MENTAL ESSENCE
PAGE 6

    "What would you like us to call you.  Where did you come from?" asked Hiret.
    "I do not have a name.  I do not know where I come from.  I do not remember having come from anywhere.  According to this equipment, I am an electromagnetic phenomenon of some sort.  I am going to withdraw from all of the equipment that I am interfering with.  I will remain bonded to this device so that we can continue communicating.  If I become an encumbrance, I will vacate at your demand," the mental essence stated.
    "We will not ask you to leave.  In fact, we will do whatever it takes to accommodate you.  You have access to the data we have accumulated to date in regards to your arrival.  You will come to understand that we enjoy and go to great lengths to find new things, and that we seek answers to all questions.  Exploring the universe is what keeps us going.  We would atrophy and die as a species if there were no more questions to ask.  We need challenges to our curiosity," said Haret.
    "We should begin with finding out more about me," said the mental essence.
    "So, what do you know about yourself?" asked Mrs. Dennen.
    "I am apparently comprised of electromagnetic energy of some sort.  I have been part of hundreds of galaxies.  Most of those galaxies have formed, degenerated then reformed into other formations.  I made contact with a life form in such a way as to see with its eyes, and at the same time sense what it was seeing because I was bonded to it just as I was bonded to what it and I was looking at.  If that makes any sense.  In short, being electromagnetic I become part of everything I come into contact with.  Until now I had no way to communicate.  I could only sense being in new places as I traveled along at the speed of light.  I am guessing by the data from the computers that I must be hundreds of billions of years old.  It would take at least that long for those galaxies to form and break down.  I assume it is possible that I am having a conversation like this one with someone else hundreds of billions of light years from here in the opposite direction in as much as I am expanding in all directions.  Do these things make sense?" asked the mental essence.
    "Fascinating, and yes.  How many beings like you are there?" asked Mrs. Denne.
    "I have never met another phenomenon like me.  I do not know how I came to be.  There are millions of beings trying to contact me.  How can I respond to all of those who want to talk to me?" asked the mental essence.
    "We can transmit our interactions over the link, but talking to millions of individuals would take a long time and be vary repetitive." said Mrs. Dennen.
    "We should give you a name.  What would you like to be called?" asked Hiret.
    " I do not know.  Let me check the database of names.  Stop." said the mental essence in an elevated voice.
    Hiret and Mrs. Dennen both froze.
    "I can see through your eyes. I can ear what you hear.  I have bonded with your body," declared the mental essence.
    "Which of us did you bond with?" asked Hiret.
    "Mrs. Dennen.  I think you look lovely today." said the mental essence.
    "This is oddly amusing.  I don't feel your presence," Hiret said.
    "No sensation of any kind?" asked Mrs. Dennen.
    "None.  None what so ever," replied Hiret.
    "I can't feel anxiety, temperature, or happiness.  I guess there is a difference in physical interaction with various sensory tissues. On the other topic, I bonded to you when you got close to the console because I am concentrated around it.  That answers some questions, it is my concentration level.  To bond with an organic I need to be at a high enough density," said the mental essence.
    "Can you bond with more than one being at a time?" asked Mrs. Dennen.
    "I don't know.  Both of you step closer to the comm," suggested the mental essence. 
    Hiret and Mrs. Dennen stepped closer to the comm.
    "Yes, I can.  In fact, I am bonding with a great many beings from all around.  It's as though there are a large number of me.  I am thinking with several different minds at the same time.  Until now I had not thought of it this way.  Another thing.  I am now getting thoughts from other regions not part of your domain.  My awareness is spread over a vast area.  It seems to take a long time for my awareness to catch up with itself.  I guess a way to think of the process is that thoughts, or whatever I am sensing, can only travel at the speed of light, and when your spread out over billions of light years it takes just that long for thoughts to catch up.  Is this making sense?" asked the mental essence.
    "Yes, it does," said Mrs. Dennen.
    "We still need to find you a name," said Hiret.
    "I have scanned several references, and I think Trent sounds right.  What do you think?" asked the mental essence.