The Worldship Chronicles- Tales of the Jade Tiger
The Stone
Professor
The tiger statue leapt up on the pedestal and
languished in the pool of light before beginning the lecture. The professor was
composed entirely of jade, the dark stripe insets flashing the color of the
storm choked sea, is eyes as bright as its namesake. After a moment, the statue sat up, the motion
drew a gasp from someone in the shadowy over crowded auditorium. We have an art lover in the audience tonight.
From the professor’s position, he found that he could
see over those in the front row and into the tight mass, some were young, that
was good. After a moment, he asked
quietly, “
“The rebirth of All came from
the death of the vast entropic emptiness. Such is the start of all that can be
known. Within this infinite ether, existence has formed like great grapes
clustered across infinity. Some of these spheres are composed of many
dimensions and sub-dimensions; separated by the elemental planes yet all are
permeated by the astral plane and Limbo: all to form a thermodynamic sphere
known more commonly as... a universe. To those within these spheres they are
places of seemingly infinite space, where possibilities abound…”
The audience was quiet as the light glinted off the
statue, “As understood a universe, centiverse, or paraverse,
is a formation of space and time, with natural laws to govern the interaction
of matter and energy. In most instances, the development of a sphere will take
place over uncountable millennia.
Formation will occur once the entire mass has reached its densest point,
been fertilized and has exploded outward. Approximately 200200 millennia
later, the wave front of the explosion reaches stability and the sphere's
fundamental laws will have been set in motion throughout most of the enclosure.
Seedlings of Life usually arise within the sphere by this epoch.
In each case, a sphere has several components: the
foremost is known as the Prime Alchemical Plane. This special dimension acts as
a type of
Within this prime plane flows an encapsulated system
of natural laws: matter, time, space, and energy. This prime plane always
displays an accelerated temporal state. Within it, miniature galaxies develop
and collapse over the course of hours. This plane is the foundation and energy
necessary for a sphere to mature.
Given time, just as a colony of bees creates a queen
with royal honey, an undeveloped sphere will, through a form of
parthenogenesis-a form of natural self-fertilization, manifest what can only be
called, Eldergods, in an effort to seed itself. These beings provide additional
raw material and, more importantly, texture for the newly developing sphere.
Typically these beings originate from small galaxies
that develop at an accelerated pace just outside the Prime Alchemical Plane.
They often come to embody a force in the newly awakening sphere each seeking
out his, her, or its, niche.
From these selected deities will flow much of the new
sphere's nature. For in the brief time in which the Eldergods are free to seek
their own path they learn much and tempt everything. Often molding a sphere
into more than it should be when the time of seeding arrives.
This time of seeding is triggered by the final
collapse of matter and energy, where the miasma accelerates via the temporal
engine of the Prime Alchemical Plane into an immeasurable pace. The Eldergods, now stricken with a craving to
create a Pure Art-or Arts, necessary to steal a sample of what they hold dear
from the Prime Alchemical Plane and embed it into the mounting fury.
When the last sampling is added, the sphere is born,
with a cosmic eruption the permeation of dimensions, variance of beings, and
all manner of Arts: determined by the Eldergods, Chance, and the hand of Fate.
Of course, this process can be accelerated; by an Eldergod invading an unripe sphere and performing the
seeding themselves prematurely, before it occurs naturally.
After the initial excitement of the event, the sphere,
Universe/Centiverse, will take ages to grow. The span of time wreaking havoc on
even the beings created to embody it. Wrenching, grinding, and eventually wearing
down all in what would only be the first few moments of life to the sphere.
This endlessly unfathomable expanse drives even the Eldergods to insanity,
suicide, and in most cases: Stasis. For during the phase of rapid expanse, none
may enter an evolving sphere.”
The professor circled on his tail for a moment in an
attempt to get comfortable before starting in once more. The microphone picked up the sound of his
stone paws scratching the varnish of the stage like sandpaper with each step.
“After ages of eons, the vast wave-front reaches far
enough from its core and the material within (that is to say, all of the time,
space, matter, and energy) separates into individual constituent dimensional
thermodynamic constants: or dimensions.
Each dimension spans the width, breadth, and depth of
the sphere while occupying the same space with all other dimensions. The
interposing of time, matter, space, and energy made possible by the
thermodynamic vibration and the constant of interface. Like tuning a dial, the
various dimensions each vibrate at a particular frequency. With the right
adjustment, the frequency is translated into focus so one may transmit and
receive. This frequency is determined by several thermodynamic vibration
constants. Switch the constant of any faucet of existence: time, space, matter,
energy, or any combination thereof and it will be phazed to a new dimension or
sub-dimension.
This layering is carefully controlled to modulate a
sphere’s energy flow. The number of dimensions and sub-dimensions, as well as
the laws of physics that govern each, is balanced through nature with
astounding resonance. In every sphere, there are sub-dimensions, the astral
planes both minor and prime, as well as the Alchemical Planes as dividers for
each dimension, although they may not be titled as such.
This balance demands two things, synchronization of
time (typically a limbo dimension more fully centered on the movement of time
rather than space); and synchronization of All energies (a dimension in which
energy is drawn from every other dimension and released slowly back
again).
In our Sphere, this dimension is called Shadarkeem. Let the Alchemists squirm over that secret
revealed.
Within each dimension, this setting allows for the
development of: pulsars, quasars, nebula, and galaxies with their constituent
components of stars, planets, life, etc...
Such is the origin of all things…”
The light shifted and the audience applauded quietly,
and as if on queue, someone asked, “But what about the origins of our world?”
“You mean Worldship, don’t you?” There were murmurs about the room; clearly,
the topic was arguable and therefore highly provocative. No one replied, so the jade tiger signaled for
the lights to dip once more.
With a dim smile, the professor said, “I have lived a
long life and the sound of my own voice is not so
pleasing to me as it once was. But if you must know…Yes, we are on a Worldship,
crafted from an ancient planet called Mars; sent on this journey across the
stars to save the seeds of Earth-our long ago destroyed home world. I know… I
was there.” The professor let that bit
of information sink in to the crowd for moment before continuing on with all
the nonchalant grace of his namesake. His statement sparked unspoken
trepidations with all of those present.
The
statue replied to the murmurs after a quick swish of his tail, the action was
heavy with annoyance “Long after the Beginning of which I have just orated
upon, the focus was once more upon the dread dimension of Shadarkeem. In this power-sink, beings able to survive
there would be gods once they were able to reach the other dimensions. One such group did escape to emerge as the
first deities in our centiverse. Fortunately, for us, the better, or more
benevolent, of the trio escaped first.
These are the gods we know as Sa’pell and Aridius, the Father of All and
the God of Hope; in time they were followed by Bi’reel, the lord of pain and
Suffering.”
The crowd tensed at the mention of the dark god, but
the jade tiger continued on undaunted.
“Over time the pantheon of deities grew, with ever the dark lord, and
his servants, seeking a way to supplant and enslave them all. It was during the end of our homeworld’s life that Bi’reel found what he believed would
be another pawn in the endless game, the deranged god of time, Yanak.
Plying the mad god with subtle mystic pressures, and
false conclusions, Bi’reel soon believed he had forged his tool. And Yanak, driven
insane by his insights into the myriad lines of causality, agreed if only to
escape his own personal torture and the obscene attentions of Bi’reel himself.”
The statue stretched; shook his head and following a
few blinks continued. “In Titan, the
city of the gods, Aridius the god of hope and Karma goddess of magic, floated
above the “Pool of all seeing” and conversed about Earth….our homeworld.” “The
pool is a magical device that the gods employ for obvious reasons.” “I believe it was made by Aridius and Sa’pell,
however, on this point I am not certain; what follows is a close excerpt of their
conversation. This dialogue is verbatim, and as far as I know, only myself;
those who receive this lecture and the gods themselves have a record of
it. It’s not much, but it is
important”
The Professor took on a regal pose and straightened to
its full height amidst a slight grinding sound.
It took the crowd by surprise when a feminine voice issued from its
mouth. “Aridius, are you making another world? How many now, sixteen… or
seventeen?
The
statues voice changed dramatically to the masculine, no doubt as exact an
imitation as the first. The tone was
rich and fatherly colored with hundreds of accents. “Seventeen, and no I am not
worldscaping I am looking at one that formed naturally. Some of the natives call it Earth.”
The
Jade Tiger relaxed and resumed his casual manner as if the repeating of the two
sentences were a mantle of empowerment. “It is at this time that Aridius
decided to send his Avatar to the planet after explaining to the goddess that
they were primitive on this world and that his Avatar was more powerful than he
in some ways.”
There
was an interruption; the speaker’s voice was confident. “Are we supposed to
believe that the Avatar is more powerful than the god? With your words you have slain everything
that is precious to us, ridiculed and spoke heresy, Professor”-the speaker
invested the title with heavily loaded sarcasm-“think on that before you
continue with your so-called history!”
The
statue looked out into the crowd and asked, “Alchemist?”
A
spasm of revulsion knotted the old man’s face, “There is deceit and danger in
your every breath. You should have been destroyed long ago instead of being
allowed to teach! Of all the possible blasphemies!”
The alchemist stood and stormed from the auditorium followed closely by several
of his guild.
The
Jade Tiger sat heavily amidst some secret angry mirth, ears flat against its
skull. “Alchemist’s! They dare to claim all science as
their providence-where none shall trespass- and yet it is they who are
responsible for the dark ages that nearly destroyed you all!” It was as if time
suddenly caught up to the statue in an instant like a great sigh. The professor
felt as weak as a starving slave, hardly able to bear his own weight. After a
moment, he straightened and forced himself to continue, blindly groping for the
remains of his tale.
Levelly
dangerously, the jade tiger said, “Any more interruptions?” When the silence
holding everyone in the room did not loosen, the Professor went on: “By Fate’s
Fist any more outbursts of that nature and I think I’ll shatter!” A light
tightened in the tiger’s eyes as he composed himself with a feline scratch,
“The Avatar appeared in the sultry jungles of a continent called
Stiffly
the Jade tiger began to make his way in a circle before settling down. “It was a meeting only attended by the gods
and not the demi-gods or immortals.
The
statue stopped his oratory and lay motionless.
Slowly, torturously, he could see the effect of his words on the
audience. “Ah, my friends, how can I tell you of it? This ancient stone tongue
has no words long enough to describe what followed, so many peoples-so many
worlds!” Unable to contain himself any longer, he heaved to his feet and
continued at a faster pace.
“The
same moment Yanak’s trap was sprung, the first of
hundreds of stars went nova. A gigantic
wave front raging across all known space in every dimension igniting every
stellar mass it came in to contact with…and decimating each one!” The cold chill of so many lives lost swept
through the room. No one was
untouched. A billion-
billion souls were in a single arm of the uncountable galaxies that were
obliterated.
The
jade tiger was satisfied at the response and he continued slowly. “Fortunately,
this disturbance was detected by an alien race known as the Heldrems.” Murmurs went up again; the race was well
known but seldom credited with such a heroic feat.
The
audience dropped silent with a switch of his tail, “At the famous lightyear spanning Arada Space Station. The Heldrems pressed the Galacitc
Order
“This is a galactic emergency…You have one standard
orbit of your star before it will nova.
Please use the information and stardrive plans on this probe…You have
less than one complete orbit of your star to flee your world and survive as a
race. Repeat...this is a galactic
emergency.”
The
Professor took on a sitting pose and continued. “Eventually, the Avatar
addresses the world government and many world leaders request assistance. The avatar warns them that once its plan is
complete that it will be out of power for a long time and unable to defend or advise
them on the dangerous journey. Then he
gives the world a demonstration of his power by linking all of the minds
together for a final speech and a vote from the population of the planet. What
the prayer was or the vote’s outcome is unknown to this day. What is known is that they succeed and we are
here to carry on the ideal of civilization and tell the story.”
The
applause was more than polite. Some
would leave here this night with a deeper sense of history a precious commodity
when it is the truth.
To be continued…