Spire Operator

This job is one that many people aspire to get. It is that of the Head Monk of the Spire. He is in charge of the functioning of the Spire Complex. During the Pass of the Heart, he merges with Spire to operate the network while defending the system..   Many are trained for the job, but only 2 are chosen. The operator and his understudy. If the pass is near and the current operator is old, a Search must be made for new trainees.    If there are are no acceptable candidates on Pearl, third Moon of Aquatica, then the search must continue on Aquatica. Usually, it is confined to those of the Corvid (crow) family, and rarely other species are chosen.   They must be uplifted, an implant installed, and trained by the Observer in VR. This will instill the knowledge they will need to operate the spire in times of need.   They are chosen for their exceptional mental fortitude, their capacity for stillness, and an unwavering psychic resilience to the ambient energies of the Spire. They are the only Sentinel able to possess and fully integrate the Observer AI. The merging is a profound and soul-shattering experience. The sheer volume of cosmic data, the overwhelming pressure of reality distortion, and the physical strain of conducting such immense energies is immense. The Observer, is able to buffer some of this imformation, but not all.    It is a demanding job, and few survive the experience.  When the pass concludes and the Spire's hum recedes, the Operator emerges from the ritual shattered and utterly drained, or dead. They are phiysically weak, mentally exhausted, and spiritually altered. The memories of beinng a "mind-star" and a "core-network" are burned into their consciousness. They can never perform this function again, although they can help train the next operator if they recover enough.