“Well, realistically, they got more than we did. We left them almost half of our rabbit population. Though they did give us some nice metals.”
Jerked. “They did. But I got something more. I got a part of Cradus and Spehidon. Specifically, something with both their essences inside it.”
“How would that help in this situation?” Wruck asked.
“John, currently, I have no freaking idea. That’s not the way this game is played, but I appreciate your trying. So, okay, let’s just assume that my present from Cradus and Spehidon is going to help. But we still have to get whatever into the star to take out the whomever in there. Wish we knew more about them.”
“Does who’s in there matter?”
Pondered this. “I’m Shealla, Giver of Names . . .”
Wruck was quiet for a few moments. “And?” he asked gently.
“And everything had a name. And what doesn’t have a name needs one. Names matter. The name is the thing and the name affects the thing. The parasites are Superior soul vessels or whatever, but they contain the entire essence and, from what I’ve gleaned, ancestral memories, of the Superior they’d originally been.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Thought back. It had been a long time since Operation Fugly, after all. “I think . . . I think Mephistopheles named himself. The other in-control superbeings, those were ‘imaginatively’ named by Centaurion Division. But I think Mephs told them his name in some way.”
“You’re sure?”
“No, not really. But I think he influenced the naming choice, let’s put it that way. He, like you, chose a name he felt was fitting.”
“Why does this matter?”
“Again, don’t know, just know that it does. Just like I knew I had to give the other PPB net we were fighting a name during Operation Invasion, to put her on the same footing as ACE. But Lilith is, therefore, taken. Not that we know that the Superior in there is male or female.”
“PPB net?”
“Um . . . Physic-Psycho Barrier. I think that’s the correct term. I’ve done my best not to worry about it because the abbreviation is so much easier. It’s what ACE was but, due to being freed, is not anymore. Lilith isn’t one anymore, either. We scattered her to the galaxy.”
“And, again, does it matter?”
“It might.”
We were quiet for a few moments. “Do you think this Lilith is inside the sun?” he asked.
“Ooh, good one. But no. Because I think Mephs would have insinuated that in some way, and he didn’t. At all.” Thought about Mephs’ warning. “He was talking about his own people. John, do you have any idea who Mephistopheles would have considered his right-hand man? Or woman. Or whoever he might have considered one of his top lieutenants, either worse or better than he was?”
“You mean someone whose counsel he would have wanted?”
“Yeah, like his Chuckie or Christopher. Or his Goebbels or Mengele.”
Wruck shook his head. “I might have known at one time, but it happened so long ago. Let me see if I can come up with anything.”
My music turned on and I was treated to “My Goddess” by The Exies. Considered if this was Algar telling me that the being in the sun was female. Then considered how I might be able to confirm.
Sent a text to Tim. Got a snarky reply back. Sent the same request with more stern language and some nasty words. Waited. The reply came. Verified certain words and got confirmation. Always nice when the Megalomaniac Girl Skills were fired up.
“Interesting. Okay, John, I had Tim ask the Ignotforstans if the natives referred to the sun in any way, if they thought the sun was a real person or people or whatever.”
“What was the response?”
“They feel that the sun is a mother-goddess who is manifesting to give them an uplifted life.”
We exchanged the “oh, really?” look. “They used the word ‘uplifted’?” he asked.
“Yes, Tim said he verified that.”
“And we’re sure that it wasn’t a Z’porrah who came to them?”
“Lemme check.” Sent another text to Tim, who replied quickly. “Nope, he already asked. They don’t know who the mother-goddess is—she spoke to them in their hearts, per what they told Grentix and the rest who were on the shuttle’s away team verified it. Same words on every planet.”
“The Superiors had no gods. They considered themselves gods once the uplift happened.”
My music changed to “Mama I’m Strange” by Melissa Ethridge. Considered this. “You know . . . when we were fighting them, way back when during Operation Fugly, I saw absolutely no reproductive organs on any of the in-control superbeings. I assumed that they reproduced via parasitic infection. But, when we were talking during my dream, Mephistopheles insinuated that he was born. In fact, I asked if he’d been born and he said ‘just like you were’ and tapped me on the nose.”
“I’m not going to ask about the last part. But yes, the Superiors could reproduce. Similar to those from Beta Twelve, via a form of cloning where the DNA from each was combined to create a new life.”
“That’s kind of how we all do it, but I assume you mean in a lab, versus bumping uglies. Not that I actually think human and A-C genitalia are ugly.”
“Let’s not go there.”
“Wow. Everyone’s a freaking critic. Fine, fine. So, anyway, would Mephistopheles consider his mother his right-hand person or an advisor or similar?”
Wruck looked thoughtful. “Since joining with you I’ve spent some time researching human history. Your father has been very helpful in that regard.”
“Yeah, Dad lives for the teaching, even if he’s somehow still on sabbatical from ASU.”
Wruck chuckled. “It’s amazing how the father-in-law of the most powerful man on Earth can get concessions.”
“You make it sound so dirty.”
He grinned. “I’m proud. At any rate, in many cultures, especially ones from your biblical times, the most powerful woman in a kingdom was not the queen, since she could be and often was, ah, replaced.”
“You mean killed.”
“Or divorced. Even then it was a viable option. But since most of Earth is so patriarchal, the king has the most power in most cases. And therefore the most powerful woman would be the Queen Mother.”
“Huh. Interesting take.” My music changed to “The Last Of The Real Ones” by Fall Out Boy. Hoped this meant that whoever was in the sun was the last really dangerous Superior.
Wruck looked like he was trying not to laugh. “I’ll point to your own mother as the obvious example.”
“But I’m one of those disposable queens you were talking about.”
“Not in this situation. But your mother holds great sway with both you and Jeff. Far more than his mother does.”
“Well, that’s true. Mom’s been in covert and clandestine ops for, like, ever. Lucinda makes the best brownies in the galaxy. Different skills.”
“You’re proving my point. If you’re looking for a female who was likely to influence Mephistopheles, then I believe we could count his mother.”
“And if we take his ‘just like you were’ statement to its fullest, we’d add ‘born of woman’ and that definitely says Mama Mephs is in this sun. But why would he want me to stop her?”