Tweet
Flashback
I sat in my office watching the hologram and reviewing the sequence of events. How had the skirmish with Santiago started? What was the sequence of events that led to this stupid battle and the loss of Sarita, my best friend? I leaned forward, engrossed in the re-enaction. With the auditory and sensory functions engaged, and the stimplugs active I was there. I was the mindworm…..……
*I lay quiescent in the fungus patch, observing. My mind was linked telepathically with Javed, our new trainer and leader, back in UN Equity base, and with the other members of the peacekeeper mindworm corps. I sensed them before I saw them …one, two, three…no less than seven fully equipped Spartan probe teams stealthily making their way to the base. Was this to be a repeat of the prior action?
*I still remembered, and inwardly shuddered at the thoughts. Telepathically bonded as we were to Sarita, the Trainer who had nurtured us and developed our collective sentience, the entire Mindworm corps dispersed throughout our territory felt her pain, the scorched flesh as the Spartan laser gun tore life out of her. SARITA we wailed as we cowered in our brood cells – it was as if part of ourselves was being cut from us. I had lain inert for weeks, resisting all attempts to bring me back to reality and normality. Then a new voice had intruded into my senses. “I am Javed, and I too share your pain and grief. Sarita was my wife. Her dying thought-wish to me was ‘Continue the work – they will accept your leadership’. So honour her wish, and let’s pick up the pieces”. We had regrouped and redeployed, and here I was, at the site of her death, pulsing with revenge. It would be so sweet.
*“Wait”, I sensed Javed’s command. Lal wants to give them a chance to withdraw. I waited. “She is ignoring Lal’s comlink. Move in for the kill”
*I struck like a hundred cobras, rearing out of the fungus and engaging all seven of the probes simultaneously. Their screams were hideous as I penetrated their facial orifices, taking possession of their minds and shattering their neural synapses. Revenge was as sweet as I imagined it would be. In the background of my mind I could sense the approbation of my fellow mindworms. “You have done well” they whispered into my mind.
*Javed’s thoughts intruded. “I have called up an airstrike on Assassin’s redoubt – proceed to subdue the base”
*I was joined by a mindworm brother as we slithered down the road to the enemy base. Overhead we saw the contrails of the needlejet squadron as it roared towards its target. Their leader, Javed’s brother, Chandra, peeled out of formation, with wing over and commenced his assault on the base. His gatling laser roared, focussing on the garrison barracks where the Spartan troops were quartered.
*Javed’s mind opened to me. “All clear”, he telepathed, “ Go get ‘em”
*We entered the base, and observed the panic of the citizens. Drones were rioting, all industrial activity had ceased and the better-off populace had fled down the roads to Sparta Command. We used our Psi powers to engage in mind control of the base populace, and brought Javed into our thoughts. “You’d better get a human here fast for a titular head, the populace are not taking too well to our presence and we need to disengage mind control at some point.” “Good point”, Javed retorted, “I’ll have Chandra divert to Assassin’s redoubt for refueling – he’s quite impressive”.
*The next closest base was nearby – I telepathed to Javed that I could make it in one journey leg. “Go for it” he ordered. “I’ll have Chandra soften them up too” Unfortunately, they were not finished refuelling his needlejet yet, so I went in alone.
*This was my first combat experience against armed troops. It would be important to strike first, engaging in mind warfare before the garrison could deploy their missile weapons on me. “We’re with you, brother” came the whispered chorus into my mind from my mindworm brigade partners. I came up to the base and sent out a tentative mind probe. I could sense confusion and fear among the populace, and picked out the harsher tone of the garrison troops, with their militaristic thoughts, trying to encourage each other with jingoistic talk. I crept closer to the barracks, feeling so confident in my powers. I was a mature boil, well trained, and experienced. I sensed that the odds were strongly in my favour, as my psi probes had detected a small garrison force. I struck, Psi-energy flaring, engaging the garrison as one. As my mental cyclone hit, the troops gave keening wails discharging their weapons in all directions. Some stray missiles severed tentacles, somewhat reducing my effectiveness, but I had done it. Their garrison troops had been eliminated.
*I rested exhilerated for a turn, recharging my inner strength, then moved into the base to take possession. I summoned Javed. “Reporting. Minimal resistance overcome. Militia Station is ours. Send human governor”.*
I sank back on the couch, disengaging the stimplugs, utterly drained. I hadn’t known that both brothers were part of the action. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so aggressively pushing for total conquest of the Spartans had I known that.
I shuddered again as I recalled the pain of Sarita’s death. I now had to write the eulogy for Dr. Lal to deliver at the service. How could I get the audience to feel what I’d just felt? How could one put it into words?
[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited June 01, 1999).]
I sat in my office watching the hologram and reviewing the sequence of events. How had the skirmish with Santiago started? What was the sequence of events that led to this stupid battle and the loss of Sarita, my best friend? I leaned forward, engrossed in the re-enaction. With the auditory and sensory functions engaged, and the stimplugs active I was there. I was the mindworm…..……
*I lay quiescent in the fungus patch, observing. My mind was linked telepathically with Javed, our new trainer and leader, back in UN Equity base, and with the other members of the peacekeeper mindworm corps. I sensed them before I saw them …one, two, three…no less than seven fully equipped Spartan probe teams stealthily making their way to the base. Was this to be a repeat of the prior action?
*I still remembered, and inwardly shuddered at the thoughts. Telepathically bonded as we were to Sarita, the Trainer who had nurtured us and developed our collective sentience, the entire Mindworm corps dispersed throughout our territory felt her pain, the scorched flesh as the Spartan laser gun tore life out of her. SARITA we wailed as we cowered in our brood cells – it was as if part of ourselves was being cut from us. I had lain inert for weeks, resisting all attempts to bring me back to reality and normality. Then a new voice had intruded into my senses. “I am Javed, and I too share your pain and grief. Sarita was my wife. Her dying thought-wish to me was ‘Continue the work – they will accept your leadership’. So honour her wish, and let’s pick up the pieces”. We had regrouped and redeployed, and here I was, at the site of her death, pulsing with revenge. It would be so sweet.
*“Wait”, I sensed Javed’s command. Lal wants to give them a chance to withdraw. I waited. “She is ignoring Lal’s comlink. Move in for the kill”
*I struck like a hundred cobras, rearing out of the fungus and engaging all seven of the probes simultaneously. Their screams were hideous as I penetrated their facial orifices, taking possession of their minds and shattering their neural synapses. Revenge was as sweet as I imagined it would be. In the background of my mind I could sense the approbation of my fellow mindworms. “You have done well” they whispered into my mind.
*Javed’s thoughts intruded. “I have called up an airstrike on Assassin’s redoubt – proceed to subdue the base”
*I was joined by a mindworm brother as we slithered down the road to the enemy base. Overhead we saw the contrails of the needlejet squadron as it roared towards its target. Their leader, Javed’s brother, Chandra, peeled out of formation, with wing over and commenced his assault on the base. His gatling laser roared, focussing on the garrison barracks where the Spartan troops were quartered.
*Javed’s mind opened to me. “All clear”, he telepathed, “ Go get ‘em”
*We entered the base, and observed the panic of the citizens. Drones were rioting, all industrial activity had ceased and the better-off populace had fled down the roads to Sparta Command. We used our Psi powers to engage in mind control of the base populace, and brought Javed into our thoughts. “You’d better get a human here fast for a titular head, the populace are not taking too well to our presence and we need to disengage mind control at some point.” “Good point”, Javed retorted, “I’ll have Chandra divert to Assassin’s redoubt for refueling – he’s quite impressive”.
*The next closest base was nearby – I telepathed to Javed that I could make it in one journey leg. “Go for it” he ordered. “I’ll have Chandra soften them up too” Unfortunately, they were not finished refuelling his needlejet yet, so I went in alone.
*This was my first combat experience against armed troops. It would be important to strike first, engaging in mind warfare before the garrison could deploy their missile weapons on me. “We’re with you, brother” came the whispered chorus into my mind from my mindworm brigade partners. I came up to the base and sent out a tentative mind probe. I could sense confusion and fear among the populace, and picked out the harsher tone of the garrison troops, with their militaristic thoughts, trying to encourage each other with jingoistic talk. I crept closer to the barracks, feeling so confident in my powers. I was a mature boil, well trained, and experienced. I sensed that the odds were strongly in my favour, as my psi probes had detected a small garrison force. I struck, Psi-energy flaring, engaging the garrison as one. As my mental cyclone hit, the troops gave keening wails discharging their weapons in all directions. Some stray missiles severed tentacles, somewhat reducing my effectiveness, but I had done it. Their garrison troops had been eliminated.
*I rested exhilerated for a turn, recharging my inner strength, then moved into the base to take possession. I summoned Javed. “Reporting. Minimal resistance overcome. Militia Station is ours. Send human governor”.*
I sank back on the couch, disengaging the stimplugs, utterly drained. I hadn’t known that both brothers were part of the action. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so aggressively pushing for total conquest of the Spartans had I known that.
I shuddered again as I recalled the pain of Sarita’s death. I now had to write the eulogy for Dr. Lal to deliver at the service. How could I get the audience to feel what I’d just felt? How could one put it into words?
[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited June 01, 1999).]