trans_9 | That melt into spring [Open]

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That melt into spring [Open]

Zouchi stood by the blue-green waters of Faron Spring, eyes tracing the old, intricate patterns that covered the surfaces of the rocks nearby. The weather in this part of the City was a little cooler than usual, but he felt no discomfort; it was still well within his operational tolerances.

As he waited there, almost entirely still, a light rain began to fall from the sky. Artificial rain, of course, for an artificial city, but it was cool against his face and good for the plants. Zouichi closed his eyes for a moment; when he reopened them, the rain was still there... but it was accompanied by something else. Silvery numeric annotations swam through his vision, attached to each drop of water, too fast and too numerous for an untrained observer to make sense of. Speed calculations, trajectory and force projections. Each droplet of rain was a variable, a world of controlled chaos.

Some disappeared into the soft grass; others dropped onto the surface of the spring, sending up a cascade of secondary equations as it cast ripples across the surface of the water.

When it was time for battle, these same quicksilver calculations would help guide him in action: they'd show him the best way to destroy, the swiftest way to kill. But for now, there was no need to bend them to that purpose. Instead, he watched as they fell like phantoms through the sky.

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"The numbers?" Ildraniath's brow furrowed for a moment as she tried to think of what numbers might have to do with rain. She shook her head after a moment of reflection.

"I'm not sure I quite understand, but perhaps it would be like trying to explain how I can gaze into the future or explaining color to someone who cannot see. Of course, I am not a human, so I expect I might be able to better understand than they do."

There was that casual arrogance and dismissal of human accomplishment again. Of course, that was Ildraniath for you. Her mouth settled into a thin line of displeasure.

"Of course he did. He is a brainwashed fool."

"It was human scientists who created me," he said mildly. "But perhaps you're right. It is a bit like seeing the future... or rather, likely futures, though it's mostly only useful for immediate action."

He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. "I suppose this is another example of the necessities for survival you mentioned before? I imagine it would be easier to bend people to your will if they were fed a steady diet of propaganda since birth." At the thought, he turned back to the spring, his expression a little more contemplative than usual. There was a hint of regret to his voice as he resumed speaking almost to himself. "It has happened throughout human history: civilizations convinced that the best way to ensure their survival is to destroy or conquer anyone in their way. Rulers that capitalize on feelings of superiority and entitlement to condone the mistreatment of those deemed 'other'. I am sorry to say that those tendencies have been at the root of the mankind's worst atrocities."

He turned back to her. "But is that the reason you came out here? Or is something else troubling you?"

The fact that humans had created Zouichi was a minor nitpick in the grand scheme of things. She doubted they'd had any idea what they were doing, anyway. They'd probably blundered into the discovery, just like they blundered into everything else. She folded her hands and ignored the raindrops spattering off of her hair as she listened.

"And it is very much easier to do when your enemy are actually inhuman," she replied, raising a hand and making a small, dismissive gesture, "So we become demons and monsters, to be hunted down and eliminated without mercy."

Ildraniath shook her head, "But, no, that is not why I am out here."

There was a moment of hesitation as she thought - did she truly wish to unburden herself? And if not to him, then to whom? She finally shrugged, "It is simple frustration. It has been my task to watch the future for so long... and now I cannot. Time after time, I can see nothing but garbled portents. It becomes tiresome. As if I am now blind."

Serendipity was a kind of skill, too, Ildraniath. And humanity had been blessed by it often.

Zouichi listened quietly as she spoke. "And there are long periods of inactivity between missions. That's a lot of time to fill when you're unable to perform those duties you're best at."

He was talking about himself as much as her. When the reality of being unable to actually fight anything (for the great majority of the time, anyway, and even the battles he was asked to participate in paled in comparison to the swift, desperate conflicts with the DRF) had finally sunk in, he'd felt trapped. Worse, he'd started to crave battle and the exhilaration that came with it, which no Sensorium simulation could emulate.

"But you hardly seem idle."

"Idle?" Ildraniath laughed softly, "No. Hardly. I simply try again and again, when common sense tells me that I should expect no better result than the first. I meditate. I strengthen myself. I do not mind rote or practice, for you cannot excel unless you do. What irks me is that I lack the tools to perform my duty as well as I could."

She wiped a damp strand of hair out of her face. The rain didn't bother her, but it did tend to make a mess of her hair. "I still do what I can, but..."

Ildraniath frowned. How troublesome.

"It is, as I said, like being blind or being asked to perform your task after you have had both of your hands tied behind your back."

"If it's any consolation, I doubt that that Councilor on Galilee noticed the difference." Zouichi's voice had a hint of dark humor to it. He was allowed to feel a little schadenfreude every once in a while, right?

"I cannot say I can understand your predicament, or the extent of your frustrations..." After all, if he lost a limb or an eye, he'd simply have to accept the loss and move on. Only death would stop him from completing his appointed task; it was something he'd accepted a long time ago.

He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "...However, if it would help to have someone to listen to either, I would be happy to do so."

Zouichi had a feeling that Alendian, as respectful as she was of Ildraniath's abilities and position, might not be thrilled to hear that the person she looked to for leadership and guidance was experiencing frustrations of her own. But he might be mistaken, of course.

"My single, driving purpose in life is to lead my people and ensure that we will still have a future, even thousands and millions of years from now. Farsight is one of my greatest tools and although I can perform adequately without it... It is frustrating to be groping in the dark," Ildraniath mused, "As I said, I am not sure you will understand, but..."

She trailed off and shrugged, "...I am not sure speaking on my frustrations will drive them out, although you've already heard my particular troubles."

"I sincerely doubt that discussing your concerns will render them void, or you would be rid of them already. But, I don't believe talking about them can do any harm, either."

He paused. "What, exactly, is preventing you from making use of your abilities? Is it the ship itself? And if you can't see the future, why is it possible for that Tapestry artifact? Are the means by which you look into the future different?"

"It may be the ship. It may this... Bleed... that we travel through. It may be because our time-lines are so intermingled and our universes so destroyed that I cannot accurately predict a thing," Ildraniath frowned, brow furrowed.

"As for the Tapestry? I do not know its mind or purpose or even why it is or was meant for us. It is an alien artifact and I cannot quite comprehend it as of yet."

"I see. In which case you may have to live with not being able to see the future for as long as you remain here." He frowned. "If the problem is that our worlds have been destroyed, though, it seems strange that your other abilities would remain intact. And as far as I know, none of mine were affected at all."

Zouichi wasn't sure whether he should mention this next, but there was no point dancing around it. "And if your ability to predict the future depends on your world being restored... I'm afraid no one's been able to provide any sort of feasible plan or explanation for how our worlds might be recreated."

"...Can you tell for certain whether the Tapestry can, in fact, see into the future? Or if it's just some Daligig ruse?" Even if it was difficult or near impossible to understand the mechanisms by which the Tapestry worked, it would be meaningful if they could confirm that it had the power to divine the future. It would mean that not all methods for seeing into the future were unreliable, which might in turn point to some method in which Ildraniath might be able to take advantage of.

"It may be the Dalgig are blocking it for some unknown reasons. Or perhaps the ship merely suppresses them. I'll have to make an attempt the next time we make planet-fall..." Ildraniath folded her hands again as she thought.

"And the Tapestry... I will have to investigate. There must be a key somewhere. I will not allow myself to be controlled by these people or some artifact."

Just what he was about to suggest. "It wouldn't be unheard of. The Daligig have erased memories and, I strongly suspect, modified powers. An individual with the ability to see into the future would easily be able to determine the veracity of their story. A threat to their stranglehold on all information, both about themselves and the Ohm."

He nodded. "I can't exactly help you explore it through psychic means. However, if you'd like, I can question it for you while you observe its workings. It may be a little easier to decipher its nature if you don't have to do both at once."

Ildraniath dipped her head in a nod, "That would be very helpful. Thank you for the offer of assistance; I may have to take you up on it sooner than later, if answers continue to elude me."

After a moment another thought struck her, "Having the Dalgig aboard is another matter entirely. If I thought I would be listened to, I would suggest we wipe them out, take the survivors captive and interrogate them until we have the answers we need..."

He smiled slightly in response. "Think nothing of it. I think we could all benefit from more answers than we're currently getting."

"As for the Daligig, well... I understand they've a large number of shock troops aboard their ship, apparently ready to annihilate us at a moment's notice should we show signs of resistance." His smile turned slightly cynical. "Probably to eliminate the possibility of people doing exactly as you suggested. It appears they trust us about as much as we trust them."

If it was the Daligig that struck first, though, they'd be in for a nasty surprise. He wasn't going down without a fight.

Ildraniath sniffed, "They are no more threatening than the mon-keigh Space Marines. We could annihilate them, if we wished. There would be casualties, of course, but there are always casualties in war. And I would rather strike first than allow them free reign over us. Of course, the Council and the Captain are unlikely to agree, so I hold my peace for now."

Zouichi would have loved to try his hand at beating one of those Kessek, power staffs or no. But now, apparently, was not the time.

"And so we wait, hoping for the best." He didn't entirely agree with Ildraniath's plan -- after all, attacking one contingent of the Daligig and their protectors meant they had to be prepared to deal with all the rest. And with a fractious crew like this one, with many loathe to even take a life, that could be disastrous.

But taking a harder line with the 'allies' that had appeared out of nowhere to issue threats and orders? Making them answer questions, explain themselves, even through coercion? He felt that was more than justified.

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That melt into spring [Open]

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