Eurydice and Orpheus Descending

[Eurydice&Orpheus]

Cosma Shiva Bloomsberry was enthralled. This was it! She would marry the man that she had always dreamed for. In less than an hour, they would take the eternal vow, and submit themselves to the ceremony of unbreakable love and togetherness. And what a man he was! Roland was the most clever man she had met in her entire life. She could not believe her luck when this genious scientist and most morally superior person of his time, possibly of all time, said he wanted to marry her. She was only 18 and he a 37 year old genius! What could he possibly see in her? She knew he did not care for what the lesser people were bickering about their love. She felt like she was about to explode of joy and could not believe her luck.

Roland scratched his bearded chin. He had a nervous habbiet of scratching himself when being confronted with a logic puzzle, and transformed the habbit of scratching his now thinning scalp hair into his carressing his beard or soft hairy belly. There must be no mistakes! There was only one go at this, no second chance. He was checking and double-checking the programming of the photon-computer which he had spent his entire life designing. Since he had discovered the principle of self-programming geode crystals, he had managed to make a fairly wealthy living fo it. It allowed him to finance his research and laid-back lifestyle, although the principle was not very useful in computing applications: The large volume and mass of geode crystals needed to make a processing unit which was comparable to a unit built using conventional silicon techniques was not very competetive on the open market. But it was self-programming and thus extremely robust, nearly impossible to affect or reprogram once the photon stream had been initiated. He developed a theory that if you had a large enough geode, his technique could even be used to overcome the heisenberg principle and control electromagnetic waves in a such precise way that you could lead them into exactly the direction you wanted on near infinitely small space, thus directly creating matter out of energy.
At age 29, he attended a wacky college party which was organized by the ALpha-Omega fraternity he was in. It was hosted by the temple of Eris Esoteric, who chose the most exclusive minds to join her sect. The moment he learned that a plannet in the system was a gigantic geode, made of near perfect crystals on the inside, his pulse raised, and the excitement had almost given him a heart attacked and killed him, but he only felt dizzy, fainted, and fell on a couch filled with entoxicated fraternity mates. The minute he awoke, he started making plans on how to use the plannet to build the most powerful computer ever conceptionalized, with infinite computing resources, that could transform energy into matter. The solar winds, hanrished by the unique magnetic field of the Geode, provided a near unlimited energy source. He roughly estimated the diameter of the plannet and immidiately knew that the energy to mass conversion could only be realized on a small volume of about 30x30x30 cubic meters directly at the center of the geode, since you were effectively using the heisenberg principle to overcome itself, and were using the large size of the geode and very long focal length of the crystals as an approximation of infinity.


After years of study, he had come to the conclusion that his experiment was bound to be succesfull. But... what would he do with this power? Would he create unlimited wealth for himself? Would he take over the universe? Would he make himself a god? He pondered long on this, and always came to the conclusion that nothing of all these would please him entirely. One day, while strolling lost in thought on the campus on plannet Cambridge, he saw a first year freshman with the most amazing body he had ever seen. He offered her some help in her courses. She introduced herself as Cosma Shiva Bloomsberry. From the first seconds he saw her, he knew how his computer would help him achieve eternal happiness.

--------------------------------------------

Orpheus sat gloomy in his Sabre, flying through the Coronado ice cloud northwards to refill his stash of cardamine, wondering what to do. He had never wanted this life. How could everything have gone so wrong? How did he become a cardamine-addicted Outcast pirate, when all he ever wanted was justice? His excessive consumption was causing him rashes and had begun to show on his face. But he was beyond worrying thingsl like that. He thought back. He and his brother had always wanted only justice. He thought about his mother. She had raised them in New York, living the life of poor scrap metal miners, but giving the best education and values she could. She had always talked to them about a better life, a better world, where men would help those who had fallen, not trample them beneath their feet. She always told Orpheus: There is only one way that we can break the cycle of injustice and hate. We must descend into the valley of shaddow and we must learn to love even those who we hate the most. I know that one day, you will be able to do this. When she had died, Orpheus and his brother Gwenael decided to form the first movement inside Liberty that would work for justice and equality, not for personal enrichement. They created a workers syndicate, which would stand up to the predator-capitalists of Liberty who exploited them. For a few weaks, the movement grew, dispite the warnings from some of the more careful junk-miners. But, it was the first actual success of the movement that brought down the wrath of nearly every faction of Liberty on them, who were bent on upholding the status quo of power and exploitation. When his brother Gwenael was murdered by a bounty-hunter, Orpheus himself could not hold himself back from turning to violence, or his inner hate would have destroyed him. The corporations that upheld the system of injustice would have to pay. He would hit them where it would hurt them the most: their wealth. But he was not a violent man. Not a pilot. Not a fighter. He had never learned how to brutally destroy, how to survive in the heat of battle. His senses where trained for being thoughtful, not instinctive. But there was a way. There was a way to change all that. There was a way to change into an unstopable killing-machine. The way was Cardamine.


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Eurydice felt like killing someone. Her mood hadnt been this bad since she managed to blow up only one of those two nutty unioners 2 months ago, and DSE had refused to pay her the bounty because the other nitwit had survived. Now she had gone up to Tau 23 to collect bounties on some dead Colonials, only to find out that they had signed an armistice with the Outcasts, making all bounties null and void. An ARMISTICE! Now she was never going to afford that new overpriced y-Pod, which would make all her Bounty Hunter co-workers go green with envy. She hated them, almost as much as she hated everybody else. She lit up a cigarette. She looked in the cigarette dispenser... only 287 left. 'Hope I make it back to Pittsburg before I run out', she thought. She tipper her head to one side and looked down her brand new designer-pilotsuit and at her boots. The boots were more than 6 months old. That meant hopelesly out of season. She was furious. Because deep down she knew... the nickname 'Euro dessi', which the other hunters gave her referring to her headless spending and an old earthican curency , was justified. But what else was there to live for than money and fancy clothing? If you have to fly down some desert system with no money in your pocket in a Manta smelling of stale cigarette smoke, you might as well do it dressed in style. Right now, she wasnt even dressed in style, so she really felt like killing someone. She had just reached the Coronado jumphole, and started punching in the jump parameters into navigation computer, mumbling curse through her cigarette. The hole became active before she had finished her commands. She looked up. A Sabre had just jumped through and was sitting in space right in front of her.

---------------------------------

She saw the pilot sit up in his seat in surprise when he saw her. He had some sort of green mold on his face. Eurydice felt discusted. Some hardcore-junky. Her bounty-computer emitted a beep and its screen turned red. She emidiately unsecured her missiles as her face lit up in anticipatiopn of a kill. She read the screen. It was that damned unioner she missed 2 months ago! Now she was about to collect that bounty after all!
Orpheus saw 4 sets of missiles fold our of their latches and poitn at him as they were being activated. He emidiately pressed full throttle on thrusters to get out of the Bounty Hunter'S crosshair, thrusting past the Manta and avoiding collision by only 1 meter, barely avoiding the first volley of missiles being fire at him. As soon he was behind the enemy ship, he pressed the button to engage cruise engines, looked back at the ship that was turning behind him, and strafed his ship out of the the field of view again to stay behind the enemy. He started spamming counter-measures so early that they impacted on the Hunter's hull.
Eurydice heard the cruise engine power up behind her, the sound of CM being released, and some clankety-clank noise on her top fin. When she had finally turned into her target again, she fired a cruise disruptor at it. But the CD exploded when it hit the CMs right near her ship, sending an unpleasant electromagnetic pulse in her face that made her hair stand up form her head, ruining 200 credits worth of hairdo.
'You'll pay for that!' She cursed as she crushed her cigarette on the picture of the face that was on the screen of her bounty computer, and engaged cruise engines to follow the Outcast.
Orpheus looked on his radar. He could not go back through the Coronado hole because that meant getting back in range of the Hunter's cruise disruptor. It was unsafe to head to the Tau 29 jump, since it was easy for the Hunter to contact his co-workers on the Freeport near the jump on the other side. The best alternative would be to head to the planet in the system, fly around it at low altitude using it as a shield against cruise disruptors, and turn back towards Coronado without getting in missile-range of the Hunter.


-------

Roland was anxious and sweating. There must be no screw-ups! His life work was about to unfold. If there was any mistake, everything would be lost. The geode could not be turned off again once the programming cascade was put in place, except by destruction of the plannet, or the energy source, the sun. SHould he fail, he would be be denied immortallity and living his utlimate dream for as long as the sun and plannet lasted. SHould he succeed, the goede would assimilate his and Cosma Shiva's body and minds into its programming, and render them immortal as long as they stayed in Sirius. He had written a programming that would make copies of those which are in its exact center during activation of the goede, and respawn them in exactly their youthfull state inside the geode when ever one of them died. It was hist gift to Cosma Shiva. It was his true longing and hapiness. Every 24 hours, their bodies would be restored into their youthfull state, and be locked inside the geode for 8 hours of passion and deep converstation. Their minds would melt into each other during that time, there would be no secrets, no hidden truths, their unifaction would be complete. And the love and passion of the flesh! The geode would absorbe the solar energies, giving them eternal life, spinning and screwing around in solar orbit, with Cosma and him together for all eternity!

----

Orpheus reached orbit of the Geode, and pushed his Sabre down close agians the plannet. There were a group of small civilian ships there. He could see Zoners, Bretonians, Gaians, and even a rogue ship. It looked like they were having some sort of party.

----

Roland checked and double check everything.

Programming:
-Make copy of that which is in the core of the plannet after activation. Trigger assimilation by EMP pulse inside the core.
-Every 24 hours, join the 2 life forms in a state of physical copulation, and perform a mind reading melt between the two for 8 hours
-If either of the 2 life forms dies, restore both to innitial state of assimilation

Roland thought for a while. Suddenly he felt remorse. Maybe he should have told Cosma about the geode and this? He did... in a way... after all she is taking the vows for this in the marriage ceremony. BUt... what if he felt tired of her sooner or later. He began to panic. He looked at the time of day and solar position. He would have to wait another 11 years for the conditions for activation to be this obtimal. And who knows what COsma might look like in 11 years? Or what he would look like?
He added the line:
-Make the male life form love the female life form for ever, and do everything she wants to make her happy.

THe mariage company was waiting. Cosma was waiting! He did not want the geode to assimilate for all eternity in an unhappy state. He pressed the 'activate' button and hurried to join them. They had to head down to the core of the plannet now as soon as possible, before anything interfered.

---

Both Orpheus and Eurydice dropped out of cruise speed at the same time. A huge electromagnetic field had formed around the plannet, and was screwing with their ships systems.
'WHat the hell...?' both of them mumbled synchronously, although they didnt hear each other.
Eurydice was the first to regain her concentration: She fire a volley at missiles at the Sabre, sure she would kill him on first impact.
Orpheus' warning systems flared up, and he turned straight towards the missiles, pressed thrust towards them, and then did a 'corkscrew' maneuvre to send them scattering in all directions as they were unable to turn in this angle.
A strict voice could be heard through the coms:
'This is the temple or Eris Esoteric. Fighting wardogs come not here. You will stop the hate and feel the love.'
Eurydice turned off her coms and thought 'God damn plannet full of hippies' as she fired another volley of missiles at Orpheus.
This time Orpheus was at a bad angle. He would not be able to out-turn then fast enough. He started spamming countermeasures, but knew they would hardly get all the missiles. His ship was rocked by an explosion, making him bump his head in his cockit.
He heard a voice say:
'Countermeasure, dropper: lost'
Eurydice fell into hysterical laughter as she stared wildly at the Sabre as the demolished CM dropper floated away.
'Ha... aha... Ahaaaaa ha ha ha!'
She pressed the 'fire' button again.
Orpheus looked in desperation at any obstacle that would allow him to hide behind so the missiles would hit it. He considered that civilian ships for a split second, but dropped the idea because he did not know who was on them. The corner of his eyes cought a small opening on the plannet's crust that looked like a cave, close to where the ships seemed to be headed. He thrusts towards it.

-----

'Do you, Roland Farnsworth, vow to love and to honour your betrothed, to aid her in all situations, in good times and the bad, till death do you part?
'Yuss!', said Roland.
'And do you, Cosma Shiva Bloomsberry, vow to love and to honour your betrothed, to aid him in all situations, in good times and the bad, till death do you part?
'Yes I do!', said Cosma.
Eris lifted one eyebrow and gave Cosma a long serious look.
'You sure?', Eris asked again.
Cosma thought about how she will never pass that next exam without help, and said:
'Yes!'

She turned to Roland and spoke unto is face:
'My beloved! I have a gift for you! Some friends of mine have written a musical interlude.'

A gaian woman in her thirties, who is carrying a guitar, and a young and handsome liberty rogue who is carrying a tambourine enter through a door next to the altar.

The gaian woman starts strumming a G major and sings:

Peeeeaaace is a flower field!
Looooooove is what everybody should feel!
Can you see the merry merry light?
Let us be gay and never fight!

The young handsome liberty rogue winks at Cosma, and starts to sing with great volume and emotion, but with less prescision in pitch:

Brother, lay down your possessions!
Together, we can make a change!
Share your wealth, no more love-consessions!
Together, we can make a change!

Roland stares wordlessly at them for a while, then, after he is sure they are finished, says:
'Thank you, my love. Now, let us go into our pod to descend to the core of the beautiful goddess geode, to make eternal our bond.'

------

'Where are you hiding, you little rat?'. Eurydice has turned her coms back on and is transmitting on the battle-taunt channel.
The cave that Orpheus has fled into turned out to be a complex maze of crystaline structures, resembling a hall of mirrors that allows one to be totally hidden among your own reflections, in plain sight.
No answer, no movement. Sabres and Mantas everywhere, but neither know which one is the correct one to shoot.
Eurydice thinks for a while... The one that moves for a longer distance than the crystals are large without its image breaking... that is the right one.
'GOTCHA!' she screams into the coms, and fires a volley of missiles in a random direction.
Orpheus, fearing that he has been spotted, starts thrusting to avoid the missiles that might be aimed at him.
Eurydice catches the right Sabre in her trained eyes. After he stopped moving again, she slowly and silently flies over to the immobilized pray.
'YOu thought you could get away?', she says as she locks missiles and imagines the color of the y-pod she is about to order on 'amazon shipping'.
'Heh! You are even easier to kill than that Gwenael piggy!'
She pulls the trigger.

*clunk!*

*clunk!* *clunk!*

The 4 sidewinder missile launchers were quick to deplete her amunition, like the time she tried to get both of the brothers but spent all her missiles on Gwenael.
Orpheus, who had just realized who is facing him after the last transmission, powers up his debilitatros and kraakens, and says:
'Youre going down, b... witch!'
Without a word, Eurydice starts flying loops and coils in the cavern. The reflections are making her dizzy and disoriented.
'There must be some kind of way out of here' she thinks, mouth dry and cold sweat running down her temples.
She finds a group of 4 reflections that look like they could be a corridor leading out of the cavern. BUt it doesnt look like the way she came in on. Eurydice enters the the corridor, without knowing where she is going, headed dow into the core of the plannet. Orpheus follows down the way. All his concentration is kept on not losing his target with is eyes. Looking away or turning his sight way from the Manta would lose the real target among all the reflections.
----
Roland and Cosma entered the cavern where the Outcast and Bounty Hunter had been fighting.
'Its so BEAUTIFUL!' Cosma exclaims, as she looks at the reflections of herself in the decorated glass-barge she is on.
'Baby, you aint seen nothing yet!' Roland says, repeating the lines he had rehearsed so many times to keep Cosma happy as long as they head towards the center of Geode.
'Now, my beloved, let is continue on our journey to the heart of the Goddess Geode'. Roland nervously eyed the disguised bomb that would trigger the finalization of the assimilation process, sending their souls into the photon computer.
----
Eurydice's life was flashing before her eyes. This corridor will end somewhere, sooner or later. And she has no more weapons. Were those boots really worth it? MAybe she should have chosen a more 'retro' look. It could have saved her some money. She will never get that y-pod. She can feel tears gathering in her eyes. THen... this is it! This is the end of the line! Directly in front of her, she sees... herself. A perfect reflection. She can see herself in the cockpit of her Manta. Her blank expression, her new space suit. She looks around. The corridor ended in a cavern about 30 meters wide. Maybe... if she moved to the side... like this... the Outcast would shoot at the wrong reflection. It was 50 50, and she may be able to exit the same way she came in on. She moved to the right of the cavern.

Orpheus forced himself not to lose the Manta from site. Any loss of concentration or deviating glimpse could mean his doom in the narrow path. This corridor was going to end, sooner or later. He would avenge his brother. That much was certain. But... has it all been worth it? He never liked killing. He never wanted that.
Suddenly, he saw him. He saw Gwenael, right in front of him. In a Sabre. Or was it a reflection? Orpheus whirled his head around, to look behind himself if it was really his brother behind him. His Sabre pitched right.

As Eurydice saw the Sabre hurtling straight towards her, her last word was 'crap', before the explosion of their ships activated the assimilation process of the goddess.