Lidda felt surprisingly refreshed and ready to get more answers to the questions that were already crowding her brain. She felt a little naked now knowing Reddge could connect with her through Widhbo. She wondered how much information could be monitored through the magiton or the chip in her arm and vowed to find out. Reddge and Casra were waiting for her at the breakfast table.

"Good morning." Reddge ventured. "Did you rest well?"

"Like I had been drugged," Lidda replied with a knowing look. "No secrets, right?"

They both laughed. "Mara makes a mean tea." Casra replied.

"We are prepared to spend this entire day just answering your questions." Reddge offered.

"You're on!" Lidda had no intention of making this easy for anyone.

After they finished eating everyone decided it would be best to go over to the chapel for their discussion. Reddge spoke with Father Pen telling him they needed some privacy who then directed them upstairs to his private study on the second floor. Lidda had never seen this area before. A quiet atmosphere pervaded the room which was furnished with big overstuffed chairs and wooden tables. Amazing tapestries lined the walls, all telling stories through their pictures similar to the murals in the prayer chambers.

As soon as they all found a seat Lidda jumped in first. "I want to more about Widhbo, my magiton? Can you spy through it, or read my mind?"

"We could, but we don't." Casra answered. "Widhbo protects you from any unnecessary invasion of privacy. Only in a life-threatening situation would we be informed without your knowledge. But, when you called for us by name, a program was unlocked that allowed you to communicate with us. Widbo does the speaking and imitates our voice in your head telepathically. Nobody else will hear the conversation but you."

Lidda tried to remember if she had spoken aloud with Widhbo or if she used telepathy too. Sadly, she wasn't sure, but now at least she knew she could.

"So, it's all on the honor system then?"

"Yes, and when we say good-bye, we're essentially gone until you call our name again." Casra affirmed.

"Like a video conference in our heads?"

""Exactly like that, with Widhbo chaperoning." Reddge winked as he interjected. "Of course, we never signed off last night."

Lidda could feel her face flushing with the implications of his comments and tried to remember if she had dreamed about him again last night. She ignored his flirting and made the effort to push those thoughts aside for later and continued her interrogation.

"So where did magitons originate and what exactly are they?" Lidda knew this would be one of those complicated answers Reddge alluded to.

Casra latched on to her question. "They evolved from what was originally a simple server droid. The droids were modified to store individual personalities. They were intended to record an individual's brain as completely as possible before they died and preserve it for posterity. All memories, beliefs and knowledge would be uploaded to be perpetuated through time and space, long beyond the mortal lifespan. Over time, the server droids evolved into the magiton bodies, containers for intelligent life beyond mortality which could project those personalities and communicate with the physical world."

Lidda couldn't sit still, but got up and paced the floor as she processed the meaning of this information. "I hope this isn't just another dream Casra. What you're telling me is insane,"

Casra shrugged. "Not a dream, Lidda. There are different sizes, and the larger ones can store many personalities within one unit. Widhbo's is relatively small compared to the large ones on board a mother ship. The small size gives him a lot more mobility. The magitons are often the only sentient beings aboard a spaceship. Those intelligent life forms made of flesh and blood have long passed away. Most of the ships do maintain life support quarters and can take on passengers if they chose. On occasion ships have been known to perform rescue and relocation of life forms in emergencies."

"Wait a minute," Lidda said holding her hands up at right angles in a 'time out' signal. "Intelligent life from where? Earth?"

Casra gave Reddge a sidelong glance. "No, not from Earth. I suspect life on this planet was seeded just as many others have been."

"Seeded by whom for what purpose?" Lidda asked. All she could think of were the various theories she had heard concerning extraterrestrials and lost civilizations.

"We don't know specifics about your planet yet, but seeding is a common practice," Casra replied.

"Does it matter? Human life decides its own purpose," Redgge countered.

"I'll table that question for later," Lidda said returning to the comfort of chair covered in soft jacquard brocade. "How do the magitons manage in the void of space?"

"Resources such as minerals and metals are needed to build, repair or expand the ships," Reddge said. "They use mechanized droids to procure resources from planets or asteroids. If life forms are present, these resources can be taken without the knowledge of the inhabitants."

"Are there magitons being made right here, on Earth?"

"No. The unique structure of a magiton requires that they be made in a weightless environment such as space. They have an internal power source and can also utilize any other natural source of energy such as electromagnetic radiation and heat energy as Widhbo does. Once created, they are nearly indestructible," Reddge added.

Lidda was trying to remain calm and objective, but the concept was mind blowing, not to mention terrifying. "How many of these things are out there?"

"It's impossible to be sure. They are now independent of their creators and have learned to utilize robotics of their own design and reproduce themselves. They are quite capable of surviving in the hostile environment of space. Information is stored in crystalline form to hibernate between star systems, far surpassing human abilities to explore the universe."

Lidda frowned. "I don't quite get it. Why grow actual babies? They don't need us anymore."

"So, it would seem,” Casra said, “but they have a problem that was never anticipated. An evil entity has taken control of a spaceship, including all those magitons on board. It has been assimilating everything in its path. We really don't know how to stop it or how big it has become."

"Are you trying to help them?"

"We are them, Lidda. We escaped from one of those ships. Reddge and I carry chips in our brain that were programmed from a magiton. By the time we reached your planet, we hadn't been in human form for hundreds of years."

Lidda could hardly understand what Casra was trying to explain. "You are both an incarnation of someone else?" She felt her head spinning and was glad she was seated. Reddge was focused intently on her, watching every reaction.

"Yes." Casra said. "In truth, we are blended with other personalities which can live again thanks to the technology you saw in the nursery."

"And what about me?" Lidda was not going to stop until she faced the whole truth, no matter how bizarre.

Reddge stood and walked over to one of the tapestries featuring the leopard Lidda liked so much. "We are copies of old souls, but you are simply you, Lidda. You were placed for adoption so that you might develop your own unique personality without interference."

"Well that's a relief. You're sure no ancient personality is locked in my head?"

"I promise you are the only one in there," Reddge assured her.

Lidda still didn't get it. "So how exactly did you both get here and why?"

"We came here to prepare weapons to help us in our fight. We brought with us the technology to build the microchips and genetically engineer life forms the day we landed. It took over 500 years to make it happen," Reddge replied. "The Ring of Sora was formed as a religious order centuries ago in order to quietly gain the wealth and resources necessary to carry out our plans without arousing suspicion. Local human members were recruited through mystical visions and telepathic communication. It really isn't hard to convince people to serve a higher purpose after such an encounter. Casra and I were the first generation born from the cross pollination."

"Are you exact copies of them, the ancient personalities?"

"At first yes, but once we have taken on this human form, we can diverge and become unique individuals. We evolve ourselves in this manner through the experience of being mortal again," Reddge explained. "When our life here has matured, we will reunite with the ship, for all purposes as new souls, bringing with us elementary creativity. Think of the art forms and music that would never spring from our barren existence. This injection of much needed vitality prevents spiritual stagnation. Positive experiences rejuvenate the magitons and painful experiences keep compassion alive. The stars of the heavens bestow energy, light and the very building blocks of life to the planets. Organic life originally produced the magitons. The magitons in turn accelerate evolution of life on habitable worlds, which then breathes the vital essence of life back to the them. If we were not conflicted that would be reason enough to come here."

"How did the chips get in your head?"

"They were implanted soon after our birth. We have an advanced neurosurgery unit at Provendor."

"And were you both adopted too?"

"We had no real parents on this planet so Mara functioned as our mother," Reddge explained. "She underwent a a chip implant as a young woman and agreed to receive a download of my grandmother's personality before being fully trained by her magiton. She has carried out the plant experiments hidden within our research building. She feigned a pregnancy and presented us as her twins."

"So is it the microchip in your heads that allows the magitons to communicate with you?"

"Yes. They have telepathic ability with normal humans as well, but far more limited than if a chip were present. They have to interact with whatever species is encountered in order to manipulate their environment, even animals," Reddge said walking back toward Lidda. "They can tutor the intelligent life on any world and thus advance the technology from prehistoric to modern standards in a blink of evolutionary time. They hope to make friends who find them mutually beneficial. If not, they will erase their footprints and all evidence. Once accepted by their hosts, the magitons serve as teachers, companions, guides and guardians.

"But I can communicate with Widhbo extremely well..."

Reddge took a deep breath. "Advancements in the genetic engineering have been achieved since Casra and I were born. It is now possible to grow an inorganic chip in the organic matrix of the developing embryos brain. This avoids a dangerous operation and the offspring are less dependent on a fragile technology to reproduce. Any high school student could learn to manage the plant pollination and produce healthy babies."

"Then I have a chip in my brain as well as the one Mara placed in my arm to track me?"

"You do. It is essentially a programmable microcomputer. The chip in your arm can be easily removed. The one in your brain is quite another matter."

Lidda knew she wanted the chip out of her arm the minute she discovered it was there. The chip in her head was a shocking revelation. She couldn't just cut that one out herself. It would require a dangerous neurosurgical operation.

"And if I did have this chip removed from my brain, what then?"

"Your IQ would drop precipitously," Reddge said. "Your call."

Lidda was overwhelmed and had to admit somewhat conflicted at the thought of losing her advanced mental abilities. Reddge had moved close to her chair which was large enough to hold the two of them. Her anger had dissolved and Lidda moved to one side to make room for him to sit down. He didn't miss the opportunity, slid in beside her, and put one arm around her shoulders.

She curled up against him, sorting through the turmoil of emotions. "As long as I will be using my super powers for good, I'll keep them."