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127. Transition
🕑 Added 2024-01-25 08:47:55 +0000 UTCWithin the command room of a massive spherical spaceship, two pure white spheres with only distinction in their light could be seen communicating through a complex series of light signals both visible and invisible and statics.
“=-this proceeded quite nicely but further meetings will be required, Brother. To add to it I doubt and fear their full trust would ever be earned without compromising ourselves and that cannot be done without accord from the Senate.=”, Axela said to her fellow Senomorph after having given him a short briefing on what happened in the meeting.
It had been three hours since she and Matriarch Thessalia had left the positively volcanically active moon. Currently, the spaceship was following a trail of Voidwyrm and Enforcer to Pandora to which as a show of trust from the All-Father and All-Mother they were authorized to enter into orbit but under heavy surveillance.
This meeting did not end with anything bad but also nothing exceptional by any stretch of the words. No trades or even ties for such potentialities but it was normal, if the ones they had come for had accepted everything immediately it would have been exceptionally suspicious. It was still within the phase where both parties studied one another, gauged what the others wanted, etc.
There was a power disparity; it just wasn't to any extent either could use their weight to push the balance to one side or the other.
One was technologically superior but that was all, they were infinitely smaller in nearly every possible way. However, the technology gap was important enough to make the bigger one unable to push and have any significant advantage in negotiation.
Patience and empathy were virtues required for this. And Axela had them aplenty, though she did not have an infinite amount of time to work on her metaphorical hands, the Harvester could and will strike and strike hard at any moment.
The Coalition suffered defeat after defeat from them with little wins of near non-substantial value in between. If the scales of time weren't so large the shorter-lived races might have awakened and would have worked harder.
The same was true for the longer-lived one but several centuries to millennia was still long to relax. Yet it was a relatively short period in such a war that spanned galaxies and the lifespan of entire planet-bound civilization.
Though ultimately she was certain Liam and Eywa would come around, she understood their apprehension and the paranoia it generated. This was why going methodically was the way to go, but there was one thing that still bothered her, and that until now had never been a problem. Not even with the Leviathan, at least to that extent.
She couldn't get a read on them, even less predict them to any degree that didn't seriously cut down the number of factors to be taken into consideration. For now, she will follow their instruction while not infringing on any of their limits while also trying to slowly convince them.
It was a delicate balance to keep.
Though… Axela was genuine in her desire, there was no malice or overly complex nefarious plot but at the end of the day, she was one if not the top diplomat of the Coalition. It was her job, her lifeblood, and why as much as the meeting was ‘friendly’ it wasn't between friends. It could closely turn into such a thing but it was not now.
“=Their ‘All-Mother’ and ‘All-Father’ are truly fascinating.=”, Ktgerfaje or in English Repsaj, noted studying the data sent to him and the image of his focus on the glowing metal lozenge in the heart of the creature of light.
“=Yes their only point in common barring their supposedly unique interspecies romantic tie is their immortal status.=”, Axela said, “=The All-Mother are from what has been garnered the sum of every native cellular organism upon Pandora having collectively taken the name of Eywa. Likely making her the oldest organism discovered to date. And from what was observed she can spread to other heavenly bodies with outside assistance.=”
“=That begins to explain how extensively potent Psionic is here. The older a being is, the stronger its Psionic in all aspects becomes until the advanced stage of senescence. She must be older than our civilization itself and that will be putting it lightly, the Harvester themselves must be younger. Unless artificial creation there was. How fascinating nonetheless. I truly wish to speak and study such an entity.=”, the ‘male’ Senomorph mumbled in a static and small burst of light.
“=Then there is the All-Father under the name of Liam Cram, a human name even none of him is. A true oddity unlike his romantic companion, nothing can explain his existence, our access to humanity data lacks any mention of his existence that could explain his existence or his technology.=”, she flashed and an equivalent of a nod was given.
“=The ‘RDA’ possesses images and videos of a human with silver eyes and similar facial structure, if only in glimpses. It's most probable to be him. All that can be safely assumed is that he is an anomaly of unknown origin, an artificial creation, or an agent of a force we are unaware of. He is not human in origin that is certain but we lack context, humans are hardly interstellar, and information is easily distorted. This could be such a case.=”, she continued, anomaly after anomaly pointed out.
“=Yes but that's of little importance is it not, Sister? His origin will remain a mystery until he decides to not make it so, there is little that can be done with the minuscule information and leverage at our disposal. What matters is getting an understanding of this ‘Tek’ and the substance that is the foundation of it.=”, Repsaj said and added, “=It's a substance that he is made of another most interesting peculiarity.=”
“=Indeed the Coalition's first meeting with an energy life form stepping into the realm of a higher dimension, an energy that has shown Tek will be a necessity to our victory but that's only a fraction of it. ‘Pandorium’ has the highest Psionic and magnetic conduction ever seen, both of which will revolutionize our entire technology.=”, she said back with dreams in her voice at all the possibility.
“=This will be more impactful than the discovery of Element Zero. But we mustn't press the matter or act foolish alas I can only hope our superior agrees, Sister. This diplomatic mission has progressed far more than to obtain two new member species.=”, her Brother declared with a heavy sigh and mild worry.
“=Alas indeed, we are sadly but agents and we can only hope for the All-Father and All-Mother to work with us. We do not have the power and will to war against them and the Harvester together. Only through peace will we obtain our key to victory.=”, Axela said and both continued with their conversation.
At the same, the creatures at the center of attention of those two Senomorphs and soon the entire Coalition were in a pure silver room. In its middle were two floating platforms connected with white and black roots forming thin organic-like tendrils to the ground. The black one pulsing blue and purple and white glowing a soft pink.
Then both of their eyes, fiery silver and glowing pink locked onto a newcomer, a human male teenager. His tall muscular build unhidden by the white gown on his body, he advanced calmly with resolution in his eyes toward them
His mind was made on the matter. He will not back down or hesitate… Still…
“Are you ready Miles? This is a step from which there is no going back. You will not be human the way you are ever again. And it will only follow this path for a length of time you cannot fathom.”, Liam said observing the young human analytically, the tiniest amount of tension in his voice for he understood far more what this meant.
“Yes, Father. I want to take this step, I know of the risks and consequences. I will be different, I will never be the same. That is why I want to walk this path. I will be perceived differently, and people will change to my presence even Kiri but… I want to be your son and this is the conclusion I have reached to become it. This is required to make it so, and if to sacrifice this traitorous body is a requirement then I’m ready.”, Miles answered, his eyes hardening with conviction and body moving to one of the floating platforms.
“Then so be it.”, Liam said, all emotion from his voice and face turning into cold impassivity as the room lit up. Miles was lifted by silver tendrils and placed delicately on one of the platforms.
Once this was done the tendril of Element and furry white roots grew along his nervous system following his spine from the back of his head. A body-wide prickling sensation washed over him as his heart hammered powerfully in his chest at what was soon to come.
Death. He will die today by the hand of his adopted father, and as unnatural fatigue invaded his mind he spoke. His last words.
“I-I want to experience it… I want to know. I don't want it to be easy…”, he announced and the face of Liam above frowned ever so slightly, emotions unknown within those silver orbs for eyes.
“Foolish boy.”, Eywa said calmly with a slight disapproving shake of her head, “Bravery is not to be confused with folly, this will but complicate the process and this cannot be allowed.”
“But…”, he tried to argue but it was in vain and as his mind drifted away to a great bottomless void that felt akin to falling for eternity he managed to hear the sinking words of his Father that made a weak conflicted smile appear on his face.
“Martyring oneself is no proof of love, it is of desperation and ill minds. I do not wish to see you do so for anyone, not even me or yourself. You are my son and this is natural for me to treat you as such, the hurts of others are unfounded and not for you to cater endlessly for they will crave forever more until not even bones remain.”
“Now close your eyes, slow down your breathing, and die in peace by my hand for you will be reborn anew of my flesh, blood, and steel.”, Liam intoned and Miles’ many fleeting thoughts turned to nothingness.
In the following minute, each of the teenager's organs began to shut down, beginning with the non-vital ones. His slow breathing came to a complete stop as his chest stopped moving up and down, soon his heart stopped beating and in the next several seconds all neuronal activity stopped.
Miles had died, killed by his Father yet the latter was barely affected by what he had just done and proceeded on the transitional operation. Hands of blue light grabbed the Engramic Matrix with utmost care shifting through tendrils of Element until stopping at a knot where white root intercepted. Here both the All-Father and All-Mother began working.
There were reasons as to why a Pilot to control his or her Avatar needed to share both the near total of their genetic materials. Without it, no connection could be made, for transferring one living Engramic Matrix from one body to another it required this same factor. Even then it was not without chance of failure for a vast variety of reasons such as a weak or mentally unstable donor body.
For the ‘Respawn Protocol’ it was no different by any amount that mattered outside of technicality. Switching a dead Engramic Matrix to a different body was possible but not without a high risk of degeneracy and true death, it was tested after all.
And it wasn't only genetic, age, and body shape injuries if any, and more were equally as important. Like any transplant from a donor truly.
What was being done was of this exact same principle for it was going to be a fundamentally different body.
However, there was a solution to avoid the risk involved. The direct modification of the Engramic Matrix to its deepest layer. It was a metaphysical surgical operation of complexity and difficulty unfathomable to any living soul but both deities working upon it, each requiring to focus on it to a high degree.
It was not the first time it was done, long conclusive experiences had happened for only perfection was acceptable for it to be the case. What was being worked on was even more fragile than the regular Souls and Minds of adults, it was that of a growing teenager yet this fragility came with immense plasticity and the ability to heal effortlessly under the right conditions.
This was close to the most appropriate age to do so, not too young for all to dissolve into nothingness yet not too old for complications to appear. And the ability to adapt to the new vessel, though it wasn't only that. There was preparation beforehand and years of optimized training and alimentation.
On the platform opposite to the one with the still-warm corpse on, purple, white, and blue solidified into root-like structures, each color corresponding to a forming system, the nervous system, vascular system, and lymphatic system.
A metallic lozenge shifted into reality above, it hovered down on the forming heart before merging with the growing tissue. Meeting and solidifying simultaneously as the skeletal system began to grow. Their dark steel color was a telltale of their abnormal nature for humans.
Lifting his hand Liam with Eywa's assistance guided the changed Engramic Matrix into the Specimen Implant. Tendrils of his and her intertwined connecting to it and beginning the transfer, while this step of utmost importance was happening the respiratory, digestive, urinary, endocrine, and male reproductive systems began to grow.
The organs shared both resemblances to Na’vi, humans and beyond alike but drastically different for they were extensively optimized and lacked any defect that natural evolution would have generated.
Then the muscles grew accompanied by ligaments and tendons filling space given by smaller but better organs and attaching to bones, their color like the latter unnatural with black, red, and blue tissues that glowed faintly. Finally came the integumentary system, skin, nails, and hair appeared covering and protecting all but the upper portion of the silvery lozenge. A white pair of shorts materialized around the crotch area giving a minimum of privacy for the new body.
Long seconds passed turning into minutes and as the marker reached ten minutes the Specimen Implant lit up a crimson red. It was followed by a heartbeat, then another, and another. Then came the first breath, chest rising and falling as lungs absorbed greedily the air.
Then pupils snapped open revealing ethereal silver iris gazing at the ceiling in confusion before understanding befell them. He was alive, it succeeded, he could feel it, everything. The many internal changes, the depth of his breath, the strength behind his heartbeats, his thoughts void of any fogs. It felt right in a way he never felt before, his Mind, Soul, and Body in perfect harmony.
“Welcome back to the world of the living. How do you feel, my son?”, a deep voice containing an almost limitless warmth said from above, and the one spoken to couldn't help but smile, revealing pearly white teeth and two pairs of canine far too long and sharp to be considered normal.
“Good… No. I feel incredible Father.”, Miles said slowly shifting upward, movement far too smooth, rapid, and elegant. His eyes landed on his corpse before shifting to his Father, then his Mother for this was a true rebirth and he was given an instinctive understanding of what had happened.
He stood up, rapidly adapting to a new height, mass, and center of gravity, the raw power in his muscles and the energy flowing through them granting him a feeling of security he never knew was possible.
Then he moved to his Father and deeply hugged which was quickly followed by the Homo Deus calling to Eywa who joined in. Her entire body told it was something she was alien to, yet she accepted the invitation. Hugging with a strength that made his seam measly in comparison.
