Chapter Text
Bridget slowly opened her eyes as unconsciousness slipped away from her. She tried to recall what the previous night was to the best of her still waking mind’s ability. After a quick moment of remembrance it came back to her. She flirted up the affini from the diner at that one party with the time traveler, took some xenodrugs, and was invited to her hab at the end. She was so inebriated that she couldn’t imagine going home on her own. So she was carried off into this friendly shrimp-like affini’s hab where she… ooooh. She was completely naked, in a very sizable bed with a weight laying on her legs. Hanging gardens and spiraling pillars decorating the room around her. Looking over herself, she saw Carrie resting on her like a dog on their owners lap. Only instead of a dog it was an over a meter long shrimp sophont. It was honestly hard to tell if Carrie was even sleeping. There was a cover over eir face, which was probably a good sign that ei was still asleep. On eir homeworld, phordonts slept in dark underground nests with little to no light. This room she was in did not match that description, more made to the comfort of a human than a phordont. This was the guest room as she remembered being told. There was also a noticeable absence of eir owner in the room. She knew affini have different rest cycles then humans, perhaps ae got up to prepare breakfast for them both.
Bridget was sure she would see Hazel again in time. Right now Bridget was just trapped under the weight of a sleepy sophont she dare not wake from eir peaceful rest. There was a few things to do anyways, Bridget could see her pad laying on the side of the bed just within her reach. Picking it up required no effort and didn’t disturb the sleeping phordont. It’s screen turned on with its usual welcoming message. The home screen had an alert with a priority notification from someone named “Depth-Of-The-Roots”. A very affini username, but which affini was this? She didn’t recall giving any affini her handle at the party, yet that doesn’t stop one from finding someone if they really wanted to. That did remind her, she checked her neck. There was no collar, she had not been claimed by Hazel while high as a kite. Neat. With that done, she opened the messenger and saw what this Depth character wanted to talk about.
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[Depth-Of-The-Roots] Hello! My name is Quercus Osadex, Fourth Bloom, Pluribus. They/Xer pronouns. I am a member of the Office of Xenoarcheology aboard this ship. Take your time to wake up and get back to me at earliest convenience little one.
[HugginsPerch] Good Morning Quercus. This is Bridget Vuorinen, she/they. But I assume you know that considering you contacted me like this. Is there something I can help you with Quercus?
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The office of Xenoarcheology wants to talk to her? That is unusual. There shouldn’t be anything she knows that they wouldn’t already know about human archaeology. And it’s unlikely a personal check up considering she hasn’t met this Quercus character before. It was a curious situation to say at the very least, one she was sure would have an explanation in due time. While she waits for a response she figured she’d check her other messages. Her friends in TC probably have a few messages talking about how they miss her. Probably asking her for the dozenth time when she’s getting back to get back on the podcast. She’s told them a few times a ship like this was going to have her attention for a while. The Aquifolium is all about relocating sophonts from across the compact to safe environments. And Sol was the closest it was going to be for a while before it moves on to some other system. Beyond just seeing her family again, she needed to see just how many xenosophonts were on this ship. The anthropologist in her heart wouldn’t let her just walk away from an opportunity like this.
And it definitely has nothing to do with the fact you find most xenos in the universe sexy.
Definitely.
Beep! Another notification from Quercus flashed on the pads screen.
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[Depth-Of-The-Roots] Good morning cutie! We apologize if we messaged at an inconvenient time. We are finding quite a horse hole to go down in our investigation on a pluribus you may have met last night. Are you familiar with Mabryne Stellata’s wards? The Starlight system?
[HugginsPerch] We talked for a while at the party before one of them made a big scene about that little sprout. I’m surprised to hear that they’re still wards after that.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] We imagine Madeline won’t be for much longer. But that’s not the point here. You know that they’re time travelers correct?
[HugginsPerch] I’m aware. Where are you going with this?
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] I’ll get to the point then. Me and Sytrus (my coremate and floret) have been searching for more and more information on them and how exactly they got to this time to begin with. While we have uncovered much of the old terran servers and restored previous data on them to find much about the girls, we also came across a possible connection to how they got here. Nothing conclusive mind you but its worth investigating.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] And most importantly, it may involve you. In 2551 you were stationed Rhea for an OCNI funded experiment correct?
[HugginsPerch] That’s right. I was an engineer they brought on to use their experimental jump drives. Although more realistically they brought me on because they needed a scapegoat for if anything ended poorly. Easier for them to blame the random engineer they brought just to flip a few switches and turn a few dials then one of their prestige agents and scientists.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] I see. And that’s exactly what happened wasn’t it?
[HugginsPerch] YUP! Their shitty little experimental drive imploded the entire test room into a hyperspace cascade before it closed itself back up. Damn thing made a crack so loud it shook the entire lab. Even from the isolated chamber it still made my ears ring like hell.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] Oh dear… I’m so sorry little one. A cracking sound you say?
[HugginsPerch] All the air and such moving back into place after being displaced. Think of it like a whip crack but larger and louder. This isn’t an issue with most jump drives as they are space ship mounted. Most ships are in a vacuum when it happens so there’s no sound for a hole to hyperspace to make. But those geniuses (sarcastic) on Rhea thought it would be a safe idea to place the test on site in a atmosphered lab. Apparently, at least from what I could gather, they wanted to make something capable of more personal, precise, and private travel with hyperspace of all things. Only a quadrillonaire with no actual experience with exotic matter would think that was a good idea. But they paid me good for doing something simple so I didn’t care at the time.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] The designs state the engine was design to return to test chamber, but that never happened did it?
[HugginsPerch] No idea, and if your office can’t figure it out chances are no one can. It was supposed to go to an identical facility on Terra and get sent back from there. I don’t know if it even ever made it to Terra. Hyperspace isn’t known for being precise, or at least with Terran technology. The Compact seems to have it better figured out.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] Hmm. Tell us about the chamber if you can.
[HugginsPerch] I’m afraid I don’t know much about it. At least nothing I know that wouldn’t be on some secret OCNI file. But it was a big spacious room with these panels and reinforcing steel armor along the wall. I don’t know what they were for nor was I really allowed to know what they were there for. I was only there to load and turn the thing on while the people who actually knew what was there watched.
[HugginsPerch] Not to risk sound rude, but wouldn’t one of the scientist or the founder of the project be more useful for these questions.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] I am in contact with the owners of the other sophonts involved with the experiment already. As for the founder, he is no longer with us.
[HugginsPerch] Oh… damn. What happened to him?
[HugginsPerch] Actually wait
[HugginsPerch] Don’t tell me. I know most affini don’t like tragedies.
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] It’s quite alright little one. In our office we learn some difficult things. But thank you for the concern. Lets cut past those details this morning, it may spoil breakfast.
[HugginsPerch] Soooo, I’m curious. What does the events on the Rhea station have to do with those Starlight girls?
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] Hard to say for certain at this time. What I can say however is a current theory of events does involve the possibility that something SPECTACULAR happened on that Rhea research station.
[HugginsPerch] Like time travel?
[Depth-Of-The-Roots] Who knows! That’s the excitement of it! I can say, when we know more, you are free to learn more.
[HugginsPerch] Looking forward to it!
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Well, they definitely said it without saying it that’s for sure. There’s a chance she had something to do with Starlight’s time travel. If that’s so it’s one hell of a coincidence she was on the same station as her visiting family at the same time as her appearance. Funny how things work out like that. Her frequent traveling probably increases the chances of these kind of convinces though.
I don’t know, time traveling sophonts was something I don’t think any amount of traveling could have anticipated.
Well it’s more the principle of continence is made more likely by being so social and traveling everywhere. Patterns align more when you see more in general.
Sure.
She did have to admit, she did want to say more to those girls before they got the little sprout special. More questions she wanted to ask. What the forest’s of old Terra must have been like, what a temperate terran breeze felt like, or maybe just what it was like being multiple people in one body. That wasn’t a uniquely past thing but it was something she never really thought about. Something about it intrigued her, it sounds like a crowded yet fascinating way to exist. She looked down at her legs once again, the resting phordont still sleeping peacefully on her. No sign of Hazel either. Normally she’d asked the hab AI where Hazel was but given the sleeping sophont she was trying to make as little sound as possible.
Message aer?
Right, she has her pad on her and she has aer handle. Starting her messenger and quickly saying hi to everyone back on Tau Citi took little time. The current time of day there was probably a lot different from here. She didn’t have the exact science of the timezone differences of this ship and the spot on that planet on another system with different day cycles figured out. Frankly learning that sounds like more of a hassle than it’s worth. She just lets everyone know when she’s awake and see’s when they’re awake and makes things work out from there.
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[HugginsPerch] Miss Hazel, you around?
[Critter_Crawlz] Oh!!! Good morning Bridget! I didn’t expect you up so early, I was making you breakfast! How’re you doing? Carrie is still sleeping, is e still on your lap?
[HugginsPerch] Yeah, e is a sleepy little sophont. Don’t want to disturb eir so I’ve been helplessly trapped under eir mighty weight. Woe is me (playful)
[HugginsPerch] I got some messages from an Affini from the party this morning that have some interesting implications
[Critter_Crawlz] Aww! I’ll get my little critter off you shortly cutie, don’t you worry.
[Critter_Crawlz] OOOH? Implications you say? A new owner in your near future perhaps ::3c?
[HugginsPerch] I’m assuming not, at least by the conversation. Apparently some things I did back in the Accord days might have caused time travel to happen. Or so one theory seems to say.
[Critter_Crawlz] Oo la la~! Exciting!
[Critter_Crawlz] You can tell me all about it when I get up there! I do prefer my chats in person whenever possible when it comes to gossip!
[HugginsPerch] Alright. Any expected ETA?
[Critter_Crawlz] Hmmmmm~
[Critter_Crawlz] A few more minutes, lets say 5 just to be generous
[Critter_Crawlz] Plus I get to imagine you pinned down under my Carrie’s weight for a little while longer hehehe~! Cutie pile!
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She giggled at the last remark. Affini were so cute when it came to non-affini.
Maybe they’re right about everything being adorable.
Oh they were absolutely right about that. There’s not a single lifeform she has met that hasn’t been adorable. Learning about the spectrum jellies for example, was precious. They did so much to try and meet terrans, you have to appreciate the tenacity. The excitement of learning your not alone in the universe and the desire to hold their hand in friendship is precious. Definitely for the best they didn’t find the Terran Accord, but still adorable how they wanted to. And the Rinans, stars she’s happy their free from the Accord. Stars bless these giant space plants, stars bless them all.
Bridget lifted the pad to her and began to wander the overnet for what little time she had before Hazel arrived. She decided to look into this whole pluribus business. It was where her mind was at. She wanted to see the perspectives of these sophonts sharing a body together. Do they ever get in each others way controlling a single body? Do some control some parts of the body and others control the other? Does it feel like you’re asleep when someone else is in control of the body? Many questions to answer! The curious mind is nourished by knowledge!
The site she found herself on was cute. An image of an affini holding the hand of their floret with different transparent sophonts holding each others hands was on the top of the page. All matching each others pose as they all looked up at the affini. Next to it was the word “Pluribus”. The site had a primer, a quick description of the contents of the site.
“Pluribus: A term to describe multiple sophonts sharing one body! Alternatively known as being plural, multiplicity, plural system, and more. In the Accord, terms like Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Other and Unspecified Disorders (OSDD) or Multiple Personality Disorder. However, these terms do not capture the feeling or essence of the pluribus experiences in most cases and as such many pluribus do not identify under those terms since the arrival of the Affini Compact and many times prior.”
“When interacting with a pluribus, it is important to respect all sophonts inside as the individuals they are. From the medians who may feel their thoughts all flow together in one direction to the alters who share little to no connection with their headmate’s beyond the body they share. From the endogenic to the traumagenic. All pluribus experiences are to be cherished just like any others.”
From there, Bridget saw a few pages to pick from. Things like, “Terminology”, “Origins”, “What is it like?”, “Am I pluribus?”, “Etiquette”, and “Myths”. Were the first list she could see. Below that however there was, “If you want to know more, consider looking at the full list of pages, forums, and pluribus dictionaries here!” With a hyperlink to another page. She would start simple at first. Or at the very least simple for her interest. She wants to know what it is like to be plural. Get an idea of what it may be like to be multiple sophonts in one body.
It didn’t take long in reading into this before she got one thing down quick. Every pluribus’ experiences are going to be unique in one way or another. So knowing exactly what Starlight’s experience is like is a bit out of her league. But this still gave useful insights into the shared experiences. Some sophonts feel it like a sudden change in thought patterns, some have internal communication with their headmates, some even have different preferences in bodily experiences. It’s fascinating! There was one part that caught her attention however. Not because it was something unfamiliar to her like a lot of this page, but because it was something she knows well. “Median systems can sometimes be as if your own thoughts are in a dialog with themselves. Processing information together in a single direction.”
Like… like what I do?
But… No she couldn’t be pluribus. She would know if she was multiple people, wouldn’t she? That feels like it would be obvious to tell. Just because she has a dialog in her head doesn’t mean she’s multiple people. No, she can’t possibly be…
Click on the “Am I Pluribus” page.
No, no she didn’t want to. She wanted to learn about others this morning, not herself. She wasn’t ready for this discovery. She didn’t expect to…
Click it. Please.
She took a breath in, trying to calm herself. She hovered her finger over the page before the door opened. A giant green figure letting light from the other room in. “Good morning Bridget! I have a grizzle for you!” Hazel’s song-like voice greeted the room. Carrying multiple plates on top of lap tables. Ae clearly were planning on eating in bed. “We got some eggs, bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns, and…” Ae paused a moment and looked at her. “Are you well? You’re biorhythm seems troubled. Are your legs asleep?”
Be honest.
“Uh, yeah yeah. Sorry I just saw something that has me thinking.” Bridget responded.
Are we pluribus?
“Well, what are you thinking about cutie?” Hazel said, lifting Carrie off of her legs. Letting her legs finally be free. Ae removed the cover from aer florets head. “Wakey wakey my bug in a rug!” Ae told aer floret, petting eir scales. She got to see a phordont wake up in real time. At first it was slow motions, the appendages on eir face extending and retracting and the two whip like threads on eir back end swaying in the air. Before much longer the scales on eir back began to clack and move rhythmically. A calming welcoming feelings filled the aura of the room shortly after. “E says good morning by the way.”
Bridget waved her hand at eir. “Good morning.” Bridget replied, sitting herself upright so she wasn’t laying down for breakfast.
Don’t get distracted. Please talk about it.
“Right so uh. You remember Miss Stellata’s wards yes? The pluribus?” Bridget said, trying her best to lead the conversation safely into the maybe chance that she is something called a ‘median system’.
The large leaf covered head of Hazel nodded as aer vines placed the table and plates over her lap. “I do, is this what you were messaged about earlier? The time travel stuff that you might be involved in?”
Oh yeah, we did talk about that didn’t we.
Bridget couldn’t help but notice how frequent her thoughts, the other voice in it, was chiming in now. That didn’t mean great things for her singular person status did it?
Probably not.
“No, I mean that is an interest conversation as well but not what I’m talking about. It’s just uh…” She paused. How the fuck to I bring this up?
Just do it!
“I… think I might be pluribus?” Bridget finally admitted. Speaking it out felt so strange. Acknowledging the possibility that such a discovery was being made about herself. Something she didn’t even know about beyond some pop culture references that looking back are probably horribly offensive to pluribus’. She knows she wouldn’t want to be depicted like that just for how her brain is. She wasn’t a violent person and doubts any part of her would want to be violent either.
Hazel lit up hearing this. “Oo la la?” Aer voice harmonized with aerself in a way she’s rarely seen from affini. “That’s wonderful! You have another cutie in there?” Hazel asked.
“Maybe??? I don’t know.” Bridget shrugged her body. “I mean it’s like. Yes I’ve had a dialog in my head for about as long as I can remember but I thought that was just normal. It is my normal. I never thought anything of it since it’s been all I’ve known about thinking.” She felt strange saying this with the knowledge that this may not be as universal of an experience as she once thought. “I would see a problem in front of me, have an internal discussion about it and how to best solve it, and then figure it out. Is that not what everyone does?”
Hazel put a vine on her shoulder. “Bridget, take a breath. Talking without breathing isn’t good for you. I understand these discoveries are exciting but it’s important to breath.”
Breath.
Bridget took a breath, slowed her thoughts, and picked up a fork. “Right. Thank you. I’m just processing things. I’m not used to these kind of discoveries. I thought being trans was going to be my last big discovery about myself. Guess not.” She stuck the fork into the eggs.
“You’re never done discovering new things. You have a curious mind, you know that already.” Hazel reminded her.
Just thought you were done with the self discoveries. But I don’t think it’s possible to be done discovering new things Bridget.
The other voice just called her by her name. It really is their own individual isn’t it? Or… her? Do they share the same pronouns as her? She wasn’t sure, questions filled her head as she tried her best to focus on the conversation at hand. “But yeah, do you think like that Miss Hazel?” She had to ask. She had to know. Was everyone just thinking differently than her on a fundamental level?
Hazel shook aer head. “Personally? No. Although I come to understand that all minds are different in my many blooms of life. How one, or in what seems to be your case many, thinks can range wildly between individuals across their own species. Chances are you’ve met many sophonts who think similarly to you and utterly different from you. It’s the nature of the mind. There’s no wrong way to be, little one.”
There is no wrong way to be…
There is no wrong way to be. It felt comforting to hear that, even when she knew it was true prior to this. The reminder felt nice. “Yeah, guess me and the other got some talking to do then. Figure ourselves out.”
Breakfast first.
“But breakfast first.” Bridget said, bringing the fork full of scrambled eggs to her mouth. This was another step in her life… or I guess their lives? Guess it was pretty handy that she already had they/them in her pronouns considering she could be multiple people. It still felt weird to admit to herself, but at the same time…
It feels right.
It feels right.