Horatio wasn’t especially lucky in his birth lottery, or at least he didn’t think so at first. There was something about being an octopus that was amazingly helpful. He had experienced the telepathic powers of the Ellithani once first hand, several dozen lifetimes ago. They were a fascinating people having evolved beside a second sentient species, the Uhanni. One of the species being exclusively in the oceans of their homeworld Woatuu, the other evolving on land. The thing about the two species evolving beside one another is that the Uhanni were a primate like creature that had overtaken vast swaths of land and communicate with one another in several dozen tribal languages, while the Ellithani evolved in the sea and developed telepathy to communicate between one another over vast distances.

It wasn’t until the G’lomin-sitiri had decided to set up a colony upon Woatuu that the two species had any chance to communicate with one another. The Uhanni had been hunting and eating the Ellithani as a delicacy and any time the Ellithani were able to take down one of the Uhanni they would happily consume them in return.

Now, here is the really fun thing about the Ellithani. They are another species that has a consciousness direct connection to the Intrinsic field. Much like the G’lomin-sitiri, the Ellithani have parts of their previous incarnations that pass on within each new life. The major difference is that the Ellithani are tied to the same biological line. Ellithani have their consciousness transferred into each preceding generation. Ellithani A that mates with Ellithani B then imprints their lifetime of experiences into the thousands of young that they both produce. The Ellithani are also hermaphrodites, each of the creatures can reproduce in both ways. Whichever does pass on the eggs will guard them until they hatch, then the parent will die.

The offspring AB Ellithani have a constant telepathic connection to the egg guarding parent, until the moment the eggs hatch. They are being imprinted with the guardian parent’s thoughts (b) making each of the young a mental clone of the guardian parent with aspects of the other parent also being imprinted to a lesser degree. When hatched, thousands of the combined lifetimes of thoughts from ABb go out into the seas. It was far beyond the instinctual repetitive thought patterns imprinting throughout the entire cluster of thousands of offspring that are the basic instincts of life.

When Horatio had full recall in this octopus body he first inhabited, he was really confused about why he went from a human man in his 40s to something as pedestrian as an animal in the sea. Years into that existence he finally understood. Octopi are brilliant, and some of them have a similar legacy as the Ellithani.

These octopoda pass on other versions of themself and the self of their mate to their offspring, not fully or even close to, like the Ellithani, but nonetheless, a fair portion. Because he was fascinated about the process, he felt lucky to have been born male again this time around. He didn’t want to die yet. He wanted to see what the full lifespan for a member of the species is, if they did not sacrifice themselves to the next generation.

The years went by and he grew larger in size, but didn’t seem to be experiencing any of the traditional negative effects of aging. His mind was still sharp, his body continued to move at the same rate, and there wasn’t much of an ache or pain within the body that one would expect. He just got bigger. He was able to explore the telepathic abilities of these creatures as he aged and traveled.

These octopi have such a strong connection to the intrinsic field, he was able to actually explore the lifetimes connected to the creatures he would telepathically probe. He attempted to see if some of his own prodigy had anything similar throughout their experience once they reached adulthood. The problem was, he could never find any of his direct descendants that were anywhere near adulthood. Even meticulous searches never led him to any of his offspring.

He eventually ran into the wrong creature and found himself caught in a large net that was too tight for him to wriggle through. It was humiliating.

Looking back, he was lucky. He could have been caught by a fisherman, he could have been caught by some asshole who just wanted to use him as bait for something bigger. Instead it was a scientist. Someone who was excited to see him, specifically.

He was first lodged with some sea biologists. They held him in a tank with a large population of his general neighbors of the sea. Within a week he had found a nook to escape the observers, and within a month he had made his first escape.

They eventually found him, three tanks over with a completely different population of animals. It had taken them three days, and that was with the aid of cameras, he was sure.

His tank had been upgraded when he was returned and it took him another three weeks to find a new hiding place once he discovered a camera within his old nook that had been placed inside to monitor him.

Horatio had to evade several new barriers and traps in order to escape the second time. It had taken him two more months to taste freedom once more. During his second jailbreak he used water to break the bulbs around his tank before he made his escape. He then lived comfortably inside the shark tank for three months and ten days. The sharks had an ample supply of discarded food for him to claim and was able to blend in with the other two octopus in the next tank from time to time, though searching each day he couldn’t find a dependable exit that wouldn’t lead to his direct demise.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The day eventually came where he was able to find a brand new opportunity to escape from a lower priority security tank.

Before making an attempt to leave via that tank, in walked this true presence of a man. His hair was gelled up into a tall tower of bright pink hair, he was wearing enough makeup to pass off as a party clown, his outfit looked like it could have been that of a carnival barker, and his glasses had massive frames with glittery costume stone clusters rimming them.

He was a human peacock, feathers out, and doing his best to fascinate any onlookers. The peacock walked the tanks as if he were walking the showroom for a new car, and the dealer should do everything they can to impress him.

The peacock walked up to Horatio’s tank and suddenly the octopus could hear a voice in his mind. “Hello my beauties, might any of you be a traveler from another world?” The voice asked. The peacock passed his tank and started gazing into the next.

Horatio crawled from his tank and began down the tall glass wall. He then started across the ground towards the peacock, the flamboyant man was walking toward another tank even further now.

“Hey buddy, how’d you get out this time?” Horatio heard from a woman behind him.

There was a netted stick thrown over his head and though he struggled, the woman who had found him had gathered him into the trap. She began walking him back to his tank when he heard, “Did you hear me little one?” Inside his mind.

“I did, I did!” Horatio thought excitedly shouting with his mind.

“Missuz, please stop,” Galt shouted.

“What?” She said, turning to find the clownish character bolting toward her. “Oh my God! You’re Alf Galt!” She finished in stunned disbelief.

“Dat I am missuz and I tell you dis now, dat creature is the very thing I need in my aquarium while I sing my musicks. I must have it. Look at this beautiful thing, it is perfect!” Galt continued taking the net from her hands.

“Uh. I don’t think you are allowed to do that,” She said, fighting against two parts of her mind that are giving her completely different courses of action. One told her to let Alf take that nasty octopus. It wasn’t anywhere near the trouble that it gives all the staff. The second told her that he can’t take aquarium property, that it was likely illegal even.

“Don’t worry my friend, you are being rescued today, this is the last day you will have to spend here,” Galt sent telepathically to Horatio.

“Misses. You don’ understands me. Dis creature must go home wit me now. I demands it,” Galt said with more than a hint of sass.

The guide finally came back to Galt and saw what was going on. “I’m sorry, is there something wrong here?” The manager asked.

“Meister Hellbat, you must allow me to takes dis amazing creature now, you cannot tink about it, there is nothing to tink about, you say YES! He is the key to the decor of my condo! I simply must have hims,” Galt said in a rush, yanking the net from the girl.

“Mr. Hambert, I was trying to tell Mr. Galt that we don’t sell our exhibits and that he cannot have the octopus,” The girl told her manager with a hint of desperation.

“Jinni, I think that we can see a way to allow Mr. Galt to take this octopus home, it really shouldn’t be all that big of a deal,” Mr. Hambert replied to her pleading eyes.

She looked shocked. This was more than irregular. “Alright sir. How would you like Alf to take this octopus home?” She asked her manager.

“I am sure we have a container around here somewhere,” Mr. Hambert continued his helpful actions and favorable words, then started walking off towards the receiving area.

“Why are you doing this?” Horatio asked of Galt telepathically.

“My little friend, you have so much more to offer this world than to plot and scheme from some cage to help enlighten humans through observation. I will give you a true chance to enrich this world in your own way, a way that will make you feel more complete and accomplished,” Galt sent to him telepathically.

“I do?” Horatio sent through the established link.

“Oh of course! You come from an amazing people, I can tell, I am from them too,” Galt responded telepathically, sending a warm feeling of family to the incarcerated creature.

Mr. Hambert briskly walked back from an office carrying a large clear container with a lid, the girl Jinni walking behind him, now carrying a disposable camera in her hands, smiling wide.

“Here you are sir, I believe that this will work to carry the animal to your car,” The manager said.

“Mr. Galt, can I please get a picture with you?” Jinni asked.

“Of course young ladys,” Galt replied while putting Horatio into the container. He hoisted the container up in one arm and took Jinni in the other, pulling her in close to smile wide, cheek to cheek and cheek to container. Horatio did his best to pose for the photo.

Keung gasped as his mind stopped reeling from the blast of memories that Horatio had bombarded him with. It took him a moment to find his bearings, but after a few seconds he once more had firm footing.

The boy took in the gift and processed the parts that Horatio was focused on sharing, a low and a high point.

“So your low point was being imprisoned in the aquarium?” Keung asked.

“Oh gods no. It was meeting the peacock!” Horatio said sarcastically.

Keung couldn’t help but laugh for a moment, though he could feel Horatio probing his mind slightly.

“What is that?” Horatio asked, and tapped the memory.

“Oh,” Keung said, feeling the memory that Horatio was referencing. The broken reality. This reality is not being anchored to the tapestry of reality itself. “Well it’s a working theory,” Keung pulled the memory back away.

“Working theory? I think that you are underestimating the evidence of this issue, if the theory holds,” Horatio replied.

“Like I said, it’s a theory,” Keung replied.

“Would you mind talking about this theory in more detail?” The octopus asks.

“There really isn’t all that much more to talk about. The reality we are currently in is broken. The humans did it, because for some reason they think there simply aren’t repercussions for their reckless behavior. Addressing it with them would be futile, because the creatures have so many corporate interests and bought politicians to sweep it all under the rug. When it comes down to it, there isn’t a chance to get their cooperation yet, so I have asked the AI in Emerald City to give a try at a solution,” Keung told his friend.

“So, we are waiting for computers to tell us how to fix a broken reality?” Horatio asked.

“They have the ways and means to actually make an impact on the issue. The humans know enough to be dangerous, but not enough to be helpful in this case,” Keung continued.

“Sounds about accurate. These AIs, are they the same people that are going to get me an encounter suit?”

“Yup.” Keung says.