***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***

***Astra***

“What do you think?” Magnus asked while lying in the hospital bed next to me. We had awoken some time ago and the discussion had immediately turned to the shared dream.

Guess my confusion upon learning it was no dream at all. Well, it was a dream, but not a dream at the same time. Arrgh! Damned not-dreams and godlike energy beings! As if my life wasn't already complicated enough!

I blew a raspberry and calmed myself. “I think we need to go home and get something to drink. Maybe we could raid dad's office and steal all of his sorrow medicine.”

“Please don't drink while you are pregnant,” Magnus commented and hummed. “Come to think of it, I haven't seen your father since that little incident.”

“Don't worry. I am sure he just got what was due.” I waved a hand to dismiss the matter. “The one time I remember Teresa getting mad at him, he hid from the rest of the family for a week. I am sure he will survive.”

“And what's your impression of Gaia?” Magnus asked.

“Hmm... let me think.”

I folded my fingers, unable to come up with an answer on the spot.

Waking up and finding out we had the same dream was certainly a shock. But the memory was too fresh in my mind to discount it in the same manner in which Magnus rationalized his first encounter with Gaia.

Gaia was no god, but there was no doubt in my mind this being was responsible for humanity's tendency toward religions. I honestly wasn’t sure what to think. Was the Gestalt a threat? Something to venerate?

The next time we met, I would have to ask her whether she was somehow related to the Church of Gaia! How could something so important have slipped my mind!?

Either way, being on the Gestalt’s bad side was something to avoid – for now.

I wondered what it would be like to live an existence like Gaia’s. What was an entity like the Gestalt doing with its free time? There was no doubt the avatar was doing a good job at interacting with us, but Gaia's disconnection from the world outside people's dreams couldn't be denied.

This became blatantly obvious once we started interrogating Gaia in detail about political matters and people. The longer the discussion went, the more obvious became Gaia’s limitations and ignorance.

Oh, she knew a lot, but her point of view was skewed because her perception of humanity was filtered through the lens of people's dreams.

Just like a human would be unaware of what most of his cells were doing, Gaia had a similar problem. Outside her immediate charges, the avatar was almost completely ignorant of what individual people were planning or thinking. When asked about the Patel's disposition towards us, she could only promise to pay more attention to such matters in the future.

Figuring out individual people and their relationships simply wasn't how the Gestalt thought as a whole. Gaia was more flexible, but also had blinders on when it concerned people and events she wasn’t directly influencing.

This became apparent when she began to evade certain answers, like who she was messing with. This could have only one reason. Gaia didn’t want to admit to being weak. If she was capable of influencing a significant number of people, instigating a war against the Thich wouldn’t have been a problem.

Maybe a handful of people were her limit, a few dozen at most.

At least Gaia explained in principle how she operated.

When a human desired to change society, he or she would have to take social problems and political factions into account, then find a way to apply pressure and influence future developments accordingly.

That wasn't how Gaia worked.

When the Gestalt wanted to steer humanity in a certain direction, it would simply split off a sub-identity like Gaia and task her with the subconscious indoctrination of a promising group or person – like Magnus. The person would then go on and take care of all the complicated social stuff the Gestalt couldn't be bothered with.

This method was far from perfect.

In many cases, the goal wasn't achieved. Not everyone had what it took to become an influential politician, a freedom fighter, or a magnate with the power to steer international companies and influence countries.

But if the Gestalt always had one thing, then it was time. If one human couldn't achieve the desired goal, then hundreds or thousands might do the job. If one failed, then the next one would be conscripted.

Concurrently, the Gestalt would create more sub-identities like Gaia as needed. If Gaia was to be believed, then a few hundred thousand humans were necessary to support an avatar of Gaia's level. Our greatest problem was that the Gestalt had apparently retreated from Tirnanog and left only Gaia behind. The energies of Tirnanog's population were barely sufficient to support her.

Gaia was also slightly out of date regarding most things I asked of her. For example, when recounting the story behind the Thich’s corruption, she retold the events of the great clan-war and the Thich's consequent self-isolation as if it had happened yesterday. Gaia had little to no clue about the current disposition of factions like the Caravaners or the Hochberg.

At least she managed to forewarn us that the Thich had made some troubling political connections with the Vier. It was mind-boggling how such an ignorant creature like the Gestalt could steer humanity's fate. But when faced with the results, I could hardly deny that the entity's methods worked well enough for it.

According to Gaia, the Gestalt had successfully kept humanity from reaching for the stars, which would have likely triggered another extinction event.

I didn't truly understand why these aliens were so intent on erasing the Gestalt from existence. But then again, the Gestalt clearly didn't understand its humans either.

The world government's suffocating choke-hold on Earth's population was only a means to an end for this creature. The human experiments were a path to improvement.

I always had to remind myself of the monstrous indifference the Gestalt had towards humans in general. Something which would be dangerous to forget.

Comparing humans to cells was an apt comparison in this regard.

Did I care overly much about a scratch killing off millions of skin cells? Or about cells dying and being replaced every day? Most of the time, I didn't even waste a thought. Heck, the mere act of exercising with Magnus was probably comparable to a minor catastrophe on Earth.

Maybe humanity's wars and constant strife were nothing more than bodily exercise for the Gestalt.

The only thing I would care about would be losing a finger. And in a way, this was exactly what the Gestalt was facing with the Thich.

“I believe we can trust Gaia to a certain degree. The avatar seems to be limited and as close to a human personality as something like the Gestalt can get. She may be a little smarter than a normal human, but her flaws are obvious. Whether through incapability or ignorance doesn't matter – for the moment. If we tell her what to look for, she could become the best spy we have. It's just sad that we don't have thousands of her and that she seems somewhat limited in how many people she can monitor directly. What I don't trust is the Gestalt as a whole. We will have to be doubly careful about our goals. But as long as we remain the Gestalt's main weapon against the Thich, everything should be fine.”

Magnus nodded. “I think you are right. We'll have to double-check our role in this play every step of the way. The Gestalt's goal is to stomp out the Thich's corruption. We are a complete non-concern to it, apart from being the tool of choice.”

He paused for a moment. “How do we explain this to your parents? We've learned a few things the clan should know. The population issue sounds like an important argument to steer the clan's future.”

I pursed my lips. “Some mindflayer mutations are bizarre, but being connected to a semi-godlike entity stretches it a little bit. I think we should face relatively few questions if we stick mostly to the truth. We should omit the existence of Gaia.”

After a few moments of pondering over the problem, I gave a proposal, “How about telling my parents we uncovered a new aspect of Parallel Mind? It allows our sub-identities to ‘Mindstorm’ while we are sleeping, giving us certain insights.”

“Sounds a little bit like prophetic visions,” Magnus mumbled. “But fine with me if such a story can fly. Did you notice how the Gestalt's avatars sound very similar to our new Parallel Mind ability?”

“No, not prophetic visions,” I clarified. “Just logical insights, deductions based on known facts. And I did notice. Gaia refused a clear answer, but I am almost a hundred per cent certain it was by design.”

There was a knock on the door and Magnus and I shared a look. This early in the morning it was an ungodly hour for Sienna and Thalia to visit us.

Always the gentleman, Magnus got up and wove his filaments into something akin to shorts and a shirt. He gave me a questioning look and I replied with a thumbs up. It wasn't anywhere close to my skills with imitating clothing, but he was improving rapidly and this was passable.

Then he went and opened the door – just to be shoved aside by Teresa who imperiously strode into the room.

“Mom!” I exclaimed.

“How could you not tell me!?” Teresa quickly walked up to the bed. “Imagine how it feels to get a message from Sienna in the early morning hours, telling me that you are pregnant and in the hospital! Are you okay?”

“Ah,” I did my best to sound cavalier about the matter. “You see, it wasn't planned this way. Originally, I intended to share the news with Magnus first and have some romantic time, but he picked me up and carried me directly into Sienna's arms. And then they told me to stay here since it was already late at night...”

“At least your partner has some sense about these matters,” Teresa reprimanded me as she grasped my hand. Then she threw Magnus an approving look. “From what Sienna told me, the speed of the pregnancy gives reason for concern.”

I waved it off. Sadly, I couldn't share the reason for my assurance. “Don't worry, Mom. I feel fine! I've a good feeling about it. Very soon we will have three little ones in the house. Besides, there is other news we have to share.”

Seeing that Etan was also peeking through the doorsill I sat up. “Dad! You have to come in too!”

Etan stepped into the room and Magnus stared at him with a look of incredulity.

Dad was sporting the largest black eye I had ever seen on someone. It was swollen shut and looked like two plums were attached to his face.

He nodded at me. “Astra, we had to see you as soon as we heard. It’s good to see you are fine. If- if you feel concerned about your pregnancy, you can always talk to us.”

“Thanks!” I cleared my throat to interrupt the awkward moment. It was probably wisest not to mention the eye. “Anyway... Magnus and I have uncovered another application for our Parallel Mind ability.”

I quickly continued to share our new ‘powers of deduction’ with my parents and followed it up with an edited version of how the Thich's mystery mutation might lead to more viable pairings, resulting in a population advantage.

Given their age, my parents were a little more used to thinking decades ahead instead of just considering their immediate future.

Etan was the first to speak up once I was done. “We have to point this out to the Tates. If they can reinforce this argument with some supportive statistics it might be the argument we need to decide the vote in our favour. It doesn't matter whether the Thich's research is reality or not. The mere possibility might explain everything the Thich have done so far. Their extraordinary greed for all the women they can get their hands on would be explained.”

He shook his head. “What if they already know some powerful and fertile mutation paths? Depending on the fertility we could be facing an unbeatable army forty or fifty years down the road. Every fertile woman they can get their hands on now may increase their numbers exponentially.”

I wasn't so sure whether my father's interpretation was entirely correct. It still didn't explain the need for sisters or twins, but there was no need to correct semantics right now.

“Well, at least our daughter's fertility seems to be no problem,” Teresa patted my shoulder encouragingly. “Sienna said you are trying for three at once?”

“I admit I was a bit shocked too,” I hedged. “But I bet the family will be looking out for them, just like it was for me.”

“They will be lacking nothing,” Mom assured me.

***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***

***Magnus***

I listened while the conversation drifted off to other topics. Meanwhile, I was careful not to stare at Etan, but I eventually noticed his gesture to follow him.

We stepped onto the corridor outside the hospital room and allowed the women to have their mother-daughter moment.

Once the door was closed, Etan spoke in a measured tone, “I have to apologize. My wife vehemently pointed out that old age may have gotten me a little too used to a certain modus operandi. And while I must insist I wasn't actively trying to kill you, my bitterness about the failed alliance caused a certain... neglect... in my actions. Neglect which isn't befitting for the leader of a strata. A leader who sends a novice into the lion's den for a test is no leader, but a fool. And if something dire had happened to you, my daughter likely would have killed me.”

He offered me a hand. “I will be honest. I still don't like you, but I promise to do my job properly in the future.”

I blinked at the offered hand, a little dumbfounded. The ball had been thrown into my court and I wasn't sure what to think of it.

Well, no matter my feelings, I had to work with this man in the future, so I took the offered hand.

“I appreciate the honesty. I don't like you either, but I guess I can't choose my father in law. If we can work together, then there will be no future trouble from my side. Astra explained how I may be a little short-sighted toward the clan's social structure. Though, I still can't find fault with throwing that asshole out of the elevator.”

Etan sighed in dismay. “What is done, is done. The news of your ability to withstand mental manipulations made the rounds, which means people won't try this trick on you anymore. Or they will send someone a lot more capable. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is for you to decide.”

“I understand what you mean,” I replied earnestly. “But seriously, I left the mansion just a few times and was already messed with twice. People would have found out sooner or later. I prefer them knowing the consequences of trying and failing.”

Etan considered me before he shrugged. “It isn't my way of thinking, but to each his own.”

I was a little startled when I tried to take back my hand, but Etan didn't let go.

He leaned forward, invading my space. “Gilbert told me you are abysmal with weapons?”

“Did he?” I smiled and refused to back down. “Astra thought he liked me. No broken fingers and all that.”

He huffed.

“From tomorrow onwards, you are going to report to the mansion's training hall in full armour at 7 a.m. sharp,” Etan stated. “Tell Sullivan to give you the armour you had during your hunt, without the support straps. Gilbert probably made it sound like putting on traditional treemonae armour is no different than switching shirts.”

Etan finally let go of my hand.

“Traditional?” I asked. And wasn't the armour Etan spoke of off-limits? Belonging to his great grandfather and all that?

Etan sighed. “Back when Earth abandoned the colonies, those who stayed behind quickly lost access to the old technologies. Because the computer systems were switched off, chaos reigned. The installed infrastructure no longer worked and society fell apart. Within weeks, most of the original colonists lost their lives.” He gestured at the hospital around us, likely meaning the colony as a whole. “It took the clan centuries to reclaim all of this. Even now we struggle to keep it running. Have you ever tried to hard-wire a machine controlled by a microchip?”

I seriously considered the question. “I would probably rather throw the thing away and build a new one.”

Etan nodded. “Anyway. Back in the days of reclaiming the colony, the Frosts couldn't craft worthwhile armour, but they learned to use their filaments to hold objects in place. Like bones, shells, or rocks. They came up with a complicated way of weaving the filaments around themselves to abuse them as external musculature. I am sure you already noticed how they are pretty useless when it comes to lateral force. But they can pull or push very well.”

He grinned evilly. “I won't let you wear any armour before you have mastered the technique.”

***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***

***Thief***

“It's weird,” my partner in crime commented while we dragged the large suitcase up the narrow airshaft.

“What's weird?” I asked.

“Stealing documents from one strata, just to place them secretively in another's archives?” he snorted. “Come on, even you must realize something strange is going on. And when you walk through the other stratas, you can practically feel something brewing between the elders. Those in power are holding their cards close to their chests ever since the recruitment team returned with a few people short.”

This was dangerous.

I wondered what I should do, but my morality demanded to try at least once to set him right.

He wasn't wrong, but it was the wrong attitude to ask such questions. “We weren't paid to ask questions. We were paid extremely well to do a job. Namely, to get these documents into the Patel's archives and that's it.”

“Yeah,” my comrade replied with a smug expression as he came to a stop in front of one of the large ventilators which ensured constant airflow between levels. The narrow tunnel allowed us 'just so' to kneel next to the ventilator and wait for our opportunity.

“But my question is this: Why would the Patels pay people to secretively deposit stolen documents in their public archives? Maybe someone is preparing a setup?”

I eyed the ventilator blades while we waited for them to slow down. Roughly every four to five hours, the generators would be taken off the grid for a few minutes due to maintenance work. The large blades would slow down, allowing a particularly nimble person to pass through.

This passage was an open secret among the third's population. Spies, thieves and assassins had used these shafts to get around unseen from time immemorial.

My old grandpa had shown me this shaft when he introduced me to the shadow trade.

'Kid,' he always said. 'Always try to be the best at what you are doing, but see to it that someone better than you is watching your back.'

He was right. I was a fool for taking some idiot with me on this mission just because he had a little reputation.

“What I am saying is this,” my comrade continued, unaware of me not paying attention to his grand plan. “If we make this right, we can cash in double the rewards and-”

I reached over and pushed his head sideways.

Because of my leverage advantage, there was little my comrade could do.

On the next pass, the ventilator blade took half of his face with it, painting the tunnel walls in a splatter of red.

I quickly switched my grip to his collar and pulled the limp body away so that the ventilator blades wouldn't get damaged unduly.

The mess forced me to gag. Normally, I only stole stuff. But I eventually managed to pull the case out of his dead fingers and hugged it against my chest.

“Sorry, pal, but you reached a little higher than you should.”

I stared at the whirring ventilator, hoping the maintenance crew would stick to their schedule, so I wouldn't have to sit next to the body for too long. Sooner or later, the sphincter would loosen and the smell become unbearable.

The pay for this job was good, too good in fact.

My idiotic comrade had deduced correctly that there was another strata involved. The core of a wyrm was enough to start a new life, and a price only a strata could offer. It was nothing to get greedy over. There was no doubt my comrade would have tried to approach the Patels to make a deal with them. But once the Patels knew, there would be no getting out of this job unscathed.

Like grandpa always said, 'Never get between the stratas or you will end up being toyed with.' No matter how one turned it, playing one side against the other was a fool's game. Someone would feel slighted and bring down the hammer.

So I would finish this job and cash in big. Maybe take up residence in the central living cavern. Now that I didn't have to share the spoils, I would have enough to find myself a good partner and settle down for a decade or two. It was enough to learn a new trade and start a different life. Maybe even apply for another strata, preferably one or two ranks higher than the third.

One shouldn't set the goal too high.

“Why wouldn't you just do the job and take the payment?” I asked, but the body didn't answer.