Memory Soup
By Emily M. Hanson
Part 10
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The psionicists had built their tower to be a permanent living space. Once, it had been a separate city with shops, gardens, living quarters, and a vast library. They even had their own government, separate but within the ancient Mitzelgranian system, Kaladox explained. They paid the same taxes as everyone else, but that was the only similarity. They were judged according to their own laws, which allowed for all but the most heinous of crimes, as long as sufficient reason could be given for a person's actions and the high council agreed with that reasoning. Agreement could be -- and was -- commonly purchased with bribes.
"Why did everyone let the injustice go on for so long?" Infinity asked.
"They were afraid of the psionicists' powers and technology. While most psionicists could only read surface thoughts or move small objects, the very powerful could do the impossible. Those with the strongest abilities could stop a person's heart from beating with a mere thought. It must have seemed very much like magic," Kaladox replied.
"That was not real magic," Silverclaw said, firmly clutching her amulet. "It comes from the heart, not the mind."
Kilroy didn't believe in magic. Surely the werewolf's amulet was just a fancy glow-in-the-dark rock, acting like a placebo. However, he had to admit that after all the things they'd fought together, she hadn't been seriously injured yet. Kaladox had been affected by the crystal, but many alien species had natural telepathic abilities. He didn't consider that magic, either.
They continued through the dimly lit hallways. Infinity tried to imagine what it would have been like to live there. What would the psionicists' daily routines have been like? One room had the symbol for meditation carved into the door. It was a bare room with blue walls. A discolored rectangular shape on the floor suggested that a rug had once been there. Venusium candle holders were placed on small stone shelves that rose just above the floor.
"Venusium must have been much more common back then," Hamlet remarked. "I mean, we've seen it all over this place."
"Actually, it was still quite rare since the mines hadn't been built yet," Kaladox responded. "The psionicists probably made a few business deals from offworlders to acquire such a large amount of metal."
"How many offworld species were your people in contact with back then?" Kilroy asked.
"Just two, the Maltavi and the Kerali."
The Maltavi were a race of traders and explorers, most of them have light gray skin and white hair. A few genetic aberrations in their species produced beings that had gray skin and gray hair, which appeared silver in certain lighting conditions. The genetic mutation was rare and occurred in approximately 1/1,000,000 Maltavi births. Some Maltavi also had low-level psionic powers.
In contrast, the Kerali were an aggressive species. Had they a higher level of intelligence, they would have probably conquered the galaxy by now. Bred to be extremely fast and strong, they worked mostly as bodyguards and mercenaries. By many human and humanoid standards, the Kerali were also one of the most unattractive species in the universe. They appeared to have evolved from crocodile-like creatures on their homeworld. They were also one of the oldest species in existence.
As the adventurers made their way to the stairs, something caught Kilroy's eye. It was a Venusium tablet with several buttons and a display screen. Pressing one of the buttons rewarded him with ancient Mitzelgranian symbols.
"Hey, Kaladox, can you take a look at this?" he asked.
The native leaned over. "That appears to be instructions of some sort."
"For what?"
"To determine that, I need to see the display more closely."
Kilroy handed the computerized tablet over and Kaladox began to read the ancient words aloud. As he spoke, the purple amplifying crystal began to glow and he rose a few inches off the ground.
"What in blazes are you doing?" Hamlet asked.
The native glanced down. "Levitating, it would seem."
"But…but…that's…" Kilroy sputtered.
"Impossible?" Kaladox suggested. "I would have thought so too, but apparently not." Slowly, he landed on solid ground. "Let's see what other information this tablet has."
Pressing the buttons revealed more instructions. Memorizing them was much easier than it should have been, particularly since Kaladox wasn't fluent in the ancient language, only knowledgeable. Reciting the words produced different results. He was able to create a flare of bright light, nearly blinding everyone in the room. The second time, he made an illusionary image of himself. The native discovered that he could make several copies of that image at the same time. Finally, the third set of instructions seemed to do nothing, but everyone reported feeling a little tingly.
"Even if these are the most rudimentary things the psionicists knew, bringing the knowledge back will be one of the greatest discoveries in recent history," Kaladox said.
"Yes, but we still have to find a way out," Horatio replied.
"All in good time," Infinity said. "We have so much exploring to do. Come on."
Everyone went upstairs, where many more discoveries were waiting to be made.
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To be continued.
