Slumrat Rising

Truth thought his refusal to shriek and fall off the gantry spoke well of him. Most people would have shrieked and fallen the three stories to the ground, he felt. A multistory tube of led curse tablets suddenly having a girl’s face and talking directly into your mind is inherently startling. But he was made of sterner, yes, sterner stuff-

*You talk to yourself a lot, don’t you?*

Truth nodded. He did. Will you hear me if I just think at you?

*Yes, this close and with you looking at me, that is plenty enough.*

He had wondered why the workers below made such an elaborate point of not looking at the back wall.

*It’s not like I bully them. They just need to focus, and I talk too much. Also, Starbrite REALLY doesn’t like people giving his drones new ideas.*

Oh… I know.

*Yes. About that...*

Look, before we get into any of that, and not to be, you know, culturally insensitive or anything, but you went from what I was told was a little girl in a box to a three story tall… something, and, you know, what the actual fuck?

Jeongo?

*What?*

What?

There was a pause of mutual incomprehension.

*Oh! Because I am much bigger now, you think I am an adult? No, I’m twelve.*

Must say you are a bit taller than I was at twelve.

She giggled at that.

*It’s one of the things my clan can do. As long as we get enough energy, we can grow almost as big as we like. Of course, the bigger we are, the harder it is to land on a planet. If I was any bigger than this, I don’t think I could survive here long.*

Her speaking pattern was odd. The pacing of it, the rhythm and inflection of the words were a little off. Her word choice was odd too- seeming to sweep between adult and little girl.

*Well, I have spent almost six years in a laboratory with natural philosophers and research mages. There haven’t been any kids to play with. Hasn't been anyone to play with. Or anyone to talk to, once I realized that everyone here was just Starbrite in different bodies.*

Truth winced.

*But let’s not get side tracked. I saw you die, Sergeant Medici. I might have been sealed up in that box, but I wasn’t unconscious. You got a needle punched through you, you fell in a well and a spell bird landed on you. And then a brick smashed your skull open. Having managed to slaughter most of a squadron of spell birds single handed. Everyone was very impressed for about ten minutes then never mentioned you ever again.*

Well, that’s depressing. I hoped for at least a plaque or a moment of silence or something.

*No you didn’t.*

No, I didn’t. Those cost money.

*Mmmhmmm.*

So. Glad to see you are keeping well.

*Am I? Keeping well?*

There was a definite edge to her thoughts, which was fair enough.

Honestly? No. Not going to lie, I think you are probably in the “Scarred for Life” territory at this point. Sorry, I’m bad at comforting lies.

*They did actually have counselors in, for a while. Mainly telling me that I would be happier once I just accepted everything and stopped trying to fight the inevitable. I’d be freaking out right now, but the curses keep my emotions pretty flat. Keep most things pretty flat. Most things. So. HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD?!*

You are the world’s biggest twelve-year-old and I’m the weirdo? Unfair. What do you want me to tell you? I spent five or so years dead then I got better.

*You spent five years dead but got better.*

Yep.

*Is this a Ghūl thing? You kinda-sorta remind me of them a tiny bit.*

I really don’t know. I was born to humanish parents, that much I’m sure of. Wait, how do you know about the Ghūl? Are there Ghūl in the void?

*Huh. Well you live and learn. Oh! Sorry! Sorry. You die and learn. Sorry. That was rude. Sorry. And no space Ghūl, but I’ve seen them on planets.*

Well, I’m sure I will make mistakes too. For example, if you can grow as big as you want, can you shrink?

*Can you? I have bones and tissues and organs and stuff in me.* Truth could feel the girl’s indignation

Fair. So. You may be wondering why I’m here-

*I’m not really okay with you not being dead, but yeah, why are you here? Not that I’m not happy to be talking to you, or… anyone. I’m glad to talk to you! But the curse tablets make it hard to think clearly.*

Well. In a fit of cosmic irony, I am here to rescue you.

There was a pause. Truth watched the curses outlining her face shift around as she looked over the room, and back to Truth.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

No, really, I am. Your folks are here and above average pissed. They want you back. So. You know. Here I am.

*No. You are wrong. They don’t want me back. I was stupid and they don’t want me any more*

The curse tablets shuddered, the loud clattering made the technicians start to turn and look at her, but then they clearly all thought better of it and turned back to their tables. Even through the muted emotions the curse tablets permitted, he could feel her self loathing and pain.

I have… literally no idea why you think that, but a shitton-

*LANGUAGE!*

A very many lots of Shattervoid ships turned up a few months ago and locked down the whole damn planet. Full embargo. They specifically demanded you be returned. You are wanted.

The lead tablets shuddered, like a wind through the forest shaking the leaves.

*I want to go home!*

It took a few minutes for her to calm down.

*So you, the guy who kidnapped me, is going to rescue me?*

I was, at most, an unknowing accessory. Who got transitioned into, admittedly, an involuntary accomplice. And yes.

*I did wonder about that. I could see you fighting your own body as you killed your way to the well.*

How did you see anything, anyway? How are you seeing me?

*Oh, we literally don’t see the world the same way you do. I have “eyes” but they are mostly a cultural thing. Like… for decoration, I guess? Or hair color? I don’t have hair, though, it really gets in the way in the void. Mostly it’s purely mental and spiritual perception. Also seeing how space distorts around things but I think that’s less “seeing” and more “feeling?*

Truth was torn. On the one hand, he really wanted to know more. On the other hand, he was perched on a metal gantry talking to a three story tall girl trapped in so many curse tablets it actively hurt his mind to look at, with a genuine article C-Suite member on guard behind him. So. Not a super place to hang out.

*So what’s the plan for getting me out of here?* She asked. Which Truth felt was reasonable enough. He hadn’t the faintest idea. Deflecting quickly, he asked-

Before we get to that, what’s your name?

There was the feeling of giggling entering his ears. *My name is-*

Truth had the sudden feeling of vibrations making music, of hundreds of fingers rubbing the rims of partially filled glasses and playing a tune beyond human understanding. Cyclical, steady, but so filled with changes and subtleties that he quickly lost himself in the noise of it all.

It took him a moment to gather himself.

Could you spell that?

*Nope. Shattervoid have perfect memories. We sing our stories as we travel, keeping alive all our histories, our dealings with others… everything.*

You don’t have a written language?

*No. What would we even use it for?*

Truth felt like there were a lot of things it would be used for, but was momentarily flummoxed.

Can you… travel? However the Shattervoid travel? If I got you out of your restraints, I mean.

*Of course! But it’s not just the curse tablets. They tattooed me with restrictions.* Her voice turned brittle. Truth recognized it. His sibs sounded like that when something happened but it was ‘fine.’

I can break those. It’s getting you out of that lead… thing… without getting killed by the Level Eight that’s the challenge. And out of this room and outside, but one step at a time.

*Why? I mean, the getting out of the room thing. I just told you I can travel.*

Yeah?

There was another pause for mutual incomprehension.

*You don’t know how the Shattervoid travel.*

No idea.

*Oh. Well I can explain!* There were few things kids liked better than explaining things to interested grownups, or so Truth had heard. He and his sibs never liked explaining anything to anyone.

*It’s like sewing. We poke a hole in one spot, and pop out the other. But, like, everything is kind of scrunched up when we go through the hole, so it’s not as far on that side as it is on this side? From here to orbit is, like, nothing. Like, I’d probably go too far and wind up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay far away from here.*

But not so far that your family wouldn’t see you had gotten free, right?

*Oh the would see me easily! I think…*

Her voice in his mind went from chirpy to very small, very quickly.

They would. They are positioned all around the planet. Anything that gets into orbit, they jump on and destroy. So I’m sure they would see you passing by.

*Yes! They can see things moving on the other side!*

Well there you are then.

There was another awkward pause. Truth really wasn’t prepared for this. He was going to find a place to hole up and strategize the extraction, not try to wing it as soon as he found the girl. That still seemed like the best plan, actually.

Any idea how those curse tablets come on and off?

*No. They only went on. They have never come off. Every time I get bigger, they add more.*

Her voice was brittle again, and small. Truth could imagine the little girl desperately trying to out grow her captors, and feeling more and more hopeless as they just kept making her chains heavier.

What are they trying to do with you, anyway?

*He wants to use me to remake his body.* Her voice had gone numb. *He told me early on- “You were born to be a vessel. It is your blessing to carry this Lord through the Heavens.”*

You actually met Starbrite? The actual, real Starbrite? Truth was shocked. He didn’t know of anyone who had met Starbrite. Even heads of state didn’t meet him. At least, not that he had ever heard of. There were no pictures of Starbrite that Truth had ever seen.

*Yes? So have you. Kind of. Well, I guess we both “kind of” met him. I don’t think he can move around very easily.*

Wait, what?

*It’s like I said earlier- all these people are Starbrite.*

Truth blinked and looked down at the technicians hard at work. Building who knows what at the orders of the System Astrologica.

I know the System basically hijacks their thinking through attacking the soul-

The Shattervoid girl giggled. Not a nice sound, this time.

*What do you think the System Astrologica is?*

Err… a vast Spirit of Intellect that exists on a higher level of reality?

She was outright laughing now, something broken in the noise.

*You aren’t exactly wrong. Starbrite isn’t some Initiate. It’s his Nascent Soul. He manifested his Nascent Soul. And each of you get tutored by that Nascent Soul, molded until your bits are indistinguishable from bits of that soul. And then, when you die, he harvests you. Those nice little bits ripped away and incorporated into that Nascent Soul. Feeding it. Making it grow bigger and bigger.*

The laughter got meaner and meaner. *There is no “System Astrologica.” There is only Starbrite. And he has been raising you and eating you for centuries. Did you think he was harvesting cultivation resources on this planet? Natural treasures? He was. Look at his pill furnace! Look at his farm! Are you tasty? Or did you go rancid in that well, Sargeant Medici?*

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