Chapter 5: Training

“I realized today I assimilated nothing I learned about the Azloc at university,” said Annjus. “I messed up in a seminar when asked how I would know during a battle if the Azloc surrendered and how I would rule them once they did. I had a blank about them ever since, despite many contacts and ample opportunities to learn about them and their culture.”

“What do you mean?” Horti asked.

“When we were at university, I ensured I had all the transdim conversions as soon as they were available. I wanted to be able to change to be a bug, a spider, and a dragon. Despite all evidence, I convinced myself the other civilizations acted much like we did. I arrogantly believed every civilization was much like ours,” said Annjus.

“That is hard to believe,” said Craig.

Annjus nodded. “I agree. I cannot believe I thought that. Jiskassa, Valsam the Azloc Empress’s sister, is an Azloc who studied with me. I talk to her often. I played several times with the spiderlings from the palace in my Azloc body. I communicated telepathically on the Azloc network and learned the Azloc chemical language. I knew they had tunnels, but I had no idea how they lived and the political system despite hearing about them from Jason, Valsam, and Jiskassa. It went in one ear and out the other. I had no idea how different hive societies were. I knew some stuff at a theoretical level, but I never understood much about them at a deeper level.”

“How did you form those views?” Aubrey asked.

“The Uzliumbax of my youth had little contact with other civilizations and we learned nothing about them. We learned about the Destroyers and the Grork, our bitter enemies, and a bit about our allies, especially the Safion. We never saw tourists from elsewhere besides the Safion, only mixed with Uzliumbax and an occasional Safion at University. The Safion are much like us. Our civilizations were as close as any could be,” said Annjus.

“What about more recently?” Horti asked.

“After the recent awakening, I met many students from other civilizations. Most, no, nearly all, used humanoid bodies. I falsely assumed they were just like us. I knew the least about the Azloc. After my embarrassment during the seminar, nothing sunk in about the Azloc. I knew Jason spent time in total darkness after Valsam captured him. I had no idea what total darkness was and what it was like living in complete darkness.”

“What did you discover?” Asked Craig.

“Today, I discovered absolute silence and darkness. I thought I knew what it was. I knew nothing ... absolutely nothing!” Jiskassa exclaimed. “I battled to control my thoughts and fears without sight and sound. When we waited for guards to pass us and we were in a side tunnel, I began to think about how deep underground we were and what we would do if the tunnels collapsed. I tried to distract myself and realized I had never met an Azloc King, but I have met many workers, drones, or whatever. The drones are not mindless workers. They are capable of independent thought and activity.”

Horti nodded, “Thank you, Annjus,” then turned to Trackrof. “Trackrof, what are the Coven cockroach tunnels like?” Horti asked.

“They are a different experience. Ours have protrusions we push against, and we cover the walls with slime produced by a fungus so we can slide along faster. Our tunnels are crowded, and we slide past each other. It makes a clicking whooshing sound. You hear a clicking of feet and a different clicking as we slide past each other. We use light in our tunnels, but it is dimmer than the light in the Collective. We use our antennae as much as our eyes to feel turns and others in our path. These tunnels are smooth, added to by the silken weave on some walls, and so dark you can feel the blackness. I listened for sounds when one group passed another. In ours, you can hear a click and rustle, but these tunnels are silent here, and the Azloc don’t make a sound as they move along. I find it disorienting, and I am a bit freaked out.”

“Missmy, what is it like from a Schlogg’s perspective?” Horti asked.

“Slug tunnels are dark, smooth, and slimy. We slowly slide past others and navigate using a radar that is unique to us. Our vision is poor in our slug form. The radar gives us a fuzzy picture, but it gives us foreknowledge of what is ahead. I have limited hearing in my slug form. We rely on chemical communication and chemical deterrents for our defense, so the Azloc signaling is a familiar system. Our smell is as good as the Azloc, and I can easily pick up signals in the air. The Azloc pheromones are less complex than the chemical compounds we employ in our language system.”

“Can you use your Schlogg radar as an Azloc?” Craig asked.

“Yes, I can use my radar in my Azloc form, and the Azloc don’t pick it up. The hairs on my legs are of profound help as a navigational aid, but I am battling with their version of radar. They have no rules about which side you pass on, and I am too slow to react when I pass the other Azloc. I am battling to create the correct signal compounds as they produce chemicals differently from us. I must unlearn my method and implement theirs. I am struggling to interpret the vibrations; we have never used vibration,” said Missmy. “I can balance on six legs and now on two, but I find coordinating eight legs a trial, and I must also keep a pedipalp on the web on the side of the tunnel. We Schlogg are not used to doing so much so quickly. We are accustomed to sliding slowly through life.”

Horti nodded and moved on.

“Kalalal, how was it from an Azayal perspective?” Horti asked.

“I love the dark and spent much time in the dark of night with Jiskassa hunting Gazronnaas. I trained as an assassin, and the dark was my friend. I love my Azloc body. Jiskassa gave me extensive Azloc training, and I learned tactical battlefield methods with the spiderlings. Don’t worry, Missmy; the Azloc will train you quickly and effectively. The Azloc chemical system is outstanding, but I have not tried yours. I love fighting as an Azloc. I learned using their chemical learning methods, the smell and touch communication, vibration, and the network overnight. The Azloc produce a blindingly fast and rich system, don’t underestimate it, Missmy. It takes some effort to master, but it is effective for its intended purpose. I preferred night vision to radar, but we always had some ambient light on campus. The pitch black is challenging as my night vision does not work.”

“Thank you, Kalalal.” Horti nodded and moved on.

“Griffexor, what about you? How are the Gromelix in the dark?”

“We use magical powers to create the equivalent of radar. We use it to fly at night. It is only good for big things, like mountains and other Gromelix; when I operate as an Azloc, it operates well enough to spot others and turns in the tunnel. We are not tunnel people, and I find the dark creepy. The Azloc don’t pick up on my radar. Using my leg hairs to detect tunnels and pedipalps for vibration is a foreign concept, as are smells. Our noses are not as sensitive as an Azloc. I am amazed at what I can smell. I am overwhelmed by so many smells. Like Annjus, I found the dark and silence very hard,” said Griffexor. “We live in caves in the mountains a long way away from the ground.”

“Emic?”

“I like to be prepared. I asked Jiskassa for training when you selected us for the mission. I worked on smells and vibrations and being in dark tunnels. The Azloc training is superb,” said Emic. “You don’t need to worry about me, Horti.”

“Monty, how about you?” Horti asked ‘the One’ in his new form. He chose to use Montgomery, the name Jason the Emperor gave him, Monty for short.

“I battled to control an avatar, so I insisted on a comprehensive rehabilitation process. I received tuition in each of my bodies. I am familiar with all but an expert in none. I was so busy enjoying the new experience underground I didn’t experience fear. I have lived as a nonbiological for ages. I found the experience in a new body exciting; I find my new body challenging. I don’t need to sleep much if at all; consequently, I can spend more time learning. I will do everything I can to contribute to Horti’s team.”

Horti smiled and nodded before she nodded to Mystera.

“Mystera, how is it from the Collective perspective?” Horti asked.

“As Trackrof noted, our bug tunnels have lights. We can easily navigate in the dark using our antennae. The Azloc tunnels feel different as there is the silk on the walls. I am not used to keeping my pedipalp on the silk to feel vibration signals. I am, however, used to molecular communication. We all learn it as grubs. The dark doesn’t worry me,” said Mystera.

“Any comments, Jiskassa?” Horti asked.

“It’s my environment, so I have nothing to say. I want to ask you, Horti, and your friends about your experience as we rely on you to lead the mission; what is it like for you?”

Horti indicated to Aubrey.

“I lived my life on Earth and never knew I was different. I didn’t think about the dark until today. If it is dark, switch on the light, you don’t need to fall over something! I never thought about smell or taste much. I was a computer and games nerd, ate whatever, and had a limited life.”

“What do you mean you had a limited life?” Asked Annjus, frowning.

“I didn’t exercise; I had no girlfriend; I went to work and came home most days, Annjus. I had the same friends since kindergarten. Last year I came alive and realized what I had been missing. You guys have all seen our year in the Dinnion Regency,” said Aubrey waving his arm expansively.

“That is an average year for Jason and us empresses,” said Lisirra, flicking her left hand dismissively.

Aubrey frowned and shook his head. “When I got down into the tunnels, I liked it. I don’t know why. It felt comfortable. I loved feeling around with the hairs on my legs. The odors were different. The Collective enhanced my sense of smell when they rebuilt me. I hadn’t been in my Azloc body for more than five minutes previously and had no idea how they used smells or vibrations. I think it is mind-blowing.”

Aubrey turned to look at the group one by one. “Then I wondered if my background gave me anything I didn’t know about. I explored making sounds with my feet to evaluate if I could create sonar. I tried with the chelicerae in my mouth. Then I wondered if I had any mechanism unique to us. It was as if a light had come on. I could see the way ahead in black, white, and grey. It was clear. No Azloc detect our sight. I switched it off most of the time as I enjoyed the Azloc experience,” said Aubrey. “Charlie, what about you?”

“I got freaked out, like Annjus, maybe worse. My heart went fast, and I felt anxious and short of breath. I tried to get into the experience and slowly got less anxious. I found my second sight near the end. I was shocked. If I have it, all of you will have it. You either have it now, or you will discover it before we go. I didn’t find the pheromone communication difficult.”

Charlie turned to face Jiskassa. “Jiskassa, I tried jumping, and it is an awesome experience, just as good as flying but different. The Azloc brain feels just like ours. We must communicate similarly to you guys,” said Charlie.

“Lisirra?”

“The Zaos were a species who lived underground, as did the Dinnion. Unlike them, we did not have large caverns but caves, tunnels, and mini-caverns in our dimension. We spent all our time underground but didn’t hide in dark tunnels like the Azloc. We also didn’t exploit our young and expect them to work and train as soldiers as toddlers. We never trained our young to attack others and poison them.”

Jiskassa bristled and looked up at the ceiling. “Not this again!”

“There is something wrong. The Azloc, on the other side, are enemies of your people. The queens here are handing us to our enemies. Horti, your mother, has the right idea. A quick devastating attack, and your people will sort them out. We need to work with your mother to finish them before we do anything else,” Lisirra continued.

“I don’t know why we bothered to save you,” said Jiskassa. “It was a waste of resources.”

Lisirra ignored her and turned to Horti. “I saw today you are young and inexperienced, Horti. I am the most qualified to lead this expedition; I am the eldest and have the most experience. I will teach this spider queen not to meddle with us. I can fight telepathically better than anyone here. I have excellent sword skills, and as a crown princess, I know how to comport myself in any court,” said Lisirra.

Most of the group looked at Lisirra, mouths open.

Annjus laughed. “I wondered how long it would take you to say something stupid.”

Horti waved an arm.

“Lisirra, how old do you look, and how old are you?” Horti asked, smiling.