OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 365

First

Tread Softly Around Sorcerers

There is an inquiry through the forest. A question that considers. Asks and then as he accepts the room grows more crowded. Warli’Satha moves and her wrist is caught.

“Very nice reflexes ma’am. Medical Officer Christos Ekmekci! At your service!” He says with a smile.

“Who are... I mean, why are you here?”

“Your brother called me in. He has heard of your supernatural rivalry with your dastardly Rella counterpart and has asked myself as another supernatural individual to take a peek.”

“Supernatural?”

“Your rivalry is generational, predictable, intense and with no known source. To you it makes perfect sense, it’s perfectly natural to your perspective. Like my ability to know everything I carry at all times. I was actually shocked to learn that was not normal.”

“You can can you? Then tell me Undaunted. What is the exact amount of coinage I have in this, and do note that trying to run with it will result in a bounty.” Warli’Satha says producing a small purse and holding it out. Christos picks it up and lets it fall back into her hand in a single quick movement.

“You have four thousand, eight hundred and thirteen credits. The vast majority of them are recent coinage but there is a trytite coin in there you’ve sharpened and shaved the edges of one side of. Likely as an improvised weapon if needs be.”

“... Yes. How much in Khutha?”

“Four coins. You also have a J’Hest coin in there with two Sthaqu four Girtl and thirteen Trytite including the sharpened coin.” Christos says and she blinks. Opens her purse and scans the contents.

“A very interesting trick. I can see your family as an absolutely indispensable asset at border security, customs and searches. And you believe that my animosity with the Rella Scion is of similar nature?” She asks as she conceals the purse once more and Christos nods.

“Yes, but what’s confusing us is that all confirmed examples we have found are universally positive. Myself and my comrade here... who is staring at the sorcerer in shock... Specialist Vlad Racz, are you alright?”

“I’m being stared at by fungus. Shrubbery is taking my measure and I’m being judged by trees. I don’t know if I’m alright or not.” Vlad says.

“What is going on exactly? And by the way humans, welcome to my estate, perhaps something in the form of asking permission would have been preferred? Perhaps?” The terse and upset tone of Baroness Satha asks.

“Sorry, I brought them in because I’m worried.” Roob’Satha says. “I am allowed to bring friends over aren’t I?”

“Young man, don’t try to manipulate me. We’re going to have a talk about this. But if your allies believe they have a potential lead on the source of the Rivalry I will forgive the intrusion, this time.”

“Apologies ma’am, with the transport being supplied from inside the estate itself by a member of it in good standing we assumed the invite was implicit. Do you wish for me to make a note to have all Undaunted Assets ask for formal permission to arrive in the estate barring emergencies?” Vlad asks as he seems to quickly pull himself together now that he has something to distract him from the eyes beyond number staring directly at him, and the fact that he is returning their gaze no matter which way he looks.

“Emergencies?”

“If we’re trying to stop some lunatic from harming a family member and they cross onto the property we’re not going to stop and ask for permission to keep chasing them.”

“That is a fair caveat.”

“You can see all of it?”

“I got the hell away from the Sorcerers earlier because I can see them seeing me. Which means that I can see the entirety of their forests, and now that they’re better connected I can see all four of them. And everything in them and.... it should be too much. But it’s not. If I try and focus that hard in scanning an area with my physical senses I can tire myself out. But this is... something else. Funny, we came to learn about a potential power gone awry, and I’ve learned more of mine. Neat.”

“Very neat. Now ma’am, we have taken sample scans with this device of myself, my compatriot and three other physically mature individuals. We have found it can detect the energy source of not only my own senses and Specialist Racz senses, but also the stealth fields of the Operative Jameson and Jameson. Otherwise known as one of the heads of Undaunted Intelligence and his clone Saint Redblade. Finally we have tested the Grandaughter of The Grand Huntsmistress Yzma, Ymira. She also has Matriarch Syndrome like her famous ancestress.”

“And you are of the belief that my distaste for the Rella Wretch is fuelled by the same force creating Matriarch Syndrome?”

“It has already proven to be the same source as our senses and the Jameson Family Stealth. As well as their newly developed unusual eyes. Which allows them to see this energy directly, but both adult individuals with these eyes in Undaunted Employ have been badly overworked of late and their doctors and therapists are going to start hunting down anyone who tries to get them back to work for at least the next forty... I think forty two now?” Christos starts to explain before trailing off to look to Vlad.

“Forty one now.”

“Right well, for the next forty one hours those two overworked men are only allowed to do anything official if it’s literal life or death and if it’s not life or death their doctors will make it life or death. With prejudice.”

“... Why?”

“There is a plague of overworking in The Undaunted.” Christos huffs. “Swear to god the idiots are trying to compensate for the fact we didn’t pop into a galaxy made of fear and terror by working themselves straight into the grave instead of dying on a battlefield or something. Dumb bastards.”

“We’re fine you...” Vlad begins and Christos turns to give him a baleful glare.

“You’ve spent an hour and a half at the shooting range in addition to your damn daily patrols and duties. You have given yourself a ten hour workday, every day. An intense ten hour workday. Every day.”

“I’m fine.”

“Freaked out. Insecure. Neurotic and Emotional. That’s what Fine means. Get proper rest you lunatic. Schedule your range time during duty hours you madman.” Christos says to him. “But we are not here for this fool. He’s just the baggage to help me with this. We are here for you madam. Do I have your permission to scan you for what we are currently calling Other Direction Energy. Or ODE.”

“Ode?”

“In English, the primary language of The Undaunted, Other Direction Energy can be anacronized into O D E. Which when combines means ode. Make sense?”

“Rhyme Energy? Lyrical Energy? Is it supposed to mean either of those?”

“It’s just something we’re rolling with. Some call it spiritual energy, but a lot of the more science minded don’t like calling it that so Ode Energy is a compromise we’re working on. Now then madam, my I scan you for Ode?”

“... It almost sounds dirty when you say it like that.”

“I’m not sure how to say it to not make it sound odd.”

“Why does it sound odd?” Vlad asks.

“In Cindertongue the sound that comprises ode is the middle part of the word for a fancy way of saying...” Roob’Satha begins and his mother picks him up again. He goes quiet.

“Something a child shouldn’t know but you do anyways?” Vlad asks and the little boy nods. He smirks. “I see. Anyways ma’am, a harmless scan just to see if the energy is present. If it is then we can schedule you for a deeper scan if you’ll consent to it to see just what shape and how it moves and see if we can’t understand it, or even take control of it.”

“Can you take control of yours?” Warli’Satha asks.

“To an extent. If you’ll let me take your hand for a moment I can share my sensory ability with you. It’s a good way to check yourself if you need to.”

“Really?” She asks.

“Yes, one day I hope to invert it. Find a way to conceal the knowledge I have something instead. Imagine spreading that to an entire starship. I’ll gain my own version of Ode Energy Stealth. But that’s not for now, do you consent to the scan?”

“What happens if it’s a positive?”

“Then we check the other girl in this relationship, and if it’s positive again we start bringing in more powerful equipment to get a better look at the weirdness and see if we can’t take control of it.”

“And what use could having an enemy possibly bring?”

“Think about it. If she’s the only one allowed to defeat you, and you can both amp it up to the point you can sense one another, then you can get into a competition for whom rescues the other. Or other things like that. Unless you actually want the Rella Rival dead?”

“I want her defeated. Broken. Down a peg and at my feet as she deserves!” Warli’Satha declares and the two Undaunted men share a look. Then a nod. “And what was that about?”

“We did some theorizing on how an enemy could be a benefit. You’re fitting the mould perfectly. You hate her. But will not kill her?”

“No.”

“Ever?”

“Perhaps if she was suffering, but I would whisper that I had won to her corpse.”

“Would that be a win though? If some other power were to hurt her so badly the only reprieve is death?”

“... no.”

“See?” Christos asks Vlad who nods.

“I’ve got a Sorcerer looking at me, hearing me. I hear and see everything and more.”

“What is that like?”

“My brain is not big enough to know all that I currently know. But I know it anyways, and I’m not even strained.”

“... Damn.” Christos mutters. “Anyways ma’am. Permission?”

“First I want to share your ability. To let me know this is not some elaborate prank.”

“Of course. Take my hand and I’ll share my insight with you.” Christos says holding out his hand and she grasps it by the upper two fingers. Her eyes widen in shock. She then reaches into the folds of her skirt and withdraws a tiny needle.

“The tailor forgot this. That’s unlike her. She must have been having a bad day when this dress was stitched together.” She says and Christos smiles as she lets go. “You have proven yourself very well to me. I consent to being scanned for this... Ode Energy. Although I must protest it’s odd naming. The acronym ode already has energy as part of it. Simply calling it Ode or Od Energy would be preferable.”

“Our Nerd Squad started insisting on Od and were overruled if only to stop them from playing around. They have very much pointed out that detail.”

“Playing around?”

“They have permission to fiddle with Axiom as much as they want to try and develop novel techniques, counters and more. But Ode Energy is much more dangerous and even in controlled circumstances can destroy equipment and kill people with ease. Not to mention the extreme political mess they might accidentally create if they somehow get an absurd result. So they’re being given a hard no for fiddling with Ode the way they do with Axiom.”

“Yes but, why is the name a sticking point?” Warli asks.

“There’s a fairly popular animated series where the mystic energy used in it is called Od. But there are few things that the Od of that series is capable of that we cannot easily replicate with Axiom. The things we can’t are the kind of highly dangerous effects with enormous repercussions and that’s without considering that using ode without the filter of an ability like mine means that the Astral Hargath start to eat you alive on a good day.”

“Such as?”

“Imagine summoning the hallowed dead back to full life for a time, but utterly under your command. It’s not a ghost, they’re real. They’re back, and they’re under your control. Now imagine what an amoral individual could do with that. Bringing back saints and founders of entire faiths to tear them down. Imagine the founder of your house brought back to life for the sole purpose of destroying it.”

“A new and horrifying way to wage war.”

“Yes.”

“Is it possible?”

“Maybe? We don’t know. It’s too dangerous to even experiment with it. And frankly I’m glad for it.” Christos says. “Now, it is time to do the scan. We have dallied long enough and I take all the blame for that. I like talking to my patients far too much.”

“Why?” Roob’Satha asks with a grin. He knows what he’s doing.

“Because if they can talk to me then things are likely going well.” Christos says as he pulls out the device. “This is a simple scanner attuned to Ode. Just stay still for a few moments ma’am and you may very well never have to see me again.”

“No one ever said I wanted that.” Warli’Satha remarks and he raises an eyebrow then his brow furrows as the result pops up.

“Positive. You ma’am have and Ode Ability.”

First Last