I seem to be stuck. My mate has no idea where I am, in either physical or astral form, and by now she may start to worry. I might as well get ready for the cataclysmic tempest when she realizes what I have done.
At this juncture, I cannot tell if it is the Ego or Superego that holds me fast in the orb of Gematria’s psyche. The core is still questioning the actions, the overlay is still in the pretender’s control. The casual cruelty of the overlay disturbs the core personality, but she is too weak to do much more than nudge.
I have no idea what state my body is in, but this long of an astral walk, it is likely to have reverted to my base form. Lovely. At least it is in the Tam San, and not in some of the hospitals I have landed, where they would vivisect first to formulate their questions. But I am going to need to feed in a fortnight or so.
My beautiful and dangerous peregrine lass, you are going to have to find me. You can do it, but you may need sister to help break me out without your getting demoted again, love.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A Month of Hellish Torment and Heavenly Delights
I found her.
What is left of her, that is – the one who I sought is buried under layers of malign influence, both old and new. She struggles still, and though I have been unable to speak with her, I have attempted to drain the miasma from her. It may only heighten her distress, for it allows her to feel the changes wrought in her. At least she is aware enough to know and still desires to fight for her sense of self.
I had to leave my post on occasion, lest I succumbed to the energies I had drained off and revised for return. The warnings of Great-Aunt Sybille and Auntie Gris fresh on my mind, I sought a pool of that which would balance, and as luck would have it, the Sheriff provided the setting with his natal-day observation. Dancing generally does restore the balance and the company of a good friend will heal much. Though, when she had to leave, I was assaulted by a newcomer who decided I was “fresh meat”. The lady in question was definitely unexpected, and provided a second wind to my flagging spirits. I could return to my self-appointed task with renewed vigor.
The old conflicts had not quite been settled before, with the addition of the infusion of blood, had thrown her off balance to the point of madness. Do not tell me she was not able to be driven so, her soul ached with it. As one who, in this society, only had a passing acquaintance with her, I could not gain an audience with her. The fact that I was not a relative, and admittedly a transient in the eyes of society as yet, meant I had no means of introduction. I had to watch from a distance and attempt to contact her in a manner appropriate to the eddies of movement in the patient population.
My returns to my home for brief respites from the maelstrom of the Tam San were more restful and restorative than any visits I had made before, as the company of one who developed from an acquaintance to a friend and, most surprisingly, a mate, made my continued investigations possible. Her bond opened a new avenue – if she could anchor me, there was another way to reach the one in pain.
With the link in place, and in the still of the small hours between midnight and dawn, threading past the orders and objectives of others, I sought to ask that which was her core, her true self, one question.
What is YOUR will?
What is left of her, that is – the one who I sought is buried under layers of malign influence, both old and new. She struggles still, and though I have been unable to speak with her, I have attempted to drain the miasma from her. It may only heighten her distress, for it allows her to feel the changes wrought in her. At least she is aware enough to know and still desires to fight for her sense of self.
I had to leave my post on occasion, lest I succumbed to the energies I had drained off and revised for return. The warnings of Great-Aunt Sybille and Auntie Gris fresh on my mind, I sought a pool of that which would balance, and as luck would have it, the Sheriff provided the setting with his natal-day observation. Dancing generally does restore the balance and the company of a good friend will heal much. Though, when she had to leave, I was assaulted by a newcomer who decided I was “fresh meat”. The lady in question was definitely unexpected, and provided a second wind to my flagging spirits. I could return to my self-appointed task with renewed vigor.
The old conflicts had not quite been settled before, with the addition of the infusion of blood, had thrown her off balance to the point of madness. Do not tell me she was not able to be driven so, her soul ached with it. As one who, in this society, only had a passing acquaintance with her, I could not gain an audience with her. The fact that I was not a relative, and admittedly a transient in the eyes of society as yet, meant I had no means of introduction. I had to watch from a distance and attempt to contact her in a manner appropriate to the eddies of movement in the patient population.
My returns to my home for brief respites from the maelstrom of the Tam San were more restful and restorative than any visits I had made before, as the company of one who developed from an acquaintance to a friend and, most surprisingly, a mate, made my continued investigations possible. Her bond opened a new avenue – if she could anchor me, there was another way to reach the one in pain.
With the link in place, and in the still of the small hours between midnight and dawn, threading past the orders and objectives of others, I sought to ask that which was her core, her true self, one question.
What is YOUR will?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Greatest Joy Greatest Sorrow
I almost managed to get the Council to dismiss me.
Almost.
Since I had acted without direct orders, they were nearly going to cut me loose, and then someone tipped them off that I had been looking for Miss Q. Likely her aunt, or it could have been 'Chen, but the end result is I am still attached to them, and now have a commendation in my file, for "quick action for reparation". On and on, and everyone misunderstanding.
I failed to protect her, I lost her in the void between planes, and they want to reward me for it.
Damnation, I hate politics.
If England is a nation of shopkeepers, Caledon is a nation of inventors. I haven't covered a third of the continent, and I only hope I haven't missed her in my search. New Babbage is closed to me, so I am having to rely on eyes other than mine to search there, though it galls me to do so. Winterfell has the wonder-workers, but not as many that work in the sciences needed to repair her as she was, and none that noted the work to rebuild her as a golem.
Blast it, I'm tired and drained. I shall have to find a sanitarium for recharging, and continue my search.
Almost.
Since I had acted without direct orders, they were nearly going to cut me loose, and then someone tipped them off that I had been looking for Miss Q. Likely her aunt, or it could have been 'Chen, but the end result is I am still attached to them, and now have a commendation in my file, for "quick action for reparation". On and on, and everyone misunderstanding.
I failed to protect her, I lost her in the void between planes, and they want to reward me for it.
Damnation, I hate politics.
If England is a nation of shopkeepers, Caledon is a nation of inventors. I haven't covered a third of the continent, and I only hope I haven't missed her in my search. New Babbage is closed to me, so I am having to rely on eyes other than mine to search there, though it galls me to do so. Winterfell has the wonder-workers, but not as many that work in the sciences needed to repair her as she was, and none that noted the work to rebuild her as a golem.
Blast it, I'm tired and drained. I shall have to find a sanitarium for recharging, and continue my search.
Friday, June 27, 2008
The search begins
In between the trips to the Council chambers for the ongoing inquest concerning the New Erebus incident, and too little sleep (and that is solitary when I do rest, bah) I have discovered that there are entirely too many machine shops, doll houses, mechanical engineering laboratories and metal artists in the Realm and in the immediate vicinity.
Ran into a bit of trouble with her aunt, who has been on this plane long enough to have little use for the dictums of Council. I had to admit this had nothing to do with them, just my personal responsibility to make things as right, as best I could. She was unable to give me further help, but at least she did not hinder, either.
No idea what I can do to help, not until I find what state she is in, after crossing the barrier.
But I still have to look.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Timing is everything.
I closed the house up for my absence - I did not expect this to take more than a day, but one never knows - just as Papa slipped onto the plane. “Your sister will need this,” he said, handing me a package. The handwriting and the aura both belonged to the priest from the old neighborhood. I nodded to him as he slipped out again, and I prepared to make the transition myself.
Following the trace my sister had left, I got pulled into the eddy the containment squad created when they rezzed in above the ships. The thing that held sister and her mates at bay was a blend of the scientific and esoteric, and I saw why Father Bert had sent the salt and holy water. Belt-and-braces sort he was, I wouldn’t have put it past him to bless the salt while he was at it, as well. I tossed the Divine Saline kit to ‘Chen and started my search for the lady in distress.
It did not take long, as she was the power core for the artificial city. I found her by following the source of energy, just as Bloodwing had taken off for his ships. Damned if he doesn’t keep showing up like a bad penny. Fine, Council would have to deal with him later. I had to help here if I was able.
She did not look about when she heard my approach, but asked, "Why have you returned? Were the ships destroyed?"
"No, Qlippothic...not just yet..." She turned in shock as my voice did not match her expectations.The atmosphere in this section of the city was rapidly depleting, possibly due to her dwindling resources. I hoped she was concentrating her living support system controls around the crew. However, with the loss of the air, I would need to link to her to continue conversing with her. I had not tried this with a self-aware non-organic person before, but there was no time like the present.
Positioning myself in the left side of her field of vision, I touched her shoulder [let me help?]
[No, get to safety; I need to do this myself.] But the glow of core flickered, showing how low her reserve was.
[I can provide energy to make sure your task is done.] Without waiting for an answer, I positioned myself behind her, wrapping my arms around, placing my hands at the connection points above and below her core. [We can do this and still get you home.]
[I cannot return, I will only have enough energy for the task,] she said. [The Wormwood comet must be destroyed.]
My response was simplistic, but true, [It will, no worries; where there is life, there is still hope.] Then I initiated the full link for energy transfer.
Mother Magma, was that a shock. The sheer volume of information this lady held would fill the libraries of several continents. As I got over the surprise at the amount of information, the next was the order. I was used to the random jumble that organics use for memories, but the information here would not be lost to a random neuron firing. It would just be lost because of her sacrifice for a land that where she no longer fit. I finally settled into the link with her, and opened the energy channel.
Linked with her, I saw all the data she had collected. The path of the comet, maps of the debris fields, the gravitational pull equations for each of the planets, moons and stars the comet would pass… and I saw she had never played billiards.
I set up the shot in my mind, and linked with her the way I was, she followed the track, seeing the forces interact, checking my numbers as the path continued. The available usable energy, balanced with the weight of the city, and the power applied all at the beginning without further guidance.
She argued for the briefest of eternities (nanoseconds? What odd terms she used) but we could not come up with another alternative that would provide the city with enough momentum to cause a significant course change in the comet's path without causing more destruction to inhabited worlds. I understood her need to see this through to the end, but the reality would be she would not survive long enough to see it, and her knowledge must be preserved somehow. She disagreed, stating the knowledge she held was too dangerous to be kept.
The time was fast approaching when we would need to give the city the final push. [I will stay, go and make sure the others are prepared.] Though she would not be aware, she still argued she should be there for the destruction.
Calculations sifting through my consciousness, I concentrated on giving her the energy she needed, when she needed it, for this would be the ultimate hustle of fate with a cocked hat double – and no chance for a re-rack.
Timing…
I poured everything I could into the link; we sent the city on its collision course, and she released the remainder back to me. I opened a rift behind us and let the city push me through.
I was still linked with Miss Qlippothic.
The link to the city was dead, but her body had not released the grip on the chains.
Halfway through the transition, I felt her ripped away from me. I lost her in the void between my transit points.
As I collapsed on the floor of my office, I realized what an idiot I had been. I had linked to the house in Harborside. Never mind the Foundation building had been destroyed and the land claimed by another; she had ties elsewhere. Before the accident she had been a resident of the Cay, but that base was gone as well. She would be in Caledon, somewhere, I had to find her...
Following the trace my sister had left, I got pulled into the eddy the containment squad created when they rezzed in above the ships. The thing that held sister and her mates at bay was a blend of the scientific and esoteric, and I saw why Father Bert had sent the salt and holy water. Belt-and-braces sort he was, I wouldn’t have put it past him to bless the salt while he was at it, as well. I tossed the Divine Saline kit to ‘Chen and started my search for the lady in distress.
It did not take long, as she was the power core for the artificial city. I found her by following the source of energy, just as Bloodwing had taken off for his ships. Damned if he doesn’t keep showing up like a bad penny. Fine, Council would have to deal with him later. I had to help here if I was able.
She did not look about when she heard my approach, but asked, "Why have you returned? Were the ships destroyed?"
"No, Qlippothic...not just yet..." She turned in shock as my voice did not match her expectations.The atmosphere in this section of the city was rapidly depleting, possibly due to her dwindling resources. I hoped she was concentrating her living support system controls around the crew. However, with the loss of the air, I would need to link to her to continue conversing with her. I had not tried this with a self-aware non-organic person before, but there was no time like the present.
Positioning myself in the left side of her field of vision, I touched her shoulder [let me help?]
[No, get to safety; I need to do this myself.] But the glow of core flickered, showing how low her reserve was.
[I can provide energy to make sure your task is done.] Without waiting for an answer, I positioned myself behind her, wrapping my arms around, placing my hands at the connection points above and below her core. [We can do this and still get you home.]
[I cannot return, I will only have enough energy for the task,] she said. [The Wormwood comet must be destroyed.]
My response was simplistic, but true, [It will, no worries; where there is life, there is still hope.] Then I initiated the full link for energy transfer.
Mother Magma, was that a shock. The sheer volume of information this lady held would fill the libraries of several continents. As I got over the surprise at the amount of information, the next was the order. I was used to the random jumble that organics use for memories, but the information here would not be lost to a random neuron firing. It would just be lost because of her sacrifice for a land that where she no longer fit. I finally settled into the link with her, and opened the energy channel.
Linked with her, I saw all the data she had collected. The path of the comet, maps of the debris fields, the gravitational pull equations for each of the planets, moons and stars the comet would pass… and I saw she had never played billiards.
I set up the shot in my mind, and linked with her the way I was, she followed the track, seeing the forces interact, checking my numbers as the path continued. The available usable energy, balanced with the weight of the city, and the power applied all at the beginning without further guidance.
She argued for the briefest of eternities (nanoseconds? What odd terms she used) but we could not come up with another alternative that would provide the city with enough momentum to cause a significant course change in the comet's path without causing more destruction to inhabited worlds. I understood her need to see this through to the end, but the reality would be she would not survive long enough to see it, and her knowledge must be preserved somehow. She disagreed, stating the knowledge she held was too dangerous to be kept.
The time was fast approaching when we would need to give the city the final push. [I will stay, go and make sure the others are prepared.] Though she would not be aware, she still argued she should be there for the destruction.
Calculations sifting through my consciousness, I concentrated on giving her the energy she needed, when she needed it, for this would be the ultimate hustle of fate with a cocked hat double – and no chance for a re-rack.
Timing…
I poured everything I could into the link; we sent the city on its collision course, and she released the remainder back to me. I opened a rift behind us and let the city push me through.
I was still linked with Miss Qlippothic.
The link to the city was dead, but her body had not released the grip on the chains.
Halfway through the transition, I felt her ripped away from me. I lost her in the void between my transit points.
As I collapsed on the floor of my office, I realized what an idiot I had been. I had linked to the house in Harborside. Never mind the Foundation building had been destroyed and the land claimed by another; she had ties elsewhere. Before the accident she had been a resident of the Cay, but that base was gone as well. She would be in Caledon, somewhere, I had to find her...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Evening, on the cusp of night.
Sitting at my desk, contemplating the changes in the neighborhood and the current news, I have been uneasy. My task at large has not changed, but there has been little news of the one who brought this area to our attention. True, my home here is warded against him, but even in the realms outside, there has not been much said, save the discussion of what happened at Artificial Isle. There are those who say he has left this plane, and murmur of the son created from his bones, but the void one would expect is not there.
The call of dire catastrophe struck me as the thunderbolt, catapulting me to my armoring cabinet. If she is in enough trouble to call, I will need back-up.
The call of dire catastrophe struck me as the thunderbolt, catapulting me to my armoring cabinet. If she is in enough trouble to call, I will need back-up.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Yes, tonight I will quite possibly embarrass my sister.
However, I solemnly swear – I will not involve any livestock. I do not speak for my neighbors, but after Piccadilly, I have remembered that particular lesson.
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