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Abstract

="055c">‘’When you meet someone, I want you to put aside labels and names and look for their inner essence.’’‘’Fine. There isn’t some kind of scanner that does the same thing?’’Brimstone never knew when she was joking. The easiest strategy, he’d found was to pretend that she wasn’t amusing herself at his expense. ‘’No, Hercula. There’s no scanner.’’‘’Just checking. But I’ve got to be honest with you, Brimstone, I’m not sure I believe in the inner essence.’’‘’You told me that you sometimes experienced it when you were fighting.’’‘’Yes, I guess, that’s the closest I come to it. Is that wrong?’’‘’Not at all,’’ said Brimstone. ‘’There’s a long tradition of the spiritual martial arts: tai chi, qigong, fighting skills that channel chi which is the essence of everything.’’‘’And in bare-knuckle fighting,’’ agreed Hercula.‘’Really?’’‘’Oh yes,’’ said Hercula.‘’That’s a new one on me,’’ said Brimstone. ‘But energy is everywhere, crossing the universe through every inanimate object, cell, atom. And of course in our bodies as well. Certain movements channel chi through the ene

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rgy centres of the body. A warrior like you may well have discovered it without formal training.’’‘’In bare knuckle fighting?’’ asked Hercula with a grin. “I distinctly remember feeling a tingle when I was giving Gorgeous Gary a walloping.” She grinned again.Brimstone ignored her. He wanted to keep this conversation in the higher realms. Not always an easy task with Hercula. ‘’It’s possible. When you fight, you’re in the moment, in flow, and therefore able to access your higher self. And perhaps the awareness of your body helps to silence the voice in your head.’’‘’Which I don’t have that.’’‘’Yes. Sorry, I forgot that you don’t have it. Well, that should make it so much easier for you.’’ Although within the caverns of his moon-sized brain, Brimstone knew that nothing would ever come easy for Hercula. Not anymore.<h2 id="0037">This is a novel in instalments, find the first instalment here. And the next instalment is here.</h2><a href="https://deborahwalker-90363.medium.com/list/hercula-and-the-golden-hyrdra-a-space-opera-in-chapters-1aa49e4a51c4">Follow this list to be notified every time a new Hercula Chapter is published.</a></article></body>

A SERIAL SPACE OPERA ADVENTURE

Hercula and the Golden Hydra Part 8: A Science Fiction Short Story

Who Nicked My Inner Essense?

Welcome to the tales of Hercula, a future renegade soldier.

Times have changed. The galaxies are run by seven massive Artificial Intelligences, who like to be thought of as gods.

Following a devastating tragedy, guided by the Artificial Intelligence, Brimstone, the renegade, Hercula has reluctantly agreed to take on ten tasks for FreezyWater, the unsavoury owner of Cellophane Station. Following her recent triumph with the Terracotta Dragon, Hercula will next face the Golden Hydra, a creature bringing ‘solace’ to the elderly on a distant world.

This is a novel in instalments, find the first instalment here. And the next instalment is here.

‘’There’s much work to do on the ego, Hercula.’’

‘’I suppose so,” she said reluctantly. “So, what do you want me to do?’’

‘’When you meet someone, I want you to put aside labels and names and look for their inner essence.’’

‘’Fine. There isn’t some kind of scanner that does the same thing?’’

Brimstone never knew when she was joking. The easiest strategy, he’d found was to pretend that she wasn’t amusing herself at his expense. ‘’No, Hercula. There’s no scanner.’’

‘’Just checking. But I’ve got to be honest with you, Brimstone, I’m not sure I believe in the inner essence.’’

‘’You told me that you sometimes experienced it when you were fighting.’’

‘’Yes, I guess, that’s the closest I come to it. Is that wrong?’’

‘’Not at all,’’ said Brimstone. ‘’There’s a long tradition of the spiritual martial arts: tai chi, qigong, fighting skills that channel chi which is the essence of everything.’’

‘’And in bare-knuckle fighting,’’ agreed Hercula.

‘’Really?’’

‘’Oh yes,’’ said Hercula.

‘’That’s a new one on me,’’ said Brimstone. ‘But energy is everywhere, crossing the universe through every inanimate object, cell, atom. And of course in our bodies as well. Certain movements channel chi through the energy centres of the body. A warrior like you may well have discovered it without formal training.’’

‘’In bare knuckle fighting?’’ asked Hercula with a grin. “I distinctly remember feeling a tingle when I was giving Gorgeous Gary a walloping.” She grinned again.

Brimstone ignored her. He wanted to keep this conversation in the higher realms. Not always an easy task with Hercula. ‘’It’s possible. When you fight, you’re in the moment, in flow, and therefore able to access your higher self. And perhaps the awareness of your body helps to silence the voice in your head.’’

‘’Which I don’t have that.’’

‘’Yes. Sorry, I forgot that you don’t have it. Well, that should make it so much easier for you.’’ Although within the caverns of his moon-sized brain, Brimstone knew that nothing would ever come easy for Hercula. Not anymore.

This is a novel in instalments, find the first instalment here. And the next instalment is here.

Follow this list to be notified every time a new Hercula Chapter is published.