Chapter 130
Part 19
“I’m sure your better magic users are capable of Translocation, Linking, Pull and Draw spells,
Movement, Flight, and Shielding, as well as some kinds of purely magical attack. They may need to
learn some of the spells, but I’m sure they’re inherently capable of casting them. That gets them up to
where we were in thest war.
“As to what we’re capable of now, we won’t really know that until the time-bubbles open. Most of our
world’s best researchers and engineers are in them. The newer techniques that we here use, being
more advanced psionics, automated spells, and more intense and advanced training techniques, we
developed most of that in the time-bubble. Including ending death by aging and giving magic use to all
our citizens. Then, when we left the time-bubble and gained ess to all the minds and resources out
in the world, and began integrating what we’d developed with the outer world, we experienced another
sudden and drastic burst of discovery and achievement. We expect a simr pattern of advancement
when all the other time-bubbles open, and of far greater magnitude.
“I’m sure you know that my father has discovered how to be a god, and that he’ll do so after the
bubbles open, and give the gift of divinity to many others as well. And I’m sure you know that we four
have gained almost all the abilities of gods, while remaining mortal. Our new Healing techniques and
Work spells are already making a huge difference in our world. We’re not sure we can teach you these
newer techniques, but we’re ready to share them with your leaders, and we hope you’ll be able to
utilize them.
“Right now, the three tasks of preparing our world for the war, and of making tactical and strategic ns
for it, and of coordinating our ns with you of The Triax, are all vastlyplicated by the fact that
everything on Keran and everything about the Kerani are all changing faster than ever in our
Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.
history, and the pace of change is still elerating. Our world is only recently united for the first time,
it’s being rebuilt as a fortress, and vastly improved new techniques for doing almost everything are
being introduced every day. It’s difficult to make ns when we have almost no idea what we’ll be
capable of even two months from now.
“Still, we must begin with aplete exchange of information, reflecting our respective capabilities as
they stand now. We need to know each other’s military structurespletely, how many personnel
they have, what equipment and capabilities they have, how they’re organized andmanded. We
need to supply each other with every spell and engineering technique that we have. We’ll have to free
up a lot of researchers to go through it all and decide on what each of us can use of the other’s
techniques, then we’ll have to integrate it all.
“The area of expertise that your people have that weck is obviously tactics and strategy in void
warfare. As I’ve said, things will be different in this war because of the new techniques that we’re
introducing, so a lot of what you’ve learned of void strategy and tactics might not apply, but the rest of it
will be crucial, we’re certain of that. We know that no new techniques canpletely rece the
fundamentals of warfare in the void that your people have developed over your millennia of fighting in
it. You’ve shown us what your generals know so well from hard experience that they take it for granted,
and it’s very important, but so is what your sergeants know, so to speak. And since it’s impossible to
predict which of the hard-won lessons you’ve learned will be crucial and which will be irrelevant, we
recognize the necessity of learning your entire body of knowledge in the subject.
“Our gods have already exchanged much of what they know with yours. Now it is time for our mortals
to do the same.
“This is so much work that we strongly suggest that the majority of it be done in a new round of time-
bubbles, beginning a few weeks after the present ones open.
“At the same time, we have to work with what we have now, and what we know now. Properly
preparing our militaries to work together should take a lot longer than we have avable to do it, so we
have to get started on it now, and modify things as we go along when we introduce new methods that
we’ve developed or learned from each other. Not only are we pressed for time to get as much done as
possible before our nned date for attacking the demons, I also think it’s irresponsible topletely
disregard the possibility that the demons will find a way to attack us before then.
“This immediate work of exchanging information and beginning military integration will be done
tomorrow, at the meeting of The Assembly of The Just Alliance, between your leaders and ours.
“I think we’ve aplished much of value here today. Before we bring this meeting to an end, we
propose that we try to Link with you. Our researches show that psionics are fundamentally the same
among all races that use them, no matter the source of their power. After all, we first became aware of
you when Zarkog found you far out in the void with the Psionic Distant Listener. If we can Link with you,
we should be able to teach you a great deal of what we know about magic, and learn a great deal of
what you know, in a reasonably short time.”
“Among us, only The Transformed, whom you would call gods, use what you would refer to as Linking.”
First Mauve interjected. “Our mortals do use a technique that is functionally simr to your Speaking
spell. It is useful formunication in the void, but of little use for the direct transfer of knowledge and
skills that you are suggesting.
“I suggest that you Link with me. I will teach what I learn to my people.”
“We have found that direct contact between the minds of gods and mortals is almost always harmful to
the mortals involved.” Falgaroth pointed out. “From that, it is reasonable to assume that psionic Linking
between these mortal minds and yours may also be harmful to them. The possibility that they will be
overwhelmed seems particrly likely considering that you are Triax Goddess of Knowledge, and the
third-eldest among your pantheon.”
“Perhaps that is so.” First Mauve agreed. “But we of the Transformed often share thoughts quite deeply
with our mortal kin, without causing them harm, and I will endeavor to ensure that no harmes to
these Kerani.”
“I’d still like to try Linking with a mortal Triax first.” Six stated. “It does seem a safer start, and if we’re
sessful in teaching mortal Triax to Link, we’ll increase your people’s capability a lot more than by
just Linking and sharing with you.”
“Whether or not we’re sessful at Linking with your mortals, I want to try Linking with you after that.”
Fire suddenly stated to First Mauve.
“That seems sensible.” she agreed.
Second Brighter Orange moved back, and another Triax took the pre-eminent position in the habitat
sphere.
She gave a ripple, and spoke. “I greet you. I am Fifth Aquamarine. Of us here in this globe, I am most
skilled at what you term ‘psionics’, and third most skilled at the maniption of magic energy. I choose
to attempt to engage in mindmunication with you.”
“Excellent.” Six nodded. “Only I will attempt tomunicate with you. My family are Linked with me,
but not with you, so you won’t perceive them, and they won’t perceive you, except that they’ll perceive
me as I perceive you. Hopefully. I hope that’s not confusing.”
“It is not.” Fifth Aquamarine responded. “I will simrly be in contact with First Mauve during this
experiment, and you will not perceive her. You should begin.”
“All right.” Six nodded again. “Here goes. Hmm. It’s easy to sense your psionic emanations. But so far
it’s like hearing a meaningless noise. I’ll need a minute to try to make sense of it.”
Everyone waited patiently for fourteen minutes. By that time Six was grimacing in concentration, eyes
tightly closed, sweat beading on his brow as he paced up and down on the beach to relieve his tense
irritation.
Finally Fire gave him a yful punch on the shoulder as he went by. “Hey. We might as well admit it.
We can’t do this. Their senses, their perception of reality, their thinking, it’s all too different. Too… alien.
Reading Glup was a lot easier than this, and even he seems almost normal byparison. This is just
noise.”