The Verse:
Fear is a tactical advantage,
more so when there is really something to fear.
The Vision:
I can only call it a monster. It was like a great centipede, existing in space. A centipede with a mouth like a lamprey. Also tentacles. I woke up screaming, which has never happened before.
Commentary by Archbishop Co’oal Venesti:
I hesitate to say it, but there are places where even angels fear to tread.
Commentary by Elma, High Prophetess of Skarsia:
Huh. I’m not sure about this one. We haven’t heard the end of it.
Commentary by Archbishop Seth:
In former times, I did extensive researches into the nature of evil. I have repented of my youthful ways, now finding love a far more suitable subject for study. Nevertheless, I am still somewhat of an expert, and so it falls upon me to tell this tale.
Cüinn was preparing for the great experiment, the projection of the Mover into another galaxy. In truth, we should have known better – how many tales of horror begin with the hubris of a scientist?
We most especially should’ve known better when Tara begged us not to do it. “I don’t like it at all. You don’t know what this will do to him.”
“We know exactly what it will do to him – nothing,” said Cüinn. “I’ve been running these experiments with Owen and Ethan and Barnabas for months. Hey, you ever notice that Lugh never does anything?”
“You’ve been doing experiments sending nul-energy through a wormhole. That isn’t the same thing as sending Ash through a wormhole.”
“It’ll be just like riding the grid. Look, Tara, nothing’s gonna happen. This is just a preliminary test. I and I goes through the wormhole in a force bubble, comes out in Tucana, emanates me, I make a few observations, and we’re back. I won’t stay more than a few hours, tops. We even picked Tucana because it’s the safest one. There’s nothing there – it’s isolated, all really old stars, nothing new forming at all. The Combine thought it was a dud. I mean, if I really wanted some excitement, we could’ve tried Circinus.”
“Don’t.”
“Well, it’s not like we can right now anyway. We’d have to do all the pathfinding and then lay the crystals. We’re all set up for Tucana, though.”
“Look, there’s no reason to take this risk.”
“Science, Tara! Don’t you want to find out? Also, I and I is pushing us to do it, which means it has to be on the path to your destiny.”
Tara fell silent. She resented the argument, yet she couldn’t oppose it. It was in conformation with her own will.
Cüinn unfolded himself into the mothman. It hesitated, hovering, extending an arm towards Tara. She touched it. It was a strange sensation. The Mover is “solid” enough for some slight manipulation of objects, but he isn’t made of matter.
Then he spun in midair, hurling himself into the thin lifeline that was the network of crystals extending through the wormhole.
Not ten minutes of Dolparessan time had passed before he returned. He folded his arms and Aran appeared.
“Aran?” Tara queried. “What happened to Cüinn? Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
“There were complications. For one, the Mover failed to emanate. Apparently, at such a great distance, another material basis is necessary.”
“Material basis? You mean a tree?”
“Probably. And the amount of energy He can draw through the wormhole is minimal. If anything injurious ever happened to Him, He might lose control and start to plummet back towards the nearest tree instead of being able to control his return through the crystalline network. That would be a long fall indeed.”
“Which is why it was a stupid experiment. I hope you’ve seen the folly of your ways.” She was almost satisfied enough with her victory to let it go…almost. “But what could happen to Ash once he’s there? I was more worried about getting there than being there, to be honest. It’s not like anything can attack him in his nul-energy form. Unless there was nul-matter. Was there nul-matter there?”
“There was not. However, nul-matter possesses no inherent threat, any more than rock possesses an inherent threat to you. The danger is only if someone throws the rock at your head.”
“Thanks for that important distinction. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Aran stared at her for an uncomfortably long time. “Must I?”
“Um, yeah, now you most definitely must. You’re getting me worried.”
Aran frowned, but he couldn’t lie to her. It wasn’t in him. “It appears that Tucana is already inhabited. There were…things…there.”
“Things?”
“Apparently the Mover is no longer unique. These creatures appeared capable of survival and travel in empty space with no external life-support. They seemed to be some odd composite of both energy and matter.”
“Wait,” said Tara, clutching at his arm. “They weren’t humungous centipedes with lamprey-mouths?”
“Lamprey-mouths?”
“Yeah, suckers, like leeches, but with horrendous pointy teeth – and they had tentacles coming out of their backs.”
“How do you know of them?”
“I knew it! I saw them in a vision. Scared the hell out of me. It was a night Cüinn was working at the lab, so you didn’t hear me screaming, but it was enough to get him to come back early because he could sense that I was upset.” She looked at him directly. “Tell me,” she said.
“The Mover was attacked. The centipede-things wrapped their tentacles around him. The tentacles were barbed, and the barbs emitted some kind of energy intended as a stun or paralysis. A typical insectivoid strategy. They then attached the sucker mouths. The Mover had a sense of vague communication with the creatures. They wanted to consume Him. Apparently, he had interrupted them during diner – the ingestion of a nearby star – and he looked appetizing enough for dessert.”
“Fuck you! Fuck Cüinn too. The next time you get it in your head to do this sort of crazy shit…”
“It’s all right,” Aran soothed, stroking her hair. “It would seem that nul-energy is indigestible to them. After a few moments, they released Him.”
*****
Would that I could say this tale of horror was at an end. Yet every holovid of the genre speaks against it. The hand of unspeakable evil is always shown in the last scene, reaching towards its next victim as the scene fades…
Patrick and Tara were relaxing at one of Lwrence’s garden parties. Tara was having a sketch made by Raoul, and so Patrick was whiling away the time in pleasant conversation with Cillian’s daughter. Well, actually, Lilith was sulking, as usual. Patrick was having a pleasant conversation with Thoughtful 45.
He mentioned the Mover’s recent experience with galactic travel, thinking it would be of interest to his friend. It was: a fuller description ensued. When he had finished, Thoughtful 45 was as silent as Lilith. Finally, he said, “Um, maybe I shouldn’t say anything…I’m really not supposed to know this…”
“What? You’ve encountered these things before?”
“Well, no, but I heard from the StoneStolids…they’re not supposed to know this either, but they’re really old. When you’re that old, you hear things. Well, not exactly hear, since they don’t have sensory organs, but you get my drift…”
“If you know something about these things, you’d better tell me.”
“You’re talking gigantic centipedes that are capable of surviving in empty space that are half-matter, half-energy, and get their sustenance by sucking the energy out of anything they encounter with a set of barbed tentacles?”
“That’s a pretty good description.”
“I don’t know how to break this to you, and maybe I’m wrong, but…that sounds a lot like the Great Dread.”