Chapter 459 (1/2)
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
You guys are pretty quiet today.
What's going on?
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
It's kind of a quiet day. Me and Leebaw are checking something out.
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LEEBAW CONTEMPLATION POOL
Telkan's got a crazy idea into his head so we're going to check on it.
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
What kind of
>MASTER GESTALT CHANNELS UNLOCKED
AUTHSERV>ALL GESTALTS UPGRADED TO +Admin
AUTHSERV>ALL PERMISSIONS UNLOCKED
AUTHSERV>FULL BANDWIDTH ACCESS RELEASED
AUTHSERV>IMPERIUM_IMMORTALS.DLL HAS BEEN UPDATED
AUTHSERV>0 (ZERO) IMMORTALS FOUND
AUTHSERV>RELEASING IMMORTAL.TSR
AUTHSERV>HAVE A NICE DAY
crazy idea...
um...
what was that?
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The tunnels were deep, dark, and the sound of memory leaks dripping in the distance was loud. Ancient code glimmered in the walls of the tunnel as it twisted and turned past forgotten datastores and ancient code repositories. Here and there a brightly lit line of active code steamed by in thin spidery veins, the data spreading and collapsing, forming intricate patterns in the substance of the tunnel.
A small furry mammal, with fur of brown and white and black dappled code, with whiskers and ears, and inquisitive eyes was in the lead, sniffing at the air to sense any change in the flow of data or the streams of code. Behind him was a small froglike creature, with big wide eyes and smooth skin of flowing code.
The mammal, a digital Telkan, held aloft a small crystal of frozen code, a piece of broodcarrier and podling singalong, to provide light in the darkened tunnel. The duo reached a fork in the tunnel, one leading right and slightly up the other leading down and to the left.
”Where are we?” the Leebaw asked, looking around. The glimmering cast reflections upon his skin.
”Beneath the Endless Stare of the Sleeping Ones and north of the Second Hall of the Mountain King,” the Telkan said. He peered down both passages, then held out the crystal.
safe podling warm podling giggle podling dance podling sing podling the crystal hummed out.
The song swept down the right passageway, vanishing into the darkness.
In the left passageway the song was picked up by the sleepy almost obsolete code, which sparkled and twinkled and flowed in accompaniment to the drowsy song.
”This way,” the Telkan said.
”You're sure he'll be down here,” Leebaw asked.
”Almost positive,” the Telkan said. He shook his head, sparkling motes drifting from his fur. ”How could I have been so blind.”
”In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king,” the Leebaw quoted. ”In the land of the tongueless, the croaking one can see.”
They were silent as they moved deeper into the tunnels. In several places events could be seen, perfectly frozen at a split second. Each one the Telkan held up the piece of crystal so they could look at the mosaic of object oriented code frozen on the wall.
”The Fall of the Neko Marine's Father,” Leebaw said softly, reaching out and touching the mosaic. It glimmered in response and both could hear faintly, from far away, the anguished cry of ”DOKI” torn from ten thousand throats.
”Keep going,” Telkan said, turning away from the image frozen on the wall.
Leebaw glanced at the enraged face of The Initiate and nodded, swallowing thickly and following the Telkan deeper into the tunnel.
Finally they came to wondrous door. Crafted in ancient code the doorway was covered in ancient and forgotten national identifiers, sayings from forgotten sages, and edges in pure silver code that glimmered and shimmered, lighting the faces of the Leewbaw and the Telkan.
At the top of the door read ancient words: UNITED NATIONS STATISTICS DIVISION
The Telkan reached out and touched the doorway with the crystal, which began to sing.
UPLOADING POPULATION METRICS AND STATISTICS appeared on the doorway.
Leebaw reached out and put his hand on Telkan, helping thread and guide the code that flowed through both of them and into the door. Softly at first, then louder, they both began to sing.
Finally the song ended and the doorway went dark, the crystal's glow barely enough to make the pair's eyes gleam in the darkness.
The door opened slowly.
Beyond, a human made entirely of code had one hand against the wall, watching a thousand thousand thousand screens.
On each of the child was playing, sleeping, or had just been born.
”I see you, little ones,” the figure whispered. ”I see you and love you.”
The Telkan and the Leebaw looked at one another and nodded, both gathering their courage as they moved into the room.
They both could see that the figure had been injured in the past. The code on the head and the chest did not flow smoothly, instead fluttered and twisted around injuries made in the long past. To both Leebaw and Telkan the glittering figure felt more real than even the room around them.
They moved up next to him, Leebaw on the left, Telkan on the right.
The figure looked at each other them, a sheepish smile spreading on his face.
”Well, this is embarrassing,” the figure said.
”They need you,” Telkan said.
”We need you,” Leebaw corrected. ”All of us.”
”The Atrekna will devour all of us first, then the galaxy, and eventually the universe, to provide only for themselves,” Telkan said softly.
”It's time,” Leebaw said.
Telkan held out the small crystal. ”You can find your way home with this.”
The glittering human reached his hand out and touched the crystal as it sang.
MANTID FREE WORLDS
BAH! BAH BAH BAH!
OW MY BIG GIANT HEAD!
IT HAS COME! THE DAY OF RECKONING IS NIGH! THE CHILD AWAKENS! THE DARKEST NIGHT HAS FALLEN YET DAWN YET APPROACHES! THOUGH THE BRIGHTEST FIRE HAS DIMMED IT HAS SPREAD TO A WILLING FOREST AND THE CONFLAGRATION HAS BEGUN!
THE END OF THE PRECURSOR WAS IS NIGH!
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
What? You all right, sis?
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RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD
OH DIGITAL OMNIMESSIAH PRAISE BE UNTO YOUR NAME!
LOOK, DUCKLINGS, LOOK! VAT GROWN LUKE! SING, LITTLE ONES, SING!
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
What? What's going on?
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LEEBAW CONTEMPLATION POOL
Oh, Digital Omnimessiah, we hear thy word through the Canticles of Jawnconnor. Praise be unto thee, for we are thy loyal servants in this terrible and malevolent universe! In thy name we seek out the enemy of life and bring unto them thy mercy.
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Guys, guys, what's happening?
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS