Pigments and Plasma 5
Ep 5: Exile – Banished to the Dirt or the Briarpatch
Tullius locked down the museum and made xir way to the solar array. Xe flowed into the bot controls to remove the shattered collectors and bring the replacements from storage.
The sensation of the impact from the human’s armor remained in xir processing space, but xe must focus on getting the array repaired. The museum had battery storage, of course, but xe needed to recharge quickly to be able to repair any damage to the displays or artifact shields.
As soon as xe completed the bot commands, xe spread xirself as wide as possible to take in the sunlight. The bots were efficient, replacing the arrays and carting off the debris for later use. With luck, xe would be back to full strength in time to make repairs before time to open the museum. If there were no visitors, xe might be able to repair the painting as well.
Tullius analyzed xir response to the attack. The airlock needed repair and recoding. It had not been programmed to scan for weapons, another task to design and complete. Aurilion would not be pleased about that, but no one had anticipated a smash and grab raid. Tullius had not been part of the museum design team, so maybe the Galactic Art Council would see that as their responsibility. Unlikely.
Xe would not be able to explain away the attack that resulted in a human’s death. Xe had not responded even in self-defense, and had done what xe could to help the person. Perhaps the Council would understand.
***
In the arm of the nebula, Aurilion convened the Galactic Arts Council. “An incident occurred at the Ancient Earth Museum. A human expired.” Xe explained the circumstances.
Blara, a historian, pulsed with the measured cadence who seen civilizations rise and fall. Zephyros, the youngest among them, strobed bursts of light.
“Tullius has become unsettling.” Blara expressed concern with a shift of her light, like a furrowed brow. “Xe is distracted, using xir energy recklessly.”
Aurilion’s glow fluctuated with distress. “I cannot comprehend xir...obsession....with the physical.”
Blara flickered in agreement. “Xe touches the artifacts, not record or repair but just ...to touch them.”
Zephyros, who had been silent till now, flashed brightly. “Tullius is exploring a new medium.”
“It is not our way,” Aurilion retorted. “We are beings of energy. Engaging with physical matter is… perverse.”
Zephyros dimmed under Aurilion’s reprimand but held his ground. “Should we not strive to understand the physical forms too?”
Aurilion pulsed, thoughtful. “It is a slippery slope, Zephyros.” His radiance faded to the lower reds. “Where does it end? We risk losing essence.”
“Perhaps,” Blara interjected gently, “there is a middle ground here. Tullius must understand our worry about xir well-being, especially as it concerns the museum. Xe must stay energized and wary.”
“I propose an intervention,” Aurilion finally declared, his glow solid and bright. “We will hear Tullius out, and guide xir back to our ways.”
***
Tullius spent the cycle repairing the slight damage to xir display programs. Xe reviewed the security protocols for containment, and started working on the scanning for weapons. Hacking the airlock must have damaged the protocols in place there. After the attack, scanning for weapons against plasma beings seemed obvious, but xe hadn’t found those codes.
Surely the Galactic Art Council did not think themselves invulnerable? Humans were adept at electro-magnetic manipulations, simple in design, even if the results would injure them. They were so fragile, even inside their armor.
Humans could touch each other.
The museum alerted xir that visitors had arrived. Tullius did not have time to cycle the airlock or respond in any way as the Galactic Art Council bathed the Museum in wide-band radiation.
Tullius perceived their heightened disdain, a judgmental stare of dark grays.
“How may I serve you?” Tullius asked.
“We have reviewed the incident of the human attack,” Aurilion said, “Which resulted in the death of a visitor. Explain this.”
“I cannot explain the raid.” Tullius narrowed xir band of color to show xir distress. “I have been repairing the solar arrays and the airlock, installing scanning for weapons which might harm plasma beings.”
“How did the human die?” asked Blara. “Did you kill him?”
Tullius’s colors dimmed further. “He had an EMP device, which allowed him to break free of containment, and he rushed toward me. I shrank as much as possible, but his armor contacted my barrier and melted.” The memory of the impact sent a shiver of bright color through xir grayed matrix.
The Council members turned to a private conversation.
“You have been solidifying,” Aurilion said. “You know that is a dangerous perversion, especially when you are with the visitors.”
“If I had been more solid,” Tullius countered, “the man’s armor would not have hurt him. But I did not have time to do it.”
“The heat of solidification would still have harmed visitors.” Blara’s colors shifted to reds. “You have also solidified to repair artifacts, instead of using your molecular abilities. Not only is this dangerous to you, but you can destroy irreplaceable artifacts.”
“I am careful of my energy patterns.” Tullius tried to brighten his aura, but a narrow streak was empty, the dark of vacuum. “This museum is my calling, my quest to understand and share the knowledge. I would not risk my life force.”
Zephyros left the others to flow through the museum. Xe returned with the damaged painting. “You did this, Tullius. What were you thinking?”
Tullius grayed further. “I used only a small tendril, to soften the ancient hydrocarbons to push them together to repair the crack. Two others were repaired.”
“But not this one, a burn through to the substrate textile.” Xir energy buzzed. “Did you think you could regenerate that?”
“With time, and focus, yes.” A glow brightened Tullius’s aura. “I could replicate the textile strands from the existing ones, and sample the pigments to repair the hole.”
“You cannot distinguish the broken patterns of your aura,” Aurilion said, his own energy shading dark with low vibration. Xe extended a tendril to shut off the holographic displays, leaving only the physical artifacts in their force fields. “Your artwork here should be enough for you, but you have refused to act in your and our best interests. You are relieved from your position, immediately.”
The Council surrounded Tullius and escorted xir from the museum.
“I should confine you for your own safety, Aurilion said, “but instead, since you are so fascinated with Ancient Earth, I will send you to the current dig there.”
“That’s a… death sentence,” Zephyros said, xir shock flashing xir aura.
“Only if Tullius cannot control himself.” Aurilion answered. “The alternative would be an energy controlled cage.”
Ancient Earth. A physical place. With a human team. Tullius remained silent, shrinking into xirself, to show no emotion, especially any hint of gratitude.