NationStates Jolt Archive

Miras was trapped in the empty space when a passing freighter stopped to recover his body. The captain of the vessel was surprised to see him in rather fit shape. For someone isolated in space with very little protection from the voids, he was incredibly healthy. Albeit, unconscious and near the brink of death, but for his circumstances, that was significantly better than the alternatives.

But with the arrival of Miras on this vessel, no one could quite comprehend who - or what - he was. The officers argued for at least two days before they decided to wait until they docked at the next station. Hopefully, there would be an infirmary with a knowledgeable doctor, who would indeed know this character. In the meantime, the captain diverted the majority of his attention to his cargo and his destination.

Yet, there were rumors that spread across the ship, and despite the nature of the captain's threats, a number investigated Miras. One of them seemed utterly surprised and they discussed it amongst themselves that night.

"The sapient claims to know what that thing is," said one.

"Considering that humans are also sapients, that would be an error."

"Spare us that chatter. What is it?"

The sapient - seeing a number of the crew gathered around him - cautiously began his tale.

"There was once a race of saurians - beautiful feathers lining their backs. colors were very important to them, so they gave every thought to distinguishing them. The irony was that they reportedly couldn't see, hear, or speak words of the mouth - so it's ironic that a blind race could care so much about colors. But they were also the Guardians - those who were professed to protect the stars. They possessed a plethora of technology - some people would claim more advanced than anything in the world - all devoted to guarding the stars. Personally, I never figured out what the tales all meant by guarding the stars, but that was their mission in the universe, and it seemed to satisfy a great number of people for the time. But some time ago - according the legends - they disappeared. With them went millions of years of knowledge and technology. They were the keepers of the warps, the keepers of the stars - and they suddenly vanished."

"So you think that this is one of them?" one of the crew asked.

"Well..."

"It's kind of weird that a blind and deaf species should have eyes and ears."

"It has eyes and ears, but it cannot see or hear with them. I only saw the leathery scales, but I can bet any of you that thing has feathers lining its back, like a decoration fan or something."

"You can't bet anymore - remember? You don't own anything."

"Yeah, but don't tell me that when it's you ready to lose a bet."

"We didn't come to place bets on the identity of an incapacitated passenger," the captain suddenly spoke, his voice brimming with ire. Immediately, the crew retired to their places, and the captain passed along. To himself, he could only ponder if this thing was indeed what the sapient had said it to be.

[ooc: This is supposed to be a prelude to my char's introduction into FT. I'd appreciate any sensible input that adds to the scenery, perhaps even a home for him. This is a development in progress, so bear with me. If it means much to you - yes, this RP does involve supernatural forces, so it is only reasonable that others who possess the aptitude to utilize supernatural forces are likewise welcome to add their input. For that reason, godmod is somewhat on a side track at the moment, unless it is blatantly beyond all reason - this is a work that coordinates with my other RP {the Epic, which is completely closed except without my permission...}. So the ooc business out of the way, please add your details to this marvelous work of fiction.]

The night was eternal - and yet a time to sleep was declared, and the night crew arose to do the bidding of the day crew. The captain was tasked to stay up as long as he could, so he stayed awake, even as his adjutant was also awake. Company policy didn't dictate exactly when a captain should sleep, but it was common custom to let the captain sleep when a presiding commanding officer was available to take command. But this Captain was not feeling tired, so he fought the urge to sit in the cot.

He watched the bridge and radio operators. At the same time, he opened a flask of whiskey, fresh from home, wherever that was to be. He hadn't visited home for a very long time, only because freights conspired to keep him in the trade. He was the only person in the company to transect the galaxy successfully without port warps, which were restricted to the company for various reasons. The captain knew those reasons, so he took caution to using the long routes.

The freighter was involved in the illicit trades, mostly transporting substances and otherwise illegal equipments in the intergalactic forum. It is understandable to see his predicament. However, his thoughts were becoming consumed - partially by the load he carried, and partially by his desires for home. He began to see visions of his waiting wife and children - if it was his wife and children. He stopped drinking his whiskey at that moment, fearing something great and grave upon him.

Shrieking ensued. Shouts erupted from everywhere, and the captain fell back. He turned to the door, seeing the port blown open by the passenger - Miras. In an instant, the bridge became a slaughterhouse - as Miras ripped through the operating stations, sending the freighter on its cataclysmic course. The alarms buzzed on the ship to empty ears, as he already killed them all. The crew were dead to his claws and his swift action. The ship was a littered graveyard, with room for one more. He turned to the captain with open and bloody claws. The captain shivered in intense fear.

At the same moment, the adjutant saw the captain riddling with his deliriums and ordered the captain to be locked in his quarters for the remainder of the voyage or until his mind was set straight. Obviously the voids of space could conquer the seasoned travelers.

Without the captain on station, Miras woke from his slumber to very surprised guards. He was somewhat tall, judging upon some relative standards available at the moment. He stood about 2 meters tall, with his tail extending at least half his body length. On his back were a line of feathers, a light silver color that gleamed in the light. His scales were a dirty brown color, with a pale body on his belly. His fore limbs were somewhat stunted, although the four claws drew much of the attention. His hind limbs apparently carried most of his physical strength, with power legs and equally impressive talons. In all, there was at least 100 kg set in the bones and muscle.

The guards standing on duty - watching the rise of beast from the ship's infirmary - were uncertain of what to do with this creature. The captain was incapacitated, and there were few other options, so they decided to fire the tranquilizer darts. The moment the weapons popped, the darts froze in the air, and Miras turned his head that direction. He opened his eyes and revealed two solid white orbs in place of the commonly attributed lens organ. The guards now panicked, but were unable to move. In the instant they realized this, the darts inverted and shot straight to the necks of their holders. In seconds they were all asleep, and only echoes in their mind guided them to a comfortable rest.

With his holding company in slumber, Miras ventured out to the main areas, avoiding the contact of others. Though he couldn't hear a single sound, their minds spoke many things and they were all too noisy. He easily read from their minds his exact position on the ship at all times, as well as the positions of others on the ships. If they weren't any louder, he perhaps could have read their movements and intentions as well; but Miras had been trained to take only the knowledge that he needed to sustain his existence - and he did so. Slowly, he ventured from his holding area to an area next to the bridge, were about ten guards stood outside the port leading to the main communication hold area.

He hoped not to elicit any attention from the other sectors, so he walked plainly into their midst and hid their perceptions of his being from their thoughts. To them, they saw nothing, but in their minds there was the perception that something was there, so they all looked there. He walked through the door, and had the man closest to the port lock it shut, with the only override coming from within the chambers itself. Once inside, he revealed himself to the personnel at the bridge, but immediately calmed their thoughts. The adjutant looked at Miras with a calmed perception and noticed that this was the passenger.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Miras.

Miras gave no obvious reply, but in his mind, the adjutant could hear a voice - "I am looking for passage to a star known to me as Ilat. Can you take me there?"

The adjutant gave a stark reply: "I don't know what Ilat is..."

The answer came back equally stark: "I just told you it was a star."

The adjutant nodded. "I'd have to have a star chart, and given the current circumstances, I don't have one. To prevent the wrong course, this freighter has been stripped of its navigation software, to prevent any seizure by ... other people."

Miras smiled from behind his masked face. "You don't need to sugarcoat anything for me. I already know what you carry on this vessel. If my kind were here, we wouldn't be speaking, but judging on my circumstances, I need a way to go to Ilat, and this is the only ship within the next 50 leagues... at least. The point being, the only living elements of psionic radiation are emanating from this ship. So... I cooperate with you if you cooperate with me."

The adjutant replied, "Well, we'd need to drop this stuff off. And maybe from there, we can pick up another ship."

"Indeed. That is the sort of cooperation I like."

The voyage was nearing an end when the captain was returning from his deliriums. Miras was comfortably in the infirmary, awaiting an opportunity to change stations. And the adjutant was wondering just exactly how Miras managed the trip from the infirmary to the deck without being detected and without inciting a lethal reaction from the guards. A deep vibe resonated from within his mind, as the crew continued their regular shifts.

The sapient was coming off his shift and decided to take a break in the lounge area. Of course, the humans went off to their sleeping decks, so he was alone there. But Miras decided to visit the one who knew of him.

"It is a curious thing to find a Kilian in our midst."

The sapient turned around him, looking for the voice, while Miras shielded his perceptions from being fully recognized. He continued his voices - "You know of the visitor on the deck, yet you do nothing for the Guardian? Do you remember your vows?"

The sapient felt that his mind was playing with his guilt - "No. The vows died when the Fedin died."

"They did not die," Miras replied. "They exist even now, but in different states. There was an error, a chaos that threatened the security of the universe, and the Fedin corrected it. But now they are ready to return and restore the order that was once our treasure."

"You turn to the Kilian?"

"No - I turn to a Kilian. Unlike the Fedin, the Kilian are a dying race, and to turn to one who knows of me and my kin, I find a small jewel in the dying universe. Perhaps you are one who can restore your people's glory?"

"We never had glory - it was stolen by them." The sapient tried erase Miras's thoughts from his mind, but inevitably, he found it futile. The Fedin was turning to be more powerful than he had imagined.

"Spending thousands of years in communion with the universe, in the empty voids of space has given me a more complex understanding of the universe, and thus a better appreciation for the role which I have vowed to undertake at the appointed moment. Trust me, there are secrets that even the Fedin thought that they knew, but until one spends an eternity trapped in space, absorbing the vain and the void, there is no knowledge in it. Do you wish to help me or must I procure your willingness by other means?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well, technically you do. But I won't allow the other choice, so the reality is that you have no other choice, because I will force you to help me, and deal with your resignation at another time."

"Then I suppose that I must help you."

"Aye," Miras replied. His servant was holding resignations - he would deal with it later.

Please check TG

In his isolation, there was a wake in the distance. Miras could feel the presence of something - old and withered with time. But whatever it was, it was strong. It was something that could perhaps set him to his tasks. Of course, the timing was impeccable. He had only turned the course of the freighter since the past days, and they had already reached some forms of civilization. But of course, perhaps it was a trick. No... it was not a trick. Still, there were risks to comprehend. He tried to reflect from his ventures in the voids, and reached out, seeing the same old and withered source. It was time.

It was a turning point in the shift, and the lady was returning to her cot. As she sat down, she realized that something was under her and she reeled back up to face Miras. She nearly screamed, but he had control over her panic. He spoke calmly to her.

"I have seen you, and yours is the only one who does not even comprehend what magnitude lies within these confines. Why so?"

The lady shook her head, not wanting to believe any of she had seen. Miras gleamed at her, with his white eyes as looking at her. "You cannot hide from me, Jaime of the Bedron System. The truth is that you are the product of wealth and insatiable desires that seeks to quell its hunger for passions considered obscene and revolting to my kind. And I need not say what these passions are because they dwell within you. But you see, I can offer you something that money could never profit - freedom from these passions that consume your mind and turn it from an implement of great capacities into an animal." Jaime tried to turn away, returned to her shift, but Miras closed the ports and the doors, to prevent her escape. "You are failing to listen to me, although you clearly hear my thoughts," he yelled. In Jaime's mind, she could hear the shrieks of a wild mind penetrating her mind, and the tempest hurt her as she began to cry out in vain. The pain was consuming her mind. Miras stood over her with his arm extended over her head, with the claws nearly touching her head.

"This is the pain of your existence, and I am only unleashing its captive from the protections that your passions have blocked. This is the thousands of people that you have killed, you have hurt, hindered, and otherwise destroyed in your quest to satisfy these passions - the worst of these, fear. You must listen to me!"

At that, Miras stopped his storm and let Jaime fix herself. Her breathing was more chaotic, and it seemed that the storm that Miras had unleashed was still not contained.

"Your captain could not be convinced, which is what drove him to his madness. He was better protected against psionic techniques, which now turns against him, as he is the only one who knows the way to the intended destination. But now, I have corrected the captain's mistake, and with the arrival of those who see, I shall unleash the judgment of millions upon those hundreds in this vessel. For you see, interred within this vessel lies compounds capable of incinerating an entire planet - in fact, the very task it is intended to fulfill: to expose the chemicals to the atmosphere of Kar'Nail, burn unable to escape it, and asphyxiate those who are able to do so. A great number of people live there, and I cannot allow this to happen, so I have forces this vessel to turn away to a new destination - one that houses the right-minded mandates. And while still away from them, I shall liberate the compounds from their task and destroy the bearers.

"But you see, I have not come here to disclose this information to you, for I have come with every intention to liberate your mind from its consuming passions. For the past 5 years, you have sucked existence from those around you, and it would only be fair that you learn now to return to those from whom you once drew existence, to realize the pains of your crimes, and atone for the losses that have been yours alone."

Having said that, Miras revealed a small crystal and laid it on the cot. Jaime was still shaking from her chaos, but slowly she was coming to herself again. "What I hold is a special crystal, beheld only by the Fedin during their time. Since then, I have felt its abuses across the universe, but in my hands, I hold the key to your salvation and to your peace. If you are willing to instill in yourself the path to liberate your mind, then I shall give this to you - such that only you may possess this crystal. For so long as you possess the crystal, regardless of what transpires on this vessel, you will be unaffected by it."

Jaime didn't offer any response. But still, he realized that there was nothing to tell him otherwise, and he gave the crystal to Jaime. She held it in her hands, as Miras seemingly vanished as easily he had appeared. Unaware of what to do with it, she hid it in her pockets.

In his isolation, there was a wake in the distance. Miras could feel the presence of something - old and withered with time. But whatever it was, it was strong. It was something that could perhaps set him to his tasks. Of course, the timing was impeccable. He had only turned the course of the freighter since the past days, and they had already reached some forms of civilization. But of course, perhaps it was a trick. No... it was not a trick. Still, there were risks to comprehend. He tried to reflect from his ventures in the voids, and reached out, seeing the same old and withered source. It was time.


It was a turning point in the shift, and the lady was returning to her cot. As she sat down, she realized that something was under her and she reeled back up to face Miras. She nearly screamed, but he had control over her panic. He spoke calmly to her.

"I have seen you, and yours is the only one who does not even comprehend what magnitude lies within these confines. Why so?"

The lady shook her head, not wanting to believe any of she had seen. Miras gleamed at her, with his white eyes as looking at her. "You cannot hide from me, Jaime of the Bedron System. The truth is that you are the product of wealth and insatiable desires that seeks to quell its hunger for passions considered obscene and revolting to my kind. And I need not say what these passions are because they dwell within you. But you see, I can offer you something that money could never profit - freedom from these passions that consume your mind and turn it from an implement of great capacities into an animal." Jaime tried to turn away, returned to her shift, but Miras closed the ports and the doors, to prevent her escape. "You are failing to listen to me, although you clearly hear my thoughts," he yelled. In Jaime's mind, she could hear the shrieks of a wild mind penetrating her mind, and the tempest hurt her as she began to cry out in vain. The pain was consuming her mind. Miras stood over her with his arm extended over her head, with the claws nearly touching her head.

"This is the pain of your existence, and I am only unleashing its captive from the protections that your passions have blocked. This is the thousands of people that you have killed, you have hurt, hindered, and otherwise destroyed in your quest to satisfy these passions - the worst of these, fear. You must listen to me!"

At that, Miras stopped his storm and let Jaime fix herself. Her breathing was more chaotic, and it seemed that the storm that Miras had unleashed was still not contained.

"Your captain could not be convinced, which is what drove him to his madness. He was better protected against psionic techniques, which now turns against him, as he is the only one who knows the way to the intended destination. But now, I have corrected the captain's mistake, and with the arrival of those who see, I shall unleash the judgment of millions upon those hundreds in this vessel. For you see, interred within this vessel lies compounds capable of incinerating an entire planet - in fact, the very task it is intended to fulfill: to expose the chemicals to the atmosphere of Kar'Nail, burn unable to escape it, and asphyxiate those who are able to do so. A great number of people live there, and I cannot allow this to happen, so I have forces this vessel to turn away to a new destination - one that houses the right-minded mandates. And while still away from them, I shall liberate the compounds from their task and destroy the bearers.

"But you see, I have not come here to disclose this information to you, for I have come with every intention to liberate your mind from its consuming passions. For the past 5 years, you have sucked existence from those around you, and it would only be fair that you learn now to return to those from whom you once drew existence, to realize the pains of your crimes, and atone for the losses that have been yours alone."

Having said that, Miras revealed a small crystal and laid it on the cot. Jaime was still shaking from her chaos, but slowly she was coming to herself again. "What I hold is a special crystal, beheld only by the Fedin during their time. Since then, I have felt its abuses across the universe, but in my hands, I hold the key to your salvation and to your peace. If you are willing to instill in yourself the path to liberate your mind, then I shall give this to you - such that only you may possess this crystal. For so long as you possess the crystal, regardless of what transpires on this vessel, you will be unaffected by it."

Jaime didn't offer any response. But still, he realized that there was nothing to tell him otherwise, and he gave the crystal to Jaime. She held it in her hands, as Miras seemingly vanished as easily he had appeared. Unaware of what to do with it, she hid it in her pockets.

The Kilian was in the core, doing his typical hourly maintenance check. In the instant, Miras appeared before him.

The Kilian was taken aback by the surprise, chiding under his breath: "Is this a common trait among your kind?"

"So you criticize me for having not expected my arrival?" Miras replied as he allowed the Kilian to pass through him to his task. "The truth is that it was expected that you ought not have expected, so things are in their right still."

"It seems that you easily prove the myths. Twisting reality to fit it in your perspective."

Miras immediately grabbed the Kilian's hands as he entered a code into the system, with sly remark to accompany it: "Many things may be said of reality, but until you understand that the perspective you see with your eyes and hear with your ears is not the true perspective, then you shall remain blind in whatever limited perspectives you carry. But as you can see, I hold your hands in stasis over the control pad, where a wrong error will prematurely scrub the core before it has been vented. That would cause a cataclysmic reaction, and you know, I would hate for that to happen before the destined moment. But you see, now that I hold your hand, you yourself now hold the keys to this ship and whether it will survive the next three minutes."

"I have to put in the code first to activate the scrubs."

With that, Miras moved the Kilian's hands to the reset button and slowly began punching in the code to scrub the core. The Kilian became anxious.

"Do not taunt what you do not understand. Now listen to me. You are one of those who knows what is on this ship - volatile chemical that reacts readily with oxygen to yield a high-energy combustion reaction, oxidizing the organic supplements in the compound. It doubles as ignition fluid in ships, but when immersed in a planet's atmosphere in sufficient amounts, it can rapidly deplete the source of oxygen for that planet. Of course, doing so will consume the vessel on which the chemical is being dispensed, but so much better for those responsible - it removed the evidence of the kill."

"Stop!" With that, Miras held the Kilian's finger over the last segment in the code. Gently and calmly, the hand moved back to the reset button and from there, the Kilian remained silent and still. "I could just as easily eliminate that problem from ever occurring, but then I risk losing a mode of transportation. And you see, I want to leave this ship. I have other missions to accomplish, but for the moment, I will satisfy the necessity to stop the death of Kar'Nail.

"I am here to offer you an opportunity to redeem yourself. All that I ask is a little action on your behalf. You may know that I have conspired against this ship, since I was first brought on board. The captain's madness is a slight evidence of this; the deterrence at the bridge when I visited the adjutant would be further evidence; but you know, the greatest evidence comes not from the action but the intention. And as far as I can read, the intention is hidden in the mess that is to be the death of the Viskay, at the hands of the core operator, who carelessly mistypes the core codes. His last meeting with a Guardian is either forgotten or misinterpreted. And we shall see just how well you are prepared for this."

The Kilian looked cautiously at Miras. "You expect me... to simply destroy this ship?"

"You know how to do so, and I'd rather that you do it of your own volition. After all, I could simply introduce oxygen into the carrier holds on this ship, causing a spontaneous combustion reaction that overheats the ship, killing all on board and likewise exhausting the chemical supply. But then, the burden of proof is upon me."

"Do I have a choice?"

"You already know the answer. But allow me to expunge a little of my reasoning. I was selected by the Dominion Council to rein in order and harmony - how I did so was in accordance to my decisions. My primary task to prepare the way for the return of the Fedin to their righteous Order, ordained since the times of the Kitun and the One Tiv. Since their departure to other realms, we were the Guardians. We were those from the stars whose existence dwelt around them and within them. In the days of the Consular Migin, a threat surfaced - a grave threat. To which we disappeared in order to exterminate the threat. I was left for the myriad of time, in the voids of space to acquire the knowledge and the potential to return the Fedin to our place. I have the knowledge; I have the potential; all that is wanting is the will to do what has ordained and destined. And as a Fedin, I cannot simply allow a freighter that seeks the death of millions to pass to its objective. Even now, the task is done - but there still remains a threat. The chemicals on this ship must be exhausted, so there will be no more threat. The captain must be eliminated, so his threat will cease. And those that accompany him must likewise perish to the void. Save one - who has been selected already, and awaits the moment."

"Me?"

"Not you," Miras replied, almost laughing in his thoughts. The Kilian could sense the humor from the response. "You haven't proven anything to me that is worth my time. The one has shown to me true apathy for her intentions. For one as passionate her, she shares no true emotions, having quelled her fear, her rage, her desire. She has formed her bestial identity, and I have mercy for her - she knows not what she does because her guilt blinds her thoughts."

"It's a female?"

"Yes, but not the one whom you conceive. She is a hidden one - because of her apathy. But I remind you, our three minutes have nearly expired. Do you seek redemption whole-heartedly or should I conclude this business? If you do so, enter the scrub code and I will provide for you and her sanctuary with me." With that, Miras released his grip upon the Kilian's body, and watched him do his business. The Kilian reluctantly typed in the code, with Miras watching.

At the last press of the button, Miras suddenly fell into convulsions and collapsed on the floor. The Kilian, seeing what kind of agony had befallen Miras, quickly pressed ran out of the core and headed for the bridge deck. His lumbering body rushed through the elevator port, surprised to see Miras waiting on the other side. "You seriously thought that you could trick me?"

The Kilian gasped and pleadingly excused his actions: "I was calling for the doctor."

"A fool's choice of words. There are no doctors on illegal freighters, but even now your mistake is being corrected by the absent-minded man, who indulges in the plastic femmes. He comes by to check upon you, but he notices your absence. He now casually walks into the chamber - seeing the code ready, without you to finish it - presses the button..."

Jaime woke in a white chamber, a translucent glow surrounding the entire sphere. The ship on which she was sleeping was gone. She glanced around, seeing that things were still and silent - Miras was out of sight.

She checked herself - her uniform was untouched, her pistol was set in its holster, even her dagger was in the right place. Her body had been unmolested, but somehow, she was moved from her quarters to a quiet orb, undoubtedly drifting in space somewhere. She rose from her cot and ventured to explore the giant orb. It was cavernous, and within the confines, her steps echoed harmoniously. If she was in space, she wasn't certain how it was traveling - or it was even traveling.

"Hello?" she said gently, her voice reverberating the whole length of the vessel. At moments, she felt that she could see the vibrations feed through the air, as a visual symphony of colors, but it was only at moments, and it was almost like visions of sorts. After a while, the ship became plainly echoing, and whispers filled her mind from all directions. It began as a small torrent, but after minutes, it was a rushing wind of voices, all monotonous and raging at the same time. It was unbearable at that time.

"What you hear are the voices of your own reasoning, excised through the mediations of a silent hole in the galaxy. They are being freed, as well as your true feelings and your true thoughts - if only to allow you to begin the liberation of your mind."

Instantly, the voices disappeared from her mind, and Miras appeared walking towards a panel on the opposite side of the room - a panel that was either not noticed earlier or simply not there. But Miras had changed somewhat. Earlier, he was a bare body; now, he had arcs that swiveled over his shoulders and above his legs, converging at the center of his back and chest [from a distance, it appeared to run through his body]. The arcs were gleaming with a light silvery glow, which gave her the impression that they were electrified. Along his left side was a drooping cloth, a silky silvery cloak that contrasted greatly with his dirty brown scales. Nonetheless, it was the same stunning color as the arcs and the feathers, and the reason for the uniform color became a mystery to her.

"Come! We have much to share before those who are destined to arrive do arrive. Your mind is riddled with locks, and hopefully, I will have the patience to undo the locks and release you to the free mind."

"Who's coming?" Jaime asked.

Miras turned around and glanced at her. For the first time, she saw his white eyes gleam as much his other ornaments. "They are ones whom I suspect to be from the Elders - but at this distance, I cannot sense it completely. There is not much company with him, if any. And he comes on a ship that is foreign to my eyes. But that is perhaps everything is now foreign to me, having spent an exile with the stars. But come; we have work to fulfill."

Jaime rightly approached Miras and began to ask about everything on the ship, and before she realized what she was asking, she realized that she was receiving no answers. She wondered why, but of course - she wasn't even saying a word, and even as she spoke no words, she realized that she understood the answers without having heard them.

"What's going on?"

"I have the liberty of confining our conversations in the mind - it's faster and more direct. As you can see, your comprehension exceeds your own knowledge."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"To you? You have done this to yourself. The scolded mass of meat lying day by day, night by night to satisfy the basal desires of your existence - hunger, thirst, safety, pleasure. The problem I have seen in you is your own existence; you live by them, but in living by them, you live nothing. Haven't you noticed how often the food you eat satisfies you less? The water quenches less of your thirst? The weapons and company around you cannot protect you from even those untamed fears? All of the men in the world cannot seem satisfy you? The rush of adrenaline, the drugs you've injected, swallowed, snorted, inhaled, and otherwise disposed in your body - they no longer please you? You have seen it, for you have the cognition still, but like your emotions, your reasoning - they have tamed by lack of authority. You have chosen to surrender your identity for the simple things. You roam like animals without a master, a body without a head, an existence without a purpose.

"You are feeling something inside - that is good. The locks are coming from your bondage. You know you have a purpose, but the truth is that it is buried in your passions. It is whispering to you in every moment, and in every passing moment, it falls on deaf ears. Listen to it!"

At the moment, the orb becomes silent. Jaime looks around, trying to hear whatever Miras is trying to show to her. Miras seems to bask wholly in it, and it leaves her wondering what exactly he is talking about. Miras senses her frustration.

"We shall stop this here - your mind is tired and must rest. After all, you are now stages ahead of where you once stood. In due time, you will come realize your purpose, where you have spent an entire existence passing in nonchalance. It will return to you. In the meantime, we must greet our visitors."

[ooc: to those whom have spoken with me, you may now post your respective posts, although I was half-way waiting for it anyways...]

Vanden System:

“Commander, Status Call, Channel Beta.”

Gel’Van was distracted from the reports he had been trying to finish when his aide sent him the message. He sighed and pushed the work aside, he actually welcomed the distraction because it allowed him to get away from the paperwork. He hated paperwork even though paper wasn’t used for centuries. It frankly bored him and he would delegate as much of it to his subordinates as he could get away with but some things needed his personal attention.

Gel’Van connected to the COMM system and open a link.

“Gel’Van here, what is so urgent?”

“Sir, The Watchers have detected an explosion at the edge of our buffer zone. Long range scanners place it at 9.86 Ly away.”

“And why is this urgent?”

“Spectra-analysis detected traces of Tri-Hydrogen compounds.”

“Some nations use that as plain ignition fluid for their engines. If they were one, it would be naturally present.”

“No Sir, not in these quantities. It was either a tanker or…”

“…someone smuggling a WMD a little too close to our borders. At this distance, there isn’t enough time to arrive in order to save anyone unless they made it to a lifepod. Send out a destroyer with two frigates providing escort. If there was a WMD close to here, there might be others looking for it.”

“Yes Sir, right away.”

Gel’Van closed his link and looked at the work before him. He sighed and began to work on it again. Hopefully he would get this done in time to do the paperwork on the explosion. WMDs were one of those things he could not pawn off onto his men.



Short time later:

Three ships faded into existence as they Emerged from T-Space into Real Space. The two smaller ships cut to the right and left, fanning out to take guarding positions while the Destroyer itself slowly moved forward towards the wreckage field, scanning for any signs of lifepods. Aboard The Disciple, Captain Er’Dun watched his crew performing their tasks. Their minds were linked directly to the ship’s sensors, controlling them to make infinitesimal changes to detect anything out of the ordinary. Even though it was not one of the naval Interceptor ships, the Vengeance Class Destroyer was still considered advanced by many standards of comparisons.

“What are we detecting? Was it a tanker or something else?”

“Building a composite of the vessel from analysis of the wreckage.”

Er’Dun watched as the sensors detected and placed the pieces of the ship together in the holo-display. Slowly the shape of a ship began to appear The largest pieces were tagged into place first and smaller ones were later placed as stress fractures of the pieces were used to determine the difference between original shape or the twisted shards that now floated outside the destroyer. The nose of the ship took form first to be followed by some of the tougher struts and other substructures.

“Is there enough plotted to determine the make of the ship?”

“Affirmative, it appears to be a cargo vessel. The most damage took place in the cargo hold and the engines. The larger pieces conform to the parts of the ship furthest from those two areas. It doesn’t appear to be a tanker, more likely a smuggler’s ship. It certainly isn’t military although there were signs of weapon mounts. They were disguised so it appears the ship was operating outside the letter of the law.”

“About much Tri-Hydrogen detected?”

“Estimating from the size of the blast, enough to destroy the atmosphere of an entire planet.”

“Sir, I’ve detected something. It looks like it was thrown away from the ship by the blast.”

“Bring The Disciple along sides to investigate.”

“Yes Sir.”

The destroyer began to move towards the anomaly…

The anomaly was as it appeared a small orb, almost invisible. If its presence was not immersed in psionic energies and an almost blatantly large refraction of cosmic radiation, it would have passed undetected. But still it was surprising to see such an object, at such a low velocity as well. The scanners indicated no life on board the orb, but given its natural propensity for psionic energies, either the orb was living itself or the inhabitants were extremely cautious. The scanners went over the orb again, but biological organisms seemed absent. The scanners did detect compounds, but they seemed embedded in the orb itself.

Judging the scars on the edge, the orb was no where near the explosion - in fact, it seemed to emanate from the explosion, but the shear size and mass did not fit into the original ship's designs. The orb remained an anomaly as matches for its templates were unfounded. The captain looked upon all of the data and sent a patch to his subordinates - SEARCH HISTORICAL DESIGNS. Given the vastness of space, it was possible that the orb did not originate from the explosion, and was only by coincidence near the vessel when it did explode. Of course, the topical information did not match the hypothesis - yet not much else explained the current situation.

"Captain, we have a cryptic message coming to your dials. We are trying to verify its source, but it seems to be coming from the anomaly. Shall we permit the message to pass?" Without another remark from his subordinates, the station became disabled and the Captain saw before him another organism standing in his midst. Undeterred, the Captain made ready his weapons to defend himself.

"If you attack me, evidence of your struggle will never pass beyond these walls, and I'd rather not risk having to destroy a beautiful craft at the misleading thoughts of a mindling. But I am pressed for time, so I hope that you will forgive my delayed introductions. At the moment, I am commandeering this craft before yours and on board is a simian sentient - a human so called. Her vitals are stable, but unfortunately, the atmosphere in my vessel are not fit to sustain her. Your craft happens to house such an atmosphere, and I do not wish to cause her death at my hands. I need permission to access one of your vessels and board. I can guarantee you that I have no foul intentions for your crews or your mission here. In fact I am glad to see you, but I shall spare the feelings for another moment. Shall you grant me permission to board and to which vessel shall I affix?"

The captain stowed his sidearm away once he realized the apparition before him was truly that, a non-corporeal projection. Firing any weapon at an illusion will no nothing more than generate damage on the wall behind them. Er’Dun patiently listened to the message that was being delivered to him.

"If you attack me, evidence of your struggle will never pass beyond these walls, and I'd rather not risk having to destroy a beautiful craft at the misleading thoughts of a mindling. But I am pressed for time, so I hope that you will forgive my delayed introductions. At the moment, I am commandeering this craft before yours and on board is a simian sentient - a human so called. Her vitals are stable, but unfortunately, the atmosphere in my vessel are not fit to sustain her. Your craft happens to house such an atmosphere, and I do not wish to cause her death at my hands. I need permission to access one of your vessels and board. I can guarantee you that I have no foul intentions for your crews or your mission here. In fact I am glad to see you, but I shall spare the feelings for another moment. Shall you grant me permission to board and to which vessel shall I affix?"

“You have permission to board The Disciple. Preparations are already beginning for your arrival. The flight deck will be ready by the time you arrive and medical staff will be on hand for your passenger.”

“I might add, it is refreshing to meet another Psion, we are so far and few that such meetings need to be treasured. We have much to share. You are welcome to enter my ship.”

The orb suddenly changed shape and became instantly a streamline cruise, with a fixable port. Surprisingly, the ship linked easily with The Disciple and it was only a matter of time before the hatches opened to the interior of the ship - a mystery to those around. Whatever it was, it was dark, echoing the darkness of space. It was as if they peered into the void itself - because inside, it echoed nothing. Yet, Miras came out with the human in his hands, and he passed her to the medical authorities. She was unconscious - and thus an unlikely witness to what was on that ship [if anything]. But Miras himself was dressed in full attire - the silver arcs over his shoulders and legs and bending straight into his chest, as if through it and to his back. The silvery cloak that mirrored the silvery feathers adorning his back - and surprisingly, a silver holster holding some curious armaments.

But Er’Dun was curious about the ship, as it was his business to recover the ships of the area. To his dismay, the portal shut close and all radar indications showed that the ship had simply vanished. Miras looked nonchalantly forward to his greeting company, blind in sight but full of its perceptions.

And at the moment, Miras gave a hint of his feelings through his beaded eyes and passed a quick - albeit powerful - thought:

"Do the Overlords still reign over the Kirisian systems? Or are those still legends?"

"Do the Overlords still reign over the Kirisian systems? Or are those still legends?"

Er’Dun was taken aback by the single thought projected to him by the seemingly blind reptile. If he had actually been flesh and blood, the surprise would have caused his face to drain in color. Luckily he was employing the common practice of creating a secondary mind to simply project the illusionary and psychokinetic fields that his body consisted of. If he hadn’t, the entire illusion would have collapsed.

“What did you say?” was all he could send back in return, half in disbelief of what he heard and half in wanting to hear it. After a moment, his training took over and his demeanor settled so he was able to act correctly.

“It is to my understanding the Kirisian system still lies the same way we encountered it long ago, devastated by the mammalian inhabitants who were extremely xenophobic as a testimony to what that will cause. How do you know of Kirisian? How do you know of The Overlords? While either alone would invoke curiosity, using them together demands attention.”

“We have searched more than two millennium for a way back to our kin, ever since we were separated from them. We have found possible clues and hints in ancient archeological digs that have led us in countless dead ends. We have done everything as a nation we could to look for a way to be reunited with those we lost long ago. Balrogga has hunted the dimensional matrixes for possible signs of them, mastered arts both scientific and metaphysical, and sent out countless explorations searching for any sigh of our past, any link that would lead us home.”

“Now we detect an explosion and when we come to see what caused it, we find you. The first thing you ask after boarding this ship is about our past and our history. This is the only answer I can truthfully give to you.”

Er’Dun concentrated his being upon the stranger so he would know the Ta’Nar was speaking the absolute truth.

“As Overlords, we did but as Balrogga we no longer know.”

Miras threw back the projection, calmly and almost harmonically, allowing Er'Dun to reclaim his thoughts. "You answer well and truthfully. That is all I could ask of you. As to how I know of it, there are tales of our kin that predate the Overlords - neither greater nor lesser, simply older. You should listen more to your mind than your ears, for you will hear more and to much greater depths than simply what biological constructions can procure of the physical world.

"No doubt, the reasons the Overlords were lost to us is nothing that we can comprehend. But I surprised that of the Kirisian systems, that you fail to mention the ones who led the way for the Overlords - the ones who spawned the portals, the ones who made ready the conquest of the Kirisian systems, the ones who were the servile and the orderly. You gaze upon them, and while we have not our senses, the Ta'Nar have somewhat diminished from their predecessors. I do not know whether to lament or to render instruction. But that is my purpose, because you see, it is time for the Guardian to return - and perhaps with the return of the Guardians will come the reunion to the Ta'Nar with their own kin.

"Of course, I can't guarantee it. In fact, I'd doubt that even if the Overlords did return that you would recognize them. But your mastery of the psionics is indeed impressive. Compared to your minions at least, you could capasize this entire ship upon itself and you would be the only other being around to testify to its demise. But neither the Fedin nor the Ta'Nar are destructive species, and they are not the seekers of the chaos that makes the lives of those not attuned to these frequencies. We have much to share and so little to share of it - let us make haste to your return, as your superiors are even now pondering what could happen to such a massive craft, disposed by its own reckless flaws and malicious intentions."

Miras calmly walked forward to Er'Dun, and laid down his holster at a table. It was the hilt of a Kirisian saber, with extended from the hilt at the moment of ready combat. For a Fedin, Er'Dun was surprised to see Miras carrying it - considering that he wouldn't really need it in a combat setting. "Come now," Miras said, somewhat interrupting Er'Dun's thoughts, "We must often leave the artifacts of the past to make ready the way of the future. With that on our mind, you wouldn't want me to enter your chambers while so readily armed, would you?"

“Truthfully, it would have to be a spectacular weapon to harm me. I gave up my body long ago and physical weaponry would pass through me as if I didn’t exist. Actually, that would be the case. It is the Empowered ones we need to be on guard about for they would affect the mind itself and thus affect us. Besides, I feel that I may trust you at this time. I appreciate the gesture and will also remove the sidearm I carry out of habit.”

Er’Dun removed the sidearm and placed it next to the saber that came from their apparent shared past. The display was almost a symbolic representation of the Past and the Present meeting to form a possible future.



OOC:

Take over the meeting, this is after all your story.

They entered the chamber. It was a void, almost as much as the outside space - a perfect meditation chamber to reflect the energies emitting from all nearby organisms. But Miras did not stop to meditate - he glanced through his hollow eyes and focused his attention to the Captain, who cautiously, curiously, perhaps even anxiously awaited Miras's words. This was symbollic meeting for the Ta'Nar - but it was much more for Miras.

"Upon my return to this realm, I would have found worse company to accompany me on my mission - but even the Fates will intervene to grant me a virtuous companion and even a wise one. Far greater than the loads of criminals set to the tasks of destruction, but I will leave that at rest, as you are well aware of our circumstance. You knows its cause and its consequences, and hence your mission here is over.

"But let me begin with my tale, as it is only proper for me to grant my host a most cherished introduction - my first if memory is not to fail me since my return. I am Miras, borne of the Matriarch Ainan of the Ditrios Tribe, and conceived with the task to settle the path for the return of the Fedin Dominion. We are the Guardians of the Stars, a task that was entitled to us by the Divine Right and the Judges - your Overlords. Since our conception, we have striven to accomplish our aims to protect the stars, to utilize their potential for the Right Dominion, until we encountered a greater evil than anything could have been surmised. It was an evil that struck us hard and we realized that our only hope to accomplish this gain was exile - and exile we did. We purged those elements that threatened the order of the universe, and have since yearned to return.

"The time is now - and we are ready to return. There is an opening in the void at the temple of Ilat - a system that is far from this position. And within the opening lies the key to the conception of the return. I have not yet found Ilat on any of your navigation charts, but this is expected. It is an opening, not a system per se. And even within the opening, there are many tasks to complete to unleash the power given by its source. And Ilat has been opened by those who protect it - but they will not keep it open for long.

"Hence, why I call to you." Miras paused for a moment, a well-timed hiatus in his discourse. Er'Dun waited patiently to hear the full story, wondering all the same what went through Miras's thoughts. But Miras continued, "I have come a long way to accomplish what needs to be completed, and I must appeal to you and your kind to help re-establish the order, as it was. Your predecessors were the ones to give us sight, and for that long while, we have seen. But in the time that has passed, your kind has lost some of its sight as well, and perhaps it is only that little gratitude that I can offer for your help, if I can help you find the connections with the predecessors. Of course, I do not know where to what domain the Overlords have retired, as there are many, and ours is only one of the many domains. But if this is all done, perhaps yours can find solace with restoring the lost connections.

"But we can speak more of these on our venture. First, we must make way to the star Giran. It is a nova, ready to burst - and with its energy, we can find our way to Ilat. But our timing must be right, so it is best if we departed now, unless you have other questions that you would wish to ask of me in this present moment - which hopefully will stir some of our time."

[ooc: I have a story... but as you will see in latter discourses, the majority of the story is as it comes, so I don't mind having several tangents on the story, to come to whatever conclusion that it may bring. After all, if I wanted to write a story, I would have typed it out myself...]

[ooc: a side story]

When Jaime awoke, she found herself in a gleaming meadow and a calming wind was blowing over her. In the distance were trees, likely lining a some water. The skies were clear, and the sun's appearance was small but warming still. The ground was nonetheless wet, likely in the aftermath of an overnight storm, and perhaps those clouds on the edge of the horizon gave indication to its current location.

"This can't be real," she idly remarked.

"It isn't real." Miras - he suddenly appeared out of no where and was standing, fully cladden in his crystalline armor, with a breastplate folding over his chest and the arcs and a small helmet adorning his anterior skull. The crystal was more opaque, but altogether maintained its silvery tone. Jaime was still weary of his presence, but to see him here did not surprise her. In fact, after all that she had experienced, expecting him was almost second nature.

"If this isn't real, what is it?" Jaime replied.

"Oh, I will take it that you don't understand the nature of reality and possibility," Miras answered, not truly answering. "In one realm, we have what is possible. And of the possible, there are many. Some realms are too impractical however that never intersect with reality, and hence what exist in reality is only ever a limited perception of what we perceive to be possible, which in truth goes without bound into several other alternative realities that are not real. This is one of them, and it only exists because it is in your mind, your subconscious dreams of a return home. This is home for you - no one but yourself on a lonely plain in the wake of grizzly storm and leaves for you a wet paradise. But the reason why you are conscious of its existence if because I have made it that way for you. After all, we are all subjects of our own dreams and fantasies - only some of us are able to make them real. Or in your instance, surreal."

"This is nonsense," Jaime said, picking herself up and walking away from Miras.

"Hah, it's already starting to change you," Miras smirked. Jaime only stopped to wonder he meant by that; and Miras answered her, "You are the only one who you know who will react to all nonsense with a cursory or vulgar expression. And yet, even you now call it nonsense. My mutation of your psionic energies is working, and for your betterment."

"Why are you doing this?" Jaime then shot out, her words in discord with nearly everything that Miras was saying. "I mean, I'm some low-lying SOB who has nothing better to do than sit abroad some pirated vessel and watch it go somewhere else. So what if it was carrying tri-hydrides? So what if it was aiming the destruction of some low-off world? I don't care."

"And how long ago did you ever rationally explode your emotions?" Miras replied. "How long ago did you ever conceive that you didn't care? How long ago did you realize that your entire existence was a secret nonchalance?"

Jaime paused in her thoughts. Miras captured the moment with a final thought: "You do care. And because you do care, you are able to feel the things that you had long ago cast aside in rage, in hate, in fear. And it is as I have hoped to free you. For you see, we are all ourselves when we have the opportunity to return home. Home is the place where we go when the world turns against us, and for you - it was that one pleasure that the world itself hid from you. But you have seen home - it exists. It may be not real, but for us, it shall suffice to know that it exists, and that perhaps in our era of possibility, you too can go home."

Miras left her, vaporizing serenely in the wind as Jaime continued to wander in her dreams. She began to realize that the things that Miras had been saying - they were becoming true for her. And she didn't know what to say about it all.

Ilat - where is it?

Its position was given to him and he still knew not where to begin to seek it. But the keys to the path there were given to him. The nova Giran made way to the beginnings of the path. But Miras knew not where it led, because despite his knowledge of the vastness of space, he could not feel the place to where he was being led. There were Forces at work, and the Fates had given him only enough to pass to the next point.

Of all these conjectures, he knew that the warp at Giran would not lead directly to Ilat. It was as always - the riddles that would confound his kind and the kinds of those who could at least comprehend the nature of the riddles. Giran was the first place, which would lead to another place that would tell him where next to travel. And as he pondered these things, no doubt aware that his thoughts were being watched, he only hoped that the hospitality of his hosts would be enough to have the mission done.

Er’Dun listened carefully to the story Miras was carefully unfolding. As he was listening, a part of his mind reached out and contacted his superior officer back in the Vanden system. He wanted to be sure the admiral knew the situation as it was unfolding. After Miras finished, Er’Dun felt the touch in the back of his mind and the thoughts of G’Aal speaking to him. He turned to Miras again and spoke.

“I have been in communication with my superior officer and related her your tale. She has granted me permission to make sure your task is fulfilled. The Disciple and her escorts will see you through the path that seems to be taking both of us for an adventure.”

“I will request transport to the Giran system. It should only take us ten minutes and we will be there. Do wormholes cause you any discomfort?”


A short distance away, the space/time continuum seemed to collapse into a vortex of raw fury. The anomaly quickly stabilized and formed a tunnel at the center of the maw. The Disciple paused at the edge, poised to leap into the aperture.




OOC:

I am really impressed with your writing skills. You are very skilled.

[ooc: thank you :D it's nice to hear that it's appreciated.]

Miras felt the ship pass through the space, and it arrived at Giran, a red giant. On glance, the star appeared to be fine, and its gravitational force was relatively stable. The cataclysm that normally predates a nova explosion was absent completely, and it was curious to all those witnessing the star. But Miras knew that there was more to the star than what it appeared to be. He was a Guardian - he knew how to manipulate it.

"Your kind uses singularities to generate wormholes," Miras told Er'Dun. "But tell me, have you ever witnessed the raw strength of a nova? Is that not the story of the Kirisian systems? The ones who hid from civilization only to be extinguished by their own fear? They were once the pride of a galaxy, and yet because of their fear, they became isolated and drew the strengths of their kind to sustain itself. The isolation brewed hatred, anger, and fear of those from whom they so segregated. That is the power of a nova. But you see, the nova has but one method to express its power - it must consume itself. And the Guardians were those who freed the stars from that fate. But you see, that is the general prospect for all aging objects. They become lost, and seek into themselves - as the Kilian had done. They went out and conquered what they could not understand, and in time chose not to understand it at all. They went out and sought the ways of rage, to become the hegemonic rulers of a vast emptiness. And the Ta'Nar sent themselves to end it. And when the end came - I can only imagine what the Kilian did - their homes were cavernous ruins of a failed state, that showed no willingness to adapt.

"You asked earlier why I mentioned the Kirisian systems? It is irony sometimes to review it and wonder what could have happened if your kind managed to persuade the Kilian to turn away from a life of ignorance, to turn from their rage, their hatred, their fear... perhaps a greater civilization would have come. Instead, there is nothing but a dead mass, left untouched since the lessons there were learned. In a way, Giran will tell us more what we can do with conversion of a chaotic element to the means of a better way - to a harmonic stability. And for that reason, the Guardians shall return."

Er'Dun nodded through Miras's discourse, not fully understanding why he was speaking the message. Of course, he understood the allusions, but what was its significance? Giran was a dying star, as it had been documented on star navigation charts for the longest time. But what would Giran uncover of a new entity - Ilat? And was it something that he already knew but was uncertain of what it really was, or was it completely novel? Of course, it was why he was accompanying Miras through his venture.

"Oh, and by the way," Miras added at the end. "If you have anything more to speak with your superiors, I would strongly encourage you to discuss it now, before the cataclysm commences. If you are ready, let me know."

[ooc: last chance for pre-warp discourse...]

“We don’t just harness singularities for the wormholes, we use them to power the conventional systems of this ship as well as offensively but only when needed. The wormhole device was created for long distance travel so we could tie together our systems. The Balrogga Empire has their territory spread throughout this galaxy linked by wormholes. Each system we claimed was one that a clue in our search led us to. We claimed the system and set up camp searching through the ruins of lost civilizations hoping to find The Overlords.”

The Ta’Nar seemed to let out a mental sigh, one that Miras could feel as well as hear. The long waiting and searching was felt. Thousands of years trying to return home.

“You see, after the ship we were on crashed, we were stuck on that forgotten world. There was something in the electromagnetic field that prevented technology from working. A high ion field was the guess but we didn’t have the equipment functional to even test the theory, only the auroras that were visible both night and day. The local humanoid inhabitants were very primitive, barely at the shaman level of society. That was when Nhur-Galladu proposed the plan. We each picked one of the shamans throughout the world and inhabited their bodies, like a second spirit. We enriched those early humans and brought forth a rich society based upon the manipulation of the natural manna fields to achieve miracles. We produced a nation whose inhabitants were talented in the use of meta-magic, or Eldritch Powers. While other mages could throw lightning and fire, we manipulated the energies themselves to cause them to act as out will desired. After more than 900 years of this, we had finally achieved the power we needed. We all converged and settled the islands where our ship had crashed and invoked the greatest spell of all. We moved the islands off that world and onto another. Unfortunately, we moved ourselves away from where we could find our brethren again.”

“If we were in the same universe, we would have detected The Overlords through the Link we all share. The link only transferred our voices, never the ones we searched for.”

“We had another uplifting to achieve with the human hosts we brought along with us when we appeared on Earth. We had to first make them immune to the bacilli and viri on that new world. We delved into genetics and began a program that lasted almost another 700 years where not only did they develop immunities to the native bugs, but we brought out their latent psionic abilities. That was just the first step of a long journey. The humans were further uplifted until they were evolved to a point where they could leave their bodies behind and become more like our forms. We even called them Childer like our cousins had in that other place they are. We did that to remind us of our duties to protect them and to keep them on the right path like we learned at the Kirisian system.”

Er’Dun paused for a moment, looking out the view port at the doomed star.

“If only to complete our work with our Childer, we must continue on the path we already started. It is never acceptable to leave something half finished.”

He turned to face Miras again.

“We are all ready, each and every one of us on these three ships.”

Miras nodded.

"Valiant is the knight who strolls unhindered,
Whose willing works have been all well considered -
Despite troubles ahead,
Fortunes lost instead -
He makes ready the ridden life he has rendered."

With those words - amusingly poetic despite the language spoken - Miras held out his hands suddenly and fixed his psionic energy onto Giran. Er'Dun looked carefully at this pose, as he received reports from his bridge. "Captain, the star has progressed in an active state. It is ready to nova in 16 seconds."

Er'Dun acknowledged the report, and let things continue the way that they were already heading. The singularity generated by the nova wouldn't be enough to cause a catastrophic warp, but controlled by psionic energies, it was boundless in its possibilities. But it was especially dangerous. Using the chaotic energy of a nova, it was obvious that Miras could the direct the energy in any direction that he could desire, channeling whatever force existed in the explosion. It perhaps would have been enough to skip many dimensional peripheries - but of course, Miras did not know where to go - lest alone, where he would be going. Nonetheless, Er'Dun trusted Miras enough to allow it to continue. It was obvious that in any case, the star was committed to exploding, and Miras controlling it insured some protection for their mission.

"3...2...1..."

A white flash came upon everyone in the three vessels, and the sudden warp consumed them all. It was like death perhaps, or at least as people had spoken of death. The white flash and at the end of the view was a new frontier. The reality was seemingly unlike the old ways - where was once a star was now empty space, a void. A quick evaluation in the system revealed that the navigation charts were now obsolete, indicating that the ships were no longer in known territory. It would take some time before the ships recalibrated to whatever space was present, but in the meantime, Miras would take his leave.

"My mind needs rest," he said to Er'Dun, weakly almost. "Once I return, I will have the destination of our next point at hand, but until then, I must concentrate. Do not be alarmed if we are stuck in this space for a while. The truth is for you - you may never return home, but that is yet to be seen. I trust that you will make all the right decisions, as you have nearly had in your own career. No matter what people will say, you are a competent commander, and in your own lifetime, perhaps it is just to say that you deserved better from your own kind. But enough for now, I must rest. I will be at the infirmary if you have anything to ask of me." And with those words, Miras retired.

Jaime woke, still in her realm of home. Miras was standing by a tree near the brook, and with practically nothing else to do, Jaime decided to join near him and talk. She was beyond her confusion mostly, and she nearly completely trusted Miras now. She didn't buy his tricks much, but she felt that he was doing something that he believed to be helping her, so it was worth trusting him. Of course, her skepticism kept eating at her naivety, but there was nothing else to consider at the moment.

"How long has it been since you lived in these parts?" Miras asked.

"On my world? Or here?"

"On your world."

"It's been quite some time, I'd imagine." Jaime thought back. "It was before my parents died, and they decided to move here. I was only 5 years old then, and I was a pretty little girl. I don't think that I could have imagined myself to be that little girl. And we moved here, principally because it was away from all of the wars elsewhere in the galaxy. It was a safe place to live, and we had a lovely house by the edge of this prairie. It was a beautiful field, almost like this one. By the creek, there was a hollow where some ducks - or duck-like creatures - lived. They stayed there all of the while that it was there. And sometimes, we'd have the deer come by - creatures that looked like deer. They had never seen humans or sentients like us before, so they were oblivious to us. Even in the city, you could see the animals coming out to coexist with us.

"But you know - it didn't last long. It was my 7th year when an invasion fleet rolled in and demolished the whole planet. I... I don't think I remember what came to destroy the planet, but I only remember that I just didn't care about anything anymore. I felt that the world was all dead. I didn't care... it was dead."

Miras nodded. "Death is only the beginning. Look around you."

Jaime glanced about her, astonished to see the wild diversity return to the area. There were the ducks, the deer, and the little cottage. Jaime nearly fell and broke into tears after seeing it all. The memories that had eluded her in her apathy were almost unbearable. Miras quickly caught her, though and carefully wiped his claw upon her cheek. He explained it all to her:

"This is your world. As long as you remember it, it will always live in your memory. And in here, you find a reason to persist. If not to save it, then to save things like it. I have unlocked your memories, things that you voluntarily opened to yourself, and now reveal in your mind. You mentioned the duck, the deer, and the cottage. Heaven knows what else is here now. Perhaps, we can see the stars at night?"

Jaime perked her ear at hearing Miras's words and rushed into the cottage. It was mostly empty, just as it had been left. She strolled through the house, hoping to find remnants of her parents, but it was barren of all other human life. There were still the pictures, but nothing else. Miras came into the house, looking where Jaime had looked. He acknowledged the wealth of happiness there, the pacific dream he wished to make real.

"You will not find them here," he said.

"Where are they then? Are they really dead?"

Miras smiled - if it was a smile at all. "Is that a serious question? Of course, they are really dead, because you remember that none of this is real. In reality, it does not exist. But it exists because you remember it, and it is here that the world that was once dead now lives again. You will not find your parents though. They must come through your memories - of their character, their wills, their minds. It will not be easy to remember them, but you see, it is as I have seen it all along. You were still the little child of 7 years, living in a zone disconnected from the truth. I have managed to piece your truth together, but again, the work is all yours to impart, and you have managed it all superbly."

Jaime nodded. She looked to him and asked a more soft question. "Will I ever see them again?"

"Well, you can see them through your pictures," Miras replied. "I cannot guarantee that your memory will suffice to return their existence here, but you were a good girl then. You will memories somewhere. Keep looking in yourself, and you may yet find them. But my purpose is not to return your childhood to you."

"Why are you doing this then?"

"Because you and I have much to share in common with loss. But you chose a different path, and I chose the one less taken. It was fortuitous that I met you, of the trillions of sentients, of those many whose numbers may yet even exceed those of the stars, to meet you and rescue you from your despair. Because you were once an instrument of nihilist desires - now, you can find a purpose in places there was once none. You have a world to remember, and you remember the happiness that inhabited it. For me, that is enough. But for you, it may be the foundations for a new quest - to seek out these worlds and protect them from such the lots of those who once employed you. You have this memory, and you know its pain, its loss. You know what it can do to you - use that as a weapon against oppression of the indomitable soul. I tell you the truth: no one is oppressed unless he first allows it to oppress him. A person may be in bondage, but he is free as long as he allows his spirit to wander the realms of his memories. A prisoner may have no freedom, but his spirit is at ease if he can remember those deeds that carried him through his good years."

"What about those who are inherently evil?" Jaime said?

"Them? Then theirs is hopefully a living hell. But do not worry about them - if you wonder about what restitution comes to those, then you will live seeking it yourself. Do not judge lest you first judge yourself. For it is the plight of our kind - the kind who can express sentience - to acknowledge the whims of the good and evil in actions, but it is our duty to acknowledge the right and the wrong of those actions."

Jaime sat down at the table. "I want to do something about this world. But it's dead."

"It is only dead if you let people to believe that it's dead. Of course, it won't make the reality change, but for that reason, to say that a world this is dead is not true. There is a world in the Talmiar Systems that mimics this very one. It is not the same, but one can justify to say that it is. It is untouched by war, it is serene, and the people can live in harmony with the endemic population. Isn't it a good thing to defend that pristine image of paradise?"

Jaime gave no answer, but the silence was enough to satisfy Miras. He walked out the door, and vanished from her thoughts, leaving her to contemplate the things that he had spoken. Whatever changes he was working within her, it was working for the better, but like all challenges, they must be tested against the sands of time.

After Miras left the bridge, Er’Dun checked with his bridge crew.

“Damage Control, report all decks.”

“Negative Sir, there are no reports of any damage to The Disciple or the crew.”

“Where are we?”

“Unknown Sir, reports of a Dimensional Shift of at least 37 magnitudes. The Empire has never been here before.”

“A what? We have only found 19 layers of dimensions so far. That is not possible. All models show the possibility of 26 is the maximum.”

“Sir, perhaps we rose up a number and did a side shift at some point before descending. That would account for the Dimensional Shift of 37. Also, there is no contact with the Space Minus Transmitter. The entire Space Minus system checks out as operational but it cannot home in on Space Minus.”

“That is not good; we have to rely upon reactor power instead of using the Power Tap. I want the ship on optimum energy conservation. Set up the Emergency Reactors so we have the best chance if there are hostiles here. Speaking of that, what do sensors read?”

“Sir, sensors show empty space. The long range sensor suite is offline and it will take some time to get them recalibrated. Right now short range sensors shows empty void.”

“The good news is nothing is going to hit us very soon. Keep working on them and get me a picture of where or when we are.”

“Sir?”

Er’Dun turned to the technician. He could feel the uncertainly and fear within the crewman.

“Yes? What is it you wish to ask?”

“Where did they all go? I can’t feel any of them, only the ones in the other ships.”

“We are probably the only Ta’Nar and Childer in this entire dimension we landed in. Our Link cannot cross more than a few dimensions at best. That is why we could not detect The Overlords. We have been tossed to another dimension and have spent the last couple thousand years searching for them. Once we realized we were separated by the Dimensional Gulfs, Balrogga began its upward climb into Dimensional technology so we could find our way back home.”

That seemed to calm the crewman down a little. Er’Dun thought for a moment and then turned to the Comm Officer.

“Contact the other ships and request them dock with The Disciple. Tell them I am holding a Captains’ Meeting within the Hour.”

[ooc: oops, a double post :X - and I like the diversity of the posts; so just to let you know, I'll probably be set to the next place in the little quest to set all things right within a few posts, so feel free to do as you please in integrating the different plots into one story line]

IC:

Miras was feeling the tides within this new world - knowing very well that this was not the final destination by any measure of the idea "final" or "destination" - and to his surprise, the most ease he found among those with him were not the Ta-Nar [who were accustomed to psionic thoughts and its utilities], but rather with Jaime, a void in a sense. She was slowly recovering his lost pleasures and joys - and with those ideas, she would be tested the true strength of her newly set foundations of existence. It was a risky test, but Miras would have no confidence except in the tempest-tost and tempered frame.

But he had his own missions to uncover secrets beyond his own comprehension of them - and his test was the most grave and important of the objectives. While the captains would be meeting on the ship, Miras would be scouting this existence for evidence of the Fedin, as it has and had been. The world was clearly a void - but it was with healthy stars. Was it possible that the existence through which they had traveled was only topical? Perhaps they needed to travel deeper? Miras could not fully anticipate what sort of evidence he would find in this void, but at some point, he realized that he had not happened to cross by this existence by chance or by mistake. Forces were in operation to bring him here at this moment, and there was clearly something to be found.

He was certainly not going to dismiss the evidence - his visions showing Giran led him to a place more disparate than from whence they had come, and it was a test of exile. He was ready for this test, but he wasn't certain if his compatriots had duly prepared for the voyage. Of course, it was his responsibility that they were not as prepared as they could have been; yet, it was infinitely better to have left things as they were at the moment - no intervention by "others" and complex situations. There were fewer variables to control than what would have been the case. Besides that, Miras did not share very fond memories of the Overlords and their intervention. But of course, there was a reason why Er'Dun was traveling with him, and it was only too obvious that a moment would arrive to reveal its purpose to him.

Suddenly, Miras rose from his slumber and headed straight to the bridge and the command deck. He seemingly interrupted the Captain's meeting, but they all knew that he was to arrive at that moment, to which Miras openly asked them all: "What do you feel?"

Captain Er’Dun sat in the conference room. Across the table say the captains of the two escort frigates. Captain Da’Ern of The Sharpshooter and Captain Va’Duom of The Farshot, both Torpedo Frigates. They had both came over as soon as their ships docked alongside The Disciple.

“… so we have to adopt the policies and procedures practiced aboard the Explorer vessels. They are frequently out of touch with the Empire when they go on deep exploration missions whenever we discover another dimensional sinkhole. They all keep their Links active because the Childer, only ascending to our state a couple centuries ago, still demand that contact. They become depressed when faced with isolation and easily panic. Keeping the Link active will reassure them that they are not isolated and allow us to complete our mission.”

“I can see how that will help. I did a little research before coming over to The Disciple on the topic.” Da’Ern replied with out any hint of pride. It was just his way to look up everything he could.

“Do you think we should hardlink the ships together?” Captain Va’Duom was the type of character who was always thinking tactical. If there was a situation he could improve through the use of tactics, he would. Often that led to breaking orders, the only thing that kept him captaining frigates instead of one of the bigger ships. He was satisfied with that because he reasoned the frigates were deployed first.

Captain Er’Dun considered the question before replying.

“Yes, it will block some of the torpedo tubes on your ships but the benefit to the Childer would outweigh the loss of the usage of a couple launch tubes. Just have the ships ready to separate at a moment’s notice. Another benefit is the ability to merge shielding to provide a better protection for all our ships.”

“I can’t stress the importance of conservation. Without access to Space Minus, we cannot contact home. More importantly, we cannot access the energy there to empower the higher weapon functions. That means our onboard reactors could handle a couple Cutters or the use of a SGE or two. That is not much. We have our conventional weapons but the power needs of the Dimensional artillery are too high for any sustained battle. The Singularity Cores can only produce so much power and we are stuck with only a few. Keep your weapons racks at full but it is more important to keep your power reserves as fully charged as possible. If we were to be …”

Captain Er’Dun stopped speaking and all three officers looked toward the door as one. The door opened and Miras simple stepped into the room and he spoke.

“What do you feel?”

Va’Duom spoke first, “I feel the 150 souls aboard the frigates and the 450 aboard the destroyer. They are worried about being away from the others.”

Da’Ern spoke next. “I felt you as you approached the door. I can feel your companion becoming clearer to herself.”

Captain Er’Dun spoke after carefully considering the question. “In addition to the 450 souls aboard this vessel, the 150 on the two frigates and you and your companion, I feel an echo. Something that seems to draw me away from this point. The problem is, it seems to come from no direction, yet all directions…”

"Er'Dun is the only who can feel it then? Is it that vague?" Miras spoke more about it.

"This is the resonance of the universe. It was believed among many kinds that psionic waves were in fact resonances of the thoughts of the One, although it was never proven. It seemed to many that the One was simply a fabrication of the fact that psionic waves have no apparent source other than those that demonstrate it - but in my exile, I had found it to be false. I cannot claim that I know the source of psionic waves, but I can say that it has a source, and in my exile, I felt it. That was in the reality that we had just left to come upon this world, and even here, I hear the same voice echoing. At one time, I had believed this to be the voice of the universal beings who heard and thought these things, but as I delved deeper, I found myself knowing of things that were fundamental to the universe, and I knew that this voice spoke the Truth that had been given to us.

"Captain Er'Dun - you hear these voices of the truth, and you may not yet notice, but it sounds just as it does in our other reality - the former dimension of our existence. Do you know what this means?"

“Yes, it means you have become aware of BelDragos, one of the Avatars of the Multiverse.”

“This is not religion I am talking about but fact. The Multiverse has aspects, avatars if you will, of several of its components. We have discovered the Aspects of Order, Entropy, Destruction, Creation, Fate, and Power. BelDragos is the Aspect of Power. He is the Source of all Power and he represents the ability to use that Power.”

Er’Dun paused to see that Miras was following along.

“We are aware that several societies follow divine beings they call gods. We have researched these concept millennia ago and determined these deities gain the ability to manipulate Power through Belief generated by their followers. The actual power they wield came from The Avatars. We have also determined the Avatars do not need the power of Belief to wield their abilities so they are Primordial in origin, meaning they come from the Multiverse itself. The Ta’Nar recognizes the existence of The Avatars but we do not worship them or the deities representing them like so many other younger races do.”

“Captains Va’Duom and Da’Ern only considered the local conditions and when you reacted to their answers with visible disappointment I realized you meant the answer from the grand scope of things. All Ta’Nar are aware of the Avatars because all Ta’Nar are connected through the Link. Even separated from our brethren, we can still use the Link to feel the Multiverse itself. That is where we have the ability to affect our surroundings. Without the Link we would be nothing but apparitions viewing the universe around us unable to even speak to anyone. The fact we can generate an image for you to view means we are aware of the Link and the Avatars.”

“The problem is the Link always connects us to the Multiverse but if the distance between Ta’Nar is separated by too many dimensional barriers, we loose contact with each other. That is why we cannot locate The Overlords. We were stranded upon a separate dimensional tree from our family. We cannot search beyond the small collection of dimensions we are currently within. That is why the Empire put so much into Dimensional Technology. We would form a chain of localized links to stretch our awareness into other dimensions by sending exploration ships into the higher dimensions and then sidestep to other parallel dimensional sinkholes to search them for the familiar feelings of the Overlords on our Links.”

“So yes, the connection you were asking about is here. If not we would not be.”

Miras nodded. "I have known of the links and the connections. However, it is hard for the mortals to determine through the nebulous mess where it lies and what it does. But my point is not of the Truths or of the Avatars - it's more the fact that we can feel them. We are not in the right place. This voice in my mind tells me it is not here, and the more that I hear its voice, it tells me further that it is not here. I cannot say whether this holds true for you, because I seek another race. But I think you too can hear the voices telling you that this is the wrong place, but for different reasons. Can you hear it calling?"

For a moment, Miras paused and started walking off the bridge, aimlessly wandering in that particular direction. Er'Dun and the captains looked him curiously, wondering if he would run into the wall of the room. Instead, they saw him walk through it and likewise followed his steps through the wall. Miras gazed out in a direction that held no particular interest to anyone else. But soon, they too could feel it - and in an instant, a bright light enveloped them all.

[ooc: nice... :D]

As Miras walked out of the room, the three captains rose from their chairs and followed him through the wall. Da’Ern and Va’Duom walked a pace behind Er’Dun as they followed Miras through the ship, wandering through bulkheads and closed doors. Suddenly the light over took them and they were confused, not knowing what happened.

They looked toward Miras for an explanation.

The light subsided and unlike the vastness they had experienced before, there was now a dense jungle, a humid and boggy place. Of course, no one was stepping in the ground, instead levitating over the mass of dead junk. Miras floated almost without a thought, as if he had first anticipated the shock and secondly as if he had no need to think of it. But of course, the thought was still there; otherwise, he would have fallen into the vegetation. He floated through the trees, an amazingly silent place to him - although his compatriots heard all of the native clamor clearly. They could also feel the creatures inhabiting the area, and they traveled following Miras through the forest.

In a sudden instant, Miras glared to the left and the Captains followed his glare. "There was once a great battle on this world, and the spirits still wander aimlessly. They will speak to you, enticing you to follow them. Unless you have no desire to live, do not heed any voice - even among your own - except mine. I have been here before, and they have taken the living energies of those who pass aimlessly here. It can be said that the dead here have killed more than they had in life, although it is doubtful whether they do indeed kill or rather more correctly steal away the thoughts of the living."

Miras looked at them, and for the first time, they could see the eyes changing to a different color - a light blue glow. But nonetheless, Er'Dun decided to ask now, before following him any further.

[OOC: my apologies - I've been away from this...]

Jaime awoke again to her her serene slumber, and found her return to the cottage by the brook - the only peace that was left to her. Ever since Miras had guided her to this place, it had become much easier for her to return to her memories, to find solace in the present. In the time, she remembered other things, other people - but she found it difficult to remember her parents. There was little evidence that she found reminiscent of their existence; in some way, it was as if they hadn't existed at all. She sat at her desk - looking at the artifacts, supposedly having some value to her. But they spoke nothing more. The winds still blew, but no air of her parents came to her. The gentle patter of the rain echoed in the empty cabin. She spent hours in her dreams - nothing.

Ideally, she would have found nothing. But instead, she decided give up the chase. She strolled outside for a gentle reconnoiter with the deer of the woods. The rain was falling harder, but since it was nothing more than a dream, Jaimie felt no desire to stay indoors. The actual desire was neither to stay indoors or go outdoors, but merely find some solace; the artifacts no longer held any solace, and thus it was with the living she felt at ease. The deer had since become accustomed to her again - they were tame creatures and felt no fear around her. There was in fact no reason fear in these parts, because all that killed and died lived elsewhere on other worlds.

Or so it was?

Jaime could feel the distant rumble - and deep within her conscious mind, she knew it to mean only one thing. Having long found her peace, she saw reason and fled indoors again. She had kept her weapons at hand in case the attackers returned - and if her suspicions were held true, they would find good purpose this day. Of course, she found the circumstances unsettling - she had returned indoors to retrieve her weapons, and exited the cabin into the midst of a fiery battle - no, a massacre - in the city. The enemy had come close, and they were encroaching while the defenseless folk showed no ability to defend themselves. They were reckless and merciless - thousands of people were dying, while they paraded through the streets comfortably.

No longer - Jaime took up her arms and sought out the enemy, killing them as they came. It wasn't obvious at first, but soon, she became the target of their oppression, and it was much more difficult than what she had imagined it would have been. But she knew two very important things - this was only a dream; and this was her dream. She would win the battle. The enemy soldiers had devoted efforts beyond what the people could procure, yet, Jaime proved to match and exceed them all. It was a cakewalk, perhaps - but Jaime felt uneasy still. It was too easy.

After she had single-handedly annihilated the approaching enemy company, she marched out and tried to make sense of them - they were completely clothed in black armor, with nothing in the way to distinguish them from one another. They were like mechanic clones, and they remained the enigmatic enemy as when they first appeared. Who were they? What did they want? Why did they came here?

"They came here for the spoils of war."

A familiar voice rang within Jaime's head. One of the soldiers ominously rose from the ground and removed his helmet - Miras. Jaime held out her pistol, level at his head.

"It is right that you should be angry with me, but I'm afraid that it is not enough for me," Miras said, approaching Jaime. "You have fought this war in vain, because the truth is that everything that you have sought is lost, and everything that you have done makes no difference. This world does not exist - it is dead, and you have failed to make it alive. Where are the citizens of this colony? Look about you! They are already dead! And my soldiers? These aren't even mine; they are dead too. The only things you haven't killed are this world - unlikely - yourself - improbable - and me - impossible. So tell me, what have gained in all of this? Have you won what you wanted?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Jaime yelled.

Miras smiled and chuckled lightly. He removed the remainder of his armor, and continued to approach Jaime, even as her pistol remained level to his face. "You will inevitably kill yourself," Miras continued. "Because you cannot kill this world that has sustained you. And you cannot kill me - the Fates have destined it to be this way, and I will have made my way right again. You are the survivor of something that should have never happened, and yet it has happened, and you are still here. Hence, you should not exist."

Jaime yelled at the top of her lungs, firing her pistol. Miras dodged the charge, but it still hit him on his chest. He fell back, and gaped at the wound. Jaime stepped closer, trying to gauge Miras's condition, only to find a strikingly different figure. His face was much more composed than the pictures revealed, but she immediately recognized her father from the dying body before her - she immediately knelt and grabbed his hand, casting aside her pistol.

"Jaime..."

"Daddy."

A silent wind blew over the debris, as the planet groaned over the bloodshed, this travesty. Miras spoken only truth in his words, if only it would be understood in the same manner as when he spoke it. Jaime clutched her father's hands, as he lay there, dying. She wanted to talk to him, to remember more of him, but he only spoke her name as he lay, and it seemed as if he could say nothing more. He died about three minutes later, the wind still howling, and the rain long since depleted. It was dead - and standing paces behind her stood Miras, unharmed and unhindered.

"So you have committed yourself to death," he said. "I shall end this now." Raising his arm in the air, he suddenly crashed it into the ground, initiating an explosion that overtook the ground - and the earth crumbled beneath itself, the cataclysm reaching epic proportions and consuming the entire planet. The blast sent the world into complete destruction, as its silent death screeched through space. It was then when Jaime woke from her slumber screaming, and the infirmary attendants on board the Disciple came to her and tried to comfort her. She could see them walking and working among the ships, and she became conscious of herself screaming. She was conscious of other things as well - more importantly that she was not herself and that this was not her. She was screaming, but it was not her screaming. Realizing that thereupon, the attendants brought a bright light over her, and in the dimmest glare, she see herself. Focusing her attention away from the light, she saw the brown scales of a face, and from the eyes, she saw Miras again - a change transition of consciousness, it was chaotic.

"What just happened?" she asked him.

Miras stood up and walked away to the door. She was settled in bed in her cottage - her scars of war had completely disappeared. And still the explanation eluded her.

"It's what they say among your kind - you were having a nightmare."

"About what?"

"I have no clue," Miras replied. "It is yours, not mine. My mind is too distant to accurately determine what it was you sought in your dream, and how so horribly it went. I am away, but yet I am still here."

"Where are you?"

"Where I am should not matter to you; what should concern you is where you are. So where are you?"

"I'm in my bed in my room."

"Not so," Miras replied. "You are settled in your bed in the infirmary with about sixteen different attendants trying to calm you from your rancor. You are not so keenly aware of the truth, are you?"

"You were there, in my dream."

"I know I was. I was the only other person there, and I don't think that I'd ever want to return to it. Not only did you kill everything, you killed your own father. I'm not certain what rage befell you, but you need to reconcile with your past."

"I'm trying to do that," Jaime yelled.

"No, you're not. You're trying to do other things. You're trying to remember your past, but not to accept that it has happened as it happened. You want to change the past, and I can tell you that changing the past leads to murky consequences. Once you look at history as a recollection than an event, then it becomes less painful to perceive it."

Miras would have walked out of the room, but he instead turned to face her: "It's not easy. You nearly fell back to old habits, but you must realize that I cannot and will not be there to guide you back. Inevitably, you must decide one of three things: to abandon me, to abandon this world, or to abandon yourself. Until you decide this, you will be committed to this uneasy peace that I have been moderating. And hopefully, you will decide soon, because I will soon be away. And then, you will be there alone with your father on the ashes of a dead world, clutching the dead remnants of a past that did not exist - or else doing other things."

And with that, Miras left her.

[ooc: hopefully, you haven't forgotten about this...]

Miras anticipated the question:

"This is the planet Talchir [tahl-keer]. It was once the home of a sentient race before it was destroyed by an invasion fleet. The tropical region of this planet was heavily contested between the two sides, and while eventually the defenders eventually won the fight, enough of the dead were lost in the lingering swamps of this world. It was well known to all sentients that the dead still walk these ways, and it is only speculated as what the dead seek. But those who have heard their voice have not usually seen their way out." Miras gazed out and saw the dead - their spirits illuminated a bright path through which he knew the objective to reside.

"The dead here do not cherish the living, and they use psionic methods to hurt and hinder their prey - since they are dead, it is the only way they can kill. And unfortunately, those sensitive to it are most especially hindered. But it does not hurt if you can anticipate it and know what attacks you. But mind you, the dead utilize realms of the mind that only the dead know, and it is therefore wise not to provoke them. In any case, there is much anger and rage left unresolved. Do not feel any pity for what happened here or you too will become angered by it."


And it seemed that with every step and word that Miras gave, the more questions came to Er'Dun. Miras could not anticipate all of them, but their confusion was alarming. More so, it was borne of no prior knowledge - or rather in this case misconstrued knowledge.

"Your kind may know of this world as Kilas [kee-lahs], before the war."

Er’Dun looked over at Miras.

“Kilas? I don’t remember any worlds by that name. Perhaps we knew it by yet another name but I have no way of checking so I will take your word.”

Er’Dun watched the restless spirits haunting and hunting. Some took an interest in the group but they seemed unable to approach the party as they wound their way through the swamps.

“Is there any way to allow these spirits the rest they deserve? There has to be something that can be done for them. They have suffered enough over the millennia.”

“Well, we could use some Abjuration to banish them or something.”

“No Da’Ern, that would not work. Even if you were able to devise a spell that would work in this unique environment there would not be enough time to cast it before any of their friends arrived.”

Va’Duom decided to add his comment to Er’Dan’s.

“You also forgot Magic takes a lot longer than Psionics so before you are even half done casting the spell, they would have attacked you several times.”

“Whatever needs to be done,” said Er’Dun, “It should have been done long ago. They have been waiting in torment all these years. “

As the crew followed Miras, they never bothered to duck for any branches nor were they impeded by the marshy ground. The environmental difficulties simply passed through their ghostly forms while they followed Miras and debated how to save them.

[ooc: my computer crashed... so I'm sorry for leaving this so far in the dark.]

After their passing, they came to a stone monolith - a giant structure seemingly placed on its head. In an instant, Miras held out his hand and the structure fell away, crashing upon the ground. Where it once stood was a glowing edifice, leading to a simple crystal - ornate and beautiful. Miras seemingly picked it out as if its presence was clear visible to him. Doubtless, it was glaring like a bright light - the psionic energy charged into the crystal was immense.

"This is an irid crystal," he said, explaining in part. "It was found by the predecessors many ages ago, and it has since affected Fedin society greatly. Not only is it a great source of psionic energy, it is also to store it and act as a memory bank. Its resonance is... beautiful. The crystal is the most perfectly conceived, because its natural harmony easily passes between photoelectric, psionic, and chronological entities. We have been brought because of a significance of this crystal - someone left it here and it has been calling to me for some time. But now that I have found it, I find it difficult to use. The last person to use this crystal was not Fedin."

bump

As Miras took up the crystal and explained its utilities to his companions, the earth opened up beneath them and unraveled a cave, blocked by psionic energy until the key [the crystal] had been removed. Miras glanced down into the cave, floating aimlessly above it. It was perhaps a trap to those who were not capable, but the trap was a faulty trap, because it revealed exactly where he needed to go. Perhaps it was a trap to those who did not know it was a trap.

He looked at his guests again but sensed some reprehensions from them. "Our voyage has not ended yet, and we have more travels to see. I anticipate our distance from your crew would farther than sensing them would be useful. If they require your attention, I suggest you do what is necessary to give them attention before we travel. If otherwise I must go alone, I bid you well and thank you for your assistance thusfar."

The emanations from the Irid Crystal seemed to sooth and relax the Ta’Nar. To them, the psychic energy felt as if a gentle breeze was blowing accompanied by light giggling and soft music. The very existence of the Irid Crystal brought tranquility to the beings of pure psychic energy. It caused their own reactions to smooth out and attune themselves to the crystal. It was almost euphoric but at the same time it left the mind clear and unclouded.

The Crystal seemed to center the Ta’Nar and their existence.

Miras’ words shook them out of the reverie the three captains fell into. They felt invigorated and calm. They could move mountains but felt it was not necessary to do so when they could simply take an enjoyable walk around.

Er’Dun recognized the trap in the lethargy implanted by the crystal and forcefully shook Va’Duom and Da’Ern out of the trance they had surrendered to. He then looked to Miras floating above the opening holding the Irid Crystal.

"Our voyage has not ended yet, and we have more travels to see. I anticipate our distance from your crew would farther than sensing them would be useful. If they require your attention, I suggest you do what is necessary to give them attention before we travel. If otherwise I must go alone, I bid you well and thank you for your assistance thusfar."

“We are ready. The crew know what to do while we are away. They will await for our return because we do not know where we are to return upon our own home. You needed us for our ship, we need you for navigation. We are linked together until the end, wherever and whenever that will be. Lead on and we will follow.”

Miras nodded as he landed on the ground and let his material self resume his activities. The irid crystal was still potent and a light shone from it, illuminating the way forward. Of course, there were three ways forward - and the orientation of directions was lost in the ground; the physical orientation was still present, but the realm lied under the battlefields, and spirits confused the right way.

"This is going to be a difficult task, and I'd never imagine a time when I did not know which way to go at all. The way is before us, but the route is clouded in a mist."

He circled, sensing for something. His company looked on, waiting for him to find the bearing. After about four minutes, he sat down on his tail and focused his thoughts beyond the area - a powerful psionic projection that all of the captains could feel it. Er'Dun even traced the projection to its furthest extent, seeing very much the entire planet in view. He saw more than just the planet - the life, the forces, the history, the future even - if it could be called that. And the mystery of Kalas came to all of them as Miras looked for the answers he sought:

It was formed in the 4th Sol of a nebula, three trillions years ago. The survival of a planet so old was somewhat impressive, but its story of life was like the others. How so the world came to be what it was at that time is the stuff of legends - an invading army came to the local sentients, seeking nothing but their annihilation. It was part of a war that raged for perhaps millennia, but at its close, the invaders had managed to destroy every sentient being. It was this planet salvation that the Fedin had come to them - seeing the oppression of the world. Using a mental warp, they forced Kalas into another existence, without the parasitic invaders. Too much of the old civilization was destroyed nonetheless, and their only memory of them was what remained in unresolved spirits roaming the battlefields.

What was its source? Yes, that was the object of their quest; and the source had been placed at its core. But years had since migrated the source elsewhere. They were looking for a volcano, and geologically active source. What was this source?

Miras closed his thoughts at that instant, apparently finding the direction of his bearings. His company were now more curious about this source and what exactly it meant for everyone. But Miras's thoughts were closed completely on that topic. He only stood silent, and he faced his objective with resolute eyes. "We must go this way." Pointing in a generic direction, they went into a cave. As they traveled, Miras gave them last instructions - "We are not safe from the spirits in here, and my projection is much diminished in the dark. The void I can matter, the light even better - but the dark is something that Fedin are trained to avoid. Nonetheless, it may be necessary to impart violence upon any of the spirits who wish us ill. I will seek out the ones with less troubled thoughts, to see if their assistance can be garnered, but I must caution you to be less inclined to do the same. They have known nothing but struggle, and even less of us or the Overlords. If we try to intervene forcefully, we will find an army of vengeful spirits sent against us."

And they continued thus.

“We have trusted you thus far and we will continue to. We can lend our strength to you if it is needed.”

Er’Dun looked around in the gloom and peered into the darkened opening ahead of them.

“If it is simple light, that can be created to banish the darkness. If it is a boosting of your power, we can link with you and fuel your efforts with our own strength. You have to only ask and we will assist you.”

Er’Dun hoped his words didn’t sound silly. He had meant it when he suggested the four link together so Miras could have a greater power base to work with. He was the one who was skilled the most in this situation so it would only be logical to offer.

“I really don’t know where our strengths would assist you but if they were not made available to you then they would not be used properly and that could mean the end of the mission. I will not allow us to fail because of improper use of any of our abilities.”

The conviction in Er’Dun’s words was easily felt by Miras.

“You have but to say the word and we will drop these bodies and merge with your spirit, essentially becoming a single being for the duration we are needed.”