Lone Flyer

The Loud One was here. It was uncomfortable to even the Tenth Lone Flyer, so it must be outright excruciating to the Listeners.   The Lone Flyers perceived the images relayed to them by the Great One, perceived what the Far Seers saw. This Loud One was again different, as indicated by the Far Tellings of other Groups that had encountered one. It was a strange creature, smooth and sharp. Strange fins, glowing lights, and a lot of Seeing Places. How many Far Seers were in its Group for it to require that many Seeing Places? It was nothing like their Great Ones and their smooth natural form, the Tenth Lone Flyer thought. It seemed crude, unrefined, almost unnatural.   The Tenth Lone Flyer felt a strange sense of excitement. It knew what had happened when other Groups had encountered Loud Ones. It also felt apprehension. It had been Made for what was likely about to happen, it was excited to finally be able to fulfill its task, but it also was somehow unsure how well it would do. To be a Lone Flyer meant a live lived waiting, sometimes myriads of Long Cycles, to then burn brightly for a mere instant to protect the Group. Despite its anxiety, the Tenth Lone Flyer could not think of another way of living than that.   The Loud One had been spotted a Short Cycle before by the Seventh Far Seer. The Wise Ones had arrived at the same conclusion as those of other Groups - they would attempt to Speak to the Loud One. The Greater Wise Ones were clear: Establishing a dialogue with the Loud Ones would be a great benefit to the All-Group. But at the same time, each Group had the right to decide for the good of its members, and like other encounters, they would likely prioritize their Listeners over the well-being of the Loud One.   The Tenth Lone Flyer reached out and touched the Eighth Lone Flyer. They shared their thoughts. The Eighth felt similar to the Tenth. It also felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension.   It was beginning. The Path Weaver had found some Fast Threads to Weave if it was necessary.   Finding the Threads had taken longer than the Lone Flyers had expected, but their Path Weaver was old and so it was not surprising. The Tenth however also recalled perceiving a discussion between Path Weavers when they had visited the Home Sphere several Long Cycles ago. They had said that the Threads were becoming harder to handle, that something was disturbing them. It did not share this thought with the rest of the Lone Flyers.   The Lone Flyers started to shape themselves to be ready for their task. They became ready to leave the Great One, and become like it themselves, alone in the Great Cold.   The Far Speakers were trying to Speak to the Loud One, to reach it somehow. They were Speaking very loudly, adding to the cacophony and making the Tenth Lone Flyer even more uncomfortable. It felt sorry for the Listeners having to endure this.   The Loud One started Screaming.   The decision of the Wise Ones was instant. They did not need to communicate it to the Lone Flyers, only to the Great One. The cavity of the Lone Flyers opening up told them all they needed to be told. Now, for the first and last time, they would have to see and Listen by themselves, and brave the Great Cold, just now rushing in, themselves.   The Tenth Lone Flyer saw the Second and the Fourth soar away into the darkness of the Great Cold. Then the Sixth and the Eighth. Finally the Tenth took flight together with the twelfth, finally to burn bright pursuing its task.   It flew towards the Loud One, easy to find by its noise. The Loud One had sent its own small, strange Lone Flyers, streaking towards the Great One. It had also started attacking the Lone Flyers with the strange light that the other Groups had told of but noone had truly believed. Even though it could not truly share the feelings of the other Lone Fliers anymore, it still felt a twinge of pain seeing its siblings attacked in this way.   The Sixth Lone Flyer struck the Loud One in a massive blast, throwing the Loud One's skin and some members of its Group hurling into the Great Cold. The Tenth saw their strange bodies, with only 4 or 6 branches. Would there ever be a way to communicate with creatures so different from them?   The Great One disappeared. The Path Weaver had completed its task and safely brought the group far away. All that was left were the Lone Flyers.   The Tenth Lone Flyer refocused, cleansing its mind of the strange light and the unbranching creatures and heading straight towards the Loud One. It struck almost where the Sixth had.   In its final moments, it felt pride, for having accomplished its task with such precision. It was also plagued by another thought: What if we are simply misunderstanding the Loud Ones?   The highly energetic substances in the Lone Flyer's body, placed there by the genetic makeup it had been Made with, placed there for this very moment, were triggered by genetic instinct, engulfing the Tenth Lone Flyer and the Loud One in a sphere of destructive light.