***Tirnanog, Hochberg***
***Astra***
I am fascinated by how you two developed this new ability. All just thanks to observing a wild animal. Maybe we should have you seek out more creatures which use electricity. I believe there is a particular type of lightning bird living on the northern coastline above Clan Vier, My mother comnted while I showed off once more the new plasma technique by creating a small ball of plasma above my palm.
It surely holds a lot of potential, I agree. Second Sight allows us to copy a creatures ability easily enough as long as there is just electricity involved. Though, I find it unlikely to get so lucky a second ti. It was simply an application neither of us had considered.
Mom raises a warning finger before I get too eager about the prospect. Though, I believe we should keep the other thing a secret for as long as possible. The other elders will have to know, but we should keep everyone else out of the loop for as long as possible. Your personal teleport wont do anyone any good at this point except for yourself and transporting information. We will have to see to setting up so secret locations you can use in relative safety.
I nodded. I thought the sa. It will give us an invaluable advantage in case a conflict with the Thich becos unavoidable. At the very least it will even the odds with their communication devices. Magnus was worried about how many they have. Them giving it out to so diplomat on a delaying mission doesnt bode well for us.
Thankfully, we have little need of using you two as ssengers at the mont, Teresa pointed out. Nonetheless, I believe so show of force will be necessary, knowing those Thich brutes. We always had to use so force in our negotiations with them. There is no love lost between our clans, but they at least recognize open warfare isnt in their best interest.
I didnt allow myself to show any sign of disbelief in my mothers statent. Going by what Gaia had revealed to us, an ard conflict might be unavoidable. But trying to convince Teresa of this fact wouldnt change anything at this point.
We entered Gilberts workshop where we found the elder with his team of trusted workers. They were very focused on working on so strange artefact. Only a few spared us the briefest of glances.
Magnus was crawling on top of the large machine which looked like one of Gigers nightmares. At least thats what Magnus had called this particular type of combination between machine and living design when he talked about the Thichs communication device.
If we ever reopened a connection back to Earth, I would have to take a long look at all the things my partner liked to reference so much. Magnus and I had a good thing going, but sotis not even Thalia managed to explain so of his more exotic colloquialisms, which I found quite vexing.
Astra! Magnus called out as soon as he spotted us. What took you so long? We sent for you two hours ago! He slid down from the top of the machine where he had been inspecting sothing.
Yes! Elder Gilbert ca around from the other side of the machine. This is important business! Nothing to be delayed unduly!
Without offence. I forced myself to smile. But while you two have been playing around with this thing Thalia and I spent the afternoon informing the council of elders about the recent events with Clan Hochberg and the incident with the Thich delegation. It was quite exhausting.
Co to think of it, my mother joined in. I think your presence was requested too, Elder Gilbert Kline.
I waved a hand at the machine. So, instead of complaining, you might as well tell us why this is important enough to cut our eting with the council short.
Magnus ca up to and pointed at the machine. Astra! This is a miniature wormhole generator! Taken out of the innards of a worm! And Gilbert mightve gotten it to work!
My mother whistled softly. So this is why you neglected your duties? For once your absence might have a good reason. Will it be as useful as I hope it will be?
Pah! You cant tell my expertise is necessary for inane administrative work! My ti is best spent inside my workshop and not overseeing the failings of others. Gilbert waved a hand dismissively and shrugged.
Teresa didnt deny it. It was a well-known fact that the council ignored Gilberts absence and allowed his wife to take over his duties instead.
The elder craftsman gestured at the artefact. It certainly isnt comparable to the ones Earth has access to. But we might be able to entertain a semi-permanent connection between the fleet and Mount Aerie. My people cant interfere with the control system linking the two generators without the risk of breaking the controls. But even that much would be invaluable. Our fleet is fast, but the possibility of resupplying the flagship instantly cant be ignored.
And we need you to switch it on because there are two control circuits and I cant power them on at the sa ti, Magnus explained. One controls the power generator which is a quite ingenious fusion collider. The other controls the wormhole generator. Problem is, there is so kind of fail-safe detection which powers one control circuit down if it doesnt detect the other at the sa ti.
I frowned. How did you figure out the controls for the core?
He pointed at a tal tub with rocks in it. Gilbert brought so babies. They look like snake-maggots! The creepy thing really didnt like it when we opened it up, but we got what we needed.
I pulled a face, knowing very well what figuring out a creature cores workings entailed. Magnus had tutored on the subject, but so far I managed to leave the exploration of this ability to Gilbert and him. Do I have to shove my hand into a worms guts?
Magnus shook his head. No. I can teach you the stimuli you have to apply to start up the controls. Unless you are willing to have a first-hand experience? Reading the control codes directly out of a creatures guts is certainly faster.
I sighed in relief. Oh, thank the goddess. Dont misunderstand, but I find this particular application of our abilities questionable.
He wagged his eyebrows. You know, the faster we get this baby to work, the faster we can go back to the mountains and have a look at how the eggs are doing.
The eggs!?
By Gaia! The eggs! How could I forget? I am a horrible mother!
I blanched as I looked at the tal tub with the specin inside. Where do I have to shove my hand in?
***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***
***Mary Frost***
Isaac, stay still and allow aunty Kiera to have a look at you, I pleaded with the boy, totally exhausted after days of looking after a hyperactive toddler who was far faster than a child of his age had any right to be.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The scuttling sound of running footsteps zipped past and Isaac disappeared beneath the living rooms table while the doctors fingers grasped the empty air where the child had been just a mont earlier.
Isaac! Kiera called out and searched the room, surprised at the childs disappearance. She sounded just as frustrated as I felt. Co here. You can have so ice cream! Co here little one.
When Isaac didnt co out of his hiding place beneath the table, Kiera turned to . Tell him to stop running away. I need to check how he is doing.
I have been after him the entire morning already, I said, leaning back on the sofa. I am not just tired, I am exhausted. Give a damn break for once.
The last few days had been trying. To say the least. But I could proudly say I had kept calm the entire ti. Except for when disciplinary asures had been unavoidable for Isaacs safety. The colony was as safe as possible in this world, but safe for an adult wasnt the sa as safe for a child who couldnt tell what was dangerous and what was not.
Treemonae were guarding the estates exits, so mildly poisonous plants in the garden, an armoury to sneak in, and likely a hundred other things Isaac had no business ddling with.
I had to be after the boy every waking minute or he would find a way to get himself into trouble. Just yesterday, he had sohow managed to sneak into the estates molerat pens.
And while the animals werent particularly dangerous to enhanced adults, I was sure they wouldnt say no to snacking on a toddler. Thankfully, Isaac was fast enough to avoid the molerats. His presence in the pens had nonetheless caused a minor riot among the estates staff.
Since then, I had him strictly confined to Astras quarters and the staff was inford to keep the doors closed at all tis.
I ran a hand over my forehead, hoping the people I had tasked with finding a suitable nanny would co back with positive news. Though, I acknowledged the complications with the special proficiencies such a person needed. The clan didnt have a lot of people who made it their profession to look after kids in the first place.
Finding soone experienced with kids who was also trustworthy and loyal wasnt the real problem, but taking care of Isaac required the abilities of a speedster. A very good speedster, judging by how lost Kiera was with the boy.
Soone like Kiera couldnt even touch Isaac if the boy wasnt in the mood to listen. She couldnt look after the kid even if she wanted to.
Do it again! Kiera commanded. You are the only one he listens to sotis!
She finally spotted the boy beneath the table and decided to even the odds by closing the door to the living room.
I rolled my eyes and employed one of the darker educational thods I had access to. Isaac Frost! Get here, right now, or the next al will be stew!
A sound of disgust ca from beneath the table and Isaac crawled out in a defeated manner, complaining with the limited vocabulary he had already picked up. No stew!
Then stay still while aunty Kiera has a look at you. You can play catch with her later. I took the toddler and pulled him onto my knee.
To make sure he wouldnt run off again, I held him at the fluff of filants which began growing along his neck. Then I asked the doctor, Are you sure his developnt is normal?
I placed one of the puzzle toys in Isaacs hands to occupy him, so he wouldnt fidget around while the doctor was checking him over. Judging by the way the child was behaving one might think holding still for even a minute was torture for him.
When two mutated humans had a child, the offspring received a random set of mutations from his parents, amounting to what an unpaired person could hold without risk. From what we figured out so far, Isaac had inherited his parents speed, as well as the filants and so ntal enhancents. The starfish mutation was also a given, which was likely the source of our current troubles and his quick developnt.
He hadnt displayed any other abilities so far, but I dreaded what would happen if the boy would begin to play with lightning.
I wasnt willing to test him for other potential mutations. Poisoning a child or trying to drown him was too extre for my tastes to confirm the only two mutations which could easily be tested for.
The rest would have to wait until Isaacs vocabulary grew enough to make himself understood with more complex topics.
You are asking impossible questions. Kiera stepped up and placed a hand on the childs chest while closing her eyes. Can anyone be sure with a new type of post sapiens? Isaac is the product of a union of mutations which I havent encountered before.
I sighed, still worried about Isaacs developnt, but at least it looked like he was as human as could be reasonably expected. That took at least one worry off my shoulders.
He is just learning so fast, I pointed out. It has been just a few days. Will he keep growing at this rate forever?
When Isaac hatched, he barely looked like a normal child. He was more like a gangly, slightly creepy baby a bit too large and developed for the baby fat displayed on his cheeks. But after so cleaning up and a few healthy als, Isaac was now more like a toddler. A very sturdy, muscular toddler too fast and mobile for his own good.
I dont think so. From what I gathered over the last few days, his physical growth seems to be linked to his nutrient intake. A phenonon we have already observed with other children inheriting a starfish mutation. We should be able to manage this aspect of his developnt well enough. As for his ntal growth, that is another matter.
She humd. His parents were very vague on the true nature of their ntal abilities, but it is safe to assu Isaac inherited so ntal improvents as well, which is why he can already communicate at this age. I wouldnt worry about it too much right now. The only thing I am unsure of is how we should handle the matching of his ntal and physical growth. I never had to face a situation such as this one. Its a moral conundrum. Should we try to slow his growth? Match his physical maturing with his ntal developnt? My gut instincts tell allowing him to grow up too quickly would do him a disfavour. I can only speak to the dical aspect. Not how we can ensure he would beco a functioning mber of our society.
I didnt believe it to be that complicated. There was a thing called life experience which everyone had to gather in order to grow. No matter whether the child was considered normal or a prodigy.
Kiera opened her eyes and let go of Isaac. Thanks, Isaac. You can run and play now.
I set the boy down and he zipped over to his other toys, a set of wooden building blocks. How do you explain him calling for his mom right from the mont he hatched? Or that! I pointed at the castle which was rapidly taking shape beneath Isaacs blurring hands.
Children at his developnt stage liked to topple things over and it was no different with the boy. Only, he also built the castle before he toppled it. And it was by no ans a simple one. It had watchtowers and balustrades everything one would expect of a dieval castle.
This wasnt sothing the child could possibly know about, having spent his entire life up until now within the familys underground estate.
Kiera studied Isaacs beginning siege battle as the now-finished castle was bombarded by an improvised catapult. Isaac had commandeered a spoon from his breakfast and fashioned it with other wooden blocks and rubber bands into a functioning siege toy.
She shrugged. Genetic mory most likely. We have records of it happening with the parents having a mindflayer mutation.
Our discussion was interrupted when the door opened and Teresa entered the room together with Astra.
What? I asked, surprised by their sudden appearance. Werent they supposed to be in Hochberg? Did the fleet turn around?
The two of them were followed closely by Magnus and Etan.
Teresa surveyed the room until her gaze stayed stuck on Isaac who had only eyes for Astra. I see there have been developnts on your end too.
Mom!
The boy rushed forward until he slamd into Astras shin where he stayed stuck while rubbing his cheek against her knee and hugging her leg like sothing he had been deprived of all his life.
The young mother was frozen in shock for a whole two seconds before she slowly raised her foot with Isaac having no trouble holding onto it. Who is this?
I got to my feet and walked over to Astra, careful not to step on any of Isaacs toys and not to trip over the castle. Then I gestured at the boy and introduced the two of them. Astra, this is Isaac, your son. Isaac, you already figured out this is Astra, your mother. And that gentleman over there is Magnus, your father.
You nad my son Isaac!? Astra asked, sounding slightly outraged. Who gave you...
I glared at her, daring her to make a scene. It wasnt like she had left with the intended nas for her eggs.
She bit her tongue upon rembering who I was and swallowed whatever she wanted to say. Isaac is a good na. Thank you for choosing it.
Astra bent down and picked Isaac up. For the first ti since I knew the boy, he seed content with staying silent and still while he simply enjoyed the hug of a true parent.
What about the other two? Magnus asked.
His two sisters are still developing, Kiera inford them. They dont seem to have the starfish mutation which made Isaac grow far faster and hatch earlier.
If you excuse . I shooed them out of the way with a gesture. I will go and sleep now. Tomorrow, you can update on how you got here.
I was kind of leaving them hanging and running away, but I had agreed to look after three eggs. Presumably, a fairly easy and relaxing affair not considering the assassins. Isaac hadnt been a part of the deal.
Leaving quickly, I fled Astras quarters and went to my private section of the estate where I locked all the doors behind and went to bed imdiately.
Never again. Ive reared enough children for two lifetis.
As soon as my cheek touched the bedsheets, I was out like a light.
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