They all felt the Titan’s silent acceptance again. Then the six of Gaia’s children seemed to pull partially away from the Bond. Neat trick. And Josh wasn’t sure he would be able to, but definitely wanted it if he ever had an intimate event requiring it. Perhaps it was due to their ancillary status, or the ancient and virtually limitless power and knowledge. Regardless, Josh was glad for the appearance of privacy in his and Sen’s Bond. Gaia seemed to agree and blew out a breath as she shook her head. “Kids these days . . . Am I right?!” She put her hands behind her back and stretched her lumbar muscles as she walked ahead. Josh and Sen quickly followed behind her toward the orchard directly in front of them. Anticipation of her last words sped their steps.
The three of them passed under the grove’s first branches, and Gaia’s short form raised her hand palm up to indicate their surroundings when she spoke. “I’ve frozen the hydrogen in this star’s nucleus at the point of ignition. It’s there, just on the edge of luminescence, literally nanogyra from the necessary atomic collisions necessary for it to spring into life.” She looked to Josh with raised brows, making sure he understood before continuing. He rocked his head in agreement, as if freezing the atomic activity of nascent stars was an everyday occurrence.
Apparently getting what she wanted, Gaia smiled in her usual warmly disarming manner. “And there it will remain until the controlling fate of this cluster has been determined. The winner of the Litigate gets to control this iteration’s font of new life and what direction to lead it in. Atleast for the rest of its forty trillion standard galactic cycles or so of existence.” Gaia tilted her head in Josh’s direction. “. . . That’s just over one-hundred trillion Earth years for you, Josh. A very envious place for the winner to be, I assure you.” She winked at him.
Josh’s eyes swam at the time scales Gaia was talking about. But he got the gist. Whoever won these games got to have a controlling hand concerning new life in this universe. And that for a very long time. Roughly 25,000 times longer than the Earth had been in existence! He spoke the truth of his understanding from the corner of his mouth, unconsciously wincing his shoulders in slight embarrassment at being involved in something so important. “. . . Soooo…. it’s pretty important that we win then…”
Gaia chuckled and nodded as she tilted her head up at both of them. “Yes, you could say that.” Her eagerness for what was going on could be read in every line of her face. “As a people, the Star Children have a unique relationship with this nebula. It was our home. We have been waiting a very long time to come back—”
Gaia held up a hand to stall a flood of questions Josh’s wound-up face was about to release. “—The details are not crucial to go into right now—But it is necessary you understand that this Litigate is our first since the original. Not since the very first days of our universe’s primordial hydrogen expanses have the Star Children held one. Victory will set ruling claim to control this neo zoi, and all the other awaiting newborns in this Stellae Creaturix nursery.” She repeated herself. But given the stakes, Josh thought some redundancy was probably called for.
“I need you both to understand that the other Star Child factions have. . . slightly differing ideas as to how we should guide and direct the creation of life in this iteration. It goes without saying that the alternatives in our guiding approaches will impact the iteration as a whole . . . There are those competing for dominance who haven’t learned from our old mistakes. They seem determined to make them all over again.” Gaia almost huffed in frustration. Then refocused on the two of them. “...This cannot happen.” She said tensely, clenching her fists as she seemed to look deep into the past, at something only she could see. Her tone cut like a rusty-edged knife, scowling at her memories. “We cannot repeat our old follies. The sacrifices made to preserve the life in this universe, and to give us a chance to get back to this point, were so costly they could never be paid again.” The mother of Earth swallowed past a hard lump in her throat. Josh and Sen could tell there was real pain in her voice as she spoke further. “. . . Even if we were willing to pay the price again . . . I doubt we would be given such a chance . . .” She leaned in and spoke under her breath. “. . . The ripening of the Creaturix is simultaneously happening in every iteration of this local cluster of cuboids. It is not an exaggeration to say that what happens here will indeed impact the entire multiverse. Particularly because this is the only iteration in which Joshua Elias Tanner and Senyak Marztenak are participating.”
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Gaia looked at both of them and telepathically spoke through their fully guarded mindscapes. After all, this is the only iteration that holds you two, and your once-in-a-timeline connection to the others in your very Karmically influential group—
With Gaia’s very tangential mention of Sophie and Alysa, Sen’s face went blank and Josh screwed up his up to interrupt. Gaia again held up a hand to stay him as she continued telepathically. —We won’t speak of it.—Just know what happens here is that important, and the Clone agrees with me.
A moment of silence passed and it was scary for Josh to realize and accept that there were forces already in the know about his family being Agents of Karma. Even forces as friendly as Gaia.
As if reading his thoughts, which she probably is, Josh thought. Gaia smiled knowingly and let her gaze linger on the two of them. “. . . But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?” She brushed invisible dust from the waist of her white dress and pressed on further into the grove under the fruit-laden overhead branches. “As you have both seen, these games are violent.” She cocked an eyebrow “... By design. So, you both need to be prepared for violence from all sides. You have already proven that you can keep your heads in tight places.” She nodded approval to Josh, “The Clone said as much, and I’m sure you will both continue to acquit yourselves quite well. For a thrice-attuned Spherical Cultivator to form a triple braid is unheard of in most people's memories. You have not failed to impress Joshua Tanner.” She nodded once in respect. Then focused a stair directly through Josh’s rapidly growing self-satisfied expression. “...But from here on out, I’m going to need you to bring more than the cultivational equivalent of a bad-kitty bottle. At least if you want to get out of the next scape against the angry bunch of neophytes that will be gunning for you.” The dead sincerity in Gaia’s head-on stare was disturbing, to say the least.
A cascade of emotions stormed across Josh’s face. Shock that Gaia had gone a full 180 degrees from congratulating him to belittling his greatest cultivation work in less than 0.0 seconds flat. The next was denial that he was actually hearing what she had said. This was followed almost immediately by budding anger at not being appreciated for risking his and Sen’s life. Finally, a chagrined smile with an accompanying shoulder sag and a puffed-out breath. “Well… OK Gaia. You can stop the heart of a star while simultaneously settling arguments between old Earth gods, like a soccer mom can stop squabbling toddlers in the backseat of a minivan. I guess you know a thing or two about cultivation.” Josh tilted his head and shoulders down to the shorter woman in respect.
She nodded with the countenance of Buddha at the process of his thinking. “That I do, Joshua Tanner. That I do.” But then she stopped.
Josh rolled his eyes at her, having set him up high enough to chop him down. At the same time, she was positioning him to have to ask for her help. But what else could he do? He needed her, and she knew it. “Well… Please don’t leave us dying in anticipation. What do you recommend?” he said with his shoulders still down in a half bow.
As if considering, Gaia reached up and gently grasped a red apple in its succulent magnificence, but didn’t pluck it. Smiling at it as if it were a child, she then released it to bob on its branch. She took several steps further on between the trunks on either side as she raised a pointed finger to the sky. “First, you both must acquire the core Essence you need to absorb those Zindagee seeds that you’ve got stored in Cronos’ old shoulder pouch . . .” Gaia tapped the worn black leather bag strapped across his chest with a well-manicured nail. “. . . Then get back here so I can instruct you both on how to braid a four-element working with all of your attunements. Such a skill will put you on par with novice Tetrahedral cultivators. And give you more than a fighting chance against the bulk of the opponents in this contest. Everyone but the team leaders,” She shifted her head back and forth as if in the admission of an ugly truth, “... like Cronos. Who are twice as powerful. Verging on the strength of an Octahedral cultivator. But to be truthful, you need to understand that Star Children aren’t really cultivators.” She shook her head, negating any thoughts that they may have had along those lines. “We exercise control over Essence infused physical laws, a process we call ‘magi-physics’. But the comparison of overall ability, one to the other, is close enough for government work.” She winked a smiling eye.
Losing the main track of Gaia’s thoughts, Josh had possessively put his arms around the well-worn and very much beloved aspect focus. It truly was the only real possession he could claim in the topsy-turvy life he and Sen had been leading.“This is Cronos’ old—”
Gaia’s smile was sincere. “Don't worry, Joshua– It’s much too small for him now. Uranus and I graduated him from that when he was a boy. It is true that he may have had thoughts motivated by less-than-kind thoughts about taking it back... But I won't let him do it.” She again patted his shoulder in reassurance. “... You obviously care for it…And believe it or not, there is a history that goes along with that bag that you should hear.” She cocked an eyebrow, “Maybe I can tell you when we’re not so pressed?”
At Gaia’s words, Josh was able to consciously force open his kung fu grip, which was currently squeezing the life out of his black bag. “...I’d like that Gaia.” She pursed her lips in approval.
Important issues settled, Josh’s limber mind moved back to what Gaia had considered the most important topic of their conversation. He looked out with a calm and challenging demeanor that the CEO of General Motors would make after deciding to buy out Ford. “Well then, I guess we should focus on the task at hand, no?.” Trading a glance with Sen, who blinked once in agreement, Josh lowered his head to Gaia and spoke under his voice. “Where’s the closest undesirable spirit beasts?”
Gaia’s grin deepened. “Funny you should ask . . .”
