Admin Question: How necessary is it to put the [FFML] tag at the start
of a subject? I see that pretty much everyone puts it there, and I'm
guessing that's to help people who are subscribed to several mailing
lists, but as a point of etiquette how "required" is it?
Author's Note: This is a short story fanfic that hit me upside the head
one day while I was at work. It's the first fanfic I've actually
finished, although I hope to finish off my other works in due time. Any
feedback is welcome, but grammar points are generally lost on me ^^;
This fanfic does not contain any real spoilers, if you've read the
backplot in the StarCraft manual. Even if you haven't done that, most
details relating to the game itself are glossed over and easily
forgotten. I don't know how well this fic will read to someone who
hasn't played the game, so I would especially appreciate feedback from
those people. Anyway, the fic:
Mysterious Ways
Author: Sailor Otaku (Stephen Williams)
Swilliams07@home.com
William Roberts woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. At first he
figured he was still dreaming, but the immediate return of the pain
in his lower left leg convinced him otherwise. He would have to have
that looked at by Dr. Morgan sometime today.
He sat up in bed, or more correctly on the slab he found himself
lying on. Something was definitely amiss. Looking around, he saw
that he was in a strange metallic chamber. Not even a hint of the
warm farmhouse bedroom he and his wife Renee shared.
"...The heck?" He asked, his voice failing to begin working before
he had already mouthed the first part of his question. His first
guess was he had been abducted by someone. No guff. Touching the
wall of the chamber, he found it unusually warm. The texture didn't
strike him as one commonly shared by metal either. It felt more like
bone. He pulled back his hand suddenly when a segment of the wall
just to his left dissolved, creating a doorway.
As he walked out into the hall, he became aware of a low humming
noise pervading the entire area. It came from nowhere, and
everywhere. If he focussed on the noise, he saw that the whole
structure thrummed slightly in tune with it. Unsure of exactly what
drew him on, William walked forward through the... well, wherever
this was. Eventually he drew forward into an enormous chamber which
stretched farther up and out than he could readily see. In the
center of the chamber was a figure, sitting before a bank of
flickering lights.
"Welcome, Terran." The figure spoke. His voice echoed and
reverberated around the chamber long after he had finished speaking.
"Uh..." William retorted. "Hello?" William walked forward
slowly, trying to see what it was this being was doing. He called it
a being since it was obviously not human. The figure turned from the
lights as William approached it. Its visage was incredulous,
inspiring fear and awe simultaneously, William was at a loss for
words. The creature had a face much like a human's, only with
noticeably higher cheekbones. It had no ears nor any hair on its
head, and it's eyes literally glowed bright white. Its skin was a
dark fleshtone. The one thing which stood out most prominently was
that this being had no mouth, the area which should have been
occupied by one was instead a vast expanse of flesh, counterbalancing
its forehead.
"I've been rude." The figure spoke again. "Please, let me guide
you to a sitting room." William couldn't figure out how this entity
could speak without a mouth, but its words were clear as day. It
began walking away, and William noticed its knees were inverted. He
followed wordlessly.
Wandering through more of the strange warm metal hallways, the
figure eventually lead William to a new chamber. This one was about
the same size as the 'bedroom' he had awoken in. Several chair-like
structures and one couch-like one were in this room. They were not
independent pieces of furniture, but rather flowed up out of the
floor. Now that he thought about it, William hadn't seen anything
around the building that wasn't part of the walls or the ceiling or
the floor. And where was the light coming from? He could see easily
enough, so there must be a light source somewhere. There were no
obvious fixtures anywhere, but the entire construct was flooded with
a soft, ambient light. The door by which they had entered resolved
behind William, sealing the two in. The figure walked over to one of
the chairs, and William went instinctively to another. Before
sitting, the entity took hold of the seat he had selected and twisted
it. Much to William's surprise, the chair turned around as though it
were not, in fact, physically connected to the floor.
The figure turned the chair so that the chair back faced William,
then walked around it and sat down. This in itself was a fascinating
procedure to watch. The entity's knees were inverted, so although it
was facing William as it sat down, it's legs folded just as though it
were sitting down facing the opposite direction. It then pulled its
lower legs in underneath the seat of the chair, and crossed its arms
across the back of the chair, looking at the human guest.
"Who... What are you?" William ventured.
"You are of the human sect called 'Christian,' are you not?" The
being countered with its own question.
"Yes." William replied hesitantly. "Roman Catholic, anyway."
"Then you would call me 'God.'"
William blinked.
"You are disturbed. Who wouldn't be?" The entity continued. "Be
assured I have no intention of harming you."
"Am... I... Dead, then?" William coughed out the words, trying to
come to terms with the possibility.
"No." It replied. "You are not dead."
"Then what am I doing here?"
"For now, you are here to talk."
"To talk?"
"Yes."
"You are God. Then this place is Heaven?"
"Not exactly."
"Is there a Satan then?"
"He doesn't like that name."
"What name does he like?"
"Bul Tieth."
"I thought you created mankind in your image."
"That is rather more complicated than it might appear." The entity
countered. "I have summoned you here, and I shall explain all that
you desire explained. Later."
"What happens between now and later then?" William asked. Despite
the unusual situation, not to mention the unusual host, William was
beginning to settle into this place. There was something in the air,
something which soothed his mind despite his logical fears.
"First, let me ask you this: How much do you know about the events
which have recently transpired in the Koprulu Sector?"
"The Koprulu Sector?" William repeated. "You mean the Lost
Colony?"
"Yes, that is a common name for them here on Earth." The entity
confirmed. So he was still on Earth, or at least nearby.
"I know that UED advance probes discovered a colony of humans
living in a star cluster halfway across the galaxy, and that when
they made attempts to amalgamate them, the military expedition met
with stern resistance, not only from the Lost Colony itself, but also
from a number of alien species in the vicinity." William recounted.
"The UED has kept the precise details pretty hush-hush, but
information about the two primary alien races has been leaked out
over the terranet."
"And what do you know of the two alien races?" The entity
questioned.
"Well, one of them is called the Protoss, and they're pretty well
advanced technologically. The UED is still trying to ascertain their
power, but they can't find many 'Toss colonies or warfleets that they
don't want found.
"The other race is called the Zerg, I think it was. And they're
just a bunch of crazy monsters, basically."
"Very well." The entity replied. "The things we are inevitably
going to talk about in the coming hours are things which very, VERY
few mortal beings can even begin to suspect."
"Can I ask you something then?" William interjected.
"Yes?"
"Why did you choose me to talk to? I'm just a simple farmer."
William announced. "Shoot, I barely even know how to repair the
hydroponic regenerators, I'm no scientist."
"I did not select you for your brain."
"Well I'm not feeling much like a martyr either..."
"I did not select you for your courage, nor even your faith."
"But you're God."
"Yes."
William hesitated a moment before speaking. "Well I just thought
faith was important to you or something."
"Faith is a human contrivance. I did not ask you to worship me."
"Then why did you create us?"
"Actually, I didn't create you."
"But you're God."
"Yes."
William digressed.
"Allow me to begin with a more proper introduction." The entity
continued. "My proper name is Kiereth, and I am of an ancient
species known as the Xel'Naga."
"God is an alien?" William asked, skeptically.
"In a sense." Kiereth replied. "But that is only the beginning of
my story."
"So if you didn't create mankind, who did?"
"Bul Tieth."
"Satan?"
"He doesn't like that name."
William sighed.
"Please, allow me finish." Kiereth again spoke.
"Do I really have a choice?"
"No."
"So why are you telling me all this again?"
"It will become apparent."
"You're a very enigmatic being, Kiereth."
"God works in mysterious ways."
"I'll say." William retorted. "So, this Bul Tieth, he's a
Xel'Nugu too?"
"Xel'Naga, yes."
"And he created humanity?"
"Yes."
"But not in his image?"
"That's complicated."
"How so?"
"We Xel'Naga exist in many more dimensions than you are capable of
perceiving. The body you see before you is not my true form, it is
simply my reflection in the three Physical dimensions you can see."
"Did I mention I'm just a simple farmer?"
"Yes."
"So what are all these dimensions?"
"The three dimensions of Physical; height, width and depth as you
perceive them."
"Alright, so if you're God, then you're immortal, right?"
"I am mortal in the sense that I live, and will eventually die.
However I would certainly appear immortal to humans, as I exist in
two dimensions of Time."
"Two dimensions of time?" William queried.
"I age in two directions at once." Kiereth explained.
"Subsequently, I appear ageless to those trapped in only one
dimension of Time."
"So what does the Lost Colony have to do with all this?"
"The Xel'Naga created humanity, but we also created the Protoss and
the Zerg."
"You and Bul Tieth?"
"No. Others, most of whom are dead now."
"What happened?"
"The Zerg."
"The Zerg?"
"Yes. You see, the Xel'Naga have been wholly consumed by the
desire to create the perfect race longer than your universe has been
in existence."
"If you're another alien race, then how could you have existed
before the universe did?"
"We exist in many more than the three dimensions of Physical.
Those others have existed since before these three came into being."
"So did you create the universe then?"
"I don't think so."
"You don't think so?"
"It wasn't intentional, at any rate."
"Anyway." William shook his head.
"Before this universe began, we existed in three spacial dimensions
and two temporal. Our sciences had already completely described our
own genetic makeup, universal physics and the cycle of life which we
proceeded through. We were beginning to get a firm handle on
multidimensional physics when we noticed the explosion which started
the three Physical dimensions expanding, although we still aren't
sure exactly what caused it."
"Three spacial dimensions other than the three I know?" William
clarified.
"Yes, we existed in the three spacial dimensions of Spiritual, of
which humans are not consciously aware."
"You mean... The afterlife?"
"It is not an 'afterlife,' as you define such things. It is a
separate set of three dimensions, in which several species of life
exist. We Xel'Naga are the only such sentient species we have
found."
"I see..." William said pensively.
"After we realized what the explosion had set in motion, we became
very interested in the evolution of this new universe. It was not
difficult for us to modify our own genetic code so that we could
interact with these new dimensions within a few generations."
"So now, the Xel'Naga exist in six spacial dimensions and three
temporal?"
"Yes."
"If the Spiritual dimensions are spacial, like our physical ones,
then what are temporal dimensions?"
"The dimensions of Time and of Mental."
"Mental dimensions?"
"Again, humans are not consciously aware of any Mental dimensions,
however you do have within you the ability to manipulate them. The
Xel'Naga exist in two dimensions of Time and one dimension of
Mental."
"So you're God."
"Yes."
"Are you omniscient then?"
"No, however..."
"Let me guess." William interrupted. "You would appear so as we
define omniscience." Kiereth made a gesture with his face, William
wasn't sure exactly what to make of it, but he got the impression the
being was smiling.
"That's what I like about you humans."
"What's that?"
"You catch on quickly."
William smirked.
"You Xel'Naga must be very long lived to have noticed a whole new
universe expanding."
"Why's that?"
"Well it took millions of years for this universe to form, didn't
it?"
"Millions of years along your dimension of Time."
"Time flows differently in the Spiritual dimensions?"
"Not differently, but independently." William simply looked at the
being quizzically. To elaborate, Kiereth opened his hand and a small
sphere of light appeared in his palm. "Look at this ball. I can
move it up and down along a vertical axis without having to move it
side to side at all, correct?" He moved the ball as he spoke.
"Yeah, of course."
"Because Height and Width are two independent dimensions. The same
is true for the dimension of Time attached to the Physical universe,
and that attached to the Spiritual."
"Attached?"
"That is part of a larger theory in Xel'Naga science. We have
noticed that dimensions often gather in sets of three to form
complete Universes."
"You're starting to go over my head."
"Starting to?" Kiereth made the smiling gesture with his face
again. "Anyway, temporal dimensions 'attach' themselves to spacial
dimensions in a natural phenomenon inherent to Existence."
William blinked.
"If Time did not pass in the dimensions of Physical, then nothing
could evolve. Nothing could exist without Time to align things in a
proper order."
"Okay."
"Therefore, Existence as a larger, immaterial concept, requires
that at least one temporal dimension attach itself to each set of
spacial dimensions. Understand?"
"No, but I think I can see where you're going with it."
"Okay. Now, getting back to your original question. Time flows
independently in each of the two dimensions we Xel'Naga are aware of.
It took millions of years in your dimension of Time for the Physical
universe to form, but not so in ours."
"So how long did it take in the Spiritual dimension of Time?"
"About seven days."
William knocked himself on the forehead.
"Once the first of the New Generations, of which I am one, reached
maturity the Xel'Naga were able to begin properly exploring the
dimensions of Physical. Through probes and psionic projections, the
Old Generations had succeeded in seeding and manipulating a myriad of
life forms in the Physical universe, but none had interacted as
directly as we were about to. We of the New Generations watched over
all of the creations the Xel'Naga had begun. It became known as the
Great Experiment - the quest to create the perfect species."
"You Xel'Naga don't think small, do you?"
"No." Kiereth replied. "We exhausted all the small ideas long,
long ago."
"So you created the Protoss and the Zerg in this Great Experiment?"
"Yes. The seeds of each race had been lain by the probes of the
Old Generations; we of the New Generations simply took what we found
and manipulated it toward perfection."
"Simply." William looked around, finding nothing to capture his
attention in the chamber.
"'Protoss,' in our language means 'the First Born.' They were the
first of the engineered species to show true promise. Unfortunately,
we moved too quickly. Although quickly was really a number of
millennia, we pushed the evolution of sentient thought too quickly
and the Protoss fell into tribal bickering which lead us to find
fault in their apparent success."
"So you moved on to the Zerg?"
"Yes. It was Bul Tieth who first suggested that a species needed
challenge to properly evolve. Of course the Zerg, born on the
blackened and fire-ravaged planet of Zerus were not what he had in
mind."
"Bul Tieth was responsible for the Zerg?"
"Not entirely. The species had already been seeded, Bul Tieth's
words simply caused us to consider them for genetic manipulation."
Kiereth clarified. "As I said, however, this was not what he had
meant. Bul Tieth, enraged at the apparent inability for his
superiors to properly interpret his ideas, gathered a skeleton crew
for his World-ship and disengaged from the greater fleet. Many of
the Xel'Naga were disappointed at his actions, but in retrospect, it
was thanks to his brash deeds that he, and myself, survived."
"The Zerg attacked?"
"Yes. Somehow they became aware of the Xel'Naga fleet in orbit
above Zerus. The Overmind which united and controlled all Zerg
creatures found them and prepared an assault on its unsuspecting
creators." Kiereth looked down in dismay. "None of the Xel'Naga
present when the Zerg attacked survived. They were slaughtered and
assimilated, and their knowledge of other seeded species is what lead
the Zerg to the Koprulu sector."
The two sat in silence for a moment. Kiereth reliving the tragedy
of his past, and William at a loss for anything to say. Finally,
after a minute eternity, the farmer spoke.
"If the Zerg assimilated the Xel'Naga fleet, then did they gain
access to the other dimensions you exist in?"
"We assume they have gained conscious awareness of those
dimensions, however other Xel'Naga of the Old Generations have been
watching them closely since, and have seen no evidence they can
manipulate the dimensions of Spiritual."
"What about the other dimensions?"
"Temporal dimensions cannot be manipulated, they can only be
experienced."
"So, how did you survive?"
"Grand Prelate Duran, upon hearing of Bul Tieth's departure, sent
me to seek out the errant Xel'Naga and return him into the fold - or
else destroy him."
"So? How did humanity happen? Another species seeded by the Old
Generations?"
"No. Bul Tieth created the primate species which would eventually
evolve into mankind single-handedly." Kiereth said. "Incidentally,
Earth is much closer to Zerus than the Koprulu Sector is. Had humans
been seeded by the Old Generations, then our records could, quite
possibly, have led the Zerg to attack Earth before going after the
Protoss." William gulped and adjusted the neck of his nightshirt.
Kiereth continued. "By the time I found Bul Tieth, he had already
begun the process. He convinced me of the rationale behind his
latest creation, and before I could place him in irons, I received
word of the Zerg attack. I saw no reason to fulfill my orders now
that the fleet was destroyed, so I settled down here with Bul Tieth
and oversaw the evolution of humanity."
"And? How do we measure up?"
"Surprisingly well, I must admit. Despite being the most limited
in dimensional awareness, and the least manipulated by our genetic
sciences, humanity has proven itself time and again throughout
history to be a worthwhile species."
"You know, this Bul Tieth fellow doesn't sound all that evil."
William spoke out.
"He is not evil."
"But he's the Devil."
"As human religions see him."
"Then what is he as you see him?"
"Insane."
"Insane?"
"Yes, quite."
"What happened?"
"I suspect he was always insane."
"But you said his ideas for humanity were sound enough."
"They were not sound, but they appear to have worked out despite
this fact."
"But the Devil is supposedly trying to destroy humanity."
"Not destroy, rather corrupt."
"Corrupt?"
"Yes. Bul Tieth created mankind, and shortly thereafter he became
obsessed with getting them to take 'the easy road.' Getting them to
slack off and follow their instincts."
"I see."
"He said he was giving the species further challenge. I had
already been enamoured of the whole species, however, and I could not
tolerate Bul Tieth interfering like this. It was this inability to
sit back and let things come naturally which had caused fault in our
prior attempts."
"What did you do?"
"I managed to bind Bul Tieth within his World-ship, so he could no
longer affect the evolution of mankind."
"How did you do that?"
"With great difficulty."
William sighed.
"It involved me agreeing to have myself bound within my World-ship
as well." Kiereth added as an afterthought.
"But you bound him first?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you bother binding yourself if he was already
trapped?"
"I have my honour." Kiereth replied. "Besides, at that time Bul
Tieth's skeleton crew was still on board, they would have set him free
had I not complied."
"What happened to the crew?"
"Most of them were not enthralled with the idea of remaining in
orbit around this planet forever."
"They left?"
"I let them leave. Captivity is a state the Xel'Naga strive to
avoid above all else."
"And Bul Tieth's crew?"
"They abandoned him. Bound as he was, he was in no state to stop
them."
"You don't appear very bound to me."
"I am not bound in the dimensions of Physical."
"Then why can't you affect humanity? We exist only in the
dimensions of Physical."
"Very astute, for a simple farmer."
William blushed, despite himself.
"As I said earlier, this form is merely a reflection of my true
self upon the Physical dimensions. I am bound in the dimensions of
Spiritual. Furthermore there is a correlation between the two sets
of dimensions. I cannot move outside of my World-ship in this
plane."
"This is your World-ship?" William asked, gesturing around them.
"Yes."
"Why haven't we found it then? Space travel is commonplace among
humanity today."
"Our ships cannot be found unless we want them to be found. All
the more reason that the fleet about Zerus was caught off guard when
the Zerg found them out."
"Okay." William nodded. "So, why are you telling me all of this
again?"
"Because I was able to bring you aboard."
"Because you could?"
"It's more than that. The fact that I could bring a human aboard
my World-ship means that I can affect the course of humanity's
evolution."
"So you're going to give us all sorts of benevolent technologies
and aid?"
"I could, but I won't."
"Then why am I here?" William was beginning to get exasperated.
"The fact that I could summon you means that the prophecy has
begun."
"The prophecy?"
"Yes." Kiereth paused, then stood. "Now it is time for you to
go."
"What? Aren't you going to tell me the prophecy?" William stood
in turn.
"No. If you knew, you might try to change the course of future
events."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"I wouldn't expect you to."
"But how will I know what to do?"
"When the time comes, you will be ready."
"That's incredibly cliche, even for God."
"I agree." Kiereth nodded. "It's an oldie, but a goodie."
William mentally smacked himself. Kiereth moved toward the place
where the door had been when they first entered, and sure enough the
same section of wall dissolved again. William, resigned to the will
of a higher power, followed.
The next morning, William awoke with Renee in his arms. Looking
about, he saw the soft blue walls and drapes of the master bedroom on
his hydroponic farm. The whole experience aboard Kiereth's World-
ship seemed a lifetime away. The details were already beginning to
fade, like a dream which came unexplained and without apparent
bearing on his everyday life.
Yawning, he got out of bed and went downstairs to make coffee.
The End