C28 Out of Time
Out of Time.
Two days since Anthony had started the Migration progress, which was done after 36 hours, as his AI had to do a lot of workarounds. Plenty of time for Ludwig to investigate Anthony’s ability.
Ludwig was able to give him tip's here and there, and even paid a visit to Anthony’s psychic plane, something that seems to have changed since the last time he seen it, by his words.
Thomas later gave credence to that claim, as that moon used to be barren. It was now covered in crystals that had randomly started to appear across it’s surface. A sign that his psychic Energy was recovering by the looks of it, as the more his capacity would be filled out, the more crystal mass there likely would be.
It would fit, a plane somehow reflected how much energy you have available. For Ludwig, it was the ability to command earth and minerals to some degree, and his plane, it was a large turtle. It reflected his capacity through it’s size.
But that figure. That black robed elf on that Throne, it worried Ludwig, the sense he was getting from it was, disturbing.
Cold, cruel, and unforgiving, qualities he could read in the energy-flow around that being. But it wasn’t evil, not exactly, it was more like, there was a certain pragmatism.
“ Ludwig ? “ He heard Thomas speak, and looked up from the Crystal ball he was staring at.
“ Yep ? “ Ludwig responded, leaning back in his chair.
They where currently on Haven station, He, Thomas, Marianna, and Aria, though Aria was near always present in a way. And they where meaning to consider their next Step with Anthony, as that Nah’Rahan, as they called it, had not bothered to show much reaction as of late. Merely to sneak in for attention from either Anthony or Tilly, but thats it.
“ I was asking what your thinking, you have been staring at that ball for a while now. “ Thomas spoke.
Thomas had just reported of what he had witnessed with Anthony. The psychic energy growth, the stability, and the, partially sealed emotions. As all he could sense that day, when Anthony was repairing the Core, was a hint of guilt, some light amusement, and then that strange fit of joy and sorrow.
Thing was, the in between was missing, Thomas could no longer read all of Anthony’s emotions, like part of them where gone. Though by now Ludwig was sure, it wasn’t that they are gone, not yet, but that Anthony was becoming to strong for Thomas to read him, his psychic energy was masking him, blocking the abilities of other Psykers to some degree.
“ I was thinkin about dat lad’s plane. “ Ludwig uttered.
“ Dat elf spirit. I don’t think it be a spirit. And da, Tools of control, dat be bullocks too. It be an aspect of his power, but as da lad said, it aint fittin the whole picture. “ He suggested, looking at his crystal ball again to exert his own power on it, reshaping it into the form of that crystal throne, and the elf on it.
“ Then, what do you think it is ? “ Marianna now spoke up.
“ I be thinkin, the rulership, it be the right direction. But, it be more specific then dat. “ Ludwig responded, and then turned the reshaped crystal ball around, to show off the replication of the elf to the others.
“ Dat elf, I be thinkin, dat be an ideal, what he may become, what he may aspire ta. And it be feelin like, I duno, a king ? Silently watching, unfeelin, judging. Possibly fair, but not forgivin. “ He explained.
Marianna, reading what he said from a translator as she found the Common language to bothersome, looked up from the translators screen, not quite sure of what to think of his claim.
“ So, what do you think we should do ? “ She would ask, concerned as that wasn’t exactly painting a good picture.
“ What did ya say, about when dat ship started ? “ Ludwig asked instead of responding.
“ 2445 by Maggie’s information. “ Aria responded.
“ Yeah, dat aint fittin. “ Ludwig mused, turning the crystal around a few times.
“ What do you mean ? “ Thomas now asked.
“ Talked a bit to him, about Mars, where he been born. And by what he been telling, it aint the breadbasket it should have been. “ Ludwig spoke.
“ So ? “ Thomas asked, slightly confused.
“ It wasn’t terraformed then. Been a barren rock with sealed in settlements. Orbit wasn’t moved either. “ Ludwig explained, which caused Thomas to furrow his brow now, trying to calculate what that was implying.
Mars, and Venus, they both had been moved, through gravitational influence of massive stations. Together with earth, they formed a triangle around the sun, stabilized through stations that took over the work that Luna did for earth.
2445 by their old calendar, was when Mars supposedly was already a lush green world, and heavily invested in agricultural production. And Venus was still in the terraforming stages then.
The time count was reset after the last war happened around 2568, during the Terran Commonwealth formation, and before it’s formation, there was somewhat of a dark age, where many colonies had lost contact to one another.
The Terran Commonwealth had unified many of them, and it was spanning over 600 colonized worlds now, many of whom where young as the Terran’s sought to claim as much room as possible.
They where all connected through Natural phase-lanes, which left many unexplored star-systems in between their colonized space, as artificial phase-lane constructions where a slow moving prospect.
By their current Calendar, it was the year 734, which had still fit Eden’s assumption of Anthony’s age, given the uncertain amount of time that passed between the internal conflict, and the formation of the Terran Commonwealth.
“ What exactly are you implying ? “ Marianna asked now.
“ Be thinking, lad might be pre collapse. “ Ludwig suggests, which helped Marianna very little right now as she wasn’t entirely aware of human history.
Well, she was, but thing with Nah’Rahan, they had so much information, much of it was dormant until they begun looking for it within themselves, and that took time.
“ That would make him, at least 3000 years old, likely even older. “ Thomas spoke in utter disbelieve, partly clarifying Marianna’s confusion.
“I be thinking, the lad aint growing fast, he be dat strong already. He be growing, sure, but he be ripenin dat ability for a while already. “ Ludwig seems to openly consider.
“ Pre collapse ? “ Marianna asked to be filled in.
“ Yeah. Bombs, asteroid, not sure what caused it. But Humanity nearly got wiped out once. “ Thomas answered.
“ Which be saying, them theorists be right. Pre collapse humans did try settlin Mars. Anthony be prove of dat. “ Ludwig claimed.
“ Perhaps, but technical impossibility aside. “ Thomas spoke, and then stopped, finding no reasonable explanation or reason to refute this claim, he just was sure that it sounded absolutely impossible.
“ His ability. Be thinking it reached the threshold, it may be prolonging his life. “ Ludwig offered.
“ Which, if true, would prove that Psykers can live longer. “ Thomas mused, nodding lightly in agreement now.
“ Would you two mind filling me in ? “ Marianna insisted, getting a little annoyed now.
“ Someone in the Psykers Union claims that Psykers have a slower aging process. Goes as far as to claim that, if a Psyker accumulates enough energy capacity, they could potentially gain immortality. But so far, there has not been any prove of that. “ Thomas explained.
“ So your going for speculations now. “ Marianna groaned, leaning back into her chair.
“ Gentlemen. That is not helping.” Marianna argues.
“ How long has da lad been here ? “ Ludwig asked.
“ Two weeks, why ? “ Marianna responded.
“ Well, I be thinking, ya been too busy distracting the lad. Might be time ta ask proper questions, and perhaps, serve some answers, eh ? He been curious about ya gals, and eventually, he might be growing suspicious. “ Ludwig offered.
Marianna would sigh, reaching up to massage the bridge of her nose for a moment. Considering the pro and contra’s about filling Anthony in on his situation. And she didn’t even know where to start.
“ Two weeks is hardly enough Time to warrant trust of that degree. “ Thomas spoke.
“ Ludwig is right. We don’t have to tell him everything, not yet. But we don’t have to lie either. If he touches on a subject we are not comfortable sharing yet, we just have to say so. Evading his questions altogether is bound to seed distrust between us.
By every current estimate I make, he’ll accept reasonable doubt, based on Thomas’s observations that he himself distrusts others. We just have to assure he knows we are protecting ourselves and our interests, based on the circumstances presented to us. “ Aria offered as the voice of reason.
“ And Ina ? “ Marianna asked.
“ In that case, Siren and Nah’Rahan, we should start with that. If he understands your kind, he should be able to see why we are being careful when we tell him about Ina.
And we already made suggestions of freedom, you yourself suggested that he could visit Eden, if he holds interest. He’s just been to busy with his own problems and, Tilly. That won’t last forever, one of these days, he may just take you up on your offer.
We can’t go on pretending freedom and trying to keep him on a leash. Unless you plan to sabotage his ship once he grows to close to finalizing repairs. And I think, by that time, not only will he be suspicious of our behavior, but if Ludwig is right, he will be someone we can’t control.
We already can’t with Ina around. All we have done is adjust to assumptions we made about her and her intentions, or, your Firsts by extension. “ Thomas spoke, suggesting a course of action, though appearing like he was also trying to convince himself.
“ And Kira ? “ Marianna asked Thomas, looking straight at him.
She knew all to well that any Siren would love to be ensnared by her mate, but she at least wanted to assure it was something Kira wanted, and not something Ina had forced her into, like she did with Tilly.
“ Fiercely loyal. She is dutiful towards Eden, but I don’t see her coming back willingly, not anytime soon. It’s not at the Bond mate level, it’s a full submission in her case. “ Thomas answered her.
“ Give da lad a ship, one of em old pirate junkers. “ Ludwig then suggested, which felt utterly out of context to Marianna as it would give Anthony too much too soon.
“ You mean, so he can join the Psykers union ? “ Thomas asked, also feeling that this was a bit to much.
“ Nah, dat lad be ta much. If he joins, that be fancy, a lot ta learn from one another. But if he be pre collapse, he be in for a cultural shock. So, give him a ship, frame it as test of his ability, but set rules not ta leave system, or just ta move it in specific systems.
And once he be filled in, he can have a look around, see that ya been honest for himself. “ Ludwig explains.
“ That may be to much at the current state. “ Aria spoke up.
“ Maybe, but ya can’t keep him here even if ya wanted ta. Doesn’t have ta be right now, don’t have ta creep up his bum-hole either just ta show sincerity, dat might look suspicious ta dat lad.
But, once he starts moving, ya may wana be on his sugary side. Ya don’t have ta be friends, but-, “ Ludwig tried to explain, and then pauses briefly.
“ Ya said ya first seems involved. If she wanted dat lad dead, he’d be just dat, by what I be told. So she want’s him alive if yer right, so enable him. And If ya really want to slow dat lad down, throw some more of yer gals onto his ship.
Can’t be workin if he be fuckin, be his own darn fault if he takes em gals up on their charms. And It be lookin like he be gettin a taste for them charms. “ Ludwig pushed for a more conclusive explanation.
Marianna sighed, she didn’t like that idea, but he wasn’t wrong. They have been floundering about since Anthony’s arrival. Between him, his initially unstable power, and the occurrence of a second First, they been to scared to move decisively.
“ Aria. Compile all Information on the Nah’Rahan, I’ll grant you full access to the data. Add files on Eden too, make it seem like he is getting generalized information. Culture and so forth, so he can understand the difference between Nah’Rahan and Siren. You can make a passing mention of yourself, but nothing obvious. “ Marianna ordered, planning to go with Ludwig’s suggestion.
She still did not like it, they where baring themselves before something they had no real control over. But Ludwig was right in one particular regard. If the first was truly involved, then remaining on good terms with him may just be pivotal for their future.