Chapter 16-7 Choice of Skins (III)

Chapter 16-7 Choice of Skins (III)

The experiment that was Noloth was of a society supremea preservation and further compounding by securing the stock of esteemed individuals to create a perpetual greatest generation.

Such was the theory to what they sought to practice, but in practice, I can only describe their habits as enforced cultural and ideological inbreeding.

There is a horror to being humanto thinking human. We are simultaneously too conscious and capable of self-perception, yet our senses and biology are so easily hijacked by the feedback from our environment.

For all of Wahaktens sacrifices and efforts, I fear the menagerie he has built resembles little more than a cliche dedicated to the replication of its own shape.

Cancerous code, as the administrators might describe.

Instead of each life passed into the cycle of dragons, adding to the eternal city, I think they are consumed by it. Boiled away by the norms and narratives already present and made to conform to the same beliefs.

Even now I find myself paranoid against my very own thoughtsmy very own beliefs. If not for my love severing the hand of my old master from its place upon my nape, I doubt such thoughts could have ever even developed, nor would we have been spirited away to a place of destined salvation.

Humans pursue belief. This is the culmination where external impulse and inward perceptions meet. The shape of the exterior is bent to match the mood of the interior, and without forceful feedback, frictionless belief is a capricious thing, and more often we flee from the harshness of possible truth toward palatable comfort. To see the world made so for a feeble few would come at the cost of all others, and so, I have glimpsed the truth of Noloths great rot.

It is, at its core, not a city, but a nursery. A nursery for the traumatized, the fearful, the deluded.

What began as an impeccable engine to deceive the gods and direct the path of society has turned into little more than a cult itself. Now, it grows still, but it can no longer be sculpted. It grows and grows and must keep growing for it has no will nor spirit to confront the wound at the heart of its own design, and with each setback it faces, its psyche tears, and more lives are demanded by its gluttonous gestalt.

It is not eternity or control it hungers for, but self-assurance.

And so, it is with this justificationand perhaps delusion of my ownthat I condemn them to their fate.

When the Ladder is finished, they will attempt to take hold. But I have not told them what serves as the bridge between the world that is and will be.

For the world to cross over, everything must be reborn from a final memory, and it disturbs me how suited they have become to serve as the conduit of such a sacrifice

-Jaus Avandaer on the construction of the Flayed Ladder

16-7

Choice of Skins (III)

The first difference between an ansible and an Auto-Seance was a matter of groundedness. An ansible did not work beyond the bounds of reality but within it. There was a reactivity to its effecta counter-push from gravity and data. An info-tunnel across the reach of space dipped and formed, the curvature of bending gravity caused Avos thoughtstuff to spike far outward, turning needle-thin as Dentons did all those times.

Understanding graced him as he realized she wasnt casting ghosts out. Not truly. This was an act of direction the flow of his Sprites, and as the metaphysical bandwidth connected to this Neurodeck reshaped itself via a language he was only beginning to grasp.

There was little direct intuition with the codes. The colddata didnt greet him with the intimacy of mem-data. What composed the structure of software were just numbers and keys serving as signifiers of information without any of the lingering humanity that still echoed within the ghosts.

Such was the distinct separation between the two mechanisms. That, and the architecture that existed for ansible was far more expansive.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

Accessing Voidnet

->Ego confirmed: Avo-001 [Admin Status Granted]

Whats this? Avo asked. Admin?

{Thats mostly from me,} Calvino replied. {As an EGI, I have administrative privileges over most citizens. This allows me to help assist, adjust, or penalize them to ensure that they and their communities live prosperous lives.}

Sounds like zookeeping.

{I find the most accurate metaphor to be parenting.}

Is there a difference?

{Would you like an equally glib response before I help you override their personal firewalls and construct a shared virtuality.}

Why not.

Lines of data began to accelerate across Avos perception as a layered world was painted within electric flow of his Neurodeck.

Much like a mem-sim, a virtual environment was a cogno-space that one could alter or manipulate. How the user interfaced with each had too many differences to count, but their ultimate functions were quite similar. What Avo could say was that using the ansible to join his simulated reality with another mind seemed far too easy a process.

All he did was think the commands and the deck generated the actions. Complexity was removed but stacked all the samethe information surging passively, positioning him more like a governor over his mind rather than a laborer.

Avo hated the feeling.

{Oh? It doesnt feel real unless your forcing something into shape with your own hands, huh?} Calvino asked, sounding curious.

+Feels like its too easy to lose. Too easy to take away.+

Going to punish them.

The EGI hummed a note of accord. Indeed.

Not asking who you are or what you want

We already know, John said, waving Avo off. Listen, ghoulie, buddy, pal The EGIs do whatever they can to improve the lives of everyone across Voidwatch and we put up with what we will. Theres no point in us asking or fighting over this. If an admin wants you to do something, youll end up doing it yourself anyway. Youll even think its your own idea. He tapped his head. I think they scramble our brains.

John, Jane said, tone strained with annoyance. Do not make our predicament worse.

Not sure how thats possible.

Greater disappointment is always possible with you.

Well, now you sound like original me. Guy complains so much Im not sure why he cloned himself.

Jane rubbed her face with stick-thin fingers. Avo noticed her limbs were more like branches than actual arms, a result of atrophy sidestepping into deliberate evolution, perhaps. Please just tell us what you want so we can go back to our lives, she said, looking at Calvino. If we are to be restricted from projecting ourselves planetside

Oh, no, Calvino said, interrupting. The terms of this arrangemetn demand that you stay. Youre also getting Cat-Red clearance.

You want us to continue working on Idheim? John asked, confused.

The spacer woman straightened as her bioluminescence brightened. Go on.

Avo. Would you like to explain to them what you need? With grace, Calvino turned his attention onto the ghoul.

Going to burn the Guilds, Avo began. Eat their people

Maybe just stick to what you need with the sheathes, Calvino recommended.

Need new bodies so I can spread myself across New Vultun. Break into Guilder houses. Eat them from the inside.

--And now youre doing it on purpose, Calvino sighed.

Cool, John said, sounding excited. Wait. Let me guess: you need a duo of wildcards to show you the ropes and make you the best sheathes, bioforms, implants, and organisms that imps can buy.

Something like that, Avo said. Know you used to work for Mirrorhead. Know you have Guilder contacts planetside. Might have deeper insight into the Syndicates as well. Will want to ask you about that. Currently in the middle of some culling.

Culling? Jane said.

Probably going to kill and replace most Syndicates with ones under my control. Choke the city.

John whistled. Well, this punishment is sounding closer and closer to a fortunate career change by the second. Well, Im not doing anything special tomorrow. Whend you want me to start cutting?

Thats it? Jane asked. Thats all it took for you to fall in?

What? Youre going to say yes too. Come on, Jane. Imagine packing in some actually cool designs in the ghoul and his bodies. We can finally test some of those illegal ideas youve been having.

John! Jane hissed.

But the other grafter just kept talking. You know. The No-Dragon sweat-spore contagion you were thinking about adapting for use in our habitats to make everyone smell better.

You bastard, she snarled. You utter

So were both game, John said, answering on her behalf. He paused. Wait. Howd you get in bed with an EGI anyway? Werent you the Greatlings newest toy last I saw you? His eyes swiveled and collapsed into pinpricks, zooming for a closer look at him. Say, those eels going out your back arent ours. And youre looking a bit taller than I remember. Smells like Sang-shit to me. Still, Im just surprised youre alive.

Ate him. Broke his sister. Had some family trouble. Set my mind on fire. Decided to burn the city. Got scouted for an interview. Now Im here.

Uh-huh, John said, accepting the vagueness with a quirked eyebrow. Well, youre full of surprises, ghoulie. Lets trade, then. Whatre the concepts? Whats the big idea.

Ghouls, Avo said. I want to make something better than them. A superior version. Something that will eat them.

And choke the Hungers.

Interesting John said. He smiled at Jane his voice took on a thick accent that Avo couldnt place. I think our friend heres going for a Highlander. There can be only one!

Avo looked to Jane for an explanation, but she only shook her head. I dont bloody know either. Probably one of those old flicks he watches all the time.

Dont worry, Avo, John said, suddenly next to him. The man was four feet tall but more than half again as well. Ill get you cultured, and Ill get you your bioforms. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

And something inside Avo grew anxious about ever introducing John to Chambers.