Editing 6 Billion A.D./The Search
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Somehow, things went on. Even after the chain reaction, people carried on with their business. Things seemed surprisingly normal. | Somehow, things went on. Even after the chain reaction, people carried on with their business. Things seemed surprisingly normal. | ||
− | Rigel, who had escaped from the chaos after the chain reaction undetected, floated off in space for a while. After a year of flying through the galaxy, Rigel had started to assemble a mental map of the stars. Rigel didn't know what he was looking for -- if anything. For years, he kept going, seemingly aimlessly. Sometimes he had a next destination, but often he went wherever he felt like it at that moment, or merely drifted. | + | - |
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+ | Rigel, who had escaped from the chaos after the chain reaction undetected, floated off in space for a while. | ||
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+ | - | ||
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+ | After a year of flying through the galaxy, Rigel had started to assemble a mental map of the stars. | ||
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+ | - | ||
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+ | Rigel didn't know what he was looking for -- if anything. For years, he kept going, seemingly aimlessly. Sometimes he had a next destination, but often he went wherever he felt like it at that moment, or merely drifted. | ||
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Rigel felt better from the drifting, but still lacked direction. Where was he to go? Sophiy was dead. He had abandoned the League, then joined the Order only to destroy the majority of the universe. Now not much remained, of the galaxy, or for him to do. | Rigel felt better from the drifting, but still lacked direction. Where was he to go? Sophiy was dead. He had abandoned the League, then joined the Order only to destroy the majority of the universe. Now not much remained, of the galaxy, or for him to do. | ||
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Rigel spent much of his time thinking. Considering the past, the future, the present. Often, his minded drifted as much as his body. Empty. | Rigel spent much of his time thinking. Considering the past, the future, the present. Often, his minded drifted as much as his body. Empty. | ||
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Unable to go back, having nowhere to go forward, Rigel felt himself in an impossible position, having to go somewhere but having nowhere to go. | Unable to go back, having nowhere to go forward, Rigel felt himself in an impossible position, having to go somewhere but having nowhere to go. | ||
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While drifting, Rigel did encounter some interesting, often appealing, places. He found a star system where the majority of the population consisted of attractive rock-like species. In another star system, Rigel found an arrangement of matter that appeared to produce an illusion of consciousness unrelated to sensation or action within the local environment. Rigel wondered whether it had been deliberately programmed by some other species, or had arisen on its own. | While drifting, Rigel did encounter some interesting, often appealing, places. He found a star system where the majority of the population consisted of attractive rock-like species. In another star system, Rigel found an arrangement of matter that appeared to produce an illusion of consciousness unrelated to sensation or action within the local environment. Rigel wondered whether it had been deliberately programmed by some other species, or had arisen on its own. | ||
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In a remote, isolated part of the galaxy, Rigel encountered a white hole. This rare object, unknown to many species, rejected any light that hit it. It was completely opaque. | In a remote, isolated part of the galaxy, Rigel encountered a white hole. This rare object, unknown to many species, rejected any light that hit it. It was completely opaque. | ||
− | Rigel liked some of the places he visited -- at some of which he | + | - |
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+ | Rigel liked some of the places he visited -- at some of which he found survivors of his chain reaction, while other places were deserted. However, he did not feel comfortable in any of them. At least, not for more than a few days. So Rigel kept wandering. | ||
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More years passed. Rigel didn't age -- his immortality remained, of course. | More years passed. Rigel didn't age -- his immortality remained, of course. | ||
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After a few decades, Rigel had seen about ten percent of the galaxy. As such, he had a decent knowledge of this part of it, and he could picture much of the rest of it. There still remained, though, large chunks that he did not know, some of which had scant information available on the data links. | After a few decades, Rigel had seen about ten percent of the galaxy. As such, he had a decent knowledge of this part of it, and he could picture much of the rest of it. There still remained, though, large chunks that he did not know, some of which had scant information available on the data links. | ||
− | Maybe he was onto something. Rigel felt like he had some inkling as to what he was doing, for the first time in a while. | + | - |
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+ | Maybe he was onto something. | ||
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+ | Rigel felt like he had some inkling as to what he was doing, for the first time in a while. | ||
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==Rigel Reconsiders== | ==Rigel Reconsiders== | ||
− | At a loss for what to do, Rigel often did nothing. After a hundred years, Rigel decided that he was ready to take on some different directions. He had enough of the drifting, and wanted to focus some more on finding destinations. What did Rigel want? Where would he head? | + | At a loss for what to do, Rigel often did nothing. |
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+ | After a hundred years, Rigel decided that he was ready to take on some different directions. | ||
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+ | - | ||
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+ | He had enough of the drifting, and wanted to focus some more on finding destinations. | ||
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+ | - | ||
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+ | What did Rigel want? Where would he head? | ||
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+ | Rigel considered whether to start anew. On the one hand, he still didn't feel too positive, after suffering so many losses. On the other hand, he could at least see the rational approach, which indicated giving things another shot. | ||
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+ | He knew that he did not want to go back to the old parts of the galaxy. He had already seen those. Maybe that sounded hollow to other people, but to Rigel it made enough sense. Why see something that you already know, which is just going to bring you back down? | ||
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Since he had decided not to end it, he figured on keeping to that. In which case, Rigel reasoned, how about trying a different place? Maybe even go to the other side of the galaxy? That was perhaps too extreme. But still, he could at least try a different place that he had not yet visited. | Since he had decided not to end it, he figured on keeping to that. In which case, Rigel reasoned, how about trying a different place? Maybe even go to the other side of the galaxy? That was perhaps too extreme. But still, he could at least try a different place that he had not yet visited. | ||
− | As Rigel was reasoning his way through things, the stars kept going by. At the least he retained his botanist's eye for beauty. Rigel slept for a while. There would be plenty more years in which to make his decision. | + | - |
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+ | As Rigel was reasoning his way through things, the stars kept going by. At the least he retained his botanist's eye for beauty. | ||
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+ | Rigel slept for a while. There would be plenty more years in which to make his decision. | ||
− | Rigel looked around. Tons of empty space. Rigel felt the tugging again. But this time he knew what it was. | + | - |
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+ | Rigel looked around. Tons of empty space. | ||
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+ | Rigel felt the tugging again. But this time he knew what it was. | ||
''I've been waiting for you.'' | ''I've been waiting for you.'' | ||
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− | : | + | :Porox piturius. A long, slender, crawling plant. Prefers zero gravity, but adaptable. Can also hold itself together in negative gravity. Difficult to make reproduce. Reputed to have the capacity for thought, feeling, and a transcendent communication with other species. |
− | : | + | :The Botanist's Book of Craft and Lore. |
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Rigel knew it. Here, not just around him, but also within him, and even way out in distant realms of space, his ''Porox'' had been "speaking" with him, so to speak. Not actually speaking, but invisibly messaging. | Rigel knew it. Here, not just around him, but also within him, and even way out in distant realms of space, his ''Porox'' had been "speaking" with him, so to speak. Not actually speaking, but invisibly messaging. | ||
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It had been a wild dare. And, Rigel had thought for thousands of years, it had failed. But here, now, was the evidence to the contrary. At least, if it hadn't succeeded in curing the pandemic, it hadn't failed to reproduce. | It had been a wild dare. And, Rigel had thought for thousands of years, it had failed. But here, now, was the evidence to the contrary. At least, if it hadn't succeeded in curing the pandemic, it hadn't failed to reproduce. | ||
− | Rigel's ''Porox'' had done fantastically well. Here, thousands of lightyears from anywhere, the plant had managed to twist invisibly throughout space. Here, way out on Rigel's solo venture, his plants were speaking with him. As Rigel had cultivated his plants, they had then cultivated him -- for thousands of years. | + | Rigel's ''Porox'' had done fantastically well. Here, thousands of lightyears from anywhere, the plant had managed to twist invisibly throughout space. Here, way out on Rigel's solo venture, his plants were speaking with him. |
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+ | As Rigel had cultivated his plants, they had then cultivated him -- for thousands of years. | ||
Whether through some genes, or through some biochemical in its leaves, or exactly how, Rigel did not know. However, he could easily see -- ''feel'' -- the plant speaking to him. And he now understood how the plant had spoken to him, with him, since it had started growing. | Whether through some genes, or through some biochemical in its leaves, or exactly how, Rigel did not know. However, he could easily see -- ''feel'' -- the plant speaking to him. And he now understood how the plant had spoken to him, with him, since it had started growing. | ||
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Rigel's ''Porox'' had cautioned him against that risky undertaking, in going to war, which had not only cost him an enormous amount but also set back the efforts to find a cure for at least a thousand years. | Rigel's ''Porox'' had cautioned him against that risky undertaking, in going to war, which had not only cost him an enormous amount but also set back the efforts to find a cure for at least a thousand years. | ||
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==Quiet== | ==Quiet== | ||
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The orb was like a shimmering silver orb, but it had a decidedly artificial look. Like it was created by a God rather than sentient hands. It was in this moment of contemplation that the power in my body surged initially into the orb before subsiding. My hand transferred no warmth to this uniquely amazing device. | The orb was like a shimmering silver orb, but it had a decidedly artificial look. Like it was created by a God rather than sentient hands. It was in this moment of contemplation that the power in my body surged initially into the orb before subsiding. My hand transferred no warmth to this uniquely amazing device. | ||
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− | + | With some more chance to think back, things seemed different. Somehow, the perspective shifted how he felt. Now, Rigel was still sad, but at least he could see that this somehow fit into a larger plan. | |
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− | + | Rigel felt something tugging at his chest. Thinking it was his uniform caught against his skin, Rigel tugged back. Yet, the feeling remained. | |
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− | + | As he kept spinning through space, alone, Rigel thought back. To Vespa, but much more so to Sophiy. How these people had shaped him as a person. The tugging feeling kept pulling at him. | |
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− | + | Rigel looked around. For lightyears, he didn't see anyone around. What could it be? Was there a spy probe stuck in his uniform, attempting to autonavigate and continuing to bump into him? | |
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− | + | Rigel thought of his decision to set off the chain reaction. Had it been the right choice? Now with hindsight, Rigel could see clearly that there was no right choice. He had already come this far. No matter what he did, it would not change the past. In either case, he could live with the decision. That was a relief. After so much suffering, Rigel hadn't been sure that he even wanted to live. And yet, now he could see that he was only making whichever choices he could, and the universe would go on. | |
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− | Rigel, | + | With that thought in mind, the tugging suddenly made sense. Rigel felt the patterns of the tugs, and he understood. There was nothing stuck in his uniform. Instead, it was a Sentience. It had been there all along. |
− | + | Back when Rigel had struggled to win over Sophiy, he had ignored those tugs on his chest. Back when Vespa was trying to woo him, Rigel had ignored those tugs, or at best chalked them up to awkward nervousness. And perhaps most of all, back when he was pulling the trigger on the chain reaction, he had felt -- and again ignored -- those tugs on his chest. | |
+ | Now they made ''sense''. | ||
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− | + | ==Another section== | |
+ | * The... | ||
==Navigation== | ==Navigation== | ||
{{Template:6 Billion A.D.}} | {{Template:6 Billion A.D.}} |