Aepoch

Part 1: Discovery - Chapter 1

Through the Aether and the infinite depths of time and space flowed the consciousness that was Harlan Salvor.

Harlan was not alone, nor even aware of himself. He was asleep, but in his slumber dreamed the waking dream of the Collective. While his body rested, his mind explored the stars, scattered across a diverse community of thought and perspective and sharing in their combined experiences. A singular component of the greater whole, Harlan's very will was tapped like a resource by the vast group mind.

But a change was coming.

The Collective was a celestial being of incorporeal immensity. From a single planetary nucleus, the great consciousness stretched across lightyears through the Aether, spanning countless solar systems and the vast swathes of unimpeded emptiness between them. It pulsated and shifted as it explored the darkness, until its many minds grew tired and the Collective withdrew once more, shrinking back into itself and concentrating around its home planet of Echelon IV. The transition to a new phase began, so that Harlan Salvor, along with countless others, was roused and made ready, the fragments of his sleeping mind reunited and focused on a new phase of the Search.

In the upper atmosphere, a projection of his consciousness gradually took shape and solidified out of raw thought, the growing avatar observing its surroundings with a depth of detail beyond anything Harlan's physical senses could muster. Through his mind's projection, the local Aether and its corresponding physical reality resolved and clarified, a comprehensive image of matter, energy and thought forming in Harlan's brain. After only a few moments, he could see the temple world of Echelon IV in its entirety, as well as every life-form, in both body and mind, that, like him, called it home.

Others had awoken as well, millions, in fact; the many minds of the Collective veritably choking the sacred field with their combined presence. Harlan Salvor swam among their varied forms and the tangled mass of golden filaments that connected them through the Aether, his awareness continuing to grow.

It was during these pauses in the Search that Echelon IV was at its most crowded and alive. The Collective worked in shifts, with the many minds that performed its various functions now either returning to or leaving the bodies which were their anchors to the physical reality. The conscious projections of countless Searchers, Farseers, Librarians, Keepers and Controllers mingled just outside the planet's upper atmosphere, a mixture of thought and emotion wrapping around the temple world like a cocoon.

Once fully alert, Harlan withdrew his projection from the churning masses and made his way down to the planet's surface, the Aether becoming less crowded but increasingly complex as he descended. While the vacuum of space provided a more homogeneous medium through which the many minds could flow, there was more matter and energy to contend with below. The sacred field bent itself around and through even the smallest particles of air, concentrating and thereby slowing his movements, but Harlan made his way to the Searcher's temple and the specific section, among seemingly endless rows of sarcophagi, where his body was permanently entombed.

It was always strange to look down at himself. Though it made no difference to his Aetherial projection, the uppermost section of the sarcophagus was transparent and allowed a view in of his ancient but still healthy body suspended in a golden life-preserving gel. His eyes were closed and his expression neutral, though a faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth after a moment as Harlan's consciousness looked over his own vitals and saw that everything was in order. He had expected no different, of course, but mentally consulted the acolyte in charge of monitoring and maintenance for this section nonetheless. No recent issues or abnormalities had been observed. All appeared to be well.

Harlan relaxed his consciousness and temporarily dissolved his projection, returning to his body for a time in order to review, in detail, his stored memories from the last phase of the Search. He wasn't quite sure why, but something about them troubled him.