Consequences of the reign of Hevad
Notoxt
Hevad Notoxt 69546 began her reign with great
advantages. The eomasp which attended
her victory over the Cyborgs had propelled the world into a new era, an
era which, with her special talents, she had helpted to
define.
Two of her actions continued to shape it.
Firstly, she soon added to her fame and prestige by
discovering that Solor had not disappeared permanently after all; it was
still accessible to a few if the mysterious Intelligence that guarded it
was approached in a correctly humble manner. The Sunnoad
discovered that, in the past, attention had been deflected from Solor
not only by a space-distorter but also by psi powers latent in that
land - powers which, to a small extent, had been released into
Syoom every time someone did succeed in finding Solor. Those
powers were now leaking out at a much faster rate; the Cyborgs' harmful
expedition must have punctured some mental reservoir. Indeed the
Thallium Era (era 81; 19,278,102 days, or 785 Uranian years, equivalent
to 65,975 Earth years) became known as the Era of Psis.
Secondly, and more controversially, she initiated an
inquiry into Ghepion support for the Cyborgs. The Ghepions were
widely distrusted by now; it is certain that some of them were
implicated in the development of the Cyborgs, though this does not mean
they were party to the Cyborgs' plot. Anyhow, seeds of further
suspicion were sown as leading Ghepions - those that were mobile in
form - were pulled in for questioning.
It would be a mistake to regard the Thallium Era as one
of unrelieved bigotry and persecution of Ghepions by humans. A
certain tradition of tolerance never quite died out, thanks to the
forbearance and understanding shown by certain individuals. But
many of the Ghepions do seem to have accepted the evil role attributed
to them, saying, in effect, "very well, we are reputed to be the enemies
of mankind; so shall we be." Some of them became monsters, whose
downfall we can cheer as we read of the exploits of Thallium Era psi
agents.
Quite apart from the Nenn-Ghepion problem, a lot of good
and harm was done during era 81 by the powers of psi. Discoveries
were made, the implications of which still have to be worked out; it is
likely that the experiences of the Thallium Era will prove to be an
essential part of the collective memory of mankind, maybe not only
Uranian but also Terrestrial mankind.
Solor fades from history
We can only guess, but having sifted through
many accounts, we prefer the following explanation as to why quests for
the Numinous Land have virtually ceased ever since the early days of the
Thallium Era:
Most of its psi powers had leaked away into Syoom, and
its space-distorting defence had been damaged. It had to come up
with a new way of concealing itself. The method it found was
more effective than either of the others. It was -
disbelief.
You might believe in Solor and think about going to look
for it, but if you actually set out, your opinion would change.
The remaining trickle of psi which the Intelligence can still wield,
would be used to erase your belief and you would abandon the
search.
Perhaps if a sufficiently large number of questers
decided to set out simultaneously, they might overwhelm this
defence. But one's search for Solor is a personal thing. It
does not lend itself to organized action, and the one occasion on which
it did, does not furnish a good precedent.
The crisis of psi
The last 3,000,000 or so days of the Thallium
Era were days of darkening fortune for Syoom, redeemed, as ever, by
acts of statesmanship and heroism - the outstanding imagination and
integrity of a few.
Trouble came from various quarters. Some psis
tried with more success than before to use their talents to exploit the
mass of humanity. Danger also grew from Fyayman powers who took
the opportunities inherent in a disturbed age to meddle in the affairs
of Syoom. Shelves of books could be written (and have been) about
the complex adventures of this period.
The most frightening development was an invention of
Fyayman origin whereby one's psi talent could be turned into a "fifth
column" by an enemy, and used against oneself in monstrous nightmare
ways.
Reluctantly, the authorities of Syoom - most of the
leading men and women being themselves psis - inched towards the
conclusion that the only way out of this mess was to abandon (somehow)
psi itself. They could not bear to sacrifice their talent by means
of some kind of mental amputation, but could there not be some other
way, some way to disburden themselves of it without wasting it; perhaps
sublimate it into something else?
A psi-sensitive, Capfaym Duuv, was
chosen to attempt the awesome feat of communing with the
world-spirit.
For this almost god-like planetary intelligenge -
unheard since the Rhenium Moment - was, after much debate, seen
as the only possible recourse in a matter so grave and deep-rooted
in human nature.
How it was done, and at what cost, we will not go into
here. Suffice it to say that Capfaym Duuv somehow succeeded in
obtaining the advice of the Intelligence.
The instruction was: "Drain your powers into the
race-sink; funnel them into the collective id." Whatever this
meant, it sounded like something better than pure loss. The
problem was in summoning up the courage to do it. Capfaym Duuv
urged the leaders of Syoom to set an example, to put themselves into the
trance-state in which he was empowered to do to them what was
necessary. But most of them hesitated.
The Draining
Capfaym Duuv went ahead with those few who would
co-operate, and on the evening of 19,278,102 Tl, when some of these
people came out of their trances, they performed an action which tipped
the scales.
Previously these people had vehemently denied
involvement in a recent and nasty persecution of Ghepions. Now,
shorn of their psi powers, they confessed. The Sunnoad, who was
present, and other notables of Syoom were shocked and impressed by the
evidence that psi talents could sometimes work against truth
while the lack of them could promote it.
Events accelerated. The Sunnoad himself ordered
Capfaym to give him the anti-psi treatment. The news spread out of
control. Before midnight it had been relayed across Syoom and
touched a chord in many so many hearts that an
eomasp occurred, accompanying the de-psi
treatment of most of the remaining government psis, and the draining of
their powers into some mysterious race-sink which, the world spirit had
assured Capfaym, meant they were not wasted but transformed into
something else.
The Drainage took on a momentum of its own; Capfaym's
efforts were no longer necessary. Psis all over the world found
their abilities tugged at as if they were being sucked into a
whirlpool. In forty minutes it was all over.
Those forty minutes were era 82, the Lead Era.
>> The Mascon
Expeditions
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