Mae Albert

History (12) · last changed 08 August 2026, 18:34

Mae Albert Born Year 301 Spouse Rad Albert Species Homo Sapiens (Cavernous Adaptation / Hematic Variant) First appearance Glass House chapter 6

Mae Albert (born 301) is a figure of the C9 universe, recorded as homo sapiens (cavernous adaptation / hematic variant), one of the young people who formed the House of Confidence on Aerogaea 347n. She came out of the red desert and subterranean systems.

Mae is recorded for echolocation (sonar navigation). Her skin is photosensitive dermis. Pale. Sensitive to harsh UV light (hence the cloak and the caves), but highly resistant to damp and cold underground climates. Her metabolism can switch fuel sources. In critical states, consuming or manipulating blood triggers an adrenal and strength spike. Pointy. Not cosmetic — they act as parabolic dishes, twitching independently to triangulate the source of a noise.

The record follows her across 3 periods of life, from year 330 onward. In the last of them she is recorded as shelter keeper.

Mae appears in 6 of the 19 chapters written so far, beginning with Glass House chapter 6^[1].

Early life

Mae Albert was born in year 301. She was 29 years old in 330, the year the Klak Grove was destroyed. She is wife of Rad Albert. The records give her origin as the red desert / subterranean systems. Her development is recorded as symbiotic pairing (reliance on ian/family for physical protection while she provides navigation). Her standing at this time was savior of the lost / pilot of ian. Physically, mysterious, hidden under her cloak. Her voice is "silvery" and calm. She is the lifeline for Chrys and Marcus in the dark. What defines her in this period is ian (the bovirlia). The record notes a bond of absolute trust. Ian is an underground bovirlia — enormous, bioluminescent, native to the cave systems beneath the plateau. He hovers on his four round inflators, his thorax holes cycling in a slow rhythm. Mae rides on the broad flat of his back, navigating, while his glow provides the only light. She treats him like a beloved partner.

Tactical support (336–349)

Her standing at this time was tactical support / wife of Rad albert. Physically, she becomes more combat-active. Her "Blood Empowerment" is used more frequently to protect the House of Confidence during the raids. What defines her in this period is sam albert. Sam is Rad's niece — her parent is Rad's sibling. Mae is her aunt by marriage. She is eleven years younger than Rad. Mae likely serves as a steadying presence for her, and they share the Albert genetic markers (fangs, the tendency toward ferocity under pressure).

Later years (350 onward)

Her standing at this time was shelter keeper / archive guard. Physically, her silver hair is now white. She rarely leaves the deep caves, preferring the silence. Her hearing is so acute she can hear visitors arriving from miles away. What defines her in this period is teaching them how to see without eyes.

Abilities

The mechanism on record is echolocation (sonar navigation).

The record notes underground Bovirlia. Bioluminescent — blue-green glow from within the inflators, dim but reliable in total darkness. Enormous — wider than three people shoulder to shoulder. Mae rides on his back, navigating by echolocation. Ian responds to her shifts in weight and her clicks. He does not act independently in combat but will move away from threats she signals. The effect answers to sound generation. She cannot "see" in total silence. She needs a "Ping" (often generated by Ian or a footstep) to map the room. The cost of it is sensory overload & silence blindness. Loud, chaotic environments (explosions/cities) blind her. She cannot filter the echoes, resulting in vertigo. In a sound-dampened room, she is effectively blind.

Novice

The record notes passive Listening. She can hear things approaching. Needs a loud noise to map a room.

Mastery

The record notes active Ping. She uses Ian (or her own voice/tech) to send pulses that reveal "Travelers several kilometers ahead." She can detect invisible enemies (like the shifting insect) by their density/heartbeat.

Decline/Shift

As her hearing fades with age, she leans into the Blood Empowerment to sustain her vitality and combat ability.

Character

Mae does not experience time as others do

standard / synesthetic. She processes sound speed (343 m/s) as spatial data. She sees the delay between a ping and its echo, constructing a 3D wireframe of the world in total darkness. Audio. Her ears are constantly filtering background noise (wind, heartbeat) to isolate specific frequencies (footsteps, breathing). Topographical. She connects sound to geography. A hollow echo means cavern ahead; a dull thud means quicksand.

Early in life she held to a lie about herself: "I am safer in the dark where no one can see me.". Later she came to hold the opposite: "The dark is not a cage; it is a canvas. And I hold the brush." As a young woman, her voice was whisper-quiet, silvery, melodic. "Stay close, the walls are hungry." In her prime it became professional, curt, tactical. "Ping at 300 meters. The record notes prepare for contact.". In old age it turned raspy, affectionate (to Ian), full of secrets.

Family

She is married to Rad Albert.

Appearances

Mae is present in 6 of the 19 chapters written so far.

Glass House chapter 6^[1]
Glass House chapter 8 — Mae's body went still, which was its own kind of warning — Mae being still was its own warning.^[2]
Glass House chapter 9^[3]
Glass House chapter 10 — Above him Sam was already at the crown, reaching down for Mae's hand.^[4]
Glass House chapter 12 — Four hundred kilometers south, Rad Albert found Chrys's temperature professionally unacceptable.^[5]
Glass House chapter 17^[6]