On Those Issues...

Dragon Synizn

But besides the obstacles we'll have at getting them to the pickup point, we still have to deal with some moral issues here.

Yes, there are some rather pressing issues here for us Champions.

Last Quest that the others had (that trip into Narnia) had been a bit easier for their conscious because the woman who'd been named Fred had adjusted to her new form so well that there really had been no real soul yearning desire to return to her old form. No desire down so far into her psyche that it endangered her vary sanity. Yes, always that damn sanity issue with newly rearranged Matrixes! The issue has been brought up so many times I feel that hashing it out again would be utterly pointless. A truly shattering event was possible (if you forgive the pun) if the transformee failed at some level to accept the change in form!

See, at the bottom of all this is I'm not sure that the demifox called Fred here will survive this with his sanity intact! While (according to a quick, silent Q & A session with the Crystallic, possible because the blasted thing's sentient) there was no danger of that right at this moment because while his transformation cannot be reversed, his newly altered Matrix is still "jelling" as it were! If not for the virtue of the Key essence within, I could return him to human. Would be draining and difficult, but it could be done. But the Key essence (or whatever kind of Celestrial business is hovering over the demifox) prevents it. Same goes for the other demifoxes here! But that said, even if at some fundamental/psychological level Fred should accept being a demifox, I fear at another level he'd still be VERY much wanting to return to human. Maybe he might secretly like it, but due to upbringing and such hate himself for liking it. He'd go into some kind of drive, denying a basic truth within himself and DRIVE himself very hard in order to return to humanity (if only to drive away that secret shame). Or perhaps his sense of duty to knighthood pledges would be the driver and would whip his heart and soul hard to regain his humanity in order to fulfill his knightly obligations! Hogwash, really, but then again I'm a dragon and not a human (and not a D'Honaire, which seems to be a different breed of humanity at times). Something very similar had happened with Manfox Fred, I'm told.

....

Strange business, this, but I believe you are getting the picture! So, at best, we'd get one very frustrated Fred here, driven to almost dangerous lengths to return to "normal" that could endanger himself (and others). Now, I don't fear that in the demifox woman here (and especially her unborn) because of what few things I've seen through my brother's words as he recalled his . . . . er . . . . discussions with demifox Astra. She seemed more capable of accepting and adjusting because . . . . she appeared to be able to entertain the idea that dragons don't necessarily mean "monsters", but people. Could be wrong (and will be on guard for that), but still I'm hoping I'm right (and will be one less problem coming up).

So, in a nutshell, issue one is what to do with Fred IF it looks like he'll be unable to adjust to such a degree that madness is the result. To do nothing and let it happen is not an option I and the others care to entertain when it comes up in our "roundtable" discussion on our next course of action. What could be done (as a last ditch remedy before it was too late) would be, in effect, to . . . . do something similar to the demifox's personality that was done to Joan. Back when Joan had been newly transformed into a woman (she'd been a human man named Fred, if you need to know), it became obvious to a male unicorn named Urnath that without aid her mind would crack. Unicorns instinctively know about things like that, physical and mental injuries, you know. Can't stand to see it, you see. So, to prevent this from happening to Joan the unicorn used his magic to . . . instinctively used his magic to....

Damnit, why is it so hard for me to say it?

In one way you look at it, Urnath's magic provided a cushion for Joan's mind, giving it a means to adjust.

In quiet another way of looking at it, Urnath's magic changed Joan's psyche from male to female. Forced it upon her, even. That way she wouldn't go insane. And YES, Joan had her core essence (her "Freddiness" if you will) unchanged, only expressed in a new, feminine fashion. Likes dresses and perfumes. Likes to be beautiful and all that. But....

It scares the hell out of me. This issue that we're facing scares me badly! Scares the others as well! Would rather talk him down than resort to magic. Use love of family and....not brute force magicks...

....

Look, I believe (and I'm kind of bemused that the Golems like Inquirer agreed with me when it came up the first time, but I shouldn't have been) that there are certain borders that shouldn't be crossed. Things like the "sanctity of the mind". I mean, shouldn't we have at least privacy at least at that level? Privacy where somebody can't just go "tiptoe through the neurons" to look at memories and such? Or worse, change what's in there?

I as a mage know at some level one cannot totally "reprogram" (to borrow a term I heard from those Millitary folk) a person. Change one person into another. Not really. But still....

Hrmph, got sidetracked there....

Well, I admit that there are times when some kind of intrusion is necessary (and justified). Still cannot say that I'm comfortable about it, damnit.

But then again, that's by the by. We're not to that point yet, you see, where such intervention would be necessary. We could be pre- emptive and use the Crystallic here, maybe, to force demifox Fred to think of himself as a demifox instead of a human being (or some such). But I loath to do that, and am happy enough to hear the others agree with me on that! So, no pre-emptive moves (and playing god). Hell, don't know that even the (at least this one in particular) Crystallic could do that. We'll leave that issue alone until later (will get to that here in a moment). And even when we leave (and we leave the Crystallic behind, can't take it with us), we still will have Urnath and Hannah....

If demifox Fred adjusts enough to where his Matrix doesn't shatter (causing permanent insanity) but has issues, well.... Leaving him and the other demifoxes back on this world to let them sort things out isn't really appealing, let us just say. From what my brother tells me, the demifox community about here wants to get their hands on demifox Fred and the rest because of some religious beliefs, to be blunt about it. Being prisoners for the rest of their lives doesn't appeal, you see. Then there is Moreau and the other friends of Minestus who'll want to look at them. then there....

Okay, to be blunt these demifoxes before us would be hunted to the ends of the land. That's not a life I'd like! Sure they feel the same.

And.... tell me just when the D'Honaires have turned their back on family? I mean even when faced with analogs who'd become Dark Elves? I mean, until I actually got to know Fertal and Artizza.....

Don't even need to bring it up. Basically, when we get the chance (and Astra and the others will make it their business to make sure there is a chance) that before the Rules and Agents send our demifoxes back here we'll offer them a place back on Terra Prime. If they take it up, fine. If not, we'll allow it.

.....

Well, guess that moral issue took care of itself!

Then there is the issue of whether or not to drag my analog into this stuff. See, there's a lot of danger involved and I'd hate to endanger him, even when (and I will) I return him to his original age catagory. He's such a cute dragonet, but still to leave him that way just...

Well, right.

We could just restore him and have a timed "sleep spell" wake him up after we'd left the area. If we keep the Crystallic, he'd not be able to easily find us....

Then again, such as his awkward control of it I rather have questions on just how good he'd be able to track us down with it... Nevermind.

If we wake him up and tell him our basic mission (leaving out things like the Dark Tower and the Celestrials) I believe we can sway him to help us. Maybe even act as a native guide (which wouldn't hurt, actually). We are (despite this being a mirror of what I grew up in) in an alien land....

Finally, we Champions are being faced the last thorny issue. Do we wake the adult demifoxes up and at least give them some kind of clue for what is going to happen to them before we change them all into little blocks (i.e. the Key components)? Do we keep them asleep when we change them into blocks, let the Rules and Agents do their business and then what's going on and all that? The last has the advantage of giving us time to set up for things (more so than we are now), at least....

Not that it'll alleviate us from having to try to get them all to the pickup point, which luck would have it being in the same town Jarlath's group had trouble with awhile ago (not Walants, but that other town that replaced it after an analogous one burned down). We still have to deal with anyone who'd abuse the special powers that can still be tapped within these demifoxes by an evil mage or whatever...

1. "So," I finish up. "What do we do with them?"

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