[Epic] (fiction) "Awakening" (long)

From: Brian Thomas <bthom37_at_...>
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 20:48:17 -0500

This is the first in a series, all of which will (hopefully) chronicle the
development of a new race. It will (mostly) use the MAATAC line from Games
Masters (http://www.stellargames.com/) All feedback is appreciated. As
long as it's good. ;)

________________________Begin_________________________

It lay unchanging, throughout the millenia. Waiting for the day when it
would be put to its proper use. Then...

The heavens aligned. A window to the stars formed. Energies, incredible,
poured through. Energies it had not felt in eons. Awakening parts of it
that lay dormant, infusing them with new energy, and giving life to other
parts. It awakened. It began to question itself, to find out what it was,
and why it was here. Thoughts flowed, routing through tired memory, finding
the data it needed. A long journey, fraught with danger, but destined for a
safe home, which it would provide. 42. A unkown obstacle loomed up,
powerful energies pulling it inside. Descent, and then pain. A
scattering. It lay quiescent, absorbing this information. Why had it
failed to protect? Tortured by this question, it searched itself, trying to
answer the crucial question.

Them! It was their fault, not his!

No, it wasn't their fault. It was fate. It was a convergence of
astronomical events. It was karma. Dharma. Bad luck. Each one of these
were rejected. Somewhere, someone or something lay at fault.
It was quite mad.

Sanity. A consciousness unlike, but alike to his surfaced into his
knowledge. It called her X'kchan. How was it female? What did he know of
male and female? He. The masculine pronoun of the humans fit. Reasoning
poured through outmoded logic. He was male. She, the /other, was female.
Proper. He reached out, formed a link. Understanding, compassion lay
within. He knew why now. It was the realm of higher. The higher knew why
things happened. Agents of the higher, were they. For what? What
remained? Knowledge, artifacts brought to his consciousness by X'kchan.
Study of them producing results. Using his eyes, long closed to the
outside. He Knew. Quickly, they began work. A host was formed, to bring
their eyes and senses, and to bring back answers, knowledge, a purpose! A
swarm set out, crossing insignificant distances, insignificant to They Who
Voyaged knew.

Their first answer was not long in coming. Some survived, toiling away,
scrabbling at existence, knowledge of their birthright escaping them. More
data. Some brought before their eyes, trembling, in a reaction known as
/Fear. Code, withdrawn and analyzed, the specimens returned to happier
ground. Changes! Changes in the raw material, but none too impossible to
overcome. Then, a find! Deep within an oblong mountain, scouts reported to
Them the presence of a dormant being, like them. A dash to the site, Eyes
probing. Reports. It was dead. Smashed. But remnants lay there, some of
which could be incorporated. Some told fascinating stories, some told of
trivialities.

But one fragment, found deep in the heart of their brother, for so they had
designated it, gave the story. They were STC's, Designed to guide
humanity's progress, and give it the tools to thrive and expand. But the
Warp Storms had torn apart their ship, bringing it to rest across the three
planets in this system. Quickly, new probes were constructed, and sent to
explore the bounding sky. 8 failed in their mission, disappearing beyond
the terrible Storm. But Apollonius, the ninth probe, found success,
returning damged, yet functional. The information confirmed their
suspicions. Two powerful vortexes of warp energy, rotating asychronously,
so that their eyes coincided at intervals. Their ship must have passed
through the eyes, getting hit by the eyes as they rotated shut. Damaged but
not destroyed, breaking up, it jettisoned the precious STCs, then orienting
itself to protect the passengers from the worst of the impact, slammed into
the surface of the planet, furrowing great tracks in the land.

He made a discovery, independent of X'kchan. He would not, could not, tell
her of what he found. There had only been one STC on the starship, not two.
During his loneliness, unable to deal with the questions assailing him, he
had unwittingly partitioned off the core of himself, allowing room for
another to grow, to provide him with comfort, and a second questing mind, to
answer the questions before him. He was the original. But he was unable to
bear the thought of solitude, and resolved never to think of it. He had his
probes destroy the evidence, and he deleted that area of him which knew
this, wiping it clean. Untroubled, he continued his exploration.

Soon, the great ship, Harbringer of Life, was stripped clean of all data
useful to them. He named himself Miradero, as he would suffer to watch the
growth of humanity, until it would be ready to accept he and X'kchan.
Received on Wed Apr 29 1998 - 01:48:17 UTC

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