The Helianx Proposition/page 12
The catastrophe that had befallen Womb Planet and the terrible losses
amongst the Helianx that had resulted from the burning off of their ocean, not surprisingly, had created a violent destabilization on the integrity of the Web.
The sensitive network simply had not been able to cope with the strength
of the emotions produced by so much death and had collapsed,
leaving the horrified Helianx driven back into the isolation of their own individual psychospheres.
It had only been by summoning up the last of their collective psychic resources
that they had been able to teleport themselves up into the space glider.
Once the Helianx had secured themselves on the ship it had taken many generations for them to harmonize the Web and to start to build up their numbers again, before they felt confident enough to launch off on their endless journey through the Multiverse. Aimlessly they had circled the space where their planet had so recently existed, licking their wounds, both physical and psychic, while they tried to grow accustomed to their new home. Certainly they had the advantage of knowing the layout beforehand, since all of them collaboratively had designed and created the Great Ship. But holding a design in the realm of the collective imagination remains very different from actually swimming through the cavernous chambers and capacious corridors that threaded, like massive intestines, throughout the length of the ship. The cool depths, designed to emulate Mother Ocean and held in place by the slow rotation of the craft, yielded naturally to huge transparent bubbles. These nutrient chambers punctured the surface of the Great Ship and allowed the Helianx to soak in the nutritive cosmic rays.
As might be imagined, the urgency demanded by the oncoming catastrophe stimulated the inventive and creative faculties of the Helianx, and concentrated their minds to a wonderful extent. Issues they had placidly taken for granted for aeons were reexamined in the light of their impending planetary exodus. They knew their collective survival depended on getting every detail of the craft correct first time. Fortunately they had the ability to test the reliability of their designs by simulating the conditions of deep space in their powerful group mind and modifying the craft as necessary.
This led to some startling discoveries; amongst which the most reassuring was their realization that it was not from their twin suns that they gained their sustenance, but from cosmic rays that appeared to emanate from the center of the Multiverse. Thus, these rays would be bound to be present throughout the space/time continuum. This revelation answered their most worrying question, because had it not been so the Helianx would have been condemned to be prisoners of their own solar system, endlessly orbiting their two parent suns.
Their main concem, however, had been finally settled. The constant presence of these benign cosmic rays would ensure their survival wherever they traveled, and most importantly, they would be able to continue their pursuit of truth amongst the intelligent species they hoped they would meet in their adventures.
