During Arc XIII: Song for the Lost, Eye Balthazar is dead, the Kamir and Hivers who once served as the Voice of the Mystics are obliterated, and the soothsayers on Val Shohob now find themselves at a crossroads under the guidance of Eye Mordecai...
Gathering Chamber <Mystics Guild: Val Shohob>
Tall candles flicker atop wrought iron poles in this sand-hued chamber with rough walls adorned with geometric designs in browns and grays. The centerpiece of the room, a polished stone-topped table, is surrounded by several chairs. At one end of the room, painted in greens, whites and blacks, is a large almond-shaped eye that gazes upon the table.
Nicodemus enters the gathering chamber silently, his sandals shuffling along the floor.
Jezicah remains seated in utter stillness, as always, her thin hands shrouded in the heavy leather of her jacket. They lie on the table before her, her cowled head bent over them.
Mordecai steps into the gathering chamber, fingers steepled before himself as he makes his way toward the head of the table, head bowed.
Nicodemus moves to take a seat, silently.
Sheba moves into the room quietly and takes a seat.
From her seat at the table, Jezicah stirs faintly, her head lifting with a slow deliberate motion to face Mordecai. After a moment her hands emerge from her sleeves, arcing up from the table to push back the grey cloth of her cowl.
Mordecai reaches the head of the table but does not immediately take his seat. Instead, he stands, head bowed, fingers steepled, the tips touching his nose. He is silent, a somewhat corpulent statue in earthy robes.
Nicodemus looks toward Mordecai expectantly.
Jezicah lowers her hands fro the fallen cowl, the thin bones and scant flesh of them slipping back into her sleeves and then folding to her lap silently. Silver eyes fix on Mordecai, and wait without expectation.
"Be seated," the Eye finally says, although he himself remains standing. He places his palms flat on the table and lifts his face to gaze upon those who have gathered.
Nicodemus is already seated, and so he remains so.
Silently, Katrezah approaches the table and lowers herself into a chair. Her hands folded across her lap, she waits.
Mellichi sits at the end of the table, withdrawing his hands into his sleeves.
Sheba is seated and raises her small hands to lower the crowl of her robe. She turns her attention to Mordecai as she folds her hands in her lap.
"It is a time of great uncertainty," Mordecai begins. "Our Voice - the Voice we have known for millennia, is no more. No Kamir. No Ri'Kammi. No guide to the future speaking in our minds. For the first time, we are unfettered by the strings that pulled us one way or another. It is a time of great danger. We may wander. We may lose our way. I have called this gathering so that we may find focus. Direction. The path before us is shadowed by doubt and skepticism. We must tread with caution."
Jezicah falls into stillness again, her eyes not moving from the Eye's face. Nothing about her moves, in fact, not even a stir of light silver hair. Her silence is an absorption of what is around her now, reflective in the way it only listens, and gives forth no sign of what is within.
Nicodemus radiates a general sense of agreement, though no clear words are evident in his thoughts.
Katrezah's silvery gaze lowers to the table, her thoughts quite neutral - cautiously so.
Sheba nods as the Eye speaks, her eyes widen at the thought of being without direction, but she keeps her attention on Mordecai.
Mellichi's silver eyes look down. Waiting patiently he attempts to clear his thoughts of all extraneous matters. A discordant melody filters through on occasion.
The squat Mystic at the head of the table continues: "If we are to seek through these shadows for guidance, it would benefit us first to consider the final act of Eye Balthazar. He died in an attempt to salvage the reputation of the Mystics from the sideshow madness generated by Amaziah Tionus. We must not allow such sacrifice to be in vain. Are we in agreement?"
Nicodemus nods. "I agree, my Eye."
Jezicah shows no indication of disagreement, certainly. She still watches, opaque, with not the slightest shred of indifference but without any proffered opinion whatsoever. At the curve of her throat, her heart beats, and that is all.
Katrezah's gaze rests briefly on Nicodemus as it travels to meet the Eye. "It is so," she quietly agrees.
Sheba stays quiet as she nods in agreement. A shift and she refolds her hands on her lap, though they are hidden by the sleeves of her robe.
Mellichi looks around the table. He gives a brief nod.
"We can ill afford to remain cloistered forever on Val Shohob," Mordecai goes on, his gaze taking in those at the table. "We learned this lesson in 2651. It is all the more apparent now. Eye Balthazar's program of offworld emissaries must continue. And it should be our mission to, when necessary, protect the other races from themselves. We must seek to broker peace whenever possible. This will be a challenge, to be sure, even without the manipulations of the Kamir or the Ri'Kammi. A willful menagerie surrounds us."
Katrezah places the flat of her palms against the tables cool stone surface as the Eye speaks, her thoughts muffled like the song of sea from great disance.
There is a very subtle thread to the tenor of Jezicah's thought, now, something that hints at reaction rather than simple listening. Thoughtful, disciplined, controlled, she disagrees with the concept of protection, and most with the word peace. There is nothing obtrusive in her thought, nothing to move her physically, but she leaves the emotion there for any who would seek it.
Sheba glances around the table at the other faces. Seeing their disciplined reactions she tries to school her own and remain calm as she gives her attention back to the Eye.
"Sister Katrezah was a devoted student of Eye Balthazar," Mordecai says, gesturing with a pudgy hand toward the younger female. "She worked closely with him and saw him through his final hours. She understands the importance of this cause. As such, she is officially appointed coordinator of the emissary program, to work at my right hand. She will assign specific Mystics to specific worlds. Arrangements must then be made, of course, for transport."
Jezicah's disagreement is parcelled away as the Eye continues past the point which she would contest, and the Mystic simply watches once more.
Katrezah lifts her gaze to each of the gathered mystics in turn, a deep shadow over her eyes from the wide hood of her robe. Nicodemus' thoughts drift toward Katrezah with a hint of uncertainty.
Mellichi sits motionless, breathing gently through his nose. He swallows visibly when he hears the word "assignment," and frowns slightly.
Mordecai allows his gaze to settle on Jezicah. "Speak, Seer, and be heard on this. You take issue with the purpose I have suggested?"
Sheba also glances at Katrezah, though her gaze doesn't linger long. She takes a breath and lets it out slowly as she brings that gaze back to the Eye.
Jezicah has not yet turned towards Katrezah, nor does she as her perfectly smooth face inclines once to the Eye. In a quiet stirring of hair her tongue touches her lips, wetting them contemplatively. Her voice is a whisper, nearly a croak with the inconsistancy of long disuse. "I do not contest your right to attempt this thing," she whispers. "Have the currents been studied, the winds been tested? We must bend with what is, for the oak falls when it seeks its own path only, with no compromise."
Nicodemus frowns ever so slightly, radiating displeasure at Jezicah's words.
Mellichi looks at Jezicah, recognition in his silver eyes. He watches the other Mystics for reactions to her words.
Katrezah's calm gaze rests now on Jezicah, the tone of her thoughts restrained, but disapproving.
Sheba's gaze just moves from face to face, seeming to be calm as she waits the outcome of this meeting.
Mordecai smiles faintly. "Sister Jezicah, you will be the leaf we place upon the stream. Only through your observations and interactions can we truly discern the currents. There is no harm in desiring peace as a positive outcome." The smile fades. "Now, moving on: Only one world is forbidden, for our purposes: Tomin Kora. No good, it would seem to me, can come from assigning one of our valuable seers on such a morally and spiritually desolate world." He looks around the table. "Do others wish to be heard on this?"
Nicodemus nods. "I would speak, my Eye."
Mordecai nods. "Speak and be heard."
"One need only watch the lengthening shadows to know that night draws near," Nicodemus says. "Then, let any who hold a lamp stand ready. There are some worlds which are at peace, where our brethren would be welcomed." He pauses. "But there are others which are in turmoil, on the verge of a dark night. Those who are sent to such worlds must understand fully that which they take on. And they must be prepared for great danger."
"On this, we agree, Brother Nicodemus," Mordecai replies with a nod. "All emissaries will be fully briefed on the worlds to which they are assigned, including an assessment of potential dangers. It strikes me that the most troublesome worlds will be Mars, Luna and Nalhom."
Katrezah watches Nicodemus as he speaks, her eyes as contemplative as her thoughts. She nods but once.
Nicodemus nods. "I concur, My Eye. Indeed, this plan of yours speaks to the desire of my heart, and I would volunteer myself to go to one of these troubled worlds. Which one, I will leave to Sister Katrezah."
"You have the guild's gratitude, Brother Nicodemus," Mordecai says. Now, he sits in the chair at the head of the table. "Others who wish to be heard?"
Mellichi maintains a reserved demeanor, yet his thoughts reveal an openess much like the prairies of Quaquan. The candles' light makes the pock marks on his face appear extra rough.
Sheba shakes her head, then glances around at the others, her violet eyes bright in the candle light.
Jezicah listens again, still, though the undercurrents of debate still float light on her mind. There is no aggression in her thought, no desire to mold the others to her will, but she holds herself apart from this planning as one not part of it.
Nodding to Katrezah, Mordecai says, "Very well. The assignments will be issued within 24 hours. Two Mystics on each team. This should allow for protection of the individual members but also for a sense of balance to the mission. No one person's will should influence the tenor of our presence on a given world."
Katrezah presses her hands onto the table and stands, the legs of her chair offering a sharp squeal of protest as they move along the floor. "I would then speak individually with any who consider the Emmissary program before that time."
Nicodemus looks to Mordecai. "Was this the sole purpose of this gathering, my Eye?"
Mellichi remains quiet in thought and body. He watches Katrezah rise and looks around the table.
Sheba takes another obvious breath, maybe a moment of fear crosses her mind at the possiblity of leaving. She glances at Katrezah and then the others as they speak, calming herself again.
"It was," Mordecai confirms.
Nicodemus nods. "Very well. If I might have a moment to speak to you on a private matter at your convenience, my Eye, I would be most grateful."
Jezicah makes no effort to move, her schooled calmness keeping her still both physically and mentally, confident in herself that her apartness will be dealt with when and as necessary.
Mordecai nods to Nicodemus. "After you speak with Sister Katrezah. I shall remain."
Nicodemus bows his head slightly.
Sheba brings her small hands off her lap and lays the palm down on the coolness of the table. She looks at her hands as she continues to calm herself and accept the changes that are about to come.
"All are dismissed for now, but for Nicodemus," Mordecai says. "Others awaiting Sister Katrezah may do so in the corridor."
With the spoken dismissal Jezicah rises, her muscles moving in a long slow lift that pushes her chair back with a whisper of wood on stone. She inclines her head to Mordecai, once, respectfully, and then turns for the exit on her sandalled feet.
Nicodemus stands, and moves toward Katrezah.
Obediently, Katrezah turns for the door. "As you wish it, Eye Mordecai." Each of her slender hands finds refuge in the opposite sleeve of her robe.
Sheba rises quietly and nods to the Eye. She slips her hands into opposite sleeves as she turns to make her way out of the room.
Mellichi, with a brief nod, rises from his seat, and pushes his chair in. He keeps his hands at his sides as he heads towards the corridor.
With slow, deliberate steps Jezicah moves to the exit then, filtering out with the others.
"Sister Katrezah, remain. Speak with Brother Nicodemus," Mordecai says. "We will then call in the others."
Nicodemus steeples his hands in front of his chest, and watches Katrezah. "Come, sister," he says. "I look forward to my assignment."
Katrezah stops at the room's threshold, turning at The Eye's command. ~Like myself, Brother Nicodemus has been away from the sheltering calm of our homeworld for some time. Out in the very malestrom of the storm that is Concordance Station.~ She lapses easily, gratefully, into wordless communication - a concession she grants to her private nature.
Mordecai chuckles softly, nodding. His own thought is transmitted. ~I knew Concordance in its days as Sanctuary. It was no less chaotic. But that chaos will come here soon enough. It is perhaps best that you seek another habitat for a while.~
Nicodemus nods once. ~Concordance shows but the symptoms of the many illnesses which trouble other worlds.~
Katrezah turns to consider Nicodemus, her face placid ~And how did your observations serve you, Brother?~
Nicodemus steeples his fingers before him. ~Concordance is an odd place,~ he sends thoughtfully. ~I too knew it as Sanctuary, and dwelt there for many months with our elder brethren. Yet its nature has changed. Not a player, it is rather a stage in the great galactic drama to which we hope to bring direction. I have seen there the prejudice of many against those with psionic gifts. I have heard concern over the recent actions of the martian and lunar governments. I have seen the Nall looked to with a mixture of fear and admiration. I have observed many things about many races, Sister, as I am sure have you.~
Standing with a soft grunt, Mordecai begins to walk around the table with his fingers steepled before himself. ~It is as a tidepool, where the currents converge.~
The icy calm of Katrezah's visage cracks at Nicodemus statement. ~What I have seen is much as you say,~ she sends cautiously. ~But so have I seen the dark underbelly of our own race, Brother. I have seen why their own fear of us grips their hearts.~ Beneath the flow of her words is an underlying sense of inidentified loss.
Nicodemus sighs. ~I have encountered victims of the heretic myself, as I told you last night. Indeed,~ the focus of his thoughts shift more to Mordecai, ~My Eye, that is why I wanted to speak with you privately. It is clear to me that Sister Katrezah still holds deep concerns about her former charge.~
Mordecai stops as he reaches the other end of the table from the Eye's chair. He steeples his fingers before himself and bows his head. ~Her concern is not without validity, and I share it.~ Lifting his eyes to Nicodemus, he continues: ~But Amaziah is virtually powerless now. Eye Balthazar saw to that.~
~Please go on, Brother,~ Katrezah steps from the door's archway and toward the table. ~I would hear your concerns.~
~I have no specific concerns, aside from my own sense that you are not at peace over the matter of Amaziah and of Balthazar's sacrifice,~ Nicodemus sends calmly.
~Enough about Amaziah,~ Mordecai replies psionically. ~He must at some point seek redemption in our eyes, or he will likely be driven mad by the absence of others within his mind. He no longer shares our gifts. A Timonae, I should think, is a more powerful psionic than our old friend Amaziah. He must change his ways to be returned to Mystic status. He has been effectively neutralized. Certainly, he must be watched, but we have greater issues at stake. We must build a new foundation.~
~I admit freely to you, Brother, that it will be no small undertaking to free from my mind that splinter of concern,~ she sends, both her gaze and her thoughts now narrowing in on Nicodemus. ~I have already begun efforts to that end, but the work will be long. Still, the burden remains my own.~
~Forgive me,~ Nicodemus sends at both of them, tone apologetic, ~But it is my habit, on seeing another's mind in chaos, to seek to redress it if I may. And I do not believe our purposes are served by concealing our own anxieties from each other. Nevertheless, the Eye is correct. We have other matters to attend to. My own observations make me most concerned about the activities of the Sol System worlds at this time. One is ruled by a madman, while the other wields great power and carries deep prejudices, which only seem to be deepening now. If I were to choose, it is to one of those worlds that I would direct my efforts.~
~Wisdom shows itself in your words, Brother Nicodemus,~ Mordecai replies. ~You are correct in your assessment. Of the two, it is our belief that the planet Mars is the most pressing need. The problem of President Kalson on Luna will likely attend to itself in due time. But the issues on Mars are of a societal nature, and must be addressed on that level. Indeed, it will require diplomacy on our part to achieve permission to assign emissaries to Mars. I would want two of our most gifted and responsible seers involved in such a task.~ His eyes go first to Nicodemus, and then to Katrezah. ~Do you accept?~
~You know my thoughts on this,~ Nicodemus says. ~I accept, and would be pleased if Katrezah were my partner in this endeavor.~
~You would send me there as well, My Eye?~ the solid platform of her thoughts shifting noticably beneath the weight of this unforseen request. ~Would you not prefer I remain and oversee all who go out among the races? That I more evenly distribute my guidance?~
Mordecai smiles enigmatically and nods to Katrezah. ~I would prefer you develop the ability to be both here and there simultaneously, in all truth. But it would be no more difficult for you to make arrangements to meet with other emissaries on Mars than it would be to meet with them here. If this were a local group that required constant attention, I would not see you leave. But it is the very nature of the emissaries project that sends them to all corners of the cosmos - even she who forms its heart.~
Katrezah backs away, both in body and in spirit. ~I understand, Eye Mordecai. And it will be as you wish.~
Nicodemus seems pleased. ~We must make preparations,~ he sends. ~Traveling from Val Shohob to any other world is costly, my Eye. It may be that the Guild should seek a contract with a transport company, or else find one among our brethren who is capable of piloting a ship. It will be difficult for emissaries to leave from here, or to return as the need arises.~
Mordecai nods. ~So shall it be. The first two are chosen.~ He looks toward Nicodemus. ~I will make the arrangements to hire a charter. Send in the next emissary as you depart.~
Nicodemus nods. "As you will, my Eye," he says aloud. He turns and walks to the door.
Mordecai stands next to the table, at the far end from where the Eye would normally sit. Katrezah stands not far away from him.
Sheba steps through the door, violet eyes a bit wide as she stops just inside. "My Eye, all the others seem to have wandered off. I was the only one left waiting." she says quietly, lowering her eyes to the floor.
Without preamble, Katrezah steps from her place beside the Eye and approaches Sheba. ~We would send you to a place led by a madman,~ she sends, for herself deciding against spoken communication. ~Luna is a fruit ripened nearly to bursting with hate and unrest. You must go with caution therefore.~
Mordecai nods in agreement with Sister Katrezah, fingers steepled before himself.
Sheba suddenly looks younger than her years, but she nods as her destiny is decided for her, ~Will another seer be going with me?~ she sends. Her hands move withing her sleeves as she look at Katrezah.
~As the Eye has decided, you will have a partner in this venture,~ Katrezah sends. ~It remains to be seen who that shall be, but rest assured, Sister.~
Sheba bows her head to Katrezah and then the Eye, ~So it shall be.~ she sends and backs slowly towards the door.
The Eye watches Sheba for a moment, nodding, then turns to walk along the table toward his chair of station.
Katrezah nods, her expression tranquil. ~You will be notified as the time of your departure grows near, Sister. For now, make yourself ready.~
Sheba's robe whispers along the floor as she backs to the door. Once there she nods, then turns to step back out into the hall.