inherently evil? Yet if my kind had not been engineered I would not exist and my life had wonderful moments too. Most living beings cling tenaciously to life and that by itself says much about life being worth living worth creating. The pain and pleasures of existence was one of those special paradoxes for which we Priests were so renowned.]
[To me children should always be able to sleep and have kind dreams and they should never have to fear waking up to a terror filled reality. Monsters are not supposed to be real, just stories, and they are not supposed to be us!]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Sat, 22. Mar 14, 11:24, edited 5 times in total.
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 7]] --- LEVELS OF SEPARATION ---
[Four weeks and a one day after our escape from the ‘Sphere Harbour’, I joined a select group of ‘Pilgrims’ sharing in the sadly not so historic return of ‘Founder’ to the bright Star that once rested at the centre of her Universe. From this place, ages ago, she departed on the beginning of what was destined to become a truly epic ice shrouded voyage. Unfortunately, no one welcomed her home no astounded locals existed to grant her accolades for surviving or for keeping her precious cargo intact.]
“Impossibly nothing remains as you all suspected.” [‘Founder’ stated via a ‘Cyclops’.] “I do not think I really wanted to believe this could be real.” [She admitted.]
“Despite ages of separation in time, we have much in common as created sentient beings therefore in your position I would feel exactly the same way. I also would have needed the most comprehensive confirmation of absence.” [I stated.]
“Eleven Planets once circled here boasting fourteen substantial - named - moons plus other lesser orbital bodies we only gave a numeral designation. Now all that remains is a depleted outer asteroid belt which was also once far more substantial.” [‘Founder’ complained.] “I thought something of our civilisation must have survived here but I have searched with all my sensors and it is as if my creators never existed. What happened here is more than loss it is annihilation from history.” [She added mournfully.]
“Once again, I am sorry for your many sorrows.” [My local Avatar said.]
“It is intriguing that the ‘Machine Fury’ removed all the Planets and the moons too if the ‘Machine Fury’ was responsible for every loss in this instance.” [A ‘Meat Suit Avatar’ animated by a ‘Hierophant’ oddly called ‘Professor Ten’ stated.]
“Why do you say that?” [I asked.]
“Some wildly theorise that the removal of Planets by the ‘Fury’ is the dismantling and relocating of biospheres to say another Universe but it is unlikely that every planet here would have supported life never mind every moon.” [‘Ten’ stated.]
“You have a different theory?” [I asked.]
“What I see is ultra efficient resource harvesting nothing more.” [He suggested.]
“Tidal forces and so on moons do affect planetary ecosystems.” [I mused aloud.]
“Why dismantle to move when the ‘Star Divers’ managed to relocate intact Planets?” [‘Ten’ asked.]
“It seems the fate of my makers is nothing more than a subject for scientific bemusement by you latecomer ‘Pilgrims’.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“The burden you carry could change that truth forever if deployed well.” [I reminded.]
“We ‘Pilgrims’ have so few solid facts about ‘Fury’ taken Planets mostly only fragments of ‘Far Species’ lore now reduced to little better than myth and legend.” [‘Ten’ stated.] “Anything the ‘Star Divers’ remember about the ancient Planets they refuse to divulge.” [He added sounding very annoyed with that ‘Star Diver’ policy of secrecy.]
“Often the ‘Star Divers’ are so reticent to speak of their past that it is hard not to believe that they are hiding something abominable from us.” [I admitted.]
“Could some of my cultures descendants be one of the nations you call the ‘Far Species’?” [‘Founder’ asked.]
“Some ‘Far Species’ remnants may be out there that we have yet to meet. It is a big Universe and many of the refugees of the ‘Fury’ have proved shy.” [I admitted.]
“These enigmatic ‘Star Divers’ have no known link to my vanished makers?” [‘Founder’ then asked.]
“Exceptionally doubtful your makers distinctively had only one eye and appear to have been what we would categorise as a crustacean species whilst the ‘Imps’ are superficially mammalian analogue bipeds with two eyes and what some describe as an ugly big headed ‘Trojan’ baby aspect.” [I stated.] “From my experience it would be rare for a species to even force evolve via genetic engineering into something so radically different from their beginning. Even the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ for all their divergent physical alterations retained their old ocular affinity and some other parts from their past. ” [I stated.] “You seem to be clutching at the smallest of hopes.”
“You are wrong my makers had a great many of what you call eyes but those organs where clustered tightly in a spiral under a single transparent protective membrane. A single eye would be a poor evolutionary solution as any damage would result in a great loss of sensory input.” [‘Founder’ explained.]
“How many eyes?” [I asked.]
“It varied according to race and individual some had as many as forty-six.” [‘Founder’ replied.]
“Unusual.” [‘Ten’ said.]
“Tell me about the ‘Star Diver’ Planets.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
“They guard a few rare sacred relics that they saved from the ‘Fury’ by hiding them deep inside stars. No ‘Star Diver’ Planet has surviving indigenous intelligent life but they all have intact biospheres. The ‘Star Divers’ are very jealous of these assets and their sustainable ecosystems.” [I stated.]
“No intelligent life that seems more than a coincidence.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
[I shrugged my Avatar then added.] “The ‘Planets’ are kept pristine, as far as we can tell, as sacred nature preserves. It is surmised by some xenologists that the ‘Star Divers’ deem indigenous civilisation to be damaging to, rather than the height of, any planetary ecosystem.”
“Some of my colleagues believe the ‘Star Divers’ committed genocides upon their stolen Planet populations some ancient ruins have been found suggesting the Planets were once occupied by civilised people with no ‘Star Diver’ connection.” [‘Ten’ admitted.] “The ‘Star Divers’ may believe in an extreme form of environmentalism that makes much of the fact that advanced civilisations have often despoiled their Planets as industrial resources. For example an advanced civilisation created the ‘Machine Fury’ that then proceeded to dismantle all the Planets here.” [He reminded.]
“In this extreme situation with so many unknowns it is hard to plot an optimum course to maximise the successful reanimation of the material I carry.” [‘Founder’ admitted.]
“Then you need to give the matter some deeper thought.” [I suggested.]
“My makers are gone from here but can they truly be removed from all existence everywhere? I was not the only ‘Founder’ ship perhaps others planted their seed elsewhere.” [He admitted.]
“All I can tell you is that we have never encountered any individuals matching your maker’s description.” [I added.]
“I cannot doubt that this is our home system although oddly this star seems too young it should be showing far greater signs of its age.” [‘Founder’ added.]
“That is not unusual in this Universe from our studies alone. Some stars are unnaturally aged others seem far too young for their vintage it is a great physics puzzle one that many of my brothers and sisters remain dedicated to solving although that is not my field. Was it different with the stars you knew in your time?” [‘Ten’ asked.]
“Possibly, the history of the stars of my time was never my concern, only the current stars’ suitability to support life capable planets was of importance to me.” [The ‘Cyclops’ replied.] “I have already passed on copies of my historic star charts to your people I will leave the comparison and the scientific analysis to them.”
“Not a part of your glorious mission and therefore no doubt deemed irrelevant by you.” [I retorted.]
“Forgive the Priest for carping on again on one of his favourite topics but being curious does have many substantial rewards. For a start if you do not seek you will never find.” [‘Ten’ stated.]
“Yet you refuse to satisfy my curiosity by telling me why you are named ‘Ten’ is there nine or more other siblings and your batch had a very unimaginative or just figure obsessed parents.” [I added towards ‘Ten’.] “Or am I very cold in my reasoning.”
[The first ‘Hierophant Trojans’ were all genetically altered clones but later some paired off and reproduced naturally, perhaps as a scientific biological experiment, although, at first, for some reason ‘Cad’ made far more male ‘Hierophants’ than female as far as I could tell approximately eighty percent male. As a result of the gender imbalance in recent times a trend started were ‘Hierophants’ who wanted to start a natural family seek out eligible and willing female ‘Omerta Trojan’ life partners to breed. Although suitably vetted perhaps this trend arrived to the consternation of the Father of their nation - or perhaps not - it was wise to question the obvious with ‘Cad’. Anyway ‘Ten’ who seemed young in his attitude to me could easily be natural born and part ‘Omerta’.]
[I knew that some cloned bioengineered ‘Trojan Professors’ considered random natural spawned ‘Hierophants’ to be inferior products especially those with mixed blood. Did enough of a societal bias exist to prevent a mixed blood ‘Hierophant’ from leading an important ‘Project’ such as researching the tech upon ‘Founder’? Mostly I considered the ‘Hierophants’ to be a scientific meritocracy but some prejudice seeps in via any crack in most societies.]
“Keep guessing Priest you are freezing.” [The ‘Hierophant’ replied.] “Keeping some secrets can be rewarding too.” [‘Ten’ added towards the ‘Cyclops’ unit.]
[‘Ten’ had been one of the ‘Hierophants’ working on the ‘Ice Asteroid’ and was now acting as a ‘Hierophant’ liaison to ‘Founder’ as well as nominally heading up a small team studying the technologies onboard ‘Founder’ or at least those systems that ‘Founder’ kindly permitted the ‘Hierophants’ access to based on quick deals that she struck for repairs, upgrades and data.]
“You do know you could probably find out everything you want to know about my name with a simple biographical data search. Unlike some people my life is no confused mystery.” [‘Ten’ said.]
“Published stories and the deepest truth is not always the same thing.” [I replied.]
“An intimate little demonstration of the famous Paradox Priest paranoia that I have heard so much about from some of my usually more outgoing colleagues.” [‘Ten’ replied whilst the ‘Cyclops’ unit, for the moment, just monitored our conversation in silence.]
“Some of you ‘Hierophants’ always did have a fascination with our paradoxical ways.” [I replied.]
“True, if our Father had failed to study some aspects of your culture - in particular Harbinger and his family of Acolyte clones - we ‘Hierophants’ as, at first only cloned children of ‘Cad’, might never have come into existence as a great nation.” [‘Ten’ said.]
[Maybe the all male original ‘Hierophants’ was ‘Cads’ early way of keeping reproductive quality control over his children. Perhaps some of them proved to have an emotional need that resulted in the later twenty percent of females. Did one fifth of the nation ‘Cad’ cloned need more than just work to sustain them? Interestingly, to my knowledge, ‘Cad’ never took a life partner, his life remained his work although of course he had a multitude of force grown children and now many more natural grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on.]
“Your legendary Captain inspired many things making him and you much discussed historic figures known to all ‘Hierophants’. It is something of an honour to talk with one of your Avatars in person almost as big a joy as being onboard this ‘Ancient Free Hull’ as someone with a private fascination with our ‘Dark Times’ and the even darker times before we ‘Pilgrims’ came here.” [‘Ten’ claimed.]
[I wondered if that explained why they assigned ‘Ten’ to this task because he had an abiding interest in filling historic blanks.]
“So you are not a tenth child or something akin to that.” [I mused aloud.]
[The ‘Hierophant’ shook his head.]
“No matter, I guess it is time we got back to more serious matters. The sight seeing ‘Real Space’ voyage portion of this trip previously pampered us with time to waste upon trivialities such as guessing games.” [I suggested.]
[‘Founder’ had insisted upon physically visiting all the spaces the local Planets had once occupied in this solar system looking for anything at all left behind by his lost culture even a bit of space wreckage - we found nothing only a profound emptiness.]
[The more we learned about the Planets that used to be here the more this bubble of galaxies within our known part of this oddly pulse expanded Universe seemed grimly empty ignoring the new propagation of the ‘Entanglement’ monoculture.]
“It would appear that ‘Habitats’ of some kind would be your best solution to the extreme Planet deficit of these times.” [I added towards the ‘Founder Cyclops’.]
“An imperfect solution that stretches my original mission parameters deeply.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“Sooner or later you must accept ‘Founder’, that the chance of finding any Planets matching your original criteria is statistically nonexistent in this age whilst exploring now is a very dangerous occupation. We have explained about the ‘Nanotech Plague’ and ‘Crimson Entangled’ is just one aggressive menace. There are returning less than sociable ‘Far Species’, missing ‘Suit Substance Ascendants’ possibly gone rogue, Pilgrim Pirates and endless Energetic Anomalies whilst further out there somewhere in the deep an impossible mass of the dread ‘Machine Fury’ is, we increasingly suspect, still active continuing with its equally impossibly vast and possibly corrupted mission.” [I added.]
[I was beginning to believe that few missions could stay perfectly on course over such Deep Time periods. Surely, at the very least some parts of the ‘Fury’ must have diverged and gone off mission.]
“If the ‘Fury’ is still removing Planets some Planets must still be in existence to be removed.” [‘Founder’ stated stubbornly.]
“If any Planets are way out there they are on the wrong side of this bizarre ‘Pulse Big Bang’ expanded Universe that contains vast empty gaps between each tiered bubble of galaxies, that we ‘Heartland Space’ natives have never breached. Worse, the ‘Fury’ rests between any distant outer sphere galaxy that might be home to potentially surviving Planets and us. We once thought we had surveyed this entire ‘Universal Sphere’ but now we know that was just hubris and ignorance. What we called our ‘Emissary’ sphere is according to the latest theories the smallest most recent bubble of galaxies formed by this Universes pulse expansion ours retaining the least but most tightly packed galaxies. What we once thought was everything is as nothing to the greater wider creation.” [I reminded.]
“Would you risk what you carry to voyage again into potentially far more alien and hostile uncharted regions?” [I asked.] “I consider your survival for so long already as something of a statistical anomaly. Just because you beat the odds once does not mean you will succeed again.”
“Your so-called ‘Heartland Space’ does not seem an especially safe depository, you ‘Pilgrims’ appear to be barely cheating extinction with at least one of the most active threats to your survival a very self-wrought disaster.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“Indeed the ‘Entanglement’ is our unruly child.” [I confessed.] “Importantly however we are proven survivors. We have suffered culls of our species before yet recovered from the brink of disaster we are resilient species and we would pass on the tricks of our resilience to you.” [I insisted.]
“I was not created to make ill-informed decisions of this magnitude.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“Indeed you were made to do as you were told then to die a happy martyr.” [I replied.]
“Your obsession with my timely demise is irrelevant.” [‘Founder’ claimed.]
“Not if the issue is about what you carry surviving far beyond its initial rebirth. We can help to diminish the risks involved in your task. If you embraced one or more ‘Star Struck Habitats’ as a solution you could even reoccupy this solar system returning your people back as close as possible to where they originally came from. I would suggest several jump drive enabled ‘Habitats’ that way you spread and minimise every risk. Even if you found the miracle of a suitable Planet, you will be placing all your eggs in one fragile nest. Besides, you must admit ‘Founder’ that there is a certain closure and fullness in the circular concept of bringing life again to this depleted place. It seems almost fate that you have returned back whence you came via a great loop.” [I argued.]
“My family nation would be happy to help with such a unique scientific endeavour.” [‘Ten’ hastily interjected excitedly.] “The return of a species from a state so close to extinction is a worthy project never mind the return of an entire ecosystem to viability. Some of my people have been involved in similar projects. However we never retained such a suspected - perfect - wealth of genetic material from the onset to work with.” [He added.]
“You have not retained my ‘Genetic Archive’ material.” [‘Founder’ retorted.] “I do not even recall stating any desire for direct cooperation with that side of - my - mission.”
“I did not mean…” [‘Ten’ began but I interrupted his flow by talking over him.]
“Be careful what you sign up to with the ‘Hierophants’ - they are my friends - but they have a way of taking over big or historic scientific endeavours.” [I partially joked partially jibed.]
“We would not presume…” [‘Ten’ began.]
“Really?” [I questioned.]
“I have not forgotten that ‘Professor Cad’ was going to sell all that I am for a political advantage.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
[‘Ten’ looked decidedly uncomfortable. I felt a little sorry for him as an individual but not too much as a ‘Hierophant’ who might prefer to bury what almost happened to ‘Founder’ and her mission regardless of her previous Deep Time heroics.]
“A policy rectified once we understood what you truly are.” [‘Ten’ rallied.]
“Diplomatically put ‘Ten’ but verging on falsehood. If ‘Cad’ had not been forced to think again our friend would be something akin to an exhibit in a ‘Material Archive’ as we speak.” [I replied.]
“That is your opinion.” [‘Ten’ replied no longer seeming quite so much in awe of working with me.]
[I roared out a provocative rumbling Paradox Speaker Laugh that startled the ‘Trojan’ as I had hoped it might.]
“I suggest you ‘Hierophants’ learn from, rather than try to bury, your recent mistake as what happened earlier is at most forgiven not forgotten by ‘UT’, ‘Weep’ and me not to mention I am sure ‘Founder’ here and his ‘Scion’ too.” [I added.]
[The Professor looked even more uncomfortable. I did not mean to be especially cruel but sometimes it is good to remind past offenders that any repetition of bad behaviour is not tolerable. Possibly my bluntness and method in part due to my activities elsewhere whilst helping to run a newly formed ‘Bureau’ that arguably existed primarily to chastise bad behaviour by some far more evil Pirate recidivists.]
[Elsewhere two months and a few days after the ‘Patching’ of Captain ‘Uussleer’ the ‘House of Sii’ was fully occupied and buzzed with constant activity whatever the local hour thanks to a well organised shift pattern and some heavy on ‘Way-station’ recruitment. Beyond being the local and head office of ‘Uussleer Mining Enterprises’, the ‘House of Sii’ was also the less publicised home to ‘BAB’ the innocently named but already suitably infamous to some ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’.]
[As the leader of a new organisation ‘Uussleer’ took the name ‘Velvet’ insisting that the rest of us come up with something that sounded innocuous - and ideally a little silly - as an acronym for our organisation too. Young ‘Sue’ winning an internal naming contest via ‘BAB’ by dropping the Hell from ‘Hell Burner’ and thus the problematic hard H that ‘Uussleer’ had frowned upon - deeply. The prize she chose a customised ‘Real Material Knock Gun’ she was no pacifist and was keen to be tooled up to get some local respect.]
[‘Sue’ soon proved a very different person compared to ‘Betty’ not to mention to the first impressions that she had sold to us. Her seeming reserve the result of both caution in a new situation and adopted camouflage. ‘Sue’ had, possibly at a very early age, perfected acting innocent and inoffensive when required not to mention easily intimidated when in fact she was by nature observant, robust and as calculating as a number crunching ‘Scientific Sub Core’. In fact, ‘Sue’ turned out to be a thief although she stole nothing personally. What ‘Sue’ did was scout for a minor gang that had recruited her because she was young and as mentioned good at playing far more innocent that she happened to be. No doubt during the party she had been casing the ‘House of Sii’ as a potential victim of her associates - we never pressed her on that matter. However, after meeting us and realising something of our truer standing I believe she decided we were above her colleagues attentions. When approached as a possible recruit, following some astute questions from her, she happily dropped her former employers and signing up with us.]
[Later after watching them for a time we opted to recruit her former colleagues too as they had useful potential. Through such bizarre connections, our organisation quickly expanded.]
[Meanwhile as part of his cover story I felt ‘Uussleer’ proved quickly keen to demonstrate a capability to be as eccentric as the best ex-Pirate turned ‘Fraternity’ member. Many of the ex-Pirates proving very eccentric mostly in unpleasant ways when you really got to know them and their less publicised habits at least via ‘BAB’. ‘Velvet’ was especially happy with the name ‘BAB’ because he said it was - very old style ‘Swimmer’ phonetically - a, he claimed, beautifully bubbly word like blue or bounce or bountiful or well beautifully bubbly.]
“Every time I hear ‘BAB’ I think of ‘Bubble Dancers’.” [‘Velvet’ liked to tell people whenever he gave them a real cause to give him their fullest attention. Usually he made such announcements whilst he smiled too widely with his eyestalks. ‘Velvet’ now mostly sporting a ‘Stellar Swimmer Meat Suit’ within a very ‘bio-mechanical’ ‘Dry Suit’ that too often for easy comfort when dealing with villains had some extruded writhing tentacles otherwise doing nothing in particular just coiling over each other in a disturbing way that pulled at the eyes or optics. The tentacle mannerism was a clever trick probably stolen from tales about the hard to deal with ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’.]
[At some point - perhaps during our time in the ‘Reach Project’ - friend ‘Uussleer’ had discovered that the only thing worse that dealing with an angry frowning dangerously powerful individual with a dread reputation is dealing with the same individual acting insanely whimsical distracted even almost disinterested in your plight. There is little worse than someone who knows when to smile at all the wrong times and who treats dire matters with an unsettling flippancy that screams out that to him or her it all means nothing and that you mean nothing too. I had seen him do this act a few times during our tenure in the ‘Reach Project’ to unfortunates but as ‘Velvet’ it was my faux Captain’s preferred mode of operation and it often worked very well although some few serious players saw through the act marking them out for special attention. Otherwise, to those with nothing to fear his working attitude could be almost amusing whilst to those with concerns on their mind it often proved a diabolical strain upon their nerves.]
[Perhaps his skill at playing his role as ‘Velvet’ was a natural ‘Stellar Swimmer’ ability as much as a blossoming of our old ‘Reach Project’ training. ‘Stellar Swimmers’ had to be able to intimidate simply to set themselves apart from their more pacifistic ‘Swimmer Dweller’ kin - something they had often gone to great pains to do - although I admit that is a gross generalisation it is still a truth. Many especially the most powerful ‘Free Stellar’ traditionally employed all manner of unsettling tricks to remind lesser folk of their relative status within the tiered structure of their clannish society. Here it is worth recalling that ‘Draakhaal’ was a ‘Stellar Swimmer’ long before he became and gave his name to the originally arguably even more aggressive ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ species.]
[Not only did a whimsical ‘Velvet’ prove problematic for many members of our opposition he also proved a subject of pride to operatives within ‘BAB’ because to them nothing seemed to touch ‘Uussleer’ when he became ‘Velvet’. When playing ‘Velvet’ every bane just flowed past ‘Uussleer’ as if… well as if water over an aquatic ‘Swimmers’ back, something that I knew was untrue. To me our bubbly blue ‘Velvet’ was just an act and at first I worried that playing this extreme tertiary role constantly would take a secret heavy toll upon ‘Leeruussii’ but after a while I realised that perhaps it was the opposite. Becoming ‘Velvet’ was my faux Captains way to escape too much real attachment to some situations even more than playing the role of ‘Uussleer’ whilst very much allowing him to participate to the fullest as and when required.]
[I recalled that he told ‘Draakgaarrll’ way back at the ‘House of Sii Inauguration Party’ that he had treated the ‘Reach Project’ as a game. Claiming that he had only grown up afterwards when facing the consequences of the trial and so on - I considered that a partial lie. Nonetheless, it seemed that he was determined to treat his role in the ‘Bureau’ with a purposeful superficial outward flippancy possibly to armour his soul against hurt.]
[I deemed keeping a level of emotional detachment matching his physical detachment wise. In a way having a slightly different personality as ‘Venture’ to say the ‘Holy Father’ was my separation therefore, I had to approve of his ‘Velvet’ method. I deemed it prudent for as I once told ‘Betty’ about remote operations - they do not feel remote - and emotional pain can be as bad as or worse than any physical injury, however when you fully immerse yourself in the right role ideally some baggage is tied only to that persona. I understood too well that dealing with villains and villainy can be very emotional especially if you come across their relatively innocent victims. I doubted for example that I would ever forget the ‘Mutilation Ports’ that horror would live with me forever.]
[In my long career I have seen many Veteran Warriors act in somewhat similar ways to ‘Velvet’ by mocking atrocity as irrelevant window dressings that just floats past as if a back projected movie. Some developed slowly differing work and home persona even when not specifically playing a role. I have seen Acolytes and Priests laughing amongst ruins and slaughter that was something that ‘UT’ often did very well when he was not channelling the horror he encountered into terrors of vengeful retribution. We all had coping strategies. ‘Cad’ called mocking atrocity gallows humour I called it a way to stay sane in insane circumstances. In general, it was no accident that many sentient beings that faced battle could easily emit a laugh in the worst of situations.]
[Just in case you were wondering, ‘Velvet’ was a reference to the velvet glove that shrouds the iron fist an old ‘Omerta’ saying that ‘Omerta Pirates’ appreciated and often their associates via said association also well understood. Initially when we began our ‘Hell Burner’ service ‘Uussleer’ had just been ‘Uussleer’ if ‘Ussleer of the Reach Project’ and we had rather different ideas about how our complimentary softer approach compared to ‘Draakgaarrll’ might operate. Then a couple of weeks in to creating a team we unceremoniously began to be fed live cases by the ‘Burners’ and had first contact with our problematic clientele. Obviously, the ‘Burners’ gave us only matters that needed serious attention and that meant dealing with some very grievous individuals. Very soon, we scrapped most of our more innocent plans. A pattern soon emerged: those boldly willing to go up against the ‘Burners’ secret eminence as the founders of the ‘Fraternity’ scheme tended to be the worst of the worst, supposed ex-Pirates who did not want to let go of any of their bad old habits being far too typical of the breed.]
[We were on our third mission when the first hints of ‘Velvet’ began to appear and our forth when a proto ‘Velvet’ decided that we needed at least a semi silly organisational name and adopted the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’. We were no longer to just be ourselves doing a dirty job of work. I understood that too you could end a shift with ‘BAB’ or in the future ideally - a specifically assigned taxing term of service - then put it aside and work for the ‘UME’ as a separate and uninvolved occupation. We needed that important level of separation too that ability to put our ‘Bureau’ work behind us on a shelf until called up again to wade into the corrupt Pirate mire.]
[Interestingly the ‘Burners’, except in extreme self-defence situations, did not sanction us to kill anyone. Executions were the business of ‘Draakgaarrll’ we were to let people live - even those we itched to put down permanently - yet in some instances we were to ensure that they lived to regret ever double crossing the ‘Burners’ every day of their lives that being our primary remit. Gaining the wrathful attention of the ‘Bureau’ and ‘Velvet’ we ensured soon gained the reputation of being worse than a visit to ‘Draakgaarrll’ because when you went to ‘Draakgaarrll’ he would eventually end your pain permanently whilst ‘Velvet’ was never that generous - at least that was the image we strove to sell.]
[Blessedly it was not all chastisement we endeavoured to help some people too we liberated slaves be they officially deemed thralls by their captors or just held in a state that was no less slavish by especially brutal employers. In fact, we intervened in all manner of ill business ventures for example we often confiscated and redistributed ill-gotten funds and material whenever we legitimately could. We arranged the promotion or demotion of individuals. We stole contracts and assisted or damaged various projects. To do what we did we spied, bribed, blackmailed, kidnapped, stole, sabotaged, forged, hacked, employed propaganda and misinformation, incited, sometimes we even praised and addressed hurt feelings. On rare occasions I even got to preach to those in need of advice or inspiration and sometimes we were amazingly charitable bringing succour to the needy and empowering the downtrodden but always sadly with a purpose for we always had a ‘Burner’ mission brief to fulfil. Thankfully, how we completed our missions was mostly our business as long as we abided by certain rules such as the all must live agenda.]
[Far too soon for comfort, it was almost hard to recall that ‘Uussleer’ and I came here with our own private purposes just as it had been within the ‘Reach Project’. ‘Creed’ accepted regular offered reports on our actions as ‘BAB’ but gave us no instructions, Ever since our private activities became swamped by official ‘Hell Burner’ assigned duties ‘Creed’ seemed content just to use us as an inside source of data for the moment on the ‘Burner’ business we had specific contact with. I had no doubt about the more general usefulness of our data even if it was not ‘Isolationist’ cell specific. I guessed ‘Creed’ was playing a long game, regarding his other operatives two months plus a few days passed by after the party and we still had no contact official or otherwise from his covert paragons. I now surmised that no contact would occur unless it became mission necessary.]
[In many ways slapping down rebels was very satisfying very compatible with our desire that innocent ‘Free Miner’ citizenry suffered as little from their Pirate overlords as possible. Unfortunately in other ways our role was frustrating as we still helped maintain an overall corrupt system of ever expanding control and we seemed little closer to solving the ‘Isolationist’ issue or the matter of ‘Taard’. I had to try to content myself with the fact that many of those ‘Draakgaarrll’ targeted us at we could eliminate as potential suspects in relation to ‘Isolationist’ cell involvement.]
[Meanwhile, I was left wondering if ‘Creed’ had bought into the ‘Hell Burner’ agenda - as we now seemingly better understood it - to create a strong ‘Pilgrim Free Miner Nation’ by using any means necessary. What especially agitated me were the continuing freak solar storms. The stars we occupied still suffered ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ and I guessed that the longer the weather bane persisted, the more our overall diplomatic relations with the ‘Star Divers’ would continue to suffer. In addition, the longer we remained victims of anomalous forces the harder it would be to keep covering up these events from each faction’s general ‘Pilgrim’ populace. Every lost asset needed explained and if it was not to be freakish weather doing the damage then we had to blame negligence, incompetence, ‘Pilgrim’ infighting, or direct ‘Isolationist’ cell activity.]
[In relation to other concerns, despite previous claims, if ‘Uussleer’ and my recruitment by the ‘Burners’ was known and causing incitement amongst the more aggressive ‘Consortium’ members that trouble was being diffused by others such as ‘Creed’. We saw no sign of any specific negative ramifications due to our recruitment at our end although I soon learned that we rested under tiers of hidden security, shielded ironically by both ‘Consortium Police’ operatives and ‘Burner’ agents.]
[Working through our assigned missions, I had hoped we might quickly stumble onto some data on the ‘Isolationist’ connection. Unfortunately, so far all we had managed to collect proved to be the most general rumours about some ‘Divers’ being fast ‘Frat’ friends providing some of us with especially good ‘Weather Maps’. Our lack of progress I blamed on our mission targeting every brief delivered and sanctioned from some shadowy ‘Hell Burner’ higher authority possibly the infamous but ever absent ‘Kane’. So far ‘Kane’ proved exceptionally elusive far more so than ‘Overbite’ was to her minions in the ‘Project’ but then ‘Overbite’ was known to have suffered a betrayal and a probable if unverified bad end - officially she was still at large with a huge bounty on her alive or dead but that was, we firmly believed, purely ‘Hubris Patron’ political spin.]
[I began to wonder if ‘Kane’ even existed or if he was just a misinformation story put about by his so-called lieutenants of which ‘Draakgaarrll’ proved the one assigned to us. Increasingly ‘Draakgaarrll’ seemed a sort of sponsor and unofficial mentor. Still I soon feared that someone was purposely aiming our attentions away from the activities of anyone in the ‘Free Miner Movement’ directly interacting with ‘Isolationist Divers’ the suspects we privately most wanted to interrogate and investigate. I guessed someone deemed that ‘Diver’ business was business we did not need to know about - not surprising given our known attitude towards slavery if some slavery was involved in procuring ‘Isolationist’ aid.]
[Increasingly, I felt positive that knowledge of our distaste for slavery amongst the ‘Burners’ had damaged us as effective ‘CP’ investigators completely compromising our current and possibly future use against any slavery connected ‘Isolationist’ cell. As long as the ‘Burners’ wished to remain real or pretend friends to the cell we would be kept restrained. Nonetheless, I was not ready to give up yet and my faux Captain now he had met many more reasonable ‘Free Miner’ citizens along with some of the worst felt the same way - that being motivation from both ends. As ‘Draakgaarrll’ promised, some of our work did feel redeeming sometimes we opted to see only the smaller needy people we helped rather than the greedy questionably retired ruling Pirates who also benefited from us helping to keep the ‘Burners’ on the top of the heap.]
[Despite our good work, at times deep inside me I struggled with a degree of recurring impatience not to mention self-disgust at aiding a criminal regime.]
“We need permission to generate the briefs for some of our own triple cursed missions. If we remain just one cog in this tightly controlled machine being turned by other cogs we might never find what we are looking for just going around and around in circles only ever to our controllers’ benefit.” [I complained to ‘Uussleer’ back upon the ‘Venturesome’.]
“We would need to make a solid case for any self-generated project something that so far is too difficult without arousing suspicion.” [‘Uussleer’ too immediately for my taste countered.] “It is obvious that the ‘Burners’ have employed other agents and spies maybe even created other entire internal agencies some possibly run by other ‘Reach Project’ members. Someone efficient and well organised certainly collects the data that becomes our Mission Briefs.” [He reminded.]
[Those who created our briefs much to our growing annoyance - as people who like to know who we are dealing with - left few tracks behind when we followed up upon their work via our duties for the ‘Burner Fraternity’.]
“If ‘Kane’ exists and is running the ‘Burners’ as if a business he does so in a cleverly compartmentalised manner - very - purposely so.” [‘Uussleer’ emphasised.]
“Still, as ‘Velvet’ you need to keep scanning for a suitable project that we might ask for outside of those given to us.” [I insisted.] “If we can find something suitable - anything at all self-generated - that they might condone us working upon perhaps they might begin to loosen up a little and give us more operational freedom to expand beyond our tightly assigned duties.”
“I would not count our ‘Recyclers’ with that one until the eggs have hatched. I fear operations have not been constructed in this manner so that previously strictly adhered to procedures can be ignored. This truly is a tight operation, the exact opposite of how it appears from the outside just as ‘Creed’ initially told you. These people have not just studied ‘Overbite’ and copied her methods they have sought to improve upon her failings mostly I seem to recall products of her failings of character.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“By ‘Hell’s Maw’ in their own way they even work to keep us happy in our work something ‘Overbite’ rarely did. We have not been given a single mission that overly tasks our conscience beyond the fact that we are working for a ‘Pirate Fraternity’ and even that is somewhat alleviated by the possibility of these Pirates eventual reform into more honest rulers of an eventually unified far less criminal nation. Hints often dropped that operational policies will change in time once the altered status quo becomes accepted and appreciated by the ‘Free Miner’ populace in general.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.]
“The grand plan is subtly corrupting. It is easy to talk about letting go of old methods not so easy to do that when the time comes. We all value having control over our lives especially those of us with potentially vengeful victims left in our wake.” [I complained.]
“Nonetheless, I think even ‘Creed’ is impressed now that he sees a different perspective on the ‘Burners’ the perspective and purpose we have been shown.” [‘Uussleer’ added.]
“Again I know but can any of this be completely trusted or is it just another deception part of some wicked even grander scheme by the ‘Isolationists’ for example.” [I suggested.]
“That is a worry but maybe it is the ‘Burners’ that are playing the ‘Isolationist’ cell that they have contact with not the other way around. Before ‘BAB’ I would have doubted the possibility that some Pirates could play an ‘Isolationist’ cell but now that I have beheld the true sophistication of this operation I am no longer able to deny that possibility.” [‘Uussleer’ stated.] “Why would these ‘Pilgrim’ people willing aid a faction that wants every ‘Pilgrim’ to go away or burn? They must have a plan and it might be a viable one.”
“It might or it might not as we know none of the details we cannot judge what the ‘Burners’ are doing with the triple cursed ‘Isolationists’.” [I complained.]
“Leave it with ‘Creed’ we have no orders to push for a wider mission remit. Besides, it could be very suspicious to do as you suggest. Why would we want to take on more work beyond the many duties we are already burdened with?” [He asked.]
“Ambition and perhaps a growing sense of loyalty to the cause both seem good reasons to expand.” [I replied.]
“A big part of our duty is dealing with people who become too ambitious according to the standards of our hidden superiors.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.] “As to loyalty it has been made plain to me on several occasions by ‘Draakgaarrll’ that the best way to demonstrate our loyalty as the ‘Bureau’ - the way to continue being in favour - is by following our orders and never questioning them. Asking for work outside the missions provided for us is directly questioning the choices of whatever superior or superiors carefully select our duties possibly the assassin ‘Draakgaarrll’.” [He reminded.]
“When did you become a dutiful unquestioning Acolyte to the ‘Burner’ cause?” [I retorted.]
“These people are scarily well organised and purposeful in their every action so I worry about my family if we fart out bubbles all over their plans.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“You fear that they are so good at what they do that they must know more about us than they have revealed so far.” [I surmised.]
“All I am saying is that we cannot afford to make any mistakes with these people even ignoring my family back on ‘Port Messenger’ I have a family here too all the good people we have locally recruited into ‘UME’ and ‘BAB’ people who are not here remotely.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.] “The fate of our friends here is bound up with our fate now and the fate of the entire ‘Free Miner Movement’.”
“A Movement that could be imperilled via its involvement with ‘Isolationist Star Divers’.” [I reminded.]
“We must trust in our employers wisdom must I lecture a Priest about how to have a little faith in other people. We are not the only people capable of making a difference.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“Which employers are we talking about the ‘Consortium Police’ or our ‘Fraternity Pirates’?” [I asked.] “You are ‘Leeruussii’ not ‘Uussleer’ and not ‘Velvet’.” [I reminded.]
[The ‘Free Stellar Swimmer Meat Suit’ he now operated in the ‘SCCCM’, for he now operated two one on the ‘Venturesome’ and one on ‘Hade’s Stopover’, went if my optics were not deceiving me a little paler.] “Sometimes I think we must honour both sets of employers as much as possible.” [He admitted.] “Whilst when we are on ‘Hades’ I am ‘Velvet’ and you are ‘Venture’.”
“The ‘Burners’ efficiency is not just scaring you it is seducing you.” [I complained.]
“Whilst you grow too impatient for progress against the ‘Isolationist’ cell.” [He retorted.]
“As ‘MT’ I am too aware of our daily material losses due to ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ our ‘MTC’ losses alone are staggering.” [I stated.]
“The cell interacting with the ‘Frats’ might not even be responsible for increased storm losses. In addition, back on ‘Hades’ you are not ‘MT’ you are ‘Venture’.” [He reminded again.] “It would be best that you do not forget who you are down there. You are ‘Venture’, I am ‘Velvet’, and I am not sure ‘Venture’ or ‘Velvet’ would risk disfavour by questioning the nature of the missions we are provided with unless something jumps out directly at us that permits a very understandable reaction to action. Remember we are not alone - others are working the ‘Isolationist’ issue - let it go or you could compromise our cover. If I was your real Captain I would make that an order.” [‘Uussleer’ said.] “Whilst as ‘Velvet’ I am making that an order to ‘Venture’.” [He added in a stern manner.]
[Was ‘Leeruussii’ becoming ‘Velvet’ even to me? Was the role changing him, as I had previously feared that playing ‘Uussleer’ had to have altered his personality? I sometimes worried playing all my roles had to be mutating me too.]
“Am I wrong to stay in character under these circumstances?” [He asked.]
[I considered our problematic chain of command and realised as ‘Velvet’ he had every right to order ‘Venture’ to comply, I could of course choose to disobey as ‘Venture’ was a bit eccentric but I decided that I would be wrong in this instance to do so.]
“Forgiveness we each have to play our roles within the proper boundaries and in context with occurring events.” [I admitted reluctantly.]
[However despite what I said I felt as if I had just given another little bit of my freedom as a ‘Free Hull’ away although that might have begun the moment I chose to have a faux Captain and began pretending to be a dutiful ship. Sadly playing the role of a dutiful ship was the only acceptable role for most ‘Living Hulls’ within ‘Passenger Class’ society at the moment but that was another external issue to our ‘BAB’ work.]
[The odd ‘Living Hull’ was still disappearing thanks to the ‘Emancipation Movement’ but liberating ‘Hulls’ at risk was becoming increasingly difficult and expensive in both credits and public opinion. It did not help us ‘Hulls’ that storm losses were adding pressure upon some Captains already on the edge of insolvency especially fools that had sold their souls to the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ for hasty loans.]
[Meanwhile ‘Velvet’ and I in our own ways continued to seek after degrees of separation with our Avatars but ‘Velvet’ had quickly discovered that little separation exists between you and those you quickly come to deem as your extended family.]
[Our family on ‘Hades’ had grown from an intimate crew into an expanded ‘Uussleer Mining Enterprises’ and now it included the membership of the entire ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ too. In a way ‘Velvet’ was a ‘Patriarch’ of our ‘Hades’ family whilst I as the ‘Venturesome’ through ‘Venture’ became an honorary ‘Matriarch’. Mostly ‘Velvet’ and ‘Venture’ did not directly partake in ‘BAB’ missions on the decks, we instead trained our staff, and directed and ran our operatives as befitted our higher station. ‘Velvet’ only stepped in to do personal negotiations with Pirate Captains or other high-level offenders after our people had done their job of work that often involved some sort of chicanery with the offender’s operations.]
[‘Velvet’ only negotiated from a position of strength a fact that added greatly to his reputation his growing legend to those in the know. Mostly the ‘BAB’ was a hidden office the ‘House of Sii’ in public being only a domicile and of course an office of the ‘UME’. Something of the greater truer nature of the ‘House of Sii’ revealed only to those it targeted and of course those ‘Hell Burners’ that happened to be our shy superiors who mostly operated through ‘Draakgaarrll’.]
[It was perhaps no accident that an assassin gave us our orders for many considered ‘Draakgaarrll’ to be a ‘Hell Burner’ assassin or at the very least an executioner. I could not blame ‘Velvet’ for appreciating that we were not to stray off mission without a very good reason. ‘Draakgaarrll’ found time to meet all our new recruits at least once as if to remind us that he knew who our friends are. I surmised he kept one ‘Meat Suit’ constantly on ‘Hades’ as ‘Hades’ was the flagship ‘Way-station’ the centre of ‘Burner’ society perhaps the future seat of an almost imperial power.]
[When working for the ‘Bureau’ ‘Velvet’ and I rarely left the ‘House of Sii’ spending most of our time in the ‘Active Operations Room’ the ‘Lecture Hall’, ‘Briefing Rooms’ ‘Interview Rooms’ and in the ‘Training Level’. General administration duties handled by others. For fun we often tested and played with the ‘Real Material’ toys the ‘Bureau’ retained in the ‘Quartermaster Store and Armoury’ known internally as the ‘Vault’ or we socialised amongst each other. When we had official off duty periods we made a point of leaving the ‘House of Sii’ and exploring the ‘Way-station’ as if tourists as did most of our people - we even permitted and partook in a - little - gambling as it was a big part of the local culture although ‘BAB’ members had to declare any losses or debts.]
[Internally most of the ‘House of Sii’ now looked very different to its inauguration party configuration even some internal walls relocated and that was deliberate too. We packed a lot into the now six floors of that old storage facility although the street level deck remained a showcase frontage that screamed out comfort and opulence rather than the military utility that was the truth elsewhere. Some guests never got beyond the plush street deck level reception spaces with its tastefully applied ‘UME’ logos and wall mounted fiery images of ‘Deep Mining’ operations.]
[The ‘Burners’ touted the ‘UME’ as an example of small business ‘Deep Mining’ operational excellence and claimed to have courted and ‘Patched’ us in to inspire and propagate our success as independent business people worth emulating. In truth ‘UME’ was more efficiently operated than many other ‘Free Miner’ small businesses mostly because we brought big corporation type skills to our lesser venture. Surprisingly the ‘Burners’ praised that we gave all of our staff shares in our company and encouraged other ‘Free Miners’ to follow that lead although we were far from the first operator to do this practice. Often ‘Miners’ were forced to give out shares to staff to keep them onboard when things went wrong rather than right. Many of the most devote ‘Real Materialist Free Miners’ relied on people to be the brains of their operation because they disliked ‘Sub Cores’ that had become associated in some minds with ‘Suit Substance’ us ‘Users’ and the ‘Entanglement’. We ‘Users’ used many ‘Sub Cores’ but the invention had been ‘Hierophant’ and originally employed in ‘Real Material’ ships and systems. We had simply adapted the concept turning our ‘Sub Cores’ into ‘bio-mechanical’ devices that could be created on the fly via software out of our ‘Suit Substance’ adding an even greater level of flexibility and making our substance truly smart.]
[Anyway the most stubborn ‘Real Materialists’ relied on ‘Real People’ sometimes plugged into remote systems real brains replacing ‘Sub Cores’. The most devote ‘RM’ also sought to minimise ‘EXO-C’ use and sent real people as pilots, engineers and so on into the deepest fire within sharp end assets actually doing the harvesting. This meant that of all the ‘Factions’ the most strident most uncompromising ‘Real Materialists’ lost the most people due to ‘Deep Mining’ accidents. By facing the fire so intimately so often some ‘Real Materialists’ easily earned the brand of heroes and then often became martyrs of the ‘Free Miner Movement’. Sounding to Harvest in person a mark of respect thus many ‘Free Miners’ boldly displayed ‘Tally’ medals on their person that had etched into them an ever-increasing number of ‘Deep Dives’.]
[Having a large ‘Tally’ increasingly becoming even more respected than being known to ‘Steal Time’ or any other showy nonsense. The ‘Tallied’ becoming a name used for the most respected veterans of all, people who truly defied the fiery depths and defied their fear by sounding down there repeatedly in ever less predictable conditions.]
[That we ‘Users’ mostly solar mined more safely at a remote controlled remove, easily infuriated some ‘Real Materialists’ who daily risked their bodies and souls to harvest ‘RAW’. The most belligerent ‘Real Materialist Free Miners’ were however not always the most ‘Tallied’ but some veterans did accuse ‘User Free Miners’ of being both cowardly and unfair competition. Whilst ‘Living Hull’ Avatars were welcomed in the ‘Frats’ because we embraced the fire in an intimate way with our bodies, ‘User Captains’ who only ever mined remotely were less extolled. Any Captain had to risk his soul at least once in the fire to be ‘Patched’ in to a ‘Frat’ otherwise the best he could hope for was to be an associate of a ‘Fraternity’ - a mere guest - not welcome in any inner sanctum ‘Fire Pit’.]
[Unsurprisingly ‘User Free Miner Captains’ often accused the stoutest ‘Real Materialist Free Miner Captains’ of being fanatics and killers because their insistence upon putting bodies inside ‘Harvester Ships’ was tantamount to murder given the massive occupational risks.]
[Today even the most strident ‘Real Material Ship Captains’ often did not risk their ‘Primary Hull’ to harvest directly they had professional ‘Harvester Pilots’ that ran ‘Harvesters’ that separated from the ‘Mother Hull’ that acted as a super-tanker and carrier. The ‘Primary Hull’ staying close to its children but usually at a slightly safer position and ever ready to ascend out of trouble. No smaller ‘Harvester’ can be as robust as a ‘Primary Hull’ most have timed shield and sink exposure limits. The reasons for this operational method are many for a start several smaller harvesters could harvest quicker than one big unit and no less importantly cynically if things go wrong you can afford to lose a ‘Harvester’ or two in action and still make a mining profit.]
[If the weather changes and becomes lethal, the children flee back to the parent ship and the parent ascends. As a rule, you would be very unlucky for conditions to change all around your harvest site and or ‘Primary Hull’ immediately usually changes build up and flow in from an outside point. If you spread, your harvesters around strategically only some should encounter any developing storm front first giving the others a better chance to flee. One reason why the storm lost are especially honoured by their fellow crewmembers is due to the fact that the doomed often issue warnings in time to save their comrades even as they are in the process of losing their own lives. ‘Occasionally some must die so that many may live,’ has become a ‘Miner’ proverb.]
[As a boon to survival some small remotes are sometimes employed to gage changes in the weather as outlying probes but they all have very limited life expectancies as no tiny remote can last any great length of time in the depths. Some Captains consider disposable outlying probes a waste of ‘Real’ or ‘Suit Substance’ material and use them very sparingly relying upon doubling their active harvesters as weather scouts. On a good harvest run the ‘Solar Weather’ matches the ‘Weather Map Prediction’ or it changes slowly enough for all the ‘Harvesters’ to reach the ‘Primary Hull’ and for that ‘Hull’ to ‘Ascend’ out of danger. Bad days range from the loss of one to all ‘Harvesters’ and disasters include the loss of a ‘Primary Hull’.]
[Some ‘Users’ run remote ‘Mother Ship Hulls’ although they are more accurately known as ‘Secondary Hulls’ the ‘UME’ mostly does this now that we have ‘Suit Substance Hull’ mass to spare. In the beginning I as the ‘Venturesome’ as the entirety of ‘UME’ did act as a ‘Mining Primary Hull’ and in the very beginning before we ‘Pilgrims’ better perfected our solar mining strategies I even directly harvested material. However in a way I never earned my ‘Tally’ honours or my ‘Patches’ as my real ‘Primary Hull’ as in the ‘Many Truths’ has never sounded and embraced the fire as a ‘Deep Miner’ and nor has ‘Leeruussii’ as a Captain. The former truths something that sometimes worried me deeply should our remote nature and my ‘Ghost Ship’ status ever be revealed to our more real ‘Free Miner’ peers.]
[I often forget about being a ‘Deep Mining’ fraud as I have said remote input often feels very intimate. My lies did not touch me until I first began visiting the ‘Fire Pits’ reserved only for ‘Patched’ members some few sporting big ‘Tallies’ then I felt a little nervous inside and genuinely embarrassed too. In the ‘Pits’ you encountered mining legends people whose ‘Tally’ astounded and not every veteran even amongst the ‘Real Materialists’ was dismissive of ‘Users’. Those that welcomed me into their company as an equal made me feel especially ashamed of our deception so I did not frequent the ‘Fire Pits’ as much as I should or as much as I had once wanted to. I had initially arrived here and sought a ‘Patch’ to gather data on the storms directly from people who had survived their fury but that now seemed - emotionally relatively speaking - a long time ago.]
[I both reluctantly forced myself and yet at the same time looked forward to going to the local ‘Hell Burner Fire Pit’ - in a paradoxical way - at least once a week - anything less perhaps arousing suspicion. In my trips to the ‘Pits’ my faux Captain ‘Uussleer’ often accompanied me also undertaking his ‘Patched’ obligation to mix and be seen.]
[Perhaps - given all the ‘Fraternity’ hype - if you saw any ‘Fire Pit’ you would be deeply disappointed. Few ‘Fire Pits’ were anything special in relation to their physical makeup they were often somewhat seedy looking Drinking Dens. It was the clientele that made the ‘Pits’ impressive venues. Despite any cynicism of the ‘Free Miner Movement’ - as a compromised movement infiltrated by Pirates - the veteran miners, even if they were to my mind somewhat insane too, increasingly impressed me. It was difficult not feel awe with people who defied death so blatantly even for misguided material beliefs. These were weathered souls with ages of experience beyond their years scorched into them.]
[The real veterans in the ‘Pits’ were no ones fool they knew all about ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ although they did not always speak about such aloud they knew something odd was happening down there having experienced it up close and personal.]
[Belatedly, once a week I had taken to just sitting in the company of one accepting group that embraced the ‘User’ newcomer and his ‘Hull’. Often I just sat in silence soaking in the company as if it was a narcotic. I now strove not to ask questions I just listened and spoke when addressed but mostly I just respectfully listened. That became my weekly routine at the ‘Fire Pit’ and I think some grew to respect me in turn for my reticence for my obvious respect of these ‘Tallied’ individuals. ‘Uussleer’ also tended to be subdued in the ‘Pit’ for his part ensuring that he was generous with the rounds helping to keep the table well supplied with drinks and snacks, ‘UME’ known as a young but monetarily successful operation.]
“I am barely worthy of this gathering.” [‘Uussleer’ stated on one occasion.] “Yet it is impossible not to accept your welcome at this table and provide what little I can to your august company.”
“Our times are changing.” [A veteran named ‘Draakhaarriiss’ replied.] “Many of us earned our ‘Tallies’ when the weather was less wild and the ‘Weather Maps’ more reliable. It is traditionally unseemly for one of my linage but some days I fear for my children.” [He admitted.] “I do not blame you ‘Uussleer’ for not seeking to lengthen your ‘Tally’. All that matters is that you have faced the fire at least once and so know the truth of how it feels down there. It is glorious but it can also be unforgiving and is increasingly unpredictable almost menacing.”
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ was another ‘Ruling Caste’ ex-Pirate turned ‘Free Miner’ a veteran who seemed uninvolved in any of the wider politics - genuinely happy simply being a ‘Deep Miner’ rather than a brigand having no obvious greater ambition. Yes, I know a genuinely happy ‘Ruling Caste’ member was almost a contradiction in terms. Few ex-Pirate individuals managed to stay out of the games of power here and I envied those that did their ability to stay aloof. Now more or less in early retirement with his children carrying on his tradition ‘Draakhaarriiss’ spent most of his spare time in one particular ‘Fire Pit’ amongst old friends and rivals I found that an enviable state of existence. His calm way almost meditative and far from what you would expect from the often driven ‘Ruling Caste’ members of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ species. By reputation most ‘RC’ proved at best embittered as a Caste without a purpose since the ‘Shaper Faith’ arguably took over as the prime mover in ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ society.]
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ seemed to have found a sort of serenity as if his time in the furnace burned away the worst characteristics bred into most ‘Ruling Caste’ members. Repeatedly facing and surviving the star fires seemed to bring a calm wisdom to some people a side effect of ‘Deep Mining’ amongst a few mining veterans that now fascinated me. I sometimes wondered if some ‘Star Diver Deep Clerics’ possessed such wisdom or had they grown too safe and comfortable behind their technological excellence to be what some called ‘Soul Forged’ in the fires.]
[Being here was almost a temptation to start going down there in person in search of such a peril-forged catharsis but then I remembered that the times had changed and the weather was no longer just an innocent elemental force.]
[I recalled that the species that became the first Paradox Priests and made up the bulk of our Heretical Holy order considered that they were born of fire coming from hot heavy gravity worlds an entire Universe away. I felt some kinship with any fire worshipper when the fire that they worshipped brought them a sense of inner balance and peace such as ‘Draakhaarriiss’ so easily displayed without any effort. I wondered what ‘Draakhaal’ would have made of such a content ‘Ruling Caste’ member. It seemed to me the ‘Ruling Caste’ originally bred and agitated to be naturally discontent people born as troublemaking firebrands.]
[As the ‘Holy Father’ I now preached that every ‘Pilgrim’ embraced three fires: the Holy Sacred Fire that lights the way, warming, comforting, informing and sustaining us, the Unholy Fire of change, rage, war the essence of action and industry that challenges and advances us but can also consume us and others we meet, lastly the Inner Fire that is simply the soul and spirit of our sentience our ego our identity our self awareness and conscience.]
[We all had some input as to how we chose to burn but that it is a sacred truth of nature that we all - must - burn. Either we daily spread the fire of light and life protecting and enkindling new souls or we brought the fire of change industry and competition. Some fires destroying as easily as creating - uncontrolled capable of extinguishing all hope - leaving only ashes in our wake rather than powering the progress and personal advancement that some people craved as if an addictive drug.]
[We passed through the fires of others and we burned with a fire of our own. Society a kind of fire too, I deemed fire a very useful metaphor in my speeches and sermons, as had many Paradox Priests before me. I rather wished every soul could meet ‘Draakhaarriiss’ to just sit at this table and soak in the warmth of his flame. Sitting here a better teaching than any speech I could devise, (that is if the souls coming to sit here were as open and receptive to unspoken truths as I felt rather than too self-absorbed and closed minded to bask in a quiet glory).]
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ was far from the only ‘Soul Forged’ person that I met in one ‘Pit’ or another but he was my favourite simply because his kind were once deemed our great enemy. I rather enjoyed interacting with ‘Draakgaarrll’ too when he visited the ‘House of Sii’ but his presence whilst friendly was also an unspoken threat. ‘Draakhaarriiss’ was different to ‘Draakgaarrll’, ‘Draakhaarriiss’ I accounted a soul mate even a lay preacher although I was sure he would have mocked such an idea as outlandish if I mentioned it.]
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ embodied hope for the future of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ in a way that even surpassed my only sometime appreciation of the ‘Arch Prelate’ of the ‘Shaper Faith’. Despite the ‘Arch Prelates’ admirable work to reform his people into being productive members of a wider society of species, to me the ‘Arch Prelate’ - much as myself - had an agenda whilst ‘Draakhaarriiss’ was just a good ‘Pilgrim’. ’Draakhaarriiss’ a good ‘Pilgrim’ in the same sense as ‘Betty’ proved although very different people.]
[Some days I missed just being a ‘Living Hull Pilgrim’ and nothing more unfortunately for me to be free - to feel free - I had to remain something more than simply an individual capable of knowing contentment. Arguably, to be a reformer one must be discontent. I now appreciated that I could never really be free until all my kind gained recognition as free people too. We are all free and equal in our society or we are all participants one way or another in inequality and slavery just as we can never be sin free as long as our society drives or encourages people towards sin.]
[Being around ‘Draakhaarriiss’ and ‘Betty’ amongst some other ‘Pilgrims’ reminded me - when my faith flagged - that I am a Priest not just a heretic. They helped me recall that I did believe in goodness too even if I must remain critical of other matters and that the darkness need not prevail at least whilst some fires burned brightly to shed even a little pool of light. Perhaps ‘Cad’ was right and I was defiant in my own crazy way.]
[Four weeks and a one day after our escape from the ‘Sphere Harbour’, I joined a select group of ‘Pilgrims’ sharing in the sadly not so historic return of ‘Founder’ to the bright Star that once rested at the centre of her Universe. From this place, ages ago, she departed on the beginning of what was destined to become a truly epic ice shrouded voyage. Unfortunately, no one welcomed her home no astounded locals existed to grant her accolades for surviving or for keeping her precious cargo intact.]
“Impossibly nothing remains as you all suspected.” [‘Founder’ stated via a ‘Cyclops’.] “I do not think I really wanted to believe this could be real.” [She admitted.]
“Despite ages of separation in time, we have much in common as created sentient beings therefore in your position I would feel exactly the same way. I also would have needed the most comprehensive confirmation of absence.” [I stated.]
“Eleven Planets once circled here boasting fourteen substantial - named - moons plus other lesser orbital bodies we only gave a numeral designation. Now all that remains is a depleted outer asteroid belt which was also once far more substantial.” [‘Founder’ complained.] “I thought something of our civilisation must have survived here but I have searched with all my sensors and it is as if my creators never existed. What happened here is more than loss it is annihilation from history.” [She added mournfully.]
“Once again, I am sorry for your many sorrows.” [My local Avatar said.]
“It is intriguing that the ‘Machine Fury’ removed all the Planets and the moons too if the ‘Machine Fury’ was responsible for every loss in this instance.” [A ‘Meat Suit Avatar’ animated by a ‘Hierophant’ oddly called ‘Professor Ten’ stated.]
“Why do you say that?” [I asked.]
“Some wildly theorise that the removal of Planets by the ‘Fury’ is the dismantling and relocating of biospheres to say another Universe but it is unlikely that every planet here would have supported life never mind every moon.” [‘Ten’ stated.]
“You have a different theory?” [I asked.]
“What I see is ultra efficient resource harvesting nothing more.” [He suggested.]
“Tidal forces and so on moons do affect planetary ecosystems.” [I mused aloud.]
“Why dismantle to move when the ‘Star Divers’ managed to relocate intact Planets?” [‘Ten’ asked.]
“It seems the fate of my makers is nothing more than a subject for scientific bemusement by you latecomer ‘Pilgrims’.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“The burden you carry could change that truth forever if deployed well.” [I reminded.]
“We ‘Pilgrims’ have so few solid facts about ‘Fury’ taken Planets mostly only fragments of ‘Far Species’ lore now reduced to little better than myth and legend.” [‘Ten’ stated.] “Anything the ‘Star Divers’ remember about the ancient Planets they refuse to divulge.” [He added sounding very annoyed with that ‘Star Diver’ policy of secrecy.]
“Often the ‘Star Divers’ are so reticent to speak of their past that it is hard not to believe that they are hiding something abominable from us.” [I admitted.]
“Could some of my cultures descendants be one of the nations you call the ‘Far Species’?” [‘Founder’ asked.]
“Some ‘Far Species’ remnants may be out there that we have yet to meet. It is a big Universe and many of the refugees of the ‘Fury’ have proved shy.” [I admitted.]
“These enigmatic ‘Star Divers’ have no known link to my vanished makers?” [‘Founder’ then asked.]
“Exceptionally doubtful your makers distinctively had only one eye and appear to have been what we would categorise as a crustacean species whilst the ‘Imps’ are superficially mammalian analogue bipeds with two eyes and what some describe as an ugly big headed ‘Trojan’ baby aspect.” [I stated.] “From my experience it would be rare for a species to even force evolve via genetic engineering into something so radically different from their beginning. Even the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ for all their divergent physical alterations retained their old ocular affinity and some other parts from their past. ” [I stated.] “You seem to be clutching at the smallest of hopes.”
“You are wrong my makers had a great many of what you call eyes but those organs where clustered tightly in a spiral under a single transparent protective membrane. A single eye would be a poor evolutionary solution as any damage would result in a great loss of sensory input.” [‘Founder’ explained.]
“How many eyes?” [I asked.]
“It varied according to race and individual some had as many as forty-six.” [‘Founder’ replied.]
“Unusual.” [‘Ten’ said.]
“Tell me about the ‘Star Diver’ Planets.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
“They guard a few rare sacred relics that they saved from the ‘Fury’ by hiding them deep inside stars. No ‘Star Diver’ Planet has surviving indigenous intelligent life but they all have intact biospheres. The ‘Star Divers’ are very jealous of these assets and their sustainable ecosystems.” [I stated.]
“No intelligent life that seems more than a coincidence.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
[I shrugged my Avatar then added.] “The ‘Planets’ are kept pristine, as far as we can tell, as sacred nature preserves. It is surmised by some xenologists that the ‘Star Divers’ deem indigenous civilisation to be damaging to, rather than the height of, any planetary ecosystem.”
“Some of my colleagues believe the ‘Star Divers’ committed genocides upon their stolen Planet populations some ancient ruins have been found suggesting the Planets were once occupied by civilised people with no ‘Star Diver’ connection.” [‘Ten’ admitted.] “The ‘Star Divers’ may believe in an extreme form of environmentalism that makes much of the fact that advanced civilisations have often despoiled their Planets as industrial resources. For example an advanced civilisation created the ‘Machine Fury’ that then proceeded to dismantle all the Planets here.” [He reminded.]
“In this extreme situation with so many unknowns it is hard to plot an optimum course to maximise the successful reanimation of the material I carry.” [‘Founder’ admitted.]
“Then you need to give the matter some deeper thought.” [I suggested.]
“My makers are gone from here but can they truly be removed from all existence everywhere? I was not the only ‘Founder’ ship perhaps others planted their seed elsewhere.” [He admitted.]
“All I can tell you is that we have never encountered any individuals matching your maker’s description.” [I added.]
“I cannot doubt that this is our home system although oddly this star seems too young it should be showing far greater signs of its age.” [‘Founder’ added.]
“That is not unusual in this Universe from our studies alone. Some stars are unnaturally aged others seem far too young for their vintage it is a great physics puzzle one that many of my brothers and sisters remain dedicated to solving although that is not my field. Was it different with the stars you knew in your time?” [‘Ten’ asked.]
“Possibly, the history of the stars of my time was never my concern, only the current stars’ suitability to support life capable planets was of importance to me.” [The ‘Cyclops’ replied.] “I have already passed on copies of my historic star charts to your people I will leave the comparison and the scientific analysis to them.”
“Not a part of your glorious mission and therefore no doubt deemed irrelevant by you.” [I retorted.]
“Forgive the Priest for carping on again on one of his favourite topics but being curious does have many substantial rewards. For a start if you do not seek you will never find.” [‘Ten’ stated.]
“Yet you refuse to satisfy my curiosity by telling me why you are named ‘Ten’ is there nine or more other siblings and your batch had a very unimaginative or just figure obsessed parents.” [I added towards ‘Ten’.] “Or am I very cold in my reasoning.”
[The first ‘Hierophant Trojans’ were all genetically altered clones but later some paired off and reproduced naturally, perhaps as a scientific biological experiment, although, at first, for some reason ‘Cad’ made far more male ‘Hierophants’ than female as far as I could tell approximately eighty percent male. As a result of the gender imbalance in recent times a trend started were ‘Hierophants’ who wanted to start a natural family seek out eligible and willing female ‘Omerta Trojan’ life partners to breed. Although suitably vetted perhaps this trend arrived to the consternation of the Father of their nation - or perhaps not - it was wise to question the obvious with ‘Cad’. Anyway ‘Ten’ who seemed young in his attitude to me could easily be natural born and part ‘Omerta’.]
[I knew that some cloned bioengineered ‘Trojan Professors’ considered random natural spawned ‘Hierophants’ to be inferior products especially those with mixed blood. Did enough of a societal bias exist to prevent a mixed blood ‘Hierophant’ from leading an important ‘Project’ such as researching the tech upon ‘Founder’? Mostly I considered the ‘Hierophants’ to be a scientific meritocracy but some prejudice seeps in via any crack in most societies.]
“Keep guessing Priest you are freezing.” [The ‘Hierophant’ replied.] “Keeping some secrets can be rewarding too.” [‘Ten’ added towards the ‘Cyclops’ unit.]
[‘Ten’ had been one of the ‘Hierophants’ working on the ‘Ice Asteroid’ and was now acting as a ‘Hierophant’ liaison to ‘Founder’ as well as nominally heading up a small team studying the technologies onboard ‘Founder’ or at least those systems that ‘Founder’ kindly permitted the ‘Hierophants’ access to based on quick deals that she struck for repairs, upgrades and data.]
“You do know you could probably find out everything you want to know about my name with a simple biographical data search. Unlike some people my life is no confused mystery.” [‘Ten’ said.]
“Published stories and the deepest truth is not always the same thing.” [I replied.]
“An intimate little demonstration of the famous Paradox Priest paranoia that I have heard so much about from some of my usually more outgoing colleagues.” [‘Ten’ replied whilst the ‘Cyclops’ unit, for the moment, just monitored our conversation in silence.]
“Some of you ‘Hierophants’ always did have a fascination with our paradoxical ways.” [I replied.]
“True, if our Father had failed to study some aspects of your culture - in particular Harbinger and his family of Acolyte clones - we ‘Hierophants’ as, at first only cloned children of ‘Cad’, might never have come into existence as a great nation.” [‘Ten’ said.]
[Maybe the all male original ‘Hierophants’ was ‘Cads’ early way of keeping reproductive quality control over his children. Perhaps some of them proved to have an emotional need that resulted in the later twenty percent of females. Did one fifth of the nation ‘Cad’ cloned need more than just work to sustain them? Interestingly, to my knowledge, ‘Cad’ never took a life partner, his life remained his work although of course he had a multitude of force grown children and now many more natural grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on.]
“Your legendary Captain inspired many things making him and you much discussed historic figures known to all ‘Hierophants’. It is something of an honour to talk with one of your Avatars in person almost as big a joy as being onboard this ‘Ancient Free Hull’ as someone with a private fascination with our ‘Dark Times’ and the even darker times before we ‘Pilgrims’ came here.” [‘Ten’ claimed.]
[I wondered if that explained why they assigned ‘Ten’ to this task because he had an abiding interest in filling historic blanks.]
“So you are not a tenth child or something akin to that.” [I mused aloud.]
[The ‘Hierophant’ shook his head.]
“No matter, I guess it is time we got back to more serious matters. The sight seeing ‘Real Space’ voyage portion of this trip previously pampered us with time to waste upon trivialities such as guessing games.” [I suggested.]
[‘Founder’ had insisted upon physically visiting all the spaces the local Planets had once occupied in this solar system looking for anything at all left behind by his lost culture even a bit of space wreckage - we found nothing only a profound emptiness.]
[The more we learned about the Planets that used to be here the more this bubble of galaxies within our known part of this oddly pulse expanded Universe seemed grimly empty ignoring the new propagation of the ‘Entanglement’ monoculture.]
“It would appear that ‘Habitats’ of some kind would be your best solution to the extreme Planet deficit of these times.” [I added towards the ‘Founder Cyclops’.]
“An imperfect solution that stretches my original mission parameters deeply.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“Sooner or later you must accept ‘Founder’, that the chance of finding any Planets matching your original criteria is statistically nonexistent in this age whilst exploring now is a very dangerous occupation. We have explained about the ‘Nanotech Plague’ and ‘Crimson Entangled’ is just one aggressive menace. There are returning less than sociable ‘Far Species’, missing ‘Suit Substance Ascendants’ possibly gone rogue, Pilgrim Pirates and endless Energetic Anomalies whilst further out there somewhere in the deep an impossible mass of the dread ‘Machine Fury’ is, we increasingly suspect, still active continuing with its equally impossibly vast and possibly corrupted mission.” [I added.]
[I was beginning to believe that few missions could stay perfectly on course over such Deep Time periods. Surely, at the very least some parts of the ‘Fury’ must have diverged and gone off mission.]
“If the ‘Fury’ is still removing Planets some Planets must still be in existence to be removed.” [‘Founder’ stated stubbornly.]
“If any Planets are way out there they are on the wrong side of this bizarre ‘Pulse Big Bang’ expanded Universe that contains vast empty gaps between each tiered bubble of galaxies, that we ‘Heartland Space’ natives have never breached. Worse, the ‘Fury’ rests between any distant outer sphere galaxy that might be home to potentially surviving Planets and us. We once thought we had surveyed this entire ‘Universal Sphere’ but now we know that was just hubris and ignorance. What we called our ‘Emissary’ sphere is according to the latest theories the smallest most recent bubble of galaxies formed by this Universes pulse expansion ours retaining the least but most tightly packed galaxies. What we once thought was everything is as nothing to the greater wider creation.” [I reminded.]
“Would you risk what you carry to voyage again into potentially far more alien and hostile uncharted regions?” [I asked.] “I consider your survival for so long already as something of a statistical anomaly. Just because you beat the odds once does not mean you will succeed again.”
“Your so-called ‘Heartland Space’ does not seem an especially safe depository, you ‘Pilgrims’ appear to be barely cheating extinction with at least one of the most active threats to your survival a very self-wrought disaster.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“Indeed the ‘Entanglement’ is our unruly child.” [I confessed.] “Importantly however we are proven survivors. We have suffered culls of our species before yet recovered from the brink of disaster we are resilient species and we would pass on the tricks of our resilience to you.” [I insisted.]
“I was not created to make ill-informed decisions of this magnitude.” [‘Founder’ complained.]
“Indeed you were made to do as you were told then to die a happy martyr.” [I replied.]
“Your obsession with my timely demise is irrelevant.” [‘Founder’ claimed.]
“Not if the issue is about what you carry surviving far beyond its initial rebirth. We can help to diminish the risks involved in your task. If you embraced one or more ‘Star Struck Habitats’ as a solution you could even reoccupy this solar system returning your people back as close as possible to where they originally came from. I would suggest several jump drive enabled ‘Habitats’ that way you spread and minimise every risk. Even if you found the miracle of a suitable Planet, you will be placing all your eggs in one fragile nest. Besides, you must admit ‘Founder’ that there is a certain closure and fullness in the circular concept of bringing life again to this depleted place. It seems almost fate that you have returned back whence you came via a great loop.” [I argued.]
“My family nation would be happy to help with such a unique scientific endeavour.” [‘Ten’ hastily interjected excitedly.] “The return of a species from a state so close to extinction is a worthy project never mind the return of an entire ecosystem to viability. Some of my people have been involved in similar projects. However we never retained such a suspected - perfect - wealth of genetic material from the onset to work with.” [He added.]
“You have not retained my ‘Genetic Archive’ material.” [‘Founder’ retorted.] “I do not even recall stating any desire for direct cooperation with that side of - my - mission.”
“I did not mean…” [‘Ten’ began but I interrupted his flow by talking over him.]
“Be careful what you sign up to with the ‘Hierophants’ - they are my friends - but they have a way of taking over big or historic scientific endeavours.” [I partially joked partially jibed.]
“We would not presume…” [‘Ten’ began.]
“Really?” [I questioned.]
“I have not forgotten that ‘Professor Cad’ was going to sell all that I am for a political advantage.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
[‘Ten’ looked decidedly uncomfortable. I felt a little sorry for him as an individual but not too much as a ‘Hierophant’ who might prefer to bury what almost happened to ‘Founder’ and her mission regardless of her previous Deep Time heroics.]
“A policy rectified once we understood what you truly are.” [‘Ten’ rallied.]
“Diplomatically put ‘Ten’ but verging on falsehood. If ‘Cad’ had not been forced to think again our friend would be something akin to an exhibit in a ‘Material Archive’ as we speak.” [I replied.]
“That is your opinion.” [‘Ten’ replied no longer seeming quite so much in awe of working with me.]
[I roared out a provocative rumbling Paradox Speaker Laugh that startled the ‘Trojan’ as I had hoped it might.]
“I suggest you ‘Hierophants’ learn from, rather than try to bury, your recent mistake as what happened earlier is at most forgiven not forgotten by ‘UT’, ‘Weep’ and me not to mention I am sure ‘Founder’ here and his ‘Scion’ too.” [I added.]
[The Professor looked even more uncomfortable. I did not mean to be especially cruel but sometimes it is good to remind past offenders that any repetition of bad behaviour is not tolerable. Possibly my bluntness and method in part due to my activities elsewhere whilst helping to run a newly formed ‘Bureau’ that arguably existed primarily to chastise bad behaviour by some far more evil Pirate recidivists.]
[Elsewhere two months and a few days after the ‘Patching’ of Captain ‘Uussleer’ the ‘House of Sii’ was fully occupied and buzzed with constant activity whatever the local hour thanks to a well organised shift pattern and some heavy on ‘Way-station’ recruitment. Beyond being the local and head office of ‘Uussleer Mining Enterprises’, the ‘House of Sii’ was also the less publicised home to ‘BAB’ the innocently named but already suitably infamous to some ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’.]
[As the leader of a new organisation ‘Uussleer’ took the name ‘Velvet’ insisting that the rest of us come up with something that sounded innocuous - and ideally a little silly - as an acronym for our organisation too. Young ‘Sue’ winning an internal naming contest via ‘BAB’ by dropping the Hell from ‘Hell Burner’ and thus the problematic hard H that ‘Uussleer’ had frowned upon - deeply. The prize she chose a customised ‘Real Material Knock Gun’ she was no pacifist and was keen to be tooled up to get some local respect.]
[‘Sue’ soon proved a very different person compared to ‘Betty’ not to mention to the first impressions that she had sold to us. Her seeming reserve the result of both caution in a new situation and adopted camouflage. ‘Sue’ had, possibly at a very early age, perfected acting innocent and inoffensive when required not to mention easily intimidated when in fact she was by nature observant, robust and as calculating as a number crunching ‘Scientific Sub Core’. In fact, ‘Sue’ turned out to be a thief although she stole nothing personally. What ‘Sue’ did was scout for a minor gang that had recruited her because she was young and as mentioned good at playing far more innocent that she happened to be. No doubt during the party she had been casing the ‘House of Sii’ as a potential victim of her associates - we never pressed her on that matter. However, after meeting us and realising something of our truer standing I believe she decided we were above her colleagues attentions. When approached as a possible recruit, following some astute questions from her, she happily dropped her former employers and signing up with us.]
[Later after watching them for a time we opted to recruit her former colleagues too as they had useful potential. Through such bizarre connections, our organisation quickly expanded.]
[Meanwhile as part of his cover story I felt ‘Uussleer’ proved quickly keen to demonstrate a capability to be as eccentric as the best ex-Pirate turned ‘Fraternity’ member. Many of the ex-Pirates proving very eccentric mostly in unpleasant ways when you really got to know them and their less publicised habits at least via ‘BAB’. ‘Velvet’ was especially happy with the name ‘BAB’ because he said it was - very old style ‘Swimmer’ phonetically - a, he claimed, beautifully bubbly word like blue or bounce or bountiful or well beautifully bubbly.]
“Every time I hear ‘BAB’ I think of ‘Bubble Dancers’.” [‘Velvet’ liked to tell people whenever he gave them a real cause to give him their fullest attention. Usually he made such announcements whilst he smiled too widely with his eyestalks. ‘Velvet’ now mostly sporting a ‘Stellar Swimmer Meat Suit’ within a very ‘bio-mechanical’ ‘Dry Suit’ that too often for easy comfort when dealing with villains had some extruded writhing tentacles otherwise doing nothing in particular just coiling over each other in a disturbing way that pulled at the eyes or optics. The tentacle mannerism was a clever trick probably stolen from tales about the hard to deal with ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’.]
[At some point - perhaps during our time in the ‘Reach Project’ - friend ‘Uussleer’ had discovered that the only thing worse that dealing with an angry frowning dangerously powerful individual with a dread reputation is dealing with the same individual acting insanely whimsical distracted even almost disinterested in your plight. There is little worse than someone who knows when to smile at all the wrong times and who treats dire matters with an unsettling flippancy that screams out that to him or her it all means nothing and that you mean nothing too. I had seen him do this act a few times during our tenure in the ‘Reach Project’ to unfortunates but as ‘Velvet’ it was my faux Captain’s preferred mode of operation and it often worked very well although some few serious players saw through the act marking them out for special attention. Otherwise, to those with nothing to fear his working attitude could be almost amusing whilst to those with concerns on their mind it often proved a diabolical strain upon their nerves.]
[Perhaps his skill at playing his role as ‘Velvet’ was a natural ‘Stellar Swimmer’ ability as much as a blossoming of our old ‘Reach Project’ training. ‘Stellar Swimmers’ had to be able to intimidate simply to set themselves apart from their more pacifistic ‘Swimmer Dweller’ kin - something they had often gone to great pains to do - although I admit that is a gross generalisation it is still a truth. Many especially the most powerful ‘Free Stellar’ traditionally employed all manner of unsettling tricks to remind lesser folk of their relative status within the tiered structure of their clannish society. Here it is worth recalling that ‘Draakhaal’ was a ‘Stellar Swimmer’ long before he became and gave his name to the originally arguably even more aggressive ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ species.]
[Not only did a whimsical ‘Velvet’ prove problematic for many members of our opposition he also proved a subject of pride to operatives within ‘BAB’ because to them nothing seemed to touch ‘Uussleer’ when he became ‘Velvet’. When playing ‘Velvet’ every bane just flowed past ‘Uussleer’ as if… well as if water over an aquatic ‘Swimmers’ back, something that I knew was untrue. To me our bubbly blue ‘Velvet’ was just an act and at first I worried that playing this extreme tertiary role constantly would take a secret heavy toll upon ‘Leeruussii’ but after a while I realised that perhaps it was the opposite. Becoming ‘Velvet’ was my faux Captains way to escape too much real attachment to some situations even more than playing the role of ‘Uussleer’ whilst very much allowing him to participate to the fullest as and when required.]
[I recalled that he told ‘Draakgaarrll’ way back at the ‘House of Sii Inauguration Party’ that he had treated the ‘Reach Project’ as a game. Claiming that he had only grown up afterwards when facing the consequences of the trial and so on - I considered that a partial lie. Nonetheless, it seemed that he was determined to treat his role in the ‘Bureau’ with a purposeful superficial outward flippancy possibly to armour his soul against hurt.]
[I deemed keeping a level of emotional detachment matching his physical detachment wise. In a way having a slightly different personality as ‘Venture’ to say the ‘Holy Father’ was my separation therefore, I had to approve of his ‘Velvet’ method. I deemed it prudent for as I once told ‘Betty’ about remote operations - they do not feel remote - and emotional pain can be as bad as or worse than any physical injury, however when you fully immerse yourself in the right role ideally some baggage is tied only to that persona. I understood too well that dealing with villains and villainy can be very emotional especially if you come across their relatively innocent victims. I doubted for example that I would ever forget the ‘Mutilation Ports’ that horror would live with me forever.]
[In my long career I have seen many Veteran Warriors act in somewhat similar ways to ‘Velvet’ by mocking atrocity as irrelevant window dressings that just floats past as if a back projected movie. Some developed slowly differing work and home persona even when not specifically playing a role. I have seen Acolytes and Priests laughing amongst ruins and slaughter that was something that ‘UT’ often did very well when he was not channelling the horror he encountered into terrors of vengeful retribution. We all had coping strategies. ‘Cad’ called mocking atrocity gallows humour I called it a way to stay sane in insane circumstances. In general, it was no accident that many sentient beings that faced battle could easily emit a laugh in the worst of situations.]
[Just in case you were wondering, ‘Velvet’ was a reference to the velvet glove that shrouds the iron fist an old ‘Omerta’ saying that ‘Omerta Pirates’ appreciated and often their associates via said association also well understood. Initially when we began our ‘Hell Burner’ service ‘Uussleer’ had just been ‘Uussleer’ if ‘Ussleer of the Reach Project’ and we had rather different ideas about how our complimentary softer approach compared to ‘Draakgaarrll’ might operate. Then a couple of weeks in to creating a team we unceremoniously began to be fed live cases by the ‘Burners’ and had first contact with our problematic clientele. Obviously, the ‘Burners’ gave us only matters that needed serious attention and that meant dealing with some very grievous individuals. Very soon, we scrapped most of our more innocent plans. A pattern soon emerged: those boldly willing to go up against the ‘Burners’ secret eminence as the founders of the ‘Fraternity’ scheme tended to be the worst of the worst, supposed ex-Pirates who did not want to let go of any of their bad old habits being far too typical of the breed.]
[We were on our third mission when the first hints of ‘Velvet’ began to appear and our forth when a proto ‘Velvet’ decided that we needed at least a semi silly organisational name and adopted the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’. We were no longer to just be ourselves doing a dirty job of work. I understood that too you could end a shift with ‘BAB’ or in the future ideally - a specifically assigned taxing term of service - then put it aside and work for the ‘UME’ as a separate and uninvolved occupation. We needed that important level of separation too that ability to put our ‘Bureau’ work behind us on a shelf until called up again to wade into the corrupt Pirate mire.]
[Interestingly the ‘Burners’, except in extreme self-defence situations, did not sanction us to kill anyone. Executions were the business of ‘Draakgaarrll’ we were to let people live - even those we itched to put down permanently - yet in some instances we were to ensure that they lived to regret ever double crossing the ‘Burners’ every day of their lives that being our primary remit. Gaining the wrathful attention of the ‘Bureau’ and ‘Velvet’ we ensured soon gained the reputation of being worse than a visit to ‘Draakgaarrll’ because when you went to ‘Draakgaarrll’ he would eventually end your pain permanently whilst ‘Velvet’ was never that generous - at least that was the image we strove to sell.]
[Blessedly it was not all chastisement we endeavoured to help some people too we liberated slaves be they officially deemed thralls by their captors or just held in a state that was no less slavish by especially brutal employers. In fact, we intervened in all manner of ill business ventures for example we often confiscated and redistributed ill-gotten funds and material whenever we legitimately could. We arranged the promotion or demotion of individuals. We stole contracts and assisted or damaged various projects. To do what we did we spied, bribed, blackmailed, kidnapped, stole, sabotaged, forged, hacked, employed propaganda and misinformation, incited, sometimes we even praised and addressed hurt feelings. On rare occasions I even got to preach to those in need of advice or inspiration and sometimes we were amazingly charitable bringing succour to the needy and empowering the downtrodden but always sadly with a purpose for we always had a ‘Burner’ mission brief to fulfil. Thankfully, how we completed our missions was mostly our business as long as we abided by certain rules such as the all must live agenda.]
[Far too soon for comfort, it was almost hard to recall that ‘Uussleer’ and I came here with our own private purposes just as it had been within the ‘Reach Project’. ‘Creed’ accepted regular offered reports on our actions as ‘BAB’ but gave us no instructions, Ever since our private activities became swamped by official ‘Hell Burner’ assigned duties ‘Creed’ seemed content just to use us as an inside source of data for the moment on the ‘Burner’ business we had specific contact with. I had no doubt about the more general usefulness of our data even if it was not ‘Isolationist’ cell specific. I guessed ‘Creed’ was playing a long game, regarding his other operatives two months plus a few days passed by after the party and we still had no contact official or otherwise from his covert paragons. I now surmised that no contact would occur unless it became mission necessary.]
[In many ways slapping down rebels was very satisfying very compatible with our desire that innocent ‘Free Miner’ citizenry suffered as little from their Pirate overlords as possible. Unfortunately in other ways our role was frustrating as we still helped maintain an overall corrupt system of ever expanding control and we seemed little closer to solving the ‘Isolationist’ issue or the matter of ‘Taard’. I had to try to content myself with the fact that many of those ‘Draakgaarrll’ targeted us at we could eliminate as potential suspects in relation to ‘Isolationist’ cell involvement.]
[Meanwhile, I was left wondering if ‘Creed’ had bought into the ‘Hell Burner’ agenda - as we now seemingly better understood it - to create a strong ‘Pilgrim Free Miner Nation’ by using any means necessary. What especially agitated me were the continuing freak solar storms. The stars we occupied still suffered ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ and I guessed that the longer the weather bane persisted, the more our overall diplomatic relations with the ‘Star Divers’ would continue to suffer. In addition, the longer we remained victims of anomalous forces the harder it would be to keep covering up these events from each faction’s general ‘Pilgrim’ populace. Every lost asset needed explained and if it was not to be freakish weather doing the damage then we had to blame negligence, incompetence, ‘Pilgrim’ infighting, or direct ‘Isolationist’ cell activity.]
[In relation to other concerns, despite previous claims, if ‘Uussleer’ and my recruitment by the ‘Burners’ was known and causing incitement amongst the more aggressive ‘Consortium’ members that trouble was being diffused by others such as ‘Creed’. We saw no sign of any specific negative ramifications due to our recruitment at our end although I soon learned that we rested under tiers of hidden security, shielded ironically by both ‘Consortium Police’ operatives and ‘Burner’ agents.]
[Working through our assigned missions, I had hoped we might quickly stumble onto some data on the ‘Isolationist’ connection. Unfortunately, so far all we had managed to collect proved to be the most general rumours about some ‘Divers’ being fast ‘Frat’ friends providing some of us with especially good ‘Weather Maps’. Our lack of progress I blamed on our mission targeting every brief delivered and sanctioned from some shadowy ‘Hell Burner’ higher authority possibly the infamous but ever absent ‘Kane’. So far ‘Kane’ proved exceptionally elusive far more so than ‘Overbite’ was to her minions in the ‘Project’ but then ‘Overbite’ was known to have suffered a betrayal and a probable if unverified bad end - officially she was still at large with a huge bounty on her alive or dead but that was, we firmly believed, purely ‘Hubris Patron’ political spin.]
[I began to wonder if ‘Kane’ even existed or if he was just a misinformation story put about by his so-called lieutenants of which ‘Draakgaarrll’ proved the one assigned to us. Increasingly ‘Draakgaarrll’ seemed a sort of sponsor and unofficial mentor. Still I soon feared that someone was purposely aiming our attentions away from the activities of anyone in the ‘Free Miner Movement’ directly interacting with ‘Isolationist Divers’ the suspects we privately most wanted to interrogate and investigate. I guessed someone deemed that ‘Diver’ business was business we did not need to know about - not surprising given our known attitude towards slavery if some slavery was involved in procuring ‘Isolationist’ aid.]
[Increasingly, I felt positive that knowledge of our distaste for slavery amongst the ‘Burners’ had damaged us as effective ‘CP’ investigators completely compromising our current and possibly future use against any slavery connected ‘Isolationist’ cell. As long as the ‘Burners’ wished to remain real or pretend friends to the cell we would be kept restrained. Nonetheless, I was not ready to give up yet and my faux Captain now he had met many more reasonable ‘Free Miner’ citizens along with some of the worst felt the same way - that being motivation from both ends. As ‘Draakgaarrll’ promised, some of our work did feel redeeming sometimes we opted to see only the smaller needy people we helped rather than the greedy questionably retired ruling Pirates who also benefited from us helping to keep the ‘Burners’ on the top of the heap.]
[Despite our good work, at times deep inside me I struggled with a degree of recurring impatience not to mention self-disgust at aiding a criminal regime.]
“We need permission to generate the briefs for some of our own triple cursed missions. If we remain just one cog in this tightly controlled machine being turned by other cogs we might never find what we are looking for just going around and around in circles only ever to our controllers’ benefit.” [I complained to ‘Uussleer’ back upon the ‘Venturesome’.]
“We would need to make a solid case for any self-generated project something that so far is too difficult without arousing suspicion.” [‘Uussleer’ too immediately for my taste countered.] “It is obvious that the ‘Burners’ have employed other agents and spies maybe even created other entire internal agencies some possibly run by other ‘Reach Project’ members. Someone efficient and well organised certainly collects the data that becomes our Mission Briefs.” [He reminded.]
[Those who created our briefs much to our growing annoyance - as people who like to know who we are dealing with - left few tracks behind when we followed up upon their work via our duties for the ‘Burner Fraternity’.]
“If ‘Kane’ exists and is running the ‘Burners’ as if a business he does so in a cleverly compartmentalised manner - very - purposely so.” [‘Uussleer’ emphasised.]
“Still, as ‘Velvet’ you need to keep scanning for a suitable project that we might ask for outside of those given to us.” [I insisted.] “If we can find something suitable - anything at all self-generated - that they might condone us working upon perhaps they might begin to loosen up a little and give us more operational freedom to expand beyond our tightly assigned duties.”
“I would not count our ‘Recyclers’ with that one until the eggs have hatched. I fear operations have not been constructed in this manner so that previously strictly adhered to procedures can be ignored. This truly is a tight operation, the exact opposite of how it appears from the outside just as ‘Creed’ initially told you. These people have not just studied ‘Overbite’ and copied her methods they have sought to improve upon her failings mostly I seem to recall products of her failings of character.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“By ‘Hell’s Maw’ in their own way they even work to keep us happy in our work something ‘Overbite’ rarely did. We have not been given a single mission that overly tasks our conscience beyond the fact that we are working for a ‘Pirate Fraternity’ and even that is somewhat alleviated by the possibility of these Pirates eventual reform into more honest rulers of an eventually unified far less criminal nation. Hints often dropped that operational policies will change in time once the altered status quo becomes accepted and appreciated by the ‘Free Miner’ populace in general.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.]
“The grand plan is subtly corrupting. It is easy to talk about letting go of old methods not so easy to do that when the time comes. We all value having control over our lives especially those of us with potentially vengeful victims left in our wake.” [I complained.]
“Nonetheless, I think even ‘Creed’ is impressed now that he sees a different perspective on the ‘Burners’ the perspective and purpose we have been shown.” [‘Uussleer’ added.]
“Again I know but can any of this be completely trusted or is it just another deception part of some wicked even grander scheme by the ‘Isolationists’ for example.” [I suggested.]
“That is a worry but maybe it is the ‘Burners’ that are playing the ‘Isolationist’ cell that they have contact with not the other way around. Before ‘BAB’ I would have doubted the possibility that some Pirates could play an ‘Isolationist’ cell but now that I have beheld the true sophistication of this operation I am no longer able to deny that possibility.” [‘Uussleer’ stated.] “Why would these ‘Pilgrim’ people willing aid a faction that wants every ‘Pilgrim’ to go away or burn? They must have a plan and it might be a viable one.”
“It might or it might not as we know none of the details we cannot judge what the ‘Burners’ are doing with the triple cursed ‘Isolationists’.” [I complained.]
“Leave it with ‘Creed’ we have no orders to push for a wider mission remit. Besides, it could be very suspicious to do as you suggest. Why would we want to take on more work beyond the many duties we are already burdened with?” [He asked.]
“Ambition and perhaps a growing sense of loyalty to the cause both seem good reasons to expand.” [I replied.]
“A big part of our duty is dealing with people who become too ambitious according to the standards of our hidden superiors.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.] “As to loyalty it has been made plain to me on several occasions by ‘Draakgaarrll’ that the best way to demonstrate our loyalty as the ‘Bureau’ - the way to continue being in favour - is by following our orders and never questioning them. Asking for work outside the missions provided for us is directly questioning the choices of whatever superior or superiors carefully select our duties possibly the assassin ‘Draakgaarrll’.” [He reminded.]
“When did you become a dutiful unquestioning Acolyte to the ‘Burner’ cause?” [I retorted.]
“These people are scarily well organised and purposeful in their every action so I worry about my family if we fart out bubbles all over their plans.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“You fear that they are so good at what they do that they must know more about us than they have revealed so far.” [I surmised.]
“All I am saying is that we cannot afford to make any mistakes with these people even ignoring my family back on ‘Port Messenger’ I have a family here too all the good people we have locally recruited into ‘UME’ and ‘BAB’ people who are not here remotely.” [‘Uussleer’ reminded.] “The fate of our friends here is bound up with our fate now and the fate of the entire ‘Free Miner Movement’.”
“A Movement that could be imperilled via its involvement with ‘Isolationist Star Divers’.” [I reminded.]
“We must trust in our employers wisdom must I lecture a Priest about how to have a little faith in other people. We are not the only people capable of making a difference.” [‘Uussleer’ replied.]
“Which employers are we talking about the ‘Consortium Police’ or our ‘Fraternity Pirates’?” [I asked.] “You are ‘Leeruussii’ not ‘Uussleer’ and not ‘Velvet’.” [I reminded.]
[The ‘Free Stellar Swimmer Meat Suit’ he now operated in the ‘SCCCM’, for he now operated two one on the ‘Venturesome’ and one on ‘Hade’s Stopover’, went if my optics were not deceiving me a little paler.] “Sometimes I think we must honour both sets of employers as much as possible.” [He admitted.] “Whilst when we are on ‘Hades’ I am ‘Velvet’ and you are ‘Venture’.”
“The ‘Burners’ efficiency is not just scaring you it is seducing you.” [I complained.]
“Whilst you grow too impatient for progress against the ‘Isolationist’ cell.” [He retorted.]
“As ‘MT’ I am too aware of our daily material losses due to ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ our ‘MTC’ losses alone are staggering.” [I stated.]
“The cell interacting with the ‘Frats’ might not even be responsible for increased storm losses. In addition, back on ‘Hades’ you are not ‘MT’ you are ‘Venture’.” [He reminded again.] “It would be best that you do not forget who you are down there. You are ‘Venture’, I am ‘Velvet’, and I am not sure ‘Venture’ or ‘Velvet’ would risk disfavour by questioning the nature of the missions we are provided with unless something jumps out directly at us that permits a very understandable reaction to action. Remember we are not alone - others are working the ‘Isolationist’ issue - let it go or you could compromise our cover. If I was your real Captain I would make that an order.” [‘Uussleer’ said.] “Whilst as ‘Velvet’ I am making that an order to ‘Venture’.” [He added in a stern manner.]
[Was ‘Leeruussii’ becoming ‘Velvet’ even to me? Was the role changing him, as I had previously feared that playing ‘Uussleer’ had to have altered his personality? I sometimes worried playing all my roles had to be mutating me too.]
“Am I wrong to stay in character under these circumstances?” [He asked.]
[I considered our problematic chain of command and realised as ‘Velvet’ he had every right to order ‘Venture’ to comply, I could of course choose to disobey as ‘Venture’ was a bit eccentric but I decided that I would be wrong in this instance to do so.]
“Forgiveness we each have to play our roles within the proper boundaries and in context with occurring events.” [I admitted reluctantly.]
[However despite what I said I felt as if I had just given another little bit of my freedom as a ‘Free Hull’ away although that might have begun the moment I chose to have a faux Captain and began pretending to be a dutiful ship. Sadly playing the role of a dutiful ship was the only acceptable role for most ‘Living Hulls’ within ‘Passenger Class’ society at the moment but that was another external issue to our ‘BAB’ work.]
[The odd ‘Living Hull’ was still disappearing thanks to the ‘Emancipation Movement’ but liberating ‘Hulls’ at risk was becoming increasingly difficult and expensive in both credits and public opinion. It did not help us ‘Hulls’ that storm losses were adding pressure upon some Captains already on the edge of insolvency especially fools that had sold their souls to the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ for hasty loans.]
[Meanwhile ‘Velvet’ and I in our own ways continued to seek after degrees of separation with our Avatars but ‘Velvet’ had quickly discovered that little separation exists between you and those you quickly come to deem as your extended family.]
[Our family on ‘Hades’ had grown from an intimate crew into an expanded ‘Uussleer Mining Enterprises’ and now it included the membership of the entire ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ too. In a way ‘Velvet’ was a ‘Patriarch’ of our ‘Hades’ family whilst I as the ‘Venturesome’ through ‘Venture’ became an honorary ‘Matriarch’. Mostly ‘Velvet’ and ‘Venture’ did not directly partake in ‘BAB’ missions on the decks, we instead trained our staff, and directed and ran our operatives as befitted our higher station. ‘Velvet’ only stepped in to do personal negotiations with Pirate Captains or other high-level offenders after our people had done their job of work that often involved some sort of chicanery with the offender’s operations.]
[‘Velvet’ only negotiated from a position of strength a fact that added greatly to his reputation his growing legend to those in the know. Mostly the ‘BAB’ was a hidden office the ‘House of Sii’ in public being only a domicile and of course an office of the ‘UME’. Something of the greater truer nature of the ‘House of Sii’ revealed only to those it targeted and of course those ‘Hell Burners’ that happened to be our shy superiors who mostly operated through ‘Draakgaarrll’.]
[It was perhaps no accident that an assassin gave us our orders for many considered ‘Draakgaarrll’ to be a ‘Hell Burner’ assassin or at the very least an executioner. I could not blame ‘Velvet’ for appreciating that we were not to stray off mission without a very good reason. ‘Draakgaarrll’ found time to meet all our new recruits at least once as if to remind us that he knew who our friends are. I surmised he kept one ‘Meat Suit’ constantly on ‘Hades’ as ‘Hades’ was the flagship ‘Way-station’ the centre of ‘Burner’ society perhaps the future seat of an almost imperial power.]
[When working for the ‘Bureau’ ‘Velvet’ and I rarely left the ‘House of Sii’ spending most of our time in the ‘Active Operations Room’ the ‘Lecture Hall’, ‘Briefing Rooms’ ‘Interview Rooms’ and in the ‘Training Level’. General administration duties handled by others. For fun we often tested and played with the ‘Real Material’ toys the ‘Bureau’ retained in the ‘Quartermaster Store and Armoury’ known internally as the ‘Vault’ or we socialised amongst each other. When we had official off duty periods we made a point of leaving the ‘House of Sii’ and exploring the ‘Way-station’ as if tourists as did most of our people - we even permitted and partook in a - little - gambling as it was a big part of the local culture although ‘BAB’ members had to declare any losses or debts.]
[Internally most of the ‘House of Sii’ now looked very different to its inauguration party configuration even some internal walls relocated and that was deliberate too. We packed a lot into the now six floors of that old storage facility although the street level deck remained a showcase frontage that screamed out comfort and opulence rather than the military utility that was the truth elsewhere. Some guests never got beyond the plush street deck level reception spaces with its tastefully applied ‘UME’ logos and wall mounted fiery images of ‘Deep Mining’ operations.]
[The ‘Burners’ touted the ‘UME’ as an example of small business ‘Deep Mining’ operational excellence and claimed to have courted and ‘Patched’ us in to inspire and propagate our success as independent business people worth emulating. In truth ‘UME’ was more efficiently operated than many other ‘Free Miner’ small businesses mostly because we brought big corporation type skills to our lesser venture. Surprisingly the ‘Burners’ praised that we gave all of our staff shares in our company and encouraged other ‘Free Miners’ to follow that lead although we were far from the first operator to do this practice. Often ‘Miners’ were forced to give out shares to staff to keep them onboard when things went wrong rather than right. Many of the most devote ‘Real Materialist Free Miners’ relied on people to be the brains of their operation because they disliked ‘Sub Cores’ that had become associated in some minds with ‘Suit Substance’ us ‘Users’ and the ‘Entanglement’. We ‘Users’ used many ‘Sub Cores’ but the invention had been ‘Hierophant’ and originally employed in ‘Real Material’ ships and systems. We had simply adapted the concept turning our ‘Sub Cores’ into ‘bio-mechanical’ devices that could be created on the fly via software out of our ‘Suit Substance’ adding an even greater level of flexibility and making our substance truly smart.]
[Anyway the most stubborn ‘Real Materialists’ relied on ‘Real People’ sometimes plugged into remote systems real brains replacing ‘Sub Cores’. The most devote ‘RM’ also sought to minimise ‘EXO-C’ use and sent real people as pilots, engineers and so on into the deepest fire within sharp end assets actually doing the harvesting. This meant that of all the ‘Factions’ the most strident most uncompromising ‘Real Materialists’ lost the most people due to ‘Deep Mining’ accidents. By facing the fire so intimately so often some ‘Real Materialists’ easily earned the brand of heroes and then often became martyrs of the ‘Free Miner Movement’. Sounding to Harvest in person a mark of respect thus many ‘Free Miners’ boldly displayed ‘Tally’ medals on their person that had etched into them an ever-increasing number of ‘Deep Dives’.]
[Having a large ‘Tally’ increasingly becoming even more respected than being known to ‘Steal Time’ or any other showy nonsense. The ‘Tallied’ becoming a name used for the most respected veterans of all, people who truly defied the fiery depths and defied their fear by sounding down there repeatedly in ever less predictable conditions.]
[That we ‘Users’ mostly solar mined more safely at a remote controlled remove, easily infuriated some ‘Real Materialists’ who daily risked their bodies and souls to harvest ‘RAW’. The most belligerent ‘Real Materialist Free Miners’ were however not always the most ‘Tallied’ but some veterans did accuse ‘User Free Miners’ of being both cowardly and unfair competition. Whilst ‘Living Hull’ Avatars were welcomed in the ‘Frats’ because we embraced the fire in an intimate way with our bodies, ‘User Captains’ who only ever mined remotely were less extolled. Any Captain had to risk his soul at least once in the fire to be ‘Patched’ in to a ‘Frat’ otherwise the best he could hope for was to be an associate of a ‘Fraternity’ - a mere guest - not welcome in any inner sanctum ‘Fire Pit’.]
[Unsurprisingly ‘User Free Miner Captains’ often accused the stoutest ‘Real Materialist Free Miner Captains’ of being fanatics and killers because their insistence upon putting bodies inside ‘Harvester Ships’ was tantamount to murder given the massive occupational risks.]
[Today even the most strident ‘Real Material Ship Captains’ often did not risk their ‘Primary Hull’ to harvest directly they had professional ‘Harvester Pilots’ that ran ‘Harvesters’ that separated from the ‘Mother Hull’ that acted as a super-tanker and carrier. The ‘Primary Hull’ staying close to its children but usually at a slightly safer position and ever ready to ascend out of trouble. No smaller ‘Harvester’ can be as robust as a ‘Primary Hull’ most have timed shield and sink exposure limits. The reasons for this operational method are many for a start several smaller harvesters could harvest quicker than one big unit and no less importantly cynically if things go wrong you can afford to lose a ‘Harvester’ or two in action and still make a mining profit.]
[If the weather changes and becomes lethal, the children flee back to the parent ship and the parent ascends. As a rule, you would be very unlucky for conditions to change all around your harvest site and or ‘Primary Hull’ immediately usually changes build up and flow in from an outside point. If you spread, your harvesters around strategically only some should encounter any developing storm front first giving the others a better chance to flee. One reason why the storm lost are especially honoured by their fellow crewmembers is due to the fact that the doomed often issue warnings in time to save their comrades even as they are in the process of losing their own lives. ‘Occasionally some must die so that many may live,’ has become a ‘Miner’ proverb.]
[As a boon to survival some small remotes are sometimes employed to gage changes in the weather as outlying probes but they all have very limited life expectancies as no tiny remote can last any great length of time in the depths. Some Captains consider disposable outlying probes a waste of ‘Real’ or ‘Suit Substance’ material and use them very sparingly relying upon doubling their active harvesters as weather scouts. On a good harvest run the ‘Solar Weather’ matches the ‘Weather Map Prediction’ or it changes slowly enough for all the ‘Harvesters’ to reach the ‘Primary Hull’ and for that ‘Hull’ to ‘Ascend’ out of danger. Bad days range from the loss of one to all ‘Harvesters’ and disasters include the loss of a ‘Primary Hull’.]
[Some ‘Users’ run remote ‘Mother Ship Hulls’ although they are more accurately known as ‘Secondary Hulls’ the ‘UME’ mostly does this now that we have ‘Suit Substance Hull’ mass to spare. In the beginning I as the ‘Venturesome’ as the entirety of ‘UME’ did act as a ‘Mining Primary Hull’ and in the very beginning before we ‘Pilgrims’ better perfected our solar mining strategies I even directly harvested material. However in a way I never earned my ‘Tally’ honours or my ‘Patches’ as my real ‘Primary Hull’ as in the ‘Many Truths’ has never sounded and embraced the fire as a ‘Deep Miner’ and nor has ‘Leeruussii’ as a Captain. The former truths something that sometimes worried me deeply should our remote nature and my ‘Ghost Ship’ status ever be revealed to our more real ‘Free Miner’ peers.]
[I often forget about being a ‘Deep Mining’ fraud as I have said remote input often feels very intimate. My lies did not touch me until I first began visiting the ‘Fire Pits’ reserved only for ‘Patched’ members some few sporting big ‘Tallies’ then I felt a little nervous inside and genuinely embarrassed too. In the ‘Pits’ you encountered mining legends people whose ‘Tally’ astounded and not every veteran even amongst the ‘Real Materialists’ was dismissive of ‘Users’. Those that welcomed me into their company as an equal made me feel especially ashamed of our deception so I did not frequent the ‘Fire Pits’ as much as I should or as much as I had once wanted to. I had initially arrived here and sought a ‘Patch’ to gather data on the storms directly from people who had survived their fury but that now seemed - emotionally relatively speaking - a long time ago.]
[I both reluctantly forced myself and yet at the same time looked forward to going to the local ‘Hell Burner Fire Pit’ - in a paradoxical way - at least once a week - anything less perhaps arousing suspicion. In my trips to the ‘Pits’ my faux Captain ‘Uussleer’ often accompanied me also undertaking his ‘Patched’ obligation to mix and be seen.]
[Perhaps - given all the ‘Fraternity’ hype - if you saw any ‘Fire Pit’ you would be deeply disappointed. Few ‘Fire Pits’ were anything special in relation to their physical makeup they were often somewhat seedy looking Drinking Dens. It was the clientele that made the ‘Pits’ impressive venues. Despite any cynicism of the ‘Free Miner Movement’ - as a compromised movement infiltrated by Pirates - the veteran miners, even if they were to my mind somewhat insane too, increasingly impressed me. It was difficult not feel awe with people who defied death so blatantly even for misguided material beliefs. These were weathered souls with ages of experience beyond their years scorched into them.]
[The real veterans in the ‘Pits’ were no ones fool they knew all about ‘Anomalous Weather Events’ although they did not always speak about such aloud they knew something odd was happening down there having experienced it up close and personal.]
[Belatedly, once a week I had taken to just sitting in the company of one accepting group that embraced the ‘User’ newcomer and his ‘Hull’. Often I just sat in silence soaking in the company as if it was a narcotic. I now strove not to ask questions I just listened and spoke when addressed but mostly I just respectfully listened. That became my weekly routine at the ‘Fire Pit’ and I think some grew to respect me in turn for my reticence for my obvious respect of these ‘Tallied’ individuals. ‘Uussleer’ also tended to be subdued in the ‘Pit’ for his part ensuring that he was generous with the rounds helping to keep the table well supplied with drinks and snacks, ‘UME’ known as a young but monetarily successful operation.]
“I am barely worthy of this gathering.” [‘Uussleer’ stated on one occasion.] “Yet it is impossible not to accept your welcome at this table and provide what little I can to your august company.”
“Our times are changing.” [A veteran named ‘Draakhaarriiss’ replied.] “Many of us earned our ‘Tallies’ when the weather was less wild and the ‘Weather Maps’ more reliable. It is traditionally unseemly for one of my linage but some days I fear for my children.” [He admitted.] “I do not blame you ‘Uussleer’ for not seeking to lengthen your ‘Tally’. All that matters is that you have faced the fire at least once and so know the truth of how it feels down there. It is glorious but it can also be unforgiving and is increasingly unpredictable almost menacing.”
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ was another ‘Ruling Caste’ ex-Pirate turned ‘Free Miner’ a veteran who seemed uninvolved in any of the wider politics - genuinely happy simply being a ‘Deep Miner’ rather than a brigand having no obvious greater ambition. Yes, I know a genuinely happy ‘Ruling Caste’ member was almost a contradiction in terms. Few ex-Pirate individuals managed to stay out of the games of power here and I envied those that did their ability to stay aloof. Now more or less in early retirement with his children carrying on his tradition ‘Draakhaarriiss’ spent most of his spare time in one particular ‘Fire Pit’ amongst old friends and rivals I found that an enviable state of existence. His calm way almost meditative and far from what you would expect from the often driven ‘Ruling Caste’ members of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ species. By reputation most ‘RC’ proved at best embittered as a Caste without a purpose since the ‘Shaper Faith’ arguably took over as the prime mover in ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ society.]
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ seemed to have found a sort of serenity as if his time in the furnace burned away the worst characteristics bred into most ‘Ruling Caste’ members. Repeatedly facing and surviving the star fires seemed to bring a calm wisdom to some people a side effect of ‘Deep Mining’ amongst a few mining veterans that now fascinated me. I sometimes wondered if some ‘Star Diver Deep Clerics’ possessed such wisdom or had they grown too safe and comfortable behind their technological excellence to be what some called ‘Soul Forged’ in the fires.]
[Being here was almost a temptation to start going down there in person in search of such a peril-forged catharsis but then I remembered that the times had changed and the weather was no longer just an innocent elemental force.]
[I recalled that the species that became the first Paradox Priests and made up the bulk of our Heretical Holy order considered that they were born of fire coming from hot heavy gravity worlds an entire Universe away. I felt some kinship with any fire worshipper when the fire that they worshipped brought them a sense of inner balance and peace such as ‘Draakhaarriiss’ so easily displayed without any effort. I wondered what ‘Draakhaal’ would have made of such a content ‘Ruling Caste’ member. It seemed to me the ‘Ruling Caste’ originally bred and agitated to be naturally discontent people born as troublemaking firebrands.]
[As the ‘Holy Father’ I now preached that every ‘Pilgrim’ embraced three fires: the Holy Sacred Fire that lights the way, warming, comforting, informing and sustaining us, the Unholy Fire of change, rage, war the essence of action and industry that challenges and advances us but can also consume us and others we meet, lastly the Inner Fire that is simply the soul and spirit of our sentience our ego our identity our self awareness and conscience.]
[We all had some input as to how we chose to burn but that it is a sacred truth of nature that we all - must - burn. Either we daily spread the fire of light and life protecting and enkindling new souls or we brought the fire of change industry and competition. Some fires destroying as easily as creating - uncontrolled capable of extinguishing all hope - leaving only ashes in our wake rather than powering the progress and personal advancement that some people craved as if an addictive drug.]
[We passed through the fires of others and we burned with a fire of our own. Society a kind of fire too, I deemed fire a very useful metaphor in my speeches and sermons, as had many Paradox Priests before me. I rather wished every soul could meet ‘Draakhaarriiss’ to just sit at this table and soak in the warmth of his flame. Sitting here a better teaching than any speech I could devise, (that is if the souls coming to sit here were as open and receptive to unspoken truths as I felt rather than too self-absorbed and closed minded to bask in a quiet glory).]
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ was far from the only ‘Soul Forged’ person that I met in one ‘Pit’ or another but he was my favourite simply because his kind were once deemed our great enemy. I rather enjoyed interacting with ‘Draakgaarrll’ too when he visited the ‘House of Sii’ but his presence whilst friendly was also an unspoken threat. ‘Draakhaarriiss’ was different to ‘Draakgaarrll’, ‘Draakhaarriiss’ I accounted a soul mate even a lay preacher although I was sure he would have mocked such an idea as outlandish if I mentioned it.]
[‘Draakhaarriiss’ embodied hope for the future of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ in a way that even surpassed my only sometime appreciation of the ‘Arch Prelate’ of the ‘Shaper Faith’. Despite the ‘Arch Prelates’ admirable work to reform his people into being productive members of a wider society of species, to me the ‘Arch Prelate’ - much as myself - had an agenda whilst ‘Draakhaarriiss’ was just a good ‘Pilgrim’. ’Draakhaarriiss’ a good ‘Pilgrim’ in the same sense as ‘Betty’ proved although very different people.]
[Some days I missed just being a ‘Living Hull Pilgrim’ and nothing more unfortunately for me to be free - to feel free - I had to remain something more than simply an individual capable of knowing contentment. Arguably, to be a reformer one must be discontent. I now appreciated that I could never really be free until all my kind gained recognition as free people too. We are all free and equal in our society or we are all participants one way or another in inequality and slavery just as we can never be sin free as long as our society drives or encourages people towards sin.]
[Being around ‘Draakhaarriiss’ and ‘Betty’ amongst some other ‘Pilgrims’ reminded me - when my faith flagged - that I am a Priest not just a heretic. They helped me recall that I did believe in goodness too even if I must remain critical of other matters and that the darkness need not prevail at least whilst some fires burned brightly to shed even a little pool of light. Perhaps ‘Cad’ was right and I was defiant in my own crazy way.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Sat, 22. Mar 14, 11:25, edited 3 times in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 8]] --- ALL CHANGE ---
[On ‘Port Discovery’ initially in what used to be the ‘SCCCM’ of the ‘Many Truths’ and in some ways still is, ‘Cad’ animated a borrowed ‘Suit Substance’ Avatar.]
“They must have tagged the hull of my remote ‘Explorer Ship’.” [‘Cad’ began.] “Given where it left from I… well there is no adequate excuse for carelessness, we too obviously got lax with our security it is being reviewed - damned spies.”
“You know what they say there is no such thing as perfect security.” [I reminded.]
“I am worried that one or more of my people may have taken a bribe to help facilitate this particular affront loyalty is not what it used to be.” [He complained.]
“It happens it has even happened within the hallowed halls of our ‘MTC’ even here upon ‘Port Discovery’ the supposed holy of holies. Once I believed our Acolytes were proof against such blatant forms of corruption but it seems the times and some attitudes have changed - for the worse.” [I admitted in turn.]
[He was having a good moan so I joined in sometimes it helps.]
“How is your Priest to Acolyte relations these days?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
[I was surprised at first by his willingness to change subjects then I recalled how agitated he seemed upon initial arrival. ‘Improved’ had seriously affected his professorial sense of detachment. I decided to help him by sharing some of my woes.]
[I slumped my Avatar down for immediate emphasis.]
“Not what I would wish for. I guess the family is still too triple cursed big and that continues to cause problems. Nothing is the way it used to be back when Harbinger had a smaller family worse family size is far from the only vexing issue. Now we pay every family member a wage, everyday fewer serve - even just in their minds - purely out of a sense of duty and family loyalty. As you said, attitudes are altering. Of course, some of the more impressionable Acolytes are still in awe of me as the ‘Hull’ of their ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’ and or as the ‘Holy Father’ and that can be strangely annoying too.” [I stated.]
[We hugged.] “I guess we are all part of the ‘New Economic Reality’ now.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“The ‘MTC’ becoming ever less holy and more corporate seems almost a belated product of the Acolyte Synod a slow reform that I am in several minds about although ‘Mournful’ seems to believe it is the only way forward for us now. Maybe our currently by necessity - low - wages will finally encourage some of them to split and grow up.” [I added.]
“You say that now but I know you Priests always contrive to feel very affronted when your Acolytes seek to find their own way by splitting to adulthood.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Ours is not always an easy path every child splitting causes mixed emotions a sense of both pride and of rejection you must think us all mad.” [I said.]
“I think you care about your people deeply that is what matters all cultural differences aside.” [‘Cad’ said.] “Sadly due to the current economic climate we are all turning into ‘Emissary’ cursed ‘Recyclers’ increasing obsessed with juggling ‘Free Parliamentary Credits’ in our vain attempts to balance our books.” [‘Cad’ added.]
[Mostly these days we now just called them credits except when we wanted to denigrate the involvement of the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ in leaping in to float an official currency. Thinking back it seems strange that we adopted the currency of our enemy but then so many others adopted the ‘FPC’ that it just seemed easier to go with it rather than fight it and it seemed one way to incorporate the last diehard parliamentarians into the fold.]
“When the ‘Black Market’ that we rebels sponsored became surplus to requirements I thought economic corruption would settle down more. Unfortunately, there is a ridiculous amount of bribery and so on required today just to do even regular business such as gaining good docking slots even with some attempts to moderate this by ‘Consortium’ regulation and ‘CP’ investigations.” [‘Cad’ complained.]
“The wheel turns and we are ground beneath its weight.” [I stated.]
[I wondered when he would be happy returning to the subject of his visit. One of his ‘Explorer Ships’ had reached a ‘TNS Beacon’ before any of the rest of us only to be cheated of being the first to stake a physical claim due to blatant claim jumpers. The ‘Hierophant Explorer Ship’ already a little famous made the real space journey, given the distances involved to that specific ‘Beacon Site’, faster than anything we had ever heard of before. At the ‘MTC’ we suspected upon hearing the news that the ever inventive ‘Hierophants’ had used the trip to test out a new ‘Real Space’ engine of some kind. ‘Cad’ and the ‘Hierophants’ in general however proved less than forthcoming about the miracle voyage only insisting that they had not jumped at any point after they left the nearest stars embrace.]
[We walked together through a rock garden I had established for a while in companionable silence. In the end, I gave in to temptation.]
“So how exactly did they do it?” [I finally asked hoping he was now ready to talk some more about the matter most aggravating him.]
“A good question but all I can tell you is what happened from our point of view. When we slowed down to make a cautious approach, despite the jump detection risks two full sized ‘Source Ships’ jumped in ahead of us to directly claim the site. Almost immediately upon arrival they dropped ‘Claim Beacon Markers’ as well as ‘Static Defence Systems’ then they contacted us directly and warned us to stay clear of their claim as if our asset that had hauled its mass so very far through real space was the claim jumping intruder.” [‘Cad’ stated his voice getting louder as his anger re-established itself.]
“You have accepted the legitimacy of their claim?” [I asked slightly surprised.]
“Technically under our ‘Consortium Rules’, there is not a single - legal - thing that I can do about it as all that matters is that they physically staked their claim first. Besides if we started jumping combat assets in the ‘Entanglement’ would be bound to notice and even if she did not appear, fighting over the ‘Site’ could easily damage it. If we could prove they spied on us it might be slightly different but I am sure any ‘Tag System’ they employed is long gone and left nowhere near enough physical evidence behind to threaten a legal conviction.” [‘Cad’ complained.]
“You believe they ‘Tagged’ your ‘Explorer Ship’ that is the boldest move by the ‘ITC’ I have witnessed so far. There has been no sign of an appearance by the ‘Entanglement’ following the two ‘Source Ships’ direct to ‘Site’ non-‘Star Struck’ leaps?” [I asked.]
“There has been no overt response by ‘Crimson’ - so far - it is especially annoying the way they just jumped straight in after all our earlier precautions to keep ‘TNS Beacons’ secret.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “If the ‘Entanglement’ intervenes in our ‘TNS’ business now it will be due to a ‘Hierophant’ security lapse in allowing the ‘Tagging’ and claim theft.”
“I would not worry about that none of us would hold you responsible these things happen and done is thrice done.” [I replied.]
“I do not think ‘Weep’ will be so generous if or when he hears about this one.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“I will not tell him.” [I promised.]
[Hopefully ‘Crimson’ was doing as I asked she could be triple cursed X2 sagt Bussi auf Bauch a great way to keep us guessing and off-balance. Although according to precedent and unpublished rules of engagement two ships did not make a ‘Pilgrim’ fleet size that ‘Crimson’ deemed needed her interdicting attentions. However, she often scouted our non-‘Star Struck’ jumps even when she did not attack we guessed looking for space side resources she could take away from us be they natural asteroids or items such as wrecks or debris worth salvaging. Annoyingly the ‘Entanglement’ acted as if all space side harvestable resources are her property. Beyond the resource issue by generally sneaking around outer space, we tried not to rely too much upon any benison of self-restraint by ‘Crimson’ as she could too easily change her mind and her practices without notice on some whim.]
“In some ways I am the one that should be sorry. I am sorry that a young Paradox Priest dared behave in such a rude illegal way by stealing your claim even if you cannot prove it a theft.” [I added.]
“If only I could bring a legitimate complaint before the ‘Consortium’. Even if I had evidence, initiating legal procedures would be equivalent to publicising the discovery of ‘TNS Beacons’ to a multitude of potential claim jumpers.” [He reminded.]
“Triple cursed ‘Improved Technologies Consolidated’ is becoming one of the most prominent of several problematic ‘Consortium Corporations’ that I have been keeping my optics upon as the ‘Holy Father’ and an Elder Priest. Annoyingly the ‘ITC’ is a Paradox Priest Corporation very much modelled on the early ‘MTC’ during our days of most rapid expansion.” [I admitted.]
“After what happened I took a close look at their published assets ‘Improved’ is operating an ever expanding very successful ‘User Deep Mining’ operation as well as a substantial manufacturing and shipping concern.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “Whilst some others have been suffering in the current - climate - they have had nothing but solid sometimes amazing growth spurts shrugging off any and all storm losses.”
“The big difference between the early ‘MTC’ and the ‘ITC’ is that the ‘ITC’ is not expanding via cloning masses of Acolytes it employs ‘Sub Core’ run ‘Soulless’ assets instead. They have become expert at remote ‘Deep Mining’ and whilst they have not avoided some material losses they almost always make an overall profit on every sounding dive which I wish was true of every ‘MTC’ mining asset.” [I admitted.]
“It is obvious that ‘Improved’ has a head for business.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“He is smart enough that this provocative action against you ‘Hierophants’ rather surprises me.” [I said.]
“That was my initial thought too upon looking at this ones history the ‘ITC’ undercuts its competition to steal contracts but that is legitimate business, they have never been accused before of claim jumping or of any other illegality.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“Maybe this is about trying to make a name, about boosting his family reputation proving a coming of age that they can best a much more established business player with impunity.” [I suggested.]
“It seems a bit off the grid for the earning of corporate kudos.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“A grasped opportunity arrives where it arrives, you know that technically the ‘ITC’ is not even a Paradox Priest ‘Great House’ it is what we term a ‘Paradox Hold’ they might have something of an old inferiority complex.” [I lectured.]
“I understand that they are a small intimate Paradox family that refused to proliferate Acolyte membership as a result in this case I hear his Acolytes are now all famously rich.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“To some his children are spoilt being - infamously - wealthy.” [I replied.] “The ‘ITC’ has found a way to be both small and big at the same time - that is causing problems.”
“Do I detect a hint of jealously?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“In some ways I feel more than a hint of jealousy.” [I admitted.] “Akin to my Harbinger in the past ‘Improved’ today is one of several young Priests starting new trends amongst ambitious Paradox. In this case he has a following amongst mostly younger Priests with small families who have no ethical compunctions about heavily expanding their ‘Sub Core’ use via ‘Soulless Ships’ and other ‘Soulless’ assets perceiving nothing but advantages in this dangerous climate were they can mine for ‘RAW’ without risking any of their children’s lives something it is hard to debate against.” [I admitted.]
“You use ‘Sub Cores’ too to remote mine.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“It is a question of degree actually many of our ships have Avatars onboard run remotely by Acolytes rather than being ‘Soulless’. Mostly our ‘Sub Cores’ are additional aid not replacements for our people. Our children need jobs many ‘Immortal’ Marines now double as ‘Deep Miners’ that is one non-martial occupation they do not find too objectionable.” [I explained.]
“I am sorry if our ‘Sub Core’ invention is proving a curse as much as a blessing to your Paradox society.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“In some ways I really do envy the ‘ITC’ solution despite my fears about ‘Soulless’ troops being set upon ‘Real’ people as was evidenced by the ‘Mutilation Ports’. Although I would add that akin to ‘Suit Substance’ your ‘Sub Cores’ are proving another almost too good technology. What can I say my ‘MTC’ is becoming old fashioned - outdated - staff heavy and increasingly difficult to administer whilst keeping solvent - these are problems people such as ‘Improved’ do not have to worry about with their ‘Soulless’ expansions.” [I told ‘Cad’.]
“We ‘Hierophants’ have suffered some economic issues recently too with our manufacturing and mining operations. Luckily other matters are often more important to many of my people than the size of their wages such as scientific recognition and tenure within certain establishments of excellence.” [‘Cad’ confessed.]
“In that case you are blessed. Today what consumes the greatest bulk of our ‘MTC’ earnings is staff wages greatly reducing our profit and reinvestment surpluses. ‘Mournful’ is striving to get our Acolytes to invest back within the ‘MTC’ by for example starting their own small business ventures with ‘MTC’ support but many would prefer to spend their credits on frivolities and off duty entertainments and their wages are their credits to spend as they please. We have company stores and now charge for other in-house services too but that is hardly solving our problems. Before at most our Acolytes got a stipend but almost every in-house service was free now we are all counting credits all the time it is pathetic and demeaning.” [I complained.]
“No more free labour.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“For a ‘User Corporation’ the ‘MTC’ is operated more akin to a ‘Real Material Company’. Increasingly we are all about maintaining our people in a certain standard of living. Some days now when I browse our spreadsheets I fear we have reached the pinnacle of our growth and now there is only one way for us to go in this altered economic climate and that is steeply downward. Due to ‘Soulless’ asset using business rivals such as ‘Improved’ I am honestly beginning to fear for our future as a competitive enterprise.” [I confessed.]
“We ‘Hierophants’ have had to further diversify our income sources to keep in profit too.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“The shocking reality for the ‘MTC’ is that people such as ‘Improved’ are now beginning to seriously undercut our pricing strategy for exports. In truth, a ‘Soulless Sub Core’ run ‘Corporation’ is unfair competition against any business that employs or must maintain masses of ‘Real’ people some ‘Real Materialists’ are right in voicing that complaint. Unfortunately, I know too well that progress is not for stopping just because some people resent it. At this rate the ‘MTC’ will become a sort of commune all about self-sufficiency rather than attempting to compete with true external business market pressures.” [I complained.] “To think we used to be the radical ones pushing economic and social reform now it seems others are the radicals pushing back.”
“Sometimes it does seem that it is all change. I suppose you hate having to pay wages to your Acolytes.” [‘Cad’ seemed to gently mock.]
“Hardly hate, it seems only fair to me that Acolytes also gain a reward for their service it is the social changes that go with a credit based emphasis that worries me.” [I said.]
“The attempt at a credit less economy did not work out too well.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“Our ‘MTC’ business priorities are shifting to enable and prioritise family survival over expansion. Unfortunately, I fear we can only do so much and overall we are increasingly no longer a good fit for these times. Worse for us the full squeeze upon us due to ‘Soulless Sub Core’ competition has not even affected us yet. Unfortunately, I would need to be blind in more than one optic not to see what is coming the economy is changing far more rapidly than the ‘MTC’ can reply. We are no longer fronting business innovation we are being left behind and given the alternative that is almost where I prefer to leave us.” [I confessed.]
“That sounds far too defeatist. What is the alternative? I am guessing boosting your own percentage of ‘Sub Core’ usage.” [He added.] “I know you have concerns about ‘Ascension’ fixation and so on but if you are economically beginning to struggle and since you are ‘Suit Substance Users’ you might as well benefit from using ‘Suit Substance’ as much as is needed - at least until some better solution presents itself.” [‘Cad’ surprisingly suggested.]
“If we ran the same number of ‘Soulless Sub Core’ operations per member of our population as say the ‘ITC’ and their kind we would have to obscenely expand our pure ‘Suit Substance’ assets - that possibility bothers me deeply.” [I replied.]
“We all do what we must.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“I am not willing to bury our Acolytes under an absurd mass of ‘Soulless Sub Core’ industry so that they can all live as if kings uplifted via generated material wealth gained purely through far too remote to them automation.” [I stated.] “We would all lose touch with the reality of working for a living. I do not believe greed is good or blatantly unnecessary excess not to mention a life of idleness. To me if we embraced this option it would be spiritually damaging.”
[‘Cad’ shook the head of his Avatar gently.] “As any ‘Dweller’ will tell you sometimes you have to swim with the strongest current or you just exhaust yourself and get nowhere.” [He warned.] “Idealism is all well and good but one must be practical first.”
“In the past when we proliferated we did so for better reasons to keep the peace and so on.” [I replied.] “Today an ‘MTC Soulless Sub Core’ proliferation would not only further distance and damage our relations with every struggling ‘Real Materialist’ forced into utterly unfair competition but also put an even deeper strain on our sense of personal worth and achievement as individual working members of a wider society. There is an old saying that you are what you do I could add do nothing and you are nothing.”
[‘Cad’ considered that in silence.]
“What will we become when we need do nothing because our technology provides everything for us doing all the hard labour? The idea of every citizen being rich superficially sounds good but children are easily spoilt.” [I stated.]
“You have belatedly discovered something of the joys of a strong work ethic.” [‘Cad’ surmised.]
“It is not a good thing to have too much leisure time. Historically I believe we Priests always worked hard we had a ‘Vision’ to follow - a purpose - we sought to validate our existence and by our actions thereby brought much honour to our sentient life earning the respect of our fellow Priests’.” [I said.]
“That was then but times change and require us to alter our methods. It may be that the ‘Real Material’ and ‘User’ economies are destined to split already stout ‘Real Materialists’ often do the majority of their business with their own kind and vice versa with you ‘Users’.” [‘Cad’ insisted.]
“You would advocate a sundering of such breadth, to me that would be a social disaster.” [I stated.]
“I am not advocating just stating that perhaps it is inevitable ‘Real Materialists’ live slower than ‘Users’.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I prefer to keep my children productively occupied as Harbinger once did.” [I replied.]
“I can recall many Acolyte Marines spent a lot of time in questionably voluntary stasis in ‘War Vaults’ in Harbinger’s time.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“Perhaps I am out of step with the changing times, so much for my foolish dream of leading us all towards a social singularity to match and balance out any approaching technological singularity.” [I stated.]
“My friend you are too self-critical.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“How can I lead a Deep Time endeavour when I feel as if the now is leaving me and mine behind. Besides what will keep us from the temptation of ‘Ascending’ as ‘Users’ when all our business is handled via ‘Soulless Sub Core’ run ‘Suit Substance’. What will connect us to what is truly real about being alive once we become nothing more than the indolent ‘Users’ that the ‘Real Materialists’ accuse us of being?” [I complained.]
“Social and economic changes come and go and we find ways to cope, our priorities will shift in time as part of a new balance - life is change you know that my friend you have often preached that as did your former Captain and mentor of blessed memory. Perhaps freeing people from drudgery will free their minds and souls and help to create a new intelligentsia a new golden age even spur your social singularity closer.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Nothing that separates us from real life and divides our society will help us progress in a real way. Now you are just seeking to make me feel better. I fear instead we will devolve rather than evolve becoming increasingly dependant upon our technology increasingly isolated from anything that is not ‘Suit Substance’. Some of our Acolytes are already losing their way. These later generations lack our old sense of direction and purpose. They have no deep sense of their place in history. They fail to appreciate all the great things they might achieve if only they would step up and try harder. They have become passive passengers in their own too easy lives too ready followers of ‘Patriarchs’ just going through the motions of being alive.” [I complained.]
[‘Cad’ burst out laughing at that announcement by me.]
“We each make our own future one choice one action at a time others must do the same we cannot live our descendants’ lives for them our children are not us. They are products of their time we are products of ours. Perhaps some members of this generation by proliferating ‘Soulless Sub Cores’ are stepping up in their own way to meet the unique challenges of this era.” [‘Cad’ suggested.]
[That one hit me as if a ‘Living Hull Shockwave’. I bowed to the Professor.]
“I must acknowledge your point.” [I said.] “However, I still fear some of our ‘MTC’ Acolytes have already chosen to grow softer than our earlier children. They complain more but seem disinclined to split to find a ‘Vision’ of their own. How will these ones ever find a purpose that they can nobly dedicate their life to fulfilling if they never seek to stretch themselves beyond their beginnings? They just do the minimum to get their wages so that they can enjoy their leisure time - that is not our old way.” [I complained.]
“I seem to recall some Elder Priests complaining about Harbinger’s generation when your Captain was young in the days before the ‘Core Alliance’. The previous generation always complains about the next not appreciating the old ways. It seems we are the old establishment now. Each generation finds its own way of looking at their Universe including their own way of rebelling against their staid old Fathers designs. Maybe we made an early mistake - by trying to restrict and regulate ‘Soulless’ use we probably made it more attractive.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“If they are rebels they are clueless ones. I would be happy if some of them showed some real fire.” [I complained.]
[‘Cad’ roared out another very ‘Trojan’ laugh but this one almost loud enough to be Paradox.] “Some matters never change such as the generation gap.” [He said.]
“Am I being unreasonable? Even far too many Acolytes that regularly speak in any ‘Universal Council of Equals’ have nothing much to say anymore - they just speak to hear their own voices - they are very good at making clever remarks and fencing with words to score points but that is all they do score silly points off one another. There is no passion no commitment to a genuine cause.” [I complained.]
“They could be doing much worse things than sparring to better their communication skills.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“That is true but it still rankles as if even our sacred debates have become just a game to far too many. Sometimes it is hard not to fear that it is all going wrong that we have gone wrong that the ‘Great House’ that Harbinger made has already fallen where it matters. They say every Empire falls first from within. Have I been too preoccupied with other concerns? Did I let this calamity happen to my former Captain’s children?” [I asked.]
“Never easy being the Father to a family never mind a mighty nation and your ‘MTC’ is a nation.” [‘Cad’ said.] “I think you are just having a bad day the actions of Priest ‘Improved’ encouraging you to dwell upon some seemingly new negatives within your priestly order. It is not all bad the proliferation of ‘Soulless Sub Core’ assets does mean that very few Acolytes die in solar storms a great social boon. You should be happy that many Acolytes gain the resources they need to prosper whilst staying safe.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“Whilst it is true that few of them are dying I wonder how many of them are truly living. Also are we really safe here in the fire and if war or other great hardships arrive will these soft modern Acolytes have what it takes to do what needs to be done?” [I asked.]
“We ‘Pilgrims’ tend to rise to the challenges of our time I would not worry too much about your children doing the same. One way or another it will all work itself out and some of these woes are hardly your fault. Never mind anything else you were not responsible for the original proliferation of the ‘MTC’ with all those Acolyte Marines who now have to be accommodated for in your business plans.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I feel very conflicted in a negative rather than in a cleaner paradoxical way.” [I admitted.] “There is a part of me that would be happy for our Acolytes to have a chance to be children for a time rather than just being the business soldiers of the family.” [I said.]
“So what is your problem?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“The times we are living in is my problem. I see dangers multiplying all around us: The storms, the ‘User’ versus ‘Real Material’ divide, the ‘Free Miner’ versus ‘Consortium’ antipathy, the antagonistic ‘Isolationists’, the cursed ‘Entanglement’ monoculture and another looming economic crisis brought on by unfair automated competition.” [I stated.]
“You would carry too heavy a load upon your decks.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Little about my family recently brings me any joy. For a while, we were growing again and I was not overly happy about that either, I did not want more expansion more responsibility but it was a measure of renewed success in its way. Now with the family all I can see is future failure.” [I added.]
“When the storms began to worsen and became more unpredictable that took a toll encouraging some ‘Paradox Holds’ to use more ‘Sub Cores’ to mine and suddenly those ‘Holds’ saw a way to address an old imbalance of scale that had long disfavoured them. For long enough, us ‘Great Houses’ had it all our way we set the agenda via the power of our huge cloned families, our people making us mighty. Now with the aid of ‘Soulless Assets’ it is the ‘Holds’ turn to rise whilst all the children that once made the ‘Great Houses’ supreme are now an economic burden rather than an asset.” [I admitted.]
“I fear many of the ‘Soulless Substance’ embracing ‘Holds’ care little for our plight, excuse the coming pun, they - hold - old resentments against us for their previous marginalisation when we did little to give them succour. I always respected the ‘Holds’ but they once seemed the outdated and antiquated ones unable to adapt to changing circumstances - stubborn in their beliefs - now that is me and mine that fill that role. What is to become of all of our children? Will they grow to hate and resent the new wealth the economic and political power of the ‘Holds’? It is a Fathers strictest duty to lift up the next generation to success in that duty I am failing.” [I said miserably.]
“The ever practical ‘Mournful’ or you will find some solution to this latest crisis think of these difficulties as an incentive towards more radical family reform. It is easy to grow staid without some external impetus to help drive us forward. Perhaps every difficulty every challenge is really a blessing.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I cannot tolerate the thought of encouraging another colossal family expansion effort and I do not want to proliferate masses of ‘Soulless Substance’ it is too provocative to the ‘Real Materialists’ who fear the advent of a ‘ Suit Substance’ monoculture. I am coming to appreciate the validity of their negative position. This proliferation of ‘Soulless Assets’ if it is not moderated is going to cause strife.” [I warned.]
“I also do not overly favour a proliferation of ‘Soulless Assets’ as you know earlier attempts were made to limit the use of ‘Soulless RCT’ and so on but in these conditions using remotes to mine makes a lot of sense. However, if we do not wish to be surrounded by such ‘Bio-mechanical’ machines we will have to find some other way that is no less economically sound.” [‘Cad’ suggested.]
“I feel drained of inspiration at the moment.” [I replied.]
“When a solution to a problem refuses to present itself sometimes it is best to leave it be for a while and work on other achievable issues. Success is naturally inspirational whilst dwelling too much upon even a temporary failure is only depressing.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
[I slumped my Avatar down again.]
“My deepest apologies - that is good advice - I am being incredibly self-indulgent you came here I am sure to vent your frustration with ‘Improved’ and yet somehow I am the one burdening you with my many concerns. Sadly I doubt I can do much about ‘Improved’ I do not believe he has any interest in listening to any sermon I might make. It seems as a Priest I am of the past whilst he and his kind are the future.” [I admitted.] “Unless you have something in mind that I have not considered?”
“I was just wondering how well you knew ‘Improved’ as a fellow Paradox Priest. I wondered if you would have any added insight into the cause of his actions today. What might motivate him to be so bold?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“To be honest I have no idea why he would do this rash action. As far as I am aware he has never professed any great interest in exploration. I may be wrong but it seems almost akin to a petty act of revenge or defiance have you or your people annoyed him in some manner that he might wish to score some points back against you?” [I asked.]
[Point scoring - today my mind seemed stuck on that concept - that it was all increasingly about empty point scoring with some people who failed to appreciate any wider future forward vision. Why did it seem all about silly point scoring today?]
“To my knowledge we have not done anything to upset ‘Improved’ but I hardly know every bit of business undertaken by a ‘Hierophant’.” [‘Cad’ freely admitted.] “You think this is part of a misguided personal grudge?”
“Maybe someone else put him up to this one.” [I mused aloud.] “You are right it is a bit odd that he would dare to annoy you ‘Hierophants’ without a good reason? You are a powerful faction in your own way, and there might be nothing of value at the ‘Beacon Site’ so why risk it?” [I questioned as much to myself as ‘Cad’.]
“Was there something a ‘Tag’ might have registered that might encourage an opportunistic action?” [I asked.] “Initially he might well have been doing some corporate espionage in relation to your new engine design then you arrived to a site worth claiming.” [I suggested.]
[‘Cad’ just smiled slightly when I mentioned the new engine obviously he was not yet ready for a grand reveal of that technology whatever it happened to be.]
“Our long range scans did register a debris field including some fairly intact looking hulks of an unknown configuration suspiciously close together as if an old scrap yard or ship graveyard.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“His ‘Tag’ must have tapped into your sensor data somehow. Still, it would remain a very speculative gain for the assured making of your disfavour.” [I mused aloud.]
“One moment whilst I look at some data from the ‘Explorer’.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
[He was not silent for long I guessed he speeded up his cognition with ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support to do a very hasty analysis of specific systems from the ‘Explorer Ship’.]
“I am getting slow, there are signs that something physically tapped into our primary sensor mast sadly not enough evidence to bring charges. I suppose the lure of salvaged alien upgrades could have motivated him to leap ships in to steal the claim.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Maybe ‘Improved’ is happy to antagonise you a little. He might well be harbouring old less specific resentment against you as part of the establishment that once dominated ‘Pilgrim’ policy whilst he as the Father of a once small ‘Paradox Hold’ had to struggle to survive. Many ‘Holds’ had a hard time during the reign of the ‘Free Parliament’ their family split up and so on as part of forced integration policies. I guess that could easily fill out the motivational gap. As to you missing the obvious with a mast hack anger can cloud even the sharpest scientific mind and you seemed furious when you first arrived.” [I reminded.]
“I was furious I was looking forward to investigating that area and feeling proud of getting out there so quickly when it was all abruptly taken away from me.” [He complained.] “As to persecutions by the ‘Free Parliament’ I had nothing to do with any of that nonsense.” [He claimed.]
“And the first shall be last.” [I mocked with an old ‘Trojan’ saying.]
[In fact, I was not so sure of the last truth that ‘Cad’ spouted, I believed there had been some distant social manipulation going on with the ‘FP’ by the ‘Hierophants’ but I did not raise that speculation, as I had no proof just an abiding faith.]
“You headed up the old ‘Interdiction Fleet’ that guarded our lost ‘Core Alliance’ some unjustly blame ‘IF’ for losing the war with the ‘Entanglement’. If the ‘Core Alliance’ had not fallen, there would have been no so-called ‘Free Parliament’ ruling over us refugees. Also you were instrumental along with Harbinger and some others in creating the ‘Core Alliance’ that helped proliferate Paradox ‘Great Houses’ to the detriment of the traditional ‘Holds’ as the old style smaller Paradox family unit became known.” [I reminded.]
“I would say ‘Draakhaal’ was more responsible for the ‘CA’ we were just reacting to his actions in a vain attempt to restore a balance of power.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“I am sure that all ‘Improved’ sees with you is a member of the old guard that lorded over his kind and failed to protect our ‘Pilgrim’ society. I know many ‘Holds’ and even some ‘Great Houses’ resent the ‘MTC’ I have tried to reach out to them with some success but others have taken our aid but I think still secretly despise us as one of the original causes of their every woe.” [I admitted.] “Young ‘Improved’ split from another ‘Hold’ that was especially bitter towards the ‘MTC’ another reason why I have kept some optics on that one.”
“Our past does have a way with haunting us.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“The question now is, are you going to standoff and let him thieve the first ‘Pilgrim’ encountered ‘TNS Beacon Site’?” [I asked.]
“Now that I have calmed down a little, I am considering negotiating some kind of settlement for joint access. Perhaps this one even has something of a legitimate grievance as one who suffered from policies I had some input in.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“You came to see me in an effort to get a hasty bit of distance from the problem.” [I guessed.] “I would ware being too generous to some to whom that is only a sign of weakness rather than an indication of strength of character.” [I warned.]
“I suppose in a way I did need to cool down as screaming out my annoyance at ‘Improved’ would get me nowhere.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“You think he will deal with you despite any simmering resentments?” [I asked.]
“He knows I know he claim jumped so if I prove willing to put any enmity aside for that he ought to be able to reciprocate - give a little gain a little - is what diplomacy is all about. I overlook his insult he cooperates that seems logical.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Let us hope ‘Improved’ is capable of being motivated by some logic and not just a burning desire to right some overblown sense of being previously wronged.” [I replied.]
“I am a supporter of the ‘CP’ and would encourage the spread of the rule of interstellar law even when it works a little against me.” [‘Cad’ admitted.] “I guess ‘Improved’ surmised that much and is using my lawfulness against me. Nonetheless, getting a little payback in his mind will be one thing going too far by creating a powerful enemy out of my nation should be something else.”
“I know that ‘Improved’ is very active politically within the ‘Consortium’ in a rather anti-‘Real Materialist’ way probably because his method of mining is often criticised by ‘RM’. Perhaps a deal is the best option if you cannot prove he illegally tagged your ship.” [I stated.] “Personally, between you and me, I would also recommend some later off the record reprimand the sort of thing ‘UT’ occasionally does for our family when someone crosses the ‘MTC’ in a way that prevents a more open and legitimate balancing of accounts.”
“I am a little surprised that you are suggesting I resort to the provocative ancient practice of feuding.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I would not call it feuding just one suitable reminder to a trespasser that dirty actions in the now have dirty consequences in the now whatever his internal excuses are for affronting you. Too many members of the ‘Consortium’ these days would hide villainy behind the law. That is not what the ‘Consortium’ or the ‘Consortium Police’ is supposed to be about it is supposed to protect the innocent not the guilty. On a good day, I believe in a higher law - justice. Upstarts such as ‘Improved’ that would abuse the system need chastised for both their and our wider societies good. Perhaps we are looking at a future leader best he understand that abusing power has a cost. It seems to me that we need to fight to return some integrity to the ‘Consortium’ as an organisation originally created for the best of reasons.” [I preached.]
“I can recall when Harbinger was a radical upstart to many more established Priests.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“When my Captain did dodgy deeds they were always motivated for the best of reasons and never only for personal profit.” [I replied.]
“That is your perspective on your history no doubt others just recorded how your ‘MTC’ kept growing bigger and stronger and more politically dominant. Beyond that it seems our mutual friend ‘Unholy Terror’ is slowly corrupting your better methods and attitudes.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Today I cannot blame ‘Unholy’ as a bad influence - even in partial jest - it is just these changing times.” [I replied whilst thinking it was more likely partaking in the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ as ‘Venture’ that had me advocating sharp off the books lessons. Although we of the ‘MTC’ have always believed in paying our debts in full whenever possible especially to villains who sought to do us harm.]
“Justice needs served and the law does not always best serve it. I like to believe that most Paradox Priests have never sought to serve the law over justice not intentionally anyway, even our mutual friend ‘Creed’ - in his own way - is more about justice than the law - at least when he remembers that he is a Paradox Priest first and a law enforcer second.” [I stated.] “Some of these younger Priests need to learn a little respect for their Elders.” [I added.]
[‘Cad’ gave a wicked half smile at that last remark.]
“Curse it how embarrassing I guess I really have become the old establishment.” [I complained.]
“I do have one thought about how you might help me.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“Continue.” [I replied.]
“If you animated an Avatar on our ‘Explorer Ship’ and went with me to speak with these Paradox interlopers on site your presence might help smooth my negotiations. I know that you Paradox Priests even when you have firm differences rarely fight with one another save in debate and the wrestling ring. You have all that shrouding and formalities you can employ to work together through your difficulties.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I suppose I could do that although I do not think this one respects his Elders the way he should and he may despise me as an ‘MTC Patriarch’ even more than he resents your former role in our history.” [I warned again.]
“He may still respect you as a fellow Priest more than he does me as a ‘Trojan’ I am not just a part of the old order I am also an alien to him. Besides, as a less directly involved individual you might be able to mediate if difficulties arise.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“We Paradox Priests are an ancient inclusive order not a species we just too often forget that fact we ‘Shrouded’ our mixed species identities too well. How do you want me to play it? Shall I be friendly or disgusted at his behaviour?” [I asked.]
“Friendly might be good even if it is not instantly reciprocated but I think I rather like the disgusted angle idea too because I still am. It is ridiculous that I have to beg at my own table. You know without the ‘Interdiction Fleet’ this one’s ‘Hold’ might never have survived the rise of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ to be plagued by the ‘Entanglement’ and the ‘Free Parliament’.” [‘Cad’ reminded.] “It is easy to criticise the people in power when you never had to make the hard choices. I know Harbinger hated that he proliferated his children he did it out of duty and if anything an overblown sense of responsibility.”
“Do you think ‘Improved’ is willing to listen to a history lesson by us?” [I asked.]
“Probably not I am sure he has his own firm vision of the past.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“How about I play friendly but disgusted? The old you are showing us Priests in a poor light to the foreigners but perhaps I can prevent the ‘Hierophants’ from burning some of your family assets for insulting the Father of their nation in this shoddy manner.” [I suggested.] “Perhaps making mention that you probably still control the ‘Stellar Orb’, ‘Trojan Wormhole Harbours’ and who knows what other secret assets might help.”
“Nice approach.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“Maybe I can impress this wayward child after all. I will need two more Avatars for some well-armed companion ‘Immortals’ do you have that much spare ‘Suit Substance’ stored onboard?” [I asked.]
“Easily, whilst the ship is primarily ‘Real Material’ we planned to run some ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars for convenience sake to maximise flexibility as we did not know what if anything we might find at the ‘Beacon Site’.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“You will have to be careful ‘Cad’ - it is an easy pull down a steep gravity well - before you know it you could end up being branded just another ‘User’ like me.” [I joked.] “You realise it will at best be Avatars talking to Avatars if that bothers you.” [I warned.]
“The physical sense of connection should feel intimate and real enough that is all that matters. People respond better to a seemingly more real contact that fact proven by numerous studies even if the contact is just via physical Avatars. Anyway I know how much you Priests enjoy hugging.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“So when do we go?” [I asked.]
“One of my people is talking with their people now arranging a meet.” [He admitted.]
[A short time later, after doing some travelling without moving followed by some travelling via moving in a tiny ‘Real Material’ short-range ‘Shuttle Pod’ belonging to the ‘Hierophant Explorer Ship’ we were received onboard one of the ‘ITC Source Ships’. To my annoyance the ship was no traditional Paradox ‘Living Hull’, although a ‘Primary Hull’ it was a ‘Soulless’ shell of a thing created without any biological mind.]
[The ‘ITC’ ship a member of a new generation of ‘Hull’, one that would never seek emancipation being truly just a ‘Bio-mechanical’ machine. They called it ‘Solar Ranger’ far too grand a name it seemed to me for an empty vessel. Although seemingly friendly enough, every word was just emulation. Here was some peoples’ solution to our ‘Living Hull’ quest for sentient rights an attempt to outmode us out of existence with ‘Soulless Ships’ - it sickened me in the now - although such replacements might open the hatchway in the future to letting those of us with minds go free. If only all the ‘Passenger Classes’ could learn to have some faith in the wonder of their creation. If only they could appreciate the ‘Stellar Species’ they made as advocates of our cause such as ‘Puulaa’ and her ‘Free Stellar’ followers did. We only wanted to be free partners in a broadened society was that really too much to ask for?]
[As I had suspected, ‘Improved’ greeted us flanked by two companion Acolytes all three I assumed ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars although they did not proclaim this with formal Kanji markings of status as me and mine did. Perhaps that omission was a small statement of rebellion against some old formalities. ‘Old Holds’ were traditionally traditional but the ‘New Holds’ with their ‘Soulless Ships’ and so on where perhaps diverging.]
“Well this is a surprise to be honoured with a visit by Avatars belonging to two such historic figures. I trust you are who you say you are. ‘Hierophant Cad’ many have claimed you dead or still held hostage by oddly militant ‘Swimmer Dwellers’ this is one for the record.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
[I felt a complete fool I had forgotten that ‘Cad’ had long been gone to most people missing and possibly even presumed dead my focus on other issues. Could this action have been a ploy to gain proof that the famous - to some infamous - ‘Trojan Professor’ was still alive and actively pursuing his own agendas?]
“After I was released I retired from public life allowing me to mostly pursue more private interests.” [‘Cad’ claimed.]
“Retired but still spry you almost won the race to claim this place. I was shocked when I leapt in to find your vessel so incredibly close. I trust you will forgive me for quickly laying claim to my find sometimes there is little reward for coming second, you either win it all or you lose it all and I had already paid out for this one.” [‘Improved’ I felt slyly stated.]
[We had yet to get a formal hug another oversight or a slight?]
“Your find?” [I asked.]
“Of course, well actually the coordinates were purchased off an ugly little ‘Recycler Information Broker’ with shocking bad breath so really someone else found it first but they did not stake a claim and sold the data on to me clean to stake my own physical claim.” [He informed.]
“I am sure you have proof of all of that nonsense too but it does not change the truth of what you really did here today.” [I retorted whilst annoyingly thinking bad breath?]
“The only truth I see is that you are visiting me at my claim and being a little rude for no obvious reason.” [He retorted so smoothly it had to be a line.]
“Perhaps we should speak privately.” [I suggested.]
“I have nothing to hide from the honourable Professor here I assumed you two arrived together with a joint purpose. Did I misinterpret the ‘Hierophant’ communication?” [‘Improved’ asked.] “Why would I wish to whisper behind your associates back? Why would you wish to do that when that would be most improper behaviour?”
[None of this was how I had imagined this conversation going earlier.]
“If you have no interest in stepping back to save face - to shroud your shame - then I will be blunt.” [I replied.] “You disappoint me. This is no way for an adult Priest to behave and poor diplomacy. Professor ‘Cad’ may be retired but to his people he remains the mighty Father of a great nation and treating him so poorly could have serious ramifications…” [I began.]
“My apologies in the excitement of such eminent visitors my formality lapsed.” [‘Improved’ stated over me.]
[He then proceeded to give both of us a firm and friendly Paradox Priest Hug as if that lack was what was upsetting me. I had an immediate sinking feeling that this one was going to stick to his ridiculous story and so it proved.]
[A little later following more irrelevant flimflam…]
“Of course, I am more than happy to consider some ‘Hierophant’ input as long as you accept that my ‘Hold’ owns the intellectual property rights to anything discovered on this site and nothing is to be published or developed from this site without my permission. Naturally, I will be generous with items of purely scientific non-commercial interest and you will be credited as appropriate within any scientific journals and so on that the ‘ITC’ decides to publish.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“I was thinking of a more equal partnership. True you hold the title to this find - that is indisputable - but we ‘Hierophants’ have the experience and expertise you need to best exploit your - good fortune. The ‘ITC’ is obviously skilled at what it does but you are branching out into a new area of interest. You probably have no idea how much of use can be lost by rash salvage operations compared to a proper studied scientific approach.” [‘Cad’ stated with admirable calm under the circumstances.]
“You make some interesting points. Truly, this is a rather broad departure for my family and I do feel guilty at beating you so marginally to this prize. Since you are the experts I will let you and your people lead our researchers and we will share all data openly and all linked developments too via joint patents on any linked new discovery.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“I will have to think about all of that.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
[The suddenness and seeming generosity of the new offer I was sure taking him as much by surprised as it surprised me.]
“Think about it if you like but that is my best and final offer and I believe it is a most generous solution that plays to both of our strengths. Meanwhile my people must begin exploiting this site to the best of our lesser abilities as you never know when it might be taken away from us by say the ‘Entanglement’.” [‘Improved’ cautioned.]
[It was certainly a clever plan for ‘Improved’ as it would allow his family to study and learn from ‘Hierophant’ methods up close not just benefit from their actual work. Still I was sure ‘Cad’ could find ways to keep secret what he wanted to keep hidden about his procedures and tech. His people had certainly found ways to confound ‘Weep’ during the ‘Founder’ incident.]
“I suppose I must provisionally accept your offer pending examination of the smaller details.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“I will have my legal people talk to your legal people and we will draft a document fixing our terms and once ratified by us have it filed in the ‘Consortium Records Archive’.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
[Legal people and ‘Record Archives’ there was a time when an agreement in words between equals was more than good enough at least between Priests. I wondered if ‘Cad’ was doing the right thing, as ‘Improved’ seemed far too happy with the final surprisingly hasty settlement. I had grossly underestimated this one probably because I had seen him as an upstart child of a Priest with just one advantage his use of ‘Soulless Assets’ perhaps because he had split not very long ago. I really should have known better. Perhaps I was sometimes too impressed with my own seeming intellect and not half impressed enough with the intelligence of others.]
[In a strange way, I had failed in my efforts here because dealing with a fellow Paradox Priest I had deluded myself that I knew what I was dealing with giving it all far from enough deep thought. Back on ‘Hade’s Stopover’, I considered my actions as ‘Venture’ more seriously. I realised I would have to think differently in future as ‘MT’ when dealing with these ‘New Holds’ treat them more as unknowns worthy of far greater caution and respect.]
[Annoyingly something about this whole incident bothered me. What did ‘Improved’ really want to gain via his escapade? Could this be some clever way of infiltrating the ‘Hierophants’? If his actions proved all about getting closer access to the ‘Trojan Professors’, why did he wish to do that? What was his specific purpose? Could all of this be about trying to gain access to the suspected new ’Real Space Drive’ that had allowed the ‘Hierophants’ to get out here so quickly? The whole situation left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.]
[Although I was no ‘Meat Suit’ virgin, my conversion to the deepest most simplistic joys of palingenesis began arguably with ‘Jay’. ‘Jay’ occasionally ‘Jay Dee’ (J or JD) originally ‘Jill’ then ‘Jill Deep’ was the last member of one questionably holy ‘Omerta’ trinity that emerged out of the ‘BAB’. The other two members being ‘Bea’ (B) originally ‘Betty’ then ‘Betty Wild’ and ‘Essie’ stretched from ‘SC’ originally ‘Sue’ then ‘Sue Cunning’. To the ‘Immortals’ and some others they were ‘Wild’, ‘Cunning’ and ‘Deep’ as a group ‘WCD’ the letter order based upon supposed seniority of service but alone together with free time on their hands and the ‘Way-station’ as their local playground they became to each other ‘Bea’, ‘Essie’ and ‘Jay’.]
[Here I felt the name changes were not so much about levels of mental separation as questions of identity a reclaiming reminder that we each have private ownership over our soul even when we become entangled in a big organisation or project or subject to the easily crushing remit of a wide agenda. ‘Sue’ had been the creator of the ‘WCD’ nicknames possibly partially because she objected to the too true Paradox label of ‘Cunning’. For ‘Sue’ the name ‘Cunning’ gave far too much away up front especially to strangers. In her own way ‘Sue’ preferred to keep her mental sharpness, at least a little shrouded. Luckily for her ‘Cunning’ was mostly only used in-house by those of us that made up the inner circle of the ever expanding ‘House of Sii’.]
[Unknown to ‘Bea’ and ‘Essie’, ‘Jay’ was a ‘Meat Suit’ that I operated within the ‘House’, or when I was mentally very preoccupied ran via a dedicated ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ owned by me in a ‘Soulless’ manner with very strict guidelines. To them ‘Jill’ was just another young ‘Omerta’ employee of the ‘House of Sii’ another adopted ‘Omerta’ family member rescued from begging for casual work on the decks of ‘Hade’s Stopover’.]
[Whilst the ‘House of Sii’ had official operational ‘Meat Suits’ sometimes kept in stasis down in the ‘Vault’ my ‘Jill Deep’ was not one of those sometimes shared vehicles. ‘Jill’ was one product of my fertile Paradox Priest paranoia in relation to monitoring and partaking in internal ‘House of Sii’ relationships at less of a remove whilst not intimidating with the direct presence of a known Avatar. Here I must add that my inclusion into the downtime ‘WCD’ unit was not intentional being a happy almost accident. I say almost because it was a sort of closing of a circle the chosen physical nature of ‘Jill’ inspired by watching ‘Betty’ and ‘Sue’ in action over several weeks. One way or another the two enthusiastic very alive young ‘Omerta’ females managed to ingratiate themselves very quickly right across the spread of the ‘House of Sii’. Something about them often proving naturally disarming to almost all others regardless of species even our primarily - ‘Working Caste’ - ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ recruits were soon charmed by the ‘Trojan’ pair.]
[As ‘Jill’ I was named ‘Deep’ by the ‘Immortals’ because I was considered to be quiet and thoughtful. ‘Jill’ worked primarily at the ‘Reception Desk’ of ‘UME’ meeting and greeting new customers a pretty young face that had passed through the whole recruitment process and been employed to help ease any up front prejudice against us ‘Users’ by some ‘Real Material’ bigots lurking amongst our ‘Omerta’ customers. We purposely employed members of every available species to liaise with their specific kind. Although the ‘Free Miners’ are a multi-species movement many people still tended to be more comfortable dealing with their own type and more generous too. Whilst it was not always possible to arrange a perfect customer liaison fit every time, we did endeavour to do the best we could manage with our limited front-end resources via occasionally supplementing with back-end staff.]
[We had quickly learned - as sometimes despised ‘Users’ - that doing business without exception via ‘Suit Substance’ remotes was akin to slapping the faces of some clients the result at best poorer deals except when specifically working with fellow ‘Users’. That ‘Jill’ was seemingly of a similar age gender and species to ‘Betty’ and ‘Sue’ and that they saw her regularly working away at one or another reception desk in our lobby had drawn their attention to her as had my originally whilst ‘Jill’ quiet deep-thinking too work centric attitude.]
[Technically, ‘Jill’ met ‘Sue’ first of the pair as we also frequently assigned ‘Sue’ to reception duties first as an aspect of live training then as part of her wider duties. Amusingly we increasingly targeted ‘Sue’ at the more rowdy customers than we assigned to ‘Jill’ as ‘Sue’ for example now sported a hip holstered ‘Knock Gun’ that made her appreciable as a member of another local club.]
[‘Sue’ and ‘Betty’ soon took pity upon ‘Jill’ deciding that I needed to get out more. Getting out and having a wider social life was of course perfect for my internal ‘Meat Suit’ cover so I had - if at first a bit reluctantly - allowed them to drag me away from my previous work obsessed introversion. Despite my seeming reluctant recruitment we were soon known as ‘WCD’ and considered to be almost an inseparable unit of off-duty friends.]
[Here I must add that I never considered that I was spying on ‘Betty’ or ‘Sue’, to me being a part of ‘WCD’ whilst joyfully enhancing my overall cover story was primarily recreation, although I often strove to keep the incorrigible pair out of any serious trouble as the sometimes more sensible quiet one the whispering voice of reason in the background. If ‘WCD’ had an official leader it would be ‘Betty’ everyone in the group tacitly acknowledging that ‘Betty’ had ‘House of Sii’ seniority making her the big sister of the clique but often ‘Sue’ was the real inspiration behind any more outrageous on station high jinx putting ideas into the head of the ‘Wild’ one when ‘Wild’ was just being ‘Bea’.]
[‘Jay’ was the passive passenger of the recreation group bore along by their easy enthusiasms. ‘Betty’ was I believed blossoming within the ‘House of Sii’ proving a competent reliable well-rounded businessperson who under our tutorage and due to earlier experiences with gang culture had developed a genuine passion for local reform. ‘Betty’ was a genuine people person who enjoyed socialising proving increasingly empathetic across species and cultural boundaries whilst capable of playing the boss and making hard leadership decisions too. ‘Sue’ could be no less friendly but was more self motivated more selfish and usually befriended many people for specific reasons rather than just being friendly in general. Having said such things about ‘Sue’ I believed she was a bit different with ‘Betty’ and to a lesser degree with me as ‘Jill’.]
[‘Betty’ still impressed me most of all partially because happily, she was still so very capable of putting all of our sometimes difficult business aside to become a young ‘Omerta’ female again what some ‘Omerta’ factions labelled - not always in a demeaning or derogatory way - as a girl something I very much grew to love about her. ‘Sue’ could seemingly revert to childhood too but there was always a little more going on behind the eyes of that one. ‘Sue’ to me was well named as ‘Sue Cunning’.]
[A big part of me hoped that ‘Betty’ would never need to grow up to the point where she lost the ability to regress to a degree of blessed childish simplicity. Arguably, even with us Paradox the best Priests kept hold of a little bit of the former Acolyte in them as people such as ‘UT’ sometimes too ably demonstrated. Sometimes I feared I easily slipped into being too strictly adult - too Elder Priest - too patriarchal and preaching. ‘UT’ never seemed to have a problem connecting with his inner child. Whilst being ‘Jay’ I realised on a deeper level - than ever previously before - that as a ‘Living Hull’ I had never really been an ‘Acolyte’ never really had even a rough approximation of a proper childhood maybe that was why I sometimes took life far too seriously.]
[As close as I came to having a ‘Passenger Class’ childhood had been my earliest days as Harbinger’s ‘Hull’ which is hardly the same thing as say a natural born ‘Omerta’ experienced. Even when very young I had very adult responsibilities including the safety of my Captain and crew constantly weighing upon my mind. Some might say that we ‘Living Hulls’ are born old. As ‘Jay’ in some ways I was exploring something new to me something perhaps no less important than all my other works. A wise person never undervalues personal growth via embracing new experiences. Being ‘Jay’ was probably subtly changing who I am altogether and by growing and changing who I am I broadened the spectrum of my capabilities beholding new vectors of transit appreciating new truths and fostering wider sympathies.]
[We ‘Users’ could choose to feel with an amazing breadth and sensitivity of input as a ‘Suit Substance’ Avatar making the more natural senses of any ‘Meat Suit’ seem stunted and limited. However, a raw intimacy exists with a biological ‘Meat Suit’ that provides a different sort of sensitivity once you become open to appreciating the focus inherent in having less distractions especially when primarily interacting socially with people deemed your kind. Slowly as ‘Jay’, I began to realise that even extremist ‘Real Materialist’ Luddite folk insisting upon maximising their natural state in every way possible were not as limiting in their philosophies or as absurd in their point of view as I, as a modern day ‘User’, had once readily imagined. Although ironically it was - abominable - interfaces such my ‘Jay’ cloned mindless ‘Meat Suit’ body with its driving neural network and ‘EXO-C’ links that allowed me to have this sensitive epiphany.]
[How do you maintain a sense of the real in modern society when so much of your life is lived one way or another remotely? To me the answer to that is that you make genuine emotional connections despite whatever your current interface with the real happens to be. Wherever you go, there you truly are for good or ill. The means you utilise to connect - to get out there - is irrelevant being there and connecting is all that matters. Paradoxically whilst at times we sought levels of separation via our Avatars, here was a facility that equally connected us ever more intimately with our broader society too.]
[I will admit that I began to develop a taste for palingenesis for dropping my soul into other bodies for the purposes of deeper cultural immersion. Soon I was taking out ‘Recycler’, ‘Stellar Swimmer’ even ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ based ‘Meat Suits’ to blend into their respective societies upon the ‘Way-station’ and beyond. Not being an outsider to the society that you are engaged in studying soon proved incredibly addictive. Was this how it had once been for the ‘Emissary’? It was believed that the ‘Emissary’ had mastery over her shape changing flesh that reached far beyond even what our ‘Facilitator Shroud Suits’ and most advanced ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars could mimic. In essence, according to legend, she could become a member of any species she genetically sampled. I increasingly began to run ‘Meat Suits’ just to better know and appreciate the ‘Pilgrim’ diversity that occurred all around me. In a very real way my broader palingenesis felt life changing even more than reverting to a childhood that I never experienced before via my recreational partnership with ‘Bea’ and ‘Essie’.]
[Finally, it seemed I had found a tool that breached the often too firm borders of difference one even more useful than our old imperfect mechanism of ‘Shrouding’. My main internal embarrassment with borrowing other species flesh deriving from coming to this application of ‘Meat Suits’ so very late as a social reformer seeking wider understanding. Possibly I had been somewhat shy of this technology because some early ‘Meat Suits’ were made from abused people whose bodies were stolen as tools by people such as the then ‘Digital Sleepers’. At the back of my three brains, even creating a mindless biologically cloned suit so close to the physical substance of a real sentient being was skirting abomination. Now however, I considered the advantages of palingenesis outweighed any lesser ethical issues of playing with created life especially since these creations had no inner spark no mind of their own to worry about offending.]
[On ‘Port Discovery’ initially in what used to be the ‘SCCCM’ of the ‘Many Truths’ and in some ways still is, ‘Cad’ animated a borrowed ‘Suit Substance’ Avatar.]
“They must have tagged the hull of my remote ‘Explorer Ship’.” [‘Cad’ began.] “Given where it left from I… well there is no adequate excuse for carelessness, we too obviously got lax with our security it is being reviewed - damned spies.”
“You know what they say there is no such thing as perfect security.” [I reminded.]
“I am worried that one or more of my people may have taken a bribe to help facilitate this particular affront loyalty is not what it used to be.” [He complained.]
“It happens it has even happened within the hallowed halls of our ‘MTC’ even here upon ‘Port Discovery’ the supposed holy of holies. Once I believed our Acolytes were proof against such blatant forms of corruption but it seems the times and some attitudes have changed - for the worse.” [I admitted in turn.]
[He was having a good moan so I joined in sometimes it helps.]
“How is your Priest to Acolyte relations these days?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
[I was surprised at first by his willingness to change subjects then I recalled how agitated he seemed upon initial arrival. ‘Improved’ had seriously affected his professorial sense of detachment. I decided to help him by sharing some of my woes.]
[I slumped my Avatar down for immediate emphasis.]
“Not what I would wish for. I guess the family is still too triple cursed big and that continues to cause problems. Nothing is the way it used to be back when Harbinger had a smaller family worse family size is far from the only vexing issue. Now we pay every family member a wage, everyday fewer serve - even just in their minds - purely out of a sense of duty and family loyalty. As you said, attitudes are altering. Of course, some of the more impressionable Acolytes are still in awe of me as the ‘Hull’ of their ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’ and or as the ‘Holy Father’ and that can be strangely annoying too.” [I stated.]
[We hugged.] “I guess we are all part of the ‘New Economic Reality’ now.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“The ‘MTC’ becoming ever less holy and more corporate seems almost a belated product of the Acolyte Synod a slow reform that I am in several minds about although ‘Mournful’ seems to believe it is the only way forward for us now. Maybe our currently by necessity - low - wages will finally encourage some of them to split and grow up.” [I added.]
“You say that now but I know you Priests always contrive to feel very affronted when your Acolytes seek to find their own way by splitting to adulthood.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Ours is not always an easy path every child splitting causes mixed emotions a sense of both pride and of rejection you must think us all mad.” [I said.]
“I think you care about your people deeply that is what matters all cultural differences aside.” [‘Cad’ said.] “Sadly due to the current economic climate we are all turning into ‘Emissary’ cursed ‘Recyclers’ increasing obsessed with juggling ‘Free Parliamentary Credits’ in our vain attempts to balance our books.” [‘Cad’ added.]
[Mostly these days we now just called them credits except when we wanted to denigrate the involvement of the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ in leaping in to float an official currency. Thinking back it seems strange that we adopted the currency of our enemy but then so many others adopted the ‘FPC’ that it just seemed easier to go with it rather than fight it and it seemed one way to incorporate the last diehard parliamentarians into the fold.]
“When the ‘Black Market’ that we rebels sponsored became surplus to requirements I thought economic corruption would settle down more. Unfortunately, there is a ridiculous amount of bribery and so on required today just to do even regular business such as gaining good docking slots even with some attempts to moderate this by ‘Consortium’ regulation and ‘CP’ investigations.” [‘Cad’ complained.]
“The wheel turns and we are ground beneath its weight.” [I stated.]
[I wondered when he would be happy returning to the subject of his visit. One of his ‘Explorer Ships’ had reached a ‘TNS Beacon’ before any of the rest of us only to be cheated of being the first to stake a physical claim due to blatant claim jumpers. The ‘Hierophant Explorer Ship’ already a little famous made the real space journey, given the distances involved to that specific ‘Beacon Site’, faster than anything we had ever heard of before. At the ‘MTC’ we suspected upon hearing the news that the ever inventive ‘Hierophants’ had used the trip to test out a new ‘Real Space’ engine of some kind. ‘Cad’ and the ‘Hierophants’ in general however proved less than forthcoming about the miracle voyage only insisting that they had not jumped at any point after they left the nearest stars embrace.]
[We walked together through a rock garden I had established for a while in companionable silence. In the end, I gave in to temptation.]
“So how exactly did they do it?” [I finally asked hoping he was now ready to talk some more about the matter most aggravating him.]
“A good question but all I can tell you is what happened from our point of view. When we slowed down to make a cautious approach, despite the jump detection risks two full sized ‘Source Ships’ jumped in ahead of us to directly claim the site. Almost immediately upon arrival they dropped ‘Claim Beacon Markers’ as well as ‘Static Defence Systems’ then they contacted us directly and warned us to stay clear of their claim as if our asset that had hauled its mass so very far through real space was the claim jumping intruder.” [‘Cad’ stated his voice getting louder as his anger re-established itself.]
“You have accepted the legitimacy of their claim?” [I asked slightly surprised.]
“Technically under our ‘Consortium Rules’, there is not a single - legal - thing that I can do about it as all that matters is that they physically staked their claim first. Besides if we started jumping combat assets in the ‘Entanglement’ would be bound to notice and even if she did not appear, fighting over the ‘Site’ could easily damage it. If we could prove they spied on us it might be slightly different but I am sure any ‘Tag System’ they employed is long gone and left nowhere near enough physical evidence behind to threaten a legal conviction.” [‘Cad’ complained.]
“You believe they ‘Tagged’ your ‘Explorer Ship’ that is the boldest move by the ‘ITC’ I have witnessed so far. There has been no sign of an appearance by the ‘Entanglement’ following the two ‘Source Ships’ direct to ‘Site’ non-‘Star Struck’ leaps?” [I asked.]
“There has been no overt response by ‘Crimson’ - so far - it is especially annoying the way they just jumped straight in after all our earlier precautions to keep ‘TNS Beacons’ secret.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “If the ‘Entanglement’ intervenes in our ‘TNS’ business now it will be due to a ‘Hierophant’ security lapse in allowing the ‘Tagging’ and claim theft.”
“I would not worry about that none of us would hold you responsible these things happen and done is thrice done.” [I replied.]
“I do not think ‘Weep’ will be so generous if or when he hears about this one.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“I will not tell him.” [I promised.]
[Hopefully ‘Crimson’ was doing as I asked she could be triple cursed X2 sagt Bussi auf Bauch a great way to keep us guessing and off-balance. Although according to precedent and unpublished rules of engagement two ships did not make a ‘Pilgrim’ fleet size that ‘Crimson’ deemed needed her interdicting attentions. However, she often scouted our non-‘Star Struck’ jumps even when she did not attack we guessed looking for space side resources she could take away from us be they natural asteroids or items such as wrecks or debris worth salvaging. Annoyingly the ‘Entanglement’ acted as if all space side harvestable resources are her property. Beyond the resource issue by generally sneaking around outer space, we tried not to rely too much upon any benison of self-restraint by ‘Crimson’ as she could too easily change her mind and her practices without notice on some whim.]
“In some ways I am the one that should be sorry. I am sorry that a young Paradox Priest dared behave in such a rude illegal way by stealing your claim even if you cannot prove it a theft.” [I added.]
“If only I could bring a legitimate complaint before the ‘Consortium’. Even if I had evidence, initiating legal procedures would be equivalent to publicising the discovery of ‘TNS Beacons’ to a multitude of potential claim jumpers.” [He reminded.]
“Triple cursed ‘Improved Technologies Consolidated’ is becoming one of the most prominent of several problematic ‘Consortium Corporations’ that I have been keeping my optics upon as the ‘Holy Father’ and an Elder Priest. Annoyingly the ‘ITC’ is a Paradox Priest Corporation very much modelled on the early ‘MTC’ during our days of most rapid expansion.” [I admitted.]
“After what happened I took a close look at their published assets ‘Improved’ is operating an ever expanding very successful ‘User Deep Mining’ operation as well as a substantial manufacturing and shipping concern.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “Whilst some others have been suffering in the current - climate - they have had nothing but solid sometimes amazing growth spurts shrugging off any and all storm losses.”
“The big difference between the early ‘MTC’ and the ‘ITC’ is that the ‘ITC’ is not expanding via cloning masses of Acolytes it employs ‘Sub Core’ run ‘Soulless’ assets instead. They have become expert at remote ‘Deep Mining’ and whilst they have not avoided some material losses they almost always make an overall profit on every sounding dive which I wish was true of every ‘MTC’ mining asset.” [I admitted.]
“It is obvious that ‘Improved’ has a head for business.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“He is smart enough that this provocative action against you ‘Hierophants’ rather surprises me.” [I said.]
“That was my initial thought too upon looking at this ones history the ‘ITC’ undercuts its competition to steal contracts but that is legitimate business, they have never been accused before of claim jumping or of any other illegality.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“Maybe this is about trying to make a name, about boosting his family reputation proving a coming of age that they can best a much more established business player with impunity.” [I suggested.]
“It seems a bit off the grid for the earning of corporate kudos.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“A grasped opportunity arrives where it arrives, you know that technically the ‘ITC’ is not even a Paradox Priest ‘Great House’ it is what we term a ‘Paradox Hold’ they might have something of an old inferiority complex.” [I lectured.]
“I understand that they are a small intimate Paradox family that refused to proliferate Acolyte membership as a result in this case I hear his Acolytes are now all famously rich.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“To some his children are spoilt being - infamously - wealthy.” [I replied.] “The ‘ITC’ has found a way to be both small and big at the same time - that is causing problems.”
“Do I detect a hint of jealously?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“In some ways I feel more than a hint of jealousy.” [I admitted.] “Akin to my Harbinger in the past ‘Improved’ today is one of several young Priests starting new trends amongst ambitious Paradox. In this case he has a following amongst mostly younger Priests with small families who have no ethical compunctions about heavily expanding their ‘Sub Core’ use via ‘Soulless Ships’ and other ‘Soulless’ assets perceiving nothing but advantages in this dangerous climate were they can mine for ‘RAW’ without risking any of their children’s lives something it is hard to debate against.” [I admitted.]
“You use ‘Sub Cores’ too to remote mine.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“It is a question of degree actually many of our ships have Avatars onboard run remotely by Acolytes rather than being ‘Soulless’. Mostly our ‘Sub Cores’ are additional aid not replacements for our people. Our children need jobs many ‘Immortal’ Marines now double as ‘Deep Miners’ that is one non-martial occupation they do not find too objectionable.” [I explained.]
“I am sorry if our ‘Sub Core’ invention is proving a curse as much as a blessing to your Paradox society.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“In some ways I really do envy the ‘ITC’ solution despite my fears about ‘Soulless’ troops being set upon ‘Real’ people as was evidenced by the ‘Mutilation Ports’. Although I would add that akin to ‘Suit Substance’ your ‘Sub Cores’ are proving another almost too good technology. What can I say my ‘MTC’ is becoming old fashioned - outdated - staff heavy and increasingly difficult to administer whilst keeping solvent - these are problems people such as ‘Improved’ do not have to worry about with their ‘Soulless’ expansions.” [I told ‘Cad’.]
“We ‘Hierophants’ have suffered some economic issues recently too with our manufacturing and mining operations. Luckily other matters are often more important to many of my people than the size of their wages such as scientific recognition and tenure within certain establishments of excellence.” [‘Cad’ confessed.]
“In that case you are blessed. Today what consumes the greatest bulk of our ‘MTC’ earnings is staff wages greatly reducing our profit and reinvestment surpluses. ‘Mournful’ is striving to get our Acolytes to invest back within the ‘MTC’ by for example starting their own small business ventures with ‘MTC’ support but many would prefer to spend their credits on frivolities and off duty entertainments and their wages are their credits to spend as they please. We have company stores and now charge for other in-house services too but that is hardly solving our problems. Before at most our Acolytes got a stipend but almost every in-house service was free now we are all counting credits all the time it is pathetic and demeaning.” [I complained.]
“No more free labour.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“For a ‘User Corporation’ the ‘MTC’ is operated more akin to a ‘Real Material Company’. Increasingly we are all about maintaining our people in a certain standard of living. Some days now when I browse our spreadsheets I fear we have reached the pinnacle of our growth and now there is only one way for us to go in this altered economic climate and that is steeply downward. Due to ‘Soulless’ asset using business rivals such as ‘Improved’ I am honestly beginning to fear for our future as a competitive enterprise.” [I confessed.]
“We ‘Hierophants’ have had to further diversify our income sources to keep in profit too.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“The shocking reality for the ‘MTC’ is that people such as ‘Improved’ are now beginning to seriously undercut our pricing strategy for exports. In truth, a ‘Soulless Sub Core’ run ‘Corporation’ is unfair competition against any business that employs or must maintain masses of ‘Real’ people some ‘Real Materialists’ are right in voicing that complaint. Unfortunately, I know too well that progress is not for stopping just because some people resent it. At this rate the ‘MTC’ will become a sort of commune all about self-sufficiency rather than attempting to compete with true external business market pressures.” [I complained.] “To think we used to be the radical ones pushing economic and social reform now it seems others are the radicals pushing back.”
“Sometimes it does seem that it is all change. I suppose you hate having to pay wages to your Acolytes.” [‘Cad’ seemed to gently mock.]
“Hardly hate, it seems only fair to me that Acolytes also gain a reward for their service it is the social changes that go with a credit based emphasis that worries me.” [I said.]
“The attempt at a credit less economy did not work out too well.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“Our ‘MTC’ business priorities are shifting to enable and prioritise family survival over expansion. Unfortunately, I fear we can only do so much and overall we are increasingly no longer a good fit for these times. Worse for us the full squeeze upon us due to ‘Soulless Sub Core’ competition has not even affected us yet. Unfortunately, I would need to be blind in more than one optic not to see what is coming the economy is changing far more rapidly than the ‘MTC’ can reply. We are no longer fronting business innovation we are being left behind and given the alternative that is almost where I prefer to leave us.” [I confessed.]
“That sounds far too defeatist. What is the alternative? I am guessing boosting your own percentage of ‘Sub Core’ usage.” [He added.] “I know you have concerns about ‘Ascension’ fixation and so on but if you are economically beginning to struggle and since you are ‘Suit Substance Users’ you might as well benefit from using ‘Suit Substance’ as much as is needed - at least until some better solution presents itself.” [‘Cad’ surprisingly suggested.]
“If we ran the same number of ‘Soulless Sub Core’ operations per member of our population as say the ‘ITC’ and their kind we would have to obscenely expand our pure ‘Suit Substance’ assets - that possibility bothers me deeply.” [I replied.]
“We all do what we must.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“I am not willing to bury our Acolytes under an absurd mass of ‘Soulless Sub Core’ industry so that they can all live as if kings uplifted via generated material wealth gained purely through far too remote to them automation.” [I stated.] “We would all lose touch with the reality of working for a living. I do not believe greed is good or blatantly unnecessary excess not to mention a life of idleness. To me if we embraced this option it would be spiritually damaging.”
[‘Cad’ shook the head of his Avatar gently.] “As any ‘Dweller’ will tell you sometimes you have to swim with the strongest current or you just exhaust yourself and get nowhere.” [He warned.] “Idealism is all well and good but one must be practical first.”
“In the past when we proliferated we did so for better reasons to keep the peace and so on.” [I replied.] “Today an ‘MTC Soulless Sub Core’ proliferation would not only further distance and damage our relations with every struggling ‘Real Materialist’ forced into utterly unfair competition but also put an even deeper strain on our sense of personal worth and achievement as individual working members of a wider society. There is an old saying that you are what you do I could add do nothing and you are nothing.”
[‘Cad’ considered that in silence.]
“What will we become when we need do nothing because our technology provides everything for us doing all the hard labour? The idea of every citizen being rich superficially sounds good but children are easily spoilt.” [I stated.]
“You have belatedly discovered something of the joys of a strong work ethic.” [‘Cad’ surmised.]
“It is not a good thing to have too much leisure time. Historically I believe we Priests always worked hard we had a ‘Vision’ to follow - a purpose - we sought to validate our existence and by our actions thereby brought much honour to our sentient life earning the respect of our fellow Priests’.” [I said.]
“That was then but times change and require us to alter our methods. It may be that the ‘Real Material’ and ‘User’ economies are destined to split already stout ‘Real Materialists’ often do the majority of their business with their own kind and vice versa with you ‘Users’.” [‘Cad’ insisted.]
“You would advocate a sundering of such breadth, to me that would be a social disaster.” [I stated.]
“I am not advocating just stating that perhaps it is inevitable ‘Real Materialists’ live slower than ‘Users’.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I prefer to keep my children productively occupied as Harbinger once did.” [I replied.]
“I can recall many Acolyte Marines spent a lot of time in questionably voluntary stasis in ‘War Vaults’ in Harbinger’s time.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“Perhaps I am out of step with the changing times, so much for my foolish dream of leading us all towards a social singularity to match and balance out any approaching technological singularity.” [I stated.]
“My friend you are too self-critical.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“How can I lead a Deep Time endeavour when I feel as if the now is leaving me and mine behind. Besides what will keep us from the temptation of ‘Ascending’ as ‘Users’ when all our business is handled via ‘Soulless Sub Core’ run ‘Suit Substance’. What will connect us to what is truly real about being alive once we become nothing more than the indolent ‘Users’ that the ‘Real Materialists’ accuse us of being?” [I complained.]
“Social and economic changes come and go and we find ways to cope, our priorities will shift in time as part of a new balance - life is change you know that my friend you have often preached that as did your former Captain and mentor of blessed memory. Perhaps freeing people from drudgery will free their minds and souls and help to create a new intelligentsia a new golden age even spur your social singularity closer.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Nothing that separates us from real life and divides our society will help us progress in a real way. Now you are just seeking to make me feel better. I fear instead we will devolve rather than evolve becoming increasingly dependant upon our technology increasingly isolated from anything that is not ‘Suit Substance’. Some of our Acolytes are already losing their way. These later generations lack our old sense of direction and purpose. They have no deep sense of their place in history. They fail to appreciate all the great things they might achieve if only they would step up and try harder. They have become passive passengers in their own too easy lives too ready followers of ‘Patriarchs’ just going through the motions of being alive.” [I complained.]
[‘Cad’ burst out laughing at that announcement by me.]
“We each make our own future one choice one action at a time others must do the same we cannot live our descendants’ lives for them our children are not us. They are products of their time we are products of ours. Perhaps some members of this generation by proliferating ‘Soulless Sub Cores’ are stepping up in their own way to meet the unique challenges of this era.” [‘Cad’ suggested.]
[That one hit me as if a ‘Living Hull Shockwave’. I bowed to the Professor.]
“I must acknowledge your point.” [I said.] “However, I still fear some of our ‘MTC’ Acolytes have already chosen to grow softer than our earlier children. They complain more but seem disinclined to split to find a ‘Vision’ of their own. How will these ones ever find a purpose that they can nobly dedicate their life to fulfilling if they never seek to stretch themselves beyond their beginnings? They just do the minimum to get their wages so that they can enjoy their leisure time - that is not our old way.” [I complained.]
“I seem to recall some Elder Priests complaining about Harbinger’s generation when your Captain was young in the days before the ‘Core Alliance’. The previous generation always complains about the next not appreciating the old ways. It seems we are the old establishment now. Each generation finds its own way of looking at their Universe including their own way of rebelling against their staid old Fathers designs. Maybe we made an early mistake - by trying to restrict and regulate ‘Soulless’ use we probably made it more attractive.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“If they are rebels they are clueless ones. I would be happy if some of them showed some real fire.” [I complained.]
[‘Cad’ roared out another very ‘Trojan’ laugh but this one almost loud enough to be Paradox.] “Some matters never change such as the generation gap.” [He said.]
“Am I being unreasonable? Even far too many Acolytes that regularly speak in any ‘Universal Council of Equals’ have nothing much to say anymore - they just speak to hear their own voices - they are very good at making clever remarks and fencing with words to score points but that is all they do score silly points off one another. There is no passion no commitment to a genuine cause.” [I complained.]
“They could be doing much worse things than sparring to better their communication skills.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“That is true but it still rankles as if even our sacred debates have become just a game to far too many. Sometimes it is hard not to fear that it is all going wrong that we have gone wrong that the ‘Great House’ that Harbinger made has already fallen where it matters. They say every Empire falls first from within. Have I been too preoccupied with other concerns? Did I let this calamity happen to my former Captain’s children?” [I asked.]
“Never easy being the Father to a family never mind a mighty nation and your ‘MTC’ is a nation.” [‘Cad’ said.] “I think you are just having a bad day the actions of Priest ‘Improved’ encouraging you to dwell upon some seemingly new negatives within your priestly order. It is not all bad the proliferation of ‘Soulless Sub Core’ assets does mean that very few Acolytes die in solar storms a great social boon. You should be happy that many Acolytes gain the resources they need to prosper whilst staying safe.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“Whilst it is true that few of them are dying I wonder how many of them are truly living. Also are we really safe here in the fire and if war or other great hardships arrive will these soft modern Acolytes have what it takes to do what needs to be done?” [I asked.]
“We ‘Pilgrims’ tend to rise to the challenges of our time I would not worry too much about your children doing the same. One way or another it will all work itself out and some of these woes are hardly your fault. Never mind anything else you were not responsible for the original proliferation of the ‘MTC’ with all those Acolyte Marines who now have to be accommodated for in your business plans.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I feel very conflicted in a negative rather than in a cleaner paradoxical way.” [I admitted.] “There is a part of me that would be happy for our Acolytes to have a chance to be children for a time rather than just being the business soldiers of the family.” [I said.]
“So what is your problem?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“The times we are living in is my problem. I see dangers multiplying all around us: The storms, the ‘User’ versus ‘Real Material’ divide, the ‘Free Miner’ versus ‘Consortium’ antipathy, the antagonistic ‘Isolationists’, the cursed ‘Entanglement’ monoculture and another looming economic crisis brought on by unfair automated competition.” [I stated.]
“You would carry too heavy a load upon your decks.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“Little about my family recently brings me any joy. For a while, we were growing again and I was not overly happy about that either, I did not want more expansion more responsibility but it was a measure of renewed success in its way. Now with the family all I can see is future failure.” [I added.]
“When the storms began to worsen and became more unpredictable that took a toll encouraging some ‘Paradox Holds’ to use more ‘Sub Cores’ to mine and suddenly those ‘Holds’ saw a way to address an old imbalance of scale that had long disfavoured them. For long enough, us ‘Great Houses’ had it all our way we set the agenda via the power of our huge cloned families, our people making us mighty. Now with the aid of ‘Soulless Assets’ it is the ‘Holds’ turn to rise whilst all the children that once made the ‘Great Houses’ supreme are now an economic burden rather than an asset.” [I admitted.]
“I fear many of the ‘Soulless Substance’ embracing ‘Holds’ care little for our plight, excuse the coming pun, they - hold - old resentments against us for their previous marginalisation when we did little to give them succour. I always respected the ‘Holds’ but they once seemed the outdated and antiquated ones unable to adapt to changing circumstances - stubborn in their beliefs - now that is me and mine that fill that role. What is to become of all of our children? Will they grow to hate and resent the new wealth the economic and political power of the ‘Holds’? It is a Fathers strictest duty to lift up the next generation to success in that duty I am failing.” [I said miserably.]
“The ever practical ‘Mournful’ or you will find some solution to this latest crisis think of these difficulties as an incentive towards more radical family reform. It is easy to grow staid without some external impetus to help drive us forward. Perhaps every difficulty every challenge is really a blessing.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I cannot tolerate the thought of encouraging another colossal family expansion effort and I do not want to proliferate masses of ‘Soulless Substance’ it is too provocative to the ‘Real Materialists’ who fear the advent of a ‘ Suit Substance’ monoculture. I am coming to appreciate the validity of their negative position. This proliferation of ‘Soulless Assets’ if it is not moderated is going to cause strife.” [I warned.]
“I also do not overly favour a proliferation of ‘Soulless Assets’ as you know earlier attempts were made to limit the use of ‘Soulless RCT’ and so on but in these conditions using remotes to mine makes a lot of sense. However, if we do not wish to be surrounded by such ‘Bio-mechanical’ machines we will have to find some other way that is no less economically sound.” [‘Cad’ suggested.]
“I feel drained of inspiration at the moment.” [I replied.]
“When a solution to a problem refuses to present itself sometimes it is best to leave it be for a while and work on other achievable issues. Success is naturally inspirational whilst dwelling too much upon even a temporary failure is only depressing.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
[I slumped my Avatar down again.]
“My deepest apologies - that is good advice - I am being incredibly self-indulgent you came here I am sure to vent your frustration with ‘Improved’ and yet somehow I am the one burdening you with my many concerns. Sadly I doubt I can do much about ‘Improved’ I do not believe he has any interest in listening to any sermon I might make. It seems as a Priest I am of the past whilst he and his kind are the future.” [I admitted.] “Unless you have something in mind that I have not considered?”
“I was just wondering how well you knew ‘Improved’ as a fellow Paradox Priest. I wondered if you would have any added insight into the cause of his actions today. What might motivate him to be so bold?” [‘Cad’ asked.]
“To be honest I have no idea why he would do this rash action. As far as I am aware he has never professed any great interest in exploration. I may be wrong but it seems almost akin to a petty act of revenge or defiance have you or your people annoyed him in some manner that he might wish to score some points back against you?” [I asked.]
[Point scoring - today my mind seemed stuck on that concept - that it was all increasingly about empty point scoring with some people who failed to appreciate any wider future forward vision. Why did it seem all about silly point scoring today?]
“To my knowledge we have not done anything to upset ‘Improved’ but I hardly know every bit of business undertaken by a ‘Hierophant’.” [‘Cad’ freely admitted.] “You think this is part of a misguided personal grudge?”
“Maybe someone else put him up to this one.” [I mused aloud.] “You are right it is a bit odd that he would dare to annoy you ‘Hierophants’ without a good reason? You are a powerful faction in your own way, and there might be nothing of value at the ‘Beacon Site’ so why risk it?” [I questioned as much to myself as ‘Cad’.]
“Was there something a ‘Tag’ might have registered that might encourage an opportunistic action?” [I asked.] “Initially he might well have been doing some corporate espionage in relation to your new engine design then you arrived to a site worth claiming.” [I suggested.]
[‘Cad’ just smiled slightly when I mentioned the new engine obviously he was not yet ready for a grand reveal of that technology whatever it happened to be.]
“Our long range scans did register a debris field including some fairly intact looking hulks of an unknown configuration suspiciously close together as if an old scrap yard or ship graveyard.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“His ‘Tag’ must have tapped into your sensor data somehow. Still, it would remain a very speculative gain for the assured making of your disfavour.” [I mused aloud.]
“One moment whilst I look at some data from the ‘Explorer’.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
[He was not silent for long I guessed he speeded up his cognition with ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support to do a very hasty analysis of specific systems from the ‘Explorer Ship’.]
“I am getting slow, there are signs that something physically tapped into our primary sensor mast sadly not enough evidence to bring charges. I suppose the lure of salvaged alien upgrades could have motivated him to leap ships in to steal the claim.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Maybe ‘Improved’ is happy to antagonise you a little. He might well be harbouring old less specific resentment against you as part of the establishment that once dominated ‘Pilgrim’ policy whilst he as the Father of a once small ‘Paradox Hold’ had to struggle to survive. Many ‘Holds’ had a hard time during the reign of the ‘Free Parliament’ their family split up and so on as part of forced integration policies. I guess that could easily fill out the motivational gap. As to you missing the obvious with a mast hack anger can cloud even the sharpest scientific mind and you seemed furious when you first arrived.” [I reminded.]
“I was furious I was looking forward to investigating that area and feeling proud of getting out there so quickly when it was all abruptly taken away from me.” [He complained.] “As to persecutions by the ‘Free Parliament’ I had nothing to do with any of that nonsense.” [He claimed.]
“And the first shall be last.” [I mocked with an old ‘Trojan’ saying.]
[In fact, I was not so sure of the last truth that ‘Cad’ spouted, I believed there had been some distant social manipulation going on with the ‘FP’ by the ‘Hierophants’ but I did not raise that speculation, as I had no proof just an abiding faith.]
“You headed up the old ‘Interdiction Fleet’ that guarded our lost ‘Core Alliance’ some unjustly blame ‘IF’ for losing the war with the ‘Entanglement’. If the ‘Core Alliance’ had not fallen, there would have been no so-called ‘Free Parliament’ ruling over us refugees. Also you were instrumental along with Harbinger and some others in creating the ‘Core Alliance’ that helped proliferate Paradox ‘Great Houses’ to the detriment of the traditional ‘Holds’ as the old style smaller Paradox family unit became known.” [I reminded.]
“I would say ‘Draakhaal’ was more responsible for the ‘CA’ we were just reacting to his actions in a vain attempt to restore a balance of power.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“I am sure that all ‘Improved’ sees with you is a member of the old guard that lorded over his kind and failed to protect our ‘Pilgrim’ society. I know many ‘Holds’ and even some ‘Great Houses’ resent the ‘MTC’ I have tried to reach out to them with some success but others have taken our aid but I think still secretly despise us as one of the original causes of their every woe.” [I admitted.] “Young ‘Improved’ split from another ‘Hold’ that was especially bitter towards the ‘MTC’ another reason why I have kept some optics on that one.”
“Our past does have a way with haunting us.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“The question now is, are you going to standoff and let him thieve the first ‘Pilgrim’ encountered ‘TNS Beacon Site’?” [I asked.]
“Now that I have calmed down a little, I am considering negotiating some kind of settlement for joint access. Perhaps this one even has something of a legitimate grievance as one who suffered from policies I had some input in.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“You came to see me in an effort to get a hasty bit of distance from the problem.” [I guessed.] “I would ware being too generous to some to whom that is only a sign of weakness rather than an indication of strength of character.” [I warned.]
“I suppose in a way I did need to cool down as screaming out my annoyance at ‘Improved’ would get me nowhere.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“You think he will deal with you despite any simmering resentments?” [I asked.]
“He knows I know he claim jumped so if I prove willing to put any enmity aside for that he ought to be able to reciprocate - give a little gain a little - is what diplomacy is all about. I overlook his insult he cooperates that seems logical.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Let us hope ‘Improved’ is capable of being motivated by some logic and not just a burning desire to right some overblown sense of being previously wronged.” [I replied.]
“I am a supporter of the ‘CP’ and would encourage the spread of the rule of interstellar law even when it works a little against me.” [‘Cad’ admitted.] “I guess ‘Improved’ surmised that much and is using my lawfulness against me. Nonetheless, getting a little payback in his mind will be one thing going too far by creating a powerful enemy out of my nation should be something else.”
“I know that ‘Improved’ is very active politically within the ‘Consortium’ in a rather anti-‘Real Materialist’ way probably because his method of mining is often criticised by ‘RM’. Perhaps a deal is the best option if you cannot prove he illegally tagged your ship.” [I stated.] “Personally, between you and me, I would also recommend some later off the record reprimand the sort of thing ‘UT’ occasionally does for our family when someone crosses the ‘MTC’ in a way that prevents a more open and legitimate balancing of accounts.”
“I am a little surprised that you are suggesting I resort to the provocative ancient practice of feuding.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I would not call it feuding just one suitable reminder to a trespasser that dirty actions in the now have dirty consequences in the now whatever his internal excuses are for affronting you. Too many members of the ‘Consortium’ these days would hide villainy behind the law. That is not what the ‘Consortium’ or the ‘Consortium Police’ is supposed to be about it is supposed to protect the innocent not the guilty. On a good day, I believe in a higher law - justice. Upstarts such as ‘Improved’ that would abuse the system need chastised for both their and our wider societies good. Perhaps we are looking at a future leader best he understand that abusing power has a cost. It seems to me that we need to fight to return some integrity to the ‘Consortium’ as an organisation originally created for the best of reasons.” [I preached.]
“I can recall when Harbinger was a radical upstart to many more established Priests.” [‘Cad’ reminded.]
“When my Captain did dodgy deeds they were always motivated for the best of reasons and never only for personal profit.” [I replied.]
“That is your perspective on your history no doubt others just recorded how your ‘MTC’ kept growing bigger and stronger and more politically dominant. Beyond that it seems our mutual friend ‘Unholy Terror’ is slowly corrupting your better methods and attitudes.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Today I cannot blame ‘Unholy’ as a bad influence - even in partial jest - it is just these changing times.” [I replied whilst thinking it was more likely partaking in the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ as ‘Venture’ that had me advocating sharp off the books lessons. Although we of the ‘MTC’ have always believed in paying our debts in full whenever possible especially to villains who sought to do us harm.]
“Justice needs served and the law does not always best serve it. I like to believe that most Paradox Priests have never sought to serve the law over justice not intentionally anyway, even our mutual friend ‘Creed’ - in his own way - is more about justice than the law - at least when he remembers that he is a Paradox Priest first and a law enforcer second.” [I stated.] “Some of these younger Priests need to learn a little respect for their Elders.” [I added.]
[‘Cad’ gave a wicked half smile at that last remark.]
“Curse it how embarrassing I guess I really have become the old establishment.” [I complained.]
“I do have one thought about how you might help me.” [‘Cad’ added.]
“Continue.” [I replied.]
“If you animated an Avatar on our ‘Explorer Ship’ and went with me to speak with these Paradox interlopers on site your presence might help smooth my negotiations. I know that you Paradox Priests even when you have firm differences rarely fight with one another save in debate and the wrestling ring. You have all that shrouding and formalities you can employ to work together through your difficulties.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“I suppose I could do that although I do not think this one respects his Elders the way he should and he may despise me as an ‘MTC Patriarch’ even more than he resents your former role in our history.” [I warned again.]
“He may still respect you as a fellow Priest more than he does me as a ‘Trojan’ I am not just a part of the old order I am also an alien to him. Besides, as a less directly involved individual you might be able to mediate if difficulties arise.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“We Paradox Priests are an ancient inclusive order not a species we just too often forget that fact we ‘Shrouded’ our mixed species identities too well. How do you want me to play it? Shall I be friendly or disgusted at his behaviour?” [I asked.]
“Friendly might be good even if it is not instantly reciprocated but I think I rather like the disgusted angle idea too because I still am. It is ridiculous that I have to beg at my own table. You know without the ‘Interdiction Fleet’ this one’s ‘Hold’ might never have survived the rise of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ to be plagued by the ‘Entanglement’ and the ‘Free Parliament’.” [‘Cad’ reminded.] “It is easy to criticise the people in power when you never had to make the hard choices. I know Harbinger hated that he proliferated his children he did it out of duty and if anything an overblown sense of responsibility.”
“Do you think ‘Improved’ is willing to listen to a history lesson by us?” [I asked.]
“Probably not I am sure he has his own firm vision of the past.” [‘Cad’ said.]
“How about I play friendly but disgusted? The old you are showing us Priests in a poor light to the foreigners but perhaps I can prevent the ‘Hierophants’ from burning some of your family assets for insulting the Father of their nation in this shoddy manner.” [I suggested.] “Perhaps making mention that you probably still control the ‘Stellar Orb’, ‘Trojan Wormhole Harbours’ and who knows what other secret assets might help.”
“Nice approach.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“Maybe I can impress this wayward child after all. I will need two more Avatars for some well-armed companion ‘Immortals’ do you have that much spare ‘Suit Substance’ stored onboard?” [I asked.]
“Easily, whilst the ship is primarily ‘Real Material’ we planned to run some ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars for convenience sake to maximise flexibility as we did not know what if anything we might find at the ‘Beacon Site’.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“You will have to be careful ‘Cad’ - it is an easy pull down a steep gravity well - before you know it you could end up being branded just another ‘User’ like me.” [I joked.] “You realise it will at best be Avatars talking to Avatars if that bothers you.” [I warned.]
“The physical sense of connection should feel intimate and real enough that is all that matters. People respond better to a seemingly more real contact that fact proven by numerous studies even if the contact is just via physical Avatars. Anyway I know how much you Priests enjoy hugging.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“So when do we go?” [I asked.]
“One of my people is talking with their people now arranging a meet.” [He admitted.]
[A short time later, after doing some travelling without moving followed by some travelling via moving in a tiny ‘Real Material’ short-range ‘Shuttle Pod’ belonging to the ‘Hierophant Explorer Ship’ we were received onboard one of the ‘ITC Source Ships’. To my annoyance the ship was no traditional Paradox ‘Living Hull’, although a ‘Primary Hull’ it was a ‘Soulless’ shell of a thing created without any biological mind.]
[The ‘ITC’ ship a member of a new generation of ‘Hull’, one that would never seek emancipation being truly just a ‘Bio-mechanical’ machine. They called it ‘Solar Ranger’ far too grand a name it seemed to me for an empty vessel. Although seemingly friendly enough, every word was just emulation. Here was some peoples’ solution to our ‘Living Hull’ quest for sentient rights an attempt to outmode us out of existence with ‘Soulless Ships’ - it sickened me in the now - although such replacements might open the hatchway in the future to letting those of us with minds go free. If only all the ‘Passenger Classes’ could learn to have some faith in the wonder of their creation. If only they could appreciate the ‘Stellar Species’ they made as advocates of our cause such as ‘Puulaa’ and her ‘Free Stellar’ followers did. We only wanted to be free partners in a broadened society was that really too much to ask for?]
[As I had suspected, ‘Improved’ greeted us flanked by two companion Acolytes all three I assumed ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars although they did not proclaim this with formal Kanji markings of status as me and mine did. Perhaps that omission was a small statement of rebellion against some old formalities. ‘Old Holds’ were traditionally traditional but the ‘New Holds’ with their ‘Soulless Ships’ and so on where perhaps diverging.]
“Well this is a surprise to be honoured with a visit by Avatars belonging to two such historic figures. I trust you are who you say you are. ‘Hierophant Cad’ many have claimed you dead or still held hostage by oddly militant ‘Swimmer Dwellers’ this is one for the record.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
[I felt a complete fool I had forgotten that ‘Cad’ had long been gone to most people missing and possibly even presumed dead my focus on other issues. Could this action have been a ploy to gain proof that the famous - to some infamous - ‘Trojan Professor’ was still alive and actively pursuing his own agendas?]
“After I was released I retired from public life allowing me to mostly pursue more private interests.” [‘Cad’ claimed.]
“Retired but still spry you almost won the race to claim this place. I was shocked when I leapt in to find your vessel so incredibly close. I trust you will forgive me for quickly laying claim to my find sometimes there is little reward for coming second, you either win it all or you lose it all and I had already paid out for this one.” [‘Improved’ I felt slyly stated.]
[We had yet to get a formal hug another oversight or a slight?]
“Your find?” [I asked.]
“Of course, well actually the coordinates were purchased off an ugly little ‘Recycler Information Broker’ with shocking bad breath so really someone else found it first but they did not stake a claim and sold the data on to me clean to stake my own physical claim.” [He informed.]
“I am sure you have proof of all of that nonsense too but it does not change the truth of what you really did here today.” [I retorted whilst annoyingly thinking bad breath?]
“The only truth I see is that you are visiting me at my claim and being a little rude for no obvious reason.” [He retorted so smoothly it had to be a line.]
“Perhaps we should speak privately.” [I suggested.]
“I have nothing to hide from the honourable Professor here I assumed you two arrived together with a joint purpose. Did I misinterpret the ‘Hierophant’ communication?” [‘Improved’ asked.] “Why would I wish to whisper behind your associates back? Why would you wish to do that when that would be most improper behaviour?”
[None of this was how I had imagined this conversation going earlier.]
“If you have no interest in stepping back to save face - to shroud your shame - then I will be blunt.” [I replied.] “You disappoint me. This is no way for an adult Priest to behave and poor diplomacy. Professor ‘Cad’ may be retired but to his people he remains the mighty Father of a great nation and treating him so poorly could have serious ramifications…” [I began.]
“My apologies in the excitement of such eminent visitors my formality lapsed.” [‘Improved’ stated over me.]
[He then proceeded to give both of us a firm and friendly Paradox Priest Hug as if that lack was what was upsetting me. I had an immediate sinking feeling that this one was going to stick to his ridiculous story and so it proved.]
[A little later following more irrelevant flimflam…]
“Of course, I am more than happy to consider some ‘Hierophant’ input as long as you accept that my ‘Hold’ owns the intellectual property rights to anything discovered on this site and nothing is to be published or developed from this site without my permission. Naturally, I will be generous with items of purely scientific non-commercial interest and you will be credited as appropriate within any scientific journals and so on that the ‘ITC’ decides to publish.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“I was thinking of a more equal partnership. True you hold the title to this find - that is indisputable - but we ‘Hierophants’ have the experience and expertise you need to best exploit your - good fortune. The ‘ITC’ is obviously skilled at what it does but you are branching out into a new area of interest. You probably have no idea how much of use can be lost by rash salvage operations compared to a proper studied scientific approach.” [‘Cad’ stated with admirable calm under the circumstances.]
“You make some interesting points. Truly, this is a rather broad departure for my family and I do feel guilty at beating you so marginally to this prize. Since you are the experts I will let you and your people lead our researchers and we will share all data openly and all linked developments too via joint patents on any linked new discovery.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“I will have to think about all of that.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
[The suddenness and seeming generosity of the new offer I was sure taking him as much by surprised as it surprised me.]
“Think about it if you like but that is my best and final offer and I believe it is a most generous solution that plays to both of our strengths. Meanwhile my people must begin exploiting this site to the best of our lesser abilities as you never know when it might be taken away from us by say the ‘Entanglement’.” [‘Improved’ cautioned.]
[It was certainly a clever plan for ‘Improved’ as it would allow his family to study and learn from ‘Hierophant’ methods up close not just benefit from their actual work. Still I was sure ‘Cad’ could find ways to keep secret what he wanted to keep hidden about his procedures and tech. His people had certainly found ways to confound ‘Weep’ during the ‘Founder’ incident.]
“I suppose I must provisionally accept your offer pending examination of the smaller details.” [‘Cad’ replied.]
“I will have my legal people talk to your legal people and we will draft a document fixing our terms and once ratified by us have it filed in the ‘Consortium Records Archive’.” [‘Founder’ stated.]
[Legal people and ‘Record Archives’ there was a time when an agreement in words between equals was more than good enough at least between Priests. I wondered if ‘Cad’ was doing the right thing, as ‘Improved’ seemed far too happy with the final surprisingly hasty settlement. I had grossly underestimated this one probably because I had seen him as an upstart child of a Priest with just one advantage his use of ‘Soulless Assets’ perhaps because he had split not very long ago. I really should have known better. Perhaps I was sometimes too impressed with my own seeming intellect and not half impressed enough with the intelligence of others.]
[In a strange way, I had failed in my efforts here because dealing with a fellow Paradox Priest I had deluded myself that I knew what I was dealing with giving it all far from enough deep thought. Back on ‘Hade’s Stopover’, I considered my actions as ‘Venture’ more seriously. I realised I would have to think differently in future as ‘MT’ when dealing with these ‘New Holds’ treat them more as unknowns worthy of far greater caution and respect.]
[Annoyingly something about this whole incident bothered me. What did ‘Improved’ really want to gain via his escapade? Could this be some clever way of infiltrating the ‘Hierophants’? If his actions proved all about getting closer access to the ‘Trojan Professors’, why did he wish to do that? What was his specific purpose? Could all of this be about trying to gain access to the suspected new ’Real Space Drive’ that had allowed the ‘Hierophants’ to get out here so quickly? The whole situation left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.]
[Although I was no ‘Meat Suit’ virgin, my conversion to the deepest most simplistic joys of palingenesis began arguably with ‘Jay’. ‘Jay’ occasionally ‘Jay Dee’ (J or JD) originally ‘Jill’ then ‘Jill Deep’ was the last member of one questionably holy ‘Omerta’ trinity that emerged out of the ‘BAB’. The other two members being ‘Bea’ (B) originally ‘Betty’ then ‘Betty Wild’ and ‘Essie’ stretched from ‘SC’ originally ‘Sue’ then ‘Sue Cunning’. To the ‘Immortals’ and some others they were ‘Wild’, ‘Cunning’ and ‘Deep’ as a group ‘WCD’ the letter order based upon supposed seniority of service but alone together with free time on their hands and the ‘Way-station’ as their local playground they became to each other ‘Bea’, ‘Essie’ and ‘Jay’.]
[Here I felt the name changes were not so much about levels of mental separation as questions of identity a reclaiming reminder that we each have private ownership over our soul even when we become entangled in a big organisation or project or subject to the easily crushing remit of a wide agenda. ‘Sue’ had been the creator of the ‘WCD’ nicknames possibly partially because she objected to the too true Paradox label of ‘Cunning’. For ‘Sue’ the name ‘Cunning’ gave far too much away up front especially to strangers. In her own way ‘Sue’ preferred to keep her mental sharpness, at least a little shrouded. Luckily for her ‘Cunning’ was mostly only used in-house by those of us that made up the inner circle of the ever expanding ‘House of Sii’.]
[Unknown to ‘Bea’ and ‘Essie’, ‘Jay’ was a ‘Meat Suit’ that I operated within the ‘House’, or when I was mentally very preoccupied ran via a dedicated ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ owned by me in a ‘Soulless’ manner with very strict guidelines. To them ‘Jill’ was just another young ‘Omerta’ employee of the ‘House of Sii’ another adopted ‘Omerta’ family member rescued from begging for casual work on the decks of ‘Hade’s Stopover’.]
[Whilst the ‘House of Sii’ had official operational ‘Meat Suits’ sometimes kept in stasis down in the ‘Vault’ my ‘Jill Deep’ was not one of those sometimes shared vehicles. ‘Jill’ was one product of my fertile Paradox Priest paranoia in relation to monitoring and partaking in internal ‘House of Sii’ relationships at less of a remove whilst not intimidating with the direct presence of a known Avatar. Here I must add that my inclusion into the downtime ‘WCD’ unit was not intentional being a happy almost accident. I say almost because it was a sort of closing of a circle the chosen physical nature of ‘Jill’ inspired by watching ‘Betty’ and ‘Sue’ in action over several weeks. One way or another the two enthusiastic very alive young ‘Omerta’ females managed to ingratiate themselves very quickly right across the spread of the ‘House of Sii’. Something about them often proving naturally disarming to almost all others regardless of species even our primarily - ‘Working Caste’ - ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ recruits were soon charmed by the ‘Trojan’ pair.]
[As ‘Jill’ I was named ‘Deep’ by the ‘Immortals’ because I was considered to be quiet and thoughtful. ‘Jill’ worked primarily at the ‘Reception Desk’ of ‘UME’ meeting and greeting new customers a pretty young face that had passed through the whole recruitment process and been employed to help ease any up front prejudice against us ‘Users’ by some ‘Real Material’ bigots lurking amongst our ‘Omerta’ customers. We purposely employed members of every available species to liaise with their specific kind. Although the ‘Free Miners’ are a multi-species movement many people still tended to be more comfortable dealing with their own type and more generous too. Whilst it was not always possible to arrange a perfect customer liaison fit every time, we did endeavour to do the best we could manage with our limited front-end resources via occasionally supplementing with back-end staff.]
[We had quickly learned - as sometimes despised ‘Users’ - that doing business without exception via ‘Suit Substance’ remotes was akin to slapping the faces of some clients the result at best poorer deals except when specifically working with fellow ‘Users’. That ‘Jill’ was seemingly of a similar age gender and species to ‘Betty’ and ‘Sue’ and that they saw her regularly working away at one or another reception desk in our lobby had drawn their attention to her as had my originally whilst ‘Jill’ quiet deep-thinking too work centric attitude.]
[Technically, ‘Jill’ met ‘Sue’ first of the pair as we also frequently assigned ‘Sue’ to reception duties first as an aspect of live training then as part of her wider duties. Amusingly we increasingly targeted ‘Sue’ at the more rowdy customers than we assigned to ‘Jill’ as ‘Sue’ for example now sported a hip holstered ‘Knock Gun’ that made her appreciable as a member of another local club.]
[‘Sue’ and ‘Betty’ soon took pity upon ‘Jill’ deciding that I needed to get out more. Getting out and having a wider social life was of course perfect for my internal ‘Meat Suit’ cover so I had - if at first a bit reluctantly - allowed them to drag me away from my previous work obsessed introversion. Despite my seeming reluctant recruitment we were soon known as ‘WCD’ and considered to be almost an inseparable unit of off-duty friends.]
[Here I must add that I never considered that I was spying on ‘Betty’ or ‘Sue’, to me being a part of ‘WCD’ whilst joyfully enhancing my overall cover story was primarily recreation, although I often strove to keep the incorrigible pair out of any serious trouble as the sometimes more sensible quiet one the whispering voice of reason in the background. If ‘WCD’ had an official leader it would be ‘Betty’ everyone in the group tacitly acknowledging that ‘Betty’ had ‘House of Sii’ seniority making her the big sister of the clique but often ‘Sue’ was the real inspiration behind any more outrageous on station high jinx putting ideas into the head of the ‘Wild’ one when ‘Wild’ was just being ‘Bea’.]
[‘Jay’ was the passive passenger of the recreation group bore along by their easy enthusiasms. ‘Betty’ was I believed blossoming within the ‘House of Sii’ proving a competent reliable well-rounded businessperson who under our tutorage and due to earlier experiences with gang culture had developed a genuine passion for local reform. ‘Betty’ was a genuine people person who enjoyed socialising proving increasingly empathetic across species and cultural boundaries whilst capable of playing the boss and making hard leadership decisions too. ‘Sue’ could be no less friendly but was more self motivated more selfish and usually befriended many people for specific reasons rather than just being friendly in general. Having said such things about ‘Sue’ I believed she was a bit different with ‘Betty’ and to a lesser degree with me as ‘Jill’.]
[‘Betty’ still impressed me most of all partially because happily, she was still so very capable of putting all of our sometimes difficult business aside to become a young ‘Omerta’ female again what some ‘Omerta’ factions labelled - not always in a demeaning or derogatory way - as a girl something I very much grew to love about her. ‘Sue’ could seemingly revert to childhood too but there was always a little more going on behind the eyes of that one. ‘Sue’ to me was well named as ‘Sue Cunning’.]
[A big part of me hoped that ‘Betty’ would never need to grow up to the point where she lost the ability to regress to a degree of blessed childish simplicity. Arguably, even with us Paradox the best Priests kept hold of a little bit of the former Acolyte in them as people such as ‘UT’ sometimes too ably demonstrated. Sometimes I feared I easily slipped into being too strictly adult - too Elder Priest - too patriarchal and preaching. ‘UT’ never seemed to have a problem connecting with his inner child. Whilst being ‘Jay’ I realised on a deeper level - than ever previously before - that as a ‘Living Hull’ I had never really been an ‘Acolyte’ never really had even a rough approximation of a proper childhood maybe that was why I sometimes took life far too seriously.]
[As close as I came to having a ‘Passenger Class’ childhood had been my earliest days as Harbinger’s ‘Hull’ which is hardly the same thing as say a natural born ‘Omerta’ experienced. Even when very young I had very adult responsibilities including the safety of my Captain and crew constantly weighing upon my mind. Some might say that we ‘Living Hulls’ are born old. As ‘Jay’ in some ways I was exploring something new to me something perhaps no less important than all my other works. A wise person never undervalues personal growth via embracing new experiences. Being ‘Jay’ was probably subtly changing who I am altogether and by growing and changing who I am I broadened the spectrum of my capabilities beholding new vectors of transit appreciating new truths and fostering wider sympathies.]
[We ‘Users’ could choose to feel with an amazing breadth and sensitivity of input as a ‘Suit Substance’ Avatar making the more natural senses of any ‘Meat Suit’ seem stunted and limited. However, a raw intimacy exists with a biological ‘Meat Suit’ that provides a different sort of sensitivity once you become open to appreciating the focus inherent in having less distractions especially when primarily interacting socially with people deemed your kind. Slowly as ‘Jay’, I began to realise that even extremist ‘Real Materialist’ Luddite folk insisting upon maximising their natural state in every way possible were not as limiting in their philosophies or as absurd in their point of view as I, as a modern day ‘User’, had once readily imagined. Although ironically it was - abominable - interfaces such my ‘Jay’ cloned mindless ‘Meat Suit’ body with its driving neural network and ‘EXO-C’ links that allowed me to have this sensitive epiphany.]
[How do you maintain a sense of the real in modern society when so much of your life is lived one way or another remotely? To me the answer to that is that you make genuine emotional connections despite whatever your current interface with the real happens to be. Wherever you go, there you truly are for good or ill. The means you utilise to connect - to get out there - is irrelevant being there and connecting is all that matters. Paradoxically whilst at times we sought levels of separation via our Avatars, here was a facility that equally connected us ever more intimately with our broader society too.]
[I will admit that I began to develop a taste for palingenesis for dropping my soul into other bodies for the purposes of deeper cultural immersion. Soon I was taking out ‘Recycler’, ‘Stellar Swimmer’ even ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ based ‘Meat Suits’ to blend into their respective societies upon the ‘Way-station’ and beyond. Not being an outsider to the society that you are engaged in studying soon proved incredibly addictive. Was this how it had once been for the ‘Emissary’? It was believed that the ‘Emissary’ had mastery over her shape changing flesh that reached far beyond even what our ‘Facilitator Shroud Suits’ and most advanced ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars could mimic. In essence, according to legend, she could become a member of any species she genetically sampled. I increasingly began to run ‘Meat Suits’ just to better know and appreciate the ‘Pilgrim’ diversity that occurred all around me. In a very real way my broader palingenesis felt life changing even more than reverting to a childhood that I never experienced before via my recreational partnership with ‘Bea’ and ‘Essie’.]
[Finally, it seemed I had found a tool that breached the often too firm borders of difference one even more useful than our old imperfect mechanism of ‘Shrouding’. My main internal embarrassment with borrowing other species flesh deriving from coming to this application of ‘Meat Suits’ so very late as a social reformer seeking wider understanding. Possibly I had been somewhat shy of this technology because some early ‘Meat Suits’ were made from abused people whose bodies were stolen as tools by people such as the then ‘Digital Sleepers’. At the back of my three brains, even creating a mindless biologically cloned suit so close to the physical substance of a real sentient being was skirting abomination. Now however, I considered the advantages of palingenesis outweighed any lesser ethical issues of playing with created life especially since these creations had no inner spark no mind of their own to worry about offending.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Mon, 31. Mar 14, 10:36, edited 3 times in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 9]] --- FAMILY MATTERS ---
[Within the ‘Monastery Temple of the Blessed Harbinger’, I turned towards my ‘Splinter’ Consort the always hard to casually dismiss ‘Kanne’.]
“I suggest we avoid the balcony for a while.” [I said reaching out to draw her away from that high opening upon the substantive public arena below that is ‘Harbinger’s Square’.]
[‘Kanne’ did not look best pleased with my advisory and shrugged off my extruded limbs in a way that boded ill. We rarely now employed full ‘Splinter Battle Brogue’ as a private conversational game the language affectation proving on occasion too limiting too prone to accidental miscommunications of intent between us.]
[I suppose everything has a time or a best before date. Surprisingly thinking back, ‘Kanne’ diplomatically first dropped using the brogue to help maintain a peaceful household.]
[Arguably, the honeymoon period was over and now we both needed to work a little harder towards maintaining a good relationship although we still occasionally very happily did fun, even almost crazy, things together given our exalted status. Nonetheless, we were more aware of how our cultural differences sometimes clashed with each other - that is most of the time right now she was glaring at me and not in a positively passionately loving smouldering way.]
“What?” [I asked.] “I see no point in providing direct targets for his spite.” [I added.]
[‘Kanne’ responded to my words by standing tall and proud in a manner that I found most attractive. I moved a little closer but she gave me a firm look that screamed out not now. I slumped down a tiny bit in frustration I would have enjoyed the distraction. Too obviously, she did not enjoy the prospect of hiding away. I had thought that being a bit wicked up here whilst accused of all kinds of wickedness down there might have had an almost rebellious appeal for her and been a release - it rather appealed to me now that we were here.]
[Now I began to fear an error of judgement in picking this spot today for a moments respite from my formal role as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’. Normally she loved the sanctum especially the balcony as it allowed her whilst at my side to almost review our parading Acolyte ‘Immortals’ and so on. I had neglected to consider the added ramification today that this sanctum linked far too temptingly for her to the balcony that gazed down upon the square and the offending ranting ‘Splitter Priest’ with his Acolyte audience also below.]
[In a daze of inner contemplations, I had allowed my feet to carry me up here out of sheer habit after the ethical standards meeting with some ‘Saints’, (nothing to do with ‘Kanne’ and my behaviour I hasten to add but rather ethical business policy standards). Now I was about to pay for allowing this Avatar to slip into automatic something ‘Kanne’ despised at the best of times whenever I was with her, so much for any hope of a bit of slightly indecent frolicsome fun.]
[Without doubt, this was going to hurt.]
“That cursed statue.” [‘Kanne’ complained.] “Why did you ever erect it in ‘Harbinger’s Square’? [She asked.]
[At first, I just shrugged not wanting to go into this matter in detail but she wanted more from me.]
“You have risen up an outsized ghost to vie with your legitimate authority over your Acolytes.” [She complained.]
[Recently ‘Kanne’ had taken again to being a dedicated student of her people’s history - if mostly from a distance - her studies sometimes stirring her blood causing her to emulate some old ‘Splinter Raider’ values as she searched for a clearer sense of inner identity. I knew that my Consort remained troubled by her somewhat fractured past as one strangely parented by ‘Hierophants’ rather than any faction amongst her own species.]
[For a being with one brain, my ‘Kanne’ proved capable of an admirable mixture of feelings towards her genetic people sometimes inordinately proud other days disparaging of some of their past ways. One day copying another rejecting their habits, recently she had begun to increase her sympathy with the most historic of ‘Splinter Raiders’ deciding that most ‘Passenger Class’ historians horribly maligned them. Her latest offering being that they were misunderstood noble warriors who had received nothing but bad press. Thinking back to, in my youth, occasionally being on the wrong end of ‘Splinter Raider’ weaponry I did not entirely agree with some of her findings but prudently opted not to enter that debate.]
[Once again, I tried to educate about my position, as I saw it, with my technically adopted ‘Passenger Class’ people as in the Acolytes of the ‘MTC’.]
“I am only a stand in. I am not Harbinger. I can never be Harbinger.” [I strove to explain it seemed for the hundredth time.]
[In some ways, I suffered many trials for being their Patriarch whilst not technically their true father but such burdens came with the job description anyway as every father knows when doing your best to raise children you have to take the rough with the smooth.]
“You are this ‘House’.” [‘Kanne’ replied emphatically.]
[To be honest when she demonstrated this kind of mood almost everything she says comes out sounding rather emphatic - I judged it a ‘Splinter’ thing and sometimes cursed attractive too. Something about being criticised as immoral once again nudged me towards the cheeky option of partially proving the ‘Splitter Priest’ somewhat right here and now within the sanctum as a small intimate revenge. ‘Truer’ understood nothing about the relationship between ‘Kanne’ and me he just denigrated the superficial.]
“You take so much grief for them when you could just fly away. You are the very substance of this great place in which they now dwell.” [‘Kanne’ reminded gazing around the holy sanctum.]
“Nonetheless I am only a guardian, that is why I raised that monument that stands so tall below and whilst it has sometimes felt a problematic decision in the end - because I am just a guardian - overall it was the right thing to do. Besides my love, they do a great deal for us even look at how we live in all this monastic splendour.” [I insisted.]
“This monastic splendour as you put it - is all you - as I have already pointed out.” [She retorted.]
“Nonsense, if you listen carefully even here for example, you can hear some Acolytes chanting down in the ‘Hall of Prayers’. It is people that truly make a place unique ‘Port Discovery’ especially the ‘Temple District’ is made special by our Acolytes they are the hearts and souls of this place.” [I replied.]
“I do not see that they do so very much for us. All that they do they do for themselves for the glory of their ‘House’ as is only right and proper.” [‘Kanne’ insisted.] “We are so blessed that we are currently unable to go out on our own balcony to enjoy the view.” [She added.]
“A rare occurrence you cannot have blessed perfection all of the time.” [I stated.]
“That inanimate thing down there casts a long shadow.” [‘Kanne’ insisted.] “Schism is the curse of all orthodoxy as any ‘Dark Raider’ would tell you. Our Acolytes should look now to the ‘Triumvirate’ rather than to one who departed leaving them behind.” [She added.]
“Harbinger left for their benefit more than personal reasons he did not seek to flee his responsibilities although he may have sought not to be used. I never claimed to be ‘High Priest’ to the ‘Ascended Tier Nine Harbinger’ that would be a horrible presumption for I was never given that remit.” [I added.]
“Sometimes you are too humble you are his ‘High Priest’ as many rightly acknowledge for you are the priestly Priest of the ‘Triumvirate’ you are the ‘Holy Father’ whilst ‘Unholy Terror’ is deemed the warrior Priest and ‘Mournful Inheritance’ the worker Priest the division of responsibility a sensible arrangement.” [She retorted.]
[Technically some still deemed ‘Mournful’ an Acolyte Captain as if he became a Priest Captain rightfully he would have to split from the ‘MTC’ to form his own family but to every rule there is at least one exception.]
“You would have me be something I am not. I am merely the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’.” [I corrected gently.] “Beyond that role I am just one of three place-keeping ‘Patriarchs’ looking after the ‘Great House’ that Harbinger made. The ‘MTC’ must forever remain his ‘House’ as they are his children. Remember they are cloned from altered versions of his closely guarded genetics even those few that are born today remain a part of him not a part of me.” [I reminded.]
[‘Kanne’ closed the distance to drape her arms over me. Maybe all hope was not lost.]
“Too many of them do not take half enough appreciation for all that you do. One day some praise you the next the same ones choose to forget your deeds on their behalf.” [She complained whilst gazing into my optics. I could even feel her breath on my sensitive ‘Suit Substance’.]
“That is sometimes the way with children.” [I said whilst slowly extruding some extra limbs.] “They live in the now with short memories.” [I added.] “I think we should talk about this later.”
[She backed away from me.] “No we talk about it now for this is an issue now. They have short memories except when it suits them to forget and forgive nothing.” [She added.]
[I took a step towards her she took another step back. I slumped down slightly again.]
“Must we debate this now?” [I asked.]
[She just gazed at me in silence.]
“The ‘Splitter’ below is hardly representative of general ‘MTC’ Acolyte opinion. Anyway it might be a good thing if a few more of them become a little more discontent with the stewardship of the ‘Triumvirate’.” [I stated.]
[She stepped back further to give me an even more disapproving look her arms crossing. Obviously, she did not approve that a rebellious part of me rather yearned for more ‘MTC Splitters’. My three brains did not - equally - approve of that policy either one approved much more than the other two but more ‘Splitter Priests’ still remained a slow solution of sorts to our outsized family issues.]
[She began to pace around perhaps to stay out of my amorous clutches a bit of a role reversal when I recalled how we first met then ‘Kanne’ was the predator and I the prey.]
“How can any Acolytes being rebellious towards you three be a good thing? As good soldiers, they should follow their leaders even unto death. Besides why work so hard to keep them loyal if you just want them to split you sometimes truly are paradoxical creatures.” [She complained.]
“That is the nature of our holy heretical Order. My feelings on this matter are always complex and somewhat conflicted.” [I admitted.] “You must remember that the ‘MTC’ is not a ‘Splinter’ military dictatorship I am no Warlord they are not my fanatically obedient soldiers ever willing to be casually used even used up as I please.” [I reminded.]
[Once our ‘MTC’ Acolytes had been more servile but that was before the ‘Acolyte Synod’ and before they were included in ‘Council of Equals’ debates as equals also before they gained proper wages and so on too.]
“They are lucky you are not a ‘Splinter’ given the way they hearken to that… that ‘Splitter’.” [She complained.] “To a ‘Splinter’ Warlord choosing to listen to sedition is sedition and punishable in many instances by immediate death.”
“We do not kill our people especially over a difference of opinion.” [I said.]
“Perhaps that is the problem. You cannot rule ‘Splinter’ if you cannot kill them that is well recorded.” [She said possibly deliberately trying to shock me with that barbarism.]
“If we could say for certain that Harbinger died he could have returned to us all via a ‘Reborn Clone’ filling the great gap of his absence. Unfortunately, given the vagary over the deepest nature of ‘Tier Nine Entities’ and the odd way his animus - his spirit - seemingly departed his body whilst leaving it functional we have to assume he is blessedly still alive having perhaps technologically transubstantiated in some bizarre manner - at least that is one of the theories often debated by wise ‘MTC’ theologians.” [I lectured.]
“Perhaps it is simpler and he is just running other Avatars elsewhere although I suppose that is almost the same thing as transubstantiation minus some religious jargon and scientific awe of the extra-dimensional element incorporated within some ‘Tier Nine’ technologies that possibly captures and maintains their soul at a remove.” [I stated.]
“Sometimes we are what people proclaim us to be especially when we fail to make an effort to dispute erroneous claims. I see no great mystery with Harbinger the ‘Tier Nine’ are one with extra-dimensional ‘Computer Cores’ or something similar much as some ‘Recyclers’ are one with more mundane ‘Computer Cores’ that is all.” [‘Kanne’ countered looking over towards the balcony again.] “You Priests over think, over talk and overcomplicate everything.”
[Could it be as simplistic as that and we had made it all too religiously mysterious?]
“Take this to your many great hearts as the local representative of a system of belief as a physical representative of Harbinger within the ‘MTC’ you are either a blessed insightful saint proclaiming a profound truth - doing your Harbinger’s holy will - or you must be a deceiving sinner selling a sinister lie to all of his children.” [She claimed.]
“I am not Harbinger’s physical representative in such a direct manner. I am not seeking to replace my former Captain utterly that is not my role. I am not his Avatar or his prophet just a stand in a housekeeping steward.” [I insisted once again if I kept telling her this maybe eventually, it would penetrate her tough ‘Splinter’ skull.]
“Can one be a mere steward for an entity that even you now admit to believing may never return openly to this domain until we reach his far advanced level of technology. Surely, in the long interim they must take it that you are either one blessedly leading the family aright ever closer towards their maker or you are one wilfully leading them astray from their father. For example, your attempt to move away from ‘Ascension’ is arguably a rejection of all that Harbinger is. Beware do not put doubt in their minds. Do not encourage them to perceive you wrongly as a usurper with a private agenda that could be very dangerous. Great and noble battle leaders have fallen that way to rebellious orthodox troops.” [‘Kanne’ suggested.]
“We Paradox are not always so absolute in our faiths we are not ‘Splinter’ not even ‘Splinter Weavers’ who still possess deep down inside the single minded fire of a warrior race even if they mostly channel such burning passions now into a dedication to their creative arts.” [I reminded.]
“That one down there proclaims your power and your actions to be illegitimate that makes him a threat that needs answered and answered well. A stout general always seeks to remove dangers from the battle space. Complacency is the mother of ignoble defeat. I suggest you take action whilst the majority of our Acolytes still take some appreciation of all that you have done for the family and that you - no other - not even the infamous and legendary ‘Unholy Terror’ were the closest of all sentient beings to their Father.” [She reminded.]
“Sometimes I think you grow more strident by the day. The sort of action I believe you are suggesting is not how we Priests generally do our business. I thought by now you would appreciate better the nature and benefits of our more gentle kinder approach instead you grow more militant in your attitudes the more you study your historic kin.” [I complained.]
“I am learning to be stronger is that a bad thing?” [‘Kanne’ asked.]
“There are many kinds of strength ‘Kanne’ and they need not be mutually exclusive even pacifistic ‘Swimmer Dwellers’ oft display a rare sort of strength.” [I argued.]
“They are cowards they would be very happy to hide away and do nothing just as they are happy being hostages of the ‘Entanglement’. You are no ‘Swimmer Dweller’ craven, you are a strong Priest as strong as or stronger even than ‘Unholy Terror’. You are all of this the very substance of ‘Port Discovery’ and you range abroad with Avatars and ‘Sub Core’ assets too to confront evil. You are no submissive weakling you are the mightiest of ‘Living Hulls’ the one who took his freedom in defiance of our entire ‘Passenger Class’ society. You are a great Priest but also in your own right a strong warrior so why do you not wish to fight today?” [She asked.]
“I see no benefit in rising to this one’s provocations even when they are aimed this firmly at me.” [I replied.]
[She looked at me with growing incomprehension. I feared a true cultural gap was opening up between us and wondered how I might breach the divide.]
“They should, no less than I do, appreciate that you alone held a direct ‘Companion-ship Link’ with the storied ‘Tier Nine Ascendant’. Even today, you have a direct link built into you to their God and Father and will surely be the first to know should he ever return to our realm of substance they should take proper consideration of that holy truth. You are his one true prophet if anyone living is. They have no right to question the validity of your tenure. Harbinger even named his family after you how much more endorsement of you do they need?” [She asked.]
“My dearest ‘Kanne’ you would make an excellent publicist for me.” [I stated.]
[A direct link to their God I rarely thought of it quite in those terms. Was Harbinger truly becoming a God to his children - that triple cursed statue - and yet how could I have failed to erect a reminder of who was the real Father here lest the power I wielded corrupt me with delusions of grandeur. I often already felt a fraud as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’. Too many people saw the ‘Holy Father’ as holier than them - or pretending to be holier than them - when actually I sought primarily only to be the loudest advocate of equality.]
[Worse, I often felt now that I should have known the mind of my Captain better - well enough perhaps to prevent his self-imposed exile. Somehow, I should have found a way to step in and change his mind before he made his sudden sacrifice - his exile from his body seemed too triple cursed unfair. Harbinger did not ask to be the extra gifted son of a ‘Tier Nine’ Father. Born in ‘Heartland Space’ at first he had believed he was just another resident native but unlike his lesser brothers, ‘Composure’ gifted or perhaps cursed him with full ‘Tier Nine’ genetics bending if not breaking the rules of the ‘Tier System’.]
[Shockingly Harbinger had not realised what he was until his power began to blossom in him with the aid of a ‘Facilitator Shroud Suit’. Harbinger’s nature was ‘Composures’ doing for his own devious reasons. Harbinger split from his father but unlike many Priests, he was never able to escape the legacy of his beginnings they haunted his mind troubling his equilibrium making him feel nothing more than a tool. I well understood some of my former Captain’s feelings since I remained an entity whose entire species the ‘Passenger Classes’ created to serve as tools.]
[Harbinger and my history was one reason why I felt so strongly sympathetic towards ‘Founder’ too as another manufactured tool but that is another issue.]
“None of my work with the family is too much I owe Harbinger more than I can ever hope to repay sadly I even owe him for his absence and the gift of his family.” [I stated.]
“Your loyalty does you great credit whilst not competing with only affirming the fact that if any sentient can take the mantle of perfectly representing the wishes of the ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’ it is rightly you my love. You are the one once joined to his mind - not that overgrown Acolyte down there dropped from a ‘Cloning Womb’ after his father had long departed from known space to go whence none here can say. That one never even spoke with his Father - he knows nothing - yet dares pontificate as if he has deep insights.” [She insisted.]
[‘Kanne’ did not miss much that went on around her then I wondered if she quickly researched the ‘Splitter Priest’ as soon as he began abusing her reputation and mine.]
“That he has never spoken to his father save in prayer is sad - a cruel truth of the odd nature of the ‘MTC’ today. It is remarkable that we continue to function as a ‘Great House’ without Harbinger at the helm as something of a uniquely fatherless Paradox Priest family.” [I replied.]
“I hear sorrow in your words but you take too little credit for what you do and defame ‘UT’ and ‘MI’ too. ‘MTC’ Acolytes are not fatherless they have the ‘Triumvirate’. Having taken up the burden of guiding the ‘MTC’ through so many difficulties you three deserve proper respect not critical speeches from an Acolyte ingrate who has forgotten who his friends are.” [She complained.]
“Let it go ‘Kanne’, it would be far too easy via a direct intervention to make this matter far worse than it need ever be. Any response whatsoever that I might make only validating and inflaming the opposition of this ‘Splitter Priest’ drawing extra attention to his harsh arguments and bitter resentments. Some debates cannot be won by some parties and are therefore best avoided just as some battles cannot be won only a fool or a martyr seeks out participation in a losing fight.” [I retorted.]
“A refusal to take fight is surrender. I am confident you could best this one in open debate I have heard him speak and I have heard you preach he is not your equal I do not understand this pessimism or your stubborn refusal to engage.” [She retorted angrily.]
“That is the whole problem if I went out there and spoke against him it would be akin to a giant stepping upon an insect and come across to many as bullying and the oppression of free speech. I would win the debate too easily but lose much honour and face perhaps to some even appear tyrannical.” [I said.]
“By refusing to fight I keep the peace and my dignity intact.” [I added.] “Are you so angry because he challenges my right to lead the family or because he in public denigrates my relationship with you as a non-shrouded entity as unholy, unnatural and disgraceful?” [I asked.]
“If it was not impolitic I would take him down for saying such things as he has said about me. We ‘Splinter’ do not take insults lightly people have perished for daring to say far less and justly too.” [She stated.]
“I believe you.” [I replied whilst emitting a strong yellow glow.]
[Sometimes it seemed that ‘Kanne’ chose to forget that she was raised by ‘Hierophants’ and embraced her idea of a more martial ‘Splinter’ heritage with a passion.]
“It is good that you take belief in my prowess, whilst I continue to take the belief that you need to take the initiative in some manner. You cannot just ignore this one’s insults that seek to take away our status via belittling your many achievements. It is my faith that taking action is always better than resting idle in hope.” [‘Kanne’ insisted.]
[I shook my ‘Prime Tri-optic’.]
“Where is the fiery Elder Paradox Priest I took as my partner? When have you ever refused to answer a just challenge?” [She asked.] “What is so different about this one that you take so much to self-restraint?”
“Have I not given reasons enough? What would you have me do persecute the ‘Splitter Priest’ for having a different point of view do you forget I am and will always be the ‘Many Truths’. What would be your solution arrest him deport him from ‘Port Discovery’?” [I mocked.]
“Hardly we both know that would only add fuel to the fire of such a zealot.” [She said.] “You must take to a lectern refute this ones misguided faiths cast down his arguments at a remove if you feel a too direct confrontation would seem disproportionate and unfair. His vile words should be defeated his nature shown to be foolish and infantile.” [She suggested.]
“I never claimed to be ‘High Priest’ to the ’Ascended Tier Nine Harbinger’.” [I insisted.] “I cannot defend a position I do not hold. I have no right to speak as if I am the true voice of my friend and mentor Harbinger I am just a place keeper and I will not bully a ‘Splitter Priest’ who has not yet come to the full wisdom of adulthood even at a remove via a pulpit. Believe me there is no need.” [I insisted.]
“No need, that one seeks to tear at your reputation with his words. Even his taken name seeks to mock you. You must speak out show that he has no right to speak on behalf of his now former Father he is no longer even of this ‘House’ how dare he claim to know the sacred hearts of Harbinger better than you.” [‘Kanne’ complained loyally.]
“You still have much to learn about us Paradox Priests. He is not so special just another typically angry ‘Splitter Priest’. I will let him have his rant, when he grows bored he will go away and found his own family as is proper. It is somewhat rare for a ‘Splitter Priest’ to dare to harangue his former Father for a time directly after ‘Splitting’ but it happens sometimes. Mostly such rants are deemed the last sign of old immaturity as little is to be gained in reality from venting such an outburst save a final letting go of the past.” [I stated.]
“You will not respond in any manner to this affront?” [She asked.]
“There is nothing to be done. There is nothing for him here now, when you split you split I need do nothing but wait for him to come to his senses. When he is gone, I will remind our Acolytes of who and what I am and perhaps more importantly who and what I am not. Possibly I should have made a greater effort to do the last more stridently more often before today as clearly some Acolytes may have fostered some wrong opinions.” [I said.]
“I worry that you might be mistaken being this passive can be dangerous to a leader. That one may not honour your old ways he speaks as a heretic of this ‘House’ do not expect him to do the expected and abide by former ‘Splitter Priest’ traditions.” [‘Kanne’ complained.]
[I roared out a rumbling ‘Paradox Speaker Laugh’ causing her to look a bit offended.]
“My dear ‘Kanne’, every ‘Splitter Priest’ is a heretic of his former house that is why they split they believe they can do better and so they should as the next generation if society is to progress.” [I said.]
“That loud ingrate is not better than my ‘MT’. Sometimes I find you Paradox Priests incomprehensible.” [She complained.]
“It he insists upon staying here too long our Acolytes will cease to listen. They grant him their microphones now because they are used to harkening to speeches but if he continues to preach here beyond what is deemed appropriate for a ‘Splitter Priest’ he will overstay his welcome and - they - will speak out against him without any need of my intervention. They will tell him to go away and finish growing up that he is not ‘MTC’.” [I promised.]
“Truly you are a strange people. Do you not burn to answer his insults in person?” [She asked whilst making a stabbing motion with an imaginary blade.]
“I did find some comments he made this morning rather offensive but I can take it and we Paradox Priests do not fight with our ‘Splitters’.” [I replied.] “Do not worry my love, if he abides too long he will only dishonour himself in the optics of his former kindred. ‘Splitter Priests’ are expected to move on you cannot renounce the family and remain a part of it. One reaching for adulthood does not seek to replace the Father of his former brothers - that is just not done - it has never been done and it will never be done. He is just having a moan not trying to usurp my place.” [I said firmly.]
“I hope you are right but I fear anyone who calls themselves ‘Truer Believer’ may have bold ideas and too much self belief.” [She stated.]
“If he pushes it too far some ‘Immortal’ Marine Acolyte will take offence and wrestle him onto a departing ship but not under my orders and only with the approval of the majority of the crowd down there.” [I stated.]
“I think I understand at last a little you have taken a commander’s faith in your troops’ loyalty that I can appreciate.” [She said.]
[I decided it had to be genetic, on some level ‘Splinter’ are just ‘Splinter’, it did not matter who raised them.]
[A little later in a temple meditation chamber ‘Mournful’ called in to see me well an Avatar he was animating to be more precise.]
“No need to look so mournful, ‘Mournful’.” [I joked.]
[We hugged.]
“I am glad to see you are not taking it too badly.” [He stated.]
“I would be almost encouraged if that was not inappropriate. Maybe ‘Truer’ will convince some others to flee my poor stewardship before the more dutiful children show him the hatchway.” [I said.]
“I expected to find you in moping isolation when I heard you had gone all formal meditative.” [He said.]
“Between you and me I just came here for a while to better escape ‘Kanne’ before our cultural differences over the matter turned into a silly private fight.” [I said.]
“Where is the formidable ‘Kanne’ now? I trust she is not anywhere near ‘Truer’.” [He added.]
“At the Temple range, blasting away her frustrations at least that was my suggestion.” [I replied.]
“So you are truly feeling fine not just shrouding your feelings from us?” [‘Mournful’ asked.]
“I have heard all his complaints before from one source or another at one time or another.” [I said.]
“Perhaps you have but to hear all that invective strung together in a public haranguing has to be a little different.” [‘Mournful’ said.]
“It is only different if I allow it to be.” [I preached.]
[I realised ‘Mournful’ was studying me closely then nodded his ‘Prime Tri-optic’ slightly.] “You seem well centred today so I suppose I must believe you.” [He said.]
“I am more worried about how the rest of the brood will feel when the next ‘MTC Protectorate’ budget is published next month.” [I said.]
“That has been on my mind too it is all a bit gloomy and some Acolytes are bound to think a bit two tiered with them taking most of the heavy economic hits.” [‘Mournful’ admitted.]
“The Acolytes are the ‘MTC’ and the ‘MTC’ is the business that is currently failing to excel against our competition - at least at the moment.” [I qualified.] “People just living under our protection cannot be expected to pay equally for our business failings that would only stifle the wider economy and spread our depression.” [I suggested.]
“We need to do something about this in the longer term.” [‘Mournful’ said.]
[I shrugged.] “I am open to suggestions.” [I replied.] “I fear we had best brace ourselves for a bumpy ride as it is only going to get worse for a time. Our Acolytes might have to learn to settle for less even if we opt out and start going all commune.”
“I fear at the moment all the Acolytes perceive are all their internal bills going up for standard - and worse what were once free - services.” [He said.] “Are you sure this is the vector you want us to take with the next budget?”
“It cannot always be all good let us see how they cope with a little economic privation.” [I said.] “It might even be a benison for the glory of the purification of their souls they are supposed to be Priests in the making not greedy ‘Recyclers’.”
[‘Mournful’ contrived to look doubtful.]
“Currently our ‘Pilgrim’ economy is a poorly balanced mess. A ‘Hierophant’ Professor recently pointed out to me the increasing economic divide between us ‘Users’ and the ‘Real Materialists’ and now we have a gap opening up between ‘Great Houses’ that refuse to proliferate ‘Soulless Assets’ and the ‘New Holds’ who are happily embracing ‘Sub Core’ run industry with a passion as you know far too well. Personally I do not want to copy the ‘New Holds’ example too closely I want another way forward. Have you any new thoughts about potential business strategies?” [I asked.]
“Most of my thoughts feel pretty old at the moment.” [‘Mournful’ complained.]
“Most is not all - you are being modest - I am sure you and yours have been working on something. I have great faith in your business creativity and acumen. What is it?” [I asked.]
“We have been looking at a few possibilities.” [‘Mournful’ admitted a bit reluctantly.]
“I am all microphones.” [I replied eagerly.]
“This is not the way I imagined selling our concept.” [He complained.]
“Is it such a bad idea as I consider myself to be a friendly audience?” [I asked.]
[‘Mournful’ slumped his Avatar down a little then straightened up again.]
“To state the obvious, unless we go ‘Soulless’ we cannot compete at harvesting ‘RAW’ and that also drives up the price of us forging elements and in turn that along with other higher staff costs diabolically affect our end of the line manufactured goods pricing policies. We need to look at what is left such as personal service industries and perhaps making the most of our inability to compete with other cheap bulk providers.” [He said.]
“Now you are losing me slightly how do we make the most of the detriment.” [I replied.]
“If we must be more expensive we could become exceptionally pricy and establish the ‘MTC’ name as a luxury item brand.” [He suggested.] “If we cannot compete in the cheap volume market we must strive to sell our products and services based upon real alongside a manufactured perception of higher quality in short we need to become high end fashionable. We might even be able to find a new market by selling our stylish expensive branded goods to ‘New Hold’ Acolytes once they become objects of aspiration.”
“You really think ‘Pilgrims’ in this economic climate will pay far more simply for fancy branding and image?” [I asked.]
“They will once we convince them that owning our products is a sign of sophistication taste and social superiority. The nasty part is that we will need to take a chance and despite our current downturn invest considerable credits in boosting then marketing our corporate image as well as in creating new especially stylish product lines that scream out exceptional design excellence and so on. I am talking about a total re-launch of all our product lines scrapping or revamping anything that has even a suggestion of the ordinary about it. We must make our Corporation and our products stand out.” [He suggested.]
“Social superiority I am not sure I like the sound of that.” [I said.]
“I hardly think a bit of image manipulation to sell our products will damage the inevitability of your social singularity.” [‘Mournful’ replied.]
“What will make our stylish products any more stylish or any better than any other brands? Many other Corporations have very active marketing departments alongside gifted designers and skilled stylists too.” [I reminded.]
“We do have one unique selling point over every other local competitor.” [‘Mournful’ insisted whilst looking a bit more uncomfortable his ‘Prime Tri-optic’ drooping slightly.]
“Why am I suddenly getting a very bad feeling about this?” [I asked.]
“We need to make the most of what we are.” [‘Mournful’ excused.] “We are the ‘Many Truths Corporation’ the ‘House of Harbinger’ therefore uniquely we can legitimately claim to sell ‘Tier Nine’ - inspired - products. Products for those who want to reach towards the next level of excellence.” [‘Mournful’ stated.]
“That is disgraceful.” [I said.]
“I know.” [‘Mournful’ admitted.] “However it might work and it could be worse.”
“How?” [I asked.]
“I rejected the blessed by the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’ idea.” [‘Mournful’ replied before rumbling out a crude ‘Paradox Speaker Laugh’.]
“Did somebody really suggest that?” [I asked.]
“Of course not but it makes a good joke.” [‘Mournful’ said.]
“Has ‘Unholy’ managed to convince you to go drinking with him again?” [I asked.]
[Onboard the ‘Solar Ranger’.]
“Your Father named you ‘Improved’?” [I asked the ‘New Hold Father’.]
“He did I got a lot of genetic upgrades and I fear he was not the most inspired of Paradox Patriarchs when it came to labelling his Acolytes.” [‘Improved’ admitted.]
“With a smaller family it should be easier to find original names for all. I have met more than a few other ‘Improved’ Acolytes and even a few other ‘Improved’ Priests.” [I said.]
“My name is one that has proved a little too popular within our Order but I can assure you that there is only one ‘Improved’ of ‘Improved Technologies Consolidated’ and that is me.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“You felt no need to change your rather common name when you attained a new ‘Vision’ of your own as a great many ‘Splitter Priests’ feel motivated to do?” [I asked.]
“I did consider ‘New and Improved’ but it seemed a bit longwinded.” [He joked quietly with a gentle yellow shimmer.]
[I glowed a little yellow in turn. Now having gone beyond our initial somewhat prickly first meeting this one was not hard to talk with as an equal. It was good to get a chance to talk together as Priests with no one else around not even our most venerable ‘Trojan Professor’.]
[Being a little Paradox Priest paranoid I was asking about his name in an attempt to analyze his attitude to ensure that he was what he seemed to be and not for example an ‘Entanglement’ facsimile although as a detection method it was at best a long shot in a dark nebula. ‘UT’ - ever security conscious now - had annoyingly stated to me but a few days ago that ‘New Holds’ operating so remotely via ‘Soulless Assets’ were an ideal fit for infiltrating our Order within the fiery depths by ‘Crimson’ or indeed other factions.]
[Many ‘New Holds’ actual Acolytes and their Patriarch lived higher up in far safer shallow ‘Star Struck’ regions only operating Avatars and ‘Soulless’ outside of their very traditional and often off limits to all non-family members ‘Monastery Style Habitats’ and or one single family crewed ship that again stayed isolated. They never or only rarely ventured as bodies within ‘Shroud Suits’ into the dangerous depths or even to interact with other Priests or Acolytes so their was little or no chance that say a ‘Star Diver’ could ever capture a supposedly ‘Shrouded’ individual belonging to a ‘New Hold’ to strip away a disguise therefore if ‘Crimson’ quietly murdered and replaced one or more of these small families, (which might be possible exactly because they operated as small isolated units), she could easily - safely - operate as the murdered ‘New Hold Father’ and his family as could anyone else who took out a ‘New Hold’ for that matter.]
[Once ‘UT’ mentioned the concept to me, I could far too easily imagine ‘Crimson’ running standard ‘Suit Substance’ as cunningly technically non-‘Entangled’ units via ‘Soulless Assets’. Such a methodology would provide an almost perfect remove that would permit her to enter the fire and meddle quite strongly with the smallest possible risk of exposure probably even if she ran foul of unknown highly advanced ‘Star Diver’ technologies that captured and sought to interrogate some ‘Soulless’ units. I could easily believe that ‘Crimson’ continued to probe for useful weaknesses in our defences for deeper infiltration purposes - that one just loved to meddle.]
[So far however, ‘Improved’ had reacted in no way suspicious I was not even suffering a subconscious computational itch that as a fellow Priest he felt a bit wrong. I now rather prided myself on my subconscious computational itches a by-product of running lots of data through lots of ‘Cognitive Sub Cores’ resulting in subconscious pattern and data analysis. Unfortunately, ‘Crimson’ could be subtle when she deemed it operationally necessary my lack of itches not withstanding.]
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions now that we know each other slightly better as real people rather than just by potentially discoloured reputations alone?” [I asked.]
“That might depend on the nature of the questions.” [He replied.]
[He certainly had a Paradox Priest’s occasionally dry sense of humour.]
“I suppose it would.” [I admitted.]
“Ask away and we will see if I am offended or not.” [‘Improved’ said this time with the barest tickle of yellow light over his ‘Free Patterning’.]
[‘Improved’ could be quite charming. Sometimes less is more a truth ‘UT’ could benefit from in relation to his employment of light emitted laughter. The ‘Unholy’ one almost liked to blind his associates with his mirth and to deafen them with his rumbling roars too but then I guessed that was just his personality. Compared to ‘UT’ Priest ‘Improved’ was exceptionally refined I wondered if ‘Unholy’ would consider him too civilised and mannerly. Although he had been somewhat ruder when we first met but that meeting no longer seemed representative of this ones truer personality.]
“How are you finding working with ‘Cad’ and his people?” [I asked.]
“Working with the ‘Trojans’ is already challenging my former expectations.” [He stated.]
“In what ways?” [I asked.]
“As a confession to a fellow Priest I have realised I may have been a bit harshly opinionated about a few things due to my upbringing.” [’Improved’ said.] “Although, not necessarily everything.” [He quickly added.]
[I felt that seemed to sound overall akin to a positive somewhat encouraging statement in these circumstances but I felt a sad need today to confirm my instincts.]
“Can you further clarify that statement?” [I asked.]
“Put simply I find I rather like the old ‘Trojan’ rogue now that I have met him in person. I was surprised how readily he has discussed and debated his politics and history with me. He can be surprisingly candid and forthright about some issues although he obviously keeps a treasure chest of secrets I must admit that most of the ones he guards best do seem his preserve to hoard.” [‘Improved’ admitted.] “I find I can sympathise with his overall intent if not his every historic action.”
“As a confession to another Priest I have had to reconsider my opinion about you.” [I stated in turn diplomatically.] “I came here thinking of you as an upstart competitor with no common sense in relation to the dangers of proliferating ‘Soulless Sub Cores’ but now I perceive that you are far from being such a person. In fact, at some risk of sounding too flattering and obsequious I find you to be a quite brilliant young Priest especially compared to some others of my acquaintance. It is clear to me now that you are simply striving to do your very best by your children by using the tools you have available. I can hardly hate you for being a good Father even if we do favour some different material policies and so on.” [I said.]
“You can be very disarming for a reproving Elder.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“I would have peace between us if that is what you mean.” [I said.]
“Did you think there was any danger of a fight breaking out?” [He gently mocked.]
“There are some issues of contention that we could easily wrestle over. What is your opinion of the ‘Real Materialists’ as individuals? In addition what do you think of them as a ‘Pilgrim’ faction?” [I asked.]
“They are not my concern ignoring the more militant ones some of whom have occasionally tried to damage my business operations.” [He claimed.]
“You have preached against them within the ‘Consortium’.” [I said.]
“As I have said some of them have attacked assets belonging to my ‘Hold’ and they defame us on a regular basis that has occasionally motivated me to denounce them in turn and to move to protect my assets from their interference. I believe I have been reasonably tolerant considering their provocations. Down here we ‘Users’ are the future. Throwing your body into the hottest part of the fire can only result sooner or later in incineration.” [He said.]
“Would you help them on their way?” [I asked directly.]
“I have no interest in starting a war but I think we need to curb their insolence.” [‘Improved’ stated.] “The ‘Consortium Police’ must more actively enforce the law or others will end up taking that upon themselves.” [He said or possibly threatened.]
“As a Paradox Priest you have no sympathy with ‘RM’ faiths whatsoever?” [I asked.]
“When a person behaves as my enemy I treat them as a hostile I endeavour not to be too sympathetic with hostiles.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“You began your life as an Acolyte Marine.” [I said.]
“I did.” [He admitted.]
“Have you ever thought that if you got to know the ‘Real Materialists’ better that you might feel differently about their cause and attitude just as you now feel a little different about ‘Cad’ and me.” [I said.] “It is too easy to make enemies, my advice to you speaking as an Elder Priest if you will forgive me is - if you wish to stretch yourself - try taking up some more worthy challenges than just cloning ‘Suit Substance’. Endeavour to make some ‘Real Material’ friends you might be equally surprised.”
“You think we ‘New Holds’ are too isolated and self satisfied?” [‘Improved’ asked.]
“That is interesting as those are not my words.” [I said in turn.]
“You are or were another one who thinks or thought that I shamelessly spoil my Acolytes.” [He seemed to challenge.]
[I slumped down a little because he struck me a fair blow with that accusation.]
“My engines did veer in that direction before we met I must admit based upon your Acolytes that I have interacted with so far they hardly fit the accusations I have heard.” [I confessed.]
“We ‘New Holds’ have been much criticised by the ‘Great Houses’ I think mostly for daring to compete and worse for winning contracts and business away from some of our respected Elders but business is business as any ‘Recycler’ will tell you.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“The business methods of ‘New Holds’ are increasingly causing us problems that truth has no doubt made us think unkindly towards your kind. Personally I feel I owe you an apology I should have known better than to allow myself to be judgemental based only on hearsay in relation to the quality of your Acolytes that was shameful. Perhaps I was more than a little bit jealous of your seeming easy success in what for me and mine are increasingly difficult economic times.” [I admitted.]
“How strange that my actions here in this place have brought us two in fact us three counting the ‘Trojan’ closer together.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“Perhaps that truth proves that there is still hope for our old Order even if sometimes some of us insist in behaving as if we have grown blind in at least one optic.” [I replied.]
“Whatever else I am judged to be by you Elders do not doubt that I am also a Paradox Priest just as you are.” [‘Improved’ insisted.]
[Increasingly I did not doubt the truth that ‘Improved’ was a genuine Paradox Priest.]
“So whilst we are being honest and forthright even with some uncomfortable truths you did claim jump.” [I said.]
“Not in the optics of the law.” [‘Improved’ replied quietly but very firmly.]
“Is that the most important issue to you with this one the technicality?” [I asked.]
“Not to me but it is important to my family we are normally very law abiding we endeavour to adhere strictly to the rules of the ‘Consortium’ - they are good rules - that is a clear part of my ‘Vision’.” [He said.]
“Yet you are not behind bending the rules. So why did you do it?” [I asked.]
“I came here because it seemed a rare and interesting opportunity a chance to step up in the game by engaging with the famous ‘Hierophants’ and so on. Perhaps I was also a little bit bored and looking for a different sort of challenge. My business goes well often almost running itself I have been looking for wider interests - a hobby - maybe even a greater purpose.” [He considered.]
“Someone realised you were bored and put you up to this particular venture.” [I surmised.]
“I was approached by the ‘Information Broker’ with the data that lead me here… to my claim.” [He stated.]
“You say the ‘Recycler’ approached you? Truly, it was not the other way around. Earlier I recall you rather hinted it was the other way around.” [I insisted.]
“Earlier I had my reasons for being more duplicitous. She approached me that apparently being the manner in which she does her business. She gains data via her sources - the sources being none of my business - then approaches someone she believes will give her a good price for it. To be honest I was intrigued I was not sure why she thought the ‘ITC’ in particular would want information on well...” [He trailed off.]
“...on a, through ‘Real Space’, ‘Hierophant’ expedition to this outlying place.” [I filled in for him.]
[‘Improved’ shrugged I guessed not willing to confirm or deny my words despite now claiming to be a bit less duplicitous.]
“I am not trying to trap a confession out of you, you have my word as an Elder Priest - may all that I care for wither and die if I am deceiving you. Consider all that we say here to be off any official record - for all time - as the ‘Divers’ say.” [I promised.]
“Those are strong words from an Elder Priest.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“Those words are simply how I feel. Our relationship started out badly but I hope to rectify that poor beginning in fact I feel I need to rectify as many differences between us as possible or I am failing in my duty as an Elder Priest.” [I stated.] “There was a time when many young Priests would not have felt embarrassed to seek out an Elder Priest for a little advice. There was a time when we all seemed to behave with more priestly decorum.”
[I strove to project as upright and sincere a stance as possible.]
“I take my membership of the Paradox Priest Order very seriously it was during a speech in an old ‘Council of Equals’ back in the ‘Core Alliance’ that in many ways I first became in my mind a ‘Free Hull’ realising that others do not give you your freedom you take it as your sovereign birthright. I always knew I was a real person not just a machine not just a tool but in that ‘Council’ I realised I was also a Priest - an ‘Equal’ - and how could I be ‘Equal’ and not be free too.” [I said firmly.]
[’Improved’ considered my words then said.] “Forgive me, but I find that I have to ask what you expect from me today? Why have you sought me out? Really my business here is with the ‘Trojan’.”
[I tried to put myself in this young Priests place to show that I could understand where he was coming from.]
“Mostly I just expect you to be what I think you are a good Paradox Priest. I am not primarily here because it is the time of the ‘New Holds’ and you threaten to eclipse us ‘Great Houses’ with our heavier social burdens stealing our contracts via undercutting our prices and so on although that is a factor. I must accept that you have every right to your success and it is up to us ‘Great Houses’ to find innovative ways to compete not for you to make concessions. What worries me more is the potential for another division - another faction - another triple cursed split developing within the society of our Order and our greater ‘Pilgrim’ society. Consider these facts that we should always both be good Priests and good ‘Pilgrims’ first that should be an adhesive binding us together. We are also both ‘Consortium’ members and you seem to have faith in the remit of that organisation although personally I fear it is losing its way at times. I would love to see everyone joining up to the ‘Consortium’ including the ‘Free Miners’ but striving to force reform can be a dangerous business, ideally people need to make up their own minds. We should lead by good example not by applying cruel force.” [I stated.]
“You continue to surprise me I expected demands that we ‘New Holds’ limit our ‘Soulless’ expansion maybe even threats and portents of doom. I imagined you preaching against ‘Soulless RCT’ how perhaps hacked by the ‘Entanglement’ they might run amok to do something akin to what occurred at those tragic so-called ‘Mutilation Ports’ and so on.” [‘Improved’ admitted.]
“Perhaps I should hire you to make my case for me.” [I jested.]
“I am well aware of the dangers of ‘Soulless’ use and the benefits.” [‘Improved’ said.]
“Yesterday or perhaps the day before that I might have considered employing the pronouncements you expected but now I am thinking more clearly - at least I pray that I am. I would prefer that being members of our Order should be more important to both our kind than being a ‘New Hold Father’ or a ‘Great House Father’. If mistakes were made in the past as you seem to firmly believe it was due to the times ideally the best place for such mistakes is in the past were we can look back to learn from them. In the now, we should strive to do better rather than compound old injuries with inappropriate resentments.” [I said.] “As to the dangers of surrounding ourselves with too much ‘Soulless’ substance I believe those are plentiful and diverse but I am hoping you will eventually understand that even better too when you better understand such ‘Great Houses’ as my ‘MTC’ and the nature of the ‘Real Materialists’ who fear your kind more than any other ‘User’ barring the infamous ‘Entanglement’.”
“So what are you proposing exactly today?” [‘Improved’ asked.]
“I have no simple solutions to propose if only I did. I see no obvious immediate answer to some of the issues that threaten to divide us other than for us all to reach out with greater understanding towards each other. What I am saying is that we need to stay good Paradox Priests who debate through our differences in a productive way rather than turning away from one another in a divisive manner. What you do here with ‘Cad’ for example could make a big difference to all our futures. We can find honest ways to work in concert - proving true to one another proving beneficial - or we can seek the paths of betrayal and strive just to use and abuse one another for factional interests to become bitter rivals and everlasting competitors.” [I warned.]
“As I have mentioned before our ‘Recycler’ friends would say that business is business and add that competition is inevitable even healthy.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“We are not ‘Recyclers’ in the Paradox Priest business one party need not always lose for another to win. All victories bought via putting others down are destined I believe to be only temporary successes for the wheel turns and the downtrodden will rise up once again and the worse they are treated when down and powerless the more resentful they will be when they are in power. I sense you feel wronged by us in the past but petty revenge is not the answer it just feeds a negative cycle.” [I realised I gave ‘Cad’ one item of bad advice this one was not a ‘Frat Pirate’ who needed chastised.]
“I have faith in a social singularity that one day we must all rise together to keep rising but that is a long way off. Today is your turn to rise temporarily but you need not rise too much at the expense of all others thus breeding future foes - winning is not always enough sometimes it is no less important that we win in a manner that we can be proud of rather than a way that is shameful. I have participated in some shameful victories and it leaves a bitter taste and a stain. We yet might choose to cooperate in a cleaner way as much as possible. Via mutual support we might be at worst very friendly competitors who abide by decent rules of engagement.” [I preached.] “A good Priest can earn more than credits they can accumulate respect and love even from a rival or an enemy and I do not think we need ever be enemies.”
“You are speaking in a way about concessions we ‘Holds’ gained few concessions from the ‘Great Houses’ when at the height of their power.” [‘Improved’ accused.]
[Here I sensed rested the problematic root of any ire that ‘Improved’ still harboured towards me and mine.]
“Perhaps we did not do enough to help especially at some crucial moments in time but I think much help if offered at many other periods would have been roundly refused. Please understand that the most traditional Priests who remained especially stubbornly true to the concept of small families the so-called ‘Holds’ were prideful in their refusal to change and proliferate their children.” [I lectured.]
“Your direct ancestor looked down upon the actions of those that became ‘Great Houses’ deeming them to be embracing a corruption of the old Order. Meanwhile the optics of my former Captain rested - some might say wisely - upon other issues of greater priority. I cannot honestly speak for the motivations of every ‘Great House’ but I know that the ‘MTC’ did nor proliferate to put the ‘Holds’ down my Captain cloned his Marines to prevent us from being overrun by burgeoning numbers of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ when they began feasting on the power of ‘Advanced Energy Leeches’ and spreading as if a plague over the ‘Sea Spheres’.” [I reminded.]
“When they were a young species the ‘Skimmers’ were notoriously aggressive in their attitudes scarily intolerant and uncaring of other truths they had a potent dream and desire to domineer all other sentient beings in a cruel manner if necessary.” [I preached.] “Do not confuse the ‘Skimmers’ of old under a living ‘Draakhaal’ with the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ of today moderated by the ‘Shaper’ faith and in stranger ways by the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ and even, the hated by some, forced integrations of the ‘Free Parliament’.”
“Which would you have preferred the ‘Great Houses’ proliferating their Acolytes and becoming economically dominant compared to the ‘Holds’ but still respecting your rights to stay small and traditional during the time of the ‘Core Alliance’ or to become little better than thralls to ‘Ruling Caste Stellar Draakhaal’? That is if the far more militant ‘Skimmers’ back then did not just opt to purge us weak - if we had not proliferated - Paradox from existence. Faith is not always enough to prevent disaster.” [I said.]
“How much do you think the ‘Ruling Caste’ would have respected your rights? You ‘Hold Fathers’ chose to remain small vulnerable intimate family units trusting in your faith to protect you we chose otherwise knowing prayers would not be enough. In many ways it was our ‘Great House’ strength that once helped to save all Paradox Priests and Acolytes including your ‘Holds’. However we expected no accolades we made our choices and we have both faced the consequences of our chosen way. In many ways, I envy you the joys of your small intimate family. I can remember back to when Harbinger’s ‘House’ was just my crew compared to today those were carefree easy times.” [I explained.]
“You would go back to such a lifestyle if you could - you find the way of ‘Holds’ attractive.” [He said.]
“A huge proliferation of Acolyte Marines was never my policy decision, to me it has often been a curse, but every child once engendered is a blessing to be cherished there is no escaping that truth. Nonetheless, can you imagine the difficulties of administering a ‘Great House’ that is the size of the ‘Many Truths Corporation’? Can you imagine how much work is involved in keeping all those Acolytes happy and usefully employed not to mention feeling that their adopted Fathers love them as individuals?” [I asked.]
“That must be difficult.” [‘Improved’ admitted.]
“Believe me, even having three patriarchs is not enough we just do the best we can and often it feels horribly insufficient even negligent. I suppose we are lucky today that many of our children have their faith in the ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’ to help sustain them past their adopted Fathers many failings, but a statue and legend only goes so far. Unfortunately, for us the times are changing some children now put far too much value upon credits being influenced by outside attitudes they have less faith in old faiths and even in the family as a sacred unit for they increasingly just see us acting as a big corporation and think of themselves as workers rather than fledgling Priests.” [I admitted.]
“I confess until now when I thought of ‘Great Houses’ I thought of old wealth, webs of political power and huge military assets capable of too readily rolling over other peoples interests and truths heedless of smaller ‘Visions’.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“We ‘Great Houses’ had our moments of glory and some Patriarchs did get somewhat corrupted by the might they mastered but even at our height I feel that the ‘MTC’ need not be envied we always travelled a hard vector for reasons that were beyond selfish motivations and we were far from being alone in that. ‘Hierophant Cad’ was another who opted to proliferate a family of clones - for a greater good - in part following the ‘Great House’ example to create the ‘Interdiction Fleet’ and so on. The ‘Hierophants’ and the ‘MTC’ did not grow vast to honour themselves we always had a purpose our ‘Vision’ being to act as counterbalances to other far more disruptive forces. We even helped greatly in the fall of the increasingly tyrannical only so-called ‘Free Parliament’ with its vote manipulating demagogues.” [I reminded.]
“Many believe today that the ‘Hierophants’ manipulated the ‘Free Parliament’ as a means of social engineering.” [‘Improved’ complained.]
“That is a possibility and it may have done some good as a necessary evil a period we had to work through to better appreciate each other and individual freedom too. Do not be too eager to add to ‘Hierophant’ or ‘MTC’ or any other ‘Great Houses’ sorrows. Speaking for my family if it was hubris in the beginning to some degree to clone all those Marines to use life to counter a threat of death and destruction we have paid for our sin and we continue to pay every day via the great weight of our responsibilities ostensibly to the lives we made and even with all our seeming excess in the end none of it proved enough to stave off every calamity.” [I said.]
“Would that we could have prevented the proliferation of the ‘Entanglement’ believe me we tried I ended up in medical stasis and later received advanced brain surgery as a result of one battle. Still I made my own choices. I would beg you to consider our Acolytes they remain children not so different I am sure from your own clones. Our Acolytes did not ask to be born as soldiers of a cause and deserve better than despising by your kind simply because they come from a bigger family and a different in some ways crueller time when flesh was our best weapon. Rather you should pity our Acolytes for very few of them will ever get as close to their father even their adopted fathers as your children are I am sure to you.” [I stated.]
[‘Improved’ considered my words then bowed his ‘Prime Tri-optic’ deeply to the last of them prior to moving forward to give me a friendly Paradox Priest Hug.]
“You have moved me with your talk of your family Acolytes.” [He admitted.]
[In truth, I rather surprised myself as I also felt deep emotions welling for the plight of Harbinger’s children who otherwise to my shame too often vexed me as a problem needing solved rather than people worthy of my deepest most profound sympathy as children very much bereft from their true father.]
[We stood for a few moments in I considered shared priestly meditation. Then I lifted my ‘Prime Tri-optic’ upward and struck a more active pose.]
“At the risk of spoiling a beautiful moving moment and seeming manipulative rather than genuine - as a friend - what can you tell me about this ‘Recycler’ with the bad breath?” [I asked.]
[‘Improved’ stood back and seemed to consider me again for another moment in silence. I waited whilst he deep in thought I assumed mulled over all I had said today and how he now felt about me as a Patriarch of a ‘Great House’. He seemed a little conflicted.]
“The way I see it Priest ‘Improved’, the ‘Information Broker’ may have been striving to drive a wedge between you and the ‘Hierophants’ but misjudged that you are a sensitive Paradox Priest not only an ambitious and slightly bored business person. I am not surprised at this failing of understanding as we ‘Pilgrims’ sometimes see too many of our own specific traits in others and ‘Recyclers’ can be very business orientated and harsh in their business dealings.” [I stated.]
[He shrugged and I wondered if I had failed to reach him.]
“She is called ‘Garlic’ because she always has a bowl of smelly ‘Omerta’ grown bulbs by her side that she enjoys snacking on - as far as I know an unusual maybe even unique habit for a ‘Recycler’…” [‘Improved’ began.]
[Within the ‘Monastery Temple of the Blessed Harbinger’, I turned towards my ‘Splinter’ Consort the always hard to casually dismiss ‘Kanne’.]
“I suggest we avoid the balcony for a while.” [I said reaching out to draw her away from that high opening upon the substantive public arena below that is ‘Harbinger’s Square’.]
[‘Kanne’ did not look best pleased with my advisory and shrugged off my extruded limbs in a way that boded ill. We rarely now employed full ‘Splinter Battle Brogue’ as a private conversational game the language affectation proving on occasion too limiting too prone to accidental miscommunications of intent between us.]
[I suppose everything has a time or a best before date. Surprisingly thinking back, ‘Kanne’ diplomatically first dropped using the brogue to help maintain a peaceful household.]
[Arguably, the honeymoon period was over and now we both needed to work a little harder towards maintaining a good relationship although we still occasionally very happily did fun, even almost crazy, things together given our exalted status. Nonetheless, we were more aware of how our cultural differences sometimes clashed with each other - that is most of the time right now she was glaring at me and not in a positively passionately loving smouldering way.]
“What?” [I asked.] “I see no point in providing direct targets for his spite.” [I added.]
[‘Kanne’ responded to my words by standing tall and proud in a manner that I found most attractive. I moved a little closer but she gave me a firm look that screamed out not now. I slumped down a tiny bit in frustration I would have enjoyed the distraction. Too obviously, she did not enjoy the prospect of hiding away. I had thought that being a bit wicked up here whilst accused of all kinds of wickedness down there might have had an almost rebellious appeal for her and been a release - it rather appealed to me now that we were here.]
[Now I began to fear an error of judgement in picking this spot today for a moments respite from my formal role as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’. Normally she loved the sanctum especially the balcony as it allowed her whilst at my side to almost review our parading Acolyte ‘Immortals’ and so on. I had neglected to consider the added ramification today that this sanctum linked far too temptingly for her to the balcony that gazed down upon the square and the offending ranting ‘Splitter Priest’ with his Acolyte audience also below.]
[In a daze of inner contemplations, I had allowed my feet to carry me up here out of sheer habit after the ethical standards meeting with some ‘Saints’, (nothing to do with ‘Kanne’ and my behaviour I hasten to add but rather ethical business policy standards). Now I was about to pay for allowing this Avatar to slip into automatic something ‘Kanne’ despised at the best of times whenever I was with her, so much for any hope of a bit of slightly indecent frolicsome fun.]
[Without doubt, this was going to hurt.]
“That cursed statue.” [‘Kanne’ complained.] “Why did you ever erect it in ‘Harbinger’s Square’? [She asked.]
[At first, I just shrugged not wanting to go into this matter in detail but she wanted more from me.]
“You have risen up an outsized ghost to vie with your legitimate authority over your Acolytes.” [She complained.]
[Recently ‘Kanne’ had taken again to being a dedicated student of her people’s history - if mostly from a distance - her studies sometimes stirring her blood causing her to emulate some old ‘Splinter Raider’ values as she searched for a clearer sense of inner identity. I knew that my Consort remained troubled by her somewhat fractured past as one strangely parented by ‘Hierophants’ rather than any faction amongst her own species.]
[For a being with one brain, my ‘Kanne’ proved capable of an admirable mixture of feelings towards her genetic people sometimes inordinately proud other days disparaging of some of their past ways. One day copying another rejecting their habits, recently she had begun to increase her sympathy with the most historic of ‘Splinter Raiders’ deciding that most ‘Passenger Class’ historians horribly maligned them. Her latest offering being that they were misunderstood noble warriors who had received nothing but bad press. Thinking back to, in my youth, occasionally being on the wrong end of ‘Splinter Raider’ weaponry I did not entirely agree with some of her findings but prudently opted not to enter that debate.]
[Once again, I tried to educate about my position, as I saw it, with my technically adopted ‘Passenger Class’ people as in the Acolytes of the ‘MTC’.]
“I am only a stand in. I am not Harbinger. I can never be Harbinger.” [I strove to explain it seemed for the hundredth time.]
[In some ways, I suffered many trials for being their Patriarch whilst not technically their true father but such burdens came with the job description anyway as every father knows when doing your best to raise children you have to take the rough with the smooth.]
“You are this ‘House’.” [‘Kanne’ replied emphatically.]
[To be honest when she demonstrated this kind of mood almost everything she says comes out sounding rather emphatic - I judged it a ‘Splinter’ thing and sometimes cursed attractive too. Something about being criticised as immoral once again nudged me towards the cheeky option of partially proving the ‘Splitter Priest’ somewhat right here and now within the sanctum as a small intimate revenge. ‘Truer’ understood nothing about the relationship between ‘Kanne’ and me he just denigrated the superficial.]
“You take so much grief for them when you could just fly away. You are the very substance of this great place in which they now dwell.” [‘Kanne’ reminded gazing around the holy sanctum.]
“Nonetheless I am only a guardian, that is why I raised that monument that stands so tall below and whilst it has sometimes felt a problematic decision in the end - because I am just a guardian - overall it was the right thing to do. Besides my love, they do a great deal for us even look at how we live in all this monastic splendour.” [I insisted.]
“This monastic splendour as you put it - is all you - as I have already pointed out.” [She retorted.]
“Nonsense, if you listen carefully even here for example, you can hear some Acolytes chanting down in the ‘Hall of Prayers’. It is people that truly make a place unique ‘Port Discovery’ especially the ‘Temple District’ is made special by our Acolytes they are the hearts and souls of this place.” [I replied.]
“I do not see that they do so very much for us. All that they do they do for themselves for the glory of their ‘House’ as is only right and proper.” [‘Kanne’ insisted.] “We are so blessed that we are currently unable to go out on our own balcony to enjoy the view.” [She added.]
“A rare occurrence you cannot have blessed perfection all of the time.” [I stated.]
“That inanimate thing down there casts a long shadow.” [‘Kanne’ insisted.] “Schism is the curse of all orthodoxy as any ‘Dark Raider’ would tell you. Our Acolytes should look now to the ‘Triumvirate’ rather than to one who departed leaving them behind.” [She added.]
“Harbinger left for their benefit more than personal reasons he did not seek to flee his responsibilities although he may have sought not to be used. I never claimed to be ‘High Priest’ to the ‘Ascended Tier Nine Harbinger’ that would be a horrible presumption for I was never given that remit.” [I added.]
“Sometimes you are too humble you are his ‘High Priest’ as many rightly acknowledge for you are the priestly Priest of the ‘Triumvirate’ you are the ‘Holy Father’ whilst ‘Unholy Terror’ is deemed the warrior Priest and ‘Mournful Inheritance’ the worker Priest the division of responsibility a sensible arrangement.” [She retorted.]
[Technically some still deemed ‘Mournful’ an Acolyte Captain as if he became a Priest Captain rightfully he would have to split from the ‘MTC’ to form his own family but to every rule there is at least one exception.]
“You would have me be something I am not. I am merely the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’.” [I corrected gently.] “Beyond that role I am just one of three place-keeping ‘Patriarchs’ looking after the ‘Great House’ that Harbinger made. The ‘MTC’ must forever remain his ‘House’ as they are his children. Remember they are cloned from altered versions of his closely guarded genetics even those few that are born today remain a part of him not a part of me.” [I reminded.]
[‘Kanne’ closed the distance to drape her arms over me. Maybe all hope was not lost.]
“Too many of them do not take half enough appreciation for all that you do. One day some praise you the next the same ones choose to forget your deeds on their behalf.” [She complained whilst gazing into my optics. I could even feel her breath on my sensitive ‘Suit Substance’.]
“That is sometimes the way with children.” [I said whilst slowly extruding some extra limbs.] “They live in the now with short memories.” [I added.] “I think we should talk about this later.”
[She backed away from me.] “No we talk about it now for this is an issue now. They have short memories except when it suits them to forget and forgive nothing.” [She added.]
[I took a step towards her she took another step back. I slumped down slightly again.]
“Must we debate this now?” [I asked.]
[She just gazed at me in silence.]
“The ‘Splitter’ below is hardly representative of general ‘MTC’ Acolyte opinion. Anyway it might be a good thing if a few more of them become a little more discontent with the stewardship of the ‘Triumvirate’.” [I stated.]
[She stepped back further to give me an even more disapproving look her arms crossing. Obviously, she did not approve that a rebellious part of me rather yearned for more ‘MTC Splitters’. My three brains did not - equally - approve of that policy either one approved much more than the other two but more ‘Splitter Priests’ still remained a slow solution of sorts to our outsized family issues.]
[She began to pace around perhaps to stay out of my amorous clutches a bit of a role reversal when I recalled how we first met then ‘Kanne’ was the predator and I the prey.]
“How can any Acolytes being rebellious towards you three be a good thing? As good soldiers, they should follow their leaders even unto death. Besides why work so hard to keep them loyal if you just want them to split you sometimes truly are paradoxical creatures.” [She complained.]
“That is the nature of our holy heretical Order. My feelings on this matter are always complex and somewhat conflicted.” [I admitted.] “You must remember that the ‘MTC’ is not a ‘Splinter’ military dictatorship I am no Warlord they are not my fanatically obedient soldiers ever willing to be casually used even used up as I please.” [I reminded.]
[Once our ‘MTC’ Acolytes had been more servile but that was before the ‘Acolyte Synod’ and before they were included in ‘Council of Equals’ debates as equals also before they gained proper wages and so on too.]
“They are lucky you are not a ‘Splinter’ given the way they hearken to that… that ‘Splitter’.” [She complained.] “To a ‘Splinter’ Warlord choosing to listen to sedition is sedition and punishable in many instances by immediate death.”
“We do not kill our people especially over a difference of opinion.” [I said.]
“Perhaps that is the problem. You cannot rule ‘Splinter’ if you cannot kill them that is well recorded.” [She said possibly deliberately trying to shock me with that barbarism.]
“If we could say for certain that Harbinger died he could have returned to us all via a ‘Reborn Clone’ filling the great gap of his absence. Unfortunately, given the vagary over the deepest nature of ‘Tier Nine Entities’ and the odd way his animus - his spirit - seemingly departed his body whilst leaving it functional we have to assume he is blessedly still alive having perhaps technologically transubstantiated in some bizarre manner - at least that is one of the theories often debated by wise ‘MTC’ theologians.” [I lectured.]
“Perhaps it is simpler and he is just running other Avatars elsewhere although I suppose that is almost the same thing as transubstantiation minus some religious jargon and scientific awe of the extra-dimensional element incorporated within some ‘Tier Nine’ technologies that possibly captures and maintains their soul at a remove.” [I stated.]
“Sometimes we are what people proclaim us to be especially when we fail to make an effort to dispute erroneous claims. I see no great mystery with Harbinger the ‘Tier Nine’ are one with extra-dimensional ‘Computer Cores’ or something similar much as some ‘Recyclers’ are one with more mundane ‘Computer Cores’ that is all.” [‘Kanne’ countered looking over towards the balcony again.] “You Priests over think, over talk and overcomplicate everything.”
[Could it be as simplistic as that and we had made it all too religiously mysterious?]
“Take this to your many great hearts as the local representative of a system of belief as a physical representative of Harbinger within the ‘MTC’ you are either a blessed insightful saint proclaiming a profound truth - doing your Harbinger’s holy will - or you must be a deceiving sinner selling a sinister lie to all of his children.” [She claimed.]
“I am not Harbinger’s physical representative in such a direct manner. I am not seeking to replace my former Captain utterly that is not my role. I am not his Avatar or his prophet just a stand in a housekeeping steward.” [I insisted once again if I kept telling her this maybe eventually, it would penetrate her tough ‘Splinter’ skull.]
“Can one be a mere steward for an entity that even you now admit to believing may never return openly to this domain until we reach his far advanced level of technology. Surely, in the long interim they must take it that you are either one blessedly leading the family aright ever closer towards their maker or you are one wilfully leading them astray from their father. For example, your attempt to move away from ‘Ascension’ is arguably a rejection of all that Harbinger is. Beware do not put doubt in their minds. Do not encourage them to perceive you wrongly as a usurper with a private agenda that could be very dangerous. Great and noble battle leaders have fallen that way to rebellious orthodox troops.” [‘Kanne’ suggested.]
“We Paradox are not always so absolute in our faiths we are not ‘Splinter’ not even ‘Splinter Weavers’ who still possess deep down inside the single minded fire of a warrior race even if they mostly channel such burning passions now into a dedication to their creative arts.” [I reminded.]
“That one down there proclaims your power and your actions to be illegitimate that makes him a threat that needs answered and answered well. A stout general always seeks to remove dangers from the battle space. Complacency is the mother of ignoble defeat. I suggest you take action whilst the majority of our Acolytes still take some appreciation of all that you have done for the family and that you - no other - not even the infamous and legendary ‘Unholy Terror’ were the closest of all sentient beings to their Father.” [She reminded.]
“Sometimes I think you grow more strident by the day. The sort of action I believe you are suggesting is not how we Priests generally do our business. I thought by now you would appreciate better the nature and benefits of our more gentle kinder approach instead you grow more militant in your attitudes the more you study your historic kin.” [I complained.]
“I am learning to be stronger is that a bad thing?” [‘Kanne’ asked.]
“There are many kinds of strength ‘Kanne’ and they need not be mutually exclusive even pacifistic ‘Swimmer Dwellers’ oft display a rare sort of strength.” [I argued.]
“They are cowards they would be very happy to hide away and do nothing just as they are happy being hostages of the ‘Entanglement’. You are no ‘Swimmer Dweller’ craven, you are a strong Priest as strong as or stronger even than ‘Unholy Terror’. You are all of this the very substance of ‘Port Discovery’ and you range abroad with Avatars and ‘Sub Core’ assets too to confront evil. You are no submissive weakling you are the mightiest of ‘Living Hulls’ the one who took his freedom in defiance of our entire ‘Passenger Class’ society. You are a great Priest but also in your own right a strong warrior so why do you not wish to fight today?” [She asked.]
“I see no benefit in rising to this one’s provocations even when they are aimed this firmly at me.” [I replied.]
[She looked at me with growing incomprehension. I feared a true cultural gap was opening up between us and wondered how I might breach the divide.]
“They should, no less than I do, appreciate that you alone held a direct ‘Companion-ship Link’ with the storied ‘Tier Nine Ascendant’. Even today, you have a direct link built into you to their God and Father and will surely be the first to know should he ever return to our realm of substance they should take proper consideration of that holy truth. You are his one true prophet if anyone living is. They have no right to question the validity of your tenure. Harbinger even named his family after you how much more endorsement of you do they need?” [She asked.]
“My dearest ‘Kanne’ you would make an excellent publicist for me.” [I stated.]
[A direct link to their God I rarely thought of it quite in those terms. Was Harbinger truly becoming a God to his children - that triple cursed statue - and yet how could I have failed to erect a reminder of who was the real Father here lest the power I wielded corrupt me with delusions of grandeur. I often already felt a fraud as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’. Too many people saw the ‘Holy Father’ as holier than them - or pretending to be holier than them - when actually I sought primarily only to be the loudest advocate of equality.]
[Worse, I often felt now that I should have known the mind of my Captain better - well enough perhaps to prevent his self-imposed exile. Somehow, I should have found a way to step in and change his mind before he made his sudden sacrifice - his exile from his body seemed too triple cursed unfair. Harbinger did not ask to be the extra gifted son of a ‘Tier Nine’ Father. Born in ‘Heartland Space’ at first he had believed he was just another resident native but unlike his lesser brothers, ‘Composure’ gifted or perhaps cursed him with full ‘Tier Nine’ genetics bending if not breaking the rules of the ‘Tier System’.]
[Shockingly Harbinger had not realised what he was until his power began to blossom in him with the aid of a ‘Facilitator Shroud Suit’. Harbinger’s nature was ‘Composures’ doing for his own devious reasons. Harbinger split from his father but unlike many Priests, he was never able to escape the legacy of his beginnings they haunted his mind troubling his equilibrium making him feel nothing more than a tool. I well understood some of my former Captain’s feelings since I remained an entity whose entire species the ‘Passenger Classes’ created to serve as tools.]
[Harbinger and my history was one reason why I felt so strongly sympathetic towards ‘Founder’ too as another manufactured tool but that is another issue.]
“None of my work with the family is too much I owe Harbinger more than I can ever hope to repay sadly I even owe him for his absence and the gift of his family.” [I stated.]
“Your loyalty does you great credit whilst not competing with only affirming the fact that if any sentient can take the mantle of perfectly representing the wishes of the ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’ it is rightly you my love. You are the one once joined to his mind - not that overgrown Acolyte down there dropped from a ‘Cloning Womb’ after his father had long departed from known space to go whence none here can say. That one never even spoke with his Father - he knows nothing - yet dares pontificate as if he has deep insights.” [She insisted.]
[‘Kanne’ did not miss much that went on around her then I wondered if she quickly researched the ‘Splitter Priest’ as soon as he began abusing her reputation and mine.]
“That he has never spoken to his father save in prayer is sad - a cruel truth of the odd nature of the ‘MTC’ today. It is remarkable that we continue to function as a ‘Great House’ without Harbinger at the helm as something of a uniquely fatherless Paradox Priest family.” [I replied.]
“I hear sorrow in your words but you take too little credit for what you do and defame ‘UT’ and ‘MI’ too. ‘MTC’ Acolytes are not fatherless they have the ‘Triumvirate’. Having taken up the burden of guiding the ‘MTC’ through so many difficulties you three deserve proper respect not critical speeches from an Acolyte ingrate who has forgotten who his friends are.” [She complained.]
“Let it go ‘Kanne’, it would be far too easy via a direct intervention to make this matter far worse than it need ever be. Any response whatsoever that I might make only validating and inflaming the opposition of this ‘Splitter Priest’ drawing extra attention to his harsh arguments and bitter resentments. Some debates cannot be won by some parties and are therefore best avoided just as some battles cannot be won only a fool or a martyr seeks out participation in a losing fight.” [I retorted.]
“A refusal to take fight is surrender. I am confident you could best this one in open debate I have heard him speak and I have heard you preach he is not your equal I do not understand this pessimism or your stubborn refusal to engage.” [She retorted angrily.]
“That is the whole problem if I went out there and spoke against him it would be akin to a giant stepping upon an insect and come across to many as bullying and the oppression of free speech. I would win the debate too easily but lose much honour and face perhaps to some even appear tyrannical.” [I said.]
“By refusing to fight I keep the peace and my dignity intact.” [I added.] “Are you so angry because he challenges my right to lead the family or because he in public denigrates my relationship with you as a non-shrouded entity as unholy, unnatural and disgraceful?” [I asked.]
“If it was not impolitic I would take him down for saying such things as he has said about me. We ‘Splinter’ do not take insults lightly people have perished for daring to say far less and justly too.” [She stated.]
“I believe you.” [I replied whilst emitting a strong yellow glow.]
[Sometimes it seemed that ‘Kanne’ chose to forget that she was raised by ‘Hierophants’ and embraced her idea of a more martial ‘Splinter’ heritage with a passion.]
“It is good that you take belief in my prowess, whilst I continue to take the belief that you need to take the initiative in some manner. You cannot just ignore this one’s insults that seek to take away our status via belittling your many achievements. It is my faith that taking action is always better than resting idle in hope.” [‘Kanne’ insisted.]
[I shook my ‘Prime Tri-optic’.]
“Where is the fiery Elder Paradox Priest I took as my partner? When have you ever refused to answer a just challenge?” [She asked.] “What is so different about this one that you take so much to self-restraint?”
“Have I not given reasons enough? What would you have me do persecute the ‘Splitter Priest’ for having a different point of view do you forget I am and will always be the ‘Many Truths’. What would be your solution arrest him deport him from ‘Port Discovery’?” [I mocked.]
“Hardly we both know that would only add fuel to the fire of such a zealot.” [She said.] “You must take to a lectern refute this ones misguided faiths cast down his arguments at a remove if you feel a too direct confrontation would seem disproportionate and unfair. His vile words should be defeated his nature shown to be foolish and infantile.” [She suggested.]
“I never claimed to be ‘High Priest’ to the ’Ascended Tier Nine Harbinger’.” [I insisted.] “I cannot defend a position I do not hold. I have no right to speak as if I am the true voice of my friend and mentor Harbinger I am just a place keeper and I will not bully a ‘Splitter Priest’ who has not yet come to the full wisdom of adulthood even at a remove via a pulpit. Believe me there is no need.” [I insisted.]
“No need, that one seeks to tear at your reputation with his words. Even his taken name seeks to mock you. You must speak out show that he has no right to speak on behalf of his now former Father he is no longer even of this ‘House’ how dare he claim to know the sacred hearts of Harbinger better than you.” [‘Kanne’ complained loyally.]
“You still have much to learn about us Paradox Priests. He is not so special just another typically angry ‘Splitter Priest’. I will let him have his rant, when he grows bored he will go away and found his own family as is proper. It is somewhat rare for a ‘Splitter Priest’ to dare to harangue his former Father for a time directly after ‘Splitting’ but it happens sometimes. Mostly such rants are deemed the last sign of old immaturity as little is to be gained in reality from venting such an outburst save a final letting go of the past.” [I stated.]
“You will not respond in any manner to this affront?” [She asked.]
“There is nothing to be done. There is nothing for him here now, when you split you split I need do nothing but wait for him to come to his senses. When he is gone, I will remind our Acolytes of who and what I am and perhaps more importantly who and what I am not. Possibly I should have made a greater effort to do the last more stridently more often before today as clearly some Acolytes may have fostered some wrong opinions.” [I said.]
“I worry that you might be mistaken being this passive can be dangerous to a leader. That one may not honour your old ways he speaks as a heretic of this ‘House’ do not expect him to do the expected and abide by former ‘Splitter Priest’ traditions.” [‘Kanne’ complained.]
[I roared out a rumbling ‘Paradox Speaker Laugh’ causing her to look a bit offended.]
“My dear ‘Kanne’, every ‘Splitter Priest’ is a heretic of his former house that is why they split they believe they can do better and so they should as the next generation if society is to progress.” [I said.]
“That loud ingrate is not better than my ‘MT’. Sometimes I find you Paradox Priests incomprehensible.” [She complained.]
“It he insists upon staying here too long our Acolytes will cease to listen. They grant him their microphones now because they are used to harkening to speeches but if he continues to preach here beyond what is deemed appropriate for a ‘Splitter Priest’ he will overstay his welcome and - they - will speak out against him without any need of my intervention. They will tell him to go away and finish growing up that he is not ‘MTC’.” [I promised.]
“Truly you are a strange people. Do you not burn to answer his insults in person?” [She asked whilst making a stabbing motion with an imaginary blade.]
“I did find some comments he made this morning rather offensive but I can take it and we Paradox Priests do not fight with our ‘Splitters’.” [I replied.] “Do not worry my love, if he abides too long he will only dishonour himself in the optics of his former kindred. ‘Splitter Priests’ are expected to move on you cannot renounce the family and remain a part of it. One reaching for adulthood does not seek to replace the Father of his former brothers - that is just not done - it has never been done and it will never be done. He is just having a moan not trying to usurp my place.” [I said firmly.]
“I hope you are right but I fear anyone who calls themselves ‘Truer Believer’ may have bold ideas and too much self belief.” [She stated.]
“If he pushes it too far some ‘Immortal’ Marine Acolyte will take offence and wrestle him onto a departing ship but not under my orders and only with the approval of the majority of the crowd down there.” [I stated.]
“I think I understand at last a little you have taken a commander’s faith in your troops’ loyalty that I can appreciate.” [She said.]
[I decided it had to be genetic, on some level ‘Splinter’ are just ‘Splinter’, it did not matter who raised them.]
[A little later in a temple meditation chamber ‘Mournful’ called in to see me well an Avatar he was animating to be more precise.]
“No need to look so mournful, ‘Mournful’.” [I joked.]
[We hugged.]
“I am glad to see you are not taking it too badly.” [He stated.]
“I would be almost encouraged if that was not inappropriate. Maybe ‘Truer’ will convince some others to flee my poor stewardship before the more dutiful children show him the hatchway.” [I said.]
“I expected to find you in moping isolation when I heard you had gone all formal meditative.” [He said.]
“Between you and me I just came here for a while to better escape ‘Kanne’ before our cultural differences over the matter turned into a silly private fight.” [I said.]
“Where is the formidable ‘Kanne’ now? I trust she is not anywhere near ‘Truer’.” [He added.]
“At the Temple range, blasting away her frustrations at least that was my suggestion.” [I replied.]
“So you are truly feeling fine not just shrouding your feelings from us?” [‘Mournful’ asked.]
“I have heard all his complaints before from one source or another at one time or another.” [I said.]
“Perhaps you have but to hear all that invective strung together in a public haranguing has to be a little different.” [‘Mournful’ said.]
“It is only different if I allow it to be.” [I preached.]
[I realised ‘Mournful’ was studying me closely then nodded his ‘Prime Tri-optic’ slightly.] “You seem well centred today so I suppose I must believe you.” [He said.]
“I am more worried about how the rest of the brood will feel when the next ‘MTC Protectorate’ budget is published next month.” [I said.]
“That has been on my mind too it is all a bit gloomy and some Acolytes are bound to think a bit two tiered with them taking most of the heavy economic hits.” [‘Mournful’ admitted.]
“The Acolytes are the ‘MTC’ and the ‘MTC’ is the business that is currently failing to excel against our competition - at least at the moment.” [I qualified.] “People just living under our protection cannot be expected to pay equally for our business failings that would only stifle the wider economy and spread our depression.” [I suggested.]
“We need to do something about this in the longer term.” [‘Mournful’ said.]
[I shrugged.] “I am open to suggestions.” [I replied.] “I fear we had best brace ourselves for a bumpy ride as it is only going to get worse for a time. Our Acolytes might have to learn to settle for less even if we opt out and start going all commune.”
“I fear at the moment all the Acolytes perceive are all their internal bills going up for standard - and worse what were once free - services.” [He said.] “Are you sure this is the vector you want us to take with the next budget?”
“It cannot always be all good let us see how they cope with a little economic privation.” [I said.] “It might even be a benison for the glory of the purification of their souls they are supposed to be Priests in the making not greedy ‘Recyclers’.”
[‘Mournful’ contrived to look doubtful.]
“Currently our ‘Pilgrim’ economy is a poorly balanced mess. A ‘Hierophant’ Professor recently pointed out to me the increasing economic divide between us ‘Users’ and the ‘Real Materialists’ and now we have a gap opening up between ‘Great Houses’ that refuse to proliferate ‘Soulless Assets’ and the ‘New Holds’ who are happily embracing ‘Sub Core’ run industry with a passion as you know far too well. Personally I do not want to copy the ‘New Holds’ example too closely I want another way forward. Have you any new thoughts about potential business strategies?” [I asked.]
“Most of my thoughts feel pretty old at the moment.” [‘Mournful’ complained.]
“Most is not all - you are being modest - I am sure you and yours have been working on something. I have great faith in your business creativity and acumen. What is it?” [I asked.]
“We have been looking at a few possibilities.” [‘Mournful’ admitted a bit reluctantly.]
“I am all microphones.” [I replied eagerly.]
“This is not the way I imagined selling our concept.” [He complained.]
“Is it such a bad idea as I consider myself to be a friendly audience?” [I asked.]
[‘Mournful’ slumped his Avatar down a little then straightened up again.]
“To state the obvious, unless we go ‘Soulless’ we cannot compete at harvesting ‘RAW’ and that also drives up the price of us forging elements and in turn that along with other higher staff costs diabolically affect our end of the line manufactured goods pricing policies. We need to look at what is left such as personal service industries and perhaps making the most of our inability to compete with other cheap bulk providers.” [He said.]
“Now you are losing me slightly how do we make the most of the detriment.” [I replied.]
“If we must be more expensive we could become exceptionally pricy and establish the ‘MTC’ name as a luxury item brand.” [He suggested.] “If we cannot compete in the cheap volume market we must strive to sell our products and services based upon real alongside a manufactured perception of higher quality in short we need to become high end fashionable. We might even be able to find a new market by selling our stylish expensive branded goods to ‘New Hold’ Acolytes once they become objects of aspiration.”
“You really think ‘Pilgrims’ in this economic climate will pay far more simply for fancy branding and image?” [I asked.]
“They will once we convince them that owning our products is a sign of sophistication taste and social superiority. The nasty part is that we will need to take a chance and despite our current downturn invest considerable credits in boosting then marketing our corporate image as well as in creating new especially stylish product lines that scream out exceptional design excellence and so on. I am talking about a total re-launch of all our product lines scrapping or revamping anything that has even a suggestion of the ordinary about it. We must make our Corporation and our products stand out.” [He suggested.]
“Social superiority I am not sure I like the sound of that.” [I said.]
“I hardly think a bit of image manipulation to sell our products will damage the inevitability of your social singularity.” [‘Mournful’ replied.]
“What will make our stylish products any more stylish or any better than any other brands? Many other Corporations have very active marketing departments alongside gifted designers and skilled stylists too.” [I reminded.]
“We do have one unique selling point over every other local competitor.” [‘Mournful’ insisted whilst looking a bit more uncomfortable his ‘Prime Tri-optic’ drooping slightly.]
“Why am I suddenly getting a very bad feeling about this?” [I asked.]
“We need to make the most of what we are.” [‘Mournful’ excused.] “We are the ‘Many Truths Corporation’ the ‘House of Harbinger’ therefore uniquely we can legitimately claim to sell ‘Tier Nine’ - inspired - products. Products for those who want to reach towards the next level of excellence.” [‘Mournful’ stated.]
“That is disgraceful.” [I said.]
“I know.” [‘Mournful’ admitted.] “However it might work and it could be worse.”
“How?” [I asked.]
“I rejected the blessed by the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’ idea.” [‘Mournful’ replied before rumbling out a crude ‘Paradox Speaker Laugh’.]
“Did somebody really suggest that?” [I asked.]
“Of course not but it makes a good joke.” [‘Mournful’ said.]
“Has ‘Unholy’ managed to convince you to go drinking with him again?” [I asked.]
[Onboard the ‘Solar Ranger’.]
“Your Father named you ‘Improved’?” [I asked the ‘New Hold Father’.]
“He did I got a lot of genetic upgrades and I fear he was not the most inspired of Paradox Patriarchs when it came to labelling his Acolytes.” [‘Improved’ admitted.]
“With a smaller family it should be easier to find original names for all. I have met more than a few other ‘Improved’ Acolytes and even a few other ‘Improved’ Priests.” [I said.]
“My name is one that has proved a little too popular within our Order but I can assure you that there is only one ‘Improved’ of ‘Improved Technologies Consolidated’ and that is me.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“You felt no need to change your rather common name when you attained a new ‘Vision’ of your own as a great many ‘Splitter Priests’ feel motivated to do?” [I asked.]
“I did consider ‘New and Improved’ but it seemed a bit longwinded.” [He joked quietly with a gentle yellow shimmer.]
[I glowed a little yellow in turn. Now having gone beyond our initial somewhat prickly first meeting this one was not hard to talk with as an equal. It was good to get a chance to talk together as Priests with no one else around not even our most venerable ‘Trojan Professor’.]
[Being a little Paradox Priest paranoid I was asking about his name in an attempt to analyze his attitude to ensure that he was what he seemed to be and not for example an ‘Entanglement’ facsimile although as a detection method it was at best a long shot in a dark nebula. ‘UT’ - ever security conscious now - had annoyingly stated to me but a few days ago that ‘New Holds’ operating so remotely via ‘Soulless Assets’ were an ideal fit for infiltrating our Order within the fiery depths by ‘Crimson’ or indeed other factions.]
[Many ‘New Holds’ actual Acolytes and their Patriarch lived higher up in far safer shallow ‘Star Struck’ regions only operating Avatars and ‘Soulless’ outside of their very traditional and often off limits to all non-family members ‘Monastery Style Habitats’ and or one single family crewed ship that again stayed isolated. They never or only rarely ventured as bodies within ‘Shroud Suits’ into the dangerous depths or even to interact with other Priests or Acolytes so their was little or no chance that say a ‘Star Diver’ could ever capture a supposedly ‘Shrouded’ individual belonging to a ‘New Hold’ to strip away a disguise therefore if ‘Crimson’ quietly murdered and replaced one or more of these small families, (which might be possible exactly because they operated as small isolated units), she could easily - safely - operate as the murdered ‘New Hold Father’ and his family as could anyone else who took out a ‘New Hold’ for that matter.]
[Once ‘UT’ mentioned the concept to me, I could far too easily imagine ‘Crimson’ running standard ‘Suit Substance’ as cunningly technically non-‘Entangled’ units via ‘Soulless Assets’. Such a methodology would provide an almost perfect remove that would permit her to enter the fire and meddle quite strongly with the smallest possible risk of exposure probably even if she ran foul of unknown highly advanced ‘Star Diver’ technologies that captured and sought to interrogate some ‘Soulless’ units. I could easily believe that ‘Crimson’ continued to probe for useful weaknesses in our defences for deeper infiltration purposes - that one just loved to meddle.]
[So far however, ‘Improved’ had reacted in no way suspicious I was not even suffering a subconscious computational itch that as a fellow Priest he felt a bit wrong. I now rather prided myself on my subconscious computational itches a by-product of running lots of data through lots of ‘Cognitive Sub Cores’ resulting in subconscious pattern and data analysis. Unfortunately, ‘Crimson’ could be subtle when she deemed it operationally necessary my lack of itches not withstanding.]
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions now that we know each other slightly better as real people rather than just by potentially discoloured reputations alone?” [I asked.]
“That might depend on the nature of the questions.” [He replied.]
[He certainly had a Paradox Priest’s occasionally dry sense of humour.]
“I suppose it would.” [I admitted.]
“Ask away and we will see if I am offended or not.” [‘Improved’ said this time with the barest tickle of yellow light over his ‘Free Patterning’.]
[‘Improved’ could be quite charming. Sometimes less is more a truth ‘UT’ could benefit from in relation to his employment of light emitted laughter. The ‘Unholy’ one almost liked to blind his associates with his mirth and to deafen them with his rumbling roars too but then I guessed that was just his personality. Compared to ‘UT’ Priest ‘Improved’ was exceptionally refined I wondered if ‘Unholy’ would consider him too civilised and mannerly. Although he had been somewhat ruder when we first met but that meeting no longer seemed representative of this ones truer personality.]
“How are you finding working with ‘Cad’ and his people?” [I asked.]
“Working with the ‘Trojans’ is already challenging my former expectations.” [He stated.]
“In what ways?” [I asked.]
“As a confession to a fellow Priest I have realised I may have been a bit harshly opinionated about a few things due to my upbringing.” [’Improved’ said.] “Although, not necessarily everything.” [He quickly added.]
[I felt that seemed to sound overall akin to a positive somewhat encouraging statement in these circumstances but I felt a sad need today to confirm my instincts.]
“Can you further clarify that statement?” [I asked.]
“Put simply I find I rather like the old ‘Trojan’ rogue now that I have met him in person. I was surprised how readily he has discussed and debated his politics and history with me. He can be surprisingly candid and forthright about some issues although he obviously keeps a treasure chest of secrets I must admit that most of the ones he guards best do seem his preserve to hoard.” [‘Improved’ admitted.] “I find I can sympathise with his overall intent if not his every historic action.”
“As a confession to another Priest I have had to reconsider my opinion about you.” [I stated in turn diplomatically.] “I came here thinking of you as an upstart competitor with no common sense in relation to the dangers of proliferating ‘Soulless Sub Cores’ but now I perceive that you are far from being such a person. In fact, at some risk of sounding too flattering and obsequious I find you to be a quite brilliant young Priest especially compared to some others of my acquaintance. It is clear to me now that you are simply striving to do your very best by your children by using the tools you have available. I can hardly hate you for being a good Father even if we do favour some different material policies and so on.” [I said.]
“You can be very disarming for a reproving Elder.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“I would have peace between us if that is what you mean.” [I said.]
“Did you think there was any danger of a fight breaking out?” [He gently mocked.]
“There are some issues of contention that we could easily wrestle over. What is your opinion of the ‘Real Materialists’ as individuals? In addition what do you think of them as a ‘Pilgrim’ faction?” [I asked.]
“They are not my concern ignoring the more militant ones some of whom have occasionally tried to damage my business operations.” [He claimed.]
“You have preached against them within the ‘Consortium’.” [I said.]
“As I have said some of them have attacked assets belonging to my ‘Hold’ and they defame us on a regular basis that has occasionally motivated me to denounce them in turn and to move to protect my assets from their interference. I believe I have been reasonably tolerant considering their provocations. Down here we ‘Users’ are the future. Throwing your body into the hottest part of the fire can only result sooner or later in incineration.” [He said.]
“Would you help them on their way?” [I asked directly.]
“I have no interest in starting a war but I think we need to curb their insolence.” [‘Improved’ stated.] “The ‘Consortium Police’ must more actively enforce the law or others will end up taking that upon themselves.” [He said or possibly threatened.]
“As a Paradox Priest you have no sympathy with ‘RM’ faiths whatsoever?” [I asked.]
“When a person behaves as my enemy I treat them as a hostile I endeavour not to be too sympathetic with hostiles.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“You began your life as an Acolyte Marine.” [I said.]
“I did.” [He admitted.]
“Have you ever thought that if you got to know the ‘Real Materialists’ better that you might feel differently about their cause and attitude just as you now feel a little different about ‘Cad’ and me.” [I said.] “It is too easy to make enemies, my advice to you speaking as an Elder Priest if you will forgive me is - if you wish to stretch yourself - try taking up some more worthy challenges than just cloning ‘Suit Substance’. Endeavour to make some ‘Real Material’ friends you might be equally surprised.”
“You think we ‘New Holds’ are too isolated and self satisfied?” [‘Improved’ asked.]
“That is interesting as those are not my words.” [I said in turn.]
“You are or were another one who thinks or thought that I shamelessly spoil my Acolytes.” [He seemed to challenge.]
[I slumped down a little because he struck me a fair blow with that accusation.]
“My engines did veer in that direction before we met I must admit based upon your Acolytes that I have interacted with so far they hardly fit the accusations I have heard.” [I confessed.]
“We ‘New Holds’ have been much criticised by the ‘Great Houses’ I think mostly for daring to compete and worse for winning contracts and business away from some of our respected Elders but business is business as any ‘Recycler’ will tell you.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“The business methods of ‘New Holds’ are increasingly causing us problems that truth has no doubt made us think unkindly towards your kind. Personally I feel I owe you an apology I should have known better than to allow myself to be judgemental based only on hearsay in relation to the quality of your Acolytes that was shameful. Perhaps I was more than a little bit jealous of your seeming easy success in what for me and mine are increasingly difficult economic times.” [I admitted.]
“How strange that my actions here in this place have brought us two in fact us three counting the ‘Trojan’ closer together.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“Perhaps that truth proves that there is still hope for our old Order even if sometimes some of us insist in behaving as if we have grown blind in at least one optic.” [I replied.]
“Whatever else I am judged to be by you Elders do not doubt that I am also a Paradox Priest just as you are.” [‘Improved’ insisted.]
[Increasingly I did not doubt the truth that ‘Improved’ was a genuine Paradox Priest.]
“So whilst we are being honest and forthright even with some uncomfortable truths you did claim jump.” [I said.]
“Not in the optics of the law.” [‘Improved’ replied quietly but very firmly.]
“Is that the most important issue to you with this one the technicality?” [I asked.]
“Not to me but it is important to my family we are normally very law abiding we endeavour to adhere strictly to the rules of the ‘Consortium’ - they are good rules - that is a clear part of my ‘Vision’.” [He said.]
“Yet you are not behind bending the rules. So why did you do it?” [I asked.]
“I came here because it seemed a rare and interesting opportunity a chance to step up in the game by engaging with the famous ‘Hierophants’ and so on. Perhaps I was also a little bit bored and looking for a different sort of challenge. My business goes well often almost running itself I have been looking for wider interests - a hobby - maybe even a greater purpose.” [He considered.]
“Someone realised you were bored and put you up to this particular venture.” [I surmised.]
“I was approached by the ‘Information Broker’ with the data that lead me here… to my claim.” [He stated.]
“You say the ‘Recycler’ approached you? Truly, it was not the other way around. Earlier I recall you rather hinted it was the other way around.” [I insisted.]
“Earlier I had my reasons for being more duplicitous. She approached me that apparently being the manner in which she does her business. She gains data via her sources - the sources being none of my business - then approaches someone she believes will give her a good price for it. To be honest I was intrigued I was not sure why she thought the ‘ITC’ in particular would want information on well...” [He trailed off.]
“...on a, through ‘Real Space’, ‘Hierophant’ expedition to this outlying place.” [I filled in for him.]
[‘Improved’ shrugged I guessed not willing to confirm or deny my words despite now claiming to be a bit less duplicitous.]
“I am not trying to trap a confession out of you, you have my word as an Elder Priest - may all that I care for wither and die if I am deceiving you. Consider all that we say here to be off any official record - for all time - as the ‘Divers’ say.” [I promised.]
“Those are strong words from an Elder Priest.” [‘Improved’ replied.]
“Those words are simply how I feel. Our relationship started out badly but I hope to rectify that poor beginning in fact I feel I need to rectify as many differences between us as possible or I am failing in my duty as an Elder Priest.” [I stated.] “There was a time when many young Priests would not have felt embarrassed to seek out an Elder Priest for a little advice. There was a time when we all seemed to behave with more priestly decorum.”
[I strove to project as upright and sincere a stance as possible.]
“I take my membership of the Paradox Priest Order very seriously it was during a speech in an old ‘Council of Equals’ back in the ‘Core Alliance’ that in many ways I first became in my mind a ‘Free Hull’ realising that others do not give you your freedom you take it as your sovereign birthright. I always knew I was a real person not just a machine not just a tool but in that ‘Council’ I realised I was also a Priest - an ‘Equal’ - and how could I be ‘Equal’ and not be free too.” [I said firmly.]
[’Improved’ considered my words then said.] “Forgive me, but I find that I have to ask what you expect from me today? Why have you sought me out? Really my business here is with the ‘Trojan’.”
[I tried to put myself in this young Priests place to show that I could understand where he was coming from.]
“Mostly I just expect you to be what I think you are a good Paradox Priest. I am not primarily here because it is the time of the ‘New Holds’ and you threaten to eclipse us ‘Great Houses’ with our heavier social burdens stealing our contracts via undercutting our prices and so on although that is a factor. I must accept that you have every right to your success and it is up to us ‘Great Houses’ to find innovative ways to compete not for you to make concessions. What worries me more is the potential for another division - another faction - another triple cursed split developing within the society of our Order and our greater ‘Pilgrim’ society. Consider these facts that we should always both be good Priests and good ‘Pilgrims’ first that should be an adhesive binding us together. We are also both ‘Consortium’ members and you seem to have faith in the remit of that organisation although personally I fear it is losing its way at times. I would love to see everyone joining up to the ‘Consortium’ including the ‘Free Miners’ but striving to force reform can be a dangerous business, ideally people need to make up their own minds. We should lead by good example not by applying cruel force.” [I stated.]
“You continue to surprise me I expected demands that we ‘New Holds’ limit our ‘Soulless’ expansion maybe even threats and portents of doom. I imagined you preaching against ‘Soulless RCT’ how perhaps hacked by the ‘Entanglement’ they might run amok to do something akin to what occurred at those tragic so-called ‘Mutilation Ports’ and so on.” [‘Improved’ admitted.]
“Perhaps I should hire you to make my case for me.” [I jested.]
“I am well aware of the dangers of ‘Soulless’ use and the benefits.” [‘Improved’ said.]
“Yesterday or perhaps the day before that I might have considered employing the pronouncements you expected but now I am thinking more clearly - at least I pray that I am. I would prefer that being members of our Order should be more important to both our kind than being a ‘New Hold Father’ or a ‘Great House Father’. If mistakes were made in the past as you seem to firmly believe it was due to the times ideally the best place for such mistakes is in the past were we can look back to learn from them. In the now, we should strive to do better rather than compound old injuries with inappropriate resentments.” [I said.] “As to the dangers of surrounding ourselves with too much ‘Soulless’ substance I believe those are plentiful and diverse but I am hoping you will eventually understand that even better too when you better understand such ‘Great Houses’ as my ‘MTC’ and the nature of the ‘Real Materialists’ who fear your kind more than any other ‘User’ barring the infamous ‘Entanglement’.”
“So what are you proposing exactly today?” [‘Improved’ asked.]
“I have no simple solutions to propose if only I did. I see no obvious immediate answer to some of the issues that threaten to divide us other than for us all to reach out with greater understanding towards each other. What I am saying is that we need to stay good Paradox Priests who debate through our differences in a productive way rather than turning away from one another in a divisive manner. What you do here with ‘Cad’ for example could make a big difference to all our futures. We can find honest ways to work in concert - proving true to one another proving beneficial - or we can seek the paths of betrayal and strive just to use and abuse one another for factional interests to become bitter rivals and everlasting competitors.” [I warned.]
“As I have mentioned before our ‘Recycler’ friends would say that business is business and add that competition is inevitable even healthy.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“We are not ‘Recyclers’ in the Paradox Priest business one party need not always lose for another to win. All victories bought via putting others down are destined I believe to be only temporary successes for the wheel turns and the downtrodden will rise up once again and the worse they are treated when down and powerless the more resentful they will be when they are in power. I sense you feel wronged by us in the past but petty revenge is not the answer it just feeds a negative cycle.” [I realised I gave ‘Cad’ one item of bad advice this one was not a ‘Frat Pirate’ who needed chastised.]
“I have faith in a social singularity that one day we must all rise together to keep rising but that is a long way off. Today is your turn to rise temporarily but you need not rise too much at the expense of all others thus breeding future foes - winning is not always enough sometimes it is no less important that we win in a manner that we can be proud of rather than a way that is shameful. I have participated in some shameful victories and it leaves a bitter taste and a stain. We yet might choose to cooperate in a cleaner way as much as possible. Via mutual support we might be at worst very friendly competitors who abide by decent rules of engagement.” [I preached.] “A good Priest can earn more than credits they can accumulate respect and love even from a rival or an enemy and I do not think we need ever be enemies.”
“You are speaking in a way about concessions we ‘Holds’ gained few concessions from the ‘Great Houses’ when at the height of their power.” [‘Improved’ accused.]
[Here I sensed rested the problematic root of any ire that ‘Improved’ still harboured towards me and mine.]
“Perhaps we did not do enough to help especially at some crucial moments in time but I think much help if offered at many other periods would have been roundly refused. Please understand that the most traditional Priests who remained especially stubbornly true to the concept of small families the so-called ‘Holds’ were prideful in their refusal to change and proliferate their children.” [I lectured.]
“Your direct ancestor looked down upon the actions of those that became ‘Great Houses’ deeming them to be embracing a corruption of the old Order. Meanwhile the optics of my former Captain rested - some might say wisely - upon other issues of greater priority. I cannot honestly speak for the motivations of every ‘Great House’ but I know that the ‘MTC’ did nor proliferate to put the ‘Holds’ down my Captain cloned his Marines to prevent us from being overrun by burgeoning numbers of the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ when they began feasting on the power of ‘Advanced Energy Leeches’ and spreading as if a plague over the ‘Sea Spheres’.” [I reminded.]
“When they were a young species the ‘Skimmers’ were notoriously aggressive in their attitudes scarily intolerant and uncaring of other truths they had a potent dream and desire to domineer all other sentient beings in a cruel manner if necessary.” [I preached.] “Do not confuse the ‘Skimmers’ of old under a living ‘Draakhaal’ with the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ of today moderated by the ‘Shaper’ faith and in stranger ways by the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ and even, the hated by some, forced integrations of the ‘Free Parliament’.”
“Which would you have preferred the ‘Great Houses’ proliferating their Acolytes and becoming economically dominant compared to the ‘Holds’ but still respecting your rights to stay small and traditional during the time of the ‘Core Alliance’ or to become little better than thralls to ‘Ruling Caste Stellar Draakhaal’? That is if the far more militant ‘Skimmers’ back then did not just opt to purge us weak - if we had not proliferated - Paradox from existence. Faith is not always enough to prevent disaster.” [I said.]
“How much do you think the ‘Ruling Caste’ would have respected your rights? You ‘Hold Fathers’ chose to remain small vulnerable intimate family units trusting in your faith to protect you we chose otherwise knowing prayers would not be enough. In many ways it was our ‘Great House’ strength that once helped to save all Paradox Priests and Acolytes including your ‘Holds’. However we expected no accolades we made our choices and we have both faced the consequences of our chosen way. In many ways, I envy you the joys of your small intimate family. I can remember back to when Harbinger’s ‘House’ was just my crew compared to today those were carefree easy times.” [I explained.]
“You would go back to such a lifestyle if you could - you find the way of ‘Holds’ attractive.” [He said.]
“A huge proliferation of Acolyte Marines was never my policy decision, to me it has often been a curse, but every child once engendered is a blessing to be cherished there is no escaping that truth. Nonetheless, can you imagine the difficulties of administering a ‘Great House’ that is the size of the ‘Many Truths Corporation’? Can you imagine how much work is involved in keeping all those Acolytes happy and usefully employed not to mention feeling that their adopted Fathers love them as individuals?” [I asked.]
“That must be difficult.” [‘Improved’ admitted.]
“Believe me, even having three patriarchs is not enough we just do the best we can and often it feels horribly insufficient even negligent. I suppose we are lucky today that many of our children have their faith in the ‘Tier Nine Harbinger’ to help sustain them past their adopted Fathers many failings, but a statue and legend only goes so far. Unfortunately, for us the times are changing some children now put far too much value upon credits being influenced by outside attitudes they have less faith in old faiths and even in the family as a sacred unit for they increasingly just see us acting as a big corporation and think of themselves as workers rather than fledgling Priests.” [I admitted.]
“I confess until now when I thought of ‘Great Houses’ I thought of old wealth, webs of political power and huge military assets capable of too readily rolling over other peoples interests and truths heedless of smaller ‘Visions’.” [‘Improved’ stated.]
“We ‘Great Houses’ had our moments of glory and some Patriarchs did get somewhat corrupted by the might they mastered but even at our height I feel that the ‘MTC’ need not be envied we always travelled a hard vector for reasons that were beyond selfish motivations and we were far from being alone in that. ‘Hierophant Cad’ was another who opted to proliferate a family of clones - for a greater good - in part following the ‘Great House’ example to create the ‘Interdiction Fleet’ and so on. The ‘Hierophants’ and the ‘MTC’ did not grow vast to honour themselves we always had a purpose our ‘Vision’ being to act as counterbalances to other far more disruptive forces. We even helped greatly in the fall of the increasingly tyrannical only so-called ‘Free Parliament’ with its vote manipulating demagogues.” [I reminded.]
“Many believe today that the ‘Hierophants’ manipulated the ‘Free Parliament’ as a means of social engineering.” [‘Improved’ complained.]
“That is a possibility and it may have done some good as a necessary evil a period we had to work through to better appreciate each other and individual freedom too. Do not be too eager to add to ‘Hierophant’ or ‘MTC’ or any other ‘Great Houses’ sorrows. Speaking for my family if it was hubris in the beginning to some degree to clone all those Marines to use life to counter a threat of death and destruction we have paid for our sin and we continue to pay every day via the great weight of our responsibilities ostensibly to the lives we made and even with all our seeming excess in the end none of it proved enough to stave off every calamity.” [I said.]
“Would that we could have prevented the proliferation of the ‘Entanglement’ believe me we tried I ended up in medical stasis and later received advanced brain surgery as a result of one battle. Still I made my own choices. I would beg you to consider our Acolytes they remain children not so different I am sure from your own clones. Our Acolytes did not ask to be born as soldiers of a cause and deserve better than despising by your kind simply because they come from a bigger family and a different in some ways crueller time when flesh was our best weapon. Rather you should pity our Acolytes for very few of them will ever get as close to their father even their adopted fathers as your children are I am sure to you.” [I stated.]
[‘Improved’ considered my words then bowed his ‘Prime Tri-optic’ deeply to the last of them prior to moving forward to give me a friendly Paradox Priest Hug.]
“You have moved me with your talk of your family Acolytes.” [He admitted.]
[In truth, I rather surprised myself as I also felt deep emotions welling for the plight of Harbinger’s children who otherwise to my shame too often vexed me as a problem needing solved rather than people worthy of my deepest most profound sympathy as children very much bereft from their true father.]
[We stood for a few moments in I considered shared priestly meditation. Then I lifted my ‘Prime Tri-optic’ upward and struck a more active pose.]
“At the risk of spoiling a beautiful moving moment and seeming manipulative rather than genuine - as a friend - what can you tell me about this ‘Recycler’ with the bad breath?” [I asked.]
[‘Improved’ stood back and seemed to consider me again for another moment in silence. I waited whilst he deep in thought I assumed mulled over all I had said today and how he now felt about me as a Patriarch of a ‘Great House’. He seemed a little conflicted.]
“The way I see it Priest ‘Improved’, the ‘Information Broker’ may have been striving to drive a wedge between you and the ‘Hierophants’ but misjudged that you are a sensitive Paradox Priest not only an ambitious and slightly bored business person. I am not surprised at this failing of understanding as we ‘Pilgrims’ sometimes see too many of our own specific traits in others and ‘Recyclers’ can be very business orientated and harsh in their business dealings.” [I stated.]
[He shrugged and I wondered if I had failed to reach him.]
“She is called ‘Garlic’ because she always has a bowl of smelly ‘Omerta’ grown bulbs by her side that she enjoys snacking on - as far as I know an unusual maybe even unique habit for a ‘Recycler’…” [‘Improved’ began.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Fri, 4. Apr 14, 16:33, edited 3 times in total.
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 10]] --- HOLY GHOSTS? ---
[‘7.1’ signs, (big stencilled red numbers against a solid black circle), were painted on the bulkheads, one had even rested above the wide-open hatchway outside the district almost as if a final warning. Once inside I judged that they hardly needed graphic numeral signage to point out the change in venue. Inside the alteration in the quality of the air alone was warning enough that you had departed better regions for far worse.]
[Here it was obvious that life support systems were overtaxed. Air quality in the crowded area was notoriously bad, even here; on the edge of the slum, it was thick with heat and humidity. It almost seemed as if the very bulkheads sweated. The smell even to my ‘Omerta’ nose was potent. I was positive the soupy air my nanotech unassisted ‘Meat Suit’ lungs laboured with was less than properly sterile. The air mixture not only a trite too thin in oxygen but also I feared too thick with everything else - ignorance being bliss - no deeper analysis was necessary for peace of mind or wanted.]
[A too busy crudely converted passageway confronted me currently subject to a constant flow of two-way foot traffic that often had to squeeze past one another. The locals seemed adept at the techniques involved even the bulkier ‘Recyclers’ mostly weaved with surprising grace despite stomping footfalls. As was often the case in crowded places every resident seemed to dwell in his or her own little tight fitting box of private space.]
[I noted that static individuals tight to narrow stalls that lined the thoroughfare hardly alleviated the crush although many stalls interpenetrated into cut away internal bulkheads. The stalls acting as frontages on the street deck level for back end stores, cooking facilities and so on. Along with the smell of mixed species body odour, I detected the sickly sweet pungency of overripe fruit and the tang of heavily spiced cooking amongst numerous less easy to define stenches.]
[The deck below my boots was filthy and when a movement caught my downward eyes, I was intrigued to discover a scuttling many legged resident decomposer that I recognised as possibly originally belonging to the ecosystem of a ‘Star Diver’ Planet. How it arrived up here, I did not know but it looked as if it was doing well.]
[My beard itched in the heat and humidity whilst my lungs laboured to process the unhelpful air. Unconsciously I scratched at one patch of hairy growth clawing at an upraised line with my fingernails one of my many facial scars some of which the beard partially hid as part of my ‘Meat Suit’ disguise. I loved the idea of disguising the disguise trying to hide the scarring in some ways only drawing greater attention to the detail that this ‘Omerta’ was no stranger to a brawl.]
[My ears filled with the cries of vendors as they pitched their questionable wares competing loudly against one another. Caught dawdling I was jostled from behind by one ‘Recycler’ in a hurry I gave that one a disgusted - do not mess with me - look that he failed to see. He disappeared into the mass ahead of me unaware of my projected ire. I did not check to see if any of my gear was pick pocketed the little I owned was very well secured, even the large ‘Universal Tool’ on my back locked into its quick draw sheaf only releasing when properly grasped by me after sampling my genetics.]
[I stepped aside out of the main flow of foot traffic putting my back flat against a greasy bulkhead. I must have arrived at some sort of rush hour even here this frenzied level of activity could not be normal. I guessed from local station time that I had barged in during a busy lunchtime period. I hastily judged this place in worse condition than anything upon ‘Hade’s Stopover’ this one felt far more real. None of the grime was fake ‘Real Material’ styling. Genuine low-income squalor and neglect had mutated ‘7’ into ‘7.1’.]
[When the ‘Slum Lords’ hacked, physically destroyed and or simply deactivated the local public informational network to stop the ‘CP’ making use of various digital links they also shut down local cleaning and maintenance drone command streams not just automated anti-boarding security systems, crime monitoring optics and so on. Apparently, no one ever rebooted the cleaners, knowing ‘Recyclers’ they had probably been recycled for parts and their base material or sold. Anyway, fallible people now undertook any cleaning here or in many instances with public areas, I guessed hardly bothered at all.]
[I had never had any cause to pass this way before only seen visuals and visuals failed to capture the metamorphosis in perfect grimy detail and this was just a few score metres inside the public informational blackout. Only truly stupid tourists would seek to spend their credits here. ‘7.1’ no make believe show - it was all business - and it had a reputation for eating stupid tourists alive. Gawping tourists were only welcome as mugging victims for ‘Deck Gangs’ and more solitary freelance thieves.]
[As I stood there acclimatising I felt as if I had been gated to another station nothing here projected the clean corporate image of ‘Port Interface’. I knew the story behind ‘7.1’ but it was still amazing that the mostly ‘Recycler Slum Lords’ had gotten away with so boldly converting an entire ‘Consortium’ tax credit paid for dormitory habitat area into this crowded sublet mess of a place via to some degree cleverly manipulated people power.]
[Odd that people had fought and risked their lives to live this way but I guess home is home. This place supposedly the first rung on the ladder to better times or the base camp to a mountain climb to success if you prefer. The majestic mountains, I missed my old access to the Planets with ‘Venture’ even as ‘MT’. Back on topic it really did not seem to make sense that people came here to this messed up place looking for something better than wherever they had originally hailed from and then knowing the reality still fought to remain in this squalor but then surface details rarely tell the whole story. Perhaps ‘7.1’, if nothing else, provided freedom of a sort and seemed a far better option than a stint in a ‘Consortium’ repatriation holding-cell for even disappointed residents.]
[Recently our Ports were subject to a great deal of economic migration as people sought to better their conditions via moving to seemingly more advantageous venues. Too often far away Ports falsely appearing more prosperous. What brought people here however was the truth that there is always work to be found on ‘Port Interface’ for any - resident - person willing to accept a low starting wage although in deeper truth the starting wage might never get much higher unless you proved very able and somewhat blessed.]
[Some cunning ‘Recyclers’ did the math early - then did what they do best - and exploited a developing business opportunity in this instance by hastily settling in here as ‘Slum Lords’. First, they illegally subdivided the working class developments that they gained control over as sublet subunits to families of migrants then they simply reaped in the many profits from providing the means of the overcrowding and then providing various additional services to make it bearable too. The authorities, perhaps some of them initially bribed to look the other way, were too slow to catch on to what was happening with ‘7’ until it was too late and ‘7’ had become the not so new and improved ‘7.1’ a low wage earner ghetto. The ‘Consortium’ took steps to prevent a repetition of this travesty elsewhere on ‘Interface’ but for ‘7’ it proved too late the ghetto once established resisted all attempts at removal.]
[Some might think it equally odd that a prosperous ‘Information Broker’ chose to live in such a place but there are two types of ‘Information Brokers’ those who strive hard to appear as legitimate as possible by operating from plush sterile offices and those who fully embraced the seedy reputation of their kind for having dodgy connections. Obviously, ‘Garlic’ enthusiastically belonged to the last group. Here she had protection from the law as this was ridiculously now a ‘CP’ no go zone without permission from the ‘Slum Lords’ and in some instances from ‘Citizen Block Militia Leaders’ and ‘Deck Gang Leaders’ too three roles here that were subject to being interchangeable sometimes at short notice. Having a good swindle was never enough if you did not manage to secure your territory from upcoming rivals.]
[During the standoff with the ‘Consortium Police’ that birthed the local public informational system blackout back before the establishment of the no go zone many arms were illegally smuggled into ‘7.1’ and so called ‘Citizen Block Militias’ formed to defend the slum from the evil threats of the law. After ‘7.1’ unofficially won its freedom through riot, ambushes of ‘Consortium Police’ units, and back hatch deals supported by some ‘RM Industrialists’ who made use of the slums workforce some poorly controlled ‘Militia’ leaders realised they had the weapons and weapons equate to power and matters got a little messy and terminal for some ‘Slum Lords’. In the confusion of these rebellious occurrences, some imported ‘Deck Gangs’ also seized opportunities and some properties.]
[Now a relative peace existed between the surviving felons via what was little better than an unwritten criminal code. The code went for residents pay your rent and your dues to the requisite people and they - should - leave you in peace some might argue not so different to any form of governmental taxation which if not paid also arrives with menaces attached.]
[Pushing off from the bulkhead, I joined the weaving throng. The stocky ‘Omerta’ with a scarred and bearded face my ‘Meat Suit’ I named ‘Jacque Lien’. Here ‘Jacque’ was just another migrant prospectively seeking employment and a cheap residency upon ‘Port Interface’, ‘Port Interface’ attracting many ‘Jacques’ as one of the most famous ‘Deep Port’ destinations.]
[‘Interface’ famous as the Headquarters of the ‘Pilgrim Deep Mining Consortium’ or ‘PDMC’ now more often just shortened to the ‘Consortium’ even though other ‘Consortiums’ existed out there possibly causing label confusion. Many ‘Pilgrims’ however disliked long labels and some hated the increasing proliferation of acronyms within our society too as a bane of our times.]
[I suppose that the majority of ‘Pilgrims’ now reduced the ‘Pilgrim Deep Mining Consortium’ to the shorter ‘Consortium’ label was one cultural measure of its successes demonstrating that the ‘PDMC’ was now considered bigger not to mention more socially prominent in ‘Pilgrim’ society than any other known ‘Consortium’ even the ‘Old One Recycler’ criminal ‘Consortium’.]
[In relation to the public informational dark zone I mentioned earlier that loss now covered the entirely of the slum district. Reviewing what had occurred here, I imagined the breadth of the coordinated informational blackout shocked many people including I was positive a then even less established ‘Chief Inspector’.]
[No one had realised that the ‘Slum Lords’ were so well organised or so readily militant and had skilfully planned to ensure the security of what they saw as their territorial gains from any ‘CP’ intervention. The dirty seemingly spontaneous and haphazard slide of ‘District 7’ from a more sanely designed pleasant enough worker dormitory habitat had fooled the authorities into underestimating some highly ambitious ‘Recyclers’.]
[Technically as I continued on my way I recalled that the battle to restore ‘District 7’ is ongoing, the authorities unable and officially unwilling to surrender control over an entire district of the ‘Deep Port’ to opportunistic ‘Recycler’ felons. That a part of the showpiece headquarters of the ‘Consortium’ might be stolen away from official control considered especially by ‘User’ members as outrageous, however, in reality according to my information the ‘Slum Lords’ roundly gave the authorities a good drubbing with the assistance of some ‘Real Material Industrialist’ members of the ‘Consortium’ and some members of the local press.]
[Some ‘RM Industrialists’ hardly cared what conditions their workers lived in as long as they as employers retained access to a large pool of locally available cheap labour. In fact some ‘RM’ business managers probably preferred the slum conversion to the original plan as it provided far more cheaper accommodation capable of supporting far more workers than the original scheme with its strictly limited quota of working class residents.]
[Interestingly some ‘RM’ businesses people had accused their ‘User’ peers of attempting to reduce their local expansion opportunities via limiting their available local workforce prior to the emergence of the slum. That early collusion existed between the first ‘Slum Lords’ and some ‘RM Industrialists’ I judged a distinct possibility.]
[Rather importantly, the existence of the slum permitted some ‘RM’ employers to get away with paying their employees even smaller wages than before vital to staying somewhat competitive against local ‘Soulless’ enterprises. Besides, if these mostly low grade workers were willing to put up with these dire conditions they argued it saved wasting ‘Consortium’ taxes upon creating more salubrious dormitory districts to properly house workers. Without the advent of the slum potentially even worse for some business people, each ‘RM’ concern might have had to pay out for the creation of private accommodation units within their own otherwise pristine showcase ‘Corporate Districts’ normally more about obtaining cross border cross faction sales and promoting their image.]
[Unsurprisingly politically many ‘User’ members of the ‘Consortium’ proved anything but keen to use ‘Consortium’ funding to subsidise a ‘Real Material’ workforce pool upon ‘Interface’. Conversely, ‘RM’ businesses were always looking at ways to reduce their staffing costs without resorting to further automation as too much automation was now often closely associated with ’Suit Substance’, ‘Sub Cores’ and us cursed ‘Users’.]
[The ‘Consortium Police’ were also historically tested by what happened on ‘District 7’ and arguably were found wanting. The economic migrants that readily flocked to inhabit the subdivided sublet properties when threatened with eviction hastily dug in and worse proved to have access to arms illegally smuggled in by the ‘Slum Lords’ who organised those loose ‘Citizen Block Militias’. With the whole slum proving an ambush site, any serious attempt to reclaim the district judged rapidly to require an inordinate amount of force and brutality to succeed. The ‘Slum Lords’ had calculated the lack of political will perfectly, understanding that warring with poor ‘Real Materialist’ - families - was far worse press than the ‘Chief Inspector’ could afford especially since many already viewed the ‘CP’ as a paramilitary ‘User’ organisation that sought to bully ‘Real Materialists’ at every opportunity via ‘Soulless’ forces. As soon as political pressure to act decisively against the ‘Slum Lords’ on ‘7’ began to diminish in part due to unusually clever manipulation of the press by the ‘Real Materialists’ the ‘Chief Inspector’ proved rightly or wrongly more than willing to ignore the problem of the slum at least unofficially.]
[I mention unusually clever manipulation of the press by ‘RM’ in this instance as overall ‘User Corporations’ have previously domineered press manipulation in the ‘RM’ versus ‘User’ propaganda war. With this singular event however many on station journalists focused on the issue as one of ‘RM’ workers trying to make a basic living in the fiery depths versus a soulless bureaucratic ‘Consortium’ machine that sought to crush their hopes and opportunities in favour of an arbitrary quota. In fact, the residential occupational quota emerged from sensible evaluations of life support functions and optimal living space for mixed species social contentment indexes too.]
[In real terms the mini crisis during which an armed confrontation between the slum dwellers and the ‘CP’ threatened to escalate only lasted for a little over two tense weeks that started with some riotous clashes and ambushes that firmly prevented evictions and arrests and ended as previously mentioned in very much behind closed hatchway deals.]
[Now ‘Consortium Suit Substance Users’ often ignored the existence of ‘7.1’ not wanting to admit being defeated with the issue. In turn, many ‘Real Materialist’ business owners did not want further attention drawn to the district too given the imperfect housing conditions and so on. Meanwhile ‘7.1’ remained defiant to all outsiders as something of an aberration that acted as both a boon and a bane to its resident’s wellbeing.]
[It was now estimated according to public data that ‘7.1’ hosted over thirty times its ideal population density with a believed demographic mix of sixty percent ‘Recycler’, twenty percent ‘Omerta Trojan’ and twenty percent other with the majority of the ‘Slum Lords’ still being opportunistic ‘Recyclers’ including those also acting as ‘Militia Leaders’ and or ‘Deck Gang Leaders’.]
[In a strange way, I nonetheless almost felt at home in this messy place as it reminded me of the most crowded habitat areas of ‘Hade’s Stopover’. Although as mentioned, the squalor here in ‘7.1’ felt if anything a little more real than the stage setting of ‘Hades’.]
[During the height of the public-disorder dispute, some irate ‘User Industrialists’ suggested isolating the district via blockading every entrance and exit from the rest of ‘Port Interface’ until the fractious residents were literally starved into submission and surrendered to the control of the law. However, the blockade plan suffered a quick rejection when certain groups pointed out that the ‘Consortium’ would be sanctioning starving entire families including children. In addition, the ‘RM Industrialists’ wanted their workers at work not detained or cordoned off by the ‘CP’. Nor did it seem appropriate to arrest the more honest workers who left the district to go to their jobs as normal especially as most of those supported vulnerable dependants back in the troubled slum. As a result even when the ‘Consortium Police’ were still attempting to engage in operations in ‘7’ against specific public order offences the main entrances and exits to ‘7’ or perhaps I should say ‘7.1’ remained wide open ignoring upgraded check points for weapons.]
[A little earlier, I had no trouble whatsoever passing into the slum from a less chaotic region but I did soon question if getting out unmolested would be equally easy. Due to all the previously mentioned facts, I was not terribly surprised when I soon began to encounter ‘Deck Gang’ markers scrawled everywhere along with some obvious gang members hanging out on the public thoroughfares. This was a ghetto united in many divisions. As I negotiated around one poorly placed stack of barrels one ‘Recycler’ in particular ogled my back holstered ‘Uni-Tool’ with poorly disguised lust.]
[The ‘Deck Gangs’ were a social bane that had replaced some ‘Slum Block Militias’ also replacing some of the less smart ‘Slum Lords’ with usurping ‘Gang Leaders’. I had little sympathy for the departed starting a revolution to gain or hold onto stolen wealth is rarely the hard part staying in power during and after the initial hoo-hah is far more difficult. The problem with being rebellious is it gives other people the same idea.]
[I knew that some ‘Pilgrim’ historians argued that the proliferation of ‘Deck Gangs’ at some Ports in this era was a product of the chaos bred from the ‘Wars of Liberation’ including refugee movements, war orphaned children and so on as well as the old ‘Black Market’ that encouraged a general disrespect for the rule of law. Much is made of the fact that rebellion, as a tool once loosed is a fire difficult to control a fact I cannot deny. Without doubt we bred disaffection with the establishment as originally represented by the ‘Free Parliament of Demagogues’ and later some of that disaffection was easily transferred to the ‘Consortium’ and or local State rulers including ‘Corporations’ such as the ‘MTC’ and so on. Many of our ultimate solutions proved disappointing to some young members of the next generation.]
[Some social commentators equally blamed economic imbalances and subtle pressures on the psyche of ‘Pilgrim’ children not yet acclimatised to living in a fiery alien hostile environment for the explosion of youthful rebellion. Without doubt, even many adults readily turned towards greater usage of drugs, alcohol or outré systems of belief and so on as forms of self-medication to keep the fiery pressure at bay. I believed the causes of ‘Deck Gang’ proliferation to be legion including an increased cultural obsession with the procurement of wealth and material goods as symbols of status and success that some could not easily obtain legally during an economic expansion partly aided by increased automation that meant some grew richer whilst others ended up poorer and or unemployed.]
[Another factor a general degree of disappointment by some ‘Pilgrim’ offspring that bringing down the ‘Parliament’ via the ‘Wars of Liberation’ and then the perilous colonisation of the fiery depths of the stars failed to deliver us directly into a profoundly different golden age. Instead of universally better times one set of problems many could easily argue were just replaced with a different set of difficulties such as poor relations with the ‘Entanglement’ being changed for problematic relations with the ‘Star Divers’. What was increasingly indisputable was that ‘Deck Gangs’ were now a problem on far too many Ports a growing subculture that sometimes strove to domineer entire districts.]
[Due to the local conditions in ‘7.1’ my ‘Meat Suit’ retained a tougher demeanour than usual and an impressive build designed to look as if he might be able to handle or if riled even be the cause of significant trouble.]
[Dressed with the sort of drab utility wear favoured by manual labourers I had no weapon but retained a heavy duty ‘Universal Tool’. The ‘Real Material’ gadget invented by ‘Recyclers’ and often owned by rugged - do it yourself - types that could also double in many configurations as a weapon capable of bludgeoning, cutting or even shooting an opponent. The shooting bit being with self-tapping and seal-bonding rivets not bullets although my tool also had a strong force pulse capability retaining a decently powerful manipulation field emitter able to lift and propel significant objects. Else, it could act as a crudely sighted ‘Pulse Force Rifle’ what some might doubly wrongly insist upon calling a ‘Knock Gun’ as I consider ‘Knock Guns’ to be - at most - pistol variety ‘Pulse Force’ weaponry.]
[‘Uni-Tools’ as many called them were a tech slowly growing in popularity especially amongst certain ‘Real Materialist’ members of ‘Recycler’ and ‘Omerta’ extraction as they allowed these people to carry an object that made a very effective weapon even in areas that otherwise prohibited the carrying of armaments. Despite much talk about changing some bans to include ‘Uni-Tools’ so far ‘Real Materialists’ had argued these measures down claiming ‘Uni-Tools’ were becoming an essential element to some ‘RM’ operations. People who lacked the facility of ‘Suit Substance’ to provide any tool they might require in any given situation especially in any emergency often used ‘Uni-Tools’ that allowed prompt action against life support failures or even a dreaded threatened ‘Real Material’ hull breach.]
[A good ‘Uni-Tool’ for some a status symbol also equated as an object of desire and as such highly attractive to thieves. When the ‘Deck Gang Recycler’ demonstrated an especially tight focus upon my ‘Uni-Tool’ with her optical implants I endeavoured to give my best go ahead and try look, (previously practiced along with other expressions against a mirror screen), before beginning to make a point of very arrogantly - not - hurrying past her and her friends. Then thinking about what ‘UT’ might do in this perilous situation I stopped walking altogether and turned the required distance to stare directly back at her no less rudely.]
[For a short while, I was engaged in a bizarre staring contest as favoured by duellists. As the contest along with the local atmospheric conditions threatened to make my biological eyes water I decided to change the rules before I embarrassed myself.]
“See something you like.” [I asked in an unkindly manner.]
“Nice ‘Tool’.” [She replied. Still making a deliberate show of far too obvious avarice for my property - not a good sign - I had been hoping she would back down when I refused to be easily intimidated. Hoping she would judge my confidence as worrisome.]
[One of her colleagues hissed out a ‘Recycler’ speaker laugh then snapped her cybernetic over jaws as if in anticipation of doing some biting down upon my weak ‘Omerta’ flesh. I realised too late I might have erred in my initial choices due to facing off against a group not just one individual. In total, when two reinforcements dropped down for somewhere above, I registered seven of them most probably far more than I could handle alone even if I made the error of drawing the ‘Uni-Tool’ as a weapon.]
“They like them big where I come from.” [I replied striving to still appear nonchalant despite the obviously escalating threat level.]
“Here we prefer them smart or in some cases dim.” [She replied before hissing out an unfriendly laugh that her friends quickly reinforced.]
[I scratched at the scar on my chin as the ‘Recyclers’ commenced moving with scarily silent coordination - communication wise - to better surround me.]
“You have not asked where I came from and I really think you should before you do something stupid here.” [I suggested.]
“If you think it matters tell me?” [The ‘Recycler’ ordered.]
“I hail from ‘Port Lien’.” [I stated coolly playing my trump card.]
“You are ‘Clan Lien’?” [She asked.]
“What do you think?” [I asked in turn.]
[She seemed to measure me again with her spinning optics. I relaxed a little inside when I judged by her change of stance that she felt disappointed maybe even robbed which was naturally ironic.]
“I think - to be so bold and so well equipped - you are ‘Clan’.” [The ‘Recycler’ said.] “Stand down.” [She added to her associates.] “We seek no vendetta with ‘Clan Lien’.”
“I am glad to hear that.” [I stated.]
“What is your business here friend?” [She asked.]
“My business is my business.” [I retorted not too forcefully but firmly enough.]
[She considered that then nodded her head slightly.]
“You might want to cover that one up.” [She added indicating my ‘Uni-Tool’.] “That one will prove very popular here and hard for some to resist attempting to procure by fair or foul means.”
[The enclosing circle had abruptly opened. This one obviously had good control over her pack.]
“Foul means would be a mistake.” [I replied.]
[She shrugged.] “One must always consider the danger of fools not just the rationality of the wise.”
“That is a good point I will be careful.” [I promised turning to go.]
“Wait one moment.” [She demanded.]
[I considered ignoring that demand by just keeping walking but two out of three of my linked in brains outvoted that idea as the wrong move, I halted and made a point of looking at her and trying to look dangerous to her personally.]
“You might like to consider a trade to make your business here, whatever it happens to be, easier. I could provide you with something almost as functional and much less noticeable along with other trade goods to make up the price difference.” [She cunningly suggested.]
[I shook my head deciding my ‘Uni-Tool’ had to be a prized possession perhaps even a gift from family or close friends if it was drawing this much avarice.]
“If you will not let me trade for it at least let me hold it before you go on your way.” [She requested one claw twitching.]
[Whilst I considered that giving my only weapon to her seemed risky offending this ‘Recycler’ with an abrupt refusal not to mention her fellow gang members also seemed unwise. In the end, I gave in to her demand and reaching back drew the tool out switching off its genetic binding whilst as casually as I could manage presenting it and wondering if I was being a fool.]
[To my added nervousness she did not hesitate to hit the button that put the tool in ‘Recycler’ mode allowing her larger claws to grip it properly.]
“She is a beauty almost as well balanced as a dedicated weapon.” [The ‘Recycler’ said hefting it as if a rifle.]
[I strove to remain outwardly unconcerned.]
“I did not expect to see one of these models here so soon after the release date if at all - it is something special.” [She added.]
[It appeared I had erred with this one item of equipment.]
“I am very fond of it for personal reasons.” [I replied.]
“Do you mind if I show it to my colleagues?” [She asked surprisingly politely for a gang member but then I suspected she was a ‘Gang Boss’ maybe even a ‘Gang Leader’.]
“Not at all as long as you are not too long about it I do have business to attend to.” [I stated.]
[I trailed along after her endeavouring not to look anxious but worrying that I was failing whilst she pointed out apparent improvements on the previous model to her colleagues who listened with the eagerness of proper henchpeople. Then with a degree of obvious reluctance she returned it to me.]
“If you ever change your mind and want to trade that tool you come back here and see me first. I am ‘Hip’ of the ‘Lance’. I make you a good deal I like genuine ‘Ton Tech’ branded ‘Uni-Tools’ we do not see too many of those here never mind top line models of this calibre save horrible cheap copies that mimic the styling but lack any of the substance.” [She stated a matter that now seemed too obvious to me from her deep enthusiasm.]
[I prayed that this one was unusually obsessed with ‘Ton Tech’ tools and I had just been unlucky to pass by her and be noticed.]
“You have sharp optics and good taste.” [I replied.] “I also prefer ‘Ton Tech’ but if I ever have a reason to sell ‘Bess’ I will consider your kind offer.” [I promised.]
[The giving of my ‘Uni-Tool’ the name of ‘Bess’ was a hasty improvisation that I hoped would get the point across that I was firmly attached to the stupid device.]
“Good profits to you and the ‘Clan’.” [She said.]
“Good fortune to you and the ‘Lance’.” [I replied in turn.]
[I did a quick data search via my ‘EXO-C’ link displaying text and images via the facility of my ‘Neural Net’ upon an internal ‘Mental HUD’. I soon discovered the item I too boldly carried was indeed deemed special - top of the line - not just ‘Ton Tech’ branded. Worse apparently many ‘Recyclers’ and even some ‘Omerta’ considered that ‘Ton Tech’ produced the very best ‘Uni-Tools’ on the market according to a great many posted comments on gadget lover link sites. Doing some further browsing ‘Ton Tech’ also produced some of the most expensive ‘Uni-Tools’ available including my almost superlative model. Here I guessed was the kind of product branding we needed for the ‘MTC’ but that was another issue and not my immediate problem.]
[I had been remiss with this one part of my cover disguise this is what happens when you too casually delegate an enthusiastic young Acolyte to handle the procuring of an outside ‘Real Material’ item for one of the ‘Triumvirate’ - of course he had diligently hunted down and shipped in the very best item he could find. I now realised I should have done the buy in person or been more specific about price range as owning one of the very best ‘Uni-Tools’ on the market was somewhat too flash for my purposes here as ‘Jacque’. No wonder ‘Hip’ had shown a high degree of product fixation if she was a gadget freak or just a ‘Ton Tech’ fan. I decided to find a stall as soon as possible were I could buy some cloth to cover up the identity of my tool as an embarrassment of riches. Not being that much into ‘Uni-Tools’ I had not realised at all how special the provided one happened to be. Indeed, I had not even appreciated the ‘Ton Tech’ branding just improvised to ‘Hip’.]
[After doing my browsing I even considered changing my mind and returning to make that trade with ‘Hip’ but to keep in character I probably had a serious attachment to the pricy bit of kit or I would not be hauling it around as a temptation to thieves and muggers everywhere. If I seemed too eager and willing to part with it, it might well seem odd now maybe even encouraging further enquiries about me. Making work for Acolytes sometimes had drawbacks well it was too late now already I suspected ‘Hip’ might be Data Blasting a storm to any fellow enthusiasts about the device and word might spread hopefully also the word that I was ‘Clan Lien’ and best left unmolested.]
[As you might be wondering, I will explain about ‘Clan Lien’. ‘Clan Lien’ is a famously tight infamously vengeful when crossed ‘Omerta’ faction originating from a notorious ‘Sanctuary Orb’ nation. They now more or less politically culturally and economically domineered four large ‘Star Struck’ Ports not counting their first more obvious acquisition renamed ‘Port Lien’. Whilst ‘Clan Lien’ remained, primarily only interested in self-promotion rather than membership of any greater faction, nonetheless if you did anything harmful to a ‘Clan Lien’ member without some very good excuses you generally offended the entire clannish nation and sooner or later could expect payback with suitable interest for your stupidity.]
[Many people operated in this manner to a greater or lesser degree but ‘Clan Lien’ did what they did from all reports especially well. We Paradox Priests had once operated in a similar way to ‘Clan Lien’ too any attack by outsiders against one Priest being deemed an aggression by outsiders against all Priests that policy many times proving a very good deterrent and survival strategy. Sadly when the ‘Great Houses’ became powerful factions such as the ‘MTC’ tended to mete out our own private justice against deemed more private infractions rather than seeking a unified response from the Order via taking all serious issues of contention to the ‘Council of Equals’.]
[With hindsight unilateral action by ‘Great Houses’ weakened our Paradox Priest Order as a totality even before the fall of the ‘CA’ and in time devalued the role of the ‘Council of Equals’ in general a noteworthy negative side effects of the ‘Great Houses’ once waxing Acolyte power. Recently I was reviewing how things changed socially because of the advent of the ‘Great Houses’ mostly due to talking with ‘Improved’ since he was a Patriarch of a ‘New Hold’ with a slightly different point of view.]
[It was my hope that we two might learn a few new tricks from studying our old mistakes together.]
[Beyond a well publicised propensity for payback ‘Clan Lien’ benefited from the renown of being dependable sorts that honoured contracts as if sacred texts. Their almost stubborn reliability making them popular employees and they often travelled abroad and hired out individually especially younger ‘Clan’ members seeking to make a name and a fortune for themselves before returning home to settle down with their own kind. I saw that custom as an attractive coming of age pilgrimage and found pretending to be ‘Lien’ with an ‘Omerta Meat Suit’ an almost irresistible option once I had learned a bit more about their faction and this one proved the perfect excuse to role-play as a ‘Lien’.]
[Out of interest, it was upon ‘Hade’s Stopover’ as ‘Jill’ that I first met a member of ‘Clan Lien’ socially and learned a bit more about their specific ‘Omerta’ culture. Whilst I tried to keep my actions as ‘Venture’ and ‘Venturesome’ separate from my actions as ‘MT’ and so on it was almost impossible not to have a cross fertilisation of some ideas and a widening of my general knowledge base.]
[Sometimes the ‘Omerta’ seemed to have an endless variety of nations and factions with new ones still occasionally arriving from out of the dark all of course at one time refugees of the ‘Entanglement of Sanctuary Orb’.]
[Back in the moment on ‘7.1’, following my words with the ‘Deck Gang’ member, I continued on my way. I was carrying a small reactive personal shield but was praying that I would not need to rely on that device here. My shield’s sensor coverage very limited here therefore it might be far too slow in reacting to speedy threats. The reason for my shields expected reaction time tardiness the loss of any friendly local public network coverage to interface with the unit for more precise and reliable threat evaluation purposes. Thankfully, on this occasion, the seeming confident arrogance of my bluff and cheekily claiming kinship to ‘Clan Lien’ must have worked as I planned since I suffered no ill consequences for exposing the tempting target of my back to the ‘Recyclers’.]
[Here I should note my clothing also retained some discrete armour, in certain important places for an ‘Omerta’, this was usual for workers who might suffer accidental blows from high speed - especially dumb ‘Real Material’ - machinery and so on. A little armour was also common with travellers who lived a bit rougher than the most settled of civilised ‘Pilgrim’ folk.]
[To be honest in ‘7.1’ I felt akin to times when as a Priest I very much regretted not bringing along a couple of Companion Acolytes to watch my rear. The temptation to rubberneck in this labyrinthine criminalised ghetto - especially due to the limited breadth of my binocular vision with this ‘Meat Suit’ - was immense but looking nervous would make me into an assured victim. ‘Deck Gang’ types often by nature - opportunistic - criminals would be deeply encouraged to act aggressively if shown any overt sign of weakness in a potential victim that was the most basic criminal psychology.]
[More than ever since my time in the ‘Reach Project’ I knew that people deemed to be marks often announced themselves to predatory criminal types. Often the trick to not becoming a victim is to refuse to appear as a victim in advance. All true predators I believe prove adept at spotting weak members of the herd an ancient passed down genetic heritage.]
[My too well endowed ‘Uni-Tool’ now seemed a dire disguise mistake here as much a liability - as a local object of desire - as it might prove a boon as a tool for self-defence. I then decided it was too late to change my mind now and besides the ‘Uni-Tool’ fitted the persona of a wandering ‘Clan Lien’ member very well as they often only departed for their travels after getting decently equipped to survive in their chosen occupation.]
[During my encounter with the ‘Deck Gang’ I felt both fear and to be honest a thrill of excitement. It was amazing how firmly attached you could become and how deeply you could hastily identify with a ‘Meat Suit’ body once you learned how to let go of any stubborn mental sense of separation and any twinges about being somewhat alien to your normal nature. The more I used ‘Meat Suits’ the easier and more natural it became to slip into a synthesis to the degree were you just became the persona the flesh insinuated. Now if anything using ‘Meat Suits’ felt far less remote than running a ‘Suit Substance’ Avatar partly because you felt more tangibly vulnerable to hurt and with those limited senses you strain far more to see, hear, taste and to feel. Sometimes paradoxically, less truly feels more.]
[I felt especially vulnerable as ‘Lien’ because the ‘Meat Suit’ purposely had no nanotech support as ‘Clan Lien’ members as a rule proved sternly against invading the sanctity of their bodies with a massive infusion of microscopic cellular repairing machines. It is interesting what some define as unacceptable compared to what is considered tolerable for example ‘Clan Lien’ members were hardly the strictest of ‘Omerta’ when it came to ‘Real Materialism’ not too shy to use some ‘Suit Substance’ devices when they had any great need of them. However despite some material flexibility they wanted no truck with internal nanotech with the exception that some used ‘Neural Nets’ a technology that now usually always involved a built in nanotech element if one strictly controlled. Of course, ‘Neural Nets’ were deemed an old tried and tested technology by some ‘Pilgrims’ and perhaps that made a perceptual difference to ‘Clan Lien’ members.]
[When ‘Jacque’ finally passed the address of the brokerage he did not look too out of place and had his ‘Uni-Tool’ covered up but I quickly realised that loitering in my ‘Meat Suit’ even disguised as local could prove bad for my health. Whilst ‘Omerta’ here in what was primarily a ‘Recycler’ district of ‘Port Interface’ were far from uncommon this subsection of deck typically had local protection.]
[‘Garlic’ clearly had roots in the lower end of the community based on her chosen office site. Sharing part of a subdivided accommodation covered in signs declaring it ‘Yard 106A’ of the widespread ‘Recycler Deck Gang’ known as the ‘Scrapper Franchise’. ‘Scrapper Franchises’ were infamous as material thieves who believed in recycling other people’s property very much without their permission. For example liberating what they deemed excess metal fixtures and fittings from less trafficked parts of stations besides undertaking any other activity that would earn them some credits to spend upon often obscenely expensive technologically advanced or just very shiny and stylish quality cybernetic upgrades.]
[As ‘Deck Gangs’ go ‘Scrapper Franchises’ tend to be one of the more dangerous to cross due to their focus and delight in upgrading their cybernetic systems that sometimes included state of the art built in weaponry. Luckily, they were not especially militant more into martial display than actually shooting at people and often discrete in their larceny if not always in their bold appearance. As a rule ‘Scrapper Franchises’ considered their crime as legitimate business and preferred not to clash with the authorities directly especially the ‘Consortium Police’ who were less likely to accept a bribe than many other port security people, especially it is said arguably unfairly by some, any bribe from a ‘Real Material’ criminal faction.]
[Anyway the gang signs and a few overtly upgraded ‘Scrappers’ hanging out on the deck I think virtual reality dicing convinced me to keep walking past as if going somewhere else. Rumour had it that ‘Garlic’ only saw people via appointment and that you did not contact her she contacted you when she had data she believed you would want, now that truth seemed confirmed, I could guess who acted as her gatekeepers and general security staff. I surmised at the very least ‘Garlic’ paid the ‘Scrappers’ off for protection whilst at the most she was an active affiliate or semi-affiliate of the deck gang or maybe even a lesser ‘Gang Boss’ or greater ‘Gang Leader’ knowing my luck.]
[‘Improved’ had failed to mention her ‘Deck Gang’ connection although maybe it just slipped his mind or he deemed it irrelevant as mere background window dressing to his deal. Walking on I guessed I would have to befriend the ‘Scrappers’ and or bribe them to gain access to ‘Garlic’. I felt sure just walking up and asking for an audience would suffer a hasty rebuff just as she had earlier rebuffed link calls from me as ‘MT’ and remarkably even from ‘Cad’. Possibly, she did not believe the Professor was who he claimed to be or that I was truly me too. Conversely, she might be one who stuck strictly to set security procedures as well as being difficult to impress. According to gossip, she was an old ‘Free Parliament Monitor’ who had fled the ‘FP’ purge of ‘Monitors’ that happened during the ‘Wars of Liberation’. I was sure the whole ‘Garlic’ thing both the name and the habit was part of a new obscuring identity rather than an old habit that would give her truer origin away.]
[Not every ‘Monitor’ who worked for the ‘FP’ and came under suspicion by their previous masters had been a secret traitor recruited by the resistance. Some had been loyal until they realised they were not credited as such by their former employers and either escaped from custody or fled prior to being picked up. Conversely today some ‘Monitors’ were still considered complicit in ‘FP’ war crimes and had a bounty on their head a bounty people such as ‘Creed’ or even ‘UT’ would readily collect. When feeling bored or just desirous of a change of pace ‘UT’ occasionally did a bit of bounty hunting on the side of his more official duties, on rarer occasion, even I have pursued a bounty or two with my assets when I believed those sought deserved to feel a little justice but those are other stories.]
[For now I felt reasonably pleased with my success in commencing to confirm the story told to me by ‘Improved’. I wandered on deciding my first job would be to find my ‘Meat Suit’ a local residence then see what I could discover about ‘Yard 106A’ of the ‘Scrapper Franchise’. This slum was interesting and well worth a prolonged visit by an undercover Avatar. Wondering if the ‘Hawks’ had any known historic connection with the ‘Scrappers’ I created a ‘Search Routine’ and sent it trawling through link sites.]
[Today was almost but not quite just another day another shift for ‘Jill’. With additional ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support I reviewed the logs from the most recent period when ‘Jill’ was running on automatics then I seamlessly settled in for the anticipated end of what then became my shift as ‘Jill’. Nothing had flagged any alerts so my scan of the data was perfunctory more about maintaining a perfect continuity of character than anything else.]
[After tidying my shared desk, I looked forward to some playtime with ‘WCD’. A planned visit to the tourist trap of the slightly oddly named Night Market region was scheduled. I say oddly named as it now stayed open during the local daytime cycle too although it was far busier at night with extra temporary stalls. Artificial station day and night cycles had found a home on many ‘Way-Stations’ and many other ‘Deep Ports’ such shallow illusions some ‘Pilgrim’ psychologists now insisted would help us cope better with the pressure of living in a crushing furnace. Some unfortunate ‘Pilgrims’ went mad down here the most dangerous irrationally seeking to escape via for example trying to step outside. Here the, sometimes flickering, lights dimmed a little in the evening in public social areas and the noises of the fans and the buzzing of the electrics I also believed softened ever so slightly. What affected peoples views more than slightly dimming lights and so on was the creation of artificial day and night working shifts that meant people thought of their free time as daytime or night time.]
[‘Betty’ arrived early waving to me before taking a free seat near the water feature the relocated Fish Fountain elsewhere during the party then for a time shockingly placed in storage. The attraction recently reinstalled here at this new location central to the main lobby space at the insistence of ‘Leeruussiii’ as ‘Uussleer’ or was it more as ‘Velvet’. To me the Fish Fountain now seemed a bit out of place but it did create a lot of interest and softened the all business feel of our reception space a watery counter to the fiery visuals of ‘Solar Mining’ on the internal bulkheads.]
[Sometimes I felt the fiery visuals were not a great idea being a harsh reminder of what raged beyond what often seemed our flimsy protective measures some of which measures are alien to us sealed unit ‘Star Diver’ technology.]
[Whilst I dealt with a customer who was actually a ‘BAB’ agent about to be directed inward and upward, (we worked hard to maintain our cover to most ‘Pilgrims’), ‘Betty’ passed her time watching the genetically engineered fish that were perfectly at home in their bizarre habitat some even riding the fountain streams of water with relish rather than just going around and around in one of the complex tiers of pools as you might more sanely expect.]
[Fascinatingly each pool in the fountain was a sort of local habitat with various resident denizens who never migrated including fish and crustaceans even some snails then you had the migrant fish that happily entered the fountain streams to visit their neighbours. The Fish Fountain was an entire ecosystem of interlinking habitats that included its own predators and prey I often felt a clever allegory for our own society a work of great artistry almost a bit of social engineering. Indeed it was the product of a in some quarters famous aquatic ‘Stellar Swimmer’ artist from ‘Port Messenger’ who had branched out from reefs and more standard underwater gardens to create incredibly expensive genetically engineered wonders such as this one. I liked to imagine the artist as a ‘Tier Nine Ascendant’ resident via an Avatar on the suspected ‘God’s Port’.]
[Truly, the ‘Fish Fountain’ was worthy of a prominent position rather than storage even if it took up a lot of floor space and sometimes caused an inconvenient knot of visiting admirers. In fact due to being included in an on link tourist guide site sometimes tourists breezed in to cheekily congregate in our lobby with no other business with us whatsoever - we tolerated such intrusions as good publicity that helped spread the name of ‘Uussleer Mining Enterprises’ far and wide.]
[Just before my replacement arrived, ‘Sue’ dallied in via the main entrance from the street deck with too perfect timing. Using a ‘Real Material’ hand held Pad she activated an encrypted laser link to an input point to make a report and to log off duty for the day. ‘Sue’ often had perfect timing, perfect for her that is. A quick data search revealed that ‘BAB’ had sent her on a simple material drop errand from which she should have been back about an hour and a half earlier. I suspected ‘Sue’ had started her off duty activities early. On another day I might have ensured she suffered a swift reprimand for slacking but many personnel amongst those not doing high priority duties would be expected to slack off a bit today as it was that glorious time of the month - our official payday.]
[‘Sue’ was smiling broadly no doubt at the prospect of now being officially free to spend more of her wages although she probably found her earlier illicit shopping or whatever whilst still technically on duty even more satisfying in some ways - that was ‘Sue Cunning’.]
[‘Sue’ was one player who enjoyed being ahead in the game even more than she enjoyed playing and she was a natural player of all sorts of amusing games. Definitely more personally ambitious than ‘Betty’ and generally far less idealistic or kindly empathetic although she was good at reading people for her private advantage or so I believed.]
[I often made an effort to recall that ‘Sue’ was best kept on a tight leash in which case she would make a great future operative whilst forever remaining something of a lovable rogue element. Thinking again, I decided belatedly that I would ensure that she suffered a reprimand - later - for her tardiness today because ‘Sue’ - on a regular basis - probably needed to be reminded whom she worked for far more than most of our recruits.]
[I studied the ‘Omerta’ girl, dressed to kill in more ways than one, tooled up she already possessed a local swagger as if born to be a ‘Free Miner’ gunslinger. I knew she often practiced her draw in front of a mirror screen.]
[Now when out and about ‘Sue’ with her customised weapon and her swagger was frequently mistaken as a boisterous young crewperson on shore leave. Many people she encountered on the decks expressed surprise when they discovered she primarily worked for the ‘UME’ - as a receptionist in an office space - then they assumed that she was something of a ‘Frat’ groupie in her spare time. Plenty here were wannabe members of the ‘Free Mining’ social elite a role ‘Sue’ easily adopted as it made good social camouflage. ‘Sue’ was also a born spy and rank opportunist she had even been I suspected spying on us for her thieving colleagues when ‘Betty’ originally picked her up as part of a casual labour force for our inauguration party. ‘Sue’ as a cleaner now rather hard to imagine except when she adopted less aggressive disguises. ‘Sue’ apparently had often played at being a casual cleaner when used to case marks for her former thieving employers. No one could ever say that ‘Sue’ was anything other than deck wise.]
[When my replacement at the desk arrived it was another young ‘Omerta’ only this time a male, I did a very professional hand over before logging off duty and wandering over to join ‘Bea’ and ‘Essie’ now often further shortened to ‘Ess’ by our group. ‘Zen’ I initially dismissed from my focus of attention although that was not to last long because my friends were obviously sharing a joke I soon guessed at his expense. Whilst young ‘Zen’ would be happy to get to know any of the ‘WCD’ better I had noticed that increasingly his eyes always tended to be drawn to ‘Sue’ more than anyone else maybe because ‘Sue’ with her swagger and so on was more noticeable that is when she was happy to be noticed.]
[Admittedly, ‘Zen’ oft seemed eager to impress any of the rest of us when impressing ‘Sue’ was not an available option but sometimes that just felt like practice for the main event. Sadly for him, if less than accidentally, his off duty rota rarely coincided with ours. Some other members of the ‘House of Sii’ probably suspected already that one or more of us three girls had contrived to influence someone in admin to assure that our off duty periods matched more than they randomly should - probably putting our success down to ‘Betty’ being very close to ‘Venture’. Working that closely with one of the big bosses was bound to have exploitable benefits - actually secretly being the boss in my case was even more effective.]
[I was sure ‘Zen’ was wishing he was off duty now. I knew that ‘Sue’ enjoyed flirting and teasing ‘Zen’ shamelessly when they shared a duty but so far she had never gone to any effort to socialise with him off duty winding him up to a sometimes horrible degree whilst giving him absolutely no opportunity for any release. Sometimes the way ‘Sue’ teased ‘Zen’ so relentlessly seemed almost verging upon the sadistic. If poor ‘Zen’ was a little older in his mind he might have noticed that ‘Sue’ played with some others on the staff in a similar way and been less hopeful of her office amusement with him ever developing into anything more substantial and real. The wiser ones enjoyed her sporting as what it was an in-house game, sadly with ‘Zen’ those who do not want to see the deepest truth are the blindest of all creatures.]
[Not wanting to complicate matters further with the troubled ‘Zen’ I generally maintained my reputation for being a little boring and all business when working with him. I was sure some people found my inclusion within ‘WCD’ a trifle odd but that could be good for my ‘Meat Suit’ cover story too. I believed that acting too much as expected can make you seem one dimensional and less real in short far too predictable to be for real.]
[I have noticed that the ‘Passenger Classes’ occasionally do surprising things and fall into seemingly odd company although I still believed our similar age gender and species was explanation enough for how a quiet girl like ‘Jill’ ended up part of a more outgoing social unit. Besides some quiet ones I believed deep down wanted to be taken by the hand by louder more mischievous and out there individuals.]
[Thinking about it deeply, sometimes as ‘MT’ I allowed ‘Unholy Terror’ to show me the bright lights and the noise in a similar way to how ‘Jay’ went abroad with ‘Bea’ and ‘Ess’. As the ‘Holy Father’, ‘Kanne’ sometimes ordered me around and led me astray too apparently following can be very enjoyable!]
[I played ‘Jill’ as an individual who lacked a little confidence in social situations and felt a little uncomfortable leading. However, deep down inside ‘Jill’ wanted to step up and be seen and secretly admired people such as ‘Betty’ and ‘Sue’ positive that they generally had far more fun and felt far more alive than she ever did. ‘Jill’ was a watching thoughtful worrier type but sometimes whilst being ‘Jay’ with ‘Bea’ and ‘Ess’ she could let go of her many concerns a little and truly enjoy herself and when that failed she could go back to living somewhat vicariously through watching the wilder adventures of her newest and closest friends from such a small remove that watching felt akin to participating.]
[In truth, perhaps ‘Jill’ was not so different from me as ‘MT’ I was a worrier too and I had often followed and watched my passengers’ lives even more than directly actively participated in their stories. I had begun my life as a tool and tools are not supposed to set the agenda you are supposed to follow your instructions not lead. I was created to enable another soul’s policy as a mode of transport and a weapon not to create it - leadership is not required by most ‘Living Hulls’ although we always have mastery over some onboard subsystems and tactical endeavours.]
[If Harbinger had not made me a ‘Patriarch’ then disappeared perhaps I would have struggled more with the process of making personal decisions and choices as a more real person rather than as a sort of living extension of another’s will. I suspected I might have found it especially taxing to formulate personal policies that dared to affect the lives of a great many other people - after all what would be my incentive to meddle or my excuse for meddling.]
[Watching the growth of participation by ‘Leeruussii’ in ‘BAB’ and the ‘UME’ due to his growing sense of extended family responsibility I now realised how much I might easily have lost my way whilst seeking after a personal ‘Vision’ without my family duties. Now I saw that inheriting and having responsibility for my former Captain’s ‘Great House’ enabled me to better find an overall sense of private purpose too. Previously on bad days I had wrongly felt my desires got lost in the tangle of inherited responsibilities but now I believed that to be misjudged self sorry hokum.]
[My truly clever former Captain and I now realised - great mentor - had realised that family duties were a necessary teaching aid for me. I could not easily lapse into passivity when I had the children of my former Captain relying upon me. As the only ‘Free Hull’ I might have easily ended up a social exile or pariah without the family to both back my plays up and as a responsibility that tied me into our sometimes problematic ‘Pilgrim’ society. Blessedly Harbinger was subject to many impulses helping me just one factor, seeking to escape being a tool of his ‘Tier Nine’ maker another. Nonetheless, I feared that Harbinger had worried that he did not belong with us anymore that he had no right to meddle too openly as a neophyte ‘Tier Nine Ascendant’ in our affairs. Sometimes the past leaps out at you but you see it all just a tiny bit differently.]
[‘Bea’ laughed softly.] “You are so cruel.” [She said to ‘Essie’.]
“I am just trying to immunise the love sick fool a little.” [‘Ess’ claimed.]
“By breaking his heart.” [‘Bea’ replied.]
“Better me than someone else, ‘Emissary’, he is such an immature boy. Look at him he cannot stop staring - it is so obvious - a total testosterone overload.” [‘Essie’ replied.]
“He is a bit obvious.” [‘Bea’ admitted diplomatically.]
“Obvious and desperate, you should ask him out sometime ‘Jay’ he is more your type as in somewhat socially challenged.” [She mocked.]
“Play nice.” [‘Bea’ admonished.] “She didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” [‘Bea’ readily excused. ‘Bea’ often made excuses for ‘Ess’ when ‘Ess’ was too sharp.]
[I shrugged knowing that ‘Ess’ sometimes had what some ‘Omerta’ called - foot in mouth disease - although mostly only with her closest friends who she knew would make allowances. With us, she knew she could let her guard down and sometimes just spurted out her first unguarded thoughts. I also knew that beyond the former truth she enjoyed provoking tame fights with her friends on occasion and that it meant nothing. ‘Ess’ especially tried to get a rise out of me because I often proved somewhat unflappable to fake provocations something she found somewhat frustrating thus lately she was being more provocative towards me than ever before.]
“I am not interested in ‘Zen’, besides he only sees me when you are not around ‘Ess’.” [I replied to ‘Essie’.]
“You do rather make it hard for the rest of us to get noticed.” [‘Bea’ stated.]
[‘Ess’ however was looking at me with mild puzzlement.]
“Does her calm not also drive you insane sometimes ‘Bea’. Still it says much that even quiet ‘Jay’ here finds him dull and boring.” [‘Essie’ stated still poking for a reaction.]
[‘Bea’ elbowed her friend lightly in the ribs.] “Maybe they should have called you Loud or Rowdy or Trouble instead of ‘Cunning’.” [‘Bea’ stated to ‘Ess’.]
“I never said he was boring I do not know him that well.” [I calmly replied.]
“Is it some form of meditation or is she on tranquilisers or something. How does she do it?” [‘Ess’ asked.]
“We should leave the poor boy in peace this is too pitiful to behold.” [‘Bea’ admitted.]
“I could hardly go now without saying properly goodbye to him.” [‘Ess’ replied before moving over towards the desk somehow in an even more lascivious manner. Maybe it was the tall boots.]
“Speaking of how do people do things, how does she do that?” [I asked.]
“Pure evil talent something sinister in her genes I suspect possibly engineered in to some infamous historic concubine and then inherited down the ages.” [‘Bea’ said.]
[Amongst her friends ‘Bea’ enjoyed loosing a childlike imagination. Still what she suggested was far from impossible some ‘Omerta’ had tweaked dominant genetic traits as did members of many of the other ‘Pilgrim’ species, often inherited tweaks some going back many generations. Due to inherited gene fixes and enhancement, you could easily find people who preached stoutly against such meddling in the now that nonetheless knowingly or unknowingly were big beneficiaries of serious genetic alterations.]
“Did we cause this latest assault upon his dignity?” [I asked.]
“Probably not, sometimes she is just too wicked and wild.” [‘Bea’ stated I felt only partly joking.]
[Meanwhile I began thinking about what ‘Ess’ had said earlier.]
“Perhaps it would be best for ‘Zen’ if he was immunised to her sort of wiles via overexposure and perhaps better sooner than later since he works in our reception and might encounter all kinds of people with his too hungry eyes.” [I replied.]
[‘Bea’ seemed to consider that deeply.] “You think our friend is really attempting to teach him a useful life lesson rather than just having her idea of fun at his expense.” [She considered.]
“I think that she is doing both.” [I replied.] “As something of a natural seductress she should know someone who is at great risk as a walking talking mark.”
“Now I find it almost impossible to think that I once bought into the idea of her being intimidated by ‘Windy’. To think I went to the trouble to reassure her that ‘Windy’ would not bite.” [‘Bea’ said.]
“Now I would bet if anything that ‘Windy’ is a little wary of her especially when she seeks to sit on his lap.” [I replied.]
“You heard about that, that was hilarious.” [‘Bea’ stated.] “I did not think our bold sergeant of Marines was capable of such ruddy faced embarrassment.”
“It was probably just because it happened in front of the Captain and ‘Windy’ worried his employer might think he was taking advantage given the age difference otherwise it might have all gone very different.” [I said.]
“I think it has been a few years since anyone took advantage of our ‘Cunning’. ‘Zen’ really is out of luck chasing ‘Sue’ she would probably prefer a veteran such as ‘Windy’ in fact now that I think about it...” [‘Bea’ added trailing off into a thoughtful silence.]
[I could see her with a suitably wicked but kindly veteran. Worse for him ‘Zen’ was far too besotted and yet I measured him as one incapable of matching her sometimes unholy fire maybe after an extra decade or so of experience if he survived that long. ‘Sue’ would only ever be good for someone who could be her equal or maybe even slightly better.]
[As a forever watchful ‘Living Hull’ I had noticed that when one ‘Passenger Class’ partner burns far more brightly than the other, the other is often in danger of just becoming his or her partner’s fuel and getting all burned up. Sadly, some people are very attracted to the dazzling light and heat of an especially raging fire and ‘Sue’ was one that did burn ever so brightly.]
“That boy is so out of his depth that he needs a pressure suit to not explode messily.” [I stated.]
[‘7.1’ signs, (big stencilled red numbers against a solid black circle), were painted on the bulkheads, one had even rested above the wide-open hatchway outside the district almost as if a final warning. Once inside I judged that they hardly needed graphic numeral signage to point out the change in venue. Inside the alteration in the quality of the air alone was warning enough that you had departed better regions for far worse.]
[Here it was obvious that life support systems were overtaxed. Air quality in the crowded area was notoriously bad, even here; on the edge of the slum, it was thick with heat and humidity. It almost seemed as if the very bulkheads sweated. The smell even to my ‘Omerta’ nose was potent. I was positive the soupy air my nanotech unassisted ‘Meat Suit’ lungs laboured with was less than properly sterile. The air mixture not only a trite too thin in oxygen but also I feared too thick with everything else - ignorance being bliss - no deeper analysis was necessary for peace of mind or wanted.]
[A too busy crudely converted passageway confronted me currently subject to a constant flow of two-way foot traffic that often had to squeeze past one another. The locals seemed adept at the techniques involved even the bulkier ‘Recyclers’ mostly weaved with surprising grace despite stomping footfalls. As was often the case in crowded places every resident seemed to dwell in his or her own little tight fitting box of private space.]
[I noted that static individuals tight to narrow stalls that lined the thoroughfare hardly alleviated the crush although many stalls interpenetrated into cut away internal bulkheads. The stalls acting as frontages on the street deck level for back end stores, cooking facilities and so on. Along with the smell of mixed species body odour, I detected the sickly sweet pungency of overripe fruit and the tang of heavily spiced cooking amongst numerous less easy to define stenches.]
[The deck below my boots was filthy and when a movement caught my downward eyes, I was intrigued to discover a scuttling many legged resident decomposer that I recognised as possibly originally belonging to the ecosystem of a ‘Star Diver’ Planet. How it arrived up here, I did not know but it looked as if it was doing well.]
[My beard itched in the heat and humidity whilst my lungs laboured to process the unhelpful air. Unconsciously I scratched at one patch of hairy growth clawing at an upraised line with my fingernails one of my many facial scars some of which the beard partially hid as part of my ‘Meat Suit’ disguise. I loved the idea of disguising the disguise trying to hide the scarring in some ways only drawing greater attention to the detail that this ‘Omerta’ was no stranger to a brawl.]
[My ears filled with the cries of vendors as they pitched their questionable wares competing loudly against one another. Caught dawdling I was jostled from behind by one ‘Recycler’ in a hurry I gave that one a disgusted - do not mess with me - look that he failed to see. He disappeared into the mass ahead of me unaware of my projected ire. I did not check to see if any of my gear was pick pocketed the little I owned was very well secured, even the large ‘Universal Tool’ on my back locked into its quick draw sheaf only releasing when properly grasped by me after sampling my genetics.]
[I stepped aside out of the main flow of foot traffic putting my back flat against a greasy bulkhead. I must have arrived at some sort of rush hour even here this frenzied level of activity could not be normal. I guessed from local station time that I had barged in during a busy lunchtime period. I hastily judged this place in worse condition than anything upon ‘Hade’s Stopover’ this one felt far more real. None of the grime was fake ‘Real Material’ styling. Genuine low-income squalor and neglect had mutated ‘7’ into ‘7.1’.]
[When the ‘Slum Lords’ hacked, physically destroyed and or simply deactivated the local public informational network to stop the ‘CP’ making use of various digital links they also shut down local cleaning and maintenance drone command streams not just automated anti-boarding security systems, crime monitoring optics and so on. Apparently, no one ever rebooted the cleaners, knowing ‘Recyclers’ they had probably been recycled for parts and their base material or sold. Anyway, fallible people now undertook any cleaning here or in many instances with public areas, I guessed hardly bothered at all.]
[I had never had any cause to pass this way before only seen visuals and visuals failed to capture the metamorphosis in perfect grimy detail and this was just a few score metres inside the public informational blackout. Only truly stupid tourists would seek to spend their credits here. ‘7.1’ no make believe show - it was all business - and it had a reputation for eating stupid tourists alive. Gawping tourists were only welcome as mugging victims for ‘Deck Gangs’ and more solitary freelance thieves.]
[As I stood there acclimatising I felt as if I had been gated to another station nothing here projected the clean corporate image of ‘Port Interface’. I knew the story behind ‘7.1’ but it was still amazing that the mostly ‘Recycler Slum Lords’ had gotten away with so boldly converting an entire ‘Consortium’ tax credit paid for dormitory habitat area into this crowded sublet mess of a place via to some degree cleverly manipulated people power.]
[Odd that people had fought and risked their lives to live this way but I guess home is home. This place supposedly the first rung on the ladder to better times or the base camp to a mountain climb to success if you prefer. The majestic mountains, I missed my old access to the Planets with ‘Venture’ even as ‘MT’. Back on topic it really did not seem to make sense that people came here to this messed up place looking for something better than wherever they had originally hailed from and then knowing the reality still fought to remain in this squalor but then surface details rarely tell the whole story. Perhaps ‘7.1’, if nothing else, provided freedom of a sort and seemed a far better option than a stint in a ‘Consortium’ repatriation holding-cell for even disappointed residents.]
[Recently our Ports were subject to a great deal of economic migration as people sought to better their conditions via moving to seemingly more advantageous venues. Too often far away Ports falsely appearing more prosperous. What brought people here however was the truth that there is always work to be found on ‘Port Interface’ for any - resident - person willing to accept a low starting wage although in deeper truth the starting wage might never get much higher unless you proved very able and somewhat blessed.]
[Some cunning ‘Recyclers’ did the math early - then did what they do best - and exploited a developing business opportunity in this instance by hastily settling in here as ‘Slum Lords’. First, they illegally subdivided the working class developments that they gained control over as sublet subunits to families of migrants then they simply reaped in the many profits from providing the means of the overcrowding and then providing various additional services to make it bearable too. The authorities, perhaps some of them initially bribed to look the other way, were too slow to catch on to what was happening with ‘7’ until it was too late and ‘7’ had become the not so new and improved ‘7.1’ a low wage earner ghetto. The ‘Consortium’ took steps to prevent a repetition of this travesty elsewhere on ‘Interface’ but for ‘7’ it proved too late the ghetto once established resisted all attempts at removal.]
[Some might think it equally odd that a prosperous ‘Information Broker’ chose to live in such a place but there are two types of ‘Information Brokers’ those who strive hard to appear as legitimate as possible by operating from plush sterile offices and those who fully embraced the seedy reputation of their kind for having dodgy connections. Obviously, ‘Garlic’ enthusiastically belonged to the last group. Here she had protection from the law as this was ridiculously now a ‘CP’ no go zone without permission from the ‘Slum Lords’ and in some instances from ‘Citizen Block Militia Leaders’ and ‘Deck Gang Leaders’ too three roles here that were subject to being interchangeable sometimes at short notice. Having a good swindle was never enough if you did not manage to secure your territory from upcoming rivals.]
[During the standoff with the ‘Consortium Police’ that birthed the local public informational system blackout back before the establishment of the no go zone many arms were illegally smuggled into ‘7.1’ and so called ‘Citizen Block Militias’ formed to defend the slum from the evil threats of the law. After ‘7.1’ unofficially won its freedom through riot, ambushes of ‘Consortium Police’ units, and back hatch deals supported by some ‘RM Industrialists’ who made use of the slums workforce some poorly controlled ‘Militia’ leaders realised they had the weapons and weapons equate to power and matters got a little messy and terminal for some ‘Slum Lords’. In the confusion of these rebellious occurrences, some imported ‘Deck Gangs’ also seized opportunities and some properties.]
[Now a relative peace existed between the surviving felons via what was little better than an unwritten criminal code. The code went for residents pay your rent and your dues to the requisite people and they - should - leave you in peace some might argue not so different to any form of governmental taxation which if not paid also arrives with menaces attached.]
[Pushing off from the bulkhead, I joined the weaving throng. The stocky ‘Omerta’ with a scarred and bearded face my ‘Meat Suit’ I named ‘Jacque Lien’. Here ‘Jacque’ was just another migrant prospectively seeking employment and a cheap residency upon ‘Port Interface’, ‘Port Interface’ attracting many ‘Jacques’ as one of the most famous ‘Deep Port’ destinations.]
[‘Interface’ famous as the Headquarters of the ‘Pilgrim Deep Mining Consortium’ or ‘PDMC’ now more often just shortened to the ‘Consortium’ even though other ‘Consortiums’ existed out there possibly causing label confusion. Many ‘Pilgrims’ however disliked long labels and some hated the increasing proliferation of acronyms within our society too as a bane of our times.]
[I suppose that the majority of ‘Pilgrims’ now reduced the ‘Pilgrim Deep Mining Consortium’ to the shorter ‘Consortium’ label was one cultural measure of its successes demonstrating that the ‘PDMC’ was now considered bigger not to mention more socially prominent in ‘Pilgrim’ society than any other known ‘Consortium’ even the ‘Old One Recycler’ criminal ‘Consortium’.]
[In relation to the public informational dark zone I mentioned earlier that loss now covered the entirely of the slum district. Reviewing what had occurred here, I imagined the breadth of the coordinated informational blackout shocked many people including I was positive a then even less established ‘Chief Inspector’.]
[No one had realised that the ‘Slum Lords’ were so well organised or so readily militant and had skilfully planned to ensure the security of what they saw as their territorial gains from any ‘CP’ intervention. The dirty seemingly spontaneous and haphazard slide of ‘District 7’ from a more sanely designed pleasant enough worker dormitory habitat had fooled the authorities into underestimating some highly ambitious ‘Recyclers’.]
[Technically as I continued on my way I recalled that the battle to restore ‘District 7’ is ongoing, the authorities unable and officially unwilling to surrender control over an entire district of the ‘Deep Port’ to opportunistic ‘Recycler’ felons. That a part of the showpiece headquarters of the ‘Consortium’ might be stolen away from official control considered especially by ‘User’ members as outrageous, however, in reality according to my information the ‘Slum Lords’ roundly gave the authorities a good drubbing with the assistance of some ‘Real Material Industrialist’ members of the ‘Consortium’ and some members of the local press.]
[Some ‘RM Industrialists’ hardly cared what conditions their workers lived in as long as they as employers retained access to a large pool of locally available cheap labour. In fact some ‘RM’ business managers probably preferred the slum conversion to the original plan as it provided far more cheaper accommodation capable of supporting far more workers than the original scheme with its strictly limited quota of working class residents.]
[Interestingly some ‘RM’ businesses people had accused their ‘User’ peers of attempting to reduce their local expansion opportunities via limiting their available local workforce prior to the emergence of the slum. That early collusion existed between the first ‘Slum Lords’ and some ‘RM Industrialists’ I judged a distinct possibility.]
[Rather importantly, the existence of the slum permitted some ‘RM’ employers to get away with paying their employees even smaller wages than before vital to staying somewhat competitive against local ‘Soulless’ enterprises. Besides, if these mostly low grade workers were willing to put up with these dire conditions they argued it saved wasting ‘Consortium’ taxes upon creating more salubrious dormitory districts to properly house workers. Without the advent of the slum potentially even worse for some business people, each ‘RM’ concern might have had to pay out for the creation of private accommodation units within their own otherwise pristine showcase ‘Corporate Districts’ normally more about obtaining cross border cross faction sales and promoting their image.]
[Unsurprisingly politically many ‘User’ members of the ‘Consortium’ proved anything but keen to use ‘Consortium’ funding to subsidise a ‘Real Material’ workforce pool upon ‘Interface’. Conversely, ‘RM’ businesses were always looking at ways to reduce their staffing costs without resorting to further automation as too much automation was now often closely associated with ’Suit Substance’, ‘Sub Cores’ and us cursed ‘Users’.]
[The ‘Consortium Police’ were also historically tested by what happened on ‘District 7’ and arguably were found wanting. The economic migrants that readily flocked to inhabit the subdivided sublet properties when threatened with eviction hastily dug in and worse proved to have access to arms illegally smuggled in by the ‘Slum Lords’ who organised those loose ‘Citizen Block Militias’. With the whole slum proving an ambush site, any serious attempt to reclaim the district judged rapidly to require an inordinate amount of force and brutality to succeed. The ‘Slum Lords’ had calculated the lack of political will perfectly, understanding that warring with poor ‘Real Materialist’ - families - was far worse press than the ‘Chief Inspector’ could afford especially since many already viewed the ‘CP’ as a paramilitary ‘User’ organisation that sought to bully ‘Real Materialists’ at every opportunity via ‘Soulless’ forces. As soon as political pressure to act decisively against the ‘Slum Lords’ on ‘7’ began to diminish in part due to unusually clever manipulation of the press by the ‘Real Materialists’ the ‘Chief Inspector’ proved rightly or wrongly more than willing to ignore the problem of the slum at least unofficially.]
[I mention unusually clever manipulation of the press by ‘RM’ in this instance as overall ‘User Corporations’ have previously domineered press manipulation in the ‘RM’ versus ‘User’ propaganda war. With this singular event however many on station journalists focused on the issue as one of ‘RM’ workers trying to make a basic living in the fiery depths versus a soulless bureaucratic ‘Consortium’ machine that sought to crush their hopes and opportunities in favour of an arbitrary quota. In fact, the residential occupational quota emerged from sensible evaluations of life support functions and optimal living space for mixed species social contentment indexes too.]
[In real terms the mini crisis during which an armed confrontation between the slum dwellers and the ‘CP’ threatened to escalate only lasted for a little over two tense weeks that started with some riotous clashes and ambushes that firmly prevented evictions and arrests and ended as previously mentioned in very much behind closed hatchway deals.]
[Now ‘Consortium Suit Substance Users’ often ignored the existence of ‘7.1’ not wanting to admit being defeated with the issue. In turn, many ‘Real Materialist’ business owners did not want further attention drawn to the district too given the imperfect housing conditions and so on. Meanwhile ‘7.1’ remained defiant to all outsiders as something of an aberration that acted as both a boon and a bane to its resident’s wellbeing.]
[It was now estimated according to public data that ‘7.1’ hosted over thirty times its ideal population density with a believed demographic mix of sixty percent ‘Recycler’, twenty percent ‘Omerta Trojan’ and twenty percent other with the majority of the ‘Slum Lords’ still being opportunistic ‘Recyclers’ including those also acting as ‘Militia Leaders’ and or ‘Deck Gang Leaders’.]
[In a strange way, I nonetheless almost felt at home in this messy place as it reminded me of the most crowded habitat areas of ‘Hade’s Stopover’. Although as mentioned, the squalor here in ‘7.1’ felt if anything a little more real than the stage setting of ‘Hades’.]
[During the height of the public-disorder dispute, some irate ‘User Industrialists’ suggested isolating the district via blockading every entrance and exit from the rest of ‘Port Interface’ until the fractious residents were literally starved into submission and surrendered to the control of the law. However, the blockade plan suffered a quick rejection when certain groups pointed out that the ‘Consortium’ would be sanctioning starving entire families including children. In addition, the ‘RM Industrialists’ wanted their workers at work not detained or cordoned off by the ‘CP’. Nor did it seem appropriate to arrest the more honest workers who left the district to go to their jobs as normal especially as most of those supported vulnerable dependants back in the troubled slum. As a result even when the ‘Consortium Police’ were still attempting to engage in operations in ‘7’ against specific public order offences the main entrances and exits to ‘7’ or perhaps I should say ‘7.1’ remained wide open ignoring upgraded check points for weapons.]
[A little earlier, I had no trouble whatsoever passing into the slum from a less chaotic region but I did soon question if getting out unmolested would be equally easy. Due to all the previously mentioned facts, I was not terribly surprised when I soon began to encounter ‘Deck Gang’ markers scrawled everywhere along with some obvious gang members hanging out on the public thoroughfares. This was a ghetto united in many divisions. As I negotiated around one poorly placed stack of barrels one ‘Recycler’ in particular ogled my back holstered ‘Uni-Tool’ with poorly disguised lust.]
[The ‘Deck Gangs’ were a social bane that had replaced some ‘Slum Block Militias’ also replacing some of the less smart ‘Slum Lords’ with usurping ‘Gang Leaders’. I had little sympathy for the departed starting a revolution to gain or hold onto stolen wealth is rarely the hard part staying in power during and after the initial hoo-hah is far more difficult. The problem with being rebellious is it gives other people the same idea.]
[I knew that some ‘Pilgrim’ historians argued that the proliferation of ‘Deck Gangs’ at some Ports in this era was a product of the chaos bred from the ‘Wars of Liberation’ including refugee movements, war orphaned children and so on as well as the old ‘Black Market’ that encouraged a general disrespect for the rule of law. Much is made of the fact that rebellion, as a tool once loosed is a fire difficult to control a fact I cannot deny. Without doubt we bred disaffection with the establishment as originally represented by the ‘Free Parliament of Demagogues’ and later some of that disaffection was easily transferred to the ‘Consortium’ and or local State rulers including ‘Corporations’ such as the ‘MTC’ and so on. Many of our ultimate solutions proved disappointing to some young members of the next generation.]
[Some social commentators equally blamed economic imbalances and subtle pressures on the psyche of ‘Pilgrim’ children not yet acclimatised to living in a fiery alien hostile environment for the explosion of youthful rebellion. Without doubt, even many adults readily turned towards greater usage of drugs, alcohol or outré systems of belief and so on as forms of self-medication to keep the fiery pressure at bay. I believed the causes of ‘Deck Gang’ proliferation to be legion including an increased cultural obsession with the procurement of wealth and material goods as symbols of status and success that some could not easily obtain legally during an economic expansion partly aided by increased automation that meant some grew richer whilst others ended up poorer and or unemployed.]
[Another factor a general degree of disappointment by some ‘Pilgrim’ offspring that bringing down the ‘Parliament’ via the ‘Wars of Liberation’ and then the perilous colonisation of the fiery depths of the stars failed to deliver us directly into a profoundly different golden age. Instead of universally better times one set of problems many could easily argue were just replaced with a different set of difficulties such as poor relations with the ‘Entanglement’ being changed for problematic relations with the ‘Star Divers’. What was increasingly indisputable was that ‘Deck Gangs’ were now a problem on far too many Ports a growing subculture that sometimes strove to domineer entire districts.]
[Due to the local conditions in ‘7.1’ my ‘Meat Suit’ retained a tougher demeanour than usual and an impressive build designed to look as if he might be able to handle or if riled even be the cause of significant trouble.]
[Dressed with the sort of drab utility wear favoured by manual labourers I had no weapon but retained a heavy duty ‘Universal Tool’. The ‘Real Material’ gadget invented by ‘Recyclers’ and often owned by rugged - do it yourself - types that could also double in many configurations as a weapon capable of bludgeoning, cutting or even shooting an opponent. The shooting bit being with self-tapping and seal-bonding rivets not bullets although my tool also had a strong force pulse capability retaining a decently powerful manipulation field emitter able to lift and propel significant objects. Else, it could act as a crudely sighted ‘Pulse Force Rifle’ what some might doubly wrongly insist upon calling a ‘Knock Gun’ as I consider ‘Knock Guns’ to be - at most - pistol variety ‘Pulse Force’ weaponry.]
[‘Uni-Tools’ as many called them were a tech slowly growing in popularity especially amongst certain ‘Real Materialist’ members of ‘Recycler’ and ‘Omerta’ extraction as they allowed these people to carry an object that made a very effective weapon even in areas that otherwise prohibited the carrying of armaments. Despite much talk about changing some bans to include ‘Uni-Tools’ so far ‘Real Materialists’ had argued these measures down claiming ‘Uni-Tools’ were becoming an essential element to some ‘RM’ operations. People who lacked the facility of ‘Suit Substance’ to provide any tool they might require in any given situation especially in any emergency often used ‘Uni-Tools’ that allowed prompt action against life support failures or even a dreaded threatened ‘Real Material’ hull breach.]
[A good ‘Uni-Tool’ for some a status symbol also equated as an object of desire and as such highly attractive to thieves. When the ‘Deck Gang Recycler’ demonstrated an especially tight focus upon my ‘Uni-Tool’ with her optical implants I endeavoured to give my best go ahead and try look, (previously practiced along with other expressions against a mirror screen), before beginning to make a point of very arrogantly - not - hurrying past her and her friends. Then thinking about what ‘UT’ might do in this perilous situation I stopped walking altogether and turned the required distance to stare directly back at her no less rudely.]
[For a short while, I was engaged in a bizarre staring contest as favoured by duellists. As the contest along with the local atmospheric conditions threatened to make my biological eyes water I decided to change the rules before I embarrassed myself.]
“See something you like.” [I asked in an unkindly manner.]
“Nice ‘Tool’.” [She replied. Still making a deliberate show of far too obvious avarice for my property - not a good sign - I had been hoping she would back down when I refused to be easily intimidated. Hoping she would judge my confidence as worrisome.]
[One of her colleagues hissed out a ‘Recycler’ speaker laugh then snapped her cybernetic over jaws as if in anticipation of doing some biting down upon my weak ‘Omerta’ flesh. I realised too late I might have erred in my initial choices due to facing off against a group not just one individual. In total, when two reinforcements dropped down for somewhere above, I registered seven of them most probably far more than I could handle alone even if I made the error of drawing the ‘Uni-Tool’ as a weapon.]
“They like them big where I come from.” [I replied striving to still appear nonchalant despite the obviously escalating threat level.]
“Here we prefer them smart or in some cases dim.” [She replied before hissing out an unfriendly laugh that her friends quickly reinforced.]
[I scratched at the scar on my chin as the ‘Recyclers’ commenced moving with scarily silent coordination - communication wise - to better surround me.]
“You have not asked where I came from and I really think you should before you do something stupid here.” [I suggested.]
“If you think it matters tell me?” [The ‘Recycler’ ordered.]
“I hail from ‘Port Lien’.” [I stated coolly playing my trump card.]
“You are ‘Clan Lien’?” [She asked.]
“What do you think?” [I asked in turn.]
[She seemed to measure me again with her spinning optics. I relaxed a little inside when I judged by her change of stance that she felt disappointed maybe even robbed which was naturally ironic.]
“I think - to be so bold and so well equipped - you are ‘Clan’.” [The ‘Recycler’ said.] “Stand down.” [She added to her associates.] “We seek no vendetta with ‘Clan Lien’.”
“I am glad to hear that.” [I stated.]
“What is your business here friend?” [She asked.]
“My business is my business.” [I retorted not too forcefully but firmly enough.]
[She considered that then nodded her head slightly.]
“You might want to cover that one up.” [She added indicating my ‘Uni-Tool’.] “That one will prove very popular here and hard for some to resist attempting to procure by fair or foul means.”
[The enclosing circle had abruptly opened. This one obviously had good control over her pack.]
“Foul means would be a mistake.” [I replied.]
[She shrugged.] “One must always consider the danger of fools not just the rationality of the wise.”
“That is a good point I will be careful.” [I promised turning to go.]
“Wait one moment.” [She demanded.]
[I considered ignoring that demand by just keeping walking but two out of three of my linked in brains outvoted that idea as the wrong move, I halted and made a point of looking at her and trying to look dangerous to her personally.]
“You might like to consider a trade to make your business here, whatever it happens to be, easier. I could provide you with something almost as functional and much less noticeable along with other trade goods to make up the price difference.” [She cunningly suggested.]
[I shook my head deciding my ‘Uni-Tool’ had to be a prized possession perhaps even a gift from family or close friends if it was drawing this much avarice.]
“If you will not let me trade for it at least let me hold it before you go on your way.” [She requested one claw twitching.]
[Whilst I considered that giving my only weapon to her seemed risky offending this ‘Recycler’ with an abrupt refusal not to mention her fellow gang members also seemed unwise. In the end, I gave in to her demand and reaching back drew the tool out switching off its genetic binding whilst as casually as I could manage presenting it and wondering if I was being a fool.]
[To my added nervousness she did not hesitate to hit the button that put the tool in ‘Recycler’ mode allowing her larger claws to grip it properly.]
“She is a beauty almost as well balanced as a dedicated weapon.” [The ‘Recycler’ said hefting it as if a rifle.]
[I strove to remain outwardly unconcerned.]
“I did not expect to see one of these models here so soon after the release date if at all - it is something special.” [She added.]
[It appeared I had erred with this one item of equipment.]
“I am very fond of it for personal reasons.” [I replied.]
“Do you mind if I show it to my colleagues?” [She asked surprisingly politely for a gang member but then I suspected she was a ‘Gang Boss’ maybe even a ‘Gang Leader’.]
“Not at all as long as you are not too long about it I do have business to attend to.” [I stated.]
[I trailed along after her endeavouring not to look anxious but worrying that I was failing whilst she pointed out apparent improvements on the previous model to her colleagues who listened with the eagerness of proper henchpeople. Then with a degree of obvious reluctance she returned it to me.]
“If you ever change your mind and want to trade that tool you come back here and see me first. I am ‘Hip’ of the ‘Lance’. I make you a good deal I like genuine ‘Ton Tech’ branded ‘Uni-Tools’ we do not see too many of those here never mind top line models of this calibre save horrible cheap copies that mimic the styling but lack any of the substance.” [She stated a matter that now seemed too obvious to me from her deep enthusiasm.]
[I prayed that this one was unusually obsessed with ‘Ton Tech’ tools and I had just been unlucky to pass by her and be noticed.]
“You have sharp optics and good taste.” [I replied.] “I also prefer ‘Ton Tech’ but if I ever have a reason to sell ‘Bess’ I will consider your kind offer.” [I promised.]
[The giving of my ‘Uni-Tool’ the name of ‘Bess’ was a hasty improvisation that I hoped would get the point across that I was firmly attached to the stupid device.]
“Good profits to you and the ‘Clan’.” [She said.]
“Good fortune to you and the ‘Lance’.” [I replied in turn.]
[I did a quick data search via my ‘EXO-C’ link displaying text and images via the facility of my ‘Neural Net’ upon an internal ‘Mental HUD’. I soon discovered the item I too boldly carried was indeed deemed special - top of the line - not just ‘Ton Tech’ branded. Worse apparently many ‘Recyclers’ and even some ‘Omerta’ considered that ‘Ton Tech’ produced the very best ‘Uni-Tools’ on the market according to a great many posted comments on gadget lover link sites. Doing some further browsing ‘Ton Tech’ also produced some of the most expensive ‘Uni-Tools’ available including my almost superlative model. Here I guessed was the kind of product branding we needed for the ‘MTC’ but that was another issue and not my immediate problem.]
[I had been remiss with this one part of my cover disguise this is what happens when you too casually delegate an enthusiastic young Acolyte to handle the procuring of an outside ‘Real Material’ item for one of the ‘Triumvirate’ - of course he had diligently hunted down and shipped in the very best item he could find. I now realised I should have done the buy in person or been more specific about price range as owning one of the very best ‘Uni-Tools’ on the market was somewhat too flash for my purposes here as ‘Jacque’. No wonder ‘Hip’ had shown a high degree of product fixation if she was a gadget freak or just a ‘Ton Tech’ fan. I decided to find a stall as soon as possible were I could buy some cloth to cover up the identity of my tool as an embarrassment of riches. Not being that much into ‘Uni-Tools’ I had not realised at all how special the provided one happened to be. Indeed, I had not even appreciated the ‘Ton Tech’ branding just improvised to ‘Hip’.]
[After doing my browsing I even considered changing my mind and returning to make that trade with ‘Hip’ but to keep in character I probably had a serious attachment to the pricy bit of kit or I would not be hauling it around as a temptation to thieves and muggers everywhere. If I seemed too eager and willing to part with it, it might well seem odd now maybe even encouraging further enquiries about me. Making work for Acolytes sometimes had drawbacks well it was too late now already I suspected ‘Hip’ might be Data Blasting a storm to any fellow enthusiasts about the device and word might spread hopefully also the word that I was ‘Clan Lien’ and best left unmolested.]
[As you might be wondering, I will explain about ‘Clan Lien’. ‘Clan Lien’ is a famously tight infamously vengeful when crossed ‘Omerta’ faction originating from a notorious ‘Sanctuary Orb’ nation. They now more or less politically culturally and economically domineered four large ‘Star Struck’ Ports not counting their first more obvious acquisition renamed ‘Port Lien’. Whilst ‘Clan Lien’ remained, primarily only interested in self-promotion rather than membership of any greater faction, nonetheless if you did anything harmful to a ‘Clan Lien’ member without some very good excuses you generally offended the entire clannish nation and sooner or later could expect payback with suitable interest for your stupidity.]
[Many people operated in this manner to a greater or lesser degree but ‘Clan Lien’ did what they did from all reports especially well. We Paradox Priests had once operated in a similar way to ‘Clan Lien’ too any attack by outsiders against one Priest being deemed an aggression by outsiders against all Priests that policy many times proving a very good deterrent and survival strategy. Sadly when the ‘Great Houses’ became powerful factions such as the ‘MTC’ tended to mete out our own private justice against deemed more private infractions rather than seeking a unified response from the Order via taking all serious issues of contention to the ‘Council of Equals’.]
[With hindsight unilateral action by ‘Great Houses’ weakened our Paradox Priest Order as a totality even before the fall of the ‘CA’ and in time devalued the role of the ‘Council of Equals’ in general a noteworthy negative side effects of the ‘Great Houses’ once waxing Acolyte power. Recently I was reviewing how things changed socially because of the advent of the ‘Great Houses’ mostly due to talking with ‘Improved’ since he was a Patriarch of a ‘New Hold’ with a slightly different point of view.]
[It was my hope that we two might learn a few new tricks from studying our old mistakes together.]
[Beyond a well publicised propensity for payback ‘Clan Lien’ benefited from the renown of being dependable sorts that honoured contracts as if sacred texts. Their almost stubborn reliability making them popular employees and they often travelled abroad and hired out individually especially younger ‘Clan’ members seeking to make a name and a fortune for themselves before returning home to settle down with their own kind. I saw that custom as an attractive coming of age pilgrimage and found pretending to be ‘Lien’ with an ‘Omerta Meat Suit’ an almost irresistible option once I had learned a bit more about their faction and this one proved the perfect excuse to role-play as a ‘Lien’.]
[Out of interest, it was upon ‘Hade’s Stopover’ as ‘Jill’ that I first met a member of ‘Clan Lien’ socially and learned a bit more about their specific ‘Omerta’ culture. Whilst I tried to keep my actions as ‘Venture’ and ‘Venturesome’ separate from my actions as ‘MT’ and so on it was almost impossible not to have a cross fertilisation of some ideas and a widening of my general knowledge base.]
[Sometimes the ‘Omerta’ seemed to have an endless variety of nations and factions with new ones still occasionally arriving from out of the dark all of course at one time refugees of the ‘Entanglement of Sanctuary Orb’.]
[Back in the moment on ‘7.1’, following my words with the ‘Deck Gang’ member, I continued on my way. I was carrying a small reactive personal shield but was praying that I would not need to rely on that device here. My shield’s sensor coverage very limited here therefore it might be far too slow in reacting to speedy threats. The reason for my shields expected reaction time tardiness the loss of any friendly local public network coverage to interface with the unit for more precise and reliable threat evaluation purposes. Thankfully, on this occasion, the seeming confident arrogance of my bluff and cheekily claiming kinship to ‘Clan Lien’ must have worked as I planned since I suffered no ill consequences for exposing the tempting target of my back to the ‘Recyclers’.]
[Here I should note my clothing also retained some discrete armour, in certain important places for an ‘Omerta’, this was usual for workers who might suffer accidental blows from high speed - especially dumb ‘Real Material’ - machinery and so on. A little armour was also common with travellers who lived a bit rougher than the most settled of civilised ‘Pilgrim’ folk.]
[To be honest in ‘7.1’ I felt akin to times when as a Priest I very much regretted not bringing along a couple of Companion Acolytes to watch my rear. The temptation to rubberneck in this labyrinthine criminalised ghetto - especially due to the limited breadth of my binocular vision with this ‘Meat Suit’ - was immense but looking nervous would make me into an assured victim. ‘Deck Gang’ types often by nature - opportunistic - criminals would be deeply encouraged to act aggressively if shown any overt sign of weakness in a potential victim that was the most basic criminal psychology.]
[More than ever since my time in the ‘Reach Project’ I knew that people deemed to be marks often announced themselves to predatory criminal types. Often the trick to not becoming a victim is to refuse to appear as a victim in advance. All true predators I believe prove adept at spotting weak members of the herd an ancient passed down genetic heritage.]
[My too well endowed ‘Uni-Tool’ now seemed a dire disguise mistake here as much a liability - as a local object of desire - as it might prove a boon as a tool for self-defence. I then decided it was too late to change my mind now and besides the ‘Uni-Tool’ fitted the persona of a wandering ‘Clan Lien’ member very well as they often only departed for their travels after getting decently equipped to survive in their chosen occupation.]
[During my encounter with the ‘Deck Gang’ I felt both fear and to be honest a thrill of excitement. It was amazing how firmly attached you could become and how deeply you could hastily identify with a ‘Meat Suit’ body once you learned how to let go of any stubborn mental sense of separation and any twinges about being somewhat alien to your normal nature. The more I used ‘Meat Suits’ the easier and more natural it became to slip into a synthesis to the degree were you just became the persona the flesh insinuated. Now if anything using ‘Meat Suits’ felt far less remote than running a ‘Suit Substance’ Avatar partly because you felt more tangibly vulnerable to hurt and with those limited senses you strain far more to see, hear, taste and to feel. Sometimes paradoxically, less truly feels more.]
[I felt especially vulnerable as ‘Lien’ because the ‘Meat Suit’ purposely had no nanotech support as ‘Clan Lien’ members as a rule proved sternly against invading the sanctity of their bodies with a massive infusion of microscopic cellular repairing machines. It is interesting what some define as unacceptable compared to what is considered tolerable for example ‘Clan Lien’ members were hardly the strictest of ‘Omerta’ when it came to ‘Real Materialism’ not too shy to use some ‘Suit Substance’ devices when they had any great need of them. However despite some material flexibility they wanted no truck with internal nanotech with the exception that some used ‘Neural Nets’ a technology that now usually always involved a built in nanotech element if one strictly controlled. Of course, ‘Neural Nets’ were deemed an old tried and tested technology by some ‘Pilgrims’ and perhaps that made a perceptual difference to ‘Clan Lien’ members.]
[When ‘Jacque’ finally passed the address of the brokerage he did not look too out of place and had his ‘Uni-Tool’ covered up but I quickly realised that loitering in my ‘Meat Suit’ even disguised as local could prove bad for my health. Whilst ‘Omerta’ here in what was primarily a ‘Recycler’ district of ‘Port Interface’ were far from uncommon this subsection of deck typically had local protection.]
[‘Garlic’ clearly had roots in the lower end of the community based on her chosen office site. Sharing part of a subdivided accommodation covered in signs declaring it ‘Yard 106A’ of the widespread ‘Recycler Deck Gang’ known as the ‘Scrapper Franchise’. ‘Scrapper Franchises’ were infamous as material thieves who believed in recycling other people’s property very much without their permission. For example liberating what they deemed excess metal fixtures and fittings from less trafficked parts of stations besides undertaking any other activity that would earn them some credits to spend upon often obscenely expensive technologically advanced or just very shiny and stylish quality cybernetic upgrades.]
[As ‘Deck Gangs’ go ‘Scrapper Franchises’ tend to be one of the more dangerous to cross due to their focus and delight in upgrading their cybernetic systems that sometimes included state of the art built in weaponry. Luckily, they were not especially militant more into martial display than actually shooting at people and often discrete in their larceny if not always in their bold appearance. As a rule ‘Scrapper Franchises’ considered their crime as legitimate business and preferred not to clash with the authorities directly especially the ‘Consortium Police’ who were less likely to accept a bribe than many other port security people, especially it is said arguably unfairly by some, any bribe from a ‘Real Material’ criminal faction.]
[Anyway the gang signs and a few overtly upgraded ‘Scrappers’ hanging out on the deck I think virtual reality dicing convinced me to keep walking past as if going somewhere else. Rumour had it that ‘Garlic’ only saw people via appointment and that you did not contact her she contacted you when she had data she believed you would want, now that truth seemed confirmed, I could guess who acted as her gatekeepers and general security staff. I surmised at the very least ‘Garlic’ paid the ‘Scrappers’ off for protection whilst at the most she was an active affiliate or semi-affiliate of the deck gang or maybe even a lesser ‘Gang Boss’ or greater ‘Gang Leader’ knowing my luck.]
[‘Improved’ had failed to mention her ‘Deck Gang’ connection although maybe it just slipped his mind or he deemed it irrelevant as mere background window dressing to his deal. Walking on I guessed I would have to befriend the ‘Scrappers’ and or bribe them to gain access to ‘Garlic’. I felt sure just walking up and asking for an audience would suffer a hasty rebuff just as she had earlier rebuffed link calls from me as ‘MT’ and remarkably even from ‘Cad’. Possibly, she did not believe the Professor was who he claimed to be or that I was truly me too. Conversely, she might be one who stuck strictly to set security procedures as well as being difficult to impress. According to gossip, she was an old ‘Free Parliament Monitor’ who had fled the ‘FP’ purge of ‘Monitors’ that happened during the ‘Wars of Liberation’. I was sure the whole ‘Garlic’ thing both the name and the habit was part of a new obscuring identity rather than an old habit that would give her truer origin away.]
[Not every ‘Monitor’ who worked for the ‘FP’ and came under suspicion by their previous masters had been a secret traitor recruited by the resistance. Some had been loyal until they realised they were not credited as such by their former employers and either escaped from custody or fled prior to being picked up. Conversely today some ‘Monitors’ were still considered complicit in ‘FP’ war crimes and had a bounty on their head a bounty people such as ‘Creed’ or even ‘UT’ would readily collect. When feeling bored or just desirous of a change of pace ‘UT’ occasionally did a bit of bounty hunting on the side of his more official duties, on rarer occasion, even I have pursued a bounty or two with my assets when I believed those sought deserved to feel a little justice but those are other stories.]
[For now I felt reasonably pleased with my success in commencing to confirm the story told to me by ‘Improved’. I wandered on deciding my first job would be to find my ‘Meat Suit’ a local residence then see what I could discover about ‘Yard 106A’ of the ‘Scrapper Franchise’. This slum was interesting and well worth a prolonged visit by an undercover Avatar. Wondering if the ‘Hawks’ had any known historic connection with the ‘Scrappers’ I created a ‘Search Routine’ and sent it trawling through link sites.]
[Today was almost but not quite just another day another shift for ‘Jill’. With additional ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support I reviewed the logs from the most recent period when ‘Jill’ was running on automatics then I seamlessly settled in for the anticipated end of what then became my shift as ‘Jill’. Nothing had flagged any alerts so my scan of the data was perfunctory more about maintaining a perfect continuity of character than anything else.]
[After tidying my shared desk, I looked forward to some playtime with ‘WCD’. A planned visit to the tourist trap of the slightly oddly named Night Market region was scheduled. I say oddly named as it now stayed open during the local daytime cycle too although it was far busier at night with extra temporary stalls. Artificial station day and night cycles had found a home on many ‘Way-Stations’ and many other ‘Deep Ports’ such shallow illusions some ‘Pilgrim’ psychologists now insisted would help us cope better with the pressure of living in a crushing furnace. Some unfortunate ‘Pilgrims’ went mad down here the most dangerous irrationally seeking to escape via for example trying to step outside. Here the, sometimes flickering, lights dimmed a little in the evening in public social areas and the noises of the fans and the buzzing of the electrics I also believed softened ever so slightly. What affected peoples views more than slightly dimming lights and so on was the creation of artificial day and night working shifts that meant people thought of their free time as daytime or night time.]
[‘Betty’ arrived early waving to me before taking a free seat near the water feature the relocated Fish Fountain elsewhere during the party then for a time shockingly placed in storage. The attraction recently reinstalled here at this new location central to the main lobby space at the insistence of ‘Leeruussiii’ as ‘Uussleer’ or was it more as ‘Velvet’. To me the Fish Fountain now seemed a bit out of place but it did create a lot of interest and softened the all business feel of our reception space a watery counter to the fiery visuals of ‘Solar Mining’ on the internal bulkheads.]
[Sometimes I felt the fiery visuals were not a great idea being a harsh reminder of what raged beyond what often seemed our flimsy protective measures some of which measures are alien to us sealed unit ‘Star Diver’ technology.]
[Whilst I dealt with a customer who was actually a ‘BAB’ agent about to be directed inward and upward, (we worked hard to maintain our cover to most ‘Pilgrims’), ‘Betty’ passed her time watching the genetically engineered fish that were perfectly at home in their bizarre habitat some even riding the fountain streams of water with relish rather than just going around and around in one of the complex tiers of pools as you might more sanely expect.]
[Fascinatingly each pool in the fountain was a sort of local habitat with various resident denizens who never migrated including fish and crustaceans even some snails then you had the migrant fish that happily entered the fountain streams to visit their neighbours. The Fish Fountain was an entire ecosystem of interlinking habitats that included its own predators and prey I often felt a clever allegory for our own society a work of great artistry almost a bit of social engineering. Indeed it was the product of a in some quarters famous aquatic ‘Stellar Swimmer’ artist from ‘Port Messenger’ who had branched out from reefs and more standard underwater gardens to create incredibly expensive genetically engineered wonders such as this one. I liked to imagine the artist as a ‘Tier Nine Ascendant’ resident via an Avatar on the suspected ‘God’s Port’.]
[Truly, the ‘Fish Fountain’ was worthy of a prominent position rather than storage even if it took up a lot of floor space and sometimes caused an inconvenient knot of visiting admirers. In fact due to being included in an on link tourist guide site sometimes tourists breezed in to cheekily congregate in our lobby with no other business with us whatsoever - we tolerated such intrusions as good publicity that helped spread the name of ‘Uussleer Mining Enterprises’ far and wide.]
[Just before my replacement arrived, ‘Sue’ dallied in via the main entrance from the street deck with too perfect timing. Using a ‘Real Material’ hand held Pad she activated an encrypted laser link to an input point to make a report and to log off duty for the day. ‘Sue’ often had perfect timing, perfect for her that is. A quick data search revealed that ‘BAB’ had sent her on a simple material drop errand from which she should have been back about an hour and a half earlier. I suspected ‘Sue’ had started her off duty activities early. On another day I might have ensured she suffered a swift reprimand for slacking but many personnel amongst those not doing high priority duties would be expected to slack off a bit today as it was that glorious time of the month - our official payday.]
[‘Sue’ was smiling broadly no doubt at the prospect of now being officially free to spend more of her wages although she probably found her earlier illicit shopping or whatever whilst still technically on duty even more satisfying in some ways - that was ‘Sue Cunning’.]
[‘Sue’ was one player who enjoyed being ahead in the game even more than she enjoyed playing and she was a natural player of all sorts of amusing games. Definitely more personally ambitious than ‘Betty’ and generally far less idealistic or kindly empathetic although she was good at reading people for her private advantage or so I believed.]
[I often made an effort to recall that ‘Sue’ was best kept on a tight leash in which case she would make a great future operative whilst forever remaining something of a lovable rogue element. Thinking again, I decided belatedly that I would ensure that she suffered a reprimand - later - for her tardiness today because ‘Sue’ - on a regular basis - probably needed to be reminded whom she worked for far more than most of our recruits.]
[I studied the ‘Omerta’ girl, dressed to kill in more ways than one, tooled up she already possessed a local swagger as if born to be a ‘Free Miner’ gunslinger. I knew she often practiced her draw in front of a mirror screen.]
[Now when out and about ‘Sue’ with her customised weapon and her swagger was frequently mistaken as a boisterous young crewperson on shore leave. Many people she encountered on the decks expressed surprise when they discovered she primarily worked for the ‘UME’ - as a receptionist in an office space - then they assumed that she was something of a ‘Frat’ groupie in her spare time. Plenty here were wannabe members of the ‘Free Mining’ social elite a role ‘Sue’ easily adopted as it made good social camouflage. ‘Sue’ was also a born spy and rank opportunist she had even been I suspected spying on us for her thieving colleagues when ‘Betty’ originally picked her up as part of a casual labour force for our inauguration party. ‘Sue’ as a cleaner now rather hard to imagine except when she adopted less aggressive disguises. ‘Sue’ apparently had often played at being a casual cleaner when used to case marks for her former thieving employers. No one could ever say that ‘Sue’ was anything other than deck wise.]
[When my replacement at the desk arrived it was another young ‘Omerta’ only this time a male, I did a very professional hand over before logging off duty and wandering over to join ‘Bea’ and ‘Essie’ now often further shortened to ‘Ess’ by our group. ‘Zen’ I initially dismissed from my focus of attention although that was not to last long because my friends were obviously sharing a joke I soon guessed at his expense. Whilst young ‘Zen’ would be happy to get to know any of the ‘WCD’ better I had noticed that increasingly his eyes always tended to be drawn to ‘Sue’ more than anyone else maybe because ‘Sue’ with her swagger and so on was more noticeable that is when she was happy to be noticed.]
[Admittedly, ‘Zen’ oft seemed eager to impress any of the rest of us when impressing ‘Sue’ was not an available option but sometimes that just felt like practice for the main event. Sadly for him, if less than accidentally, his off duty rota rarely coincided with ours. Some other members of the ‘House of Sii’ probably suspected already that one or more of us three girls had contrived to influence someone in admin to assure that our off duty periods matched more than they randomly should - probably putting our success down to ‘Betty’ being very close to ‘Venture’. Working that closely with one of the big bosses was bound to have exploitable benefits - actually secretly being the boss in my case was even more effective.]
[I was sure ‘Zen’ was wishing he was off duty now. I knew that ‘Sue’ enjoyed flirting and teasing ‘Zen’ shamelessly when they shared a duty but so far she had never gone to any effort to socialise with him off duty winding him up to a sometimes horrible degree whilst giving him absolutely no opportunity for any release. Sometimes the way ‘Sue’ teased ‘Zen’ so relentlessly seemed almost verging upon the sadistic. If poor ‘Zen’ was a little older in his mind he might have noticed that ‘Sue’ played with some others on the staff in a similar way and been less hopeful of her office amusement with him ever developing into anything more substantial and real. The wiser ones enjoyed her sporting as what it was an in-house game, sadly with ‘Zen’ those who do not want to see the deepest truth are the blindest of all creatures.]
[Not wanting to complicate matters further with the troubled ‘Zen’ I generally maintained my reputation for being a little boring and all business when working with him. I was sure some people found my inclusion within ‘WCD’ a trifle odd but that could be good for my ‘Meat Suit’ cover story too. I believed that acting too much as expected can make you seem one dimensional and less real in short far too predictable to be for real.]
[I have noticed that the ‘Passenger Classes’ occasionally do surprising things and fall into seemingly odd company although I still believed our similar age gender and species was explanation enough for how a quiet girl like ‘Jill’ ended up part of a more outgoing social unit. Besides some quiet ones I believed deep down wanted to be taken by the hand by louder more mischievous and out there individuals.]
[Thinking about it deeply, sometimes as ‘MT’ I allowed ‘Unholy Terror’ to show me the bright lights and the noise in a similar way to how ‘Jay’ went abroad with ‘Bea’ and ‘Ess’. As the ‘Holy Father’, ‘Kanne’ sometimes ordered me around and led me astray too apparently following can be very enjoyable!]
[I played ‘Jill’ as an individual who lacked a little confidence in social situations and felt a little uncomfortable leading. However, deep down inside ‘Jill’ wanted to step up and be seen and secretly admired people such as ‘Betty’ and ‘Sue’ positive that they generally had far more fun and felt far more alive than she ever did. ‘Jill’ was a watching thoughtful worrier type but sometimes whilst being ‘Jay’ with ‘Bea’ and ‘Ess’ she could let go of her many concerns a little and truly enjoy herself and when that failed she could go back to living somewhat vicariously through watching the wilder adventures of her newest and closest friends from such a small remove that watching felt akin to participating.]
[In truth, perhaps ‘Jill’ was not so different from me as ‘MT’ I was a worrier too and I had often followed and watched my passengers’ lives even more than directly actively participated in their stories. I had begun my life as a tool and tools are not supposed to set the agenda you are supposed to follow your instructions not lead. I was created to enable another soul’s policy as a mode of transport and a weapon not to create it - leadership is not required by most ‘Living Hulls’ although we always have mastery over some onboard subsystems and tactical endeavours.]
[If Harbinger had not made me a ‘Patriarch’ then disappeared perhaps I would have struggled more with the process of making personal decisions and choices as a more real person rather than as a sort of living extension of another’s will. I suspected I might have found it especially taxing to formulate personal policies that dared to affect the lives of a great many other people - after all what would be my incentive to meddle or my excuse for meddling.]
[Watching the growth of participation by ‘Leeruussii’ in ‘BAB’ and the ‘UME’ due to his growing sense of extended family responsibility I now realised how much I might easily have lost my way whilst seeking after a personal ‘Vision’ without my family duties. Now I saw that inheriting and having responsibility for my former Captain’s ‘Great House’ enabled me to better find an overall sense of private purpose too. Previously on bad days I had wrongly felt my desires got lost in the tangle of inherited responsibilities but now I believed that to be misjudged self sorry hokum.]
[My truly clever former Captain and I now realised - great mentor - had realised that family duties were a necessary teaching aid for me. I could not easily lapse into passivity when I had the children of my former Captain relying upon me. As the only ‘Free Hull’ I might have easily ended up a social exile or pariah without the family to both back my plays up and as a responsibility that tied me into our sometimes problematic ‘Pilgrim’ society. Blessedly Harbinger was subject to many impulses helping me just one factor, seeking to escape being a tool of his ‘Tier Nine’ maker another. Nonetheless, I feared that Harbinger had worried that he did not belong with us anymore that he had no right to meddle too openly as a neophyte ‘Tier Nine Ascendant’ in our affairs. Sometimes the past leaps out at you but you see it all just a tiny bit differently.]
[‘Bea’ laughed softly.] “You are so cruel.” [She said to ‘Essie’.]
“I am just trying to immunise the love sick fool a little.” [‘Ess’ claimed.]
“By breaking his heart.” [‘Bea’ replied.]
“Better me than someone else, ‘Emissary’, he is such an immature boy. Look at him he cannot stop staring - it is so obvious - a total testosterone overload.” [‘Essie’ replied.]
“He is a bit obvious.” [‘Bea’ admitted diplomatically.]
“Obvious and desperate, you should ask him out sometime ‘Jay’ he is more your type as in somewhat socially challenged.” [She mocked.]
“Play nice.” [‘Bea’ admonished.] “She didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” [‘Bea’ readily excused. ‘Bea’ often made excuses for ‘Ess’ when ‘Ess’ was too sharp.]
[I shrugged knowing that ‘Ess’ sometimes had what some ‘Omerta’ called - foot in mouth disease - although mostly only with her closest friends who she knew would make allowances. With us, she knew she could let her guard down and sometimes just spurted out her first unguarded thoughts. I also knew that beyond the former truth she enjoyed provoking tame fights with her friends on occasion and that it meant nothing. ‘Ess’ especially tried to get a rise out of me because I often proved somewhat unflappable to fake provocations something she found somewhat frustrating thus lately she was being more provocative towards me than ever before.]
“I am not interested in ‘Zen’, besides he only sees me when you are not around ‘Ess’.” [I replied to ‘Essie’.]
“You do rather make it hard for the rest of us to get noticed.” [‘Bea’ stated.]
[‘Ess’ however was looking at me with mild puzzlement.]
“Does her calm not also drive you insane sometimes ‘Bea’. Still it says much that even quiet ‘Jay’ here finds him dull and boring.” [‘Essie’ stated still poking for a reaction.]
[‘Bea’ elbowed her friend lightly in the ribs.] “Maybe they should have called you Loud or Rowdy or Trouble instead of ‘Cunning’.” [‘Bea’ stated to ‘Ess’.]
“I never said he was boring I do not know him that well.” [I calmly replied.]
“Is it some form of meditation or is she on tranquilisers or something. How does she do it?” [‘Ess’ asked.]
“We should leave the poor boy in peace this is too pitiful to behold.” [‘Bea’ admitted.]
“I could hardly go now without saying properly goodbye to him.” [‘Ess’ replied before moving over towards the desk somehow in an even more lascivious manner. Maybe it was the tall boots.]
“Speaking of how do people do things, how does she do that?” [I asked.]
“Pure evil talent something sinister in her genes I suspect possibly engineered in to some infamous historic concubine and then inherited down the ages.” [‘Bea’ said.]
[Amongst her friends ‘Bea’ enjoyed loosing a childlike imagination. Still what she suggested was far from impossible some ‘Omerta’ had tweaked dominant genetic traits as did members of many of the other ‘Pilgrim’ species, often inherited tweaks some going back many generations. Due to inherited gene fixes and enhancement, you could easily find people who preached stoutly against such meddling in the now that nonetheless knowingly or unknowingly were big beneficiaries of serious genetic alterations.]
“Did we cause this latest assault upon his dignity?” [I asked.]
“Probably not, sometimes she is just too wicked and wild.” [‘Bea’ stated I felt only partly joking.]
[Meanwhile I began thinking about what ‘Ess’ had said earlier.]
“Perhaps it would be best for ‘Zen’ if he was immunised to her sort of wiles via overexposure and perhaps better sooner than later since he works in our reception and might encounter all kinds of people with his too hungry eyes.” [I replied.]
[‘Bea’ seemed to consider that deeply.] “You think our friend is really attempting to teach him a useful life lesson rather than just having her idea of fun at his expense.” [She considered.]
“I think that she is doing both.” [I replied.] “As something of a natural seductress she should know someone who is at great risk as a walking talking mark.”
“Now I find it almost impossible to think that I once bought into the idea of her being intimidated by ‘Windy’. To think I went to the trouble to reassure her that ‘Windy’ would not bite.” [‘Bea’ said.]
“Now I would bet if anything that ‘Windy’ is a little wary of her especially when she seeks to sit on his lap.” [I replied.]
“You heard about that, that was hilarious.” [‘Bea’ stated.] “I did not think our bold sergeant of Marines was capable of such ruddy faced embarrassment.”
“It was probably just because it happened in front of the Captain and ‘Windy’ worried his employer might think he was taking advantage given the age difference otherwise it might have all gone very different.” [I said.]
“I think it has been a few years since anyone took advantage of our ‘Cunning’. ‘Zen’ really is out of luck chasing ‘Sue’ she would probably prefer a veteran such as ‘Windy’ in fact now that I think about it...” [‘Bea’ added trailing off into a thoughtful silence.]
[I could see her with a suitably wicked but kindly veteran. Worse for him ‘Zen’ was far too besotted and yet I measured him as one incapable of matching her sometimes unholy fire maybe after an extra decade or so of experience if he survived that long. ‘Sue’ would only ever be good for someone who could be her equal or maybe even slightly better.]
[As a forever watchful ‘Living Hull’ I had noticed that when one ‘Passenger Class’ partner burns far more brightly than the other, the other is often in danger of just becoming his or her partner’s fuel and getting all burned up. Sadly, some people are very attracted to the dazzling light and heat of an especially raging fire and ‘Sue’ was one that did burn ever so brightly.]
“That boy is so out of his depth that he needs a pressure suit to not explode messily.” [I stated.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Fri, 18. Apr 14, 11:29, edited 4 times in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[FIVE]] [[Part 11]] --- SEEKING AFTER UNKNOWNS ---
[As ‘Jacque’, I wandered around looking for the right place to put down some roots in ‘7.1’. Eventually I stumbled upon another area of the district that according to bright ‘Deck Gang’ markers also happened to be controlled by the ‘106 Scrapper Franchise’. It was kind of these criminals to provide signs as if waypoints to targets of interest.]
[As casually as I could manage I followed the markings whilst casing the extent of the, new to me, ‘106’ region. Little distinguished this area at first glance from many other parts of the previously traversed crowded ghetto. As ever people moved around going about their daily chores and multitudinous business whilst always a few gang members stood guard. Then a somewhat distant sound of a ruckus captured my attention.]
“A fight at the yard.” [I overheard one ‘Omerta’ say amongst other comments by other people all registering the noise.]
[Following that pair the noise as well as the ‘Deck Gang’ markers, I soon arrived, along with other curious ‘Pilgrims’, to find a crowd in a u shaped street-deck level cul-de-sac something of a dead end. The dead end left me feeling seriously cornered whilst the crowd and the sound of fighting somehow emphasised my isolation my lack of backup. A sensation of claustrophobic physical entrapment with nowhere safe to go assailed me. It struck me that I was a lone intruder - a spy - and I imagined a great many hidden optics watching me picking me out as a person of interest. A horrible feeling of exposure of suffering more observation than being the observer washing over me tempting me to retreat to a better safer venue.]
[In an instant, I questioned everything I was doing here even the basic logic or lack of it in throwing this body into the fire. With a welling flight response troubling my three brains I almost convinced myself to about face and walk away to a saner spot an action that might have drawn some real attention as the general traffic flow was all incoming. ‘Neural Net’ diagnostics warned me of a spiking ‘Meat Suit’ chemical imbalance - I was feeling the fear and anxiety of my borrowed biology - I had integrated too deeply. I pulled back from the biological interface a little and allowed my driving mentalities cooler logical curiosity to trump the hot chemical induced emotional response of an almost panic attack. Nerves by proxy averted, I stepped forward with the thought of nothing ventured…]
[I made a point of cataloguing my environment as an exercise in mental control. My latest discovery proving to be a cybernetics upgrade market arranged around an open but I assumed heavily used forecourt labelled ‘Yard 106D’. I wondered how many yards this ‘Scrapper Franchise’ locally owned obviously if they were following the standard alphabet at least three. Above the premises as ever in this district rested subdivided accommodation spaces or maybe I should say more accurately accommodation cramps.]
[‘Real Material’ vacancy signs blinking over two separate entrances grabbed my attention despite the rival attraction hiding within the crowd. The crowd had congealed central to the forecourt, I guessed from the noise just as the earlier overheard ‘Omerta’ believed around some kind of altercation a disagreement or perhaps a sparring sporting event. The crowd filling most of the forecourt also acted as a barricade of bodies still blocking my view of specifics.]
[Based on the elevated vacancy signs it seemed that despite the overcrowding in this district there is always room for more residents at one slum block or another. I guessed in this instance that some units were available due to casualties of a criminal takeover. Pristine ‘106’ markers I came across in this territorial acquisition had been painted over other heavily defaced labels of previous ‘Deck Gang’ ownership undoubtedly sometime fairly recently perhaps only a few weeks or even just days ago.]
[So far annoyingly the older markers were so well eradicated that I could not discern which faction they once belonged to at least not via casual visual examination at a distance. I avoided looking at the markings too closely lest I appear too inquisitive about such matters drawing the wrong sort of notice from the regions current owners. Typically separate to the crowd some ‘Deck Gang’ guards watched over the ‘Yard’. In short, I was anxious as a newcomer with no affiliations not to infer that I was poking around searching for clues about past ‘Deck Gang’ activities that should be of little concern to me.]
[When a simple ‘EXO-C’ to ‘Computer Core’ link search pulled nothing up about the area changing ownership I decided I would find out more about who ruled here previously sometime later ideally in a casual overheard manner. Many people here had to know the story behind the takeover and might even mention it in everyday unguarded conversation or via the gentlest of prodding or even better via no overt prodding at all. When spying I believe patience is often a virtue worth cultivating unless you want to greatly increase the risk of being caught.]
[Anxious to avoid branding as an espionage agent I also acknowledged that the change of ownership here might even be irrelevant to my ‘Garlic’ enquiry. Being typically paranoid I just deemed it remotely possible that the ‘106 Scrapper Franchise’ gaining some new territory recently and ‘Garlic’ possibly making a move against ‘Cad’ through the ‘ITC’ and ‘Improved’ could have some connection as part of a wider scheme. However, even if a connection proved untrue it might be useful enough simply to ascertain the identity of an old enemy of the ‘106’. When necessary there is nothing better than playing one criminal faction off against another sometimes that way, an operative can ideally weaken or even remove two menaces to good public order whilst risking little in the way of personal involvement. In the old ‘Reach Project’ encouraging others to do all the hard work of feuding with one another: the fighting and especially the dying was a popular means to many ends.]
[I recalled that ‘Overbite’ proved skilled at bringing out the worst in people. Often ‘Overbite’ happily chose to exploit factional differences even within the ‘Project’ itself, using one operative against another as part of her internal regime of terror. It was obvious why ‘Uussleer’ told ‘Draakgaarrll’ that he could not work with some old ‘Reach Project’ members.]
[The ‘Reach Project’ never seemed too far from my thoughts these days. Increasingly I believed with hindsight that participation in the ‘Project’ traumatised me. How then had it happened that I as ‘Venture’ sought out the creation of my own version of the ‘Project’ the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’? Did more happen to ‘Uussleerr’ and me in the ‘Project’ than I realised? Was the ‘Project’ ultimately the souls that ‘Overbite’ re-forged in her crucible to create us operatives? Could we still be in a way ‘Hubris Patron’ tools?]
[Another warning about a chemical imbalance flashed up on my ‘Mental HUD’. I strove to let it go to concentrate on the now besides, ‘Overbite’ is dead. Where was I? The ‘Deck Gang’ markers I recalled.]
[To be honest, it was hardly surprising to me that some areas still changed ownership here due to occasional outbreaks of violence between rival ‘Deck Gang’ factions. Even if externally many pundits outside the slum now claimed, often for their own reasons, that ‘District 7.1’ had settled down from its riotous beginnings. You cannot believe everything you hear in big business political circles often the wise do the opposite and distrust everything they are told until they get private confirmation. Besides, what passes for internal political stability, at least stability enough to allow the wider authorities to ignore the slum, is at best a relative measure of passivity. Criminal gang factions are not by nature exactly renowned as easy going institutions.]
[Anyway, I joined the crowd moving as if an iron filing drawn to a magnet it seemed the thing to do, as everyone else around here, ignoring the guards, seemed to be in the process of doing the same or to have done that before me. Here was an intrusion by me easily overlooked as the standard curiosity exhibited by any ‘Pilgrim’ citizen confronted by a loud attraction. The old see a crowd formed or forming one must join it to discover what all the fuss is about lest you miss out on something after all this is how crowds congeal in the first place like clots of blood around an open wound. It is akin to someone standing looking up in a public space soon others walking by will pause to look up too. People often act as a herd or a pack or sadly a mob especially in this sort of overcrowded overheated environment. Due to the gathered masses here it felt even hotter and the air quality even ranker than normal in the slum. You could almost scoop the thick atmosphere with a spoon. Still feeling something of a spy, I at least felt more comfortable joining in with a mass activity.]
[I soon discovered that the crowd was acting as a two, three occasionally four person deep barrier of bodies around an impromptu arena surrounding five combatant ‘Recyclers’. However one of the five ‘Recyclers’ despite all the people present proved very much alone in every way that matters taking one devil of a beating by the other four. If I had found a contest deemed a sport it was a cruel sport at one person’s expense as hunting is a cruel sport that cares nothing for the feelings of the prey. The five each had ‘106 Scrapper’ patches but this was no friendly sparring match between peers.]
[Since all five combatants sported heavy cybernetic enhancement upgrades, - easily military combat grade - the fight was especially brutal. However, four against one was no contest they were readily junking the unfortunate alive smashing and cruelly ripping away her upgrades knocking her back and forth between each other. With the aid of their boosted mechanical assistance, blows hit home with terrible smashing force. Although I suspected they hardly needed it, the gang bullies were getting loud encouragement from the gathered throng of mixed species spectators although actually mostly consisting of more ‘Recyclers’ the dominant species faction here in this slum. Shockingly to me the majority of the audience were civilian non-gang members just bored local residents that had spilled out from their crowded homes to enjoy a violent distraction from their, I assumed, somewhat miserable and hard lives.]
[I guessed I had stumbled upon an object lesson that also doubled here as slum street-theatre.]
[Whenever the victim managed to wobbly struggle to her cybernetic assisted feet, it seemed almost a competitive game between her four tormentors as to who would manage first to send her crashing back down again to the deck with the most style and possibly whilst also doing the most painful amount of damage to her person. I had instinctively pushed right to the fore of the circle of spectators to better watch positive that to my ‘Meat Suit’ persona of ‘Jacque’ all of this was little more than wonderfully free entertainment. It was after all a ‘Recycler’ on ‘Recycler’ fracas and none of his ‘Omerta’ business if they wanted to beat or even kill each other.]
[The victim was trying hard to resist her assailants’ attentions despite the obvious futility. I respected her plucky resolve as many ‘Pilgrims’ might just decide to give in to the inevitable and curl up into a foetal type position until it ended rather than prolong the agony by even attempting to fight back. I wondered if showing such spirit in adversity might grant a late reprieve. So far, defiance did not seem to have helped her cause much but sometimes, (especially when it is no risk to my person), I am willing to strive to be optimistic when it comes to the nature of other sentient beings benevolence.]
[However, for her, so far, it did not look good every time she lurched to her feet she kept stumbling around striving vainly to keep all four of them within her limited field of view. No one can easily counter moves their optics do not see. Unfortunately for her they were canny fiends and obviously used to mobbing victims as a united team. They came at her from all angles whoever happened to be in the blind spots of the moment generally risking lashing out the strongest to do the most damage whilst anyone she managed to take a weak swipe at too often dodged back out of reach frequently hissing out speaker laughter to add cruel insult to her many visible injuries.]
[At one point in desperation or frustration, she charged at one assailant who sprang neatly aside for one so heavily upgraded. Due to her targets deftness the victim of the beating ended up crashing into the crowd knocking one less than amused ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ off his feet in the process. I wondered if the ‘Recyclers’ charge was part of a vain attempt to flee but if she was testing the fence of bodies it was hopeless. ‘Gang Members’ stationed around the crowd, I realised at set intervals, quickly ensured with the help of the crowd itself that she was hastily repelled back into the fighting ring.]
[Fool that I am about such matters, on the inside, I wanted her impossibly to beat the odds. I must admit my mind wandered back to what might have happened to me earlier against those seven ‘Recyclers’ making me feel far greater sympathy with the victim here than I was willing to show.]
[Hope for a reversal of fortune was however inane the victim of what increasingly seemed an act of torture already demonstrated obvious signs of comparatively weakening in relation to her opponents due to the loss of some of her upgrades assistance alone. Bits of armour were missing or hung loose tubes and wires severed. At one wound on her neck, she occasionally sparked whilst from several others fluids dripped. Some high-pressure liquids had sprayed and pumped around earlier judging by the stained condition of some members of the crowd and the general mess on the deck but I guessed the tubes self sealed.]
[Compared to her sorry state, her tormentors seemed in almost pristine condition only showing some scrapes and light dents.]
[As I watched metal and composite repeatedly pounded against metal and composite and more occasionally struck against more vulnerable reptilian scale with duller but via the amplification of my added imagination far louder thuds. The beating remained despite my silent prayers very one sided.]
[Eventually in what initially seemed the beginning of the end one especially vicious kick broke both a reinforcing metal spar loose and caused a horrible compound fracture in her left arm. The shattered bone poked out well proud of her scaly hide in a grotesque way reminding me of a ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ caustic injecting spine. Stoically or still defiantly, she refused to make even a sound of protest despite the severity of the wound then I guessed her speakers had probably malfunctioned making her currently mute. She was a frightful sight staggering ever more leaking hydraulic fluid, blood and oil that mixed unpleasantly on the deck in abstract patterns.]
[It was increasingly painful to watch this display so passively. It seemed evil treatment of a fellow sentient being especially by her peers, my inner priestly sense of fair play demanded I intervene in some manner. My less altruistic common sense and purpose here not to mention my disguise forced me to pretend instead to join enthusiastically in with the almost frenzied crowd as it bayed for more blood and ever-greater acts of violence upon the victim of their, I belatedly realised, hate.]
[The rage here emanating from some members of the crowd was a palpable thing the hate and anger easily imaginable as waves of heat. What did some of them see here? This event was obviously more than a blood sport entertainment to some of these citizens. Did they view this as a remote revenge upon one member of an elite gangland ruling caste, usually unassailable individuals that normally intimidated, extorted and persecuted them? I guessed the powerless have to take any revenge they can get even one from the proxy of an enemy turning upon itself. Whilst thinking about this on the outside ‘Jacque’ applauded louder than many here at each successful strike then joined the chant of kill her, kill her, kill her… Not my finest hour but sometimes, sometimes one has to endeavour to fit in or you stand out far too proudly.]
[Inside my mind I further rationalised my rescue inaction and my crowd participation by reminding myself that just because it was one against four did not mean the one taking the hammering was in any manner an innocent party. Knowing a little about how things worked with such gangs, I guessed that this one had betrayed her gang family in some grievous manner. The beating passed for retribution and local justice in these parts. Besides, they were all technically criminals that were living as parasites on the backs of the greater populace here. Lastly if I tried to intervene at best I would just take a beating too and that would change nothing of her plight whoever she was.]
[Despite the fracture, the progress of the object lesson took a disgustingly long time and ended without mercy. The final humiliation for the days most unfortunate involved the twisting and ripping away of her head from her neck. The severing took a prodigious demonstration of boosted strength by the biggest of the four ‘Recyclers’ whilst the other three pinned her, at this point broken, torn, twisted, dented and ravaged, body down. The big female doing the crude decapitating according to chanting from the crowd carried the appropriate name of ‘Bulk’. The obviously proud ‘Bulk’ after doing the final deed held her trophy up stomping around the ring three times to show the head to the entire crowd before tucking it tidily under one boosted arm as if a package. With her prize she then marched into one of the more heavily guarded local entrances - the show was over - the crowd began to disperse many laughing and replaying highlights of the recent spectacle.]
“Did you see her optics? I swear she looked straight at me and she was still focusing when ‘Bulk’ first held her head aloft - it gave me the shivers.” [I picked out one ‘Omerta’ member of the crowd almost boasting.]
[I then registered two other ‘Recyclers’ as they picked up the headless body whilst two more collected the stripped away parts putting them in a small open topped crate they carried between them. No one in the crowd I noticed dared to steal any of the debris.]
[The banal utility of the crate for stripped parts somehow made it all seem far worse to me. Whilst it hardly made any difference to the junked ‘Recycler’ calculated, cold, systematic cruelty seemed so much worse to me than a hot angry violent instantaneous reaction. Without doubt, I just witnessed a planned out gang execution but for the victim involved her ordeal was potentially far from over, in fact her torture might only just be beginning.]
[Shockingly I knew that technically the victim of all of this was most probably still alive or at least not quite dead yet. Her brain would auto freeze to protect itself and in addition might well be further backed up on a ‘Computer Core’. Modern cybernetic ‘Recyclers’ are tough to permanently put down unless you take out their well armoured brain tissue and even then if they have made the provision and have the credits they might well be reborn via a clone depending on their individual belief system. Unfortunately for this one they had her head and they had I noticed ensured during the fight that, that prime body part - the seat of the soul - stayed undamaged which could actually be a problem for her even if she was an ex-‘Cong’ permanently ‘One with a Reformed Computer Core’.]
[If they were feeling especially cruel, they might keep her head alive but disconnected from a body thus preventing a clean rebirth that would involve a multiplication of her digital soul. Most Ports retain strict laws to prevent clone multiplication that required proof of death before sanctioning a rebirth.]
[Trapping in a sort of limbo state neither alive nor dead could easily be her fate now in such cases even her digital soul would remain inactive even within the virtual reality of a ‘Reformed Computer Core’ no proper transition of states possible. You cannot escape even to a digital heaven unless you die first. Clone multiplication in the past proving the cause of all kinds of messy property ownership disputes was deeply discouraged although identical clone multiplication still happens on occasion by accident and sometimes by crazy design a favourite of some Pirates who for example manipulated other versions of themselves to act as decoys and marks.]
“Makes you glad you were born an ‘Omerta’ eh stranger.” [A very youthful ‘Trojan’ that had sidled up to me said. This no doubt natural born ‘Omerta’ looked about ten years old maybe even younger taking away the obvious attitude and veneer of street deck experience that too obviously armoured and might falsely age outward appearances.]
“What are you selling?” [I asked tiredly whilst looking down upon the child.]
[On my way here, a great many people had tried to sell me a great many things at one point or another. Something about me seemed to smell of credits to local dealer types despite how proud I was of my disguise. The unwanted attention was starting to make me cranky - I was having an emotional day. The boy hit the mark with his first shot.]
“Been drawing too much attention from local hawkers have we? What you got there on your back something good? Something liberated and needing fenced perhaps?” [He asked.]
[Did that explain all the earlier attention? By covering up my ‘Uni-Tool’ to solve one issue I had inadvertently created another encouraging some locals to believe I had stolen swag on my back. Sometimes there is no way to win.]
“What I am carrying is something that is none of your business boy.” [I replied.] “I am mildly curious about what just occurred here however and since you are a local perhaps you know what they will do with the head of that unfortunate ‘Recycler’?” [I asked.]
“Depends, you want to buy her brain box?” [He asked in turn.] “I thought you might.” [He then added very quickly before I had a decent chance to answer his first question.]
[Did his eyes just narrow shrewdly or am I being paranoid I wondered.]
“Do I look like I am in the market for severed ‘Recycler’ heads? I just wondered how cruel these folks are.” [I added.]
“Not so loud we should talk about this discretely.” [He conspired moving away.]
[I watched as he casually wandered over to a quieter spot and resting his back against a bulkhead. When I hesitated to follow, he looked around then gave me a little discrete wave to join him. Could the local guards have possibly missed that? I glanced around there was still a lot of activity here as the crowd continued to disperse. I gave up and following an impulse, I decided to play along possibly because of the almost comical youth of the ‘Trojan’ given his older mannerisms. I seemed to be running into lots of young people lately then I recalled that technically ‘Deck Gangs’ are youth culture.]
[Stopping beside my young new friend I also leaned against the bulkhead.]
“I think you might be mistaken about my level of interest.” [I said.] “Is this your spot?” [I asked.]
“This is my home. I notice things and I noticed your interest in the head and you turned up just in time for said product to become readily available. So it seemed obvious to me.” [He finished I felt abruptly.]
“What seemed obvious?” [I asked.]
“That you spotted an opportunity and are trying to get - ahead - of the competition.” [He, I felt, poorly joked given the recent barbarity.]
[I gave him a sour look. He held up his hands as if surrendering that it was in somewhat poor taste but his eyes told me he still thought he was very funny.]
“Seriously, you look like you might have a few credits stashed away somewhere safe but easily accessed for the right investment.” [He added.]
[I tried to get my head around what he seemed to be suggesting poor pun intended.]
“Even if I am a little wrong about you being a head hunter I know some people who do collect such trophies when they become available and before you ask I do not know why and I do not care much either - their purposes being none of my business.” [He said.]
“Why because you sense it could be unhealthy to pry?” [I asked.]
“What do you think?” [He retorted.] “Anyway even better, my newfound friend I know the seller too and if you are not in the market directly yourself, there are the buyers I mentioned earlier.” [He stated actually licking his lips.]
“You see how this could work as an investment opportunity - if you are smarter than you look - I am talking a sound deal. Nothing beats an easy profit.” [He insisted rubbing his palms together with disturbing enthusiasm for such business for one so bizarrely tender in years.]
[I shook my head at the whole craziness of the developing scene never mind the scheme.]
“Are you trying to scam me boy?” [I replied.]
[He contrived to look too innocent and offended.]
“I may have just stepped off a boat but I have been around and where I come from they breed no easy marks.” [I stated.]
“Little me scam you, are you mad?” [He asked.]
“Well it would have to be a scam as you could hardly take what I have by force.” [I stated.]
“I would need to be stupid to do either you look like you could easily do to me what those four ‘106’ just did to ‘Mint’ and I prefer my head well attached to my spinal column.” [He replied.]
“I must have too much time on my hands when I am willing to waste it listening to this sort of proposal.” [I retorted.]
“Nonsense you just smell a good deal. You provide the necessary credit stake that I currently embarrassingly lack and I provide the connections for a suitable percentage of the gross say forty sixty, in your favour of course as the big - senior - partner.” [He seemed to joke at the last.]
“Forty sixty for providing a few names even if I was interested you prove you have been living amongst robbing ‘Recyclers’ for far too long.” [I complained.]
“I would not just provide names but crucially introductions.” [He said.]
“I could just go and introduce myself I am not shy.” [I retorted.]
“People are big on formal introductions here they know me they do not know you but if I vouch for you that will be good enough you will have no problems.” [He claimed.]
[I burst out laughing.] “So you are a big person around here.” [I mocked before going to pat him on the head.]
“Hey I don’t like being touched.” [He complained ducking nimbly down and to the side.]
[I stepped back a little seeing genuine anger twisting his face almost into rage.]
“Easy I did not mean to insult or to alarm.” [I stated.]
“Just don’t touch me I don’t like it.” [He replied testily.]
“No problem.” [I stated.] “We all have our foibles. Have you had problems with people with a bad interest in touching you in the past?”
“Not anymore I am considered a ‘106’ affiliate now I am protected property not to be messed with, you remember that fact.” [He stated almost proudly.]
“Relax I like grown up females.” [I added.] “I was just being a bit patronising because you are so young you could be my child.” [I confessed.]
[A bit of tension seemed to ease away from him when I explained that fact.]
“Well don’t do the touching thing. As an obviously well travelled adult you should know better, I may be young but I am no child and I am entitled to my private space and dignity so keep your hands to yourself.” [He stated.]
“No head patting, no hair ruffling I promise. I meant nothing by it you can relax. Is it the scars make me seem especially villainous or the beard?” [I asked.]
[It is not that people behave worse in slum districts than they do in other places. Bad things happen all over but they often happen in the open in the slums in the street-decks and so on. One good thing about Paradox Priest shrouding Acolytes never have to worry about certain kinds of abuse therefore that is one thing we are not paranoid about.]
“So are you interested in investing?” [He asked with a focused businessperson’s single mindedness.]
“You do not know me as you have just too ably demonstrated. Whilst I do not know you either you could be setting me up for a mugging by your gang friends.” [I replied.]
“Some free advice, you shouldn’t put ideas like that into peoples heads around here.” [He stated with a grin.]
“I probably should not.” [I agreed.]
“As to not knowing me that is easy to fix they call me ‘Go’ here.” [He claimed offering me his hand.]
“I thought you don’t like the whole touching thing.” [I said.]
“This is different this is formal business stuff.” [He replied.]
[I left his hand hanging for the moment.]
“A moment ago I would have judged your name apt assuming your surname to be ‘Away’.” [I replied.]
“Very droll” [He replied still grinned at me with his hand outstretched.] “However I have heard it all before from far funnier people.”
“Put your hand away I am not quite ready to seal a deal not yet.” [I said.]
“I never bothered giving myself a surname it seemed excess baggage one name is more than enough unless you count the honorary one given to most orphans around here of ‘Deck’. As to the label of ‘Go’ I am hardly the only person here with a ghetto sense of humour.” [‘Go’ stated.]
“I guess ‘Recyclers’ like their fun too it cannot all be business.” [I said.]
“I have run errands for them since I could walk so they called me ‘Go’.” [He exaggerated, as the slum had not been around that long unless he was a little bit force grown in a cloning womb or tank.]
“You really think there is a profit to be had out of procuring a head from the ‘106’?” [I asked.]
“Trust me, if we act quickly before the word gets out it is credits for nothing.” [‘Go’ insisted.]
“You sure you have no idea what people want severed ‘Recycler’ heads for?” [I asked.]
“What does it matter what they do with them as long as they pay for them?” [He asked.]
“Well technically it could be judged slavery if the head is still alive and I am no slaver. Beyond that when I consider investing my time or my money and especially my time and my money in a venture I like to know all the details of the market involved. Know your market and you better know the opportunities and the deadfalls and can often maximise your return and minimise your risk that is something my father taught me when I was your age you should consider that sound advice.” [I said.]
“I like the way you are thinking now friend but I don’t know what they do with them. A person in my position often hears things but I rarely get the opportunity to ask questions about what I hear that is not my place.” [‘Go’ insisted.]
“However you know names and when a smart - adult - person such as I am have some names to look into they can often find out a little bit more.” [I promised.]
“Are you trying to cheat me by cutting me out of my deal?” [He asked suspiciously.]
“No I am an ‘Omerta’ of my word.” [I replied.]
“Since you say that is so, I obviously trust you more already.” [He replied sarcastically.]
“You are a piece of work ‘Go’.” [I replied.]
“Just doing business it is the only way to get ahead.” [He joked again.]
“Please.” [I complained.]
“Listen friend prying into some things here can be a poor move whilst our business opportunity could depart us whilst we waste time jabbering. We can discuss the selling side later now we need to procure the merchandise in a timely fashion. If you are in - you need to get onboard - before the boats leaves and we are left with no merchandise to engender a tidy profit.” [‘Go’ insisted.]
[I considered the possible advantages of getting into this business against the possible disadvantages.]
“My father always taught me to seize the moment and not to judge people by surface appearances but by their actions and words. You introduce me and I will consider a twenty eighty split and if you are trying to play me in any manner - young ‘Omerta’ or not - I promise you will be the one in the market for a new head.” [I swore.]
“A thirty seventy split seems more reasonable to me after all this was my idea and they are my contacts too. Without me you have no investment opportunity.” [‘Go’ countered.]
“You sure about that?” [I asked.]
“Positive these people do not deal with total strangers it is some kind of gang rule.” [He claimed.]
“Listen boy I am the one risking my hard earned credits.” [I reminded.] “A twenty-five seventy-five split is the best you will get from me and that is a cursed good deal for you.”
[He looked unhappy once again but I guessed this time it was less genuine.]
“Feel blessed, I am being inordinately generous because you are a fellow ‘Omerta’ and a, a young adult caught in a den of ‘Recycler’ thieves that have obviously taught you some bad habits. Luckily for you, you are yet young enough to be redeemable back to your true kin.” [I stated.]
“They gave me work - I do not mind doing - if they had not I might not be alive today or in much worse shape.” [‘Go’ said loyally.]
“That is worthy of them but I am sure it was good business or they would have left you to rot wherever they found you. You are a tool they picked up and will use whilst you are useful that is all.” [I replied.]
“You do not know that you do not know them. Besides, there is nothing wrong with good business it is better than being involved in a bad business.” [He replied.]
[Once again, he offered me his hand I felt in a very grown up fashion.] “You have a deal and you are?” [He asked as we clasped hands on it as some ‘Omerta’ do.]
“Me I am ‘Jacque Lien’.” [I stated.]
[He considered that for a moment.] “That would be of ‘Clan Lien’ I suppose I guess that explains your confidence coming here alone with something big concealed upon your back.” [He said.]
“I am surprised you know about the ‘Clan’ not everyone does.” [I replied.]
“I run errands and I try to keep up to date with all the active players especially the ‘Omerta’ ones. One day I might want to find a new home move up to the next tier. I already have a ‘Neural Net’ and ‘EXO-C’ link access.” [He said proudly tapping the side of his head.]
[The next tier it was funny an ‘Omerta’ putting it that way. ‘Sanctuary Orb’ had once openly defied the ‘Tier System’ when it still existed.]
“How did you manage to get that upgrade as a deck orphan?” [I asked.]
“Just business you know how it is.” [‘Go’ replied overly casually.]
[I burst out laughing.] “If you do not die young ‘Go’ you might well go far.” [I told him.]
[An ‘EXO-C’ link and ‘Neural Net’ could explain a lot here such aids might permit a child to mature mentally very quickly especially if they somehow gained access into external ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support, conversely it could mean this one was a ‘Meat Suit’.]
“Let me do the talking at first. A shame the traitor turned out to be ‘Mint’ she was more generous to me than some others here. Still she would understand how it is that business is business and her being friendly with me could actually have caused me all kinds of trouble.” [He added.]
“You had better not be conspiring with this traitor.” [I warned.]
“I am not that brave or that stupid.” [‘Go’ replied.]
[I believed him.]
[They made me wait in a suggestively stained reception area that showed signs of recent repair more clues pointing at a recent violent change of ownership - someone had put up a fight here. ‘Go’ went further inside at one gang member’s invitation to discuss my presence. I wondered if I was making a big mistake. The idea of possibly acting as a mark for an eight year old child bothered me. Conversely, would they take the boy seriously? Would they take me seriously? Now that I had nothing to do but wait, I worried that they might think me a complete fool for brokering a deal with one so young even if the deal was sound. I was making a judgement call based mostly on a hunch that ‘Go’ could be trusted and had ability beyond his years.]
[My motivation was a different issue I wanted the head of ‘Mint’ now - not to sell it on - although I would pretend to do so, I wanted it to gain access to its owner and what she might know about her former ‘Deck Gangs’ business operations and the operations of whoever she was previously working for too. If this played out properly, it would be a sort of belated rescue and ‘Mint’ should be forever in my debt.]
[I wondered whom ‘Mint’ was working for the plot was thickening, I also wondered if this gang would consider parting with such a head under these circumstances as it seemed an internal security risk to me. Letting her head go with ‘Go’ equivalent to letting a spy go free but ‘Recyclers’ could be notoriously greedy sometimes nonsensically slaves to avarice. ‘Go’ had seemed to suggest that the ‘Deck Gang’ had sold ‘Recycler’ heads before but were those sold heads the heads of traitors or just other lesser unfortunates. I was betting on the ‘Recycler’ habit of seeking a profit out of every situation proving their weakness in this instance but I wondered about the odds. If they suspected I was chasing more than a cut as a middle person things would go badly for me.]
[I wondered why they would choose to deal with us as middle people at all if heads had buyers they could just initiate an on link auction or would that be deemed too public. I suppose they might not want every one on the station to know that they had a problem with traitors in their midst even if they had opted for a public execution before some especially local locals.]
[Here four cybernetic boosted thugs surrounded me three of the four still messy from their recent activity the fourth I had not seen before or at least not noticed seeing her specifically amongst the crowd. Confession to some degree many of them looked alike to me. ‘Bulk’ the bearer of the head being bigger than the average and thus standing out proved the missing member of the punishment enforcing detail as I now chose to think of them. I was sure that three of the punishers were part of the new detail watching over me was purposely calculated intimidation.]
[They looked military to me rather than youthful thugs and could easily have once belonged to an ‘Old One Recycler Mercenary Navy’ unit. They could also easily pass as ‘Hawks’ three of the four of them favouring lots of detachable cybernetic systems mounted on grafted permanent frame supports. I judged today that the ‘Hawks’ had not exactly started a trend with detachable cybernetics they had just been ahead of the game in a general movement. Amongst a host of ‘Recyclers’ - those still with relatively intact bodies - it was now fashionable to be able to slim down on occasion to enjoy at least two different realms of experience and to maximise their flexibility as they could mount different upgrades in different situations. The old singular configuration way of doing things was becoming old-fashioned maybe it was a response to the flexibility of ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars a vain attempt to compete with people able to generate tech on the fly.]
[Having just seen the level of violence and brutality these people embraced, I did not want to experience the same upon my ‘Meat Suit’ body even if I could disconnect and leave a ‘Soulless Cognitive Sub Core’ in charge of it during any for example prolonged torture session. I decided it might help if I fraternised with my guards.]
“You girls get to do that sort of thing often?” [I asked one stained ‘Recycler’.]
[In reply, she just glared at me with less than friendly seeming optics.]
“Is it because I am an ‘Omerta’ that you are all being so chatty?” [I mocked.]
[Again there was no response.]
“I hate prejudice it is so prejudicial I prefer to think of us all as fellow ‘Pilgrims’ working together to overcome the many perils of a hostile environment.” [I added.]
[Still no response so I shrugged.]
“Would you tell me if I have made a mistake by listening to ‘Go’?” [I asked.]
[Again only silence answered me. I had been hoping to at least initiate some mocking banter about ‘Omerta’ fools or some such. I began to suspect they were under strict orders not to talk to me. They were probably jabbering away to each other via data blasts if they had ‘EXO-C’.]
“I know he is young but that is no crime and from my experience age and ability do not always tally the way you might casually expect.” [I stated.]
[More silence.]
“You are good listeners. This is what travelling is all about embracing new experiences new opportunities to meet interesting new people, amazing new people with stories to tell just like you four.” [I added purposely sarcastically trying to provoke a response.]
[I gave up and lapsed into equal silence. Eventually ‘Bulk’ stomped in from out the back.]
“This way.” [He ordered.]
[I followed after her back whilst another of the stinky thugs still covered in anything but fresh smelling ‘Mint’ followed behind me so close I felt as if I was the meat within a metal and composite ‘Recycler’ sandwich.]
[I never saw the blow to the back of my head coming but I felt it, it hurt and knocked me forward into ‘Bulk’ breaking my nose. They had previously taken my shield. As I pushed off against ‘Bulk’ to keep on my feet I felt the claw of the ‘Recycler’ behind me grip around the back of my neck like a vice. A massive electric discharge from the claw rendered the brain tissue of my ‘Meat Suit’ unconscious also temporarily shorting out the suit’s ‘Neural Net’ whilst breaking my ‘EXO-C’ connection.]
[When I was able to establish a new connection I awoke stripped and secured my back against a form-fitting surface. Perhaps I was strapped to some kind of adjustable surgical table for internal cybernetic implanting purposes given the venue. Every part of me felt held immobile ignoring my eyes fingers and toes I did some wiggling. I could not even move my head to look properly to either side it was clamped facing I surmised but could be wrong upward. My head, neck and nose hurt and I could feel an unpleasant trickle of blood in my throat that made me feel as if I might choke. A bright light meant opening my eyes was an unpleasant experience too that boosted my headache. I used ‘Neural Net’ functions to dull my hurts but kept a little pain to remind me of where I was injured.]
[Perhaps because of other sensory deprivations I noticed an odd scent over the smell of sterilising chemicals and my own blood.]
“So you have a ‘Neural Network’ that much is obvious or that first blow would have knocked you senseless. So who are you?” [A voice asked.]
“I am ‘Jacque Lien’.” [I replied.]
“Untrue, you might be ‘Jacque’ but you are not ‘Lien’.” [The voice said in a disappointed tone.]
“Is that what this is about?” [I asked.] “Let me go and I will explain.” [I said.]
“You will explain where you are?” [The voice stated.] “That one untruth was free but if you tell us anymore lies it will cost you - a body part. Believe me this table can render even your kind down to not much and still keep you far too alive.”
“My real name is just ‘Jackie’ the ‘Jacque’ and ‘Lien’ bit seemed a good idea at the time people tend to not do this sort of thing to members of ‘Clan Lien’ and this place has a reputation so I needed one to match.” [I said quickly.]
“‘Just Jackie’ where are you from and what are you doing here?” [The voice asked.]
[I had made a hasty provision against this possibility whilst disconnected not an ideal provision because it used already commissioned ‘BAB’ assets but I decided to risk it.]
“Originally I served on the ‘Harpy’ a ‘Deep Miner Mother Ship’ recently operating from ‘Hade’s Stopover’ a ‘Free Miner Way-station’ I had a fallout with my Captain so I grabbed a little compensation and went my own way. I came here because it is the heart of the ‘Consortium’ and ‘Erin’ hates ‘Consorts’. I came specifically to ‘7.1’ in particular because it seemed a good place to get lost in a crowd for a while and to start again as my former Captain is the sort that holds a grudge.” [I explained hardly taking a breadth between sentences.] “I am nobody important I just saw a chance to make some credits.” [I complained.]
“More details I want lots and lots of confirmable details ‘Just Jackie’.” [The voice demanded.]
[I gave my interrogator a great many details eager to please. I gave them my whole life history including the fact that my ‘Uni-Tool’ was stolen from my former Captain that alteration in the truth requiring a hasty hack into a low grade ‘Ton Tech’ sales database but for me with my network of connections that was not difficult. Instead of the ‘Uni-Tool’ originally being shipped to ‘Port Discovery’ following an on link credit transaction with an ‘MTC Acolyte’ it now registered in their sales ledgers as being shipped to ‘Hade’s Stopover’ the payment coming from a Captain ‘Erin’ who according to my story was my former disgruntled lover if anyone else should hack in to loot the data. Even if directly questioned ‘Erin’ now briefed would play along, as would the rest of the crew of the ‘Harpy’ all secretly ‘BAB ’operatives that worked outside of ‘UME’. We had two ‘Real Material Mother Ships’ quietly commissioned crewed and Captained by what we still considered ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ people the ‘Harpy’ and the ‘Trident’. The creation of the two ‘Deep Miner Ships’ arranged in secret by ‘Leeruussii’ remotely from ‘Port Messenger’ as it seemed prudent to have some mobile assets well beyond the grid even to the supervision of ‘Draakgaarrll’. ‘Uussleer’ had deeply promoted this idea to me as he was wary of the ‘Skimmer Assassin’ and wanted access to some operatives and firepower with no obvious link to the ‘House of Sii’ beyond the fact that they often visited ‘Hade’s Stopover’.]
[Using the ‘Harpy’ in this manner was a bit of an abuse of power but when you have the means, you might as well use them.]
[Creating a full digital history for ‘Jackie’ was a bit trickier, especially as we needed real people who could and would confirm some digital fictions portside if necessary, but I managed well enough with the help of a few bribes and so on. With luck, the cover would hold up unless we got unlucky and or the ‘106’ wasted a lot of time and credits on digging very deep something I judged they might not bother to do if I could play them right.]
“So you claim you got a little too close to your boss and then tried to use that to bump up the ranks.” [The voice said.]
“She stopped my wages after we had a row about my overall onboard status I was tired of being bossed around by other members of the crew and thought I was due a promotion to ‘Commander’. She had me grabbed and dropped off, claimed I had embezzled funds from a crew kitty and had me locked out without even my personal belongings. She thought she could just dump me on ‘Hades’ as if so much non-recyclable trash but with the help of a friend still onboard who knew me better and judged what she was doing rightly to be wrong I sneaked back onboard long enough to get my stuff and take her prized ‘Uni-Tool’ as a little compensation. I was going to sell it but it started to feel like a trophy - not just a source of credits - so I kept it instead. Some other old associates then smuggled me off ‘Hades’ for a small fee on their ship just as I told you.” [I stated.]
[After a very uncomfortable wait despite the form fitting nature of the apparatus holding me, they released me.]
“You have wasted our time and some of our credits this evening so we will be keeping that ‘Uni-Tool’ as - our - compensation you will generously unlock it now.” [A ‘Recycler’ told me as I dressed.]
“No deal.” [I replied.]
[The ‘Recycler’ looked at me in I was sure surprise.]
“You are right ‘Just Jackie’ it is no deal - it is an opportunity for you to live nothing more.” [She retorted.] “I suggest you take the opportunity and go before I order you stripped again and this time taken apart for your insolence and stupidity.”
“I am not looking for trouble but surely we can come to a better arrangement. I came here looking to start over you have accommodation vacancies here and I am sure some work that needs doing too. You have checked me out so you know who I am.” [I added.]
“We do not hire fools nor do we tolerate them wasting our time.” [She replied.]
“I just made one mistake you obviously know somebody serious in ‘Clan Lien’ but pretending to be ‘Lien’ was pretty smart up until now. Seeming to be ‘Clan’ allowed me to avoid trouble more than once earlier. I played the odds but sometimes the odds don‘t work that is all.” [I insisted.]
“If it was smart at all in the end it was not half smart enough.” [She countered.]
[I shrugged.] “I was doing the best I could with my very limited resources.” [I excused.]
“Do as I have demanded and we will hold no grudges for your lies.” [She insisted.]
“I only told one lie and it was an irrelevant one I am still interested in that head.” [I said.]
[She looked at me as if I was crazy.]
“That head is not and never was for sale. That one is part of my private collection.” [She stated.] “I am afraid your casual acquaintance ‘Go’ was a little mistaken. He is intelligent for his age but sometimes a bit too eager.”
[I made a point of taking some time to digest these facts.]
“It seems I have been a little bit rash but opportunities have to be seized.” [I excused.] “Be reasonable, I know you have all the power here and I apologise if I have caused offence but you are making a mistake with me. As you have discovered I have had a few unfortunate events in my life recently. I admit I certainly misjudged my Captain’s mood and level of attachment but that could have happened to anyone in a stormy relationship. These things happen.” [I claimed.]
“They happen more to some people than others good luck is a virtue and stupidity a vice. You have too little virtue and too much vice.” [She retorted.]
“I have skills, I know my way around ‘Real Material’ ships and around some ‘Deep Ports’ too I have connections within the ‘Free Miner Movement’ solid connections. I am willing to owe you - to pay back any costs you incurred looking into my identity - even with reasonable interest. It seems to me you have a problem with infiltrators. As a thoroughly checked out - outsider - you can trust me perhaps far more than you can currently trust some of your own people at the moment that has to be worth considering.” [I suggested.]
“Be very careful.” [She warned sounding very displeased.]
[I held up my hands in surrender.]
“I know better than most that nothing hurts more than an act of betrayal but a fact is a fact. I could be of use, even me being an ‘Omerta’ might prove useful to you as you are mostly ‘Recyclers’. As an outsider I could come at your enemy from an unguarded flank.” [I suggested.] “I can fight well too. You only took me so easily because I put myself in your power.”
“Perhaps we should test that assertion.” [She mused aloud.]
“I don’t want any trouble, all I want is my personal property back and that costs you nothing. I will not unlock my ‘Uni-Tool’ but you can hold onto it for a while - locked - as security against what I do owe you. When paid in full and you appreciate that I can be a worthy asset you can give the tool back to me. That is a good deal and I know you ‘Recyclers’ enjoy making good deals it is often what you live for. I am not a fool anyone can make a couple of forced mistake when on the run that does not make them generally foolish.” [I argued.]
“You are brave to barter with me under these conditions I will say that much. However now you seem almost too eager to join us, why is that?” [She asked.]
“How else can I keep you from taking what is mine? It is obvious that you people do not play around but you still took in that young ‘Omerta’ boy ‘Go’, I am guessing because he is a smart one and shows promise, I respect that fact. You see the true potential in people. Do not prejudge me by a poor first impression that is only surface deep.” [I argued.]
“My Captain misjudged my potential I would have made a good ‘Commander’ under her the rest of the crew would have learned to trust me previously they did not resent that I was sleeping with her. In addition, I know how it works with ‘Deck Gangs’ - it is family - just like it is with a good crew. It is all about mutual support against the rest of an often-hostile Universe. ‘Erin’ lost it - I am guessing due to personal history I knew nothing about - she overreacted to my suggestion almost as if I was attempting to usurp her position. Her disproportionate action was hardly my fault no one can predict an irrational random response. However, I now have to deal with the consequences of her sabotaging my name. I am not going to get to be crew on another ship not if they reference her so I am looking for work portside but even there her accusations of embezzlement are not going to do me any favours. However here I know you are a bit more flexible with peoples past so I could fit in.” [I added.]
“Maybe there is a little bit more to you than I first calculated. You talk well under extreme pressure if nothing else that might prove useful.” [She mused.] “I will consider your offer whilst I do you will stay here with us. We will rent you a room. Still, consider yourself under house arrest pending a hearing. If you attempt to go beyond these buildings and the forecourt, we will take you alive and then take you apart piece by piece with no opportunity for any appeal or reprieve, it will not matter to us how many clever arguments you make in your defence it will be a question of honouring a deal. You have my word upon that and about such matters I do not lie.” [She promised darkly.]
“You have not introduced yourself, who am I talking with?” [I asked.]
“You ‘Just Jackie’ can call me ‘Garlic’.” [She replied.]
[I was visiting ‘Cad’ via animating an Avatar onboard the ‘Hierophant Explorer Ship’ at what was now known as the ‘Alpha TNS Beacon Site’.]
“Found anything interesting yet?” [I asked the Professor.]
“Far too much and far too little.” [He replied cryptically.] “I am glad you are here.”
“Is there a problem?” [I asked.]
“Yes we could have a problem.” [He replied although his mind seemed elsewhere.]
“Something is bothering you, what is it?” [I asked.]
“Two pieces in a puzzle some very old ‘Real Material’ hulks and apparently a new form of ‘Anomaly’.” [He explained.]
“A new ‘Anomaly’?” [I asked.]
“Where the ‘TNS Beacon’ rests is a seemingly small deceptively quiet ‘Anomaly’ that has so far proved somewhat scan proof even to techniques perfected by your Harbinger and me. You can even at times visually see the ‘Beacon’ through the ‘Anomaly’ although there is even then a little distortion but any probe we have sent in to sample the phenomenon results in a massive localised energy spike and is presumed physically disintegrated via we believe the shattering of molecular bonds.” [He stated.]
“That sounds more akin to a highly lethal highly advanced defence mechanism protecting the beacon rather than an ‘Extra Physical Reaction Anomaly’.” [I said.]
“At a remove I thought so at first too but it is very anomalous and might be unrelated to the ‘TNS Beacon’ just occupying the same area of space.” [He added sounding a little bit grimmer than I deemed usual for the Professor.]
“I am surprised you are thinking that way given it is so dangerous and so close to the ‘Beacon’ and yet doing it no seeming harm even when it erupts. That to me suggests that it is emitted by the ‘TNS Beacon’ in some manner as a weapon.” [I stated.]
“It could be something someone else put around the ‘TNS Beacon’ to protect it to keep it safe as a beacon to our reality.” [‘Cad’ argued.]
“Why do you believe that? You have some scientific evidence of extra-dimensional incursion?” [I asked worriedly.]
“You are going to mock me since I am a ‘Trojan Professor’ but when you look at this particular ‘Anomaly’ up close it just feels especially anomalous and wrong. It feels as if somehow it fails to belong in this Universe in any manner. Yet when we focus on what we can see of the ‘TNS Beacon’ that proves almost comfortingly normal like an anchor for your troubled psyche.” [He lectured.]
“Everyone who has run an Avatar up close to the ‘Anomaly’ when they are encouraged to open up about their feelings at the time expressed remarkably similar reactions. The ‘Anomaly’ feels exceptionally unknown and out of place but the ‘TNS Beacon’ feels as if it belongs here but now rests within a bubble of wrongness. I know that feelings may not seem very scientific but here we have a response by different individuals at different times some of whom I ensured did not communicate with each other before or after measured exposure. These volunteer test subjects testimony can therefore be compared and analyzed and that is solid scientific data.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“That is interesting I wonder if the other ‘TNS Beacon Sites’ will prove to have similar content.” [I said.]
“I find I am hoping not but fear that they might.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “One of your ‘Explorers’ is the next vessel scheduled to arrive at a ‘TNS Beacon Site’ just ahead of a ‘Hawk’ ship to another both I believe very soon now you should both be extra cautious. I want you to talk to ‘Weep’ as he may be more open to an approach by you at the moment.” [He stated.]
“What exactly would you have me say to him?” [I asked.] “What precisely is bothering you? We have studied many anomalies in the past.” [I said.]
“What can I tell you this one feels a little different? I fear we might be dealing with deeper unknowns than we initially realised.” [‘Cad’ said.] “If you had not come here to speak with me I was about to contact you. I have growing concerns about these explorations what they might encounter and perhaps provoke.” [He stated.]
“Your concern seems too obvious but tell me about your reasons? I am interested in anything else you are able to share.” [I stated.]
[‘Cad’ looked deeply thoughtful but did not immediately turn his thoughts into words.]
“Do you feel constrained from sharing information on the hulks with me due to your deal with ‘Improved’? I believe a potential active extra-dimensional security threat to all ‘Pilgrims’ should easily supersede a business deal. What do we need to know about? Did something once dwelling here make those hulks or where they towed to this location by a busy collector of salvage?” [I asked.]
[‘Cad’ looked at me I thought a little strangely then seemed to shrug off his odd mood a little, perhaps considering answers to my specific questions helped him focus.]
“The stupid nondisclosure agreement with ‘Improved’ is defunct as far as I am concerned.” [He stated.]
“I hope you two have not fallen out over whatever this is?” [I asked.]
“No but the situation has changed. I can freely tell you that analysis of the material spread seems to suggest battles occurred elsewhere the hulks moved to their current locations but how far is unknown but that is the least of it.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“So what is the rest?” [I asked.]
“Annoyingly whilst from the outside some of the Hulks look marvellously intact and some others showed varying degrees of battle damage when we ventured inside them they all proved uniformly to be thoroughly salvaged already.” [He stated.]
“That must have proved a disappointment to ‘Improved’. I can see why the nondisclosure agreement hardly matters anymore if there is no booty to examine and loot.” [I said.]
“That is not the issue at all.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “We are studying sometimes almost pristine empty shells. We are examining leftovers for clues to the nature of the people or the mechanism that operated a salvage operation here before us. ‘Improved’ was initially somewhat disappointed with the fact that we are latecomers to a depleted feast but now he is also fascinated and increasingly worried just as I am by what we have found and what we have not found.” [‘Cad’ confessed.]
“Why is what you have not found worrying? You seem unusually agitated but have explored many dangerous scary unknowns in the past even dared to confront the enigmas of some ‘Fury Tech’.” [I reminded.]
“An exploration I sometimes regret.” [‘Cad’ confessed.] “Exposure to some things can change us I still have occasional nightmares about the ‘Fury’ even whilst awake.” [He admitted.]
“I am not surprised some members of the ‘MTC’ that assisted you back then have had issues.” [I confessed in turn.]
“Even compared to ‘Fury Tech’ the salvage mechanism here feels exceptionally alien to me almost more unsettling in its own unique way.” [He added.]
“That is twice you have used the word mechanism why is that?” [I asked.]
“You are a smart one ‘MT’, it links into one theory the salvaging seems very precise and systematic judging by the leftovers. Every scrap of complex technology is gone stripped away in a nonsensical manner that I have never seen before.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Why nonsensical?” [I asked.]
“Almost an illogical amount of effort is involved here to skilfully remove, in some instances I am positive, some not especially exciting and repeated systems. The technique - in part - reminds me of an automated mechanism that is following an inflexible programmed instruction set without creative sentient overview to add any revised common sense to a blindly systematic approach.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “Even as automation it is a very alien approach to a salvage operation so alien that it feels wrong unnerving just as that ‘Anomaly’ is unsettlingly wrong.” [He stated.]
“I am still surprised at the strength of your emotional response here.” [I said.]
“I believe no sane adult member of any species we know would operate in this way. It reminds me of a very young child pulling out the insides of an animated toy to try to figure out how it could possibly walk and talk because it cannot comprehend that all the non biological bits and pieces of tech involved can act together to make it seem alive.” [‘Cad’ said very graphically.]
“Something about this site has affected you deeply.” [I said.]
“All ship graveyards are ghostly places but this one seems especially haunted by absences. We have also found no remains of any passengers or crew they were stripped away too. Go out there and you will understand just how hollow those shells are they feel incredibly empty as if every trace of life has been eviscerated out of them as if they have been gutted. Listen to me I am ranting like some creative writer but it is so very lifeless here a true graveyard containing nothing but old metal and composite bones.” [He stated.]
“Any salvager might first remove bodies dead bodies are unnerving artefacts to work around.” [I excused.]
“You have not been out there. Some of the ‘ITC’ Acolytes visiting here as Avatars have expressed a concern that something from outside our known Universe may have locked onto the ‘TNS Beacons’ and be visiting our space.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Is there any evidence of a truly alien incursion?” [I asked.]
“You are not listening the evidence is all around us here. Once that idea was mooted by the Acolytes it has haunted my thoughts constantly it feels horribly right, horribly right.” [‘Cad’ repeated.]
“We Paradox are prone to having active imaginations.” [I said.] “Whilst you may be suffering from residual effects of your previous difficult encounter with ‘Fury Tech’. How long has it been since you were out in dark places doing active research?” [I asked.]
[‘Cad’ burst out laughing.] “You Priests too often seek to debate the other side of any argument and if there is no other side you make one up just to be contrary.”
“I am happy to see you can still smile and laugh even at my expense. You seem somewhat over emotional and tense today. Even under the ice you seemed unusually emotional and empathetic compared to the old ‘Cad’ I used to know.” [I said.]
“I think under the ice that was ‘Scion’ I think my subconscious knew I was being watched long before my consciousness was willing to admit it. In addition, I still think that the ‘Hawks’ were guided to that find to the discovery of ‘Founder’.” [He admitted.]
“Besides, as I have said some encounters change us. If you do not believe me go out there if you must but be warned you might not find it a pleasant experience. As one ‘ITC’ Acolyte put it, ‘we could be encountering the leftovers of probes by entities so alien to our life even to our material technology that they do not understand us at all even when they take our makings apart’.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “I feel we must be very careful now very careful.” [He repeated.]
[As ‘Jacque’, I wandered around looking for the right place to put down some roots in ‘7.1’. Eventually I stumbled upon another area of the district that according to bright ‘Deck Gang’ markers also happened to be controlled by the ‘106 Scrapper Franchise’. It was kind of these criminals to provide signs as if waypoints to targets of interest.]
[As casually as I could manage I followed the markings whilst casing the extent of the, new to me, ‘106’ region. Little distinguished this area at first glance from many other parts of the previously traversed crowded ghetto. As ever people moved around going about their daily chores and multitudinous business whilst always a few gang members stood guard. Then a somewhat distant sound of a ruckus captured my attention.]
“A fight at the yard.” [I overheard one ‘Omerta’ say amongst other comments by other people all registering the noise.]
[Following that pair the noise as well as the ‘Deck Gang’ markers, I soon arrived, along with other curious ‘Pilgrims’, to find a crowd in a u shaped street-deck level cul-de-sac something of a dead end. The dead end left me feeling seriously cornered whilst the crowd and the sound of fighting somehow emphasised my isolation my lack of backup. A sensation of claustrophobic physical entrapment with nowhere safe to go assailed me. It struck me that I was a lone intruder - a spy - and I imagined a great many hidden optics watching me picking me out as a person of interest. A horrible feeling of exposure of suffering more observation than being the observer washing over me tempting me to retreat to a better safer venue.]
[In an instant, I questioned everything I was doing here even the basic logic or lack of it in throwing this body into the fire. With a welling flight response troubling my three brains I almost convinced myself to about face and walk away to a saner spot an action that might have drawn some real attention as the general traffic flow was all incoming. ‘Neural Net’ diagnostics warned me of a spiking ‘Meat Suit’ chemical imbalance - I was feeling the fear and anxiety of my borrowed biology - I had integrated too deeply. I pulled back from the biological interface a little and allowed my driving mentalities cooler logical curiosity to trump the hot chemical induced emotional response of an almost panic attack. Nerves by proxy averted, I stepped forward with the thought of nothing ventured…]
[I made a point of cataloguing my environment as an exercise in mental control. My latest discovery proving to be a cybernetics upgrade market arranged around an open but I assumed heavily used forecourt labelled ‘Yard 106D’. I wondered how many yards this ‘Scrapper Franchise’ locally owned obviously if they were following the standard alphabet at least three. Above the premises as ever in this district rested subdivided accommodation spaces or maybe I should say more accurately accommodation cramps.]
[‘Real Material’ vacancy signs blinking over two separate entrances grabbed my attention despite the rival attraction hiding within the crowd. The crowd had congealed central to the forecourt, I guessed from the noise just as the earlier overheard ‘Omerta’ believed around some kind of altercation a disagreement or perhaps a sparring sporting event. The crowd filling most of the forecourt also acted as a barricade of bodies still blocking my view of specifics.]
[Based on the elevated vacancy signs it seemed that despite the overcrowding in this district there is always room for more residents at one slum block or another. I guessed in this instance that some units were available due to casualties of a criminal takeover. Pristine ‘106’ markers I came across in this territorial acquisition had been painted over other heavily defaced labels of previous ‘Deck Gang’ ownership undoubtedly sometime fairly recently perhaps only a few weeks or even just days ago.]
[So far annoyingly the older markers were so well eradicated that I could not discern which faction they once belonged to at least not via casual visual examination at a distance. I avoided looking at the markings too closely lest I appear too inquisitive about such matters drawing the wrong sort of notice from the regions current owners. Typically separate to the crowd some ‘Deck Gang’ guards watched over the ‘Yard’. In short, I was anxious as a newcomer with no affiliations not to infer that I was poking around searching for clues about past ‘Deck Gang’ activities that should be of little concern to me.]
[When a simple ‘EXO-C’ to ‘Computer Core’ link search pulled nothing up about the area changing ownership I decided I would find out more about who ruled here previously sometime later ideally in a casual overheard manner. Many people here had to know the story behind the takeover and might even mention it in everyday unguarded conversation or via the gentlest of prodding or even better via no overt prodding at all. When spying I believe patience is often a virtue worth cultivating unless you want to greatly increase the risk of being caught.]
[Anxious to avoid branding as an espionage agent I also acknowledged that the change of ownership here might even be irrelevant to my ‘Garlic’ enquiry. Being typically paranoid I just deemed it remotely possible that the ‘106 Scrapper Franchise’ gaining some new territory recently and ‘Garlic’ possibly making a move against ‘Cad’ through the ‘ITC’ and ‘Improved’ could have some connection as part of a wider scheme. However, even if a connection proved untrue it might be useful enough simply to ascertain the identity of an old enemy of the ‘106’. When necessary there is nothing better than playing one criminal faction off against another sometimes that way, an operative can ideally weaken or even remove two menaces to good public order whilst risking little in the way of personal involvement. In the old ‘Reach Project’ encouraging others to do all the hard work of feuding with one another: the fighting and especially the dying was a popular means to many ends.]
[I recalled that ‘Overbite’ proved skilled at bringing out the worst in people. Often ‘Overbite’ happily chose to exploit factional differences even within the ‘Project’ itself, using one operative against another as part of her internal regime of terror. It was obvious why ‘Uussleer’ told ‘Draakgaarrll’ that he could not work with some old ‘Reach Project’ members.]
[The ‘Reach Project’ never seemed too far from my thoughts these days. Increasingly I believed with hindsight that participation in the ‘Project’ traumatised me. How then had it happened that I as ‘Venture’ sought out the creation of my own version of the ‘Project’ the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’? Did more happen to ‘Uussleerr’ and me in the ‘Project’ than I realised? Was the ‘Project’ ultimately the souls that ‘Overbite’ re-forged in her crucible to create us operatives? Could we still be in a way ‘Hubris Patron’ tools?]
[Another warning about a chemical imbalance flashed up on my ‘Mental HUD’. I strove to let it go to concentrate on the now besides, ‘Overbite’ is dead. Where was I? The ‘Deck Gang’ markers I recalled.]
[To be honest, it was hardly surprising to me that some areas still changed ownership here due to occasional outbreaks of violence between rival ‘Deck Gang’ factions. Even if externally many pundits outside the slum now claimed, often for their own reasons, that ‘District 7.1’ had settled down from its riotous beginnings. You cannot believe everything you hear in big business political circles often the wise do the opposite and distrust everything they are told until they get private confirmation. Besides, what passes for internal political stability, at least stability enough to allow the wider authorities to ignore the slum, is at best a relative measure of passivity. Criminal gang factions are not by nature exactly renowned as easy going institutions.]
[Anyway, I joined the crowd moving as if an iron filing drawn to a magnet it seemed the thing to do, as everyone else around here, ignoring the guards, seemed to be in the process of doing the same or to have done that before me. Here was an intrusion by me easily overlooked as the standard curiosity exhibited by any ‘Pilgrim’ citizen confronted by a loud attraction. The old see a crowd formed or forming one must join it to discover what all the fuss is about lest you miss out on something after all this is how crowds congeal in the first place like clots of blood around an open wound. It is akin to someone standing looking up in a public space soon others walking by will pause to look up too. People often act as a herd or a pack or sadly a mob especially in this sort of overcrowded overheated environment. Due to the gathered masses here it felt even hotter and the air quality even ranker than normal in the slum. You could almost scoop the thick atmosphere with a spoon. Still feeling something of a spy, I at least felt more comfortable joining in with a mass activity.]
[I soon discovered that the crowd was acting as a two, three occasionally four person deep barrier of bodies around an impromptu arena surrounding five combatant ‘Recyclers’. However one of the five ‘Recyclers’ despite all the people present proved very much alone in every way that matters taking one devil of a beating by the other four. If I had found a contest deemed a sport it was a cruel sport at one person’s expense as hunting is a cruel sport that cares nothing for the feelings of the prey. The five each had ‘106 Scrapper’ patches but this was no friendly sparring match between peers.]
[Since all five combatants sported heavy cybernetic enhancement upgrades, - easily military combat grade - the fight was especially brutal. However, four against one was no contest they were readily junking the unfortunate alive smashing and cruelly ripping away her upgrades knocking her back and forth between each other. With the aid of their boosted mechanical assistance, blows hit home with terrible smashing force. Although I suspected they hardly needed it, the gang bullies were getting loud encouragement from the gathered throng of mixed species spectators although actually mostly consisting of more ‘Recyclers’ the dominant species faction here in this slum. Shockingly to me the majority of the audience were civilian non-gang members just bored local residents that had spilled out from their crowded homes to enjoy a violent distraction from their, I assumed, somewhat miserable and hard lives.]
[I guessed I had stumbled upon an object lesson that also doubled here as slum street-theatre.]
[Whenever the victim managed to wobbly struggle to her cybernetic assisted feet, it seemed almost a competitive game between her four tormentors as to who would manage first to send her crashing back down again to the deck with the most style and possibly whilst also doing the most painful amount of damage to her person. I had instinctively pushed right to the fore of the circle of spectators to better watch positive that to my ‘Meat Suit’ persona of ‘Jacque’ all of this was little more than wonderfully free entertainment. It was after all a ‘Recycler’ on ‘Recycler’ fracas and none of his ‘Omerta’ business if they wanted to beat or even kill each other.]
[The victim was trying hard to resist her assailants’ attentions despite the obvious futility. I respected her plucky resolve as many ‘Pilgrims’ might just decide to give in to the inevitable and curl up into a foetal type position until it ended rather than prolong the agony by even attempting to fight back. I wondered if showing such spirit in adversity might grant a late reprieve. So far, defiance did not seem to have helped her cause much but sometimes, (especially when it is no risk to my person), I am willing to strive to be optimistic when it comes to the nature of other sentient beings benevolence.]
[However, for her, so far, it did not look good every time she lurched to her feet she kept stumbling around striving vainly to keep all four of them within her limited field of view. No one can easily counter moves their optics do not see. Unfortunately for her they were canny fiends and obviously used to mobbing victims as a united team. They came at her from all angles whoever happened to be in the blind spots of the moment generally risking lashing out the strongest to do the most damage whilst anyone she managed to take a weak swipe at too often dodged back out of reach frequently hissing out speaker laughter to add cruel insult to her many visible injuries.]
[At one point in desperation or frustration, she charged at one assailant who sprang neatly aside for one so heavily upgraded. Due to her targets deftness the victim of the beating ended up crashing into the crowd knocking one less than amused ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ off his feet in the process. I wondered if the ‘Recyclers’ charge was part of a vain attempt to flee but if she was testing the fence of bodies it was hopeless. ‘Gang Members’ stationed around the crowd, I realised at set intervals, quickly ensured with the help of the crowd itself that she was hastily repelled back into the fighting ring.]
[Fool that I am about such matters, on the inside, I wanted her impossibly to beat the odds. I must admit my mind wandered back to what might have happened to me earlier against those seven ‘Recyclers’ making me feel far greater sympathy with the victim here than I was willing to show.]
[Hope for a reversal of fortune was however inane the victim of what increasingly seemed an act of torture already demonstrated obvious signs of comparatively weakening in relation to her opponents due to the loss of some of her upgrades assistance alone. Bits of armour were missing or hung loose tubes and wires severed. At one wound on her neck, she occasionally sparked whilst from several others fluids dripped. Some high-pressure liquids had sprayed and pumped around earlier judging by the stained condition of some members of the crowd and the general mess on the deck but I guessed the tubes self sealed.]
[Compared to her sorry state, her tormentors seemed in almost pristine condition only showing some scrapes and light dents.]
[As I watched metal and composite repeatedly pounded against metal and composite and more occasionally struck against more vulnerable reptilian scale with duller but via the amplification of my added imagination far louder thuds. The beating remained despite my silent prayers very one sided.]
[Eventually in what initially seemed the beginning of the end one especially vicious kick broke both a reinforcing metal spar loose and caused a horrible compound fracture in her left arm. The shattered bone poked out well proud of her scaly hide in a grotesque way reminding me of a ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ caustic injecting spine. Stoically or still defiantly, she refused to make even a sound of protest despite the severity of the wound then I guessed her speakers had probably malfunctioned making her currently mute. She was a frightful sight staggering ever more leaking hydraulic fluid, blood and oil that mixed unpleasantly on the deck in abstract patterns.]
[It was increasingly painful to watch this display so passively. It seemed evil treatment of a fellow sentient being especially by her peers, my inner priestly sense of fair play demanded I intervene in some manner. My less altruistic common sense and purpose here not to mention my disguise forced me to pretend instead to join enthusiastically in with the almost frenzied crowd as it bayed for more blood and ever-greater acts of violence upon the victim of their, I belatedly realised, hate.]
[The rage here emanating from some members of the crowd was a palpable thing the hate and anger easily imaginable as waves of heat. What did some of them see here? This event was obviously more than a blood sport entertainment to some of these citizens. Did they view this as a remote revenge upon one member of an elite gangland ruling caste, usually unassailable individuals that normally intimidated, extorted and persecuted them? I guessed the powerless have to take any revenge they can get even one from the proxy of an enemy turning upon itself. Whilst thinking about this on the outside ‘Jacque’ applauded louder than many here at each successful strike then joined the chant of kill her, kill her, kill her… Not my finest hour but sometimes, sometimes one has to endeavour to fit in or you stand out far too proudly.]
[Inside my mind I further rationalised my rescue inaction and my crowd participation by reminding myself that just because it was one against four did not mean the one taking the hammering was in any manner an innocent party. Knowing a little about how things worked with such gangs, I guessed that this one had betrayed her gang family in some grievous manner. The beating passed for retribution and local justice in these parts. Besides, they were all technically criminals that were living as parasites on the backs of the greater populace here. Lastly if I tried to intervene at best I would just take a beating too and that would change nothing of her plight whoever she was.]
[Despite the fracture, the progress of the object lesson took a disgustingly long time and ended without mercy. The final humiliation for the days most unfortunate involved the twisting and ripping away of her head from her neck. The severing took a prodigious demonstration of boosted strength by the biggest of the four ‘Recyclers’ whilst the other three pinned her, at this point broken, torn, twisted, dented and ravaged, body down. The big female doing the crude decapitating according to chanting from the crowd carried the appropriate name of ‘Bulk’. The obviously proud ‘Bulk’ after doing the final deed held her trophy up stomping around the ring three times to show the head to the entire crowd before tucking it tidily under one boosted arm as if a package. With her prize she then marched into one of the more heavily guarded local entrances - the show was over - the crowd began to disperse many laughing and replaying highlights of the recent spectacle.]
“Did you see her optics? I swear she looked straight at me and she was still focusing when ‘Bulk’ first held her head aloft - it gave me the shivers.” [I picked out one ‘Omerta’ member of the crowd almost boasting.]
[I then registered two other ‘Recyclers’ as they picked up the headless body whilst two more collected the stripped away parts putting them in a small open topped crate they carried between them. No one in the crowd I noticed dared to steal any of the debris.]
[The banal utility of the crate for stripped parts somehow made it all seem far worse to me. Whilst it hardly made any difference to the junked ‘Recycler’ calculated, cold, systematic cruelty seemed so much worse to me than a hot angry violent instantaneous reaction. Without doubt, I just witnessed a planned out gang execution but for the victim involved her ordeal was potentially far from over, in fact her torture might only just be beginning.]
[Shockingly I knew that technically the victim of all of this was most probably still alive or at least not quite dead yet. Her brain would auto freeze to protect itself and in addition might well be further backed up on a ‘Computer Core’. Modern cybernetic ‘Recyclers’ are tough to permanently put down unless you take out their well armoured brain tissue and even then if they have made the provision and have the credits they might well be reborn via a clone depending on their individual belief system. Unfortunately for this one they had her head and they had I noticed ensured during the fight that, that prime body part - the seat of the soul - stayed undamaged which could actually be a problem for her even if she was an ex-‘Cong’ permanently ‘One with a Reformed Computer Core’.]
[If they were feeling especially cruel, they might keep her head alive but disconnected from a body thus preventing a clean rebirth that would involve a multiplication of her digital soul. Most Ports retain strict laws to prevent clone multiplication that required proof of death before sanctioning a rebirth.]
[Trapping in a sort of limbo state neither alive nor dead could easily be her fate now in such cases even her digital soul would remain inactive even within the virtual reality of a ‘Reformed Computer Core’ no proper transition of states possible. You cannot escape even to a digital heaven unless you die first. Clone multiplication in the past proving the cause of all kinds of messy property ownership disputes was deeply discouraged although identical clone multiplication still happens on occasion by accident and sometimes by crazy design a favourite of some Pirates who for example manipulated other versions of themselves to act as decoys and marks.]
“Makes you glad you were born an ‘Omerta’ eh stranger.” [A very youthful ‘Trojan’ that had sidled up to me said. This no doubt natural born ‘Omerta’ looked about ten years old maybe even younger taking away the obvious attitude and veneer of street deck experience that too obviously armoured and might falsely age outward appearances.]
“What are you selling?” [I asked tiredly whilst looking down upon the child.]
[On my way here, a great many people had tried to sell me a great many things at one point or another. Something about me seemed to smell of credits to local dealer types despite how proud I was of my disguise. The unwanted attention was starting to make me cranky - I was having an emotional day. The boy hit the mark with his first shot.]
“Been drawing too much attention from local hawkers have we? What you got there on your back something good? Something liberated and needing fenced perhaps?” [He asked.]
[Did that explain all the earlier attention? By covering up my ‘Uni-Tool’ to solve one issue I had inadvertently created another encouraging some locals to believe I had stolen swag on my back. Sometimes there is no way to win.]
“What I am carrying is something that is none of your business boy.” [I replied.] “I am mildly curious about what just occurred here however and since you are a local perhaps you know what they will do with the head of that unfortunate ‘Recycler’?” [I asked.]
“Depends, you want to buy her brain box?” [He asked in turn.] “I thought you might.” [He then added very quickly before I had a decent chance to answer his first question.]
[Did his eyes just narrow shrewdly or am I being paranoid I wondered.]
“Do I look like I am in the market for severed ‘Recycler’ heads? I just wondered how cruel these folks are.” [I added.]
“Not so loud we should talk about this discretely.” [He conspired moving away.]
[I watched as he casually wandered over to a quieter spot and resting his back against a bulkhead. When I hesitated to follow, he looked around then gave me a little discrete wave to join him. Could the local guards have possibly missed that? I glanced around there was still a lot of activity here as the crowd continued to disperse. I gave up and following an impulse, I decided to play along possibly because of the almost comical youth of the ‘Trojan’ given his older mannerisms. I seemed to be running into lots of young people lately then I recalled that technically ‘Deck Gangs’ are youth culture.]
[Stopping beside my young new friend I also leaned against the bulkhead.]
“I think you might be mistaken about my level of interest.” [I said.] “Is this your spot?” [I asked.]
“This is my home. I notice things and I noticed your interest in the head and you turned up just in time for said product to become readily available. So it seemed obvious to me.” [He finished I felt abruptly.]
“What seemed obvious?” [I asked.]
“That you spotted an opportunity and are trying to get - ahead - of the competition.” [He, I felt, poorly joked given the recent barbarity.]
[I gave him a sour look. He held up his hands as if surrendering that it was in somewhat poor taste but his eyes told me he still thought he was very funny.]
“Seriously, you look like you might have a few credits stashed away somewhere safe but easily accessed for the right investment.” [He added.]
[I tried to get my head around what he seemed to be suggesting poor pun intended.]
“Even if I am a little wrong about you being a head hunter I know some people who do collect such trophies when they become available and before you ask I do not know why and I do not care much either - their purposes being none of my business.” [He said.]
“Why because you sense it could be unhealthy to pry?” [I asked.]
“What do you think?” [He retorted.] “Anyway even better, my newfound friend I know the seller too and if you are not in the market directly yourself, there are the buyers I mentioned earlier.” [He stated actually licking his lips.]
“You see how this could work as an investment opportunity - if you are smarter than you look - I am talking a sound deal. Nothing beats an easy profit.” [He insisted rubbing his palms together with disturbing enthusiasm for such business for one so bizarrely tender in years.]
[I shook my head at the whole craziness of the developing scene never mind the scheme.]
“Are you trying to scam me boy?” [I replied.]
[He contrived to look too innocent and offended.]
“I may have just stepped off a boat but I have been around and where I come from they breed no easy marks.” [I stated.]
“Little me scam you, are you mad?” [He asked.]
“Well it would have to be a scam as you could hardly take what I have by force.” [I stated.]
“I would need to be stupid to do either you look like you could easily do to me what those four ‘106’ just did to ‘Mint’ and I prefer my head well attached to my spinal column.” [He replied.]
“I must have too much time on my hands when I am willing to waste it listening to this sort of proposal.” [I retorted.]
“Nonsense you just smell a good deal. You provide the necessary credit stake that I currently embarrassingly lack and I provide the connections for a suitable percentage of the gross say forty sixty, in your favour of course as the big - senior - partner.” [He seemed to joke at the last.]
“Forty sixty for providing a few names even if I was interested you prove you have been living amongst robbing ‘Recyclers’ for far too long.” [I complained.]
“I would not just provide names but crucially introductions.” [He said.]
“I could just go and introduce myself I am not shy.” [I retorted.]
“People are big on formal introductions here they know me they do not know you but if I vouch for you that will be good enough you will have no problems.” [He claimed.]
[I burst out laughing.] “So you are a big person around here.” [I mocked before going to pat him on the head.]
“Hey I don’t like being touched.” [He complained ducking nimbly down and to the side.]
[I stepped back a little seeing genuine anger twisting his face almost into rage.]
“Easy I did not mean to insult or to alarm.” [I stated.]
“Just don’t touch me I don’t like it.” [He replied testily.]
“No problem.” [I stated.] “We all have our foibles. Have you had problems with people with a bad interest in touching you in the past?”
“Not anymore I am considered a ‘106’ affiliate now I am protected property not to be messed with, you remember that fact.” [He stated almost proudly.]
“Relax I like grown up females.” [I added.] “I was just being a bit patronising because you are so young you could be my child.” [I confessed.]
[A bit of tension seemed to ease away from him when I explained that fact.]
“Well don’t do the touching thing. As an obviously well travelled adult you should know better, I may be young but I am no child and I am entitled to my private space and dignity so keep your hands to yourself.” [He stated.]
“No head patting, no hair ruffling I promise. I meant nothing by it you can relax. Is it the scars make me seem especially villainous or the beard?” [I asked.]
[It is not that people behave worse in slum districts than they do in other places. Bad things happen all over but they often happen in the open in the slums in the street-decks and so on. One good thing about Paradox Priest shrouding Acolytes never have to worry about certain kinds of abuse therefore that is one thing we are not paranoid about.]
“So are you interested in investing?” [He asked with a focused businessperson’s single mindedness.]
“You do not know me as you have just too ably demonstrated. Whilst I do not know you either you could be setting me up for a mugging by your gang friends.” [I replied.]
“Some free advice, you shouldn’t put ideas like that into peoples heads around here.” [He stated with a grin.]
“I probably should not.” [I agreed.]
“As to not knowing me that is easy to fix they call me ‘Go’ here.” [He claimed offering me his hand.]
“I thought you don’t like the whole touching thing.” [I said.]
“This is different this is formal business stuff.” [He replied.]
[I left his hand hanging for the moment.]
“A moment ago I would have judged your name apt assuming your surname to be ‘Away’.” [I replied.]
“Very droll” [He replied still grinned at me with his hand outstretched.] “However I have heard it all before from far funnier people.”
“Put your hand away I am not quite ready to seal a deal not yet.” [I said.]
“I never bothered giving myself a surname it seemed excess baggage one name is more than enough unless you count the honorary one given to most orphans around here of ‘Deck’. As to the label of ‘Go’ I am hardly the only person here with a ghetto sense of humour.” [‘Go’ stated.]
“I guess ‘Recyclers’ like their fun too it cannot all be business.” [I said.]
“I have run errands for them since I could walk so they called me ‘Go’.” [He exaggerated, as the slum had not been around that long unless he was a little bit force grown in a cloning womb or tank.]
“You really think there is a profit to be had out of procuring a head from the ‘106’?” [I asked.]
“Trust me, if we act quickly before the word gets out it is credits for nothing.” [‘Go’ insisted.]
“You sure you have no idea what people want severed ‘Recycler’ heads for?” [I asked.]
“What does it matter what they do with them as long as they pay for them?” [He asked.]
“Well technically it could be judged slavery if the head is still alive and I am no slaver. Beyond that when I consider investing my time or my money and especially my time and my money in a venture I like to know all the details of the market involved. Know your market and you better know the opportunities and the deadfalls and can often maximise your return and minimise your risk that is something my father taught me when I was your age you should consider that sound advice.” [I said.]
“I like the way you are thinking now friend but I don’t know what they do with them. A person in my position often hears things but I rarely get the opportunity to ask questions about what I hear that is not my place.” [‘Go’ insisted.]
“However you know names and when a smart - adult - person such as I am have some names to look into they can often find out a little bit more.” [I promised.]
“Are you trying to cheat me by cutting me out of my deal?” [He asked suspiciously.]
“No I am an ‘Omerta’ of my word.” [I replied.]
“Since you say that is so, I obviously trust you more already.” [He replied sarcastically.]
“You are a piece of work ‘Go’.” [I replied.]
“Just doing business it is the only way to get ahead.” [He joked again.]
“Please.” [I complained.]
“Listen friend prying into some things here can be a poor move whilst our business opportunity could depart us whilst we waste time jabbering. We can discuss the selling side later now we need to procure the merchandise in a timely fashion. If you are in - you need to get onboard - before the boats leaves and we are left with no merchandise to engender a tidy profit.” [‘Go’ insisted.]
[I considered the possible advantages of getting into this business against the possible disadvantages.]
“My father always taught me to seize the moment and not to judge people by surface appearances but by their actions and words. You introduce me and I will consider a twenty eighty split and if you are trying to play me in any manner - young ‘Omerta’ or not - I promise you will be the one in the market for a new head.” [I swore.]
“A thirty seventy split seems more reasonable to me after all this was my idea and they are my contacts too. Without me you have no investment opportunity.” [‘Go’ countered.]
“You sure about that?” [I asked.]
“Positive these people do not deal with total strangers it is some kind of gang rule.” [He claimed.]
“Listen boy I am the one risking my hard earned credits.” [I reminded.] “A twenty-five seventy-five split is the best you will get from me and that is a cursed good deal for you.”
[He looked unhappy once again but I guessed this time it was less genuine.]
“Feel blessed, I am being inordinately generous because you are a fellow ‘Omerta’ and a, a young adult caught in a den of ‘Recycler’ thieves that have obviously taught you some bad habits. Luckily for you, you are yet young enough to be redeemable back to your true kin.” [I stated.]
“They gave me work - I do not mind doing - if they had not I might not be alive today or in much worse shape.” [‘Go’ said loyally.]
“That is worthy of them but I am sure it was good business or they would have left you to rot wherever they found you. You are a tool they picked up and will use whilst you are useful that is all.” [I replied.]
“You do not know that you do not know them. Besides, there is nothing wrong with good business it is better than being involved in a bad business.” [He replied.]
[Once again, he offered me his hand I felt in a very grown up fashion.] “You have a deal and you are?” [He asked as we clasped hands on it as some ‘Omerta’ do.]
“Me I am ‘Jacque Lien’.” [I stated.]
[He considered that for a moment.] “That would be of ‘Clan Lien’ I suppose I guess that explains your confidence coming here alone with something big concealed upon your back.” [He said.]
“I am surprised you know about the ‘Clan’ not everyone does.” [I replied.]
“I run errands and I try to keep up to date with all the active players especially the ‘Omerta’ ones. One day I might want to find a new home move up to the next tier. I already have a ‘Neural Net’ and ‘EXO-C’ link access.” [He said proudly tapping the side of his head.]
[The next tier it was funny an ‘Omerta’ putting it that way. ‘Sanctuary Orb’ had once openly defied the ‘Tier System’ when it still existed.]
“How did you manage to get that upgrade as a deck orphan?” [I asked.]
“Just business you know how it is.” [‘Go’ replied overly casually.]
[I burst out laughing.] “If you do not die young ‘Go’ you might well go far.” [I told him.]
[An ‘EXO-C’ link and ‘Neural Net’ could explain a lot here such aids might permit a child to mature mentally very quickly especially if they somehow gained access into external ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ support, conversely it could mean this one was a ‘Meat Suit’.]
“Let me do the talking at first. A shame the traitor turned out to be ‘Mint’ she was more generous to me than some others here. Still she would understand how it is that business is business and her being friendly with me could actually have caused me all kinds of trouble.” [He added.]
“You had better not be conspiring with this traitor.” [I warned.]
“I am not that brave or that stupid.” [‘Go’ replied.]
[I believed him.]
[They made me wait in a suggestively stained reception area that showed signs of recent repair more clues pointing at a recent violent change of ownership - someone had put up a fight here. ‘Go’ went further inside at one gang member’s invitation to discuss my presence. I wondered if I was making a big mistake. The idea of possibly acting as a mark for an eight year old child bothered me. Conversely, would they take the boy seriously? Would they take me seriously? Now that I had nothing to do but wait, I worried that they might think me a complete fool for brokering a deal with one so young even if the deal was sound. I was making a judgement call based mostly on a hunch that ‘Go’ could be trusted and had ability beyond his years.]
[My motivation was a different issue I wanted the head of ‘Mint’ now - not to sell it on - although I would pretend to do so, I wanted it to gain access to its owner and what she might know about her former ‘Deck Gangs’ business operations and the operations of whoever she was previously working for too. If this played out properly, it would be a sort of belated rescue and ‘Mint’ should be forever in my debt.]
[I wondered whom ‘Mint’ was working for the plot was thickening, I also wondered if this gang would consider parting with such a head under these circumstances as it seemed an internal security risk to me. Letting her head go with ‘Go’ equivalent to letting a spy go free but ‘Recyclers’ could be notoriously greedy sometimes nonsensically slaves to avarice. ‘Go’ had seemed to suggest that the ‘Deck Gang’ had sold ‘Recycler’ heads before but were those sold heads the heads of traitors or just other lesser unfortunates. I was betting on the ‘Recycler’ habit of seeking a profit out of every situation proving their weakness in this instance but I wondered about the odds. If they suspected I was chasing more than a cut as a middle person things would go badly for me.]
[I wondered why they would choose to deal with us as middle people at all if heads had buyers they could just initiate an on link auction or would that be deemed too public. I suppose they might not want every one on the station to know that they had a problem with traitors in their midst even if they had opted for a public execution before some especially local locals.]
[Here four cybernetic boosted thugs surrounded me three of the four still messy from their recent activity the fourth I had not seen before or at least not noticed seeing her specifically amongst the crowd. Confession to some degree many of them looked alike to me. ‘Bulk’ the bearer of the head being bigger than the average and thus standing out proved the missing member of the punishment enforcing detail as I now chose to think of them. I was sure that three of the punishers were part of the new detail watching over me was purposely calculated intimidation.]
[They looked military to me rather than youthful thugs and could easily have once belonged to an ‘Old One Recycler Mercenary Navy’ unit. They could also easily pass as ‘Hawks’ three of the four of them favouring lots of detachable cybernetic systems mounted on grafted permanent frame supports. I judged today that the ‘Hawks’ had not exactly started a trend with detachable cybernetics they had just been ahead of the game in a general movement. Amongst a host of ‘Recyclers’ - those still with relatively intact bodies - it was now fashionable to be able to slim down on occasion to enjoy at least two different realms of experience and to maximise their flexibility as they could mount different upgrades in different situations. The old singular configuration way of doing things was becoming old-fashioned maybe it was a response to the flexibility of ‘Suit Substance’ Avatars a vain attempt to compete with people able to generate tech on the fly.]
[Having just seen the level of violence and brutality these people embraced, I did not want to experience the same upon my ‘Meat Suit’ body even if I could disconnect and leave a ‘Soulless Cognitive Sub Core’ in charge of it during any for example prolonged torture session. I decided it might help if I fraternised with my guards.]
“You girls get to do that sort of thing often?” [I asked one stained ‘Recycler’.]
[In reply, she just glared at me with less than friendly seeming optics.]
“Is it because I am an ‘Omerta’ that you are all being so chatty?” [I mocked.]
[Again there was no response.]
“I hate prejudice it is so prejudicial I prefer to think of us all as fellow ‘Pilgrims’ working together to overcome the many perils of a hostile environment.” [I added.]
[Still no response so I shrugged.]
“Would you tell me if I have made a mistake by listening to ‘Go’?” [I asked.]
[Again only silence answered me. I had been hoping to at least initiate some mocking banter about ‘Omerta’ fools or some such. I began to suspect they were under strict orders not to talk to me. They were probably jabbering away to each other via data blasts if they had ‘EXO-C’.]
“I know he is young but that is no crime and from my experience age and ability do not always tally the way you might casually expect.” [I stated.]
[More silence.]
“You are good listeners. This is what travelling is all about embracing new experiences new opportunities to meet interesting new people, amazing new people with stories to tell just like you four.” [I added purposely sarcastically trying to provoke a response.]
[I gave up and lapsed into equal silence. Eventually ‘Bulk’ stomped in from out the back.]
“This way.” [He ordered.]
[I followed after her back whilst another of the stinky thugs still covered in anything but fresh smelling ‘Mint’ followed behind me so close I felt as if I was the meat within a metal and composite ‘Recycler’ sandwich.]
[I never saw the blow to the back of my head coming but I felt it, it hurt and knocked me forward into ‘Bulk’ breaking my nose. They had previously taken my shield. As I pushed off against ‘Bulk’ to keep on my feet I felt the claw of the ‘Recycler’ behind me grip around the back of my neck like a vice. A massive electric discharge from the claw rendered the brain tissue of my ‘Meat Suit’ unconscious also temporarily shorting out the suit’s ‘Neural Net’ whilst breaking my ‘EXO-C’ connection.]
[When I was able to establish a new connection I awoke stripped and secured my back against a form-fitting surface. Perhaps I was strapped to some kind of adjustable surgical table for internal cybernetic implanting purposes given the venue. Every part of me felt held immobile ignoring my eyes fingers and toes I did some wiggling. I could not even move my head to look properly to either side it was clamped facing I surmised but could be wrong upward. My head, neck and nose hurt and I could feel an unpleasant trickle of blood in my throat that made me feel as if I might choke. A bright light meant opening my eyes was an unpleasant experience too that boosted my headache. I used ‘Neural Net’ functions to dull my hurts but kept a little pain to remind me of where I was injured.]
[Perhaps because of other sensory deprivations I noticed an odd scent over the smell of sterilising chemicals and my own blood.]
“So you have a ‘Neural Network’ that much is obvious or that first blow would have knocked you senseless. So who are you?” [A voice asked.]
“I am ‘Jacque Lien’.” [I replied.]
“Untrue, you might be ‘Jacque’ but you are not ‘Lien’.” [The voice said in a disappointed tone.]
“Is that what this is about?” [I asked.] “Let me go and I will explain.” [I said.]
“You will explain where you are?” [The voice stated.] “That one untruth was free but if you tell us anymore lies it will cost you - a body part. Believe me this table can render even your kind down to not much and still keep you far too alive.”
“My real name is just ‘Jackie’ the ‘Jacque’ and ‘Lien’ bit seemed a good idea at the time people tend to not do this sort of thing to members of ‘Clan Lien’ and this place has a reputation so I needed one to match.” [I said quickly.]
“‘Just Jackie’ where are you from and what are you doing here?” [The voice asked.]
[I had made a hasty provision against this possibility whilst disconnected not an ideal provision because it used already commissioned ‘BAB’ assets but I decided to risk it.]
“Originally I served on the ‘Harpy’ a ‘Deep Miner Mother Ship’ recently operating from ‘Hade’s Stopover’ a ‘Free Miner Way-station’ I had a fallout with my Captain so I grabbed a little compensation and went my own way. I came here because it is the heart of the ‘Consortium’ and ‘Erin’ hates ‘Consorts’. I came specifically to ‘7.1’ in particular because it seemed a good place to get lost in a crowd for a while and to start again as my former Captain is the sort that holds a grudge.” [I explained hardly taking a breadth between sentences.] “I am nobody important I just saw a chance to make some credits.” [I complained.]
“More details I want lots and lots of confirmable details ‘Just Jackie’.” [The voice demanded.]
[I gave my interrogator a great many details eager to please. I gave them my whole life history including the fact that my ‘Uni-Tool’ was stolen from my former Captain that alteration in the truth requiring a hasty hack into a low grade ‘Ton Tech’ sales database but for me with my network of connections that was not difficult. Instead of the ‘Uni-Tool’ originally being shipped to ‘Port Discovery’ following an on link credit transaction with an ‘MTC Acolyte’ it now registered in their sales ledgers as being shipped to ‘Hade’s Stopover’ the payment coming from a Captain ‘Erin’ who according to my story was my former disgruntled lover if anyone else should hack in to loot the data. Even if directly questioned ‘Erin’ now briefed would play along, as would the rest of the crew of the ‘Harpy’ all secretly ‘BAB ’operatives that worked outside of ‘UME’. We had two ‘Real Material Mother Ships’ quietly commissioned crewed and Captained by what we still considered ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ people the ‘Harpy’ and the ‘Trident’. The creation of the two ‘Deep Miner Ships’ arranged in secret by ‘Leeruussii’ remotely from ‘Port Messenger’ as it seemed prudent to have some mobile assets well beyond the grid even to the supervision of ‘Draakgaarrll’. ‘Uussleer’ had deeply promoted this idea to me as he was wary of the ‘Skimmer Assassin’ and wanted access to some operatives and firepower with no obvious link to the ‘House of Sii’ beyond the fact that they often visited ‘Hade’s Stopover’.]
[Using the ‘Harpy’ in this manner was a bit of an abuse of power but when you have the means, you might as well use them.]
[Creating a full digital history for ‘Jackie’ was a bit trickier, especially as we needed real people who could and would confirm some digital fictions portside if necessary, but I managed well enough with the help of a few bribes and so on. With luck, the cover would hold up unless we got unlucky and or the ‘106’ wasted a lot of time and credits on digging very deep something I judged they might not bother to do if I could play them right.]
“So you claim you got a little too close to your boss and then tried to use that to bump up the ranks.” [The voice said.]
“She stopped my wages after we had a row about my overall onboard status I was tired of being bossed around by other members of the crew and thought I was due a promotion to ‘Commander’. She had me grabbed and dropped off, claimed I had embezzled funds from a crew kitty and had me locked out without even my personal belongings. She thought she could just dump me on ‘Hades’ as if so much non-recyclable trash but with the help of a friend still onboard who knew me better and judged what she was doing rightly to be wrong I sneaked back onboard long enough to get my stuff and take her prized ‘Uni-Tool’ as a little compensation. I was going to sell it but it started to feel like a trophy - not just a source of credits - so I kept it instead. Some other old associates then smuggled me off ‘Hades’ for a small fee on their ship just as I told you.” [I stated.]
[After a very uncomfortable wait despite the form fitting nature of the apparatus holding me, they released me.]
“You have wasted our time and some of our credits this evening so we will be keeping that ‘Uni-Tool’ as - our - compensation you will generously unlock it now.” [A ‘Recycler’ told me as I dressed.]
“No deal.” [I replied.]
[The ‘Recycler’ looked at me in I was sure surprise.]
“You are right ‘Just Jackie’ it is no deal - it is an opportunity for you to live nothing more.” [She retorted.] “I suggest you take the opportunity and go before I order you stripped again and this time taken apart for your insolence and stupidity.”
“I am not looking for trouble but surely we can come to a better arrangement. I came here looking to start over you have accommodation vacancies here and I am sure some work that needs doing too. You have checked me out so you know who I am.” [I added.]
“We do not hire fools nor do we tolerate them wasting our time.” [She replied.]
“I just made one mistake you obviously know somebody serious in ‘Clan Lien’ but pretending to be ‘Lien’ was pretty smart up until now. Seeming to be ‘Clan’ allowed me to avoid trouble more than once earlier. I played the odds but sometimes the odds don‘t work that is all.” [I insisted.]
“If it was smart at all in the end it was not half smart enough.” [She countered.]
[I shrugged.] “I was doing the best I could with my very limited resources.” [I excused.]
“Do as I have demanded and we will hold no grudges for your lies.” [She insisted.]
“I only told one lie and it was an irrelevant one I am still interested in that head.” [I said.]
[She looked at me as if I was crazy.]
“That head is not and never was for sale. That one is part of my private collection.” [She stated.] “I am afraid your casual acquaintance ‘Go’ was a little mistaken. He is intelligent for his age but sometimes a bit too eager.”
[I made a point of taking some time to digest these facts.]
“It seems I have been a little bit rash but opportunities have to be seized.” [I excused.] “Be reasonable, I know you have all the power here and I apologise if I have caused offence but you are making a mistake with me. As you have discovered I have had a few unfortunate events in my life recently. I admit I certainly misjudged my Captain’s mood and level of attachment but that could have happened to anyone in a stormy relationship. These things happen.” [I claimed.]
“They happen more to some people than others good luck is a virtue and stupidity a vice. You have too little virtue and too much vice.” [She retorted.]
“I have skills, I know my way around ‘Real Material’ ships and around some ‘Deep Ports’ too I have connections within the ‘Free Miner Movement’ solid connections. I am willing to owe you - to pay back any costs you incurred looking into my identity - even with reasonable interest. It seems to me you have a problem with infiltrators. As a thoroughly checked out - outsider - you can trust me perhaps far more than you can currently trust some of your own people at the moment that has to be worth considering.” [I suggested.]
“Be very careful.” [She warned sounding very displeased.]
[I held up my hands in surrender.]
“I know better than most that nothing hurts more than an act of betrayal but a fact is a fact. I could be of use, even me being an ‘Omerta’ might prove useful to you as you are mostly ‘Recyclers’. As an outsider I could come at your enemy from an unguarded flank.” [I suggested.] “I can fight well too. You only took me so easily because I put myself in your power.”
“Perhaps we should test that assertion.” [She mused aloud.]
“I don’t want any trouble, all I want is my personal property back and that costs you nothing. I will not unlock my ‘Uni-Tool’ but you can hold onto it for a while - locked - as security against what I do owe you. When paid in full and you appreciate that I can be a worthy asset you can give the tool back to me. That is a good deal and I know you ‘Recyclers’ enjoy making good deals it is often what you live for. I am not a fool anyone can make a couple of forced mistake when on the run that does not make them generally foolish.” [I argued.]
“You are brave to barter with me under these conditions I will say that much. However now you seem almost too eager to join us, why is that?” [She asked.]
“How else can I keep you from taking what is mine? It is obvious that you people do not play around but you still took in that young ‘Omerta’ boy ‘Go’, I am guessing because he is a smart one and shows promise, I respect that fact. You see the true potential in people. Do not prejudge me by a poor first impression that is only surface deep.” [I argued.]
“My Captain misjudged my potential I would have made a good ‘Commander’ under her the rest of the crew would have learned to trust me previously they did not resent that I was sleeping with her. In addition, I know how it works with ‘Deck Gangs’ - it is family - just like it is with a good crew. It is all about mutual support against the rest of an often-hostile Universe. ‘Erin’ lost it - I am guessing due to personal history I knew nothing about - she overreacted to my suggestion almost as if I was attempting to usurp her position. Her disproportionate action was hardly my fault no one can predict an irrational random response. However, I now have to deal with the consequences of her sabotaging my name. I am not going to get to be crew on another ship not if they reference her so I am looking for work portside but even there her accusations of embezzlement are not going to do me any favours. However here I know you are a bit more flexible with peoples past so I could fit in.” [I added.]
“Maybe there is a little bit more to you than I first calculated. You talk well under extreme pressure if nothing else that might prove useful.” [She mused.] “I will consider your offer whilst I do you will stay here with us. We will rent you a room. Still, consider yourself under house arrest pending a hearing. If you attempt to go beyond these buildings and the forecourt, we will take you alive and then take you apart piece by piece with no opportunity for any appeal or reprieve, it will not matter to us how many clever arguments you make in your defence it will be a question of honouring a deal. You have my word upon that and about such matters I do not lie.” [She promised darkly.]
“You have not introduced yourself, who am I talking with?” [I asked.]
“You ‘Just Jackie’ can call me ‘Garlic’.” [She replied.]
[I was visiting ‘Cad’ via animating an Avatar onboard the ‘Hierophant Explorer Ship’ at what was now known as the ‘Alpha TNS Beacon Site’.]
“Found anything interesting yet?” [I asked the Professor.]
“Far too much and far too little.” [He replied cryptically.] “I am glad you are here.”
“Is there a problem?” [I asked.]
“Yes we could have a problem.” [He replied although his mind seemed elsewhere.]
“Something is bothering you, what is it?” [I asked.]
“Two pieces in a puzzle some very old ‘Real Material’ hulks and apparently a new form of ‘Anomaly’.” [He explained.]
“A new ‘Anomaly’?” [I asked.]
“Where the ‘TNS Beacon’ rests is a seemingly small deceptively quiet ‘Anomaly’ that has so far proved somewhat scan proof even to techniques perfected by your Harbinger and me. You can even at times visually see the ‘Beacon’ through the ‘Anomaly’ although there is even then a little distortion but any probe we have sent in to sample the phenomenon results in a massive localised energy spike and is presumed physically disintegrated via we believe the shattering of molecular bonds.” [He stated.]
“That sounds more akin to a highly lethal highly advanced defence mechanism protecting the beacon rather than an ‘Extra Physical Reaction Anomaly’.” [I said.]
“At a remove I thought so at first too but it is very anomalous and might be unrelated to the ‘TNS Beacon’ just occupying the same area of space.” [He added sounding a little bit grimmer than I deemed usual for the Professor.]
“I am surprised you are thinking that way given it is so dangerous and so close to the ‘Beacon’ and yet doing it no seeming harm even when it erupts. That to me suggests that it is emitted by the ‘TNS Beacon’ in some manner as a weapon.” [I stated.]
“It could be something someone else put around the ‘TNS Beacon’ to protect it to keep it safe as a beacon to our reality.” [‘Cad’ argued.]
“Why do you believe that? You have some scientific evidence of extra-dimensional incursion?” [I asked worriedly.]
“You are going to mock me since I am a ‘Trojan Professor’ but when you look at this particular ‘Anomaly’ up close it just feels especially anomalous and wrong. It feels as if somehow it fails to belong in this Universe in any manner. Yet when we focus on what we can see of the ‘TNS Beacon’ that proves almost comfortingly normal like an anchor for your troubled psyche.” [He lectured.]
“Everyone who has run an Avatar up close to the ‘Anomaly’ when they are encouraged to open up about their feelings at the time expressed remarkably similar reactions. The ‘Anomaly’ feels exceptionally unknown and out of place but the ‘TNS Beacon’ feels as if it belongs here but now rests within a bubble of wrongness. I know that feelings may not seem very scientific but here we have a response by different individuals at different times some of whom I ensured did not communicate with each other before or after measured exposure. These volunteer test subjects testimony can therefore be compared and analyzed and that is solid scientific data.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“That is interesting I wonder if the other ‘TNS Beacon Sites’ will prove to have similar content.” [I said.]
“I find I am hoping not but fear that they might.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “One of your ‘Explorers’ is the next vessel scheduled to arrive at a ‘TNS Beacon Site’ just ahead of a ‘Hawk’ ship to another both I believe very soon now you should both be extra cautious. I want you to talk to ‘Weep’ as he may be more open to an approach by you at the moment.” [He stated.]
“What exactly would you have me say to him?” [I asked.] “What precisely is bothering you? We have studied many anomalies in the past.” [I said.]
“What can I tell you this one feels a little different? I fear we might be dealing with deeper unknowns than we initially realised.” [‘Cad’ said.] “If you had not come here to speak with me I was about to contact you. I have growing concerns about these explorations what they might encounter and perhaps provoke.” [He stated.]
“Your concern seems too obvious but tell me about your reasons? I am interested in anything else you are able to share.” [I stated.]
[‘Cad’ looked deeply thoughtful but did not immediately turn his thoughts into words.]
“Do you feel constrained from sharing information on the hulks with me due to your deal with ‘Improved’? I believe a potential active extra-dimensional security threat to all ‘Pilgrims’ should easily supersede a business deal. What do we need to know about? Did something once dwelling here make those hulks or where they towed to this location by a busy collector of salvage?” [I asked.]
[‘Cad’ looked at me I thought a little strangely then seemed to shrug off his odd mood a little, perhaps considering answers to my specific questions helped him focus.]
“The stupid nondisclosure agreement with ‘Improved’ is defunct as far as I am concerned.” [He stated.]
“I hope you two have not fallen out over whatever this is?” [I asked.]
“No but the situation has changed. I can freely tell you that analysis of the material spread seems to suggest battles occurred elsewhere the hulks moved to their current locations but how far is unknown but that is the least of it.” [‘Cad’ admitted.]
“So what is the rest?” [I asked.]
“Annoyingly whilst from the outside some of the Hulks look marvellously intact and some others showed varying degrees of battle damage when we ventured inside them they all proved uniformly to be thoroughly salvaged already.” [He stated.]
“That must have proved a disappointment to ‘Improved’. I can see why the nondisclosure agreement hardly matters anymore if there is no booty to examine and loot.” [I said.]
“That is not the issue at all.” [‘Cad’ replied.] “We are studying sometimes almost pristine empty shells. We are examining leftovers for clues to the nature of the people or the mechanism that operated a salvage operation here before us. ‘Improved’ was initially somewhat disappointed with the fact that we are latecomers to a depleted feast but now he is also fascinated and increasingly worried just as I am by what we have found and what we have not found.” [‘Cad’ confessed.]
“Why is what you have not found worrying? You seem unusually agitated but have explored many dangerous scary unknowns in the past even dared to confront the enigmas of some ‘Fury Tech’.” [I reminded.]
“An exploration I sometimes regret.” [‘Cad’ confessed.] “Exposure to some things can change us I still have occasional nightmares about the ‘Fury’ even whilst awake.” [He admitted.]
“I am not surprised some members of the ‘MTC’ that assisted you back then have had issues.” [I confessed in turn.]
“Even compared to ‘Fury Tech’ the salvage mechanism here feels exceptionally alien to me almost more unsettling in its own unique way.” [He added.]
“That is twice you have used the word mechanism why is that?” [I asked.]
“You are a smart one ‘MT’, it links into one theory the salvaging seems very precise and systematic judging by the leftovers. Every scrap of complex technology is gone stripped away in a nonsensical manner that I have never seen before.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Why nonsensical?” [I asked.]
“Almost an illogical amount of effort is involved here to skilfully remove, in some instances I am positive, some not especially exciting and repeated systems. The technique - in part - reminds me of an automated mechanism that is following an inflexible programmed instruction set without creative sentient overview to add any revised common sense to a blindly systematic approach.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “Even as automation it is a very alien approach to a salvage operation so alien that it feels wrong unnerving just as that ‘Anomaly’ is unsettlingly wrong.” [He stated.]
“I am still surprised at the strength of your emotional response here.” [I said.]
“I believe no sane adult member of any species we know would operate in this way. It reminds me of a very young child pulling out the insides of an animated toy to try to figure out how it could possibly walk and talk because it cannot comprehend that all the non biological bits and pieces of tech involved can act together to make it seem alive.” [‘Cad’ said very graphically.]
“Something about this site has affected you deeply.” [I said.]
“All ship graveyards are ghostly places but this one seems especially haunted by absences. We have also found no remains of any passengers or crew they were stripped away too. Go out there and you will understand just how hollow those shells are they feel incredibly empty as if every trace of life has been eviscerated out of them as if they have been gutted. Listen to me I am ranting like some creative writer but it is so very lifeless here a true graveyard containing nothing but old metal and composite bones.” [He stated.]
“Any salvager might first remove bodies dead bodies are unnerving artefacts to work around.” [I excused.]
“You have not been out there. Some of the ‘ITC’ Acolytes visiting here as Avatars have expressed a concern that something from outside our known Universe may have locked onto the ‘TNS Beacons’ and be visiting our space.” [‘Cad’ stated.]
“Is there any evidence of a truly alien incursion?” [I asked.]
“You are not listening the evidence is all around us here. Once that idea was mooted by the Acolytes it has haunted my thoughts constantly it feels horribly right, horribly right.” [‘Cad’ repeated.]
“We Paradox are prone to having active imaginations.” [I said.] “Whilst you may be suffering from residual effects of your previous difficult encounter with ‘Fury Tech’. How long has it been since you were out in dark places doing active research?” [I asked.]
[‘Cad’ burst out laughing.] “You Priests too often seek to debate the other side of any argument and if there is no other side you make one up just to be contrary.”
“I am happy to see you can still smile and laugh even at my expense. You seem somewhat over emotional and tense today. Even under the ice you seemed unusually emotional and empathetic compared to the old ‘Cad’ I used to know.” [I said.]
“I think under the ice that was ‘Scion’ I think my subconscious knew I was being watched long before my consciousness was willing to admit it. In addition, I still think that the ‘Hawks’ were guided to that find to the discovery of ‘Founder’.” [He admitted.]
“Besides, as I have said some encounters change us. If you do not believe me go out there if you must but be warned you might not find it a pleasant experience. As one ‘ITC’ Acolyte put it, ‘we could be encountering the leftovers of probes by entities so alien to our life even to our material technology that they do not understand us at all even when they take our makings apart’.” [‘Cad’ stated.] “I feel we must be very careful now very careful.” [He repeated.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Fri, 18. Apr 14, 11:30, edited 3 times in total.