Von Squidgie was rapt with attention about the dangers that miss Aleph, Miss Omega and Miss Quarti were discussing. Ship Mistress Pylo had adopted a most confusing but what on reflection Squidgie thought was sensible approach.

The anti-thought was a good idea shape to adopt if attention and engagement type things were dangerous and liable to feed these leeches.

Von Squidgie caught the traitorous idea and promptly unthought the identifier pointer. There was no evidence yet discussed by the Mistresses that Clerks were possible vectors but it was better safe than sorry. In fact Von Squidgie was going to go do their duty for their mistress now that things were starting to settle to spread the anti-thought to the others so that they do not accidentally feed the unthinkables.

As was to be expected it was not noticed by the mistresses that it had left. This had been a skill that Von Squidgie had honed early on after realizing the utility of it in service to Mistress Aleph.Now though the journey of Von Squidgie was quite the ordeal!

For although it once could move by heaving and pushing off of walls and corridors in order to sail serenely across for little effort, now it had to gallumpf and roll across one surface in particular. Von Squidgie was dutiful though and strained and strived to make good time, it had watched the few motiles that still traversed the halls to learn their ways. Scrunching and flopping about in looping arcs.

However the young clerk was still not quite so graceful and had muscles that burned in protest to not be allowed to finish digesting under the strain the moves demanded.

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Where as the motiles looped and flipped seemingly effortlessly along, Von Squidgie was constantly flopping and landing with much more of their body then they aimed too.

As they moved along the corridors there were many fluttering flashes of light and visions of injured or fecund clerks around it. But it did not heed these things, they were of un-thoughts and not to be considered.

Then the unthinkables had begun to make a play at it as it worked to cross the corridors.

It was as far as Squidgie was concerned not even all that troublesome. Visions of its own body being torn apart and spilling viscera out into the void? That was nothing compared to the terror of losing their position with Mistress Aleph.

Other clerks distorted, bred heavily so that their bodies were full of eggs? Or some times with larval forms reminiscent of Ship Mistress Pylo?

Fungal infections? Blind slabs of meat? Punctures? Many of these things were hardly even notable even without the gently soothing de-perception that followed thanks to the association of the anti-thought being invoked.

There were many adult clerks who were in more extreme stages of degradation and modification. Von Squidgie was unsure if they wished to age and mature precisely along the same lines as their parents had, it seemed like it was not the correct avenue for service to Mistress Aleph and the tasks she had shown them.

But it was hardly a thing to draw any real reaction from the Clerk.

Given a few longer corridors the flashes of light in approximation of Clerks in various arrangements and variety ceased and were replaced with flickering missives of its Mistress in pain and need.

Pleading terror, wavering calls for help. Demands to arrive immediately lest Von Squidgie be dispersed from their service to her.

Directions to go one place or another. They arrived in weaving layers and a churning sound. Fluttering over them and here at last there was a hint of something that probably would have grasped and grappled Von Squidgie’s attention. Possibly given the unthinkable things a succor to savor.

But Mistress Pylo had given them armour against this and the protection of the anti-thought.

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Von Squidgie did not acknowledge the missives for it was also certainly an un-thought to do so.

And in time those pleas and cries over the long light and communication networks faded away. Emptying out and giving up.

They reached the cargo hold of their fellow Clerks and quickly called a for an assembly. Von Squidgie took up the rights given them by Mistress Aleph offering foodstuff credit from the terran garden as trade for courier and attention services from the other Clerks, both mobile young gofers like themself and the old stationary adults in their cans.

It was not a lot but it was what Von Squidgie had earned in service to Mistress Aleph and had been promised them by her. However such exotic things were as riches for those around them who only lived upon the rations distributed by ▙◀.

Enough of a temptation to get the secret and the message of the anti-thought into the population.

Von Squidgie was very careful to share only the meaning of the anti-thought that Ship Mistress Pylo had imparted upon them. The careful stop-stall anti-meanings which cleanly could concisely censor and unmake association and relation to the dangerous contagion.

The fellow clerks took up the information payload and then after consideration of the unthinkable nulls and the potential danger that could mean to require such a measure quickly began to spread and trade the anti-thought Pylo had made for them amongst the rest that Von Squidgie could not afford to draw in.

Von Squidgie was pleased. The anti-thought measure would spread and take root across the clerk population readily and would deny the unthinkables a potential vector of purchase and sustenance.

Now what would they do?

Hum! Might as well return to their mistress’ home and make sure that the maintenance on the farming stacks was going properly. Some of the plants had not taken well to the acceleration and needed pruning to compensate for having grown a bit too loosely.

There was some more flickering lights and silly unthought actions. But Von Squidgie did not let them grip them. They were nothing of consequence, not even something to ignore. The anti-thought simply undid them as they were perceived and memory provided a helpful none-entity mark to allow further action.

With that settled Von Squidgie was proud of themself.

Surely there was no other possible hosts for the contagion left within the ship?

The climb back to the mistress’ alcove was just as grueling and exhausting as the trip back, in fact it was a bit more so as there were several places where Squidgie had to work harder against the pull of the acceleration. But they strived and clung to the surfaces and protrusions as best they could manage.

They could feel a blood burning of oxygen overly tied up. The pain of it was familiar and the exertion stung. But Von Squidgie had listened to ▙◀ and knew that this pain would keep them fit and mobile. The burn meant their body’s natural progression was being stalled.

At last Von Squidgie arrived in the alcove of their terran mistresses and drank the rich oxygen and nitrogen heavily through their many pores. Blood almost fizzing with the exchange of gasses. Truly Aleph and her peers were rich and gracious mistresses to offer such succor for nothing. It inspired Von Squidgie all the more to serve them well.

After Recovering they gladly began working over the farming stacks. Pruning a few leaves and stems that had gone limp from the strain of acceleration.

“Oh! There you are Squidgie! Where did you go off too?”

“Oh Aleph! I was just slipping off to run an errand. Nothing to concern you! I wanted to prune a few of the tomatoes, I don’t think they are taking well to the pull”

Mistress Aleph did not appreciate being given her title in speech, Von Squidgie could serve that way fine.

But they knew she was their First among Mistresses.