There was a strange balance to be had at Aveksen’s level of power. Was he really capable of properly balancing his own capabilities against the risks he took? Was it right to put a hundred individuals at risk for the sake of capturing one enemy?
Could he justify not doing it? That would an the stagnation of the hivemind. Of course, soone else might be inclined to solve the problem on their own, just like he was attempting. He couldn’t bet on that, however. There was a lot of fear among the hivemind, fear that should not exist. Fear of each other, even though it should have been the opposite.
They should have been comfortable and secure in their unity. That was what Aveksen hated the most, and why he had to act. Regardless of whatever doubts he had, he was already committed to a particular direction. He refused to waste the good will of Bear Hug… and also the efforts of a Domination cultivator. He had too much respect for Velvet, and she’d been fulfilling her part of things.
She’d actually managed to get copies of various stages of the technique training. Aveksen was more confident that he had a thod to counter it- though the actual counter might take care of itself. He did have to spend so ti training different techniques- illusory techniques- with Velvet herself. Otherwise, he couldn’t fool the hivemind.
He moved forward with trepidation. He finally had a small group advancing to the final step where they would be connected to the greater hivemind. That was where the greatest risks ca in. However, he still had support. Not of everyone, but a few individuals who trusted him- and shouldn’t that be enough?
The group was gathered into a complex arrangent around Aveksen. They only had a fraction of the normal numbers, so there was a vast quantity of extra space around them. However, physical presence was unimportant. Instead, he needed ntal connection.
The process only took a few monts. The hivemind was ready and willing to accept more- it had been done countless tis over their existence. Counting expertise from the lower realms, they had many centuries.
A sweeping feeling of welco. Aveksen felt so appreciated. Even if he wasn’t the one being welcod, countless voices were joined together at once. He tensed and… nothing happened. No assault. Hadn’t there been an enemy among them? No, how could that be. He wouldn’t have gone forward with it. The previous disaster didn’t happen again. Others had been successfully recruiting small groups for so ti.
Aveksen was at peace. Then, three months later, he introduced a second group to the greater hivemind. He relished the welcoming, the sharing of knowledge, the unity that he hadn’t felt enough of as of late. It was a great comfort.
His tension faded as once again there was no issue. Those days should be behind them.
Then the attack ca. One month after the second group, it happened all at once, while he was asleep. He felt it all too suddenly, an injection of chaos and death. That led directly to recalling the mories of prior disaster, ships veering off course as their pilots fell unconscious. Hand slipping in vital surgery- the kinds that couldn't be left to automation. Fighters stumbling in friendly spars, only to find themselves or their foes injured as energy went wild.
Aveksen clutched his chest as he tried to fight back. He felt the echoes off of the vast hivemind. This ti was going to be much worse. His plan had failed. He was a fool. How had he not noticed the infiltrations? Wasn’t there…
Aveksen was stabbed directly in the spine. Except, the blade didn’t touch him. It rely slashed all around his head… and the fog cleared. Two hundred individuals in two groups. The feedback wasn’t even the tiniest fraction of what happened with the greater hivemind. He sprang into action, displaying his technique to the ninety-nine while the remaining one was rapidly overwheld- while at the sa ti finding themself underwheld about their actual technique.
“You got it?” Velvet asked. “Need to take anyone out?”
Aveksen shook his head. Now that his self imposed illusions were dispersed, he was operating at full capacity once more. With the infiltrators not finding the results they expected, they were flabbergasted. Taking out two cultivators was simple. They were captured in re monts, as mbers of the small hiveminds converged on them… and then rejected them from the hivemind as their physical forms were overwheld.
The mont of confusion faded as quickly as Aveksen’s own. Those who remained were all aware of his plot, as he revealed it to them. Their doubts were quickly dispersed. So were upset, with legitimate force behind their grievances, but Aveksen accepted their smoldering anger.
They would forgive him. It was hard to argue with results. They had eagerly sought out the hivemind, and though they were delayed a few months it wouldn’t affect their greater cycle of life. Besides, they would be compensated appropriately for the deception.
Velvet had known all along which were the traitors. Even Aveksen was inford, which was why he had self imposed illusions that made him forget. It was a risk, he understood, but the risks had been understood before they began. The reason they actually let the attack happened was simple- they needed to know that it could be countered, and to confirm so of their suspicions.
The feedback was vaguely logarithmic. In a group of one hundred, their fears and doubts struck out at each other causing true unpleasantness… but not to the point it would incapacitate people or kill them. Not even close. Ten thousand would be several tis as powerful. A hundred million would be several tis more. Ten quadrillion- the sorts of numbers that required nurous dense systems- another factor still. Thus it was that the actual effect was multiple orders of magnitude lesser.
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The two captured individuals- along with a number of others who had been carefully removed from the joining before that step but still taken into custody- still shared no prominent factors, except perhaps having practiced a particular technique. However, they were alive this ti, not having been crushed by the feedback of their own techniques. That ant they could be interrogated.
That wasn’t Aveksen’s job. Nor was he responsible for previous background probes- not that he would have been successful enough to find the threads they needed even if he put in all his effort.
He got to relax while Velvet did most of the work. The only exception was that Bear Hug spoke to so of them as well. Positive interactions sotis produced results.
“Most of them don’t want to be friends,” Bear Hug complained. “I an, I know they tried to kill a bunch of people and stuff. But Briar tried to eat , so it’s not that different. They’re pretty stubborn. I don’t think I can break down their will fast enough. Though there is this one woman here.”
“Her testimony aligns with others who were less cooperative,” Velvet comnted.
The woman inclined her head. “Greetings, sir. I am Edith.”
“I am aware,” Aveksen reminded her. “I don’t forget the nas of those I watch over unless the mory is burned from my mind.” Edith had been one of those that was removed prior to completion of the joining. Velvet had gotten the impression that she was misled- perhaps more than others, or perhaps she was just better at realizing it. “You may still call Aveksen, if you are true with your intentions.”
“Very well, Aveksen,” she said. “I was promised… power beyond my imagining. It should have tipped off that sothing was wrong. I… thought I was better than that.”
“I think she was!” Bear Hug comnted.
Velvet nodded. “I am inclined to agree, actually. She was under so asure of ntal influence. I have removed any active effects, but any long-term effects on her mory aren’t sothing I can just cut away.”
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you much,” Edith comnted. “I… I don’t rember who told . I barely rember where I ca from, or who I was before this. I think… the Trigold Cluster?”
“Not the Exalted Quadrant?” Aveksen asked. “I was inclined to believe it was a local conflict. And your cultivation thod…”
She shook her head. “This isn’t it. I was offered a new one, along with techniques. I-” she grimaced. “I can’t rember, precisely.” She looked over at Velvet. “Are you certain you can’t do anything?”
“I can’t,” Velvet said. “We might be able to do sothing for you, though.” She was quite capable of cutting away active effects with her voidsteel dagger, but brain damage or ntal blocks not maintained by energy were a different question. The Scarlet Alliance did have research into such areas. Nothing was ever perfect- sotis things were just gone- but they had sufficient capabilities to have so results. “As long as you promise to share what you recall, we will give you the best treatnts we have.”
Normally, they wouldn’t have given such effort even to a converted foe. However, the information she might hold was extrely important to the Alliance. A large section of territory was at risk. Aveksen’s success was key, however. There were cultivators that could absolutely be trusted among the hivemind. The vast majority would be trustworthy even, but original mbers could be completely cleared of any doubt. Likely those beyond a certain seniority as well, but Aveksen would start with just a few.
Keeping his etings from the greater hivemind might not be necessary, but if there were any infiltrators left they needed older and more powerful cultivators apprised of what might happen. Edith’s information might also help.
“That technique you have is tainted,” Aveksen comnted.
“I… presud so,” Edith agreed. “I never got the chance to use it, but when my mind cleared a little… it wouldn’t make sense. It was supposed to give dominance over the hivemind? At my cultivation? Or even a small portion of it? It makes no sense. I… would like to think that I wouldn’t normally have fallen for such grand promises. But I can’t be certain right now.”
“It was supposed to kill you so that you couldn’t reveal any information,” Aveksen said. “That ans you should be capable of rembering sothing. We will guide you through that process. After that… we will assess the situation.”
“I’m truly sorry for what I might have done,” Edith said. “I wouldn’t…”
Aveksen knew such ntal manipulation couldn’t be done without so core of desire- but that didn’t an she would have actually taken such actions on her own. There was so level of manipulation a cultivator was still responsible for their own actions. The others might technically be the sa, but they were still uncooperative. That spoke to a certain sort of character that they had developed beforehand.
Ultimately, the Scarlet Alliance didn’t have infinite resources nor infinite patience. Those who were cooperative early would be far more favored when it ca down to the end. The consequences for those who were more stubbornly unhelpful would take so ti to decide. The hivemind would have much influence over it. Aveksen would have to consider his personal opinion on the rest, but Edith felt quite sincere. Repeated personal interactions would be necessary to make sure, but she might just want to have her mories restored and then be shipped off to sowhere tolerable where she could cultivate alone in peace.
The threat was not over yet, not by a long shot. The hivemind would still have to be more than careful about recruitnt. However, they now had so tools to fight back. Even if it was only small scale, the counter technique that Aveksen had developed seed to do sothing. Bringing in Augntation cultivators with greater experience, they could certainly develop a better version that could be widely distributed. Or perhaps they would co up with so way to discern who was involved from the various individuals that had been captured. No doubt there were more hiding among the populace- but how long would their ntal manipulations hold?
If the hivemind just had to endure for a decade or two, they could handle that. Alternatively, their foe might continue to send new troublemakers with better techniques far into the future. That was sothing they were going to have to figure out.
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