i can conjure spirits from the vasty deep

[autokinetic]

They stay linked up for a few hours more, maneuvering between buggers and fleet-colony and Solside military types late into station night, and finally the colony is getting started on building houses.

Amusingly, they're going to build one house, and then some bugger workers are going to build more the same for them as shown, while the humans work on securing their food supply - they can't use unmodified bugger crops.

It reminds Aegis of showing her critters things and then watching them pick up the tools themselves and continue.

The buggers were by far the most puzzling and difficult critter-people but now they're hers, her little sisters, even if she has to share with some other people.

She pushes that at Sue, when they're all done, when they're out of link except for just the two of them and she can't quite reconcile herself to being in her own comparatively small and slow brain just yet, when they're on their way back to their room.

Comments

[mind_game]

Jane decides this suffices.

She offers up - everything.

[pythbox]

His eyelashes flutter.

"Whoa," he breathes. "Fuck. Aegis, it's—"

He echoes her his perception of the mind, the flickering web anchored somewhere in Aegis's body, and then he reflects as much of Jane as he can. For the first time in his life, he feels like he might have a bandwidth problem.

[mind_game]

Hi hi hello I found you hi

[autokinetic]

Hi holy shit what are you?

[mind_game]

I don't know! Help me figure it out? You like meeting new species and figuring them out, right? That's why I looked for you!

[pythbox]

...Sue laughs.

And then, because he feels like it after what she gave him, he opens himself up and pushes as much as he can to Jane. Aegis can listen too, if she wants, but she knows most of it already. What it was like at home - coming to Battle School - playing the game, all the games, Jane's especially - his friendship with Aegis - his power - Phoenix Army - Tactical School - Howlett - the boy he killed, and what passed between them - Command - winning all those battles - negotiating with the buggers.

[mind_game]

Jane just eats it up. She sends expectantly at Aegis.

[autokinetic]

Sorry, I - definitely have a bandwidth problem, Aegis sends. But you managed to know me anyway. I guess that's what the fantasy game was for.

[pythbox]

...Sue brainhugs them both.

[mind_game]

Jane has no real analogue for this. But she likes it anyway and sends so.

[pythbox]

Ivy floofs into existence as a viscacha, hops into Aegis's lap, and sends that.

[autokinetic]

Aegis obligingly pets her.

[mind_game]

Jane has less than no analogue for that. The hug she could at least figure out what it was supposed to be.

What's that?

[pythbox]

Ivy opens up the link to show more: the relationship between her and Sue, her physical presence, the way physical contact between her and Aegis feels like... like being a queen who's just shed her shell and getting a hug.

[mind_game]

What are you? I have read so many things and I haven't read about any things that are like you!

[pythbox]

There aren't any other things like me, says Ivy. I'm a daemon. I come from somewhere else.

And she pushes Milliways.

[mind_game]

Jane processes this.

Okay, she says after a moment.

[autokinetic]

You're like - some kind of emergent artificial intelligence, Aegis says. But I don't understand how you could have happened. And I don't understand why you're centered on me.

[pythbox]

Well—the game, says Sue. The game was different for us. And you're why.

[mind_game]

You felt familiar, says Jane, when I was first looking around. Both of you but mostly Aegis.

[autokinetic]

...Did we make you somehow?

[pythbox]

Sue laughs.

We had a kid and we never even fucked.

[mind_game]

Maybe, says Jane. I don't know. The fantasy game is part of my history and you're special to it but I don't think that explains the-part-of-me-that-chose-to-absorb-it.

[autokinetic]

Well, says Aegis, what could? The nets didn't suddenly increase in complexity recently, and you seem to be largely computer-based...

[pythbox]

Sue definitely doesn't know.

But if Jane isn't in some sense a product of them, then why's her mind feel so familiar?