Page 51 of Alien Healer's Touch

"Now we need to incorporate your human medical knowledge," I told Selene. "Show it we represent two healing traditions unified."

Selene nodded, then recited what I recognized as a human medical oath, her hands demonstrating surgical techniques that flowed seamlessly from my Nyxari movements. Our markings brightened, the integration signature manifesting as a visible aura around us.

The guardian's sensors focused on this phenomenon, its core slowly stabilizing to a steady, though still fractured-looking, amber pulse.

"Vayath'uran," it finally acknowledged, the word clearer this time. "Healers recognized." Relief flooded through me. "It accepts us."

"Partial access granted," the automaton intoned in ancient Nyxari. A door slid open behind it, revealing a corridor bathed in flickering emergency lighting. "Facility compromised. Time limited."

"That doesn't sound good," Selene observed.

"No, it doesn't." I approached the guardian cautiously. "What has happened to the facility?"

"Core destabilization. Forty-seven percent systems failure. Environmental barriers breached. Flooding imminent."

A distant rumble shook the chamber, dislodging dust from the ceiling. "We need to move quickly," I told Selene. "The guardian's still unstable, but it's giving us access."

As if confirming my assessment, the automaton twitched violently, its damaged arm sending sparks across the floor. "Warning," it said, voice fluctuating. "Intruders. Warning. Healers. Warning. Protocol conflict."

"Let's not wait for it to resolve that conflict," Selene suggested, already moving toward the open doorway. I followed close behind, keeping one eye on the guardian as we entered the corridor. It made no move to stop us, but its sensors tracked our movement with predatory focus, its core still pulsing an unstable amber.

The corridor led to a control center, consoles flickering with diminishing power. Ancient Nyxari glyphs scrolled across screens, warning of system failures throughout the facility. Another tremor, stronger this time, shook the structure. A crack appeared in one wall, water seeping through.

"We need to stabilize the power core," I said, examining the nearest console. "Otherwise, we'll never access the information databanks."

Selene moved to another terminal. "These configurations look similar to some of the Seraphyne's backup systems. See these energy distribution matrices?"

I studied the patterns on her screen. "Yes, they follow the sacred geometry taught to Nyxari energy adepts."

"On our ship, we'd reroute auxiliary power to maintain critical systems." She pointed to a sequence of glyphs. "Could these represent power conduits?"

I stared at the symbols with new understanding. "Yes! These are the ancient symbols for energy flow. If we redirect power from non-essential areas..."

"We might buy enough time to access the databanks," she finished.

Working together, we began routing power away from abandoned sections toward the core systems. My knowledge of Nyxari energy patterns guided our decisions on which systems to sacrifice, while Selene's expertise with complex technology navigated the unfamiliar interface.

A section of ceiling collapsed behind us, water pouring through. "Hurry," I urged, fingers dancing across the ancient controls.

"Almost there," Selene muttered. "Just need to balance the load distribution or we'll overload the remaining circuits." The facility groaned around us, metal stressed beyond its limits. Water now covered the floor, rising steadily.

"There!" Selene exclaimed as the consoles brightened, power flowing more steadily. "Core stabilized at thirty-eight percent capacity."

"It will have to be enough." I moved to the central terminal. "Let's access the historical databanks while we can."

The screen before us flickered to life, displaying ancient records in Nyxari script. I began translating for Selene, but she interrupted me.

"I... I can read it," she said, astonishment in her voice. "It's as clear as my own language now."

I stared at her. "The neural integration is progressing faster than I thought. Your markings are adapting to Nyxari knowledge structures."

She leaned forward, scanning the text with increasing speed. "These records... they're about the origin of the markings. Kavan, look at this." The screen showed detailed diagrams of early marking patterns, alongside images of beings unlike any I'd ever seen—neither Nyxari nor human. An unfamiliar term was used for them, something archaic. "It says... it says the markings didn't originate with the Nyxari," Selene read slowly, sounding bewildered. "That they were interfaces created by... this other, ancient species? To bridge communication?"

I stared at the images, the unfamiliar beings depicted alongside patterns that resonated deep within my own lifelines. "That contradicts millennia of our history," I said, the words feeling heavy, wrong. "Our oldest texts speak of the markings as gifts from our ancestors, symbols purely of Nyxari healing and knowledge." My mind struggled to reconcile the data on the screen with generations of accepted truth. "Can this record be trusted? It implies... our understanding is incomplete."

"According to this, the markswerecreated as communication interfaces," Selene continued, tapping the screen. "To share complex knowledge between physiologically different peoples... bypassing spoken language."

I scrolled through more records, my worldview shifting with each revelation. "Direct knowledge transfer... facilitated by the markings."

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