Microstory 712: A Jaded Man Made Curious

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The discovery the Book of Anseluka was not the happiest time in our galaxy’s history. We had gathered so many more followers of the Light than we had ever had before, that it was a particularly nasty blow when we learned our faith would have to change. Had the revelation that we would one day have to retire the Book of Light come sooner, it might not have been so bad for our interstellar economy. But with nearly everyone now on board, it was just too much. Fortunately for these people—new followers, and old loyalists, alike—their luck would soon change. A quantum field known as the Force of Hope began affecting everyone, on every planet, nearly simultaneously. We grew more optimistic, possibly even more so than we were before the war against Thuriama started. This caused a reaffirmation of our obligation and dedication to spreading the Light of Truth across the universe. We were more determined to win the Light Wars, and we were more capable of it. There was one, however, who somehow never experienced this reinvigoration. Luvras Seldasic has maintained his faith in the Light throughout his tenure as the Loctener, just as he has his entire life. The Force of Hope, however, never managed to shine the soul within him. His closest officials have described him as numb, or on a sort of automatic pilot mode. He would do as he was asked by the resurrected Sotiren, and he always acted upon the needs of Fosteans and Lightseers, but he had no passion. One might even say that he had become jaded. Luckily for him, this would not last forever. As predicted by Anseluka, the Force of Hope suddenly awakened inside of him, like a light switch being flipped. One moment, he was his usual hardened and immovable self, and then the next, his heart was filled with wonder and curiosity. With no provocation, he started singing in the Great Hall of the Magnus Building on Haplen. He looked at everything around him with renewed interest, as if he hadn’t ever seen an object before. Doctors would call this phenomenon jamais vu, but we know it as something else: the fulfillment of a taikon. Now we have a true Loctener, and nothing will stop us from salvation.

Microstory 711: New Faction Martyred

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We are nearing the end of these one hundred and twenty-one taikon, and the Fostean galaxy is in a monumentally different place now than it was when these first started. We thought we had it all figured out. We had hundreds of years to perfect our economy and sociopolitical culture, so surely nothing could be better than what we had come up with. But this was foolish, for our predecessors in the Lactean galaxy had several times that many years to perfect their own way of life, and they still managed to get it wrong. But maybe they were onto something here. Maybe there are some things they can teach us, just like there is much we can teach them. Far from the leaders that once ruled our civilizations, there are those who feel this to be the truth. They are already in discussions with the Core, hoping to form some sort of amicable relationship. Lacteans have expressed a willingness to trade resources, while at the same time providing military strength against our common enemy in the Thuriamen. Throughout these changes, a faction of Lightseers have begun adopting new rituals and practices. It is still a form of Lightseed, to be sure, but they are more passionately in favor of the new taikon discovered in the Book of Anseluka. They value predominantly a community-oriented economy, believing that everyone has their own contribution to make, and that no man is more important than any other. They help each other hone their natural skills, and find their place in the universe, rather than simply encouraging each member to find their own way. The majority of those on the outside of this new faction are accepting of them, and willing to let them carry on in peace. Others, however, feel differently. They are staunch traditionalists, believing the Sacred Savior’s original words in the Book of Light to be flawless. This despite the fact that Sotiren Zahir admits within the text of the Book of Light that if change is necessary, it should not be resisted. These conservatives felt their ideals were being threatened by the presence of a rival faction, even though sects are no longer considered in competition. They misinterpreted the text of the new taikon, thinking they were the foretold martyrs of their faith. They struck first, massacring the majority of the community-based faction, which actually acted to martyr them instead. The attackers’ faction was immediately disbanded, with all violent members being sent to jail to await judgment, and likely incarceration. A memorial to the progressive martyrs is planned for construction on Lakre, not too far from the memorial already being erected in remembrance of those lost in the Hydra Support Network.

Microstory 693: Quantum Darkness Survives and Spreads

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When the quantum darkness first plagued our galaxy, shrouding the stars like giant cosmic blackout curtains, we were horrified. We were ecstatic when it was somehow destroyed in only one day. The Book of Light never said that it would be destroyed completely that quickly, but it also never said exactly what it would look like in between the first time we were to be saved by it, and its final death. It certainly never said that it would travel to other galaxies to cover their stars as well. When this happened, we were afraid for the Earthan humans, who are too primitive at this point in their history to explain such a thing. Luckily, Earth is also incapable of detecting objects, communicating, or traveling using faster-than-light methods. They have given their closest neighbor the name of Proxima, and are currently only hopeful to one day reach it. At best, according to their calculations, this couldn’t happen any sooner than just over four of their years (closer to three and a half standard years). This means they have no idea that all stars in their galaxy of Lactea are presently invisible. They won’t know for another four years that anything is wrong, and it’ll be even longer before enough of their stars blink out for them to start seeing a trend. This doesn’t mean that we have that long to figure out how to stop the darkness, but it does give us a little breathing room. Many scientists have set aside their projects in order to research this catastrophe, and find a way to turn the stars back on. They also need to find some means of creating a massive illusion so that, when the last remaining Proxima light reaches the Earthans, they perceive no change. We don’t know how long this will take, but even with all this darkness, one thing is becoming clear: the taikon are going to take much longer than our past experiences with them have led us to believe.

Microstory 692: Discover Perjury

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While a small group of Fosteans were investigating the Amadesin threat from Earth, and the elites were discussing what we were going to do about it, the rest of the people in the galaxy were going about their day. In a sort of mundane, but still important, taikon prediction, we were charged with uncovering the truth about a court case. We had to find a witness, in apparently any Circuit of Truth, who had perjured themselves. These kind of incidents happen all the time in a galaxy of hundreds of billions of people. Though lying is not at all illegal, if discovered, it can delegitimize the ruling of a court case, so it’s important that they be found. For the last few days, lawyers, judges, and other impacted field representatives were searching for a case of perjury that might be worthy of being deemed the one foretold in the Book of Light. As the prior taikon were being rapidly realized, it was decided by the Highlightseers that they really just needed to accept whichever one came next. To this end, a group of arbitrators settled on a relatively recent case involving the theft, abduction, murder, and arson. A witness provided testimony claiming to have spotted one of the defendants purchasing the necessary fire accelerants and equipment at a supply shop located on the moon orbiting the planet where the offense took place. Though this defendant was proven to have participated in the other three offenses in question, the circuit had no choice but to free him from sentence of servitude, and return him to general society. Verifiers were unsure if this could be trusted as the true fulfillment of the ninety-second taikon, but before the were able to test it using the Ring of Law, they found their proof. As soon as bars of the released convict’s pending cell closed behind him, the stars in Fostea succumbed to the quantum darkness for a second time. But that was the least of our worries, for the darkness had secretly spread to other galaxies, moving completely undetected. Out of all stars in the Lactean galaxy, only Earth’s was spared this new quantum darkness, but that wouldn’t last. If we did not find a way to destroy this once and for all, every star in the Earthan sky would disappear with no explanation.

Microstory 691: Replace Eido Kimena

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The Saw of Kimena was little more than a symbol. Sure, Eido Kimena occasionally used it as a weapon, or as a tool for threats, but it did not possess any special properties. Some believe that Kimena kept it with her after noticing the other eidos carrying with them signature objects. As stated, she was the primary driving force in favor of seizing control of the sunken island of Atlantis, and ended up losing her saw there. One member of the group of mercenaries who went in to retrieve it was a man named Harvin Adricks, who was likely trying to prove himself worthy of being selected as the new eido. He’s not unlike Kimena, with a thirst for conquest, and a temper to match it. He was, shall we say, rather zealous while within the confines of the undersea civilization, and started breaking protocol to gain intelligence. Though against the mission, he was an unofficial leader in the merc team, trusted and loved by many of his teammates. He was able to convince them to try to gather information on how Atlantis operates, in case Fostea runs into issues with them later. They learned very little about the island nation, however, for in the attempt, they discovered a secret the Atlantians had only recently discovered themselves. Lactean representatives had been sent to Earth in a series of missions, ultimately finding out that the ancient Amadesins were still alive. Amadesis is an evil religion predicated upon control, servitude, and pure inequality. Though both Amadesis and Lightseed are founded on the concept of a cleansing light, the Amadesins use this light as a form of manipulation, determining who has the right to it, and who deserves to remain in darkness. If anything is the antithesis of Lightseed, Amadesis is most certainly it, and we would have been fiercely against them if we had existed during the same time periods. Well, as it turns out, that’s exactly what we are, for despite reports they the religion died out centuries ago, millions of them have been reported to be living in higher dimensions that can be accessed by Earth. Adricks was hastily named as new eido so that he could begin using his skills for what may be the greatest fight of any Lightseer’s life. All signs point to the logical speculation that Fostea is headed for intergalactic war.

Microstory 690: Sneak Into Atlantis

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Millennia before our ancestors arrived at their waypoint, Earth, our ancestors’ ancestors came first. The first of them were sent there in an ancient science experiment that went wrong, but they would not be the only ones. Over the years, more of them arrived, along with people from more distant planets. Meanwhile, the outsider population continued their species, and grew on their own. Even after recreating the technology to return to their homeworlds, many chose not to, because Earth was now their home. There is a literally universal mandate that states no non-Earthan may interfere with an Earthan. Lactea has had a history of disparate cultures encountering each other, and sharing their knowledge. This is not allowed when it comes to the Earthan humans, and as much as we detest the galaxy of Lactea’s way of life, it is a rule that we respect as well. We found temporary ways of protecting our presence on Earth from its natives, but our predecessors came up with a more permanent solution. They sunk the island they had settled on into the sea, keeping the waters at bay using telekinesis. Though rumors of their conspiracy remain, people on modern day Earth typically believe either that these Atlantians have died out, or simply never existed in the first place. When our people showed up on the planet, they uncovered the location of Atlantis, and made contact. Their island, though not the largest by any means, was also not particularly small. It would have taken some doing, but our then population could have fit entirely within the confines of Atlantis. And some of us wanted just that. Of course now we realize how ridiculous and idea that was, because of how our numbers have increased since then. Why, we would have needed to live in artificial dimensions, and even then, we probably couldn’t all live there without alerting Earthans to our presence. Still, Eido Kimena felt differently, and she fought against the native Atlantians, urging them to either share their undersea kingdom, or leave. Though she ultimately came to Fostea in an exodus ship, she spent more time in Atlantis than anyone. Before she left, an Atlantian—or possibly a group of them—stole from her what we now call The Saw of Kimena. A brave group of mercenaries were sent to infiltrate Atlantis, and retrieve the artifact so it can later be bequested to Eido Kimena’s replacement. They did this with very little pushback. Apparently, even though the Atlantians were keeping the saw in a museum, they did not care all that much about it being stolen back. What the mercenary thieves found while there, however, was something more terrible than any of us could have imagined...

Microstory 669: Remake the Club of Death

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As the moment, there are hundreds of billions of people in this galaxy, but when our civilization first began, there were far fewer. Still, that’s a lot of people to keep track of. Since our whole reason for leaving our ancestors was to be independent and free, we didn’t exactly have any methods of monitoring all of our planets’ respective citizens, and still don’t. With all these people living separately, doing separate things, we don’t know for sure, but supposedly we know who committed the first murder here. It was carried out by a man named Giacomo. Again, the veracity of these claims remain in question, for we don’t even know what planet this occurred on, or who he killed. All we know is what he used; something now known as the Club of Death. The Club of Death seemed to be an ordinary wooden club, but the truth behind it came out soon after the murder. Through mysterious means, this club was completely indestructible. Obviously experts attempted to study this instrument, only to come up with no reasonable explanation for its strength. Mystical explanations have been offered, including that the Light of Truth protected it from any and all attacks. Upon learning this, Sotiren sought out Giacomo, and quickly recruited him to be one of his eidos. Though Eido Giacomo took a vow of nonviolence, and never killed a single person since that first murder, he continued to carry the Club with him at all times. We will discuss his reasons for this once his replacement has been chosen.

A few years following Giacomo’s beginning as an eido, survivors of his first kill executed their revenge plan. They stole the Club of Death from him, and jettisoned it into a star. This may or may not have destroyed the club, but regardless of whether it remained intact, it was forever irretrievable. The Sacred Savior wrote in the Book of Light that the Club of Death would have to be remade, and so an interstellar contest began, led and judged by none other than Vilis Samuels, before his first excursion to Lactea. As technologically advanced as we have become, most could not succeed in this endeavor. No matter what you try, wood is just too weak, and though other ingredients could be added to the instrument, it was required to be made primarily of wood. Vilis found a way to destroy every entry, every single time. Then something unexpected happened, as one should come to expect when predicting the nature of these taikon. Another murder was committed in Fostea, just one of many, but this one was special. It was perpetrated using a wooden staff that happened to be lying around. What they discovered was that this was the Unbreaking Branch, an artifact of lore from thousands of years ago on our origin world with similar physical properties to the Club of Death. Though it wasn’t technically remade during the taikon, it was rediscovered, something that no one was even trying to do. Taikon verifiers accepted this as a loophole, and the Unbreaking Branch was kept in a safe place in order to be given to Eido Giacomo’s replacement.

Microstory 668: The Arkeizen Culling

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In response to a group of irritants who came to our galaxy, looking to stir up trouble, the leaders of the Central Worlds decided to dole out some punishment. These people consider themselves to be noble freedom fighters, so harming them physically would do us no good. Their message could get back to their compatriots in Lactea, and then we could be in the midst of an intergalactic war. We certainly wouldn’t want to martyr them, and only act to further their cause. One weakness they did have, however, was for the Arkeizen thralls. Arkeizens survived on Earth longer than they should have, but their evolution was stunted. Someone—we’re not sure who—must have taken pity upon them, and placed them in a paradise. This prevented them from developing any survival strategies to pass down through the bloodlines. Their only use is to serve others, so that’s exactly what we gave them. We brought them to our worlds, and they have lived in peace with us ever since, working on our farms, and in our factories. We have our jobs, and they have theirs. They provide for us, so who would want to take that away from them? This is best for all of us. The Lactean irritants think that the thralls should have to fend for themselves, but they’ve not stopped to think about what that would do to everyone. If suddenly every thrall lost the protection of their respective jarl, they would be lost. They don’t have any skills besides what their jarls taught them for the tasks required. They don’t have any money, so they couldn’t contribute positively to the economy, which wouldn’t really matter, because the market would crash in a single day, sending the galaxy spiraling towards utter chaos. Our culture is built on the backs of these Arkeizen, and though they may not be capable of complex language, we know that they are grateful to us for this honor. In order to protect us from this devastation, the Central Worlds took it upon themselves to teach the Lactean irritants a lesson by decimating the Arkeizen population. This was a significant blow to our economy, yes, but it was nothing compared to what would have happened had the irritants had their way. This happened long before the taikon began, so it shouldn’t have qualified for them, but we honestly didn’t want to have to do that again, at least not until the Arkeizen numbers could be replenished. A council of Highlightseers began to meet shortly after the taikon began in order to discuss whether an exception could be made to the rule of order. Since being resurrected, Sacred Savior, Sotiren Zahir has been trying to stay out of the taikon himself, so as to not influence them too greatly. Nevertheless, he made an appearance at one of council’s meetings when he was nearby for a meet-and-greet with Vilis Samuels. After long discussions, he agreed to allow this single exception, and the Arkeizen decimation took its place in history as the earliest taikon event chronologically.

Microstory 667: A Weak Man Made Strong

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Vilis Samuels was bullied as a child. He struggled in most of his classes, but had a fascination with history of the old world. He wasn’t the only one. We’re all very sad to say, but over the years, some of us have longed for the days when we were under the rule of the dirty communists. These defectors believe the communists to be all about equality and contentment, when really, they’re all about control. Of course these twisted thoughts would make people like Vilis outsiders wherever they went in the galaxy. Many succumb to their bad thoughts, and end up trying to return from whence we came. Vilis never likely gave up his childhood fantasies, but he did grow up to use his love of Lactea in the best way he could find, which was to help covertly keep track of their movements. What some people may not know is that, in order to maintain our secrecy against the Lacteans, we have to know what they’ve been up to. One of the longest-lasting organizations has been secretly returning to the old world, and reporting back. Vilis does not go on these missions, for it would be too dangerous to let him anywhere near people he may yet admire. It’s his responsibility to handle the reports from the agents in the field, making sure they’re filed correctly, and escalating any issues that may threaten our people. He is really just a clerk, and has never made much of an impression on anyone else. Upon watching the bulletin from the new Warriors of Mercy, however, he suddenly felt a surge of energy. This new power was physical, yes, with his muscles far exceeding the strength he had ever had before, but it was also more. Vilis became confident and self-assured, no longer allowing anyone to talk down to him. He demanded a promotion to field agent, which his superiors were helpless to decline. He’s lost his love of Lactea, and is shaping up to be one of the best intelligence agents the galaxy has ever seen. Only time will tell what comes of Vilis Samuels, but one thing we know from him, is that he never wants to be that same weak man he was before.

Microstory 637: Replace Eido Bertok

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As described in the earlier taikon, Eido Bertok was his own man. He didn’t play by anyone else’s rules, and he didn’t let anyone tell him what he was meant to do. The role of eido, though extremely important, was often largely a symbolic one. People followed them, and Sacred Savior, because the eidos were able to convince them to. Without these public figures, we may not be living in the greatness that is the galaxy of Fostea we have today. Still, celebrity was not all there was to being one of the leaders of the new worlds. A lot of logistical work goes into making things run smoothly, which is why leaders always deserve more pay than the proverbial worker bees. Bertok was unlike the other eidos in that he focused the majority of his time on this behind-the-scenes work. He was instrumental in the establishment of standard practices and general structure. It was he who came up with our class system, and determined the initial value of Arkeizen thralls. Though Sotiren had already instantaneously analyzed each and every planet in the galaxy, he did not provide this data for his followers. Bertok, therefore, took it upon himself to lead preliminary mapping efforts. He and his teams gave the pioneers in the exodus ship an idea of where they could live, and where they might want to go. He helped organize the construction of infrastructure on the central worlds, so that people would actually have some civilization before things even got started. He was nicknamed the Hardest-working Man in Fostea, and this designation has not since been passed on to someone else. Until now. Perhaps the second hardest worker in Fostea is the cofounder and current Chief Executive Officer of Kaddow-Anmelton Industries,  Wurnti Kaddow. Kaddow was only thirteen standard years of age when she found herself literally on the ground floor with her recent schoolteacher, Pier Anmelton. He had always considered her to be his best student, and thought she might be interested in working part time at his new startup organization. She quickly proved herself to be an unmatched asset to the company, which was renamed to reflect her contribution. Together they transformed their small business into the leading realty solutions experts for single-occupancy planets. And she hasn’t stopped working since. It was no surprise when she decided to volunteer to help capture the wandering Bellcone, and was just as invaluable in this endeavor as she has been in previous projects. Her dedication and strength earned her the right to be chosen as the replacement for Eido Bertok.

Microstory 636: Capture the Wandering Bellcone

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About thirteen years ago, a previously unseen animal appeared on a random planet called Iusel. A ship of soldiers of fortune touched down to hunt for any useful resources, of which they found little. As they were in the middle of loading the cargo hold with the few things they found, a small animal crawled up the ramp as if it belonged there. It found a spot it desired against the bulkhead, and just sat there, waiting for the humans to take off. When they reopened the doors on the Hiereune dock, the animal walked right back out, apparently having reached its destination. It has been wandering the galaxy ever since, stopping only to casually look for food, explore, or transfer vessels. It has become a bit of a staple of the Fostean galaxy, never causing any problems. A survey ship later traveled to its world of origin, and found no evidence than any other animal of its kind ever existed. They did, however, discover a secret laboratory built into the side of a canyon. Not much of the original research was there, but they did find some information. The unnamed scientist based out of there genetically engineered the creature not long before it was found. She designed it as a gift to an also unnamed individual, the identity of which does not go beyond the fact that he is an Earthan. People of Earth often assign themselves, or each other, what they call spirit animals, a practice our ancestors on the old worlds sometimes enjoyed as well. Apparently this Earthan boy was assigned a mythical animal that was a cross between a bovine called a bull, and a lagomorph called a coney. For the last decade, no one thought much of this.

The creature grew up, and became much larger, but continued to remain pleasant and innocuous, unless threatened. A few people periodically attempted to trap or lure it, for various ends, but were always unsuccessful. It never let itself be in a situation where it couldn’t hop away, or rampage through a barrier. It was only recently when a Lightseer noticed that this must be the Bellcone of the taikon, even though it wouldn’t have existed at the time the Book was written. This was unverifiable, but linguistically possible, and eventually, the idea caught on. Since that time, there have been more attempts to capture the Bellcone, though not by true Lightseers, who all know that the fulfillment of any one taikon cannot happen until the completion of its predecessor. For every one of these hunting parties, however, there is a separate party in a position to protect and assist the Bellcone, and let it travel to its next world. However, following the ascension of the resurrected Sotiren Zahir as First Judge, the capture of the Bellcone was unavoidable. Presumably sensing this danger, the Bellcone instinctively changed tactics. It happened to be on Protanr at the time, and there it remained, never getting on any ship where it could be cornered. As it turned out, it’s one of the fastest, strongest, and most durable animals recorded. It always exerted very little energy evading capture during other attempts, but now it wasn’t taking any chances with these taikon attempts. Dozens of people were injured, though none was killed, like it knew that it didn’t want to cross that line. They would have used technology to accomplish their goals, but the Book of Light specifically demands that the Bellcone be captured by hand. The physically strongest Lightseers were brought in from all corners of the galaxy, and after hours of chasing and fighting, the Bellcone was pinned down. It submitted and allowed itself to be placed in a cage. The primary driving force in this feat would go on to be even more important.

Microstory 635: Justice of the Free

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Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of our great galaxy is our justice system. Or rather our lack there of. Our ancestors decided long before Fostea was seeded that they didn’t want to be told what to do. Too long had they lived under the boot of the establishment, which regulated everything from business to health. Honestly, the bureaucratic nonsense sounds exhausting, and many modern-day Fosteans can’t understand how anyone lived like that. Still, and this may be an unpopular opinion, a lot can go wrong when anyone is free to do whatever they want. Though, most would argue that no one is truly free as long as they are opposed by others. Everyone suffers consequences for their actions, but those in power always exercise more autonomy and discretion. You have every right to cause harm to someone else, for whatever reason. What you must also remember, then, is that they too carry with them this same privilege. Up until now, however, these adjudications were processed on an ad hoc and individual basis. People enacted their revenge against those who had somehow wronged them, only if they had the power to do so. No single body has ever been responsible for such a thing, but Lightseers see things a little differently. We too believe in natural—rather than arbitrary—justice, but we believe that only the Light of Truth has the right to make these decisions. Since light obviously can’t presently vocalize its thoughts on any given matter, we lowly humans take the next best thing; Sacred Savior Sotiren Zahir. The taikon prophesies that he will take his place as First Judge, creating a new institution of justice, called The Court of Light. It will be signed to bring justice upon all who are free that he believes should not be. And he will hold this position until such time when the Light of Truth can manifest itself in a more comprehensible form.

Microstory 634: Sores Upon the Disloyal

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One thing I’ve not mentioned before is the unfortunate presence of The Blind Ones. Once a sect of Lightseed, these people broke away from our religion to form their own. At first they only believed themselves to be unworthy of The Sacred Light. But then their terrible thoughts formed a tumor, and became cancerous. We needed to remove them from our ranks, and so they were exiled. We thought they would eventually destroy themselves, but they have managed to survive in the sludge of their own twisted beliefs. The Blind Ones do not call themselves that for pure metaphorical reasons. Their system is based on a series of levels. Rising up requires becoming more devoted to their lies. They literally hide themselves away from light. In fact, they’re based out of a tidally locked planet—not unlike Oirpelne—called Derkaz, living primarily on the darker side of the terminator line. These areas are dark enough to shroud the environment, but also warm enough to survive. The concept is to rid oneself of light sources little by little, until reaching the ultimate darkness: actual blindness. They undergo a surgery that removes their eyes from their bodies, so that they will never be able to see again. It is then that they can travel beyond Derkaz to recruit others. Of course, this technique is amazingly inefficient, causing their numbers to have plateaued about a century after their beginnings. They are angry and bitter about our great truth being discovered by more and more people each day. They consider themselves to be of the one true religion, even though we know that honor to be ours. It is for this reason, however, that they are convinced that many artifacts from our past also belong to them, including the Bow and Crown of Bertok. In retaliation for what they think to be the theft of these items, a group of Blind Ones attacked one of our transport ships, ultimately killing everyone inside. What they didn’t realize was that this ship was also carrying a particularly nasty virus that they accidentally released upon themselves. The disease didn’t manifest itself until the attackers had returned to Derkaz, spreading it across nearly their entire population. Most Blind Ones broke out in festering sores within two days. They didn’t die, but their spirits have faded, and they are no longer a threat to the Light.

Microstory 633: Steal the Bow and Crown of Bertok

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In the explanation for a later taikon, we’ll get into more detail about what kind of person Eido Bertok was, and how he impacted the cause. One thing to understand about the situation, however, is that there is a difference between Fosteans and Lightseers. Not everyone in this galaxy believes in The Light, even though we were all saved by it. We were all brought here out of our hellish prison in the Lactean galaxy, and we all benefit from what our new home has to offer. We don’t really understand why not everyone reveres our great founder as much as we do, but maybe that’s part of it. Maybe it’s our responsibility to remind these nonbelievers of that light of truth, and once we do, we’ll find some kind of paradise of freedom. Though no exact endgame to these taikon is given anywhere in the Book of Light, many suspect that paradise of freedom to be the goal. Even though not everyone is a Lightseer, there are those who appreciate our beginnings on a more historical and academic level. They admire Sotiren Zahir, even whilst ignoring his sanctity, and strive to learn from his teachings in other ways. It was one group of these people that managed to create a museum of ancient relics from those early times. Two of these artifacts once belonged to Eido Bertok. There are many representations of Bertok in Fostean art, but nearly all of them depict him with his signature bow and crown. Though he was not as involved in the military efforts as Eido Ivanka, he was a bit of a fashion guru. He wore an ornate crown, and carried an empty bow with him wherever he went, no matter the occasion. They were part of him; extensions of his self. Taking them away would be like removing someone’s soul. It simply cannot be done without inflicting permanent damage. Upon Bertok’s death, his descendants kept them on display in their Clan Hall for decades. Due to a terrible turn of events involving a disgraced and nearly exiled family member, and a clerical error, these items were eventually passed into the Museum of Galactic History on Merek. They have been sitting there, collecting proverbial dust, ever since. Until now. Under orders of Eido Ivanka, the museum was raided; the bow and crown retrieved, along with a few other important artifacts that belong in the hands of true Lightseers. Now they sit behind locked doors at a secret location, waited to be bequested to Bertok’s replacement.

Microstory 619: Eido Ivanka

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No one could have predicted that the segregated Anter star system would play such an important role in the achievement of the taikon. Yet this is where the game of Vector was revived, and also now where we found our way to the nineteenth taikon. Eido Ivanka was the younger sister of Eido Seamus, and most ruthless of the eidos. She was born into a family of fishermen, but rejected her birthright, choosing instead to go into the paramilitary business. Because of her background, she was chosen to be the head of private security, whose primary purpose was the defense of Sacred Savior Sotiren Zahir, and the entire Fostean-bound fleet. Her zeal for the protection of her charge, and also her mercilessness inspired Sotiren to later give her the central system of Dulex, which included Dikaio, Istamas and Lakre. In tandem with her responsibilities as one of the galaxy’s eidos, she continued her calling in hired security. Ivanka fought many wars for others, sometimes switching sides in the middle of the conflict when the pay was better. Despite a life of more danger than most other eidos, she was never killed. Some texts speculated that she died of natural causes after a long and healthy life, but others believed her to have survived to modern day. The latter has now proven to be true. All the taikons referring to the eidos have left the true nature of the replacement for the original eidos up to chance. The assumption was that they would need to be replaced by younger counterparts, but this was obviously not true for Peter Fireblood. Eido Ivanka turned out to have survived under similar circumstances. It is as yet unclear how long Ivanka lived in the Anter system, but the Fathers of the Undisturbed claim to have known nothing about it. She has not said a single word since being discovered by the Vector verifiers who were already in the star system. They are confident, however, that she will soon be in the right mind to take her place back as one of the Fostean eidos.

Microstory 618: Revive the Vector Tournament

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When our ancestors first left the old worlds, they wanted to also divorce themselves from the old ways. Some traditions had to be kept for practicality’s sake—like speaking the preexisting language, or many scientific advancements—but we wanted to rid ourselves of anything unnecessary. One of the hardest things for people to give up, believe it or not, was a sports competition. Vector is played with multiple balls, and multiple goals, and has been a staple of Lactean civilization since humans were still living on just the one planet. Each player on each team has a job to do, and in order to carry out their responsibility, they don’t always have to even interact with their own teammates. A well-played Vector game is like a well-oiled machine. If everyone plays their part with proficiency, it should all go according to plan. Carefully executed plans are valued in our galaxy, so it may seem relevant to us, yet it is still technically a team sport. Our founders had trouble reconciling the idea of people helping one another despite a lack of reward. Most of the players aren’t even in any position to score goals at all. Their job requires they protect the scorer, and defend the advantage over the opponent, while only that scorer gains actual points for them. In the end, it was decided that the game of Vector be banned in Fostea. It is one of the few central laws that govern our system, but it has not gone without pushback. The eighteenth taikon predicted a revival of a Vector tournament, but said nothing of how this would come about. It seemed to be contradictory to the law, and original mandates by Sotiren Zahir himself that Vector is an unacceptable pastime. And as we all know, the Book of Light is a perfect specimen, and there are absolutely zero self-contradictions. Fortunately, nature has found a way to maintain the sanctity of both the passage, and the law. Another isolated solar system has handled the taikon for us.

The star system Anter carries within it the record for the highest number of naturally habitable planets orbiting a single star. A total of seven planets orbit Anter within what’s known as the habitability zone. As a gift of peace to one of our rival religions called Fathers of the Undisturbed, the Fostean founders donated the entire system, and promised to leave them alone. The Fathers of the Undisturbed do not value the same things normal Fosteans do, but they were as unwelcome by the dirty communists from which we came as we were. We escaped together, and instead of fighting over the galaxy, they agreed to isolate themselves from us by remaining in Anter. They were free to advance as much as they wanted, but never venture beyond their territory. Fathers of the Undisturbed have a set of beliefs that is difficult to understand, and even from as little we know of its secrets, it is terribly inconsistent. The basic tenet of their faith is to create life, and study it from above without interfering. They are based in a hollowed out asteroid, but maintain other secret bases on the planets themselves to keep a better eye on their children. These children on each respective planet know nothing of each other, let alone the universe as a whole. Some of them even believe stars are merely drops of paint splattered on some giant cosmic ceiling above them. Why exactly the Fathers of the Undisturbed are doing this to their inferiors is something no Lightseer can claim to understand, nor should we make an attempt. Again, they leave us alone, and we do the same. We do, however, from time to time, visit the star system to make sure they’re not planning some attack. This last audit revealed something interesting. On two Anterian planets—who are, again, completely unaware of each other—Vector was somehow reinvented. This phenomenon cannot be explained, but there has been no evidence that the Fathers broke their own religious law, or would have any interest in doing so. The Undisturbed Children just managed to do it on their own, with no provocation from any outside force. And this is lucky for us, for it fulfills the requirements for the eighteenth taikon. It also happened to provide for us with the means of discovering the nineteenth taikon.

Microstory 573: News brief: Jarl Found Dead; Thralls Missing

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A planet owner was found dead in his home one standard hour ago. All 144 Arkeizens have also turned up missing, and are suspected as being at least partially responsible. Cathasach Derricks only recently promoted himself to the status of jarl, and possesses very little on his planet, which he named Castle Cathas. He owned no craft capable of traveling through space, and is only able to transport to other planets via a standard Nexus. That Nexus has not been activated for months, proving that his thralls were not the only ones on the planet. An unknown vessel has moved them offworld...and could now be anywhere in the galaxy. Lactean irritants are suspected. Any information on the truth behind this crime, or the location of the missing thralls will be handsomely rewarded. 

Microstory 526: Lactean Irritants Possess Cloning Technology

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We all know the faces of the new Lactean Irritants. These invaders have been undermining our traditions since they first arrived. They are so set in their ways that they cannot even see what’s right in front of them...that our galaxy has the most freedom than any other in the universe. In Fostea, you can do whatever you want. You can charge whatever you want for whatever service you can provide. You can create, produce, change, and progress at your rate, and nobody can tell you that you’re doing is wrong. We don’t have regulations or requirements. All we ask is that you not interfere with anyone else’s business. If it doesn’t have anything to do with you then stay out of it. These Lacteans do not hold our same values. Unfortunately, the downside to our philosophy is that we, in turn, cannot effectively combat their advances. When our ancestors first set out to find our home, they did not anticipate being followed. Nor were they. It is only now that we have been discovered, and we must find a way to adapt to our new issues. Because the Lacteans certainly are.

Investigators now believe that the Irritants possess some kind of cloning technology that allows them to be in multiple places at once. It is unclear if these are decoys, full replicas, or even the result of quantum duplication. Current cloning technology is limited to crops, but scientists have long believed human cloning to be possible. Experts have not yet ruled out the possibility that these are merely highly advanced, and hyper-complex, holograms that The Lucifer has learned to create remotely. However they’re doing it, the Lacteans have, in multiple instances, been spotted in one place while also being spotted in another place altogether. Instantaneous travel would not explain these discrepancies as many of the sightings take place in “dead spots”: planets that can be accessed with plex transport, but where no Nexus can be found. There is simply no accounting for how they are able to get from one place to the other so quickly. So the only logical explanation is that they’re not; that what we are seeing are two different versions of the same people. A sanctioned investigation is in the works. Companies are currently bidding for the right and responsibility to carry out the inquiry. Please contact your local networker if you have any information regarding how the Irritants operate, or to contribute to the investigation or make your own bid.

Microstory 84: Telekinesis

When a citizen of The Core reaches 16 standard years (a little over 18 in our terms) they are eligible to receive some kind of telekinesis. They are born without it so that they may grow up learning problem-solving skills, and how to do things for themselves, rather than relying on the easy way out. There are two major types: enfixed and germ. Germ TK utilizes a completely natural genetic component already within each and every one of us. It cannot be enhanced, undone, or otherwise modified. If you choose the germ route, your telekinetic abilities are limitless, but they require practice. You are only as powerful as your own understanding of that power. Enfixed TK is far more common. Unless your profession requires superstrength (such as construction work) you'll only be marginally stronger than you are without TK. For instance, you won't be able to lift a car, but you can open the door without having to touch it. There are variants of enfixed TK that depend of what you need it for. Surgeons, chefs, and law enforcement authorities have an untraceability variant, to prevent cross-contamination, since regular enfixed TK leaves behind a harmless but detectable residue. But this is not needed for pilots. Instead, as you might expect, they are particularly exceptional at flying.

Enfixed TK can be taken away and replaced, and everyone with the same variant will be on equal footing. In order to surpass the norm, you're going to need the germ. The danger with that is that if you're just not any good, telekinesis may simply not be very useful to you. Unfortunately, however, you will be biologically incapable of switching to enfixed. Some of the variants may be quite obvious. There is a way to lock a door telekinetically, so that only certain people can open it, even without actually using TK (so that children may enter their own homes but remain safe from strangers). Authorities are of course capable of bypassing these restrictions, for health and safety reasons. Some variants may not be so obvious, though. Chefs only allow themselves something called “literal telekinesis” that responds only to the movements of their hands and fingers. This maintains the artistic nature of cooking, while allowing a higher level of sanitation. Only one Earthan human has ever received any form of telekinesis. He's turned out to be one of the most powerful people in the universe; even rivaling the witches. It is academically assumed that Earthans adapt more dramatically to the change, and that is one reason you've not heard any of this before.

Microstory 66: Business Review

The other day, I was invited to tour the Fostean Galaxy. They were trying to assure me that they had changed their ways. And I admit, they had...to an extent. The following is a review I wrote of a business on a planet called Dikaio that gave me trouble when I tried to buy something:

I walked in here with no intention of buying anything, and I think the vendor could sense that. According to him, “browsing” is taboo in the entire galaxy, which is ridiculous, because I spent hours in the Great Mall of Poreia and didn’t buy a single thing. Just to get him to stop bothering me, I grabbed a pack of gravity gum. That seemed to insult him quite a bit. I told him that I couldn’t buy anything too advanced because I live on Earth, and the Martians would confiscate it anyway. He was perturbed by that, but he finally rang me up. I gave him my visitor card to pay and he acted like he had no idea what to do with that. He insisted that I pay with my skincode. Again, I’m from Earth. I don’t have one of those. The Core has a deal with Fostea that allows Lacteans to purchase items with visitor cards, and in return, the Core shares technology, supplies, and military training. The vendor pointed out that that’s because most Lacteans live in a moneyless society. And that’s true, but there is no conversion rate from Earthan money to Fostean indexa. He said he would take “one of those thousand dollar bills” for it. I explained that the gravity gum is nowhere near worth so much. He pulled a weapon on me, so I was forced to shoot him. The government gave me permission to eliminate any threat I perceive. Don’t go to this store. It has been permanently closed.