"Despite the fact they are interlopers?" Brague's voice was raised, and she knew his blood boiled. The Juggernaut believed themselves to be chosen. Special. Watching humans be selected by a Progenitor for use must be profoundly disturbing to him.
Rai turned on him then and raised herself to his height. "I am content using whatever flotsam and jetsam presents itself to meet my goals. They are biologic material, as your kind once was. I shall mold them. I shall give the directives. And if they do not comply, they can return to the constituent matter from which they came, and I will find an alternative material to shape."
The Assessor shifted back and forth on his feet, fighting the urge to bow in acquiescence. "You're assuming their makeup is sufficient to the task. I can assure you we have found human DNA quite lacking," Brague countered.
Rai blinked, and then advanced with inhuman speed on the Assessor, knocking him to the ground with a force that sent dirt flying. She sat on his chest and pinned his carapace into the dirt. "You doubt my abilities to transform lowly pond scum? Your race was once not much more than insects, as I recall."
His eyes leveled with hers for many minutes. Rai scented his need to fight as his muscles rippled beneath her, but he managed to keep his temper in check.
"I do not doubt your prowess, Progenitor. I'm sure when you are done with them they will be barely recognizable to their inferior human ancestors," Brague replied.
Rai sprang from him and turned to the gathered Core members, who awaited an answer to Natre's, and now Brague's, question. She ignored Brague as he regained his composure. Rai's point had been made, and he was willing to bow to her will, at least for now.
Natre held her ground. "So, you do not intend to discard us?"
"No," Rai replied. "I shall instead incorporate you into my ecosystem."
"And what of the plague?" Natre asked.
"The plague shall be no more. After all, why would I destroy my own cherished creations?"
The Core members breathed out a collective sigh, yet Natre stood tense. "And what modifications will you require of your newly acquired creations?"
Rai smiled, as she'd imagine Vida would. "You in the Core know best. You took the full brunt of the changes with the plague when you first arrived. I'd hoped to overwhelm you with too many changes at once, and yet some of you survived. Some even thrived. I'd assumed most would perish, while a small few would transform, aligning themselves with my grand design. Those who survived failed to develop as I'd hoped. Many of you have not yet embraced your abilities as shifters. You may fear your potential, yet I have made you what you are."
A stir went through the crowd as they digested her words.
"But the plague made us into shifters. You said you're going to take the disease away." Raza asked. "Isn't that the plague?"
"Oh yes, the plague will go away. The dead will no longer rise up into Terrors, I will see to it. But you will cease giving plague medicinal to everyone. And the rites of Temple service for your young women ends now. From here forward, the Temples will be used for healing and settling legal disputes only. Births may happen at the Temples, but not conceptions.
"Thank you, Vida," Ponar whispered. Rai looked his way and briefly inclined her head. A promise kept.
Taessen approached, wringing his hands. "You don't understand, Progenitor. In the initial outbreak, many went insane when they turned. They couldn't cope. They didn't know how to handle this new existence. And the breeding programs we have today, it's just so the women don't shift while they're pregnant and lose the child. We aren't cruel. We've made choices to safeguard, not harm."
Rai raised her hands, signaling she'd heard enough. "I do not place blame, Taessen. However, we must move into the future together. Your kind must evolve. Some of you have, to no ill effect, and you stand here now. Taessen is correct, some may be too old, their minds too inflexible to change. I will offer a compromise."
"My edict stands, but any Az'Un who does not wish to stand under my protection, to share in the evolving DNA of the Progenitor, may opt out. However, when they do so, they may neither marry nor have children. Their line will end with them."
"What if they already have heirs?" Natre asked.
"So be it, but no more," Rai answered. "And their spouse, if they choose to embrace my offer, is allowed to remarry and continue breeding. You can expect to live longer lives without your medicinal and with the natural boost from what I have to offer."
Furtive glances met this last news, and Rai knew she had them hooked. An overall improvement in the quality of life and they just had to put up with becoming shifters? How bad could it be?
"How will you enforce this?" Raza asked.
Rai smiled. "All of you shall be my ambassadors. I will instill within you the ability to harmonically shift their resonance with me either on or off. Your mission will be to visit all of the colony in the next month and determine their willingness to accept or reject the change."
"And I suppose any who are unable to handle the change, who end up at the Temples due to mental instability, we can turn them off for their own safety?" Taessen asked.
"As you see fit," Rai replied. "But be warned, once my gift is removed, the modification is a permanent one."
"I suspect that will be a comfort to most," Raza said.
"For those who fear, yes." Rai paused and clasped her hands together. "I am concerned over your volatile natures, and I believe it important to utilize the Guardians to protect the colonists as they adapt to their new skills. Please direct your formularies to develop inhibiting brews to tamp down the expression for those who need more time to acclimate."
"Wise words, Progenitor," Natre replied. "We will see it done."
"And what will you be doing while we're acting as your Ambassadors?" Raza asked eyes keen on Rai. Raza hadn't missed a beat, had she?
"That is Progenitor business, but you will not see me frequently. I intend to have Ponar act as my liaison if he is willing? My host assures me he is trustworthy." She turned a confident smile towards Ponar, and though startled, he smiled back.
The Assessor had an eye on her. No doubt he'd ask her what business she had in mind soon enough.
"Once I know the full details, I am sure, for the good of the colony, I won't be able to refuse. You did grant my request, after all, Progenitor, for which I am eternally grateful," Ponar replied.
"My thanks for your indulgence, Ponar." Rai turned back to the assembled Core members. "Now that I have gained your assent, we will travel to the Seed Marker, where I will make the necessary adjustments to alleviate the plague, including the humans in my overall ecological plans."
"For the sake of expediency," Brague interrupted. "May I offer my vessels?"
"I was about to inquire," Rai replied. "And perhaps they can clean up along the way?"
"A most excellent suggestion." Brague directed things efficiently, and soon people were in motion, being loaded onto shuttle transports.
Rai approached Chieftess Raza. "Raza, please direct the Guardians to return to the cities and outposts on the horses they brought with them. They are of no concern and will take orders as needed from you as per usual. There is no need for them to travel with us."
"They will be happy to depart," Raza replied. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "May I ask, how often is the Progenitor in charge of this host body? I only ask because it seems your mannerisms are at times familiar."
"Vidaaquar is always in control. Sometimes Vida is more ... occupied than others, as she is now. But she is ever present, just under the surface."
Raza kept the smile on her face, but it left her eyes, and a shudder passed through her skin. She looked to Graeber, and a knowing look passed between them before she turned in haste and walked away.
Rai steeled herself. Let Raza mourn for her and Graeber. Keeping the truth secret was paramount.
Assessor Brague approached her, and Rai could tell from his scent and posture that he'd regained the poise lost during their earlier
encounter.
"Would you prefer to travel via the Sanctuary ship, Progenitor?"
"You may return to addressing me as Vida, now that we are apart from the masses, Brague. And no, let us travel by a smaller ship. Although the Sanctuary ship is a beautiful and appreciated haven, it's too large to land safely at Jeweled Cove."
"As you wish, Vida. Will you need the Core members nearby to affect the changes you discussed?" he asked.
"Yes, after I modify the Seed Marker, I will need to touch each one. Ponar here as well. Then the necessary changes will be complete."
Brague genuflected. "I would be honored to escort you to the landing site."
"I would not deny you." Rai allowed him to lead them to his ship, and he led them to a small lounge area on board and then left.
Rai breathed a huge sigh a relief, and it wasn't lost on her companions.
"What, is Vida napping out on you?" Bauleel asked, concern sparkling in her eyes.
"Yes, you could say that. Vida's been a bit preoccupied. I had to improvise here and there."
Ponar crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter holding beverages and snacks for their comfort. In many ways, he knew Rai, better than anyone else in the room, as they'd spent the most time together over the past few months.
"A little?" He raised a brow. "I know that look on your face. Spill it."
"This room is not secure, brother," Rai replied, tapping her ear.
A tense moment of silence filled the room, filled with furtive glances.
"There is another way." Bauleel stepped forward and held out her hand. The Juggernaut had no way of monitoring a telepathic skin bond conversation. Even Rilte and Ponar, who lacked the innate skill, could be brought in via the active skills of the others. Ponar and Rilte clasped hands with Bauleel, then all three looked at her expectantly.
"They need to know. Now is as good a time as any," Graeber whispered into her mind.
"It could endanger them," she countered silently.
Graeber nodded. "Possibly. They could also help cover more creatively if they know the whole story."
Rai sighed. "All right," she said aloud. She and Graeber joined the others clasping hands with Rilte and Ponar to form a circle. Within moments the group mind formed, haphazard at first, but Bauleel, Graeber, and Rai reined it into stable and cohesive form. Now they had a place for conversation away from prying eyes and Juggernaut recordings.
"I am going to show you something, recall something for you, but you must remain calm. Agreed?" Rai asked. The others nodded, except Graeber. Then she replayed the incident with Vida and the encounter with the Sanctuary's broken Seed Marker in her mind. Rilte gaped in segments, but otherwise, everyone kept their composure.
"So, that's really what she's like?" Bauleel asked. "Vida's remarkable."
"Sure, and she's an immutable stone at the moment," Rai replied, the anger an unmistakable undercurrent in her mental wavelength.
"Wait, today, you're saying she was like that, all day today?" Bauleel asked.
"Yes." Rai shifted her feet.
"So you have access to all of her powers, even when she's like this?" Ponar asked.
Rai met his gaze. "Yes. And the Juggernaut can never know she's not in charge. Otherwise, they will step in, and the fate of the colonists on Az'Un will go poorly. Very poorly."
Ponar shook his head. "So all of those ideas, the agreement with the Core. That was you, not Vida?"
"Well, yeah," Rai replied.
"And you sentenced Somnu to death?" Bauleel asked, her emotions were conflicted, partly supporting Rai's decision, partly despising her for acting alone.
"I had to act the part, Bau. You know from being within the group mind of the Core: they saw his guilt, they knew he'd planted the device and doomed the colony to Vida's plague, they agreed with my conclusions and edict." But the emotions roiled in her gut, reacting to Bauleel's disapproval.
"I know you did what you had to do," Bauleel replied. "But if the Juggernaut discover their precious Progenitor is dormant, they will step in and cleanse this world of the human taint. But what do we do when she awakens and learns your actions?"
All eyes were on Rai. "You don't appear to understand. Vida knows exactly what I'm doing. At every moment. At times, she reacts like I've struck a chord within her. Yet, she's made no move to stop me. She's effectively made me her proxy, while she quietly watches from the sidelines. She's been free to take action, yet she refuses."
"And when she does decide to act, what then?" Rilte asked. "Well you can't know, and neither can we, so I vote we move forward and do our best to salvage what we can of our society. I, for one, think you were brilliant out there today, Rai. My only question is: can you actually turn off the plague?"
"I am pretty confident I can," Rai replied. "Otherwise I'll have to come up with some sort of creative or impulsive Progenitor-style reason to not fix it."
"You'll do your best, and we'll support you. Of course we will. What you negotiated is in the colony's best interests," Graeber said.
Everyone chimed in with their agreement.
"Did you have to declare that all humans accept shifting as a part of their DNA?" Bauleel asked. "It drove a lot of us insane when it hit."
"Because they didn't know what was happening, or how to do it safely," Rai replied. "Now they have teachers. And perhaps only the youth will fully accept the change, and the adults will take medicinals to temper the effects. All I know is this is what Vida had planned all along, and we disrupted her plans. I am endeavoring to do right by all parties."
Rai felt a wave of respect flow over the group mind from Bau. "Then you made the correct decision," Bauleel replied.
"I am wondering what your plans are?" Graeber asked.
"Pardon?"
Graeber's hand clasped hers more firmly. "You showed us the entire recollection of Vida's time in the Sanctuary ship's Seed Marker. I got the impression it gave you some ideas."
"Well, it did, actually. Once I reprogram the Seed Marker, it will function on auto-pilot. Ponar, if you are willing, you can act as liaison with me and let me know if everything is going all right."
"I've already agreed to do so," Ponar replied, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.
"And then I'm going to find out why the Progenitors gave up being Progenitors and where they went into hiding. I hope to reunite Vida with her own kind."
This was met with shocked looks and emotions and a resounding chord from Vida that echoed through the group mind.
Bauleel frowned. "So, did Vida like that idea or hate it?"
"I have a sense she is aligned with the concept," Rai replied. "So, I know you three were willing to leave the planet before. Will you leave with me now?" Rai asked Bauleel, Rilte, and Graeber.
"We'll likely get a Juggernaut escort the entire way. You know that, right?" Graeber asked.
"I have accepted that eventuality. However, it does mean room, board, and fuel will be provided free of charge."
"And what if the Juggernaut doesn't want the Progenitors found?" Rilte asked.
Rai frowned. "But, they're like gods to them."
Rilte frowned. "Some folks are quite happy with dead gods."
Rai shook her head. "I'm still going. It's a promise to Vida. With or without you three."
"I'm with you," Graeber replied.
Bauleel and Rilte shared a long look. After about a minute of private mental conversation, Bauleel said, "We're in."
"Thank you. All of you. Now, we just have to live through the next few hours, and then the stress will be off," Rai replied.
"How do you figure that?" Graeber asked. "If we venture among the Hegemony, you will have to keep up your charade for months, perhaps years."
Rai sagged a little then. "Yes, but no one has seen a Progenitor for millennia. They don't know what to expect. Away from here, no one knows me. Neither the old nor the new me. There's less association to who I am, more on what I am."
Graeber nodded, and she felt
his compassion for the stress she was under. "Come, let's have a snack before we get there. It's still a long day ahead of us," Graeber said.
Chapter 33
Rai stood on the beach of Jeweled Cove, Graeber on one side and Assessor Brague on the other. The Core was being brought down to the shore, but there was no rush, as it was known Vida would need some time at the Seed Marker. She stared out over the waves, steeling herself for the task.
"Is there anything else you need to be readied before you return, Vida?" Graeber asked. He didn't touch her, but his scent was a comfort to her nerves.
"No, you've both proven you understand my directives the first time around. I will consume ocean life on my return trip to ensure I have adequate energy reserves available for the task."
"I would be happy to prepare you a feast, Vida," Brague replied.
"My thanks, Brague. However, you misunderstand the scope of the sustenance I will require for this effort. Another time, perhaps?"
Brague drew back, stiff and wide-eyed. "Whatever you wish."
Rai's lip curled up in a smile. "I'd best not wait any longer. I'll return when I have completed the changes."
Without looking back, she walked towards the ocean. Rai barely remembered her emergence weeks ago. Vida had been in total control at that time, Rai the overwhelmed and traumatized host. Rai assumed she could find the Marker on faith. Faith that there was enough Progenitor stamped into her makeup for her to not only find it but also activate and program it on her own.
Rai reached the surf and waded out into the icy water. Knee-deep, she transformed her hands and feet into webbed flippers and gave herself an all-over scaly makeover to aid with swimming. Next, Rai added a second set of transparent eyelids to protect her eyes from the salt water and gills to breathe. When she could think of nothing else to change, she leaped into the water.
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