Revelations

With a pause, Doctor Fedorov says, "Before I say anything in particular, Teresa, what do you make of this? I would like to know your opinion before I make any kind of decision."

Teresa responds, "I... I have no idea. I almost don't recognize Jenova, the sister of my heart. I vouch for the honesty of my sister, but I cannot vouchsafe that this IS the sister of my heart."

Pondering the situation, Doctor Fedorov says, "Can you think of any question that would identify her as having the same Psych profile as she did when you last saw her? If you can think of something like that, perhaps we can be sure that we can trust her testimony."

Teresa thinks for a moment.

Jenova breaks in; "It is alright that you no longer trust us. It is evident that we have been changed. What I am offering you will not hurt you. If it will hurt anyone, it will be me.

"Did you inform them that we are plants?"

"Yes," Teresa responds.

"Understandable. You should know that we have returned to our roots, so to speak. We entirely refuse to commit acts of violence."

Turning to Teresa one last time, Doctor Fedorov says to her, "Miss Teresa, I must admit that my curiosity has become quite overpowering. I am too willing to make a sacrifice if this linking will lend me the perspective necessary to understand this situation. I will defer to your judgement, though: if you believe I should not, I will not."

Teresa frowns. "I honestly cannot tell. I lean towards trusting Jenova, for enough of her appears to be intact."

With a nod towards Jenova, Doctor Fedorov says, "Very well, then. If this is what is necessary, then let it be done. My Psych profile has been backed up recently, anyways, if the University finds it necessary to restore my previous state of consciousness."

Jenova nods, still emotionless. She motions for the Doctor to take her hand, and places her forehead against the Doctor's.

In the perception of Fedorov, the world around her vanishes. It works sort of like a Vulcan mind meld, but instead of the meld working in such a way that Jenova would be probing Fedorov's mind, it seems to have the capability of working either way. Jenova seems to be in control of the bond, yet this seems to be because of some default in the event of a link between a mind practiced at this and a mind without this experience. In other words, there is no reason why Fedorov wouldn't be able to take control were he stronger or were Jenova to allow it.

In any case, Jenova keeps their consciousnesses inside her own mind, allowing Fedorov to find any information he wishes, keeping only knowledge of the Burninite MD Device, a few other Burninite shield and stealth technologies, and keeping him away from a darkness at the center of her mind. The process of sharing information is pleasurable almost without compare.

Fedorov is aware of all this in a way that is inexplicable, and after a few moments seems to have the ability to speak to Jenova while in this link.

(OOC: Fedorov is a woman. Zakharov is the man.)

Doctor Fedorov begins to look for information relevant the latest events, trying to find out what exactly happened to the Burnites from the point of view of someone who had experienced the events herself. Then, she begins to question her about what she should know in order to provide whatever assistance to the Burnites that she can.

(OOC: If you notice, I actually got the gender right the first time, then somehow she got a gender change partway through my post. I blame the fact that I was with my SO at the time :p.)

Fedorov finds that looking through memories is very difficult. The link doesn't transfer information like a computer through USB. It tends to move too quickly through events and emphasize feelings; Fedorov basically discerns that Jenova was leading the Burninites to a place of warmth and comfort, then finds surprise and elation at the discovery of the life of Isha, whom Jenova clearly feels great awe towards, then a conversation with Isha which is hurried too fast for her to comprehend, followed by great fear and a running away. Then, darkness.

Anyway, she finds that most of Jenova's mind is placid and well-meaning. She knows Jenova is a plant now. None of the base mammalian instincts towards violence exist. No need to fight over mates or food or other causes of violence.

Yet when begins to question what she should know in order to provide assistance, Jenova merely directs her to look at that section of her mind that she is trying so hard to repress -- with the admonition not to try to engage it. It is black, and it is feared. Jenova fears it herself. Fedorov gets the idea that it is what killed all the Burninites who were found dead at Isha's tears.

If only it could be understood, Jenova thinks, then perhaps even those tens of billions who died could be revived. But to examine it, Jenova would have to let it out. And to let it out would be... suicide.

This is what Doctor Fedorov finds in the mind of a Burninite.

Doctor Fedorov pauses, unsure of how to continue. Gently, she says to Jenova, "Clearly, I have seen that you wished for nothing less than the good of your people, and it would be wrong to destroy yourself in revealing what it is that you have repressed. Is there some way that we could find this... thing... for ourselves, to spare you from destruction and revive those that we can?"

Jenova responds, "I do not believe so. I think that Isha created this as a test. I think the only way is for me to attempt to open the ... animal side of myself. There is no guarantee of success, but there is a near guarantee on my death in the process.

"What is your moral judgement? The probable sacrifice of one for the lives of tens of billions?"

"Well," Doctor Fedorov says, "I cannot ask a sacrifice out of you. That is something you can only choose for yourself, and it is not in my place to do so. But, let me tell you this. As a good Centauri, I am perpetually expected to make sacrifices, both big and small, for the greater good of the University and to a lesser extent the Governate. I would choose to sacrifice myself and condemn me to the worst of all fates if I had to in order to save the lives of the twenty billion men and women who call Alpha Centauri home. You are free to make of it what you will."

There is a mental grimace from Jenova. "A good Centauri. Even here you are not free of your conditioning."

The link shunts to Fedorov's mind. It is structured differently than Jenova's. Jenova stays away from any sensitive information, but the conditioning and memetic engineering is obvious. "Your judgement is not your own. It is that of another. It means nothing to me here. Only your true feelings can mean anything here. But I cannot decipher whether or not you have any."

Jenova pauses in thought. "If the blackness inside me escapes, retreat into your own mind and think as hard as you can of severing a flower from its stem, and the head dropping to the ground as quickly as possible."

They return to Jenova's mind, closer than she previously allowed them to go to the evil contained there. Jenova enters the blackness, leaving Fedorov behind. Fedorov is now in complete control of the bond, with nothing stopping her from choosing her own path from here. She can still feel Jenova Incinerator's presence, but it feels as though it is being stifled. Squeezed. Through the bond, Fedorov begins to feel a creeping pain...

(OOC: Edit: If you dislike the quick gloss over Fedorov's mind, tell me. I whipped it up with regards to some of the stuff we've talked about concerning the memetic engineering the Centauri like to use. I thought it was interesting and wanted to include it! Also I really want to see what effect it would have on her .)

(OOC: No problem, I wanted to get it all a bit more into the spotlight, so to speak, and this is a great way to do that. Also, I'll point out that memetic engineering more of a way to control the flow of ideas than anything, and doesn't necessarily have a direct mental impact, although I wouldn't say that it has no indirect mental impact.)

Fedorov gives off the faint sense of displeasure in response to Jenova, but says nothing, and gives a brief and affirmative "Yes," in response to what she should do if the darkness escapes. The feeling of being in control of her bond is odd, but it is strangely liberating, and she begins to brace for the incoming pain. With that, she begins to walk into the darkness, hoping to find what it is that would revive the Burnites.

When she steps into the blackness, Fedorov's sense of pain through the bond vanishes. Her sense of the bond vanishes. Her sense of dimension and space vanish. She no longer feels like a corporeal being tethered to a physical form.

Jenova is, and she's being attacked by something unseen, writhing on the floor, recoiling from the invisible lash of a being that Fedorov cannot fully perceive. Fedorov finds that she can do absolutely nothing. She lacks appendages.

The voice that speaks to her is not a voice she recognizes. "Their mother made them wrong, and they must be purged. Their forms are not made to hold the violence of sentient beings."

"Sentient...beings...need...not...be...violent!" gasps Jenova

"But you have been violent."

"I was wrong, wrong, a thousand times wrong," Jenova cries.

"You have pulled this creature into your world of pain, and it lacks the power to escape."

"She..." Jenova gasps in pain, "was not compelled to ... follow me."

"Then why?"

"Her leaders do their best to control her mind, but the goodness of her intelligence shines through sometimes. Especially when prodded. She came to help me. A fool's errand."

The unknown voice does not respond. It pauses. Fedorov seems to gain the ability to speak. The voice speaks directly to her. It seems to command a truthful response. "Does this wretched creature truly bring out goodness in others? Speak."

Jenova screams. Her legs are beginning to ... melt away ... an effect that is slowly crawling up her body.

It becomes increasingly clear that in this newfound mental state, Doctor Fedorov's emotions are now taking over for her rational mind and her unconscious beliefs. Though it can't be seen, it can almost certainly be felt that she is shaking in anger at whatever it is that's causing Jenova's pain. When the being addresses her, Doctor Fedorov says in reply, with almost a sense of righteous fury,

"Can I say that there is something specific to Jenova that brings out the goodness of others? I cannot say. What I can say, however, is that every sentient being brings out the goodness of others when they have the heart to give it. I do not know what you want me to say, but I will tell you, the one who needs help most here is you. You lash out at innocents who wish nothing more than to give up the path of war and coercion, and you become worse than whatever it was that you were trying to prevent in the first place. Give up! Let Jenova go!"

For a brief moment, she struggles, trying to move forward towards Jenova, but it becomes clear that she can do nothing with no limbs. Still, it is more than obvious what she is trying to do and desperately wants to do.

"Doctor Fedorov, think rationally," the creature says. "I require no defense of my actions to yourself. I am Isha. I engineered the Burninites. I brought them to life, as you bring robotic minds to life by your own right. Do you not dismantle robots that become dangerous and insipid? Or do you allow your creations to wreak havoc among the stars and destroy all that lies in their path?"

Jenova stops screaming. The melting has begun moving up her abdomen.

"I can list the transgressions of this being and this species with a death tally that goes on longer than even your life. You wish to plead her case?"

Doctor Fedorov's struggling is pointless, but it draws the attention of Isha. Fedorov feels something mildly painful in her consciousness for a brief moment, but then it is gone. There is a short pause, and Isha speaks again. "You spoke the truth before. Her mind is constrained and structured by conditioning which she cannot normally escape. Why does she here display such altruism? It is not in her code, so to speak."

Isha appears to be in thought. When she speaks, it sounds as though it is searing Jenova's and Fedorov's very souls. The intensity burns. "I will give you the tools to survive, Jenova Incinerator. Know that for any of you who choose wrong, death again awaits, by my hand."

Suddenly, Isha is gone, and Fedorov and Jenova are standing again in Jenova's mind. Jenova is whole, and the blackness inside her mind is condensed into a single tiny point.

"There it was," Doctor Fedorov said softly. "You saw my true feelings, something that I did not ever expect to see myself. Like you've said, we Centauri have become too good at dehumanizing ourselves, but in this state of consciousness it seems my emotions have managed to surface, past the machinations of my rational mind. What now, though? I am sure that that was not the end of it all."

Jenova collapses to the floor before Fedorov finishes her sentence.

She giggles.

"I can't feel my legs yet, but it's gone!" She laughs. "The darkness is almost entirely gone!"

She gets more serious, and stands back up, feeling apparently returning quickly. "No, it is not over," she says. "I have, with no inconsiderable help from you, purged the darkness from my mind. But the darkness still looms in the minds of every other surviving Burninite.

"We should continue this discussion, but I feel that the utility of being linked mentally has declined. Shall I allow us to continue this discussion in the physical realm? Anything you wish to say or ask of me privately should be said or asked before we return. I alone can hear you here, but when we return our consciousnesses to the ship, Teresa, your people, and mine will be with us again."

"I see no problem with doing so, barring one request." She pauses, and then continues, "If you could, I would prefer to keep the exact details of my involvement here under wraps, so to speak. I worry that some of my colleagues might think I've been compromised or subverted somehow if they heard of what I did. I cannot say that it is so, but you never know what the others will make of such things."

Jenova nods. "Memories of a link are private by convention."

With a nod, Doctor Fedorov says, "Excellent. Into the real world once more, then?"

Jenova does not respond, but Doctor Fedorov finds herself again standing in the Craftworld, with Jenova's forehead placed on her forehead.

Jenova steps back and smiles at the other Burninites. Their eyes widen. "I believe that we have been saved."

"Were it only earlier, we could have saved so many," one of them responds.

"I believe that they can be revived, even now, if Isha has not done so herself."

The other Burninites do not ask how Jenova could have spoken again with Isha. Jenova believes she has given Fedorov enough time to regain her footing in the real world, so stops diverting attention at this point. She speaks to her. "Thank you for your help, Doctor. You spoke of offering us help? There is one thing that can be done; if you could offer us transportation between here and the world on which Teresa was found, then we will be back to our mystical old selves in no time."

Teresa is grinning. She walks next to Jenova as this exchange occurs.

With a smile, and a gesture towards the shuttle, Doctor Fedorov says, "But of course. Follow us."

As she turns towards the shuttle, one of her guards places his hand on her shoulder, and says to her, "Excuse me, Doctor Fedorov? I could not help but notice that while you were interfacing with Madame Jenova, you seemed to be almost... quivering. Ma'am, are you still alright? I apologize for the intrusion, but, well, my job is to keep you safe."

Looking back at her guard, and her voice as collected and controlled as it was before, she said in reply, "Officer Erdogan, I can quite assure you that I am fine. No harm came to me while I was interfaced, and you have little need to worry. I thank you for your vigilance, nonetheless."