The Sovereign Mind
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Transcript of The Sovereign Mind
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8/3/2019 The Sovereign Mind
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THE SOVEREIGN MIND
Chapter 1
The girl Maxine had been my destruction.
As she approached me, I swallowed the stone-cold
tang of fear in my mouth and hoped she would now become
my saviour.
What do you want? she asked abruptly while keeping
those wide brown eyes I knew so well locked onto my own.
For eighteen years I imagined what our first meeting
would be like. In each variation she cried tears of joy
and embraced me like a father; reality, it seemed, did
not share my sentiment.
There was little time to dwell on my disappointment.
It was dark and we were vulnerable out here in the open
suburban streets. It would have been so easy to Project
my emotional energy, to take control of her mind and
compel her to follow me where it would be safer, although
I dared not break Second Law: Never violate free will
outside the Assemblies.
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So I elected to Perceive her emotions only. I
sensed fear and anger within her; something had gone
wrong at the party.
I want to go home, Max. Lets go, okay? her
friend Julie pleaded desperately at her side.
Julie had a beautiful mind. She was smart and
methodical for her kind, but most importantly she was a
loyal friend to Maxine, her only friend.
Can I be of any assistance? I offered stepping
aside from their car.
Weve had enough assistance tonight, thankyou,
whoever you are-
You can call me Jacob.
Sure. Julie, get in, Ill drive.
They walked passed me and I noticed red blotches
spattered across their evening dresses. Did they hurt
you, Maxine? I said with more urgency than I intended.
Her eyes narrowed as Julie closed the passenger side
door, What does it matter to you and how do you know my
name?
At least I had her attention now.
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Everything that regards you matters to me
actually, I said. How I know your name is a rather
long story, one I would like to share, but first tell me
what happened in there? I asked pointing to her dress.
She studied me intently for a moment and I wondered
how I looked through her eyes. Did she only see the
dishevelled man wrapped in a worn brown leather coat with
mismatched boots, or what truly lay beneath the facade?
She slapped the corner of her dress and smiled
without joy in the expression, This is what happens when
raw barbeque meat is thrown at you for entertainment.
My heart ached for her. It was beyond my
calculations to understand how the pair ranked so low on
the social order of their learning institution. I had
been pleased to learn they were invited to this end of
year celebration, fond memories of high school would lend
her support in the difficult times ahead. I fought the
urge to reach out and provide comfort; I was still a
stranger to her.
Yeah, High School sucked, she said but its
finally over. Now, how do you know my name?
Loud music resonated in repetitive patterns as the
party continued in the house behind me. I looked along
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the rows of parked cars and tried to estimate the time we
had left. Subtlety no longer served our cause.
I have come to help you, Maxine, I said.
She chuckled at first and then began to laugh
hysterically, Oh that one just capped off a perfect
evening.
Despite my devotion to her, the threat of discovery
frayed my patience. So youre not interested in
learning why you are so different? I said.
Her laughter stopped and I Perceived her emotion of
panic which blew over me like a cool breeze.
Yes, Maxine, I mean different in exactlythe way
you are thinking.
I dont know what youre talk-
Yes, you do, I interrupted, it is okay, Im here
to help you.
She seemed to relax and I thought we were about to
make our first real connection in person when the car
horn blared to shatter the moment.
Cmon Max! Julies muffled voice came from within
the car.
Maxine turned, Ive got to go, she said.
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But wait-
No, I cant handle this right now.
There was logic in her reaction, yet I was
disappointed at her eagerness to escape. However, such
things could not be forced, no matter the urgency.
Wait, listen to me, I pleaded.
She opened the driver side door and gave me a hollow
stare.
When you are ready for the truth, look within
yourself and think of me I will come.
Having never known her own kind, I was unsure if she
truly understood my words. She paused for a moment, then
stepped into the car and drove away.
After waiting almost two decades to meet in person,
the encounter went nothing like I had calculated.
It was 4:14 am and my scheduled watch at Maxines
house would soon end. I was perched on the limb of a
tall eucalypt tree at the opposite side of the street,
unmoving, silent and invisible in the darkness.
The house was mid-Victorian. I estimated the year
of construction to be 1870s from the gabled roof and
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English bond brickwork. The corner allotment was filled
with dense plantings of roses, climbing clematis,
lavender and hellebores; I could almost taste their
strong fragrance in the warm night air.
My right thigh cramped from being immobile for so
long. I did not permit my body movement, other than to
tense and relax the muscle, until the discomfort passed.
It was then I saw the shadow.
It marched with mechanical rhythm along the concrete
footpath and continued past the house. I held my breath
as the figure stopped abruptly beneath the corner
streetlight; a man dressed in grey suit. He raised his
head as though smelling the air, but I knew it was
Maxines intense emotional signature he had Perceived.
He turned and I saw his face. Part of me wanted to
leap down from my hiding place, to embrace the man I had
once thought of as a brother. It had been eighteen years
since I had seen Pascal Dupont. Then the gravity of why
he was here descended and so I stayed silent and waited.
I fed the variables of the situation into a Mind
Calculation; my mental engine engaged and processed the
most likely outcomes within moments. Only one result was
certain the Mens Mentis had finally discovered Maxines
location and tonight her life would change forever.
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Pascals head twitched in the Mens Mentis
idiosyncrasy to Mind Calculation. I prayed the result
would not leas him to the house. I drew dark glasses
from my coat pocket and pressed them firmly over my eyes.
Pascal stepped toward the house and so I made my move.
I exhaled slowly and focused within myself until I
reached my emotion stem, the pure centre of energy that
was at the core of my being. Its emerald radiance was
brilliant within my minds eye and I felt a familiar
static-like crackle course through my hair at being in
its presence.
My vision changed as I drew on its power. It was as
though I looked through a green stain-glass window where
everything I could see was defined by the various shades
of that single colour. As I Projected this emotional
energy outward, green light emanated from my eyes.
Without sunglasses to contain the radiance, my position
would have easily been given away in the darkness.
Where are you going? I spoke silently within
Pascals mind.
He shot an intense stare in my direction and then
jumped back into the shadows.
Come to me, come closer, I laced my words with a
mild compulsion I had always been the stronger mind.
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A pair of green eyes pulsed in response through the
dark, Are you here on orders? State your position and
rank.
Come to me, come closer.
With gentle calls I continued to lure him in. As he
reached the foot of the tree, I gently lowered myself to
the ground. I relaxed my Mental Shield, only for a
moment, to allow him to sense my presence.
Pascal immediately turned and looked me up and down,
Jacob?
Pascal Dupont, it has been a long time, I replied
vocally.
Why, I didnt recognise you in that drab.
His Mental Shield may have kept his thoughts and
emotions from me, but his physical expression had shown
an instant of fear.
I removed my glasses, Many things have changed.
He looked into my eyes with a sharp edge that had
never been there before, You are still greatly missed,
my friend.
I scoffed at his words. Is that why I am branded a
traitor and to be apprehended on sight?
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Pascal spread his hands, The most powerful Mens
Mentis leader turns against his own kind, are you so
surprised? Perhaps its I who misses you the most, there
are no more worthy opponents to play Riscus with.
Despite the danger of the situation, I could not
help but chuckle. The three dimensional game of
elimination was a favourite past time of the Mens Mentis
and a healthy rivalry had developed between us over the
years. Pascals presence brought memories of a life I
had thought long gone.
His eyes softened, The void you left has been hard
to fill.
Yet filled quickly, I said as my emotions
darkened, I hear Selwyn has become Chief Executive
Officer.
His head tilted with another calculation, I see you
are still well connected for an exiled man. Yes, The
Board promoted him when you left. He was shattered when
you left. He still loves you, you know.
I felt a slight pang of regret for my former lover
but then corrected that thought immediately, Selwyn
loves only one thing, power. He wanted my mantle for
years.
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I was once proud of my achievements as Mens Mentis
CEO, yet now those thoughts only caused me to feel guilt
and shame. Pascal, I did things, terrible things.
He responded with the old Mens Mentis adage, A
great mind must make even greater sacrifices.
It should never have been at the expense of the
other Assemblies. Now they are broken, divided, and all
by my hand. We are not meant to exist this way.
He gave me a sidelong look, Was it the Vargusthat
changed you so much?
The Vargus. An undeniable force experienced by all
who join the Assemblies it was my destiny to be the
only one of my kind to experience it twice. The first
brought me to the Mens Mentis in my youth; the second
brought me to Maxine when she was born.
I pointed an accusing finger at Pascal, I could
never let the prize be used as the Mens Mentis wanted.
Pascal lost composure, And so you turned traitor to
have this power for yourself!
I shook my head, both at the lie and at how closed-
minded my Assembly had become. There was silence between
us now and I knew his Mind Calculations were cycling at a
rapid rate.
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Its here, isnt it? he said.
I did not answer. I had spent too long keeping her
hidden to admit it so freely, even when it was obvious.
Listen to your emotions, Pascal pleaded, it will
be ours in the end. Nothing you or your little band of
believers does will change this. It is inevitable.
Nothing in this life is certain, my friend.
We both calculated the next outcome with perfect
precision. Pascal would have no choice but to report on
what he had found here and I could never permit that to
happen.
So I killed him.
I killed a man I had known for most of my life,
shared meals, laughed and travelled the world with, a man
who was my closest friend and in one green Projection of
my emotions, I broke his Mental Shield to reached inside
his mind and destroy him completely.
I watched his still form sprawled on the ground. I
did not allow myself to weep or grieve, not when the
danger was still so close, so I locked these emotions
away in a corner of my mind and dragged his body beneath
a nearby cypress hedge. I would get help to dispose of
the body once my watch was over.
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As I returned to my viewpoint, the Vargus pulled at
me once more. This time its power overwhelmed my
emotions unlike anything I had experienced before.
Maxine was calling to me.
You came, she said slightly startled as I stepped
through the rose covered archway. She sat at a circular
wrought iron table in the small courtyard of the house.
I told you I would, I replied.
I guess I didnt know if it would work. I dont
... looking inside scares me.
The unknown can seem scary. May I sit?
She pulled out the chair beside her.
I sat and resisted the urge to tell her how long I
had waited for this moment, how I had protected her from
countless dangers throughout the years and how close she
had just come to being discovered. Yet she had called me
this time and so I waited for her to speak, to allow a
natural course of conversation.
Whats wrong with me? she said her voice sounding
very small.
Her question baffled me, Wrong with you?
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With me, with me inside, I want to know! she cried
pulling at the neck of her nightdress. I hate feeling
other peoples emotions. I shouldnt know these things,
it makes me feel so unclean. Her hands trembled
uncontrollably, I knew there would be trouble at the
party tonight; I sensed it when they invited us. I tried
to convince Julie not to go, but she wanted to be
accepted so badly. She couldnt have handled whatever
they planned alone, so I went along with her anyway.
I was impressed at the strength in her ability to
Perceive emotion. You have never spoken of this, not
even to your parents or Julie?
She looked down and shook her head. I learned very
quickly not to share this part of myself. People can be
cruel when youre different. Its so hard to make
friends and the few I have I want to keep.
I lifted her chin and smoothed a stray lock of brown
hair behind her ear. You are different, but there is
nothing wrong with you child. I am here to help you
now.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, How could
you possibly know my secret?
Maxine would struggle with the whole truth, so I
chose my words carefully. Like you, I can sense
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emotions in others, that is how I knew your secret. I
had help to understand what was inside me, now I offer
the same to you. I can show you how to control what
emotions you absorb and perhaps a few other things as
well. Would that interest you?
I held my breath as she thought on my offer.
This ability isnt something wonderful or magical,
its unnatural and terrifying and I cant keep going like
this, she said. Ill do anything if you can make it go
away.
I was crushed she hated such a beautiful part of
herself, Good, it is done then.
How do I start?
By showing me more respect than earlier this
evening, Maxine.
Oh, sorry about that, she said with a sheepish
grin. You can call me Max, if you like.
Max, I tried the name on like an exotic garment,
we will begin tomorrow.
Magpies began to warble in anticipation of the new
day that was fast approaching. I felt her fear subside
and was pleased to have finally made that connection with
her I so desperately wanted.
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She failed to stifle a yawn.
I think its time you went to bed, Max, I said.
She watched me carefully for a moment. Goodnight,
Jacob, she said and then rose from her seat. I watched
her leave and enter the house through the backdoor; the
lock caught with a sharp snap.
In the predawn glow of her tiny courtyard I realised
the meaning of my life was finally about to begin.
And then I wept.
I wept for the life I had lost, the life I had
found, and the lives I had taken to get here.