10: The Hard Stuff Rules…

During the final hours of the S’pht-Pfhor war, the last free S’pht made a stand in Citadel of Antiquity. We are searching the Citadel to learn as much as possible about these S’pht and what they did during their final moments. The Pfhor appear to have been reluctant to attack the Citadel directly. Radiation lingering in the area even after a thousand years suggests that they irradiated the Citadel and let the S’pht die slowly. That is not their style. Each of the ten clans was represented here, and I hope that they discovered something before being overrun by the Pfhor. Find as many S’pht computers as you can, so that I may search them for useful information.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ Only I grasped the significance of the dissection of some of the captives. These creatures, repugnant as they are, are sentient, and yet their bodies are not bonded to any mechanisms. They can survive without their armor and their staffs. Until now, sentience had always required cyber-organic symbiosis. All of our science has led to this conclusion. We can even give our pets sentience with cyber-organic implants. Yet, these vile conquerors are sentient without any machinations.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ This leads to debate. Perhaps our own sentience is induced by the birthing operation, and that at some time, we were no more sentient than a F’lickta. If such a fundamental assumption of our kind is wrong, then perhaps the myths were true, and we were actual servants of Yrro and Pthia. Perhaps they built us, or we were part of a larger group who came to Lh’owon. Alas, I fear that we will never know these things.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ Older foretold of the closing of the citadel windows, and we made his vision true. Then Older foretold of our victory, and we crushed the bipeds. Again these beasts come here and fight against the ancient walls of the Citadel, against all the clans in unison. Our monolith will never fall. Never have so many of us been guided so quickly and resolutely. To breathe here is to understand unity.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ Leader told me that the Olders began melding days ago. We can all feel the effects of this. The angry air of Lh’owon has at last been cleansed. I miss the Marshes of Mnr and the seven of mine. I am sure that they are gone into the fires.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ The beasts stopped attacking, running for their pods. We thought they meant to surrender, but then the bombardment anew. The burning air. We’re evacuating to the lowest levels of the Citadel, but eventually it will reach us there, too. I’ve received a lethal dose. I feel like the Hf’ra’rkc’tal after his mating dance ends.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ Report to Leader Questionable Surgical Procedures And if that wasn't enough, the vile bipeds removed his sensory organs in order to make room for this small oblong object that they installed in his face— they didn't even do it as a separate operation. I guess they figured since the object would displace them anyhow— why bother! The thing that confused me though was how they did it. It wasn't standard procedure, though. I can tell you that.

/-/S’pht-Translator-Active/-/ Report to Leader Questionable Surgical Procedures Only one surgical instrument was used during the procedure— the device that held the small oblong object— they tried to make an incision in which to place the object with their knuckles several times before giving up and inserting the object anyway. And it was inserted at a rather high rate of speed. But I guess that was to ensure that total displacement of the sensory organs occurred.