These are the words of Surak.

Nothing is born, nothing dies,

nothing is pure, nothing is stained,

nothing increases and nothing decreases.

The procession wound it’s way down into the warm darkness of subterranean Vulcan. The candles sputtered to life as the Mother Superior stepped past them, her steps were slow and deliberate.

These are the words of Surak.

There is no feeling, no thought, no will, no consciousness.

There are no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind.

There is nothing seen, nor heard, nor smelled, nor tasted, nor touched, nor imagined.

T’Nedara could feel herself sinking into the earth and rock, but it was a gentle sensation, as if she was returning home, and home was a safe place.

These are the words of Surak.

There is no old age and death, and no end to old age and death.

There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no end to suffering, no path to follow.

There is no attainment of wisdom, and no wisdom to attain.

The procession came to its final destination, the resting place of T’Ulla, the former Mother Superior.

These are the words of Surak.

This is truth that cannot be doubted.

Gone, gone, gone over, gone fully over.

And then awakened!

These are the words of Surak.[24]

T’Nedara reached forward and touched the stone that would hold the katra of the former Mother Superior for all eternity.

            Farewell, mentor and mother, she said in her mind, I am blessed by your guidance. Rest well, and know your memory lives on.

There was a reply.

Your gratitude is my reward. I thank you for a sublime and profound ritual. Before I depart and take my rest, I will say one thing more.

I speak his name, but his voice does not answer.

Take comfort. He is not among us.

Live long, and prosper.

T’Nedara reached out with her psionic powers and lit one extra candle, a lone one placed by the broken kitchen door.

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[24] Taken from and inspired by the Heart Sutra.