//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: What I've Done // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Epilogue Akitesh slithered onto the bridge, quite grateful that things went as well as they did.  The victim, while obstinate about not getting help, had actually done her job for her, and had convinced the natives of her good intentions. That’s not to say that things had not gone without a hitch.  The victim’s abilities, while helpful to her goal, still raised some concerning implications.  He had gained access to the Krin computers way too fast; had he been vindictive and unreasonable, Alexander could have easily done even greater harm to the crippled Krin destroyer. It made Akitesh wonder about the reason why his species was targeted by the Krin traitors in the first place. “Ah, welcome back, my Priestess,” Second Voice Jedon said as Akitesh took her seat.  “The Creator must be smiling on us, for as tense as that was, it did not devolve into violence.” “Agreed, though this turned out better than we had hoped, we still aren’t out of the swamp yet.  Computer!” “Yes, my Priestess?” The computer asked. “I’m uploading a memory engram of the victim.  I want you to run it against our species database and give me the closest matches to his basic form.” “Yes, priestess.  Note, I do not have access to the Archives, therefore my knowledge will be limited to basic information.  Matters of culture and-” “I’m aware of that, Aliz.  I will ask our experts for more information after you give me a match,” Akitesh said with a wave. “As long as you know of my limitations, priestess,” the computer answered. With a hum, the view of the planet in front of them changed to reveal the engram that Akitesh had taken earlier.  “So that’s him?  I thought he’d be more grotesque,” Jedon said. “He was,” Akitesh said, not even looking up.  “According to the natives, they reverted him.  Though he’s not completely himself yet, he’s still in far better shape than he was.” “Ah… A primitive healing technique, no doubt?” Akitesh shook her head.  “Possibly.  Though it is far more likely that these people simply do not know what they are dealing with,” she said as she watched the computer monitor start sorting through all the possible matches.  “Despite their outward appearance, these equines’ gifts are extremely well developed.  They’ve already pierced the leylines for travel, and can transmit unliving matter almost instantly.” Jedon looked impressed.  “But… scans indicate that the highest level of tech they have is type three, steam power.” “And I’m not sure how that’s relevant,” Akitesh said, waving off Jedon’s comment.  “These people have been swimming in a spiritually rich planet for thousands of years.  It stands to reason, then, that their gifts would be among the first things to develop.  In fact, their reliance on their gifts may be the reason for their comparatively low tech, and may prove detrimental whe-” Before Aktitesh could finish that thought, the computer beeped, signifying that it had finished its job.  “My priestess, based on all available data, I have determined that the subject’s planet of origin is not in our database.” Akitesh raised her eye ridge in shock.  “Really?  There is not a single planet that has a mammalian hominid race?” “Negative, my priestess.  There are exactly thirty planets that fit that description, but none of them have the required spiritual field to produce a mage of this quality.” Akitesh frowned at that, then rolled her eyes.  “Aliz, ignore his abilities and only concentrate on his physical form.  There is a precedent for life growing on a spiritual wasteland to develop gifts.  I think we can count on him being one of these special cases, especially if you consider where he ended up.” “Acknowledged.  With those parameters, there is only one possible homeworld, with a twenty percent margin for error.” With these words, a small, blue and green orb appeared on the screen, with a diagram of the male and female examples of the dominant species shown on the right.  The species was… actually quite tame, to be honest:  Bald skin, with only a shock of hair on the tops of their heads as well as a few other places; curious, intelligent eyes; teeth that looked more fitting on a scavenger, than on a predator, and to top it all off, a physique that suggested they rose to the top of their food chain through innovation, rather than physical violence. “...Huh, what is it about your species that the Krin traitors finds so compelling?” Akitesh said softly.  “Computer, what notable information do you have access to about this race?” “Our ship has very little record of this species, known locally as ‘human,’ but there are a few things of note recorded for emergency situations.  Information includes:  a moderate predilection towards violence, though that is not regarded as the norm;  No known ability to use spiritual power, though that is most likely because of their planet’s abnormally weak spiritual field;  The race is currently on the cusp of a type five civilization, with our scientists projecting that they may reach F.T.L. travel in less than a hundred years,” Aliz said, his voice completely neutral.  “There are only two real traits that sets this species apart from the others in the galaxy.” Jedon rubbed his hand under his chin.  “What traits are those?” “The first is an almost unnatural endurance.  The wizards who have examined both them and their history have reported the ability to continue functioning far beyond what should be normally capable of a form like theirs.  They can endure a level of radiation, heat, cold, pain, starvation, thirst, and exhaustion that would normally incapacitate or kill most known species.  Not only that, but they will not only survive these hazards, but in many instances, thrive.” “While that is impressive, that is hardly a reason to turn these people into weapons,” Jedon said, raising an eye ridge. Akitesh didn’t move, choosing to instead stare at the image in front of her.  “What is the second trait?” “Their brains are not unique,” Aliz answered simply.  “We do not know why, or what circumstances caused it, but their brains are almost exactly identical to a Quzin’s.” The bridge suddenly went silent.  Every single Quzin stopped what they were doing to stare at the monitor in disbelief.  “...What did you say?” “While their genetic makeup is quite dissimilar from our own, their brains have a point zero zero zero zero zero three deviation from common Quzin brains, which is the exact divergence found between any two random Quzin.”  Aliz said, not even caring about the shock he had caused throughout the room.  “For all intents and purposes, their brains are the same as ours.” As she sat there, Akitesh briefly saw an image in her mind’s eye; a picture of the victim walking away from her, his head bowed as he hastily made his retreat.  There, on the back of his neck, she could see a small, round, metal hole. A port for a neural interface. Jedon gulped uncomfortably as he stared at the image.  “... Ma’am, I believe we’ve found the traitor’s reason for targeting these people…” *        *        * “Ma’am, we’re receiving a transmission from the vicinity of The Destiny Ascension’s crash.  It’s Ilisk again.” The captain steepled her claws in front of her, interest written on her face.  The plan is worthless, now.  The pickup took far too long, and it took forever to shake those dirt-eaters.  She thought to herself.  “What does the message say?” “It appears to be a video file, with an attached data file, ma’am.  Shall I play it?” The captain thought about this for a second, then shook her head.  “No, send the message to my private terminal.” “Yes ma’am.” The captain stood up and left the room, the click clack of her many legs tapping out an odd beat as she made her way to her office.  The plan is scrapped, now.  I wonder how the Emperor will take this news, and how he will adapt?  The captain thought to herself.  With a bit of a sigh, she opened her door and stepped inside. Once she was situated, she pressed a few keys on the computer, quickly bringing up the video file in question.  “Now, let’s see what Ilisk managed to get his claws on…”