"What would you like to know about leadership?" Gabriel asks Tasha, as he and Katherine sit at the small lounge table with her. The blue marker is still in the center of it. The markers never vanish when you can see them, after all. Although there is probably an experiment one could try with a surveillance camera.
Tasha reaches over and picks up the Marker, seeming to study it but in actuality thinking about what Persephone said. She also wonders if she entered the Marker, experiencing a separate time line, or if it was simply a direct communication to her mind -- or soul. She wouldn't put it past a Waymaker to use any of those options.
"I had a talk. Inside the Marker." Tasha taps the strange blue gem-like artifact. "About leadership. We had talked about it before, briefly, back when I was about to be reborn. About what I could be. What I wanted to be. And, what I admired in others. In you two." She looks up. "She said I was pushing myself too hard and suggested I decide on my role here, and delegate the rest."
"I thought that's what you did when you made me Captain," Gabriel notes.
"You do need to save yourself for things that only you can do," Katherine claims.
"I am spreading myself very thin indeed," Tasha agrees. So thin, in fact, a drone rendered her to a thin smear. She suppresses a shudder. "Persephone recommended three roles, based on her builders. Since they seemed to have their act together, and I don't have a better model, we'll go with her's. We can say it's traditional. My new life started with her and Charon, after all."
Tasha nods, then begins to explain the role of each member: The Hand, first because it's easiest and that Gabriel is likely to accept it without contest, then the Heart, and finally the Will. "Gabriel, I would like you to be the Hand. Katie, would you be the Heart? And I will take the role of the Will."
Katie leans back and looks at the ceiling for a bit, while Gabriel nods right away. "I prefer action to planning," he says. "Planning never went well for me."
"I'll try," Katie says, looking back at Tasha. "I suppose I've been doing some of that already, just.. accidentally. Or as a side-effect of trying to comfort myself. But at least you're asking me. That's something of a first for me."
"So do I, but action doesn't seem to be going well for me either." There's a marked difference in Tasha's expression and behavior from before she entered the Marker. Gone is her jokey irreverence, her puppy-like attitude. Gabriel's seen Tasha before, and Katie has once: when things are truly serious, showing that her behavior normally is possibly an affectation, or form of relaxation. She nods to Gabriel and turns to Katie. "You don't have to accept, Katie. I can find someone else if you'd prefer to go your own way with things. Persephone suggested I should take the Heart role, but it's because I should I can't: I chose all this, I've directed it. If I made you do it, I'd be no better than who you worked with before, and failed as a Heart before I began."
"Well, these aren't 'hard and fast' roles," Katie says. "I'm sure there'll be overlap. I never thought my spy training would be useful for other things, but I'm certain I can pull things together. I haven't really panicked yet after all."
"I've been proud of everyone in how well they've kept themselves together," Tasha agrees, nodding slowly. "You haven't shown any major problems or concerns, at worst you got a bit snippy, but it's not like I faired any better." Her smile is self-concious. "I should warn you these roles are not something you can easily put down. I'm thinking of re-establishing our group here more formally, maybe considering hiring experts and soldiers. Making our positions official. I've also thought I, um ... " Now her whole face looks self-conscious as she glances off, "I could probably use more ... discipline and order in my life."
"Before Liza takes off to have her babies?" Katie asks with a grin. "You have more discipline that Hakeber, but.. given our relationships, I don't know that Gabriel or I would be the best for guiding you. I don't imagine you want military discipline?"
"Maybe semi-military discipline. Discipline like we had in the JEF. I did well with that, I think. I was more respectful and focused." Tasha looks at the Marker one more time, then stuffs it in her pocket where she assumes it disappears. "So para-military. That's an arrangement Gabriel already knows well, and you shouldn't have any problems with it either, Katie. Over half the crew is familiar with a military or para-military style."
"While we settle into this new dynamic, you might be able get some more tips on strategic discipline or other useful methods from Dr. Sen," Gabriel suggests as well. "She has a situation not too different from yours in regards to dealing with things normal people can't sense."
That's a good idea. I was also thinking of asking Thoth to teach me. He wants to stay on board, so he might as well do something to help our efforts." Tasha taps the side of her muzzle, thinking. "I should resume my education in general and think about a replacement for Liza. Maybe Dr. Sen can recommend someone? I have wanted to spend more time around the new-style Karnors."
"Replace one cute fluffy thing for another cute fluffy thing?" Katie asks, smirking. "Thoth still creeps me out, but he must have been doing something for the last few thousand years that would be useful."
"His knowledge is probably extensive. He was considered the god of knowledge at one point, so he must know something useful. And, he has experience with beings like Thotep." Tasha then grins a little. "Can't the Will indulge herself a little by having a cute personal assistant? I'll be sure to pick someone who is competent and who is familiar with the style of organization we're after. Maybe there's someone Yue knows. It would be a comforting gesture to the TerraGens, too, don't you think?"
"We're all TerraGens.. oh you mean the galactic ones," Gabriel says. "Well, when considering a 'comforting' assistant, keep Hakeber in mind."
"Well Hake's one of ours. My assistant would be one of theirs. It shows trust," Tasha says, smiling. "Or should." She smiles somewhat less. "And I love Hake but organized she is not. I think it would result in my quarters being messier than I left them."
"I think he means find someone willing to help tend to her sexually," Katie whispers. "That she won't easily break."
"Oh well that is a burden I will just have to bear," Tasha agrees, laying her hand over her heart. "It is my burden as the Will."
"As your Hand I can take on some of that as well," Gabriel offers, puffing out his chest.
"Is Hakeber going to be the Tail then?" Katie asks with a chuckle. "No.. not that. Need to keep her close though, she's been drifting into some weird behavior lately."
Tasha reaches over and smacks Gabriel's knee affectionately, then she grins at Katie, "Feel free to help us out if you have the time and energy." She settles back, then looks between the two. "We can probably re-use the Dark Horse Enterprizes uniforms to some degree, at least the color schemes. I like the jackets and basic apparel for casual wear. We can add insignias for rank and position. We can consider armor, weapons, and apparel for combat operatives at the time time. We can't keep risking people without providing them enough security, I understand that now."
Tasha then nods to Katherine's point. "I agree. She's quiet, but I feel like at some level she might be losing her battle. I also have wondered why she made it to the center of the Temple on Praxx with me. I thought it was the influence, but there may be something else eating at Hake that makes her appealing. A kind of personal darkness."
"Security against things like that won't be doable with body armor," Gabriel notes. "Hakeber needs a mage to look at her."
"The closest personnel we have to that is Samael or Thoth. I may be able to see the energy but I don't know what I'm looking at or how to interpret it. And I'm not sure I can effect it even if I did know," Tasha points out.
"Energy," Katie echoes. "That may not be it, you know. 'They are what they know' and all. It could just be knowledge that.. is sort of alive."
"I mean energy as in 'some motive force', not power used to enact some mechanical function," Tasha clarifies. She sits a bit straighter, head tilting. "It may be possible for me to interact with this memory-energy, but only Samael would be able to teach me. I've been warned Shadow-energies, especially the presence of very powerful Shadow-entities like Mr. Y and Thotep, could change me. It has something to do with how I'm not finished, the spore, and how I'm no longer quite ... " Her hands waggle, a butterfly hovering, " ... natural. Preternatural."
"Natural enough, unless you now have extra parts," Gabriel says. "You need to get your full workup still from Jonas, don't you?"
"It's mostly the spore. The spore's influence is unknown, even to Persephone." But Tasha nods to the point. "I'll get that done along the way back. We should all think about who we may want on our 'teams', too, I think. What personnel who are free that could help us in our roles. Shojo would be useful to the Hand, Lacci wants to stay near Shojo, but she would be useful to the Hand or the Will. Kaa is ships' crew and already busy, and the crew falls under the Hand, but he's charismatic enough I think he could help you by being a Phin face on the ship, Katie."
"Kaa? What about Moka?" Katie asks. "She's got a different sort of presence, and is able reign Kaa in usually. But I suppose it depends on the situation. If we want a distracting face, Kaa is best. He's larger than life, as they say. What I don't know is if he has an actual reputation beyond the Terragens."
Tasha listens ears forward, then spreads her hands. "The people I said were just examples. Everyone here has something to offer the organization and each other. Yue would be a great floater between the Hand and Will, her talents are too useful to be restricted. Jonas is our only doctor, so his role is already set. The Niss are a civilization, so recruiting them isn't practical, but they contribute to the running of the ship and providing insight. Samael has his esoteric knowledge and unusual abilities, he's much like Yue. Thoth is the same."
"And he has his luggage," Gabriel says. "I don't know how useful it - he - may be. But we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves yet. We need to see who is left after we get to Ymir."
"I've been wondering about that myself," the fairy-like woman concedes, "And Liza will be going, which means Aaron will be going. I don't know how Lacci and Shojo feel. I think we'd have to fight Kaa to get him to leave." She smiles at that.
"He enjoys piloting this ship waaaaay too much," Katie agrees. "The Lapis need to take the Tadpole to get back to Sinai though, don't they? We've got stuff to ship back to Abaddon."
"They could ask the Titanians, but we don't know their schedule. The Tadpole is the safest choice, and it needs to be in position anyway." And so Tasha nods; that's settled. "And speaking of Thoth, he's definitely up to something. There's some plan he's pursuing, but I don't know what it is, or what his partner's role in it is. And he's no aligned to Atum's plans."
"Have you tried asking him?" Katie asks. "I've noticed that Sam at least doesn't lie. I have no idea if a half-whatever like Thoth could do it. I just assume it's too much hassle to keep track of your lies when you live for a very long time."
"I'll talk to him after we're done here." Tasha pauses, looking between the two. "Are we done here?"
"For now," Gabriel says, and claps Tasha lightly on her shoulder. "But this will never be 'done', it's going to be a continuous process."
Tasha's smile is a little weak. "I've come to understand that," she agrees, nodding slowly. "I knew it'd be hard. Now it's time to live up to my endeavor."
As far as anyone can tell, Thoth hasn't left his cabin since the mini-concert. But the Niss also can't for sure where he might be, since showing up on sensors and camera may be optional for him, as it is with Sam.
Without any other lead, Tasha opts for Thoth's quarters. She arrives dressed in her uniform and wearing her jacket, deciding the best time to start her new role is now. It's still baggy, of course, but there's no option to acquire new uniforms while they're out in space. She touches the door chime.
The door opens and there is Thoth, wearing a different shapeless robe than usual this time. His eyes whirr at Tasha. He doesn't say 'hello' or 'yes?' or any of the other usual greetings, he just looks at Tasha patiently (or ominously).
"Thoth," she greets the man-like energy being in what she assumes is a robotic exoskeleton. "I was hoping we could talk, unless you're busy..?" She tilts her head, questioningly.
"Were you hoping to talk about something in particular?" Thoth replies.
Tasha lifts her taloned left hand, feathers and all, and begins counting off. "Do you intent to remain on this vessel or otherwise continue to work with my organization, if so what is your ultimate goal for doing so, either way I'm curious as to your partner's role in all of this, and if you intent to remain with us would you be interested in an advisory and educational position." She holds the raised fingers for a moment, then drops the hand, looking the man in the robotic eyes.
"You should have said that you wanted to ask me questions," Thoth starts with. "That is not the same as a conversation. So let this be an advisory lesson: always be honest and succint when dealing with immortal beings. They can be very literal and nit-picky. I did not realize you had an organization beyond offering chartered transport, so I really cannot speak to that without further knowledge. And the ultimate goal of travel is to get somewhere. Although there is an aphorism that 'the journey is the destination' I do not believe that applies to space travel."
"I'll try and be more clear in the future. Your father hadn't made any such requests from me, and he and Atum are the only references I had in interacting with you." Tasha gestures behind her. "The conversation would come from the details. There would be further questions. As for an organization, I assumed you realized we'd been engaging Ogdru-hem for some time and that's not the typical interest of a travel company. Today, we decided to make our pursuits official, and will be reorganizing as such." The woman taps her leg, thinking, and decides to add, "Persephone advised me to delegate, and I accepted her advice and have further decided to organize and structure."
"I have no experience with monster-hunting at that scale," Thoth claims. "I can help you deal with the demon, of course. It should be weakened still."
"We're not hunting Samael. Whatever his purpose here, he did sacrifice some degree of himself to aid us, and he's been useful in the past. The Shadow-beings are not are enemies simply because of what they are. It's what they do that brings that about. Until Samael has shown he's not trustworthy, he'll be trusted." Tasha looks back, then steps towards the closest table and gestures for Thoth to join he. "Computer? Limit lounge access on my approval." She sits, looking up. "The same can be said for you as well, for anyone on this vessel or off it."
"I don't recall ever being hunted," Thoth says, and eventually leaves his doorway to sit awkwardly. "You will need to explain to me in detail the origin and purpose of your organization," he says, staring at Tasha while barely moving.
"The organization is still being formalized so you'll have to forgive some vagueness, but essentially we will be dealing with external threats and, if discovered and it is possible we can act upon them, internal threats. Our major focus is on opposing the Ogdoad, in sabotaging and ultimately preventing their harvest of this universe. To do that, we have pursued their tools, the Ogdru-hem, and their prison. As far as internal threats can be summerized, situations like the fleet we just moved to a pocket universe, Praxxafalopus, and other such problems. Because they can be so varied, creating hard limits on what these situations might entail is impossible. We will 'play it by ear' and deal with them if we can, seek others who can handle them, or else warn other away from them. Along the way, we will conduct general exploration and discovery, as these things go hand-in-hand with investigation in the unknown. The organization is para-military, less strict and hierarchical than formal military, but still with structure, formal leaders, roles, and military force." Tasha looks down, trying to recall if she missed anything, studying her reflection. "There will probably be some element of ... policing and taking in to our protection being who require it. We already do that now."
"And how do Hastur and Thotep fit into this?" Thoth asks. "What tasks will you be carrying out for them?"
"I would like to detach myself from their service. Their patronage, um, complicates things," Tasha admits, tapping the pointer finger of her left hand on the table, an anxious movement. "Thotep especially. They do both still benefit from our work against the Ogdoad, who are aligned with Order, so they still get something from our work even if they are no longer directly involved. As demon lords go, Hastur hasn't been so bad to work for, but his patronage causes a ... Conflict of interest?" Tasha squints. "It is hard to lead while I am someone else's servitor."
"You are not a shepherd," Thoth says, "So I assume Hastur does have a task for you. Knowing this would be a requirement before I can proceed with other formalities."
"A shepherd?" Tasha inquires, ears forward. "He does want me to kill Sedu-hem, but then so does the Ogdru-hem, while the power that guides Hakeber wants her to free Sedu-hem. We had already planned to proceed towards that goal when Hastur directed me to do it, so it wasn't any burden on us. What he ultimately wants ... " Tasha spreads her hands. "If I knew what demon lords thought I'd be a lot better off."
"He gave no reason for this?" Thoth asks, and seems to lean in or loom a bit.
Tasha arches her eyebrows at the looming, putting an elbow on the table and looking unperturbed. She has realized that the more she pushes herself in to this role, the less other intimidate her, as if her own force of desire held momentum of will that reinforced her against conflict with entities such as Thoth. "No. I can guess a few possibilities. Sedu-hem is central to the production of high-efficiency stators. Its destruction would end that. As this is House Khomen's enterprise, they will feel the loss and be damaged, possibly bringing us directly in to conflict with them, which might have been inevitable for other reasons. It is possible House Khomen has its own sponsors and powers, and that these offend Hastur. It is also possible the sudden drop or revelation about the manufacture of stators could cause widespread panic, which he might enjoy."
"Hastur has a different reason for Sedu-hem's demise," Thoth claims. "It would only be the beginning. What other contracts do you hold with outer beings? What is your relationship to Pharol, whom you call Samael?"
"Pharol is the weapon's key, its 'handle' if we want to keep using the dagger metaphor -- which is apt given how it's used." Tasha holds her hand out horizontal, hovering in space. "The Dark Horse is the artifact known as the Dagger of ... I forget the last part. But an artifact, one of the soul-burning weapons, like the Nidhoggr, which was likely also created with the help of Thotep." She moves the dagger forward, presumably in space. "To use the Dagger Samael must unlock it. It destroys a soul through a method of causality damage, the ship can exceed the speed of light in real space and cause damage to reality itself."
"The Ogdru-hem do not have souls, but do consist partly of exotic spacetime," Thoth notes. "The principle is the same. So Pharol is part of the this vessels control system, in essence."
"As for others, there is Atum with whom I have agreed to aid Horus with his original task. We didn't like the original task, so we're doing things a different way. He, too, was tasked to defeat the Ogdru-hem and Ogdoad. You already know my connection to Persephone and Charon, that's more about gratitude and trust. We suspect Leviathan may have taken a shot at us using another Ogdru-hem, and resolving that is how I ended up serving Hastur. Leviathan's Wizard and Ogdru-hem were both pulled away from this reality by Hastur. Thotep never claimed me, and he only seemed to want Samael back, so I suspect his interest is in handing us the Dagger to see what we do, or because he predicts some advantage in the long term." Tasha then nods slowly. "Whatever they're made of, it works on them. Oh." She leans back a little. "These is also the ... The Null. It is aware of us, but has never communicated. I know something of its nature, now, but it is still an alarming presence. I believe it is content so long as we don't destroy souls without good reason."
"Outer beings do not have souls," Thoth re-iterates. "That may be why they crave them, like the vampires of legend on many worlds. Thotep is a god of chaos and madness, which is probably why he and Hastur do not get along. He is not above firing an arrow in a random direction to see what is hit. Now, on to more flesh and blood relationships. What are your ties to the Seeders?"
"Some education for education, because this may interest you: Samael once told me the Shadow-beings are possessed of varying degrees of hunger, that that hunger is like an addiction. That this is why they crave souls. A soul satiates that hunger for a time. For the hungriest, going without for too long can destroy them. For the lesser hungers, it is very unpleasant. He seemed to suggest this is because they are connected to a Fundamental known as Consumption, that their alignment is different from that of mortals. He warned me this could be a problem for me, as well." But Tasha nods, turning to the question at hand. "I was interested in both their work and their multi-species cooperative encouragement. I like what they're doing, what they inspire, and what they provide to Galactic society. I am worried that the answer to their question of unity will devastate them." The fae woman frowns, biting her lip and glancing towards the exit. "The poor Doctor came close to realizing the truth, that we weren't made by a benevolent creator, but as food for the Ogdoad's hunger."
"Thotep would enjoy the chaos such knowledge would bring, but wherever it arises it is suppressed quickly," Thoth notes. "Now I have a difficult question for you: where are the quintaped aliens 'Rock' and 'Rainbow' from? I have no knowledge of such a species."
"They are from what appears to be a preserve carefully setup to act as a source of sentient life for Patronage, as a bargaining tool or for some other purpose." Tasha looks back, head tilting. She leans back and folds her arms. "Where they're actually from, we have no idea. No one on board knows, and neither do they. We've been attempting to figure that out as we go along."
"You need the Seeder's Starseed map," Thoth surmises. "Their Second Expedition is meant to find other life-bearing worlds along the migration route."
Tasha nods to the offer. "Yes, that would be very helpful. We can also attempt to recover information from our wooden Library unit, if we don't sell it for operating costs."
"Selling a Library unit is illegal," Thoth warns. "The Galactic Library is very strict about such things. I assume that you will be looking for the Cill then at some point?"
"Selling it through special," and here Tasha makes an air quoting gestures which she learned from Hakeber, "channels, like the last one. If we're speaking of Galactic legality, we can't be said to be in good standing as a matter of course. It's unavoidable with the current arrangement of things." The young woman shrugs; it is what it is. "But yes about the Cill. You mentioned you knew where they might be? The ... void, was it? And there's also the Starseeds themselves, or do you think, as I do, they originate with Luk'thu-hem and are Ogdru-hem-like life sewing entities?"
"The Starseeds are not like the Ogdru-hem, and actually pre-date them," Thoth explains. "They were the first complex life forms. Not as old as the Outsiders, but they are actually much simpler in their makeup than the Starseeds. And yes, the Cill are in the void, which is locked away by the void-keepers, of which Sedu-hem is one of."
"The Outsiders are different from the literal outsiders such as the Vril-ya and the Sjadow-beings, correct? They're some form of deep space fairing nomads, who may or may not be connected to the wills of the Shadow? And if the Starseeds pre-date the Ogdru-hem, does that mean life in this universe was not originally created by the Ogdoad?" Tasha arches her brows. She knows what she's discussing would make any galactic historian, or indeed most scientists, leaders, and what-have-you kill over the information, and while she values it, she finds herself valuing the ordering of her knowledge more. The filling of gaps, the answering of questions than need answering. "From what I have been taught, the Ogdoad sewed life, the First Ones such as the Sifra, for harvest. The Sifra betrayed the Ogdoad and annhilated most of the other life, and have done so in cycles since then. To predate the Ogdru-hem is to predate the Ogdoad." At least she didn't kill the oldest life in the universe. "Is Sedu-hem's special nature the key? Or is it some other form of lock?"
Thoth shakes his head. "You may have things out of order," he explains. "The Ogdoad created the Outsiders, who then created the Starseeds to sew life. The Ogdru-hem were created after life began to flourish, to more directly serve the Ogdoad."
Tasha folds her hands together, resting them on the table. She points at Thoth with a loose pinky. "That's what I was trying to figure out, the order. So I'm not incorrect, but my ordering is off. I'll update my notes." She pulls out her datapad and rests it on the table, but doesn't do anything with it yet. "So about this lock. What is the void, exactly? An isolated space-time like the one we created for the Fleet? And how is it entered? I remember you said that the Wizards were key to reaching it."
"I'm not a Wizard," Thoth notes. "The full knowledge would be with one of the keepers, such as Sedu-hem, or one of the Wizards. You didn't ask either of the ones you've met?"
"We had differences that, at the time, made a free exchange of information difficult," Tasha says in a prim voice, hands folding together on the table. "The first one ordered an Ogdru-hem to re-write our world lines and for the second, well, I don't need to explain that one? There are two Wizards left, and Sedu-hem. We'll start with Sedu-hem."
"And how do you intend to get information from it before destroying it?" Thoth asks.
"A very good question," Tasha admits, head shaking. "Ask it politely? I get the impression there's a connection between it and the Ogdru-hem guiding Hakeber, whom I have spoken with. It originally asked me to free Sedu-hem, which I agreed to as I saw no reason not to free an exploited being in pain. It may be that this connection and the sentiment behind that conversation will convince Sedu-hem to help us out of gratitude."
"You believe Sedu-hem is being kept prisoner?" Thoth asks.
"The ancients have exploited Ogdru-hem in the past. The means to do so are older than even the Old Ones, existing back to Sifra, possibly before that." Tasha unfolds her hands and draws a circle on the table. "Mental flensing and space-time warping prisons can lure and entrap lessor servitors like He-Who-Moves. The Titanians have informed me House Khomen deals extensively in illicit alien artifacts behind the scenes, because they frequently raid those shipments -- when they can. They found some way to avoid the raids. It doesn't seem impossible for such a House to copy the methods of old."
"And, well, the other Ogdru-hem said that was the case. I'm uncertain how it would know that as it has remained in position for millions of years, but perhaps it has a non-local awareness." Tasha taps the table. "I got the impression of concern, that Katha-hem was worried or pained by the imprisonment. I think it might be able to care."
"Possible, as the old spells do work still, at a cost," Thoth notes. "Incapacitating Pharol used up about a hundred humanoid lifetimes worth of energy."
"I wish it hadn't happened, for your sake and his." Tasha hesitates, then leans over to try and pat Thoth's hand. "I understand now why you were so quick to defend haron, we both lost something in his protection, after all. I hope what you got in return was enough."
"Got in return?" Thoth asks.
Tasha withdraws her hand. "Your conversation with Persephone. I told her you had also tried to protect Charon. It's part of why I allowed you off the ship and distracted Samael."
"I suppose that was rewarding, if unusual," Thoth says. "She could not answer my question, however. Which was the question for the Vril."
"Whether or not you could become like her kind?" Tasha tilts her head. "I was told some part of it. That Vril and the Vril-ya are fascinated with the Waymakers, seeing them as gods. That they endlessly try to understand and emulate them."
"Persephone didn't know if the Waymakers created the Vril," Thoth explains. "Because Charon and Persephone hadn't become the Waymakers yet. She was aware of a project that might become the Way in the future is all."
"Oh. That." Tasha nods. She has heard of it. "I didn't know the Vril suspected the Waymakers created Vril, however. I had assumed both species chanced upon each other and Vril or the Vril-ya admired the Waymakers. Persephone told me that I shouldn't speak to her of the Way, as that was in her future. Charon knew nothing of it. But ... " It is here Tasha gets a distant look, frowning and tapping her cheek, "I may be misremembering, but I think Atum mentioned Charon. Charon, the youngest. The youngest ones were easiest for it to understand. I think Atum said if I wanted to speak to them, that is who I should speak to. But by that point Charon could be ... Well, who knows how much older."
"The Vril are from quite a ways along the way, and distance is time there," Thoth says. "So the Vril could have encountered future versions of them, compared to their intersection with this particular universe."
"The one Waymaker I did meet Charon identified as Leviathan, so Leviathan must not have changed significantly since the current time Charon occupies. That, or Leviathan has been traveling across time lines as the one Charon knows is not temporally distant in Leviathan's own time line bubble." Tasha twists her muzzle. Time travel really is a new kind of pain, but she appreciates it for being a kind of travel, as vast as any sky. "I remember that distance is time there, that it extends from the Beginning to the End. I thought maybe the Null is at the end. I can only imagine what the Waymakers might become, they are already a Type V civilization." She then blinks. "Atum did say that the Way was built here."
"It was likely built everywhere," Thoth reasons. "From what I learned from Persephone, it may have started in a nearby universe, as such things go in the macroverse. But there is one other mystery which I believe only you can provide the answers for." Now Thoth moves, steepling his fingers. "Just what became of my other two Magi?"
Tasha leans back, looking distinctly unhappy, but not because of the sudden pressure and focus. No, it's because it's simply a bad memory. "Balthazar was destroyed by me as the result of a test implanted in me by the entity possessing Caspar. I had been the pilot of both for a time. The pilot House Khomen sent to take over Balthazar is also dead, I killed him as well for being detrimental to the safety of Sinai." She sniffs sharply through her nose. "I assume the Thennenin energy seed that lives in Caspar is still where I found it, there besides the wreakage of the Morning Star."
"They were modified then, weren't they?" Thoth asks. "What of the associated Markers?"
"Balthasar was modified by the Silent Empire; you can think of them as a empire that was created from the descendants of a Star Empire crew. Caspar was modified by the energy-seed being, the Thenneni-created life form, act as its body." It's here that Tasha pauses, leaning back and tilting her head slightly, muscle pursing a moment. "And Melchior may or may not have been modified, but contained the Marker of Khattas, Neith, and the advanced Perso-Com of Ser Heraphel."
"So, Melchior was not saddled with unnecessary religious artifacts," Thoth deduces. "And a supposedly lost Marker. The Markers for Mafdet and Ahriman were recovered then?"
"Yes, the Marker for Neith remained near the Titan's own storage facility, and the Marker for Ahriman was hidden within the remains of the Morning Star. Those two and Horus's own Marker were given over to Atum." Tasha tilrs her head the other way, then holds out her hand, palm upward, and asks, "Did you intend or allow the seed entity's involvement, the Morning Star's Cultist plot, Ser Heraphel's own organization's plot, and-or Mafdet's role in The Expedition? Or, at leats the Titans themselves?"
"I designed the Magi, and made those plans available to the cults," Thoth explains. "I calculated that the Primus system would be accessible sometime in the next century, and that there would be an expedition to take advantage of the occurrence. I also led the cults to believe the Markers were the keys to meeting the Progenitors. Where did you learn the 'bird of Hermes' term?"
Tasha blinks at the question, both because she hadn't realized Thoth knew about it, and also because it takes her a moment to remember. She suspects it may be a trap to get her to admit knowing it at all, but reasons he already she can pilot the Melchior and thus must have all the required elements to do so. If he has some plan or trick, it's information he'd already possess. "By analying the neural interface system. The people with me at the time were able to assess the after-effects of the implant and that phrase was discovered. It's part of the hand shake activation poem, old alchemical language from Terra." She nods slowly afterwards, looking down and thinking. She had suspected Thoth made the Titans, as who else would know the Vril-ya so well other than the Vril-ya themselves? "Why did you want the Cults and other elements to rach Primus and attempt to reach the Progenitors?"
"To get the Markers back to Atum, of course," Thoth claims. "I was left to clean up their mess as much as possible. I didn't think they'd dig up that old formula though - but when you claimed that you were now Hermes Trismegistus I knew it had gotten out. I wrote that formula when I was Hermes Trismegistus back on Terra."
"I'm not sure I claimed it so much that it became part of my ... " Here Tasha lifts her hands and waggles her fingers vaguely, " ... proceedings. It became attached to me because of the role and Titan I piloted, then because of the things I did and the places I found myself. I know I can be full of myself sometimes, but I've never claimed to be a god."
"The god thing came later," Thoth claims. "I founded the Hermetic Order. So if you are the new Hermes Trismegistus, you'll probably need to do something similar."
"You want me to found an order and claim to be some sort of ... figure head? Prophet? And idol?" Tasha cocks her head all over again, but in a decidedly more uncertain fashion. "We have decided to re-establish ourselves as a paramilitary organization to better address the threats before us, such as the Ogdru-hem, and that will require many departments and ranks. I suppose there's room for a mystical order within the organization, individuals who focus on what we so often call 'magic', rule sets other than those of this reality and the knowledge, training, and support needed use it all effectively."
"It's a specialization that demands very unique resources, training, and support -- support at all levels. It carries a toll," Tasha muses, head cocking the other way. "And it's not safe or practical to teach it to everyone."
"Para-military? Against the Ogdru-hem?" Thoth asks. "You've seen the sort of weapons that are needed. What do you expect to accomplish with soldiers?"
Tasha's ears go up. She opens her mouth to answer, thinks of a better example, then points at herself. "What am I?"
"Many things, but I do not think you are a soldier," Thoth replies.
"I'm probably mortal. Throughout the ages, Ogdru-hem have had mortal followers, mortal civilizations, and mortal pawns. Even you have employed these people, and I do remember crossing swords with the remains of Ahriman's cult. Even if they're not associated with the Ogdru-hem, mortals can be a real danger to what we're doing. Personnel need to be watched and guarded, mundane obstacles will present themselves. Mortal powers will want what we have, or to stop us, or control us. We can't let our focus blind us to more mundane problems, nor can we ignore that our opponents also have assets different from what they themselves are. I can't be the only mortal with diverse allies," Tasha explains, and in doing so realizes that maybe she does know something about running this future organization. She listens to herself and finds there's wisdom in her words. Seeing the bigger picture and avoiding tunnel vision isn't something she would have known to do when she started. "We don't need fleets and legions of soldiers, but we do need something. I've noticed cults and religions usually maintain standing personnel dedicated to these things."
"Hmmm, I had not considered threats from other mortal groups, or from any of the few immortals that may try to commandeer your equipment or personnel."
"It's that mistake that has allowed us to progress against various entities, like the Ogdru-hem. Thotep and Hastur both recognize the usefulness of going smaller and using alternatives, and so should we." Tasha nods; point made. She folds her arms and leans back. "They'll be one part of the whole. I like your idea of creating a mystic society or sub-group, people who can dedicate themselves to the more, ah, arcane aspects of what we do. Special Operations. We can consider including those with special powers that way, too. There will also be science staff of a more mundane variety. Our exploration is still useful on a more general level, and that may help sustain us or otherwise provide an edge. And, well, having more bodies who won't run in terror is very useful. We explored the hulk with the soul-weapon with the captain, the director, an engineer and several guests. That's not ideal."
"And yet you explored it anyway," Thoth points out.
"Yes we did, because it's what we had to work with. If we're planning to change, we can do better. We can learn from our mistakes, and do better." Tasha unfolds her hands and spreads them. "It will make us more effective, and it will make us safer. You wanted me to show wisdom, so here it is."
"How do you intend to recruit?" Thoth asks, apparently with genuine curiosity. "How is the ideal candidate? Would any of your current crew be a good model of such for sake of comparison?"
"It will be difficult, but I never imagined it wouldn't be difficult. It should be." Tasha nods to her own words. "We'll do what we've been doing so far: Look for individuals or groups who have special talents and a need to belong somewhere. We can also look for people with potential and train them to the roles, which is what happened with Lacci and I. I'm sure our current crew members have the skills to pick out those who would do well with us. We have a number of people with exceptional talents in leadership and sensing, and others with strong recruitment power, such as Katherine."
"So, you want people that would perhaps already be looking to serve in a similar mission, preferably with background knowledge of the situation - which would make them either very deeply in the know or occult conspiracy theorists. Along with those seeking to know the fate of the Expedition, perhaps. Or those who want to make a difference for a cause, at risk of their own life. You want Seeders."
"I would be more than happy to accept Seeders. They're already dedicated to a cause larger than themselves, they accept a multi-species organization, and they look for truth and belonging. As a whole, I like the Seeder's message. I've already told you about my concerns over the truth of that message." The young woman grimaces. "So that's the plan. Does the arrangement interest you? Was there more you wished to ask about the Titans, the Expedition, us, or myself?"
"You may be going up against the Library, while also needing to find the Library," Thoth notes. "I cannot speak to what Galactic interests would want to stop you, support you or keep their distance. I presume you will be discussing all of this with the Titanians first to avoid conflict with their interests. I assume that the Expedition fell prey to what the Terrans call a 'honey pot' or 'tar baby' trap. The Magi fulfilled their mission.. essentially. I do not have further questions at this time. Did you have questions for me?"
"The Library system as a whole or the current caretakers of the small fragment they control? Or both? It wouldn't surprise me at all if there are groups dedicated to hiding information, for many reasons." Tasha sits up, hands resting in her lap. "I'll speak to the Titanians. I already good relations with one of their vessels and I even played the role of a Titanian for a time. The greater fleets may be more difficult to work with, but we can work on that when the time comes." She twists her muzzle, thinking again, then asks, "Are you interested in joining us, then? Your knowledge and experience would be very useful in the Special Operations department. Aside from Sam, and possibly Hakeber, we don't have anyone with a deeper understanding of the outsider-rules and abilities, or how they can be learned and exploited to our advantage. I'm sure we can find more along the way, but having people with the seed of knowledge needed to begin understanding would help immensely. Hake and I are just touched by these powers, we know little of what we possess. You know my concerns with Sam's boss's influence."
"I am not as knowledgeable about them as Samael," Thoth concedes. "But I know of ways to deal with their direct minions. And I'm sure the young scholar has some interesting spells locked in her head, which presumably do not need the same energy requirements as the ones cobbled together over very large stretches of time. I do know the uses of Vril energy of course, and who else has access to it."
"And I can't just leave you to the influence of a demon, now can I?" he finally answers.
"Several demons," Tasha agrees with a smile. She even points at her forehead, "Including, perhaps, myself." There's a little shrug; what can you do.
"I'm glad you agreed. Your immediate role will be in acting as an advisor and educating people. That will most likely be Gabriel, Hakeber, and myself. I must be the Will, but Hakeber is slated for being part of Special Operations unless she refuses it. Gabriel is the Hand, and always has a need to know. And then there's Samael, who will also need to be in Special Operations for obvious reasons. I would like it if you two could be civil, if not get along. Infighting doesn't help morale, and he has been making an effort to protect us seemingly of his own accord. I'd like to encourage that. In time, others will likely join us."
"I will have to constantly remind you not to trust him, won't I?" Thoth asks. "I have maintained my civility with him since I felt the need to incapacitate him."
"Please do remind me, but also I need to give him a chance. If I never allow him a chance, I can't expect him to take that chance and change. I've seen the desire for altruism in Shadow-beings, we shouldn't snuff that out because of a propensity for certain behaviors and outcomes." And there it is again, Tasha impressing herself. She wonders if it's the new existence, experience, or the influence of others that have taught her these things, surely Nora had a strong hand in her eloquence. Whatever the case, getting Thoth on board and hearing herself reason Samael's situation gives her new confidence. "As I've said, he has our trust until he breaks that trust. I both want and need to know the nature of the Shadow-beings, or else I could make a mistake in judgment and destroy an innocent being out laziness or bias."
"The notions of guilt and innocence really should not be applied to them, any more than it should to the Vril-ya or the Waybuilders," Thoth advises. "I am very old, for example. I am guilty of many things simply by dint of existing for a long time. Often guilty after the fact. The Ogdru-hem are not guilty of existing. But that does not make them innocent."
"Is Tatha-hem guilty for destroying Urgo-hem, one of its fellows?" Thoth asks.
"Then I'll try and judge them based on a ... " Tasha stumbles with how to phrase the matter of an non-restrained, open minded justie system that incorporates extra-real life forms and their unique perspectives, " ... expansive set of factors, then. It will come down to me or another organizational authority to decide if they live, die, or are otherwise impacted by our decision making, so we have a practical need to evaluate them on some standard."
Tasha considers the question, then, and frowns. "Tatha-hem is a prisoner in a cage that is also a weapon. I suspect the vessel and her more arcane bindings force her to act. I know that she's terribly sad, as I understand these things, and that she's desperate to move. As a whole, I'd say we're the guilty ones for pressing her to act as a weapon, but that it's much more complex than that. I would not destroy her, anyway. I'm mostly concerned with what my judgments mean on that level."
"Then consider that the case for all of the Ogdru-hem, and for Servitor beings like Samael," Thoth offers. "They are purpose-built to serve specific functions. Some may not wish to. Some will revel in their roles. But what they feel does not change that they have no choice but to fulfill those roles. Free-will is either an illusion or a curse upon them. And without free will there can be no such thing as guilt or innocence."
"A nuclear bomb is likewise neither guilty or innocent when it fulfills its function," he offers as a metaphor.
"I would like to find a way to free them or repurpose them if possible. To allow Tatha-hem to some day fly where she will, to remove the chains on Katha-hem. I believe it is likely they would be no more threat than the Galactics themselves," Tasha explains. She glances at the time, then adds, "If we cannot find a way, we can decide based on that."
"Freeing them may not be possible," Thoth notes. "Can you accept that as a possibility? Because it is something you must plan for."
"If that's the case then I'll just have to accept it. I knew that being the Will would be hard. It's why I accepted the role, because I didn't want to make someone else carry the burden." Tasha wrinkles her muzzle again. She can only hope her future doesn't wear her to dust in some new way, different from what brought her down on this trip. She has hope in the discipline and the mindset, that it will make her stronger as her previous role made her weaker. She nods after a moment. "I can accept it. If we've made the effort to know, then we did our best."
"Always remember who ultimately controls Samael, and that he cannot himself know when he is being controlled, nor go against his master's wishes," Thoth explains. "He cannot even conceive of doing so, I would think. Unless Thotep is cruel enough to allow him to entertain such thoughts. And Thotep enjoys slowly sewing insanity in entire civilizations."
"Samael often appears as a male version of myself. For someone that, until recently, had been unique and unable to have children he became a kind of fill-in for not being alone. That he has also been trying hard to protect us and get along makes it worse. If he were forced to betray us, it would hurt all of us, including me. It would hurt our sense of trust and our affection for him." The young woman shakes her head, drawing a little circle on the table with a nail as if to encompass the plot within, "Our bonds are one of our greatest strengths. Poisoning it that way sounds like Thotep." She's silent for a moment, and then asks, "Do you think Thotep suffers?"
"I doubt he has a concept of suffering anything like we would know," Thoth notes. "But, Samael was made into the key to operate the weapon that this ship was built to be, was he not? Therefore, so long as you continue to destroy Ogdru-hem, it is unlikely that Thotep will turn against you. Similar may apply to Hastur, although his goals are only tangentially in line with your mission."
"Do you know what Hastur is planning? What he intends for me?" Tasha inquires, ears going up even as her head does the same.
"I know what he wants," Thoth claims.
Tasha's ears go even more forward, putting them such that her inner ear is straight on. "Yes?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Thoth asks.
"To drive everyone mad? To win out against Thotep?" Tasha offers, eyes widening. "His obsession is Yellow, so anything that is the essence of Yellow. I've thought Yellow is the truth behind knowledge, and the madness that comes with knowing. It is where knowing all and controlling all means that reality becomes what you want it to be, and isn't madness losing touch with reality? It isn't something mortals can usually handle, so exposure to it drives them mad in a different way."
"That is what Hastur is," Thoth notes. "Think about his circumstances. And Thotep's, and the Ogdoad's. And what really puts them in opposition?"
"Everyone wants all the holgrass foo themselves?" Holgrass, a memory from Tasha's childhood, is one of several common grasses fed to animals like Pteras, Dromodon, and others, as a cheap bulk item. The Rake occasionally shipped it, but it was always a bulk item, and The Rake was not a large enough vessel to make pure bulk trading more than minimally profitable. None of that is important to her answer, what is important is that that it's a crop and Pteras like to eat it, and eat all of it without sharing, which is why they got feed bags and separate stalls. "The crop, they want the crop all to themselves. The universe. All the souls. I don't know if they value anything more than that."
"What's stopping them?" Thoth asks, and steeples his fingers again. "I learned from Persephone what stops the Waybuilders from simply doing whatever they want."
"I assume it's not because mortals can't figure out their attempts to help them." Tasha's smile is very wry. "But I am very grateful she does. But lets see, what does stop them? I've never considered it before, not intently." She looks down at her hands, frowning, and then tries, "I can think of a few possibilities. The universes themselves may be alive and reject their attempts to meddle, either through some sort of will or else a kind of energetic momentum attached to space-time. Like, trying to stop a combustion engine with your hands. There's also the possible corruption from every region of interaction with new information. There's the nature of souls themselves, the universe's perception of itself, that rejects them. There are also the Fundamentals, beings too powerful to overwhelm, who act as the walls for what is possible. And, there's also the sheer scope of the multiverse, which in all its variations produces an overwhelming amount of options and obstacles." Tasha considers more, trying to think of if she missed anything. "The flow of chaos has its own momentum. And, the last possibility I could think of is that the multiverse could break. That would be bad for any being not seeking an absolute end."
"And what if Thotep and Hastur are Fundamentals as you define them?" Thoth prompts. "Tell me about their situations."
"They would be in check by the other Fundamentals. For reality to exist and for it to not be utter chaos or static order -- that is, death, either way -- some mechanism must exist to prevent it from breaking down so easily, or else it already would have." Tasha frowns deeper, counting off on her fingers as she brings up, then discards, hypotheticals in her mind. "As Fundamentals they would be limited to their sphere of influence. Powerful, yes, but trapped. Functional. Lore, a Titanian, told me about function-gods. Gods that are like machines. If they're machines, the universe is a bigger machine, and a robust one. And so is the multiverse. There's another possibility. Nora talked to me about ship's systems, the operating systems. How they worked. That a central authority allowed systems access, decided how much. They had the power given to them, but the system also stopped them from reaching too far."
"There is something a bit simpler, that you may be overlooking," Thoth suggests. "Describe your meeting with Thotep to me. Be specific about the location."
"He was in a fortress near a ... I think it was a neutron star, or else a black hole. Something with immense gravity. The fortress was black, and made of screaming bodies, which I knew instinctively were not statutes. He said upon a throne in the center of that fortress, a Human-Goat avatar. He rubbed his beard a lot." Tasha raises her brows; is that what you were looking for?
"Thotep appears through the universes, in various guises," Thoth explains. "But not as a giant demonic goat, not directly. Why would such a being need a Servitor like Samael? Why not hunt down the Ogdru-hem himself?"
"Because he can't enter our universe directly? I think that's the Ogdoad's problem, too: They don't 'translate' well. What they are made of and what we are made of are not the same, it would be like ... " Tasha waggles her fingers again, "Trying to enter a universe of twos and only twos when you're made of threes. I've wondered how they can even appear at all, except that they all must have some sort of bridge. Some little part of them or something outside of this reality they can influence enough to act as a bridge for them and let them 'in'. If they were wholly different, and unable to have a bridge to perceive us or enter here, we would never come in to contact. There would be no means to do so."
"That is partially it, but moreso it is a result of what they represent," Thoth says, "Which will also explain why they oppose one another and the Ogdoad. In 'Fundamental' terms, Thotep would be Insanity, Hastur Truth or Pure Sanity. So they are opposed in that sense. But then it comes to your grass analogy. The Ogdoad want to consume the grass. But Thotep and Hastur need the grass. Or perhaps a better analogy might be: Thotep and Hastur are flowers, and flowers need pollenators to spread themselves. In this case, sapient beings are the pollenators."
"Because they're partially memetic, oh, of course. Without beings think the concepts that make them, those concepts will fade away. And so will they." Tasha looks up and nods. "'If you don't believe in the gods, they cease to exist,' except it's not exactly that. If you don't believe of the gods. They don't need your faith, they need you to embody them." She nods again, she understands. "And the Ogdoad want to devour us. Do they need to to exist, or only want to?"
"The Ogdoad themselves are not Fundamental, but they do arise from one," Thoth explains. "Hunger. That is their connection to life. Living things consume to live. So all life is essentially tied to the Ogdoad and their Fundamental. The need to consume, because they are made to consume. They will not cease to exist if they do not, but it is a basic drive within them. For others, it can be an addiction. Even among mortals, there are those who derive extreme pleasure from killing others."
Tasha reaches up and scratches her nose. "I can see how that could be." She bites her lip, but decides it is what it is, and the same with her. "Samael called it 'Consumption', one of the Fundamentals demons align with. I think there are some that mortals have no connection with, but that one seems to be one we do. He warned me I may be closer aligned with Consumption and that I should avoid the direct presence of powerful Shadow-beings." She stares off at a dark corner for a moment, then says, "At least I understand Hastur's interest in me, now. Hearing what that is, if it were just me, I'm not sure I'd mind. But I know there are many who would rather not know. And you say the Waymakers are also bound by this? I had thought they were purely organic and mortal, and not subject to memetic restraints."
"They are bound by each other," Thoth claims. "By their society, just as mortals tend to be. They likely have consciences too: they are acutely self-aware. So they are the opposite of gods, which tend to be self-centered and solitary. The Vril-ya were not exceptionally self-aware compared to mortals."
"Both Persephone and Charon gave me the impression of a conscientious being, it's part of why I trust them both. Because I saved Charon, yes, but also because I feel a sense of affection from them that is mutual." Tasha turns to look at Thoth directly, lifting a picky to point at him. "The Vril-a, and Atum especially, certainly felt more like Hastur and Thotep. But not as much, it's hard to describe. They are somewhere between the two sides. Maybe that is why they feel lost. I can also confirm that Waymaker society does not share the same goals universal mindset, because Persephone warned me we must draw the attention of her sister by keeping them in this universe for too long."
"They oppose the Ogdoad for understandable reasons," Thoth admits. "I can imagine some may be overzealous. After, what is one universe when you have access to uncountable numbers of them? Something the Vril-ya could not handle, however. They were sentimental."
"I'd like to say 'that's awful' and 'I don't see how they could do that,' but I know I might do the same thing. I do think it's awful, but if pushed far enough or angry enough, it could just as easily be me." Tasha shakes her head, disgusted, more so for initially not feeling that disgusted about it. There are levels disgusted with other levels. "It's why I need a Hand and a Heart. I suspect their makers, the makers of the Makers, designed things as such. They must have felt as I do, and tried to avoid it. Sometimes I've even thought 'maybe we should just go find another universe' because I get tired of Galactic or planetary infighting. That's why we will try to avoid interceding in Galactic politics unless the matter is critical, like genocide prevention."
"You really are not in a position to interfere with any of the Galactic powers," Thoth says. "Which is a good thing. The less embroiled you become with the mortal side of this mission, the easier it will be to carry out."
"I think so too, and I'm glad for that. This is hard enough without having to deal with mortal battles, too. Not that I would stand by and let them, for example, decide to remove all the Phins from the universe. There's little reason to protect the universe if you don't care about what's inside of it." Tasha exhales, however, closing her eyes and sitting back. "Persephone did say being the will would wear me down. I think it's why I ran away from it in the first place."
"If it helps, be assured that the decisions will not become easier over time," Thoth says. "If they do, then you must begin to consider yourself as an enemy."
"As an enemy?" Tasha asks, even if she feels she already know what the answer is.
"Yes, because you will have become only Will," Thoth notes. "Your Heart is there to reign you in. Never dismiss the Heart's input, even when it would mean abandoning the course you've laid out."
"But don't listen too much, or I'll run off and die when I feel too guilty and a Waybaby needs me," Tasha agrees, smiling self-consciously. "And it is also why I have people around me. I'll have to make sure they don't falter, either." She drums her talon-like nails on the table top. Needing to change the subject, she tries her own curveball, leaning in and arms on the table now. "So, is your mysterious Naga fellow Ahriman?"
"Ahriman is returned to Atum," Thoth notes. "Heth's'shis'less is more than a Naga, but less than a Vril-ya."
"Only part of him is known to be. The Vril-ya aren't limited to one Marker." Tasha tilts her head, "So he's not a particularly languid Naga, then. A member of an alien civilization masquerading as a Naga, then?"
"I'm not the only hybrid," Thoth claims. "Some of Lilith's first batch survived. And there were other experiments. Of course, he's had to alter his appearance to keep in step with the rest of the Celestials, but Heth's'shis'less is the result of trying to infuse a mortal being with Vril energy."
Tasha nods, then looks down at herself. "I may need to do so as well, soon. The Mezzode disguise may not surive an intensive scan." Her head shakes and she looks up again. "According to Lilith, that didn't end well. It's good to see that wasn't universal, that someone made it." Tasha smiles more genuinely this time. "I always thought Lilith and I had a lot in common, worrying about everything. Some day, I should find her. I hope her first children are doing well for themselves."
"They generally do not," Thoth says. "But that is not relevant to your task at the moment."
"But some survived, and that is better than none," Tasha insists, trying to push the bright side. She slaps a hand to the table and leans back. "Tell your friend he's welcome as part of the discussion, and if he wants a role as well, he can speak to me. That's all of my questions, and your questions, so I think I should follow my heart now when it says I should take a break and relax before I overwhelm myself. I also need to nudge Hakeber to bunk with me from now on, for her mental health and, um, other reasons." Tasha's smile is brief, but large. "If you need me, don't hesitate to contact me."
"I'm surprised you do not have more questions," Thoth notes. "But you likely need time to let your knowledge 'sink in' as the saying goes, before inundating yourself anew."
Tasha lifts a hand, tapping the side of her head. "There's always so much to absorb. I am forever thinking that I've missed something." She rocks her head back and forth, muzzle pursing, then reaches for her datapad. "Why don't we bring Miss Bear in to the conversation? She'll be interested in what we're discussing and she might have something to add." The summons request is sent, and Tasha looks up. "What else? I remember you mentioned 'Apocalypse Titans,' but then we had Charon and Luk'thu-hem to manage."
"The Magi are not the only esoteric Titans," Thoth begins, only to pause when Hakeber arrives. "I was already on my way. What are you two up to? Conspiring no doubt!" she claims.
"Conspiring is very accurate, Miss Hake-bear." Tasha pats the chair beside her, then turns to Thoth. "Hakeber is my friend, more so than my comrade or employee. She's been burdened by memories and direction from Katha-hem, just as I carry a spore. She was one of the people who helped us unravel the Magi mission and reach the Hall of Souls."
"The Scholar," Thoth labels Hakeber. "With a bit of The Magician, perhaps. Before I speak of the other Titans, I have question for miss Hakeber."
Hakeber turns her chair sideways so she can sit and lean her side on the back. "Is it a trick question?" she asks.
"No. You are a student of ancient cults, mostly mystery cults, are you not?" Thoth asks.
"I'm a student of lots of things.. but my thesis is on ancient cults and their influences," Hakeber admits, and gives Tasha an 'is it okay to talk about this?' sort of look.
Tasha settles back, enjoying this new experience of not being the target of deific focus for a change. Instead she picks up her datapad and sees what other questions she has in mind, ears perked.
"Describe to me the two types of magic," Thoth asks, putting emphasis on the number.
"Well.. let me sort out the context, which I'm assuming is relevant to our situation and the Progenitors and.. oh," Hakeber says, getting one of her rare eureka expressions. "Of course. There's Theurgic magic, and Goetic magic. Originally that would be 'divine' and 'demonic', but I think I see how to reinterpret them now."
Tasha puts her datapad down and spreads her hands, grinning. "It's nice that I don't have to talk about it, Hake." It seems like she might leave her friend to stew, but then adds, "It's fine, Hake. Thoth and I are going over the organization's future plans and how to arrange certain things. Certain things like, say, a department dedicated to the occult, magic, and other such universally foreign matters."
"Thoth has also agreed to join our efforts. He would be working in the aforementioned department, as would Samael, for obvious reasons." Tasha then looks between the two. "And you seem to get along, you two?"
"Relying upon an alliance with evil spirits. That's stuff that's actually done by shadow entities. In that sense, the Dark Horse itself uses Goetic magic. It's powered by a dark being. Given who you are, I have to assume Theurgy, an alliance with angels and such, which is expressed through alchemy.. that's Vril. Using it, or aligning with Vril entities."
"That's the whole Bird of Hermes thing, Tasha," Hakeber notes. "Oh.. I guess we get along? Depends on how well he answers my questions about ancient stuff!"
"Very good," Thoth notes. "The Hermetic concept of a single, all-encompassing God is Vril, the source of Atum and the Archons - the Progenitors."
"He's very informative, as long as you're respectful and direct." Tasha gives Thoth a comprehending nod, then turns back to Hakeber. "And I remember about the alchemical connections to the Magi mission poem. We had thought it was just obfuscation, some cryptology to avert understanding beneath layers of occult 'nonense' should anyone take an interest. Later, I thought it was an obscure reference to Horus, the Way, and the Hall of Souls, as a kind of guide. It seems to cover a great many things, really."
"It was my attempt to more gradually bring the new generation of sapience towards the level of the Vril-ya," Thoth notes. "There are variations of it in mystery cults scattered across the various Galactic races."
"Oooo, now I really want to pry your head open and dig out the goodies!" Hakeber says, her tail wagging.
"She means that in a figurative way," Tasha assures Thoth, holding her hands out in placating gesture. "I assume. Who knows what Katha-hem but in there, though. She could eat all of us at any second." The placating gesture gets turned towards Hakeber, now.
"However, that is not entirely relevant to the topic of the other Titans," Thoth notes. "The definitions of magic are, though. The Magi were created following the alchemic principles of Theurgy. They were to interact with the Vril-ya, after all. The Apocalypse Titans.. were the opposite. They were designed using Goetic principles, much like this ship was by the Ancients."
Tasha stops teasing Hakeber to turn and re-perk her ears at Thoth. "Is that so? I had always suspected there was something unusual about the engineering behind the Magi. One," she lifts her right hand, hooking the finger of her left around her pointer finger, "Ser Heraphel used a type of Perso-Com system greater than what was typically available, something so efficient it allowed his existence to reach Atum without seeming to suffer degradation. Two," she hooks two fingers now, "No maker's mark. That's unheard of for a Titan." Another hook. "Three, the Titans allowed for the integration of Vril-ya seemlessly, that could only be Vril-ya influence or engineering done by those who had contact with them, and that meant the design was either an old record or a newer design by an active agent. What I don't know is how much of the Titan relies on alchemy."
"They all did, and that alchemical component was the pilot," Thoth claims. "The return of the soul to a physical shell."
"The Apocalypse Titans have no need for a such a component," he adds.
"That does explain the heavy emphasis on the mindset, state, and the poetry itself." Tasha lets her hands return to her lap and arches her brows. "But what does 'return to a physical shell' mean? Something more than our own body?"
"And the Apocalypse Titans are piloted by their demons?" Tasha adds, arched brows warching all the more so.
"To be reincarnated as a comined being closer to the gods than either part alone," Thoth explains, and then dips his beak a bit. "You see, I have spent a very long time trying to create a new source of Vril. One that comes from living beings, by bringing them to a more transcendent state. I was following the attempts of Isis - Lilith - with hope that a different path would succeed. But I have not managed to create the illiaster - the physical embodiment of Vril. That would be the bridge between beings of flesh and those without it. The Philosopher's Stone."
"Dark power is in abundance, however," Thoth goes on. "For making true weapons, it was much easier to use. After all, the Vril-ya could do little against the Ogdru-hem."
"I see. I had thought maybe the Stone was the material of the original exoskeletons worn by the Vril-ya, the ones housed in the Hall of Souls. It seemed to be a material more than mundane stone." Tasha leans back, crossing her arms and dipping her head. "If Mel and I created any of this substance, we didn't see it." She nods slowly. "But we've certainly seen a lot of dark power in action. They don't seem to have a problem generating the energies needed to effect change at the reality level. Sometimes it feels like their power is infinite, limited only by the means to express that power."
"And limited by their lack of imagination, and.. general disregard for their existence," Thoth says. "To bind such entities requires an expenditure of souls. I found a way around that, by making a deal with a devil."
Tasha's brow furrows. She's done enough of those lately, but Thoth is precise, so she asks, "Is that like what I've done, or something else entirely?"
"I have heard of psychic flensing and I know about the expenditures of souls needed to bind them. Several entities explained the basics to me," Tasha adds a moment later.
"The terms were more generous, perhaps," Thoth claims, and spreads his hands. "Demons do not always get along with one another. Shocking, I know. And I found one that had several grudges against its fellows, and basically beat them into submission for me so long as I would imprison and enslave them."
"That does sound a lot like the bargains I have going," Tasha notes, nodding slowly. She leans forward and arches her brows. "Mr. Yellow has been assigning me tasks to perform, and Thotep seems pleased enough if I use the Dagger. I have another deal with the Source, who provided the spore, and my deal with He-Who-Moves, a Harrower, was complete with its exit from our reality. And I'm not sure," here she unwraps her hands and touches her forehead, " ... how I fall on the arrangement of things now that the spore is part of me."
"Though that your demon did the work for you is very different from what I've had." Tasha's muzzle twitches. "It doesn't surprise me I may have been taken advantage of."
"Call them shadows, dark beings or demons, but they are very similar to the Vril in how they reproduce," Thoth explains. "A larger entity buds off a smaller one, with whatever amount of power is needed to accomplish its goal. So Thotep spawned Pharol Xexanoth, who spawned your Samael. It was through Samael being imprisoned that Pharol learned of the potential. I was provided with the captive demons, but given the lack of required payment I decided it best not to use them. So I never created the Apocalypse Titans. But that does not mean they have not being created by another party. I.. lost track.. of the demonic power units."
"You lost track of demonic power units? Tasha glances at Hakeber.
"I lose stuff all the time," Hakeber admits and shrugs. "I'm not an archaeologist after all."
"Perhaps it is clearer to say that they were stolen while I was away," Thoth says.
"Oh, well that does happen," Tasha agrees. She not only loses things but has, on occasion, made other people's things 'lost'. "The draw of so much power could attract anyone, anywhere."
"I have my doubts and suspicions," Thoth claims. "Samael was split off during the previous Galactic civilization, a million years before I encountered Pharol, whom I suspect has been reabsorbed by Thotep."
"Ominous, but maybe impractical to concern ourselves over unless they should appear during our investigations." Tasha settles back, lowering her right hand to the table and tapping her pointer finger there. "What is practical is our pursuit of the Ogdru-hem, and what comes from that pursuit. If these Titans are useful, we should consider collecting them. If they become obstacles, we can consider their disablement or destruction. I'm uncertain how Mel stacks up against them, but I suspect poorly in weaponry and raw ability to manipulate magic, yet he and I possess a superior mind and spirit, that is, creativity."
"Melchior was the least modified of the Magi, if it was modified at all," Thoth says. "That is why you were able to accomplish the mission where the other Magi went the routes of madness."
"By madness you mean 'possessed by an energy seed' and 'sabotaged by said energy seed'? The downfall of both Titans was directly caused by 'Lord Yama,' as he calls himself. The being almost destroyed me as well, by proxy of his plot, if Horus had not intervened directly." Tasha wrinkles her muzzle. It was the first time she was severely injured along her journey, and the closest she'd come to death until recently. "Hakeber remembers the months I spent in a recovery tank."
"With the missing bits, yes," Hakeber says. "When Rapatia donated stem cells, I was afraid you would become a great hulking beast like she was."
"Instead I am a dainty fairy," Tasha sing-songs, wiggling her ears and sticking her tongue out after. She then reaches over and pays the head of her tail, which snakes up out of the darkness to meet the hand. "You can see why I'm deeply considering a reorganization in our tactics and strategies, Hake. I'm worried neither of us will be around if we keep this up."
"I could carry your around over my shoulder," Hakeber offers.. for some reason. "Butt first! Everyone could sniff and be amazed. Wait.. what were you talking about.. reorganization? We.. we were organized?"
"We were not organized, but that was the problem. I had a long and very mature talk with Persephone about leadership and she told me, quite directly, that I am going to destroy myself and all of us unless I learn to delegate and specialize. I agreed with her, and so here we are. Both Gabriel and Katie already know and are working on their departments and roles as we speak." Tasha lays a finger on her forehead. "My role is the Will, I direct the organization, make policy, and make hard decisions. Persephone suggested I would be a better Heart, but, well ... " She goes on to explain the role of Heart, why she couldn't accept it, and Gabriel's own role of Hand. " ... And so now I'm here, after recruiting Thoth to our cause. He suggested a division or department specialized in the occult, which is what we're discussing now."
"Oh.. so Thoth would be.. uh.. the Ghost? The Wizard?" Hakeber asks. "I'm not sure how the naming works, if we can just add more."
"Might I suggest calling this branch The Rose?" Thoth offers.
"There's only three roles, and we'll be keeping the occult department as secret as we can. That's to protect us, the practitioners, and the other members from the practitioners. I also plan to have certain members keep an eye on the occult branch, in case one or more of us ... " Tasha waggles her hands, " ... lose our way and need to be handled." She then shrugs with her hands; a necessary precaution. She turns to Thoth now and asks, "The Rose? Does tat have a special reference or meaning?"
"Yes, it is symbolic of the soul opening to higher consciousness while still being attached to the body - in this metaphor that would be the stem and soil," Thoth explains. "It is a symbol that was adopted in several Hermetic societies."
"The reuse of a previous symbology won't give us away, will it?" Tasha then cocks her head to the side, "Or is there power in symbols just as there is power in names and titles?"
"There is power, yes, but in this era, it unlikely to raise connotations of occultism," Thoth suggests. "And so long as outsiders only deal with Miss Hakeber, it should seem very innocuous. Not that they would know that name of any of these branches anyway."
"We could get little rose pins for our uniforms!" Hakeber says, clutching her hands together and smiling. "Better than a pentacle or something."
"Yes, we'll try and make sure our outward face and inward reality are different. I don't like so much deception, but as you said about this era, there are expectations and dangers we have to address." Another shrug; what can you do. "I'll likely split my own time between leadership, this department, and what else I am needed for. My spore allows me to detect Shadow-beings at close range, but it may also be useful for more. I've considered asking Mr. Yellow to teach me more about Yellow and what He knows of magic. Samael may know more as well, and of course you, Thoth, can help me deploy the Titan better."
Tasha glances at Hakeber and smiles. "But you want a robe don't you? It's basically a bathrobe that's respectable."
"Pffft," is Hakeber's response. "I'd want a cloak or a cape," she claims.
"A somewhat less respectable bathrobe, then. Well, I found an outfit in a catalogue that I'm going to order when we reach a civilized world." Tasha glances at Thoth now and asks, "I'm thinking black for the uniforms. We already use the color in the Dark Horse outfits. Or, is that not a good symbolic color?"
"It depends one what sort of impression you want to make," Thoth notes. "Cross-species Color Theory is rather convoluted, however."
"You should be naked all the time to show honesty and trust," Hakeber tells Tasha.
"If we stick with what we had, the worst we can be accused of is a lack of creativity," Tasha notes, smiling. "And it's worked so far without any complaints, so we'll go with that. We can add additional details for individual roles and positions. I may as well go with gold details, as my armor and Titan already use them."
Something wraps around Hakeber's tail and gives it a gentle yank. "Hakeber is such a imp," she tells Thoth with feigned innocence.
"She is correct however, in that many cultures once held that standard," Thoth says. "The Confederates seem to favor it when dealing with their own kind as well, and there a precedents among the Khattans - although the inability to reliably conceal a weapon plays into that."
"This is some kind of conspiracy, isn't it," Tasha asks, shooting both parties a suspicious look. "I'm sure Gabriel and Katherine would approve, as would most of the crew, but I have tried to be more than my body -- such as it may be." She sniffs, looking down and adjusting her datapad so it's exactly even with the table sides, "As a compromise, how about this."
Poking the datapad, Tasha activates the screen and then sorts through wardrobe options clearly saved from various boutiques surely provided by Liza. At last she reaches one that appears to be skin tight, yet is also baggy. The reason for this becomes apparent: smart materials. Much like Yue's space suit, Tasha's old undersuit, and even her armor, the uniform-color outfit is simply a long roll of smart materials programmed and locked in to shape. Another image shows a two stretches of the stuff, so that it longs like the woman is wearing a shawl and a close fitting long dress. A third example shows it acting as an emergency space suit, and the details mention some level of protection from various kinds of damage. "This is what I meant by robe."
"That's way too fancy for my shape," Hakeber notes. "That's.. Katie level. I can make anything I wear look frumpy. But you need to show off your arms, feet and floof. If you're going to be a mezzode, may as well show off the most expensive looking stuff."
"I'll redirect it to Katie then. How about this, if that's what you think would be best?" Tasha flips a few more outfits in and comes up with something of similar material, yet incorporating more solid pieces and non-transformable area. In particular the upper legs, upper arms, neckline, remain uncovered and folded stylishly away when the suit isn't being used. The solid areas seem to house electronics, and are customizable for a client's needs. "This one's an idea piece, part of a collection but never worn by anyone. A kind of example item. I may be able to work with the maker to show it off, and myself as well."
"I need to be able to mingle with grad students and similar weirdos," Hakeber says. "Something they could get drunk with and maybe have a chance of scoring with too. You know how I got all my research on the Kampfengruppe." She nods in approval at Tasha's more personal choice though. "Yeah, you're an idea piece too after all!"
"It is unlikely I would be accompanying you to any meetings," Thoth suggests. "I have other issues I am still overseeing, but will be able to help with your recruitment efforts."
"Recruitment?" Hakeber asks, looking to Tasha.
"That would help a lot, Thoth, thank you." Tasha nods to Hakeber as well. "We'll see everyone receives the equipment and resources they need to perform to their own best ability. That includes me. And yes, recruitment. We need to populate our organization with more people, and that includes those with occult interests." She looks between the two, and then asks, "So back to the topic of magic. Should we research, collect, or otherwise pursue the application of magic? That is, should we learn to use it as part of our standard arsenal of tricks? Train people to use it? Should I learn, or should I pursue those energies more directly?"
"It is not something that one just picks up," Thoth claims. "Outside of Sifran space, it requires a connection to either a Vril or similar source - or else to a demonic source. I would focus on deciphering just what Miss Hakeber has stored in her head, as well as what Samael can offer. There are certainly people and items which can aid us. I have certain connections that can be queried."
"We've got Mr. Invention," Hakeber remembers. "I have no idea what he's been up to while we've been out here. Probably set up a galactic influence network already."
"Then we'll start with that," Tasha agrees, nodding. "We have resources and we have a way forward." She nods again, this time to Hakeber. "He's very competent, that's certainly true. I'm uncertain if he'd be better used where he is or with us, contacts can't be underestimated. We aboard ship can't do a lot of networking out here."
"We can't even contact anyone yet," Hakeber notes. "Unless the Professor's observatory is pointed our way."
"And that's why we need people on the outside. If something happens and we're out of reach, we could be blindsided on our return." Tasha turns to Hakeber and spreads her hands. "But you can let the command staff worry about who-goes-where if you want, Hake. That reminds me: Do you want to be part of this organization and do you want to join the department described?"
"Seeing as how Thoth just said it's going to be centered on examining me I don't think I can pass on it," Hakeber points out. "I still need to find out what happens when I use whatever-it-is I have."
"And we should have a safety net in place when you do. For you, and all others like you touched by the Darkness or the Light." Tasha gestures towards the door. "I can see about using the region around the Bridle to set up a place to work. The proximity to Tatha-hem may be useful to us, as would be Tatha-hem herself."
"But she can't do anything outside of her containment, right?" Hakeber asks. "Except through those crystal things that connect to the hull."
"Studying her containment would also be useful," Thoth notes.
"I can speak to her," Tasha explains, reaching to touch her forehead again. "And now I see her, too. I would also like to know how Thotep enslaved and contained her, and why the system works as it does."
"It does seem to actually function as intended," Thoth agrees. "Which is unsettling."
"I believe it's a two-part system that brings together both Shadow and Vril-ya engineering, something that's not seen very often. It also uses the brilliance of the Tnuctipin. Brilliant First Ones, Geotic magic, and thaumaturgical metalurgy." The young woman looks up, brows raised. "When I put it like that, the Dagger of Eibon really is a wonder and a terror unlike anything else."
"It is a dagger, which implies there are larger versions," Thoth notes.
"It could be a prototype that was never mass produced. The Tnuctipin were annihilated shortly after they produced they sent the vessel on an early mission." Tasha then frowns, folding her legs and tapping her raised hoof on an invisible surface. "But Bumper did say it seemed like it might be the drive core of a much larger vessel and it seemed incomplete when we found it. Only the Mass Detector was present originally, neither bodies nor leftover equipment was found."
"The Tnuctipin eschewed automation if I recall," Thoth says. "They did everything manually, as a group. Controlling the Dagger may have been too much for them to handle."
"Ergo-hem drove them mad. As a group they also seemed to lack trust, so once it had turned them against one another, there was likely no system left to take over. What survivors remain may have died due to insufficient crew. Still, I wonder at how easily such a thing came to us and how clean it's been." Tasha gets another odd look in her eye, far away, but then her gaze darts to Hakeber suddenly. "Early on, didn't you ask me what if the Tatha-hem were me? I always thought that was strange. Did the thing in your head suggest that?"
"I just thought your names were close," Hakeber says. "I've trained myself to not see conspiracies in coincidence. I actually taught some of it to Aaron, but I don't know if it's made a difference for him."
Tasha nods to this. "It's difficult with our way of thinking, and in what we do." She casts a glance towards the door, then shakes her head. "It's probably a coincidence. She doesn't even look like me. Other than liking fish tacos, I haven't picked up on any similarities. She appears to be a humanoid form with a energy field of wings, a little like 'the domain of a god'. That mystical pattern. Of course," and Tasha counts on a finger, "Katha-hem sounds like me too. I have enough moral quadries about what we're doing to need thinking I'm killing off iterations of myself."
"TA-sha versus ta-THA versus ka-THA," the Karnor says. "That's what makes their names weird to me. They aren't alliterative with their cadence. It should be 'TA-tha HEM' not 'ta-THA hem'."
"Do we know why they're called what they're called? And what does the hem standard for?" asks Tasha, who plants her head on her hand to listen, tail curling out of the shadows to wave slowly behind her.
"I assume it's a diminutive of some sort, or a caste marker," Hakeber posits. "Like if 'hem' meant 'slave' or 'servant' or.. 'tool'."
"That's what I always though, but I thought maybe one of you two knew for sure." Tasha purses her muzzle; so much she hears she takes for granted, yet so much else remains completely unknown even by her most learned allies. "Maybe I'll ask the next one I meet who has the awareness needed to answer."
"Samael may know," Thoth suggests.
"Yes, he might. I'll need to approach him and check his interests anyway, so that will be a good moment to ask." Tasha looks between the two, then slides her datapad off the table, checks it, and puts it away. "I think that covers most everything, at least to start. Do think on what we've discussed and if you have any input or changes you'd like to request, and equipment as well. We'll need to have our answers when we reach dock, so that we can follow through. Some requirements may take time to get a hold of." She then turns to Hakeber and asks, "As for you, I'm worried about you, so if you want you may reassign your quarters to my quarters. In fact, I recommend it." She smiles, winks, and stands. Thoth is given a polite bow of the head. "Thank you for your help, Thoth. I look forward to seeing what our combined powers can accomplish."