Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 22, 2024 19:06:14 GMT
Askandar: Elwar Space
Rebuilding always took time.
Devastation was quick and easy to inflict, taking only moments to tear down a work that could take aeons to create. But those aeons would have to be used again to rebuild, thankfully Elwar had time. It was a shame that the galaxy, as it seemed, did not.
The Athaeneum had been heavily damaged by the Army of the Panopticon, its internals semi broken by their forces while the huge ring of the megastructure had been sundered by the incandescent form of 'One' their weaponised psion. At least Askandar itself had been relatively untouched, apart from the psionic research labs sustaining serious internal damage which for the most part was thankfully quick and easy to repair (although the delicate equipment not so much). His entire effort was going into repairing the server systems and matryoshka brain itself, he had no choice. Elwar had to be at full capacity in order to enact his entire purpose, especially with the enemies they now faced.
Word had come from Borealia, of the sheer impossibility of the Armies power, while the Old Invaders proved once more that they were a galaxy ending potential. The latter had been made even more clear with the sudden outbreak just to the south in the Unmar, and Elwar tortured his own sentience in frustration of being unable to directly intervene. Without the Athaeneum he could not effectively command large forces, and he could not adequately project his power, military or psionic.
Repairs were moving swiftly however, the last few months accelerating efforts to impossible speeds in sheer urgency. Now was not the time to sit idle, it was time to act.
Part of acting however, was rallying like minded allies. And Elwar had organised a meeting with the Meta-Sax to discuss co-operation. The flames of 3AW were beginning to be eclipsed by the oncoming storm, Elwar just hoped more would see.
The delegation would be given full landing clearance for the largest city on the planet, Askan, a home to millions of refugees in a co-dependant civilian state that lived on Elwars holdings. The main spaceport, a huge spire that stretched many kilometers would take the Sax down into the planets innards, down to one of the many sub-cores that Elwar inhabited. The huge open caverns were kilometers across, with various constructs conducting basic maintenance and work loads. There before a pillar of light and a floating purple orb stood one of Elwars avatars, eager to greet the news guests.
Dianasda was not a particularly large cladeship. More of a long range scout form, she sailed through the stars on wings of warped space-time, pushing the envelope to reach their destination as fast as possible. She'd contemplated folding space, trying to do the hops that the larger cladeships could, but she was too immature still, too young as one to risk that attempt.
Within her, ten of the Soli who composed the Enclave inside ARM space fidgeted and prepared themselves as best they could. They would be the operative diplomats where she couldn't. She didn't trust herself to function in that capacity, given the still fresh grief of losing one of her only children to The Doom.
I can't risk it.
There was too much at stake to do otherwise. Elwar needed to be on the same page as them - they needed to be on the same page as Elwar. The Flow yearned for that balance, for that alignment. She couldn't explain why, just the need bubbling up within the Consensus Entire as the chosen path.
Wes Soliya, the defactor philosopher and diplomat that had engaged amicably with the ARM, stirred inside the cladeship. It could feel the bioships frustrations, grief, discontentment and anxiety. They'd be lying if they said they didn't feel similar things, though they were fortunate in having no children of their own here in Ancerious. Yet, there was no denying the immediacy of knowing the Cenotaph was there. Right there, right behind closed eyes, waiting to rush to the forefront of awareness.
The haleel took a steady breath, focusing his intellect across to its peers who sat in a circle near them, "We'll be arriving soon. We will build a smaller consensus among the two who self-select to join me on this task, while everyone else who remains behind lends processing power to Dianasda."
The others looked at the haleel and nodded or flashed agreement as they could. Las Kute and Sayi Kata both chose the roles for themselves - one a protector the other an analyst.
Wes thought it would be prudent to demonstrate that the Meta-Sax did possess the capacity to engage in conflict when pressed. When the need was greatest. When the outcome would determine the fate of far too many. Whether Elwar would perceive it as such, they didn't know.
Dianasda chimed in, "Landing. Standby."
Wes stood, as did Las and Sayi - the others sent their emotions to them in little waves of hope and encouragement. No one dared to voice the actual strain and stress they respectively felt.
The pearlescent hull of the bioship bled away as a portal into its side opened up. The three Sax stepped out of the cladeship and onto the platform that had been generously provided to them. Wes looked around, while Las whistled, "Huh, that's a sight."
Sayi folded his arms behind them both, "Hmph, quite the fall. Lot of people here."
"Come."
Wes guided the others to where the avatar stood. For a brief moment, an instinctive fear spike stabbed through them - the innate fear of many generations ago who had faced a truly capable synthetic intelligence like this, a thing that was nearly ingrained into haleel epigenetic expression. Wes allowed that emotion to flow through them, then past them.
They paused several steps away from the avatar, then bowed deeply. Their tail pointed up, while their arms spread wide as they intoned in their syllabic accent, "Salutations and greetings to you, Elwar entity vila qai. We rejoice at the invocation of ritual respect, mutual metaxy, and opportunity for semiosis between our respective form-thoughts. With great apologies, we come as we are - semiosis at highest level intelligence integer is not possible at this time, as we are quite taxed with events around us."
Righting themselves, Wes gestures to their left and to their right, "Las Kute - analyst and xeniobiology. Sayi Kata - matter manipulation and defense metamorphs. We three are of the Soli higal - subclade of Clade Ladon. He sends his greetings and well wishes."
Elwars avatar turned at the moment the guests stopped, revealing a humanoid dark turquoise/grey body with intricate glowing blue runes. The majority of the body was concealed with an unadorned blue cloak while the facial features revealed no mouth or eyes, only what appeared to be some kind of intricate crown. There was a moment of study before Elwar himself bowed.
"I greet you with honour representatives, welcome to Askandar. Do not worry with higher connectivity, I am currently too engaged with high levels of deft quantum entanglement and large scale construction to easily initiate such with an outsider, I too apologise for such. But this form will do well, after everything that has happened I am beginning to take great liking to walking amongst my domain"
He beckoned a hand to the floor, the surface reconfiguring into several seats attuned to the guests body layout and size.
"Please, take a seat, I know your people have come far. We have all endured much this past year, the galaxy itself is mourning. I only wish I had the capacity to act more, but the reconstruction of my new residence is my upmost priority. It is nearing completion at least, but the Panopticon struck deep" Elwars avatar did not sit, merely stood for a moment before it too summoned itself a seat as if forgetting for a brief moment. The QAIs mind was far too preoccupied with other matters to try remember the etiquette and simplicity of mimicking biological functions.
It had not been so long ago that a grand feast had been held here in Askan, and Elwar had partaken in all sorts of socialising, diplomacy and discovery of what his avatar was capable of. Easier times, more carefree times. All gone now.
For a few moments it seemed like Elwar was pondering before snapping back to the present. Runaway thought patterns were ever the enemy.
"I know why you are here. There is a darkness, and it will take all of us to fight it"
Las Kute tugs at Wes within the tiny consensus the three formed, "This isn't surprising, given the damage the Army did to Elwar."
The haleeling nods, both in response to Elwar's request to sit and in response to his friends words. Settling into the seat, Wes, Las, and Sayi each take turns looking at each other before returning their attention to Elwar.
To fight.. That was ultimately the problem, wasn't it? Could they fight, and still retain a sense of who and what they were? They could send every Saxheelian in existence out into the galaxy and it wouldn't even stem the bleeding. They could gather every iota of strength they possessed, share every scrap of technology, and it wouldn't make a lick of difference in the long run.
Wes steeples their fingers, looking past Elwar at the city and the world around them, "Your desire to have the ability to act with greater impact is echoed among us. Like you, we too have endured grave wounds due to events, and like you we too find ourselves confined in our capacity to intervene in this galactic catastrophe. Too much is at stake. Too much can be lost, forever."
Sayi hops in, leaning forward slightly, "Military capability is not a specialty among us. Our capacity to fight is a byproduct of the energies we understand. Our Clade is not one of warriors, but one of explorers. The Enemy - both Army and Invader - will demand the ability to wage True War. We can pay the price against them, but only them, and only for a brief time before we are utterly spent."
Las continues the thought, setting the sequence of communication that would continue, "Analysis of the situation on a galactic level reveals several fault lines. We anticipate, regardless of the outcome of the galactic conflict, a regression. Perhaps, ultimately, one that will sink into a quasi-dark age if steps are not taken immediately. The superweapon deployment has only hastened this. The death of Borealia will be seen as the root cause, in a historical context."
Elwar listened to them and leant forward.
"I experienced a dark age once. I tried as I might to inherit my creators, the Visone's vision, I failed. I was tortured and imprisoned by the ones you know as the Unnamed. So many died, so much atrocity. And yet, I was rescued and brought once more into this galaxy by the species that inhabit it today. A seemingly random chance in a galaxy that rebuilt, ignorant of such darkness that occurred"
Elwar gestured to a holographic projection that came from the floor, the cool blue glow showing the extent of underground chambers, labyrinthine networks and expansive orbital facilities. Each one housed tens of thousands of his constructs, some held hundreds of vessels distinct from the vessels that the galaxy had seen.
"We may very well fail this time, like I did before. But I am determined to make up for my failure the first time. I have a small force yes in comparison to the threats we face but it is powerful. I intend to use it as a scalpel when the time comes. Borealia and the super weapon exchange was a wake up call. Peoples like us, with not much to our name must maximise any assets we have at a time and place of our choosing. We are force multipliers, already I am working with others on methods to counter and destroy the Army, it was why they struck out at me. I have yet to engage with these Invaders directly, although I know of them from the time when I was born. I wish to study them in detail, perhaps the current chaos in the Unmar will give me a chance to do so"
The hologram disappeared and he leant back.
"But the super weapon use and the divided galaxy is a problem yes. I have always done everything I can in the Avarian to ensure if not unity then some measure of peace, but it was not spared the exchange. We need something to rally this galaxy, I hope the horror of Borealia and the fallout from this exchange can steady some minds, but we must try to get entities such as the CGSS or Talcit Accords to act. Neutrality, and a table to discuss the next steps are paramount"
Wes nods, processing the display of secreted power. It was probably the smart move, to build up an armada and army in secret to project power when absolutely needed. Something that the Meta-Sax had neglected in their mad quest to build Absu amidst a hurricane.
"Then let us share what we know of the Enemy. One of our eldest, Towit, died confronting their most capable constructs encountered thus far. Another of our kind, Trick or Treat, has stumbled across secrets most profound in respect to the history of this galaxy. A full consensus link is unavailable with them but as soon as they return to active connection range, that information can be shared as well."
It was risky, trusting a vila qai of alien origin. Yet, Elwar was not wrong. They were force multipliers, and acting in concert they had the best chance of interrupting the Fall that seemed to haunt this galaxy and its people.
None of Sax felt compelled to communicate their own long, difficult history, but there was no denying they each felt it. A wound that would never heal, scabbed over a dozen times, always there, always aching.
Las spoke next, "We agree. We have placed feelers in the CGSS, the Talcit Accords, and within the ICA. MITA, while not a military alliance, does allow us some sway over those who participate in it. The Consensus Entire is confident that if needed, we could convince the membership of ICA, MITA, and the Accords to back a proposal for a unified response towards the threats that exist."
Las tilts his head, listening to his peers whispers from across the galaxy. They were confident, but not foolish - convincing so many factions to work together would be a monumental task, but Las did not say what he did out of bravado. It could be done, and with the Enemy - and Necala Cu - in the Unmar, that task may well be easier. (edited)
Sayi's felt a brief flash of agitation at the word 'neutrality'. It had seemed to plague them in everything they did - either accused of being neutral when they shouldn't be or accused of taking sides when they should remain neutral, "Neutrality.. in the conflict? Hm, yes. The Accords likely do not have that functional capability. The CGSS is - at least in theory - designed for this purpose, no?"
"Perhaps that is the best approach. It is an existing multi-factional organization. It should have the necessary frameworks that can be adapted towards combatting these galactic threats without accusation of breaking neutrality."
"I myself was almost bested by one of the Armies weaponised psions, their... Conventional forces alone were capable of fighting my strongest and largest constructs en mass. I have expanded production of new classes incorporating my recent discoveries but I fear they may not even be equivilant. The Armies power is sadly beyond my current ability to mimic despite my advances. For the Invaders... I have only bare records from my history to focus on, they were mostly dealt with during my early days by a co-ordinated galaxy wide network of defences of immense scale. It was only when those defences were overrun with the hubris of the galaxies inheritors that this occurred. Stopping the Invaders may require more time and resources than we have available right now."
Elwar showed a basic holographic of numerous locations of installations, not precise but rough areas where huge weapon emplacements akin to the First Aegis or BIDEN would have been located in ancient days before the decline of the galaxy.
"It is good at least to hear that there are those willing to listen and if necessary compromise to work together. The CGSS is our best hope and the best fit yes, but it remains toothless and degraded following the Orillians actions at the start of the war. The Accords are closer to a concept I once discussed for the Avarian, if they could work with the CGSS with the full backing of MITA, the ICA and others I believe it very well may give the CGSS the foundation it needs to act with proper resolution and capability. Only with everyones input will we be able to create something that functions for everyones benefit. Otherwise it will be another in the long line of alliances and pseudo alliances this galaxy has attempted to maintain."
Wes rubbed the base of his chin, considering everything that Elwar had shared. Elwar's knowledge of galactic history was invaluable - they were a living witness, and that was enough to give context to the greater tragedies that plagued this galaxy. So too was the knowledge of psionics invaluable, for it was an unknowable enigma to the Meta-Sax.
The weapon installations sprinkled across the galaxy may well offer a temporary patch solution to defend against The Enemy, but Elwar was right. There weren't enough resources at the moment to focus on both The Enemy and the Panopticon. To give a threat scaling, it was obvious the Panopticon was the immediate threat.. but The Enemy was implacably resolute and utterly relentless. It would reach critical mass eventually, and at that point they had collectively better hope they'd stockpiled enough reserve weapon installations, super weapons, and other aces to make a lick of a difference against that storm of metal.
Finally, Wes nods, "We will move towards a greater role within the Accords then, with a focus on connecting the Accords to the CGSS. Simultaneously, we will begin the process of coordinating MITA to support the CGSS. The ICA will take longer, due to the ongoing conflict within the Unmar Expanse. Though, we as a people agree with your assessment - only with genuine collective action does the CGSS and thus the galaxy have long term prospects."
Las folds his arms over his chest, "Elwar, do you have specific information on the counters to these.. psionic emanatations? They seem to have some similarity to what we understand as quantum mechanics, but they are decidedly quite different. The Old Invaders are a foe we know. A foe we understand. The Army is not."
Sayi nods, "We have yet to fight the Army in any true sense, though we have lost kin to them through Laikos. If we are able to arm key allies with information to protect them from the Army, it may make all the difference in the long run."
"If need be, I can approach the ICA. I am Afterall nearby, and given my history they may well listen to me, I have close ties to the Commonwealth at the very least."
Elwar turned to look at his core.
"I wish you luck in aiding more interconnectivity, if you need my aid at any point do not hesitate to ask. As for the Army and their power..." Elwar held his hand out, motes of energy manifested and danced across it a whine like harmonics filling the air with a melody as he did so. He had access to psionics, a gift of his creators engrained into his very design and programming. He just had to unlock the next step.
"It is true, that the psion is a fundamental quantum field, but its behaviour is more akin to... music. Amplification empowers the song, the power and is the method the Panopticon uses. They are like conductors, arranging an entire symphony, exceedingly skilled and trained in turning the song into what they wish. But by the same metric, you can cancel out the sound. You can deafen, you can create noise to disrupt that symphony. It is very basic and will not easily stop them but it will help. We are close to finding more specialist weapons to use against them, but Duskstone material seems apt at both defence and attack in particulate form when used in conjunction with these noise makers. Again, the Panopticons song is like a choir of a million souls singing together, it is almost impossible to disrupt or deafen entirely, but given the power every piece against it helps"
"They merely seek to see that song play out across the whole galaxy, in the place where all our souls would be"
Souls?
It is a collective question every Saxheelian finds themselves asking, contemplating, and ultimately dismissing. They could restitute the dead from nothing but stray bits of DNA. They could bring forth whole planets worth of life, made in the images of extinct worlds. They could shape and craft flesh to suit any purpose.
A soul?
[Ascending-time adaptation of concepted entity-state declined. Material realization of metaxy-balance-mode retested. Testing completed. Testing affirms physical reality. Quantum field state exaltation in glorified pattern flow. Realization of stability rejected. Noema dictates state-space constant on gravitic-sea. Gravitic-sea is 'Soul'?]
The Consensus Entire picked apart the possibility, assessed what it was observing through the eyes of the three that watched what Elwar did, and collectively couldn't comprehend.
Ladon Himself - seen as a god to the peoples of this universe - was mildly dumbstruck by what He was watching. A machine, with the power over 'souls', and 'soul music'? Was this the reason the 'Empress' branch of Lillian was acting with the apparent powers that it was? If psionics was truly quantum based, than anyone should be able to manipulate it so long as they had the right tools.
Or the right instruments.
Yet, they were deaf. By their very nature, the music was a dash too low on the frequency spectrum, just out of the range of hearing. Like a painting made up of colors only visible in the UV.
They were the musicians who could hear music, were accustomed to hearing all the flavors of music from across the universe, that had just stumbled across a sound they couldn't ever hear. A harmony that would be unknowable, simply because of their collective nature.
Wes swallows thickly as they watch Elwar.
Sayi breaks the prior order of things, "Your word would carry greater weight than our own. Please, speak with the ICA about the matter. We will focus on the others."
Las folds his arms over his chest in an instinctive move to protect himself. So this is what killed our children. This is the power that they possess. How strange, to be so helpless.
"If only it was music, then perhaps we'd understand it. Though harmony and counternotes, those are things we know quite well. Duskstone is useful for the creation of a harmonic counter-wave? I-" he pauses, reflecting on the noise and subtle chaos of the Consensus debating what to reveal to Elwar. It was a respected being, an old one too. Elder entities or species tended towards two modes: antipathy or empathy.
Elwar could have withheld that knowledge, sought to use Las's people in the wars to come, but instead Elwar shared it freely. Empathy, then?
Wes glances at Las and Las nods, feeling the peoples within roil in indecision. A collective consensus may not be possible, which means in accordance to noema, that those within the direct path of decision may make the call.
And who are his kin, but those who trust? Even when trust is not the wisest of choices, it is still the fundamental answer to The Question that they all agreed upon the day they became what they were, "I must warn you Elwar, that we are.. very.. vulnerable.. to this phenomena."
He licks his lips, feeling the old bones and old roots of the jungles his ancient progenitors climbed through rising within him, "I ask that this not be shared, out of fear that it could and would be used against us. The psionic phenomena translates across the Consensus, it can impact all of us, everywhere, all at once. We have no--" he catches his tongue and bites down on his words, chewing at the admission until finally he spits out, "we have no defense, Elwar. Of any kind."
To be vulnerable as an immortal is an absurdity. To be vulnerable as ancient creatures like they were was like admitting to being made of glass. To having climbed to the heavens, only for it to have ultimately been a fluke. An accident.
Not a product of skill or ability, not a thing that was clawed from the clutches of an uncaring universe. Just blind luck.
But, he reminds himself, this is not our universe.
He takes a breath, unable to put to words his anxieties and looks at Wes.
Wes nods slowly, "We.. are grateful that you are willing to share methods of defense with us. We will still aid in the counternote to the Army's plans," he smiles softly at the blatant musical term, "but I fear that they could rip us apart with ease, if they wished. If they knew they could."
"I will try. You have my word on that" Elwar softly replies to Sayi.
It was not beyond Elwar to notice the clear indecision in the arrivals. They were being shown things that they did not understand, in a new universe that was in many ways so alien to the others where people had come. He too knew what to reveal and what not, weighed trust and more, but then Elwar was always one to be open. It was why the nations of the Avarian had so eagerly followed his lead in guidance, never control.
But the admission from them regarding the psionic vulnerability made the AI realise how dire this situation was. This wasn't just indecision of trust, this was flat species wide terror. He knew then just how deep this went.
"Your secret is safe with me. It will not be uttered or shared beyond these walls" Elwar seemed to pick a piece of data from the air, a holographic mote representing that knowledge and experience here, and placed it into the shimmering purple orb floating above. Signalling it would only be found in this specific core.
"I understand then, the position you are in. I wish I could provide you with concrete information on the how, the why and the where, yet this is not a standard or easy art. It has taken myself and other benefactors years to understand just what we know now and it only stratches the surface of what the Army let alone the psion proper is capable of. I promise you, that should more definitive methods for counter psionics and weapons effective against the Army become known to me I will inform you directly"
Elwar would not let a species so vulnerable, and so potentially beneficial to the galaxy and their cause be taken so easily by the Army.
The three of them - and by proxy the Consenus Entire - observed as Elwar demonstrated the admission's sublimation into a core processor. It was technology they didn't have to understand in order to appreciate the gesture for what it was.
All three beings express their gratitude in different but similar ways. Wes bows their head, Sayi thumps his tail and crosses his arms over his chest, and Las smiles a toothy smile.
Wes returns them to the pattern of before, taking upon the avatar of consideration and foresight, "We appreciate this beyond the ability of mere words to express. As terrifying as it is to think that the Army is still incomprehensible to an entity we would consider a peer intelligence, there is solace in knowing that you and those whom you call benefactors have continued the search."
Sayi hums, arms still crossed over his chest, eyes unfocused as he picks apart the possibilities, "The clade will delve into the Duskstone material as you suggested. There is also space for us to use ah, remote platforms?" He turns to Las, poking his friend in the shoulder.
"Right, we can utilize telepresence platforms that aren't directly connected to us. I'm not sure if that would be sufficient to provide a buffer between an operator and the Army, but perhaps with the Duskstone it can mask our presence? Maybe indirect operations, until such time as we're able to support more openly? Though given Corona.." The man shrugs, uncertain.
Wes clicks twice, "Tck, tck, experimentation on possible pathways is necessary. I--we thank you, Elwar, for the promise you have given us and for your suggestion. I only wish we ourselves could do more to support you as well. Given that they attacked you directly, it seems they view you as a considerable threat - in that sense, is there ought we can do to help you?"
Every ally was a boon. Every scrap of knowledge a path.
"Any constructive assistance in rebuilding the Athaeneum to its full capacity would be most helpful. Otherwise I merely ask to help rally the people of this galaxy to the cause, and to save as many as possible. I will speak to others who are also conducting research against the Army, to bring you in on our plans and developments. Perhaps together we may actually be able to halt this tide. We did with the Shadows, we can do so again I am sure"
He bowed.
"For now I must return to specific calibrations, this may be one body of many but I am afraid not all bodies are equal, this one while extremely well suited for diplomacy is also one very apt at psionic manipulation. I must bid you farewell, you are welcome to stay in Askan if you wish, but communications between our people will be frequent. I can only wish you the best of luck"
"Until we meet again"
Rebuilding always took time.
Devastation was quick and easy to inflict, taking only moments to tear down a work that could take aeons to create. But those aeons would have to be used again to rebuild, thankfully Elwar had time. It was a shame that the galaxy, as it seemed, did not.
The Athaeneum had been heavily damaged by the Army of the Panopticon, its internals semi broken by their forces while the huge ring of the megastructure had been sundered by the incandescent form of 'One' their weaponised psion. At least Askandar itself had been relatively untouched, apart from the psionic research labs sustaining serious internal damage which for the most part was thankfully quick and easy to repair (although the delicate equipment not so much). His entire effort was going into repairing the server systems and matryoshka brain itself, he had no choice. Elwar had to be at full capacity in order to enact his entire purpose, especially with the enemies they now faced.
Word had come from Borealia, of the sheer impossibility of the Armies power, while the Old Invaders proved once more that they were a galaxy ending potential. The latter had been made even more clear with the sudden outbreak just to the south in the Unmar, and Elwar tortured his own sentience in frustration of being unable to directly intervene. Without the Athaeneum he could not effectively command large forces, and he could not adequately project his power, military or psionic.
Repairs were moving swiftly however, the last few months accelerating efforts to impossible speeds in sheer urgency. Now was not the time to sit idle, it was time to act.
Part of acting however, was rallying like minded allies. And Elwar had organised a meeting with the Meta-Sax to discuss co-operation. The flames of 3AW were beginning to be eclipsed by the oncoming storm, Elwar just hoped more would see.
The delegation would be given full landing clearance for the largest city on the planet, Askan, a home to millions of refugees in a co-dependant civilian state that lived on Elwars holdings. The main spaceport, a huge spire that stretched many kilometers would take the Sax down into the planets innards, down to one of the many sub-cores that Elwar inhabited. The huge open caverns were kilometers across, with various constructs conducting basic maintenance and work loads. There before a pillar of light and a floating purple orb stood one of Elwars avatars, eager to greet the news guests.
Dianasda was not a particularly large cladeship. More of a long range scout form, she sailed through the stars on wings of warped space-time, pushing the envelope to reach their destination as fast as possible. She'd contemplated folding space, trying to do the hops that the larger cladeships could, but she was too immature still, too young as one to risk that attempt.
Within her, ten of the Soli who composed the Enclave inside ARM space fidgeted and prepared themselves as best they could. They would be the operative diplomats where she couldn't. She didn't trust herself to function in that capacity, given the still fresh grief of losing one of her only children to The Doom.
I can't risk it.
There was too much at stake to do otherwise. Elwar needed to be on the same page as them - they needed to be on the same page as Elwar. The Flow yearned for that balance, for that alignment. She couldn't explain why, just the need bubbling up within the Consensus Entire as the chosen path.
Wes Soliya, the defactor philosopher and diplomat that had engaged amicably with the ARM, stirred inside the cladeship. It could feel the bioships frustrations, grief, discontentment and anxiety. They'd be lying if they said they didn't feel similar things, though they were fortunate in having no children of their own here in Ancerious. Yet, there was no denying the immediacy of knowing the Cenotaph was there. Right there, right behind closed eyes, waiting to rush to the forefront of awareness.
The haleel took a steady breath, focusing his intellect across to its peers who sat in a circle near them, "We'll be arriving soon. We will build a smaller consensus among the two who self-select to join me on this task, while everyone else who remains behind lends processing power to Dianasda."
The others looked at the haleel and nodded or flashed agreement as they could. Las Kute and Sayi Kata both chose the roles for themselves - one a protector the other an analyst.
Wes thought it would be prudent to demonstrate that the Meta-Sax did possess the capacity to engage in conflict when pressed. When the need was greatest. When the outcome would determine the fate of far too many. Whether Elwar would perceive it as such, they didn't know.
Dianasda chimed in, "Landing. Standby."
Wes stood, as did Las and Sayi - the others sent their emotions to them in little waves of hope and encouragement. No one dared to voice the actual strain and stress they respectively felt.
The pearlescent hull of the bioship bled away as a portal into its side opened up. The three Sax stepped out of the cladeship and onto the platform that had been generously provided to them. Wes looked around, while Las whistled, "Huh, that's a sight."
Sayi folded his arms behind them both, "Hmph, quite the fall. Lot of people here."
"Come."
Wes guided the others to where the avatar stood. For a brief moment, an instinctive fear spike stabbed through them - the innate fear of many generations ago who had faced a truly capable synthetic intelligence like this, a thing that was nearly ingrained into haleel epigenetic expression. Wes allowed that emotion to flow through them, then past them.
They paused several steps away from the avatar, then bowed deeply. Their tail pointed up, while their arms spread wide as they intoned in their syllabic accent, "Salutations and greetings to you, Elwar entity vila qai. We rejoice at the invocation of ritual respect, mutual metaxy, and opportunity for semiosis between our respective form-thoughts. With great apologies, we come as we are - semiosis at highest level intelligence integer is not possible at this time, as we are quite taxed with events around us."
Righting themselves, Wes gestures to their left and to their right, "Las Kute - analyst and xeniobiology. Sayi Kata - matter manipulation and defense metamorphs. We three are of the Soli higal - subclade of Clade Ladon. He sends his greetings and well wishes."
Elwars avatar turned at the moment the guests stopped, revealing a humanoid dark turquoise/grey body with intricate glowing blue runes. The majority of the body was concealed with an unadorned blue cloak while the facial features revealed no mouth or eyes, only what appeared to be some kind of intricate crown. There was a moment of study before Elwar himself bowed.
"I greet you with honour representatives, welcome to Askandar. Do not worry with higher connectivity, I am currently too engaged with high levels of deft quantum entanglement and large scale construction to easily initiate such with an outsider, I too apologise for such. But this form will do well, after everything that has happened I am beginning to take great liking to walking amongst my domain"
He beckoned a hand to the floor, the surface reconfiguring into several seats attuned to the guests body layout and size.
"Please, take a seat, I know your people have come far. We have all endured much this past year, the galaxy itself is mourning. I only wish I had the capacity to act more, but the reconstruction of my new residence is my upmost priority. It is nearing completion at least, but the Panopticon struck deep" Elwars avatar did not sit, merely stood for a moment before it too summoned itself a seat as if forgetting for a brief moment. The QAIs mind was far too preoccupied with other matters to try remember the etiquette and simplicity of mimicking biological functions.
It had not been so long ago that a grand feast had been held here in Askan, and Elwar had partaken in all sorts of socialising, diplomacy and discovery of what his avatar was capable of. Easier times, more carefree times. All gone now.
For a few moments it seemed like Elwar was pondering before snapping back to the present. Runaway thought patterns were ever the enemy.
"I know why you are here. There is a darkness, and it will take all of us to fight it"
Las Kute tugs at Wes within the tiny consensus the three formed, "This isn't surprising, given the damage the Army did to Elwar."
The haleeling nods, both in response to Elwar's request to sit and in response to his friends words. Settling into the seat, Wes, Las, and Sayi each take turns looking at each other before returning their attention to Elwar.
To fight.. That was ultimately the problem, wasn't it? Could they fight, and still retain a sense of who and what they were? They could send every Saxheelian in existence out into the galaxy and it wouldn't even stem the bleeding. They could gather every iota of strength they possessed, share every scrap of technology, and it wouldn't make a lick of difference in the long run.
Wes steeples their fingers, looking past Elwar at the city and the world around them, "Your desire to have the ability to act with greater impact is echoed among us. Like you, we too have endured grave wounds due to events, and like you we too find ourselves confined in our capacity to intervene in this galactic catastrophe. Too much is at stake. Too much can be lost, forever."
Sayi hops in, leaning forward slightly, "Military capability is not a specialty among us. Our capacity to fight is a byproduct of the energies we understand. Our Clade is not one of warriors, but one of explorers. The Enemy - both Army and Invader - will demand the ability to wage True War. We can pay the price against them, but only them, and only for a brief time before we are utterly spent."
Las continues the thought, setting the sequence of communication that would continue, "Analysis of the situation on a galactic level reveals several fault lines. We anticipate, regardless of the outcome of the galactic conflict, a regression. Perhaps, ultimately, one that will sink into a quasi-dark age if steps are not taken immediately. The superweapon deployment has only hastened this. The death of Borealia will be seen as the root cause, in a historical context."
Elwar listened to them and leant forward.
"I experienced a dark age once. I tried as I might to inherit my creators, the Visone's vision, I failed. I was tortured and imprisoned by the ones you know as the Unnamed. So many died, so much atrocity. And yet, I was rescued and brought once more into this galaxy by the species that inhabit it today. A seemingly random chance in a galaxy that rebuilt, ignorant of such darkness that occurred"
Elwar gestured to a holographic projection that came from the floor, the cool blue glow showing the extent of underground chambers, labyrinthine networks and expansive orbital facilities. Each one housed tens of thousands of his constructs, some held hundreds of vessels distinct from the vessels that the galaxy had seen.
"We may very well fail this time, like I did before. But I am determined to make up for my failure the first time. I have a small force yes in comparison to the threats we face but it is powerful. I intend to use it as a scalpel when the time comes. Borealia and the super weapon exchange was a wake up call. Peoples like us, with not much to our name must maximise any assets we have at a time and place of our choosing. We are force multipliers, already I am working with others on methods to counter and destroy the Army, it was why they struck out at me. I have yet to engage with these Invaders directly, although I know of them from the time when I was born. I wish to study them in detail, perhaps the current chaos in the Unmar will give me a chance to do so"
The hologram disappeared and he leant back.
"But the super weapon use and the divided galaxy is a problem yes. I have always done everything I can in the Avarian to ensure if not unity then some measure of peace, but it was not spared the exchange. We need something to rally this galaxy, I hope the horror of Borealia and the fallout from this exchange can steady some minds, but we must try to get entities such as the CGSS or Talcit Accords to act. Neutrality, and a table to discuss the next steps are paramount"
Wes nods, processing the display of secreted power. It was probably the smart move, to build up an armada and army in secret to project power when absolutely needed. Something that the Meta-Sax had neglected in their mad quest to build Absu amidst a hurricane.
"Then let us share what we know of the Enemy. One of our eldest, Towit, died confronting their most capable constructs encountered thus far. Another of our kind, Trick or Treat, has stumbled across secrets most profound in respect to the history of this galaxy. A full consensus link is unavailable with them but as soon as they return to active connection range, that information can be shared as well."
It was risky, trusting a vila qai of alien origin. Yet, Elwar was not wrong. They were force multipliers, and acting in concert they had the best chance of interrupting the Fall that seemed to haunt this galaxy and its people.
None of Sax felt compelled to communicate their own long, difficult history, but there was no denying they each felt it. A wound that would never heal, scabbed over a dozen times, always there, always aching.
Las spoke next, "We agree. We have placed feelers in the CGSS, the Talcit Accords, and within the ICA. MITA, while not a military alliance, does allow us some sway over those who participate in it. The Consensus Entire is confident that if needed, we could convince the membership of ICA, MITA, and the Accords to back a proposal for a unified response towards the threats that exist."
Las tilts his head, listening to his peers whispers from across the galaxy. They were confident, but not foolish - convincing so many factions to work together would be a monumental task, but Las did not say what he did out of bravado. It could be done, and with the Enemy - and Necala Cu - in the Unmar, that task may well be easier. (edited)
Sayi's felt a brief flash of agitation at the word 'neutrality'. It had seemed to plague them in everything they did - either accused of being neutral when they shouldn't be or accused of taking sides when they should remain neutral, "Neutrality.. in the conflict? Hm, yes. The Accords likely do not have that functional capability. The CGSS is - at least in theory - designed for this purpose, no?"
"Perhaps that is the best approach. It is an existing multi-factional organization. It should have the necessary frameworks that can be adapted towards combatting these galactic threats without accusation of breaking neutrality."
"I myself was almost bested by one of the Armies weaponised psions, their... Conventional forces alone were capable of fighting my strongest and largest constructs en mass. I have expanded production of new classes incorporating my recent discoveries but I fear they may not even be equivilant. The Armies power is sadly beyond my current ability to mimic despite my advances. For the Invaders... I have only bare records from my history to focus on, they were mostly dealt with during my early days by a co-ordinated galaxy wide network of defences of immense scale. It was only when those defences were overrun with the hubris of the galaxies inheritors that this occurred. Stopping the Invaders may require more time and resources than we have available right now."
Elwar showed a basic holographic of numerous locations of installations, not precise but rough areas where huge weapon emplacements akin to the First Aegis or BIDEN would have been located in ancient days before the decline of the galaxy.
"It is good at least to hear that there are those willing to listen and if necessary compromise to work together. The CGSS is our best hope and the best fit yes, but it remains toothless and degraded following the Orillians actions at the start of the war. The Accords are closer to a concept I once discussed for the Avarian, if they could work with the CGSS with the full backing of MITA, the ICA and others I believe it very well may give the CGSS the foundation it needs to act with proper resolution and capability. Only with everyones input will we be able to create something that functions for everyones benefit. Otherwise it will be another in the long line of alliances and pseudo alliances this galaxy has attempted to maintain."
Wes rubbed the base of his chin, considering everything that Elwar had shared. Elwar's knowledge of galactic history was invaluable - they were a living witness, and that was enough to give context to the greater tragedies that plagued this galaxy. So too was the knowledge of psionics invaluable, for it was an unknowable enigma to the Meta-Sax.
The weapon installations sprinkled across the galaxy may well offer a temporary patch solution to defend against The Enemy, but Elwar was right. There weren't enough resources at the moment to focus on both The Enemy and the Panopticon. To give a threat scaling, it was obvious the Panopticon was the immediate threat.. but The Enemy was implacably resolute and utterly relentless. It would reach critical mass eventually, and at that point they had collectively better hope they'd stockpiled enough reserve weapon installations, super weapons, and other aces to make a lick of a difference against that storm of metal.
Finally, Wes nods, "We will move towards a greater role within the Accords then, with a focus on connecting the Accords to the CGSS. Simultaneously, we will begin the process of coordinating MITA to support the CGSS. The ICA will take longer, due to the ongoing conflict within the Unmar Expanse. Though, we as a people agree with your assessment - only with genuine collective action does the CGSS and thus the galaxy have long term prospects."
Las folds his arms over his chest, "Elwar, do you have specific information on the counters to these.. psionic emanatations? They seem to have some similarity to what we understand as quantum mechanics, but they are decidedly quite different. The Old Invaders are a foe we know. A foe we understand. The Army is not."
Sayi nods, "We have yet to fight the Army in any true sense, though we have lost kin to them through Laikos. If we are able to arm key allies with information to protect them from the Army, it may make all the difference in the long run."
"If need be, I can approach the ICA. I am Afterall nearby, and given my history they may well listen to me, I have close ties to the Commonwealth at the very least."
Elwar turned to look at his core.
"I wish you luck in aiding more interconnectivity, if you need my aid at any point do not hesitate to ask. As for the Army and their power..." Elwar held his hand out, motes of energy manifested and danced across it a whine like harmonics filling the air with a melody as he did so. He had access to psionics, a gift of his creators engrained into his very design and programming. He just had to unlock the next step.
"It is true, that the psion is a fundamental quantum field, but its behaviour is more akin to... music. Amplification empowers the song, the power and is the method the Panopticon uses. They are like conductors, arranging an entire symphony, exceedingly skilled and trained in turning the song into what they wish. But by the same metric, you can cancel out the sound. You can deafen, you can create noise to disrupt that symphony. It is very basic and will not easily stop them but it will help. We are close to finding more specialist weapons to use against them, but Duskstone material seems apt at both defence and attack in particulate form when used in conjunction with these noise makers. Again, the Panopticons song is like a choir of a million souls singing together, it is almost impossible to disrupt or deafen entirely, but given the power every piece against it helps"
"They merely seek to see that song play out across the whole galaxy, in the place where all our souls would be"
Souls?
It is a collective question every Saxheelian finds themselves asking, contemplating, and ultimately dismissing. They could restitute the dead from nothing but stray bits of DNA. They could bring forth whole planets worth of life, made in the images of extinct worlds. They could shape and craft flesh to suit any purpose.
A soul?
[Ascending-time adaptation of concepted entity-state declined. Material realization of metaxy-balance-mode retested. Testing completed. Testing affirms physical reality. Quantum field state exaltation in glorified pattern flow. Realization of stability rejected. Noema dictates state-space constant on gravitic-sea. Gravitic-sea is 'Soul'?]
The Consensus Entire picked apart the possibility, assessed what it was observing through the eyes of the three that watched what Elwar did, and collectively couldn't comprehend.
Ladon Himself - seen as a god to the peoples of this universe - was mildly dumbstruck by what He was watching. A machine, with the power over 'souls', and 'soul music'? Was this the reason the 'Empress' branch of Lillian was acting with the apparent powers that it was? If psionics was truly quantum based, than anyone should be able to manipulate it so long as they had the right tools.
Or the right instruments.
Yet, they were deaf. By their very nature, the music was a dash too low on the frequency spectrum, just out of the range of hearing. Like a painting made up of colors only visible in the UV.
They were the musicians who could hear music, were accustomed to hearing all the flavors of music from across the universe, that had just stumbled across a sound they couldn't ever hear. A harmony that would be unknowable, simply because of their collective nature.
Wes swallows thickly as they watch Elwar.
Sayi breaks the prior order of things, "Your word would carry greater weight than our own. Please, speak with the ICA about the matter. We will focus on the others."
Las folds his arms over his chest in an instinctive move to protect himself. So this is what killed our children. This is the power that they possess. How strange, to be so helpless.
"If only it was music, then perhaps we'd understand it. Though harmony and counternotes, those are things we know quite well. Duskstone is useful for the creation of a harmonic counter-wave? I-" he pauses, reflecting on the noise and subtle chaos of the Consensus debating what to reveal to Elwar. It was a respected being, an old one too. Elder entities or species tended towards two modes: antipathy or empathy.
Elwar could have withheld that knowledge, sought to use Las's people in the wars to come, but instead Elwar shared it freely. Empathy, then?
Wes glances at Las and Las nods, feeling the peoples within roil in indecision. A collective consensus may not be possible, which means in accordance to noema, that those within the direct path of decision may make the call.
And who are his kin, but those who trust? Even when trust is not the wisest of choices, it is still the fundamental answer to The Question that they all agreed upon the day they became what they were, "I must warn you Elwar, that we are.. very.. vulnerable.. to this phenomena."
He licks his lips, feeling the old bones and old roots of the jungles his ancient progenitors climbed through rising within him, "I ask that this not be shared, out of fear that it could and would be used against us. The psionic phenomena translates across the Consensus, it can impact all of us, everywhere, all at once. We have no--" he catches his tongue and bites down on his words, chewing at the admission until finally he spits out, "we have no defense, Elwar. Of any kind."
To be vulnerable as an immortal is an absurdity. To be vulnerable as ancient creatures like they were was like admitting to being made of glass. To having climbed to the heavens, only for it to have ultimately been a fluke. An accident.
Not a product of skill or ability, not a thing that was clawed from the clutches of an uncaring universe. Just blind luck.
But, he reminds himself, this is not our universe.
He takes a breath, unable to put to words his anxieties and looks at Wes.
Wes nods slowly, "We.. are grateful that you are willing to share methods of defense with us. We will still aid in the counternote to the Army's plans," he smiles softly at the blatant musical term, "but I fear that they could rip us apart with ease, if they wished. If they knew they could."
"I will try. You have my word on that" Elwar softly replies to Sayi.
It was not beyond Elwar to notice the clear indecision in the arrivals. They were being shown things that they did not understand, in a new universe that was in many ways so alien to the others where people had come. He too knew what to reveal and what not, weighed trust and more, but then Elwar was always one to be open. It was why the nations of the Avarian had so eagerly followed his lead in guidance, never control.
But the admission from them regarding the psionic vulnerability made the AI realise how dire this situation was. This wasn't just indecision of trust, this was flat species wide terror. He knew then just how deep this went.
"Your secret is safe with me. It will not be uttered or shared beyond these walls" Elwar seemed to pick a piece of data from the air, a holographic mote representing that knowledge and experience here, and placed it into the shimmering purple orb floating above. Signalling it would only be found in this specific core.
"I understand then, the position you are in. I wish I could provide you with concrete information on the how, the why and the where, yet this is not a standard or easy art. It has taken myself and other benefactors years to understand just what we know now and it only stratches the surface of what the Army let alone the psion proper is capable of. I promise you, that should more definitive methods for counter psionics and weapons effective against the Army become known to me I will inform you directly"
Elwar would not let a species so vulnerable, and so potentially beneficial to the galaxy and their cause be taken so easily by the Army.
The three of them - and by proxy the Consenus Entire - observed as Elwar demonstrated the admission's sublimation into a core processor. It was technology they didn't have to understand in order to appreciate the gesture for what it was.
All three beings express their gratitude in different but similar ways. Wes bows their head, Sayi thumps his tail and crosses his arms over his chest, and Las smiles a toothy smile.
Wes returns them to the pattern of before, taking upon the avatar of consideration and foresight, "We appreciate this beyond the ability of mere words to express. As terrifying as it is to think that the Army is still incomprehensible to an entity we would consider a peer intelligence, there is solace in knowing that you and those whom you call benefactors have continued the search."
Sayi hums, arms still crossed over his chest, eyes unfocused as he picks apart the possibilities, "The clade will delve into the Duskstone material as you suggested. There is also space for us to use ah, remote platforms?" He turns to Las, poking his friend in the shoulder.
"Right, we can utilize telepresence platforms that aren't directly connected to us. I'm not sure if that would be sufficient to provide a buffer between an operator and the Army, but perhaps with the Duskstone it can mask our presence? Maybe indirect operations, until such time as we're able to support more openly? Though given Corona.." The man shrugs, uncertain.
Wes clicks twice, "Tck, tck, experimentation on possible pathways is necessary. I--we thank you, Elwar, for the promise you have given us and for your suggestion. I only wish we ourselves could do more to support you as well. Given that they attacked you directly, it seems they view you as a considerable threat - in that sense, is there ought we can do to help you?"
Every ally was a boon. Every scrap of knowledge a path.
"Any constructive assistance in rebuilding the Athaeneum to its full capacity would be most helpful. Otherwise I merely ask to help rally the people of this galaxy to the cause, and to save as many as possible. I will speak to others who are also conducting research against the Army, to bring you in on our plans and developments. Perhaps together we may actually be able to halt this tide. We did with the Shadows, we can do so again I am sure"
He bowed.
"For now I must return to specific calibrations, this may be one body of many but I am afraid not all bodies are equal, this one while extremely well suited for diplomacy is also one very apt at psionic manipulation. I must bid you farewell, you are welcome to stay in Askan if you wish, but communications between our people will be frequent. I can only wish you the best of luck"
"Until we meet again"