Because the host isn't dead

I consider the matter… Shapechange, the Alteration Sphere, the Transformation feat from Spheres of Power: It's easy.

So after my baby girl finishes eating and goes to sleep, I try it: A simple Blank Transformation from the Alteration Sphere doesn't even interfere with any of my class features… and I'm hit with a wave of wrongness immediately. Frowning, I focus… follow the sensation in my head… and I come to a realization:

The original owner of the body is still here with me.

Dismissing the change, I consider: I have never really felt particularly ‘off’ in this body. I have known the language since I arrived, understood the sensations coming from my limbs, had good balance despite the new counterweights, and so on. I don't remember her life or any of the world's history… but it is clear, now, that I've been using a big chunk of her experiences. It seems some of her identity and comfort zone bleeds through as well… which also reminds me that I'm the beneficiary of some really poor ethical choices. How can I improve the situation…

“Ah, Dan?” Brianna interrupts my thoughts.

I shake ‘my’ head, not that anyone can tell, “Sorry, I just came to the conclusion that the people sacrificed to bring us here are still here, and got a little lost in thought on how to improve the situation of my host.”

“Umm… I don't want to die…” Charlene cringes.

“I don't plan to… there's a way to extract a personality fragment,” I take a breath,”Give me a bit…”

I start with casting Heroics on myself a few times to get a few spare feats, then Chaos Shuffle them out for: Wild Talent to get two power points; Unlocked Talent to get a single talent known; Access Psionic Talent to get five more, Practiced Manifester to increase my base manifester level to five (and have a manifester level that does not have a clause about not meeting requirements), and Psicrystal Affinity to get what I'm actually after: Psicrystal. Why? It's a fragment of my personality, split off and granted a measure of independence. So of course, I put the original owner of this body in there. Well, assuming she wasn't a **** from birth… eh, whatever. Her abilities scale off of my manifester level, which is permanently five, plus a bunch from my caster level boosting and magic/psionics transparency, netting me a permanent manifester level of 27… but I am still only treated as a Psion-5 for this. Still, it is enough that she'll be able to talk to people as long as I'm within a mile. So when I'm done casting, I have a pink crystal about the size of my hand… which can only move if I let her.

Now if I'm right… I think at her, ‘What's your name?’

‘I can see again?’ The pink crystal thinks back at me, ‘Not very far, but…’ she pauses, ‘Genevieve. I'm Genevieve. What's going on?’

‘I figured out you might still be alive-ish, and decided to see if I could pull you out.’ I consider, ‘please tell me what you remember.’

‘I was doing my duties, taking my night tea, and my master transferred me to some wizard. Annoying, needing to figure out how to please the new master, and to get myself in the new pecking order, but not the first time it's happened.’ She pauses, ‘I'm not breathing. Why aren't I breathing?’

‘You're fine, really. This is proof-of-concept stage, just enough to get you thinking and talking,’ I reassure her. ‘I intend to provide a full body once I'm confident enough that you're still in there. There's a number of limitations I won't be able to bypass, but I can give you a decent amount of freedom, at least in comparison to what you had before we figured out you're still here. Please, continue.’

‘All right…’ she considers, ‘anyway, the new guy just… didn't seem interested. He apparently purchased three other women as well. We were treated… okay? He didn't seem to WANT anything. When he took us off the night tea, tracked our moon days, we figured he was planning on breeding us… annoying, but an expected eventuality. Except he didn't… he eventually handed us over to some gangs, and we were split up, taken to a church, stripped, bound to the altar, and then nothingness for a long time.’ She pauses, ‘Am I dead?’

‘Not exactly…’ I think for a minute, ‘...they used you for the hero ritual. I was pulled out of my world and thrown into your body. You've been… suppressed… and I just recently worked out how to give you a voice. What would you like to look like when I get you a body?’

We use illusion to visualize and discuss her form, and Polymorph Any Object to grant it to her. Why? Because that particular spell grants ability scores if they're non-abilities - which means she gets to keep her ability to move when she's out of range.

“Thank you,” she tells me when we're done.

I smile, “You're welcome. Before we drop you off wherever you choose… what can you tell me about the man who bought you?”