Spatium Upended--A Trilogy, page 12
Zÿœhń esteemed her moral compass to be eons ahead of her competition and their Êlkên handlers as she fashioned them. For this to be a successful endeavor, the Êlkê subspecies will need to see something tangible; a revelation of sorts. Ńxhæ had to come through this time, she thought.
An emergency Gñîâ—syncing of their collective æńê—was called. Zÿœhń and about two dozen members of her executive team gathered above the Humös Mountain Range. Hovering in a circular formation, they collectively focused the power of their æńê on the reflection of light bouncing off the mountain range. It went on for several consecutive ÿlêvâ.
Sonar and electromagnetic spectrum sensors from the lower orbital øāńx helmed drone ships started to notice a trend—the temperature on the mountain range's surface, increased. It recorded various intermittent readings over several ÿlêvâ and reported back to the Žøêrhâ based stations. The data was processed by a dedicated mix of half Êlkâr and full øāńx agents and then shared amongst those that had the appropriate security clearances.
A SHORT ŸLÊV had barely gone past, and Zÿœhń scored the Gñîâ as success. The Qÿêø cultists could now control the directional instances of the various types of electromagnetic wave spectrums in and around the Žøêrhâ atmosphere.
The visible radiation field, such as the reflected rays from Vrâê and the invisible spectrum such as Vrâêx, considered more than two thousand times hotter and on a higher array than the UV rays emitted by Vrâê, were now manipulable.
The resultant effect of such a capability was that the Qÿêø cultists, working in tandem, can disrupt life on Žøêrhâ as they have come to know it. Wisdom dictated that they used such a skill set with caution. The Tœmńâk had already put out green-alerts—highest emergency level alert— for curbing the Lâtøî insurgency. They regarded this as the ultimate act of treason, one that deserved a routing. Zÿœhń was not the least naive about this.
The agreed-upon plan involved disrupting the Žøêrhân comprehensive invisible communication system that used a dedicated çwûž powered spectrum. Wireless communication—which was the norm in all of Žøêrhâ and its moons—amongst the Êlkâr used a highly secured çwûž variant that was culled from the various available spectrums deployed and in use across Žøêrhâ. Zÿœhń and the Qÿêø cultists zoned in on this one capability.
The election was only three ÿlêvâ away. Ôxbâ and the Bûreö were considered the odds-on favorite to keep the tradition of being voted to the Hÿxï.
Zÿœhń disagreed.
Across ÊlkêQî, secure privacy corridors suddenly began to malfunction. It was the part of the Êlkâr personal communication system that required an çwûž spectrum conduit.
Although hardly trained in the use of nûhç-telepathy, the Êlkê were still able to communicate. For the first œlêvâ of all of their lives, the Êlkê were not able to communicate remotely without complicated çwûž spectrum conduit technologies.
The air traffic had reached a chaotic level as families flew across long distances to send and receive messages where the nûhç sensors did not exist. It forced large groups of Êlkê to congregate in the Ńxhæ worship centers across the planet, seeking answers from Ńxhæ. Zÿœhń and the Qÿêø cultists' first miracle was underway.
Cognizant of the attendant reprisal, the Qÿêø cultists ratcheted up the attacks.
They disrupted the secured wireless communication privacy corridor across ÊlkênQî. Here, they completely realigned the dedicated çwûž spectrum, which redirected every private ńœhæ link placed by the Êlkên to Êlkê strangers on ÊlkêQî.
It caused a great deal of anxiety, angst, and upheavals amongst the Êlkên subspecies. Several calls saw members of the Tœmńâk beaming into the privacy of Êlkê strangers and being unable to disconnect their calls until the Êlkê party initiated the action. The attendant humiliation and breach of security were on a level unheralded in their current dispensation.
Zÿœhń and the Qÿêø cultists addressed large populations of Êlkê and revealed that these weird occurrences were signs from Ńxhæ. She told them these were miracles aimed at showing that only the Qÿêø cultists could represent them at the Hÿxï. The fact that even the Êlkên gods were so publicly humiliated and their technology malfunctioning was ample proof that the supernatural power of Ńxhæ superseded that of all of the Êlkên gods of science.
A livid Vÿxhî managed to summon the Hÿxî to meet in person, but before she could initiate the meeting, her secure privacy corridor, which had been mostly offline, suddenly called into and got through to Qâhnâ. She got emotional upon seeing her daughter in a hœç. She looked angelic and peaceful in her sleep, she had thought. She also noticed a bulge on her lower back. It is impossible, she thought. She cannot possibly be pregnant. As these thoughts raced through her head, she inadvertently let out a loud hum of despair.
The gathered members of the Hÿxî were confused. What the hell is going on? Why is everything and everyone suddenly coming apart at the seams? They wondered, releasing and then fluttering their wings in unison. The ńœhæ link suddenly ceased. An experienced Vÿxhî believed a significantly more sophisticated civilization had penetrated and was using the Êlkê.
It was not a far-flung possibility as the female Êlkê were principally trained and tasked with data ops at the majority of the çwûž powered communication installations stationed across the planet. Though they did not have the required training in decoding the information they gathered, Vÿxhî reasoned a more superior civilization could as well communicate via the nûhç spectrum with any number of them and using their perceived grief against the Êlkên subspecies as a pretext. She knew just what to do. She then turned to the Tœmńâk, without the Êlkê delegation present and addressed the situation at hand.
OVER AT ÊLKÊQÎ, the election was concluded, and the votes tallied. The Qÿêø cultists had won and, in an overwhelming landslide. Over seventy-five percent signed on to the change. It was a further signal to the Tœmńâk that an extraterrestrial power had infiltrated the Êlkê subspecies. Vÿxhî resolved to not only get to the bottom but squash it.
The Tœmńâk activated an emergency çwûž variant that restored connectivity across all aspects of life on Žøêrhâ but required all Êlkê to sign up individually for new personal communication and privacy corridors.
A new dispensation was underway in Žøêrhâ where the clash between the physical sciences and metaphysics; the macro and micro laws of hyper-quantum mechanics were being interpreted in ways, tethered to empirical evidence and spirituality.
7 = ᗗ: THÊ SEČRET
ÎÑLQÎ. MID-VÛŽ.
ŽØÊRH WAS IN the throes of a mutinous rebellion of unprecedented proportions. From the complex weapons design manufacturing plants and inland water docks of ÎñlâQî—the second largest continent and central industrial hub— to the centers of power and prestige on ÊlkênQî, the hbâz had given the Tœmńâk express permission to eliminate the insurrection from its roots. The order was precise. Vÿxhî, however, suspected they might have missed the boat on this one. She quietly harbored a dread for what this portended.
Vÿxhî believed Zÿœhń and the Qÿêø cult to be a possible conduit for an extraterrestrial infiltration of sorts. She forebodes a worse meaning to the strange fissures they had experienced in the preceding mûlêvâ; Žøêrhâ could be in the throes of an extraterrestrial attack, and they could not do anything to stop it.
The relative peace and a level of superior consistency that had reigned all over the Žøêrhân sphere for the previous million mûlêvâ had become shaky. The unexplained occurrences of the past few mûlêvâ had left the Tœmńâk in deep despair; which was not a predominantly Êlkên trait. When a vulnerability required their urgent attention, they fashioned themselves up to the task and always solved it. If they needed answers, they got answers and fast, this was the Êlkên model.
GLIDING INTO HER official silo, Vÿxhî noticed three dark grey ńœhæ hovering by its entrance. Their æńê was pointedly absent. She equally noticed there were neither any visible wings nor legs. For starters, they required a high-security clearance to be in that area of the ÊlkênQî Space Center. These had to be a friendly group of ńœhæ. She hummed to herself as she drifted toward and then abruptly stopping in front of them.
“Why are you here?” Vÿxhî queried the three strangers who, upon closer inspection, appeared to be a group of øāńx intelligence agents. Their signature yellow-eyes—æńê colored in yellow pigmentation—slowly eased out of the entire cover of their ńœhæ, revealing their true identity to a superior who, at that point, was close to authorizing punitive actions against them.
“For the sake of Q090XŸ in recess, permission to speak in person.” The male head of the øāńx group addressed Vÿxhî while the other two slowly eased their legs and stood in guard position behind their leader, maintaining a distinct seventy-seven degree angle posture.
“If Q090XŸ considered this vital enough, he has my ńœhæ, recess or not, he could engage anytime, wouldn't you agree?” It was a rhetorical question. The sarcastic tone of her øûhçæ hum was all they needed to hear. It was classic Vÿxhî. She eased her legs down, gracefully strolled up to the door of her official silo, which then slid open as she let herself in. “I will gladly see Q090XŸ in person. He knows where I'll be.” The transparent metal door hissed as it slid back shut. The translucent metallic wall then dimmed to reduce visibility to zero, creating a mirror effect from the outside.
The øāńx agents could yet track her movement inside her office, even with the wall as a barrier. They had the special yellow-eyes to allow deep probes of solid matter by secreting a protein enzyme in their brain that converted their iris into the equivalent radiation intensity of gamma rays. Members of this select group of half-machine øāńx agents were the solitary Êlkâr beings that possessed this ability.
Back in her office, Vÿxhî watched and listened to all the action outside the door while likewise engaged in a privacy corridor meeting with Ôhrâç. He had called into her ńœhæ in what appeared to be an emergency of sorts.
She wondered why Øicârô, whose øāńx code was Q090XŸ, would send three yellow-eyes to her office. They ordered him into a forced recess, pending the outcome of the investigation surrounding Qâhnâ's disappearance and the visibly unexplainable—even by Êlkên's standards—occurrences of the past few ÿlêvâ.
THE RECENTLY CONSTITUTED Êlkên Rhxâ spearheaded by Ôhrâç had the unenviable the task of unraveling the connection between Øicârô, the Qÿêø, and Qâhnâ's disappearance. Even though not yet apparent, all signs pointed to an uneasy alliance between all three entities. It was the worst-case scenario. The mere thought of Øicârô suspected of being a secret Êlkê spy could potentially corrupt their entire security apparatus. Heck, he helped build a vital chunk of it. They were indeed threading on strange and dangerous grounds.
“What more have you discovered about the Qÿêø's latest tactics, and what are their engagement strategies?” She asked.
“Besides wanting to do away with everything we have built, I can confidently state that you will be sharing the same lectern with OCT88 in a few weeks from now when the Hÿxî reconvenes.” Ôhrâç quipped, using the secret code for Zÿœhń.
“Do away with everything…? What does that even mean? I bet she regards this entire parliamentary move as another one of her ploys. Keep Vÿxhî in check, I can almost hear her humming it in that high pitch øûhçæ of pure venomous hate!” She hummed, while observing the three øāńx intelligence agents slowly hurtle away down the large corridor outside her official silo.
“OCT88 knows something we don't as it relates to Q090XŸ. I made this clear to Qâhnâ at the river before the abduction. He was unduly comfortable in their midst. It was clear he had to have known OCT88 would be on her scheming wings at the slightest opportunity. I don't buy any of it.” He added using the code name for Øicârô as his æńê became filled with a grayish secretion, signifying discontent.
“Must be a boon to be a plotting, scheming Êlkê. Never responsible for anything you do. Merely blame it on the next evil Êlkên.” A visibly incensed Vÿxhî said.
“Speaking of blaming it on the Êlkên, it might interest you to note that I trained with all three yellow-eyes that you met at your silo this morning. Some of the brightest øāńx in the bunch, I have to say.” Ôhrâç ventured. While yet on the same ńœhæ link, he stepped into his dâhž, shaped like a Lüü—regarded as the king of the Žøêrhân jungle and then lunged into the air.
“Then it's safe to assume Q090XŸ had competing motives for sending them through, which will further validate your theory.” Vÿxhî responded as Ôhrâç sped through the çêhń in his ÊlkênQî city, weaving through the dense air traffic.
“Yes, I would agree, which is why Q090XŸ sadly remains my first interest in bringing this to a quick resolution.” Ôhrâç said.
“What is so urgent that you couldn't bear to wait to get off this engagement?” She asked, referring to his taking flight amid their ńœhæ link.
“Hûøžâ, we currently have five øāńx, seven Êlkên and two Êlkê working on Rhxâ. If nothing happens by tonight, we might lose two crucial leads. I have to oversee an emergency meeting in person. Remember, we have two Êlkê in our midst. Not a wise move to be engaged with your ńœhæ. I hope you understand.” He added with his typical low baritone hum for emphasis.
Vÿxhî gave him a three-hundred-sixty degrees eyeball rotation, which signified accordance. She then ended the ńœhæ connection.
ZŸŒHN LANDED ATOP one of several red-crystal mountain ranges. They were part of a range situated on ÊlkêQî's BeltLine, which was the stretch of land that extended across the far side of Žøêrhâ's equatorial belt. Here, there were no other continents in sight on all sides, for tens of thousands of miles and more.
The Qÿêø cultists were more active on this part of the continent as they were able to shield many of their activities from prying Êlkê eyes, notably those that they considered possible spies and traitors in their midst. They realized however that the Êlkên eyes in the skies and perhaps those in the air molecules around them were impossible to avoid. This was considered a foregone conclusion.
A mild scented breeze, akin to a confectionary mill—the smell of water on Žøêrhâ—traversed the atmosphere. The primary clouds painted the night skies in a dark purple hue. A typical Žøêrhâ night, it would seem. An intense luminous glow from the red-crystal mountain range serenaded the night skies around it.
Zÿœhń lowered her hind leg, crouched down on one knee, and stretched out the center of her claw at a particular spot on the mountain. A secret door hissed, then opened to reveal a deep çêhń in the heart of the hill. She slapped her wing one more time against the quiet breeze and then dived straight into the mountain's belly.
It was a different-looking world from the inside. The luminous walls of the inner belly of the mountain displayed millions of tiny, colored ńœhæ fields of energy that floated around the expansive çêhń in the hill.
About three dozen cultists caught up with Zÿœhń mid-air from where she led them in a tactical flying formation toward the heart of the inner mountain.
In here, everything seemed to glide in slow motion.
Several colored ńœhæ, with no visible shape but the appearance of plasma energy fields, floated below them toward the inner mountain's bottom. They were all pointedly headless and with no visible wings either. It was a serene space. A deep and searing sense of reverential elegance permeated.
“The Rhxâ has intensified their search.” One of the lead cultists ventured. Zÿœhń cleared her eye, then focused on her.
She recalled who it was. Hûÿlø was one of the few Êlkê cultists to have escaped from the major Êlkên training program that would have made them Signal-Transcribers—a specific vocation reserved for female Êlkê. She was a formidable Êlkê female. One that deserved a position at the Qÿêø elders table but currently denied one due to Zÿœhń's stubborn discomfort surrounding her allegiance.
“Did you record any of these requests?” Zÿœhń asked, diving deeper into the mountain's çêhń, where the air around them increasingly appeared denser.
“There weren't any specific signatures. Merely a series of random queries matching Qâhnâ's bio-identifiers. I parsed them myself.” Hûÿlø responded, diving closer to Zÿœhń at the front of the file.
“Has got to be the persistence of that insane Êlkên, Vÿxhî. We cannot and will not let her have her way this time.” Zÿœhń's fiery high pitched øûhçæ hum reverberated across the dense atmosphere.
Hûÿlø's eye clouded up, shielding her genuine reaction to Zÿœhń's apparent outburst and disdain for all things, Êlkên.
Tried as she may, Zÿœhń could still feel a tinge of disloyalty oozing from Hûÿlø's ńœhæ. She gave her one more intense glance and then motioned for her to step away from the flying formation.
An expressionless Hûÿlø suddenly released her entire wing and, hovering in mid-air, assumed a guard position as Zÿœhń and the remaining cultists dived deeper into the dense recesses of the inner mountain.
Zÿœhń suddenly veered eastward. The cultists flew alongside her in tow, keeping the tactical flying formation intact. The dense atmosphere in this part of the inner mountain oozed through their ńœhæ, leaving them in a smoky, lime-green color. The visibility was pointedly low.
Thousands of colorful plants, shrubs, flowers, and crawlers grew out of the inner mountain walls around them. They presented a deliberate pattern akin to a heightened and sophisticated sense of design and horticulture. It was consistent with the Êlkê farmer being heralded across Žøêrhâ-sphere for their peculiar skillset in this area.
