Chapter 12. To hatch an egg. Start of arc 1 Space exploration.

Act 1 (Song of Harmony) Immaterial Sea.

(Song of Harmony) Ancestor! That's not possible. . . isn't it?

I was in the immaterial sea, my ancestors swimming with me protecting my younger soul from the evils of this realm. Even though I'm a few millennia old.

I heard laughter from my ancestors as one spoke, her voice is that of wisdom and understanding.

(Ancestor) Young one, there is no such thing as impossible in the endless realms we exist upon.

I gave her a bow after I gave thoughts to her wisdom. She was a titanic leatherback turtle that had her long necked head looking at me as she spoke.

(Song of Harmony) But to able to siphon so much of the immaterial sea. . . is my guess true? ancestors. Is my student part of the race that gave us the connection?

The silent murmurs and whispers faded, as all of those part of the flotilla stopped their eternal swim. The one that answered was the largest that my senses can feel. His voice was all consuming.

(Great ancestor) We do not know.

Images and memories of the ancestor came into my mind, of a great behemoth of real space feeding upon our great star, and within it's dreams gifting us our connection.

(All) Learn. Tell. Gain. Connect.

Then I was banished from the immaterial sea. Back to the material realm.

Act 2 (Star of the Abyss) Origin Galaxy.

In an open field where the trees parted. A glass stone garden was raked into the shape of a balance of light and darkens circling each other while having a small bit of light and darkness within themselves.

(Priestess Maria) You really did spent, your time training your flesh and not only your mind.

(Abyss) Well a friend forced me to train with her. . . she was a stubborn girl.

I answered sister Maria, as she kept thrusting her sword staff forward and I dodged them by feeling the paths the tip of her sword would pierce through.

(Priestess Maria) Be serious! Pierce!

I felt her draw on the psionic essence in her core, as she burst forth jumping stabbing downward, if I was a normal martial artist or warrior, I would have been gutted. yet I wasn't.

(Abyss) Flowing river. ThuCk!

The tip of Sister Maria's sword staff pierced through the glass stones and then into the marbled platform beneath the martial arena. My hand barely touching the surface of the redirected blade, onto my side.

(Abyss) I was serious Sister Maria. . . I've just became, more than I was.

Sister Maria tried pulling her sword free yet it did not budge upon my hold. Sister surrendered after that and gave me a bow that I returned.

(Priestess Maria) I felt nothing as you redirected my blade. . . That was all martial arts. You've grown so much.

She hugged me, I was now taller than her. Unlike what felt like decades ago, when I barely reached her lower chest. I felt love, longing, sadness and joy from her and also pride.

Even with all those years I still can't read emotions as well as sister Maria can. I really needed this hug. . . I gave back and gave her a squeeze my jaw pressed on her slightly frayed hair.

(Priestess Maria) But you're still yourself. . . Ha ha ha atleast I don't feel like I'm hugging an old man with children.

I laughed with her as she called me out as an old man. I joked back that she was always into older men. That got me a bruised side. But still we laughed. And enjoyed ourselves.

Act 3 (Envoy-Vivian Eelectrake) Origin galaxy.

That was quite a story. . . I was with my friends and coworkers, we just finished watching the slide show like film of Abyss. It looked like it was a film made on earth. . . but it was all too detailed: the tech, the culture, the buildings, the people, it was all too detailed. . .

Even the best films have parts of it making it unreal but this, that was something else. . . good thing we took a record of it. Thankfully he was fine with it telling us it's a contribution to humanity. Which it really was one. . . an entire alternate timeline of an advanced earth. 

Just its social scientific value alone. . . would let me and twelve others own each a region of a paradise world. But no, we would do the right thing and credit this cache of information to Abyss the space whale.

- - - Days later - - -

I was at my lab with the two I brought in as my assistants as we looked over the film and see if the tech of the alternative earth has a convergent evolution to our own tech.

Which it did this earth hasn't met aliens in their 25th century but rather had a star cluster sized civil war ending into an apocalypse where the remnants evolve into different subsets of humanity and the one on earth gaining a very unique genetic trait. . .

The Meta-Gene, a rapid evolutionary stable trait, that can be dominant or recessive during blank generations. And become even more dominant in its changes in the next generation. A one of a kind bio-tech that we have no analogous version of. . . but the Mutation bacteria of the Dryaiady which is the closest in the known galaxy to this Marvel tech.

I need to see if. . . 

(Rianna Cloudwalker) Vivian? Your phone is ringing.

I looked at my pocket and it was. I nodded at her as I answered it. 

(Priestess Maria) Hello, Vivian please come to the meeting hall. Abyss has something to announce.

With those words I was already standing. And putting on my lab coat and stowing things on my purse bag.

(Envoy-Vivian Eelectrake) On my way! Girls! Get ready, we're going to the meeting hall.

With that we left. The lab.

- - - A few minutes later - - - 

I was seated with my assistants and youth Tyaka as we ordered snacks as we listened to Abyss spoke. In the middle of two occupied tables. One of them seated the Star keeper song of Harmony.

(Abyss) Thank you for coming. . . I decided to re-enter my main body. And join the Star council proper, maybe take sanctuary in one of the elder races.

That's not what I think this was going to go. but regardless my mind turned, and I motioned for Abigail to contact our embassy to check if it's possible and if we already did so.

I looked at the Tyaka and Song of Harmony. They weren't doing what I was doing. Which was odd, as I was about to ask why? Abyss started looking at me, and spoke with that new soft and gentle voice of his.

(Abyss) I hope Humanity would take me in as her own. And be my guide in this galaxy, that I now understand as my own.

And then he gave a bow, every other being in the meeting hall looked at me, anticipating an answer. . . an answer I was struggling with, even though I'm a trained diplomat and scientist, this was still very new! 

It's not everyday a representative, of a faction, of humanity. would take in a space whale! Even though from the records Abigail just sent me we had already placed the Azul star Bayleen as a protected space fauna under the human federation and Star council!

I really do have one option to take. . . well I have plenty others but those options seem unwise under the gazes of those bearing on the humans and more importantly me!

(Envoy-Vivian Eelectrake) We accept you as one of us, Star of the Abyss.

Hopefully the digital paperwork for this decision wouldn't be too convoluted.

Act 4 (Star of the Abyss) Origin Galaxy.

I was looking through a glass wall, like those of aquarium tanks. but instead of protecting me from the water and marine life like they did in an aqua park. This glass wall protected my human flesh from the merciless indifference of the void.

I felt a presence, a youth of an ancient race. Powerful in mind, robust in body, weakest in spirit. 

(Oogwaian youth) You know, those that gaze into the deep empty would eventually have it gaze back.

(Abyss) While those who do not dream of the stars would inevitably be consumed by them.

I turned around and faced the escort for this trip. Warsong, an Oogwaian youth in his 80s, yet to have developed the soul that can withstand an ancestral descent. But have cultivated a body strong enough that an entire team of Humanities Helltakers is needed to combat him.

(Abyss) Good that you're up, Warsong. I was lost in my thoughts. . . But nevermind that, tell me is your presence really needed?

He laughed at my question, rough rock grating of a sound. before he spoke again with no lips just opening his mouth his throat vocalizing the words in common galactic.

(Escort-Warsong) Well you learned from Senior Sister Maria that we have no hostile civilizations in neutral spaces correct?

I nodded at him, remembering the lessons she taught me, but it felt like almost a century ago. 

(Escort-Warsong) Well, that's not entirely true. . . Because of a group of people who call themselves. pirates, they. . .

He seems to struggle with his words while describing pirates to me, a word I'm only familiar with because of an old movie shown to me by Leah.

(Abyss) Are they those that steal and hurt other people?

This shocked the Oogwaian believing that I shouldn't know this yet. But I do.

(Warsong) Of course you've learned about them during your Ancestral Descent. I forgot about that, you are lucky that you walked into a human ancestor most other races would have made you ignorant or learn animal like things.

I thought about his words. . . and the things Elder and Sister told me about the Ancestral descent ritual and yes I was lucky but also no because I already knew from the start of it all I would be going into a particular memory.

(Abyss) It doesn't really matter, but tell me Warsong, how dangerous are these Pirates?

We spent the early hours of the day cycle talking about pirates and the other dangers we might encounter. and as we spoke over a breakfast prepared by a cute little droid. Someone else joined us.

I looked over at the presence, Warsong seemed to not have sensed her yet. So I spoke to her in greetings. Her brown hair was. . . unkept, in one polite word. Her name is Dianna Thorn, she's the pilot. For this week's cycle.

(Abyss) Good morning Lady Dianna, care to have breakfast with us?

I spoke in new English as I greeted her, and this was met with a morning grunt. She sat next to us, and scanned her ID on the table and tapped in her request.

A minute later a hot drink, and pastries came out of the fancy vending machine that looked like a bar table.

(Pilot-Dianna Freestyle) Later. . . Coffee. . . First. . .

I felt great muddleness in her mind, and emotions strained from visiting the lands of cloudy sands.

I placed a hand on her head and sent a pulse through her, The muddled thoughts and tiring emotions replaced with clarity and focus.

(Abyss) How about now, Lady Dianna?

I gave her my smile as I gave a little push to her insulting excuse for a breakfast, as I gave my side of the table a glance 5 stacks of plates already cleaned while my breakfast buddy was finishing his 7th.

But before answering me she gave an exhausted sigh, before taking a sip of her steaming morning juice. And then met my galaxy dyed eyes.

(Pilot-Dianna Freestyle) Please stop using your "Space magic" and please don't tell me that you would stop when I start taking morning pills. They suck! And it's normal to be groggy in the morning!

I gave her a judging raise of my eye, at her. After which she just gave me a frustrated huff and focused on her drink and food and her Cell-pad.

I stood up after that little exchange and gave her a polite bow, and spoke to Warsong.

(Abyss) Up for a little martial exchange?

She gave me his beaked smile and stood up after finishing his 10th plate.

(Escort-Warsong) I thought you would never ask brother!

Act 5 (Acolyte Envoy-Maria Skysong) Origin Galaxy.

I felt the protective undersuit wrap all over my skin and then extended my touch, becoming one with my flesh. I then feel my Martial Gi, a coat and pants, traditional in design but not in its construction or material, for it's made from Chromium cotton and plasteel fibers.

Even with how advanced and protective it was, an envy of all militaries in our ancestors' 21st century. I was watching how it was easily ripped apart by two Near martial masters fighting with nothing but their trained un-augmented flesh, and regular cold steel.

One was a base born Oogwaian and another a human construct with their evolved human limiters broken. 

(Escort-Warsong) I got you now! Pierce! Tsuh!

Warsong punched forward with his bladed hands, a Katar cut through the air with a song as it cut apart more of Abyss's Gi, finally opening the coat.

But it was dodged, as I heard a whispering voice on a sudden wind that stumbled me and others on our cushioned seats.

(Dreamwalker-Abyss) Burst of the winds! Pshss!

The sounds of cracking shell, floor and steel followed, as I looked back I saw a downed Warsong on his back, he was a few meters away from Abyss, the Silicarbonide Ceramic arena flooring fractured, his Psionic reinforced shell cracked. 

I then looked at Abyss, both his arms forwards, his opened palms, dripping with crimson glittered blood, his steel gauntlets broken, dropping at his feet the silver steel, tainted red.

. . I. . . Missed it, my senses were powerful enough to feel the wind. . . no, it was an explosion of sound, and to hear the voice that was carried by it, and the movement? No, it was too fast.

(Dreamwalker-Abyss) Hey. . . man! you okay?

I hear Abyss ask, his breathing, labored. But I saw him straighten his body and visibly relaxed as a thumbs up was the answer given to him. And then he kneeled, and then fell to his side. . . 

- - - Hours later - - -

Log date 126 Year of harmony. Season of Change. By Human Acolyte Envoy, Maria Skysong. Acolyte and human Envoy of the golden jade sanctuary, of the Marigold star cluster.

Just a few more days and will reach the "Rose Thorn-12" wormhole system and another week before we reach the middle ring star clusters, and Abyss's Egg.

(Assistant) Hey, what do you think of using this for the document's Finis documentorum et eius promissio. I think writing something softer would do well so we can change it later if a problem comes up.

I looked at the document my Assistant Skanna Stackron, a Padpaw a bipedal cat and rabbit hybrid like younger race, uplifted by us, humanity, a hundred and something years ago.

She was small, only 3 feet and a few inches, her hands furred ending in delicate nailless fingers. Her arms covered in the soft sleeves of her traditional gothic frilly dress, made from her home planet's cotton leaf trees.

After finishing reading through her proposals I think it should be fine, I smiled and let out a small laugh. As I thought of how good the Padpaw's are with paper pushing administration. . . but we really shouldn't be so surprise with it, compare to the hills worth of administration work they did just for one of their smaller villages.

(Acolyte Envoy-Maria Skysong) This should do Skanna, here can you look at this. . thump! . . Red alert! Red Alert!

The room's light turns red, and blinking as a vibrating sound, called out red alert. I felt out balanced for a second as I caught an almost falling Skanna, I held her and placed her on my shoulder as I stood up and checked the security Cell-pad attached to light gray, silver trimmed wall.

(Security Pad) Red Alert! Boarded by Pirates, 8 Unknown life signs, species known to the star council network. All wanted for plunder, murder, arson, property damage, theft. Etc. . .