Danaerea - the Hidden History of the Universe

Flashes Episode 1 - Danaerea - the Hidden History of the Universe

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:54:15 GMT

n in a coma caused by a skiing accident, the power of Shalyn's mind couldn't be disguised. But her parents had never told her who she was, where she had come from. Or the hope riding on her. Could she discover the truth within herself before the Yannoneth Hunter found her?

to read all of Chapter 1 of Flashes, click the title link.

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Danaerea - Breakthrough - Tanya - Conclusion

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:00:51 GMT

I reacted just barely in time; and without much finesse I admit. I clamped down on Tanya's mind so tightly that I was afraid for a moment that I'd killed her. Which would have been unfortunate. Although not quite as unfortunate as if she had killed me instead. Which was what she had intended. Not consciously. But accidental dead is just as dead as deliberate dead.

I picked myself up off the floor, being very careful not to relax my control even slightly. Tanya was as immobile as one of those mannequins in a wax museum. But she wasn't dead. She was in a'sa'mlek, the Time of Rest. A condition which should never be imposed by one person on another. But I had grabbed the first thing I came to in my mental bag of tricks. Hey, this is all pretty new to me too you know.

A'sa'mlek is as close to what people think of as suspended animation as we're likely to get. The Twelve have used it to hang in there until humanity reaches the Awakening. Until they can at last discharge their duty to the memory of Danaerea. That's a period of time that I still can't get my head around, even with the memories of the d'na'tnek to help me. And the Twelve have been conscious all of that time, even if their bodies were immobile.

Tanya wasn't advanced enough to manage that kind of duality. I hoped. I needed her mind to be unaware of me while I figured out what to do.

The first order of business was to get Misqmal and Sarsoneth back. Now that I knew what Tanya had done, I could undo it. I did.

When I unlocked the corner of d'na'tnek where Misqmal had been tucked away, he jumped into my consciousness like a mental version of those kids' jack-in-the-box things. You know, the ones you crank up and the puppet jumps out. It was totally inappropriate, but I couldn't help myself. I chuckled.

If a disembodied personality can sputter, Misqmal sputtered. His personality seemed to be intact. He still "felt" like Misqmal. But his pride had been hurt. Being locked into a few snippets of DNA can do that to you. And by a girl who didn't know what she was doing no less. Ha. Teach him to be a Peeping Tom.

Sarsoneth was back too. He no longer seemed to be miles away. And even though he maintained his obligatory emotional detachment, I was pretty certain that I could detect a sense of relief in his contact with me.

"Okay gents," I said, "We can analyze all of this later and hoist a pint or three in celebration of our reunion. Right now, I have what I still think is a nice young lady immobilized in my bedroom and I'd like some suggestions about how we proceed without the risk of us all ending up very, very dead. An outcome that I think you will both agree that she is more than capable of accomplishing."

Misqmal didn't hesitate. "You have to kill her. She might be a natural Awakened human, or she might have been manipulated by the Twelve. More likely, she's a trap set out by the Yannoneth hoping that you'd take the bait. Which you did. You can't take the chance. There's too much riding on you."

"While my emotional counterpart has a valid point," said Sarsoneth, "an ally who can damp out g'ru'tnok abilities would be an invaluable weapon in your mission. If Misqmal had taken the time to do more than ogle the young lady last night, he would have found unmistakable signs of genetic manipulation. So she is not a natural Awakened. Nor is she Yannoneth. She was either created by the Yannoneth, or by the Twelve."

Somehow, I didn't feel that either one of them were helping much. I did know that I wasn't going to kill her. Not unless I had to. So far as I could tell nothing that she had done had been intentional. And Sarsoneth was right. She could be a powerful ally. I could use a few of those. Next option please. "Okay, unless you guys have some way to tell the difference between Yannoneth tinkering and genetic manipulation by the Twelve, we're going to go the optimistic route. So, back to the question please. How do we avoid her attempting to zap us as soon as I let her go? She doesn't look very comfortable at the moment."

Sarsoneth and Misqmal were silent for what seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds. When they put their differences aside and actually got down to it, they were occasionally almost useful. "This is what we suggest." They guided me to a snippet of knowledge that I wouldn't have found in a year's worth of searching.

Reaching ever so gently into Tanya's mind, I began to explore her d'na'tnek. It felt like a terrible invasion of privacy, but in truth our genetic memory really belongs to the entire race. We're just its keepers. It still felt like I was taking advantage of her.

Sarsoneth and Misqmal had shown me what to look for. The fact that I actually found it cofirmed that Tanya had indeed been a product of the Twelve. Which meant that she was one of the people I had been looking for. I fervently hoped that next time I discovered an Awakened, it wouldn't be quite so, well, traumatic.

I triggered what I had found so that it entered Tanya's conscious mind. Then I very, very gradually allowed her to become aware of it. I could feel the change that came over her as the knowledge became part of her, no longer submerged.

After a few minutes, I risked giving her more autonomy. She turned her head and looked at me. But this wasn't the terrified girl who had tried to blast me through the back wall of my apartment so recently. The woman considering me now was completely in control of herself and even seemed slightly amused. "You can release control of this body now Rick. I'm no longer a danger to you. Or your mission."

Okay, so maybe I should have been a little more cautious, but when you've seen as many strange things as I have lately, you begin to get a little blasé about it all. I relaxed.

Tanya slumped back into the chair she had partially risen from before I took control of her. "Geez, Rick, every muscle is aching here. You don't have much consideration for a girl do you?" But she was smiling.

I sat down too. "So, you're okay now? You know who you are? What you are? You seem to be taking everything pretty calmly. Which is more than I did when I found out. What exactly did Sarsoneth and Misqmal have me release anyway?"
Tanya laughed. A pleasant sound, but I had heard her laugh before. It was like an entirely different person was using her mouth. Creepy. "Don't worry Rick, the effect is only temporary. As the d'na'tnek becomes integrated this other personality will fade and the Tanya you knew yesterday will return." Then she looked reflective. "Well, not totally I suppose. Those days of innocence are gone for good."

I looked my question. She laughed again. "Well, you were right. I'm a product of the Twelve. I have one of the abilities that they believe will help you deal with the Yannoneth. The part of the d'na'tnek that you released contains knowledge of who I am and how my ability works. There is also a mentor, though not as complete as your two friends. She is guiding me now.

"It will take time for me to master this Rick. I'm not sure how much time. I do not have the level of development that you were given. I need to enter a'sa'mlek. A place has been prepared. I need to go there now. So that when you need me I will be ready."

She actually stood up and started to gather her things. "What? You mean now as in this minute now? But I have more questions. I don’t know enough yet. You're the first person like me that I've found." She just kept preparing to go.

"I'm sorry Rick. But I am not like you. You are the leader. The d'na'tnek tells me that. I must help you, but it is your mission. And until I master my ability I am a danger to you and everyone else. Not to mention the possibility of attracting the attention of the Yannoneth. I have to go." This last was said with urgency and for a moment she sounded like the Tanya I had met just a few short hours before. I understood. Neither of us had the freedom to make our own choices.

And then she was gone.

I spent a long time in meditation after Tanya left. Not a'sa'mlek, just plain old meditation. Contemplating this latest twist in the fabric of my reality. I'd gained a new ally. I guess. Who would be there to help me when I needed her. Maybe. Sarsoneth and Misqmal were silent on the matter. Apparently, their mentorship didn't extend to other Awakened. Or maybe they were just embarrassed because they didn't recognize who she was before all of this happened. I decided a walk was in order.

I had originally intended to drop by the bar where I had met Tanya. But my feet seemed to have other ideas and I ended up on an unfamiliar street. Which somehow didn't seem unfamiliar. Which is a feeling I've gotten used to. Thanks to the d'na'tnek, there's almost no place on earth that I don't "remember". Although those memories are sometimes of places as they were a very long time ago.

Which was what seemed to have happened to me now. When I reached the place where I was sure there should have been an Irish pub, there was nothing but a boarded up storefront. Abandoned for years. I stood and stared for a minute. Then I shook my head, turned, and headed back to Sam's. A place I knew existed.

What I didn't know was that boarded up storefronts are not always what they seem.

But I would soon find out.

Danaerea - Putting a Damper on Things - Tanya Chapter 3

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:21:42 GMT

We sat there for a few minutes and then Tanya looked at me. "I don't understand. I don't understand what you just said, and yet it seems like I should. I don't understand why I'm just sitting here. I don't understand anything." Her voice faded to a whisper and she stared at the floor. In a voice that sounded like she was wondering out loud rather than talking to me, she added "How come I'm not screaming hysterically?"

Well, that might have something to do with the stream of g'ru'tnok I was flooding her with. I was silently encouraging her to pump out endorphins like a house on fire. I wanted her relaxed and happy. I didn't need Sarsoneth's distant urging to tell me what could happen if her wild talent cut loose again. Even if, now that I knew what I was dealing with, I was pretty sure that I could counter it. Pretty sure wasn't all that reassuring, even to me.

As soon as I had realized the real situation I had changed tactics. And not any too soon. When I told her that Misqmal was real, the mental blast she directed at me had almost knocked me off my feet. I was quite sure that she was capable of damping me out completely. Which would pretty much end my mission. Not to mention provide a fine irony for the Yannoneth. Their archenemy (that's me, so Sarsoneth and Misqmal keep telling me) taken out by another Awakened (that, I was pretty sure, was Tanya). An Awakened, unless I missed my guess, who had been created by the Twelve just as I had been.

And she was totally unaware of it. Just as I had been.

"Tanya," I began gently, "we really need to talk about some things. They might seem a bit unusual. But you've had some pretty unusual experiences in your life already, haven't you?" She looked at me with a kind of dreamy happy face. Oh boy.

Time to cut back on the endorphins. A little.

"Okay. So how long have you had these feelings of being watched," I asked. Sarsoneth was, from his far away place, following the conversation intently. I was counting on him for some sage advice in all of this. And the sooner the better, cause I was fresh out. Tanya responded in a wispy, intoxicated sounding voice. "Oh, for ever and ever I think. Always been someone watching me. Took a long time to figure out how to make 'em go away. Long time. But now they listen." She wagged a finger at me.

I tensed a little. "How do you make them go away, Tanya?"
"Don' know. I just tell 'em to an' they go away. Doctor said that proved it was all in my head."

Well yeah, I thought. All in her head. But that didn't mean it wasn't real. This wasn't going to get us anywhere. I decided to try something else.

"Tanya, I want you to look at my eyes." I could feel Sarsoneth's concern. He knew what I planned of course. And how dangerous it was. But since he didn't seem to be trying to raise any serious objections, I assumed he didn't have a better idea. If Tanya really didn't know how she made the watchers go away, talking wouldn't help. Or at least it would take a very long time. And I wanted Misqmal back. Now.
"Eyes? You have pretty eyes Rick. Do you like my eyes?" And she batted her eyelashes at me.

"I love your eyes honey. In fact, I think that we should look into each other's eyes. Wouldn't that be nice? Look into my eyes Tanya."

As she did, I extended my perception. We didn’t really need to be looking into each other's eyes for this to work. I could be on the other side of the planet. Heck, I'd once tried it from the moon. Distance didn't matter. But I wanted her focused. I didn't want her sensing another "watcher" and trying to tell it (me, that is), to go away.

Cautiously, I touched her consciousness and immediately confirmed one thing. She was not Yannoneth. I was relieved at the knowledge but I didn't lower my guard. She was still extremely dangerous. Maybe more so. She had damped Misqmal and pushed Sarsoneth so far away that I could barely maintain contact. Without knowing what she was doing.
Was it any wonder that the Twelve were resolved that humanity evolve into the Awakening instead of being pushed? It had been sheer desperation that forced them to create me. And apparently at least one other. Tanya.

I continued to feel my way around Tanya's mind as gently as possible. I needed to find the place in the d'na'tnek that held the knowledge of how she did what she did. If I could extract it without startling her into trying to use it on me in the process, everything would be okay.

After a few minutes though, I knew it wasn't going to work. Either the knowledge was in pieces, scattered amongst a million memories, or she was blocking it so completely that I couldn't find it.

We would have to attempt n'es'tehk, the joining.

I hoped that n'es'tehk, with its total melding of those taking part, would accomplish two things. First, that it would give Tanya a crash course in who and what we were, while simultaneously imparting the knowledge of how to control her ability. Second, that through the intimacy of the n'es'tehk Sarsoneth and Misqmal would be freed of whatever Tanya had done to damp them.

I must have let something of my thoughts slip. She screamed "No" and I found myself not only tossed out of her mind, but also halfway across the room.

But in the split second that she had lashed out at me, I had seen what I needed to see.

Danaerea - Enemy or Ally? - Tanya Chapter 2

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:06:43 GMT

In spite of the warm sunshine filtering through the leaves on the tree outside the window, I felt a sudden chill.

Tanya was Yannoneth. She had to be. There was no other explanation for Misqmal's absence.

I tried not to let my body tense up. Even more, I used all of the techniques that I had learned over the last few months to keep my heightened mental state from betraying me. No extension of my senses to see what was happening in the kitchen. No increase in my personal shield even with the itch that had started between my shoulder blades. In fact, no draw on the g'ru'tnok in any way. If I was lucky, she might not have realized that I was on to her.

I felt around cautiously in the usual places in my head where Misqmal liked to putter when nothing interesting was happening. "Sprucing up the place" he called it. Nothing.

I could feel Sarsoneth, but it was as if he was a long way off, a tiny figure in the distance. A hard feat to accomplish in the cramped quarters of my noggin. I didn't try to bring him closer. I doubted that I could do that without making obvious use of g'ru'tnok and alerting Tanya. Besides, I didn't know why he seemed so far away in the first place.

How had I let myself be trapped so easily? Sure, Tanya was attractive, but I wasn't exactly the kind to be so smitten by appearances that I threw caution to the winds. There hadn't been a single sign from her. No aura, no smallest eddy in the g'ru'tnok. And neither Misqmal nor Sarsoneth had expressed any concern. What had I missed?

"Hey there, sleepyhead. I thought you had more stamina than that. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted." As she giggled and sat down on the side of the bed I rolled over, in what I hoped was a well-satisfied-lover kind of way, and smiled at her.

"Definitely flattered," I said sleepily. Still from that far distance I could sense Sarsoneth taking the opportunity to examine our unexpected adversary through my eyes. No hint of a suggestion as to what to do though. So I decided to play along.

I accepted one of the coffee mugs that she had brought in with her, tasted it. A touch of thick cream, no sugar. Just the way I liked it. I looked the question at her. She didn't bite. "I hope its okay. I just had a feeling you might like it that way. I can get you another if you prefer."

"No, it's perfect." Which was the truth. But why was it perfect? Was she taunting me? Daring me to call her out? If she was that confident, I was in trouble. I might be able to draw on the energy of an entire planet, but the important part was knowing what to do with it once you had it. I was still working on that part. If she had been doing this for as long as I suspected she had, and with my two mentors out of action, I was sunk.

She balanced her mug on one knee with one hand and reached out to touch my face tenderly with the other. An affectionate gesture? Or a sign of pity for a condemned man? I sat up beside her and took another sip of coffee.

"You know," she said, "I had the strangest feeling last night. It felt like someone was watching us. Isn't that strange? Did you feel it?"

Feel it? Honey, I live it. Or at least I did. Out loud I just said, "No, to be honest my mind was totally occupied elsewhere. The entire St. Ignatius choir could have been in the room and I don't think I'd have noticed." Which was true. Whatever else she might be, Tanya was a great lover. But then, if I was right, she'd had plenty of time to practice.

She laughed out loud. "Why thank you Rick. That's sweet." Then she became very pensive and her voice went low. "Okay, I'm sure it was my imagination. Happens sometimes. Anyway, it went away when I told it to. It always does."

Whoa! Always does? I could feel Sarsoneth trying to get my attention. Like a kid tugging at your pants leg. But he was still far away, and I wasn't particularly listening at the moment. "I'm not sure I follow, Tanya. Do you get the feeling you're being watched a lot?"

She was looking sheepish and not entirely comfortable with the conversation. "Not a lot. Sometimes. Let's just drop it okay? You're going to think I'm crazy. I made French toast. My own recipe. Come on. If you thought that coffee was good, wait until you taste this." And with that, she grabbed my hand, dragged me off of the bed, and headed for the kitchen.

I did let it drop; but all during breakfast, which was, as advertised, absolutely amazing, I was reevaluating my earlier hypothesis. She could still be Yannoneth, and just playing me like an angler plays a doomed trout. Or, Sarsoneth's distance and Misqmal's absence might have nothing at all to do with Tanya. Or ...

It was that third "or" that had my undivided attention.
While we cleared away dishes, I decided to take a chance. "Tanya, mind if I ask you something?"

"Depends."

There it was again. A response totally at odds with what I had come to expect from a Yannoneth. They were never hesitant, no matter whether it was an Ethical or a Disaffected. Tanya was tentative, almost defensive. I could tell she knew what I wanted to ask her about. Far from preparing to spring some trap, she acted as if she was the one with her foot in a snare.

"You asked me if I felt like we were being watched last night. I did." I watched something come into her eyes. Hope? If so, it was masked with wariness.

"Yeah. It was more than a feeling. I know it for a fact. But I don't have that feeling now. Do you know why?"

She was definitely defensive, trying to deflect the question. "It was just a feeling Rick. A silly feeling. I think you're just trying to humor me. Can we change the subject?"

Change the subject? Hell no. I decided to plunge in. "I know we were being watched Tanya. I know because the watcher was in my head. His name is Misqmal. He's a sort of mentor, or companion. When he's not being a Peeping Tom that is. But he doesn't seem to be in my head this morning Tanya. And you know why, don't you?"

She acted as if I'd struck her. "I don't believe you!" She shouted it. And then, when she could see that I was serious, "I didn't do it! I didn't! He was just bothering me, distracting me. I didn't want anyone watching. Nobody should have been watching! So I told him to go away. And he did. I didn't do anything wrong!" This last was almost a plea. She sank to the floor in front of the sink sobbing.

I sat down beside her. "We have to bring him back."

"I don't know how."

Danaerea - A Little Privacy Please - Tanya Chapter 1

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:29:22 GMT

Remember those cartoons where a devil pops up on one shoulder and an angel pops up on the other?

I think of Sarsoneth and Misqmal that way. Oh, they don't really sit on my shoulders of course; they're just in my head. But if I close my eyes when talking, it really does seem like that. Maybe it just makes it easier to take.

Yeah, yeah, I know, the Danaereans had hundreds, thousands, hell, maybe millions of memories in their genes. My God, the Twelve have a whole civilization! Even the Yannoneth have the memories of their ancestors in the d'na'tnek.

But damn it, they don't have people!

These guys are full fledged people. Well, personalities anyway. And sometimes they just don't know enough to pipe down and shut the hell up! They're like bad guests who don't know when its time to go home.

I know, the Twelve gave them to me to help me defeat the Yannoneth. And I wasn't supposed to know they were there. And if they hadn't broken their silence and used the g'ru'tnok to save me, I'd have been ground up into feed for Yannoneth experiments. I know all that! It still gives me the heeby jeebies. Especially those experiments. Ugh. But there are times when knowing doesn't really help much. It'd be nice to have a little peace and quiet, even just once in a while y'know?

Like the other night. Things were kinda quiet, and I decided to have a nice dinner at a little restaurant I know. Nothing fancy. Just good food, better scotch, and no one bothering you.

I was just sitting there savouring the warm sensation from the contents of a bottle that Sam (his name really is Sam. People can't lie around me you know) keeps way in the back of the bar. A little secret between him, me, and a select few very close friends.

A woman with auburn hair to her waist and the prettiest smile you ever saw came in and sat at the bar. Its not that she was gorgeous. I'm not particularly attracted to gorgeous. She just had that air about her, a composure that spoke of self assurance without the arrogance that goes with gorgeous.
Sarsoneth, true to his origins as an Ethical, paid no attention. Hell, the whole Victoria's Secret swimsuit lineup could come in he wouldn't comment beyond wondering if they might catch a chill. No wonder so many of them became Disaffected.

Misqmal now, that's a different story. Misqmal is all human. And from a time and place when/where such niceties as courting and consent were not only not practiced, they would have been considered downright rude. Not that anyone would have considered not consenting. What's a little pleasure between friends? Or strangers for that matter?

Misqmal's problem was that he was prone to forget that he wasn't where/when he came from. And that it wasn't his body he was trying to get our auburn haired visitor to wrap hers around.

Before I knew it I was half way across the room and definitely too close to make it seem like I was just headed to the bathroom. Which was in the other direction anyway. She looked directly at me and smiled.

At which point I kicked Misqmal in his non-existent shin and sent him back to my sub-subconscious. Where he would sulk. Good.

In the meantime, I had missed what the un-object of my attentions had been saying. After an awkward few seconds of silence, she laughed a laugh like tinkling crystal, repeated herself, and held out her hand.

"Tanya," was what she had said.

"Rick," was what I replied, if belatedly. "Rick Richmond."

"Won't you join me, Rick? I would enjoy the company." Even without Misqmal's coaching I wasn't exactly slow to take up an invitation like that.

Tanya and I spent a pleasant next little while engaged in the kind of conversation that men and women who meet in a bar like Sam's have always engaged in. Then we left. Together, if I have to spell it out for you. Which thrilled Misqmal no end, the perverted voyeur. And affected Sarsoneth not in the least. He retreated to whatever the psychic equivalent of a study is and faded from my awareness.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee and the delicious sounds of someone bustling about in the kitchen.

And silence.

Misqmal seemed to be gone.

Danaerean Prologue

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:01:21 GMT

What do Danaerea, Yannoneth and Earth have in common? What is the hidden history of the universe?

Click the link to read the entire prologue. Find out the single truth behind the myths and legends of humanity.

Genetic Memory in the News

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 03:33:18 GMT

The link in this blog (visit site to click) leads to an interesting online discussion about genetic memory.
There are many similar discussions taking place in biology, anthropology, neuroscience, and a host of other disciplines in labs around the world.
The more we understand about our genetic makeup, the more we realize how much of what we are we owe to what we have been as a species
This is just the beginning of our rediscovery of our Danaerean heritage, and the violation of very souls by the Yannoneth.

Enter the Hero - Shalyn's Spell

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:57:54 GMT

Enter the Hero - Everyone wants to be a superhero don't they? And if it takes surrendering your soul to an oversexed witch, well .... there are worse things, aren't there?

Not-So-Plain-Sight - a Ray Simmons Story

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:53:27 GMT

Investigative Consultant, ET Specialist. The title meant that he received an obscenely high salary and invitations to all the best parties. It also meant that he was the one they called when some high-ranking official from one of the Confederation worlds stuck his foot, or other ambulatory appendage, into a mess.

Father and Son

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:51:57 GMT

The Ethical Imperative that had enslaved him for so long was gone, burned away in the frustration of the endless struggle of the Yannoneth civil war. He was free.

a Bottle of Wine

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:50:06 GMT

He lovingly held the bottle as the tears started. He longed to walk the Highlands again. He knew that his parents were there at this moment, waiting for the Bombardment to begin.