Blue Blades Read online

  The trailblazer let Azoro take control, slipping back into ‘viewer’ mode as the Sha’kier channeled his own sense of the Saiolum to the Hadarak, adding in his philosophy, mandate, and purpose for existence in what Paul had come to refer to as Masterbuilder doctrine, but Azoro was shoving stuff through him they had never talked about before. Advanced stuff…really advanced, and Paul was trying to grab as much of it as he could while looking to see how the Hadarak responded, for it wasn’t a one way conversation. More like a mind meld between the two of them in a compartmentalized, pre-fashioned connection that must have been how a courier would transmit the current memory to the Hadarak this far away from the Core.

  The bits and pieces that stuck with Paul changed him instantly, for it was like puzzle pieces that he could never put together on his own were being generated and thrown at him with instructions. The more he caught and put into their place the more he could understand, and the light trickle of the Saiolum that he had previously seen as gushing was now surpassed by an ocean of it so dense and strong that Paul had trouble breathing. The emotion of it was more intense than the current the Hadarak had shared, and for a brief moment he grasped his purpose, his mission…then before he could analyze it it was pulled away and his mind numbed up again, as if he was going blind to that puzzle piece that he shouldn’t have had yet, but many more were still coming and he tried to focus on those despite the disappointment of the loss of…whatever it had been.

  Break off the attack, Azoro told Paul rather than use his body to send the orders into the Excalibur himself. This one has to live.

  Paul regained control of his body and eased his ship off the pursuit path and onto a more or less parallel track, still descending deeper into the star.

  What just happened?

  I’m sorry to involve you like that, Azoro apologized, but this was an opportunity I have been waiting a very long time for. Are you alright?

  You tell me.

  The Saiolum is more than it appears to be, and greater depths are revealed as you gain skill and experience. You saw far beyond your level. That was forbidden for us to do to a Ke’lar, but since I am the last of the Ska’kier and you are far more than a Ke’lar I decided to risk it. Your emotions are more erratic than I have ever witnessed in you. You have been altered.

  A blind was lifted on me…then it closed again, but not as far as before.

  I believe you refer to that as an epiphany.

  More like a hundred of them all at once. What did you do?

  Explored a theory I have had for a long time. A lot was confirmed, but I learned a few unexpected things. Your work with the Uriti has given me a baseline I did not have before. Now I know, and because of that I am encountering far more questions than I had before…but we can talk of that later. I need to attend to you. And you need to remove yourself from the astromech, if you can. Logical analysis will not help you here, and those mechanical components are quite crude and cumbersome. Release them and clarity will be easier to attain.

  Paul focused on that one task, not wanting to let go of what he had learned and felt, but he made himself abandon it despite that fact that it felt like he was slipping even further from whatever epiphanies he had had. The Furyan had to be stubborn and ignore it all, then he slowly extracted his Core from the astromech and reabsorbed it fully into his body, after which he opened his eyes and then his cocoon, stepping out on his own legs and falling to the floor just shy of the chasm-like drop off beyond his alcove.

  Breathe, Azoro advised. Feel the Saiolum within your body simultaneously. Do not focus on one, but see both at once.

  Paul did so, but then his focus was pulled far beyond his body. He felt the room he was in, and all the way down the chasm…then out deck after deck through the ship like a bubble being blown up, and he could feel everything in it.

  Not so fast. Your brain can’t handle that much information.

  I don’t know how to stop.

  A light touch will be enough. You must feel the information and let it pass through you. Do not try and hold on to it. Be like your old roller coasters. Do not watch the track behind you. Live in the moment and feel…

  Paul’s mind flicked to Frozen’s Elsa and the song ‘Let it go,’ which he mentally linked to the ship’s nearest node and summoned up to play on the speakers as a reminder as he saw through the ship every direction he looked. Most of it was machinery and not alive, so the Saiolum wasn’t being generated by it, but those within were little wellsprings, including the bioharvest facilities deep within that allowed a replenishing of some foodstuffs for a small crew so they didn’t have to rely on storage alone…plus Paul like having fresh apples to eat…and play with in the Archon Sanctum.

  Lighter, Azoro urged. A feather touch only.

  Paul eased up more, and felt his bubble extend greatly, covering a third of the ship that he felt connected with in a way that had never happened before. In fact…

  “The plants.”

  What about them?

  “They’re the same construction as us. I can see it now.”

  You always knew that.

  “No, this is more. The construction of our bodies is the same as the plants. We come from the same source, and in the Saiolum we are…one.”

  Similar to you and your astromech. One lives, one does not, but both are of the same unity.

  “Is that what you told the Hadarak?” Paul said, finally standing up as he continued to stare through the walls, ceiling, and floor, looking around at all angles as if he was Neo from the Matrix seeing the code for the first time.

  Not something you need to know now.

  “What am I experiencing?”

  A bit of my existence. I’ve never had an apprentice learn as fast as you, and you’ve just taken a giant leap forward. Rather cheating, actually.

  “Your fault,” Paul said, continuing to stare at the blank walls around him as he was seeing into another realm and how it was really this one at the same time, he’d just been oblivious to it before. “And thanks.”

  You are not safe yet. You must maintain your light contact until your mind absorbs the revelations. Take it easy for once in your life.

  Paul smiled. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  He sat down on the deck, crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap as he felt the Saiolum inside of him and coming out, for he was producing it as all other life was onboard the ship, and he could see it hitting the walls and rippling off them, while going through as well. The Saiolum interacted with the ship, without altering it, as if a ghost reaction…and he pulled inside him in a way he had never realized he could before.

  As the song continued to blare out ‘Let it go, let it go’ he took the prompt and somehow caused his body to create more Saiolum than normal. A lot more, with hit saturating his body and flowing out so much his skin began to tickle with goosebumps all over and didn’t stop.

  Easy. You’ve just learned to do that. There’s no danger, except that you can overload your brain and black out.

  Not going to happen, Paul said silently, for his body was barely moving with his breathe as he watched the ripples on the ship around him increase and crisscross like he was making waves in a pool and seeing the echoes come back to cross the new ones, and the interactions fascinated him, as was his effect on the nearest crewmembers…who suddenly started to produce more Saiolum in response to him, somehow.

  Addictive, isn’t it?

  Very cool, Paul amended.

  Until you’re trapped in it with nothing to do. What you are doing now is producing the current, similar to what the Hadarak feels from the others of his kind. It’s both orders and kinship, for them. For us it’s the universal unity that we are all within. We’re supposed to be allied together, not torn apart, and when you feel this you can understand it…maybe not comprehend it…but you can understand that we are meant to be one. This Hadarak knows this now, though he doesn’t understand it. He will stay in this star a long time, and I need you to remain here
for a while.

  For a chance to chat with a Hadarak? Obviously.

  We need to do more than chatting.

  The other one?

  Ignore it. Let it go. It doesn’t matter. The old one does. They mature very slowly. I did not understand how slowly. The others you can’t talk to because they haven’t learned to talk to others than their own kind.

  Did you ever snoop on their minds before?

  I tried, but couldn’t understand them until now. And I can confirm they are not originals. They have been repurposed from another form, just like the Uriti are from Hadarak.

  The mystery guests from the Maty?

  Most likely a link there, but I think the Hadarak…or whatever they came from…have builder roots. That’s what I connected with. And that’s why this one is building something for me.

  Building?

  Something internal. I showed it how, and that is a great risk. This knowledge cannot be allowed to spread to the other Hadarak. If this one cannot be turned, it must be destroyed before it can share what it’s learned from me.

  What did you do? Paul demanded icily.

  What Star Force cannot. It’s growing a bit of Sha’kier technology for me.

  A body?

  Of course not. That requires more than either of your civilizations could hope to achieve. It’s building a connection to the Saiolum so it can hear my current. And once it does, I’ll be able to try and take control of it if needed.

  Azoro…

  We must give it a current stronger than what it already has, or there is no chance it will turn against its purpose. The Chixzon must have deleted that ability from the Uriti. Their biological knowledge continues to amaze me.

  So you’re putting a leash on it?

  No. I’m establishing a bridge, and through it I’m going to learn more about them than anyone else has ever dreamt of.

  You’re onto something, aren’t you?

  That remains to be seen. But this should confirm or deny it.

  How long to grow what you need?

  A few weeks at the minimum.

  Easily done, but we can’t stay here indefinitely, Paul said regretfully, knowing that every Warden they didn’t kill could mean more ships or troops would be destroyed in the war later on. And if this one is going to play nice, I’m not going to kill him because you gave him a new toy.

  Are you going to stop surging? Or are you wanting to black out?

  Not just yet, Paul said with a smirk. This feels too good…

  4

  February 3, 154968

  Kio Nutarri Nebula (Unexplored Frontier)

  Neofan Temple #1

  A dropship from the Star Force embassy flew out to an uninhabited spot within the Neofan Temple and dropped off a single individual on a rocky plateau high enough to see over the sea of trees around him. Not long after a Neofan barge came and also dropped off a single individual on the opposite side of the plateau before leaving, allowing a good quarter mile walk between the pair.

  The Neofan walked faster than the Human, given his taller height and longer stride, but they still met near the center of the plateau with neither of them armed or wearing armor, though both were dangerous in their own right, despite the fact the Human was at a significant disadvantage in bodily strength, though not in boldness. The Reignor had to give him that.

  “Have you recovered your people from the Zak’de’ron facility?” Director Davis asked, continuing to walk forward until he was about four meters away, then stopped and stared up at the crown-wearing House Atriark leader.

  “We have. You’ve set our plans back immensely.”

  “And what plans were those?”

  “In our possession, Uriti production of Essence would eclipse all our traditional sources. We would become far stronger than House Mutavi and have the strength…eventually…to take the war to the Hadarak across multiple galaxies. Now you have denied us this.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Normally I would assume it was to maintain your Essence production dominance in this galaxy, but I suspect it has something more to do with your lightside philosophy.”

  “The Uriti are not possessions. They are people. The same as all the ones you murdered in Utovi in order to eat their corpses. You lied to me.”

  The Neofan spread his arms wide in an open gesture. “We have no such foodstuffs here. House Atriark does not eat corpses any longer. Nor do we wear Pol’so’nep. Nor do we have servants of any kind here. We have abided by our agreement, and our past lives in Utovi are irrelevant.”

  “Unless you intend to return to those practices,” Davis said with the barest hint of threat.

  “I am a realist, Director. Though I do not take orders from you, we agreed to live in your galaxy under your negotiated terms in order to benefit ourselves. We cannot violate these because we are not strong enough to do so, and we will never be strong enough if you continue to grow at even a fraction of your current rate.”

  “Then what is your long term objective?”

  “You assume there is only one?” the Neofan said, waving a hand before him dismissively, as if he expected Davis to be wiser.

  “You have found a way to use Essence to advance your race, perhaps multiple times, triggering an unknowable metamorphosis that leaves the individual highly advanced,” Davis said bluntly, drawing a curious facial reaction from the Reignor, as if he was reevaluating who he was speaking with. “We have analyzed samples of your genetic code, finding several different bloodlines. My Archons have made such a transition themselves, without knowing your technique, and our initial analysis suggests they are now slightly more advanced than you. And they still look to me for counsel.”

  “When did this occur?” the Reignor demanded with intense curiosity.

  “Not long ago. And though I did not go through the process myself, I am peers with them, and thus I am a peer with you, so let’s drop the pretense. We know the more advanced you become certain aspects of your mindset change. Why are you not behaving as intelligently as your genetics suggest?”

  “There is a great deal you do not understand, Director.”

  “For your sake you had better educate me, because I foresee a war between us eventually,” Davis said, dropping all his pretense like a hammer. “You are biding your time rather than assimilating, and while we cannot fight you now with the Hadarak prioritizing our efforts, if we win, we cannot and will not abide such depravity that we are hearing in the stories of your former servants. Your civilization is darkside, and if there is anything you can understand about the lightside, let it be this. We are honor-bound to fight the darkside wherever it resides. If you will not turn to the lightside, then you will meet your destiny in a war against your soon to be superiors.”

  “Why must it be lightside?” the Reignor asked, seeming not to be offended by the proclamation. “There are many within your own borders that are not. I believe you call them ‘neutral.’ Is that not acceptable for the Neofan, or do you hold us to a higher standard?”

  “I hold all those I make agreements with to honor them as negotiated.”

  “Our boundary violation,” he surmised. “We did violate our terms in what I thought would be an unseen way. We got caught. I admit it. What do you intend to do about it?”

  “Trust is broken. And while that may not meant much to your civilization, you will find it is a commodity in this galaxy that is more valuable than most others.”

  “Do you expect us to recompense?”

  Davis shook his head sadly. “How can someone supposedly so advanced be so ignorant? Perhaps there is more to the Core and less to the body and mind than we had thought.”

  “There is much to the Core. If you have not already figured this out, then perhaps it is your ignorance that is getting in the way.”

  “What do you believe I am missing?”

  “When one reproduces, do you truly believe the new lifeform had a Core delivered to it randomly?”

  “I have yet to see any oth
er pattern.”

  “We have. Do you know who you are? Not what your life has made you, but who you are in just your Core alone?”

  “To a degree, yes.”

  “Do you carry any memory from beyond this life?”

  Davis frowned. “Not to my knowledge.”

  “Forgive my lack of intricacy in your language. I will restate. Do you have any knowledge from beyond this life? Something you know, but you can’t trace to a point of learning it?”

  “Genetic memory.”

  “No. I speak of knowledge that comes from your Core alone. Have you never compared it to the decoded genetics?”

  “It has been rumored by some.”

  “But never confirmed…ah, now I see. You would not do the mental deconstruction to find out. I understand your ignorance now.”

  “Some form of torture?”

  “Not for the purpose of inflicting pain or damage, but for the purpose of learning, yes.”

  “That’s still torture regardless of the motivation.”

  “Call it what you will, but when you download all the knowledge from a person’s mind and compare it to their genetic memory and theorize what they could have learned where, sometimes an anomaly is left behind. We have had an intricate interest in this anomaly, for it has told us that we come into this life with more than what your philosophy refers to as the ‘cold start.’”

  “Reincarnation?”

  “That we do not know. We cannot trace a source, only identify that which is brought with you to this life. And what we have found is that most carry nothing with them. Those that we have eaten in the past, were blanks. They were a ‘cold start,’ as are most of our former servants. Rarely there will be an anomaly that we identify, but most who are born Neofan come with excess knowledge…or perhaps I should say ‘traits’ instead. And not just us, Director. The more advanced the race, the more of these ‘preborns’ that we collect. So we are not just superior because of our genetics, we are superior because of who we are inside these bodies, and if your Archons are as you say they are, their progeny will most likely draw some of these preborns as well.”