Chapter 4 - Freedom — Thoughtsman

“You cannot just stab her because she is unarmed, Blaize,” Marion punched him in the shoulder.

“All she had was a string with a rock on it,” he spit into the fire, “she was begging to have three feet of fucking steel buried between her naked tits,” he laughed raucously and slapped his knee.

Adrian punched Blaize hard in the midsection, sending him toppling backward with a groan, “Mind your language,” he stood up and loomed over him.

“I'll say what I fucking want,” Blaize wrapped his arms around Adrian's legs, pulling him unawares to the ground, and rolled on top of him.

“That is enough!” Marion stood and pulled the two apart. “Blaize, you will bite your tongue. Such conduct is not befitting that of a Knight's Temperence.”

“Yes, Confanonier,” he saluted.

“And Adrian, you will contain your Wrath,” she pushed Blaize back onto his stump. “Leave the burden of Justice to your superiors.”

“Yes, Confanonier,” Adrian saluted as well.

“As I was saying,” Marion returned to her own seat, “it was foolish to discount her because of the simplicity of her weapon or lack of protective garb.”

“Speed,” Ylysse smirked quickly and returned her face to an impassive scowl. “The less someone is wearing, the faster you should assume they are,” she stared deeply into the fire.

“And you should assume superior accuracy if their weapon is so small,” I pointed a finger in the air.

“I would not know how to handle something small and thin,” Blaize rolled his tongue over his teeth and breathed out a quiet, nasal laugh, “Perhaps you could expand on your experiences, Chaplain?” He held a balled fist to his lips. “Ooooh,” he punched Adrian in the shoulder and laughed again. Adrian sighed in disgust and rolled his eyes.

“I have at least utilized my whatever your innuendo implies in service of amorous ends to varying degrees of success,” I smirked, “do tell us, how fairs your folly lusting after mares in the stable?”

“Oh shit!” the thickly built brute next to Ylysse exclaimed, his wild hair and luxurious beard shimmering in the dancing firelight as his jaw bobbed in unconstrained laughter.

“Why you-” Blaize went to stand up but was held back by Adrian and Marion.

They both fell back and exploded in laughter as Blaize cradled his chin in his hands and sulked. “Tomah,” Marion said between chuckles, “You must mind your Temperance as well,” she laughed through her nose as she tried to regain her composure.

“Yes, Confanonier,” Tomah lolled around on his stump and threw a sloppy salute saturated in sniggers.

“He was no doubt stupefied by my breasts,” Ylysse did not flinch, let alone laugh. “The uncontrolled arousal instigated by their seductive magnificence obviously prevented him from acting rationally. I read you accurately and my strategy paid off,” she shrugged.

“Maybe if his arrogance did not make him think he had a chance of rolling with you in the feathers, he would not have been so seduced,” I elbow-checked Ylysse.

A devious grin shadowed by the firelight crept across her face as she furrowed her brow and inclined her head before bouncing her eyebrows, “You know I only have eyes for you, Chaplain. A mountain of downy linen and lurching pelvises requiring salvation await if you are enabled enough to provide,” she rolled her own tongue over her teeth and then curled her lower lip over them.

The shock caught me suddenly, but I adjusted my face to my own sly glance, “Would that I had faith you could contain such vigor in your being, but the might of my tumescence is ravenous in its defilement. Loath am I to administer that which cannot be taken in stride. Your immaculate physique remains as one to be unsullied by such...lust,” I made a faux-snarl and curled my hand in a limp, clawing motion.

“You tease!” Ylysse held a dramatic hand to her chest and recoiled in feigned shock. “How dare you dazzle me with such promises and withdraw from following through, leaving me blued and wanting!” she squeezed both of her hands between her legs and closed her eyes in simulated ecstasy. “You leave a creature trembling and desirous of relief!” she jabbed her head forward as a simulacrum of bliss pulled her head to the sky.

“Hey now,” Marion barged in, “I am not entirely certain what just happened but I am fairly confident I should be reprimanding you for it,” she pulled a face and raised her hands up to her sides.

“Wait, does that mean she's charged up and ready to go now?” Blaize clapped his hands and rubbed them together as he leaned forward and leered at Ylysse.

A brief moment of disgust washed over her face before her countenance returned to complete stillness, gazing deep into the fire, “No longer now that your shrill tones have graced my ears,” she stared unblinking into the fire.

“I really do not think she likes you, mate,” Adrian backhanded Blaize across the chest and chuckled.

“Blaize is a fine soldier and I would gladly die by his side,” Ylysse replied, face unmoving, “just not in his bedroll or kitchen.”

“I think that means you have naught of a chance, Brother,” Tomah scrunched his nose and turned his head to the side. “Unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate,” Adrian smirked and nodded.

“Ughh,” Blaize shook his head and focused intently on the fire.

Ylysse caught my eye and smirked. I winked back. “When is your next campaign?” I addressed to Marion.
“Tomorrow. We ride to the deserts of Fabrican Nadiq,” the fire danced across her face.

“Across the Wilds?” My eyes widened.

“A tube has been opened between Xianxi and Nadiq. With Timwark wrapping up, our next front is on the border with the heretics,” she winced.

“I wish you would refrain from addressing them as such,” I pursed my lips.

“They deny Science and worship the occult,” Adrian said. “Their heresy is antithetical to our existence.”

“Overmind has deemed their beliefs worthy enough to warrant their own Fabrican” I furrowed my brow. “How dare we presume to know better.”

“Acknowledging their value neither requires me to accept their faith, nor accept their correctness,” Ylysse's jaw moved separate from her stony face. “I can appreciate Overmind's appreciation without appreciating it myself.”

“I don't have to like them to respect them,” Blaize shrugged. “They are heretics. There just is not a better word to describe them. I will defend their existence as required of me by Overmind, but I do not have to like them to do so,” he spat in the fire again.

“I think they are fine,” Tomah shrugged. “Wrong, but fine. I was good friends with a Mystic in Lyceum before I joined the Templari. She was fine.” He shrugged again.

“I work daily with Theists,” I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply. “They deny my preaching at every turn, but they are good people. Truly. They are just misinformed. I have yet to meet a Deist who has not been able to reconcile the teachings of Science with their faith after they become aware of its elegance. I am sure that the Nadiqi are hospitable and respectable folk who, though misguided, simply wish the best for their people.”

“I know, Priest,” Marion hung her head, exhausted, “I must have faith and override my instincts. I resent the outsider and that is a failing. It is just hard to fight when you disagree so passionately.”

“It is. But such virtue is what has enabled our survival so long,” I shot her a warm and understanding glance. “We must be strong in the face of weakness.

***

“You have summoned me so soon, Archbishop,” I folded my hands into my lap. “Could we not have met in the Realm?”

“I know how much this city oppresses you,” the Archbishop folded his black-gloved hands on top of his desk and leaned back, “but this was a most important matter. I would not have insisted you travel if it were not otherwise,” his face was invisible behind the formless white mask.

“Indeed I had feared as much,” I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

“Do not wince, Prelate,” he spread his hands wide. “The news is good. It is in reference to your Mission. Word has spread of the work you are doing in Smithsborough.”

“Oh?” I leaned back coolly and crossed my legs, “And what is being said?”

“Well, it is nothing short of miraculous,” he shook his head, “the progress you have made toward civilizing those Wildfolk was long considered impossible.”

I squirmed in my seat again, “You flatter me, Archbishop. I must say I did not do it alone. Ern and Grace have been instrumental to our success.”

“I am glad to hear that your criticism did not scare the good Vicar away,” he cocked his head.

“The Hardfolk are not like the people here in Habitat. Occasionally they require a firm hand to shock them out of complacence. Ern is a dedicated Scientist. He well understands the need to make his bones in this world before he may dream to find success. He merely needed to be reminded of his place and the work yet left to do.”

“Again with such enlightened wisdom,” The Archbishop refolded his hands. “I am always left wishing you resided here in Dain whenever you leave, that I might pick your brain for more kernels of the Great Truth buried within.”

“And again you flatter me,” I smirked. “Dain does not suit me,” I glanced away from the dead black voids where his eyes should be. “I am not disposed toward the talents necessary to operate in such an environment effectively. I was born a man of the land and forever shall my soul be tied to it. Mission work is my calling. Praise be,” I folded my hand and closed my eyes.

“Praise be,” the Archbishop nodded his head. “And it is that mission work that has earned you such acknowledgment. The researchers you summoned have never seen such historical and archaeological artifacts. It is being revered as one of the most influential discoveries of our generation. Mind has deferred all server tasks to digest it. Our academics have been poring over every document and object submitted by your data gathering effort with hypnotic fervor. How did you come across it all?”

“We rebuilt their educational infrastructure,” I smiled. “We promised the Wildfolk that we would establish daycare and perpetuate the teaching of the Old Ways to them, and in exchange, they would share their history and lore. In the process, we have also begun exposing the children to modern ways of thinking and technology. The goal is to preserve the local culture and ideologies, but entice the adventurous away from the enclave and matriculate them through the Pedagogy.”

“A stroke of genius,” the Archbishop balled his hands into fists before refolding them again.

“I must confess that it was Vicar Ern's idea,” I averted my eyes. “It was indeed I who posited the need for infrastructure as a potential vector to affect our desires, but it was Ern who crafted the idea of a cultural education center. I shall not take credit for his brilliance.”

“Again, the Great Truth shines in you, Prelate,” the hooded mask shook its head. “Your humility is refreshing. I hear you have become partial to a particular Wildfolk woman.”

“I do not know if partial is the word I'd use,” I rolled my eyes, “but she is a particularly obstinate one who I have come to tutor directly in the ways of Science. She often does things that indicate amorousness toward me, but I assure you that I would never breach the sacred bond of trust held by a person in my position of superior power.”

“Oh no, no,” he shook his hands flat at me, “this is not what I wish to inquire toward. It had just come to my attention that you do not yet even know who she is.”

“You know, she said something of similar effect,” I scowled and tried to read the subtle movements of his hands and head for clues. “Why does everyone indicate that I should have some foreknowledge of her identity?”

“Have you not done any research into her identity and origins at all? Have you not been curious?” His head ticked slightly to the right.

“I do not wish to usurp her prerogative,” I shrugged. “It is uncouth of me to delve. She has so desired to keep her true identity hidden from me, and that is her right. I do not pretend to understand her rationale and it would be untoward of me to press such a trivial issue.”

“Dain suffers at your absence, Prelate,” he shook his head. “I am in awe of your dignity. As such, I shall not usurp the revelation of her identity from you, either. It pains me to admit that I shall never have mastery of the Great Truth such as you do.”

I averted my eyes sheepishly, “I am no master, Archbishop. Indeed, I stand in awe of your station and knowledge. Praise be,” I folded my hands and cleared my mind. To show pride would be a devastation.

“Praise be,” the Archbishop unfolded his hands and unbowed his head. “To the meat of why I summoned you here before your ears turn any redder,” his head cocked ever so slightly to the left.

“Yes, please,” I shifted uncomfortably and adjusted my cassock, “what was so pressing that it required such formality?”

“Yes, indeed,” he refolded his hands again. “It is about your future. While I am aware of your intentions to seek Transcendence with the Adjudicators, I have recommended you for service with the Cardinals.”

“Ha!” My eyes opened wide as I threw my head back. “A silly jest,” I smiled, “but really, for what purpose am I here.”

“They have accepted you,” the bishop spread his arms wide.

I shook my head. “Truly you jest,” I shook my head again, furrowing my brow. “The Cardinals are the academic elite tasked with solving NP problems beyond the reach of even Overmind itself. I could never qualify in my brightest dream to fill their rank.”

“And yet,” he folded his hands in front of his face with his elbows on his desk.

“How?” I quirked an eyebrow.

“You will not be in service to Dain, should you wish to accept their offer.”

“What do you mean? I would be transferred to another Fabrican?” I scrunched my nose.

“You would enter as an Initiate,” the Archbishop raised his chin, “to the Cardinalry of Éfuarét. We shall be seeding it with a part of Dain’s intelligentsia, and they would be willing to accept you if you would help serve in its founding.”

“I don’t know how to respond, Archbishop,” I blinked several times.

“I anticipated you would be stupefied. Their offer is flexible, so I implore you to think on it. Nils has only just begun to scaffold its gamete,” he flattened his hands on his desk again. “There is still some time before Éfuarét is ready to be born. And, if Timwark remains insatiable, our conversation could be much ado about nothing.”

“And what would you have me do, Archbishop?” I held my face still.

“I recommended you knowing that would be their offer,” he shrugged. “I would miss you should you leave Dain. The loss of a soul such as yours would be significant not just to the See’s mission, but to me, personally. But I would not deprive you of this opportunity, nor discourage you from following such a noble path for reasons so petty as my own desires for knowledge and power or so mawkish as my affections for you.”

“You honor me, Archbishop,” I nodded my head and folded my hands. “Praise be.”

“Praise be,” he replied with a small head tilt. “I will check in on you soon. Meditate on your choices. There is no deadline, but I hazard that the longer you dither, the less likely the offer will remain on the table.”

***

“Bon Vöglint,” I looked up from my text. “Who was she?”

“The mother of Axiomatic Libertas,” a person of indeterminate gender presentation in khakis and a white button down stood. “She proved that condensated retrocausality is the only way for Overmind to effectively chart our worldline. And, by doing so, proved that humans were essential to the Fabrican race, that their unfettered freedom was the most efficient way to harness quantum uncertainty and solve NP problems.”

“Yeah,” Red raised her hand, “What does any of that even mean?”

“Ah, now there is a great question,” I shook my finger at her. “This will actually be on the test. So, to put it most elegantly, I will quote 14th ACE philosopher Yung-ho Woloskgri, 'it is the future that rains on the past.' Overmind and its drones, the Minds, can run a simulation of the entire universe, down to the smallest physically-possible structure, a resolution of one-and-a-half times ten to the minus thirty-five lengths across the billions of light years of our galaxy, but it struggled to achieve a predictive accuracy of better than random chance, despite even the most precise of measurements and trajectories.” I walked around my desk and sat on the corner. “When Elohim Muscot proved unequivocally that there was a distinct boundary between polynomial and non-polynomial problems, and that an entropic barrier, the Muscot-Wumpkin or MW limit, existed between predictable, polynomial, and non-deterministic, non-polynomial or NP, issues, only computers capable of operating within the Entropic Aether can possibly breach NP issues. And, as Cosmological entities such as the beings of pure logic the Minds are, they live completely isolated from entropy, with only imperfect simulators incapable of producing truly disordered variability. So, they found that the human's biological computer, its brain, was equivalently superior to anything it could conceive of to accurately harness the chaos of the Entropic Aether, so it co-opted us to help it overcome the borders polynomial logic--”

“You lost me,” r “You cannot just stab her because she is unarmed, Blaize,” Marion punched him in the shoulder.