Lucas pauses in stride and watches the Tengu's reaction to Gaea transformed into Rustdeity. He wondered if they came from a post-apocalyptic world, and tended to the ruins of the aftermath there. Something post civilization. His brilliant emerald green eyes followed the Xeno as it came to kneel before him. He wasn't sure if the symbolism of it's body language and posture were the same across species boundaries. Without moving from his position Lucas offered something of an explanation.
"You misunderstand. This is not a desirable state for humans. Humans need life and death to be healthy. Too much of either is bad. Right now there is too much death."
He paused a few seconds to let the Xeno register what he had said and readjust their perceptions, then went on.
"I want Dead-Within-Life-Beyond and Humans, both, to have what they need. What do Dead-Within-Life-Beyond need?"
The ate Gu looks confused. “we need dead flesh. without dead flesh to sprout from, babies animals only. babies beasts, not people. without corpse gardens, the gifts of shining ones is null and void. too much light, bad. too many living things, bad. too much peace, bad. war brings death. death makes babies not beasts but people. this is what we need.”
Many silvery golems approach cautiously, their deformed charges in tow. A silvery golem hisses, “These things harvest the masters’ sacred remains! They are poison and unnatural! Ask it about the reactor! Ask it who breached the reactor! Ask it!”
Lucas listens to the Xeno quietly. Thinking of how to mesh the two. He wasn't certain whether it would be more difficult socially of infrastructurally to support the conflicting needs of the two species. While he was still thinking on the matter the silver Golems and the deformed awakened-Immortals approached. Lucas' eyes leveled on the ground and he maneuvered around the kneeling Xeno to place himself between it and the angry Palace residents.
"I do not need to. This one has been sleeping, since before the Catastrophe. It could not have breached the reactor, or known about it."
Lucas strode forwards, gradually closing the distance between himself and the agitated deformed humans and their Golem caretakers.
"It is good that you brought this to my attention. I will speak to the Tengu and determine what penance is due."
Stopping in front of the Palace residents he fixed his eyes on the one person whose Golem had spoke up accusatorily of the Tengu. When he spoke next it was not easy to determine whether he was being reassuring or offering a warning. In truth, it was both.
"Know that my word is law. Those who do not bend to my authority, will be broken before it."
The Tengu makes a buzzing noise, but says nothing.
Houston approaches. -<Judge no one yet, cousin,>- he sends. -<I spoke with our Enginseer prisoner, and she claims a very different xeno is responsible for the reactor. The Tengu are not the villains I had thought, Lucas. They’re a simplistic people, incapable of intrigue.
-<The Enginseer prisoner calls the true culprit a ‘Vampirepriest’, and says it and it’s two ‘Vampirebrute’ minions lord over the Tengu like mad gods.>-
At the sound of Houston's thought-voice he turns his head to look on the older Jaxon. His eyes narrow subtly at the message he passes along from Lamasutu. Lucas' next words are directed to the Tengu, however. It might not understand what was happening, and deserved to know. Better that, than propagate ignorance or confusion.
"They think your people harmed them. Another says that neither Human nor Dead-Within-Life-Beyond was responsible. A third people, Starvampire, did the harm. They use the Dead-Within-Life-Beyond like tools."
There is a brief pause before Lucas shifts his speech, talking to Houston now.
"Starvampires. They are a sub-species of Tlolkku. From what this one has said, the Starvampires may have uplifted their people from animals, or at least a primitive state."
He holds up the core of Lamassutu. -<Ask her yourself.>-
|-My fellow Gnostic Priests have a great many secrets-| Lamassutu sighs. |-The Tlolkku are not the only xenos we have dealt with. When Starvampire came to us, we thought to turn both sides against each, while profiting thereby. We have made...grievous errors, in our pursuit of the eighth depth.-|
Houston was carrying the Enginseer's core around. That must have left her feeling vulnerable and exposed. With so many physical bodies around her able to exert their will on the physical world through physical action. Lucas' eyes moved to the core, but he did not reach to take it from Houston. He listened though, lips pressing together into a thin line when she talked about dealing with the Starvampires. Then trying to play both Xenos against one another. For now, he focused on the matter at hand. Giving Lamassutu the opportunity to correct prior mistakes could come later ... and may be a length process.
"Tell me what you know of the Starvampire operations."
|-The Tengu are their pet project. They cannot reproduce sexually, save in very rare circumstances; only by infecting Tlolkku can new Starvampires normally be created. The Tengu are an attempt at broadening their ranks. But whatever necrokinetic animus keeps Starvampires functioning simply cannot survive outside a Tlolkku body.
|-This Vampirepriest—-Korazzu—-decided he wasn’t ready to give up the experiment, quite yet. He’s been in To-Ki-O since The Catastrophe, and has been responsible for untold misery.
|-He caused the reactor leak to give more corpses for his Tengu ‘herd’. That they’re so-called ‘Immortals’ appeals greatly to Korazzu’s sick twisted sense of humor.-|
The fire scared young man quietly listened to the description painted by Lamassutu. He stared at the Enginseer's core, brow furrowed. Korazzu. Starvampire. Four thousand years old. Maybe more. Quietly he brooded over the pieces of information as they trickles out of Lamassutu, piecing it together with humors he had already heard concerning To-Ki-Oh. Things he had learned about the Starvampires as well. To kill or run the creature and it's ilk off, he still needed to find them.
"Do you have an idea where Korazzu operates out of or what resources he has at his disposal?"
|-Korazzu is not here...technically. He has a Resonance—-a pocket-dimension—-all his own, which he theatrically calls ‘the House of the Fallen Peace’. My fellows and I discovered it’s dimensional frequency, something Korazzu wouldn’t share with us. We planned on betraying Korazzu to the Tlolkku when our use of him is finished.-| A pause. |-I can give you that frequency.-|
The Starvampire had his own personal dimension. Like the infinite city, Jax's own domain, that the Enginseers had wanted to claim. That implied the expansive resources the Starvampire had at his disposal, as well as the extreme technology. If the pocket dimension weren't usurped from the original human creators. He considered negotiating a joint assault on the Starvampire's holdings with the Tlolkku. Lucas doubted they could be trusted not to stab him in the back at a convenient point in the engagement. After a prolonged silence Lucas gave a single nod.
"Please give me the dimensional frequency of Korazzu's House of the Fallen Peace."
Lucas waits, giving Lamassutu time to share the data with him. Then he poses a new question.
"What were the terms of the partnership between the Gnostic Priests and Korazzu?"
Lamassutu transmits the frequency, and Shai’Halal briefly analyzes it. Shai’Halal says, “It is not in my Dimensional Anchor database, but, I believe I can get us there, irregardless.”
Lamassutu says, |-Korazzu promised us limited access to his undeath research, not for our own use, but for minions we would populate the eighth depth with. Korazzu strangely refused to help us access the eighth depths—-indeed, he warned us such a thing was foolish. That was when we deduced we’d betray him. We imagined, perhaps truly, perhaps falsely, that Korazzu would attempt to sabotage our siege on the heavens.-|
The Gnostic Priests wanted to fill Jax's Heavenly Domain with undead. That seemed an odd choice to make. It seemed to Lucas that the Starvampires might be able to control such things from a distance, and thus usurp control from the Gnostic Priests is ever a confrontation arose between them.
"Thank you for this information."
... he finally said, leaving judgement out of his tone. Lucas' eyes then shifted to from the core in Houston's have, to the older man's face.
"Are you able to communicate with the Tengu? I said I would bring this one to it's people. I intend to do that. However, it would be best to do so after this Korazzu no longer has a hold on them. While I am away, this one will need someone who can understand them."
When Nepenthe volunteered to accompany him Lucas was torn. On one had he was fond of volunteers. The willingness to enter dangerous situations or undertake difficult tasks was valuable to him. He also recalled the corruptive effects of Starvampire technology. The potential of Nepenthe succumbing gave him pause. In the end he offered a single nod of acknowledgement.
"You should bring a weapon capable of mimicking the sun's rays. Or at least ultraviolet radiation. Starvampires are vulnerable to it. Bring garlic as well, if there is a source here. Some of their technology is harmed by garlic."
Turning at the hip Lucas half faced the Tengu as he spoke to it.
"Before I bring you to your people I need to free them from the Starvampire. There will be fighting. I will need to use the Fire in the Sky against the Starvampire."
He gives a short pause before motioning to Houston with one black gauntlet clad hand.
"This is one of my family. He is called Houston. Houston will protect you while you wait here. He will also be your voice if you need to speak to other Humans."
