“Your specialty is merging,” Vekta went on. It was Stander who had reminded him of Zena's “interference” back when they were first at Gozgazel. “You got past all my shields and defenses to paralyze me and make me unconscious, remember?”
Zena mentally winced. He's never, ever, going to let me forget that, he thought ruefully. “You want me in the merge, right?” He added several of the more choice expletives he'd spotted in Crater's database. “Will this clear the debt I owe you?”
“If you do this with us only for that reason—”
“Whoa, no, no, no, I didn't mean that!” Zena felt the harsh criticism of the Dracon in its full bitterness. There was no playing around here, no experimenting, no testing the limits of their minds, but instead the powerful instinct for survival, and the critical need for something radical to be done to save this sector of the Perseus Arm.
“COLONEL!” came a sudden yell from the little control room. “One of the other moons just — I can't believe these readings — the thing just—”
The medbeds were abruptly unoccupied.
*
Zena observed with his own perception and felt a new quiver of terror. One of the other moons of Gozgazel Primary Alpha had just exploded.
Novella was already on the Sixtheye to the Andromedea. “Crater, analyze the readings Lieutenant Vorclif is sending you. If my guess is correct, we just gained a whole new and far worse problem!”
There was a minute pause while all five Dracons on the Tysona and one miserable entity held their breaths — mental or otherwise. Then: “It's unmistakable,” Crater reported, stunned. “The moon exploded because the space just became unstable... and is now exhibiting all the properties of a pre-black hole phenomenon.”
“Oh, shit,” Zena swore and it was all he could do to stay put. He did not know if something like him could even be killed, but had no will to find out.
“The Eye has ceased to be a mental bubble and is now actually affecting the space around it,” Crater added, feeling his own trickle of fear.
“We may have only one chance now to affect the Mind that is behind this phenomenon,” Vekta said tightly. “Sabella, move the Andromedea out of there! Retreat to Chalawan, now!”
Novella turned to the two younger officers. “Miischel, Vorclif, we cannot ask either of you to stay here.”
Both Level 7's immediately waved off the suggestion. “We're in this with you all the way, Majors, Colonel,” Rand said for them both. “You're going to need a pilot to get this ship home after this, and probably medical attention. We're staying.”
“Zena?”
“Er, why do you need me again?”
To everyone's surprise, Stander answered him. “Your ability to deepmerge for prolonged periods and your stability in merging could make the critical difference we need in order to deal with the Mind in that other universe. With just the Attitudinals and myself we can only sustain a deepmerge for a couple minutes. That likely will not be enough time to allow us to communicate with the Mind. I believe your participation in the merge5 will stabilize us enough to endure longer.”
This will change me, Zena thought with dread, but then he had a sober thought. Not that this is a bad thing. I'm never going back to my universe and I have nothing better to do than to throw in all the way with these telepaths — and there's my debt — which clearly isn't something I can clear, perhaps ever. While the entity had few scruples, he did have as strong an impetus toward reparation as he did toward survival. Damn... in for a penny, in for a pound indeed! “Very well, you all scare the hell out of me, but if you really need me... if I can really make a difference... ah, shit, I'm in!”
Vekta grinned suddenly, a mad, black sort of grin. “You won't be sorry, Zena Hendrian!”
“Heh, I'm way past sorry!”
26: One
Merging minds! Thho shuddered at the thought of something so intimate. Even though I very much want them to survive, I would stop at engaging in such a thing myself. She considered the energy entity from Kappa Universe. That one has been surprising! What manner of thing is he?
The merge3 between the four Level 8 telepaths had been rough at first as the Dracons and Zena Hendrian had to settle in and adjust to one of their members being so alien to the others. But Zena's innate facility for merging eased the way after all, and the newly composite mind shifted into merge4.
Suddenly a burst of thought reached them from beyond the dimensional barrier, but only for a few seconds. It was startling enough to send them firmly back down into merge3.
What was that? the Novella-Aspect asked, fearful it had been an attack. But there was nothing else now.
The Vekta-Aspect was just as baffled, then he analyzed the burst, slowed it down.
It's a thought from another mind in that universe, Stander-Aspect suggested. Shouldn't we be able to understand something from it?
If we have points of reference, Vekta replied, bewildered. Wait, Novella, Stander, do you know what this is?
Mathematics, Zena-Aspect answered instead, intrigued. Pure, logical mathematics with rigidly controlled symbology... a language, I suppose.
You understand it? the other three asked, surprised.
Me? Nah... just send it to your fancy-pants cybernism. It'll take Crater, oh, seven seconds to make sense out of it.
*
Though the Andromedea was in Starlock, Crater was surprised to be abruptly contacted by the composite mind aboard the Tysona. Kviatha... Majors... Zena? he thought, knowing they would pick it up.
“Analyze this...”
“I have to drop out of Starlock...”
“Do that, then.”
“Major Daro,” Crater spoke up, “I'm dropping us out of Starlock in order to analyze something for the Colonel.”
Sabella took a deep breath, glancing at the distance readings from Gozgazel. Too close still... “Very well. Commence Starlock departure.”
It didn't take seven seconds for Crater to resolve the mathematics. It took twenty minutes in which a lot of people were very nervous. Between Vekta and Crater, the necessary “points of reference” were discovered. They could communicate with whatever had contacted them now. And the Andromedea continued on Starlock to Chalawan.
*
This being, Crater had been able to decipher, was a unique member of a race of mainly energetic beings in the local portion of the universe, which they were now going to refer to as “Psi.” The being, referred to itself as “One,” an entity possessing a solitary mind .In Psi Universe, therefore, populations existed with a form incomprehensible to the Human mind. But each “entity” was a composite mind, and each composite had a unique number of component minds. One was the only solitary mind, not a composite.
Several time-parts ago — there could be no reference to compare this to Alpha Universe time — the universe-wide Mind (One thought of it as “Infinity”) inexplicably terminated all composite minds in that sector of Psi Universe. One believed it had survived merely because it had been overlooked, not being a composite since it was the first, or original mind in its region. Stunned, One had built a sphere of resistance into which it hid, sheltered when the Infinite realized what it had done and in its grief and regret, had created the Eye out of the sheer power of its compulsion.
The Alpha-telepaths were stunned to realize through this brief communicated thought that the Mind, the “Infinite,” had a conscience. The grief compulsion therefore was a manifestation of its normal state of thinking, caused by the inexplicable act of violence toward the composite denizens of the area. The Infinite, therefore, was wallowing in despair and self-pity for its terrible action.
While they were considering the implications of this revelation, the entity that called itself One abruptly reached again across the dimensional barrier, demanded their attention, and began to talk. To their relief, they now had enough understanding of its mathematical language to make sense of it.
“You resisted the grief
compulsion!” One exclaimed. “But you're now Four? You were Three... anyway, no others have been able to withstand the compulsion!”
The four High telepaths rose to merge3, the Zena-Aspect again stabilizing the merge. “There have been others? From our universe?” They wondered if Thho had tried to communicate with the Infinite after all.
“No, other minds have come as you have, from other realms, but all have perished,” One explained. “Since you resisted and broke the compulsion, I knew I had to risk myself to communicate with you. I've been alone so long...”
Stunned, the Four faced the open, trusting mind of a being far more alien to them, even more than Zena and Polluxanvega. And did the Eye truly extend into other universes than Alpha as well? Apparently so, but the biggest shock yet was reading the power that One exhibited. It was all too obvious that One possessed powers equivalent to the Attitudes of Consciousness. This “sphere of resistance,” therefore, was its version of the Attitude of Powerlessness.
“I call them Planes of Power,” One replied, equally awed. “I perceive you as Four but you're not naturally Four? Extraordinary that there are multiple Ones in your realm that can combine to be any number of composites! Even with the Planes, however, I consider myself to be infinitely weak in that I continue to live fruitlessly. I am a coward who refused to share the fate of my own people and be terminated by the Infinite. I am hardly worthy to speak to you, who—”
“No others in this universe can use the Planes of Power, correct?” Thho, listening across the dimensional barriers from where she observed in her home universe, suddenly contacted the Four and One.
“Who...? There is another?” One replied, startled. “You are as we are. I am gratified there are others like me, finally.”
“But the Infinite's compulsion is becoming worse,” the Four cautioned. “It is tearing our universe apart.” And they showed it the warped space growing in the center of the Eye.
Yet One did not understand — could not understand — the concept of the physical. Psi Universe, therefore, they realized was purely mental, possessing no matter at all. Inconceivable as it was, the Infinite was nevertheless able to affect matter, hence the danger to their own universe.
Thho found her frustration growing again, and once more held back. It was enough that she had found yet another Attitudinal. For now, she would merely watch.
“Why did you contact us?” the Four asked One. “We are utterly unlike you. Do you know how to stop the compulsion?”
“Of course I do not know how to stop it, or I would have,” One replied morosely. “Since you resisted it, I had to take the chance that perhaps you can do something with it. I cannot and I am still working up the courage to die.”
Abashed, the Four realized that One felt the situation was hopeless and was just waiting until it felt ready to join the fate of its people.
“What was the Infinite like before it killed your people?”
“Before?”
Dismayed, they realized time references meant nothing to One. It could be that Time was not linear in Psi Universe, or went in several directions at once. “What else was the Infinite like?” they asked instead.
One considered the question, puzzled, fitting the concept of “else” into the mathematical equations that served for language. “Upon one vector of time, the Infinite protected my race from the ravaging time-storms. Is that what you mean?”
“It will have to do.” At least the Infinite did not seem to be actually malevolent. But they realized they were going to have to make One receptive to revealing itself to the Infinite. And maybe the Psian could help, add its power to theirs when needed.
We're going to have to deal directly with the Infinite again. We have no choice, the Four considered soberly.
*
For several more “variations” of time, they talked to and argued with the Psian. But they could not convince it to try to preserve its life, much less try to communicate with the Infinite. It was one more point of reference they were not going to be able to resolve. One was adamant about continuing to hide. Or die.
So far, it seemed that the Four was able to sustain a merge3 indefinitely, thanks to the Attitudes and Zena's innate abilities. But there still loomed the probable necessity to merge5.
That's a last resort, the Vekta-Aspect said to the others. We do not know how the Attitudes affects a merge5, or that we can escape the inevitable merge depletion. Let's stay here for now.
Coldly, they realized they could no longer put off the mission for which they'd come. But at least they had a little more information and there was One as well as Thho standing by.
Not that they had any more hope, but it was still a fact that they'd faced the Infinite, broken its powerful compulsion, communicated somewhat with it, and were still alive.
With more courage than they thought possible to possess, they re-entered Psi Universe —to wait.
*
There was no waiting. Immediately the Infinite clasped upon the combined mind. Again they felt pushed in agony to the edge of insanity but held on.
That lasted seconds. The stability had vanished. Hastily the composite was pulled into One's sphere of Powerlessness. Then the merge3 collapsed as the entity pulled out. “I... I can't do this!” Zena screamed at the Dracons mentally, then was shocked when the other three — still merged — pulled him back in, flooding him with compassion and concern.
“We need you,” the Three menttransed, then the Vekta-Aspect added, “You owe us this!”
Against everything in his nature and his strong sense of self-preservation, Zena remerged with them unhappily. Then as the merged minds rose from merge1 to merge2, his personal wariness evaporated. Surprisingly, it was the Stander-Aspect, the Tryker, that enabled the entity to bypass his automatic fear response. We can do this...
You have so little fear of losing your lives, the Zena-Aspect retorted, still unhappy though his fear had dissipated.
Ironically the opposite is true, Novella-Aspect countered. We have so much at stake here! The stability of Alpha Universe may depend on this. And of course every single thing we hold dear and believe in is similarly threatened.
“You Four... this is not a natural combining at all,” One observed, wary. “I can sense that three of your components seem similar, but the new one is very different. I do not think this is going to work at all!” His emtransed apprehension returned, even stronger than before.
But the three Dracons had enough determination for all of them. Zena Hendrian, you only need to keep our merge strong. We will do the rest. We will have the strength, the determination, the hope, and the focus to do what needs to be done. We ask you to join us... to become one with us in the truest sense.
The Zena-Aspect was shocked... reading the intent behind those words. Join you? You mean... you will accept me at your side.
The Vekta-Aspect, having made this difficult decision, threw all of his will into meaning those words exactly. Yes, we will trust you as we trust each other.
Later, Zena Hendrian would be shocked further at his response, but would never regret it. Damn, no one has ever trusted me...
The merge3 resumed. The Four stabilized to rock-hard firmness, and they emerged from behind One's shield.
Again, contact. They concentrated on their own compulsion: LOVE IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE... GRIEF IS ONLY FEAR OF LOSS...
But when the Infinite made contact again, once more battering at the composite mind in its efforts to communicate, its message had shifted. WHAT...
Immediately they threw back, “What do you want to know? Please ask!” The contact was marginally bearable, as the Infinite had retreated into confusion, though it was trying to get something from them.
Then they understood — the Infinite wanted to know about their concept of love. If the fierce impact of the contact was not making them suffer so much, they could have laughed. Vekta remembered too well how difficult it had been to try to get Thho to unders
tand concepts such as love and caring. Even more now.
One wanted to know, too, and emtransed his own curiosity to the Four. And within the composite mind, the Zena-Aspect was similarly wondering.
So they tried. Again they focused on their emotions, the feelings of caring, love, compassion, warmth that they felt for those important to them, indeed, for life. But the Infinite only clawed at them all the more, struggling to understand, but failing. One was no help, and certainly not the Pelan.
Inside their fusion, the Four realized they were getting nowhere. The Infinite was tearing them down and soon the whole Gozgazel System would be in danger. Then an answer came to them: We must not tell or explain, we must be! But that was not going to be easy. The Infinite was slowly killing them. They could feel the power and life slowly begin to ebb from them, Attitudes or no.
With great reluctance, the Four retreated once more into One's sphere of Powerlessness though maintaining a merge3.
The Attitudes of Consciousness, they were realizing, held powers that were species-specific. The Pelan had unbelievable reach across vast distances that held no challenge to her, unlike the Dracons who had found that reach daunting. They had no doubt Thho could reach other galaxies. Both Vekta and Novella thought that they were likely limited to the Perseus Arm, though that was of course immensely impressive already. One, however, had little ability to go very far, but his Powerlessness was an adamantine shield, infinitely impenetrable. The Dracons' superior strength in the Attitudes would lie in mattformation and emforming, the Attitudes of Equilibrium and Compassion.
But even that strength would not give them an advantage here.
None of us are related, Stander-Aspect had observed impassively. There are Four of us here... three Dracons who have the relation of being of the same subspecies. We three are all dedicated to the Perseus Defense Agency and the USC. Our ideals are similar. Yet on a personal level, we do not know each other all that well. There may be friendship and admiration—
There is love, the Novella-Aspect interrupted. I am in love with Vekta.
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