Symbiotic Relationships

My experiments in Fortunato's body were largely successful. I had surreptitiously introduced several small advances, but all of them had been immediately confiscated by the military for their own purposes. I needed to make sure this didn't happen; at the very least, my next host would need unfettered access to the technological advances I had achieved.

My time in this host was drawing to a close. My next host, Trips, emerged into adolescence and I again felt the pull of the symbiotes.

 But something was wrong. I felt the pull, but it was weakened. I couldn't transfer my consciousness. My current host still had too strong a hold - or perhaps it was the symbiotes themselves were weakened, in the unfamiliar only part-Takisian host body. I ran a few experiments, and I was able to chart the strength of the parasites in my current host; they would weaken with age. My control over Trips was partial - rudimentary at best - but perhaps I could find something to strengthen that control. In any case, I had much work still to do, and it was becoming increasingly clear to me that the military would need to be deceived as to its nature.

While Shantell worked hard at her job learning new, safe recipes, my distraction with my own problems led me to help her perhaps less than I might have. Before long I noticed she had become absent minded and difficult to motivate.

But in order for our new foodstuffs to be widely accepted she would need to become a household name. The humans would need to think of her as some sort of Celebrity Chef. I only hoped she could concentrate hard enough to achieve this in her current state; her deterioration appeared to be accelerating and I knew from Sophie's example that it was, at least at present, irreversible. Fortunately she was able to easily pass all the military physicals, so being permitted to continue to work was never in doubt.

I fear the partial control I have over Trips has led to dangerous attention.

This female of the race that I dare not speak of was found loitering around our bunker. Trips foolishly engaged the woman in conversation. While he slept, I examined his government issued communication device; as I had suspected, it had been upgraded with FTL relays to contact this "Epokap". Fortunately the power consumption of these relays was considerable; I doubt he'd be able to use it very often with the current power quotas - maybe twice a week, at best. Unfortunately my efforts to channel these to my own ends have had to be abandoned; there are numerous fail safe circuits to render the item tamper proof. I dare not simply destroy it lest I find some other means of using the technology later, but I fear that Trips will establish a dialogue or even a relationship with this female. While access to their technological secrets would be a prize almost beyond words, is it a risk we dare take? I must hope that I am able to jump soon, or Trips may progress too far for me to avert disaster.