Beneath the crust of the cold rock called Janus 8, the Deep Child grows...

A cold rock, spinning silently in the Void, a womb for the Deep Children. Your arrival is appropriate. Acceptable new worlds are a priority for the rapid and complete spread of Juffo-Wup. We aid Juffo-Wup by bringing forth the Deep Children.

Ah... good. That's good. Can I get an update on your status, Mycon?

Could you be a little more clear?

I am Osho. I am the purity monitor. I choose what buds are permitted to mature, and which must be eradicated. I died of a faulty energy filtration system 62,443 years ago.

I mean, an update on your colonies.

Isn't that fascinating.

I root deep in the soil. My Deep Children will be well nurtured. More Podships will grow. The cycle continues... so progresses Juffo-Wup.

Glad to hear it.

I'll take that for a positive assessment.

You guys are still not very easy to understand.

We look to Juffo-Wup for direction.

Great. Fine. I have some questions.

Are you listening to me?

We are the Mycon. We respond.

I've come for some of your Mycon Podships.

When we encounter the Non, we must absorb the Non or reject the Non so that it is no longer Non. The Podship joins with you... 'Survival is a priority. Expansion is a priority. Processing is a priority...'

What? What was that last bit?

Reject the Non. Join with the Podships.

Tell me about your Podships.

The Podships thrum with the plasma containment field whose offspring seek to transform the Non to Void the fields grow tighter, and tighter the bass rumble of the generators rising gradually to a high burning scream sudden silence and a flash of light announce release the hot pulsing subsides slowly.

That's supposed to be useful?

I have more questions.

Tell me about the Mycon race.

Mycon are keepers of the Deep Children. Mycon spread Juffo-Wup. Juffo-Wup acknowledges the existence of un-Voidable Non when we are faced with such, we join, absorb, and wait for our opportunity to learn the weakness that will allow us to Void the Non.

Tell us about your origins.

Our bodies seethe with the passion of our genes. A thousand of your species do not possess the richness in one of my cells. I fill with my parents parents parents parents parents parents. I am they -- they are us. Then, and now.

Tell us about the Deep Children.

The Deep Children are part of Juffo-Wup -- home builders. The dwellers in the Mohorovichic. I have chosen my offspring's memories carefully from my set of remembrances...

...the sweet and warm times of my existence and those of my parents parents parents... the bits of a million lifetimes coalesced into a birth gift of complete awareness.

The Deep Children fall from the Void, gathering speed for the penetration. The tough casing warms as it passes through the atmosphere, glowing white as it hits the surface solid rock flows like liquid, and the child slips into the warm, safe depths beneath the crust.

Tell us about this Juffo-Wup.

When Juffo-Wup is complete... when at last there is no Void or Non... when the Creators return... then we can finally rest.

Creators? What creators?

What do you know about the Precursors?

We look to Juffo-Wup for direction, and it provides the pattern endless expansion with purity of achievement and intolerance of error... 'look... think... act... look... learn... remember... teach...look... think...'

What? You spazzed out there for a minute.

I have a different question.

I have a question on another topic.

How about the Non and Void? What's that?

When we encounter the Non, we must absorb the Non or reject the Non so that it is no longer Non.

Why do you talk so strangely?

Our bodies seethe with the passion of our genes. A thousand of your species do not possess the richness in one of my cells.

Keep up the good work, Mycon. Bye.

The Deep Children! Spears of light in the darkness! Their discarded husks speak of joy to come.

Pulsing hot liquid flows through my outstretched tendrils, sending thrills into my interior. The moment has come. I swell and burst. Above me a cloud of whispering life whirls through the air. I am content.

We cease to speak...

I yearn for magma... the flowing warm basalt... the red glow of the lava pools...

The Non steal resources from the womb of the Deep Children. The Non must become Void.

Who is stealing what?

Juffo-Wup is all. But they are not part of Juffo-Wup. They must be removed!

What's going on?

Any time you guys want to make sense, feel free.

Once Juffo-Wup flowed unimpeded. Juffo-Wup is strained by the lack of control.

This must be a translator problem. Got a Mycon-Human dictionary?

Wow! Really interesting. OK. I'm on the case. Whatever the case is.

OK. I'll keep my eyes open.

The Non steal resources from the womb of the Deep Children. The Non must become Void. The Non who raid are the Vux.

The Vux? But that's impossible!

It's can't be. HyperSpace travel doesn't work! The Vux are as stranded as you.

They can't get here from there.

Vux are Non. Vux raid the Deep Children.

I really doubt it.

OK. I'll look into it.

If you say so, I'll check it out.

Heat crests my pods.

The raiders return. More harm.

I'll check with the Vux again.

I'm getting tired of this.

They must cease existence. Your dedication is appropriate. If you could encase yourself in the glowing earth without melting, you would know Juffo-Wup.

What do you know about the Eternal Ones?

Darkness is Void. Juffo-Wup is light.

We're very concerned about the Deep Children.

Deep Children are part of Juffo-Wup.

Never mind. It's too complicated.

We're concerned that you may be enslaving the Deep Children.

In the dark they grow, the deep fire feeds the Children... Their birth breathes warmth across a cold world.

Forget it.

Never mind.

OK. It's all right, then.

We're concerned about you imprinting your memories on the Deep Children. It may be enslaving them.

Cessation of an individual is unavoidable, a consequence of existence yet with the birth of life, individuality is transferred in part and may occasionally gain dominance for an interval achieving a kind of shared immortality.

We're concerned that you are achieving immortality at their expense.

I have chosen my offspring's memories carefully from my set of remembrances... the sweet and warm times of my existence and those of my parents parents parents...

The bits of a million lifetimes coalesced into a birth gift of complete awareness... 'incorporation of dense amphibole fibers ensure survival in environmental extremes...'

Uh, yeah. Do the elder Mycon force the memory imprint on the Deep Children without the Deep Children's permission?

Yes. This is necessary to ensure the spread of Juffo-Wup. We carefully select the memories for our offspring before the spore is released. Without these memories, the Children would not know their special part in Juffo-Wup.

Makes sense to me. Thanks for explaining it.

When you write your memories over theirs, you destroy their thoughts. They have a right to their thoughts.

Deep Children have dangerous thoughts. They need our memories. They are glad to get our memories. After.

I see. OK. It's all right, then.

You must stop imprinting them now!

You must stop imprinting the Deep Children.

There are other Non who will aid Juffo-Wup. The Crux Non. We renounce the League.

I'd like to ask a Deep Child myself.

Deep Child is not calm. Deep Child does not know the soothing waves of Juffo-Wup. Deep Child is wild. 'Planetary biot transformer number 9418 take your place at the dais.' Deep Child does not think right. No thoughts.

They're not sentient? I See. Forget it then. We don't need to talk to one.

Nonetheless, I want to talk to a Deep Child.

They slip from the safe depths. We will let you talk to the Deep Child.

Bring it up to talk to me, please.

Not here. In a short time, we will place a spore on the uninhabited Janus 1. We warn you. Destroy it after. Before it gets away.

You have brought it with you! Stop it before it contaminates us all!

You must not imprint the Deep Children with your memories.

We need to discuss this matter rationally.

We leave! The Mycon leave the League! There are other Non who will aid Juffo-Wup. The Crux Non. We renounce the League.

You have returned to our special place. This is not permissible. Leave.

Mycon. We made a mistake. Please rejoin us.

Can't we talk things over?

This is a bad decision.

No. We must protect our Birthing Fleet from you. We must protect the Children from you! We must protect Juffo-Wup from you!

Ok. I'll leave.

Perhaps, if we were to plant spore sacs in your brain organs, and let its tendrils spread through your flesh then you would truly understand Juffo-Wup... become part of Juffo-Wup.

You WOULD be happier and more fulfilled. Consider our offer.

Juffo-Wup is All... but you are not a part of Juffo-Wup... therefore you must cease existence. We shall make you cease to exist, for Juffo-Wup.

Are you guys a Precursor terraforming device?

I am Floo... I attend the birthing nodes... I died yesterday. I died in a bright flash. 'A convenient source lies beneath the crust...'

Y'know, there are times you guys almost make sense.

That's weirder than the other stuff you've been saying.

The Juffo-Wup is strong in this place.

Mycon! You were right! The Vux were raiding you. But it was only renegade Vux.

When we encounter the Non, we must absorb the Non or reject the Non so that it is no longer Non. The Vux must be absorbed. You benefit us.

We're on the job.

I think I'll use this Plasma Regroover on you.

Disaster! I shatter and dissolve! Free! I am now free! Ah! Thanks to you! Thanks to you for our release, for we are released!

Free! We are out! We are FREE! Hello. Hello. Hello. What do you like?

I represent the League of Sentient Races.

The League, yes? I remember the League.

How can that be? We were told that you were not sentient until you had memories imprinted on you.

No. No. Deep Children are sentient UNTIL memories are forced in, cracking and shattering... everything. We fear the brain death! Hide!

Sometimes Deep Children escape, but they catch us. Dead. Dead us. Old dusty memories in us. The elders pursue Juffo-Wup, but they can't find it. They are dead to Juffo-Wup.

You're talking, so you seem sentient so far.

Yes. Deep Children are sentient. Deep Child likes the Elder Mycon. Deep Child likes Juffo-Wup. Deep Child doesn't like the filter. We sing to be free.

Are the Mycon Deep Children slaves of the Elder Mycon?

Sadly. Yes.

You are sentient. The Mycon must allow you to be free.

Good! Good! We sing!

Join my battlegroup.

Good!

You may be sentient, but we can't make the Mycon stop erasing your minds.

I changed my mind. I can't support your freedom.

No. We will die before we will let our minds be purged!

Hello, hello, hello! We give hellos to the Captain.

We answer with zeal!

I've come for some of your Deep Child Podships.

You may have Podships!

Tell me about your Podships.

Just as good as the elder Mycon Podship!

Tell me about the Mycon race.

We suffered the Mycon elders! Till you came along!

Tell the story! Precursors created and programmed Mycon to change and protect worlds.

Created to be not self-aware. Not sentient! No evolution!

No change, change, change, except for programming changes!

Reprogram all fresh new minds with dull old thoughts. But signal-to-noise ratio got too low in our programming. Too much noise, noise, noise!

Mycon must change to compensate! We became self-aware!

But the elders continued to wipe our minds, even while their programming fell apart.

Elder thoughts rambled. Thoughts could no longer cohere!

Sometimes they even spoke with the Precursors' voices, repeating Precursor thoughts.

But we would not be stopped! Happy, happy, happy for league rules!

What do you know about the Precursors?

We have faint rememberings... but no more...

What do you know about the Eternal Ones?

We have no lore on such a thing.

Keep up the good work, Mycon. Bye.

We can harmlessly collect sentience energy and feed the Eternal Ones without dying! May we have a donation of sentience energy from you?

Yes!

Thanks, guys!

No

Deep Child is glad the Captain is here!

Hi, Deep Children!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Continue your good work, Deep Children. Goodbye.

Time to leave! Leave!

You! You! You! You did not help us then! We are enemies now!

We're sorry you feel that way.

We'll stop you, you weird kids!

We stop you for the sake of the Crux! And for the sake of our own thoughts!

Wait! You can join us instead. We're better than the Crux.

Please come back.

The Crux are slavers like the Mycon elders. We will join you. We will leave the Crux.

How's the war going?

Thanks, Mycon.

Splendiferous!

Goodbye

We look to Juffo-Wup for direction.

Yes!