Chapter 493 - Far Future Ch. 203 – So Let’s Start a Religion (1/2)
I listened to Ronnie berate me, getting that massive irritation at the pressure heaped upon her off her chest very sympathetically, and after several minutes of unrepeated insults and condemnations at putting all this on her, she finally took a breath and just glared at me.
”Nyar nyar, now you know how it feels.” I stuck my tongue out at her, to which she blinked, and a second later couldn't help but chuckle.
”Fuck, Mom. We all start out the same as a Rantha, right?” I nodded calmly. ”And you don't have a preincarnation?”
”No, I got spun up out of pure ether and soulstuff by our progenitor. First of my line. It's why none of you inherit my Talent and are based on your presouls.”
”I was an undead super-tech robot.” Ronnie shuddered despite herself. ”Okay, I am not going into the souldive until I'm Seventeen, promise. Now, tell me why you did this.”
”Well, right now that Tekron is basically a static waveform existing in the Akasha, functionally non-finite and immortal. It's a nascent god who is going to wake up as soon as you plug into it, since it is you. You're effectively going to be its eyes and ears in the mortal world, your Curseline leading right back to it, and it's going to start growing as it starts taking in data on new levels and types beyond what it was capable of before.”
She stared at me. ”You're serious.”
”Damn right I am.”
”And you did this...” She held up a finger, thinking, then swore. ”Can I take knowledge from it?”
”YOU... are it. Your whole Curseline is connected to it via you. Its knowledge is going to be wide open to you, and via your Curse, through your kids.”
She stared at me, then swallowed and licked her lips. ”I'll have access to Tekron tech?”
”I don't know why you'd refuse to give it to yourself...”
”Holy shit, Mom.”
I flashed a smile. ”I is a clever bitch, is I?”
”Mitharinnabucket.” Ronnie's dark eyes, so nicely matching her brown hair, were almost glowing. ”Knowing that's all waiting for me...”
”It'll drive you right to Seventeen, and make it deuced hard to wait that long,” I sighed for her.
”Damn.” She shuddered, that bright shiny ball of light at the end of the tunnel screaming to her Talent. ”I am so glad you waited until I was a Ten to tell me this.”
”If it required a save to stop you souldiving just to touch that data early, I figured it was at least a 30. You wouldn't really be you right now if you did it early.”
She grimaced. ”You're probably right...” She took a deep breath. ”Okay, you've had time to think this through more than me. What are the implications?”
”It's a metaphysical entity. You and your Curseline are its eyes, ears, and voices. It can take in faith and send it back.”
Her lips pursed for a moment, then her jaw dropped. ”We're priestesses?!” she exclaimed in disbelief.
”You can't Cast. But you can store the power to Cast for those who can, and you're their conduit to a Divinity. Straight download, don't need to contemplate your navel in a vivic flame to charge up your Matrix.”
”Fuck me,” she whispered, staring at me.
”Of course, you've got to build your congregation, but that shouldn't be too hard.” My smile was absolutely predatory. ”The Mekkers have been making noise about the spirit of the machine for millennia, which is likely some Mythos creature manipulating their poor steel wires...”
Ronnie leaned forwards. ”And it is the spirit of a machine...”
”A god-machine!”
Her smile was every bit as deadly as mine. ”Fucking Mekkers! I'm going to take them over with their very own fake religion!”
A Hag's laugh is plenty damn wicked. I imagine even a 90% cyberized mekker would have shivered to hear us right about now.
We quieted down with a titter or six, wiping away the tears at the sheer wonderful irony. ”You are truly a damn wicked bitch,” she complimented me, hee-heeing with more glee.
”Mekkers bring out my best,” I agreed nastily, matching her chortles.
Then she paused as she took the next step, and her eyes popped wide. ”Wait, that's taking over an established religion. And we'll be able to actually answer prayers...”
I nodded somberly. ”You're going to crash the Cult of Humanity.”
Her breath hissed out. ”That's a direct challenge to the Emperor. The Cult is so big... is that wise?”
”No and yes. No, it turns the conflict into a religious one. Yes, because a religious fight is one he'll lose, because the priests of the Cult can't wield magic. They're just lip service psions, if that, and there's very little true faith actually there.”
”And the ones with true faith are the ones who will be the easiest to lure away.” She inhaled again. This was a whole thing about faith, and Religion wasn't R&D... except when you were covering new theological ground, an absolute interest of a certain undead robot. ”How... how can it gather faith? The Warp Gods will interdict it...”
”Your Curseline comes from me. So do those of all your sisters. Anywhere a Rantha walks, true faith can be gathered by our Curses and conveyed to you and yours.” I made a weird smile. ”We're born to be the Good Witches, you know.”
”You turned all the Ranthas into potential priestesses for an immortal akashic robot god?”