FALAHA'S JOURNEY: A Spacegirl's Account in Three Movements

Episode #64

Was it my own consciousness resisting the intrusion, or was I out of the 'liminal' phase this whole journey turned out to be? Because I experienced nothing unusual. Instead, I dreamt of Grandfather.

It wasn't an old memory of someone I was not, nor was it purely a dream. I stood on the shore of the lake amidst the autumn dusk, the time where murky greyish tinges mixed with saturated, sharp colors, creating a vibrant world like no other. I knew this place well—it was the lake near our house. Orewen and Eyuran were here too, playing in the water, bombing the quiet surroundings with splashes of water and laughter.

There was a fourth person present, standing quietly on the stony shore not far from where I was. Powerful in the past but still large enough to hint of that might, his bronze-skinned body was dried by age, his sandy-blond hair bleached by age, yet a youthful spark was forever captured in his clear blue eyes, a reminder of the wilder days bygone. He appeared no different than on his last day. A faint smile softened Grandfather's face, as he observed his son and grandson having fun.

I looked at the other two again.

There was something ominous in their light-hearted game.

I moved towards Grandfather to ask if he noticed that too. Yet it felt as he didn't see me at all. Before I could reach him, he approached the water and stepped into the lake, steadily walking away from me towards the deep. I stood and watched his back until he disappeared completely from view under the water.

Of course.

I bowed down and touched the crystal clear liquid, my fingers creating ripples on its surface. Yes, most definitely this was it.

I lifted my head, straightening my back, and stepped in. My bare feet felt nothing—neither cold, nor warmth, nor softness, nor wetness, nor stones at the bottom.

As I was passing both Farganns, their friendly game started taking a turn towards something that looked more like a combat training. The 'fighting game' itself wasn't anything unusual—it was a frequent occurrence, in which I usually participated as well, and together with Eyu we stormed his dad, especially when he wasn't expecting it coming. Their swings and punches were getting heavier, more precise and more angry; their jumps and dashes faster and less noisy, their breath quieter and more reserved. Their eyes blazed blue, just like Bradoh's cockpit lights. Two cold, calculating killing machines, who also shared the closest bond deep underneath their armor, burned their Cores playing a death game with each other.

The outcome, I did not want to know it. Only the reason I saw this here was important, and that reason could bring this horror into reality. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing had decided to play with us like this.

When I was about chin-deep in the water, I dived.

Beneath the surface was the endless night.

So this truly was the entry point.

I never expected mastering Falaighnn to be an easy task, but its complexity went well beyond my expectations. This discovery added another line, 'some things should be approached without expectations', to my newly forming set of operational rules, right after 'never be surprised about anything'. I started to think that even our Falaighnn bearers hadn't mastered this System in full. Without Master's access they probably couldn't.

Once more I was a part of the giant space map. Only this time I could actually see beyond the boundary of our Jainaa. I was free to move in any direction and dataset I wanted, I was allowed to explore things to my heart's content. Yajur Sangu, Somg, was kind enough to grant me full access of his level, but here lay a catch—I was standing at the doors of a giant knowledge base without a guide and with zero ideas how to use this thing, left to discover everything on my own.

Did he want to learn about my abilities and limitations? "We wish observe you more," he said and it seemed I just got myself an open entrance into a test subject zone. Was it mere curiosity about me, my species, or something more sinister? Could I really trust this creature, even if he was our Ancestor?

Was Shaamta observing me as well all this time, though not directly? And if so, for what purpose?

As a black Baal, Shaamta, too, shared Varga's blood, and thus the blood of the early Lael. But he seemed to have more recent ties to the Alima Eni bloodline from one or both parents. So had Dorgu and all of their kin.

What were the Baali Sangu so afraid of about their ties to Somg?

How can a Maok be born from both Baali parents?

Wen was willing to share everything about his kind and the appeal of his proposal was truly magnetic. But I had priorities, because time outside this soma space and my body weren't limitless resources.

There should be a way to secure this level of access to be on the safe side. All deep history research could be done after that. The ability to access my soma in a conscious state wouldn't hurt either.

There should also be a way to connect with anyone of my team and let them see and know everything as well.

A full-scale search of Shaamta's party for our people's exact locations would be a good idea, too. And if I could find Orewen and reach out to Aunt Anika to establish a viable link with her, that'd be a perfect set. Would my body hold out doing all of this? Probably not, so risking it in my current state was not an option. And if not, could I modify myself to do it? "Changes are always a reaction to something," was what Kané thought.

I needed a catalyst of a sort.

Perhaps a merger with one of the Maok might be useful after all. So, research and securing access turned out to be the first in line anyway. Reestablishing our timer link to Klia and synchronizing my suit's chronometer and the time flow here would be a nice addition. And what about this second form the Baali had among several other bioforms? Did we have one or more as well? Was the Hunter's form this shell, activated in us somehow? Was my emergence as a Sangu connected with something that Shaamta did to my father? What if Father's system was now different from all other Falaighnn bearers? Could I make my team stronger that way too? Could Yajur Sangu undo the modifications done by a mere Sangu?

Questions, questions...

Let's get to work, Falaighnn, Falaha.