Waiting Shapeless

Chapter 32. Orbiting Gnumus

Tyler: Human

The Oidians, Ishnook said inside of Tyler's head, inhabited the upper world of Gnumus first.

Tyler was sitting on her soiled sleeping mat while listlessly running her brush through her hair. She had asked Ishnook to just speak with her in her mind tonight so that she could brush her hair without hurting him.

"I remember learning about the Oidians." Tyler remarked. "And I believe that Heva, the species specialist on our team, mentioned them while we were walking around Gnumus."

Right, my lady. Many years passed before the Oridians discovered us, the Bovase. Their legends say we came from deep in the ground below, living inside the rocks and worms of the soil.

Tyler tilted her head. "Can you possess a rock?"

Yes, but we would get very hungry. Rocks don't give off much brain activity, as you can probably imagine. But neither do worms, so I'm not sure what to think of these legends. we didn't keep very good records as a species so our history before the Oidians is a little mysterious. Anyway my lady, I digress.

It had been two nights since Tyler had discovered Ishnook. The Pardos had basically left her to herself during this time. The only times she saw him was when he brought her food and water, and when she left the room to use the toilet.

Tyler thought that she would be bored out of her mind cooped up in the small room, but having Ishnook with her was actually incredibly interesting.

She was getting used to hearing his voice in her head, although having him rear up out of her hair still sent chills down her spine.

The Oidians and Bovase lived relatively peaceably together for many thousands of years. Continued the voice. The Bovase would serve as companions to the Oidians, and in return, the Bovase would have a comfortable residence with a bounty of intelligent thoughts and emotions. The Oidians were very intelligent beings you know.

Then there came a period of time when the Oidians no longer felt comfortable with the Bovase. Controversy and contentions began to spring up from various sources. Sometimes the Oidians would say that they wanted to be free with their emotions and thoughts. They would say it wasn't right for another being to have access to their thoughts. Some went as far as to believe that having a Bovase was deadly, and that Bovase had secret intentions of malicious origins.

But the Bovase were no better. Many diverse groups appeared with beliefs that the Bovase should be the master, not the servant. Some secret groups claimed to have discovered a way to actually control the host Oidian and have complete dominion over it.

This was a dreadful time of our history. Soon enough, both species began to fear the other. Nobody trusted each other. The Bovase slowly stopped making intimate connections with the Oidians they served, and the Oidians stopped seeking out a serving Bovase. Out of fear and hunger, the Bovase began to latch on to a hosting Oidian in secret, never revealing his or her presence if possible. Many of the Oidians taught themselves to emanate no emotions, and some of them even learned how to stop thinking altogether.

That's when the First War started.

It was the Bovase that started it. And it was more of a Civil war between the Bovase that by default drew in the Oidians. The war was between two Bovase factions: the Lil and the Poa. The Poa said the Bovase should be masters and the Oidians the slaves, and the Lil said the Bovase was meant to be the servant and the Oidian the master.

The war was fought with Bovase leading host Oidians into the battle like a Human soldier riding it's horse into an army, like your wars on Earth of course.